Caray, Caray!

Review: Rafa returns to Autos Siglos as they are closing up shop and informs a very stressed out Ale that he did not sell any cars, but he’s close! Close isn’t good enough for Ale who is tormented by her financial and personal woes- Marco and his ultimatums about their relationship and marriage, Beltran and his pressure to sell cars, and bills, bills, bills. The showroom fades to black with a weeping Ale leaning sadly against a car.

Tonight’s episode jumps around a lot, is pretty random, and seems to feature all the players..

Marco is ready and eager for his hot 7:30pm date with Karen. He’s so eager, in fact, that he rings her doorbell about a dozen times and greets her grinning from ear to ear like, well, a mad man. Karen has obviously taken Chavez’ warning about Marco’s “problem” seriously and she asks about his “appointment” (with the psychologist). Marco gets more shifty eyed than usual and wants to know who told her about his appointment. “It was THEM, wasn’t it?! Where are THEY?” Karen assures him that there is no one else there. “Then what do I smell?” “Uh, the seafood.” “You left the seafood ALONE?! THEY told you I’m crazy, right? Don’t believe THEM!”

Karen is saved from continuing this conversation by her ringing cell phone. It’s Chavez, who wants Karen to act normally, not let on who she’s talking to, and above all, not let Marco know she’s been informed of his madness. Karen’s having a hard time following these instructions, and Marco wants to know who she’s talking to. She nervously stammers that she’s talking to her cousin, and the newly cheerful Marco (I guess a psychiatrist would describe this as a manic state) wants to talk to the cousin, but settles for sending his love instead. Chavez’ last warning to Karen before hanging up is to not let Marco anywhere near a cutting implement!

Karen’s eager to get dinner over with, and Marco is eager to help her prepare it. In fact, he’ll help with the shrimp. He just LOVES taking up a knife and deveining them! Suddenly, Karen’s not so hungry. In fact, she’s got something she’s got to help her cousin with right away. Sorry Marco, goodbye, goodnight. He’s out the door and both he and Karen look relieved. Marco calls Chavez to celebrate their victory. “Karen will never call me again!” Although he does regret losing the chance to tap that (as the kids say). Chavez is celebrating Marco getting back on track to woo, marry and defraud Ale by hanging out in Marco’s apartment and drinking his good whiskey: The fist drink for the stress he’s had to endure; the second to calm his nerves; and the third for the road.

Rafa seems to actually have some free time and is using it to study his books and tapes on the art off selling. Unfortunately (for him and for us), he is interrupted by Vicky who wants him to study some wedding magazines with her instead. Apparently, she believes choosing a wedding dress is like choosing the next American Idol. First you start with 20 dresses, then you narrow the pool to 5, then 2, and then you choose THE ONE.

Meanwhile at the local strip club, Vicky’s bros are hanging with their dad’s buddy (anyone notice their dad never seems to be around- only at the butcher shop and at the dinner table). Big bro is lamenting his total lack of confidence and skills with the ladies. And he will NOT follow the suggestion of asking Vicky how to talk to a woman. Little bro does not seem to have a problem in this department. He hooks up pretty quickly with one of the resident hos (I mean, dancers), for a head (his) to chest (hers) slow dance. Papa’s buddy slips him a few dollars and it looks like he and his new friend continue getting to know each other off the dance floor. He’s going to get lucky tonight- “Tonight’s Noche Buena, and tomorrow’s Christmas!” But big bro, not so much.

Marco actually manages to show up for 8 pm dinner with Ale and her family, although a little late. Ale does not look over the moon to see him. She tells him and her dad about the costly surgery and treatment in the States that will get her back on her feet in a month. Marco gallantly says that he will pay. He’ll get an advance from whatever made-up company he supposedly works for (has Ale really never been curious about where he works?). Jorge refuses as says he will sell the house to pay for the surgery and treatment. Ale rejects both of these offers and says she’ll go without the surgery. Marco presses his case, supported by Tia Rosario, and finally gets Ale to agree to let him pay for the surgery/treatment and then get married as soon as she is well in a month.

