Saturday, August 01, 2009

MEPS, 07/31/09: Eduardo Makes His Pact With The She-Devil; The Skeletons In Damian’s Closet Take A Tumble; and Pris Gets Leverage

Capítulo 118

First the video rewind: Two-timing slime ball, Camilo, and Natasha are literally crawling all over each other during happy hour in some bar when he gets a call from Fernanda to get home per Daddy’s instructions to join the rest of the others to wait for Liliana’s return. Cad makes some tasteless joke about being there to blow up balloons for the Welcome Home party. At the same time Fr/Eduardo takes Barbara deep into the woods where Jacinto has left Obregon gagged and tied to a tree. She and Obregon exchange shocked and surprised stares as Fr/Ed lets them both know the jig is up.

Fr/Ed takes out Obregon’s gag and the guy screams at Barbara for betraying him. She, of course, pretends self-righteous anger and says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Fr/Ed tells her to save it because Obregon doesn’t have the gonads to plan and carry out something like Liliana’s kidnapping. He’s sure though that everything this man’s told him is true. Barbara accuses them both of being totally nuts and threatens to call the police. Fr/Ed says fine. Once the police arrive they’ll hand over Obregon --and the recording while they’re at it. She stops cold and asks what recording. He obliges. “The recording that Obregon made of Liliana the day she was admitted to Miraflores Clinic: the tape where she accused you of killing Monserrat Elizalde!”

La Hiena knows she’s trapped and goes a bit wild. She screams that Lili is off her rocker and lies again about her killing her mother while she was drugged. Fr/Ed scoffs at her. “That’s what the two of you told Gonzalo and the investigators, but there’s a lot more to that story that Don Gonzalo doesn’t know. I’m sure Obregon would take great pleasure in telling him right about now!” Barbara hisses over at Obregon that whatever he says will be a pack of lies. Obregon screams back that he can corroborate everything Santoro says, and that he made the recording behind her back when Lili was in full control of her mental faculties after he’d calmed her down. “I confirmed her story with a truth serum that the CIA uses which leaves a person unable to lie. On that tape Liliana swears you murdered her mother!”

Barbara tries to lie her way out of it again. “—She said that numerous times and that’s the main reason why we had her admitted to that clinic! For insanity!” Obregon screams back at her that no, she wasn’t insane! “That was the diagnosis you asked me to put down, but if they send me to prison for kidnapping, Santoro has proof in his possession that you and I lied so that Liliana would be locked away for life!” Barb looks over at Fr/Ed and asks what he wants from all of this? To be business partners? Obregon is dumbfounded at the suggestion.

At Jacinto’s kitchen table he and Margarita discuss his role in the trap Eduardo set for La Hiena. Margo wonders where Lili really is. Cinto says Obregon swore that he didn’t have her and didn’t know where she was. “So who has her?” Cinto says, “Well, who else? La Hiena! Somehow that heartless [bitch] is mixed up in this kidnapping!” Margo is worried that now Barbara Greco knows Fr/Ed was the one who took Lili out of the clinic. Jacinto becomes agitated and says for sure she does now and Eduardo’s life has just gotten a lot more complicated.

Speaking of Ed, he drives off with the two others and dumps Obregon on the side of the road, but not before he teases him about taking the $3 thousand in the suitcase as his share for the day’s work. Obregon opens the suitcase and complains that the whole thing is full of bundles of newspaper. Fr/Ed laughs and Barb sneers at Fr/Ed for being such a low-life. He laughs. Like she should talk! Obregon gets out and whines he hasn’t even got bus fare but then, on a brighter note, he bends over to Barbara’s window with a smile on his face. “Rot, Barbie! R-O-T!” He walks off. Barb ignores him and turns around to warn Fr/Ed not to get his hopes up because he’s not going to get away with this. Fr/Ed says the only thing he wants is to know where Lili is.

At Bravo’s digs, meanwhile, Artemio’s getting a large charge out of telling Lili that he’s got the patience of Job and that he knows sooner or later she’s going to have to talk to him –oh, and, BTW, not to think she’s going to be able to escape from there, either. The egotistical ass tells her that they’re both the “victims of the idle and arrogant Elizalde family,” that most everything that’s happened to her up to then has been his doing; and it is all HER fault because she was born an Elizalde.

Back in the middle of the road near the deep dark woods, Fr/Ed tries to talk Barb into telling him where she has Lili stashed. “Let’s not waste our time here. Up to now things have gone well for you, perhaps not exactly as planned, but now you’re not in a position to slip up.“ Barbara has gone into Barbot mode. She doesn’t flinch an inch. “—You think so, huh?” He laughs. “If you thought to take her so you could get some big bucks, it isn’t happening, ‘cause there isn’t any! So, the most sensible thing is to give her back, don’t you think?” She remains stone faced. “Yes, but I don’t have her.”

The family is all back at the hacienda waiting for news. Gonzo urges the group to make Lili welcome when she gets there since she has been going through Hell the past few days. (This guy is so lame. Just what does he think the past fifteen years being locked away in Hotel California with a bunch of real nut jobs and having been both emotionally and physically separated from her family was like?) Anibal refuses to make nice. Fer tells him pretty much if he can’t say anything nice then button it.

Back in the car, Barb tells Fr/Ed that Lili tried to kill her first, then ran off from the clinic and she has no idea where to. Fr/Ed asks then how she managed to get her into that photo that she gave Gonzo if she didn’t know where Lili was? Barb lies and says she put her some place safe and once they took that photo the people watching her got careless and she got away from them. Fr/Ed doesn’t believe a word of it. She could care less. He gets pissed and asks what she’s going to tell the family when she comes back empty-handed. “—That Obregon tricked us.” Just then her cell rings. Fr/Ed sneers that it’s probably Gonzo and she needs to answer it. While she’s at it she can tell her hubby how she murdered Monserrat, admitted Lili into an asylum for fifteen years under false pretenses and then how she kidnapped her. The phone keeps ringing but Barb is still in Barbot mode; she stares stone-faced at him again. He says fine. Either she can answer and tell him or he’ll call on his own cell and tell Gonzo himself.

At the same time, Pris finds Damian moping upstairs in his bedroom. She starts complaining to him how crazy Vlad just left her a threatening message on her voice mail saying he was going to tell everybody that the baby was his. “Call him and fix this for me, Damian!” Dam grumbles that there’s nothing he can do while he’s forced to sit up there abandoned all day, dependent on crutches to get around and unable to drive while the Elizalde’s are all downstairs waiting on news about “Crazy-girl.” Pris warns him then that if things go badly for her they’re going to be much worse for him. That seems to do the trick. He tells her that if she’ll take him first to his mother’s for some business he’s got to take care of, then they can go to Vlad’s place and he’ll try talking to him for her. She’s worried someone will notice they’re missing. He says if they take the back way out, the family’s so busy with the Crazy-girl ransom thing that the others won’t even notice they’re gone.

Downstairs Gonzo and Fer are unable to reach Babs on her cell. They’re getting antsy for news about Lili. Cad makes another tasteless joke about Obragon probably having to count the money by hand. That falls flat and Santi tells him to can it.

Babs finally answers her cell and lies to Gonzo about everything being fine. She orders Fr/Ed to take her home. He asks if she’s fine then with him telling the others what she’s done. She dares him to go ahead and tell them how she had Lili locked up, how she murdered Monserrat, and even how she slept with Fernanda’s husband but adds if he does, they’ll never see Lili alive again. Barb waits for the threat to register and smiles at him as if that canary that she just ate was paws-’n claws-lickin’ good.

Back in the Elizalde’s living room, Cad doesn’t miss an opportunity to get even with Santiago. He needles him about Aurora being gone and smugly thinks to himself if Santi only knew he’d already had a taste of that dish…..

