Monday, June 20, 2011
Triunfo del Amor #151 6/20/11 Sweet has Turned Sour; Team Evil Gains Power; Max’s Darkest Hour. Rats!
Come. Come inside the tent, my friends, and partake of the bizarre, the brilliant, the bathetic that is MejíaWorld. ¡Ultimas semanas! You’ll miss it when it’s gone!
Reprise: While Victoria is waiting in the sacristy for Juan Pablo, she gets the fateful call: María has been kidnapped! She must do exactly as she is told or she’ll never see her daughter again.
The Padres – Juan Pablo and Jerónimo – are strolling through the park, Jero doing his best to encourage and console JP. His life trials have made him a more effective and sensitive pastor, he tells him. Small comfort, says JP, if he can’t save his own mother’s soul. He fears she will never repent and the fires of hell await her. Jero is sure that God has heard JP’s prayers and will enlighten him ; he’ll find a way...
They laughed when she sat down to pray...
The other prisoners mock Bernarda when she walks by, collar and nose turned up. One woman takes her aside and warns her to watch out; the prisoner Siniestra is planning to get even (desquitar) with Bernie for making a fool of her. But Bernie’s not afraid of anyone.
The trick is on Vic...
Victoria hurries to keep her rendezvous with the kidnappers, never thinking to ask for help or call the police, natch. She sees a black pick-up truck and then... oh no! It’s María Desamparada and they are forcing her inside. Vic rushes to her defense. She pushes María’s captor aside and leans in to pull her daughter out. The thug then gives Vic a deft push and in she tumbles, like the witch falling into the oven in Hansel and Gretel. And now we see that the girl is a decoy. The María Desamparada impostor steps out and the truck drives away with Vic inside, the second victim.
I don’t do windows...
Bernarda is disdainful when ordered to mop the floors. She’s a lady, not a vulgar criminal like the others. Translation: she’s prepared to pay for what she wants. The gnarled little guard pricks up an ear: Why didn’t you say so before? What would you like? Bernie’s reply:
Quiero que esa haga mi trabajo
(I want that woman to do my work.)
And she indicates her latest enemy, Siniestra. The guard, now happy to oblige, orders Sinestra to do la Señora’s cleaning chores (fajina) – unless she wants to miss out on conjugal visiting day.
Max has two mommies...
Sitting at his desk at the Nueva Casa Victoria, Max broods over catching Dr. Voice and Vic smooching. He’s on his way out of the office to look for his father when Osvaldo himself walks in looking for Max. Os needs to talk to him about his mother. Victoria... begins Max. No, Os corrects him. He means Max’s biological mother, Leonela. She got drunk and made a spectacle of herself at Televisa and she’s probably lost her job.
That dress is radioactive – Danger of fallout!
Leonela, still wearing the purple dress bomb, weaves through a liquor store and thought-bubbles to herself that she’s a coward and doesn’t deserve anyone’s love. She picks up a bottle.
Fer rolls into Millie’s place looking for María. Millie sees she’s upset and invites her to stay with her until Cruz gets back. She can help look after little Juan Pablo. Millie’s a little concerned that María isn’t back yet but Fer tells her not to worry – she probably had to stay late at the Casa de Modas.
Something has to be done about Leonela, agree Max and Os. Os has done all he can. What now? Max knows exactly what to do, he says, but right now he just needs to find her. He is almost out the door when Osvaldo stops him to ask if Vic is in her office. Max’s answering expression gives him away and Osvaldo knows something is wrong. Max needs little encouragement to spill the frijoles: He saw Vic and Dr. Ríos smooching.
Towering tacones and all...
Leo makes her way carefully down a steep stairway and staggers over to a park bench. I’m the great Leonela Montenegro! A great actress! she announces to no one in particular. Then she kicks off her shoes and steps up on the bench. Holding the liquor bottle high in one hand she declaims: No one understands me but I am the great Leonela Montenegro!
Two scuzzballs have been watching and now they applaud her. Bravo! We understand you! One of them puts an arm around her. Let go, howls Leo. And she slams him hard, knocking him to the ground. The other scuzz grabs her and she screams for help. Two cops come running. The scuzzballs say she’s a crazy drunk who tried to assault (agredir) them. The cops – ignoring the fact that it was a woman’s screams for help that brought them there in the first place -- get ready to haul Leo into the police station for public use of alcohol.
He saw him hit on Vic at CRIT...
Os isn’t too surprised by Max’s revelation. Vic and Dr. Voice looked pretty cozy at CRIT. Well. If Victoria has found someone to love, he’ll have to accept it. They’re divorced, after all.
Max can’t understand his father’s attitude. Doesn’t he love Victoria anymore? Of course he does, says Os. That’s why he’d sacrifice his own happiness if she found hers with the Voice. But right now they need to focus on finding Leo.
A good walk spoiled.
Jero and Juan Pablo are interrupted in their moral ruminations by the spectacle of Drunk as a Skunk Leonela struggling with the cops. Padre Jero reminds the officers that public drinking isn’t a crime (un delito); it’s just a misdemeanor (falta administrativa). And JP tells them he knows the lady and he’ll take care of the problem. But she has to come in and pay a fine, insist the cops. Jero tries again, this time using the big guns: Allow us to help the lady, he says. And pointing skyward he adds: Heaven will reward you. Here one cop takes off his cap and his partner says: Well only because you are padrecitos.
PJP takes the bottle, Jero takes the purse and along with Leonela, they set off for the parish.
Nati and Juanjo. Oh no.
Yup. They’re back. And Nati is pregnant! Fer touches her own flat belly and tries to look happy about the news while the others – Napo, Chente, Alma and Millie jump up to congratulate the feh-cund couple.
Luci walks down the street, looking a little wistful, cardboard box under her arm. When Fabián calls out her name and runs to catch up to her, she gives him back his keys and thanks him for helping her when she needed it. He tries to convince her to come back to the apartment to talk things over. He’s so... confused. But Luci has had it with words. Love lives in the heart, she tells him, not the mind. You feel it or you don’t. Forgive me, says Fabián. On one condition, answers Luci: That you forget that this foolish woman was ever hopelessly in love with you.
More tsuris for Max...
Juan Pablo has called Max to tell him about Leonela and now the three are back at her suite at Casa Vieja. Leonela has a blanket draped over the purple dress. (It covers her shoulders and frames her impressive cleavage.) She makes for the door and when her protectors hold her back she tells them she feels ashamed and she doesn’t want anyone to see her like this. She just wants to disappear.
Then suddenly she starts to shake uncontrollably and pulls the blanket tightly around her. JP and Max are alarmed. Max steps out to call Dr. Voice. But before he can do so, he gets a call on his cell. An anonymous voice – we can see one of the kidnappers talking on a public phone while Gui stands silently by, arms folded – tells Max: We have your mother and your woman. If you want to see them again, you’ll have to come up with $10 million pesos – and soon!
Fer nurses her hurt feelings...
She tells Millie and Nati she’s not going to have the second operation – the one she hoped would permit her to get pregnant. Even little Juan Pablo looks open-mouthed impactado at this announcement. Then Millie guesses that she and Cruz are quarreling. Fer explains why she’s unhappy with him:
Lo vi besándose con su productora musical.
(I saw him kissing his music producer.)
Millie is indignant. Cruz is gonna get it!
Cruz’s comeuppance will have to wait because right now he is making a training film on sexual harassment in the workplace:
(You have a better explanation for this scene?) Cruz, the picture of domestic innocence, a market bag in each hand, is on his way back home when he hears someone calling his name. It’s his producer, Diana, and she runs up to him. She comes on strong and ignores him when he tells her very clearly that he’s not interested; he’s a married man. Tú me gustas (you turn me on), she tells him. And I always get what I want!
