Caray, Caray!

Well, it was a torrid night, filled with romance, drama, life-threatening allergies, life-threatening accidents, betrayals, emotional and physical abuse, and oh yeah....a little humor. But not much, campers! Not much. In short, quite a rollercoaster.

Here's what the writers served up for us tonight: Monita and Mauricio are smooching big-time at the amusement park and Dany notes with amazement( and a touch of horror) that they're kissing on the MOUTH. And how! And elsewhere in the park, Estrella and Aldo are strolling around while he reassures her that he's absolutely not jealous, ready to just be her buddy and perfectly capable of hearing about her tryst with Furia without a problem. As she gets in gear, sharing how she'll never have eyes for another man, not after those torrid, life-changing kisses with Furia, Aldo just smiles. Hey man, he's happy for her. Estrella looks more and more upset. And Aldo looks more and more smug. As well he might. What a confidence builder!

Tryst-wise, things aren't going as well at Gabriela's. Our Marlon Brando hunkalicious lookalike has been transformed into a swollen blotchy mess (face-wise anyway). Seems the appetizer snacks had crab (or crayfish) in them and he's wildly allergic. Finito romance. Finito escort service. For David anyway. Gabriela advises him to head for the hospital while she telephones the agency and asks for a replacement. Cold. Very cold. But she concludes the call in her usual polished way "Te agradezco infinito".

Let's get back to Estrella who's still raving about her fabulous interlude with Furia. Those kisses...ah, those kisses. Fervent with the yearning of an adolescent, yet meaningful as only the kisses of a mature man ,ready to fall in love, could ever be. More smug smiles from Aldo. But how about the rest? Did he take care of you? Did he use a condom (capuchón)? No, really, he reassures her....I'm not jealous, just want to make sure you were protected.

Estrella is really conflicted now. On the one hand she's knows that she's waited all her life for a loverman like Furia. On the other hand, she's crestfallen because her "cachorro" (cub) doesn't care for her anymore. And Aldo? He just keeps smiling.

Well, speaking of love...Dany has seen enough, thank you. Stop kissing! she yelps to M&M, and get me a dolly. Mauricio, try as he might, can't connect. So Monita steps up and yes, you guessed it, hits three in a row and wins Dany the little bear she wanted.

And our last glimpse of Estrella and Aldo? She concludes her ode to Superlover by saying "It was worth the wait. I will NEVER be interested in any other man." Our delighted Aldo muses to himself, "Not bad for my first time". Indeed.

Now let's take a big dive down into awfulness. Yes, Connie is on a real tear. It's as if she waited for Carlos to return before she really hit the dark side. She rips into Teresa who's preparing a tray for the incarcerated Luisa. And after insulting her as an "igualada sirvienta" (uppity servant) she makes off with the tray herself, muttering that she'll just eat it herself. (Carlos, I know she hasn't killed anybody yet, but I'm ready to take out a contract on her myself! Really!)

Back at the amusement park, night has fallen and it's time for our ill-fated lovers to part. Christian, Paula and Estrella are heading back to the barrio with Monita. Mauricio, Dany and a very self-satisfied Aldo must return to the house. But nobody can get Mau and Moni unglued from each other. More kisses, more hugs, more I can't say good-byes, more....whoops...Mau mentions that he made an "arreglo" (arrangement) with Connie that guarentees that she'll divorce him. And what "arreglo" is that? He looks uncomfortable and fails to answer. But even Monita knows enough to be worried. What is Connie if just playing with you? she muses. We break for ads while this loaded question hangs in the air.

When we come back, Monita is still worried. You don't want to answer me? The "arreglo" is THAT serious? Why ruin our farewell thinking about Connie, Mau reassures her. And just then the romantic music swells, there's more smooching, more plaintive good-bying, longing looks and finally, the two lovers slowly back away from each other, eyes still locked as their bodies draw further apart. Ay yi yi...what anguish. We viewers know some bad stuff is coming fer sure.

Back at the barrio, we have some lighthearted banter. Besos are being compared to criminal offenses and Christian and Paula have "committed" almost as many as M&M, but only to get Christian over his fear of roller coaster rides!. Beto emerges in a foul mood, snarls at Paula and Christian to "get a room" and then wades into Monita. He wants to explain what was really going on with him and Ximena that morning. Monita could care less. This enrages Beto even more, and after insulting Christian by telling him he lets Paula push him around (eres muy mandilón) he wants to know why everyone is so goshdarned happy. Christian's the one who inadvertantly drops the dime on our lovers and lets Beto know that Mauricio and Monita were together at the park. Sure, they shouldn't have been together...but who can fault them?...they're so in love, concludes Christian.

Well, we know who can fault them. And Mauricio's trying to avoid just that. Remember, mum's the word, he cautions Dany and Aldo. And in passing, he notes that he's really happy Aldo's over his infatuation (deslumbramiento) with Estrella. I mean, she's a nice lady...but way too old for you. And Aldo? He just smiles, the little dickens.

Alright. Smiles over. Teresa arrives with the story of Connie's mistreatment of Luisa, including preventing Teresa from taking her any food. Mauricio is furious. "Esto es el colmo" (this is the last straw!) We briefly hope for a real confrontation with the witch goddess but it is not to be.