At the same time, over at Lili’s place, Martina and Venus are having a heart-to-heart about Venus’s having to marry Cad for real. Martina gets angry and tells Venus to put a stop to things now. Venus has got to tell Estev that things have gone far enough and that she’s not going to let him marry her to the creep. Venus feels she doesn’t have another option, that the rest of the world is still shut to her despite the things that Estev has taught her. Estev doesn’t seem to care about what happens to her either, so she figures she’ll show him that she was the best of students and then let that low-life, Camilo Elizalde, enjoy the fruits of Estev Norton’s labors.

In the car on the drive over to Dam’s mother’s house, Pris asks Damian how long he thinks Fernanda and Fr/Ed have been involved. Dam says since their wedding day because that was when her entire attitude towards him changed. Pris still thinks he’s wrong about Fer. He insists he saw them at the country house together. (That part’s true, but he sure as heck never saw them kissing each other!) Pris asks what he’ll do when he can prove they’re having an affair. He says he’s going to make sure they know that nobody makes fun of Damian Gallardo; his marriage doesn’t mean a thing to him anymore. (Gallardo translation: there’s nothing in it for him anymore.) Pris warns him then if his marriage is ruined because of Santoro, the deal with Lactos will be wrecked, too. Dam says that the company can go to Hell, too, as far as he’s concerned.

Back at the hacienda, Cad is sitting on the couch having grandiose daydreams about Estev Norton’s telling him that the day he marries Lovely, Norton would reveal some big secret about her to him. Cad smiles to himself thinking that it’s sure to be something about some castle of hers in Provence or a fleet of airplanes somewhere. Suddenly the door opens and Babs walks in with a stern-faced Franco behind her. Nanda asks where Lili is. (Appropriately enough that cat chorus starts meowing in the background as Viewerville waits to see just how adeptly Barbie manages to lie her way out of this one and how she gets Fr/Ed to heel.)

At Damian’s mother’s house, meanwhile, he and his sleazy lawyer cousin, Jacobo Roa, go into the study to discuss his legal problem. Pris wonders to herself what other mess Damian has gotten himself into.

Fr/Ed and Babs are in the entryway to the house. Fer and Fr/Ed exchange looks. He is not a happy camper. Barbara tells her tale of woe to the others about how Obregon tricked them. She starts the whimper thing again and swears she did everything he asked, but it was all for nothing. In a strange monotone Fr/Ed backs up Babs’ story, saying she did everything humanly possible but that the guy took the money and got a way. Babs adds that Franco risked his life too when Obregon got violent and that he pulled a gun on them. “If it weren’t for the gun we might have at least been able to keep him from taking all the money….Isn’t that right?” Fr/Ed mouths the words that support her version. Gonzo is worried about what will happen now to Lili. Babs says they’ll have to wait till Obregon tries contacting them again because he told them he had to make sure the bills weren’t marked first. Franco backs her up again and says that Obregon told them he has no interest in keeping Lili because he already got what he wanted from them.

Anibal wonders if Obregon is going to want more money, but Franco says no. Gonzo says he can’t stand the thought of sitting there on his hands while this guy still has Lili. (That’s rich.) Babs says the best thing would be to let Santoro deal directly with Obregon from here on and Fr/Ed says that he “agrees” that the best thing would be to let someone outside the family deal with him. Gonzo wonders where he’ll go and Fr/Ed says he’ll most likely flee the country to gain time and then he’d be able to disappear without a trace. Babs thanks Franco again for the way he took care of her with Obregon. Fr/Ed can’t seem to take his eyes off that big splotch of bull feces on his shoes. Just then Tomasa runs in saying that Errorika has come to see Fer. Fer continues to stare over at Fr/Ed to get some kind of a read because she knows something is up, but he can’t seem to look her in the eye.

Back at Mama’s house, Pris’ natural curiosity gets the better of her and she starts listening behind the closed door to Dam, Mama and Jacobo’s captivatingly revealing conversation. She hears Dam say that the only solution is to stopper Paz Villasana’s mouth shut so that he stops fiddling around with that case. Jacobo says they can’t let him persist in reopening it. Mama pipes up. “--Or to let them continue to investigate my baby for swindling and all those filthy things they want to accuse him of!” (I guess Mama’s been in denial for quite a while now, hasn’t she?) Dam (always such a sweet-tempered thing) loses his patience and tells her to shut up all ready. Mama can’t though --much to Prissy’s delight-- and explains her frustration. “If the dead woman’s son hires good lawyers then you could end up in jail!!” Pris is immediately impactada and her mouth drops to the floor. Damian and Fibber McGee have something in common; it seems there was one too many skeletons in Damian’s overstuffed closet to keep hidden.
Jacobo says he thinks that with the contacts he has at court they might be able to keep the case from being accepted. Dam asks his cousin to help him get out of this because he can’t afford, especially now, to be under suspicion for any sort of crime. Mama wrings her hands and asks Damian how long they have to be sorry for him having taken money from that woman. Dam spits out another impatient “Shut up!!” at her. Jacobo tells them they’re both right and to insure they get what they want from his legal contacts they’ll need to grease the skids with a little green. A little financial incentive would go a long way for his friend, the court secretary, to convince young Mr. Villasana that reopening the case won’t bring his dead mother back. Dam opens his wallet to dig out some cash to make his cousin’s effort worthwhile, but Cousin Jacobo says not to offend him that way. Dam gets the idea and says he’ll be back the next morning with an envelope containing a “proper gratuity” and frowns (--no doubt asking himself along with the rest of us where he’s going to come up with that kind of loot. Never fear. Mama can hock her jewels.)

We beam back to the Elizalde’s living room as Cad decides to make his big announcement to the family. He tells them that he’s getting married and the lucky lady is the lovely Loafly Norton, the niece of Franco’s boss. AnyBalls smiles approvingly. Everybody else looks on in shock.

Across the way at Las Animas, Estev gives Venus her next set of instructions. She is supposed to tell Camilo that she wants a fabulous show-stopper of a party to announce their wedding. He grabs a ring box with a humongous engagement ring inside and shows it to her. “Tell him that you want a ring like this one, like the one that Franco is going to give Errika.” Venus is taken with the rock and Estev puts it on her finger. She asks if this is the one Fr/Ed is giving to Err. Estev says no, this is the ring he bought a few years back for a woman he loved with all of his might. Unfortunately, he never got to give it to her because she left him for another man. Venus feels his pain.

Speaking of engagements, back at the Elizalde’s, AB says Cad’s plenty old enough to determine whether he wants to get married or not. Fer can’t believe it because it’s like he’s known her all of about two seconds. “What’s this? He’s seen her a couple of times and barely even knows her!” AnyBalls defends Cad and says the amount of time in a relationship doesn’t guarantee anything. (Well, he would know, wouldn’t he? He’s definitely ready to hang his shingle up alongside Drs. Phil and Laura.) Santiago says he believes in love at first sight. Cad is a little sparse with the truth here and says that that’s exactly what it was for him with Loafley. Gonzo is upset with Cad’s making such a rash decision and tells him a person doesn’t play with something like being engaged, and that he ought to be thinking of what he’s going to be doing with the rest of his life.

Cad tells his papi to get with the times. “Things are much simpler than that these days. (I suppose if you’re still mooching off Daddy’s money at 30-something, you’re still a playboy and you haven’t got a care in the world.) If things don’t work out, well, you know what you do….” (Yeah, he gets a big bad divorce and gets an even bigger, badder divorce settlement from this ‘wealthy’ young thing. Works for AnyBalls.) Fer catches his drift. “And just what do you do in a case like that, Camilo?” “--Ah! Let’s see. This little bit of advice from you, my beauty, is because….?” She gets up to slug him but Santi pulls her back. She settles for calling him a drooling dimwit and stomps out of the room.

