Caray, Caray!

Thanks so much, Jean, for the great recap. I imagine that you may be even more eager than I am for this TN to end. It had wonderful potential, but IMHO the writers squandered it by having it go on for so many episodes. The plot elements the writers have created simply don't justify its length.

Offhand, I can think of only two segments from last night that I really enjoyed. One was Daniel's testimony that he would NOT want Dora's name removed from his birth certificate: Ella es mi mamá. I wasn't surprised at his statement, but I was nonetheless moved--and relieved.

The other brief segment that I enjoyed was one you captured so perfectly in your photo, Jean: the conversation between Zamira and Carlos. I can't make sense of the time frame (even less so than with Nati's pregnancy), but I loved seeing the two young people so clearly enjoying each other's company.

Much of the rest of the episode seemed stale and repetitious, and especially surprising since we've got only one more week to go. I suspect my head is going to be swimming next week with all the hastily-arranged plot resolutions.

By the way, I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome you gave me on my return. This is a wonderful community, and I'm going to miss it once "El Clon" is over. I have no idea what if any TN I'll try to follow next. I don't have a good feeling for what's coming up. I've found that I'm more attracted to the telenovelas on Telemundo than on Univision (in spite of my dissatisfaction with the way "El Clon" has played out), but I LOVE the sense of community I've found here on CarayCaray, not to mention all the MUCH needed help with my Spanish, and I'm somewhat reluctant to start a TN that CarayCaray won't be covering (which I guess means almost all the Telemundo offerings). Sigh. What choices have other people made?
 

What a great job, Jean! The screenshots are especially nice today. I love that you captured Daniel undergoing his Incredible Hulk transformation as he faces Lucas :-)

The writers are making us feel sorry for some of the bad guys -- first Marisa with her mysterious, tragic past and anvils falling left and right from Zombieville; and now pathetic Escobar finally waking up to what he destroyed. But I'll tell you right now: I want no reason to feel sorry for Malicia! Got that, writers?
----
So as soon as Said hears the Naz say that Jade is with Lucas, he reacts by seeking out Marisa. The spying sisters will surely catch him out. Will they confront him? I hope so and I hope the household falls apart. As Novelera has said, the idea of Rania truly winning is insoportable.

Juanita, I also liked the moment in the courtroom when Daniel affirms that Dora is his mother. The reaction shots -- Leo's face crumpling, Dora's radiant smile -- were perfect too.

There was some heavy-handed hinting that the happiness of Alej and Diana will be cut short. Too bad. I really like those two together.
 

Jean, last night was one of the few episodes I missed due to being out of town, so I appreciate even more than ever the time you and N.M. have take all these months to recap for our enjoyment and sanity!
Right now I'm not asking alot of the writers but I want to see Malicia go DOWN bigtime. Also Rania. She gets scary with her bulging eyes when she screams at Jadiyah.
Joan
 

Thanks for the nice words, everyone. I guess we are still setting things up for bringing the stories to a close because not a lot has happened yet. Onward to the final week- I can't wait!
 

Jean,
Along with the others, we want to add our thanks for this and all the recaps you and NovelaMaven have been so generous to share with all of us. We’ve been watching (and fast forwarding) El Clon but life got in the way of reading the recaps, until today, because we missed last night’s episode. Juanita, you sum up exactly what we’ve been thinking, too. Does anyone have any idea of something worth watching after this ends?
Elizabeth and Chris
 

Jean, excellent!!!

I think it may be time for you to shop for a new beanie, though. You seemed to have difficulty reconciling Carlos having been gone for 8 months! And, ITA, the advanced Nati pregnancy has me shopping for a titanium-lined beanie online.

Yeah, I think they're hinting at an Escobar/Clara reconciliation, especially since Rogelio seemed quite unlikeable in this episode. He swallowed the "poor Malicia" story whole and believes that Clara is trying to defame her because of jealousy.

What frustrated me was this: Having Escobar and Rogelio in the same room, why wouldn't Clara just ask Escobar to tell the whole story of how Malicia seduced him away from his wife, stole one of his cars, and stole their life savings by having it invested in an apartment signed over to her?

Leo continues to be an ass. You'd think hearing that his only real child, who's lived under the same roof with him for 40 years was going to 100% reject him as a father would cause him to rise up and withdraw his demanda, but no. Instead he had this sappy look on his face waiting for Daniel to reject Dora and opt for lots of material goodies at Casa Ferrer.

I surprised myself. My Capcha letters were verse. And the first thing I saw was a Spanish reflexive infinitive verse instead of an English synonym for poetry.
 

