Caray, Caray!

Ahoy all, I'd like to thank all you commenters for hanging in there with us when Uni rescheduled our wonderful telenovela. It's been great fun and I have thoroughly enjoyed recapping with such an esteemed group of recappers and commenters. Gracias a todos!!!

We left Moni in the bar last night challenging the big dude to a boxing match and she's got 3000 pesos worth of serious to prove it. El Trucho (bogus, imposter?) says she's crazy, meanwhile his pals egg him on saying he's finally met his match (a shoe-form to fit the shoe, we learned that last week).

Poor old Mau sits in the empty space that was Monita's house while Marcos and Beto try to cheer him up, saying it's not his fault and Moni has just GOT to turn up. Beto's got an idea, Isa's sick so they should notify the hospitals to keep an eye out for her. Marcos stops them from rushing out because he's got an admission to make. Isa's not really sick, the doc was his friend and the diagnosis is a lie. Isa's in perfect health. Mau and Beto are impactado, however this is the last we hear of Marcos's lie tonight.

Holy cow, Trucho the Bogus, is a huge guy. Would a little squirt like our Monkey really be able to take this beast? Trucho tells her that God gave her those delicate hands for weaving, cooking, darning socks and underwear and for stroking her man, not for fighting. OK, I'm guessing she's going to kick his butt soon. He claims his prize will be to kiss her luscious lips, so she throws her money down, winds up and knocks him onto the floor.

Back in the hood Coni's doing her best to persuade Papa Marcos to take Nieves out to dinner followed by a night of love in his hotel room. This effectively kills two birds with one stone, she won't have to make dinner and she and Beto will have the house to themselves. Now all Coni and her bizcocho have to work out is will they eat their to-go sushi with chopsticks or with Milanesas and papas?

Our colorful and sparkly-shirted Snowball prepares to leave for her big date and Coni deliberately spills the beans that Marcos plans to propose again. But Nieves' gasp of delight is interrupted by a masked luchador messenger. She snips that she has no desire to see Don Cesar, but the masked one mumbles that Don Cesar is seriously ill and has been in the hospital for the past couple of days. Her next gasp, not so delighted.

Trucho rubs his jaws and knows the little lady means business. He agrees to the fight, 3K for him if he wins and 5K for her if she wins. She scampers off to get her gloves while the rest move the tables aside to form a ring. Isa is concerned, no not about Moni's health but for her 3K that might be lost. However Moni is confident that she'll win, heck she's the Mexican National Champ, so Isa, always looking to make a quick peso, lays a bet on the monkey.

Trucho gets the first hit and flattens Monita.

Mau arrives home to find his favorite cousin hanging with the kiddies. Xime tells him she's just given her husband the boot, they are getting a divorce, and she's starting chapter four which is the family chapter. Apparently Ximena's been getting good advice from the psychologist in residence, Dany.

Mau's got a check for Xime, remember when she sold her stock and loaned him the money? This is the payback with interest and Xime tries to decide how to spend it. How about giving it to Dany for her therapy sessions? Uh, no, Mau won't hear of it. OK then, she'll simply have to tear up the check. She starts to rip and..."just kidding" she giggles with her pixie grin.

Isa helps Monita to her feet only so she can yell at her for losing her 3K pesos. Let me guess, her mother's milk was acetone. Our little monkey's not about to be bested by the hulk so she challenges Trucho once again. She even gets in a few good jabs to his stomach and face, unfortunately he acts like a mosquito was bothering him.

Meanwhile Isa paces her room calling her daughter an estupida. Think Isa, think, where's the nearest bank? She calls the bank of Marcos and tells him if he wants to to see his daughter he'll deposit three million pesos into her account, if not he'll never see Moni again.

Trucho taunts Moni by telling her to give it up and give him a kiss so he can check out her moves in bed. She gives him one in the kisser all right, also in the nuts, the chin, the stomach, and a couple to the face. He drops like big gigantic sack of potatoes and the fickle crowd cheers their new champion, Mo-ni-ta, Mo-ni-ta, Mo-ni-ta!

