Caray, Caray!

Tonight, Karyme Lozano and Elsa Pataky are "Ana y Paula, Ultrajadas" (Ana and Paula, outraged).

People are arriving to some kind of event. Gerardo and Det. Capellan are attending. Poor Gerardo in his tie. So uncomfortable compared to scrubs. He comments to Capellan that he can tell you exactly when, how, and where someone died, just by looking, "but don't ask me to wear a suit!" It's a damn ugly tie, too, orange striped. Dude needs to spend more time around live people. In the background, Ana and Paula are greeting people. Capellan says everyone's there. Aranda and Moran show up, arm in arm. Aranda's looking hot in a green satin-y number, with her curls all bouncy. Can I hate her now? Moran blames their lateness on a problem with "manifestos" (the tickets?). Aranda and Moran are upstairs, Capellan and Gerardo, downstairs. Everyone goes to their seats.

A tenor delivers an aria. An older guy smoking a cigar climbs a ladder to the catwalk. He's followed by Paula's shoes, if I recognize them correctly. The aria continues. The cigar guy is enjoying it. Capellan looks like she's falling asleep. Gerardo just looks like he can't see the appeal. Cigar guy drops from the catwalk onto the stage at the end of a rope. No, not like Tarzan. The rope is around his neck. Most of the audience goes running, but Capellan and Gerardo don't. The tenor just stands there gaping at the body. Sounds like DIEM's kind of night at the opera.

Nope, Gloria, no open wounds this time around, but let the crazy drama flow, fo' sho'!

Flashback: Paula packs books into a box while drinking some red, red wine. Ana comes in. She has some news, but Paula asks her to wait so she can go get another glass for the wine. Paula clinks the glasses and toasts to Madrid. Ana announces that she got offered the job--national director of theaters. She hasn't answered yet, but it's a great opportunity for her. Paula makes a fuss about it being a bureaucratic job and about Ana not liking Juan Enrique. Ana agrees neither one likes the other, but she doesn't have another option. Ana tries to convince Paula it's a good move. "You can work here too, you can keep designing. Half a day of work, half a day for our projects!" Paula says "their" project was supposed to be going to Madrid. Ana goes back to it being a good opportunity. There seems to be some discontentment because Paula has some good stuff waiting for her in Madrid, but all of Ana's clout is in Mexico. Paula wonders if they're breaking up. Ana gulps down some wine.

Present: The body's still hanging around. Capellan is offering her help to the other cops who have shown up. Gerardo's reputation precedes him and Capitan Guerrero is impressed. Aranda and Moran join everyone on stage. Ana comes over and introduces herself as the set designer and the person in charge. Capitan Guerrero asks her to help them get the body down. He directs them where to lower it.

Capellan goes over and introduces herself to the tenor, James Kendall, and Paula. Kendall and Paula are talking in English, but he assures Capellan that he speaks Spanish perfectly. Paula, sporting a cut lip, introduces herself as the costume designer and asks if Mr. Kendall can be excused. Capellan is practically giddy as she says he can't leave, it's going to be a long night, but he's free to rest in his dressing room. He leaves and Paula asks what's next. "The medical examiner will have to determine the cause of death." My guess--a broken neck from hanging. Too obvious? Paula asks if people can go rest. Capellan asks Paula if she thinks it was an accidental death. Ana comes over and says she thought DIEM only worked on cases to do with women. "Well, sometimes we have to help out our peeps." She walks off and Ana and Paula look nervously at each other. Ana shushes Paula when she starts to say something. She hugs her. Capellan's radar goes off and she turns around to look at them.

Flashback: Ana is discussing the set design as some techs work on building it. Paula is sitting down in the audience sketching. The future deceased, Juan Enrique, comes up to Paula and gooses her from behind. She seems happy to see him and shows him what she's working on--a costume in the Baroque style, but with a modern touch. He loves it, but he reminds her that James Kendall is really short, like all tenors. "Countertenor," she corrects him. Juan Enrique jokes, "are you sure he doesn't have his hm hm cut off?" Paula says that's a castrato, silly. Juan Enrique says you never know. Ana comes up to say hi. She and Juan Enrique can't stand each other. Know how I know? Because their smiles get about 10 times bigger. Ana comments they're behind. Juan Enrique says it's no big, it'll be a few days before they need it to be ready. He goes to check out the stage and calls back that they'll talk later. Ana gripes that she can't stand the guy. Paula reminds her she's the one who wants to take the job. Ana is pissed off that Paula even likes him, but Paula says she more than likes him, she respects and admires him. Ana indirectly insults Paula's work by saying Juan Enrique is just a wasted old guy with a beer belly. Paula goes over to kiss him and tells him he gets more handsome every day. Looks like he took that seriously.

Paula and Juan Enrique talk colors and fabrics. Paula has worked with Kendall before, in London and Barcelona. JE asks how it's going with Ana. "I heard you're not too happy with her new job." "Well, it's what's best for her." She tries to show him some other drawings, but he brushes that off and says that sometimes life surprises you and you have to seize opportunities. Paula says "we had other plans." This cracks JE up. "You can't spend your life making plans. If you make plans you don't see what's in front of you. You ignore feelings." He's getting a bit handsy. Ana comes knocking and tells Paula she needs her. The gals leave and JE frowns.

