Netflix’s Spanish rom-com series, The Lady’s Companion, is exactly what the title suggests—a show centered around the life of a lady’s companion, Elena Bianda, and the many conflicts that she faced at her job. Set in 1880s Madrid, Elena thought her job was both liberating and limiting. On one hand, she was financially independent, yet according to the guidebook chaperones were advised to follow, they were forbidden from romantic pursuits. The contradictions made her life interesting and things got all the more exciting when she was hired to become the lady’s companion of Pedro Mencia’s three daughters, Cristina, Sara, and Carlota.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Cristina decide to marry Santiago?
As a chaperone, one of the most challenging aspects of Elena’s job was that the moment her client got married, she was out of work. When she learned about the death of Pedro Mencia’s wife, she immediately knew that she would not have to search for work for a few years if she became the lady’s companion for the Mencia girls. After a brief interview, Elena was appointed to cater to the needs of the three sisters. Cristina, the oldest, had reached marriageable age, but she struggled to overcome her grief over her mother’s demise. Elena encouraged her to live for the sake of her mother, who would not appreciate seeing Cristina withdraw from her social life to spend all her days locked in her room. The girls were impressed by Elena’s intelligence and her genuine interest in helping them. To Elena’s delight, Cristina agreed to attend a soiree with her suitor, Eduardo Espinosa de Monier.
While Elena kept an eye on Cristina, her sister, Sara, was apparently missing. Elena later discovered that Sara often secretly met her family doctor to get helpful notes from him to clear her medical entrance exam. The only problem was, Don Pedro had no idea about his daughter’s interest in pursuing higher education. Elena promised to keep it a secret, and if Sara managed to clear the exam, she agreed to discuss the matter with her father. Elena trusted Cristina and assumed she would not make a hasty decision if she left her for a few minutes to find Sara, but as it turned out, she could not have been more wrong. Elena caught Cristina and Eduardo making passionate love in a carriage. Later, Cristina discovered that she was pregnant. Cristina had assumed everything would fall into place if Eduardo proposed to her, but unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way she’d wished. Eduardo wrote her a letter stating that she didn’t intend on marrying her and that he was moving to Paris. Cristina was heartbroken; she was with a child, and her father didn’t know about it. She was afraid that she would bring shame to her family if the news got out, but thankfully she had a chaperone who had her best interests at heart. Elena decided that finding Cristina a suitor was the only solution to their problem. Even though they would have to be dishonest about Cristina’s baby, Elena thought they didn’t have a choice.
After trying to set her up with other potential candidates, Cristina realized that maybe it was best if she courted her father’s godson and her best friend, Santiago. She could trust him, and she was comfortable around him. Cristina was convinced that he had all the qualities she had been searching for. Santiago had been obsessed with Cristina, but when he’d discovered that she loved Eduardo, he had somehow convinced his heart to give up, and just when he thought he’d moved on, Cristina started showing interest in him. The only problem was, Santiago was in love with someone else, and that happened to be Elena. The two had a striking chemistry from the get-go, and he’d taken a serious interest in her when he discovered her vast knowledge when it came to literature. As a writer, he felt she was someone he could have endless discussions with. Elena too was entranced by Santiago, but she prioritized her job over her feelings, and she chose to distance herself from him.
Whom did Cristina marry in the end?
Cristina tried to ignite passion between her and Santiago, but there was clearly an awkwardness between them. Meanwhile, Eduardo had been trying to make contact with Cristina. After moving to Paris, he’d come to realize that Cristina was the love of his life. His mother had arranged his marriage with the Parisian duchess to cement their business partnership, but Eduardo refused to be manipulated by his mother, and he decided to walk away from his family and settle down with Cristina. Don Pedro was furious when Eduardo showed up at his place unannounced. He was glad that Cristina had chosen Santiago, and he wanted Eduardo to stay away from his daughter. But Eduardo didn’t give up, and patiently waited to marry Cristina. When Elena found out about it, she thought Cristina must rationally consider her options instead of giving in to her ego. A part of her probably wanted Cristina and Eduardo’s relationship to work out because she fancied Santiago, and she could clearly see that the couple lacked the spark. Elena and Sara together decided to lay a trap and force Cristina to hear out Eduardo one last time. They locked the two of them in a room, and when Eduardo kissed Cristina, she felt the butterflies in her stomach, and she immediately knew she’d been lying to herself all this long.
Cristina chose Eduardo over Santiago in the final episode, and when she explained herself to Santiago, she was surprised to discover that he felt the same way. Don Pedro was initially not happy with Cristina’s decision, but he eventually agreed to support her. He wondered if he’d failed as a father since Cristina had chosen not to confide in him about her pregnancy, but Cristina strongly believed that Pedro had been an immense support in their lives. He’d taught them to be resilient and do what their hearts desired even if society snarked at it.
Why did Elena lose her job?
