Caray, Caray!

LA REINA

Count me as one who was devastated by Santiago's abrupt demise, not that it wasn't foreshadowed well ahead of time. Sure enjoyed the Santiago-Teresa romance while it lasted. The best couple chemistry I've seen on screen in a LONG time. At least they gave us a beautiful video montage of them as a couple before the incredible boat accident. That boat accident special effects were worthy of a high-budget movie - very well done.

OK - now Teresa needs to build her power so she can extract some revenge! I sure hope to see the axe come down on that scum-bag thief of a lawyer.

Rest in peace sweet Santiago!

Audrey
 

LOS HEREDEROS - VIERNES

Jean, thanks so much.

I foresee lots of problems for Gaspar and Guadalupe. He even flipped over the poor waiter seeing the shoulders of his new bride as she emerged from the bathroom. Lupe is NOT going to be happy doing nothing and bossing the servants around. That would be an ideal job for Sofía!

I hope Beatriz manages to stay on an even keel. Maybe she'll even let go of the idea to re-name Simón as a Del Monte. (Side note: I often think of pineapples in a can when they say their last names!) If she can keep the child with Efraín's surname, I don't think José would have any parental rights. Isn't a child assumed to belong to a woman's husband by law?
 

LA REINA - VIERNES

Another thank you, Jean, for the great screen shots and succinct recap of Friday's episode.

Audrey, I agree. Kate and Iván were the most convincing telenovela couple I've ever seen. The sexual heat between them was amazing.

Wow, the political hierarchy in this women's prison is amazing. Teresa was lucky to have been befriended by Conejo, the one Teresa said looks like a housewife, but who apparently poisoned her mother-in-law.

To recap: The women are from all parts of the world. And they are classed as broncas or good at fighting and who also earn money by protecting others; bolleras or mean lesbians who band together and take advantage of new, attractive inmates; and pringadas or unlucky victims of the first two categories.

Conejo advises Teresa that she'll have to make a stand, demonstrate some strength, or she's doomed.

Patty O'Farrell talks like a machine gun. I have to replay what she says several times to get it.

My God, that Eddy is despicable! I'm pretty sure he's going to get his as soon as Teresa gets out.

It seemed to me that that fight with Makoki (sp?) served several purposes for Teresa. She got her street cred right away. And somehow during that fight I felt she went completely berserk. More than just fighting the Colombian, she was venting her anger at every bad break that had happened to her.
 

REINA

Thanks for the excellent posting Jean, and especially for the screen shots. For those of us who weren't quite ready to turn the page on Santiago, it helps us hold on a little longer:)

I'm glad you mentioned the photo thing. I was surprised by the editorial decision to have Teresa burn the whole photo instead of holding onto the half with her picture. It seemed like such a telling detail in the book -- a reminder of who she used to be and where she came from.

Remember when Teresa asked Eddie to take a photo of her and Santiago? (in the show, not the book). I wonder if that photo will pop up somewhere.

Novelera, thanks for adding some details about the power structure of the prison. It helps my brain get from Friday to Monday without forgetting too much.

Audrey, the only consolation we have is that there will undoubtedly be plenty of flashbacks to Santiago and Teresa -- except, of course, that they will now be tinged with tragedy.

But on the bright side, we can all order our very own Teresa Mendoza sterling silver semanarios from the Telemundo jewelry store. Seriously.
 

REINA- Thanks Novelera for the translation of what Patty told Teresa. I had to turn on the English subtitles for that, it was so fast. Speaking of that, did you catch that Patty said the only novela she liked was Pasión de Gavilanes because of the singer in it.

Coincidentally, two of the stars of PdG are in Herederos: Mario Cimarro (Juan) and Natasha Klaus (Berta).

There were two women singers in PdG. One was an actress who played a singer named Rosario and the other was an actress and singer named Lady Noriega who played a character named Pepita Ronderos. I have put links in the main post to You Tube videos of both of them performing in PdG. I'm guessing Patty was referring to Lady Noriega. In the second video, you can see the kind of bar that the El Gavilan bar Herederos is trying to copy.

Sat Mar 26, 06:09:00 PM EDT
 

LA REINA

Jean, wasn't it Conejo instead of Patty who told Teresa about the three categories of prisoners?

That was funny when La Teniente mentioned Pasion de Gavilanes. I didn't see that novela, but I did see the Univisión remake Fuego en la Sangre. In that one there was also a nice Rosario who sang in a cantina. And there was an an over-the-top sexy one played by Niurka Marcos, a Cuban bombshell.
 

LA REINA

There was a bunch of earthy women's speak that just went flying over my head in Friday's episode. About the only thing I could figure out was that it was earthy women's speak, LOL!

I can go back and watch the episode on-line, but without the Spanish captions I don't think I'll ever figure out what they were saying, and then I would still have to wade through all the innuendos.

Jean, I appreciate you explaining at least the "Pringada" stuff.

After this show, I think I'll be fluent in Spain cuss words because it got to where I knew which word was being bleeped, LOL! So funny, the Spanish captions with their J--- and C---, etc.
 

Hello all. It's so nice to re-discover this interested and interesting group of recappers and commentators. Neither my recording equipment nor myself were in working order since La Reina started. Having read the book twice, I was so excited to see it from the beginning, but that didn't happen except for what I found at this site. But we've got a lot of interesting stuff ahead in this great story, and I hope now to be part of the conversation. Lois
 

Thanks very much, Jean, for putting up this week's page and for your very interesting comments on differences between the book and the telenovela. And thanks, too, to novelera and NovelaMaven for all the helpful information about Friday's episode.

Audrey, you don't have to watch the telenovela to learn many of the palabrotas. The English translation of the novel leaves most of these in italicized Spanish!

On the Telenovela World forum for Reina, there was a discussion about whether/to what extent the novela has been dubbed. According to the discussion, 85-90% of the novela was filmed in Colombia, and only the Spanish and Mexican actors with large roles were brought to Colombia. The smaller parts were played by Colombians and their voices were dubbed. Someone said that if you google "La Reina del Sur doblaje" you can find a good deal of discussion about this. I haven't followed up on this, but I thought it was worth mentioning here.
 

REINA - Thanks, Jean for the comments, minisummary and links to the two songs. I'd love to see Zharick Leon in anything!

