Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tontas no van, Dec 15, #11, Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back
Santiago locates Lucía’s doctor. I’ve never been to a plastic surgeon; do all of them decorate their offices like bordellos? The doctor is on the phone with Lucía, and when Santi hears him say, “Even though you’re 15, yes, I will operate on you,” he manhandles him into a room and ties him up. Santiago recites #3 of the top five telenovela phrases of all time, “Lo no puedo creer” - I can’t believe it. (Any guesses what other phrases are in the top five?) Santi lectures him on ethics, but the other doctor defends himself - it’s an easy way to make money. The doctor agrees to help teach Lucía a lesson, in hopes Papa Bear will cut him some slack.
Meño calls Gregoria for the first time in years. He asks about Patricio, and Gregoria confirms that Pat moved to Guadalajara.
Isabel bumps into Candy at the mall. What a classy lady! Notice how she successfully counters Candy’s insults toward Isabel’s son? She does it with a velvet glove. Did I mention yet today, how much I adore Isabel? First she gets Candy to back-pedal on name-calling (Plastic Doctor). Next Candy claims that the beauty they make is a lie, and women are their victims. Isabel reveals that she lost a breast to cancer and felt like less of a woman. Candy tries to teach the cancer survivor how she should feel about her body, but she doesn’t get far. Isabel counters, “That’s because you have two of them. My son did the reconstruction and gave me my life back.” That shuts Candy up – mark this day on your calendars! Clearly Isabel doesn’t let Candy walk all over her, unlike...
Santiago is giving literary critique on Rocío’s bedtime stories. “‘Once upon a time?’ How cliché!” Roc asks him to read Mama’s letter (ghostwritten by Papa) once again. He recites it from memory because she has asked him to read it so many times.
Meño confirms to Candy that Pat moved to Guadalajara, and that Gregoria calls him son-in-law. They don’t realize that Pat married Alicia. Charlie bounces in and wants to know why his dad wears rubber gloves to wash dishes. It’s another try-to-look-macho moment.
While she’s putting him to bed, Chava tells Candy he doesn’t want to move because he’ll miss his friends. “Please, Mama!” As always, Candy runs from the problem: “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Pat goes to see the carving he commissioned, a bas relief of Candy, chest nearly uncovered, hair flying in the wind.
In the schoolyard, Chava tells Rocío that she’s too young to have a boyfriend. Note that Rocío is about five months older than Chava.
Soledad tells Candy that Beto is not Jorge’s son, and that she went out with her boss a month before her wedding. She shows Candy the man’s picture - it’s Patricio. Beto is a month older than Chava. Candy runs out of the apartment (remember how Candy handles problems?). She flashes back to their night together, and works out the numbers - Pat cheated on her five weeks before their wedding.
Lucía is waiting for her examination, with her eyes covered with a relaxation mask. Santiago sneaks in and listens. He looks like a very disappointed papa, and Lucía is dressed like a 22-year-old going out bar-hopping. Santi listens to her lies until he’s heard enough, and then he breaks in, “I can’t believe you’d do this.” Lucía leaves in a huff with the standard teenager refrain, “You never let me do anything.”
The other doctor tries to play older-and-wiser, “Thank you for teaching me an important lesson; I won’t do that again.” Santiago answers, “You bet your sweet bippy you won’t; tomorrow I’m reporting you and they’ll take your license.”
Candy ends up in church, yelling at God (been there, done that, got an answer). He promised He’d never let go of her hand, and He broke that promise and left her alone. Just then a little boy steps up, gives her a flower, and says, “You’re not alone.” Candy got her answer, and her anger is gone. The boy has disappeared.
Meño tries to teach Charly that it’s okay for a son to hug his papa, and that real men aren’t afraid to show their feelings. “Yeah, Pop, whatever.”
Alicia asks Pat why he got the carving of Candy; “Was it to hurt me?” Pat reminds her that when they got married, he said he would never forget Candy. She orders him to get rid of Candy’s photo, and he refuses. Your trusty recapper agrees the carving was a bad idea, but at least Pat doesn’t let Alicia walk all over him, unlike...
Santiago tells Luc to get into the car. To prove how grown-up she is, she throws a tantrum and whines, “It’s not fair! You treat me like a little kid!” Santiago reminds her that she’s acting like a little kid, and she can’t just go over his head. But they both go over my head with their high-speed chipmunk-speak. They are talking so fast, even Camil gets tongue-tied - mark this day on your calendar! Hispanoparlantes, did I mis-hear anything? And what is the joke as she’s leaving (other than the part about a safe taxi)?