Jean another fabulous great job from you once again. I know myself how hard it is to recap a novela but i would like to chime in with everyone here and to say how grateful and how much i appreciate the job you and NovelaMaven by yourselves did on this novela. Thank you for your time and dedication.

Juanite i think your first paragraph is a excellent point about what these writers did to this version of El Clon. I can't remember who it was on another novela page we were talking about this novela before it started but that person had rated El Clon as one of their all time favorite novelas. I wonder what they would think of this version?

NovelaMaven ita they can't write Malicia getting off so easily after all she has done. I definitely couldn't accept that.

What is irking me now is what like you said Alej. may not end up with Diana i certainly don't believe Nati deserves him at all.What in the heck happen happen to the investigation for all of the robberies the three zombies committed?

There's a lot of loose ends to these stories that have to be tied up this last week. I just wonder how these writers are going to try to accomplish this in five hours?

Clara back with the Chump? Oh Hellllllllllllllllllllllll NO! that would definitely drive me to scream and drink.Novelera i do agree Rogelio has reenlisted himself back into the Chump category.

I think Rania maybe asking for another family council and exposing Said and his affair with Marisa now and before with her. Of course this will probably split up her ideal happy family.
 

Jean, thank you once again for the recap. I am going to miss you and NovelaMaven after this TN ends. The recaps, Spanish lessons and photos have been a very rewarding experience - definitely time well spent.

I didn't much care for last night's episode. I did enjoy see ing Estela's kind heart and Zoraida's retort to Ali, but the rest was a real let down. With only a few episodes left, I thought for sure that things would start to be resolved.

Please don't let Marisa and Said end up together! Although if it sent Raina packing it might be a plus. I agree that it looks as if Clara is going to give the Chump another chance. They might need each other when Fernando hits rock bottom. I never liked Rogelio and last night confirmed it.

I have a feeling that Nati may die in childbirth. All of those drugs cannot be good for her or the baby.

Mo was back to his old ways, Latifa ought to leave him. It would be a hoot if Abdul took Gloria to Fez. Ali and Zoraida will probably end up married.

I still don't see anyone for the Naz, which is really sad. I wish that Alej would end up with Andrea.
I don't care what happens to Roberto and Lucia. I don't care what happens to Luisa and Alberi, she knew what he was like when she married him.

If I don't see any retribution for Malicia, I may never watch another Telemundo TN.

Rosemary
 

Thanks again for all the compliments. You folks make all the effort of recapping a novela worthwhile. No matter how much I like a novela, I am always ready for the stories to be resolved and to be freed from the time commitment of recapping.

Blusamurai: I have wondered a 1000 times why the original version of this novela was so highly regarded. It may have had better acting and actors, it may have had better music, it may have had better sets but it had the same story. As I understand it, they are using basically the same script. The plot is so slow moving and repetitive and most of the characters are so unlikeable, I just can't understand why it was so popular.

How true, Novelera. Why didn't Clara ask the Chump to tell Rogelio the tale of how Malicia deceived him? I don't know what this document says but it can't beat direct testimony.

I totally agree that Malicia had better get her just desserts or I will be even more disappointed in this novela than I already am.

As for the future, I am not planning to do any recaps for the time being. I really only watch novelas on Telemundo and we just don't have a critical mass of recappers for them on Caray. I am casually watching La Fantasma de Elena. I don't like it much but the plot moves so fast, it is mesmerizing.

I love love love the Peruvian novela, Los Exitoso$ Gomez. It is funny, clever, super well acted. I love the characters. It's great.
 

Jean, my sister has started watching Fantasma de Elena, she doesn't speak a word of Spanish and there are no recaps, but when she was here visiting we watched it and she filled me in on everything that was happening. Sounds more like a "typical" novela with plenty of intrigue, murder, the marriage for convenience, etc.
Aurora looks interesting, it does have the cute policeman from Mas Sabe El Diablo...reason enough!
Joan
 

Actually, Aurora looks decent, as does Ojo por Ojo. I really like Miguel Varoni. On one of the very early promos I thought he might be going to be a good guy. But then in the later ones it appears not.

In any case, Soy tu Dueña is probably the last Univision novela I'll be watching. The last straw for me was Ivana preparing to either fake a pregnancy or get pregnant by someone other than the Colunga character, thus breaking up YET AGAIN the two protagonists. I have seen this crap over and over and don't want to see it again.
 

I just saw a promo for the Gran Final. I rechecked my TiVo and it is scheduled to be two hours so get out your hankies or tighten up those beanies.
 

