Caray, Caray!

Thanks Jean. You're a trooper for summarizing this episode. I think this was the most useless episode yet. I'm getting a headache from all the déjà vu. It's pretty bad when the only plot movement is (a) Dora learns Daniel is in Miami rather than the Keys, and (b) half a phone call.

I see now why Ramon reappeared in the previous episode: to let Dora know Daniel is still in town. But... seriously? Couldn't they have revealed this using a more central character? By the way, Ramon used to deliver food to Cristina's bar (remember when she owned a bar?), and he may have met Dora there. We might even have seen it; I don't remember.

Two things I liked: Enrique's theory that ghosts communicate through electronics. (I'm disappointed he and Rosa haven't had a séance.)

I also love the obvious fake photos in this show, and I enjoy Albieri's strange behavior around them. He lies about them, says he photoshopped them, says he'll make enlargements, whatever just give me back the photo! No touch!
 

Jean: thanks for excellent recap of what I can only call a flabby episode. Little Zamira provides one of the bright spots tonight. Rania is becoming a more complex character and I'm enjoying her more. Not her pointy nosed sister though. And I don't have much sympathy for Nati--she's making me cranky!
Joan
 

Nicely done, Jean! A few of my favorite lines:

*Hmm, since Abdul thinks all women are evil, the only righteous person is him!
(Abdul always was a misogynist; now he's moved into equal oppportunity misanthropy)

*No going to the scary drug barrio for Nati. She gets her drugs delivered to her house.
(This is interesting, though. Most people would want to keep the scuzzy dealer as far away from their real life as possible. I wonder if bringing this scene to her doorstep is going to have consequences...)
--------
The first time we heard Ali's speech about how much Jade would lose by going off with Lucas and how uncertain her future would be with him, his words hit home. Yes, I thought, it's true. Women in our culture are set up to be seduced -- and then abandoned -- by romantic love. But now, after seeing the violence done to Jade's spirit by her 'family' over the past twenty years, Ali's words sound hollow.
 

Thanks for your summary, Jean.

Cute shot of Nati and Alej. Unfortunately, their relationship in this novela is so frustrating.

Prinny
 

Thanks,all, for the nice comments.

I guess we have to assume that Dora has ordered out from Gloria's and Ramon has delivered enough times for him to know her (and Daniel) well enough to make a personal gossip delivery. Not that it takes much of an acquaintance for Ramon to gossip but still, he makes a special trip to Dora's house to impart the not-very-interesting information that Daniel was with a hottie.

I agree Novela Maven that the potential evil of love 'em and leave 'em Westerners is just as bad as the reality of Muslim women forced to stay in loveless and abusive relationships under threat of losing their children. Both systems are capable of abuse and not to recognize that is very hypocritical of Ali.
 

I felt so bad for Daniel last night. Albieri isn't being very fair to him (as far as hiding him from everyone and letting him live a normal, truthful life). I understand Albieri's trepidation, but... All of the lying and hiding isn't fair to Danny.

Anyone else feel bad for Danny?

Granted, in Albier's shoes, I'd be stressed out and clueless, too.
 

Thanks, Jean. Great summary and photos!

I'm not quite at the point in this one that I am in Soy tu Dueña; i.e., fast forwarding every scene that doesn't have Lucero, Sergio Goyri, or Fernando Colunga in it. But it IS repetitive.

I suppose, if you accept Said's obsessive love, then it kind of makes sense the way he keeps switching up. After she confessed to being with Lucas, he slapped her and told her she would never see Jadiya again and that she would stay in Morocco under Abdul's thumb, married to him, but not living with him. This was to keep her away from Lucas.

Then last night he's on again about love and second opportunities. He also said she wouldn't see Jadiya until they went to Fez. So I assume her daughter is meant to be with her during the month's wait for the sham wedding. The actor playing Said is doing a good job portraying these constantly shifting emotions.

Wow, Muslim men apparently have a whole different idea about weddings. In our culture the guy is in love and wants to marry the gal, but really doesn't like all the "Bridezilla" fuss about it. Zein only wants the big celebration, but not the bride. I have a strong feeling he's going to fall madly in love with Jade at first sight, just like Lucas and Said.

I've meant to say before that the actress playing Rania is truly gorgeous. And she is a sympathetic character.

I don't agree with Ali. He keeps doing the broken record (like everyone else in this novela does their own broken record) about Jade being in love with 20 year old Lucas. That's not the way the writers and actors have portrayed it. They seem as much in love now as they ever were. I don't see any evidence to back up Ali's theory.
 

Jean, thank you once again. If were not for the semi-recap and comments I would given up on this TN long ago. I do wish they could move on from the religious theme to something more interesting i.e. El Clon. Maybe the writers are smarter than I and will eventually weave these threads into a whole story.

Rosemary


Rosemary
 

That would be interesting if Zein did fall in love jade. If he does maybe he'll decide to help her.
And raina performing the incense ritual for a baby boy, that's peculiar.
Thank you for the summary.
KC
 

Erin: Interesting question about Daniel... His situation is infinitely sad. His strongest connection on this earth is to Albieri and as we all know, that's based on a lie. He does seem so alone in the universe. But his selfish and thoughtless behavior make him hard to like.

