Caray, Caray!

Tonight, Zuria Vega is "Azucena, Liberada" (Azucena [lily], freed).

A limp body in a chair. Broken crockery.

A young man runs into an office, frightened. He says to someone he calls "Licenciado" (licensed; usually an attorney) that Azucena is gone. The licenciado isn't worried. She probably went somewhere with her husband, Don Gregorio. The young man says Don Gregorio is dead and someone took Azucena. The licenciado asks if he's already checked at her grandfather's house. The two take off.

The licenciado goes into a house and sees an older man slumped over in a chair. Behind him, crouched by a stove is a young woman. He is shocked and goes back out of the house, where the other man asks him what happened. He doesn't answer. A group of people are walking up toward the house and he holds up his hands to stop them, asking them to calm down: "tranquilos, por favor!"

Back at DIEM, Aranda tells Capellan that she has "una llamada" (a call) that sounds "urgente" (urgent). Capellan takes the phone and the licenciado introduces himself as Ramon Morales. Capellan is pleased to hear from him, but he's in trouble and needs her help. He says there's a young woman who apparently killed a man and the townspeople want to "hacer justicia por sus propias manos" (take justice into their own hands) according to "usos y costumbres" (uses and customs--indigenous customary law). Capellan says it doesn't extend so far as allowing lynching. She listens and we can hear the people shouting through the phone. She frowns, nods, and says they (presumably the DIEM crew) are on their way.

In case you've missed it from previous seasons, DIEM, the division that Capellan, Aranda, Moran, and Gerardo work for is "El Departamento de Investigación Especializado en Mujeres" (investigative department specializing in women). Julie asked if we ever get anything about the personal lives of the DIEM crew, so I went back and checked my recaps for season 2, finding the following tidbits about the characters:

• Capellan may or may not be a knitter, though she's not up-to-date on the latest materials, as Gerardo had to clue her in that today's needles are sturdier than they used to be (one was used as a murder weapon).
• Gerardo (the forensics guy) sometimes gets "hunches" and Capellan tends to trust them.
• Gerardo dislikes wearing suits and is more comfortable in scrubs.
• Gerardo has a reputation that precedes him.
• Gerardo tends to roll his eyes at the younger members of the team (Moran and Aranda) a lot.
• Gerardo once hinted that he mixed business and pleasure, in the process of telling Moran not to do the same (Moran and Aranda were making googly eyes at each other). He told him to "do as I say, not as I do."
• Capellan really seems to care about the women, whether they're the victims or the murderers, and has given testimony that affects sentencing.
• I have severe terminal jealousy of Aranda's hair…oh, wait that was about me, not her….

Credits…we're all lost souls.

Four months before…

An older man struggles to tie his tie. A young woman comes up behind him and says "Abuelo, por favor no me obligue." (Grandfather, please don't make me.) His response is to tell her to put on something decent because it's getting late. He keeps fighting with the tie, then gives up and tosses it on the floor, turning around and asking her why she hasn't gone to change. She announces that she's ready. She insists and he backhands her across the face. Oddly, she appears to have acrylic nails.

The old man walks down the road, with the girl behind him, wearing a horrid orange sweater and carrying a suitcase. He motions her to walk in front of him.

In an office, another older man tells someone that the documents are in order. Azucena's grandfather walks in and asks if his "yerno" (son-in-law) is well, indicating the other older man, who I assume is the Don Gregorio earlier referenced. Him being the son-in-law would be funny if it wasn't so grotesque. Azucena huddles with two other young women and Gregorio asks if everything is ok. The grandfather says it is, and calls to Azucena, who stands by Gregorio. The JP, I assume, starts the proceedings to marry Azucena, 18, to Gregorio, 68.

Five months before…

Azucena rides on the back of a boy's bicycle. They get up to her house and notice someone is there. He tells her to hurry up or her grandfather will be upset. She kisses him and runs toward the house, but stops to ask him how many of something in a plastic bag to give her grandfather every day. He says just one, the old guy's diabetic and more would kill him. She says "ay, como crées" (oh, how do you believe; i.e., how could you believe I would do such a thing?; don't be silly; puh-leeze).

Inside the grandfather and Don Gregorio are eating. Azucena is questioned, and admits she came up with Marcelo, the son of the "boticario" (pharmacist), who will come by later to give her grandfather his injection. He keeps insisting she greet Don Gregorio "properly" but she and Don Gregorio both agree that she has. The grandfather tells her to make them coffee. He notices Don Gregorio checking her out. They start having a coded conversation:

"You're going to wear her out by looking at her so much."

"What? You want to look at her?"

"Well, televisions aren't free."