She touches his chest and bends down -- for a moment I wonder if I am watching a different kind of channel – but then she’s back up and biting into an apple that she took from his shopping bag and saying:
Los hombres prohibidos son los más sabrosos.
(Forbidden men are the most delicious.)
Cruz sighs disgustedly and continues on his way home, oblivious to the troubles awaiting him there.
Fer continues to pour her heart out to Nati and Millie. She felt so bad when she saw Cruz and Diana. Then she realized she was standing in the way of his success. That’s why she doesn’t want the operation. But there’s another reason, too. She hates – hates! – Dr. Ríos!
Back at the Casa Vieja, sweet William is like... acting
Max comes back inside and, his face now a mask of anguish, tells Juan Pablo:
María y mi madre están secuestradas.
(María and my mother were kidnapped.)
Leonela is confused. I’m your mother, she protests. I’m your mother and I’m right here. She grabs at Max’s arm and sobs.
JP says they have to verify the story.
Max calls Os and tells him to come at once – it’s an emergency. Then he calls Dr. Voice and asks him to come to Leo’s suite right away – she’s in very bad shape.
And she is. But when she starts crying for a drink, something in Max snaps. No more alcohol, he screams. All you do is drink and drink! You’re destroying yourself! She looks bewildered and just cowers and sobs. Max sits down next to her and puts an arm around her. But he can’t control his desperation. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? his voice increasingly ragged. Why?
Televisa rat wranglers gear up for their big scenes
The thugs drag a blindfolded and gagged Vic through the warehouse where María is being held. They tie her to a square pillar. María is bound to the other side. Their hands are tied so they can reach one another. Their hands touch and come together. The thug takes off Vic’s blindfold and gag and leaves mother and daughter alone together.
Victoria hasn’t seen her but she knows it’s María on the other side of the pillar. She knows she is touching her daughter’s hands. Then something scurries close to them. María recoils in horror and tells Vic there are rats in the place and she’s so afraid of them. Vic reassures her. Now that her mother is there, nothing bad will happen. She’ll take care of her. María is silent but thinks: I’m with my mother and nothing is going to happen to me.
This you call merciful?
Max asks again, his voice cracking: Why? Why is God doing this? He paces frantically and dismisses Juan Pablo’s assurances that God is merciful. Now Dr. Voice rushes in, black bag in hand and takes in the scene. He tells Max to calm down and starts to examine Leo. Max tells him how Leo went on a drunk and then got really sick. (Se puso muy mal.)
And then Max drops the bomb: María and Victoria have been kidnapped.
Dr. Voice looks up, shocked, and asks if they called the police. I'm going to, says Max. But right now Leonela needs attention. And he’s going to the vecindad to make sure the story is true.
Bernie gets spooned. And not in a good way.
The prisoners mock Siniestra. Bernie stands idly by, hands steepled. The furious Siniestra confronts her. Bernie tells her smugly that money can buy anything (con dinero, baila el perro) so she can just carry on with her cleaning and leave her in peace. I’ll leave you in peace, says Siniestra, but first I have a little gift for you. She pulls out a prison-made knife – a sharpened spoon. Te voy a matar, infeliz! (I’m going to kill you, sucker!) Bernie struggles but Siniestra manages to drive the weapon home. Bernarda’s face contorts with pain and she sinks to the floor. She holds a bloody hand over a wound in her chest.
This is why no one calls the police...
CSI – DF has completed its investigation. They checked Bernie’s fireplace for fingerprints and the only ones found were Fausto Candela’s. This means he -- and not Bernarda de Iturbide – murdered Tomasa Hernández. Morons.
Back in Rat City...
María rejects all of Victoria’s overtures although most of the time, she lets her hold on to her hand. Vic explains how she tried to come to María’s rescue, got tricked and ended up captive. She wants to tell María their whole story – maybe that will affect how she feels. María is uninterested. In fact, she’d prefer if Vic didn’t talk at all. If she can’t talk, then she’ll sing, says Vic. María’s reaction: Sing? That’s absurd! Sing what?
We hear the tinkling notes of “Rockabye Baby”. And Vic replies:
La canción de cuna con la que yo te dormía. Quizá la recuerdes, quizá no, pero en este momento me va a dar mucho paz.
(It’s a lullaby -- I used to sing you to sleep with it. Maybe you remember it, maybe not, but right now it will give me a great deal of peace.)
She begins a heart-breaking recitativo --
Cuántas estrellitas en el cielo están
(How many little stars there are in heaven)
Son cual perlas finas que te da mi amor
(They are the fine pearls my love gives to you)
Mira como brillan
(Look how they shine)
Cuan hermosas son
(How beautiful they are)
Son cual perlas finas que te da mi amor.
(They are the fine pearls my love gives to you.)
María joins very softly, almost inaudibly and a tear rolls down her cheek. The camera pulls back and we see the two women back to back separated by the pillar, their hands tied to the same cord; a fat rat sits in the foreground. Then María’s face tightens and she forms a fist with the hand Vic was holding and tries to pull it away.
Back to the two-legged rats in prison...
Bernie sits on the floor and swears that Siniestra will pay for what she did – she’ll burn in hell! The other prisoners mob Siniestra – the hated cellblock bully -- and attack her. The now bloodied spoon drops to the floor. And when the mob backs away, we see Siniestra is dead. Gnarly guard comes running...
A red electronic eye blinks in the rat-infested warehouse.
María denies remembering the song. [Here Mr. Maven elbows me: What the...? She totally remembers the song!]
Cut the sentimental blather (cursilería), lady, and try to figure out who could have kidnapped us, she says. Vic doesn’t know but she blesses whoever it was for giving her a chance to be with María. Even if she can’t see her, at least she can touch her hand.
[Seriously, ladies. You don’t know who’s to blame? You don’t see the cloven hoof prints all over this? Okay, I get it. You’re both right-brain, creative types. Or morons.]
Not here Not there Not Anywhere
You can’t forgive me... even in circumstances like these? asks Vic. And María replies stonily (although her words have an oddly Seussical lilt):
Ni aquí ni en algún lado.
(Not here nor anywhere.)
And she pulls her hand away.
This time Bernie really didn’t do it...
but the circumstances point to her guilt. The gnarled little guard orders the others to take her to the infirmary and then the Hell Cell. It’s not my fault, protests Bernie, who seems to have escaped almost unscathed by her spooning.
Close-up of a disgusting bug -- in case you were tired of rats...
Don’t call me ‘daughter’ says María. And Vic answers: Deny it all you want, but you carry my blood – and so does your son. And so will all your descendants.
Over María’s protests, Vic tells her about the night she was born; how she gave birth outside, behind a tree in a garden; she reminds her of the indescribable pain of childbirth – she’s a mother now and can understand; she describes how she cut the umbilical cord by biting it (whoa! Very. Disturbing. Detail.) and then put the newborn María on her chest and caressed her little head; she was so fragile; they were so vulnerable (desprotegida).
--Here again we see the red blinking electronic eye.
Victoria continues: She raised her eyes to heaven to thank the Virgin for protecting them; that’s why she named her María – in gratitude to the Virgin.
María interrupts her again: I don’t want you to talk any more. Would you please just shut up? (Cállese por favor)
[Now that is harsh. Maybe we should call you María Desalmada.]
But Victoria goes on with the story: They spent the whole night there -- she lay on the grass, her baby at her breast. Her little girl. Her little María, whose eyes were bigger and more luminous than all the stars. She became a mother with only nature to protect her – a miracle! María was a miracle. A miracle that later she was blind to.
Again María tells her to stop talking about her memories. At this point I’m ready to smack María upside the head but Vic takes her daughter’s downright churlishness with good grace. She intends to keep telling her how much she loves her, how grateful she feels being close to her daughter even under these conditions.
