Caray, Caray!

But who knows? The writers love to fool us with these cliffhangers. At any rate, he knows the truth about Sara now, thanks to Ernesto's Not Funniest Home Video. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start back at the beginning.

We have a brief review of the tense scene between Bruno and Fafy where the latter asks him what he's doing in Fafy's place of business. Bruno , impactado at seeing Fafy still alive, treads water adroitly and tells him he's here to do some health checkups on Sara's employees for the insurance.

And the explanation for Fafy's miraculous presence? He stopped the car when he got a call from the client on his cellphone. They talked for a long time. When he finally started up the car again he pumped the brake and nothing! He steered the car into the curb and voilà...here he is, safe and sound. I owe him one (the client), Fafy adds.

Meanwhile, Sara, in high dudgeon, is blasting Alonso for having lied to her about Lorena.

Alonso: I never lied to you. I wasn't with her when we talked, but now I am. I could never love a woman like you. My only regret is that I went with you and hurt the love of my life.

Sara: How dare you!? WE love each other. How can you love THAT wretch?! You'll pay, both of you. You won't be happy for even five minutes. I'll be with you.

Alonso: What did Lorena ever do to you?

Sara: She robbed me of your love.

More shouting (I should probably just put "Alonso's lines, Sara's lines") and then he throws her out of the apartment.

Sara, of course, is just getting warmed up. Now she calls "Las Cazuelas", gets in an insulting match with Rossy in order to talk to Lorena, finds out the latter is off with Hortensia picking up the first payment on the auto assembly catering contract and heads off to do more verbal damage there.

Meanwhile Bruno and Fafy are still chatting about Fafy's guardian angel and "good star" but practical Fafy also thinks he needs to see about some actual security measures. At this point, Ernesto arrives and is instructed to come up with a menu for a special dinner for guardian angel client that evening. Ernesto promises to get right on it after he takes care of one little detail (putting a videocamera in some files in Fafy/Sara's office.

In the meantime, another cat fight with Lorena and Hortensia coming out on top. Sara's berating them for being losers and "muertas de hambre" and they're sneering at her because everything she's gotten is by trickery. And she has no love! No family! Sara gloats that she's enjoying Hortensia's house and business. Hortensia b****slaps her. Sara continues her verbal beatdown and this time Lorena busts her one. The sound effects are enormous on these slaps. Sara should be in the hospital but she only looks momentarily stunned.

Barbara, meanwhile, is showing us that she's now a serious, hard-working grownup . She turns down the romantic advances of one the Cazuela's clients, telling him firmly that she can't respond in kind. But if he wants to come in the office to discuss the banquet budget, she's all ears. He evaporates.

More bad news for Sara. She arrives at the office to find Fafy "vivito y coleando" (alive and kicking) and she and Bruno go into the office and position themselves conveniently in front of the camera to smooch, churn about Lorena and whine about Hortensia's recovery. I pushed her down the stairs but she didn't die! I was suffocating her with a pillow and then Lorena stepped in! I'd love to strangle them both! If only I had a pistol!

Bruno rightly observes that Sara is hysterical and offers a pill. Fafy and Ernesto arrive and he tells her about his miraculous recovery and then qvetches a bit about there being no Beaujolais in the place to accompany his client appreciation dinner. Sara oozes all over the old guy, assuring him she would die if anything happened to him and both Sara and Bruno advise suing the socks off the person who sold him the car. Fafy is all love and forgiveness since the owner of the agency is a friend of his.

They head off to the kitchen to check the menu preparation but first Fafy takes another Flo-Max bathroom break. He's been stepping out to the restroom frequently in these last few episodes, adding a note of realism, I must say. Ernesto uses this time to check his camera and Fafy catches him with it in the office. Ernesto makes up a pretty implausible story (he's not as good at this as Bruno) but Fafy lets it ride while they check on the menu. There's a tense moment when Bruno, seeing the camera, asks for it. Anxious music throbs in the background, but all he says is that he'd like to buy one like it. Oh, there are a lot better ones, mumbles Ernesto anxiously, as he takes it back.

Sara decides she'll run around town looking for the Beaujolais Fafy wants (2004 or 2005) and wants to buy a dress for the dinner as well. And who better to accompany her and give her advice but her sensitive, fashion-forward friend Bruno? Fafy gives them his blessing and off they go to plot their next murderous move.

Fafy then instructs Ernesto to follow him into the office and he says he'll be there after checking a couple of details in the kitchen (and popping into the bathroom himself to check the recording). We did it Lorena, he exults, we did it! He has the goods on Sara now. How will Fafy react?

After the ad, we see Bruno and Sara in the car, planning to adulterate one of the Beaujolais wine bottles with a slow-acting poison. Subtle enough so that no one will be able to pin the death on them. At the same moment Fafy is confronting Ernesto. Are you some kind of voyeur? Or committing industrial espionage with that camera? No, replies Ernesto. I was only interested in filming one person....Sara.

