Caray, Caray!

Thank you for the recap, Jardinera. I loved all your snarky asides, too. Well done!

Yet another happy Evilzalde family dinner. I've got to give Camilo credit for pointing out they drove themselves into financial problems, and voting for FrEd. He laughs like a hyena.

Why didn’t Errorika wait for FrEd to ring the doorbell, like a proper date? Instead she runs out to the driveway to meet him. We're not desperate & needy, are we? We need a PSA on this behavior.

OMG, I loved the villagers coming with torches, broken pitchforks, etc. to save Padre Bosco! What a great security device---the bells switch and the villagers.

Jardinera --- Are you going to Norway or Sweden? I've been in Sweden for Midsommer and it is indeed magical. Have a great trip!
 

Hey there, Doris! I thought about that lack of date etiquette, too. I had flashbacks to the old Frankenstein movie with Boris Karloff, I think, when I saw that mob and their pitchforks and torches.
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Actually, we're making a run from Oslo through Sweden to his ancestral stomping ground where Beowulf was supposed to have taken place. (I plan to get a touristy tee shirt with something obnoxious like "Beowulf Slept Here" plastered in 6" high caps on it.) Then, we'll drive through to Copenhagen for a quick look-see and come home. She is Norwegian, but the wedding is somewhere in Sweden. And Thanks! I'm going to have Caray! Caray! withdrawel.
 

Great, great recap for this night of comedy. Cadmilo did indeed steal the show. His crazy high-pitched laughs at just the right melodramatic moments, and his eyerolling when Gonzo bared his soul about Barby, were just priceless. The townsfolks with torches and pitchforks was a scene out of FELS. Then then add in those two wide-eyed goofs for grins. A truly funny night.
 

Thanks for the recap Jardinera. I'm so sick of Err. In fact, I'm sick of her whole family. I guess I missed the padre turning on the bells. That would explain the townspeople.

Damian--what a scumbag. He gives me the creeps.

Fr/Ed: grow up already.

Has anyone heard from Molly?
 

EXCELLENT recap, Jardinera.

Highlights for me personally:

Barb as Dairy Queen
Barb looking like a cat with its ears pinned back
Vlad the Had!!!
Are there claws in those paws?
and
Trophy wife takes the gonads away in a box!!!

This was an action packed episode. I enjoyed Padre Bosco being so cool under pressure. I also enjoyed the fact that the baddies weren't really that bad. They didn't want to kill him and delayed the deed long enough for Bosco to outsmart them.

Sigh. I really don't like this plot development for Freduardo. Fernando Colunga usually plays someone much more in control. Rushing to Erika for a contrived engagement announcement after seeing Fernanda supposedly still in love with missing hubby just seems SO high school to me.

They sure did make a big deal out of the expected appearance of Ciggy Monday, running promos for that event over the credits. I think it's going to be a bit of a red herring. Doubt they'll show him anywhere near the Elizaldes.

Wow, your trip to Scandinavia sounds fabulous! I bought the Seamus Heany translation of Beowulf, with the Old English on one side, and the translation on the other. Have to confess I haven't finished it all, but I love having it.
 

I am just dying to find out who this Artemeo Bravo actually is. I also can't wait for Jacinto to put an end to Cadmill-ho's maniacal laughing.

I was surprised that after all of Error-ka's denial of her and Fr/Ed's relationship being fake, she was rather gracious when he asked her to play along with his game.

~Caborita
 

It's evident the Padre knows the name Artemio Bravo, probably from Soledad.

Anibal put his arm around Pris at the dinner table. I don't think Anibal is so bad, just under a lot of stress about the business. It seemed to please Pris.

Fr/Ed knows Rebeca's acct # & must suspect she's Babs. Too bad they don't compare notes. Aurora/Santiago, Freduardo/Fer, Padre, Lili & Gardenia with the phone # & who called it.

Why was Fernanda allowed to vote for Santiago? What was the vote they had before & Pris broke the tie, pissing off Anibal?

I agree about the FC directing, he does an angry look so well & when he arrived home, punching the wall would have been good. Too much head shaking & high school stuff.

Does every iglesia have an emergency bell next to the padre's bed?

Great novela, some Flaws, but a really great recap.
 

.... agree that Colunga is a bit of a disappointment in this one. He is always the dashing galan in control of the situation, but not in MEPS. Perhaps it's the present day hokey plot line which normally would get less scrutiny in the period telenovelas. We accept more nonsense in those because "it could have happened" for all we know. And that haircut still bugs me, just not Colunga.
 

Jardinera: Thanks for the recap. We'll miss the Queen of Snark while you're on a great trip.

I was surprised that Carpio and Nestor (thanks for supplying his name) gave up Artemio Bravo so easily. Barb's little kingdom is unravelling, maybe Artemio's is coming a little undone, too.

My theory about Fernando appearing a little goofy as Ed is the age difference. Ditto the actor who plays Steve. My beanie just doesn't fit tight enough to make this leap.
 

Connie - Padre turning on the bells was very uneventful and easily missed. He touched a light switch on the wall, right above the night table.

Jardinera - yes, that scene reminded me of Frankenstein, too.

Gonzo's 7-watt nite lite brain went into the -7 watt level in my opinion, when he made his little statement re: why he voted with his wife. Makes me wonder what makes her so (ahem) special? (let your imagination run wild . . . )
 

Fantastic recap, Jardinera, full of detail and very entertaining.

Damian has really turned into an interesting character, now that he's opposed to Babs. Problem is, while he can throw out dirt on her, she can throw out dirt on him. Who's Fernanda going to believe?

I actually think that whichever way the vote went, it would be okay for Babs. She just had to play it this way to be consistent. Because remember the other day, Cigarman said that if Franco takes over the company that would ruin the Elizaldes just as much as if they went bankrupt.

