Caray, Caray!

Meanwhile Padre Tadeo performs the mass.

Ofelia complains to Margarita about hiring Eva, since she feels Margarita is only using her in order to get information about Rosario. Margarita insists she was only giving a hand to a desperate woman, but Ofelia says she knows her better than that. Margarita has never cared about anybody but herself and only does what interests her. Margarita admits she does want Rosario to learn the truth about her. Ofelia warns her she may not like what she herself finds out and asks her to leave town and to never come back there again. Otherwise, if Margarita learns the truth what she finds out might cause her a lot of grief.

Meanwhile, the sisters place flowers at their father’s crypt and the brothers make their way to Libia’s tomb. The brothers arrive at Libia’s grave site in the bat cave and Juan tells Libia they plan to tell the truth about her today, and then leaves another concha. (I really wonder just what happens to that concha once the flower glows.)

Back at Augie’s he and Eva get ready to visit Bernardo’s crypt but Eva’s worried Gabi will throw them both out again. Augie doesn’t think so since Raqui’s firing Eva was enough to satisfy Gabriela. He shakes his head and says that Gabi has chalked up so many evil deeds that she couldn’t possibly manage to repent for all of them in her lifetime. (Couldn’t have said it better myself.)

In the hacienda’s kitchen, big mouth Hortensia and her two sons are delivering and putting up the produce order. Fernando is coming down the large stairway above and overhears their chatter. They are discussing how painful the memorial mass was and that today the Elizondo girls might be taking communion beside the Reyes’, but in an instant they might be split up. Rigo tells his mother to be quiet because someone might hear her, but she doesn’t believe anybody is around. She fairly shouts that “It’s all so sad. I am sure that up in heaven Don Bernardo Elizondo and Libia Reyes are still in love with each other.” Fernando stops in his tracks at this and says to himself in a big “A-ha!” moment, “Libia Reyes?”

Meanwhile, the three Elizondo sisters and the three Reyes brothers ride to Libia’s grave site while Padre Tadeo prays at his little office altar for God to enlighten the sisters. “Let there remain some bond of their love; the truth should unite them more and never should it divide them.” (I think God has just left his office and his cell battery is dead. Tadeo will have to leave a number.)

Back at the cottage Eva and Augie are returning and discussing how time flies since it’s a year now that Bernardo has been dead. Augie says he cannot forget the young girl who showed up at the wake that night. “What was her name, Eva?” Fernando appears in the doorway just then. “Libia Reyes,” he answers for her. “She was named Libia Reyes. --Isn’t that right, Eva?” Eva is at a loss for words, ‘cause she knows she’s just been outed. Augie asks Feo what he is talking about and Feo tells him he heard right: the little girl who showed up that night claiming she was pregnant with Bernie’s kid and that they were in love was named Libia Reyes. Why, he just found out himself. “She was the Reyes’ sister.”

Augie can’t believe it and asks Eva if it’s true or not. “That can’t be true. That would be crazy!” he tells her. Eva is too impactada to answer --much to Augie’s chagrin. She tries to find the words to explain to Augie, but Feo jumps in instead. “Am I lying, Eva? You knew from the first, and it was you who let them in and hired them as bricklayers. Isn’t that right?” Augie keeps demanding the truth from her. Finally she stutters that yes, she did know and Libia was in fact their younger sister. Augie’s jaw drops to his lap and it’s obvious from the smug smile on Feo’s face that he is enjoying this little scene way too much.

As soon as she can, Eva runs over to the bakery to warn Quintina that Don Augustin knows the truth about Libia being the Reyes’ sister. The others need to be warned too. Quintina tells her it’s too late for that now. Juan has already taken the girls to the tomb and is planning to tell them the truth. Eva also now hopes that God can enlighten the three Elizondo girls but God is still out of the office and his cell is on the charger.

Fernando has returned to the Hacienda. He sits Gabi down and tells her that Libia, the girl that crashed Bernie’s wake was the Reyes’ younger sister. At the same time Juan is telling Sofia, Jimena and Sarita that Libia was the name of their sister and that she was the young girl who was involved with their father and who was pregnant with Bernardo’s child. All three of the sisters are wide-eyed, double take impactada at Juan’s unexpected revelation.

