Caray, Caray!

For the third time, saco el gordo - I hit the jackpot. Two weeks ago, I got to recap Chapala Kisses (the wind knows). Last week, I got to recap The Circle of Truth. And tonight I hit the jackpot yet again.

Pat discovered Candy’s portrait at Chava’s house, and Chava told him, “That’s my mama.” Pat is impactadisimo squared. Meño walks in and tries to do damage control. If Horatio could hold the bridge, Meño can hold off the likes of Pato. He explains that he adopted Chava and told him Candy was his mama so the poor child would have an image of a mother. Pat is trying to make sense of it, and he’s too stunned to think clearly. Meño just wants to eject Pat ASAP, but Pat doesn’t want to leave without answers. So Meño pulls out the big guns - he starts pawing Pat, telling that his “amigo” will be jealous, and Pat is so handsome… that finally gets Pat out the door. I loved how they played out the scene.

Note, yesterday Candy had a near miss with Pat twice - at the soccer field, and again when Beto advised her that Pat was in the house. When Chava tells Pat that Candy is his mom, that makes three.

Santiago walks into his office and is mauled (in a very hungry mode) by a sexy model. She says, “Ooh, Doctor, you’re just like I always imagined you.” He tells her “Hold that thought” and goes to talk to Hortensia. Horti tells him they’ve been mobbed with women like that all morning. Didn’t he see all the copies of his picture down in the lobby? He runs out of the room in a panic.

Tío Meño gets to play a second fun scene. Candy calls, worried Pat discovered the truth. Meño starts in, “I gave a great performance. I missed my calling. I should’ve been an actor. What will I wear when they present my Oscar? Hollywood is clamoring for me. I’ll do Tootsie II because Dustin Hoffman is too old to play a woman.”

In the lobby, Santiago is trying to get rid of the photos. Marissa calls him a sicko and tells him to get some therapy because she doesn’t want to marry an exhibitionist. A woman asks Santi to autograph her picture, followed by a man.

A tarot card reader tells Alicia, “A dead one who returns. Your husband deceives you. There are children. Again the dead returns. As if the dead are alive.”

The kids talk about Rocío’s dog. Beto wonders how she knows it’s a girl dog. Chava, man of the world that he is, explains to Beto, the Philistine, “Of course she knows! Her father is a doctor.”

Arturo runs (yes, runs) into Pat’s office and tells his son that Mama’s not going to divorce him, she’s buying gifts for their grandson, and they insist on seeing el nieto at once. Pat tells him that’s not possible; Art tells Pat he’ll do what he pleases, with or without Pat’s permission.

At Candy’s house, Santiago is chewing her out for posting that photo. She tells him he did it to impress her, and she wasn’t moved in the slightest. He warns her that in war, nobody wins. They get nose to nose, and both try to pretend that they feel nothing. And is anybody in the market for a bridge? Meño tells her to stop fighting with that hombre. Bust him in the mouth if you want, but do it with kisses. I loved that little scene, for all the things I love about Camil’s acting - the faces, the gestures, the vocal expression, the comedy, the intensity, the movement, the way he never stops moving. It’s all there.

In surgery, thank goodness my CC’s worked this week. Behind the masks, I understand nothing! Santiago says Marissa refuses to go to the investors’ dinner with him because of the photo. Ed says Chayo is mad at him, and he’s afraid someone is putting ideas into her head.

Arturo is still strong-arming Pat to let him meet Beto. “I could die at any moment (work it, Pop!). Let me see my grandson before I die.” This is coming from the man who RAN into Pat’s office.

In a phone conversation of galloping stupid, Alicia is telling Gregoria about what the tarot reader said. Mama tells her, “Your sister is still alive. Oops! In Pat’s heart. She’s still alive. Oops! For him.” Ali gets sick of it (so do I) and hangs up on Mama.

In Candy’s office, Cece notes that the rose must be from someone who likes her very much. Candy says she doesn’t want to be involved with anyone. The music tells us Cece is sad.

Out on the street, Santiago tries to convince Marissa to accompany him to the investors’ dinner, but she’s still mad about the photo. She refuses and catches a taxi instead of riding with him. We see several random actions in this scene. They make a point of looking both ways before crossing the street, probably because people on TV never do. There are three men hanging around a pickup, and Santiago tells her to watch out for the drunks. She hails a taxi, and he says, “What magic! You raise your arm, and instantly a taxi appears! No one else in Guadalajara can find a taxi, only you.” As Marissa rides away, Santiago gets an idea that he is please with. Does anyone else notice that Camil looks thinner in this scene?