Carpio and Nestor showed they're not as clever as Gardenia. Why not give the Padre a fake name, like maybe Jose Feliciano Feliciano?
 

Thanks for your very enjoyable recap. I can't believe we're so far along in the show and the stars of the show have never really loved each other. I can't get over Damian's nerve. Such a smooth liar. Call me crazy but I really like him. It's about time that someone started casting shadows of doubt on Babs. The highlight of the entire novela for me will be when Gonzalo finds out what a fool his lovely wife has made of him. I wonder where this plot with Eddie and Erika is headed. For a man in love, Eddie is his own worst enemy. Instead of making things better between himself and Nanda, it's almost as though he's burning his bridges with his not so clever actions.
 

I did a marathon yesterday and watched (part of) six episodes. I'm happy that for my episode on Monday, we have been promised a viewing of the "face of evil!" hehehe

Jardinera your trip sounds fabulous. My daughter's getting married in a year and I'm ALREADY excited.

I too think Colunga's acting in this one is below par. On the other hand, I never thought Meester James could do as well as he's doing in this one - he still mugs but he's somewhat endearing.
 

Jardinera -- Have a wonderful trip and enjoy every moment of the nuptuals.

I did think that our two baddies, the Keystone-cop-wannabes, caved a bit too easily. They are, after all, the guys that killed 15 people in the bar fire and scared Gardenia with the snake! (loved the way that the snake came back on the screen last night when she remembered that scary experience.)

I am okay with Frenando C. in this role. I know he pulled a goofball move last night with asking Erika to pose as his fiancee. But he's also said, ad nauseum, that it can't work out with Fernanda anyway, whether he is Franco or Eduwardo. The role calls for confusion: he's playing a dangerous game he hasn't begun to understand. I missed the first month so I wasn't there to see his angst and sorrow over his mother's death. I assume that those episodes captured the depths of his hatred for the Elizalde clan that is tinged with memories of a happier time in his life and that of Gardenia, Margarita, Martina, Jacinto -- all before the arrival of you know who. If not, then you got a real problem with Colung'as acting here!

I can't stop wishing that someone else had been cast in the Camilo role, though, he was right about several things while he was acting the fool. I DO love that expression about the stopped clock!

Buen viaje.
 

Jardinera, I always enjoy you recaps so much!, thank you.

Gonzalo seems to be completely head over hills inlove with Barbara, I actually think he is happier with her than he would have been with Montserrat, he is old and has spent the last fifteen years with a gorgeous woman about thirty years younger than him and she always tries to be pleasant with him, even when she doesn't get her way (as it may seem to him).

Damián's story may be filled with holes but in the telenovela world it's supposed to make sense I guess, Eduardo is behaving like a child with all this fake proposal but this is actually in character if you think about it, he still carries a torch for his childhood sweetheart, he is probably virgin and bought her a ring even though he hadn't seen or talked to her in fifteen years.

In the novela "Esmeralda", Fernando Colunga played the male lead, and he leaves his blind pregnant wife because they were made believe she was raped by the bad guy, so he can't stand that she may be carring another man's baby (in his mind there was a 50/50 chance), and he abandones her in her small town (she was very poor)while he tries to forget her in Mexico City with other women of his social stature (he was very rich).

I hated that character so much, and Eduardo actually seems like a great guy in comparison, what bothers me about this novela though is the directing, not only in the scene that Jardinera described, but in different scenes, I think the actors are told to exaggerate their expressions and that's why even someone like Colunga can't always overcome the writing and comes off quite juvenile and why a lesser actor like Carlos De La Mota ends up overacting most of his scenes.

Not that a novela is the best place to try to find nuanced performances, but at least they could try to tone down the sentimentalism (especially with Santiago and Aurora), unfortunately this type of over the top behaviour of characteres has become a trend in the last few years with Televisa's novelas.

Jarocha
 

Great sendoff recap, Jardinera, que ten buen viaje!

Some stuff just doesn't make sense. Babs has been instructed by Ciggy to not oppose that Power milk deal, she votes against it, and pouts BIGTIME when the vote goes against her- or am I missing something? And Fer gets Santi's proxy vote? What? The two, tough matones can't plug the old priest, and give him time to out fox them? I love the instant mob that showed at the first peal of the bell, torches and broken pitchforks, just like in the old days. Eddy's stupid phony jr high plan to make Fer jealous? SHE IS MARRIED! One thing that did make sense, Gonzo explained why he is such a woos, he values his time that he has left with Babs more than the company he has build. Sure, he doesn't know what her plan is, but I can understand why he's what he's saying.
Wanna bet that we don't really see ciggy for a few episodes?
 

Jardinera~~~Thanks for that detailed [as always] recap. Have a wonderful trip , and best wishes to the happy couple. My older daughter got married on a cruise ship on the Hudson in September. Hope that it is a special time for your whole family. So , we are back in junior high trying to make someone jealous . [It didn't work in junior high, and I'm certain that it's not going to work for Fr/ed. ] I agree with those who have said that Fernando usually plays galans with a little more savvy and control. I liked the role of Luis who was the kindest , smartest galan I've seen Fernando play. Also, as RicRicRic in Pasion, he was smart and goodhearted. In Amor Real as Manuel, he had a bad temper and a chip on his shoulder, but in the end, he was a sweetheart. Sometimes it seems that Fr/ed is just treading water. The writers have really not given him much to do or say lately. His character has not been developed very well. I've never seen a novela in which the leads are kept separated this long. Usually they do the deed, pledge their undying love and devotion, and then are separated somehow off and on until the end of the novela. Oh well, this is all we've got for now.
 

