Caray, Caray!

Where we left off Friday: MariVicky is stuck being the artistic rep for Mauricio’s fundraiser project. Mauricio invites her to dinner and she refuses, saying she has a date, and adding that she didn’t give her permission to call her “tu.” He says he’ll call her “tu” if he wants and in addition he calls her “preciosa” and tells her to break the date and be at his place at 9:00. He makes kissy lips at her. Ewww, I need a shower. Or better yet, sheep dip.


So here we go: Axel was apologizing to Netty Friday and now she graciously accepts his apology. He wants to know where Mari is and if he can get in touch with her to apologize to her too. Netty tells him she was so wounded she blew town, and sorry to be blunt, but it was his mother who made her life hell. Netty fills him in on the Paris/husband story, and says apparently Mari wants to forget everything and all of them.

Oliver has been sent by Brandon to pick up Manolo at the magazine office. He’s embarrassed, and drops comments about Mano not being manly enough to take on the city alone. Mano takes him by the arm, creeping him out, and suggests they go knock back a few shots like manly men, then suggests someplace with great ambiance. Oliver says it better not be a gay club.

Doris has turned Andre into The Man with the Dragon Tatoo to the applause from Eman and MariVicky and others. Doris is hired on permanently! Andre’s girlfriend whose name I can’t remember is a bit nervous about Doris getting so much attention, and figures she better come to work with him because of all the hot babes who work there. MariVicky says her she’s being inappropriate and tells her to wait outside. Time to film the commercial!

Oh, yay, we’re at the Mala Noche! That’s always interesting. Mano has brought Oliver, who’s plenty relieved it’s not a gay bar. Mano tells him he can see the best ever, La Reina.

Axel comes home and finds Delicia scrubbing while being watched by Nereida. He asks her why she’s working so late, and why is she so glum? Nereida explains that she’s paying for her mistakes, and if he knew who Delicia really was, he wouldn’t feel sorry for her. She caught her in the sack with Bernardo! Delicia, true to time-honored telenovela tradition, doesn’t defend herself, but just glares.

Oliver hopes La Reina has an hour-glass figure and lovely longggg legs. Mano jabs him for being so low-class. Oliver orders up some more shots of tequila, saying that the best way to make friends is to get drunk together. Mano thinks that’s not such a red-hot idea. Is he drinking to forget a woman maybe? Oliver tells him to back off; a good friend knows where not to go. Mano says maybe he could help him find that woman, but no thanks, Oliver doesn’t want to find that ingrate.

Axel doesn’t believe Nereida. She says yeah, she and Bernardo are an item, but she found Delicia in bed with him. Delicia is tearful and says Bernardo came to her room and forced himself on her. Nerieda then claims Delicia’s always after high-class men and Axel stupidly buys into this, saying he thought she was different. This from a guy who just a few days ago dragged a girlfriend he couldn’t stand to his bedroom and afterwards threw cash at her. Our lovely Delicia weeps, making viewerdom reach for their pitchforks and torches. That fuzzy head would look real good on a pike right about now.

Back to the Mala Noche where Oliver, loosened by tequila, suddenly gushes forth with his story – he fell in love with a woman, she was his everything, the best thing that ever happened in his life and he gave up everything for her, career, university, everything, and for what? He gets tearful. I’ll never forget that day – her eyes, how she looked at me and told me that I was just a pastime for her. Mano surreptitiously brushes away a tear. Oliver rants on about how she was a rich girl who just liked to play with guys to aggravate her mother. He doesn’t want to see her ever again.

Andre with his tattoo is striking odd poses in front of a huge Komodor vodka sign that dwarfs him, and they’re shooting the commercial. OMG this is a complete hoot, it’s so horrible. I hope MariVicky wasn’t the art director on this one.

Without having even looked at the footage, they all toast the splendid production which of course only included a giant sign and a guy with a dragon painted on his torso, all shot under glaringly bright lights. Eman congratulates MariVicky (horrors – was this her creative work?) and goes to hug her, but she holds up a hand to distance him. Eman steps back and says despite their differences, he thinks they’ll make a great team. With a blank face that says “big whoop” she says she’s glad to work for the company and offers him her hand to shake. The others try to revive the mood by toasting again with their multi-colored drinks which must be different kinds of martinis made with Komodor vodka.

Mano tries to talk Oliver into not having any more shots, but instead he pours one down him/her. He’s staying until they see La Reina, sez he, all sloshed. How soon until Mano’s wig comes off in some drunken tussle? Let’s see if that happens….

