Caray, Caray!

Sometimes eavesdropping is its own punishment:
We pick up from last Friday when Victoria overhears María telling Juan Pablo:
¡No la soporto! ¡La desprecio igual o más de lo que ella despreció a mí!(I can’t stand her! I despise her as much as she despised me – or even more!)
Yet despite her bravado, María’s eyes are filled with tears. JP’s face is a mask of anguish. Victoria withdraws silently.

Toni comes upon her friend crying. Vic looks up in despair and says:
¡Antonieta, ya no puedo más!
(I can’t take it any more!)

[And to those of you at home who are muttering -- ¡Ni yo tampoco! I say:
¡Sí se puede! Bunch of wusses!]

Remember how Fabián scooped Fer up in his arms after the XiMonster knocked over her wheelchair? [No really. If you missed this episode, I’m not kidding. Oh Xi’s so going to hell…]

Anyhow, Luci hasn’t forgotten. From the way Fabían looked at Max’s little sister, it’s clear to Luci that he still loves Fer. Fabián finds Luci in tears; but when he asks her what’s wrong, she walks away.

Father and daughter continue their talk:
To PJP’s pleas that she free her heart of bitterness and resentment and open herself to forgiveness, that God expects no less of her, MD remains unyielding.

At a certain boutique hotel in the city:
Dr. Voice and his glamorous neighbor, Leonela Montenegro, meet, by chance, in the lobby. He saw her interview on television, he tells her admiringly. And then he invites her to dine with him. He’ll pick her up at the theater after rehearsal.

Cousin Chente comes to the parish looking for Fausto. Padre Jerónimo tells him Fausto’s off hobnobbing with the bishop about becoming a priest. [So I guess Jero doesn’t know that Fausto is in jail!]

Darkness falls at Bernies:
Doña Demente is in her bedroom.
Eva is nearby. She smiles evilly.

An Evening with Pip – or - Great Expectations Dashed!
The whole Casa Victoria gang is gathered at Pip’s. María stands somewhat apart from the Sandoval clan –- Victoria, Osvaldo, Max, Fer and Cruz. Fabián and Luci and Toni and Oscar complete the tableau. Pipino bounces in and the silly song plays – so catchy, so cheery, even the Mavens are on their feet and dancing. Then the doorbell sounds and – it’s not Luciano! It’s a couple of suits! How disappointing! Pip’s own vida sentimental isn’t in play tonight.

Since it looked like Oscar and Toni were never going to take the initiative, Pipino explains to his puzzled – and impatient – guests, he had to be the one to take action. And then he opens a box, pulls out -- a bridal veil! Toni is the bride! The suits are a judge and his secretary. And Toni and Oscar are getting married this very moment. They seem to think it’s a swell idea.

Eerie strains of Gregorian chants.
Bernie lies in her usual uneasy sleep and relives the infierno she created for Rosalía, Gonzalo and Fausto. Eva lurks nearby holding a lamp. She sets frayed wire to frayed wire...

Pipino fusses about, arranging the wedding party. He is padrino de los anillos, he announces, and he pulls out rings for bride and groom. A moment later, the witnesses are signing the registry. Now it’s Vic’s turn to sign. She smiles -- almost shyly -- as she passes the pen to María. Hugs all around. Well, almost all around. Vic looks on wistfully when María and Fer hug.

Beethoven and Shakespeare at the same time, so you know nothing good can come of it.
Alone in the darkened theater, Leo reclines on a bench and Gui looms over her menacingly, his hand in a chokehold around her neck. They’re rehearsing the murder scene in Othello – or are they just rehearsing? Gui recites with convincing menace: Esta misma noche morirás. Morirás por un beso …
(This very night you shall die. You shall die of a kiss …)

I’ll toast to that!
Back at Pip’s, everyone is raising a glass to the newlyweds.