Novelera: I also think Zein is going to fall in love with Jade, but I'm hoping it will be a more altruistic, less obsessive love than his 'brother' Said's and it will make him want to help her find happiness, even if that happiness is with another man.
 

Yes, NovelaMaven, Zein's falling for Jade would jump start this novela.

Can you imagine the ruckus if Zein refuses to divorce Jade after the wedding? Said has been insanely jealous of Lucas, who has never had real "spousal rights" over Jade. Said knows they've "done the deed" but Lucas doesn't get to sleep with her night after night.

If Zein wants to stay married, Said would be sharpening up that curved short sword on a whetstone muy pronto.
 

Thanks very much, Jean. As others have already implied, you deserve a medal for having to say something interesting about this very uninteresting episode. Like NovelaMaven, I especially enjoyed your remarks about Abdul and about Nati getting her drugs delivered to her house. And, of course, as always I greatly appreciate your including some Spanish.

One of the few things I'm impressed with in this TN is Mauricio Ochmann's ability to play both the 40-ish Lucas and the 18-year-old Daniel. He's very convincing in both roles.

Novelera, I'm afraid I'm even further along than you as far as Soy Tu Dueña is concerned. The tired plot (borrowed from many earlier TNs), the absurd over-acting, the ultra high estupidez quotient, and the repetition have pretty much made me give up completely. Even Fernando Coluca's abs and smile finally weren't enough. The one TN I'm watching that continues to be interesting and even exciting is ¿Dónde Está Elisa?, which is now in its últimas semanas. Perhaps once that ends I may take another look at STuD, though perhaps I'll just enjoy having only one hour of estupidez each day to deal with (i.e., El Clon).

Novelera, I also agree with you that Ali is sounding like a broken record, and an unconvincing one, re Jade and Lucas. Actually, I think Jade IS in love with the 20-year-old Lucas, which is perhaps appropriate, since both she and Lucas seem to have the emotional maturity of--at best--a 20 year old. No, make that a 15 year old.

Morocco should be interesting. At least, I HOPE so! Jade will certainly get to meet Daniel, and Sein is something of a wild card. I think I'm looking forward to Daniel's going to Morocco even more than he is!
 

Oops, I guess the vision of the abs of TBLMOE distracted me enough to make me misspell his last name: I meant to type Colunga.
 

Erin: yes, I feel sorry for Danny!
But he's playing the bad boy one minute (with the ladies) and the little lost boy the next (with Albieri). He seems like an eager little boy who adores his faux-Daddio.
However, the priest pointed out when Albi first started hinting about clones, that they are unholy creatures (or something to that effect) "without a soul". In the same way that Lucas' mole tissue, removed from him, doesn't have its own soul. So poor Danny may be without a moral compass, sad indeed.
Joan
 

gracias, Jean!!

Novelera: ITA about the actor portraying Said. he is very good. unlike M Ochmann (IMHO) who constantly has that dumbfounded look on his face.
 

One of the things I dislike about Ali is his total disregard of Lucas as an individual. I could understand Ali's trepidation towards Lucas when he was young. There was really no way to gauge what type of person Lucas was going to turn out to be. But, twenty years later and you could see that Lucas didn't turn out to be some no-good bum but rather a successful businessman. It isn't as if Jade would find herself homeless or starving. Also, this idea that his doors would forever be closed to Jade if she were to leave with Lucas is insane. Can't she at least visit to say hi. Ali acts as if Lucas is some demon who came to drag him to hell. Come on Ali, I like you but you're mister know-it-all attitude stinks.
 

Juanita: I have to say not much estupidez went on on the 3 tns I've watched so far on T-mundo (Mas Sabe el Diablo, DEE, and Perro Amor). that's why I'm surprised with El Clon's repetitiveness.
 

I also agree that that the actor playing Said is excellent. I just don't like it when he slapped jade.
And mauricio is doing a good job playing the dual roles of lucas & daniel. I also understand how that surprised look he repeatedly gives can be annoying.

kc
 

Jean/NovelaMaven: Thankyou both for your humorous and enlightening recaps! I have been playing catch-up so it's been hard to comment. This TN is hitting all the emotional stops for me and I am alternately smiling and yelling at these silly, forced situations, but then, yeah, there would be no novela if everything was resolved immediately. (Like reading the last chapter of a novel when you're halfway through?) ; ? )

Ali has gone over to the dark side by going along with this 2nd marriage craziness and putting off Lucas. However, deep inside Ali might think he's doing the right thing by keeping Jade in this sham marriage with the ever increasingly sadistic Said. He doesn't know about Marisa --yet, but let us hope his visit with Leo will prove worthwhile along those lines. We've got Leo and Amalia as witnesses, but we still have to have Andrea and Lucia fess up also. That will no doubt take a while. Who else saw them together? Can't remember if Rania did or not, but I think she did.