Outside in the driveway at Mama’s, Dam and Pris get into the car for the trip back home. Pris rags him about what she heard. “What a nice little story –and surprising, too—the way you swindled that woman.” “—The evidence they had against me didn’t hold up.” “—Oh, and how much did that cost you?” “—Mind your own business, Priscila!” She doesn’t give an inch. He gives in. “Okay. Okay. So now you know one of my secrets. So we’re even.” She wants to know if Fer has any idea. Dam says if she had she’d have never believed he was innocent when Lactos’ money went missing. “Well, then if you do prove she and Santoro are fooling around, you’re even.” “—Yeah, and who are you to judge? If you think you’re going to wash your hands of this mess, it isn’t going to happen. I want conclusive proof that Santoro and Fernanda are lovers. Period!” Pris tries to warn Damian that it could turn into a living Hell for him if he goes through with this plan of his. He says no more than her if the family finds out the kid she hopes to “ascend to the Elizalde throne with” doesn’t carry their bloodline. She asks him then what proof he would feel is conclusive that the two are having an affair? He sneers. “--Surprise me with your ingenuity, Priscila!!”

Fer greets Errika in the library and explains it’s been a rotten day. Err, apparently marking her territory, says she heard Franco was going to be there and wonders if he’s shown up. (This girl has way too much free time on her hands.) Fer leaves and gets him for her. Err plants a big one on Fr/Ed’s mouth. (You’d think Fernanda would notice his total lack of enthusiasm around Errika, but she doesn’t.) Fer broods in the corner while Err fusses over him and paws at him. The two women agree on the dinner that makes Nanda officially the matron of honor at their wedding. Before she leaves, Fr/Ed tells Fer that they still need to talk. She says fine, whenever, and leaves. Err tells Fr/Ed she hopes he doesn’t mind her showing up like this unexpectedly, but she hopes he understands she gets worried when she doesn’t hear from him. (Like how long’s it been? Twelve hours? Makes you wonder if Damian’s mama started out this way.) Err surprises him by asking for his birth certificate so she can get the official paperwork started for the wedding. He asks her to get together with him the next morning to give him a list of all the things she’ll need. She kisses him again and asks if this means they’ll finally have time and will spend the morning together. “I adore you, Franco!” He tries to smile but it looks more like he’s having gas pains.

Nanda goes to the chapel to pray that the virgencita will soften Obregon’s heart and let Lili go. (Why can’t the virgencita just come down from on high and clear this mistaken little notion up for her? It would make things much simpler.)

Lili is still in her bedroom at Bravo’s manse. She keeps staring at the picture of Anna Gregoria. Ciro’s ghost appears and she tells him that the woman in the photo reminds her a lot of her nana, Soledad. (Family jungle-vine alert!) Just then Bravo walks in on her. “You still haven’t tasted your food.” Ciro tells her that Bravo’s worried about her not eating. Bravo hears her say that he doesn’t have to worry about her and he mistakenly thinks Lili is talking to him. “Who told you I was worried?” She tells him it doesn’t matter and then sits down to eat.

Meanwhile, Pris waits outside Vlad’s apartment while Damian hobbles his way up for a little man-to-man with his BFF. Dam goes in and sees that Vlad’s gone and has left his cell. Apparently Vlad’s found the nearest bar and is crying in his umpteenth beer –or make that tequila. He keeps remembering the day he made love to Pris. (Note: He made love. She had sex.) “Why did you reject me, my angel? Don’t you know that nobody in this life is going to love you more than me?” He slugs down another shot in between snotty blubbers.

Dam comes back down to the car and lies to Pris that he spoke with Vlad and got him to calm down. She asks if he promised not to bother her again. Damian snarls at her to help him back into the car and refuses to answer.

Back at the hacienda, Barb catches Fr/Ed in the hallway after the family has gone their own way. She says she didn’t think he’d leave without talking to Fernanda first. He stares coolly at her. “Not talking to your step-daughter would arouse suspicions.” “—That’s just what I wanted to hear. The last thing we need is for anybody, especially Fernanda, to suspect that we have… an arrangement.” Franco slams the door in Barb’s face. She stands there with a wicked smile, gleefully licking her lips.

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Comments:
Jardinera, thanks for another wicked funny recap. Plus, it filled in all those conversational details I kept missing.
All the pain and trouble Lili has endured is HER fault for being an Elizalde? The lack of logic in that statement reaches a new level, even for TN land. Speaking of the E family, nice to see such familial affection and support as they await Lili’s return. Once or twice, I wanted someone to hit Gonzo’s reset button.
No, Venus, don’t give up and don’t give in, not without a fight. And if anyone knows how to fight, it should be Venus. After that later scene with Esteve and the big rock, I had a glimmer of hope.
“Snotty blubbers” was the perfect description for Vlad’s behavior at the bar. Of course, Damian had no qualms in lying to Pris about Vlad’s intentions. Those goofy pullover sweaters could have been a dead giveaway, if Pris had taken time to choose her lover carefully.
La Paloma
 

Thanks Jardinera, for an excellent recap.

My gratitude is unfortunately tempered by the fact that I'm never again going to be able to hear that background chorus that signals malevolence in this TN without picturing a chorus line of tabbys dutifully belting out ominous harmonies.

Unable to clean out the litter box of my mind,

--El Pelón
 

Excellent recap Jardinera,like Anon La paloma said, you filled in all the conversational details I always miss. Dose anyone dislike Damian as mush as I do? What a bully.The man clearly has issues. He cannot handle polite conversation.He is constantly yelling, throwing things, drinking,raising his hand to almost hit women,he is ungrateful and he always looks angry.How Fer puts up with that I don't know. I have become allergic to Erica.Every time she stalks Ed/Fr,I itch.The girl will make any man run .what is this? Poor beautiful Venus.She is so insecure she is willing to do the wrong thing to please Steve.
Hanna/Md
 

Wow, Jardinera, I'm convinced you must be a writer in your reality based life! As opposed to the world we TN addicts live in! Paws 'n claws lickin' good!!! So funny.

Another good title for this episode might be from Elton John: The Bitch is Back! I was in SUCH a glow of contentment watching Fr/Ed pin back Barbwire's ears time after time, especially after she heard about the tape he has. But she came right back.

The newspaper in between the real bills (which Fr/Ed told Obregon amounted to about $3,000, enough to get him far, far away) was quite the twist. Fr/Ed thought of everything. Even if Obregon got away, Barbie wasn't going to clean up after all.

Damn needs an anvil the size of a Ford pickup to fall on him. I'd prefer to see him locked up with Big Papi, a large, tattooed convict, who's been lonely for awhile, rather than killed off to enable Fer and Fr/Ed to walk down the aisle. After all, she still has the annulment option in play.

The writers were pretty clever on this one. Just when we're thinking Barbwire can't possibly be on the ropes this early in the novela, she pulls out the Ace of Liliana's safety.

MEPS has definitely gotten more interesting!
 

What kind of a weirdo goes to a bar to cry in public and drink without friends?? Where's his dignity, not to mention budget-consciousness?

Oh right... this is Vlad we're talking about. He already tried drinking and crying at home, but that wasn't cathartic enough for him! The guy's a total drama queen.

Or perhaps he's hoping to get killed drunk-driving home. (Even drama-queenier!) That'd be way too convenient for Dam and Pris, though.
 

Jardinera, another gem. Well done. I may be crediting Erica with way too many smarts, but I think she was being sly by asking for Eddie's birth certificate. From the beginning she has wondered who he really is. How will he finesse this?