Alicia takes Candy’s photo from Pat’s office while he’s out and calls someone to help her remove the carving.
Isabel is reviewing her investments. Donato tries to advise her to invest in property on the horn of Africa, and she tells him to get back to work.
Candy tells Meño to stop calling Pat her husband, but Meño insists – you married him, you’re not divorced and you’re not dead, ergo he’s your husband. Notice that Meño doesn’t let Candy walk all over him, unlike…
Santiago slips a note under Candy’s door, telling her to open the door and find her happiness. Santiago is waiting on the other side, eyes closed, lips ready, and as the door opens, he asks for a kiss. But it is Meño who opens the door, ready to deliver the kiss as requested. All three laugh, one more nervously than the others.
Arturo’s mortality is catching up with him. He holds his chest to remind us of his heart attack. Hoping to bury the hatchet, he tells Pat to learn to forget the past. Pat suggests that Arturo start by apologizing to Pat and to his mama. We see that Art’s heart was attacked, not tenderized. He claims he has no sins to forgive. Pat notes how easily Arturo dismisses the fact that Pat never had the father he needed. Arturo insists that Pat is the sinner for causing the death of his wife. Napalm your own son – nice touch, Art.
We can see why Pat is so weak - his father doesn’t just withhold support; Arturo actively undermines him. Pat is no saint, but I propose that the apple fell as far from that tree as anyone could dare hope.
Santiago suggests that he should tell Candy his past so she can see his wounds. He wants her to understand him better, and maybe she can help him heal. Maybe she won‘t be afraid of him anymore. (Is it really wise to trust your deepest vulnerabilities to someone as cruel as Candy?)
At the beach at Chapala, Santiago explains his family legend. Note, “tatara” means “great-great” (grandfather, grandson, etc.), so Santi adds the extra syllables (tataratatara) like we would add great-great-great. He says, “It’s so far back, I don’t even know if we’re related.” He draws a “Circle of Truth” in the sand and sits down in the middle of it. Once you sit in the circle, you can’t lie. If you lie, (you‘re condemned? someone help me here). In the background, we see the pier where the wind and the sun talked to Candy.
Santiago tells her that now she should ask whatever she wants to know. Candy doesn’t mince words. “Tell me about Rocío’s mother.” Santiago knew it was coming, but still he knows it’s going to hurt, probing the unhealed gash he has been avoiding for seven years. He seems to be fighting back tears. He explains that Paulina was different. She was like a fish out of water. He loved her very much, but he didn’t notice what was happening. Maybe it was his fault too. She tried to tell him and he didn’t listen. He worked to be the best plastic surgeon in the country (do we hear Jaime‘s voice here?), and to be a great father, but he didn’t work to be a great husband. When she left he didn’t go looking for her, he just stayed here feeling abandoned. Enough! Now it’s Candy’s turn, like it or not. That’s the rules.
Santi told the story he has been trying to put out of his mind for seven years. Candy tells the story she has incessantly, obsessively concentrated on like a chipped tooth for seven years. “I opened the door and saw my husband kissing my sister...” It has become her mantra. She loved him very much. She told them she was dead so she could start a new life. She hated (?) them all because no one supported her (except that guapisimo hombre who tried to cover her with his jacket). If only someone had told her that she was right. If only someone would have just given her a hug. Santiago feels her pain so deeply, you almost feel more sorry for him than for her. He tells her she was right, and he gives her a big brotherly hug.
Charly gives his “singing waiter” audition in front of a full dining room. Plácido Domingo, your job is safe. Maybe Sven and Ole did it to make their singing look good!
Chava talks to Meño man-to-man. He has a couple of girlfriends, but he wants to get more. Mama can’t be his girlfriend because a guy can’t marry his mama.
Raúl puts Marissa in charge of Candy’s column.
Santiago thanks Candy for trusting him enough to tell her story, especially since she doesn’t trust men Candy has a secret. “My heart is right to want to be with you. But my mind ...” Santiago tells her that her heart is very wise and she should listen to it. Candy shoots him down. “You have a novia. I don't want to do what my sister did to me. I don’t want Marissa to open a door and find us together. Sorry. We just can't continue this.” She walks away and Santiago is left, empty-handed again. Two steps forward, two steps back.
Santiago! Listen up! You’re preaching to the choir! She just told you that you already won her heart. It’s her mind that is rejecting you because you have a novia. Romancing her heart won’t win her mind. Can you think of a way to get rid of that obstacle? Think. Think really hard!
Meño tells Candy that Chava has many girlfriends and he’s on his way to being an unfaithful husband. Candy tells him that won’t happen because she doesn’t want it to. Candy, truly you have a dizzying intellect.