Moni happily bursts into their hotel room shows mommy dearest her fistful of pesos. She won! See mom, you don't have to worry about money because your little monkey's going to win a lot more.

Back home Marcos skids into Mau's house ecstatically waving his cell phone. He heard from Isa and she promises not to hurt Moni if he will deposit 3 million pesos into her account. So why is he so happy? Because she made a grave error, the number she called from was stored in his phone and he traced it back to a hotel in Pachuca, they must be there!

The sun rises and it's another day. Mau's a bit miffed at Beto because they got a flat tire on the way and Beto wouldn't let Mau drive, thus losing valuable time. Mau suggests they go into the cantina first, no not for a chelada (poor Beto, so denied) but to see if anyone has seen Moni. And which cantina are they in? Why it's the very one where Moni won her match, que sorpresa! The owner tells them all about the little lady who beat up their doleful champ the day before. They snap their fingers...Monita!!

However the trail gets cold at their hotel. The soul brothers are discouraged to hear that their beloved monkey and her asp of a mama left town early that morning.

Over at the hood Coni is not at all pleased to see Nieves escorting their newest houseguest to the table. It's Don Cesar who is under the weather as evidenced by his flattened hair. He buries his head in Nieves' ample bosom and sighs that with her care he'll get better. Ay!! He sees Coni and shrieks...but not as loudly as Coni does. Her protests fall on deaf ears. Nieves demands that Coni quit lazing about and get back to her chores.

Now we've got Luisa taking advantage of her daddy's absence. She visits Andres to tell him that nobody understand her like he does. (Oh lordy, did that tired phrase ever sound fresh to me? I suppose so...a million years ago.) She announces that she intends to be his girlfriend no matter what her father says. I kind of feel sorry for the poor little schmuck. The sucker seals it with a pucker.

Marcos is bummed to hear the news about Moni but he urges the soul brothers to ask around town while he attends to urgent business at home. Since he's standing in the vecindad I guess we know what his business is. Coni trots up, a survivor of the worst experience of her life, a visit to the fish market. Ugh, the pushing, the nacos, the smell! And for what? So Don Cesar can have his Pescado de Ajillo ! Marcos blows a fuse when he finds out about Nieves' latest project. Nieves comes out, calls Coni a layabout (fodonga), which causes Coni to dump the fish on the ground, which causes Marcos to slip on the fish and fall flat on his back on the tiles. Oh my, Nieves is going to have her hands full!


Let's join a gab session between Xime and Estrella. Xime brags that she's on her own and happy about it. Estre's solo too because her little cub is leaving the country to continue his studies, but she's a bit more pensive. However at least she's getting some work. Xime wants to work too, maybe she'll invent something, or open a club called Maraviguau! Or wait, she has an idea but can't catch it, she grabs the air a couple of times but oops, it's gone. Oh wait it's back! They can partner up and open a fashionable restaurant bar of VIP megafashion where Estre can do standup comedy. Estre says they can call that place Maraviguau. "Hey what a great idea!" exclaims Xime. They shake on it.

Back at Nieves' Nursing Facility the two invalids begrudgingly share a bed. Marcos wants to go rehab in his presidential suite. Don Cesar seconds the motion but Nieves stands firm, arms akimbo, Marcos is staying right where he is so she can attend them both. Um, she's sporting two frogs on her head and one hanging from each ear. Sana sana colito de rana...one frog for each invalid.

The soul brothers find out from the bar owner that Isa and Moni are on their way to the town of Guasca for another fight. Now we have a montage of them looking for, and just missing, Monita in various bars having beaten various hunks. Meanwhile Xime and Rolu sign their divorce papers, Xime and Estre design and build their new business, more fights, more Moni victories, more victims, more money for Isa. In fact Isa seems truly interested in her daughter (the cash cow) for the first time in her life. I guess she never got the money from Marcos.