After Conejo explained the categories of prisoners to Teresa, Tere asked "and which group are YOU in?". Conejo responded that she's unique. I think Teresa (and Patty) also fall into the unique category.

As for the dubbing, I'm always fascinated by the different accents in Spanish. I've read before that many Colombian actors (Danna Garcia comes to mind, but there are many others) work hard to change their native accents to sound more Mexican for the largely Mexican or Mexican American audiences of the novelas we've been watching. Sebastian Rulli, originally from Argentina, also usually sounds Mexican in his roles, and of course Cuban actors like William Levy do the same thing. So I think the major actors in Reina can probably speak the spanish from spain accent. But I wouldn't be surprised that in the minor roles (and Reina has many, with it's constantly shifting cast of characters) if the actor were Colombian, the producers would dub their voices to make the accent more authentic.
 

HEREDEROS -- Jueves y Viernes

Guadalupe will have issues trying to adjust to being the lady of the house; here's hoping Berta will help her with that.

Gaspar should have had a robe handy for when room service showed up.

Julieta definitely has something major wrong with her and Juan needs to make up his mind.


REINA

Thanks for explaining what Patty was going on about; I couldn't follow her after a while. I have to say that the "women in prison" scenes might be realistic, but I'm so over them from other series.

And I'm upset about Santiago, too.
 

REINA

Lois, I'm so glad to see you back here to join the conversation. (And sorry to hear you've been through a rough patch.) If you have a chance to see the first episode, grab it -- whether on a computer in the library or at someone's house if you can't get the Telemundo videos to play on your own machine. That and the second episode (if you can get past seeing The Chump aka Escobarde interjected into the story!) are dazzlingly good and worth some trouble to track down.

Juanita, Thanks for the tidbit about dubbing. I like the idea that the producers are that concerned with getting it right. If you don't have a Hollywood budget, you have to come up with clever solutions to problems and that sounds like one of them.

Generally -- I find myself paging back through the book and savoring the written descriptions of scenes already captured in the show. This is one rare instance where a filmed version of a story can enhance a reader's pleasure in the original novel.
 

REINA - Friday

Thank you ladies for all your helpful comments from the episode.

Did Fatima just find out that Santiago died. It looked that way. But she did know that Teresa was in prison, right. Could someone please clarify, I would really appreciate it.

Margaret
 

Hi Margaret-
Are you asking if Fatima knew about Santiago before she went to Algeciras on Friday's episode? We saw Dris in the bar getting the call about what happened so I think that Fatima knew about Santiago right away. She came to visit Teresa in prison so she must have known about that, too.
 

REINA - viernes

Margaret's question raises another one: why did Fatima go to the house in Algeciras? She had to take a boat to get there, so she must have had a reason. Even though she went to visit Teresa in prison after she was at the house, I assumed that she knew that Teresa was in prison before she went to the house. Was I mistaken? I know that she asked Eddie about Teresa's clothes, but I didn't think that was why she had come. Was there something in the dialogue that explained this? (I'm afraid I miss at least as much of the dialogue as I catch.)
 

LA REINA - VIERNES

Lois, I'd also like to welcome you back. We've missed your comments. And I would definitely agree with NovelaMaven's suggestion that you find a way to see the first two episodes. They were amazing!

I don't think they explained why Fátima went to Santiago's charming house on the beach. I would interpret it as plot development, because this is how Teresa found out about Slimy Eddy's betrayal.
 

Thanks for the recap and photos Jean.

I love this novela. I was so upset TDA was going on at 10:00 but today I got on to Telemundo.Com and caught the last episode. So I think I will be able to watch TDA on TV and watch Reina on Telemundo. Now I'm happy.

I must say I have difficulty understanding even Kate. Does she use a lot of slang....I don't know what it is about her but I have a lot of difficulty.

When she was fighting I noticed what toned arms she has....they're so strong and firm. I guess she works out a lot.

Ann-NYC
 

Yes, Kate is really strong. She obviously body-builds. I think most Hollywood actresses do these days (as opposed to most TN actresses). My husband keeps commenting on her huge biceps and quads, LOL!

In Hollywood it seems it's the ladies that are always hitting the gym and getting those shoulders and biceps and legs. In telenovela world, it's obvious that the staring galáns (men) spend an incredible amount of type working out at the gym. I actually feel sorry for some of those men because I can only imagine how many hours it takes for them to get their bods to look like that!

Audrey
 

A special thanks to NovlaMavan & Novelera for the welcome back. I'm wondering if this novela might become a boxed set. Hope so! I'll buy. Meanwhile, plan to concetrate on the nightly episodes. Lois
 

REINA - Lunes
So we get the back story on Conejo. Her mother in law and her husband made her life miserable and one day she got fed up and put lye in the wine bottle and watched with satisfaction as they died painfully. Nice! She advises Teresa not to kill anyone because you lose your respect for life.

Patty donates a bunch of books to start a library in the prison under Conejo's direction (she was a librarian). Teresa is assigned to work there. In the only part of this episode that came from the book, Patty tells Teresa about how reading can expand your world. Teresa says that she barely completed primary school and asks for a recommendation. Patty gives her a copy of the Count of Monte Cristo.

A new prisoner arrives - an attractive young woman named Adriana who immediately catches Patty's eye. Teresa isn't sexually jealous but she thinks that Patty is taking advantage of the girl.

Makoqui and her buddies plan an attack on Teresa. They lock her and Adriana in the library after they set it on fire with oil from the kitchen. Patty helps Teresa escape through an air vent but Adriana dies in the fire.

Teresa knows who set the fire but she blames Patty for Adriana's death. Teresa had been comforting Adriana after Patty got her drunk and made advances.

The voices of both Adriana and the fire investigator were obviously dubbed.
 

REINA

Thank you Jean and Juanita for your help. Didn't get a chance to get back and reply yesterday.

I guess I was not sure whether Fatima knew that Santiago was dead when she arrived at the beach house, therefore my query. Why was Fatima crying when she was talking to Eddie. What did he say to her. (Like I have said before my spanish is pretty basic.) It was as if she had just found out some bad news at that moment. At the Yamilla when she overheard Dris, her reaction wasn't what I expected from her.

It's as if bits are being left out that make the connection, just to advance the plot quicker.

