Tuesday night's episode of Fox's The Cleaning Lady, a drama about illegal aliens living in the U.S., made light of criminal aliens stealing American citizens' identities.
In the episode "Mercy," illegal immigrant Fiona (Martha Millan) struggles to make ends meet with her under-the-table cleaning business. Her employee Krista (Diana Gaitirira), who is also in the U.S. illegally, mentions a new scheme to make money.
Fiona: Krista! Are you feeling better? For a moment there, I thought you weren't coming back.
Krista: I'm not.
Fiona: What? No, no, no, no. Not you, too. I'll get us out of this, okay? As soon as the economy picks up and -- and, please, just don't give up.
Krista: I'm sorry, boss. The kids need new clothes, school supplies. The money here is not enough.
Fiona: Yeah, I know, I know. Well, what are you gonna do?
Krista: I'll be fine. I'm working for Stripride now.
Fiona: Wait. Stripping?
Krista: No. Stripride, a new Vegas rideshare app.
Fiona: Wait. Don't you need a visa for that?
Krista: You do, but I rent an account under the table. I drive under another identity. Some woman in Henderson, a US citizen. I made a grand last week.
Fiona: A grand? Okay, how do --how do I get in on this? I mean, come on. Hook me up, man. Mama needs to buy some cleaning supplies, please.
Fiona meets with a man who provides her with a "borrowed" driver's license. She seems more concerned about possibly getting caught than the harm her use of a stolen identity may cause a U.S. citizen.
Man: Hello.
Fiona: Um, hi. I'm -- I'm Krista's friend.
Man: I have girls your shape and size.
Fiona: Oh, this is for driving, right?
Man: Have a seat. I rent a Stripride accounts for a weekly rental fee. Let's see. Give me your best DMV smile. Nah.
Fiona: Wait. Did you steal these licenses?
Man: I borrowed. Hey, it's a victimless crime. Bada bing, Bada boom. You'll be driving by noon. Give me your phone, Blanche -- we got a match.
Fiona: Oh, no. My name is --
Man: Your name is Blanche. Your name is now Blanche.
Fiona: Am I going to get in trouble for this?
Man: You want the account or not? I've got a long line of ladies just dying to be Blanche.
Fiona: I -- Maybe I made a mistake. I just needed a few hundred bucks to get me out of a pinch. But I think I should -- Wait, wait, wait. $500 a day.
Man: Peak hours on the strip. Let's start again, shall we? My name is Elwood. And you are?
Fiona: Blanche. My name is Blanche. [Laughing]
Man: Nice to meet you, Blanche.
Fiona: 500, huh?
That evening Fiona shares the "good news" about stealing someone else's name with her housemate and fellow illegal Thony (Elodie Yung). Thony is working for a cartel and "mercifully" killed a tortured cartel victim earlier in the episode.
Fiona: Oh, well, I have some good news to share.
Thony: Yeah?
Fiona: You want to meet the new me? [Laughs]
Thony: What do you mean?
Fiona: Okay. Introducing the one... The only Blanche Clutterbuck.
Thony: What the hell?
Fiona: Mm-hmm! [Claps hands] [Laughs]
Thony: What is this?
Fiona: It's my best DMV smile.
Thony: DMV? You gonna be driving people illegally? You can't do this. Oh! Fi, you could be arrested.
Fiona: Really? Really? Coming from Dr. Cartel. Hey, I'm providing a service. [ Cell phone chimes] Oh, wait. Oh, my God. I -- I-I have -- I have a ride.
Thony: No, no, no, no. Hold on. Wait. You're drunk.
Fiona: Oh, I'm --
Thony: Oops. No, you can't do this. Oh, sorry. Go to bed now. [Both laughing]
Fiona attempts to pick up Stripride customers the next day, but they reject getting into her beat-up old van. Her son fixes up her van at the end of the episode so that she can try again.
The lighthearted tone with which "Mercy" approaches a serious crime that causes American citizens untold financial and emotional burdens every year is infuriating. The pain experienced by identity theft victims is irrelevant to the narrative, as though their lives do not matter. The only concern any of the characters expresses is fear of getting caught. The audience is somehow supposed to sympathize with people who have zero guilt over the cost of their actions to American citizens.
As the 2024 election showed, Americans are sick of being taken advantage of by illegal immigration. Shows like The Cleaning Lady can no longer manipulate American audiences by dismissing the innocent victims of such criminality.