While in the theater that cost him his son --
Guithello leans over his Desdemona, his hand still around her neck:
... Un beso de amor será nuestra despedida.
(A kiss of love will be our farewell.)
The sound of clapping startles Gui and he releases his hold on Leo. Leonela’s look of terror changes to surprise (and relief?) Both actors look up and see Dr. Voice watching the stage from above. Sorry, says the Voice, I didn’t mean to interrupt…

At his appearance, Leo is all “I’ll just go get changed”. Gui is all “Curses! Foiled!” If he had a mustache, he’d be twirling it. He has to settle for glaring.

Back at Pip’s, the gang’s still toasting.
Fer takes her turn:
Yo quiero brindar por mis hermanos – brindo por Max y por María Desamparada. ¡Les deseo toda la felicidad del mundo! Toda!
(I want to raise a toast to my brother and sister – here’s to Max and María D. I wish you all the happiness in the world!)

MD – who by now is getting to be a real aguafiestas (party pooper) – thanks Fer but stuns the gang when she tells them that she and Max have decided to separate. Max – still in the same ill-fitting suit he wore earlier which makes him look more like the Incredible Hulk than the Incredible Hunk – tells everyone not to worry: No pasa nada. Sigamos con la fiesta. (Nothing’s wrong – let’s just keep on partying.)

The party’s over
Vic and Max have gone back to Casa Sandoval. Vic is dying to tell MD what a mistake she’s making in choosing Alonso but Max begs her not to interfere. Besides, he and MD will love each other forever. Now Vic is really confused: What is going on here? Max admits that he and MD have a secret but refuses to say more. Victoria repeats: I think you two are making a big mistake!

While at the vecindad: The Ring Recycle
The big mistake himself, that is, Alonso, shows up on Maria’s doorstep. As usual, he is hidden behind a bouquet of flowers. He’s a tad disconcerted because no one told him about Pip’s wedding soirée and he’s been left waiting for his ternura all this time. When María apologizes and explains where she was, Alonso pounces on the fact that Max was at the gathering too. He sputters a bit and then gets down to business babbling a flowery declaration of devotion. He kneels before María, pulls out The Ring and offers it to her as he proposes marriage cuanto antes (as soon as possible). The sight of The Ring – identical to the one Max gave her (maybe even the very same ring – are we to assume that Max brought it back to the jewelry store for a refund? Isn’t that a little…er… practical for our boy?) –

-- Anyway, the sight of The Ring seems to be the spoiler Xi was hoping for: María remembers how Max gave it to her as a symbol of their love. Her lips purse as if she’s just bitten into an unripe persimmon – and she tells Alonso: No puedo. No puedo aceptarlo. No puedo. (I can’t. I can’t accept it. I can’t). Al is slack-jawed impactado.

In the sacristy:
Padre Jerónimo feels bad for his friend but sadly, he had no choice in ousting Bernarda from the house of God. Juan Pablo understands. And it pains him to know that his mother may die in sin and that the flames she fears so much may be her final resting place (su última morada).

Bernarda, as if in anticipation of her toasty última morada, dreams on of the hellfire she imposed on her first victims.

Eva also enjoys toasting – in her own way.
Frayed wire to frayed wire. Sparks. Flames flare and spread to the room where Bernarda sleeps. Eva watches and smiles. Then she slips out the door – wearing a little Clara Barton cape – and says with satisfaction: You’ll rot in the flames, Bernarda, and then you’ll rot (pudrirás) in hell!

Still on his knees…
Alonso, more pathetic than ever, cries out:
Pero ternura – yo pensé que me habías aceptado. ¿Me mentiste? ¿No quieres casarte conmigo?
(But darling – I thought you’d accepted my proposal. Were you lying? You don’t want to marry me?)
Here’s what she should say: That would be “yes” and “yes”.
Here’s what she does say: Where did you get that ring, Alonso? Did Max give it to you?