Thanks for the recap Jardinera. Have a safe and great trip! Give our best to Beowulf. :)

Finally we get a chance to take a look Artemio. You might be right DDave, could still be a few episodes before we see Artie.

Thinking now, the Padre did not really need to get the name from Carpio and Nestor. Once they were gone, Denia could say those were the guys that grabbed me. From that, we already know they work for Artemio. I thought they might give the name of Jesus Lopez Lopez. LOL
Now Ed will have to find a place to stash both the Padre and Denia. :)

Doris: "Makes me wonder what makes her so (ahem) special?" All Gonzo knows is that he sleeps real good at night after he gets his milk. :)

I think Barb voted against and pouted because she knows the others don't really like her. Her voting No would for sure make the others vote Yes and have the deal go through like Artemio wants.

JeffMN
 

Anon. 5:07pm --Serapes on a moonlit night with screaming mobs holding pitchforks. Definitely FELS flashback material.
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Connie: Err's mama, Dolly the Ditz, takes the cake. If she's really pregnant I'll eat my sombrero.
==========
Novelera: "Cool under pressure" I guess sums it up pretty well. The Hubster thinks Bosco has both guts and gumption to face down two guys and a gun like he did. He's got newfound respect for the old guy after last night.
 

Alice: I secretly like Damian, too. He's a two-timing, charismatic, sleaze-ball but he looks so fine while he's conning you..... Sigh.
======
Susanlynn: I kept thinking of you and your friends' probable sock-hopping escapades while I was recapping Eddie's juvenile antics. You give us some of the best walks down memory lane....
 

Variopinta: I have a feeling they aren't going to get to compare notes for another month or two. The novela gods have got to keep twisting relationships into tighter and tighter knots. I always feel like my brain is a pretzel after making it half-way to two-thirds through one of these.
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Anon. 6:04pm/ Traveling Lady/ Jarocha/Pasofino/Melinama -- I agree that FC is running hot and cold in this one, but it's not the plot or the script, really. My guess is the directing and the amount of foil needed to wrap around the beanie to believe the ages of the male characters in this thing. It's pretty hard to be 40-ish and act like a love-sick, horny 20-something without coming off like a sick pervert or a dopey dork. (Jorge Salinas in FELS and Eduardo Yañez in FELS and the early scenes of DA come to mind.) I haven't seen one of these middle-aged heart-throbs Televisa contracts for these roles carry it off successfully yet. Once you set your Beanies to "ignore and compensate" mode, though, you'll almost always get through it pretty well.
=============
Hombre/DDave/JeffMN: I keep forgetting that Artie told Babs to go with the flow as long as Santoro aims to take over the business as his own anyway. > 8 (

Just to expand on what you've all said, IMNSHO, I did sort of think that this time she was more pissed than anything because she has realized that Franco is not somebody she can manipulate to her own ends. He is always one step ahead of her with a counter that always puts a wrench into her carefully laid plans; and she's not used to having an equal as an interloper. She wants out from under Bravo's thumb, and soon, but Santoro showing up is tending to drag her indentured servitude to Bravo out much longer than she anticipated.
========
BTW, I also like Jeff's twist on the twist re: the vote. Wish I'd thought of that!
 

Thank you, Jardinera. Hi, guys. I'm behind on the shows, have seen thru Thursday and read the fun comments. Much discussion on Esteve's, uh, wardrobe so I hope you don't mind this little insight (ok, rant).

This morning on food network I think I just saw an example of how our hermanos to the south see gringos. The show was Giada at Home staring Giada De Laurentiis, Italian-born chef, writer, etc., daughter of the film producer,
Dino De Laurentiis. Anywho, she is a tiny little thing and just beautiful and has a polished, classy, yet warm kind of charm that really projects through the glass. (Even though I usually don't watch her show because she is sooo tiny it's as if she doesn't eat her own or anyone else's food!). So Giada was preparing this delicious gourmet meal for a date night with her American husband, Scott. Giada's
looking every bit as classy and sexy in the kitchen as usual
and then they cut to Scott. He is tooling around town to pick
up desert and flowers. . . on a skateboard. And he's wearing
a red and black striped shirt and jeans while surfer dude music
plays in the background. Now one thing I've noticed on novelas
are the beautiful flower arrangements especially those given
to the ladies. So Scott shows up after Giada has the meal prepared, presents her with a bouquet worthy of a Mother's Day offering from your 12 year old son, sits down to the table in said sweaty striped shirts and jeans as she details
menu.

"Oh, honey, this is a crouton salad like at that restaurant we
went to in San Fransisco, do you remember?" HE ACTUALLY SAID
"NO"! I had been cutting my man some slack until then. Holy
Guacamole! I'da shoved that game hen and the crouton salad
downs his gullet!! Talk about suerte de los feos. The guy
couldn't hold a candle to, say, Lucio, and he's got this
gorgeous. . .sorry, off topic. The point was this dude was totally vibrating on the Don Gringuito wave length in which Esteve was created.

Ok. See y'all after I watch today's show. I bet it's good!

Khalilah
 

Jardinera, thank you another wonderful, witty recap. I know that I am going to miss you while you are away. I hope you have a delightful trip. It looks like Padre Bosco is an unexpected force ro be reckoned with. He and Gardenia are the new dynamic duo. You almost have to feel a little sympathy for the bumbling boobs, Carpio and Nestor. Artemio is not gong to be pleased. I hope we haven't seen the last of them, however, especially Carpio. That actor makes a very effective baddy. He played a terrifying witch doctor with opaque spooky eyes in a previous TN (the name escapes me). Some time ago(during another TN) someone cleverly noted that an actress' mouth would form a perfect little cat's butt when she was displeased. Notice how Eddy's mouth purses up when he is miffed. See a similarity? Please take care and return safely to us. Carlos
 

Here is the trailer for Sortilegio which follows MEPS. It started in Mex June 1st, but MEPS hasn't finished, so must be on at a different time there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLgzWNuFHcQ


It has some familiar faces
Wm. Levy, Vasco in Pasión, Cuidado con un Angél

Daniela Romo, Doña Juana in Alborada

Chantal Andere, Minerva in DA, Antonia in Amor Real

Adalberto Parra, Rene Manzanares in MEPS & I guess in about everything else.
 