The montage ends with Luisa stomping and Aldo chomping. In summary, "I'm sick of you and dad not allowing me to see who I want!" "I'm your big brother and I can tell you what to do." "Is it OK if I go out with my girlfriends then?" "Duh, OK go." Dude, are you on drugs again?

Moni and Isa end up at some bar where the smarmily gracious owner welcomes her and kindly tells her she's going to be beaten for the first time. A huge Lurch-looking guy stands up, "Monita, meet The Monster." Caras impactadas de Isa and Moni.

The Monster snarls at her and our spunky monkey snaps her fingers and tells him she's beaten bigger men than him. The bigger they are the harder they fall. Another monster snarl and even Isa looks a little worried. As they leave for a bit of a rest before tonight's sold-out fight she leans over and challenges, "See you tonight...Monster." Dang, who says dolls don't have balls.

Xime, Estre and Lalu are in their decorating element. Lalu can't believe that these two single women aren't already lined up at the buffet of muscular workmen who are so eagerly trying to please the new owners. Ximena, in another acting tour-de-force, describes how the similarities of the workers to the two hermanos Klunder is making her positively schizophrenic. First one looks like Arnie with his little lamb curls. Then another one has a cute behind that's exactly like Rolu's. But wait, now it's Lalu's turn for a surprise. He run over and grabs lamby curls and buttkin and it's none other that Arni and Rolu who have agreed to work for free to help Xime out! They all grin and Xime admits this makes her very happy. She draws a little heart in the air and makes it beat with her hand.

Let's leave this exquisite silliness for a moment and join Gabi and Sal for some grown-up time. They are discussing the new restaurant bar with the goofy name and Sal tells Gabi he's reserved it this weekend for...their wedding. By the end of the weekend she'll be Senora Ulloa. Finally! (I hope. Where's Loriloca?)

Our galan and his soul brother seem to have finally caught up with Monita. The bar owner and his pal Monster tell Mau and Beto (whom they believe to be fight promoters) that Moni is staying at Pension Cuca Ruices just on the corner.

Tonight is the inaugural opening of Marviguau! Estre and Xime greet their first guests, Luisa and her beau Andres. The kids immediately start making out and of course Aldo arrives, sees his lying sis and wants to rumble. Esterella holds him back.

Xime summons the hermanos Klunder and they trip all over themselves running to their mistress. Rolu pleads his case, he signed the divorce papers but he'll scream a thousand times in front of the priest I DO! Arnie pleads his case. Xime probably wonders why should she decide and end this delicious attention? Well she can't decide because right now she has to give all her attention to Marviguau. It's either the club or them and she chooses the club, but she's certain that she really loves one of them and soon, very soon she'll decide which ONE of them is her true love. OOps, she forgot to say three things but she's just too busy.

Mau and Beto arrive at the pension and ask if they can come in. No way says the stern Duena, this is a pension for women only! They try to tell her it's important but she shuts the door in their faces. Beto has an idea...

Inside the grounds Isa tells Moni she doesn't feel well but no more doctors or hospitals. Moni tells her mommy dearest that this time they have spent together has been the best ever. Isa leaves to rest awhile and Moni thought bubbles about hapier times with Mau.

One of the lady guests runs over to Dona Cukita to excitedly tell her two classy ladies want to rent a room. Cukita agrees to meet them and the lovely young ladies enter. OMG, I guessed it was coming but it's still hilarious. Mau and Beto in drag (and looking extremely good I might add), sashay into the grounds. Beto hides behind a feminine fan and Mau casually glances around, looking for his Monita.

Manana: Mau wants to kill andres, Mau wants to fight Monita, Mau wants to kiss Monita, bar fight!!

Sana, Sana
This rhyme is said to have magical healing power. Parents gently rub or tap their fingers over a cut, bruise, or other injury in a circular motion, repeating the rhyme, and the injured child quickly feels better. "Sana" means heal. This song is in De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.

Sana, sana,
colita de rana,
Si no sanas hoy,
sanaras mañana.

Heal, heal,
little tail of the frog,
If you don't heal today,
you'll heal tomorrow.

Labels: gancho