Caray, Caray!

Episode 103

With only a penetrating pair of eyes revealed by a shawl in the dark cell, Juan happily embraces the woman he thinks to be Regina. But when she springs back and the shawl falls away, it's the red-haired Aimee instead. "Of course - who else? Regina? she spits out derisively. Who else but Aimee would come, against all obstacles! You don't know how difficult it was to get this far.

The grimy, sweaty prisoner, Juan stares at her, stone faced, as she lowers her voice and tone. Who else but me, Juan? she whispers. Your Aimee, she emphasizes, reaching to touch Juan; but he jerks away. The one who loves you with all her heart, she continues; I love you, Juan! she vows. And Juan looks downcast.

On the bluffs where Griselda met her death, Fulgencio now retains his knife point at Servando's throat. The gypsy swearing on his mother that he knows nothing fails to impress Fulgencio, who insists that Servando would sell his own soul to the devil.

When Servando points out he can't investigate the identity of a possible assassin if he's dead, Fulgencio relents -- but expects results. If Servando discovers the secret enemy, he will be well paid, Fulgencio promises.

With Brigitte gone, they are short-staffed at the casino; and when Lulu pines to go directly to Remigio and reveal the truth to him now that he has returned, Phillip insists they need her there. Fifi points out she can go first thing in the morning, and Lulu intends to.

At Dr. Pablo's, he reveals to Remigio a promise made to Juan to take Remigio to see Lulu, if Juan could not do it himself. Remigio can hardly believe he'll finally be able to see her; and in her rooms at the casino, preparing herself for work, Lulu luxuriates in a bubbly bath, thinking of him.

Alone in his office, Noel mulls over Salma's situation: if she is not Mariela's daughter, then she at least knows who the real one is, he concludes. This girl must tell us the truth, he is thinking, when with a start he realizes he is due at the casino and prepares to leave. Just then there is a knock at the office door, and Noel is overjoyed to greet Regina with Renato.

Back at Pablo's, the doctor has managed to squeeze Remigio into a tuxedo for their casino visit, and he insists Remigio looks a perfect gentleman; but Remigio remains doubtful and very uncomfortable. His shoes are killing him, and as he exits rocking slightly side to side in his black and white costume, the soundtrack plays what seem to be penguin calls.

Finishing her bath, Lulu dutifully dons the uniform of her trade: black lace stockings, corset, black-ribbon garter, feather bonnet and crinoline dance skirt. With a melancholy gaze at the mirror, she wistfully imagines telling Remigio the truth, wishing he'll forgive her. He's her only hope for escaping this life; and if he agrees, she thinks happily, she'll marry him right away.

Later downstairs in the cloak room, Pablo chuckles when Remigio swears he can't imagine having to dance in those shoes that are destroying his toes. Inside, a drunken customer gives Lulu a hard time. He cajoles her that she's not very nice to him, despite him being a big roller; he promises big tips, shouts her name "Lulu" out loud over the din so everyone can hear.

Remigio and Pablo are just rounding the landing, when the old goat plants a big kiss on Lulu. Remigio can't miss the scene and is stunned, staring. When Lulu can come up for air, she spies Remigio immediately; and her mouth drops open in abject horror. "Malu," he says to himself and turns, escaping. "Remigio!" she rejoins, running after him, with Fifi and Phillip coming up the rear.

At Noel's office, he's still enjoying the pleasant shock of seeing Regina again. When he assumes she'll want to rest up at home, Renato informs him she refuses to go to the farm. Regina insists she wants to stay in port and has no desire to see either her father or godmother. She's not up for criticisms or sermons; her only worry at that moment is Juan!

When Noel is confused at her worry for Juan, Renato explains Regina insists on seeing Juan at the prison even at this hour of the night, and Noel is astonished. Regina has her rights as his spouse, she maintains. Renato can hardly believe she's sticking to that jerk after all the trouble he went to to save her, but Regina defends Juan and prohibits Renato from insulting him anymore.

The only thing she's interested in, Renato tells his father, is seeing Juan right away; please tell her it's impossible at the moment! he begs. And a criminal like Juan doesn't deserve to be visited! Noel does agree that they need more than the sheriff's authority; but when Regina pleads that she'll go on bended knee before the sheriff, Noel looks perplexed.

He points out that she left there with Juan without loving him, but returns speaking of him as her husband. What changed in you? Noel asks her. Regina turns to Renato and reminds him that he made her marry Juan; and now in the eyes of the church, they are together until death do them part. It's her right and obligation to see Juan! she begs.

Pablo catches up with a furious and wounded Remigio in the casino foyer, which becomes crowded in a hurry, as Lulu et al arrive, too. Remigio is just shouting that Malu is no cook for the casino; she's a ....! when Lulu pulls up next to him, weeping and begging to let her explain. But he cuts her off. Everything is clear, he says: she was just putting one over on some poor working stiff, who fell hopelessly in love with her.