Jardinera, thank you for the funny recap and have un buen viaje.

Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo...will he have the big one when he finds out his loving wife is a hired assassin...or maybe he won't care since he's had 15 years of a lotta fun?

I'm sure Carpio as a witch doctor was much more frightening than that poor Rene Manzanares actor as the witch doctor in FELS who had to wear that big white diaper. Yes, it was indigenous wear (a loin cloth) but so badly done. Yikes.

Yes, Mr. Harvard MBA is acting like a junior high school student and so is Errika. And as mentioned, they do look like they are in the thirties so it's a big big stretch on reality. GinCA
 

However, I am enjoying MEPS and it is unpredictable and fun. Forgot to add this to my post. And Khalilah, you are a scream. GinCA
 

Jardinera I hope you have a safe trip with lots of fun. I agree that it is hard to belive a forty something in a role of a twenty year old, most of the main actors in Televisa are getting too old for the part in the novelas they have been remaking, I think they should either write parts for older protagonists or try and find better young actors for the roles.ç

Variopinta what they do now in Televisa is that the show half an hour of the telenovela that is finishing and half an hour of the new one, as a way to slowly introduce the audience to their new product and retain the ratings.

I didn't like Sortilegio.

Jarocha
 

Sure, telenovelas at times are a stretch from real world, but the financials in MEPS are fantasy galore. E.g., the way the writers skipped showing us how Eduardo got the 150+ million from a bank by just presenting a riddle, WOW!

Just imagine that ever happening. And if it did, it would take months, years, maybe even a court battle. What a stretch!

Another observation by this gringo: While this tele is super and one of the best I’ve seen in years, it is also the most difficult for me to understand. Not only because of mind boggling financial and practical intrigues, but there is so much street Spanish used. I go bananas trying to understand the likes of Gardenia, Jacinto, Margarita, Dominga, and Jairo. Usually, I get only the gist of what they’re saying.

Of course, all teles have some such speakers. Quintana in Fuego de la Sangre, was a case in point. But MEPS, seems to have more than most.

I suspect the directors of these teles don’t make actors stick to a script. Rather they just tell them, here’s the essence of what you’re to say. And the actors are permitted to use their own words and manners of speaking. Hence, the better the actor’s education, the better Spanish we hear from her or him, y al revéz.

......mis dos centavos por hoy.

Frankie
 

Khalilah: Hubby and son are both amateur chefs. We watch Giada quite often and it is sooooo frustrating to see what totally classy yummies she just "whips up" and how she never gains an ounce. I personally didn't see the episode you mention, but I do get the connection to Estev. Red tennies and matching hoody, but especially on a guy with bright red hair, especially while Ed is always dressed to a T even if he's just on a trailride to the "troje viejo."
==============
Carlos: LOL! It's bad enough Carpio reminds us all of Lamont Sanford. Now you tell us he actually played a witch doctor in some novela. Not fair!! Uni needs to have the guy play a drug lord or a kingpin of some sort cuz he does "vicious" very well. Unfortunately, while I watched that scene of him at the window, the '70's Super Fly 'fro was just too distracting under that ballcap. I kept having to check his footwear to see if he had on 3" platforms like Martina's.
===========
GinCA: "Mr. Harvard MBA is acting like a junior high school student" --I was thinking exactly that, ver batum. I am wondering if there is a beautiful female psychiatrist who tried dating a tequila manufacturer once planning to show up in Villa Madero before long.
=========
 

Frankie: Welcome! I think Jarocha might agree with much of your take on things. The mumbling diction of even the highly educated actors drive me nuts as well. Denia and Jacinto's colloquialisms drive me batty and sometimes I have to go through 3 dictionaries to even get a close approximation. I am lost with these two if the CC isn't on.
 

Thanks again to all of you. I've been so distracted that I haven't been able to catch all the comments and such. Any duplication of thought or rambling in the recaps is purely unintentional and due to that --and lots of sleep deprivation.
> 8 ? }
 

Carpio is played by Rudy Casanova. I first saw him in Las Vias del Amor, which Wikipedia says aired in 2002. He played an evil thug hired by a rich old guy to threaten the main character, Perla (Araceli Arámbula), into marrying him or her beloved papá would be killed by said thug. The evilness of this guy was pretty over the top. I sort of wondered at the time and maybe feel it a bit in this one if there isn't a bit of racism involved.

I've seen some saintly black nannies and upstanding black servants and several black thugs, but I don't think I've ever seen a fully realized black character in a telenovela. If anyone can correct this impression, please chime in.
 

Jardinera, I just can't tell you how much I enjoy your fun recaps (and the occasional side comments from your hubby, from his spot on the couch). You're also so attentive to all the comments. You have a wonderful spirit and it comes through in what you do for us here. Felicidades to the novios and hope the whole family has a great time.

I am enjoying the edge-of-the-seat suspense of this novela. But I can't say I always understand qué the hell is going on. I have a hard time keeping the plot-lines straight,since some of the earliest puzzles haven't been solved, or get more murkey. For instance, what is the root of Artemio Bravo's hatred? How is he connected to what Barbara did or did not do to her parents? How did Soledad know of his existence if no one else does. I also get confused because Bravo has two lnes of investigation, both involving Fr/Ed, but Bravo doesn't know they're the same person. So on one hand he's investigating Franco/Jesus L.L. and on the other it's folks connected to Eduardo's family (Padre Bosco). I also can't imagine why he didn't do better research on getting hitmen. His are the pits. Maybe he's coming to town to do the deed himself. And where does he live anyway?

