Caray, Caray!

If we got to dance with Al Pacino after suffering through the snorking scenes it would be one thing but, sheesh!
I am here to substitute for "La Ilustre Tash" with pleasure but with fear of more groseras y tontorias, but hey old Rodrigo woke up fresh and handsome and so full of himself he was almost sexy again. To purify and clear my head I was forced to attend to my homework for Literatura Mexicana y dios mio I read with pleasure about Sor Juana Inéz de la Cruz, the 16thC. uber-intellectual, feminista monja (nun). Well to get on with the tonight's story: Enter Gavi in tears leaning against a wall.

Frankie the Francophile descends the stairs (not nude, too bad) saluting the day with 5 cents worth of French and looking for his gourmet breakfast. Since Slave Sofie is in the kitchen he slips into the study to make a quicky clandestine call to Isadora to warn her that her calls in the madrugada are getting on his last nerve and making Sofie mighty suspicious. She appears outside the study door to hear him making sweet murmurings of a call later and sending besos. Sofie scares him by walking quietly into the room, he feigns looking for the paper. Other than reading "The Metrosexual Male" while steaming his face one day at Pilar's there is no other evidence that he can read. On seeing that he's getting bagel and smoked salmon, he graciously takes the tray from his impactada wife and sweeps out of the room. Now look at the clothes she has on today, hair down and feminine without being adolescent, purple shirt with nice cleavage, and a black skirt (not denim for a change). This subtle improvement of wardrobe gives her the sudden electric power in her brain to use redial. When she realizes that Isadora is the voice on the other end she throws the phone down like it was a snake. IMPACTADA hardly describes it. Isa is looking confused on the other end, get a clue girlie, your game isn't working so well this morning. So quick but too short a scene after all our waiting for this show down, mean tease!

Gaviota is mopey in getting ready for Alonso to come, Clarita is jumping around like she has Mexican jumping beans in her pants. Gavi is worried about missing a minute by the phone in case Rodrigo calls, Clarita has another moment of clarity and insists that is exactly what she must not do to herself (and Clarita is ripping for a bit of fun on the town and a long week of sayng, "como asi"). Her clarity comes when she reminds Gavi that after she demanded that Rod not bother her life or work and he complies, she says now look at your face (long and about to be weepy). Saved by the bell, Clarita sprints to the door while making a quick stop at the santos shelf, praying for an eye on the house, asking for love to work out with others and avoiding the tragedies (we are all too used to). Gee, I hope they put those candles out for fire safety before they leave, they always seem to be lit. Alonso sweeps in, well scrubbed in immaculate clothes. All smiles he gets Clarita wound up then side bars to Gavi that he hopes she doesn't feel forced to go out. Duh, buddy boy. Clarita and he arrange to go to a lugar con comida tipica since Clarita prefers it and this place will surely have a Mariachi band. Gavi hisses that she will not be singing so don't even ask.

Slip to the 3rd stage setting back in the country, Erika is looking doubtful at her jolly and very dirty mechanic who is still pulling wires out from the hood and mumbling something about cables. I thought it was carburator trouble a few days ago but this guy is quietly milking the repair opportunity when Rodrigo shows up in his humming white luxury carriage ready to sweep the princess off her feet. Rod avers that it is pure coincidence that he is stopping by. He would like to talk to her and after almost leaving her he leads her over to the restaurant assuring her that he needs her to be friendly to him, talk to him nicely on the ride home and to realize that she is not his therapist. At the table he beams that he is most satisfied with her treatment and feels all fixed up. She does show her professional best by saying perhaps there will be outbursts later and she is ashamed to have compromised her professional ethics by getting all borracha with him. The mechanic repeats that the electric system no va. A more borracho than thou electrician shows up. Rodrigo gets his town mechanic on the phone and arranges for a tow truck to come for Erika's car.

Parallel Universe time, cut to the other table where no-fun Gaviota, Alonso and Clarita are ordering. Gavi is so blue she only wants nopale salad and water with horchata. Of course Clarita wants huge platos of comida and tequila to wash it down with. Alonso is right with her. The Mariachis play some lovely but muy triste songs that bring Gavi to tears as they sing about lost in my abyss, I have nothing left, and I remember being in your arms until your betrayal.....oh gawd, hankies please.