Santiago catches Candy leaving the office. He tells her that whatever she earns in the restaurant, he’ll pay her triple if she spends tonight with him. She decks him, and then she worries whether he’s okay. Rubbing his jaw, he explains that he needs her to play the role of his girlfriend for the investors’ dinner tonight since Mar is angry about the photo. She agrees, if he pays for uniforms and equipment for the soccer team. And no hugs, no pushing the limit, no kisses.

Soledad thanks Meño for taking care of Chava tonight.

Santiago is with the investors, waiting for Candy who is quite late, and the guests are getting tired of waiting. Just then she walks in and Santiago lights up. He’s so taken, he can’t even breath, much less talk straight. He introduces her to them as his novia and says, “Soon we will get married and be very happy together. And have many children and a family.”
Now the stars have fallen into Candy’s eyes, and all she sees is Santiago. “A family?”
This is the first open door Santiago has ever found with the woman who has stolen his heart. Damn the torpedoes (and the other guests), full speed ahead. “Are you serious?”
She says, “Don’t forget, you promised the uniforms, and I won’t let you quitarme (stop doing for me) that.”
He says, “You won’t let me quitarte (stop doing for you, or take off of you) the clothing?”
Candy: “Perhaps.”
Santiago: “Then what do you say? Do you want to be my wife?”
The rest of the world has disappeared for Candy. She whispers because Santiago is all she sees; she’s not putting on a show for the investors anymore. “Yes, I want to.”
Big kiss, interrupted by uncomfortable coughs from the investors. Music turns sour, foreshadowing us.

The men compliment Candy, their wives tell them to stop flattering her (echar flores). (What is regalar flores?). Candy tells one investor that he should be flirting with his own wife instead. And what does Santi say? “WAITER!”

Pat comes to see Beto and to bring money for whatever he needs. Soledad says, “Aw shucks, I forgot, he’s spending the night with a friend. But if you don’t have anywhere you have to be.. I was about to make dinner. You can join me si quieres (if you want to). Pat does want to, and he doesn’t waste time on small talk. Nor on dinner. He goes straight for dessert. Soledad will abandon all reason to get a man into her life. Candy will abandon all reason to keep men out. Both are tontas.

Rocío tells Luc she wants to call her mama to thank her for the puppy, but Papa won’t ever let her call. Lucía offers to help get the number so Roc can call. Ruh-roh.

Charly calls Luc after Roc falls asleep. They flirt some, and he asks what she told her mom about him. He tells her he’d like to be her novio, but then he backs off because the last time he said that, she ran away. They hang up, but all this talk of mamas makes Lucía wish she could call hers.

Meño comes down to chat with Charly, who says he was talking to an amiga who he likes. Meño stops himself before admitting that he’s glad his son likes girls, but he gives a PSA for using a condom. Charly admits that he hasn’t had an opportunity to use one yet. Meño is glad to have his son there with him, and Charly likewise.

Santi takes Candy home and scolds her for reverting to “usted.” She says that the play is over and they are back to normal (IOW she’s trying to sweep that proposal under the rug). It’s after midnight and Cinderella needs her sleep. He asks, “If I find your shoe, can I bring it tomorrow to see if it fits?” (Isn’t every novela a Cinderella story?)

Candy encores her favorite song, the one Santiago hates. “You have a girlfriend, and there is nothing between us.” Hey! Santi! Listen up! Maybe if you didn’t have a girlfriend, she wouldn’t sing that song anymore!

Despite all the protests, when they arrive at her door, they get close, make goo-goo eyes, magnets attract, and sparks fly until they both run back to home base with their hands in their pockets.

On the other end of both spectra, Pat is leaving Soledad’s. No warmth, no consolation, no sparks, because neither listened to the voice warning them, “Don’t do it, it’s not right.” Two starving mosquitoes trying to feed off each other and finding nothing. They separate as hungry as they were when they greeted. All that’s left is soledad.

In her kitchen, Candy is strengthening her resolve with a pep talk from Merengue. “I can be anything but a traitor.”

On the other side of the tracks, when Santiago gets home from their date, Isabel needs to talk to him. She’s worried about Lucía visiting websites she shouldn’t, and tells her son it’s time to talk to Luc about sex. Time for Santiago to talk to her. Like every TV dad, he goes into a panic. He says, “I am a doctor so it should be easy, but there are certain words I can’t say in front of my daughters.” He can‘t stand to hear his mother use those words either. Notice he thinks of Lucía as his daughter, not his niece? I know, I know, a 15 year old who hasn’t had “the talk” yet? Sometimes even on Tontas we need those Beanies de Cd. Serdán.

