Caray, Caray!

Friday: The cops (in the persons of Brandon and Oliver plus backups) come to Fedra’s house to do a search. Bernardo is taken into custody. Emanuel protests – Bernardo is such an upright guy!

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The commissioner decides Fedra’s a suspect too. Emanuel plants himself protectively in front of her. Emiliano says he’ll go downtown with her. Lorenzo says he’ll call his pal the judge. Emanuel tells the commissioner that his mother is going to leave the house the way she does everything, like a lady. Those of us swigging our nightly tequila do a spit take.

Lic. Pacheco tells Marianela and Netty that handwriting on the (fake, remember?) documents is being evaluated, and the judge will rule later. Meantime, a friend of his tipped him off that the evaluation came out negative! (Is that good? A negative medical test means no illness present….) Jubilation! Netty is thrilled Marianela will get her house, and Marianela is thrilled her mother’s name will be cleared. Netty hugs the lawyer.

He tells them that the hearing should be tomorrow, and that Fedra will have to be there. Netty gloats.

Fedra, who, along with Bernardo, is in the back seat of the police van being driven by Brandon, rants about what a respectable lady she is, slightly misusing words which Bernardo corrects. She tells him to knock it off. Brandon is not buying.

Lic. Pacheo is about to leave, but Gladiola hails him and says she and Begoña need to talk to him.

Marianela says she has to get down to the university to take her entrance exam. She hopes she’s eligible for a scholarship. Netty gushes that with her inheritance, she can pursue all the degrees she wants. Marianela doesn’t want to count her chickens before they’ve hatched.

Emanuel calls a Lic. Urquidi (yes, you can pronounce that “your kitty”), insisting he go get Fedra out today, now! Ilitia rushes to his side and says she’ll go with him. Muñeca insists she go home and change, and Lorenzo angrily says he has an earful for her. However, he does tell Emanuel he’ll talk to the judge, and for his part, Emanuel has to get going on wedding plans, pronto.

Gladiola and Begoña are asking Letty’s lawyer, who they are plying with cookies, if Lorenzo has to pay child support. Yes, he says, if he is the father. Begoña says she knows Lorenzo is lying about the DNA test, so the lawyer tells them to get their own test. They ask if he wants to take some cookies home and he starts stuffing his pockets with them. Off he goes, and Begoña wonders how she’s going to get a DNA sample from Lorenzo.

In the cafeteria, Marianela tells Caro that this thing with making Emanuel jealous by pretending to go with Brandon is having some bad consequences. Caro wants to know if the jealousy part worked. See? she says. It never fails. Cousins don’t get jealous, you know, so it’s working. Marianela explains how Brandon seems to be getting serious.

Oliver shows up and says hi to the girls. Turns out he’s going to take a shot at the entrance exam.

Fedra, still in her boa-lined red bathrobe and matching boa mules, is being interrogated by the commissioner, who asks her if it isn’t so that she and Netty don’t have a good relationship. Gossip, says Fedra. Brandon yells at her to cooperate, or else. (Say, who exactly is the boss here, Brandon or the commissioner?) Or else what? she sneers.

Netty’s the sister of that drunkard Eva, she says. Brandon yells at her again, telling her to talk respectfully about Marianela’s mother. Fedra snorts that it was in all the papers. Netty’s the sister of my dead brother-in-law, and I don’t have a lot of contact with her, since our worlds are so different. She’s in the world of theater and all that, you know.

Brandon inserts that it’s obvious that she hates Netty. Fedra tells the commissioner that Brandon is wearing very thin with her, and besides, he’s close to Netty. The commissioner sends him to go deal with Bernardo. Brandon leaves and the commissioner leans over the table to Fedra and says he wants her to tell him about her hatred for Netty and Marianela.

A doctor has come to check on Gretel, who is still zonked out. Emanuel comments that he’d never seen Gretel have such a bad attack. She had always been hostile to their mother, but this time she accused her of being a murderer. The doctor thinks Gretel’s getting very paranoid. Emanuel wonders if she’ll ever get better. The doctor opines that she’s very introverted, closed into herself, and may not even know herself what’s wrong.

Emanuel kneels tenderly beside her and tells her how he wishes he knew what was tormenting her. He never wants to see her like that again. He kisses her on the forehead.

