Caray, Caray!

Sorry for being even later than usual this week--Semana Santa schedule implosion is to blame this time. Not too much good happens to our heroes and heroines.


We get some flashbacks of previous scenes to recap—Cami’s in jail, Everybody knows, Ric’s trying to get her out and La Paisana and Chino want to help. Lis tells La Font that she’s talked to Ric (against his orders) but that she has no intention of letting her out. La Font takes his fury out on his daughter and we get to see exactly what she described to Ascanio last week—his special torture which he’s been using on her since childhood –locking her up in a nasty cupboard. The poor girl obviously has claustrophobia by now. The kicker is that Santiago, has travelled to another town for a business meeting with some traders who just happen to be Molinero Pastor (the guy that Ric and Mario met with under an assumed name when gathering evidence against LaFont and Jorge) and the REAL Ricardo Lopez de Carvajal. In the flashback sequence that Margarita described so well in the previous recap, the real Ric tells the puzzled Santiago that there is a pirate who jacked him awhile back who is running around with his documents. The real Ric says he’ll never forget that Devil’s face. In the flashback we learn that our Ric actually killed a guy for fighting him because he disagreed with freeing the passengers, including real Ric, instead of selling them as slaves. It’s not entirely clear but since the passengers were already loaded in a boat for the coast already, it’s possible they didn’t hear anything and that only being able to see the altercation from a distance only saw him slit some guy’s throat and throw his body off the boat. Not a good impression to leave and it may explain why real Ric isn’t more grateful for fake Ric’s mercy.


And speaking of pirating, Ric has made it to the coast where he waits with the other pirates for Mario to finally arrive in the Salamandra. He’s relieved when he finally does.


Over at the conference center, I mean tavern, Santiago has taken Ascanio outside in a fury. “How could you have let Camila marry a PIRATE! he asks, grabbing him by the lapels and throwing him against a wall. Santi’s also quickly figured out that Camila isn’t really married since she married Ric while he was using a false name. Ascanio gets away from him and walks away complaining that Santiago sees everything in black and white. He doesn’t understand what it’s like when you have no good options. Santiago shoots back that he’s had plenty of adversity in his life. He lost Camila and was left crippled. Ascanio says that Ric did what he had to do to survive. Santiago says so did he but it didn’t turn him into a criminal. Ascanio says that if instead of being shipwrecked when he was captured by pirates, what if they had forced him to work with them? Then what? Santiago who is still hobbling after him says that they aren’t talking about him, what really ticks him off is that Ascanio didn’t tell him. Ascanio says that he didn’t tell him because Camila knew. She recognized him from when she was captured by Pirates and she fell in love with him. Santiago can’t believe this. He is sure that Ric deceived her, promised her mountains and seas, whatever, to get her. [Nice going Santi—she’s an idiot or a whore.] Ascanio tells him to calm down—that’s the spite and jealousy talking . He doesn’t have a right to interfere in her life. Santiago says he has a right to open her eyes to the truth. Ascanio responds that Camila already knows the truth and she still loves him. They love eachother. He knows that the truth hurts. Santiago runs away and Ascanio sighs and covers his face with his hand.
Evening falls. Over at LaFont’s, it’s candlight suppertime. As LaFont helps Lis to her seat, Lis tells him that Ric, apart from asking her to free Camila told her he was leaving town to get the money to pay her debt. When she asks about Manuela, he tells her that “she’s indisposed.” They discuss how tomorrow, Lis will have to face Camila at the hearing before the judge. Lis isn’t looking forward to it but LaFont tells her that it’s just a formality and he promises her that the judge will find in her favor. And “promises are debts to be honored,” he says, grabbing her hand rather hard, like he’s telling her that she better honor her part of the deal by marrying him. He tells servants they can bring the food.