Margaret
 

REINA -

As for the Fatima situation, I thought her reaction was correct in the bar. She found out that Teresa was alive, Santiago dead, but Teresa was in jail. There has to be a mix of emotions. I think she later went to the house to pick up Teresa's belongings (having already visited her in jail). She found Eddie there. Eddie had tricked Teresa into signing away all her assets. Eddie had just told a floozy she could live there. Of course Fatima would be upset by this. She also realized what Eddie did. But she struggled to control her emotions, went inside, and retrieved some of Teresa's things from a bureau which Eddie hadn't cleaned out yet.

After Adriana was killed, Teresa blamed Patty. Patty blamed Teresa. But don't they get it? Neither one of them set that fire and locked the door. That was Makoqui and her broncas. They're the ones to blame! And it looks as if (following the prison "code") Teresa will keep mum about this, which may cause HER to get in trouble.

I did feel sorry for Adriana, even if Conejo didn't. She caught her boyfriend kissing her best friend on some special day, stormed out of the club a bit drunk, drove down the highway, went through a traffic light, and slammed into a cyclist, who was killed. She got 7 years. I'm not defending drunk drivers, I just felt a bit sorry for that whole situation. And she only spent one day in jail before being burned alive.

She had asked Teresa if she was afraid, and Teresa said something like she had been afraid so many times, that not much scared her anymore.
 

LA REINA - LUNES

Thanks for all the earlier great comments on Monday's episode. I go back and forth on Patty. I like her wry sense of humor. She refuses to do her own laundry, but tells Teresa at least she pays her worker bees.

It looks like Ratas is getting out of jail. Epifanio remarks that blood is thicker than water, so he has to placate his cuñada and take the sleezeball back into the fold. I have a feeling this is going to bite him you know where.

Teresa, I believe in the context of discussing The Count of Monte Cristo, said a very interesting thing. She said that she was the imán de tragedias which means a magnet for tragedy. And, yes, I absolutely had to look up imán!

I was thinking about Makoqui and her evil ways. While she is a woman, she follows the pattern of all rapists. It's more about exerting power over the helpless pringadas than it is about sex.
 

HEREDEROS - LUNES

Rosa FINALLY seems to have a clue about who Sofía is. But our nasty little blackmailer is going to try to make poor Miguel support her. And she said an interesting thing: that 30 years ago she had to also threaten Emilio with going to his wife. It looks like he wanted to get rid of the leech as well.

José is now begging for an industrial sized anvil to drop on his head. He gets Beatriz fired from her job so she'll be available at all times for him to jump her bones, without benefit of any commitment, of course.

I don't know what they're trying to say with this, but Guadalupe looks MUCH prettier since she married Gaspar. Gaspar is giving me hives with his controlling ways. He DID promise her she could continue her education after marriage, and is now reneging on his promise. The fur is going to fly if he discovers her birth control pills. Of course, in all TNs, if something is hidden, it is always found at the worst possible moment by the worst possible person to find it.

The scenes with Juan and Paula are boring me silly.

José is going to go ballistic when he finds out that Beatriz is working side by side with Efraín. I was thinking Lupe would turn over her cosmetics business to Beatriz.
 

Reina - lunes

Thanks very much to Jean, Hombre, and novelera for their helpful comments about Monday night's episode.

Yes, Hombre, the avances certainly did seem to indicate that Teresa is in big trouble, accused of being responsible for Adriana's death. Somehow the stuff that started the fire was found in Teresa's clothes. Even though she and Patti quarreled rather bitterly, I can't believe that Patti would have set her up that way (not to mention that Patti didn't have the stuff that started the fire). So it must have been Makoqui and her perras that planted the "evidence." But how could they get access to Teresa's clothes? Again, I can't believe that Patti would be cooperating with them, and surely she must keep her cell locked when she's not there. Hmmm...then again, perhaps she can't keep her cell locked.

I've been very impressed with Cristina Urgel's portrayal of Patti O'Farrell. It's almost as if the novel had been written with her in mind.

Now that I've become aware that some of the characters' voices have been dubbed, I see many signs of dubbing. Fortunately, I think none of the major roles were dubbed.

I don't mind the telenovela's departing from the novel, but I hope we won't have too much more of the "Women in Prison" bit. Unlike most of "La Reina del Sur," this theme seems perilously close to a tired stereotype.
 

REINA

Thank you Hombre for your help.

I think I am going to have to stop watching this one. I don't want to because I am really enjoying it so far, but the Spanish accents are making it hard for me to understand and comprehend. Televisa telenovelas are much better to watch for spanish language beginners like myself.

Thank you again everyone for your help with understanding the story and all your brilliant comments.

Margaret
 

Reina - general

Margaret,

¡No te rindas! (Don't give up!) Have you tried the closed captions? Some people can choose between Spanish captions and English captions. One of them is on CC1 and the other on CC3 (I don't recall which is for which). I've been using the Spanish captions, but I think the English captions might be even more useful for you to try. I know that when I watch Spanish movies, I watch with English subtitles, and I find it helps me hear the Spanish words. But even if that doesn't happen in this case, the captions might enable you to continue to watch this extraordinary novela.
 

LA REINA

Margaret, if your TV gets CC3, you can, I think, watch the novela with English subtitles. My TV is ancient, so I only have CC1 and CC2.
 

LA REINA

Juanita, you beat me to the punch!
 

Yes, Margaret, don't give up. If you have a relatively modern TV, you should have CC3 captions. It is sometimes tricky to figure out how to enable them. You often have to go into your TV's menu.
 

REINA -

I can also get Spanish captions on CC1 and English on CC3. One thing to remember is that the captions are usually turned on with the TV remote (as opposed to the DVR remote, the VCR remote, or the cable remote). Some people just use the cable remote for everything, and you might not be able to find the captions there. But if you have the TV remote, you can often turn the captions off and on, and select between several choices (the only ones which work for me are CC1 and CC3). I know some older TV's can't do this, but it's worth a try. I often try to watch Reina w/o captions, but revert to the Spanish (or even English) ones when I'm stumped.
 

