Caray, Caray!

• We start with Juan and Sofia at the Rag Fair (or the Jumble, is that what they call it in England?) touching hands every time she gives him another box of soccer balls to divvy up amongst the poor unfortunates.
  
  Sofia massages Juan's forearm happily, in front of everybody.
  
  A boy tells Juan "You're great, I saw you at the rodeo," and Sofia says, "Wow, see, they want to follow your example. But you left your prize behind." (Meaning that statue or whatever that he got for not falling off his horse or whatever.) Juan retorts subtly: "The prize I want I can never have. Never."
  
  [I want to point out that NUNCA and JAMAS, which each mean NEVER and together mean REALLY REALLY NEVER I MEAN IT, are overused in this novela. I am reminded of Wally Shawm, villain in The Princess Bride, who exclaims after witnessing each of his enemy's many successful parries: "Inconceivable!" Towards the end of the movie Inigo gently muses: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." --Ed.]
  
  
• At the Bad Love Bar, Rosario explains to Franco, using short words and patient repetition, that they can only be friends. He, sulking: "But I feel more than that." He tries to kiss her. She: "I have complications, I don't deserve you, I don't want you to be hurt. You are noble and pure..." [As she says this a goofy smirk spreads over Pablo Montero's face - he can't help it, he's just enjoying the hell out of these compliments. --Ed.]
  
  Rosario says she's not a good woman, he says she is, she yields to his rubbery kisses...
  
  ... and in stalk Furd and Moustache Guy ...
  
  ... and then they stalk out. [Fine work, director. --Ed.]
  
  Furd recognizes the unexpected, unwelcome smoocher as one of those bricklayers who aren't laying bricks for Furd and Sofia's little love-nest back at the hacienda. He tells Moustache to do what needs to be done.
  
  Moustache gets some thugs to beat up Franco. "Tonight marks your destiny forever!"
  
  
• Sarita rocks her poetry book and remembers chanting her favorite romantic poem in unison with with the very guy who is just now giving rubbery kisses to the Bonbon Assassin. Ingenuous Sarita is convinced that when Franco mentioned his Impossible Love, he meant -- her.
  
  
• Oscar shows up at the Trysting Tree; Jimena bounces out from behind it (why does Mommy let her dress this way?) and surprises him.
  
  He figures since he went to the trouble of combing his hair and washing his face she should put out; he suggests they go somewhere more private. She says, "We're fine right here."
  
  She gives him happy smiles and happy kisses. He: "I like you better than my horse!" She: "I like you better than my dog, but then, I don't have a dog." Eventually she realizes what he has in mind and says "I want to be with you but not that way! Adios!" She leaves.
  
  
• In the confessional Mommy confesses insincerely: "I can't stop thinking of that poor girl Libia - I should have helped her, but pain and rage confused me - I'm sure she was lying, he couldn't have deceived me, much less with a low-class girl like that."
  
  "Do you repent having treated her so badly?" She says yes. Father Tadeo, who has a bouffant wavy hairdo we've seen recently in another show, tells her to pray for Libia's soul. Mommy's thought-bubble: "I'll never pray for her, she and Bernardo, blegh, let them rot in hell!"
  
  
• Moustache and his thugs beat up Franco by a roaring fire, howling gleefully. The thugs give Moustache a little napkin to wipe the blood off his fingers. "Make him disappear, I NEVER want to see him again."
  
  All laugh and leave Franco unconscious or dead [which do you think?] by the unattended flames, what a fire hazard!
  
  Moustache barges into Rosario's dressing room. He reveals that he and Furd saw her kissing the hapless bricklayer. "We'll convince him, he'll never come back."
  
  Rosario's aghast: "What did you did?" "Ask Furd when he returns." Moustache locks her in. She begs the Virgin to keep Franco safe.
  
  Moustache comes back. The conversation is repeated. He leaves. Soon Furd comes in and initiates the same conversation as yesterday, threatening her mystery love child.
  
  
• At the Tomb of Constant Over-Acting and Recrimination, Juan (his filthy face indicating, as usual, strong feelings) emotes wildly, snarling with very white teeth while sobbing and explaining to his dead sister that he's profoundly in love with Sofia, etc. etc. "Love is not more important than vengeance! I will bury my heart in a darker, deeper tomb than yours! [A fine low note on the tuba is heard.]
  
  
• Oscar, on his bed, reviews his badly timed slimeball moves on Jimena and thoughtbubbles: "You please me! I feel so strange!" [Way to go, screenwriters.]
  
  
• Father Bouffy kisses Mommy's fingers and thanks her for her charitable work. Furd compliments her too, arriving refreshed from his duties as Thug Supervisor. Eva whispers to Jimena, "Don't think I didn't notice the way you escaped," but Jimena admits nothing.
  
  Eva tells Mommy she wants to stay in town a bit longer, she has errands. Mommy is about to say no, but the girls remind her it's Sunday, Eva's day off! So poor Eva doesn't have to get in the truck. She can do her errands.
  
  Furd, Mommy, and the girls pile in the truck. Furd thoughtbubbles: "Franco will never get near Rosario again." Mommy reminds Furd (and us) that she has decided to give over to him complete control of the hacienda.
  
  
• Back in the bedroom behind Bad Sanitation Bakery, Juan tells Oscar: "I'm late getting home because I went to the tomb and then to church." Oscar is impactado to hear the church part.
  