Meanwhile, Vasco and Jimena commiserate over letting Camila get away. Vasco says that Camila has always been this way—overprotective and always taking responsibility. (big sister) While he has always been irresponsible. (little brother) Again there is the mention of his stupidity in letting Bernabé get away with the letter. Vasco laments that no wonder his dad hates him. Jimena invites him to a glass of wine and tells him that his Dad doesn’t hate him. He’s just angry at him, and with good cause. They all love him, even Camila. Vasco says that she should spit in his face the next time she sees him. Jimena disagrees and says that instead of whining, he should be resolving to behave better. Vasco complains that he’s tried. His soul must be rotten he says, because no matter how hard he does try, he always succumbs to temptation. Jimena tells him he’s got to try harder or he’s going to lose his family forever. She asks him if he loves Ines (“a beautiful girl”) and Vasco says he does, very much and he loves his family too. “Then think of what’s at stake” says Jimena. They are both crying by now. “Aren’t they worth whatever it takes?” she asks. Vasco agrees and smiles through his tears.


Ric and Mario are now in conference at the beach house. Mario says they should just go in and do a jailbreak of Camila. Ric says no—too dangerous, above all, for Camila. Besides he’s SURE that Lis will keep her promise and let her have house arrest. He tells Mario to relax, have a bath and send Pablo back to SF in the morning to protect the house and Jimena (who I gather is going back too). Mario says he’s really sorry things are such a mess. Ric acknowledges.


Over at LaFont’s. Auntie Fran tells Lis that she’s going to see Manuela, to see if she can be any help to her. Lis says why, Al says she’s sick. Auntie Fran says she’s going to try anyway, since she wants to be on her good side since she’s Al’s daughter and they are all going to be living together when Lis marries Al. As Fran leaves, Lis, who is holding her dolly, laughs maniacally and says that “we aren’t going to be living together and I’m not going to marry him.”
Fran goes to see Manuela in her room and finds Agata, the nanny there alone. Fran asks where Manuela is and Agata tries to cover up that she’s at the outhouse but that she’ll tell Manuela that she came by to check on her. Fran offers to wait but Agata says that it would make her uncomfortable to know that she had waited for her. Fran says OK and that she’ll see her tomorrow. She leaves.


Fran goes back to help Lis undress for bed. She tells her that something weird is going on. Manuela wasn’t there and the bed was made. And why is she going outside to do her business? Gentlefolk use chamberpots. Also, the nanny’s eyes were red from crying. Fran speculates that Manuela was punished for letting Ric in the house. Lis is now curious to find out about how she was punished. She says she’ll ask Manuela tomorrow. Fran says she’d better keep her nose out of it. [Lis, you have no idea—you thought your Daddy was bad.] Fran tells her that how her future husband reprimands his daughter isn’t her business. Lis uses the opportunity to point out that Al isn’t her future husband. Fran goes into once again how she has no other options and she should stop talking nonsense (sandeces). Lis says once she gets her inheritance, she can go where she likes. Fran says she’s not going to help her get away and anyway, she doesn’t think Al will let her.


Al has gone to the Hotel Rey to ask for Josihei (AKA el Chino). The clerk tells him that he and the lady have already retired for the evening but he can wake them if he wishes. La Font says no, but just give them the message that they will be doing lunch tomorrow. He leaves.
Meanwhile, upstairs, LaPaisana is discussing developments with El Chino while she’s soaking her feet. She says that it’s clear that El Antillano is distracted since on the one hand he told her not to tell anyone that they knew him and on the other, he told her that they could use his house. Chino agrees. They also talk about their visit with Jorge and LaFont. She thinks his house is the dabomb. LaFont on the other hand is sleazy. “Saints or Sinners, I prefer people who are honest (straight—derecho).” She goes on to say that the people that she likes have some concept of loyalty. They aren’t two faced or deceitful.