Margaret. If you have time,stick with Teresa because Reina is a great novel. (This is a bit harder to say after last night, but . . .). To learn Spanish, I find Mexican Spanish is clearest and actually travels to other places pretty well. My favorite author, Garcia Marquez, for some reason agrees with that! Whatever you choose, good luck. Lois
 

REINA

Thank you Juanita, Novelera, Jean, Hombre and Lois for your encouraging words and help to keep watching this show. The thing is I am watching this online because I live in Greece, therefore no captions, unfortunately.

I watch these telenovelas because I love listening to spanish and it also helps me learn the language. Already my comprehension is better. This is mainly by watching Televisa novelas with the Mexican spanish. Nearly everyone in Reina talks so fast that it is hard to pick up words. I was sort of hoping that Teresa would leave Spain soon and go back to Mexico for this reason, lol. Oh well.

You guys have been a great help.

Margaet
 

HEREDEROS

Novelera, thank you for the recap because I missed the show last night. I do think that the writers have something big in store for Gualdalupe because she has all the makings of a novela heroine- she is kind, loving, fair and tries very hard to do the right thing- also she seems to be morphing into a more grand and elegant lady.

Like you, I am also bored with Paula and Juan and I think that Juan seems more comfortable with Julieta than Paula. I know Paula will probably end up with Juan in the end, but I think they lack any pizzaz as a couple. In watching the video clips from Pasion de Gavilanes I am reminded of how much more fire Cimarro had in his similar role there. Of course that was one of my alltime favorite novelas, so I'm biased. Also, I wish there were some funny and fun side characters as in Gavilanes- this story has very few laughs. I do enjoy the tenderness that is sometimes shared between the brothers, though.
 

Reina - general

Margaret, I hadn't realized that you were having to watch Reina with no captions. Though I hate to say this, I think you may be right in feeling that at this point watching a Mexican novela might help your Spanish more. At least, I think that would be true for me. I'd be hopelessly lost without the Spanish captions. Even with them, I depend on NovelaMaven, Jean, novelera, Hombre de Misterio, and others to help me make sense of what I miss.

I'm thankful I don't have to make your choice. I think Reina is far superior to any other novela I've ever seen.

Good luck with your decision.
 

REINA - Martes

It was another exciting prison episode, although the previews make it look as if we'll soon be moving on from prison life.

Somehow Makoqui did plant a partially used cooking oil bottle among Teresa's clothes. That combined with what the warden thought was Teresa's motive (she was mad at Adriana for stealing her "lover" Patty (?!) or maybe at Patty for jilting her (Tere), had the warden convinced that Teresa killed Adriana, and Tere was placed in solitary. Makoqui and her gals had a solid alibi, playing Parchesi in the rec room. The warden couldn't check this, because the security cameras weren't recording (drat!). Teresa said, well how did I lock the door from the outside? Simple, Patty locked it, then rescued you (I though this was jealousy against Patty, but oh well).

It's rough in solitary, but Patty sends Tere a flashlight, the book The Count of Monte Cristo and a note to keep dreaming. Patty then works a trick on Makoqui, first threatening her slave Ratona with a hot plate, then confronting Makoqui, getting her to lose her cool, after which Makoqui blurts out "I'll kill you, same as I killed Adriana!" Well, the warden was listening right outside the cell, Patty set it up, and it's bye bye Makoqui, who's going to a maximum security prison.

Teresa is released, all the other prisoners are ecstatic, and they party hardy. Alone in their cell, both quite drunk, Patty even gets in a little kiss on the lips with Tere, who mildly kisses back, but then reminds her she's "not like that". But the two are in awe of each other now, neither having ever met anyone so cool. I agree.
 

LA REINA; MARTES
Thanks Hombre for a great summary.
I sort of felt the kiss between Teresa and patty happened mutually, and came out of Teresa's feeling for Patty. But in her typical fashion, Teresa is straight with Patty about the fact that she's not gay and would like them to forget that the kiss happened. (I think Patty finds it hard to accept her sexuality and is always making excuses for it0. But I was moved by her guilt and sadness about Adriana's death and the way Teresa was able to comfort her, without the fear that Patty would see her embrace as sexual. Teresa is really something! I think she and Patty are going to be quite a team. Also I like the fact that Teresa's head is not turned by Patti's wealth and influence. She admire her intelligence, education, and her sense of self --the way she carries herself not as a Princess, but a Queen. Both these women can learn a lot from one another. It is such a pleasure to see a telenovela where the relationships between women are deep and complex, and the women who are portrayed are so multi-dimensional.And I loved the celebration "party", which was more like a sorority party than a prison "party."
 

LA REINA - MARTES

Thanks, Hombre. Excellent recap of a very exciting episode. I loved the way Teresa cut to the chase, asking how she managed to lock herself inside, with the lock on the outside.

With few exceptions so far, this novela has many shrewd women and quite a few men who are either stupid or vicious or both. The prison warden is a perfect example. He immediately bought the "jealous lesbian" theory. And he discounted Makoqui, who the psychiatrist had said was a psychopath.

That scene with Makoqui and Patty was great. It was funny when she kept goading her, calling her camionera (truck driver).

They are definitely showing Patty as a damaged person. She loathes her parents. She comes from a privileged background, but I'm pretty sure we all know what the "treasure" is.

The party in the cell was outstanding. I agree, NJ Sue, that it's SO great to see women's friendships portrayed so realistically. So many times in TNs all they show are boring scenes of the heroine pouring her heart out, with lots of glycerine tears, to a friend.

It was outstanding that La Teniente sent her a book to read and some light to do it by. And what could be more perfect than reading about Edmond Dantes trying to maintain his sanity while locked up in the Chateau d'If.
 

HEREDEROS - MARTES

At least Julieta went to the doctor. I expected her to refuse to do so for at least a week to extend the glacial pace of this novela.

Now Sofía causes problems between Consuelo and Jonny. Jonny is a real sweetheart. I think he deserves better than Consuelo, who is pretty, but very volatile.

Wow, Gaspar is turning into Mr. Hyde before our very eyes. Lupe has a BIG problem. He appears to me to be exhibiting the signs of an abuser. He wants to control her every movement. He's jealous of any man who approaches her. Pedro called him on his crap, saying he was showing his insecurities for everyone to see and that he always had done so.

Makes no sense that Lucas is all of a sudden mad about Rosario.

One thing I like about Paula is that she's got some meat on her bones. She doesn't look anorexic.

Rosa is becoming more and more likeable.