Rosemary, I am intrigued by your "Nati dies in childbirth" theory, which hadn't occured to me before. That way, instead of having her die of a drug overdose, her life is somewhat redeemed by bringing a new life into the world. And I still think Karla's son will turn out to be Daniel's so the writers can kill off Daniel with a clear conscience.
:o(
Joan
 

Juanita, I so agree with your observation about community. This has been a close, intelligent, funny, thought-provoking, etc, etc, etc one. I will
miss it, miss this particular telenovela, and missing and thus
keep watching for recaps by Jean and/or NovelaMaven. It's been GREAT!

Telemundo fare is so much better than univision fare. Perhaps we will see more recaps of these telenovelas on Caray!Caray! Hope so.

Meanwhile I'm so afraid that Nati will get back with Alej and the reality of such a strong addiction
and it's destruction of the user's personality and body will be glossed over and the reunion treated as good news.

Finally, want to see Ochmann and Echevaria (spelling?) again. Really good acting. Lois
 

Thanks Jean and NovelaMaven for your fantastic recaps. I've been travelling and would have been lost without your recaps. I'm going to Central America in November and then to the Copper Canyon in December.

I've just returned from a trip on the Russian Waterways from St Petersburg to Moscow. I found it very interesting. The Russians seem to be confused as to whom they are - capitalists, Christians ?? Their banking system is virtually non-existent and mortgage rates are as high as 50%.

But what I wanted to let people know about ATM skimmers. I'm very careful about keeping my cards, cash etc as safe as I can when I travel.

However, on my return I had $3000 withdrawn from my checking account from Poland. I used an ATM twice in Russia. Apparently they place a second device called a skimmer over the ATM. Then they obtain one's Pin by either a video camera or keyboard overlay.

Unknown to me, my bank had increaded the daily withdrawal amount to $1,000. The criminals know the banking system and chose a banking holiday for their scam. The balance on a Friday is checked.

The only way I can think of really protecting myself is to have a second checking account that I use in the USA and overseas. I will only keep the minimum amount that I require there. I will drain it on return from the my vacations.

There are lots of websites with advice such as only using ATM in a well lit area or attached to a bank. There is no certainty but I will try to protect myself as much as possible.

I got my money back on Friday after a great deal of stress and time.

My banking clerk spent 6 months in Spain studying recently. He said that there is a lot of fraud there. He used a credit card for most transactions and had two checking accounts.

Most credit card companies charge an additional 3% on foreign transactions. There are a few with low or no fees. I've applied to one of these for a credit card. I also keep a low maximum on these and have asked that the available credit doesn't escalate.

Unfortunately - these things happen even to those who are careful.

Lynne
 

ITA t-mundo tns (apart from El Clon) are far better than univision's.. not much tonterias. even perro amor turned out ok as far as plot development. as I've repeatedly said in the past, the only reason to watch univ is William Levy. I wish he'd switch networks. also, sound quality is inferior on uni tns.

Looking forward to Jorge Luis Pila in Aurora.
 

Jean i am amazed that this version of El Clon is the exact same as the first one? Well everyone has their own personal taste of something they consider a good show or classic.

I'm looking forward to Aurora now i have never heard of a novela using cryogenic technology freezing a person for twenty years i'm guessing from some fatal disease and bringing her back to life. Looks very interesting plus it has another one of novela hotties Jorge Luis Pila in it. It can't be all that bad because i'm going to watch that instead of Eva Luna.

MrsImgallego i can't wait for William and Maite's new novela to start. The only thing i'm scared of is that it's a Mejia production.

So far i'm sticking with the Telemundo lineup and i watch STUD later on.I just wished more of the Caray family was able to get Telemundo in their areas. Without a doubt i'll take most Telemudo novelas over Univisions novelas anyday. with the exception if the novela has William in it or it produced by the people who gave us ENDA and MP two very great novela in my opinion.
 

Hola todos, aqui estoy, de seis meses pasados (capitulo 20 ahora). I'm usually good at figuring out acronyms, but can't get "ITA." Best I come up with is "I think also" or "I too agree." Also, what's the deal with tightening the beanies? And the anvils? Thanks, y'all, de La Newbie Tarde.
 

This was the best blog ever! Such cute remarks and so many entusiastic contibutors- I enjoyed the contributors more than this novela! You were all delightful and I hope to hear from you again.
 

This was the best blog ever. I really enjoy everyone's comments almost as much (and sometimes more) than the novelas themselves. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion.
 

