Caray, Caray!

Thanks so much, Jean, for another terrific recap. The Spanish was helpful, as always, and the photos--wow! I especially loved the one of bug-eyed Said!

I'm hoping that Jadiyah runs away, but I doubt that that will happen, since I would imagine that the encounters with Daniel will have to happen when Jade is alone.

Mohamed is really getting to me. Last night's episode made me rather uncomfortable, not just because Mohamed was his usual narrow-minded self, but because I fear his intolerant behavior may feed into the disturbing anti-Muslim sentiment currently raging in the U.S. Yes, this is only a silly telenovela, but I felt uneasy in a way I hadn't before.

Hmmm...my Captcha word is "calms." Is it trying to tell me something?
 

Thanks, Jean.

Awesome photos, recap and even Spanish lesson.

Prinny
 

Thanks for a wonderful recap and the excellent pictures, Jean!

I found myself much more emotionally engaged with this episode than I have been with previous ones. I know "the kiss" -- between Said and Jade -- was meant as high drama, and maybe it was. But the previews had diluted the surprise.

Dora's quiet tears and Miguel's comforting presence brought me to tears too.

I gasped when Jade and Daniel recognized one another (although this was no surprise).

But the most disturbing and shocking moment for me was when Latifa slapped Samira. With that slap it was if the generational rift in the house officially became a war.

After Clara and Fernando's breakthrough scene on Tuesday, I thought they recognized the need for treatment. Last night, it sounded as if they thought he could just start doing normal things and the problem would take care of itself. If so... uh oh...
 

Exactly--you'd think Clara would recognize Fer's need for treatment... As for Nati, I'm marinating my hat tonight.

Mohammed and Latifa definitely got my attention last night. Yowza.
 

Thanks all for the nice words.

I thought Mauricio Ochmann did a great job in portraying Daniel's confusion and anguish, especially in contrast to Albieri's and Dora's incomprehension (for different reasons) of his pain.

When we saw Enrique and Carolina's eagerness to see the clone, it is easy to understand Daniel's fear of being treated like a freak.

I, too, was very surprised when Latifa slapped Zamira. First Mohamed is acting like a total a**hole and then Latifa goes bananas. If they were trying to drive thier children away from their religion, they couldn't to a better job.

I had the same uh-oh reaction to Clara's declaration that Fernando was through with drugs.
 

I have been watching this show barely a month and a half, and it is the first novela that there are few that I am rooting for. I don't care about Jade, I don't care about Nati (I hope her demise comes quickly and she is not rescued!). I do not like any show that promotes drugs like this show has, stupid parents, stupid boyfriend, any young person out there can deem this to be glamorous thinking that their family will always get them out of situations. There are only two characters I look forward to seeing and hope they survive Zein and Dora, they are the only reasons why I watch this show. I do agree though last night's episode was a most powerful performance by Mauricio.
 

Oh boy Nellie, what novela are you watching?
 

Great work, Jean. There were lots of interesting things in last night's episode, at least for me.

Jade surprised the dickens out of me when she kissed Said. I think it was calculated to get him to take her back so she could be with Jadiya. This is her only life plan now, and she said as much: to watch her daughter grow up. I interpreted that to mean she might leave Said after Jadiya finds a novio willing to cover her in gold and marry her.

Looks like the Chump finally got the wake-up call. I'm trying to figure out if he and Clara have any legal recourse against Malicia. He willingly put the apartment in her name, but he might be able to prove the euros were his (and Clara's of course).

Mohammed was the worst yet last night. It seems as if, as he gets older, he's channeling Tío Abdul. I also thought, as I watched, that Latifa is one of those women who loves her husband much more than her children. She helps Zamira some, but she's always coming from a fear based place, so she won't support her children if it risks her relationship with Mohammed.

At last Albieri gets at least part of what he deserves: complete rejection by Daniel.

The awful Paula isn't even subtle. She drags Nati to the den of drug dealers and then sticks out her hand for the money. If Nati was completely out of funds, her "friend" would be long gone.
 

Jean, thank you for another great recap and terrific photos.

Said is officially on my anvil list. He only loves himself. Who does he think he is kidding. If you love someone you do not deliberately hurt them. He has hurt his daughter and now Jade. The only reason Jade stayed with this neanderthal is because of Jadiyah. You can really tell that Said and Mo are related - those crazy bug-eyes!