I also like the Carpio actor (Rudy Casanova). I've seen him as the faithful servant in period novelas and bad guys in contemporary ones like this.

Some of the slang I can get, but other times it throws me off completely (like in any language).
But I think it's not so much how the actors themselves speak but how the characters they're playing would legitimately speak, keeping it real, you might say.

j.j.
 

Elvis Edgardo Tejeda in DA, boyfrind of Daniela, Rodrigo's hermana. He played a good guy.

I think he is in sth new
 

I should have had a comma after Elvis, his name is Edgardo Tejeda.
Black guy.
 

Novelera~~~The guy who played Elvis in DA and Vincente in Alborada was a very good character..funny and smart and loyal. In Cuiado , he had a brief part as a villain. The actor who played Manzares has been in lots of novelas. He played a good guy in Alborada [La Poderosa's loyal henchman] , and he was a good guy in Amor Real [ Mauricio Islas's BFF ]. As Carlos mentionned, he was the witch doctor in the diaper in DA.
 

j.j.
Artemio's hatred, That is the question. We are all waiting to find out. Soledad's knowledge, same thing. None of us know.

Artemio holds the fact that Babs (Rebeca) killed her parent/s over her head to do his dirty deeds.

I think Artemio's office is in Mex City.

I don't mind the slang, but I sure have a problem understanding what it means. That's the way people talk. I find the easiest people to understand are the news people.
 

Thanks, Susanlynne and Variopinta. I did not see Destilando Amor, so missed Televisa presenting a black actor in a good role.

I think they are deliberately withholding the reasons for Artemio Bravo's hatred of the Elizaldes. Two reasons come to mind: money or love. Ciggyman appears to be well off, so I suspect his reason might be Gonzo having taken a woman he wanted, perhaps Monserrat. No spoilers here, believe me, just speculation. Although Monserrat was SO tiresome; if that was the reason, Artemio should realize he got the better of the deal by Gonzo's winning her!
 

Whoops, just remembered that Artemio ordered Babs to kill Monserrat, so maybe she wasn't the reason! Although, I suppose he could be evil enough to want the one he once loved killed so his agent could marry Gonzo and ruin the family.
 

Here is a reason for so few black actors in telenovelas. There just are not that many black people in Mexico. The Spanish used the Indians as slaves, so they didn't need to bring in Africans. I noticed only 2 black people in Guanajuato & they were tourists.
 

Hi, j.j.! This telenovela does keep us guessing and I love all the twists this one gives us. Just as soon as you think you've got the next plot line figured out they do a 180 on you. Better than the alternative where you see it coming a mile away.
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Novelera: I'm wondering if Artemio was badly scarred in an accident that he blames the Elizalde's for. Maybe they think he died in that possible accident instead. Why have they kept the guy's face hidden?
 

Variopinta, I wasn't speculating about the scarcity of black actors in telenovelas. I realize there aren't that many black Mexicans. What I was wondering is why the few roles they get seem always to be villains, nannies, or footmen in a novela de epoca.
 

I guess that we also have to figure out what is on that birth certificate that Ciro's nasty nipped and tucked wife has . Also, how does Soledad fit into the picture? Was she somehow involved with him , or did she just know him growing up with the family. Soledad had a very close relationship with Gonzo until the Evil Stepmother came on the scene. I also pondring how Art got a hold of Auroraborealis. Is he her father ? Did he rape Babs when she was a teen ? Plus, did she kill her parents , or did he make her think she killed them when , in fact, he killed them ? Well, it's fun to watch and wonder if this whole wacky mess will all make some sense in the end. Unlike, FELS which never made any sense to me. ~~~Susanlynn, enjoying the nice weather after a week of rainy grayness.
 

Jarocha
Any particular reason for not liking Sortilegio? Dumb, the actors, the story?
 

Novelera~~~Are you missing Dona Barbara as much as I am. I wonder what Edith next novela will be , and if she will stay with Telemundo or return to Univision. I'm also wondering if Ernesto LaGuardia has given up acting. I love him , and I haven't seen him in anything since the forgettable Mundo de Fieras. I am also missing Eduardo Yanez and my telenovio Marcelo Cordoba.
 

Have a wonderful trip, Jardinera. I've always loved the Beowulf story. It never occurred to me to visit his hometown!

As confusing as all the slang can be, I've found that it's often irrelevant. Then again, Gardenia seems to practically have her own language sometimes, with all her little rhymes. I wonder if maybe she's like a female Ned Flanders, who says things like "how-dledy do-dledy, Homeroo?" ("how are you doing, Homer?") which you'll never find in a dictionary.

I too was confused by Fer getting Santi's vote, but maybe Gonzo gave it to her specifically because he knew that she'd make the choice that he would have made himself if he were not such a wuss.

Elvis from DA - Ah, Elvis. I loved Elvis, except for his recurring shtick of joking about being black. Seriously, do you hear Esteve making jokes about his red hair, gringitude, or fondness for showtunes?

Other than that, though, Elvis was a great character - one of the few people with a full-size brain in that show.
 

caborita, I think she thinks that as long as they are doing things together even sneakily, eventually he will want her; however,when she announces their engagement, this will only reinforce her parent's happiness about her dating him and it will be less likely that she will then break the engagement because of disappointing her parents. This is getting so involved. Ret
 

Susanlynn: I really do have withdrawal pains from Doña Bárbara. It's right up there as a tie with Amor Real as my favorite novela of all time.