Bernarda is about to be left stewing in the Hell Cell when another guard comes running up with a judge’s order: Bernarda de Iturbide va a quedar en libertad. (Bernarda is going to be released.) Cue the Gregorian chant. Bernarda looks upward, does a quick brow sweep. Her face is bathed in light.
Cruz is back.
Milagros – still holding baby Juan Pablo -- and Nati get up to leave so the couple can have some privacy but Fer stops them. What she has to say isn’t a secret:
Cruz, quiero que nos separemos.
(Cruz, I want us to separate.)
Millie and Nati shake their heads.
Vic remembers
You were such a well-behaved little girl, so calm. You loved your doll and you played with her for hours. And María remembers: Fer gave that doll back to me... my little sister Fer.
Cruz’s heart is broken
He is stung by Fer’s words. And after everything he has done for her -- she never appreciated his love! He has been holding her hands tightly but he drops them abruptly and runs out. Now Millie turns to Fer and tells her: Cruz is right. He does really love you and you don’t appreciate his love. You’re not being fair to him!
We don’t get to hear Fer’s answer because just then there is a knock at the door. Millie is happy to see it’s Max. She hands over little Juan Pablo and tells him his sister needs her ears pulled back. Then she notices the look on his face...
The ear-pulling will have to wait.
Max gives them the terrible news: Victoria and María have been kidnapped!
Kayakless credits roll. Lástima.
Reprise: While Victoria is waiting in the sacristy for Juan Pablo, she gets the fateful call: María has been kidnapped! She must do exactly as she is told or she’ll never see her daughter again.
The Padres – Juan Pablo and Jerónimo – are strolling through the park, Jero doing his best to encourage and console JP. His life trials have made him a more effective and sensitive pastor, he tells him. Small comfort, says JP, if he can’t save his own mother’s soul. He fears she will never repent and the fires of hell await her. Jero is sure that God has heard JP’s prayers and will enlighten him ; he’ll find a way...
They laughed when she sat down to pray...
The other prisoners mock Bernarda when she walks by, collar and nose turned up. One woman takes her aside and warns her to watch out; the prisoner Siniestra is planning to get even (desquitar) with Bernie for making a fool of her. But Bernie’s not afraid of anyone.
The trick is on Vic...
Victoria hurries to keep her rendezvous with the kidnappers, never thinking to ask for help or call the police, natch. She sees a black pick-up truck and then... oh no! It’s María Desamparada and they are forcing her inside. Vic rushes to her defense. She pushes María’s captor aside and leans in to pull her daughter out. The thug then gives Vic a deft push and in she tumbles, like the witch falling into the oven in Hansel and Gretel. And now we see that the girl is a decoy. The María Desamparada impostor steps out and the truck drives away with Vic inside, the second victim.
I don’t do windows...
Bernarda is disdainful when ordered to mop the floors. She’s a lady, not a vulgar criminal like the others. Translation: she’s prepared to pay for what she wants. The gnarled little guard pricks up an ear: Why didn’t you say so before? What would you like? Bernie’s reply:
Quiero que esa haga mi trabajo
(I want that woman to do my work.)
And she indicates her latest enemy, Siniestra. The guard, now happy to oblige, orders Sinestra to do la Señora’s cleaning chores (fajina) – unless she wants to miss out on conjugal visiting day.
Max has two mommies...
Sitting at his desk at the Nueva Casa Victoria, Max broods over catching Dr. Voice and Vic smooching. He’s on his way out of the office to look for his father when Osvaldo himself walks in looking for Max. Os needs to talk to him about his mother. Victoria... begins Max. No, Os corrects him. He means Max’s biological mother, Leonela. She got drunk and made a spectacle of herself at Televisa and she’s probably lost her job.
That dress is radioactive – Danger of fallout!
Leonela, still wearing the purple dress bomb, weaves through a liquor store and thought-bubbles to herself that she’s a coward and doesn’t deserve anyone’s love. She picks up a bottle.
Fer rolls into Millie’s place looking for María. Millie sees she’s upset and invites her to stay with her until Cruz gets back. She can help look after little Juan Pablo. Millie’s a little concerned that María isn’t back yet but Fer tells her not to worry – she probably had to stay late at the Casa de Modas.
Something has to be done about Leonela, agree Max and Os. Os has done all he can. What now? Max knows exactly what to do, he says, but right now he just needs to find her. He is almost out the door when Osvaldo stops him to ask if Vic is in her office. Max’s answering expression gives him away and Osvaldo knows something is wrong. Max needs little encouragement to spill the frijoles: He saw Vic and Dr. Ríos smooching.
Towering tacones and all...
Leo makes her way carefully down a steep stairway and staggers over to a park bench. I’m the great Leonela Montenegro! A great actress! she announces to no one in particular. Then she kicks off her shoes and steps up on the bench. Holding the liquor bottle high in one hand she declaims: No one understands me but I am the great Leonela Montenegro!
Two scuzzballs have been watching and now they applaud her. Bravo! We understand you! One of them puts an arm around her. Let go, howls Leo. And she slams him hard, knocking him to the ground. The other scuzz grabs her and she screams for help. Two cops come running. The scuzzballs say she’s a crazy drunk who tried to assault (agredir) them. The cops – ignoring the fact that it was a woman’s screams for help that brought them there in the first place -- get ready to haul Leo into the police station for public use of alcohol.
He saw him hit on Vic at CRIT...
Os isn’t too surprised by Max’s revelation. Vic and Dr. Voice looked pretty cozy at CRIT. Well. If Victoria has found someone to love, he’ll have to accept it. They’re divorced, after all.
Max can’t understand his father’s attitude. Doesn’t he love Victoria anymore? Of course he does, says Os. That’s why he’d sacrifice his own happiness if she found hers with the Voice. But right now they need to focus on finding Leo.
A good walk spoiled.
Jero and Juan Pablo are interrupted in their moral ruminations by the spectacle of Drunk as a Skunk Leonela struggling with the cops. Padre Jero reminds the officers that public drinking isn’t a crime (un delito); it’s just a misdemeanor (falta administrativa). And JP tells them he knows the lady and he’ll take care of the problem. But she has to come in and pay a fine, insist the cops. Jero tries again, this time using the big guns: Allow us to help the lady, he says. And pointing skyward he adds: Heaven will reward you. Here one cop takes off his cap and his partner says: Well only because you are padrecitos.
PJP takes the bottle, Jero takes the purse and along with Leonela, they set off for the parish.
Nati and Juanjo. Oh no.
Yup. They’re back. And Nati is pregnant! Fer touches her own flat belly and tries to look happy about the news while the others – Napo, Chente, Alma and Millie jump up to congratulate the feh-cund couple.
Luci walks down the street, looking a little wistful, cardboard box under her arm. When Fabián calls out her name and runs to catch up to her, she gives him back his keys and thanks him for helping her when she needed it. He tries to convince her to come back to the apartment to talk things over. He’s so... confused. But Luci has had it with words. Love lives in the heart, she tells him, not the mind. You feel it or you don’t. Forgive me, says Fabián. On one condition, answers Luci: That you forget that this foolish woman was ever hopelessly in love with you.
More tsuris for Max...
Juan Pablo has called Max to tell him about Leonela and now the three are back at her suite at Casa Vieja. Leonela has a blanket draped over the purple dress. (It covers her shoulders and frames her impressive cleavage.) She makes for the door and when her protectors hold her back she tells them she feels ashamed and she doesn’t want anyone to see her like this. She just wants to disappear.
Then suddenly she starts to shake uncontrollably and pulls the blanket tightly around her. JP and Max are alarmed. Max steps out to call Dr. Voice. But before he can do so, he gets a call on his cell. An anonymous voice – we can see one of the kidnappers talking on a public phone while Gui stands silently by, arms folded – tells Max: We have your mother and your woman. If you want to see them again, you’ll have to come up with $10 million pesos – and soon!