You can see how Muslim children become either radical or westernized and assimilate into society wherever it might be. How in the world did the men come to believe that women were objects ?

The drug thing is getting old, lets either OD or get help, but lets please move on.

Rosemary
 

Jean thanks for another great recap.

Let me join in too enough about the drugs, we've been beaten over the head with this ad nasuem. Clara does need to Fernando into rehab him just going cold turkey by himself isn't going to work. As for Nati all i do know is Alejandro is the big problem the more he enables her and protects the longer it will take her to get her act together.

Poor little Zumaya, did anyone see the parallel between Jade and Zoraida. Last night Zumaya and Samira? Looks like they are trying to make her another Zoraida in training.

Novelera i agree with you about Latifa that slap was so unexpected, unfortunately there are women like that.

Wow does the Chump finally realize he's been had?
 

Novelera,
My sense of Latifa's feelings for her daughter is a bit different. Rather being "one of those women who loves her husband much more than her children", I see Latifa as loving Samira profoundly. If she were in a western-style marriage of equals, if she herself believed that women and girls have choices in this life, then we could perhaps accuse her of "not supporting her children if it risks her relationship" with her husband.

But the thing about Latifa is that she truly shares Mohamed's beliefs. She bends, stretches, looks the other way, not out of weakness or hypocrisy, but out of her heartfelt love for her daughter. In Latifa's eyes, Samira has developed into this alien creature, this 'occidental'; but she is still her daughter and she loves her so much it hurts.

There is no painless solution to her dilemma. To satisfy Samira, both Mohamed and Latifa would have to change in ways that they are not likely to be capable of. To satisfy her parents, Samira would have to deny her selfhood.
 

Great recap, Jean!!!

I believe Latifa loves her children, but she has so much fear that Mohammed will get another wife and that is more important to her.

As for Nati's family and Alej I can't believe how they think she can come out of the drug dilemma without getting help. Ditto for Clara. I find them all so dumb.

Could Clara sue Escobar and Malicia stating that it was HER money that paid for the apartment and she had no knowledge what Escobar did and therefore in no way can Malicia keep the apartment?

Ann-NYC
 

Ann, I like your idea about Clara having a lawsuit against Escobar for making off with the euros that were in the safe deposit box. I don't know if she'd have a case against Malicia.

NovelaMaven, your points about Latifa are good. Yes, of course, she loves her children very much. But I think Ann and I are leaning more toward her a) constant fear she'll be sent back, and b) that Mohammed will keep her but take another wife. Even though she professes to be a devout Muslim, she isn't willing to accept the multiple wives tenet. During the whole novela this has been drummed into our heads over and over.

I agree with the commenters who are fed up with the drug story. How many times will Alej believe Nati has changed? It's starting to remind me of Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football. In case not everyone gets that reference, Lucy always teed up the football and then pulled it away just before CB kicked it.
 

Thanks Jean, for the recap and the helpful Spanish. :)

There was some powerful stuff in this episode. Like the rest of you, I was thinking a lot about Latifa and Mohamed. Latifa clearly has competing priorities, though staying with Mohamed and her children's wellbeing may be tied for first. Mohamed is clearly in denial about life in the West. There's no way to force your kids to be so different from their environment without screwing them up.

Blusamurai: nice catch on the Zamira/Zumaya-Jade/Zoraida connection. I didn't notice that, but you're right.

The more they repeat the same anti-drug advice, the less sympathetic Clara and Alejo are, because they fail to see something that's rubbed in our faces constantly. That's definitely a flaw in the show.

Also, I noticed the place Paula took Nati to get drugs was the same building Enrique stumbled out of in one of his therapy flashbacks. Same place? Also, how is Enrique such a great lawyer if he's had serious drug problems for much of his adult life?
 

Ann: I think when the Euro subplot started, Clara said they didn't have any paperwork that said the Euros were joint property of her and Escobar. That may complicate any legal case against Alicia. I can't think of anything she's done that's illegal.
 

Luke M, you have a point. I guess I'm hoping that she will get the apt. back. I hope they come up with something.

Did any of you lose CH 47. I lost it.

Ann-NYC