"What televisions are you talking about?"

"Oh, I'm just saying televisions aren't free. To watch them, you've got to pay."

"And to touch them?"

"Well, you've got to pay a lot more."

Both old bastards smile at each other.

Back to the mockery of a wedding ceremony: Azucena barely looks up as she nods her assent. She starts to cry as they both sign the register.

And on the afternoon when Don Gregorio and the grandfather made the deal: Gregorio comments that the grandfather isn't looking too well. The grandfather blames it on his diabetes and on having nothing but one useless girl in the house. He complains about his wife, who was sick all the time, and his daughter, Azucena's mother, who ran off, leaving her daughter behind. He's sold off all his livestock, including his mule, and now Azucena is the last thing he has left to sell off. The grandfather says if he only had enough for his medicines and a little to eat, he'd find a way to get by. "Oh, is that all?" Well, maybe if he also had a mule to carry him back and forth.

The JP declares Azucena and Gregorio man and wife and Gregorio kisses her, perhaps not on the mouth, but it's creepy all the same. Afterwards, they load up Azucena's suitcase in a red truck and she gets in the cab. The other two women rush over. One tells her not to be scared and just shut her eyes. The clasp hands. At the back of the truck, Gregorio tells the grandfather that she looks "rara" (strange). Right, cause she's supposed to look brimming with happiness at being married to you? What the hell universe are you living in? The grandfather says she's fine, but he should keep her on a short leash because sometimes she thinks she's an artist. Gregorio says he'll cut her wings. "Um, but before you do, aren't I supposed to get a fee for the deal?" Gregorio grins and hands him some bills. "I hope she's not going to turn out to be more expensive than a real artist?" The grandfather says not to worry, he's made a good deal. Gregorio gets into the truck and Azucena's grandfather leans into her window and roughly tells her to behave herself and not do anything to get hit. She glares at him, then looks desperately back at the other two women.

The DIEM SUV's roll into town. Ramon Morales waves them over.

Back to the wedding day: Gregorio brings Azucena to her new house. He takes off his jacket while she looks around. She starts to touch a box, but he tells her not to--it's something for his work. He buys things and sells them and she doesn’t need to get involved. He tells her to go put her things away. The whole house appears to be wallpapered with cardboard, and NOT in a Hildi Santo Tomas sort of way. She goes into the bedroom and Gregorio points out something about the window, saying he asked to have them put up, in case of thieves--possibly he's referring to the beams of wood that are nailed across the window. She tries to leave and says she'll go fix something to eat, but first he wants to "quitarme las ganas" (get rid of my desires; satisfy my desires). Mercifully for us, we fade out as he loosens his tie.

When we return, Azucena is crying. She pulls her dress down as Gregorio buttons up. He says she sure was worth it and good thing she didn't turn out like her mom. He orders her to get up and wash the sheets. "Hey, lazy! None of that! You're not going to pull that crap with me! I paid your grandfather a lot of money to have you, so you're not going to be putting on airs. Get up!" He walks out and she sits up, crying.

Present day: Azucena is led out of the house by Aranda, but not cuffed. She's got a busted lip. She and Morales get into the back of the SUV with Aranda. The group of townspeople, along with Marcelo, the young guy who likes Azucena, all watch.

Morales, Aranda, and Azucena walk into DIEM. Capellan greets them and refuses Morales' thanks, saying this is her job. She introduces herself to Azucena, telling her not to worry, she'll be safe there, and they'll do everything they can to help her. Aranda leads Azucena off, while Capellan tells Morales she's been hearing great things about his work and how he's become the lawyer of the people. He mentions that Capellan was once his teacher. He wants Capellan to help the girl, despite the fact that the murder has already occurred. He wants her to find "atenuantes" (extenuating circumstances), and he's sure there will be several but she objects that this was a "homicidio simple" (a homicide with no aggravating circumstances). Morales says there are some things he needs to tell her. He starts to tell her something we don’t hear and she turns to him audibly and says "What?!"

Rather than being in an interrogation room, Azucena and Morales are sitting opposite Capellan in her office. Azucena says she knows what she did was terrible. Capellan says in order for her to help, she needs to know what happened, and in what order. Does Azucena understand? She asks her to talk about her wedding day. Azucena begins "It was the first time…" she looks down, but inclines her head in Morales' direction. Capellan asks Morales to do her a favor and help Aranda write her report. He leaves and Capellan asks Azucena to continue. "My grandfather, the one who was my grandfather, he kept me locked up. I started to go crazy, and worse when I figured out I was pregnant." I'm sure she's referring to Gregorio, but she says "abuelo," grandfather.