I don't understand how José can file for parental rights to Simón. But I guess there was a DNA test. Bet Beatriz rues the day she did that.
 

LA REINA - MARTES

With a little google help for my rusty brain, the plot of The Count of Monte Cristo came back to me.

Patty kept referring to herself as Abbé Faria. In the Dumas novel, this priest is also imprisoned in the Chateau d'If and he befriends Edmond Dantes, the youthful innocent. He teaches him many things during their imprisonment. And on his death bed he tells Dantes the location of a treasure that can be found on an island should Dantes manage to escape (he does).

I can't remember if all these similarities to the Count of Monte Cristo were in Pérez-Reverte's novel or not.
 

REINA -

Novelera, wow! Thank you for the fascinating info about The Count of Monte Cristo. Now there's another book I should read. Maybe even in Spanish (although from how thick the book looked, it could take years :)
 

REINA -

It turns out, if you google El Conde de Montecristo pdf, the first hit is the entire book, which you can read online (or maybe download). It's in the public domain. So maybe I WILL read it.
 

AURORA

OK, this falls under the "Just when you thought you've seen it all" category: Last night the main character, Aurora (Sara Maldonado), was killed off on this novela. The previews and Telemundo are showing Tonya Smith, the lead actress from "Donde Esta Elisa" as the new member of the cast. Interestingly, in Elisa, Tonya was the love interest of Jorge Luis Pila (Lorenzo in Aurora), so we will have to see if something develops between them again in this novela. Question: What do they do with the title and musical theme of the program? Also, they have pulled actors and actresses from all over noveladom to save this story but nothing has worked. This seems to be a pretty drastic last straw.
 

AURORA

I forgot to mention above that Aurora was killed in a car accident and when she died her heart was given to Angela (Sonya Smith). And the internet is ablaze with angry Aurora devotees.
 

AURORA -- Miercoles

I was shocked by this, too. It will be interesting to find out in a year or so whether this novela will have any rebroadcast value once Aurora's fate becomes common knowledge.

Federico's stopping the show to announce her death was disgusting. It was cruel to Aurora's loved ones in the audience. He should have taken Blanca and Vanessa aside to tell them and ushered the whole group out the stage door before the press had a chance to get there.

The press harassment of Lorenzo was even worse. He gave them what they deserved.

There is no way in hell the AMA would permit Gustavo to even be in the operating room during the removal of Aurora's heart, much less to try to do it himself. Martin would also be barred from this procedure. Neither of them should have this as their last image of her.

Lorenzo might not fight the charges unless he remembers he has to live for his children and grandchldren.

I'm behind on the other two and will have to catch up this afternoon.
 

AURORA - Thanks for the update on Aurora, Matilda. I was wondering what was going on when I saw the part of the program that goes past 9pm. Aurora had Lorenzo's baby didn't she? I thought she wasn't supposed to be able to have children and that she died in childbirth.
Maybe Aurora will continue to appear as a ghost or become part of the new character's personality or something.

It's interesting that they have tried so hard to save this turkey instead of putting it on the afternoon or late night and gone on to something else.

Once again you wonder what the writers thought they were going to do for 100 plus episodes. It seems like they are making it up as they go along.
 

AURORA

Jean, I think they were. The initial premise of the story was interesting and could have opened the door to more Sci-Fi novelas. However, turning Elisabeth into a serial killer was the beginning of the end.

Aurora originally died of an undisclosed incurable disease that may or may not have been triggered by her first pregnancy. When she told Lorenzo last week that she was pregnant I had a presentiment of disaster. I would hope that Victoria decides to use IVF and a surrogate to have children with Martin.

The woman who received the heart will fall in love with Lorenzo. This is how it played in a Televisa novela called Angeles Blancos, which aired in the US in 1994 and it seemed to have also happened in the most recent version of Velo de Novia.
 

AURORA -- General

Just before I shut down the computer for the next few hours I had to post this:

Some time ago we speculated on the possibility that Aurora would not survive to the finale, that she was meant to be a sort of angel who puts the other people's lives on track. The death of Joaquin was a possible sign that Aurora would die also and that this would be a "Man should not play God" message. It is therefore ironic that her death was caused by something as mundane as an automobile accident.

Very like the death of Princess Diana, which I'm sure will be commented upon in tonight's episode.
 

AURORA- Yes, Urban, it did happen in the most recent version of Velo de Novia. Angeles, played by Marlena Favela, currently in Herederos, was in love with Eduardo Santamaria. She died in a car accident caused by her sister who also wanted ES. Her heart was transplanted into Susanna Gonzales who subsequently fell in love with ES.

One of my favorite telenovela moments was when Angeles, who has been declared brain dead, nevertheless is able to take a tender farewell of ES.

This novela was very strange. In the middle, almost all the characters were killed off. This included the mother of ES's character shooting him to death in church on his wedding day to Susanna Gonzalez because he was marrying a humble seamstress.

Susanna Gonzalez moves to the DF and meets and falls in love with someone who looks exactly like her dead finacee. At the very end, the ghosts of ES's original character and Angeles bless the union of Susanna Gonzales and the new ES character.
 

REINA - Miercoles

568 pages. Yes, Teresa read the whole Count of Monte Cristo in jail, and Patty gives her a new book, "Pedro Paramo", by Juan Rulfo, a Mexican author. This book is much shorter, and Teresa doesn't understand all of it, but loves its poetic imagery, which reminds her of her Mexican roots.

Two years pass, and since Patty has been working behind the scenes to help Teresa's case (getting her parents to hire attorneys, for example), Tere is free! Well, she has to report to a parole officer every week, and stay out of trouble. Patty gives her a reference, and she moves to Marbella, getting a job as a waitress in a bar called La Chiringuita (I think), whose owner is Tony, another creep in the Dris mold, who makes her work 12 hours a day, at least.

Another year passes, and Patty's free, too! They meet up, go to a party at Patty's family house in Jerez, and another handsome guy, Teo, is introduced to Teresa. But he's married. Anyway, Patty tells Teresa about the half ton of cocaine which is hidden, and says if Teresa helps her sell it, she'll split everything 50/50, which could mean millions of dollars.

Teresa warns that people don't forget about that quantity of drugs, even after 3 years, and she's right. Juarez (the cop) tells his associate Florez that Patty's out, and they're going to use her to find those drugs. The drugs are hidden in an extensive cave at the edge of the water.