Here's how it goes down. Vicious Connie is idly thumbing though a magazine when Beto calls. He gives her the 411 on Mauricio and Monita being together at the park, billing and cooing in front of everybody. Fully armed and dangerous now, Connie is ready to turn Mauricio every which way but loose. And she does. And calmly threatens Aldo with military school after our angry adolescent storms into her room. Clearly she still holds all the cards, even without Beto's betrayal of the lovers' secrets. But it's not over yet. For one thing, Nieves has overhead her criatura's cruel phone betrayal. What will come of that?

After the ads, the scenario unfolds. Nieves is pacing like the angry lioness she is. And Don Cesar is dying of hunger. When's he going to get some of those "enfrijoladas"? (a great concoction of beans, tortillas, Manchego cheese, chiles de arból and crema). Enter Beto who wants some too. And with lots of cheese, lots of cream, lots of.....Holy Moley, Nieves slams that big ol' plate of enfrijoladas right in his chest! Beto is stunned. Cesar is amused. And Nieves is just gettin' started!

I hate to leave this delicious scene but we find ourselves back with the despicable Constanza. She's mounting a glacial defense of her actions, complaining that the children don't respect her, don't treat her well and she's teaching them some manners. Mauricio huffily reminds her that good manners don't include striking a child. And let's face it. They don't like you and neither do I. Connie simply smiles and says "How's Valentina? And don't bother lying. I know very well that you two were together all day." This is Cold War. And a nasty one. Let's get back to the Hot War going on in the barrio.

Nieves is going after Beto hammer and tongs. But every time Cesar tries to join in, she swats him a good one. This is MY son! I'll handle it! In between swats, hair pulls and pummels, she berates Beto for betraying Monita. She's FAMILY. You grew up together. If you can't be loyal to family, you're beneath contempt. Hear hear!

Alas, back to the Cold War. Mau's trying to explain that their meeting was just a coincidence. They didn't plan it. If Connie doesn't believe him, well that's her problem. Oh no, you've got the problem, replies Constanza silkily. You broke the rules. So we're not separating and we're not divorcing. Ugh. She's got him by the short hairs for sure.

Back to the barrio again. Estrella wants Moni to tell Paula about finding Beto in bed with Ximena that morning. Paula can't believe those two are lovers. Oh yeah, mumbles Monita, he's got it goin' on with three women. And those are only the ones we know about, quips Paula.

More mayhem chez Nieves. She's belting Beto with shoes. Cesar joins in with some pillows. Cesar suggests running Beto off permanently. Nieves tells him to shaddup, this is between her and her son. Cesar, undeterred, suggested she use "el jab" when punching her offspring.

More insidious cold war at the mansion. Connie is coyly suggesting that since Mauricio is such a communicator, perhaps he told Monita about their making love the other night. No? He didn't?! Well, he left out "the most interesting part of the film". She'd better get right down to the neighborhood and let that chimpanzee know all about it. Mauricio begs her not to. She grabs her car keys and heads down to the garage, triumphant.

Things are still hot at Casa Nieves. She's not covering up for her son anymore. He's gotta tell Monita what he did. Beto's whining about being picked on, it's always the "perro mas flaco del rancho" that gets beaten. But sure, he's "macho", he can face up to it, he'll go tell her and zip! he's out the door, heading in the opposite direction from Moni's room, with Nieves and Cesar in hot pursuit.

Mauricio's in hot pursuit as well. First, he plants himself in front of Constanza's car, hoping to stop her. She starts up and accelerates as he jumps out of the way. Plan B. He gets in his own car and follows her. Night driving. Worried looks. A police siren wailing. More worried looks. More driving. Angst-type music. Bad stuff comin' doncha know.

In the meantime, Beto is dodging wildly through the park, our portly lovers chugging along behind. Momentary lull while Beto hides behind a tree. Then he's off again And starts to dart across the street just as Connie speeds up.....and hits him.

Well, it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

Previews:
Mauricio appears to be confessing to Monita about his "arreglo" with Constanza.
Constanza is draped over Beto in the hospital, begging him to be strong and recover, for the sake of "our baby". Nieves, muy impactada, overhears.

Vocabulary:
cangrejo = crayfish or crabmeat
repuesto = replacement, spare part
panchote = not in dictionary, but from context, I'd say it was a "big scene" like what happened with Monita when she saw Beto in bed with Ximena
retentiva = memory (Connie mentioned this when she was chastising and insulting Teresa)
deslumbramiento = something dazzling, in this context it meant "infatuation"
afligida = very upset (Teresa)
esto es el colmo! ( a stock telenovela phrase. This is the last straw!)
el mundo es un pañuelo = lit. the world is a handkerchief. In other words, it's a small world.
andar de tapadura = act as a coverup....something Nieves is not going to do anymore
el perro más flaco del rancho = the poor picked on underdog. Beto's self-characterization
cachorro = cub, puppy
igualada sirvienta =uppity servant
capuchón = condom
arreglo = agreement, solution
mandilón= word to characterize man who's very accomodating with his woman

Dicho of the Day

Genio y figura hasta la sepultura You can't get a leopard to change his spots.

Question: Carlos thinks Connie is redeemable. If she is, this dicho is wrong, verdad? We shall see. Perhaps true love and a little Betito on the way will change her very ugly spots.

Labels: gancho