Gregorio sits at a desk, writing in the bedroom. Azucena gets up slowly from the bed. Gregorio says "look who woke up!" He tells her to make coffee, then asks what's wrong, why is she making that face. Azucena says she's not feeling well and he tells her she should make something to eat so she feels better. "Maybe swallowing, you'll get rid of that face!" He says he's got to deal with some merchandise. She asks him if she can go to the doctor, but he says it's not like she's dying. Azucena says she feels really dizzy. Gregorio says when she's done making him some food and she irons his shirts, he'll give her a chance to lie down for a while. But not the doctor--that's a waste of time being out of the house. He complains that he's already paying for her grandfather's medicines, and he's not going to pay for medicine for her as well. He says maybe she does need to go out. She probably needs fresh air and to see the sun--she's looking a little pale. "Estas muy pálida, vieja" (You're looking very pale, "old lady" [wife]). He tells her to get dressed and go to the truck. Azucena keeps looking like she's going to throw up any second.

She carries boxes out to the truck and loads them into the bed. As she stops to throw up, finally, Gregorio tells her to load them up properly. He tells her to clean up her mess and drives off without her.

Azucena goes into town to the health center.

She tells Capellan that she was three months pregnant. "Do you have a child?" Azucena says she doesn't. That she never had it.

Azucena comes back to the house (WHY???!!!) and Gregorio starts in that he knew she would do this to him. She says she went to the doctor, but he accuses her of cheating on him and beats her before she can get out that she's pregnant. He looks horrified.

Azucena sits up in bed, crying. Gregorio tells her she can stay in bed a little longer if she wants. You know, cause now he wants to be nice to his child-bride-slave-rape-victim since she's pregnant. He asks her how far along she is and when she tells him three months he scoffs that she never tells him anything. He says he's going into town for some merchandise and does she want anything. Azucena tells him she just needs the usual groceries. He asks if she's sure. Then he asks if she feels ok and she says it hurts. "Maybe that's normal?" She says it hurts a lot and he suggests she try to lie down for a while so it will pass. He leaves.

Azucena wakes up from her nap and when she pushes the covers off, they've blurred out the space between her legs, where presumably we could have seen that she lost her baby.

The grandfather feeds some hay to his mule. Gregorio and Azucena drive up. Azucena gets slowly out of the truck. Gregorio gives the grandfather a bottle of alcohol. The grandfather says they should hurry up because dinner is already ready. Azucena hobbles slowly toward the porch. The men joke about the añejo (aged tequila). The grandfather tells Azucena to go see if the beans are ready and wash the dishes in the sink since he hasn't been getting around well because of his diabetes. He tells Gregorio that he's getting worse. He asks if Azucena is "mansa" (tamed) and Gregorio says she's still learning, but it's going ok. The grandfather shouts in, asking if the beans are done yet. She says she's on the way. The grandfather congratulates Gregorio, saying he does think she's more tame. Azucena carries out the food and Gregorio asks if the grandfather can really eat it all. Azucena answers that no, he can't or he'll be sick later. "Who asked you?" He tells Gregorio maybe she's not so tamed. Gregorio proudly tells Azucena to tell her grandfather about, you know. He brought over the tequila so they could toast. "Tell him about the kid!" The grandfather asks if he's going to be a "bisabuelo" (great-grandfather). Azucena says there won't be a baby. Gregorio looks confused and the grandfather says that's women for you. "Hey, you paid for Azucena, but the kid thing--that's not my responsibility, right?" Gregorio waves him off, then gets up and goes into the house, where Azucena is standing at the kitchen table. He menacingly asks her what happened with the kid and shakes her when she doesn't answer. Azucena says she lost it two days ago. "Why didn't you tell me?" She says because he doesn't like it when she talks. He says she should have told him and she replies "I just did." The grandfather calls from outside for Gregorio to come have another drink with him. He leaves and Azucena clutches her stomach and goes slowly into her grandfather's room to start cleaning up. She picks up a shawl and inhales the scent.

She remembers her grandmother lying in bed, covered with the shawl. Azucena is giving her the news from town. The grandfather comes in and yells at the grandmother that she's no great lady to be lying around in bed all day. Azucena gets in the way before he can do anything to her and he tells her not to get in the middle. He tells the grandmother that all she's got is laziness and she needs to get out and get some air. Azucena tells her not to pay attention. It's not true that the air is going to do her good--she's really sick, but she'll be better soon. Azucena is lying in bed with her, rubbing her shoulder. She asks if she's warm yet. Her grandmother doesn't answer and Azucena realizes she's dead.

Azucena lies on her grandfather's bed, holding the shawl.

