I Cesaroni: Season 3

Seasons

• Season: 1
• Season: 2
• Season: 3
• Season: 4
• Season: 5
• Season: 6
• Season: 7
• Season: 8

• 

  Giulio and Lucia Cesaroni organize the ritual barbecue that marks the end of summer. Among those in attendance are Giulio's ever-present brother, mechanic Ezio Masetti, and his wife Stefania, a friend of Lucia's and the principal of the school where they both teach. Lucia's mother, Gabriella, is also present, of course, while the youngest member of the family, Mimmo, remarks that this year the doors to middle school are opening for him. Alice and Rudi, always a cat and dog, are instead opening up the far more terrifying doors of high school! Their eldest children, Marco and Eva, are far away: he studies music in Milan, while she's in New York majoring in journalism and living with her chef boyfriend, Alex. Their friend Walter, Stefania and Enzo's son, has remained hanging around Garbatella, drooling over Carlotta, his beautiful girlfriend from the upper-middle classes.

• 

  Giulio takes a dislike to Tamara, whose unusual habits have disrupted the Cesaroni household and, more importantly, driven his son Marco away from expensive music school. He also discovers she isn't even his girlfriend. Lucia tries to mediate, but the situation becomes untenable, and Marco is forced to ask Walter for help: can they rehearse the pieces they're preparing for their date with Criscuolo in his warehouse apartment, among Cesare's demijohns of wine and Barilon's plants?

• 

  Finally safe within the walls of the Cesaroni household, Eva calmly reflects on the last difficult period: the terrible scene Alex made, her sudden departure from New York, her return to Rome. Carlotta seems intent on finding her a new boyfriend, while she herself dawdles without much concern for Walter. Eva tries to give herself some perspective by studying for the university entrance exam.

• 

  Rudi is worried about Ulrico's reported attack and enlists the help of the high school janitor, Son-sei, a crippled martial arts instructor. Marco seems to have his big break with Criscuolo: a prime-time debut on a show hosted by Pippo Baudo! At the last minute, however, the record producer announces that he will have to replace one of the missing musicians from the well-known band he promoted, Cugini di Campagna. Disgusted and disappointed, Marco refuses.

• 

  Marco, feeling neglected by Criscuolo, decides to leave. However, the record producer warns him that if the musician terminates his contract, he will have to pay a penalty of thirty thousand euros, representing the expenses he has incurred up to that point for his promotion. And, to spite him, he entrusts him with the task of creating the jingle for a toilet paper commercial. Lucia points out to Giulio that it's partly his fault: Marco, before signing the contract, had asked his father for his opinion.

• 

  Lucia and Stefania, longtime friends and rivals, this time compete to see who has the best husband. Unbeknownst to either of them, they draw up a list of four subjects to compete on: willingness to help, post-love cuddles, attention to detail, and finally, romance. The battle is fierce, and despite their promises not to cheat, Lucia is the first to be unfair!

• 

  Walter seems to have finally found a "serious" job: he's a debt collector, handling the most difficult cases, clients of finance companies who refuse to pay, disappearing into thin air or making the most unlikely excuses. With the astute intelligence of someone who grew up in Garbatella, he's a natural fit for his new job. His father, however, continues to avoid work at the new garage, which would otherwise be busy, to frequent Cesaroni's wine shop.

• 

  Matilde accidentally meets a colleague of Pamela's, the prostitute Godiva, who has just been released from prison. Naturally, the young girl doesn't know what her beloved mother's profession was, believing her to have been a noble benefactor. When Matilde comes up with the idea of organizing a memorial in her honor, Cesare and the Cesaroni family are shocked: no one dares tell her the truth.

• 

  At home, they debate whether a new maid is really necessary, and ultimately decide on the beautiful Teresa, a Venetian woman separated with children, excellent and desperate for work. When Barilon sees her, it's love at first sight. Meanwhile, Germana is complaining to Lucia about having argued with her husband, as has often happened lately. Lucia consoles her and, lying under Stefania's astonished gaze, admits that things are going badly with Giulio too.