Pato arrives home late, and Ali asks where he’s been. He blows her off.

Candy is getting depressed, trying to answer the letters from her column. She asks Meño why men are so cruel to women. Meño reminds her that women are cruel too, and she should ask, “Why are people so cruel to their partners?”

Candy admits that she’s afraid. She’s feeling things, and she promised herself that she’d never fall in love again.

At breakfast, Candy tells Chava he can’t be friends with Pat. Because I’m the mom, that’s why. Charlie doesn’t think it’s macho to kiss his dad. At her breakfast, Rocío wants to know why she has to finish her breakfast, and why she can’t have a boyfriend.

At the office, Soledad tells Candy that she was with Beto’s dad last night, and it was even better than before. Does anyone else start her work day like that? “Good morning, Boss. Here are you phone messages, you have a 10 o’clock appointment, and last night I had incredible sex.”

Cece brings in coffee. Marissa comes in and introduces Chayo (Ed’s wife), who Marissa just hired because she’s so well qualified. She can do nothing, even better than the rest of them. Marissa notices the rose on Candy’s desk and asks who gave it to her. Cece speaks up and says that it was her. After Mar leaves, Candy thanks Cece for covering, but Soledad is confused - she thought it was Cece.

Does anyone else think that Soledad, Chaya, and Barbara look too much alike to be in the same show? Now that the Institute staff is gathered, keep those cast photos handy, friends. You can’t tell a thing without a program.

In the clinic office, Santiago is beside himself because Ed is touching Santi’s things, especially his computer. Remember his obsessive-compulsive tendencies regarding his sock drawer? He also can’t stand for anyone to touch the things on his desk, especially his computer. He gets nervous when someone takes a green pencil (!) from his desk, and he’s driven to distraction when Hortencia moves his stapler two inches. Some bosses just have a thing about staplers.

He’s also disturbed because he has to talk to Luc about sex. Ed understands - Santi thinks of Luc as his daughter, and he sees her as a child. “SHE IS A CHILD!” Santiago demands. Ed plays psychologist, complete with couch. Santi plays the OC patient, complete with nervous twitches.

On the playground, Rocío asks Chava if they’ll be novios. He’d rather play soccer than have a novia.

Candy tells Meño she knows Pat won’t show up at the soccer game today. Rojiblanca (her persona in chat) made a date with him for today, so he’ll go there instead of soccer.

Raúl comes to see Marissa’s new office, and she basks in his attention. “By the way,” he asks, “where is Candy?” So much for her brother’s attention. He starts to say, “She reminds me of..” but his sister stops him. “Let her rest in peace. You deserve to enjoy your life.”

Candy struts into Santiago’s office and shoves the pink rose in her face. He thanks her, but tells her roses are supposed to be red. She asks him if he is a taco de arrachera. Huh??

Pat taps out an e-mail to Rojiblanca, saying that he has to miss their date because he has an appointment he can’t get out of. So much for Candy’s fool-proof plot.

Pat leaves, and Art sneaks into his office to call Alicia. Then he calls Margarita. He has arranged for Ali to follow Patricio, to keep her away when he and Margarita go find Beto. He uses children’s names for grandparents, Abi and Bubi.

Santiago brings the pink rose back to Candy because he has nothing to do with it.
She asks, “You’re not the one who leaves a rose on my desk every day?”
He turns on his seductor’s voice and answers, “No, but I can if you want me to.” (Secretly leaving detalles on her desk every day? I thought he learned his lesson two years ago!)
On his way out, Santiago gives his business card to Candy’s staff until she walks in and he runs off.

Pat discovers Ali following him at the soccer field. Santiago and Candy were suddenly teleported to the soccer field as well, and the teleporter changed their clothing too. Candy still wonders if it was really Santi who gave her the roses, he still says he can if she wants him to, and she still says she wants nothing from him - no roses, no friendship, not even a greeting. ‘As you wish,’ he starts to leave without saying goodbye because that would be a greeting. Just then Candy sees Pat on the field. Candy lunges for Santiago (you remember, the one she didn’t want anything to do with?) and buries herself under his jacket. She tells him, “It’s an attack of love. So shut up and hug me.” Santiago is perdidamente confused, but always the gentleman, he is more than happy to oblige.

Tuesday: At their engagement dinner, Marissa puts on a puppet show. Guess who the puppet is?

Labels: Tontas