Ric, Mario and the boys are back on the Salamandra. Mario who is drinking coffee asks Ric if he stayed up all night or rose early. No response. Mario tells him that for sure they will get the money so that they can free Camila. Ric says he knows that but it bothers him that he promised Camila that he would protect her and that she would not have to be a servant again and he failed. Mario says it’s not his fault. If Camila had just followed instructions…Ric says he should have guessed that she would not stay put once she knew he was in jail. Mario says, you’re not a fortune teller to know what she would do. (actually he says brujo but “warlock” sounds odd in English since they aren’t known for telling the future). Ric says he should have taken precautions. Mario says, whatever, the boys are ready to go—two ships ought to get them what they need …Ric interrupts him to say that’s not the plan. The plan is to go to Coral Island and borrow the money from Foreman. Mario is impactado. (Under all that hair it’s hard to tell.) He tells Ric that Foreman doesn’t do anything for anybody for free. Ric puts his hand up. He doesn’t want to hear a discussion. He’s made up his mind. Mario goes to give the order to set sail for La Coralina.


Over to Santiago and Ascanio on their business trip. Santiago rushes up to Ascanio and asks where he has been, they are leaving. Ascanio says that he has been delivering the sample lanterns to Molinero Pastor, doesn’t he remember? Santiago says no. Ascanio says that he thought they would be there a few more days. Santiago says no. They are headed back to SF. Ascanio says “Why, so that you can carry out your revenge by denouncing Ric and showing Camila to be a whore?” Santi takes umbrage at the last bit. Ascanio says he always thought that Santi was a pious, just man but if he does this, he’s a hypocrite. Santiago asks him to explain. Ascanio points out that if he interferes, he will be damaging a guy just to get him out of the way and hurting Camila. And in the end, all of the tears she will have shed will be his fault, beginning with when she waited for him and he married somebody else. The words hit their mark and Ascanio walks away, tossing away a piece of paper as he goes (the receipt for the lanterns?) Santiago calls after him weakly and walks up to lean against a wagon.


Ines and Ofelia are visiting Cami in jail. Cami tells them that she has a hearing with Lis this morning. Sofia and Fortunata along with a servant with food are on the way to visit her too. The jailor complains that her family is already with her and that they all won’t fit in the cell. Sofia says that they can leave the cell door open. When the guard balks, Sofia cracks “what, do they look like a bunch of bandits on a jailbreak?” The guard is chagrined. Sofia greets Cami who says she’s OK. Fortunata goes off on how unfair this is and hands her a book, as a gift. She complains that at first, she felt sorry for Lis but now when she comes over to the Mansion, as La Font’s WIFE she isn’t even going to so much as greet her.


At the Hotel Rey, LaFont, La Paisana and Josihei are all sitting down to lunch (no real indication that time has passed, but I guess it’s noon already). LaFont says that it’s been decided that they will distribute the merchandise from SF to the surrounding towns. It will avoid the problem of having a lot of different people involved. Paisana says that Foreman doesn’t generally like to “put all his eggs in one basket” meaning, his trust in only one person. La Font complains that they don’t trust him. Josihei says it’s not so much that but if something happens to him they lose everything. LaFont laughs and asks what they think could befall him, Jorge’s lord of the place, with his OK, they’ll be fine. LP says that maybe somebody could come along and blow their cover, somebody above Jorge. LaFont wonders if the guy they mean is Ric and he starts probing about whether they know him. He relates that Juancho mentioned El Antillano when he visited their camp. They tell him that he needs to understand that in the Pirate brotherhood, when people break their loyalty, they pay with their lives. Juancho himself is now sleeping with the fishies. LaFont’s eyes get big. Josihei mentions that if he does happen to meet El Antillano, not to underestimate him.


Next we are with LaFont and Jorge in (a rough bit of editing). La Font has been complaining that the pirates threatened him. Jorge is unsympathetic. He’s mad that LaFont has dragged him into this business with the inheritance and the pirates. He even says that the whole caravan robbery deal was LaFont’s idea in the first place. It’s turned complicated with a huge downside. LaFont says that all deals have their risks. Jorge says he doesn’t care. He says to forget about Ricardo/Antillano or he risks “shaking up the beehive.” He tells him to get out of his face, he’s annoying him.