Now Alonso is completely lost – and more than a little miffed at María’s bringing up the Name That Must Not Be Spoken – What does Max have to do with the price of atole in Chiapas? And María explains – This is the very ring that Max gave her; the very one that she gave back to him when he told her he was going to marry Xi.

In a yuppie poolhall, Ximena twirls her hair and thought-bubbles nastily:
Seguramente Alonso ya le dio ese anillo a la zorra.
(Alonso must have give the ring to that whore by now).
Xi would have loved seeing her face. Wait a sec… If Alonso is marrying the dirty little slut (zarrapastrosa), that means Max is free. How interesting!

NovelaMaven Rant – Feel free to skip.
Really Xi? Really??? You tricked him into a loveless marriage for his money when you were already pregnant by Gui. You and your insufferable mother made his life hell when you were together. You tried to kill him and little Osvaldo. You tried to kill María. You crashed the New Casa Victoria and tipped over Fer’s wheelchair. You tore Victoria to shreds in front of the whole Casa Victoria gang. Max would sooner swallow crushed glass than exchange a word with you, let alone exchange rings, vows or body fluids with you! Zorra? Zarrapastrosa? Look in the mirror!

Whew. Okay. I feel better now.

Alonso Realizes He’s Been Had.
The poor schmuck is asking himself how he could ever have trusted Ximena. Again. She’s the one who convinced him The Ring would make María happy. Alonso apologizes for doubting her and offers to return The Ring but María asks him not to. If it found its way back to her, there must be a reason. [Like maybe her destiny is to end up with Max? Ay, Alonso!] And she accepts it and agrees to marry him on the day he chooses.

En serio (really?) asks Alonso. Now he’s beside himself with joy, like a puppy who finally earns his mistress’s approval by pooping on the newspaper and not the rug (but he also looks alarmingly ill and on the verge of another collapse). He babbles happily about the spectacular wedding he’s going to put together – fireworks, rockets, balloons. María suggests she’d like something a little ... um ... simpler.

Speaking of fireworks,
Inside Bernie’s house, the flames are blazing merrily all around the Demented One. She wakes from her dream of hellfire and realizes she wasn’t dreaming. She curses Rosalía.

Outside, a neighbor sees the flames in the window and tells someone to call the fire department. Eva, in her demure Clara Barton cape, stands by and enjoys the show.

Chente and Napo are on duty at the fire station playing cards and chewing the fat. Chente has just told Napo to cut the pollón and self-pity crap. You can see a mile away (a leguas) that he’s nuts about Aunt Millie (se está babeando, he’s drooling over). Then the fire bell sounds and the chitchat is cut short. The bomberos run to answer the call.

At Casa Sandoval
Victoria is going out to visit Fer. Osvaldo wonders if she’s using that as an excuse to see María. Maybe so, Vic admits, but she really has been wanting to talk with Fer. She turns down Os’s offer to accompany her; she prefers to go alone this time.

Osvaldo counsels patience with María. Pressure won’t help the situation. I know, says Vic, but I’ve waited so long for this moment…

Osvaldo repeats: Be patient. And have faith. María has a big heart and a good soul. She’s probably very confused right now and that’s understandable. But sooner or later, she’ll accept you.

I don’t know if I can wait, says Vic. I’m dying for the day she calls me “mamá”. But I also realize that her rejection was blinding me to something I should be enormously grateful for:
Ahora sé que mi hija está viva! ¡Que está viva!
(Now I know that my daughter is alive. She’s alive!)

Alonso’s tail stops wagging and his ears droop to the floor when María gently suggests foregoing Barnum and Bailey as their wedding planner. Does that mean María is afraid to let the world know he’s her husband? María smiles indulgently, scratches his belly and tells him she’s not afraid of anything. They’ll get married his way, whenever he wants, however he wants. (Nos vamos a casar como tú dispongas, cuando tú quieras, como tú quieras.) That’s all he needed to hear. Now he’s flashing his large, overly whitened teeth in an answering smile. He leans in for a kiss…

María stops him. No, Alonso, she says. Down boy. Down...