Carlos
 

Novelera: Oops! Thanks for catching the $$ error. I went back and changed it. // I'm thinking that the winch is starting to reel up that Ford sized anvil now that we know he's as crooked as a dog's hind leg and has swindled other unsuspecting females before. Maybe that's how Barb found out about him and why she brought him to work at Lactos. --As for Fr/Ed's losing this round with Barb, I have to agree I was bummed, but then I had to admire the way she eventually got her wits about her again and coolly dealt with him. I would have been sorely disappointed if she'd handled it any other way, I guess. It will be fun seeing how Fr/Ed figures another way around her. There'll have to be some celestial or fateful intervention of some sort I suppose from the telenovela deities.
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La Paloma: "Once or twice I wanted to hit Gonzo's reset button." LOL!! Somebody needs to get him a wall plug and a charger.
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El Pelón: Welcome to Wacky-world. "picturing a chorus line of tabbys dutifully belting out ominous harmonies" --That's just what the hubby and I laugh about everytime it plays!
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Hanna/MD: Dam is definitely a scumbucket. It's just that he is so good looking and can be so charmingly impish while he's about it. He's the devil you just hate to love and would love to hate. ; ? )
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Julie: I've tried so hard to like this Vlad. I had high hopes for his character. I mean sweet and sensitive can only take a guy so far. He's redlining on the sens-o-meter for me at this point.
 

Carlos: You're always ahead of the class by a mile! Could be she has an ulterior motive, or could be it's just the icing on her wedding cake.
 

Jardinera, thanks for another super recap. I was totally confused about the ring but you cleared that up.

Julie, poor Val cannot drink at home, Dam drank it all.

I cannot get over the E family, they didn't give Lili a second thought for 15 years and now they are all eagerly awaiting her return. They all need reset buttons.

Dr. O sure got in the last word with Barbie -ROT - I love it.

Jardinera, you are probably correct about Bar and Dam - there has to be something that "binds" them together.

Carlos, are the crops in?

rsk
 

Has Fr/Ed given Erika a ring? That woman makes me crazy. Doesn't she know she should call before just dropping in. The girl has no manners.

rsk
 

Carlos, you may be onto something with your theory as to why Erika asked for the birth certificate, though it's probably true that the priest would want to see at least a baptismal certificate anyway. I hope you're right, anyway, because I want Erika to turn out to be smarter than she's seemed so far.

However, my expectations for this character are very low. I've been thinking all along that FrEd should have let her in on the scam right away, but it really wasn't ever feasible - her being best friends with Fer and all, and him being hell-bent on revenge at first and then hurt by her getting married, etc. etc. Telenovela characters have such perfectly terrible timing.

Strangely enough, I have NEVER noticed any music that reminded me of cats. Is that the same thing that I think sounds like a squeaky old door?
 

Jardinera, I think you've been more patient and tolerant with Vlad than anyone else has, and I'm sorry he's letting you down.

For a short while, around the time Damian moved in with him, I thought maybe Vlad wasn't dangerously crazy after all; but it wasn't long before I went back to my original belief that he's dangerously unbalanced. Too much of the wrong kind of sensitive - the sensitivity is all about HIM and his possessions. He sees Pris and her baby as things that he has a right to, who are obligated to be grateful to him because of his interest.

It just doesn't work that way, and unless there's an unprecedented (for telenovelas) intervention, he can only end up dead or in prison.

(I realize that Omar's obsessed girlfriend in QE didn't off herself or kill anyone, but she also wasn't involved in multiple blackmails. Vlad seems to be in an irreversible pickle. I think he's doomed.)
 

Good day......great recap....clears up alot 4 me.....i remember when Fr/Ed first accused Dr.O 4 holding lili against her will at the manicombia....did Fr/Ed not pay the good Dr. a million $ for the tape? then why would he complain of not having enough for the bus?.....and i think it was 2 mill Fr/Ed gave him and told him to get out of town.....I hope Meester Norton buys Lofly another ring......I would not take another womens ring
no matter how big it was......hopefully Venus will tell Meester N how she feels real soon.......sooner the better 4 her....Damian probably will do jail time..this is a good way to get him out of the way so Fer can fly solo and Ed/Fr will move in romanticly...i hope...why else would they bring this fraud in now.......lets see what Monday brings......BN in CA
 

Har, RSK, you're probably right about Dam having drunk all of Vlad's booze.

I don't think Ed has given Erika a ring. That is, I would think we would have seen that. I think, however, that he brought a ring for Fer when he came back to Mexico (or am I mistaken?). I wonder if that's the ring he's going to give to Erika, or... maybe he even threw it away when he found out Fer was engaged? I don't remember!
 

Rsk: Getting to tell Barbie off and letting her know he wasn't the total village idiot by making that tape and giving it to somebody she couldn't intimidate probably made the trip back to Villa Madera totally worth it.
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Julie: I think Vlad's on borrowed time also at this point. If he's sent to prison it will be because he allowed himself to be used by the likes of a schemer like Damian. Same should go for Gonzo the Gullible. Maybe he'll kick the bucket naturally with a heart-attack and visit St. Peter a little earlier than he'd like to have.
 

Julie, I remember the ring. He put it in a cabinet but after the break in he put in the safe that Esteve ordered. I haven't seen it lately, but I am sure he didn't throw it away.

Too bad Vlad and Erika didn't end up a couple. They are both so desperate and clinging it would have been a relationship made in heaven.

rsk
 

BN in CA: ITA about Obregon. He's gotten plenty from Fr/Ed already. Guess it just goes to show what a wheedling, whiny, grabby jerk the guy is. // No, I wouldn't want another woman's ring, either, but then, this is Venus the hooker from the other side of the tracks where it's finders keepers, losers weepers.
==========
Rsk/Julie: I don't think Fr/Ed's given Err a ring yet, either. I believe he through Fer's engagement ring into a bureau drawer and locked it when he first moved in and realized what a stupid thing it was to buy it.
 

Rsk: Oh yeah! He did take it and his passport and stuff out of the bureau and put it all into that safe Estev brought home.
 

rsk, I harvested the first of the sweet corn today. The bounty was underwhelming. If we were pilgrims we would starve. The ears are tiny but the corn is delicious. Maybe enough to use in a salad. A number of ears have that corn fungus. I'll have to read up on it, it certainly doesn't look appetizing. Maybe I've hit the jackpot. In any event, not daunted, planning the fall garden.

Carlos
 

Carlos, I am sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I saw a news segment recently and farmers all over Texas are having the same problem. The good news is that farming is not your day job.

rsk
 

Thanks for the recap Jardinera. This was quite an episode and thanks for your patience and time.

I know we (recappers) had a debate on whether Cad actually raped Aurora and now we know he did. As far as I'm concerned he can get hit by the same truck that hits Dam. As someone pointed out sometime this week, the men on this show are sorely lacking (especially when I think of the men of Pasion).

Again I'm hoping Ciro redeems himself and helps Lil escape particularly now that I know what AB said to her (idioto!).
 

Karen: Artemio Bravo will not be winning any Mr. Popularity contests.

I have to admit this Friday night's episodio was a freakin' nightmare to keep up with for the first half hour. I wondered if everyone else had schizoid captioning last night like me. Luckily my DVR stops on a dime cuz Obregon was screamin' in Chipmunk and the captions were always either a scene and a half ahead or a full scene behind for the first 20 minutes. If somebody didn't record the thing the first part was probably a loss if they needed the CC.
 

Jardinera, you are so right about Obregon the speaker of Chipmunk! The captions were really screwed up at first and I had a hard time understanding his hysterical rant. Had to back up and listen again about four times.

I keep wondering over and over again if the actor playing Obregon is putting us on. Sometimes it seems like he's doing a parody of a hysterical queen. And I'm not sure if he's doing it on purpose or not.
 

