Caray, Caray!

Ok, here we go with our new novela. Hoping for an improvement over Barerra.
This novela takes place in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco (where the peppers come from that are used to make Tabasco sauce in Louisiana.)
We open with Miranda riding her horse to a scenic old hacienda where a group of clean, happy peasants wait for her. They are cacao gatherers. They give Miranda a gift of a rosary for her upcoming wedding. They made an identical one for her mother when she got married. Miranda is touched. She will wear it for her wedding with Fabricio.

Miranda's sister, Florencia comes out of a house and a man comes and embraces her. It is Fabricio, Miranda's fiance but we know him better as Andres from Alborada. Florenica is afraid someone will see them but Fabricio says that he doesn't care. He has to go to a business meeting in the morning but when he comes back, he will tell Miranda that he doesn't love her anymore and wants to marry Florencia.

Now we have another hunky and buff guy glistening wet and with a towel around his waist. This is Alejandro, a friend of Fabricio's from Germany. He is speaking with on the telephone with a woman named Daira who is apparently in Rome (view of Coloseum). We learn that Alejandro is here to avenge the death of his father on Gonzalo, Miranda's father. The woman suggests that he just forget about the whole vengeance thing and leave this family but he can't. He wants to get back a folder with his father's designs for some jewelry. Daira has a daughter named Lizania but there was a problem with the broadcast for a few seconds and whatever they said was lost.

Florencia is talking to Bertha, her aunt. She feels guilty about deceiving Miranda but Bertha says that she is entitled to happiness too. More problems with the broadcast. Miranda appears at the breakfast table where Bertha, Florenica and Renata, her other sister are eating. Our first memory: Miranda flashes back to a scene with her father Gonzalo who is drunk and Bertha. Miranda overhears Bertha tell Gonzalo that she doesn't just want to be his lover when he is drunk but she wants to marry him and be the mistress of the hacienda. In particular, she doesn't want to be dependant on the charity of Miranda. Comforted by another woman, probably a servant, Miranda recognizes Bertha as a hypocrite. She must have known about this without realizing it and that is why she could never stand Bertha.

Renata, Miranda's youngest sister demands to know why in this house Miranda is the "mama de los pollitos" or rules the roost, as we would say. She interferes when Renata asks for money from her father. Miranda says her sister is too extravagant and thinks money grows on trees. Miranda then turns on Florencia and berates her for establishing a school for "estimulacion temprano"(some kind of fancy preschool, I guess) for the children of her rich friends but they haven't paid the fees so it is losing money. Florencia and Renata leave. Then Miranda turns on Bertha and says that she always told Miranda and her sisters that their mother was a loose woman who ran off with some man when all the time Bertha was having an affair with their father. Having spread her sunshine around, Miranda leaves and Bertha says that Miranda is so much like her mother, Fernanda and for that reason Bertha hates her.

We now see Fernanda. She is a doctor and her clinic for poor people is going to be torn down to build a luxury hotel. Fernanda believes that her husband must be behind this.

Fabricio tells Alejandro about the Miranda/Florencia problem. Alejandro is surprised that he has let the wedding preparations get this far.

Gonzalo is in his office in Mexico City with his right hand man, Cesar. (Gonzalo has an incredibly deep voice!) Somebody named Julio has screwed up and Gonzalo says he his days at the company are numbered and he will name Cesar as president. It appears that Gonzalo is planning to build luxury hotels in Mexico in partnership with Alejandro. Gonzalo's secrectary, Nuria, is in love with Cesar. He kisses her and bites her lower lip. Weird!

At the airport, Alejandro tells Fabricio that he has screwed up things big time with the Miranda/Florencia thing. Alejandro confesses that he himself has never been in love but if he had, he wouldn't let things get in a mess like Fabricio. The friends part to conduct their business deal.

It appears that Miranda is at the airport supervising shipments of something. She narrowly misses being hit by the vehicle that Alejandro is in. Their eyes meet, there is music - and then she chews him out for not looking out for pedestrians. He apologizes but she won't and she thinks he is arrogant.

Scenes of Miranda giving things to poor school children contrast with Alejandro and Fabricio in the helicopter and the oil fields in Tabasco. Alejandro presses his associates to conclude the hotel deal.

Miranda is directing the preparations for a big party for Gonzalo's birthday. Cesar tells his brother, Fabricio, that he wants in on Fabricio's business deals. While Fabricio was gadding about in Europe, Cesar has been under Gonzalo's thumb and now he wants a share of the pie.

Cesar has a conversation with Bertha. It appears that they were lovers when he was a teenager. Cesar, however, loves Miranda. Bertha tells him that Fabricio is going to dump Miranda and that would be a perfect time to get her on the rebound. Bertha then reminds Fabrizio that the has apparently promised to dump Miranda and warns him not to back out.

Meanwhile, Florencia sneaks into Miranda's bedroom and uses her hairbrush. She is racked with guilt for betraying her sister. Renata comes in and tries to buck her up. The already tiresome Florencia then convinces herself that Fabricio only feels pity for her, not love since she is sick.

Alejandro tells someone on the phone that he believes Gonzalo will invest in the hotel deal but meanwhile he is drawing a portrait of Miranda. He tells himself that he is here for vengeance not to fall for some unknown woman.

Bertha tells Gonzalo that the doctor told her that Florencia's heart condition has worsened and she only has a few months to live. Gonzalo says that Florencia should have whatever she wants and nobody must know about her short life expectancy. He tells Bertha that 18 years ago she told him something that broke his heart (presumably about his wife) and now what she had told him about Florencia has destroyed his soul.

Alejandro, Fabricio and his mother arrive at the party. Fabricio goes off with his mother leaving Alejandro alone. Miranda recognizes the man from the airport. First, they exchange stupid grins but then Miranda reverts to bitchiness and is going to accuse Alejandro of being party crasher. She is waylaid on her way to confront Alejandro by Fabricio. Seeing this, Alejandro now knows who the woman he encountered in the airport is. Fabricio takes Miranda to a secluded place and tells her he doesn't want to marry her - he wants to marry her sister, Florencia.

End of the first episode. It seems promising. At least all the characters are good looking.

Labels: heridas, synopsis-cast