Caray, Caray!

Tonight's episode consists of dreams, flashbacks, and speculation - all of it quite enjoyable, but I would have preferred more real happenings. Oh well. I still liked this one a lot.

Omar and Marcia continue their conversation. Omar says Fern would never have proposed marriage to Marcia just to get her vote, and he's certainly not using her. Unfortunately he is not making any sort of eye contact with her while he's saying this. She asks Omar if he thinks that Fern really wants to be like him, free and unattached.

Omar says yes... but I wonder if he even believes that himself. He does seem to be aggressively unaware of Fern's feelings for Lety. In any case, his answer comes too easily. Whatever he truly believes, I think he is saying this to Marcia because it's the easy answer - it feeds into one of the things that's been motivating Marcia's fight for Fernando for at least three years. She thinks she is going to cure him of his womanizing ways. I don't know why she thinks this - after three years you'd think she'd know better by now. If she marries him, she'll be marrying the exact same guy who's done nothing but disappoint her for years. Oh well.

But it doesn't matter what Omar thinks right now. Marcia tells him he's wrong about Fern wanting to be unattached like Omar. (If only she knew how right she is!) She asks Omar if he will help her win Fernando back. He gets that mentally constipated look, like there's a ton of conflicting thoughts packed in his head and he desperately needs to squeeze one out.

Was that gross? Sorry.

Marcia nervously awaits the extrusion for about a half a second before she starts grilling him. C'mon, Omar, who's his girlfriend? Tell me tell me tell me tell me! She realizes that he can't betray his friend... yet two seconds later she asks him to swear to her that Fern doesn't have a lover! He tries to deflect the question, but she repeats it. He thinks to himself that he's going to have to pay for this in Purgatory. Um no Omar, Purgatory is for people who have souls, and I'm pretty sure Omar hasn't been able to see his reflection for years and can only be killed by a stake through the heart. He tells Marcia that in fact, lately Fernando's been the most well-behaved Omar has ever seen him.

(If you watch carefully, you can see Marcia blink right now. You might want to write this down on your calendar so you can tell your grandchildren about this someday.) She wants a more concrete timeframe. He says the last few months. She calls him a liar! He answers, "I swear to you, Marcia, there has not been one pretty girl around Fernando." Marcia says "then explain this to me... why hasn't he made love with me?" ZING!!

The unsurprised, blank look on Omar's face says it all. Does she notice? He says he feels her pain, but she really needs to discuss this with Fernando. She says it's been consuming all of her energy and patience. Omar says Fernando has been very busy with work: producing the commercials, preparing for Cannes, the Big Meeting... he's stressed out. Marcia says she hears these excuses when she talks to Fern every night, but her female intuition tells her he's afraid she'll catch him at something (I think that's what she said). Sometimes she feels that her entire life's mission is to marry Fernando. He flippantly says that marriage is not good for anyone. Marcia says something I don't get, and Omar turns away uncomfortably.

This miserable conversation continues over dinner. She says they've been together since birth. Their two families were very close - like one. She, her brother, and her sister were just little kids when their parents died, and they went to live with the Mendiolas and grew up with them. Omar says that Fern is almost like a brother to her. I say, ick, but Marcia said she's loved him ever since. He helped her deal with her parents' death. (Marcia's coral eye shadow is not flattering!) She says he was upset too, because they (her siblings) had invaded his life and robbed him of his parents' love. She felt she needed to protect him and be with him always.

She tells Omar to never forget what she's told him, whenever Fernando talks to him about his lover. Omar gets exasperated and Marcia says talking to him has been a waste of time. I tend to agree. No matter where Omar goes, no matter who he's with, he is the King of Rehash (except that one time with Luigi when he had to pee). He is not the guy to talk to if you actually want to make some progress. Poor guy! Augustin Arana deserves some type of reward for having to do so much talking with so little reward (other than snorting and drooling at hot chicks).

Marcia says we're leaving tomorrow; she's going back to the hotel. She leaves Omar alone at the bar. He says to himself, "Fernando... to think you're going to marry that stubborn stupid wild animal. Poor you, really!"