Fer nurses her hurt feelings...
She tells Millie and Nati she’s not going to have the second operation – the one she hoped would permit her to get pregnant. Even little Juan Pablo looks open-mouthed impactado at this announcement. Then Millie guesses that she and Cruz are quarreling. Fer explains why she’s unhappy with him:
Lo vi besándose con su productora musical.
(I saw him kissing his music producer.)
Millie is indignant. Cruz is gonna get it!
Cruz’s comeuppance will have to wait because right now he is making a training film on sexual harassment in the workplace:
(You have a better explanation for this scene?) Cruz, the picture of domestic innocence, a market bag in each hand, is on his way back home when he hears someone calling his name. It’s his producer, Diana, and she runs up to him. She comes on strong and ignores him when he tells her very clearly that he’s not interested; he’s a married man. Tú me gustas (you turn me on), she tells him. And I always get what I want!
She touches his chest and bends down -- for a moment I wonder if I am watching a different kind of channel – but then she’s back up and biting into an apple that she took from his shopping bag and saying:
Los hombres prohibidos son los más sabrosos.
(Forbidden men are the most delicious.)
Cruz sighs disgustedly and continues on his way home, oblivious to the troubles awaiting him there.
Fer continues to pour her heart out to Nati and Millie. She felt so bad when she saw Cruz and Diana. Then she realized she was standing in the way of his success. That’s why she doesn’t want the operation. But there’s another reason, too. She hates – hates! – Dr. Ríos!
Back at the Casa Vieja, sweet William is like... acting
Max comes back inside and, his face now a mask of anguish, tells Juan Pablo:
María y mi madre están secuestradas.
(María and my mother were kidnapped.)
Leonela is confused. I’m your mother, she protests. I’m your mother and I’m right here. She grabs at Max’s arm and sobs.
JP says they have to verify the story.
Max calls Os and tells him to come at once – it’s an emergency. Then he calls Dr. Voice and asks him to come to Leo’s suite right away – she’s in very bad shape.
And she is. But when she starts crying for a drink, something in Max snaps. No more alcohol, he screams. All you do is drink and drink! You’re destroying yourself! She looks bewildered and just cowers and sobs. Max sits down next to her and puts an arm around her. But he can’t control his desperation. ¿Por qué? ¿Por qué? his voice increasingly ragged. Why?
Televisa rat wranglers gear up for their big scenes
The thugs drag a blindfolded and gagged Vic through the warehouse where María is being held. They tie her to a square pillar. María is bound to the other side. Their hands are tied so they can reach one another. Their hands touch and come together. The thug takes off Vic’s blindfold and gag and leaves mother and daughter alone together.
Victoria hasn’t seen her but she knows it’s María on the other side of the pillar. She knows she is touching her daughter’s hands. Then something scurries close to them. María recoils in horror and tells Vic there are rats in the place and she’s so afraid of them. Vic reassures her. Now that her mother is there, nothing bad will happen. She’ll take care of her. María is silent but thinks: I’m with my mother and nothing is going to happen to me.
This you call merciful?
Max asks again, his voice cracking: Why? Why is God doing this? He paces frantically and dismisses Juan Pablo’s assurances that God is merciful. Now Dr. Voice rushes in, black bag in hand and takes in the scene. He tells Max to calm down and starts to examine Leo. Max tells him how Leo went on a drunk and then got really sick. (Se puso muy mal.)
And then Max drops the bomb: María and Victoria have been kidnapped.
Dr. Voice looks up, shocked, and asks if they called the police. I'm going to, says Max. But right now Leonela needs attention. And he’s going to the vecindad to make sure the story is true.
Bernie gets spooned. And not in a good way.
The prisoners mock Siniestra. Bernie stands idly by, hands steepled. The furious Siniestra confronts her. Bernie tells her smugly that money can buy anything (con dinero, baila el perro) so she can just carry on with her cleaning and leave her in peace. I’ll leave you in peace, says Siniestra, but first I have a little gift for you. She pulls out a prison-made knife – a sharpened spoon. Te voy a matar, infeliz! (I’m going to kill you, sucker!) Bernie struggles but Siniestra manages to drive the weapon home. Bernarda’s face contorts with pain and she sinks to the floor. She holds a bloody hand over a wound in her chest.
This is why no one calls the police...
CSI – DF has completed its investigation. They checked Bernie’s fireplace for fingerprints and the only ones found were Fausto Candela’s. This means he -- and not Bernarda de Iturbide – murdered Tomasa Hernández. Morons.
Back in Rat City...
María rejects all of Victoria’s overtures although most of the time, she lets her hold on to her hand. Vic explains how she tried to come to María’s rescue, got tricked and ended up captive. She wants to tell María their whole story – maybe that will affect how she feels. María is uninterested. In fact, she’d prefer if Vic didn’t talk at all. If she can’t talk, then she’ll sing, says Vic. María’s reaction: Sing? That’s absurd! Sing what?
We hear the tinkling notes of “Rockabye Baby”. And Vic replies:
La canción de cuna con la que yo te dormía. Quizá la recuerdes, quizá no, pero en este momento me va a dar mucho paz.
(It’s a lullaby -- I used to sing you to sleep with it. Maybe you remember it, maybe not, but right now it will give me a great deal of peace.)
She begins a heart-breaking recitativo --
Cuántas estrellitas en el cielo están
(How many little stars there are in heaven)
Son cual perlas finas que te da mi amor
(They are the fine pearls my love gives to you)
Mira como brillan
(Look how they shine)
Cuan hermosas son
(How beautiful they are)
Son cual perlas finas que te da mi amor.
(They are the fine pearls my love gives to you.)
María joins very softly, almost inaudibly and a tear rolls down her cheek. The camera pulls back and we see the two women back to back separated by the pillar, their hands tied to the same cord; a fat rat sits in the foreground. Then María’s face tightens and she forms a fist with the hand Vic was holding and tries to pull it away.
Back to the two-legged rats in prison...
Bernie sits on the floor and swears that Siniestra will pay for what she did – she’ll burn in hell! The other prisoners mob Siniestra – the hated cellblock bully -- and attack her. The now bloodied spoon drops to the floor. And when the mob backs away, we see Siniestra is dead. Gnarly guard comes running...
A red electronic eye blinks in the rat-infested warehouse.
María denies remembering the song. [Here Mr. Maven elbows me: What the...? She totally remembers the song!]
Cut the sentimental blather (cursilería), lady, and try to figure out who could have kidnapped us, she says. Vic doesn’t know but she blesses whoever it was for giving her a chance to be with María. Even if she can’t see her, at least she can touch her hand.
[Seriously, ladies. You don’t know who’s to blame? You don’t see the cloven hoof prints all over this? Okay, I get it. You’re both right-brain, creative types. Or morons.]
Not here Not there Not Anywhere
You can’t forgive me... even in circumstances like these? asks Vic. And María replies stonily (although her words have an oddly Seussical lilt):
Ni aquí ni en algún lado.
(Not here nor anywhere.)
And she pulls her hand away.
This time Bernie really didn’t do it...
but the circumstances point to her guilt. The gnarled little guard orders the others to take her to the infirmary and then the Hell Cell. It’s not my fault, protests Bernie, who seems to have escaped almost unscathed by her spooning.
Close-up of a disgusting bug -- in case you were tired of rats...
Don’t call me ‘daughter’ says María. And Vic answers: Deny it all you want, but you carry my blood – and so does your son. And so will all your descendants.
Over María’s protests, Vic tells her about the night she was born; how she gave birth outside, behind a tree in a garden; she reminds her of the indescribable pain of childbirth – she’s a mother now and can understand; she describes how she cut the umbilical cord by biting it (whoa! Very. Disturbing. Detail.) and then put the newborn María on her chest and caressed her little head; she was so fragile; they were so vulnerable (desprotegida).