It wasn't just last night, but several times recently when the captions have been running ahead of the action, then behind, then absent, then scrolling like crazy...

If I check the captions for a word or two (which I do frequently, even for English) and the word's not there at that moment, then I get distracted and lose track of the rest of the scene trying to figure out whether the captions are ahead or behind. I'm actually better off without them.
 

Was the part Dr O played in DA effeminate? Can someone give me an idea where in the novela he appeared. I'll try to search it on you-tube.

I was hoping Jacobo would be un galán but he looks like a sleaze ball.

I wonder what DUI laws are in Mexico?

Watched Strawberry & Chocolate tonight. I thought it was very good. Takes place in Cuba with 3 interesting characters. Diego is a maricón intellectual, David is a student & communist, Nancy is una puta. It shows the beauty & decay of those beautiful old buildings. ¡Que lástima!

I've watched 2 movies in which Robert Redford is the producer, this one & El Crimen Perfecto.
 

Julie/Novelera: I had to give up on the CC myself and catch what I could by ear. Then I had to go over the scenes on the DVR a number of times reading the CC and try to wait for the audio to catch up and vice versa. By the time it was over I was ready to check into Miraflores Clinic myself!
 

Variopinta: As for me, I don't remember Dr. Oh from Desti, either and I've never seen him myself in anything else these past 5 yrs.

So, do you rent those movies on line or do you have a local video chain with a Spanish movie section?
 

Jardinera,
I've been getting them from the library.
There's nothing on TV Sat o Sun night, so I watch DVD's in español.
Tomorrow night it's "Plata quemada"
Burnt Money.
 

Dr. O. had a small, and very STRAIGHT part as a lawyer in LFMB, when Lety exposes Fernando and goes to Acapulco. In DESTILANDO, he played a scuzzy photographer who got Gaviota a "job" in
Europe as a model, but really was a job as a prostitute in a bordello.
NJ sue
 

NJ sue, Was that near the beginning of DA? I'm getting all my novelas mixed up.
 

So Erika's best friend has just found out that her sister won't be released from a kidnapper, and Erika wants to gush about the wedding and the dinner with Fer??? Fer needs a new BFF. How about Flor? At least that girl has some sense. And a JOB.

(Side note to Carlos: In Mexico there's a corn fungus that they call huitlacoche. It has a mushroom-y flavor and is good in quesadillas. Maybe this would work with what you have? Or at least sell it to unsuspecting people as an exotic Mexican delicacy. And then run).

Kel
 

NJ Sue:Hey, amiga! Now I remember Dr.Oh in Desti! The photographer that sold Gavi to the brothel madam in the beginning. Thanks!
=============
Variopinta: Love the library on the weekends idea. Foreign language DVD's are not that accessible around here in the video stores where I am. Makes too much sense for me to think "library". I guess I ran out of my common sense pills a while ago.......
===========
Kel: Welcome! Err needs to widen her circle of friends for darn sure! Maybe a stint at the hospital as a volunteer and she might snag a friend of handsome Dr. Carlos'.--And, yeah, she was rude to just "pop in" like that without calling her friend first. To be honest, though, I can't remember that the family told anybody about the kidnapping. Babs nipped that idea in the bud right away. That's why I think Fer didn't explain why the house was in turmoil and why she had had a "bad day".
 

Erika didn't know about the kidnapping, but she did know that Lili was "missing" from the clinic. Remember, that uproar had already started before Babs concocted the kidnapping story.
 

I think Erika is clueless about the Lili business in addition to everything else. No one said anything outside the family.
 

Thanks, Jardinera. Hmmm...Ana Gregoria's photo reminds Lili of Soledad. So was Ana Soledad's mother, and Art and Soledad are siblings ? Tonight Hub and I went to the local music fest and listened to two great Latin music bands. I did my best to understand the lyrics , but only got about 7 words . The Latino couple sitting in front of us got up to dance. Later, the guy saw my foot moving to the music and tried to get hub and I to dance with them . Hub just laughed and shook the guy's hand while shaking his head ''no.''
 

I thought the ring Esteve showed Venus was the ring Franco was going to give Fer...or am i mistaken...???

Great recap Jardinera. I couldn't keep up with Fr/Ed and Barb. They were really going at it fast and furious. You cleared it all up for me. Thanks again.

Ann-NYC
 

Jardinera..another great recap. Love your turn of phrase, like Novelera, I was struck by your "paws n claws finger-lickin' good" as well. Too bad you didn't go into ad writing, you could have made a fortune, amiga.

We all have our individual "character allergies"...I can tolerate poor victimized Aurora, and crazy in love Vlad, but Erika puts me over the top. I just want to punch her in the face. She is SO inopportune. Every time she shows up it's a disaster. Hate seeing this lovely actress playing such a thankless part.

At least we can rest easy if birth certificates are needed for the wedding. I assume there's no birth certificate for Loafly Norton, and I also think the "secret" Esteve is planning to tell Camilo is that his bride is not who he thinks she is. But I could be wrong.
 

The ring is one that Esteve was going to give to the former love of his life, who went off with another man. One reason Esteve is a little gun shy.

I think they want to torture Camilo with being the heir to all of Loafley's family (wealth). They really want him to get into it.

Erika is annoying, but I liked the actress so much in Pasión that I can tolerate her. She really is pretty. But Aurora's character really gets on my nerves. I don't think anyone cries that much, not even under torture, and that's what she's doing to us.

I know I'm the only one that thinks this, but I believe Anibal is going to come around. We all know men that are so concerned with work that they have no time for family. Once the Lili thing is resolved & the business gets bailed out, he will realize he has been an ass & that he really loves Pris even if it's not his kid. He's not evil & he was tricked on the powdered milk thing by Babs.

Now that Fernanda knows about Babs, I wonder why she hasn't called for an audit of the books.
 

Hey Variopinto...You're not the only one. I can see Anibal coming around also. Repentance and forgiveness. Good ol' telenovela principles.

Oh and Jardinera, forgot to thank you for bringing up Fibber McGee and Molly...takes me waaaaay back to radio days, that one.
 

JudyB: It's amazing at times what you're mind brings to the fore from the far reaches of your earliest childhood memories. Old Fibber and Molly are a lost piece of true Americana. ; > )

p.s. I got the link fixed if anybody cares to follow it.
 

Susanlynn: I'm with your hubby on that one. Latin dance moves for me have always been difficult to get the hang of by just casual observation--except for the cha-cha, but even that I remember learning after school in soon to be passé ballroom dance classes in the 60's.
=============
Ann NYC: Don't feel you're the only one. When the actors decide to speak Chipmunk, everybody gets lost. Sometimes I think even the bilingual folks might get lost listening to those scenes.
==========
Variopinta: You have a classic and plausible resolution for AnyBalls, but (ugh!) he is so lackluster. Now as for Pris, she has gotten pregnant by devious and immoral means. I'm much more intrigued by Pris' predicament and would love to see her redeemed, but I could give a rat's patoot about him. Anyway, he's in love with or has a boyhood crush still on his step-mommy and that's a big no-no the telenovela gods will have to deal with first, I guess.
 

I'd like to think that Steve's story to Venus about the ring is true, but I can't help noticing that it's similar to Eduardo's story. I don't remember what Eduardo's ring for Fer looked like, or if we ever saw the ring itself or only the box.

If the ring really is his, he should tell Camilo that it's the ring that the sheik gave to Venus and challenge Camilo to buy her a bigger one.
 