There being nobody to play good cop, Brandon charges ahead with a solo bad cop approach. Bernardo tries to tell him that he was home all night. Brandon counters that one of the staff saw him coming in in the wee hours, what does he think of that? Bernardo thoughtbubbles that it was Delicia. The thoughtbubble takes so long that Bernardo looks like he’s having some sort of absence spell. Given his general creepiness, the effect cannot be helpful to his credibility.

Answer me, says Brandon. Bernardo said he’d just stepped out into the garden. Yeah, sure, says Brandon, to maybe count the stars?

Oliver tells Marianela that he loves being a policeman and he wants to advance in his career, get a diploma like Brandon did. He’s going to try for a scholarship. Then he tells Marianela about what happened that morning at the Ruiz y Teresa house. Marianela is shocked to hear that Fedra was taken in for questioning, and that Maximo thinks she’s the one who put a hit out on Netty.

Fedra tells the commissioner, who she calls “Sheriff”, that she has a child Marianela’s age – how could she hate that poor orphan? As for Netty, she’s a nobody. The commissioner says that it’s known that she and Netty were fighting over the matter of an inheritance. Fedra says that Netty was always very money-oriented, plus she was jealous that she couldn’t get a husband like Fedra did. She says she’s sorry to tell Netty’s private stuff, but she doesn’t hate her, it’s more like pity.

You’re lying, he says. Fedra says Netty seemed so likeable in that novela she was in… let’s see.. what was the name of it? Oh yeah, La Intrusa.

The commissioner explodes. Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m not an idiot. Tell me how long Bernardo has worked for you.

Oliver tells Marianela that Netty’s only enemy in the world is Fedra. Marianela doesn’t believe she’s capable of such a thing.

Fedra doesn’t exactly recall how long Bernardo’s worked for her. The commissioner tells her to be more precise. She says when she was a teenager her parents hired him to be a servant on the yacht. But then there was an accident, a fire, and her parents were killed, but he saved her. They’ve been inseparable since then. She doesn’t have any other family, so he’s like family to her, which is why she’s angry he’s involved in this.

The commissioner notes that she must be very attached to him, so probably he is to her too. Fedra fans herself. So is this mutual appreciation so strong that he would kill to make you happy?

Bernardo, trying to sound reasonable, asks Brandon what’s wrong with taking a turn in the garden when he couldn’t sleep. Nothing, says Brandon, except it’s damned strange you were walking around dressed top to toe in black. Warm up clothes, says Bernardo, it was a cold night. He leans forward. I have a witness… there’s this person I spend time with at night, Nereida.

And we see Nereida in the kitchen, telling Paula and Delicia that she doesn’t think it’s fair they took Bernardo. They note that he always looks like he knows more than he’s telling – that face of his. Nereida wants to know what’s wrong with it. Oooh, says Delicia, are you going to defend him? Who was it that backed up Fedra when she fired you? Butt out, says Nereida.

Axel comes in, wondering what the fuss is. Paula is thrilled to see him, and wants to rustle up something for him, he’s so thin. He tells her he just came to get some of his things and to see Gretel. Delicia fills him in on Gretel, Bernardo and Fedra. Nereida adds that the doctor says Gretel’s going crazy.

Oliver and Marianela are walking on the campus and she tells him she can’t be happy about Fedra, that’s her family after all. She worries that Emanuel and Emiliano will think Marianela sicced the police on them. No, they won’t, says Oliver. He tells her how Gretel called her mother a murderer. Marianela wonders if Gretel knows something.

Apparently Netty has either borrowed money or arranged for a scholarship. Doris is shocked how much the interest is. Netty says maybe she’ll go back to work in TV or theater. Doris says Netty promised not to do that again. Netty says that was a lot of years back, and she can break he promise. She just can’t allow that witch Fedra to destroy them.

Of course the front door isn’t closed, even though there are assassins about, and Emanuel has walked in. He’s mad. So you’re the one who sent Brandon to arrest my mother?

Brandon tells Bernardo he doesn’t care whether his intentions are honorable with Nereida, he just wants to know how long they’ve been carrying on. A year, apparently. Brandon says you’ve been meeting with her in the garden for a year?? Bernardo says out of respect for the home, and to avoid her work hours. May I go now?

Only when I say, says Brandon. He calls for a cop, and tells him to bring in Nereida. Bernardo rubs his brow.