--Here again we see the red blinking electronic eye.
Victoria continues: She raised her eyes to heaven to thank the Virgin for protecting them; that’s why she named her María – in gratitude to the Virgin.
María interrupts her again: I don’t want you to talk any more. Would you please just shut up? (Cállese por favor)
[Now that is harsh. Maybe we should call you María Desalmada.]
But Victoria goes on with the story: They spent the whole night there -- she lay on the grass, her baby at her breast. Her little girl. Her little María, whose eyes were bigger and more luminous than all the stars. She became a mother with only nature to protect her – a miracle! María was a miracle. A miracle that later she was blind to.
Again María tells her to stop talking about her memories. At this point I’m ready to smack María upside the head but Vic takes her daughter’s downright churlishness with good grace. She intends to keep telling her how much she loves her, how grateful she feels being close to her daughter even under these conditions.
Bernarda is about to be left stewing in the Hell Cell when another guard comes running up with a judge’s order: Bernarda de Iturbide va a quedar en libertad. (Bernarda is going to be released.) Cue the Gregorian chant. Bernarda looks upward, does a quick brow sweep. Her face is bathed in light.
Cruz is back.
Milagros – still holding baby Juan Pablo -- and Nati get up to leave so the couple can have some privacy but Fer stops them. What she has to say isn’t a secret:
Cruz, quiero que nos separemos.
(Cruz, I want us to separate.)
Millie and Nati shake their heads.
Vic remembers
You were such a well-behaved little girl, so calm. You loved your doll and you played with her for hours. And María remembers: Fer gave that doll back to me... my little sister Fer.
Cruz’s heart is broken
He is stung by Fer’s words. And after everything he has done for her -- she never appreciated his love! He has been holding her hands tightly but he drops them abruptly and runs out. Now Millie turns to Fer and tells her: Cruz is right. He does really love you and you don’t appreciate his love. You’re not being fair to him!
We don’t get to hear Fer’s answer because just then there is a knock at the door. Millie is happy to see it’s Max. She hands over little Juan Pablo and tells him his sister needs her ears pulled back. Then she notices the look on his face...
The ear-pulling will have to wait.
Max gives them the terrible news: Victoria and María have been kidnapped!
Kayakless credits roll. Lástima.
Labels: triunfo
Comments:
<< Home
NovelaMaven - Thank you for the recap! Well done and good snark.
Leonela is a good example of why halfway houses work for a lot of recovering people. She needs a 30-day in house treatment and at least six months halfway house---the only way she can escape Gui! I'm surprised The Girls did not escape her dress during all her antics.
re: "Callese"
I always get mixed reactions to that word, to the point I often ask different people about it. Some native speakers I know say it's awful, like saying "shut up" and others say it's not that bad. It. is. so. confusing.
Leonela is a good example of why halfway houses work for a lot of recovering people. She needs a 30-day in house treatment and at least six months halfway house---the only way she can escape Gui! I'm surprised The Girls did not escape her dress during all her antics.
re: "Callese"
I always get mixed reactions to that word, to the point I often ask different people about it. Some native speakers I know say it's awful, like saying "shut up" and others say it's not that bad. It. is. so. confusing.
Holy Tsuris and Seussical lilts that was funny! I can't point out individual lines or I would just end up quoting the whole recap.
Tonight was a triumph of Que the hell?
Qth are they messing with Cruz and Fer for?
Qth is that camera running?
Tonight was a triumph of Que the hell?
Qth are they messing with Cruz and Fer for?
Qth is that camera running?
The Victoria-María scene is interesting. They seem to have reversed roles with María haughty and unyielding and Victoria in full "turn the other cheek", "glass is half full" mode. I also like the visuals: the big fat pillar that keeps them apart; the cord that ties them together but allows them to control contact.
Yeah, yeah -- I know it's overblown. But it IS a telenovela.
I liked Mónica Ayos/Leo tonight too. Her transition from grandiose to falling-apart was wonderful.
And Pablo Montero's scenes, first with the predatory producer and then with Fer, were really marvelous. He's surprisingly good at sad, isn't he?
All around, a terrific episode, IMHO.
Yeah, yeah -- I know it's overblown. But it IS a telenovela.
I liked Mónica Ayos/Leo tonight too. Her transition from grandiose to falling-apart was wonderful.
And Pablo Montero's scenes, first with the predatory producer and then with Fer, were really marvelous. He's surprisingly good at sad, isn't he?
All around, a terrific episode, IMHO.
NovelaMaven... just. simply. great.
I had just finished watching and thinking, "Now there's an hour I'll never get back..." I picked up the laptop to see if anyone else has commented about la Pola and found your freshly posted recap.
What a treat.
I laughed all the way through... several times out loud.
Faves:
"I don’t do windows..."
"Bernie gets spooned. And not in a good way."
"...she describes how she cut the umbilical cord by biting it (whoa! Very. Disturbing. Detail.)"
I remembered why I keep watching this show...
Carlos
I had just finished watching and thinking, "Now there's an hour I'll never get back..." I picked up the laptop to see if anyone else has commented about la Pola and found your freshly posted recap.
What a treat.
I laughed all the way through... several times out loud.
Faves:
"I don’t do windows..."
"Bernie gets spooned. And not in a good way."
"...she describes how she cut the umbilical cord by biting it (whoa! Very. Disturbing. Detail.)"
I remembered why I keep watching this show...
Carlos
Doris,
Thanks! Personally, I think the Girls must have been glued in place.
About callese -- yes. It's tricky. You hear it in places where you'd never say "Shut up" in English. But you also hear it with that meaning. Editorial license here, I guess:)
Hey Sara, glad you enjoyed it. What can I say? Our man Max has tsuris with a capital 'Tsade'. And María was sooooo very Green Eggs and Ham (I do not like them Sam I Am) jejeje
Thanks! Personally, I think the Girls must have been glued in place.
About callese -- yes. It's tricky. You hear it in places where you'd never say "Shut up" in English. But you also hear it with that meaning. Editorial license here, I guess:)
Hey Sara, glad you enjoyed it. What can I say? Our man Max has tsuris with a capital 'Tsade'. And María was sooooo very Green Eggs and Ham (I do not like them Sam I Am) jejeje
Carlos, Thanks so much. I wonder if you and I are the only two people watching this show and Pola. From the ridiculous to the sublime, no? But I'm a huge fan of BOTH shows.
NM, I was so happy to read your amazing recap so soon! Loved your section headings and all the snark.
Even when we hate parts of it, the rewards come in an episode like this. I was able to translate for my daughter: "You were born under a tree. I myself cut the umbilical cord with my teeth." !!!! You just don't get that kind of stuff in regular television.
Leonela, los padres, and the girls! Vicki and Maria tied together while they work through their issues! Cruz and Fer going down in heartbreak! Oh yeah, and Nati returning home from the honeymoon already embarazada. Now that's even more disturbing than the umbilical cord cutting.
La Paloma
Even when we hate parts of it, the rewards come in an episode like this. I was able to translate for my daughter: "You were born under a tree. I myself cut the umbilical cord with my teeth." !!!! You just don't get that kind of stuff in regular television.
Leonela, los padres, and the girls! Vicki and Maria tied together while they work through their issues! Cruz and Fer going down in heartbreak! Oh yeah, and Nati returning home from the honeymoon already embarazada. Now that's even more disturbing than the umbilical cord cutting.
La Paloma
Permalink posted by 
: Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:27:00 PM EDT
: Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:27:00 PM EDT
Sara,
About the camera -- we saw Gui place it there when he was getting rat city ready for M & V. I suppose he'll use the images when he tries to extort money from the Sandovals. Or maybe, sadist that he is, he just wants to torture the family.
La Paloma, Thank you!
"Oh yeah, and Nati returning home from the honeymoon already embarazada. Now that's even more disturbing than the umbilical cord cutting." Yes it is! Hah!