Let’s hope the bomberos, now arriving at the Blaze at Bernie’s, are are efficient at putting out fires as María.

Padre Juan Pablo is reading from his prayerbook when he gets a phone call. I’m on my way, he tells his caller. (Voy para allá). My mother is in danger, he shouts to Padre Jerónimo and he rushes out the door. Her house is burning!

Back in the vecindad
Milagros, still wearing the pretty blue dress with the tulips (well, why not? Cruz has worn the same thing every day for the past two years), gets a phone call from Juanjo and he updates her on his plans.

Cruz is impactado by the news that María is Fer’s sister. Fer didn’t have a chance to talk privately with María earlier so she’s heading to her apartment now. She wants to convince her to forgive Victoria. And she has a gift for her. Cruz blesses her (a sweet, domestic detail that bodes well for them) and wishes her luck.

No kiss for you, Alonso.
So let’s see. His ternura won’t kiss him. And she wants to keep the ring that Max originally gave her. Think, Alonso, think. He does. And this is what he comes up with: He’s willing to wait for her to give him that first kiss; then he’ll know he’s her one and only and she has forgotten Max.

María is spared the need to reply to delusional Al by a fortuitously-timed knock on the door. It’s Fer; and she needs to talk to her sister.

In another part of the city
Fabián comes home to a silent, empty apartment. Luci’s things are gone. Se fue, says Fabián softly. She’s gone,

Back in the vecindad -- Warning: Llorathon Ahead
Fer asks Alonso to give her and María some time alone. When he leaves, Fer says: So it’s true? You and Max...? Yes, says María, but she’d rather not discuss it. Fer wants to know why María can’t forgive nuestra mamá – our mother. She reminds her of the time María, then an orphan, told her that she, Fer, had something very valuable – a mother. Now María, by refusing to forgive Victoria, is losing her own chance to have a mother.

María doesn’t want Fer to suffer for her sake – she has already suffered so much.

And sometimes eavesdropping has its rewards:
At this point Victoria arrives and is about to knock on the door. She hears her daughters’ voices inside and stops to listen…

You’ve also suffered a lot, she hears Fer tell María. Maybe that’s why I want to bring you close to all of us – to protect you. And then she hears María’s reply: No puedo. No puedo perdonarla. (I can’t. I can’t forgive her.)

Now Fer, her face streaked with tears, says:
María, mi mamá es tu mamá. Que la perdones, María, por favor.
(María, my mom is your mom. Forgive her, María, please.)

María is also crying. So is Victoria, standing outside the door. María hugs Fer: No llores hermana (Don’t cry, sis), she says. And adds: I never knew I had a sister – te quiero mucho! And she bends down and kisses her hand. And I love you too, answers Fer. That’s why I brought you this gift. And she holds out the box to María.

Hello Dolly!
María opens the box and pulls out -- The Doll That Trumps DNA!!! Her fingers trace the sewn-on features of the doll’s face; and seeing and touching the doll triggers a powerful memory. She remembers her mother -- Victoria, her mother! -- giving her the doll for her birthday. Mi muñeca, says grown-up María, the tears now streaming freely. Fer cries. Vic cries. NovelaMaven cries. Even Mr. Maven is surreptitously sniffling into a tissue.

Bye Bye Bernie?
Padre Juan Pablo has arrived at the fire scene. He tries to press forward to the blazing house – his mother and Eva are inside! – but the bomberos hold him back. Eva pops up from the crowd and tells him she managed to escape safely. She claims she’s the one who called the fire department.

Inside, Bernarda writhes on her bed, seemingly untouched by the flames that surround her. [Does this devil wear asbestos?] She screams:
No... no quiero morir en el infierno. No quiero morir así! ¡Auxilio! ¡Nooooooooo!!!
(No, I don’t want to die in this hell. I don’t want to die like this. Help! No)

Cue the Alonso Mortuary Montage

Labels: triunfo