On the Nati/Alej front: I have been afraid for months that Alej will be killed by or because of the Druggies. That would be the thing that makes Nati really clean up her act, and (by telenovela magic) her baby will be perfectly healthy and unharmed, and she will be redeemed. Bah! I sure hope not.
E
 

TraceCadet: As far as I can tell, ITA stands for "I totally agree." Anvils refer to hints at upcoming disaster...(anvils are about to fall on you).
As far as the beanie thing, I think someone commenting on the Fuego en la Sange novela first mentioned that. When there is something so ridiculous or unbelievable that happens, we put on our Telenovela beanies and they transform our brains so it all makes perfect sense.
Anyone?
Joan
 

Thank your again Jean & NovelaMaven for the summaries and additional comments.
A request. I will not see the final week and will have no internet service. Will the summaries and comments be left on this site after the program ends?
In telanovela land this couldn't happen( no internet). I hope my favorites Gloria and Zoraida have a happy ending.
I hope to meet many of you on another blog.
Barb
 

I always thought ITA meant "in total agreement".

Yes, anvils are derived from the sidebar of this blog. Wile E. Coyote is shown with his head dented in by a large anvil with Acme Company printed on it. It's used on this blog most often to refer to someone getting their just desserts, usually the evil villain or villainess. We wait the whole novela for the dastardly deeds to be revealed and for, metaphorically, a large anvil to drop from the sky on their respective heads. Another usage is a commenter saying there's an anvil hovering over the head of a character whose behavior right now is particularly risky.

Another common usage here is "pie cart". Don't know who used it first but it's another way of saying "just desserts". We envision the rotten villain standing in the street and a large cart loaded with whatever pie your imagination conjures up. The pie cart hits the villain and flattens him/her.

I think foil lined beanies may even have preceded Fuego en la Sangre, the novela that caused a run on the beanie market. It refers to wearing a beanie that has magical properties causing the wearer to completely swallow tragar amazing coincidences, incomprehensible behavior by the protagonists, and odd lapses in time sequence.
 

OK, thank you all for the explanations. And I certainly hope this blog will remain up, b/c it is going to take me months to get to the end of El Clon. Can someone let me know? Otherwise, I'll need to save the whole thing. And uh, oh, I hope Telemundo will also leave the episodes on their site. B/c if they don't, the blog will be all I have. Cheers!
 

TraceCadet: the recaps stay on the blog, all of them.

The links kind of migrate down the page, as newer, current novelas are being recapped. But all the recaps from prior novelas are still there.
 

Hey Novelera: Congrats to the Giants! (As a Yankee fan, I'm glad you beat the Phillies.)

Trace Cadet- The Clon videos are not likely to stay on the Telemundo website too long after the novela ends. But as Novelera said, the recaps are forever!!!
 

Completely Off Topic:

Thanks, Jean, for mentioning the Giants. On Saturday I set my DVR to record the game and went to San Francisco (I live in Palo Alto - 30 miles south.) with a friend to pick up another friend in the city and go to a play put on by a group that does new plays. I reserved the tickets long before we knew the Giants would even win their division.

Interestingly the play was called Habibi. It was about the dynamic between a Palestinian father, living in the Bay Area, and his born-in-the-USA, rebellious son. The deceased mother appears as a ghost!

Anyway, we emerged from the theater to discover cars honking like mad, a SF Fire Dept fire truck going down the street with the siren on and a huge Giants flag on the back. The bar where we had a drink after the play was complete chaos. There were even a couple of people sporting their Panda hats. A particularly rotund player named Pablo Sandoval was nicknamed the Kung Fu Panda and a cottage industry of panda hats sprang up. Quite a few fans wore these hats to the games.

I tried not to discover exactly HOW they won and was able to watch the recorded game the next day.
 

I can't believe there are only five episodes left, and so little has been resolved! I'll try to stick around here for the last week, although I'm especially busy right now. Among other things, we've had a Mexican guest watching the show with us for a little while now. She was pretty skeptical at first, but I think she's learned to enjoy its stupidity. That's about all the show has going for it now, plus one or two enjoyable scenes per episode. I fully expect several plot threads to be left dangling, but I'm still hoping for a Mauricio fight. (By the way I don't think there have been any green screen shots; it looks like it's all done with doubles and old-school in-camera effects like shooting the scene twice.)

I don't think I'll be watching one of the Telemundo novelas that start soon, but I'll be waiting for the next bunch (replacing Alguien Te Mira and El Fantasma de Elena, I think). I'll be checking back here at the blog to see if anybody is thinking of following one. I would love to have something like this community again for another show, since the recappers and commenters have been amazing.