Present: Gerardo says he needs to get the body back to the lab, but he's going to say the guy died from two stab wounds to the liver, and he definitely didn't die from asphyxia. Oh, I was mistaken about no blood this time around.

Flashback: JE reviews a list with a tech. Guys are moving in set decorations. Paula is on her way to take the fabrics to someone, but JE convinces her he needs to show her something. He takes her up onto the catwalk and tells her the best place to see a show is up there. He apologizes for the other day. Paula says she doesn't know what's happening with her lately. She starts crying and JE hugs her. He starts to kiss her, but she backs off. JE tells her that from up there, he feels like God, like he's bringing the actors to life, but then after the show it's all over. JE tells her he's really into her, he can't help himself. Paula hugs him.

Ana and the tech guy work on the lights. They're looking up and they see Paula and JE on the catwalk. It looks ambiguous, like they could be kissing, but she doesn't seem upset, even though the tech ribs her about it. Ana calls Paula to come down because James Kendall has arrived.

Ana and Paula greet James. JE comes up and does some bad Shakespeare, in English. Ana gripes at Paula. JE insinuates that after the hugs from Ana and Paula, James will be singing with hm, hm. James agrees he will be doing so, and offers his arm to Paula. I think the joke here is that JE didn't realize that James is bilingual and understood his crappy innuendo. Ana goes back to keep working on the set. JE announces it's "whisky time!"

Present: Guerrero, Gerardo, and Moran are up on the catwalk. Guerrero assures Gerardo that it's the safest place in the theater. Um, sure, if you're not a dirty old man who hits on lesbians. Guerrero thinks whoever did this was good with knots. And also good with the stage mechanics. They knew where to attach the rope so the whole set wouldn't come crashing down. Gerardo points out the cigar to Moran, who picks it up. They notice the lipstick and Moran surmises that even if it is JE's cigar, he wasn’t the only one who smoked it.

Flashback: Paula does a fitting with James. She tells James that JE smokes his cigars up on the catwalk on opening night. James finds this "curious." He asks how it's going with Ana. Paula says it's fine. James likes the costume. It's only missing a collar, which Paula adds.

Ana sees JE at an outdoor café, having a whisky. He asks her to sit down. He talked to the Secretary of Culture yesterday and he's in agreement with Ana's nomination. Ana says she respects him as an artist and all that, and she hates to say it, but "don't mess with Paula." JE says Paula's old enough to take care of herself, and besides, "What she really needs, according to nature, is a man." He tells her to get that look off her face, they have to work together. "What for," she asks, " so I can do all the work while you get drunk and take all the credit?" She tells him to shove it.

James asks Paula when they're going to Madrid. "The production starts in two months, doesn't it?" Paula says Ana's had another offer, so they'll see. Paula's pretty close to him, since she was standing behind him tying his cape on. She tells him he can wear the costume for the rehearsal if he wants to. JE comes in. James puts on his helmet and asks JE what he thinks. He goes off to rehearse. JE tells Paula he thinks he made a mistake. He wonders if Ana deserves the sacrifice Paula is making. Paula tells him it's not important. "Your artistic future isn't important?" JE tells her he's been in this situation before. "You know what, let's toast!" Paula tries to beg off, but he talks her into it. Before she walks out, she fusses with her hair.

They drink to friends. He insists she drink it all and refills her glass. They toast to Madrid. She chugs the whisky. He pours her a third. They toast to him, to making her laugh. He toasts to her eyes. He toasts to people who come to the opera. They keep getting blurrier. She giggles and says she's drunk. He spouts some poetic crap about ships or something. They end up on a couch. She finally says she needs to go back to work. He convinces her to stay and rest. He kisses her and she pushes him off. He ends up hitting her. She knocks over a costume trying to get away from him, but I think we are to assume that he rapes her.

Back at her place, she runs a shower. Her face is pretty well bloodied up. She gets into the shower and cries. She ends up huddled in the tub. Ana finds her there. She asks who hit her, what happened. Paula lies and says she didn't see who did it. It was in the parking lot. They took her wallet. Paula doesn't want to go to the cops. Ana tries to insist, but Paula is too upset. Ana relents. She helps Paula out of the tub.

James can't believe it when Ana tells him. Ana says she's here to protect Paula, but James points out that she's been very angry with Paula lately. Ana insists she's just worried, that's all. James says she should take care of Paula, then, because Paula's scared.

Paula lies on the couch and lets her phone ring. Ana comes in and asks why Paula hasn't been there in two days. Ana asks how Paula is doing, if she wants someone to help her finish the costumes. Paula says she wants to go to Madrid, I think. Ana says she's been thinking and she doesn't think taking the job is an option. Paula wants to leave now, but Ana says it's only another week to the opening. Paula's phone starts ringing again. Ana asks her if she's eaten, if she should fix her something. "I understand you're scared because of the assault, but you can't stay locked up in here your whole life. Why won't you tell me who it was." Ana tells her to answer her phone. She goes to fish the phone out of Paula's purse, but she finds Paula's wallet. "Didn't you tell me they took your wallet in the parking lot? It wasn't a robbery, right? Talk. What's going on?" Paula tells her it was JE. "He hit you?" Paula says he came into the studio and tried to…. Paula finally says he raped her. Ana is shocked. Paula repeats it. Ana hugs her.

