Caray, Caray!

In the first episode, we meet the main characters and see the clash of cultures that will presumably be a big part of the story.

Miami- First, we have Albieri, who will play the role of mad scientist. [It drove me crazy for a while but finally I figured out that Roberto Moll, the actor who plays Albieri, played the evil butler, Walter, on El Cuerpo del Deseo. It was his voice that was so familiar. ] Albieri clones animals and dreams of cloning humans.

He works for Leonardo Ferrer, the head of a large company that imports and exports food.

Lucas and Diego are Leonardo's twin sons. Diego is outgoing and good with women.
Lucas is shy and awkward with women.
Both are played by Mauricio Ochmann. Their father has sent Diego to business school and Lucas to law school with a view towards their taking over his business. However, Lucas doesn't want to be a lawyer. He is interested in music. [The housekeeper, Rosa, is played by the actress who was Eustaquia in Doña Bárbara.]

In a less fancy part of town, we meet Jade [pronounced Ha-Day. That is the Spanish word for the green stone, as well.] She lives with her mother and is trying to be a good muslim girl in a town of mostly naked people who go to bars. Demurely covering her arms, Jade goes to the beach to behold the nakedness of the infidels.

When she comes home, her mother has fallen down and is dying. After few words of advice, Mom's dead and Jade is shipped off to Morocco to live with her uncle.

Leonardo sends for his sons to familiarize them with his business. Lucas is not happy. But guess what - Dad is going to Morocco on business and the boys can go too. Dad also has a girlfriend - Cristina - who the boys have never met.

Fez, Morocco: The twins and Albieri arrive before Leonardo and go for a camel ride in the desert. Then we meet Cristina and her picture is probably next to bimbo in the dictionary.

Cristina comes into the hotel bar and sees Diego. It's lust at first sight and without apparently exchanging a word, they go off and have sex.

Jade arrives in Morocco and is met by her cousin, Latifa and Zoraida, whose relationship to Latifa is not clear. [It took me a minute but Zoraida is played by the actress who played Ester, Soledad's mother, in La Traición.] The culture shocks start for Jade - Latifa is engaged to a guy she has never met. Then Jade sees a procession where a new bride displays the bloody undergarments that indicated she was a virgin. Jade asks what happens if the bride isn't a virgin. She is told that the bride is returned to her family or killed. I'm guessing Jade is going to find out about this first hand.
Jade meets her uncle, Ali. He welcomes her but tells her that his household follows islamic law strictly. She should cover her hair when she goes out. Jade can go to university to become a doctor but then Ali will arrange a marriage for her.

Albieri went to University with Ali and they arrange to meet. Meanwhile, Leonardo notices that the moles (manchas) that his sons have on their shoulders are growing. He wants Albieri to check them out. I assume these moles is going to be used in the future as some kind of identification and not as a warning about skin cancer.

Leonardo introduces his sons to Cristina.

Ooops - social embarrassment. Diego and Christina learn that it makes sense to at least ask the name of your partner before you have sex with them. Diego runs off to his room and tells Lucas that he has to warn Daddy about the loose morals his fiancee. Lucas thinks that they can't do that to Dad and have to find another way to get rid of Cristina. We find out that many years ago Albieri was engaged to someone who died. Lucas locks Diego in his hotel room to keep him from telling their father about Cristina. Lucas decides to go with Albieri to Ali's house.

Jade finds a belly dancing (la dansa del vientre) outfit and is told by Latifa that the bride wears it to dance for her husband and no one else. Jade says that her mother taught her to belly dance and Latifa wants a demonstration. While Ali and Albieri argue about the ethics of cloning, Lucas wanders off and of course he sees Jade dancing and ultimately Jade sees him. [The TiVo cut off before the end of the show so I didn't get any pics of Jade dancing. I TiVo'd the rebroadcast at 11pm and they only showed the first half hour of the program! Grrrr!]

Leonardo comes to Diego's room and asks what the hell is going on with him.

The credits roll.

Addendum for Novelera:

Walter in El Cuerpo del Deseo and Albieri in El Clon

Labels: clon