La Reina is there, luckily enough, though not yet in costume. She comments to Bernardo that there’s that policeman who kidnapped her daughter.

Eman suggests they all out to go out to celebrate and boy, do the gals throw ice on that idea. MariVicky says she has a date, and Doris, risking hr new job, says it’s one thing for her to work there, but it’s another to assume they can be friends after all the hurt he caused Marianela. He tells her it’s not true, and he’s gone through a lot because of it. Alone, Mari asks gone through what? but he says he doesn’t want to talk about it.

This is a surprising turn of events: Fedra in her regular clothes and Bernardo have come over to Oliver and Mano’s table and she’s telling him to leave. Oliver refuses and wonders what a supposedly high-society lady is doing in a club like this. Does she maybe own it?

Bernardo grabs him by the lapels and tells him to watch his mouth. Fedra recognizes Mano as the journalist and grabs her/him close to get a look. Mano insists he’s not there on a story, just to hang out with his friend. Fedra says he better not be writing about her, then she turns her attention on Oliver and says he wasn’t man enough to keep Gretel, that’s he a big loser, and if he’d tried to stay with Gretel he’d be six feet under right now. You’re the one who should be dead, says Oliver, pulling a gun and directing it at Fedra while Mano freaks out.

After the ads, all of which looked like Pulitzer material after that Komodor shoot, we lose the captions. Andre asks Doris if he can take her home, but Doris reminds him his girlfriend is waiting outside. He says they’re not serious, and he keeps coming on her to her. She waves him off, but he tries to kiss her. She slides away, saying she likes serious guys, not skirt-chasers. She leaves and Andre has struck out. He smiles, though.

Back to La Mala Noche, where Mano manages to push Oliver’s gun-holding hand upward. Oliver hands him/her the gun, and challenges Bernardo to a fistfight. Fedra and Bernardo just watch him, then Bernardo pulls his own gun on him. Oliver takes his from Mano and they’re pistol point to pistol point. Oddly, the patrons in the background don’t seem concerned.

Mauricio in his digs has even spread rose petals over his bed and is thoughtbubbling how he’s going to get what he’s wanted since he laid eyes on MariVicky and she’s going to weep with pleasure. Indeed, we see some strappy high heels coming in to his room, and long legs, then the camera pans up and we see it’s Kristel who furiously demands who he’s waiting for.

In a nice restaurant, Ilitia is telling Eman how perfect everything’s going to be, but he’s distracted. She wants this night to be perfect! They kiss a little and just then Mari and Brandon walk in and neither like what they see.

This is a hoot: Bernardo and Oliver are still threatening each other with guns, Oliver taunting him to shoot, but in the background, the patrons order drinks, and the men behind the bar carry on as if nothing is happening. Right behind Oliver and Mano, directly in the line of fire, are a frightened couple who watch wide-eyed and cling to one another, but don’t have the sense to step away and make a run for it. Finally some employee in pirate costume comes over and throws Oliver and Mano out.

Back to the restaurant…. Good evening, says Brandon. Ilitia is horrified to see MariVicky and Brandon there. Eman tries to defuse things by saying they all have the good taste, but MariVicky says what they all have is bad luck. Ilitia throws a few barbs about how expensive the place is, have they seen the prices? but Eman tries to be gracious and asks them to join them. MariVicky says Ilitia’s barbs would put her off her feed. More of the same, but you get this gist. MariVicky and Brandon end up at a table not far from Eman’s.

Kristel keeps up her fit, but Mauricio manages to get a word in edgewise, telling her all this, the rose pedals, the candles, the wine, was for her. She melts and says how romantic and pulls him down onto the bed. She covers him with smooches while he throughtbubbles that if Vicky shows up, he’s a dead man.

No fear of that though, because we’re back at the restaurant watching Brandon and her toast, and Eman and Ilitia are watching too. The four eye each other and drink their wine. Eman thoughtbubbles that MariVicky looks more beautiful than ever. Ilitia suddenly decides he and she ought to leave and go dancing.

Eman sends the waiter over with a bottle of champagne for MariVicky and Brandon, who takes it as an insult, that Eman is trying to suggest he can’t afford to buy champagne his date. Brandon is ready to take the bottle and crack Eman over the head with it.

