Are Mylene's Mom & Jimmy Smits On 'The Get Down' Having An Affair? The Family Is Complex

As The Get Down unfolds, the world of the show becomes bigger and more complicated. The motivations of various characters become clearer as more information about them is revealed, like with Pastor Ramon Cruz, the straitlaced father of burgeoning disco star Mylene. His family life is even more complex than their immediate problems imply. He's trying to atone for a past that put him in jail and subsequently set him on his pious path, but those aren't the only secrets in the Cruz family past: Ramon's brother Francisco (also called Papa Fuerte, and played by Jimmy Smits) has obvious feelings for Ramon's wife and Mylene's mother, Lydia. So are Mylene's mom and Jimmy Smits having an affair on The Get Down?

The first hint of something going on between them comes after Mylene runs away from home and goes to stay with her uncle, Francisco. Her mother goes to see Francisco to discuss the strife in their family but it quickly becomes clear that something more is going on between them – or used to go on. The implication is that both Francisco and Ramon were in love with Lydia but she chose Ramon and Francisco has pined for her ever since. That's some classic Baz Luhrmann forbidden romance right there.

It seems like that's the end of it, at first. Ramon is suspicious when he hears his wife was alone with his brother, but when she plays it off he believes her. Whatever she had with Francisco appears to remain where they left it: in the past. That is until a scene of serious flirtation puts a question mark on the entire situation.

After the Cruz family decides to put aside their differences in favor of unity by blending Christian songs with disco music, Mylene records a hit record. At the family dinner following the recording, Lydia makes a little speech about God and her family while holding her husband's hand under the table. But meanwhile, on her other side, unbeknownst to anyone else, Francisco puts his hand on her leg. Lydia's reaction to this is what's really telling – instead of appearing uncomfortable or angry, she's practically giddy. She interrupts her speech with giggling; Mylene tells her she sounds drunk. There is definitely something going on there.

Whether it blossomed into a full blown affair is still up for debate, but considering Lydia and Francisco end the first half of the first season in each other's arms it seems like if it hasn't happened yet, it's just on the horizon.