Thanks Jardinera for an A+ recap. So much of the dialogue would be near impossible for me to grasp if it were not explained so well. It seems good episodes followed by great recaps always brings interesting comments. So, I'll fess up about how the characters line up with me. But first let me explain that I'm judging them by my impression of their acting, that is how well they are playing and portraying their character, whether it be good or bad. My only contradiction to that is Erika. She's doing a great job keeping us on the edge of our seats etc. but she gets on my nerves because she's so upsetting to Nanda. I don't care that she's forcing herself on Franco as long as he keeps leading her on. Anyway, my favorites are Nanda, Gonzalo, and Babs. Then comes Vlad. Julie's description of him was right on target. But I love the way he does crazy. I don't think he deserves to die because he was tricked into getting Pris pregnant. I'm guessing that his payback will be Anibals acceptance of the baby. Characters I could do without are Aurora and Santiago and Lovely's whinning.
 

Julie: Estev got misty-eyed when he got to remembering how the other girl dumped him. I sort of think it's the truth. Anyway, I figure he's got to be pretty down on himself to think he's not even ex-hooker material.
~ 8 ? *
 

Alice: interesting the way you've ranked the cast. I might also, but first I'd say they've all played their roles really well over all. I think somebody else here said it's the material/role they've been given that might limit them. I think I'm most impressed with Sylvia, Sergio and Lucero. They make you feel you're feeling everything they are. Next is Rogelio Guerra because he transforms so well from an addled, milquetoast to an overbearing, embittered and vengeful industrialist so completely. I appreciate the work FC and Mario Ivan Martinez are doing, but they don't exactly shine in these roles they way they did in Amor Real IMHO. : > )
 

Julie, That's exactly what they plan to do. Esteve said to Venus "ask him (Camilo) if he can match this". They probably will say it's from Abdul Hassan, it's big enough to be from a sheik.

The one Esteve has is a huge blue diamond, if I remember correctly Ed's was a white diamond & not as large. We saw it when Ed threw it in the drawer & also when Manzanares was rifling though his things when he found the passport.

You can't discount the acting of Lucera & although FC has had better parts he's good also, but I just love Obregón. That's a role just made for him.

There are several more characters to be introduced, including Ana Martin in the final episode. Hope some are hombres guapos for all the ladies in this TN.
 

Thanks for the funny and thorough recap, Jardinera. As usual you filled in many dialogue holes for me. Been away for a few days with no computer and really, really missed MEPS (which I recorded and caught up with when I returned). But I mostly missed this congenial and good-spirited blog family from whom I learn so much and from whom I get so much additional LOL enjoyment. You guys are the best.

Loved how the action finally picked up last week and how the verbal confrontations between Babs and Fr/Ed have begun. Now I wonder if she plans to try to eliminate him because he's becoming too much of a threat?? Also wonder if the plot twist re:Damian's past problems will be the way to get him out of the way of the real love story here? Fun to speculate. hgr
 

Jardinera: Thanks. As I read the recap, I kept thinking of Erika. She's the most delusional character in this novela. Even Lili has moments of mental clarity.
 

hgr: I'm wondering if Eduardo actually prolonged his life and usefulness in Barbara's eyes after confronting her when he made that deal to be partners with her.
=======
pasofino: Err is blinded by luh-hv. Maybe it's her uber-cheery smile and giggle or that can-do/little engine that could attitude that drives me so crazy. IMHO she's another one of those women who thinks she can change a man the way she'd like--and we all know what they say about that!
 

Thanks, Jardinera, for the super recap. Like several others, I've been having problems with the Spanish captions, but in my case, the problem is that they'll start out as real words and then, after a minute or so, turn into gibberish. You know, like hgudyspi8yt8yeugikd. Of course, that's what most of the Spanish actually sounds like to me, so perhaps the captions are accurate? :-) Seriously, though, has anyone else encountered a gibberish problem with the captions? Is there anything one can do about it?

Also, I might mention that Netflix has a pretty impressive collection of abridged telenovelas (i.e., the same ones you can buy on Amazon, etc.). I've watched several of them this way.
 

Juanita.
I had thought about Netflix, but didn't think I would get my monies worth. I think it's 8.95 a month. Can you cancel anytime you want?
 

Thanks for the great recap, Jardinera....FC and Lucero speak so rapidly when their characters are verbal-jousting that I have trouble following the conversation, so I truly appreciate the job you recapppers all do. My CCs have been delayed a bit, so that is no help for me (plus, I try to translate for DH).
When I look at DVDs for sale on Amazon, if there are captions, will it say so? I plan to look at library, also, but I worry the borrowing time will be too short.

LR
 

Variopinta, yes, I think you can cancel a Netflix subscription at any time. I'm not 100% sure, though, so it may be best to check their website. Their prices vary, depending on how many DVDs you want to be able to rent at one time. With telenovelas, it's useful to be able to get more than one at a time, so that when you finish one, you don't have to wait for the second (since the TNs usually come on multiple DVDs). I've found Netflix to be very fast--if I put a DVD in the mail on day 1, they receive it on day 2, and I often have the next DVD on my list on day 3. Still, that's still a several days' wait unless you have a subscription that lets you get two at a time. Then you can return the first and start the second right away.

I've sometimes seen some good introductory deals from Netflix, so you might keep your eyes open.
 

LR, the DVDs for sale on Amazon will usually tell you whether there are subtitles, but not always. Sometimes even if they don't say there are subtitles, there are. But your best bet is to read the readers' comments as well as the details that Amazon provides. Occasionally, when there are no subtitles, some readers will complain, and that may be your only clue. (BTW, the subtitles are usually just in English, not in Spanish. I find this very strange, but that's been my experience.)

Very occasionally, users' comments are also useful for pointing out defective TNs--where the ending was left off, or side 3 is unplayable, etc. This doesn't often happen, but I've tended to steer clear of TNs where several people have complained of defects.

Also, I tend to ignore readers' complaints about how incomplete the versions are. Of course they're incomplete, since they're only 10-14 hours long, whereas the full telenovela often runs over 100 hours. But I find I don't usually mind the cuts too much. (And having been watching MEPS, I also recognize that there are lots of little sub-plots that I'd be happy to see cut :-) )
 

Variopinta yes you can cancel your Netflix at anytime. I know this as a positive. You can also put your account on hold which is essentially stopping your account (pay nothing) for a period of time.

Judy - your comment about Erika almost made me choke with laughter!
 

As hot as our Eduardo and Barb look in their matching black leather jackets I'm getting very worried at what this bit of costuming portends!

I'm afraind Ed might be spending some time on the dark side before this is all over. Remember that he doesn't think he has anything to lose now what with Eduardo Juarez being fake dead and Fernanda being (fake)married! He is now only motivated by revenge.

The two impostors are now bonded,two sides of the coin. Oh dear.

I'm getting a great kick out of Obregon too, though I'm sure he's acting, it's a funny over the top portrayal.

I'm also loving to watch Vlad come unhinged, even the blubbering in the tequila, and Damian makes being loathsome look like a lot of fun. Ursula is another funny role, like when she was getting drunk in Gonzo's office a while back.

Erica is doesn't annoy me as much as some of you, because she's such an appealing actress, but her character is self deluded for sure. (been there!)

Variopinta, I really liked "Strawberry and Chocolate" too, very sweet movie. You are going to love "Burnt Money" very hot, and I'm not taliking about the burning money. I have good indie video stores in my neighborhood, but a lot of this is now on Netflix.

Speaking of which, I was about to get rid of my subscription until I got a new fast computer. Now I can watch streaming movies on my computer for no extra charge. Not everything is available this way but it's growing. It makes me feel that my basic subscription is a lot more worthwile.

Thanks for the recap and all the great comments. I have cut down but still get caught up here every weekend, thanks to everyone!
 