At the judge’s, Camila is waiting for Lis. Lis tries to tell the judge that the letter was obtained falsely—Ric told her so but the Judge tells her to save it. Lis and Fran have arrived. Lis asks her how she is. Camila responds that she knows how she is. She goes on to say that she knows full well that she never wanted to marry her Father, that he forced her to. And that she tried to escape many times. Her Aunt Fran even helped her once. Lis feigns ignorance of this and Fran pretends to not know what she is talking about. Camila says that Ascanio was a witness. Fran says that they won’t take the word of a servant. The judge clarifies that they are talking about the Ascanio, the servant she freed. Lis smiles and Camila suddenly realizes—“You are going to revoke his freedom?” The judge shakes his head.


Meanwhile, La Font is exiting his interview with Don Jorge and he’s not in a good mood. He heads to the hearing.


The judge gets up and explains that of the money that is to be paid back, the amount includes the cost of Jimena’s and Ascanio’s freedom. Lis goes ballistic and insists that she WANTS Jimena and Ascanio to go back to being servants. Camila asks why they have to be punished and Lis says Ascanio needs to pay for his betrayal. Camila asks “What betrayal?” At that moment, the majordomo announces that Al has arrived and wants to enter the hearing. They judge says to let him. Fran tells Lis to let it go. Why should they get hung up on stuff that happened a long time ago in LaMariana. Lis insists. The judge says it’s a problem. This is the deal they agreed to and that Ric signed. Lis says she doesn’t care. Al comes in and apologizes for his lateness. Lis says “we have a problem.” Al asks “what problem?” Camila and the judge look nervous.
I guess they break for a plaintiff conference because next we see Ofelia , Justo and Ines are waiting in the jail cell and Camila is suddenly brought in by the guard. She explains what happened, how Lis had a hissy fit and demanded that Ascanio be brought back into servitude, even though that wasn’t the deal Ric signed when he assumed the debt. Ines asks why and Camila speculates it was because Ascanio chose to stay with her and Jimena and Lis had a spat at the house. Ines tells Ofelia, “I toldya she was bad news.” (alimana—“a pest” says my dictionary). Justo wants to know if they talked about provisional liberty for Camila, but Camila says that they didn’t even get to that yet.


Outside later, Ines and Ofelia confer and Ines says that Santi is the only one who can help them now. Ines thinks that he can appeal to Don Jorge on her behalf. Ofelia is not enthused about the idea but she tells her to talk to her brother when he gets back.


On the road back, Santi is speechifying about how Ric deserves to hang for what he did. He bamboozled Camila into marrying him for his (probably stolen) money.


LaFont is arguing with the judge about how he doesn’t care about whether Camila tried to escape or not. The issue is whether the marriage was consummated and if it didn’t, she’s not his wife and the inheritance doesn’t belong to her. He pounds on the table to intimidate the judge. The judge says calmly that that’s not the problem. They have a deal that he looked over and Ric signed. The deal is for Camila to get provisional liberty and the servants’ freedom to be included in the tab. La Font says he wants it done by tomorrow . The judge says that he can send the papers over to Lis whenever.


Next we see LaFont breaking the news to Lis that they had a deal and she’s got to sign it. She says she doesn’t want to. She says that since the marriage is annulled, that means that Camila is a servant again and so are the others. LaFont explains to her the complicated relationships that are imperiled if she gets her way. Jorge doesn’t want to mess with Camila’s family again after the concessions deal. He cares about what people say. Also, Ascanio works for Santiago and Santiago is his only (bastard) son. This is apparently news to Lis. LaFont tells her that he is planning on recognizing him. Lis asks about Ursula and LaFont takes the opportunity to point out to her that Ursula is a woman and women don’t count for anything. She timidly asks if she really really has to sign the papers (for Camila’s provisional freedom) and La Font says yes, she really does. In tears, she hugs him (or he hugs her) and he whispers in her ear, if she knows where Ric could be getting the money to pay for Camila’s liberty. She responds, from his friends…in the Antilles…


On shipboard, Mario suggests to Ric that if he was planning on retiring soon, asking Foreman isn’t the way to do it. He’ll ask for something in return. Ric says he knows but Foreman said he was planning a big job and Ric is hoping that he can parlay that into his payoff. Mario says that it will be hard—sacking Campeche or Veracruz with all the protection they have now and the few pirates who are left will be most likely lead to their slaughter. Ric says he knows, but it’s the only way. Mario tries again to suggest that all they need to do is find two little boats to raid…Ric cuts him off. “I don’t see any boats” he says. And he doesn’t want to wait around. He wants to free Camila and fast!


