Caray, Caray!

Greetings all, I have a confession to make, the following is the first episode of Barrera that I have watched, so if I get names switched please feel free to correct it. Also, please jump in to repair any translations or plot lines I may have buggered up. Enjoy...

We open with Maite's confession about her one true love (see previous recap). Suddenly Federico pops in to say "You'll never believe who showed up at the Zamoro Hacienda, Luis Antonio! Don Gustavo called him in to take care of his cattle." Maite suddenly doesn't feel so well and she has to lie down. Federico asks what's up with Maite, she's married to Adolfo, correct, "or is there something I don't know???" "Don't tell me Maite still has the hots for Luis Antonio, or that Adolfo had to marry her?" Griselda says, "Nobody forced her to marry, she did it for her daughter." Martina wants to tell L.A. everything but Griselda says first they have to resolve the issue of Maite's health. They need to find the notorious bag of powder that Jacinta has been giving to Maite; they need this evidence so others in the pueblo will believe them because the whole world thinks Doña Jacinta is a saint.

Speaking of the saint, she is sealing a letter and commands her servant to take it to the Padre and return immediately. Now comes the first of tonight's MANY thought bubbles..."I, Doña Jacinta, am sure that with this good act I will secure my position as a good Christian before Padre whatever-his-name-is." In fact, it is a big fat bribe.

Remedios asks Maite why she married Adolfo if she still loved Unibrow. After all, Adolfo didn't force her. (Um...yes he did in a way.) Adolfo is like a son to her. He is, perhaps, a bit too impassioned and does little illegal things, but he's not a bad person. Maite responds "well, I married him and we have a daughter." Remedios feels that should be enough to make Maite happy.

Jacinta's servant delivers the sealed letter to the Padre. It is money for the restoration of the church. The Padre looks touched (tetched?) and proclaims it is really "too much." Scary to think he is responsible for saving souls.

Back at the ranch...the udders are much better. Gustavo asks Luis Antonio why he left Ensenada. LA answers "the truth, I'm starting over but it's hard to start in a new place where you don't know anyone." "Yes, but you have your sons so I guess you don't need anything else to be happy..." "Oh, I don't complain," our hero says nobly. Close up of his face, bad idea.

Jacinta wants to take Maite to see the doctor...alone. But Griselda insists on coming so she can know first hand about her niece's health.

Break to a hilarious scene of Manola gagging horrendously over her baby's poopie diaper. Her cuckold of a husband (Gustavo) comes in and plans his son's future as a soccer star while mom continues to be horrified by the aroma of sour milk. Dad says it's normal. Next thought bubble is Manola's..."Ay, what a tender scene, if you only knew that the son you wanted so badly isn't yours. You're going to spend your life raising Federico's son. There is no doubt that you are an idiot, Gustavo, a poor idiot." (Guess she really "put the horns on him." I learned that from Alborada. )

Jacinta, Maite and Griselda arrive at the doctor's office. This next scene confused me: Jacinta volunteers to go in first so that Maite doesn't have to wait, i.e. so she can confab with the Dr. in private and thwart Maite's treatment. There are two men, the young one is perhaps the first Dr. that Maite saw? Anyway, Jacinta wants him to hide even though Maite "met him only once." Meanwhile Griselda and Maite run into Unibrow! They make small talk and stare meaningfully at each other. (They should not have these close-ups of him, they're dreadful.)

Back at the ranch Adolfo accuses Federico of stealing money. Federico acts insulted, saying he has worked there his whole life so why should he do such a thing. Adolfo demands the records and plans to go to the bank in the morning to check the accounts. Outside Federico has a thought bubble..."That imbecile Adolfo! If he sticks his nose into the books then for sure he'll find out I lied about the accounts. Must be very careful or he'll ruin my plan. Must put money in the bank first thing in the morning." He's creepy but it looks like he's got a good bod.

The Dr. tells Maite that even though x-rays showed no fracture of her cranium her fall down the stairs could have affected other areas of her brain. "The fact that you feel bad one minute then great the next just isn't normal." Griselda is not impressed and neither am I. He has great confidence in the other Dr. that she saw (the guy in the next room?) whom he has known many years. Griselda wants a third and fourth opinion and the Dr. prescribes a tranquilizer for Maite. (I'm no doctor but I do NOT think this will alleviate her dizziness.)

Outside Griselda spills the beans that they saw Unibrow and that he and Maite had a relationship in the past. Maite wants to rest while Griselda and Jacinta have a power struggle over who should care for her. Jacinta has a thought bubble..."What's with this woman? I have a feeling she knows something." (I'm not doing any more thought bubbles.)

Unibrow shows up at the house of Gustavo and Manola. Manola, holding the baby, gives a flirtacious glance to Unibrow. Honestly, I can't tell if he he looks disapproving or interested, his acting is that good.