• 

  Lucia's mother, Gabriella, hits Fernando with her car. Instead of getting angry, the school psychologist is struck by her voice and suggests she dub an animated film he's written. She'll play the role of Leprottina, destined to die. Gabriella demands a happy ending, and in the dubbing room, she changes all the dialogue. The same morning of the accident, Stefania confides in Lucia that she's the author of the month's bestseller: an erotic manual she's signed under the pseudonym Leida Fantasy, with a title that says it all: "I Married Eros-Ideas to Never Lose Passion." The book is the talk of the town. Barilon, who's complaining about his relationship with Germana, reads it secretly: since Teresa entered his life, things in bed haven't been the same. Ezio mocks him, but when he leafs through the book, his face blanches: the Eros described is too similar to him, and the ideas it suggests are the ones he and Stefania have put into practice.

• 

  Iva Zavattini calls Eva: she assumes she's in Friuli for the investigation she's entrusted to her and recommends she return to Rome immediately to interview the famous athlete Tiziano Marrese. The child prodigy of Italian track and field has never given an interview because he's dependent on a controlling mother, and the "stolen" meeting could prove to be a real scoop.

• 

  The athlete's lawyer, Tiziano Marrese, appears before the editorial office of "Up to You," warning the magazine against publishing Eva's interview. He will also file a complaint against the journalist for moral damages and assault, recommending Eva Cudicini's disbarment. Editor-in-chief Iva is shocked and asks her assistant to investigate. Cinzia shows her a hotel recording showing Marco and Simona escaping from the athlete's room. Iva is forced to admit that her trust has been betrayed; furthermore, she must pay Marrese a considerable sum to hush up the scandal. Meanwhile, Eva complains to Marco about her mother's coldness, hurt by the late revelation. The two women engage in a heated confrontation, and soon afterward, Eva receives a call from her boss, firing her on the spot. Marco, in turn, tries to speak to Simona, who avoids him.

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  Eva knows that sooner or later she'll have to face Alex, who has returned to Rome with the intention of caring for her and their unborn child. But for now, she refuses to see him, so much so that the boy turns to Marco for help. Her stepbrother painfully puts aside his own feelings and, for Eva's sake, advises her to think about what she's doing.

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  Eva discovers that Alex has been lying to her: he isn't the head chef at the restaurant where she works, but merely an assistant. By chance, she encounters Selvaggia, a spoiled and overbearing teenager who, blinded by jealousy, stalks her boyfriend Daniele. Eva encourages Alex to never settle and pushes him to accept a catering job for a birthday party, which turns out to be Selvaggia's mega-party!

• 

  In the wine shop, people are discussing the timid Arduino Mandelli's candidacy, when Barilon enters triumphantly, announcing his upcoming election as mayor of the town. Faced with his attack on "Romanity," Giulio rises to the challenge and immediately takes to the field to defend his people and Garbatella from the barbarian invasion from the North. Lucia disagrees; politics isn't something you can improvise. Only when Germana provokes her does she become convinced: her husband will win, and she will help him in any way she can! Meanwhile, Marco has been selected for an important competition, but Simona and Franco tremble when they discover that the missing juror is their old enemy Criscuolo, who must cast the decisive vote to get Marco through. Walter makes matters worse by beating up the record executive for daring to insult his wife. In the end, Franco resolves matters by giving Criscuolo 50% of the producer's profits from Marco's album.

• 

  Lucia and Giulio aren't speaking; this time, the crisis is serious, and tensions in the Cesaroni household are sky-high. Eva and Alex decide not to announce their impending wedding for the time being. The couple leaves for a farmhouse where Alex is invited for an important catering event. Marco is also leaving for the press conference in Milan, but he's hesitant: his brothers urge him to go. His world tour is about to begin, and it's an opportunity he can't miss: he'll be supporting the Arctic Monkeys! Lucia realizes she's hurt her husband with her story of wanting to change him for the elections.

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  Mimmo wisely comments that the fate of exes is truly unpredictable. Cesare is in crisis because his relationship with Pamela becomes more complicated day by day, while the rift between Giulio and Lucia deepens. And inevitably, suitors appear for both of them. Eva and Marco are also suffering from the mutual distance while preparations are in full swing for her upcoming wedding and his first Milanese concert in front of thousands of people.