Juanita: I've had gibberish in my captions before also. It was the one tv set at the time. like it was not programmed to read the current type of signals. None of the other tv's had that problem and they were all on the same cable set up. I am wondering if it could be your cable system's computers having a problem receiving correctly but then scrambling the signal it sends on to you. Shows I don't know much about it from the physics/electronics aspects. Just my thinking on it since it happened to me.....
 

LR: I plan to take Variopinta's suggestion also and check out the library near here for movies. I tend to skip the edited novelas. I did buy one long time ago and felt like too much was missing and everytime I'd get involved with a plot a chunk was cut out and that just drove me crazy. Just my personal preference, though.
: > {
==============
Hey there, Randy in Sea. Glad to see you've been hanging in with this one. Liked your comparisons about fake Ed and Fer.
 

Jardinera, thanks for the info re gibbersih in captions. I think I'll try to see whether the other TVs in the house have the same problem.

As for using the library as a source of telenovelas, I would imagine that the TNs available would be edited. I say this because 1) the full versions are muy caro, and 2) if your library is in the US, it's probably trying to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, which means it would likely seek TNs with English subtitles. As far as I know, the full versions have no subtitles, ni en inglés ni en español.
 

While at the library, I looked at their copy of Amor Real thinking it might be a more complete version than the one I bought from Amazon, but it appeared to be the same thing.
 

Randy Sea~~~Nice to see you back again, and I enjoyed your comments, as always. Tonight, I think I'll settle in with either a little Amor Real or Alborada before turning in since regular TV is muy bleak. Can't wait to see what develops tomorrow on ''As Barbie Turns.'' I'm hoping that Fr'ed becomes more of a hero and takes charge . It looks like Dam might be about to pay for his past sins. Yay.
 

Juanita/Varopinta: I guess I won't bother with the telenovelas then, but the movies should work out.
: ? )
 

Hi all, I'm back and pretty jet-lagged (I woke up ready to roll at 1:30 am and never got back to sleep) but ready to take on Monday night's episode thanks to all the great recaps I just read!! You're all great!
 

I don't think camillo had sex with her, only fooled around. He was annoyed that she kept calling Santiago which turned him off. His comment, that he had a taste of her, doesn't tell me he did the deed, only that he had part of it.

Ret
 

Welcome home , Melinama. Hope that you had a great time in Paris.
 

Melinama: Glad to see you're back in one piece. Jetlag's a killer, but a 12+ hr. MEPS marathon should take care of that for you very nicely!
=========

Ret: You may be right as rain. We'll have to wait for Ah-wah-wah's side of the story, I guess.
 

Jardinera. I figure that the writers can't be that cruel, to screw up a sweet young girl's romance, by having her tainted by a low life like Camillo. This would put a damper on the relationship between Santiago and Aurora and that relationship is obviously supposed to play out to a wedding day in this soap.
 

Jardinera, Thanks for the detailed recap. The last few episodes have had so many verbal exchanges --fast and furious-- that it's been tough for the captions and me to keep up with. It's great that you picked up stuff I missed.

I do think Gonzo is going to have a heart attack or a stroke at some point. Otherwise, that whole scene of Gonzo at the doctor in the beginning was pointless. Now whether he sees St. Peter or not--I would guess not. I think Gonzo and AB will meet up sometime. Maybe Gonzo in a hospital bed will move that along a little.

Thanks for the link on Fibber McGee. Interesting to read up on a reference to something I heard about frequently when I was little but didn't really understand because I never heard the radio show.
Barbara
 

Gonzo having a stroke would certainly force Bravo to hurry his plan along, wouldn't it? Bravo would be upset if Gonzo died before he had a chance to enjoy his full revenge and laugh in Gonzo's face.
 

Anon. 8/2 9:57pm - You make a great point about not sullying our dear Rory. I think perhaps, that's why Cad's comment was purposely written to be obscure, so we might think he has but until the "day of truth" we'll be kept guessing. Since Santi and she have done the deed, and since Cad did seem to be turned off at the mention of his brother's name, he might have abused her without actually raping her. Dunno......
===========
Barbara/Julie: I like that idea of the stroke or the heart attack somehow bringing Artemio Bravo out of the shadows to laugh in his face on Gonzo's supposed deathbed and letting Gonzo meet his "doppleganger" so to speak.
 

Happy Monday everybody! Started reading comments last night but got distracted by Design Star. Great recap as always Jardinera. I hate to see Fr/Ed going along with Babs. What is up with the meowing cats in the background? I never noticed it until someone mentioned it and now it just cracks me up. Taking a break from Amor Real. It is kind of disappointing and choppy. Welcome back Melinama. Hope you had a good trip.
 

Juanita, thanks for the comments on DVDs for sale. I had not even thought of a defective DVD, so reviews by others will be especially important. I recall having gibberish CCs a few years ago--I used to blame it on the weather (we do not have cable).
Melinama, good to see you back home.

LR
 

Connie~~~I love Design Star ! I've seen all of Amor Real, so I'd be happy to fill in anything you're confused about.
 

Thanks SusanLynn. Not real impressed with this year's Design Stars. I'm still waiting for Jen to have her own show. She's from here so everyone is waiting. I'm not even sure where I left off on Amor Real. The problem with the DVD versions is you just don't get the feel of it like when you watch the whole thing.
 

LR, I just want to add that I've only once had a problem with a TN I bought. It was with La Fea más Bella. I contacted Amazon, and they instructed me on how to send it back to them at their expense. They also quickly sent me another copy, and that one was fine.

Just one caveat: Amazon has a 30-day time limit on returning DVDs, if I recall correctly. I've been tempted at times to order more than one at a time in order to get free shipping (they'll ship for free if the order is over $25), but I've not done that because of the time limit.
 

I had to return Amarte es mi pecado to Amazon, sth wrong with disc 1. They gave me a refund, no problema.

I watched "Plata Quemada" last night.
Based on a true story about an armored car robbery in Buenos Aires in 1965. Not sure what qualifies as X rated these days but I think this one does. I thought it was well acted though & enjoyed the scenes of Buenos Aires & Montevideo. It was also very violent. If you don't mind violence & sex, I would recommend it.
You can read about it here
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plata_Quemada
 

Finally caught up on the last two days. Whew, I like that this one keeps moving forward, so much less repetition then FELS!

I wasn't surprised Babs finally got her way. Fr/Ed has a conscience she doesn't. All she had to do was threaten Lily, and he knows she does have Lily so of course he backed down.

I'm looking forward to him explaining how things went down to Fernanda.

Maybe Erika and Vlad should hook up, they are both so freak'm pathetic and clueless!
 

Molly, that would be Dumb and Dumber. Can you imagine the offspring?! Yikes... Vlad's about to have a total meltdown. Erika is just retarded.
 

Connie, its a match made in novella hell!
 

Great recap, Jardinera!

LR - I agree with what someone else said, the comments on the DVD sets usually tell if there are subtitles. I've bought 6 or 7, and all had english subtitles (not Spanish) except Pasion, which just had the Spanish. I generally enjoy the sets, even though they're abridged.

Variopinta: The actor playing Obregon was a straight photographer who took glamour photos of Gaviota in DA. His hair kept falling in his face. Yes, it was near the beginning, before she went to France. In fact, it was on this past Friday, as they're replaying DA at 5:00 Eastern every day, I think on Telefutura. I happened to be home early Friday and watched it. It was a gripping episode where Gaviota has to escape from the brothel in France by tying together sheets and lowering herself 5 stories down.

BTW, Telefutura is also replaying Juan Querendon every day at 8:00 A.M. Eastern.