Later, Marcia and Omar meet with Luigi. She tells him he can't go back to Mexico yet. He says nonsense, he can give detailed instructions to the cameraman and all will be fine. Marcia disagrees, but Luigi says she's the executive, so she should be the one to stay behind in Germany to supervise things. Omar wants to know why is Luigi in such a hurry to go home? Luigi reminds them of the 90-second conversation they had a few months ago about him doing something for a benefit show with Yuri, the Mexican pop star. He says he's not eager to leave his boyfriend alone in Germany with all these futbol players, but... he puts on some attitude and it looks like Marcia is going to give in and agree to stay in Mexico even longer.

Meanwhile, back in Cuernevaca...

Lety and Fern are making out in broad daylight when Ariel approaches, arguing loudly with his neglected chickie-doodle who wants to know why he bothered bringing her here. I don't see a ring on her hand so she's not his wife, though I did see a ring on him recently. Maybe Ariel's wife is dead. Heh, he probably killed her. I'm hoping this guy ends up in jail so why not have him be a murderer, that's what I say. Or maybe she killed herself. I know I would. She married a guy who was named after a mermaid, for crying out loud. I'm sorry to say that I'm starting to develop a crush on him as well as Omar. Nothing (other than a big bucket of money) would make me happier than to see the two of them wrestle in their underwear. DO YOU HEAR ME, ROSY OCAMPO? I WANT TO SEE OMAR AND ARIEL WRESTLE ONE ANOTHER IN THEIR UNDEROOS.

Fern and Lety are too absorbed in their kiss to hear him; Ariel is so distracted by his anger that when he pointedly turns away from his date, he looks right through them. (Or perhaps he is only pretending not to see them!)

A moment later, however, they recognize his voice (still yelling at the little woman), saying did she really think he was going to ditch his business interests for her. They hide so he can't see them. She asks again why did he bring her here, and he says he doesn't know, she's right - they're going. He's got some things to attend to in the city now. She complains that she feels used, and Ariel says "that's your problem, not mine." He loudly announces to an attendant that he wants to leave.

Lety says "I told you I saw him!" and they argue briefly about that. :-) They are relieved - they know for sure he's not going to be around now, so they don't have to worry about running into him for the rest of the weekend.

Great! That means they can get busy now, right?

Wrong! My goodness no, they are decent people. They are not animals. They still have plenty of time left this weekend. There's no hurry. I mean, who the hell needs sex anyway. They've already been together a whole two times, why be greedy about it? The only thing they are getting busy with now is their lunch and Lety's worries. Fern wants Lety to forget about Ariel and her fear of getting caught, but she has difficulty with this and can't stop thinking about how Ariel is Marcia's brother and doom and gloom, end of the world. Next worry: he said he was going to break it off with Marcia when she gets back from Germany, right? He says right, that's what I said I'm going to do. Lety asks, what next? We still won't be able to bring our relationship out into the open, we'll have to hide it, and she doesn't want to feel guilty about that, about being the "other woman." And she thinks she doesn't deserve this happiness.

Fern protests, but she cuts him off. "Look at me. Look at what you have." She says she doesn't understand why he is interested in her. He says she is delightful. She answers that she is ugly. She raises her voice and says she's very ugly, always has been. He tells her he doesn't like it when she talks this way. She says she doesn't feel like she's delightful; right now she is full of guilt. She won't even be able to look her parents in the eye. They are so good and honest.

He tells her he's the only guilty one. He's a lying jerk. But Lety is not so easily deterred from her self-loathing; she moves on to her next sore point, Marcia. They're hurting Marcia. She's going to be so hurt when he breaks up with her. But, Lety says, their love is bigger than his engagement to Marcia... right?