It's probably not just because of the amazing coincidence that our Spanish teacher decided we'd read that novel for discussion when class resumed in September, 2008. She told us she had no idea when she picked the book in June 2008 (she doesn't teach in the summer) that there'd be a TN of it. It was wonderful experiencing them both at the same time. But I think I'd have loved the TN even if I'd never read the book. The acting was excellent, the plot exciting, the love stories beautiful, etc., etc.
 

Frankie, yes they do improvise a lot in novelas. Jaime Camil says that he reads the script three times to get the general gist of the scene, and then they improvise a lot. US soaps are the same. I ate lunch with a lesser character on Army Wives, and she said that in MOST US soaps, the scrit tells you what the scene needs to cover, but the actors improvise the specifics of the dialog. Sometimes there will be one line which must be said verbatim because it's a foreshadow.

I think in MOST cases the actor chooses a speaking style which matches the character. Gardenia is an exuberant, sassy young adult with only moderate education, so she talks in a colorful, folksy manner as Dolly Parton might. When she played the little homewrecker on LFMB, her language was filled with bimbo flirtatious words that made her sound like she had just stepped out of a centerfold.

So I think an educated actor will normally dumb-down his speech if he's playing an uneducated character. But there is one place where education shows. I've seen a few cases where an elderly actor plays a very-high-class character and shifts to a more sophisticated speech pattern. I notice it more in sentence structure than vocabulary. My favorite example is Isabela in Tontas (Santiago's mother). Sometimes her sentences are beautiful. But I've also seen it, though less noticable, in Sophia (the governor's wife) in Pasion and Humberto (Don F's father) in LFMB. I've only seen it in elderly actors. Maybe they were educated differently back in the old days.
 

Fer voting for Santi doesn't surprised me. From what they say, Santi is usually away (at school?) and not available. Santi probably gave that proxy vote to Fer because he trusts her judgement in things. Hmm, they did seem to make a point of that in this show. Does that mean that in the future Santi and Fer will have some disagreements and he will retract that proxy?

JeffMN
 

Novelera: According to our Congress of State, at the end of 2008 there were about 250 thousand black mexicans, our population in total was over 103 million in 2003, so that means that less of the 0.25% of the mexican population is black, and most of them live in the small towns on the shores of Veracruz and Guerrero, where people are really poor, and most of the ones who live in the big cities are inmigrants from either those towns or from Southamerican countries or Cuba, they have a hard time getting a job, and probably end up with very low paid ones.

In fact, most (if not all) of the black actors in Mexican novelas are inmigrants (Rudy Casanova for example), and their roles are actually an accurate portrayal of the reality here, although I'd say that I've seen more black mexicans in novelas than in real life.

Variopinta: I don't know if going deeply about my reasons for disliking Sortilegio would be considered spoiler here, I'll just say that the begining at least feels incredibly rushed (much more than the begining of MEPS) and it has left me completely disconected with the characteres, I have more reasons, if you want I could share those through an email.

Jarocha
 

Jarocha
I plan on watching Sortilegio good or bad. This is about the only way I have to try to comprehend spoken Spanish. I just hope it's better than FELS, which toward the end was torture.
 

Variopinta: Well, the original novela was very good, and they are still at the begining of the story, there is still time for them to make a good novela, but I hated how they treated the begining, hopefully they will get better later, I guess that since I saw the last version and I know what happens I was wishing for a better portrayal, but those who haven't seen the earlier versions might like how different it is from the usual telenovelas nowadays.

Jarocha
 

Ah, Veracruz. Elvis said he was from Veracruz.
 

Jardinera, What a great recap, title, snark, humor, everything so well done. I really enjoyed reading it. In commenting this late, I have taken a lot of time to read the comments too which often take flight on the weekends when people have more time to think and reflect on the plot and a million other things.

I hope you enjoy your trip, the wedding sounds like a dream venue, how romantic for everyone. Scandinavia is so wonderful at solstice. I was there some years ago starting in Moscow in February when it was always dark and cloudy and icy then finishing my consulting gig in June and taking off for two weeks to Sweden, Finland and Estonia ending back in St. Petersburg for solstice. What a wonderful time you are going to have.
 

Julie: I guess the "family plot" is only a couple miles from where Beowulf supposedly made his stand in the story. --Bummer I can't use my Spanish on this trip, but looking on the bright side, they all do speak English over there.
~8 ? )
============
CherylNM: I hear the daylight is bright enough to think it's 4:00 in the afternoon when it's really 4:00 in the morning! That is what I'm waiting to experience.
 

Jardnera - I really like your theory on AB's face being scarred, and you may well be correct. All his art is 'disfigured' including that bizarre crucifix on top of his desk. The art always reflects something about the character.
 

Jardinera, The constant light is indeed exhilarating and exhausting after enough days. I found that I didn't want to sleep or miss anything and especially in Stockholm, I remember people out strolling around where I was staying in a hotel right across from the castle at 3:00 AM. So enjoy the manic rush. You can stleep when you get home. HA!

Back to the MEPS story, I sure did enjoy the villagers storming the church to save the Padre, a great comic scene. I really like Padre's acting, he obviously knows lots about the evil Artemio so I hope he can warn Franco. This story continues to be spinning out some great plot twists and turns so I don't really care that they are making Colunga do some silly adolescent sturm und drang.

And wasn't Erika rescued from her silliness. Her generous and gracious offer to help Franco is a welcome turn of character. Now she can be on the team to help. I wonder if she will have second thoughts when she finds out the love interest is Fernanda.
 

Novelera and Susanlynn, i am having Doña Barbara withdrawals too. That was an outstanding telenovela with great acting and cinemaphotography based on a good book it at least had a plot. I hope we see Edith again too. She was super.
 

