Caray, Caray!

Amadork tells Candelala that he is sure that Juan Miguel is the man who hired Piraña to kidnap Miguelito. Cande is stunned.

Liriochuy and Leo sit in a field, picking the flowers. It’s like Leo used to be a real fightin’ bull, and now he’s Ferdinand. Marichuy wants to go back to the house to check on her baby. Leo wants to chat some more; he’s hoping to convince her to stay at the hacienda. She says we’ll see and runs off; he chases her. They enter the hacienda sitting room and are surprised to see Amador. Leo, wearing his sabertooth necklace and Katie Couric’s hair, tries to give Amador an intimidating look, then leaves the jerk alone with his prey. So, did you hear I have a son?, she asks. He says he knew right away, when the kid was born. Clues, Marichuy, clues. Cande helps out by bringing the baby in. Marichuy at first seems horrified, like she doesn’t want him around evil Amador, but then can’t resist showing off her pride and joy. Amador grins wolfishly and manages to choke out the proper congratulations, then says, “okay, so when are we leaving?” “Qué?,” asks Marichuy.

Elsa is at the church, telling Padre Anselmo that she doesn’t know what to do about her dying alcoholic husband. He thinks that it doesn’t matter what he does since he’s dying anyway, and he’s just been lying silently in bed ever since she wouldn’t let him go out for booze. She cries and Padre Anselmo looks sympathetic.

Mari tells Amador she isn’t ready to leave the hacienda yet. He tells her he’s got a great role in a telenovela all ready for her and she’s going to be a big star! She’ll be able to name her salary and get a better place for them all to live and provide a good life for her son. A good life in which his mother works 16 hours per day and never sees him, I guess. Marichuy agrees with me; that would be a very busy life, and this isn’t a decision she can make alone. Who else could be involved?, asks Amador, and tells her to run grab her stuff so they can leave. Leopardo, she says. Amador looks at her like she’s just said she has to consult her fairy godmother.

PA tells Elsa she should be sweet and loving to Nelson and make his last days pleasant. Elsa sobs that it’s not so easy. PA thinks she can manage, and she reluctantly agrees.

Amador asks why Leo should have any say in Marichuy’s life. Because he saved my life, and my baby’s too, says Mari. Also, he’s been very good to her and he asked her to stay, so she can’t just leave without even talking to him about it. Amador is all, where are your priorities, crazy woman!? Think of the fame and fortune! Marichuy tells him she’s been very happy in the country, and she’ll probably go back to the D.F. one day, but not for riches and fame. Amador asks her to at least think about it. She agrees and says she’ll let him know. He reminds her that he knows what’s best for her (!) and she thanks him effusively for being so interested in her well-being. As soon as he’s gone, Mari runs back and tells Leo that they need to talk, but later since she needs to take care of the baby. He hopes it’s not to tell him she’s leaving.

Ivette is wearing a nurse’s uniform and is staking out the church.

Eduardo and Beatriz have brought Mayita home, and she and her papa are way excited to see each other. She raves about the beach and asks why he didn’t go with them, even just for a day. He just says he couldn’t. Mayita thinks next time they should all go, and take Blanca with them. Juan Miguel gives a horrified look to Ed and Beatriz over her shoulder. I’m guessing she still doesn’t know her mother is dead. Juan Miguel is probably thinking he can keep telling her that her mom is out shopping or having lunch until Mayita is like fifty, then tell her that her mother died peacefully in her sleep. Ed and Beatriz and Beatriz’s baby stand there looking like a cozy happy family. Well, the baby doesn’t stand.

PA is praying at the altar with every candle in the church lit while Ivette sneaks up behind him. He turns around. You?! Here?!, he says. She stares at him evilly.

Leo sits in a field playing his harmonica and asking himself when he’s going to tell Marichuy. She rides up on her bicycle and nearly crashes. Mari says she’s come to talk with him. Leo says he also has something to tell her. Okay, you first, she says. He touches her chin and leans closer to her, which is so significant and romantic that we must have an advertising break to swoon/catch our breath. When we return, he chickens out and kisses her cheek. She looks confused; he looks disappointed in himself.

Back at Castle San Roman, Mayita says she’s going to look for Blanca. Juan Miguel tells her that Blanca left when Mayita went to Acapulco. But she’s coming back, right?, replies Mayita. JM hesitates but is saved when Rocío comes downstairs and is greeted with Mayita’s usual enthusiasm. Rocío gushes about the new baby and Beatriz hands him over while Ed looks on like a proud new daddy. It looks like Ed convinced Bea that he wasn’t interested in Elsa any longer. Mayita squeals that she got to play with the baby in Acapulco, and she learned how to change diapers and give him a bottle, so now she’s all ready for when her new little brother or sister arrives! She is SO EXCITED!!! Juan Miguel looks uncomfortable and Rocío stares at him, trying to force him by Jedi mind tricks to get it together and tell the truth for once.

