The Cleaning Lady Season 4 Episode 8 Recap: I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Thony’s journey in season 4 of ‘The Cleaning Lady’ continues to get more and more precarious as she begins questioning the loyalties of a certain Sanchez sibling. After the events of the last episode, the cartel doctor has grown suspicious of Ramona, particularly about her possible connection to the death of Jorge’s first wife, Vanessa. Naturally, instead of letting sleeping dogs rest, she decides to investigate the issue and possibly earns a target on her back. Meanwhile, Jorge deals with the aftermath of the theft of his mine’s deed by picking a fight with Sam Heller. This turf war between the two gang leaders promises great death and destruction, that is, unless a compromise can be struck among them. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Thony Investigates the Real Cause of Vanessa’s Death

While Thony recovers from her gunshot wound at Fiona’s house, she remains preoccupied with thoughts of her previous interaction with Ramona during Dr. Dupont’s impromptu gunshot wound treatment. At the time, the former Cartel leader had mentioned something about watching Jorge’s first wife die, which struck a chord. As the story went, Vanessa had died in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver named Carl. The man had even confessed to the crime and accepted the prison sentence for it. Therefore, there hasn’t ever been a reason to look into the incident. That is, until now.

Thony believes Ramona’s words weren’t coincidental and that she must have actually seen Vanessa as the latter was dying. Since this doesn’t add up with the official story, she’s inclined to believe something fishy is at play. Eventually, inspiration strikes when Violeta brings Thony her mother’s tablet as a sweet gesture to help her in her recovery. A quick glimpse through the device reminds her of the apparently deep-seated friendship between Vanessa and Bianca. Thus, she decides to take the case to her. Even though Bianca is reluctant to work with her, on account of the recent blackmail, she only confirms her suspicions. As it turns out, she had also been worried about Vanessa days before her demise.

According to her, a tall, Latino woman had been following her in those last days. Soon enough, Thony’s snooping brings her to Jorge, whom she probes with some innocent questions about Vanessa and Ramona in order to establish a motive. Nonetheless, the conversation is cut short when the former Cartel leader intervenes. Although any suspicions about Thony’s behavior are overlooked due to plausible deniability, things change when Ramona shows up at her house later in the evening. Apparently, she had taken her sister-in-law’s safety concerns at heart. For the same reason, she brings Thony a personal bodyguard, Alejandra. Weirdly enough, the woman matches the exact profile of the stranger Bianca had seen following Vanessa before her death.

Jorge’s Rivalry With Heller Deepens

While Thony stays on a personal mission of her own, Jorge flirts with the beginning of an all-out war with his rival, Heller. Around a week ago, the latter had stormed the former’s mansion, killed his staff, injured his wife, and stolen the deed to his lucrative mine. As a result, retaliation is inevitable. For the same reason, Jorge pulls some strings and has a bomb explode at one of Heller’s factories. Even though it injures many innocent men and puts even more out of commission, it also sends a clear message to their boss.

Jorge wants the deed to his land back, and not simply because of financial matters. The land had been a gift to him from Vanessa, long before she died. It was a symbol of their love and kindred connection with one another. On the other hand, the theft of the deed is also beginning to unravel problems for the cartels since it halts their ability to continue mining and see a profit for the various investors who had backed this project. Consequently, since the first attack doesn’t make Heller call for a truce, Jorge plans to hit back with an even more lethal attack. He contacts one of the best bomb-makers in the game to fashion an explosive and smuggle it right into the heart of Heller’s geothermal facility. Still, his reservations about hurting innocent men keep him on the fence about the plan until the very end.

Ramona’s Secret Comes Out in the Open

Before long, Thony’s investigation brings her to Carl, the drunk driver who allegedly killed Vanessa. When she initially visits him in prison, she assumes he must have been under Ramona’s employment from the get-go. Nonetheless, his genuine grief and guilt over the incident compels her to believe otherwise. Therefore, her line of questioning takes a different turn as she asserts her belief that someone else must be behind Vanessa’s death. This compels the driver to tell her about the day of the accident and his non-existent memories of it. Carl has no real recollection of the event.

That night, Carl simply came back to consciousness behind the wheel with Vanessa’s dead body in front of his car. As a result, he called the police and turned himself in for the crime. However, one crucial fact remains: his car was headed miles away from his house despite his intention of driving home that night. Furthermore, Thony learns that before he left the bar, he talked to a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Ramona. Shortly after this visit, she sets up a meeting with Assistant District Attorney Herman. Nevertheless, he remains uninterested in entertaining her investigation, especially since she continues to tread the legal line in her personal affairs. Soon enough, Jorge learns about this meeting and brings Thony to his lair for a confrontation.

As such, she has no choice but to reveal her suspicions of Ramon’s involvement in Vanessa’s death. The latter had succeeded in pulling Jorge away from the cartel, which clearly did not sit well with his sister. Therefore, even though she remained supportive to their faces, Ramona planned to have Vanessa killed in order to bring her brother back to his family’s criminal ways. Eventually, a continuity error in the sister’s story reveals her guilt. Naturally, the revelation brings out a lethal side of Jorge, who tries to kill his own sister for her crime. Nonetheless, Herman and the cops arrive in the nick of time, robbing him of the opportunity. In the end, Thony manages to talk the cartel boss out of killing Ramona since it would directly land him in jail, away from his daughter. Ultimately, the police take Ramona away for Vanessa’s murder.

Jorge is Out For Revenge

While this showdown between the Sanchez siblings and Thony is happening, Jorge’s hired hand is ready to blow up Heller’s facility to smithereens. Nonetheless, the cartel boss fails to greenlight the explosion in the whirlwind of learning about his sister’s betrayal. Still, the bomber takes matters into his own hands and goes through with the explosion on his own. This ends up playing out well for Jorge, since it has the desired effect of fear and frustration over Heller. Consequently, the other crime boss is now ready to negotiate and strike up a compromise so that they can both have what they want.

Jorge agrees to a meeting in a public place with Heller in the future in order to get his hands back on the mine’s deed. However, while this war brews on the horizon between the Hellers and the Sanchezes, Jorge has plenty of complications he needs to deal with in his personal life. All this time, he had assumed he needed to exact his revenge upon Carl. Nevertheless, the new information reveals that he needs to track down Cowboy Hat, Ramona’s accomplice in the crime. In the end, he decides to leave Violeta with Thony, at least for now, until he can get his demons in control. It is likely that this will lead the cartel leader down a dark path, which might have a negative impact on his brewing animosity with Heller.