Sofia nearly blows a gasket when she hears that Libia was The Girl and she screams at Juan about not having told her before despite all the times he’d had the chance. He admits that he was just too scared to lose her once she learned the truth.

Jimena yells out suddenly that she remembers now that they were not the original bricklayers hired to build the cottage. “So what was the real reason you went to the hacienda?” she screams over the (suddenly) loud sound of the falls. (Anybody ever remember those falls being that noisy in other scenes?) “—To get revenge,” is Oscar’s reluctant answer. “—For what? I didn’t hear you!” “—To avenge the death of our sister! To kill everyone! That’s why we went!” he screams back through the din outside. Sarita starts repeating over and over, “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it! You came looking to harm us.” Franco wants to explain, but she stops him cold. “What Oscar just finished saying doesn’t need an explanation. It is very clear. You came to the house looking for revenge.”

Sofia asks Juan if it’s true, that they came to the house that day looking for vengeance and he admits it is. They share a veeeeerrrrry long look of shock, betrayal and unbearable shame. (I gotta admit EY, that even under that skuzzy beard, you relay one hell of a credible look of “unbearable shame” for the camera. Yep, I hate the dopey dude you’re playing, but that look is another one for the record books, big boy.)

Back at the cottage Augie is upset with himself for letting the Reyes’ deceive him. “They tricked me. They lied to me!”

We beam back to the bat cave as Jimena demands to know from Oscar why they showed up at the hacienda that day. He hangs his head in shame and confesses that it was in order to take vengeance on the family, but insists that they fell in love with them all and couldn’t continue with the promise they’d made to their dead sister.

Up in her room Gabi says she wants the two of them to go to the Reyes’ and confront them face to face with the awful truth in front of her idiot daughters but Feo talks her out of it. He says the girls will only feel more threatened by her than the Reyes’ if she does. It would be best for her daughters to find out by themselves then come to her on their own. She needs to remember those three men are very shrewd. “—They are miserable wretches,” she says. “However miserably wretched they might be, they managed to deceive all of us. It’s clear to me that they came looking for revenge, to have your daughters fall in love –and they managed it. Perhaps they are doing to them what Bernardo did to their sister,” he reasons.

Gabi agrees and says they’ll have to be on their guard then because who knows what their intentions are. Feo says exactly, because who knows how they’ll react when they find out how she humiliated the girl at the wake the night she died. “—And that reaction will be worse,” adds Gabi, “when they know that you murdered their sister.” She then “lovingly” caresses his mouth with her fingertips. (Grrrr! It’s always like fingernails on a blackboard watching her do that to him, and especially tonight.)

Back at the tomb the sisters all are screaming around Libia’s grave site demanding to know just what the brothers’ plan for vengeance involved. Sofia asks how far they were planning to take things. “Perhaps you even thought to kill us, Juan? Well, did you?” Juan screams back yes, and then Franco insists that once they met them that changed everything. Oscar admits that the plan was to have them fall in love, then to seduce them, and then to leave them the same way their father left their sister. Sofia interrupts insisting that her father was never going to abandon Libia. Jimena sneers and wonders if they had even met their father. Oscar answers angrily that of course they had!

Juan begins yelling over the din outside that they met him when they found out she was pregnant with his kid, and they believed him when he said he was going to take responsibility and marry her; but Bernardo lied to them because he never told them that he was already married and had a family! (Hard to grasp that Daddy may not have been such a gentleman after all, isn't it now, Sofia?) Of course, Sofia and her sisters begin screaming that the Reyes’ love then must all be just a pack of lies. Juan says no, they love them and they brought them there to the grave so they could tell them the truth. (Sorry, but the only truth can be Sofia’s truth.)

Oscar tells Jimena that no it isn’t lies, that fate toyed with them and this vengeance changed into a marvelous love. Juan begs Sofia to believe their love for them is real “—With all our being! Believe me, Sofia! Take a good look at me! I love you!” and Franco swears then that they love them with all their heart.