Azucena tells Capellan that her grandmother was the only one who loved her. She took care of her and defended her from her grandfather when he wanted to take his anger at her mother out on Azucena. Her grandmother loved her like she was her own daughter, one who had turned out well. Capellan asks what her husband did when she lost the baby. Azucena says "he got worse."

Azucena is sitting on the bed when Gregorio comes in and tells her to take her clothes off--that they're going to make another kid. She says it's only been two days since she lost the other one. He asks what she wants--for him to put up with a "cuarentena" (quarantine; the forty days after giving birth).

Azucena and Gregorio go to the market. She says they need tomatoes, but she and Marcelo reach for one at the same time and Gregorio comes over and yanks her away. He noticed them looking at each other and she denies that there's anything going on and says she hardly knows him.

When they get home, he tells her to put everything away. She asks him if she can have permission for Chayo and Luz to come visit. He says she's staying locked up today and that's the end of it. He thinks the other women will bring Marcelo to the house so he can have sex with Azucena, and he says he's not stupid enough to allow that. She keeps begging and says she won't go anywhere, she just wants him not to lock the door so they can come in. He tells her to quit "fregando" (bugging me) and leaves. Azucena takes out a screwdriver and starts to open up one of the mystery "merchandise" boxes.

Forense Gerardo tells Capellan that he was sent some pictures of "her" case. She says it's "a" case, not "her" case. "Fine, 'a' case that you're making yours." He says it's going to be difficult to find extenuating circumstances, now that he's seen the pictures and the "saña" (viciousness) with which she committed the crime. Capellan replies that the girl was treated with viciousness every day of her life, for months. Gerardo tells her she's making the case hers. "That's what we're supposed to do! That's the purpose of this division! To find out the Why's!" Gerardo says she already knows the why's and it's all clear. He says he shares her outrage and agrees with her about how it was done. She says "Then you understand what I'm thinking." Gerardo says that one man's head was beaten to a pulp and the other was administered enough insulin to kill an elephant. He spreads his hands and says "She's a murderer." Capellan gives him a look and walks out.

Somehow, Azucena gets together with the other two women--Luz and Chayo. One says it will be Azucena's birthday soon. The other one suggests they have a party and Azucena shushes her because Gregorio is around. "We're not saying anything bad! We just want to celebrate your birthday." "Que festejar ni que nada!" (Celebrating? What celebrating?--The best way to translate "ni que nada" is to change it to "what" and put it in front of whatever came before it. If one of the girls had just said, "We'll get you a car for your birthday!" She would have replied, "Que carro ni que nada!" "What car?" as in "Are you freaking kidding me?") Azucena says he hardly let her come see them today. It's better if they don't celebrate. One of the other girls says they have to celebrate, like they did when they were little. Azucena sits down by them and says she can't. "Come on! I'll organize it. How long do we have, another week?" Azucena shyly admits it's Wednesday. The girls say that all she has to do is get permission to go out. And of course he's give her permission because it's her birthday.

Capellan says she supposes that Gregorio forbid her from seeing her friends. Azucena says not only that, he also beat her. Capellan says she went anyway. "Did I do wrong?" "No. It's just a question." Azucena says she did go with them and she paid dearly for it. Capellan asks her to explain, step by step, what happened yesterday.

Azucena pulls the "merchandise" boxes away from a window. She starts unscrewing the wooden slat in front of it. She climbs up on a box and starts working on the next one up.

The girls sit outside and toast to Azucena's health. She says she's been dying for a beer. Gregorio doesn't let her drink. She thanks them for everything and says she loves them a lot and doesn't know what she would do without them. They light the candle on the cake, but Azucena is nervous that it's getting late. One of the girls tells her it's her birthday and she should forget about that old man for a while. They tell her to make 3 wishes, but make them good ones because there won't be another cake until next year. Azucena freezes up. She says she can't do it anymore. Gregorio hits her. One of the girls calls him a "desgraciado" (a disgrace; a bastard, asshole, worthless…you get the picture) but she doesn't seem very shocked or outraged. Azucena continues that she lost her baby and she doesn't want to live anymore. Her grandmother was the only one who loved her and she can't take it anymore. The girl tells her they're there for her and she should drink her beer, it will make her feel better.

Azucena goes back to the house with leftover cake. Gregorio is already there. She says she was with her friends, but can't finish before he knocks the cake out of her hands and starts hitting her. He says she smells like beer and who did she get drunk with. He takes off his belt and starts hitting her with it, accusing her of having been with Marcelo and getting drunk to sleep with him. He says he'll kill her and she won't make a fool of him. He grabs a machete, but she grabs one of the pieces of wood that was on the window. She gives him one good whack and the butterfly flies away. She keeps hitting his head. Considering the sound, it wasn't wood that was over the window, it was a metal bar. Azucena's face is covered in blood and she goes into shock.