Back at the ranch, Remedios wants to have it out with Jacinta. Remedios accuses Jacinta of instigating Magdalena's near death experience and departure from the pueblo. Jacinta says her good actions speak for themselves. (And we know they do.) They go round and round exchanging insults. Jacinta tells Remedios that she and her daughter are the same sort of sinners, carnal sinners, sinners of passion. The only difference being Magda is with many men and Remedios only one, married, Jacinta's husband. (This is three exact same scenes condensed into one because they say the same thing each time and go nowhere.)

Two guys on horses but I couldn't tell who they were and the sound got messed up so I don't know what they said, but they are a far cry from the Alborada caballeros.

Martina tries to get Maite to tell the truth to Luis Antonio about why she married Adolfo, that filthy pig. Even though Adolfo is currently behaving himself who knows what might happen one day. Maite gives a dissertation about how noble Unibrow is. Martina wants Maite to run away to Unibrow, "don't lose this one chance at happiness." Martina almost gets her out the door, suitcase in hand, but Maite loses her nerve and thinks she should talk to him first before showing up on his doorstep.

Dinner at the Cuckold's and Manola's house, she is all kissy-face to her husband in front of Unibrow. L.A. excuses himself to call back home to check on his boys and his friend Dionisio asks about Maite then points out she's married now. Nice friend. Unibrow is brooding on the patio and Manola shows up wearing her jammies. The camera makes a slow pan down, down, down...to her fuzzy house-slippers? I guess this signifies some sort of proposition because Unibrow gets all befuddled and says "it's not proper." (Stilleto heels I could believe, but slippers? Fuzzy white with pink bows?) Manola puts her sly, hurt face on and says she's just trying to escape "the heat." The Cuckold Gustavo shows up and says two cows died, they have to leave right away. Manola walks outside and Felipe jumps her and drags "his treasure" down behind the bushes. They make out while Gustavo comes out looking for her.

Later, in the bedroom, she tells Felipe that she and L.A. met in Baja. He gets jealous but she says she doesn't really like L.A. They tell each other to shut up a lot. (I'm confused. Did she call him Renato? Isn’t this Felipe or is it somebody else?) They think that Jacinta is blind to her stupid son Adolfo's faults, she's alway going on about his blue blood, talking about him as if he's the offspring of a well-bred horse. Wait! That gives Felipe an idea, maybe there's a way to make Jacinta see Adolfo for the dope he is. Cut to the stable where Felipe takes out a bottle with a skull on it and feeds it to the horse..."Take this my pretty, and soon you will meet the best vet in the region."

Griselda decides to write a letter to L.A. telling him of Maite's sacrifice on his behalf. She gives it to Martina to give to L.A. Martina needs to find proof that Jacinta is poisoning Maite in order to unmask her.

Jacinta, Maite and Adolfo are having a gloomy breakfast when a man runs in to tell Jacinta her horse "Shake" has taken ill with colic. They rush out, meanwhile Martina searches Jacinta's room. She finds a bag with packets of powder and, last thought bubble I swear, thinks in her native tongue which sounds really cool, "Venemous demonic witch, dear God, get this badness far away!"

Griselda, Remedios and others are in the kitchen, it's very boring, they talk about the lame doctor that Maite saw, Griselda goes on again about how she promised to protect Maite. Then Remedios tells her tale of woe once more to Griselda, how she didn't want to break up Pedro's home but he wanted to do right by her since she carried his child. She had already registered Federico under her name, but Pedro recognized him has a Valladolid, but Federico doesn't know this, he has equal rights to the hacienda but he doesn't know this either, Jacinta knows and that's why she paid for his studies even though he wasn't a good student, but he's a good hacienda worker which is what his father wanted anyway. (They go into more details of this story but I think it is something that has been explained previously. If not let me know and I will add some more.) Remedios is telling Griselda this because she (Remedios) and Maite are in a similar condition. Griselda tells Remedios not to trust Jacinta with Federico's inheritence. Remedios says there is a letter explaining everything in case of her death and Maite should stay married to Adolfo to insure her daughter's future.

Martina stupidly gives Griselda's letter to Manola's maid to give to L.A., directly into his hands please. Of course Manola is lurking and snags the letter immediately telling poor Evelia to get back to work. Evelia walks off scratching her head...huh? what happened? (Manola is beginning to remind me of Diego, and she even has a mask, her Kabuki makeup!)

Back at the stables Jacinta doesn't want to lose her horse, but of course Adolfo the bad vet doesn't know how to help aside from giving injections...

I apologize, but Barrera runs a few minutes past the hour and I forgot to tell Tivo to account for this. We'll just have to find out what happens tomorrow!

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