The previews seem to show that our gals call the Russians, which to me is muy peligroso!
 

REINA

Hombre, thanks for the terrific summary of last night's show. And thanks to everyone for your interesting comments of the last few days.

I am still playing catch-up. Now that TdA has gone back to one hour episodes, I have a fighting chance of keeping up (even if Univisión and Telemundo have decided to go toe to toe for the 10 pm viewers! I do try to record, but my machine sometimes lets me down. I'm glad Telemundo puts its primetime shows online.)

Will write more in the next few days. For now, suffice it to say -- I'm glad we are all out of jail and able to see the sea again!

And it seems that in a way, Teresa experienced her time in prison the way many middle-class young women experience university life: as the final stage of growing up; as a place to make life-long women friends; and as an introduction to the world of the written word -- she becomes a reader, which changes her forever.

(BTW, Makoqui and the tough girls reminded me of junior high -- yes, it was a pretty rough place!) :)
 

Reina - miércoles

Thanks so much, Hombre, for your very helpful summary of Wednesday's episode. It's interesting that Patty is so sophisticated in some ways but such a naif when it comes to drugs. How can she not imagine that the police detective who was so persistent and vengeful when she was in the hospital would simply let things drop, especially when so much money is involved? And doesn't she remember the outcome of Jaime's phone call to the Russians? The Russians consider the missing half ton of cocaine to be their property. Hombre's "muy peligroso" may be an understatement.

NovelaMaven, I enjoyed your comments, as always, especially your remark about university life and prison. As for junior high, thank God I never encountered anyone like Makoqui--I'd probably never have made it to high school!
 

REINA- I haven't seen last night's episode but I wanted to add to the comments about how good Wednesday's episode was, especially the relationship between Teresa and Patty. When Teresa tells Patty how much she appreciates having an intelligent friend, it really rang home. That kind of comradeship is very precious.

HEREDEROS- Miércolis:
Let's see something must have happened, or maybe not with this novela. Consuelo and Johnny move out of the Millán household. Now Consuelo appreciates the privacy and peace of the cabin (but how soon will she start to miss not having internet?)

A drunk Pedro wanders into the road in front of Julieta's car. When he won't get out of the way, she runs him down. Only his dignity is injured though. He tells Paula about it but later promises Julieta never to mention it again.

Julieta gets an MRI but hasn't gotten the results yet. Now in addition to her erratic behavior, she is getting nosebleeds.

Gaspar is getting more and more unreasonable with Guadalupe. Jose is enabling his behavior by telling him that he has to keep the upper hand with his wife. Guadalupe tells her Dad that all is well but she tells Béatriz that she is sorry she got married.

Emilio needs more money and sends Modesto to raid another of his hiding places. No idea when the new Emilio will be revealed.

Paula moons over losing Juan while Juan takes Julieta out to dinner.

That's about all I can remember.
 

LA REINA - MIÉRCOLES

Thanks again, Hombre! Boy this novela is SO well done. Just when I was a bit tired of prison, they did a speeded up finish of her sentence, ending with an early release. NovelaMaven, that was a very good point about Teresa's time being a bit like college, making good women friends. It was a bit unrealistic how fond they all were with each other once Makoqui was out of the picture, but I bought it.

I was thrilled when Teresa read Pedro Páramo and identified with Juan Preciado and imagined herself also going to Comala - a town populated by the dead. That book was a real challenge to me when we read it in Spanish class, but I LOVED it.

It was funny when Sheila accurately diagnosed Dris's problem. Dris sigue sangrando por la misma herida. It drives him nuts he can't have Teresa and would prefer that she rot in jail.

I found the visit to Santiago's old house confusing. The owner said she bought the place 8 years ago. Teresa has not been in jail 8 years. The only conclusion I could come to is that Fast Eddy either sold the house out from under Santiago in the past or convinced Santiago that he had purchased it, pocketing the money. Maybe the current owner only came for infrequent vacations? Confusing, anyway.

I think my question about Juárez was answered last night. He's definitely a crooked cop looking for the drugs to sell himself.

It was funny when Teresa was grilling Patty about her plans and Patty told her to stop with the preguntas tercermundistas. She gets some great lines!
 

LA REINA

Hombre, good on ya if you decide to read Monte Cristo in Spanish. But it was written in French, and I read it in English translation many, many years ago. If I were you and considering its length, I'd go for the English!
 

REINA - AND GENERAL

Novelera, your suggestion about the Count of Monte Cristo makes perfect sense. But I've reading books in Spanish for the purpose of improving my Spanish. And it's working. I'm currently reading the Harry Potter series (which I never read in English), and have finished books 1-5. I'm on book 6, about half way through. I could be wrong, but sometimes translated books seem a little easier than reading them in the original language. Of course, you lose some of the writer's meaning in the translated language.

If Teresa could read El Conde in Spanish, maybe I can, too :) I'd be more apprehensive about reading Pedro Páramo, since it was written in Spanish.

Back to REINA: I thought it was cool the way Teresa's belongings she retrieved when she left the jail consisted of 3 pieces of jewelry, each from a significant man. There was the necklace from Don Epifanio, the bracelet from Guero, and the ring from Santiago.
 

Novelera and Hombre, you beat me to the punch. Like novelera, I was puzzled about the woman at what used to be Santiago's house saying that she bought it 8 years ago. As novelera notes, Teresa was not in prison for anything like 8 years. And in the scene where Fátima comes to the house and sees Eddie, hasn't Eddie just given the house to the woman? That would have been only 2 or 3 years before Teresa visits it after her release from prison.

Also, I too loved Patty's telling Teresa to "stop with the preguntas tercermundistas."

Hombre, I too was struck by the scene where Teresa gets back her three pieces of jewelry, each given to her by a different man. Each triggers painful memories. I found the scene very powerful.
 

LA REINA - MIÉRCOLES

Juanita, I think you provided the missing puzzle piece. That probably IS the same woman who was there when Fátima arrived. She was Eddy's mistress, and he was giving her the house. Although he wasn't so much in love with her not to try to grin wolfishly at Fátima before he found out why she was there.