Lulu pitifully croaks out that she does love him. Oh, yeah, Remigio mocks; you love me, gesturing into the casino, as much or even more than those guys you "entertain." Looking her in the eyes, he bites out in a low growl that she has no shame. He's about to say, you're a... when Pablo interrupts and halts him, warning he might say something he'll regret.

But the only thing Remigio regrets is ever pinning his hopes on this woman! Phillip gasps My God! in the background. Lulu tearfully begs Remigio to believe she was going to tell him the truth; but Remigio wants to know when she was going to do that -- after they were married? On their wedding night, she perhaps intended to mention that she had a surprise for him?

Such as "My real name is Lulu, and I belonged to a lot of men before you!" Lulu is horrified and smacks Remigio across the face, shouting Shut up! and pleading that he not humiliate her that way. But he grabs her wrist and spits out that she has humiliated him! And he never wants to see her ever in his life again! Don't seek him out! Remigio tells her as he cruelly pushes her away and exits the casino, with Lulu crying after him.

At Noel's office, he is surprised by Regina's resolve, and he's going to help her see Juan, which news delights and relieves her. Renato thought his father would help Renato himself; but Noel regretfully ceased doing that after Renato went to apprehend Juan, Noel says. If Regina is so determined, that clearly shows him that Juan treated her well, Noel concludes.

And Regina agrees; he treated her like a queen. With a faraway look, she remembers how he transformed her hatred into love. Juan is a good man! she effuses to Noel. And shyly she explains that she fell in love with this wounded man, persecuted since childhood.

She pleads that he already knows that despite all his suffering, Juan still retains a pure and generous heart. Renato can't believe his ears, but Regina's words relieve Noel. He had thought Juan had completely changed and intended to avenge himself on her; but he's happy to see that did not happen, Noel says. When Noel adds his belief that Juan is innocent, Renato has had enough and shouts, That's it!

Juan doesn't need you to defend him, too! His wife is enough. Noel relents and agrees not to argue the point with his son anymore; and when he and Regina rush off to the jail, Renato insists on accompanying them, whether Regina wants it or not. He didn't come all this way just to abandon her when she most needs him, he says; but agrees to let Regina see Juan alone.

Remigio rushes up to the beach shack, ripping his tuxedo jacket off. Dropping onto a seat in his stark white shirt, white tie and white waistcoat, he stares into space, dwelling on Lulu's deceit. She deceived me, he moans, lips quivering and beginning to cry.

She was only toying with me! He glances down and pulls the stopper out of a rum bottle with a pop, then lays his head back and turns it all the way upside down in his mouth, downing big drafts with a sputter. Malu! he cries, piteously, looking heavenward.

Back at the casino upstairs, Phillip tries to comfort Lulu, but she's sure she has lost Remigio now. He'll never forgive her. Phillip kneels and gently reminds her she never told Remigio the truth and now he'll never believe her. Fifi joins in to point out she warned her were Lulu not frank, instead of a happy life she could wind up in a tragedy. Lulu can only cry, "I've lost him, I've lost him!"

At the sheriff's office, he insists to Noel that he can't go against the orders of his superiors: Juan gets no visitors without special permission of a judge. He understands Juan's wife should have every right to see him. The sheriff surprisingly levels with Noel and admits that although Noel might doubt it, the sheriff respects Noel.

Despite that he can't let it get back to his superiors that he violated their orders. Noel tries a different tack and appeals to the sheriff, for the first time in his life to rise to the occasion and do the right thing. The sheriff also is a man of honor, Noel maintains. Something must click in the sheriff, because he draws Noel near to him to explain what they must do.

The next thing we see are two guards in the jail, coming to relieve the standing one. Back in a dark hallway, Noel, Regina and Renato skulk off to the side, waiting. Noel explains they must be careful, that the sheriff gave him a key to use during the changing of the guard. Suddenly, the sheriff appears and pulls all the guards away and takes them off with him somewhere, perhaps as if to brief or debrief them. Noel et al make their move out of the shadows.

At the beach shack, a miserable Remigio continues drinking and torturing himself with sweet memories of meetings with "Malu" that led to their love and betrothal. Then remembering what horrible sights he saw at the casino, Remigio decides how right Juan has been -- that there's nothing worse than betrayal. Gulping more rum, he begins to say that without her, he'd rather... but trails off and turns to reach out to the little devotional niche, where he sadly eventually finds no solace and turns away again in dejection.

In Juan's jail cell, he demands of Aimee where Regina is and whether Regina sent Aimee there. Aimee neither knows nor cares and denies anybody tells her what to do. Except him, she vows. She came there for him! She's on his side, she says, and claims she doesn't want to be a part of this plot her family hatched against him!

