Caray, Caray!

• Poor Bruno was shocked to hear, at the funeral home, that his son Aaron had adroitly scooped up Trejo's client in Hawaii. Rod tells Bruno that he and Mariana had discovered "irregularities" ... (he doesn't tell him, though, how their meeting had been sadly interrupted, before the bubble bath could be wheeled in, by a one-two punch, first the news of Trejo's death and then by the unexpected, irate arrival of Minerva and Isa.)
  
  
• Avellaneda, an important tequila guy, thanks Gav for being so kind first to Trejo and now to his widow Altagracia. She says she feels guilty, but he counters: "Not at all, it's the Montalvo's fault, they're manipulated by Aaron."
  
  The widow shouts "Assassin!" at Aaron, throws his hand off his shoulder, and accuses him of coming to the velario just to be sure her husband is dead. "You killed him the day you agreed to ship his tequila to Hawaii! Get out of here!" Gav says "You'll be calmer later" but the widow says "I'll hate him till the day he dies. ... and watch out for those Montalvos. None of them inherited Amador's goodness."
  
  Mariana meets Rod in the hall. He's still glowing about almost getting her into the bubble bath but she says it will never happen again.
  
  
• Bruno is still miserable mulling over Aaron's machinations. Patricio lies to him, saying he didn't know anything about it. (Mentira is another word everybody should learn - it means LIE)
  
  Bruno tells his son Aaron "You made a terrible mistake. You've dirtied our name." Aaron says: "When time passes and the money rolls in you'll lose your bad humor." Later Bruno complains to Fedra that Aaron has become vile but Fedra says, no, he has a heart of gold...
  
  Rodrigo is furious at Aaron; he says he's going to give the widow all the money gained by the shady takeover of the Hawaii client. "When it comes to business, you're still in diapers," says Aaron, who reminds Rod that he, Aaron, still owns the business even if Rod is running it. Rod threatens to quit and Aaron starts backing down, saying "You're like a brother." "You're like my brother too, but lately I don't know you any more." "Rod, you wound me! Aww, give me a hug." Rod hugs him reluctantly.
  
  
• In the hospital, Acacia wakes up but, as so often happens in telenovelas, she has amnesia. She remembers her childhood, so she remembers her "depraved" uncle Meliton as being nice. She doesn't recognize James ("Who are you?" "I'm James, who loves you!" "MENTIRA!") and is afraid of him.
  
  Meliton has convinced the doctor that James was raping Acacia, and since Meliton is Acacia's only relative, she leaves with him. Later Rod arrives to back James up and whispers in Meliton's ear: "No more abuse or you'll pay." He also yells to Acacia: "If anything goes wrong, call me!"
  
  Meliton really hams it up on the way out, "Here, little niece, walk carefully sweetie..." After they're gone, a nurse comes up and hands the music box to James: "She left it behind." He mopes: "My only memory of Acacia." It probably won't wear out as fast as a cassette tape.
  
  
• After leaving the coffin area, the Bad Trio - Minerva, Aaron, and Fedra - gossip about finding Mariana/Gav in Rod's arms. "If Rod gets divorced, Isa will get half his worldly goods, Rod didn't have a pre-nup like the one I had to sign. Mariana is more dangerous than Gaviota - she's a fox..."
  
  
• Isa leaves in the limo with Pilar, after a few choice hostile words to Rod, the husband she's supposedly trying to keep.
  
  Sofia, she of the unending flow of unwanted counsel, counsels Rod: "You're going to get a lecture from Grannie about the sanctity of marriage. And you should know that Isa wants Mariana's head to roll."
  
  Indeed, when Rod is with Pilar later he does get the usual lecture, plus Pilar's new anxiety about clearing the family name and her delight at the expected imminent arrival of her first grandchild. (In real life, does anybody really announce with such delight and confidence that they've -- decided to get pregnant soon?)
  
  
• Aaron has two business meetings in a row in a cafe. First, with his divorce lawyer, who says if Aaron wants a fast separation and divorce he'll have to resort to some "unorthodox" methods which, as you can imagine, doesn't faze Aaron much. Second, wth his crooked crony Oñate, who's annoyed to hear that Aaron, wary of bad publicity, has caved to Rod's demands and, to clear his name, will give the Hawaii dough etc. to the widow. "It was the price of Rodrigo staying - but when things calm down we'll get back in the game."
  