I was thinking the person last night was a different woman - a legitimate owner for 8 years. If it was the SAME woman, then she lied. Eddy had probably told her to say she'd owned it for 8 years if anyone showed up. And the woman was VERY nervous about Teresa being there, peering out to make sure she left.
 

AURORA -- sort of

Jean, I stuck with Velo de Novia because I love Eduardo Santamarina. However, I missed Paquita, whom I don't think has acted since. Love her songs, though.

Aurora was not well-planned. It also irks me that it's not shot in NYC except for the buffers.
 

Novelera, I was under the impression that Santiago owned the house. Thus, there would be no way for someone else to have been the legitimate owner for eight years. I was assuming that the woman Teresa confronted was the same woman Eddie "gave" the house to just as Fátima arrived. If that's the case, slimeball Eddie could very well have told her to claim she bought the house eight years ago if anyone asks. And, as you say, she certainly seemed very nervous when talking to Teresa. I doubt she would have been so nervous had she been telling the truth.
 

Reina - jueves

OK, I'll admit it, I'm VERY confused. If the police were following Patty and Teresa from the time they got onto the yacht with Oleg and his goons, and the police had them in sight the whole time, how could the police have boarded what certainly seems to be the wrong yacht? Did Oleg have the innocents hidden on the yacht all along, just in case?

Also, since presumably a large yacht couldn't enter the cave, Oleg's goons will have to transfer the cocaine in a smaller boat. But a smaller boat could only carry a small part of a half TON of cocaine at a time. Are they planning to take quite a while to transfer the cocaine to the yacht? The same yacht where the innocents (or perhaps not so innocents) are?

Also, at the end, we see Oleg, Patty, and Teresa in a high-speed small boat heading away from the cave where the cocaine was hidden. Is Teresa piloting the boat?

¡Ayudame, por favor!
 

Juanita,

I'm not sure but I think the smaller yacht -- the one with the "innocent" tourists -- was a decoy and was all part of the plan to distract the police. (Teresa et al knew they were being watched by air and sea.)

I couldn't see who was piloting the third boat, the even smaller get-away lancha. It would make sense that it would be Teresa.

I have no idea how that large amount of drug was accommodated unless the location of the cache is still a secret and the gang is planning to return for the rest of it.
 

REINA - Jueves

Yes, the details of the cocaine mission are a little fuzzy, but one thing is for sure: Teresa and Oleg knew the cops were watching, and set up the yacht(s) as a decoy. The cops kept saying "don't get too close or they'll know we're following". In other words, the helicopter (piloted by Callado again!) let the boats get out of his sight. That's when Tere, Patty and the Russians took the small speedboat into the cove, and got the cocaine. Maybe it CAN all fit on the little boat. We should find out tonight.

I hate Juarez. The other cop, Florez, had Juarez arrested for his underhanded dealings with drug people, including drugs, payoffs, etc. But Juarez threatened to reveal everything HE knows (about the "100 bodies", other payoffs, etc.), so they agree that he'll just get 1 year in jail, and then receive 5 Million Euros and a clean record. The only redeeming factor is that Oleg now knows that Juarez lied when he said the cops had all the drugs. I hope Oleg wants revenge on Juarez.

As a matter of fact, it looks as if we may be seeing quite a bit of payback, as for once (maybe), Teresa seems to be in the driver's seat (if she's successful in this drug deal).

I also liked her quick thinking to explain why Oleg shouldn't get HIS drugs for free. 1) they're hard to get to 2) he'll make a tremendous profit when he sells them to his people in Russia anyway ($75 million, and he only has to pay Teresa $6 million), and 3) she can set him up in the hashish trade, since she knows the routes and the contacts. Brilliant!
 

REINA - jueves

Hombre, I liked Teresa's quick thinking too. But I enjoyed even more the scene where she and Patty rehash the experience and how they were both shaking in their boots.

And I loved how Patty admires Teresa's apparent sangfroid:
...le saca tu cara de princesa Azteca inquebrantable!
(and then you pull out your stony, Aztec princess face!)
 

LA REINA - JUEVES>

Boy, this novela gets better and better, doesn't it?

They sure fooled me. I kept thinking: how in the world are they going to get Teresa, Patty and Oleg out of this mess with the cops right on them. I loved Flores' frustration when he was confronting the apparently confused pleasure boating group on the yacht.

I also hated to see Juarez get such a sweet deal. I suspect Oleg might have plans for him, though. It's not clear at this point if he knows the jig is up with Juarez.

It WAS a great scene with Patty and Teresa confiding how terrified they were negotiating with Oleg. These two actresses are fabulous! I kept watching Patty in that gloomy place where they were speaking with him. She was absolutely frozen with terror. But Teresa, whose life on the knife edge has better prepared her for "The Situation", recovered her agallas and got Oleg nibbling at the bait.

Someone said early on that each episode of this novela is like a little movie all by itself. That was certainly true last night.
 

Reina - jueves

Thanks VERY much, NovelaMaven and Hombre, for your helpful explanations. Since I never saw two yachts, I didn't think there were two, but of course we always saw the yacht(s) from the perspective of the police in the pursuit boat and the helicopter. They weren't close enough, and so if one yacht were positioned to block their view, a second yacht could get away, as could several smaller boats, without their seeing them. That seems to me still a bit of a stretch, but not impossible.

My assumption now, after reading your accounts, is that the yacht carrying the Russians, Patty, and Teresa (and carrying perhaps two smaller boats as well) got away and docked as close to the cave as possible. Then everyone got into smaller boats to enter the cave. One of the smaller boats could be used to transport the cocaine (in several installments) to the yacht.

The other smaller boat is the one we see at the end of the episode, speeding across the water with Oleg, Patty, and Teresa (and my money is on Teresa's piloting the boat).

Perhaps some of this will become clearer in tonight's episode. Ojalá.

I've got one more question, this one concerning Hombre's description of the steps in Teresa's awesomely fast-thinking response to Oleg about why the deal she and Patty are offering makes good sense for him. There was a step she mentioned after saying yes, they would have to pay another 6 million, but . . . I didn't catch what she said. Something about "only three"??? Perhaps I hallucinated this. (Indeed, my grasp of Spanish often creates hallucinatory scenarios. :-) )

Muchas gracias otra vez.
 