Rehearsal. Chaos. James looks like a girl with those curls, even with his package on prominent display in tights. JE shows up at rehearsal. James comments to the accompanist that things like this don't happen in England. I suppose he means the chaos. JE starts giving orders. James tells JE that he doesn't know where he's going in his scene. "We haven't even talked about my character." "Your character's a fool who repeats the same phrases. Just trust me, I'm the director." JE announces that he's been named Director of the National Theater Company and he's been asked to choose an assistant director. He's chosen a woman with the talent to do it--Paula Moncada. Paula and Ana are both shocked. Ana whispers to Paula, "He raped you. Say something. Let him know you know what kind of monster he is. Oh, but that wouldn't be convenient, would it?" Ana walks off and people start coming up to congratulate Paula.

Present: In one of the boxes, Aranda interviews James. "You do understand that I was either on stage singing or I killed someone?" Aranda says that's clear. What she wants to know is if he saw anything odd in the last few days. James looks down. He finally says he did hear something that maybe he ought to tell her.

Aranda uses her cell phone walkie to tell Capellan that James just gave some important information.

Gerardo and Guerrero come down from the catwalk. Capellan announces to them that Juan Enrique raped Paula, according to James' testimony. Gerardo remembers her as the costumer. He reminds them that there were two stabs directly to the liver. "Do you think it could be…?" "Dressmakers' shears?" finishes Capellan.

Moran takes pictures in Paula's studio. He finds a pair of scissors.

Aranda runs some fingerprints.

Moran swabs the scissors.

Capellan asks Paula what happened between her and Juan Enrique. Before she can answer, Moran walks in and announces that they've gotten results from the lab. That was quick! "The blood on the scissors is the victim's." He leaves. Guerrero is sitting in on the interview. Capellan asks who hit her in the mouth. Was it Juan Enrique? What happened? Paula says they were drinking and he misunderstood. "I told him I didn't want to, to stop, but he kept going. I didn't want to, but I had to." Capellan says she couldn't have done it alone. "Why?" Gerardo says that JE weighs twice what she does. "Or could you have thrown him?" "But he fell." Guerrero asks her if she knows how to knot a rope. She admits she doesn't. "Then you couldn't have done it alone," says Capellan, "Who helped you?" Paula just repeats the she killed him.

The tech guy tells Aranda that yeah, he didn't like JE, and he did like Paula. He says he could have carried him, he's carried heavier stuff, but sorry, he didn't kill him. Aranda asks if he can prove it. He says during the production he directs everything from his radio, but he has to be on ground level. We see a brief flashback to JE's untimely exit, er, entrance, whichever, and the tech guy was in the wings talking to somebody. "Then could it have been a scene shifter?" The guy says they don't have any changes of set. "The catwalk was empty, except for Elizondo, who went up there to smoke." He's pretty sure of it.

Guerrero and Capellan go over a list of names. Guerrero says he's sure someone was up there. "Someone Paula is trying to cover for," says Capellan as she underlines Ana's name. Flashback to Ana saying DIEM only does cases to do with women and then hugging Paula.

Flashback: JE is writing a check. Ana wants to talk to him, but he says the decision has been made. "What did you do to Paula?" They get into a fight. He decides to answer the question by giving her a demonstration. She manages to knee him in the groin and get away.

Ana comes home and finds Paula in bed. She holds her and asks her to forgive her. The both cry. Paula sees Ana's face and starts getting upset, but Ana tells her nothing happened. Ana apologizes again. Paula asks what they're going to do. Ana says she knows.

Present: Capellan confronts Paula and Ana. "If Paula didn't want to make a report, despite your insistence, why didn't you do it? Why did you do this?" Ana says her only responsibility is to the person she loves. The rest doesn't exist. Paula says they were tired of being victims.

James stands on stage and takes a deep breath before beginning his aria. JE climbs the ladder with his cigar. James starts singing. JE lights up. Paula climbs the ladder. Ana prepares the noose. James sings on. Paula sneaks up on JE with scissors in hand. Ana comes from the other side of the catwalk. JE doesn't even notice. Paula approaches. She takes the cigar and takes a puff. She grabs JE and whispers to him that she can't get him out of her mind. He takes this the wrong way. She stabs him in the back with the scissors and Ana puts the noose around his neck. They manage to shove him off the catwalk. The butterfly flies away and Ana walks Paula off to the end of the catwalk.

"Ana Beltran and Paula Moncada were tried for murder in conspiracy with premeditation and gain. The rape suffered by Paula and the attempted rape of Ana were not elements that could be taken into account as extenuating circumstances because as there was no report, the events could not be proved. Both were condemned to 20 years in prison."

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