The next morning Rafa wakes up late and in a panic because Ale did not make her usual 5am call; Ale is already at work arranging for her surgery and ignoring Susana’s good advice (as usual); Julieta’s convinced Jaime to help her take ALL the rest of the whiskey to her shady buyer and ignores Jaime’s good advice (as usual); and Marino makes an appearance in a custom-made wig (custom-made for either a Jonas Brother or Zac Efron). The other salesmen, and even Ale (she can’t suppress a guffaw when she first sees him), think this new wig is hilarious and looks like a woman’s, but the Professor supports this “nuevo look” and Rosaura thinks the metrosexual thing is in these days. Marino freaks out at the use of a word that ends with o-sexual to describe him (you know, heterosexual ends the same way too).

Ale is scatterbrained and can’t seem to remember how many cars each salesperson is committed to sell, and she, *gasp*, apologizes for her error. She halfheartedly scolds Rafa for coming in to the team meeting late, and does not give orders on how many cars each salesperson is supposed to sell that day because she, *gasp*, has faith in each of them. She dismisses them and asks Rafa to come to her office. She tries to scold him for being late, but she obviously doesn’t have her usual zest. Rafa notices and tells her he’s worried about her. He then asks for her help in making some cheese sale and profit calculations. Ale’s brain is still working well enough for her to do the math without a calculator, but she’s confused about why Rafa’s asking about cheese. He needs to sell cars! Rafa leaves more convinced than ever that he is going conquer those lions!

Ale is in her office with Rosaura who cannot seem to get her head around doing something so common as to sell a truck to a client who’s interested. It would be one thing if it were a fancy imported truck, but…blah, blah, blah. Ale tells her to suck it up and sell the truck. Susana then enters letting Ale know her aunt called wanting to talk about wedding details. Rosaura is excited to hear the news of the wedding and congratulates a not so excited Ale.

Random scene: Ramiro looks longingly at the backside of one of the showroom girls. He is then startled by a picture of his wife and mother-in-law coming to life and scolding him for his wandering eyes. Claudia catches him talking to the picture and suggests he get some help for this problem. Unfortunately, her barely constrained cleavage does not help the matter.

Back in the barrio: Juieta and Jaime deliver all the whiskey and get partial payment. Slimy guys assures Julieta he will pay the rest later, but Jaime wants a signed contract to guarantee payment. Julieta, however, has a high opinion of the effectiveness of her flirt and short skirt business strategy and ignores Jaime once again. Leonor is wistfully eyeing meat at the butcher shop like a Dickensian orphan and is accosted by Don Gaston who wants to know why she hasn’t been to the shop in so long (doesn’t he know about their money woes from Vicky?). He offers her free meat while caressing her hand and saying that they’re almost family (nothing says love to a woman like fresh raw meat). At the hairdresser’s shop, Pepeto wanders in and asks Frik and Frak to give him a new look so that he can get a job. Frik and Frak appreciate his current look, especially his physique. Their ogling is interrupted by Ovidia walking in and capturing Papeto’s full attention. He tells her he is there to get a new look so that he can get a good job like Rafa and buy a house- a house he’d like to provide her. She lets him know that she’s a package deal with her two buddies- they’re like the Three Musketeers. However, the only two friends Pepeto seems interested in are her breasts. “So many curves, and no brakes!”

Rafa makes a bold move to trap one of those lions and makes an appearance at the cheese shop. He and the owner sit down for a chat about how Rafa can help him increase his weekly cheese sales. In order to do so, he would need some new trucks. Cheese guy thinks this would be really expensive and that he would have to get a loan from the bank. He does not want to do this. Rafa begins to make the case for just how much MORE money cheese guy would be earning if he were able to expand his market with the use of the new trucks. Cheese guy is listening. My dvr cuts off before the end.

Labels: dinero