Charly has a new job: Mr. Hamburger. He’s in the zócalo (central square) dressed up in a silly hamburger costume, doing a dance that scares the pigeons, passing out flyers. All the old cities in Mexico have a zócalo with a cathedral, government offices, a paved open square, and pamphleteers handing out coupons to everyone they can buttonhole.
Marissa orders her secretary to tell the columnista to come meet with her immediately. We discover that Marissa is an equal opportunity hag. She is rude and condescending to everybody!
Meño asks Candy how it’s going with her new love. She rejects the idea, but Meño won’t back off. “Face it. He can be the one.”
Lucía backs into Mr. Hamburger and knocks him over. His costume is so awkward, he lies on his back, legs and pickles flailing, like an overturned cockroach.
Candy arrives at the magazine office, and she and Marissa are both surprised at the new boss/employee relationship. Awkward moment, but Marissa recovers first. An opportunity to humiliate your rival doesn’t come along every day. Marissa eliminates major parts of Candy’s column and tells her to do a rewrite. Candy tells her to stuff it.
Pat discovers that Candy’s photo and carving are gone. Alicia threw them in the trash to get Candy out of their life. Notice Patricio’s ears - they can double as barn doors.
In Raúl’s office, Candy is trying to resign the column. Marissa will gladly escort her right out the door. She and Raúl have a little power struggle which he wins, which Candy enjoys. Raúl keeps handling Candy - her shoulders, her arms, her back. He insists they do lunch - for business, of course. She rejects the idea but he’s not listening. It’s a little hard to tell whether Raúl is a good guy or a bad guy, but the way he treats Candy today gives him two strokes in the “bad guy” column.
Charly gets fired. Lucía feels guilty for causing it, and she says she’ll walk out with him. Charly is so thrilled that she wants to talk to him, that he runs into another patron and falls over again. Walking around town with Lucía, he says he could take a job as her bodyguard. He’s nervous because he gets that way when he’s with a girl he likes. They are very cute together.
Raúl goes to talk to Santiago. He explains that he feels very responsible for his sister. When their parents died, he was living elsewhere and she was left alone. She got pregnant at 15 because he wasn’t taking care of her. She got an illegal abortion, there were problems, and now she probably can’t have children. Santiago is hit hard by the news. Raúl made sure to always protect her after that, and that’s why he’s here. He orders Santiago to marry Marissa pronto.
Tomorrow: Candy visits her father’s grave, and her mother sees her there.
Alicia goes dumpster diving.
Labels: Tontas
First such horror that I couldn't even understand English (I was frantically switiching to other stations to see if the cc's worked there. They did)
Finally settled down, watched, took notes. Watched again. I was exhausted by the end.
Loved your description of Charly flat on his back with legs...AND PICKLES...flailing. And yes, he's cute with Lucia.
And the refrain about some people not giving in to Candi unlike.....
Very nice touch.
Enjoyed the circle of truth and yes, as I understood it, if you lied in the circle of truth, you were condemned...
We all need a circle of truth in our lives, no? Lots of good observations on people's psychological motivations and weak points....
In short, very well done, amiga, and under combat conditions!
I think Raul's not so bad. In his scene with Candi he wanted to put her picture on the column and of course she reacted to it, saying she was dead, errr...was not photogenic.
JudyB, you describe perfectly what happens whenever my closed captions aren't working on a recap night. It's such a feeling of horror, isn't it? I'm getting a stomach ache just thinking about it.
So Candy's mom is going to discover she's alive so soon? Good, that means things will really start moving along! I can't wait to see Alicia's reaction.
Terrific recap Paula; thanks!!
Paula, you did a great job with or without captions. It's not at all obvious that you're new to recapping.
I had captions for Fuego last night, but they were a little flakey (kept disappearing too soon) and also laden with errors. I'll always love my training wheels but I'm glad that I'm not as dependent on them as I once was.
I did the first few weeks (maybe even months) of LFMB without captions, and now I'm truly baffled as to how I managed. (Then I look at those old recaps and remember how much stuff I missed.) It was like a fun challenge and a nightmare at the same time, but that's how I like to learn things!
There is something about Donato and Santi's mom scenes & dialog that always give me Bertie Wooster-and-Jeeves flashbacks.
Loved Charly's hamburger get-up. Another flashback to the SNL skit by Justin Timberlake where he's dressed as a breakfast burrito. LOL
Gosh, poor Charly is a worse singer than I am. (I sing in key of 'R.')