  Reporters mob Aaron as he gets in his jet. He tells them all the noble things he'll be doing for Trejo's widow and how sorry he is for this lamentable loss. He looks so sad and noble.
  
  He gets into his jet and there's Pamela (aka Rubberlips) ready to accompany him to Miami. He tells her he'll be divorcing after Christmas and that the house in Miami will be hers. He just has to spend Christmas and New Year's with Minerva and then he'll drop the big one. "Good times are coming" says his woman. At the Miami mansion, he massages her by the pool and there are hijinx.
  
  [About that stuff on Pamela's head: I've just decided Univision bought a tanker truck full of this revolting red hair color and they're going to keep dipping their various actresses' heads in it till it's all used up. -- Ed.]
  
  
• At home Gaviota mopes about having cancelled her last meeting with Trejo to have a romantic dinner with Rod at the office. She describes the whole embarrassing scene. She reminds us of the promise she made to the Montalvo family: to take care of their business and help Rod. "Ay, but sooner or later I'm going to fail/fall and give myself to Rodrigo again."
  
  To cheer her up Clara turns on the tv and there, coincidentally at this exact second, appears the interview with Aaron as he's about to enter his jet. Gav is happy to hear what a great guy Aaron is, from his very own lips no less! She cheers up.
  
  
• Back in agave land, at ye olde watering hole, the bartender doesn't want to serve James or have him around, it'll wreck business: "Meliton told everybody you'd been abusing Acacia." James' indignant shouts that he loves and respects Acacia draw a discontented grumble from the extras. They change their tone and utter a more approving grumble after Rod's loud oration: "James is my friend, I'd put my hands in the fire for him! Would any of you do that for Meliton?" The bartender lets James stay, which is good since James more or less lives at this bar.
  
  
• Isa and Sofia are arguing in a cafe. Isa wants Sofia to help get Mariana fired; Sofia reminds Isa how much Rod hates interference. Anyway, it's almost Christmas, and Rod will be seeing less of Marian. "But I don't want them together even one more day." Sofia walks out. Isa calls Minerva and says: "Prove your friendship and help me get rid Mariana."
  
  At that moment Minerva opens a big envelope from Aaron. I missed the beginning of what it said but it ended with: "The only Christmas present I want is to hear you're expecting a baby."
  
  
• Rod happily babbles to James (a bit thoughtless considering what James is going through): "I was about to get her back! The romantic dinner was doing the trick! I saw that light in her eyes, the same as when we first kissed! I wanted to shout out that Gaviota is the love of my life! But I have to be less impulsive. I'm gonna divorce Isa after Christmas." "Isa won't like that." "I don't care, nobody will stop me."
  
  
• One of the commercials featured a special purple liquid which, if you but sniff it, causes your boring bosses to get their mouths zipped up and renders them completely silent. I think this is a magnificent product.
  
  
• Minerva and Isa burst into Gav's apartment and ask how much money would convince her to leave the company and never see Rod again. She says working for the Montalvos is disagreeable but she promised Pilar she'd stay - and her relationship with Engineer Montalvo is strictly business and always will be - so take your check and shove it where the sun don't shine. They leave.
  
  Isa says "She seemed sincere," but Minerva counters: "mansa agua (gently flowing water) is dangerous."
  
  
• A week passes, there are cheesy Christmas decorations everywhere. The widow Trejo accepts Gaviota's invitation to spend Christmas at her place with Clara and Benvenuto.
  
  
• "The last workday before Christmas," Elvira informs Gav, "is a half day, and everybody meets for a toast." In the meeting area Rod is very cheerful in a very red sweater and has passed drinks all around and thanks everybody and is giving out presents and compliments Gav in front of everyone and flashes his pearly whites to such effect that Gav, suffering a kiss-bubble, goes to her office to cry and say she still loves him.
  
  
• The smarmy neighbor, who's been in Paris or so he says, comes to Isa's door and gives her a bottle of her favorite perfume "so you'll have something of me on your skin."

Labels: Destilando

Permalink posted by melinama @ 11:15 PM