Back in her Jail cell, Camila cries and talks to Ric.


At LaFont’s, Agata has gotten permission to free Manuela from the cupboard. She does and the poor girl falls out on the floor practically unconscious.


Ines fills the now returned Vasco in on the fact that Camila is in jail and Lis refuses to take the deal. Ines asks him if he thinks Santi can help but Vasco says he doesn’t think so. He’s too stubborn and proud. He gets on his knees and asks for her forgiveness. Ines says “That’s what you said last time.” But she relents.


At Ric’s mansion, LP shows up with one of the women in the entourage as her “maid.” Ric’s guy at the gate says that they were told that she would be coming, with an oriental gentleman. She says that he stayed back at the hotel. I’m the Senora Mariana Julia and this is my maid, Magdalena. The guy asks if they will be staying at the house and she says no, but she’s come to see Pablo, if he’s around. The guy tells her that he arrived a short time ago and he’ll get him. He shows her into the house. LP tells the maid to stay behind. She asks for a drink. Magdalena flounces on bench. Inside, LP helps herself to a stiff drink. She’s nervous. Pablo comes in and greets her. She asks him if el Antillano told him she was coming. Pablo is surprised that she knows that Ric is el Antillano. (Evidently these two have never met before.) She asks him if he wants a drink. He accepts. She asks him about El Antillano is and he replies I am loyal to him (lo tengo ley) “and Mario?” she asks. “He’s a good second in command,” he replies. He asks her if she belongs to the brotherhood of Pirates and she says yes. She asks him how many years it has been since he has seen his mother. Pablo replies “Many, do you know her?” He puts down his glass. She says nothing but picks up the shell around his neck and blows into it. He freaks and grabs it out of her hands and throws it on the floor. He runs out of the room. Jimena comes in surprised and wants to know what’s going on. She asks LP who she is. LP says “Nobody. Nobody” and sadly leaves. Jimena follows her out to the gate but doesn’t engage her. She asks the gate guy who they were and he tells her everything that LP had told him and that she had come to see Pablo. Jimena asks where Pablo went and gate guy says he saw him going to the stables. Just then Pablo rides up and she asks him who she was. Pablo says that she was a bad woman who gave him away when he was just a child, who abandoned him to his fate without a care. Jimena asks so who is she then, to you? Pablo replies “she who gave birth to me, who bore me.” Jimena sighs and rolls her eyes saying “It’s his Mother!” As he rides away. She is his mother.


Over at Don Jorge’s, Uriel, Mateo and Don Jorge are playing chess. Uriel mentions that Romero Castillo has left town. Don Jorge mentions that LP has arrived with El Chino but they haven’t come to an agreement yet on how to distribute the goods. He complains that the La Font is too tied up in this whole Lis inheritance thing and it’s cramping his (Don Jorge’s) style.
At LaFont’s, Agata is helping to bathe Manuela. She looks like she has a few bruises as well, although they might be shadows. She is crying that she can’t take anymore abuse from her Father. It has been a long time since he treated her this way. Agata says that it has also been a long time since she has rebelled against her Dad. Agata says the way out for her is to get married and get away from him. Manuela says “With who?” Agata counsels her to talk to Sofia. Manuela says no, that her Dad will kill her if he finds out. Agata suggests Fran, since she seemed concerned about her the other day, but Manuela doesn’t trust her. She is afraid that Fran will run to her Dad with whatever she tells her. “Why was I born so unlucky?” “WHY?” She cries.

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Next time:
Santiago is in a rage over Ric. He’s sure that he has abandoned Cami. Ofelia is shocked at his fury. Also, Lis is surprised and signs with a smile. Did she get want she wanted, Cami and the others in servitude?

Labels: Pasion