The TN that I remember Carpio as a witch Dr. in was Mujer de Madera. He had opalescent eyes and had to wait till a special full moon to have sex with the main female character. He disposed of his victims by feeding them to his pet jaguar. He was great in that. Also this TN had my favorite villain ever, el Perico, a cultured, sensitive mob boss. Also one of my favorite lines by a female character to Gabriel Soto, an idealistic tree-hugger, while they were swimming in a beautiful lake:

"Un poco de sexo no nos vendria mal."

My tutor spewed her coffee (we had just begun my lessons) when I quoted it to her.

Carlos
 

Well, much as I'd like to think that Erika's been cured of her delusions about Fr/Ed, I don't feel that she was reacting like a woman who'd just had her bubble burst. I think she's hoping she can still get him to fall in love with her.
 

Carlos, I've heard that Mujer de Madera was awful. Not just because of the swapped lead actress, but because it was sick and disgusting, and the plot was so disjointed. I've never seen it. What did you think of it?
 

I just spent my lunch hour watching Alborada...Big sigh....I do like him with the long hair and facial hair. Very sexy. The guy who plays his cousin is hot for a bad guy.
 

Jarocha, thanks for the interesting statistics and geographical locations of black Mexicans. You say that Rudy Casanova is an immigrant. I'm curious how you know that. Is it because you've read it somewhere or that, as a native speaker, you can tell by his accent?

As a non-native speaker of Spanish, I find it difficult to detect by accents where a person is from. I'm also aware that in telenovelas they stress "neutral" Spanish and that, for example, Cubans and Dominicans have to try to lose their Caribbean accents.
 

I bet it is like us knowing a person came from the Alabama or New York. There is a distinct difference in their accent. People say we talk funny here in Kansas. They say we are too slow.
 

Susalynn, “I've never seen a novela in which the leads are kept separated this long.” I was growing tired of the typical novella cycle of constant making up and breaking up for mostly trivial reasons or stupid misunderstandings. The slow development of a relationship is a nice change. It will make the later love scenes that much spicier.

Jardinera, “The Hubster thinks Bosco has both guts and gumption to face down two guys and a gun like he did.” I’ve seen a few novellas now where the only guy with balls was the priest. Unfortunately, they can’t always reveal what they know, but keep their cool when confronted by the bad guys.

Maybe the Artemia vs. Gonzo thing is like Mundo de Fieras—twins turned rivals. Didn’t someone say they have the same voice. Their hair looks different. They’re not showing G’s face so we’ll be surprised (yeah, right). The scar thing makes sense. Ernesto LaGuardia is also one of my faves too. Truly a great actor.

I still like Damian. Don’t know what it is about him that’s sexy—-not just his body, but something inexplicably compelling about his evil face. Maybe he’ll be somewhat redeemed by helping to thwart Barb’s plan. He’ll lose everything but his life.

--Beth
 

Paula, as a whole Mujer de Madera was outrageously bad with a ridiculous storyline, but it had some of the best individual characters, actors, and performances ever. Rudy Casanova was delightfully evil and scary, the stuff of nightmares as the witch Dr. Ricardo Barona was lovable as the mobster, el Perico (parakeet) who even as he gunned down people in cold blood, you felt a certain sympathy for him. There were tons of campy lines like the one I mentioned. I find it telling that I can remember so many details about the show but couldn't even recall it's name. Thanks to Carpio I got to take a little stroll down memory lane. Also Jaime Camil was the main Galan.

Carlos
 

Gee, Carlos, "a ridiculous storyline, .. some of the best individual characters, .. Jaime Camil as the main galan." Remind you of anything?
 

Paula, I know.

Carlos
 

Hi Connie! Yes I am around. I have been reading the recaps and trying to keep up with the comments, just not able to post. We have lost so many people on work and then had one out on paternity leave three weeks sooner then expected! Ack!

I have been completely disgusted by Denia and the letters.

Can't stand how they dress Esteve. Seriously, he went to Harvard?

I did have FELS flashbacks on the mob scene. And really what good were the villagers going to do. They are standing outside calling Padre Basco. No one goes inside, no one checks on him. They could have killed him and gotten away if they wanted ot.

I still like this show much more then FELS (which has been on late at night) but still gotta wear a beanie!
 

If they had hurt the Padre, they wouldn't have gotten out alive.

A Padre with balls seems a waste, unless it's Padre Cutié.
 

Whew! Glad you are ok Molly. I was afraid you got tired of waiting for shower and/or swimming scenes and left us for good!
 

Beth, I've been trying to figure out what's so sexy about Damian too! It's not just the actor, because his characters in DA and Heridas didn't have the same appeal for me at all. I enjoyed his performances, but looked forward to his characters' dates with doom.

I have NO idea why I'm rooting for Damian this time... maybe because he's a much lesser bad guy for a change and has charm and a sense of humor.

And he's never, ever been unpleasant to the nicer Elizaldes. Granted that's probably just part of his plan to stay on Nanda's good side, but when you think of other scam artists like Frankie from DA, wouldn't you rather be conned by a pleasant swindler than by an obnoxious one? It's got to be less embarrassing!

I figure he's going to die anyway whether we like it or not, but hopefully it will be something quick and not too gross or painful. And maybe they'll transplant his organs again. I bet someone would be really happy to get that mustache.
 

Julie, you crack me up! Someone will be really happy to get his mustache... Ha!
 

Julie: yeah, I think Dam is damned. Nice bod but he's a little too coiffed to perfection for me.

Loved the Frankenstein-inspired mob scene. Pitchforks! Scythes! Torches! Clubs & spears! Oops...Julio, your cell phone just rang & ruined the medieval moment.

BossCo...he's da man. Of course, Frick & Frack seem like the world's most incompetent hit men so it's all relative.