About the camera -- we saw Gui place it there when he was getting rat city ready for M & V. I suppose he'll use the images when he tries to extort money from the Sandovals. Or maybe, sadist that he is, he just wants to torture the family.
La Paloma, Thank you!
"Oh yeah, and Nati returning home from the honeymoon already embarazada. Now that's even more disturbing than the umbilical cord cutting." Yes it is! Hah!
NovelaMaven,
Thank you for the great recap! I missed some serious conversation tonight, what the cops found, what the producer said (What a bitch!), all the Vic details (but I got the gist and could have lived if I did not have you great recappers to fill in), what Max said to the Dr, and what Fer said.
I did understand the prison scenes except for the reason Dona was released. Poor Fausto! I did get the prison yard dialogue. I wonder what that says about me?
It was kind of a night that you needed a barf bucket nearby: Nati pregnant, rats, and that producer fingering all over that scruffy face.
Cindy
Thank you for the great recap! I missed some serious conversation tonight, what the cops found, what the producer said (What a bitch!), all the Vic details (but I got the gist and could have lived if I did not have you great recappers to fill in), what Max said to the Dr, and what Fer said.
I did understand the prison scenes except for the reason Dona was released. Poor Fausto! I did get the prison yard dialogue. I wonder what that says about me?
It was kind of a night that you needed a barf bucket nearby: Nati pregnant, rats, and that producer fingering all over that scruffy face.
Cindy
Permalink posted by : Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:41:00 PM EDT
: Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:41:00 PM EDT
Thanks, Cindy!
"I did get the prison yard dialogue. I wonder what that says about me?"
Hah! Well say what you will about Doña Bernarde de Iturbide, you can't accuse her of mumbling. She always recites her lines as if SHE were the one doing Shakespeare in this show.
"I did get the prison yard dialogue. I wonder what that says about me?"
Hah! Well say what you will about Doña Bernarde de Iturbide, you can't accuse her of mumbling. She always recites her lines as if SHE were the one doing Shakespeare in this show.
Baby Juan Pablo was giving Fer the B!tc# PLEASE side eye. LOL
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:16:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:16:00 AM EDT
I honesty have to say tonight was a treat of ghastly bad acting and the usual stupidity.
If any one ever had any doubts about Levy's abysmal acting skills just replay the overwrought hysteria when he Leo and the poor PJP were all together. In a scene that should have been intense I was laughing out loud at Leo's shivering and saying she was Max's mother, noticing that PJP has an unusually big head and then applauding The Voice for asking the question Has anyone called the authorities. OF COURSE NOT. We have to have a nervous breakdown first and make a slew of phone calls.
Maria and Mama need to get their poop together and figure out how they can use four hands to find the knots that are keeping them tied up instead of taking a one way trip down memory lane. The question is why is that whole scene being filmed???
Burnie gets stabbed in prison and then is escorted to the punishment cell with no one ever checking to see how bad her wound is. I also noticed she wasn't bleeding very badly and now she gets a pass out of prison. This demon has more lives than a cat. Wonder how Queen Xi is going to feel that her reign as boss of bosses is over.
I'm finding it hard to feel much sympathy for the immature acting Fer. She is a true Sandoval making snap judgments and cutting off her nose to spite her face. Exactly how long was that honeymoon of Nati and JJ anyway.
If any one ever had any doubts about Levy's abysmal acting skills just replay the overwrought hysteria when he Leo and the poor PJP were all together. In a scene that should have been intense I was laughing out loud at Leo's shivering and saying she was Max's mother, noticing that PJP has an unusually big head and then applauding The Voice for asking the question Has anyone called the authorities. OF COURSE NOT. We have to have a nervous breakdown first and make a slew of phone calls.
Maria and Mama need to get their poop together and figure out how they can use four hands to find the knots that are keeping them tied up instead of taking a one way trip down memory lane. The question is why is that whole scene being filmed???
Burnie gets stabbed in prison and then is escorted to the punishment cell with no one ever checking to see how bad her wound is. I also noticed she wasn't bleeding very badly and now she gets a pass out of prison. This demon has more lives than a cat. Wonder how Queen Xi is going to feel that her reign as boss of bosses is over.
I'm finding it hard to feel much sympathy for the immature acting Fer. She is a true Sandoval making snap judgments and cutting off her nose to spite her face. Exactly how long was that honeymoon of Nati and JJ anyway.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 1:27:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 1:27:00 AM EDT
Cindy, did you watch Oz back in the day?
Since Dona Dementa doesn't do windows it is reasonable to assume that someone else also tended to the fireplace, hence only Fausto's fingerprints are there. Which doesn't mean he did the murder. And isn't it convenient for her that both Victoria and Maria are out of the way at the moment, as they could both attest to her cruelty.
Ximeana isn't going to like her boss's return. I can see her being thrown out of the house.
Which would be very convenient for Eva.
That red light in the warehouse: camera or motion detector?
Maybe it's my cold-blooded nature, but if I were Victoria or Maria my first thought would be to attack the knots tying their hands together.
Leonela definitely needs in-patient rehab. However, she is still a flaming narcissist this rarely responds to treatment.
Fer needs a reality check and Cruz needs to lose the stalker. After which he must shed the country bumpkin look.
Since Dona Dementa doesn't do windows it is reasonable to assume that someone else also tended to the fireplace, hence only Fausto's fingerprints are there. Which doesn't mean he did the murder. And isn't it convenient for her that both Victoria and Maria are out of the way at the moment, as they could both attest to her cruelty.
Ximeana isn't going to like her boss's return. I can see her being thrown out of the house.
Which would be very convenient for Eva.
That red light in the warehouse: camera or motion detector?
Maybe it's my cold-blooded nature, but if I were Victoria or Maria my first thought would be to attack the knots tying their hands together.
Leonela definitely needs in-patient rehab. However, she is still a flaming narcissist this rarely responds to treatment.
Fer needs a reality check and Cruz needs to lose the stalker. After which he must shed the country bumpkin look.
Urban A.
I tuned in after Linda was dead. Spanish skills were only rudimentary at the beginning of this. Getting better thanks to Rosetta Stone. I decided that since my French never gained its fluency, because I never stayed there, I would watch a TN. I could not stand Teresa - I could not reach into my TV and slap her. So I started watching this. Now I have several I want to slap. I am certainly learning a few interesting phrases - shut up, take your hands off me...
Oz is my favorite though.
I tuned in after Linda was dead. Spanish skills were only rudimentary at the beginning of this. Getting better thanks to Rosetta Stone. I decided that since my French never gained its fluency, because I never stayed there, I would watch a TN. I could not stand Teresa - I could not reach into my TV and slap her. So I started watching this. Now I have several I want to slap. I am certainly learning a few interesting phrases - shut up, take your hands off me...
Oz is my favorite though.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7:18:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7:18:00 AM EDT
thank you so much for the fabulous recap and so fast. I have to comment on someone asking why vic and maria spend all this time "going down memory lane instead of trying to get loose. I think this is the one time that Mijiha?(writer) is doing something right in this novela. She shows the pillar blocking the two women (their life experiences, the way maria was treated, the way victoria was treated, which makes her the way she is - and then the ropes that show they are tied together with their past and with their DNA. so the pillar holds them apart, but emotionally, physically they are joined together. These two constrasting points are what keep them apart. The talking is the writer's way of vic and maria finally coming together and being able to finally talk, since they cannot do anything else. I think this was awesome. Kidnap the two, have them tired together and force them to talk to each other. No matter what is said about the writer, and I have agreed with comments, this part she used common sense, the way I see it. Food for thought. Max is told his mother and girlfriend are kidnapped and he stands thee in the room with his sister, holds the baby, etc. I would think that if my mom and girlfriend were kidnapped, I would be paniky. I would be out searching the streets and involving the police, instead of standing there holding the baby and talking to family/friends. The same thing happened with burnies house burning. The firefighters stood around discussing the fire while the house was burning down. Padre went in and saved his mother ????? QUE??????