We're on the edge of our seats, but the writers flip us back to Barbara, re-reading Chalo's final love letter, misspellings and all, and tearily reminiscing about the one great love of her life. (Seriously, how long do you think that affair would have lasted had Chalo lived? Oh well, let's not be cynical.) Vasco comes in, catches her crying, but congratulates her on her new-found independence, work ethic, and ability to fend off unwanted romantic overtures. Mom has grown up!

Back at the lesser house, Hortensia and Lorena have convened the family and Joel, the under-sized lawyer, to plan how to put Sara in jail. Surely together they can come up with enough evidence to put her away. Particularly now that Ernesto overheard the conversation about poisoning the food for the banquet. Eventually everyone in the family except Julian is there (even Alonso shows up) but lawyer Joel pours water on every thing they put forward. It's just their word against Sara. No real proof that will stand up in court.

But Fafy has all the proof he needs, thanks to Ernesto's video. I thank you from the depths of my soul for breaking my heart, he tells Ernesto sadly. For the first time in my life, I fell genuinely in love. But looking back, I realize that all my loves have been "bought". But let's keep playing it like we don't know about Sara.. We'll see how far she'll go. Ernesto warns him to be very careful, and especially vigilant about his medicine. Fafy agrees.

There's a poignant scene following this, where Fafy, all alone with a tumbler of cognac in his hand, calls Santiago. His little pal, hurt by the fight over the ruined golf clubs, refuses to answer the phone....for the first time ever. So Fafy leaves a "making amends" message, recognizing that Santiago was the only human being who ever truly cared for him. The golf clubs weren't important. His genuine friendship was.

Fafy, like Barbara, finally grows up.

On the other hand, Bruno and Sara are still at it, snarling at each other in the car. Phone rings. It's Fafy. Where are you? Looking for the wine took a long time. Get home. Click! He hung up on me! announces Sara.

Another sideline story...really annoying in my opinion, about Bettina's love triangle. Gramps is giving her advice and basically confirms that Jorge is a creep and she needs to telephone Ivan and clear things up. Of course when she does, Jorge answers the phone, lies that Ivans out with a girl and tells Ivan it was a wrong number. Yawn.

Back at the lesser house, Joel is still letting the air out of everyone's legal strategies against Sara, saying that even if Toño the forger were willing to testify (unlikely) the trial would be very long and the case hard to prove. Our folks are beginning to believe Sara has a pact with the devil. Is there no way to get her!?

Whew...a little buff break for us ladies. Ernesto, still being trailed by the obvious private detective, has planned to meet a buddy, change clothes with him in a store dressing room, and throw off the tail. His pal thinks it's woman trouble (lio de faldas) again, and Ernesto says, "Well, something like that". Nice shot of Ernesto's manly deltoids, pecs, triceps etc. (trying to look at this like the fitness professional I am) but alas, the scene is all too short. He's off to the lesser house to show the group his latest contribution to the bring-down-Sara strategy.

Sara and Bruno finally arrive at the mansion to find it crawling with security guards. One of them even demands to look in Sara's purse. She's furious and stomps up the stairs to confront Fafy.

Back to the lesser house. Ernesto arrives. Alonso has already been sulking everytime Ernesto's name is mentioned. Now he's incensed that Ernesto is here in the flesh (hmmm, thinking back to that dressing room scene am I?) and pouts some more when Ernesto pulls out the incrimiating video. But little Joel once again dims the lights, telling them a video can't be used in court. Well, one effect anyway, is that Diana is so disgusted with Bruno's behavior, she wants to see about changing their son's last name. (paving the way for Vasco, no doubt.) The troops are fuming, wanting to get Sara and get her now, but Ernesto advises waiting. Fafy's in the know. Let's wait a little longer.

Sara, great at smoke screens, is still arguing for throwing the security guards out. They're looking at me with lecherous glances. Am I supposed to change clothes with this goon staring at me!? Fafy tiredly waves the guard out of the bedroom, but not out of the house. Sara keeps trying to get him to have at least a sip of the poisoned wine but he declines. Are you going to reject me? she coos. "There's always a first time, he replies quietly. And goes to sleep.

The next morning, Sara awakens, leans over to rouse him and......nada. Has Fafy met his Maker, unaided by Sara and Bruno? Tune in tonight to find out.

VOCABULARY

lio de faldas = woman trouble

los tiempos que corren lo ameritan = with things the way they are, it's necessary (Fafy talking about security measures)

más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo = experience counts (Toribio explaining why Bettina should trust his advice)

trabas = obstacles, difficulties (all the things lawyer Joel brings up)

maridaje = combination, "marriage" (in a cooking sense)

hinojo = fennel (one of the kitchen help was working on a "crema de hinojo"

Labels: enemiga

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