She tells Capellan that he wouldn't let her explain and he just started hitting her. "What did you want me to do? Either I killed him or he was going to kill me. The bar was right there, it was in my hand and I didn't think of anything. He killed my baby and he was going to kill me." She starts to cry. Capellan gets up and meets Aranda in the hallway. Aranda says she thinks they have "atenuantes" (extenuating circumstances). Capellan's response is that her husband was pathologically jealous, he sexually abused her, he beat her. She thinks the murder could be considered self-defense. Morales is grateful, but she says they can't thank her yet. The problem here is the second murder. She goes back into her office.

Gregorio is dead. Azucena is sitting at the table next to him, rocking back and forth.

Azucena covers Gregorio's head with the tablecloth and walks out the door. She walks slowly down the hill, hands in the pockets of her orange sweater.

She goes to her grandfather's house. He's sitting in the kitchen in a chair, with his hands covered by his jacket, shaking. He asks her if she came alone. He asks if something's going on, but she says since he said he wasn't feeling well, she came to see him. He says it's the diabetes. They were out of insulin at the pharmacy. He's dizzy, he has low blood pressure. He tells her the medicine finally arrived and it's in the box. He complains that Gregorio was supposed to bring him money but he didn't even come. Azucena says Gregorio's his friend and she's got nothing to do with it. The grandfather says she could have at least told him to come. Azucena says she'll fix him some coffee and then she'll give him his insulin. "How long has it been since you've had it?" He says he doesn't even know anymore with the dizziness. Azucena says that she thinks she'll have to give him all of it. "Do you think so? Won't it be too much?" Azucena says one for every day that he didn't have it. He scoffs, but says she'd know. He starts to tell her to tell Gregorio, but she interrupts him and says "I already told you it's nothing to do with me. He's your friend." The grandfather says he must have forgotten and he hopes it's not out of ill will.

Azucena tells Capellan that when she killed her husband she realized that she wasn't being fair. "Why should I kill him and leave my grandfather alive? After all it was he who sold me to Gregorio. He stole my destiny, my happiness. When I gave him the insulin, that happiness came back to me. The same as he took from my grandmother and I. Now we're even."

Her grandfather drinks his coffee as she gives him several injections. She asks him if he knows what day yesterday was. He wishes her a happy birthday. He winces at the injection and says this illness sucks. He always wants to sleep. He asks her to see if there's some juice in the fridge. She gets up and says there isn't. He asks her to bring some next time she visits. "It's not good for you." "Because of the diabetes? Well, that's what they say, but who knows if it's true." She gives him another shot. He says he didn't eat anything the day before, just some stale bread. "Que caray" (aw, gee, that's too bad) she says, with no feeling behind it. He asks her what she did for her birthday. She says her friends made her a cake. He remembers that her grandmother used to bake her a cake on her birthday, does she remember? She does. He says she always bought colored sugar for the top. "Sometimes we didn't even have enough for bread, but there she'd go and get you colored sugar. And I'd tell her she would make you spoiled. The fights we used to have. Do you remember?" He asks if Gregorio gave her a present and calls him a cheapskate when she says he didn't. "I'll have to talk to him. Do you know that all of a sudden my eyes are bothering me. What could it be?" Azucena says she doesn't know. "Why didn't Gregorio come?" Azucena says she killed him. Her grandfather laughs. "Good on you!" "Right? I killed him, just like I killed you." She cries and he looks at her, then slumps over. The butterfly flies away. Azucena gets up, shocked, and looks into the camera.

"Azucena Chávez fue declarada inimputable por la muerte de su esposo, considerándose el hecho como un asesinato en defensa propia. Sin embargo, en juez desestimó los atenuantes presentados en el caso del asesinato de su abuelo, al considerar que la acusada actuó con alevosía y ventaja. Fue condenada a 12 años de prisión. Ramon Morales ha apelado la sentencia. El caso se encuentra en los tribunales superiores y en la comisión nacional de derechos humanos."

Azucena Chávez was declared incompetent in the death of her husband, considering the deed as a murder in self-defense. Nevertheless, the judge disallowed the extenuating circumstances presented in the case of the murder of her grandfather, considering that the accused acted with viciousness and had an advantage. She was condemned to 12 years in prison. Ramon Morales has appealed the sentence. The case is now in the superior courts and the national committee on human rights.

Next week, Kika Edgar plays a pole dancer.

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