Caray, Caray!

Jean: You;re right about the baby not having a name. Apparently wherever this takes place, the baby doesn't get an official name until it's baptized. I don't know if that's a prevalent custom in Latin America or not, but this was the first time I'd ever seen it.

It's amusing to watch the parallels that exist currently in this story with the events in LT. In both, our (main) protagonists are separated, but with a new baby in the middle, reconnections will be established quickly. I had to laugh when folks on the LT board complained that Hugo hadn't been allowed to see his baby in three months. Here it's been 6 months, and on top of that, poor Juan wasn't even advised when the baby was born. He knows he's a father, but that's about it. In either case, it's a pretty hard sell to think this would happen in real life.

I also loved the part when Oscar got Juan to agree to buy the Morales’ land by playing the “gets us closer to the Elizondos” card. He definitely learned from Eva, and now knows just what button to push to get Juan to give in to his point of view. ;-) I also love the ongoing battle between the two of them about Oscar’s need for Juan to upgrade to a new, classier mode of transportation. Again, thank heavens for Oscar. I love the opportunities for humor that his character interjects into the story.

So we’ve met our new villain, Dinorah Rosales, played to skanky perfection by Lorena Meritano. Poor woman; as an actress, I’ve never cared for her (maybe that’s testimony to her skills at playing villains), so I can’t help but wince every time she shows up on the screen.

We’ve also seen the beginnings of sparks between Franco and Sara. Did we ever doubt this would happen? ;-) I think Michel Brown (Franco) and Natasha Klauss (Sara) do an exceptional job making this evolving “dance” between their two characters seem very natural. In fact, all three couples in this novela seem so well-suited & natural with each other that I suspect that’s why it impresses me so much. The actors do their jobs so well that we not only get plugged into one great love story, but three really engaging ones for the price of one!
 

This story is getting really good. And it's as frustrating to watch as Hugo and Soledad on LT. With both couples, I keep wanting to say, "Just get back together again already!!! COMMUNICATE!!!" Lol. But I know they have to be apart or there would be no novela.

I love seeing Juan driving his truck--he looks so cool behind the wheel with his cowboy hat on! I also love seeing Juan working on his truck. And standing by his truck. And talking about his truck. And thinking about his truck.
 

I think (would hope) that the baby probably has a name (I'm guessing Bernardo 'cause a lot of folks name their kids after their parents, but I could be wrong) and they just haven't mentioned it until know for some bizarre reason (maybe for shock effect). Dunno if it's different in other Latin American countries, but in Mexico kids get named pretty quickly regardless of how long it takes to baptize them.
 

Margarita,
Honest to gosh, at this point in the story the baby really doesn't yet have a name. It actually becomes quite a topic in the next few episodes starting with Cap 58, which by my count should run tomorrow, Wed. 6/04. In this episode, Gabriela actually makes a joke to Norma about the kid's lack of a name. Cap 58 is a must-see, so everyone make sure to catch it on Wed!

Speaking of the baby, I just have to get it off my chest that although she's a little doll - and yes, the child playing N&J's son is actually a little girl, named Gabriela Garcia (no relation to Danna) - although she's another charmer like LT's Aurorita, I have a hard time with the fact that they cast a child who looks so incredibly unlike Danna or Mario. Seems there was grumbling about that out on the Web when the showed aired previously. With her/his blond hair & blue eyes, I'd say she could much more convincingly pass for Franco's child than Juan's! But I suppose her acting skills/temperament won her the part. She is really quite fun to watch.
 

Marie Celeste - are these people on crack???!!!! I hope they offer a clear explanation for this...maybe deep inside Norma realizes that dad should be part of the baby naming process...something other than blatant indecision. I'm not even pregnant and have been thinking of baby names!!!! Just saying...

I do agree that the adorable lass looks nothing like she could be Juan's kid, and laughed when Ruth said it looked like dad. Aside from being big for his/her age (and let's face it, she was probably not really 6 mos. when she played the role) that resemblance is not there. She does seem to have some similar features to Norma, and to uncle Oscar, so one could argue a case for a ton of recessive genes. As for the hair color, tons of kids are born blond and grow up to be brunettes. Still, you'd think they'd just cast a baby that didn't make you think so hard about it's origins!

On a different note, I wonder what made the costume people put the already statuesque Dinora in heels that made her taller than Juan (or not given him boots that raised his height accordingly). I'm not trying to be sexist here, women don't have to be shorter than men, but it made for an odd picture. Guess they're trying to show even more contrast with Norma.
 

Hi Margarita: Yes, the image of Juan picking Dínora up and kissing her the way he does with Norma would be hard to imagine!
 

I laugh everytime Oscar's in his big tub, living like a King (Rey?).
Having money is not wasted on Oscar; he's making good use of it with his new clothes and BMW.
Juan barely fit into Oscar's new convertible when they went off to some meeting.
I agree, it was funny how quickly Juan changed his mind about buying the Morales' land - everyone has priorities!

The baby looks like a Gerber baby. Almost too cute to be real, and no resemblance at all to the parents. Bad casting decision.

Franco and Sarita are going to burn down the barn when they get together - all that unrequited, pent up passion! Sarita has fallen hard.

I love this show!
 

Marie Celeste, I see what you mean about this becoming the Hacienda of Refuge! Now the neighbors have arrived, Leandro has become Oscar's protege, and my money's on Olegario to be the next arrival once Fernando takes the reins of the hacienda and starts driving everyone crazy.

I love the Pepita/Martin relationship. You can see she genuinely cares about the old guy, and that he appreciates more than just her looks. It ain't love, and I'd be surprised if it evolved to anything more than it is, but it's doing the both a lot of good. Shame on those women for forgetting his birthday! I was glad the girls talked some sense into mom. Who knows how many birthdays the guys has left and he should enjoy them.

Juan is so cute with the Gerber baby. She's so vocal, in a good way. Wonder if her first word turned out to be "accion" (action) or "corte" (cut).