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7:25:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7:25:00 AM EDT
Ay Yi Yi! What more can one day that you haven't already brilliantly said NM? I would love to see the outtakes on this TN. How these actors can keep straight faces with some of this drech of dialogue they are given ( bit the umbilical cord? - I mean honestly.)
They should give an TN award for "Perserverance in the Face of Horrendous Writing".
I can I just add that the announcement of Nati's impending bambino put imagery of that conception in my mind that caused some early evening nightmares. Thank you Meija.
Thought the rats did a nice job. Wonder if it's the same union that did Llena.
They should give an TN award for "Perserverance in the Face of Horrendous Writing".
I can I just add that the announcement of Nati's impending bambino put imagery of that conception in my mind that caused some early evening nightmares. Thank you Meija.
Thought the rats did a nice job. Wonder if it's the same union that did Llena.
I actually missed some dialogue last night because I was so fascinated by the two rats in the foreground who sat there so nicely waiting for their ratsnacks.
I just started watching this TN. Is William Levy this bad of an actor or was he off his game last night?
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:01:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:01:00 AM EDT
I made the original memory lane comment and am sticking with it. I think we might be giving the writers too much credit imparting symbolism to the tied up scene. In any event I think it is a mistake for Vic to do a core dump of everything that happened to her and her nina. Maria is simply not open enough or ready to listen. If they pooled their hands and figured out how to get away Vic might be able to slip in info bit by bit.
I did find it somewhat hilarious that with all the chaos going on and running around to tell people about the kidnapping no one told Alonso that his "fiance" was missing. Someone needs to clue him in because he is the only one in the bunch who knows how to think and find a solution while everyone else goes into total handwringing mode.
I did find it somewhat hilarious that with all the chaos going on and running around to tell people about the kidnapping no one told Alonso that his "fiance" was missing. Someone needs to clue him in because he is the only one in the bunch who knows how to think and find a solution while everyone else goes into total handwringing mode.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:13:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:13:00 AM EDT
I was wondering where Alonso was during all this.
Question: How does cell phone GPS work? If Victoria had her cell phone with her could she be found if it's turned on or would she have to be using it? Were the kidnappers smart enough to take it away?
Question: How does cell phone GPS work? If Victoria had her cell phone with her could she be found if it's turned on or would she have to be using it? Were the kidnappers smart enough to take it away?
They haven't even told Oz that Victoria is missing. Dr. Voice, Fernanda, Nati, Millie, Padre and Baby JP know....but not Oz. Even though they're divorced, Vicky still is Oz's daughter's mother. He might like to know.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:50:00 AM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:50:00 AM EDT
Anon 7:25, I like your analysis of the pillar. There was even a line (that I didn't include) about the parallel between ties of blood binding M & V together and the ropes binding them together.
Daisynjay,
"( bit the umbilical cord? - I mean honestly.) They should give an TN award for "Perserverance in the Face of Horrendous Writing"."
LOL. Maybe tonight we'll hear about roasting the placenta on a make-shift hibachi.
Anon 11:01,
"Is William Levy this bad of an actor or was he off his game last night?"
Good question. I saw him do a terrific job in an episode of 'Mujeres asesinas' but I think that, unlike the old pros he's working with here -- Evora, Romo, Ríos, Ruffo, he NEEDS a director. And it sure looks like he didn't have one in his big scene last night.
Urban, Don't you think Cruz is going to be 'country' to the end? After all, his dream is to be a vet. But yeah, I guess he is a little scruffy, even for country. :)
Daisynjay,
"( bit the umbilical cord? - I mean honestly.) They should give an TN award for "Perserverance in the Face of Horrendous Writing"."
LOL. Maybe tonight we'll hear about roasting the placenta on a make-shift hibachi.
Anon 11:01,
"Is William Levy this bad of an actor or was he off his game last night?"
Good question. I saw him do a terrific job in an episode of 'Mujeres asesinas' but I think that, unlike the old pros he's working with here -- Evora, Romo, Ríos, Ruffo, he NEEDS a director. And it sure looks like he didn't have one in his big scene last night.
Urban, Don't you think Cruz is going to be 'country' to the end? After all, his dream is to be a vet. But yeah, I guess he is a little scruffy, even for country. :)
I watched this with the sound turned off while watching yesterday's episode of Alborada online. Looks like I didn't miss much with this method, except for the whole biting the umbilical cord thing...
Thank you NovelaMaven for the fun recap.
As the the question about WL's acting, he is capable of acting. I saw it in Sortilegio. It's obvious to me that he is being lazy in this role,a nd Jarocha told he he had huge disagreements with the writers about the stuff his character says and wanted to change it. So perhaps it's a combination of a lazy/pouty actor, bad writing, and bad directing. I see a few categories here:
Bad actors/non-actors: CB/JuanJo
Hardworking actors still learning the craft, but have potential: LB/Fer
Lazy/checked-out actors: WL/Max
Professional/hard-working actors who keep going despite the crap in the script: Victoria, Osvaldo
Professional/hardworking actors that decide to have fun with the crap in the script: DR/Burnie, Guillermo
Thank you NovelaMaven for the fun recap.
As the the question about WL's acting, he is capable of acting. I saw it in Sortilegio. It's obvious to me that he is being lazy in this role,a nd Jarocha told he he had huge disagreements with the writers about the stuff his character says and wanted to change it. So perhaps it's a combination of a lazy/pouty actor, bad writing, and bad directing. I see a few categories here:
Bad actors/non-actors: CB/JuanJo
Hardworking actors still learning the craft, but have potential: LB/Fer
Lazy/checked-out actors: WL/Max
Professional/hard-working actors who keep going despite the crap in the script: Victoria, Osvaldo
Professional/hardworking actors that decide to have fun with the crap in the script: DR/Burnie, Guillermo
Anon207, Max called Os and told him to come to Leonela's suite. He told PJP and Dr. Voice that Os was on his way before he left for the vecindad. Maybe Max could have (or should have) told Os what was happening over the phone but he was in a hurry to get to María's place and check out the story.
BTW, it makes sense that Max (and PJP) want to verify that there really was a kidnapping since fake ones are sadly, very common in Mexico and Central America.
BTW, it makes sense that Max (and PJP) want to verify that there really was a kidnapping since fake ones are sadly, very common in Mexico and Central America.
Definitely not one of William Levy's best nights. Mr. Mumbler was in an exceptionally mumbly mood. I couldn't understand a word of what he said. This guy is so overrated and can't hold a candle to the skills of Colunga.
I'm really not understanding why Victoria Ruffo is so famous either. She's awful, too.
I'm really not understanding why Victoria Ruffo is so famous either. She's awful, too.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:34:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:34:00 PM EDT
Awesome RECAP!
I agree that William Levy's acting was HORRIBLE in what should have been a powerful scene. I remember a similar scene that he did in Sortilegio and it was MUCH more believable and touching (When his wife was kidnapped). This is the worst acting that I've seen from him...he's had an accent relapse (I can't understand half the shit he says) and he's totally detached from this character. Sidenote: If he says that he loves Maria con todo his vida again...OMG! These writers are the WORST!
Definitely loved the scene between Maria and Vic. Beside the squinty eyed crying from Maria...there were great moments there.
Fer is THE biggest brat. She hasn't even ADDRESSED the kiss thing (that was ONLY a kiss on the cheek...which he could explain) and yet she's asking for a separation! I'm glad Dr. Rios gave her a reality check about her attitude the other day but I SO wish it could have been Cruz or Oz. THEN it would have hit her that she is being a moron.