Patricio is a piece of work, eh? Can't keep his pants on. I wonder what his total offspring count will be by the end of this telenovela. yikes.
Patricio's dad is a piece of work, too. The recovered alcoholic who now thinks he can drink because he's all better. As if. How's that working for you, Arturo? Are they trying to give us a PSA with this storyline?
doris
Julie, interesting that you are also becoming disenchanted with the show, given that you are also a big Jaime fan.
It was my understanding that this show was not popular in Mexico. I wonder why. It is my feeling that it's because most of the characters are too upper class. Not enough Cinderella?
I'm not really enamored with any of the lead characters but my heart went out to Candy when Soledad told her Patricio was Beto's father. I thought the actress did an excellent job conveying disbelief and hurt. Seems Candy's lying and hiding have been for naught as the past is quickly catching up with her. Diana in MA
A man has to be kind, but firm. For example, in Pasion, Ricardo had to continually tell the ladies who were in love with him, such as Lisabeta and Ursula no, but in a nice way.
I also remember that Jaime Camil's character in LFMB, Don Fernando, could never really get around to breaking up with Marcia his girlfriend, and in that way, this show is very similar.
Excellent recap Paula, I think all of us by now have had that "crap where are the captions" moment, you just got yours out of the way quickly. I didn't discover captions for a long time, Jean finally mentioned it one day and I said "DUH." I can survive wihtout them (youtube) but I still prefer to have them on. I'm used to having them on all the time now, even for English TV, for my wife. Only my son, who is doesn't read fast enough to keep up with captions but also is naturally bi-lingual (he learned both languages naturally, rather than any forced learning) complains about them blocking the screen.
The first phrase that I learned from telenovelas was "Suelteme!!!" Jacqueline Bracamontes said it a gazillion times every episode...to Sergio Sendel, to Guy Ecker or to that small-eyed, slack-jawed galan who played her first beau (and ended up with her sister).
I haven't had occasion to use it yet (dang!) but I'm ready in case I run into Sergio Sendel and he's overcome with guilty passion.
I did understand why she was so upset about Soledad's news, but...she could have shown a little concern for her friend instead of just running out.
Also...she doesn't have solid proof that Pato cheated on her 5 weeks before the wedding. I'd totally believe it of the skanky dude, but Beto could have been a preemie.
Had hysterics about the favorite phrases which is so true. Like JudyB my first one was the famous suelteme but in my case it was in Sirena which had great music, a few hunks and some Gdawful acting to go along with the cheap sets. Speaking of sets I see that the famous watermelons are back.
It isn't Santi getting rid of Marissa that is going to make a mess of things in this novela it is hot pants Pat with his obsession for Candi. I dislike the character who is proving to be a two timing cheat and can't bring myself to have one iota of pity for him. And Lanus has bugged me for years -everything from his forced facial expressions to his whiny voice.
The potential relationship between Rocio and Charly looks promising. Can not wait to see poor Santi have to have the big sex talk with the girl who is lusting after big boobies.
Top Six Phrases. I realized that I have six, not five top phrases. This is my list in descending order; YMMV.
1. No puede ser! This cannot be!
2. Suelteme! Let me go!
3. No lo puedo creer. I can't believe this.
4. Desgraciado! B*stard!
5. Tengo malas noticias. I have bad news.
6. Te amo con todo la alma. I love you with all my soul.
My favorite is accompanied by a story. I work at home. One day the phone just wouldn't stop ringing and I was sick of it. I wanted to make the world disappear so I watched my Fea disks. Don Fernando screamed at Ariel, "Quando me vas a dejar en paz? (when will you leave me in peace?)." I liked the phrase so much, I hollered it too. Just then my work phone range yet again. Perfect timing!
The phrases really are fun to spice up your English, especially if you say them melodramatically.
"Sorry, Paula, we're out of chocolate ice cream."
"NO PUEDE SERRRRRRRRR!"
Do you notice, when they want to emphasize something, the give an extended trill to the final R?
1. Santi took part of the blame. Candy felt she was the victim, not just of Pat, but of her whole family.
2. Candy was betrayed, but Pat begged her to come back. He desparately desired her. Santiago was thoroughly rejected. The love of his life wanted nothing to do with him. Betrayal is bad, but utter rejection is far worse.
3. Santi set up this date because he wants to heal and break free of the grasp his past holds on him, so he can love again. Candy has no desire to let go of her bitterness.
4. Santi feels pain for Candy's suffering, and he consoles her. Candy is untouched by Santi's suffering, and she shows no compassion at all.
Anything else?