Anyone else notice the main theme in MEPS seems to be alter egos? No one is content with who they are. Even Martina...nurse or hootchie cootchie girl? It's so confusing.

Maggarita
:-( still at work
 

Julie~~~LOL--A mustache transplant...ha. I think it's Sergio's eyes that make him so attractive. He reminds me of my daughter's Siberian Husky....same blue eyes. She told me that all the neighborhood kids love Simon because of her icy blue eyes. [Yes, Simon's a girl ...named after Paul Simon , my s-i-law's favorite singer.] Anyhoo, Sergio also has a James Dean vibe and everyone loved that bad boy with the DA. Connie~~~FC's look in Alborada is my favorite. Love the long locks and facial hair. My husband used to have a black beard and mustache , and my mother used to tell him that he looked like Mephistopheles...but in a good way.
 

Connie, I have given up on this one with a good shower scene! So unfair!

Really, after Fr/Ed and Nanda went riding and were in the dusty loft of the old building, soon to be community center, that didn't require batheing???
 

Molly, you are so right. I don't think we are going to get that lucky this time around. Can't wait to watch more of Alborada. It is so choppy though which is kind of a shame.
 

Connie, the Alborada DVDs kill me. I am so glad I watched the whole thing on youtube before stuff started getting pulled. How they could butcher it like that is beyond me. Some scenes they pulled seem so important and others they left in are like WTF?

And I agree that the FC Alborada look is hot...hot...hot!!! My favorite by far.
 

He definitely needs a bath after that tumble down the hill, don't you think?
 

Novelera: I think I've heard somewhere Rudy was Cuban, his mother lived in Miami and died there so I think he must have come to México when he was already older, and you can definitely tell by his accent it's very pronnounced, they often explain in novelas that his characters are from Veracruz because there is a bit of a Cuban influence here (particularly in Tlacotalpan), but he definitely doesn't sound jarocho at all. It's easy to tell when an actor is foreign, Juan Soler for example, he will always sound argentinian no matter what, you can also tell Francisco Gattorno is cuban or that Gabriela Spanic is from Venezuela, William Levy has such a thick accent, he never seems to even try to sound mexican, the only one who I can remember being able to pull of the mexican accent perfectly is Adamari Lopez, she never slips, it's quite impressive, Cesar Évora is also good but he slips sometimes and if you pay attention you can tell he is cuban.

Jarocha.
 

And he could lose the pj's! Some days I miss those Reyes boys!
 

Me too, Molly, me too!
 

I think the saving grace of this show is that it is not mired in repetitive stupidity. The plot keeps moving along so I forget about what we aren't getting to see.
 

Jardinera, thanks for another great recap. Your trip to Scandinavia sounds wonderful, with the bonus of a special wedding.
I was at a concert and missed the episode, so all the details and snarky comments were especially appreciated. I hate that I missed the villagers in the mob scene!
Interesting that Gonzo admitted his dependence on Barbi. When he finally realizes she was fake all along, will he just melt into total senility? Or die from a stroke? Too much to hope he would fight back--that 7 watt brain will just shatter, I guess.
La Paloma
 

Jarocha, thanks so much for your reply. It's amazing what our ears pick up. As someone else commented, many Americans can pick out someone's exact state of birth by their accent in English.

I can't do that in Spanish. But I can tell that Caribbean accent when I hear it, although Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans sound similar to me. I've seen some Cuban movies and have great difficulty understanding "street" Cuban Spanish.

I think the fact that the actors try to disguise their native accents in telenovelas fools me completely, but apparently not you.
 

Jarocha~~~I always enjoy your very interesting comments. I've had students from many different Spanishspeaking countries [Spain, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Pananma, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, etc] , but I can't distinguish accents. It'
s all Greek to me !! I appreciate your comments.
 

Novelera: I can also differenciate the accents from all the Mexican states and most of the spanish accents in latinamerica, as for the english accents, I can tell easily the ones from New York, Boston, California and Texas, all southern accents sound the same to me, and english speaking Canadians also sound as if they were from the US to me.

Even if for a Mexican it's easy to pick up the origin of an actor who is trying to disguise their accent for a novela, I've noticed that for people from their country they do sound Mexican (unless they are terrible at it).

The novelas made in Miami for Telemundo hire actors from so many different places and you can often hear a mom with a Cuban accent, the son with a Mexican accent and the daughter with a Venezuelan accent, it's so distracting.

"Street" Cuban is very hard to understand even for native spanish speakers. Cuban and Puerto Rican accents are quite different, maybe with a little more attention you could hear the differences :).

Jarocha
 

My son-in-law is Canandian, and I can hear a very slight difference when he speaks. We spend quite a bit of time in Toronto , and I do notice a little difference in accent .
 

I love love love "Chuchito Lindo" as a nick name for Jesus. "Chu" is a common nickname for for Jesus and Gardinea uses "ito" added as a suffix to everybody's name (as in Don Santorito, Don GrinCgito, etc). Chuchito Lindo is so endearing.

~Caborita
 

Susalynn: I'm sure there is a difference, It's just hard for me to pick up on it. Are you an english teacher?

Jarocha.
 

Thanks Jardinera for the great recap. I was kind of lost as to why the townspeople just showed up. thanks for clearing it up.
Why is it that the bad people overhear every freakin' thing, yet the hero, who wasnt that far away couldn't hear Fernanda and Dam talk? (Rhetorical) What a big baby our hero was. Sorry, have to disagree on the point - the hunkiest guy in Latin America is still Jaime Camil - gorgeous AND a sense of humor.
Don't we already know what Artemio looks like? Hope you guys don't mind, I'm a day behind so I'm going to post this on Monday's comments too. Thanks