LA REINA JUEVES

Juanita, I don't remember anything about three. What I do remember is that Teresa's selling points included the difficulty of getting the "merca" from where it was hidden without she and Patty's help. Her last selling point was her knowledge of the hashish trade gained working with Santiago. And, of course, she deftly reminded him of how much the stuff would be worth after cutting it.
 

LOS HEREDEROS - JUEVES

I don't know what keeps me watching this carnival of stupidity. There's not enough IQ among these characters to do a 6th grader's homework.

They've turned Gaspar into a freak. What the %^&%## does José gain by accusing Pedro of coming on to Guadalupe?

Why is Consuelo a silly, jealous fool? Why does Jonny put up with her rants?

Why does dim Juan believe Paula gave Julieta a bloody nose?

Why does Modesto dig up the dinero in broad daylight with a huge piece of farm equipment so that Juan can discover him doing it?

I predict Beatriz will be a big success singing with Amador. But José will show up and pitch a jealous fit.

I can't stand Sofía's smug smiles. I can't stand it that she lured Miguel back into the sack, just when I was sort of liking him. And her character is written as completely schizophrenic - veering rapidly between evil witch and being almost repentant. How can she practically rape Miguel in the afternoon and then tell Consuelo an hour later how sorry she is for what she's done up to this point?

¡Ya basta con estupideces! Kill Julieta off already from her brain tumor. Show Emilio's new face already! Get Berta in the sack with Modesto already. Tape Paula's mouth shut so she can no longer lie about the old boyfriend.
 

Reina

Perhaps the drug recovery will be further explained tonight.

What I saw was, when the police got to the yacht, there was a smaller launch alongside, this is what prompted the police to move in. This launch could have been used to bring the other people aboard.

What the police didn't see, but we got a glimpse of, was Oleg, Patty, and Teresa leaving the yacht in a small Zodiac heading for the shore. The same boat they were spotted in afterwards.

Now you could put 1/2 ton in a small boat, but it changes the characteristics of the boat, no more skimming along, more like chugging along making big waves.

My questions are about all the other guys, like the ones on the yacht when they left port, and the crew that were taking out the coke. What happened to them? There must have been something else going on here that we didn't see, and our guys speeding along must be the diversion.

And yes, that was Kate running the Zodiac.
(picture posted here, http://foro.telenovela-world.com/n4/read-t.php?f=795&i=2719&t=2719#reply_2719)
(Cristina Urgel's blog, written during the filming, is pretty interesting and not really spoilerish, more about the cast and production)

thanks all for your posts!
 

LA REINA - JUEVES

Did you all notice Kate del Castillo's announcement that the novela will start in México on April 4, if I remember correctly? She was directing her remarks to us, thanking us for the US success and then announced it would run on Channel 4, Televisa, in México. This used to be a big deal, and I think Televisa prevented Telemundo's novelas from being shown and blackballed actors who took roles on Telemundo.

But I think that's changed. And certainly La Reina should be a BIG hit in México.
 

REINA -

Juanita, here's what Teresa said.
1) You guys paid $5 million plus $1 million in costs=$6 million
2) It's worth $30 million on the street in America
3) It's worth $15 million on the street in Europe.
4) If you pay us $6 million, you will have invested $12 million, but if you sell it for $15 million, you will have a $3 million profit.
5) But if you sell it to your own people (Russians), you can get $75 million, so you'd have a $63 million profit ($75-$12).
Then she threw in the hashish business.
 

Aurora-

new cast members...

Aurora has died and,

Sonya Smith plays Angela, who has the transpanted heart of Aurora.(Sonya is looking cuter than usual and doing this part very well)

Carolina Tejera, Valeria on ATM, plays Angela's sister.

Juan Pablo Llano, Walter on EFdE, is Angela's assistant ??

Victor Corona, the unkillable terminator in EFdE, is beating on Lorenzo in while he is in jail.
 

Reina - jueves

Muchas gracias, Hombre, for clearing up the mystery of the "3". Yes, I think what I heard was your 4th point: that if the Russians pay $12 million and sell it for $15, they've made a $3 million profit. I heard all the other points, including Teresa's brilliantly adding in the bit about the hashish at the end, but her point about the $3 million profit eluded me.
 

Reina - jueves

Deb, I like your point about the three people in the speeding lancha being a diversion. After all, if they've got no drugs in the lancha, even if the police catch them, there will be nothing to charge them with. And by the time the police realize this, the rest of the Russians will have loaded all the cocaine onto the yacht and disappeared. I guess we'll find out tonight whether this is what happens.
 

Having to catch up once again, and that turns out to be really fun. Often while reading the summaries and remarks I begin to feel I must be back in my old college humanities course, this time with much cleverer, interested and interesing students. Just got off on picturing all of us leaving our class and going to the Sub for coffee and continuing talk.

Can't beat a really good novel being enjoyed by and with people involved enough to travel down more than a few paths together to find meaning and as well as enjoyment. Lois
 

HEREDEROS

The wedding ring seems to have induced a personality change in Gaspar that I don't like. Guadalupe is probably kicking herself.

Can't wait to see who the new actor is for Emilio.


REINA

I'm not qualified to comment on this series as I often have problems following the faster speech. I also haven't read the book yet. But I appreciate everyone else's notes on this.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Reina - jueves

One other aspect of Thursday's episode that I found interesting was the brief, cold interchange between Patty and her father. If I understood her correctly, she said something about his never laying a finger on her again. Those weren't her exact words, but though I no longer recall the exact phrase, it led me to believe that at some point in the past he had abused her sexually. Am I right? If so, it would help to explain why she feels such animosity toward her parents and wants nothing to do with them.
 

LA REINA/THURSDAY
Great comments! I too didn't get what was going on with the various yachts and small boats.

Juanita, I also understood that what she said to her father indicated that he had sexually abused her. (I dont have a DVR and don't remember the exact phrase). It does seem like he is ready to cut her off financially if she makes a false move. I don't know why, but I have a bad vibe about Patti's future.

I found it surprising how nervous Patti was in the encounter with Oleg, while Teresa, on the contrary, was as cool as a cucumber.
 

REINA -

Juanita, you are right. Patty absolutely implied that her father had sexually abused her. I forgot about that. Not only does that explain her coldness towards her parents, but it may have impacted other parts of her personality as well (such as her bisexuality).