Axel has gone to Gretel’s room and when she opens her eyes and sees him, she throws her arms around his neck. He tells her about Fedra’s arrest. He’s shocked, but she says believe it, our mother is a monster. What happened? says Axel. Have you found out something? Gretels eyes are brimming with tears and she says she’s discovered the true Fedra, who’s been deceiving them all all these years. She’s a slut.

Emanuel says is that why you had my mother arrested? So you could destroy her? Netty says she has no idea what he’s talking about, and she also has no idea what he’s doing in her house. He tells them he overheard them. Doris tells him he has no business in their house. Netty tells her not to be like them. Doris says she’s right, then spits at Emanuel that the peace in their home was destroyed when the Ruiz y Teresa people showed up. She leaves.

Netty tells him it’s better that he leave. He politely says he can’t until he finds out.. did she have Brandon arrest his mother? Is this some sort of vengeance? Netty looks puzzled.

Fedra insists to the inspector that Bernardo would be incapable of such a thing. He’s an honest man, decent, hard-working. (Instead of a half-truth, this is a one-third truth - at least that last bit is actually so.) The commissioner wants to know if she knows where he was on the night of the murder. She says she doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean he was out murdering people. The commissioner says somebody saw him come in in the wee hours. Ah, says Fedra, you’re basing all this on gossip. Well, help yourself. You’re just doing this because you’re friends of Netty’s.

Emiliano and his lawyer are let into the room. Fedra runs to his side. Mi amor! She cuddles into his shoulder and throws a sulky look at the commissioner. Get me out of here.

Netty protests to Emanuel that she doesn’t know anything about any arrest, and she’s not a person to look for vengeance - what she wants is justice. Emanuel tells her they’ve arrested her for the murder of Dolores, and she didn’t even know Dolores. Yes, she can be difficult at times, but she’s not a murderer. Netty says she knows her well, and when Fedra decides she wants something, nothing – nothing! – stands in her way.

Mama Dolores died in her arms, Netty tells him, with a bullet in her that was meant for Netty. Emanuel can’t believe she’s suggesting Fedra sent a hit man. Netty says the police asked her if she had an enemy, and she told them her only one was Fedra. Emanuel says it’s a huge jump from her not liking you to her sending someone to kill you.

Netty: Your mother’s life would be a lot easier without me.
Emanuel: Funny, she would say yours would be a lot easier without her.

I’m sorry about your grief, he says, but I’m not going to let you persecute her. He leaves.

Back in the interrogation room, Fedra is still whimpering on Emiliano’s broad shoulder. This place is hell! They’re treating me like a criminal! Emiliano reproaches the commissioner for toting Fedra down here before she was able to talk to a lawyer. The lawyer of course agrees. The commissioner says she’s not accused of anything, they just brought her in for questioning. Fedra says it was humiliating, being in her robe, being hauled out in front of her children and her friends.

You can go any time, says the commissioner. I hope next time we meet under happier circumstances. In that case, says Emiliano, you can let Bernardo leave too. Sorry, says the commissioner.

Silver lining: Fedra can work the handcuffs and a rough man in uniform into her next act.

Gretel is filling Axel in. It was her! She tells about how Fedra drugged everybody, and now she brought food up to Gretel, but Gretel made herself throw it up… and… Gretel is getting very agitated and wild-eyed as she tells this story. Axel is confused and says she’s scaring him. Gretel realizes he’s looking at her like she’s nuts. Not you! she says. You know I’ve mistrusted her since I was little. She the source of evil in this family

I know, say Axel, you used to run away from her. But that was after Uncle Luis Felipe died. Poor Uncle, says Gretel, he must’ve known too, he must’ve found out the same thing I did, and maybe worse stuff. He was blameless. But I wasn’t… it’s my fault he died. Axel tells her to forget it, to forget what she saw.

I can’t! she says. Fedra is going to destroy this family. Axel hugs her.

Muñeca tells Ilitia that Brandon seems like an honest, straight-up guy, and he saved her life twice now. Ilitia argues that he just took her (future) mother-in-law off in handcuffs, and as for saving Muñeca, why, if living was so important to her, she wouldn’t be tossing down sleeping pills and slitting her wrists. Muñeca tells her daughter she felt desperate, alone. Ilitia hopes that sort of thing isn’t inherited. Muñeca tells her she’s being cruel and unfair. Ilitia says Muñeca’s the unfair one, taking the side of that policeman, after all he’s done to her. Just doing his job, says Muñeca. Ooooh, says Ilitia waggling her fingers suggestively, maybe you like him?

