The Indoor Arm
Episode 8 of Little America season 2 begins with us introduced to El Salvadorian Ciela, who has a sister called Marianna currently living and working in the US. Marianne picks up Ciela from the local diner, where she’s given quite the culture shock. Together, they head up to Bel-Air, right in the heart of the rich community and, specifically, Mrs Danforth. It’s her house but she’s all alone since her son has moved out. Marianne is there staying in one of the rooms, helping out Mrs Danforth. At night though, Ciela is awoken by Danforth’s coughing, which reverberates through the house. It turns out she has lung disease after smoking so much through her life. In the morning, Ciela admires the scenery, including the flowers. There, she meets the gardener who happens to be a Japanese man called Ray. He helps show Ciela how to do gardening and she also starts school too. Unfortunately, Ciela doesn’t understand the language and the others are unsure how to deal with the fact she only has one arm. Mrs Danforth shows up at school and takes Ciela to see a doctor who can help her with a brand new prosthetic arm. All the ladies at the bridge club are chipping in so Danforth waves away the eye-watering cost, and it certainly takes a lot of getting used to. In fact, Ciela has enough and decides to abandon it altogether. The original idyllic setting of Danforth’s house soon turns into something of a nightmare when the robotic arm becomes more of a hindrance than a help. Ciela laments her current situation, likening it to El Salvador and how everything here is as much a prison as it was back home. Eventually she confronts Mrs Danforth about her own body and how she embraces herself and doesn’t want to pretend to be “normal” just to appease other people. However, Danforth ends up coughing profusely and eventually she ends up passing away. Ciela and Marianne leave the house together off the back of this, paying their farewells to Ray and the other workers. As for Ciela, she decides to leave her arm behind and head on with her life, away from the riches of Bel-Air. As the episode closes out, we learn that Ciela now runs a community garden in Los Angeles, and she works as an advocate for renter’s rights and low income housing. As a touching tribute, she also named her son Ray.
The Episode Review
Perhaps a slightly subdued episode; Little America bows out with a chapter that reminds us that the best version of ourselves we can be is that through which we’re most comfortable being. Too often we put on a façade to be like others and this chapter does a great job serving as a reminder to be ourselves, regardless of how much we may stand out from other people. While it’s not the best episode of this anthology, Little America bows out on a high, rounding out this second season with a nice little chapter and a glimmer of hope for future seasons too.