Holy cats, the show is half over and que the hell is going on in the Hacienda?? Go ahead cut to commercial, bastardos.
Sorry but first the Rod/Erika show gets in the luxe car and sweeps toward DF. Universo paralelo time again. We get the same song on Rod's radio as is suddenly played live at Gavi's table. Solo una amiga....sweet memories of my life. Gaviota suddenly offers to take a cab but Alonso doesn't look like he wants to stay with bouncy Clarita. Gee once again it looks like nobody is who they want to be with. Doesn't this remind you of high school dating?? The Alonso date ends with him making blue puppy eyes up at her windows.

Finally Sofie is shown suffering, (I know it's unkind but some of us have been waiting with bated breath for this). She flashes back scenes with Isadora that suddenly make sense, Frankie's hankie from his hankie pankie, etc.

Good old James appears his shirt is almost normal looking if not for the embroidered pocket flaps. He is in tears before Sofie can let out a sob. Acacia was glad to see him today but perhaps he will have to face the fact that she is stuck in that awful nut house (so rude, I should say sanitorium or what is the pc phrase for the place where you get to keep people in straight jackets, I forget). Do they still do shock treatments? Poor Acacia she was such a lovely creature. He cuts himself off politely demuring from depressing Sofie who he thinks momentarily is crying for his story. She sputters out that she's been thinking all day and then we have IMPACT, folks, Frankie has deceived her and with ISABELA. Triple impactada. James goes into immediate denial. There must be some reason this seems wrong but isn't. So have you ever noticed that two of the three Montalvo children barely have time to hear about James really, really tragic story of an abused, fragile wife who couldn't keep it together. You'd think he had described a nasty break in her leg because they jump to their cesspool tragedy to howl in the wind about fracadas of their own making after a minute of two of ceding the stage to him. Franco must have a sense of doom since he hovers at the door then slinks in to hear Sofie insist that she has influenza, what a martyr in the making, no? Franco is so solicitous he even offers to walk her around the pueblo. Remember that last time, you moron?? Every babe within 20 kilometers is purring at him. James finally leaves quickly in disgust. I almost turned off the set but hey it gets more than slimey. He has more aces up his sleeve than a Los Vegas bum. He has the gall to suggest it is time for them to make babies. eeewwwww, yuck gooey kisses and so much falsehood.

Back to Clarita and Gavi where Clarita has another clear moment of saying Gavi could love this doctor who only want to be nice to her, he would die for you. She gives that motherly speech that we have mostly all heard about shop and compare then choose but WISELY. Her TN reference here is "Amores Paralelos" about the mujer who loved 2 men and couldn't choose so she ended up as a NUN. Listen carefully, girls, this could be your sad fate one day!

Gavi talks briefly to Dani who knows nothing of Rodrigo's whereabouts but is surprised Rod didn't call Gavi. They resolve to stay in touch. She got the invitation to Elvis Perez III & Señora (did I miss a wedding here).
One last scene with Rodrigo in Erika's apartment. Here talk turns to French and German literature and the science of smell. I actually had been thinking of Marcel Proust and "Remembrance of Things Past" when this whole smarmy aroma deal invaded the script. Siskind with "Perfume" shows us that Erika is an intellect to be reckoned with. I am not familiar with Bargo's work on the connections of aroma and absence. Supposedly the brain houses olfactory senses near long term memory areas. Let's discuss, I'm not nor have ever been a brain surgeon nor a neurochemist. But I like to talk about these things.

Pilar comes in and I could swear she smiled or her eyes moved a bit when she thinks the psych work on Rod will make him forget Gavi. I would hate to have to lip read her face. Pilar has been out and about with Nestor and reminds Dani that the 4 year anniversary of Amador's death and the Letter is to be read (listen for the sound of the other shoe dropping, stay tuned).

Next time: More sad music, Gaviota does not hear from Rodrigo but Erika does. Alonso and Nancy looked worried at Gaviota's depressing ways.....

Buenas noches amigos and amigas.

Labels: Destilando