Delicia shows up in Axel’s room to try to explain. She’s distressed that he might have a bad opinion of her and sure enough he does. He tells her he thought she was all pure and innocent, but she really disappointed him - maybe she was interested in his money. She tearfully denies it, saying she’s never had money, so she doesn’t care about it. She tries to tell him what really happened, but he, also following the strict rules laid out by the Telenovela Handbook of Cliches, cuts her off and tells her to get out. She begs him not to do this to her, but he takes her by the arm and chucks her out. When she’s gone, he leans on the door and agonizes a bit, but sorry, no pity here. Cry all you want, dude, nobody cares.

Now Brandon and MariVicky are standing by Eman’s table, Eman trying to convince Brandon that the champagne was just a thank-you to Mari for her work. Mari coldly says it wasn’t anything special (you got that right, sister!) and she was just doing her job, so she doesn’t need any gifts.

Mano has brought stinking drunk Oliver home. Oliver is amazed he was in place like that and then actually got thrown out. Mano is amazed Bernardo didn’t shoot him, and Oliver wonders how Mano knows Bernardo’s name. Mano weasels out of that, and tries to put Oliver on the bed, but of course they both fall on it, Oliver on top of him/her. Oliver flails a little bit, knocking off Mano’s glasses and moustache, and it looks like Mano’s wig is a bit askew, but he (Oliver) falls asleep.

Ilitia strokes Eman’s face, telling him that she’s here, look at her. He tells her that’s she’s been different since their wedding day, kinda cold and distant. Is there something he should know? She says no.. well, yes. It’s just that she’s afraid of letting him down, of not making him happy. He tells her that she’s always been a champ in the female department. She asks him to just be patient, that she needs him more than ever.

They kiss and MariVicki thoughtbubbles that Eman has always loved Ilitia, that he was a big fake, all of which makes her grip her wineglass so hard it explodes. Brandon wonders if she has feelings for Eman, but Mari swears she hates him. Brandon’s not buying, he says her eyes say Eman has hurt her badly. She decides to go to the bathroom to wash the blood off her hand. Eman suddenly decides he needs to go too. That leaves Ilitia and Brandon peeking at each other.

Mano thoughtbubbles that Oliver needs to get off, then, because let’s face it, Oliver isn’t a giant guy, she easy shoves him off her. The wig is off, though she still has the sideburns, and she cuddles him and thinks how he’s so near yet so far away. She wishes she could kiss him, just once! How she desires him!

By the ladies’ room, MariVicky leans against the wall and tearfully realizes she still loves Eman. She’s got to rip him out of her heart, root and branch. Just then he comes up and insists on knowing why she’s crying.

Back in the darkened bedroom, somehow Gretel’s sideburns have disappeared and she’s giving Oliver tiny kisses, thoughtbubbling (out loud!) how her passion is stronger than she is and how it’s been so hard being so close to him but not being able to touch him. Oliver awakes and thinks maybe it’s a dream, he’s in paradise. Is that you, Gretel? It is, she says, come to be with you. She kisses him passionately. Hot stuff!

While the other two are on bathroom break, Brandon has approached Ilitia’s table so she can insult him at close range. Why, she always thought guys like him took their dates to taco joints. Etc. Besides, look out for that Vicky! He sits down and says maybe she’s jealous. Certainly not of him, she laughs. He says of Eman, who goes after all the girls while she messes around with him and also Mauricio. Oops, he’s taken it too far. She’s furious and tells him to pipe down. What’s wrong? he says. Don’t you want the people to find out what kind of woman you are, playing around with Mauricio types on your wedding day? She throws wine in his face.

Eman isn’t having any better luck. Mari has swatted him away sharply and asks how many times she’s told him not to touch her. He tells her he just was concerned because she’s crying, so she tells him to butt out of her business. He asks why she wants to fight all the time.

Brandon and Ilitia both show up and want to know why Eman and Mari are talking in private. Eman in turn wants to know why Brandon has wine all over his face.

What a sweet, steamy scene – Gretel kissing Oscar tenderly and telling him she loves him, and him pulling her close and saying if it’s a dream, don’t let him wake up. Love me, if it’s only for tonight, he says. Is it really you?

Brandon thinks maybe he and MariVicky better leave. Everyone except Eman tosses barbs, but it’s getting a bit wearing, so I’ll just skip over them. The upshot is that Mari suddenly gets an asthma attack from all the emotion and Brandon hustles her out. After they’re gone, Ilitia demands to know what Eman is doing with Mari.

Avances: Ilitia tries to kiss Eman, but Mauricio flashes in her mind, and she has to shove him off. Finally she tells him somebody raped her. He wants to know who. And, in a plot turn that defies all credibility, Mari actually goes to Mauricio’s place and it looks like he’s going to try to rape her too.

Labels: llena