  They start to wonder where Franco is but assume he's at the Bad Love Bar with Big Boobs: "He says he's in love, and it's true, we don't rule our own hearts."
  
  
• Gramps scolds Furd and exposits with daring frankness. "Let's talk about the punch you landed on Sofia last night. You were always ambitious. After your family was ruined you came weaseling around here and gained Bernardo's confidence, then you went for Sofia - she never wanted you but you were always there - then you got my awful daughter on your side too - you married Sofia when she was in no condition to make such a decision. She doesn't love you, she never did, give her her liberty and do us all a favor, leave forever!"
  
  Gramps is perfectly cheery as he delivers this dangerous speech but behind his back Furd rehearses the simple move which would be required to push him down a staircase.
  
  Furd goes and tattles to Mommy. He suggests they do a surprise intervention and throw Gramps in the loony bin. They agree it's an excellent idea.
  
  
• The silly sisters do a tell-all. "I'm in love with Oscar, and Sarita is in love with Franco, and if you weren't married you'd be in love with Juan!" Sofia reminds them, and us, how repellent she finds Furd -- but "not all men."
  
  
• Eva uses her free evening to go visit the Scuzzy Scone Bakery. She begs the boys to lay aside their plans of vengeance. She repeats, Bernardo wasn't a bad man and he really loved Libia.
  
  They ask what happened, we see the coffin scene again. [I do think Libia could have been a little more politic. --Ed.]
  
  The boys decide Mommy was to blame for Libia's death. Eva repeats, no vengeance please, I'll have to blame myself if anybody gets hurt.
  
  Oscar, reassuringly: "We're not going to kill anybody." Juan: "Not yet." Eva: "What?" Juan: "We can't tell you, it's a super secret secret."
  
  Eva repeats, no vengeance please, Bernardo wasn't a bad man. She leaves. Her pleas have fallen on deaf ears: again with tomb, oath, vengeance. [I've decided to start using cut-and-paste more extensively. --Ed.]
  
  
• Gramps wheels himself into the girls' salon, bringing semi-pornographic postcards to cheer them up. [My TV is small but let's say these are Egyptian ladies dressed in no more than strategically draped cobras. --Ed.] He says these lovelies were his girlfriends and reminisces entertainingly.
  
  All is merriment until Mommy comes in. She glares, grabs the photos, tears them up. She decries the calumny of immorality she has happened upon; she yells: "Dad, you'll rot in hell like Bernardo."
  
  Sofia sticks up for Gramps and also for Libia. Mommy yells how dare you blah blah. Sofia dares, further, to point out: Bernardo wasn't just unfortunate in his dying, he was unfortunate in living such a loveless life. "He was so nervous those last weeks, I think he wanted to tell us about Libia, but he ran out of time."
  
  Furd: "Don't offend dear Mommy with talk of that hussy! That floozy who came to get money and then, when she didn't get any, committed suicide..." [All are impactada and he looks very pleased with himself.] ... that's how girls of her socio-economic class end up."
  
  Sofia is not convinced and suggests perhaps Bernardo did love Libia and maybe it was true that they were going to have a love child - and maybe they could have been happy together!
  
  The other girls stand like dummies. They are mighty glad they have Sofia to be the scapegoat. [I was the scapegoat in my family and my brothers were similarly quiet while I was taking a hit. --Ed.]
  
  Mommy is simply aghast: "You have torn a hole in my heart, you have done the worst possible damage, I have to go lie down." She sinks into bed with a lot of smudgy eye shadow to indicate distress.
  
  Furd: "I hope you rotten girls are happy, if you're trying to kill your dear mother this is just the way to do it." He leaves.
  
  The girls pray for Libia's soul.
  
  Furd sits at Mommy's bedside holding her hand. She: "What would I do without you? I see what you suffer at Sofia's side." He: "I love her blah blah." She: "She doesn't deserve you." He: "Only you understand me." She: "We two, you and I, we're such good people, yet life punishes us." He: "I tolerate Sofia for the good of all..." "Heaven will reward you." They hold hands and stare approvingly into each others' eyes. "Now go rest, dear Ferdinand." "Not until you are better, Mommy."
  
  Sofia enters and asks to speak to Mommy alone but Mommy refuses: "Just go! You do so much damage! I hope God forgives you because I can't!"
  
  Back in the salon, Gramps reassures Sofia: she was right to stand up for herself. The sisters say she's their shining example.
  
  
• Back at Cockroach Cafe, Oscar and Juan get a little more worried, it's not like Franco to be so late. "We gotta go find him." They go to the Bad Love Bar, where Rosario denies having seen him that night. They leave.
  
  Back at Begrimed-Bagels-R-Us, Oscar and Juan get a little more worried, it's not like Franco to be so late. "We gotta go find him." They go out. They don't find him.
  
  Back at Silverfish Central, Oscar and Juan get a little more worried, it's not like Franco to be so late. "We gotta go find him." "I think Rosario was lying. Let's go find him."
  
  The nigh-endless loop is ended by the sound of shattering glass as Franco, bloodied, falls in through the door.
  
  
• Sofia decides to make a big change. She moves out of the bedroom she had been sharing with Furd into her own room.

Labels: Fuego

Permalink posted by melinama @ 11:24 PM