Back to MEPS: Babs may have temporarily turned the tables on Fr/Ed, but she didn't get any money, and he now has confirmation of some of her crimes. I still don't see why 1) he doesn't guess that she's Rebecca Sanchez, and 2) why he doesn't guess that Artemio Bravo is working with her, since he and Steve earlier surmised that Artemio Bravo might be involved (from the birth certificate) in the whole family's undoing. Maybe he's withholding this one bit of info, so as not to tip his hand with Babs too much.
 

Thank you so much Jardinera! Just had to say WOW before I go back and read comments. Was at Haaavad last week for my "remember what my kid looks like visit" and caught a few ips on YT and just finished through Friday. Man! It's the old pace back again! So much has happened. How in the world is Fr/ed going to makie a deal with this she devil and not come out double-crossed. How in the world is he ever going to win Fer with first a false identity and now a pact with her killer-husband-frickin' step ma? Jeezopeet!

And this whole Loafly/Cam liason. I have NEVER understood the perverse pleasure Esteve is getting out of this, especially since he has eyes for Venus. "Oh, she'd never care for a gringo like me" Crap! If said Gringo would be a man and woo Venus instead of involving her in some hare-brained scheme that doesn't seem to have logical link to anything. . .and how small yet arrogant of him to decide if she ends up marrying Cad, it could be a good thing for her!!! UUUUuuuuf!!!! Basta! ya! At least it's moving along again. Gracias, again, Jardeinera!

Khalilah
 

Steve is pretty insensitive to women's feelings (Erika, Fer, and Venus) and has a cruel sense of humor (not that Camilo doesn't deserve it).

I'm glad he's on our side, but on the other hand, I think I can understand why he got dumped by that woman from his past.
 

Melinama, glad you're safely back from Paris. I'm another one whose captions have been messed up the last few days. No gibberish, just jerky and uncoordinated.
La Paloma
 

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Thank you Jardinera, I enjoy your writing so very much but this past Friday I missed the show so I REALLY appreciate you showing me what I missed.

After cheering Franco for his dueling match with Barbwire it is disappointing that she hit him where he lives. No come-back for having a soul when dealing with a she-devil. On with the show.

So.ooo.oo the wedding may have to be postponed due to lack of proof of birth. Lovit. Now if Fer will just arrive at the idea of seducing Franco to save her BFF from a loveless marriage - a sacrifice...yeah I know there are glitches in my storyline. BTW, what does Dam win in this game? It can't be money because he knows Barb is taking every peso. And he doesn't care about the mujercita, the company, nor the family name. What's in it for him? As commenters have said, he is a throughly dislikeable person. Sexy good looking? The actor has done such a good job that when he controls himself to attempt being charming I wish for Fer to laugh like me.
 

Yes, Vlad is now a danger to society. White coat please. Then Priss whom I like in spite of her lack of good judgement need only say pobre loco.
Besides, Vlad was not an unwilling participant. He was surveying the personal properties way back at Fern's wedding. AND he didn't use birth control. (Is it against the rules of telenovela genre to suggest such a thing?)
 

Juanita, others, I found one of the movies mentioned earlier at Netflix. Any recommendations? Also, any recommendations for books for intermediate Spanish learners?

Maybe Anibal will change his tune when he sees "his" baby. That is unless it has slicked back hair, and unrealistic expectations.
 

Can you imagine what a child of Anyballs would look like?! Ack...
 

Hi, Beth. My guess is that almost all the telenovelas people have mentioned here will be available at Netflix (except the rather new ones that aren't yet out on DVD). Here are some that Netflix has that I've enjoyed:

Alborada
La Fea más Bella
Dame Chocolate
Rubí
La Otra
Piel de Otoño

I wasn't as enthusiastic about Destilando Amor as many people here seem to be--perhaps I should have watched a full version. But the abridged version is available from Netflix. As I recall, all the ones I've mentioned come with optional English subtitles. Most of them are 3 or 4 double-sided DVDs.

As for books for intermediate Spanish learners, I don't know whether you mean novels to read, books to help with grammar, or something else, but one book I LOVE and HIGHLY recommend is a paperback by Joseph J. Keenan entitled Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish. It's wonderfully well written, very informative, immensely helpful.
 

Beth,
I think my favorite Spanish movie so far has been
Pan's Labyrinth
It's very strange, a combination of reality (the Spanish civil war) & fantasy. Google it and you can get a synopsis. If I remember correctly it has both English & Spanish subtitles
 

The full version of Destilando was much better than the DVDs. It is on at 5:00 on Telemundo I think. So if anyone can watch the full version I highly recommend it (lots of phone smashing.)
 

Wish I understood why some novelas show up as daytime reruns and others not. I was surprised to read here that Destilando Amor, which I only watched the first week of, is already being rerun.

I would be overjoyed to re-watch Amor Real, the whole thing, not a chopped up DVD. But so far, nada. And I haven't wanted to spend the $$ to buy the whole thing.
 

Variopinta, that is one of my favorite movies also. I've seen it about 4 times. The dialect is a little different I think.

I found Breaking out of Beginner Spanish on Amazon and also on Ebay. I ordered one from Amazon.

It's amazing the things we learn here.
 

Check out my new picture all you Alborada fans!
 

Connie, I had that one on my cell phone home screen for awhile! Yummy!
 

I found one of him and Lucero but it wouldn't let me save it or anything. It was cute.
 

Molly, I wonder if I can do that on my new cell phone. I bought a Razr on Ebay but its complicated compared to me basic no frills one. I'm having trouble wtih the texting. I wish they had one with a little magnifying screen!
 

Connie,
Yours is good (and why not, considering the subject) buuut mine is better.
 

Bonney, I think at this point he's just in it to get his revenge on Babs. At least, that's what he told us before he came out of hiding to return to Fer's side. However, I don't see any evidence that he ever had a plan. If he did, it probably didn't involve having a wounded leg.

LOL Beth about the slicked-back hair. Of course the baby will also be crying, just like Vlad, but no one will give that a second thought.

On the other hand, if the baby is always grumpy, everyone will assume it's Aniball's.
 

Ahh, but mine is a close up everyday hotty pic!
 

You know I don't think he can take a bad picture really. :P
 

LOL, no arguments about who is el guapisimo, just who has the best picture.
 

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How do I remove a comment that was posted in my name?? I just tried to post a comment, and for some reason a totally different message was posted in my name!! I think I DID post such a message about a month or so ago. Bizarre! How can I remove it?
 

How about a picture of him when he was talking to Filipe in Alborada and getting ready for a bath???
 

WOW! You miss a couple days on the blog, and there is just a wealth of conversation that you've missed out on. Today's only comment- my CC's have been flashing before the visual, but no gibberish...
 

Jaunita: To erase a comment--

1) Go onto the post a comment page.
2) Find the comment.
3) Look for the little trash can at the lower left-hand corner and click on it.
4) Check the blue "Delete" box yes and press "enter".
 

Molly,
cough it up, you can't keep sth that hot to yourself.
 

No, I was hoping someone had that one! I was just thinking if I had my choice...that's a great shot! Hmmm...I might have to watch a "best moments of Alborada" tonight....
 

Thanks VERY much, Jardinera, for your help with deleting a post. I went to the Leave a Comment page but at first I didn't see any garbage can. After much trial and error, I finally got the garbage can. I still haven't figured out how/why the bizarre comment got posted. Hmmm...I wonder whether the same Forces of Evil that wrote messages in blood on Aurora's mirror have now targetted me :-).
 

I don't know, Juanita... did a strange maid recently join your household staff? ;-) (Something most of us don't have to worry about, I'll wager!)
 

Wow! Thanks Juanita and the rest for movie/book suggestions! I'll put them all on my list. I saw Rubi and Pan's Labyrinth and enjoyed both. I'm also looking for novels, plays, and such in Spanish that are not too difficult and/or footnoted.
 

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