The show begins with Thony (Elodie Yung) and Fiona (Martha Millan) watching a wedding until it is time to clean the venue. Fiona slaps Thony on the butt as she bends over to pick up a toy bubblegum slot machine. They take a selfie in front of the Lady Luck sign. Their boss, Stevie (Grayson Berry) walks up behind Thony and slaps her on the butt. She thinks it is Fiona until turning around to see Stevie. He wants to have fun like her and Fiona. Her illegal immigration status prevents her fro getting a job waiting tables.

He offers to make it happen and walks up behind her. She quickly turns around and demands he let go of her. He threatens to call immigration enforcement. She reminds him, hiring them was against the law. Fiona walks up from behind and hits in the neck. He gasps for air and falls backward. Thony utilizes a knife to create a hole in his trachea, allowing him to breathe. Amazed, the other workers question how he did it. Fiona says she is a doctor. She should be saving lives, not cleaning toilets.

 

They arrive home to find Jaz (Faith Bryant) playing basketball outside. Chris (Sean Lew) was supposed to be watching her. Luca (Sebastien LaSalle) is watching her instead. Fiona says it karma from her childhood before scolding Chris for permitting Jaz to play outside unattended. Someone could report her to child services. Thony takes a shower and watches her hands with a povidone-iodine antiseptic. She reminds Luca he was not supposed to say up and wait on her. He was talking to his father, Marco (Ivan Shaw).

Marco asks where she has been. She is working the nightshift. Luca is on a donor registry. They must be patient.

She explains to someone on the phone, Luca is Cambodian/Filipino and there are no bone marrow registries back home. If they don’t call back, she will kick down their door. Their boss threatens to fire them until she says they will all walk and tell everyone he doesn’t pay.  The incident with Stevie cost him a contract. They will no longer be permitted to work the same shift.

Thony is cleaning up at an undergrown MMA competition. Theo (Charles Malik Whitfield) shows her his daughter’s sweet cameo necklace. He welcomes Arman Morales (Adan Canto) to the competition. Arman scolds Tarik (Deniz Akdeniz) for hitting Thony with a beverage can that was meant for the garbage can. He orders him to apologize and show respect before they go for a drink. Thony is cleaning toilets when she overhears Theo tells MMA fighter, Dark Diva (Gillian White) to take a loss. She doesn’t want to take a fall and kicks the bathroom door. She tells Thony, “They always think they own us.” Thony says only if we let them. Dark Diva returns to the competition and beats her opponent. Theo and Arman are not happy.

Thony is cleaning Theo’s office when Fiona calls. Theo and Arman and his men are arguing about the rigged fight. Arman unsuccessfully tries to calm Tarik down. She watches Tarik shoot Theo. Arman orders Tarik to leave when Thony’s cellphone rings. They pull her out from behind a metal structure and shove her to the ground. She gets up on her knees, with her hands up, and says I’m just a cleaning lady. She offers to clean up the blood, which will seep into the cement if they wait. Sodium peroxide will work best to clean it. Arman asks if she is a specialist. She is from Cambodia and lives in the Philippines. Arman takes her home.

She breaks down in the shower. Fiona doesn’t understand why she wants to clean the house after cleaning all night. She slams Fiona’s purse down on the countertop. Fiona asks what’s wrong. She warns her about walking into the hospital and the risk of them finding out about their illegal status.

Thony and Luca arrive at the Stem Cell Medicine clinic. The receptionist informs her she spoke with Dr. Ramte about her expired visa. She is in the process of getting an extension on her visa. They could be deported before the 52-week gene therapy is complete. Luca doesn’t want to go before seeing the doctor. He eventually agrees and saves goodbye to Mateo (Ivo Nandi). She wants to see Arman.

Thony meets Arman at an airplane hangar. She tells him to leave Luca out of it. She is given money and a burner phone, so she can be on call. He tells her about Doctor Saroyan, saying it is about keeping Luca alive any way you can. He likes her and doesn’t want to kill her.

Fiona conveniences Thony to go to a job interview at the Golden Phoenix, where Brandon (Daniel Lissing) works. They may get cocktail waitress jobs instead of cleaning toilets. Dr. Ramte’s office calls to alert her of an appointment for Luca. They have a referral from Dr. Saroyan. The paperwork is not a problem. They will go out and have some fun.

They are on the $1,000-IT deck at the Golden Phoenix when Brandon appears. $24K for a bottle of bubbly and $600 for a house vodka. Brandon agrees to give them a cocktail waitress job if they sell ecstasy. Thony refuses to sell drugs while Fiona is completely onboard. Arman needs Thony to do a cleaning job. She meets in at the casino. Arman’s mother was a housekeeper who worked six and seven days a week.

Thony and Arman arrive at a party. He orders her to clean up the mess, so his boss doesn’t find out. She is not to speak to anyone at the party. While picking up trash, she discovers Nadia (Eva De Dominici) lying on a bed. She says a few more bruises won’t hurt. She flirts with Thony before lying back down. It is morning when Arman arrives home. He describes her appearance as “filthy”. Nadia disagrees, saying she is “nasty.” He gives her an envelope with money.

Thony is washing her dress when she spots something in the laundry room vend. The ecstasy is the only way Brandon will overlook their illegal status. She offers her money, but she refuses it. Another call from Arman takes her to another job. Cops discovered Theo’s body. She picks up something and puts Shelby’s sweet 16 cameo necklace in her pocket.

Mateo and Arman are operating what looks like a money laundering business. He orders Thony to clean up and someone will return to pick her up.

 

Arman meets Tarik and Hayak Barsamian (Navid Negahban) in the desert. Arman assures Hayak no one will connect Theo’s murder to them. He says I know it has taken care of it. Arman says I have a cleaner inside. He responds, “You mean the cleaner, who should already be dead.”

Thony checks a ticking noise and discovers a bomb. Arman drives in the direction of the building she is cleaning. She utilizes a tank to break out a window at the same time Arman arrives. They get out just in time for the building to explode. Arman is injured during the explosion. He orders Mateo to call Dr. Saroyan. She says there isn’t time and wants to cauterize the wound. She requests a knife, alcohol, and a lighter. As she cauterizes the wound, a police siren is blaring in the distance. They get out just in time for the police to arrive. Arman says it’s a good thing I trust you. She asks why he left her to die. He came back for her and gives his word to protect her and her son.

Thony meets Theo’s daughter, Shelby (Mariyam Saho) at his funeral. She gives her the sweet 16 cameo necklace from Theo.

She feels bad for judging Fiona and taking over her home and agrees to find a place to live. Fiona doesn’t want her to move. They hug. She installs a plastic tent around a basketball goal for Luca. She lays in bed and watches Luca play with Chris and Jaz.  Arman has another cleaning job for her. Two FBI agents watch as she gets in Arman’s vehicle as the episode comes to an end.

 

 

The Cleaning Lady Review

The plot is interesting, but the show itself is unrealistic. It would be impossible for someone to walk away from an attempted murder. The police would be breathing down your throat every second of the day until you were thrown behind bars.

The show eludes, there is no bone marrow/stem cell transplant program offered in the Philippines. The National Kidney and Transplant Institute “NKTI” (Quezon City in the Philippines) has been transplanting stem cells since the 90s. The organization’s Stem Cell Transplantation Program offers allogeneic transplants utilizing peripheral blood and bone marrow stem cells. 

Thony’s ability to clean crime scenes is like that of Mr. Clean. She moves heavy furniture and large rugs like strongman Zydrunas Savickas. The show deserves a 6.

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