1. Santiago bares his soul in the Circle of Truth, and she doesn't console him at all.
2. Soledad reveals her life-shattering problem, and Candy completely ignores it in favor of her own problems.
3. Isabel tells of the pain of loss of identity after her mastectomy, and Candy snaps that she just shouldn't feel that way about it.
4. Meño finally is able to reunite with the son he lost 17 years ago, and Candy tells him he can't - her family might find out she's alive.
Frankly who cares if Pat desperately desirers her. He cheated on her and apparently more than once. I wouldn't have a thing more to do with him either. What's he going to say - it was all her vindictive sister's fault.
I think moving to Guadalajara was smart but she did go too far by getting Memo to lie and say she was dead. In a way she is dead - inside. Until she can learn to let go she is always going to appear insensitive to other people's pain because she can't let go of her own and she has no empathy. It will be interesting to see what event will trigger her making the change. In a lot of ways she is still a spoiled little girl.
Arturo said that he didn’t owe an apology because it was the disease. Guess he never learned that one of the 12 steps of AA is to apologize to those you have wronged. And yes, he also seems to forget that one of the symptoms, probably the biggest in alcoholism, is that you can’t drink moderately, your system won’t let you!
Ferro, you give women too much credit. True, most of us, if we have any self-respect, would rather be alone than with a man we know to be a womanizer and that has no problems flaunting his other conquests. Alas, there are many women who are willing to stay with men who repeatedly cheat on them (usually the ones who like to get jewelry afterwards, but also those who don’t think they’ll ever find another man), and those who carry lengthy affairs with married men, somehow convincing themselves they will leave their wives one day. They don’t think they deserve any better, or got a little too embedded in the old adage “a good man is hard to find” and will settle for what they think will be a good man (how a man who cheats is a good man I don’t know) than to be alone or to be stuck with someone even worse (no job, wife beaters, etc).
Julia, they already thought Beto was a premie when they had him, so he would have had to come over 2 months early otherwise. Pato cheated.
Although Santi is probably not ready to have Lucia dating, there is a silver lining in all this: She now has proof she can get a guy without silicone! Don’t you just love how incestuous these TNs are? Santi’s daughter has a pseudo romance with Candi’s son, and now his niece will probably end up dating her cousin. If Meño wasn’t gay, they’d probably try to fix him up with Santi’s mom!
Now, although Candi is not the most comforting of people, she did assure Santi, more than once, that Paulina’s leaving him was not his fault. When he said it was, she said “how could being abandoned be your fault?” Just saying, she’s not totally insensitive. I do think she should have consoled Soledad as well, but she was probably too shell shocked to do anything. As for Isabel, yes, she tried to get up on her soapbox and tell her it was ok to walk the world with just one breast (as Isabel said, easy for her to say when she still has two) because there’s nothing wrong or shameful and she was still beautiful and feminine, but she shut up when she realized that Isabel probably had a better grasp on the subject than Candi did. As far as her uncle, she was ok with him getting back to his son, just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t tell the family about her. She has also encouraged him to be honest about being gay. Pity she couldn’t listen to her own advice and be honest with her own son about having a father! She does have a lot of growing up to do, and needs to come out of her pity party and see what the real world is like. One thing she did admit to (and this surprised the heck out of me) is that, when she thought Pato was their to take her son away, and Meño told her that would never happen because she was a good mother, she admitted nobody would see it that way after she faked her death and spent years keeping her son from his dad. I wonder if she’ll get caught (by Pato, not her mom) before she realizes that she needs to face these things head on before she can truly move on.
great line paula.
learned some new words: hispanohablante, tátara. all the cultural and idiomatic things you can learn from our esteemed team members adds depth to the novela.
i was curious about chapala. here are a few links i came across:
Lake Chapala Region
(also click the top banner links below LAKE CHAPALA)
Flickr - Chapala Malecon
as an aside, while googling chapala i came across:
Tacos Chapala - Long Beach, CA
one of the reviewers had be chuckling:
"This place....is the bomb!! There is no other way to describe it. It is in walking distance from my house, which comes in handy after a night of drinking and not driving. I know I know, I give out alot of 5 star reviews, but I guess I am too easy like that. But this place totally deserves it.
Last night, I had a hankerin ( I am so Texas) for an el pastor quesadilla, which is possibly the best drunk food I have ever put in my alcohol soaked mouth! So full of meat, it was leaking out the freakin tortilla."
:) gracias, jelc
No puede ser!
I think it's weird that after Charly was so determined to find his father he doesn't seem to care to get to know him. I'd think they would both be full of questions about what the other has been up to all these years.
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