Juan grabs for Sofia but she won’t have anything more to do with him. In typical novela fashion she screams, “Let go of me! --No Juan! Love cannot exist if it is not based in truth. How could you all? How could you all have done this to us?” She slaps Juan and tells him to never ever touch her again, then stomps off. The others reject Oscar and Franco likewise and then leave too. “It’s been carried out, Libia,” says Franco. Oscar looks away and adds, “It’s done now.” Juan looks up and says, “Lord, if that’s the way you want it, well, whatever you command so be it.” They share a sad brotherly group hug.

A bit later as the two groups of riders trot away from the grave site it is obvious that the charade has ended and the trust and love and happiness they all shared are now dead. Yes, yes. Death, now dressed in red, follows along behind and looks on as we in Viewerville note the not so subtle reference to the last scene of Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death when all has been revealed and all have succumbed. "…And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all." (Got it, class?)

While all of this is taking place, Eva is explaining to Quintina that it’s all been her fault for having let the Reyes’ into the hacienda to pass for the bricklayers. She knows that Don Augustin deserves an explanation from her she says. The sympathetic Quintina is impactada to hear that Eva did this knowing who they were and what they were going to do. (Quite frankly, so am I come to think of it.) Eva admits she knew from the first and that she did it because she was so “overcome from hate, bitterness, rage and pain at that moment" from all that Gabriela Elizondo had done to her and she wanted her to pay for it. (Yep, I’d say that about runs the gamut of emotions that rabid, female canine can arouse in every God-fearing one of us.) Afterwards though, Eva tells Quintina, she regretted it; but by then it was all too late.

Speaking of the Queen of Rome and canine females, Gabi confesses to Feo her rage at having been duped. However, what angers her most is the way her daughters voluntarily handed themselves over to their “executioners.” The thought hits her then that this means her daughters will certainly be leaving the Reyes’ and returning home thoroughly hoodwinked and humiliated. “—But if they do return home, it will be under my conditions!” she smiles. Fernando advises her that this will be the perfect time to assert herself as the long-suffering and sacrificing mother who is ready to forgive everything “for the good of her daughters.”

“We need to have them back in order for you to –“ “—to have them in my hands!” Gabi finishes his thought. “—You got it!” Fer smiles. They share another conspiratorial laugh together. “Yes, I’ll be the long-suffering, self-sacrificing mother ready to shelter them when they most need it!” Gabi nearly swoons from the perverse pleasure she’ll take in it. She immediately pulls out her rosary, turns to the over sized cross on the wall, and begins to pray again. (God better be back in his office and taking very good notes on this one.)

The six (not so young) lovers return to Reyes Central. Juan tries to make the sisters all understand they all still love them. (Anybody else getting’ tired of this besides me about now?) Quintina tries to cover over the obvious hostility but Sofia accuses her of being the brothers’ accomplice. She can’t deny it and asks what choice did she have? Jimena accuses her of preferring to betray them instead of the Reyes’. Juan swears to Sofia again that they were only frightened of losing them. “Well, Juan,” she says, “your fears have been realized. I cannot continue to stay in this house a moment longer.” Quintina gets on her knees as it’s obviously now her turn to beg them to stay. After all, “they are upright, worthy men,” she pleads.

Jimena quickly disagrees, “No they aren’t. They are avengers and they’ve succeeded. They’ve broken all three of our hearts. They’ve torn apart our dreams and our hopes.” She plans on leaving immediately if not sooner, too. They all go off to pack and Juan lifts Quintina up off her knees and tells her not to humble herself. (Here! Here! Enough is enough!)
===========

We are beamed back to Augie’s where Eva is now trying to explain her motives but he feels totally betrayed and refuses to listen. She knew all that time, from the very first, who they were and what they intended to do but kept quiet about it. “You handed us over to the enemy and without the slightest bit of mercy!” He feels guilty for ignoring the fact they came armed that day. “Why would you just let them in knowing they were coming to take their revenge? You, who proclaimed so much that you love my granddaughters as if they were your own daughters!” (About now I’m screaming at Eva to put the blame where it belongs! Why can’t she remember to tell him the real reason is because Gabriela tricked her and high-handedly stole her newborn daughter out of her arms and gave her away to Gawd knows who??) Eva swears she tried to talk them out of it numerous times but could never convince them to leave. “You delivered them to their enemies! Whatever happens to them now, it’s on your head!” He rolls away in disgust to drown in her own tears.