Ivette asks PA what he’s going to do about her. She is hiding a dagger behind her back. PA tells her that sinners are eventually punished. I am very curious as to how that works, theologically, with multiple personalities. He reminds her of the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” She gloats that she killed and doesn’t regret it. He says that’s an even worse sin. Then he tells her that those who seek refuge in a church always find it.

Leo’s chaste cheek kiss took Marichuy completely by surprise, or so she’s willing to let him think. He proclaims in breathy tones that he doesn’t want some fling; his love for her is pure and profound. Marichuy can hardly look at him. He begs her to tell him what she thinks and feels. At this point I would have told him that I think and feel that he needs a haircut. But I’m callous and unromantic like that. Marichuy just looks thoughtful.

Ivette tells Padre Anselmo that she often feels the urge to go into a church. Would you like to kneel and pray with me?, he asks politely. Ha! No!, she says. She doesn’t believe in praying to some painted image. She just likes the peaceful ambiance in the church. She raves at length about all the marvelous features, and Padre Anselmo suggests that her passion for the place must come from somewhere. She says she has strange feelings which she doesn’t understand; parts of her life are like a black hole, and she tries to resist those feelings. PA tells her that deep down, she has faith. Well, maybe not her. The other one. Blanca. Ivette looks angry.

Marichuy is walking along the path with her bike while Leo begs her to tell him what she thinks. She vaguely mentions JM kissing her lovingly, and now Leo… Leo asks if she doesn’t want to erase (borrar = erase, blot out, smear) those old kisses with his new and improved model. Dry cheek pecks are totally so much better than what Juan Miguel had going on, right.

Ivette denies that Blanca exists, but PA says of course she does, and she is going to win control over you! Nonsense!, says Evilette. I am stronger and I have won! Blanca has ceased to exist! She and PA circle each other like feral cats. Ivette tries to leave and PA tries to stop her. Over my dead body will you leave, he warns/asks for it.

Marichuy tells Leo that she just doesn’t know. He worries that she may be afraid of him, or not like it when he touches her, but she says no, she feels safe with him. He would like to have her in his arms; he could be her overcoat (really, he said that). He says he’s loved her for a very long time and he’s been waiting too long. She looks REALLY uncomfortable.

Leo remembers his past encounters with Marichuy and recounts how he fell in love with her. She says she knew “ni maiz” (more slang for “nothing”) about that, which is of course hooey. Actually she says, “ni maiz, paloma” which I can’t figure out. Paloma means dove, or according to my slang dictionary in more southerly countries it can mean something vulgar and I can’t believe she would call him that, or of course the closed captioning could have gotten it wrong. Anyway. Leo says he will stop at nothing to get her to fall in love with him; he wants her to want him to kiss her, to dream of him at night, etc. So, will she consider marrying him? Never mind that she’s still trying to fend off the intent of the one kiss. Love is not a racecourse, Leo.

Ivette says to PA that if she has to kill him, well, so be it. She raises her dagger, but, as the church bells ring, she shifts to Blanca. Blanca looks horrified.

Leopardo continues to argue his case as Marichuy just says she doesn’t know. He asks if she’s attracted to him, and she says yes. He is thrilled.

Blanca is delighted to see Padre Anselmo, but doesn’t know what she’s doing there. She realizes that she escaped from Rocío and worries about what she’s going to do. PA tries to calm her down.

Leo, not getting a clue, again asks Marichuy to marry him, since she finds him attractive and all. Jeez, Leo, a girl can’t just go around marrying every guy she finds attractive. That would be chaos. She hesitates some more and he says he understands; she needs some time to learn to see him as a man who wants to be all muchas smooches with her. He says the old Leopardo has hidden his garras (claws); now he is like seda (silk). He kisses her on the cheek again. She still looks uncomfortable.

PA calls JM and reports that Blanca is in the church.

Marichuy returns to her bedroom and Cande asks whether she told Leopardo all about her past. She says she didn’t get a chance; he did all the talking and he is in love with her. Cande looks impactada, even though she totally already knew that.

PA tells Blanca that he called Juan Miguel. She says she asked him to call the police. He says he thought it was better to call JM; he will know what to do. Blanca the Severely Mentally Ill is much more sensible than anyone around her, and says she needs to be locked up and punished, because she is dangerous and killed someone. Padre Anselmo assures her that SHE is innocent, because PA apparently doesn’t care about the millions of people who are in danger when Ivette takes over. Those people are not in his church at the moment. Blanca begs him to get the police to take her away.

