Death Attends the "Masquerades" in 'Hotel Portofino' Season 3 Finale

Given all that has transpired this season, I’m sure none of us thought the third season finale of Hotel Portofino would end on a happy note. But this finale episode, “Masquerades,” was still a tragic punch to the gut. Everything is leading up to the party Bella is having at the hotel for Claudine’s new perfume line. The women get word that the head of the fashion house can come to hear their presentation about Bella’s new skincare line, but he’s coming in one hour. They scramble to prepare. Bella, who has reconciled with Amelia, named the line “Sorelle, “meaning “sisterhood.” 

Bella admits she is nervous to make the presentation, “Women are always nervous when trying to gain the approval of a man,” she tells him. “So much of our freedom depends on it.” Bella appeals to his daughter, the younger generation, “who want to define beauty for themselves.” She confidently tells him, “You cannot know these women... and I do. I can understand what they want and make it for them.”

Cecil’s ill-advised plot to kill Danioni continues, which is a shame because he’s not a criminal mastermind. He invites Danioni to the party but tells him no “black coats.” Marco narrowly escapes Danioni and his men but knows Danioni is after him. Marco arrives at the party to tell Bella he has to leave town. Not knowing Cecil has invited Danioni, Bella assures him Danioni isn’t coming to the party and hides Marco in her lab. She also tells him that Carlos has arranged for an investigator from Rome to come the next day to launch a full investigation into Nish’s death. Lucian tells his mom he will leave town but will return as soon as the inquiry ends. Nish’s brother Virat is not doing well. “How can you think about a party when my brother is out there?” he asks Lucian. Lucian assures him that they have to keep up appearances.

Danioni arrives at the party not with his wife but with all his henchmen. Cecil lures him to his office, telling him he has money. “I know deep down you deserve to die,” Cecil tells him right before Jack comes from behind and suffocates Danioni, causing him to pass out. Unfortunately, Jack then points a gun at Cecil and turns on him. “What about our agreement? We shook on it like gentlemen,” Cecil says, not realizing that Jack is no gentleman. Jack leaves, and Cecil has to drag Danioni’s body by himself to the ocean*. Cecil puts Danioni into a rowboat when Lucian arrives. But Lucian cannot go through with shooting Danioni. “You’re pathetic,” Cecil tells his son, who is in the running for worst father ever.

(*No one seems to notice this because it’s a TV show, and we must all be willing to suspend disbelief.) 

Vito (poor Vito!) again tries to propose to Constance, but she turns him down again. He tells her he will leave the ring with her because “there is no one else I care to give it to.” This is like watching The Bachelorette when the contestant picks the wrong guy. 

Lucian finds Constance and tells her that he’s not a killer. “My case is packed under the bed!” she tells him. They make a plan to meet and leave that night. Apparently, Constance isn’t giving Bella the customary two weeks' notice.

Carlos sends Alice a gorgeous green dress from Rome, and Ernesto insists Alice wear it to the party. As the two arrive, it's obvious this party is on the road to being a massive success. Claudine performs while Alice, dressed in the aforementioned gown, showcases their products. The spectacle utterly blows away the head of the fashion house; he responds by giving Claudine and Bella a check for 1,000,000₣. (Equal to ~£10,000 in 1929, or £820k in 2024). The stock market crashed, wiping out her father and husband, but Bella doesn't need them to pay her way anymore. 

Carlos appears at the party and sees Alice in the gown. The two reconcile, and Carlos confesses that he would love to get Alice out of the dress. “I love you,” he tells Alice. (Let's hope Alice can learn to love horses.)

Cecil rows Danioni out to the ocean and throws him overboard. However, in a moment that feels like something out of a horror movie, Danioni returns to life and rises out of the water like a possessed zombie, dragging Cecil out of the boat and down into the water with him, screaming, “Ayudo!” (Help! in Italian). Danioni's men come running and help him out of the water. The thugs drag Cecil, soaking wet, back to the party like a prize kill. 

Bella is on top of the world, feeling good about things and the future. (money seems to have convinced her father his daughter's business is worth something) until she sees Virat heading towards the soiree with a gun. She follows him, screaming his name, not sure who he is planning to kill, but ready to stop him from doing something that might get himself killed. 

In the woods, Lucian, approaching Constance and her son at the appointed meeting spot, hears his mother screaming and recognizes Virat's name. Panicking that Nish's brother is about to try to take the law into his own hands, he drops his bags and runs back towards the house. He arrives just as Danoli and his men arrive with Cecil and Virat fires. A shootout occurs with Danoli's thugs opening fire; Lucian is shot in confusion as he tries to reach Virat. Cecil breaks free from the Danoli and races to his son from one direction as Bella runs in from the other. The two hold their boy, trying to save him, staunch the bleeding, and get him to hold on until a doctor can arrive. 

But there is too much blood. Despite Cecil and Bella begging him to stay with them, Lucian passes out and dies. Bella, who had already lost one son to the war, is wailing as Cecil looks shell-shocked. Alice, with Carlos following behind, comes in; behind her, Constance, with her son, their faces horrified as they approach Lucian's lifeless body in disbelief. As the credits roll, we should note that Hotel Portofino Season 4 has yet to be announced as of this writing. This leaves the Ainsworth family, their friends, employees, (and the viewers!) in limbo, frozen in grief.