Lorenzo walks in and wonders what’s up. Ilitia says her mother has a thing for the policeman. Muñeca is furious and says she would never be interested in some barrio boy. Lorenzo and Ilitia snigger. Brandon is a decent and honest man, that’s all. She stomps out.

Apparently Oliver and Marianela are done with their exams. He offers to take her home, but she asks to be taken to her uncle Emiliano’s. Oliver doesn’t want to go there. Marianela says it’s her family and she wants to find out what’s going on.

Emanuel has arrived at the tennis courts where Andre apparently has been waiting. Emanuel tells him there was big family trouble, all because of that policeman. Marianela’s novia? Andre asks. Emanuel says the idea makes his stomach turn. He tells what happened and says his mother was humiliated. I want to throttle him, he says gloomily. That guy is separating me from Marianela and I’m going to get him away from her. Andre is surprised.

Gretel tells Axel she doesn’t want him to leave; he’s the only one in the house who listens to her. He says he can’t stay because of their papa. I disgust him, says Axel. Our mother ought to disgust him, says Gretel. He asks her to change the subject. She says she hasn’t told him all of it. He tells her she’s worrying him.

Also at the club grounds is Mauricio, telling his pal that he got thrown out of the house, and all they did was sleep. But tonight, whooeee. Emanuel and Andre are approaching and Emanuel is furious that Mauricio is talking that way about his sister. Mauricio’s friend mixes in and there’s a shoving match. The friend accuses Emanuel of being like his brother, and Emanuel slugs him. Andre holds Emanuel back, and Mauricio drags his friend away.

Andre tells Emanuel that that guy’s not the only one saying that about his brother, that he doesn’t like women. Emanuel says he wishes Axel was right there, so he could tell him that he loves him no matter what and that he can count on his full support.

Maximo wonders why Gretel hasn’t come to see him, and Benigno explains about her having been sedated. Maximo figures she out to be awake by now, and he hopes justice is on the horizon. Benigno suggests that since Fedra isn’t there, Maximo ought to take a turn in the garden, smell the fresh air, stretch his legs. Maximo says not until he’s sure she’ll never return.

Maximo tells Benigno to go find Netty’s lawyer and have him come see him. He’s going to tell the lawyer how Fedra’s paying off the other lawyers so she can take everything from Marianela.

Ilitia is on the phone with her agent. Sure, she’d love to be an equal partner with her! Lorenzo gives her an excited thumbs up, but Muñeca looks a little appalled. Ilitia hangs up and she and her father celebrate, he calling her the queen of house. She can’t wait to tell Emanuel – she’ll go tell him now. They both exult, and she leaves. He turns to see Muñeca shaking her head. You still here? he says, his smile evaporating. She tells him that he’s turning Ilitia into a monster, and the day will come when he’ll be sorry.

Muñeca heads on upstairs and Lorenzo gets a phone call from some guy in a parked car who’s watching Begoña talking to a friend on the sidewalk. He reports to Lorenzo that she comes out, but without the child. Lorenzo wants to know where she lives, and tells the guy to not take his eyes off her, so they can snatch the child. Tell your boss I know how to thank him.

Emanuel is at the police station. He tells a cop that he has every right to see his mother, and they’re not going to stop him. He shoves the cop and Brandon appears and shoves back. They glare at one another.

Netty tells Gladiola, who is holding the baby, that she’s decided to go back to acting. Gladiola reminds her that she promised San Antonio a long time ago that she’d quit if he gave her a miracle. Netty says he didn’t hold up his part of the bargain, so she doesn’t have to hold up hers. Gladiola tells her she’s wondered all those years what that miracle was that Netty wanted. San Antonio specializes in matters of the heart, doesn’t he?

Netty blusters that he is good for impossible causes, and that’s what she wished for, something impossible. That’s all Gladiola needs to know, she says.

Touchy! says Gladiola, smiling. Netty blusters some more, and Gladiola tells her she’s never had a shortage of suitors. Netty says nobody’s been able to steal her heart, and Gladiola says that’s because somebody must already have it. Who could that be? You told Begoña that you understood her because you’d fallen in love with a married man. You’ve always been in love with Emiliano. Letty fans herself with her hand.

Avances: Oliver and Gretel are kissing. Nereida has snagged Marianela’s diary (did she leave it in the house????) and delivered it to Kristel, apparently in exchange for a big shiny bracelet.

Labels: llena