Cande says “told you so.” She says that absolutely everyone on the hacienda knew that Leopardo is in love with Marichuy. Marichuy thought he just liked her as a friend. She describes the whole discussion, the sentimentality, the blushing, the kisses. Ooh, kisses!, says Cande. She demonstrates some that are way mushier than Leo’s.

Blanca is praying for forgiveness, while, not Ave Maria, but Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, plays in the background. I love this show and its wildly unconventional music choices! Who knew you could have any tune but Ave Maria in church?! Someone tell Franco over on Fuego. Juan Miguel arrives and she hugs him and begs him for forgiveness.

Cande wants to know the whole story about the kissing. She tells Marichuy that she needs to make it clear whether she’s still in love with JM or if she could love Leopardo.

Juan Miguel rubs Blanca’s back as he hugs her tightly and murmers sweet nothings in her ear. Sweet nothings like, “you’re not really guilty of murder. I’ll help you.” Sirens approach outside.

Marichuy tells Cande that she knows it’s impossible to return to Juan Miguel, but she still really doesn’t know whether she could be in love with another man.

Juan Miguel tells Blanca that since she’s in a church, she doesn’t have to leave with the police unless she wants to. Does it really work that way? She says she wants to. The police enter the church and Blanca takes the opportunity to snuggle up against Juan Miguel, one last time for the road.

Marichuy says that Leo declared his amor at the wrong moment, because she had just talked to Juan Miguel. Cande looks distraught, but Marichuy is all starry-eyed remembering their brief and awkward conversation.

Blanca is arrested, but before she is taken away JM says to trust him, because he will save her. After she goes, he swears to Padre Anselmo that she will not be convicted. I’m guessing that in Novelaland court he can totally be the expert witness in the case even though he is personally involved and has crossed nearly every ethical and common-sense boundary in dealing with her.

Cande can’t understand why Mari is still grinding that axe (or something to that effect. She used the phrase “ponerse las amolanas.” Amolar means to grind or sharpen, also to annoy.) Marichuy insists that she just wanted to know whether he was okay after that horrible dream she had about him, but she is totally not in love with him anymore, no way. Oh, tell that story to someone else, says Cande.

Juan Miguel calls Rocío and reports that Blanca has been arrested. Rocío tells Ornerylia, who looks gloaty about it.

Marichuy recounts the phone call. He heard Miguelito, but she told him it was a friend’s baby. He kept asking her questions, and she wanted the earth to swallow her up. Then he told her that he never stopped loving her. But, he’s stuck with his awful wife, so that’s that. Marichuy confesses that she still loves him and will never stop thinking about him, and she thinks that would stop her from being happy with Leopardo.

Yay, Vicente is still alive! Long time no see, old pal! Becky serves him tea (Becky’s still alive too! Who knew?) and he says he hasn’t heard from Rocío in a week. Becky says no wonder, with all the madness going on in that house. If I were Rocío I think I would have been sleeping over at Vicente´s place all this time specifically to get away from Onelia. Becky catches Vicente up. The governess has been arrested, but she tried to kill Rocío. Vicente did not know this and is upset that Roc did not tell him.

Vicente’s mom (Mercedes?) tells him that Rocío just called and said she won´t be able to come visit today. She’s too stressed out from all the drama. However, that nice doctor is at her house to give her a tranquilizer. Obviously, that does not comfort Vicente.

Doctor Humberto is giving Rocío her tranquilizer, while Ornerylia is doing her best to be the antidote. She yells at Rocío for being upset when they should be celebrating that the murderer has been caught. Rocío says that it just seems so unjust that Blanca has to be locked up in jail because of what her other personality did. Exactly, she should be in a mental hospital. Onelia continues to rant and blames Rocío and Juan Miguel for helping Blanca, and says she’s going to do her best to ensure that Blanca gets the maximum sentence. Doctoro begs her to stop.

Vicente is still obsessing about Rocío and Doctor Humberto together. Becky tells him to quit already, it makes sense for her doctor to treat her, and her anxiety has nothing to do with him. He says he is always the last thing she thinks of. I say, maybe if he had gone to physical therapy like his doctors advised, he could have gotten himself over to her house to be supportive. Or at least remembered how to dial the phone himself.

Juan Miguel and the licenciado discuss Blanca’s illness. JM speaks about it totally authoritatively, even though he admits that he hasn’t had time for a single analysis session with her.

Leopardo sits on the terrace railing and plays his harmonica. Then he plunges to his death! No, he doesn’t. Marichuy sits inside and wonders what to do and daydreams about smooching Juan Miguel, always a pleasant pastime.

Avances: Marichuy and Leo go on a picnic which is at least half romantic, that half being Leo.
Leo and Marichuy see an article about Blanca/Ivette in the newspaper.

Labels: Cuidado