Max needs to take some lessons from Cruz on a believable manly cry. I almost teared up when he was asking Fer "Why??!"
Lastly, why are Max and Fer, who are GROWN, acting like children about their parents separation. You would think they are like 10 and 12 years old! In plus, their parents are D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D! So annoying!
I agree that William Levy's acting was HORRIBLE in what should have been a powerful scene. I remember a similar scene that he did in Sortilegio and it was MUCH more believable and touching (When his wife was kidnapped). This is the worst acting that I've seen from him...he's had an accent relapse (I can't understand half the shit he says) and he's totally detached from this character. Sidenote: If he says that he loves Maria con todo his vida again...OMG! These writers are the WORST!
Definitely loved the scene between Maria and Vic. Beside the squinty eyed crying from Maria...there were great moments there.
Fer is THE biggest brat. She hasn't even ADDRESSED the kiss thing (that was ONLY a kiss on the cheek...which he could explain) and yet she's asking for a separation! I'm glad Dr. Rios gave her a reality check about her attitude the other day but I SO wish it could have been Cruz or Oz. THEN it would have hit her that she is being a moron.
Max needs to take some lessons from Cruz on a believable manly cry. I almost teared up when he was asking Fer "Why??!"
Lastly, why are Max and Fer, who are GROWN, acting like children about their parents separation. You would think they are like 10 and 12 years old! In plus, their parents are D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D! So annoying!
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:35:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:35:00 PM EDT
Honestly, never been a huge WL fan and have not been that impressed with him in the past, especially when comparing him to other "hunk galans". But there were smidges of growth in Sortilegio. Here, let's face it, the character of Max is there to look good and do smoochies. Expect for the train rescue scene - he really hasn't been asked to put it out there much in this role. By the time he really had to, he was probably so disgusted and sick of this part he just called it in. Don't think he's been around long enough as a formal actor to know when the material is so-so, have fun with it and give it a life of it's own - as Vivi so brilliantly pointed out.
That said, for me, he may be regarded still as a leading man because of before-said hunkiness, but as he ages, he better start honing the craft to garner the meatier, better written roles. I honestly could not see him tackling either of the male leads in Teresa - too much nuance there.
That said, for me, he may be regarded still as a leading man because of before-said hunkiness, but as he ages, he better start honing the craft to garner the meatier, better written roles. I honestly could not see him tackling either of the male leads in Teresa - too much nuance there.
In defense of Sweet William, Sortilegio did give him plenty of nuance. He had me at his first kiss in the car with Maria Jose. He had a good director (Monica Miguel) and a good producer (Carla Estrada).
But I agree with everyone so far, this role is dreck, from character to wardrobe to hairstyle. I liked Daisyinj's comment that last night--he called it in.
Daniela Romo has always used excellent diction and is very understandable (see Alborada and Sortilegio). Both were new to me and were instrumental in making me believe that I could understand telenovelas without subtitles or captions.
NOK (half-watching, but lurking around reading all the postings and enjoying them)
But I agree with everyone so far, this role is dreck, from character to wardrobe to hairstyle. I liked Daisyinj's comment that last night--he called it in.
Daniela Romo has always used excellent diction and is very understandable (see Alborada and Sortilegio). Both were new to me and were instrumental in making me believe that I could understand telenovelas without subtitles or captions.
NOK (half-watching, but lurking around reading all the postings and enjoying them)
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 1:22:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 1:22:00 PM EDT
Anon 7:27, I think you are giving Mejia WAY too much credit.
Cruz walks out sadly still in that stupid hat.
Fernanda doesn't even tell him the reason she wants a separation & he doesn't even ask ¿por qué?
Cruz walks out sadly still in that stupid hat.
Fernanda doesn't even tell him the reason she wants a separation & he doesn't even ask ¿por qué?
Oh I guess Cruz did ask why?
I thought WL was very good in Sortilegio & Mujeres Asesinas. Wonder if he will ever want to work for Mejia again?
I thought WL was very good in Sortilegio & Mujeres Asesinas. Wonder if he will ever want to work for Mejia again?
I too thought WL was very good in Sorti.
i'm turned off by his role in this show, but not by him.
i'm turned off by his role in this show, but not by him.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:35:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:35:00 PM EDT
Maybe WL is trying to cross over to the US market and can't be bothered w novellas anymore. There's the JLo video and I read somewhere he's making an American film. I still think he is gorgeous (minus "Flock of Seagulls" hair) but agree w all the comments that he's phoning it in.
Fer's character really goes from zero to sixty! No QTH is going on with your producer? Just her martyr like "I want a separation". And how on earth was it appropriate for her to tell him something so private in front of his aunt and neighbor!!! That reminded me of the early Fer.
NM, I'm pecking this out on an iPhone so can I be lazy and say ditto to Carlos' highlights of your genius writing!!!
I cried through the mother/daughter cancion. Victoria Ruffo can totally deliver when she's got something to work with.
Katy
Fer's character really goes from zero to sixty! No QTH is going on with your producer? Just her martyr like "I want a separation". And how on earth was it appropriate for her to tell him something so private in front of his aunt and neighbor!!! That reminded me of the early Fer.
NM, I'm pecking this out on an iPhone so can I be lazy and say ditto to Carlos' highlights of your genius writing!!!
I cried through the mother/daughter cancion. Victoria Ruffo can totally deliver when she's got something to work with.
Katy
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:48:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 4:48:00 PM EDT
I got so sick of Victoria's crying, (what else is new?) why the hell aren't they saying how are we going to get out of this mess?
I can't think of a punishment enough for Mejia, what is he doing to these actors? But whoever said the best can overcome, Romo, García CanTú, Rios, are really right. Just like in FELS, Bracho & García Cantú. I think García Cantú was much better in FELS, but probably the part was better.
I can't think of a punishment enough for Mejia, what is he doing to these actors? But whoever said the best can overcome, Romo, García CanTú, Rios, are really right. Just like in FELS, Bracho & García Cantú. I think García Cantú was much better in FELS, but probably the part was better.
NovelaMaven: This was a fun read again. I especially liked your choice for subtitles-really funny stuff!
How is it they found Fausto's fingerprints in the fireplace but not Burnies? I know Fausto go rid of the body,but come on.
Dont they have a Mexican LT Columbo?
Thank you for the enlighten recap.
Dont they have a Mexican LT Columbo?
Thank you for the enlighten recap.
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 6:28:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 6:28:00 PM EDT
Interesting. I couldn't stand Romo as Bernarda in TDA because she is such a one dimensional villana caricature.
But I have fallen completely in love with her as Doña Juana in Alborada, where she is also a powerful villana, but elegant and subtle. Just sublime, really.
I can't believe the difference!
If Romo seems good here, it's 'cause the others are much worse! JMO! :)
Kudos to people who can actually watch this. I just can't stay away from NovelaMaven's brilliant recaps.
Audrey
But I have fallen completely in love with her as Doña Juana in Alborada, where she is also a powerful villana, but elegant and subtle. Just sublime, really.
I can't believe the difference!
If Romo seems good here, it's 'cause the others are much worse! JMO! :)
Kudos to people who can actually watch this. I just can't stay away from NovelaMaven's brilliant recaps.
Audrey
Permalink posted by : Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 6:54:00 PM EDT
: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 6:54:00 PM EDT
NM - Great job. Thanks so much.
I have to say that worse than the kidnapping had to have been the whining and wailing of Victoria. Callese is right!
What a mess, with some very good and dedicated actors, as Vivi pointed out. I hope that something good is on the horizon!
Post a Comment
I have to say that worse than the kidnapping had to have been the whining and wailing of Victoria. Callese is right!
What a mess, with some very good and dedicated actors, as Vivi pointed out. I hope that something good is on the horizon!
<< Home
© Caray, Caray! 2006-2022. Duplication of this material for use on any other site is strictly prohibited.