He won't let her touch him and can't believe that she loves him, despite her protestations. Without him, nothing is the same, she claims. Meanwhile, outside the prison waiting in the carriage, Celia notices with a start that a carriage in front of them belongs to Renato and worries Renato may discover Aimee there. She decides to just have the driver turn around and wait and see what happens.

Pablo and Gabriel encounter the boyz on the beach, and Pablo explains the rough situation at the casino, asking if they've seen Remigio. Pablo is afraid Remigio's going to do something crazy, and this worries the boyz. They embark on a search for him.

In the jail, when Aimee begs Juan not to abandon her, he throws back in her face that it were she who abandoned him, throttling her with hands around her neck as best he could in manacles. Aimee admits she lied, but tearfully pleads that it was because she feared Renato for her life. She claims she truly loves Juan, and when Juan points out she married Renato instead, Aimee reminds Juan he discarded her as his enemy and didn't want to see her anymore.

Doesn't he remember?! she screams at him. Juan looks a little abashed. Aimee swears she doesn't know why, but he's like a dagger in her heart, a poison! If he only knew how she cried in regret for not leaving with him! Poor Juan looks confused, shaking his head. She knows she was wrong and deserves his hatred, Aimee says. Despite all that, she came to tell him that she loves him and can't live without him.

Rushing to hang on him and gaze into Juan's eyes, Aimee declares she'd rather die than lose him! When all Juan can think of to say is, And what about Regina? Where is Regina? Aimee looks like she wants to kill. Out in the hallway, the three skulkers draw nearer to Juan's cell. Renato tries to insinuate himself into Regina's visit.

Back in the jail cell, Juan angrily demands to know whether Regina is tied up in some plot involving the letter that revealed the Luzbel's location; but Aimee neither knows nor cares about that. Doesn't Juan care that Aimee is there for him? she shouts at him. Juan gives Aimee shake and growls he is only interested in where Regina is and if she's with Renato!

Up on the bluffs high above the ocean, a rum-muddled and inconsolable Remigio asks the night sky why Malu betrayed him -- why she toyed with him. Down in the beach shack Pablo, Gabriel and the boyz find the empty rum bottle and note that Remigio never drinks and is probably going to do something crazy. They search and find him on the cliffs and try to talk him back from the edge; but Remigio is determined.

The only thing he wants is to die, he says. He repeats that now he understands Juan and knows how betrayal can hurt. Remigio steps back off the cliff and falls down, down into the ocean, where all that can be seen is his stark white sleeve and cuff link in the inky water. His friends search for him along the shore in a boat.

In Juan's cell, Aimee explains that all she knows is Renato changed completely after he saw a letter from Regina. When Aimee asks if Regina wanted to get back at him for torturing her, Juan of course denies anything like that happened. In truth, Regina never hurt him at all; it's Aimee who's the liar. Regina is only a victim, Juan concludes, of Aimee's evil and intrigue. And of the selfishness and jealousy of Renato.

Aimee is laughing at him, claiming that for someone who is supposed to be such a savage, he's as naive as a newborn. The only victims here are the two of them, Aimee says. Victims of Regina and Renato. Outside in the hallway, Noel has had it with Renato and forbids him to go into the cell with Regina; Renato promised he'd let her see Juan alone, and he relents. So off Regina goes, inching down the dark hallway.

Remigio's friends in the boat finally discover him, clinging unconscious to a chunk of driftwood. But there's worse: they see a shark fin slicing through the dark water on it's way toward their unsuspecting friend. The friends are beside themselves with fear and screaming in terror for him. In only a moment the shark slams into Remigio, who awakens in shock and pain. There's blood on the water; lots of blood.

In Juan's jail cell, he's the one laughing at Aimee calling herself a victim. But she means both of them. Think about it; he's in jail as a fugitive from the law. Renato's been determined to convict Juan since he discovered from Regina's diary that she was in love with Renato, Aimee explains. Page after page about the ENORMOUS love she has for Renato, Aimee demonstrates by waiving both arms around in the air.

Juan doesn't think Regina loves Renato anymore, he says. Aimee's not so sure and alleges Regina sent Renato after Juan. She doesn't love him, Juan repeats. Does...not...love.. him. Well, Renato is definitely interested in Regina, Aimee says, and wants to get rid of herself. Whatever Juan says in court about their past together is going to hurt her; so he has to keep quiet, Aimee insists.

If he doesn't, they're going to throw the book at him for smuggling and piracy. If he doesn't cause a scandal, Aimee will fix it so that the family and Renato -- especially Renato -- leave him alone, she claims. It's she who can save him, if he keeps quiet. She can save him, because she loves him; she'll always love him.

She's his forever, like he is hers. Nobody can tear him out of her heart. Outside we can see Regina approaching Juan's cell door, just as Aimee sidles up to Juan and begins to give him a kiss to convince him. Juan pushes Aimee away, but only after lingering a moment, and the damage is done. Regina weeps silently, looking on.

Labels: salvaje