He says yes, it's much bigger. She finally cracks a tiny smile at him. But then she goes back to her worries. His parents are not going to be happy with him if he dumps Marcia for the likes of Lety. Plus, she doesn't fit into his world. He doesn't know what she means. She says her parents are modest and simple - can Fern imagine her parents chatting with his? He says that her parents are much more honorable than a lot of the folks she is referring to. She agrees with him, and he is slightly miffed. She adds that she thinks she is not the woman he can be with. He rolls his eyes in frustration.

He talks about his childhood - his decades-long rivalry with Ariel, and the death of senior Villaroels. He says Marcia cried a lot, and he consoled her, but he was upset too because his own life was changing so much. The kids were heartbroken and his parents tried to make up for their loss. Up to that point, he had been accustomed to getting all of his parents' attention; when Marcia & co. showed up, he had to share.

He tells Lety about a particularly memorable party. (Cue flashback music)

The littlest mermaid - looking a smidge imperious even at the ripe old age of nine or so - is waiting impatiently for his remodeled family to finish singing a happy saint's day song around a cake. Teresita says "and now the gifts!" Humberto brings in a bitchin' new bike. Some of the kids flock around it in admiration, but Fern remains at the table, sulking, and Marcia appears to be keeping him company. The grownups discreetly exchange meaningful looks, and Humberto pulls Fern aside and asks him what's wrong. Fern says he wants a bike like that. Humberto says he'll get one on his birthday. Fern says he already had his birthday - is he going to have to wait a whole 'nother year? Will they buy him one tomorrow? Teresita shakes her head sadly and Humberto wags his finger. Fern wants to know why. Humberto says it's Ariel's birthday and he's not going to treat him differently. Then Ariel wants to play with Fern's favorite toy car, and Humberto makes him share. He actually takes the car out of Fern's hands and gives it to Ariel. Ariel starts shouting that he has a new present!

Young Fern whines and points out that he is his son. Humberto says yes you are, and I adore you, but now you have to share with the Villaroels because they've lost their parents. They have to make a family with them.

Teresita, wearing one of the shoulder-padded monstrosities of the mid-to-late 80s, agrees with him. Humberto tells Fern to go and have fun. Fern yells that they don't love him, and runs out of the room. Marcia follows.

Back in 2006, Fern says his parents were right, but he was so young and didn't understand. Lety tenderly wipes a tear from his face. The flashback continues.

Young Fern stomps into his bedroom, which is the size of the Padillas' entire downstairs, and slams the door. Marcia pounds on the door, saying she wants to be with him, but he yells at her to leave him alone. He says to himself, "I'm going to show my parents that I'm better than Ariel. He's not going to get anything else over me. Nothing!"

Fern tells Lety that this was the beginning of their rivalry. Lety takes Fernando's hand. He says (I think) that Marcia was clingy and needy and wouldn't leave him alone. Lety asks, how did he come to be her boyfriend? He says that as the years passed, she became very attractive, and he started to fall in love with her.

He says he's never discussed this with anyone before. He tells Lety to forget all of it!

It's nighttime. They drink a toast. They look at one another in their pajamas and think to themselves how wonderful it is to be together. He thinks about how her beauty fills his soul when he feels empty. He kisses her. ("Besame" again.) Yay! Finally! They kiss some more. In the next shot, they're nude. Wow! Magic!

They can get busy now, right?

Wrong!! Because Lety is crying. We can't do this. Not until... until he breaks up with Marcia. So they don't have to hide, she won't feel guilty, and can love him openly.

After the commercial break, they are dressed again. She says he's not going to love her. He says he loves her a lot. She asks him why. He says he knows it was difficult for her to turn him down. She agrees that it was, in such a special, perfect moment with so much desire. He says yes, with so much desire and so much love. She talks some more about guilt. Getting back to his answer why, he says she gave up all that passion in favor of her spirit.

She tells him her love for him is eternal; it is bigger than she is. He says that their love is very big; with her, he feels a very special, sincere kind of love, that he never thought he would feel. She says she loves him. They hug. ("Aqui Estaré" again. Snif!)

Fern falls asleep on the sofa. Lety falls asleep on the loveseat.

Caray! That's no fun, is it?