Cristina trusted Elena with all her heart, and she felt betrayed when she discovered that Elena had chosen to lie to her about her mother. Elena’s mother, Mrs. De Savvedra, had recently contacted Don Pedro to discuss business with him. Elena didn’t want anyone to find out about her past, so she preferred keeping a distance from her mother. Elena was born into an affluent family, but she was a rebel. All of her chaperones had given up on her, and she eventually ran away from home with Marquis Gabriel to live her life to the fullest. She was young and in love, and she’d assumed she would eventually figure out what she wanted from her life. When Elena discovered that she was pregnant, she assumed it would impact her relationship with Gabriel. She didn’t wish to burden him with responsibilities, so she left. She went home, hoping to be comforted by her mother, but instead she’d slammed the door on Elena’s face. Antonio Bianda, her former betrothed, and his wife took pity on her and helped her start her life afresh.
Elena chose to become a chaperone because she knew how to handle the most difficult of cases, and she enjoyed the financial freedom that came with it. When Elena mistakenly referred to Mrs. De Savvendra as her mother in front of Cristina, her truth was out, and she didn’t know how to handle it. Cristina was offended, and she discussed the matter with Sara, who didn’t think it was that big of a crime. But later, when Cristina compelled her to search Elena’s room to find out what else she was hiding from them, they discovered her diary, where she had detailed the personality traits of the three sisters. Sara and Cristina were deeply offended. When they confronted Elena, she didn’t know how to defend herself.
During The Lady’s Companion’s ending, Elena had assumed that the girls would eventually forgive her, but things took a turn for the worse when Cristina discovered the manuscript Santiago had been working on. It was titled ‘The Lady’s Companion,’ and his admiration and love for Elena were evident from the writing. Cristina felt betrayed; she’d always known there was ‘the other one’ in Santiago’s life, but she didn’t expect Elena to keep such a secret from her. Elena had toyed with her emotions, and Cristina refused to allow her to interfere with the lives of her sisters like she did with her. So, she decided to replace Elena, and she was out of a job way sooner than she’d anticipated.
Did Elena and Santiago reunite?
Santiago admired Elena for her wit and her beauty. From the very first time that they’d met, there was a spark between the two. Elena chose to hide her emotions, because as a chaperone she couldn’t afford to fall in love. She had to always prioritize the well-being of her client, so when Cristina decided to court Santiago, she decided to be supportive of her. Santiago was not afraid of professing his feelings for Elena, and he gathered up his courage to kiss her and was pleasantly surprised when Elena kissed him back. But Elena refused to give in to her emotions, and she pretended as if the kiss never really happened. Santiago considered marrying Cristina because he didn’t know how to say no to his godfather. The man had always been there for him, and he could not imagine disappointing him. But Santiago eventually realized that he could not fool himself into loving Cristina. He tried his best, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Elena. She’d captured his heart, and there was no denying it.
In The Lady’s Companion’s ending, when Cristina mentioned the manuscript Santiago had left behind in her room and how it described his love for Elena, Elena realized that she’d made a terrible mistake and she’d have to be honest about her feelings to Santiago. Elena had run away from love in the past, but by then she’d come to realize how rare it was to find someone to connect with romantically. Elena was devastated to see Santiago leave, and she chased his carriage, but unfortunately she couldn’t catch up to it. The carriage left, and Elena’s dream of settling down with the man she loved was left unfulfilled.
What To Expect in Season 2?
The Lady’s Companion ends with a “to be continued” warning, so it’s pretty evident that the show intends to return to our screens with a second season. So, what can we expect in the upcoming season? Well, for starters, we will find out if Elena managed to convince Don Pedro to give her her job back. It’s going to be challenging, especially after she’d disappointed Cristina and Sara. But at the same time, maybe after spending time with their new chaperone, Alicia, Sara and Carlota might beg their father to bring back Elena. They’d developed a friendship with Elena, and they could share all their quirks with her because she was understanding, and she didn’t judge. The same might not be possible with Alicia. There is still a good chance that Elena will get her job back, but what about love? Well, Santiago will hopefully return soon, though the lovers’ tango will probably continue. Santiago might pretend to have moved on, but it’s a rom-com at the end of the day, and the chances of Santiago and Elena ending up together are pretty high.
Since Cristina married Eduardo, we can expect the next season to focus on Sara and Camilo Keita’s relationship. Camilo might come with his own set of complications, and Elena will have to be the one to advise Sara on her relationship. In this season, we also witnessed Josefina and Esther’s relationship bloom, and surprisingly Esther’s suitor, Mr. Monsalve, claimed to be ‘open-minded’ and suggested that Josefina stay at his place as a housekeeper after his marriage to Esther. He wanted Josefina and Esther to continue their romance in secrecy, but will the couple have to pay a price for it? Did Mr. Monsalve actually want what was best for Esther and Josefina, or does he have any other intention? Maybe they’ll be introduced to like-minded people, but will Josefina manage to keep up with the change? There’s a lot that is left to unfold in season two, and hopefully Netflix will greenlight the show.