Back in the hacienda, Fernando is in his bedroom taking out Libia’s locket from its little wooden chest. He thinks to himself that he knows Sofia so well and that she’ll never forgive this betrayal. So, now is the perfect time to offer her all his “support.”
=========

We’re back at Casita Reyes and Juan continues begging Sofia to understand. She continues to refuse to forgive him or to stay. She reminds him that she warned him only lies and tricks could split them up and he stayed quiet about everything. She comes across her wedding dress as she’s packing and starts in again about the way he betrayed her truthfulness and affections. Juan cannot hold back any longer. (At last he lets Miss Self-Righteous Fancy Pants have it with both barrels.) “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Yes, my pain was consuming me, and all on account of your father! HE tricked US and made a fool out of my sister! As for us, we never respond with hate or vengeance easily, but after our sister’s death and your father’s duping her, we were filled with hate and bitterness, and with despair!” (Alas! Our jonnie wimps out again.) “--Don’t leave me, Sofia!” (Argghh!)

Sofia tells Juan that she would have understood his pain, but not this lie. She would have rather he carried out his vengeance the first day they met and killed her outright. It would have saved her the pain. “You got your revenge and it’s been cruel, very cruel.”

Oscar, likewise, tries reasoning with Jimena. She’s even more obstinate than Sofia and punches him when asking why he kept quiet and refused to be honest with her. He tries to explain. “We entered the hacienda to avenge our sister, don’t you see? We never thought about falling in love with you all. Never! Now look at me! I was afraid. I didn’t want to lose you, believe me, Jimena! Please!” Jimena says it’s all too ridiculous. She forgave his infidelity because he looked her in the eyes and admitted it, but this time it’s different. She takes off her wedding ring, tells him she is giving him back his promise of love, and tells him to keep the ring for the next go at revenge.

It’s no better between Franco and Sarita, either. “I kept telling them I doubted you all but they just ignored me, said I was too distrustful, I was exaggerating. I warned them that you had come to harm us!” Franco begs Sarita to understand that they still love them, but Sarita disagrees. “No, Franco. You don’t understand about love, because hypocrisy doesn’t fit into Love’s world view. You betrayed us. You were looking for revenge and you got it. You succeeded. There is no love in any of you, only a hatred that’s come to the surface. That’s all that there is!”

Before the three sisters leave, Sofia stops to give a prayer of thanks to the virgencita for having protected them during their stay there and asks for her support during this painful time. Suddenly Pablito comes home from school and notices the suitcases. He wonders if they are all going on a vacation. Sofia tells him they’re not and that she and her sisters are leaving the house for good. Pablito thinks this must be a cruel joke (one of the cruelest, I’d say) and then reminds her that she promised to stay and be his mother. She says she still will be and they’ll be able to visit each other as often as they like. (Save it, Sofia.) Oscar and Franco try again to persuade them to stay, but Sarita only sneers, “Good riddence!” at them before the three of them start for the door.

However, Padre Tadeo walks in just then, checking to see what happened after they had learned the truth. Sofia asks if Padre Tadeo was in on the ruse too and he admits he knew about it all, but that he succeeded in convincing the brothers to exchange vengeance for justice, a concept that seems to be a bit too esoteric for our three distressed and distressingly naive damsels to comprehend.

“I’ve been a witness to how these three generous men transformed their pain and rage into a true love,” says Tadeo. (How quickly you forget, Sofia, how Juan selflessly carried you out of a burning inferno, raced you to a hospital after you fell down those stairs in a daze and nearly miscarried, took that flogging for you from your insanely sadistic mother, and, oh yeah, rescued you from being beaten to a bloody pulp by Fernando that day at the Chili Pepper Rodeo. What was that, hon? Chopped liver?) “No, Father,” replies Sofia. “True love doesn’t betray,” is her arrogant, self-assuming statement of The World According to Sofia Garp. “This time you’ve made a mistake. They don’t love us.” (Chopped liver it is, then.)

Sofia and her sisters pick up their bags and head for home. Juan places Libia’s picture back onto the little shrine and tells the others that their oath to Libia has been fulfilled. He squares his shoulders and looks over at all of them, resolute. “From now on, let whatever has to happen happen.”