Psych!! Sucker!! They fooled me! They fooled you! They fooled us all!!! They totally do it in the pool!

Okay, it's a dream, but at this point I will take what I can get.

In their dreams, they meet in the pool. Lety has her glasses off and can swim. They are kissing, swimming underwater, their bodies are glowing...

Excuse me. I have something in my eye. I think it's the song.

The next morning, Fern wakes to see the bed still empty. He finds Lety sleeping on the loveseat and says nice things to her even though she can't hear him. He wakes her. They are in awe that they've had the same dream. She says she loves him. They kiss a bit but I guess they decide to leave it at that.

---

Fern gets home in a good mood, delighted with all that has happened. The phone immediately begins to ring. It's Omar. He accuses Fern of disappearing all weekend. Fern says yes, he escaped into another dimension of his life. He wants to tell Omar how wonderful and special it was, but Omar doesn't want to hear all this mushy stuff about the gargolita, he's worried about saving the business. Fern says don't worry about that, everything's fine with Lety, and he doesn't want to spend his Sunday talking about Conceptos. Omar tells him that Marcia told him all about that saint's day party and made it very clear that she's terrified of losing him. Fernando doesn't want to talk about it.

Fern sits in the chair by his bedroom window and looks out over the fabulous lawn. He remembers the look on Lety's face when he said he'd break up with Marcia. He thinks about how peaceful and happy he feels when he's with Lety. He would love to break up with Marcia and be with Lety. He picks up the phone and calls for Lety, but she's not there (she's at church; more on that later). He remembers the day of Luigi's Bella Life jewelry presentation, when Ariel threatens to take over Conceptos and dissolve the company if Fern and Marcia don't get married. Then he remembers when his parents were leaving for London; he and Marcia had been fighting, and his mother insisted that they make up before she left; she adds, "next time I see you, you'll be at the altar!"

In another flashback, he remembers how happy Marcia was when he agreed to set a date. He says to himself, "Lety, reality takes precedence. I can't cancel my wedding with Marcia, and I can't let my parents down - not with the wedding and not with the business."

Omar calls after his conversation with Luigi and mentions the Yuri thing. Fern says Luigi also needs to come back and work on the jewelry campaign for Bella Life. He wants to talk about how overwhelmed he feels about Ariel, and his parents, and the wedding, and Marcia, and feelings... he thinks he needs to make Marcia happy, because she's a little bit upset with him.

Omar says it's not just a little. She thinks they were born to be together, though, so he should be able to cheer her up within a few days (something like that). He just needs to get her a really great gift. Fern needs suggestions. What, phone calls, flowers? Omar says his imagination is too small. Fern says fine, I don't have the patience for this, why don't you come up with something. Omar just laughs.

---

RoboPop complains that it is Sunday and Lety's still not here. Lety gets home and cheerfully refuses to answer her parents' questions, saying only that she had a great time. She goes up to her room and works on a painting of some flowers. RoboPop complains some more, but Mom is just glad to see Lety so happy.

Lety talks to her painting instead of writing in her diary. Maybe the batteries in her light-up pen ran out. She rehashes the exciting events of the weekend and how wonderful it was. She loves him more than ever.

Mom comes up and says she's glad to see Lety so happy, and that it's time to go to church. (Lety is still wearing Friday's clothes. She did have time to change them before church.)

At the end of the mass, Lety turns around, which I was very firmly told not to do as a child, and recognizes some man in red who Amanda tells me is a popular TV psychic. She quickly faces forward, her face contorted in panic, but catches his eye guiltily on her way out. She and her parents approach a woman who is selling religious figurines nearby. Lety sees one that she'd like to have for her office, but suddenly gets spooked and wants to go home. As she rushes away empty-handed, she says something to herself like when she's free of guilt she can have a St. Judas for her office. I'm wondering, is she referring to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes?

She looks up, and the man in red is standing there holding the figurine. He says, "take it, woman. You are going to lose a lot."

---

Find some time this weekend to stock up on Kleenex and ice cream. A few pounds of each should suffice. At least to get you through Monday.

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