Caray, Caray!

It was painful to watch and listen to Alejo as he pledged his loyalty to María Ignacia to Gaspar and Eusebia. Gaspar still doubts Alejo's sudden change of heart. It was also painful to watch Alejo and María Ignacia stroll through the streets of Santa Fé and listen to her wedding plan chatter.

He is being deliberately mean and cruel to Pola and that is hard to accept. I hope this part of the story is pure fiction.
 

Last night was heart-wrenching. First watching Ambrosio and his brother get caught and then the bitter back and forth between Alejo and Pola. I think I need to go back to the original episode because I seem to remember Maria Ignacia begging Pola to sacrifice her love for Alejo to let her marry him, so something I think will be changing.
 

Thank you so much, Pasofino. I love how you catch the heart of the episode in your pithy remarks.

I agree with you and anon -- these past two episodes have been hard to watch. We're used to this kind of romantic contretemps in ordinary novelas but we expect more of these two shining souls. I guess romance is a great equalizer and jealousy makes even heroes act like fools.

On the other hand, it was great to see Pola coming fully into her own, large and in charge.

So how many years has greedy Sámano waited to get his mitts on the Virreina's buried treasure? I wanted to reach into my tv and push him right into the hole. Grrrr.
 

Sep 08

ArchBishop Villabrille (LOL) is mad at priest because the tax money is nowhere near what he expected. He is not sure who is stealing the money if the people or the tax collectors or the governing people.

Morillo wants Samano to treat the archbishop with respect and care. Morillo wants Samano to keep cutting heads off of all rebels… especially the ‘notable’ men, the people in town have just been seduced/deceived, we have to be more lenient with them, they received us well because they were not ok with what the ‘criollos’ governing group were doing. Women are to be sent away but not killed, the women are the ones who educate the men of tomorrow in faith and obedience.

Samano and Iglesias walk around the gardens of the castle so Samano remembers when the virreina had the gardener dig a hole for her ‘things’. (her jewelry, and he knows it). Samano sends Iglesias away and asks the gardener Andres if he remembers where the virreina had him dig the hole. Later Samano has Andres dig the hole and anxiously takes away the small (later privately confirms to his delight that it is a chest full of jewelry).

While they make aguardiente, Viviano tells Alejo that Pola used to take it to military men over at the barracks to try to pull them into their side, and the subject of Morillo leaving and Samano coming comes up. Pola would have wanted for Morillo to pay for all the slaughtering he did here, and she argues with Alejo about how many ‘noble’ men have been executed already, and that Alejo still believed that the king would never come over to America to slaughter people… but already 58 noblemen have been executed. Alejo argues that he has been fighting for their cause for years… but Pola is still mad… Alejo leaves after yelling at her and then appologizing. Viviano asks Pola when she will stop fighting Alejo, she says it is a much deeper issue than he thinks.

Pola finds Alejo in dining room, she tries to appologize but he says no, the one that needs to appologize is him, he does feel bad about the many men dead now, and that he has made many mistakes and now is paying for it.
Pola tells him that even thought she has been working with AA closely for 2 yrs, she has never ‘failed’ him. But when Viviano told her Alejo had been killed, she… (Alejo interrupts but she keeps going) she has not forgotten him… but when she tries to say more, AA comes over… Alejo leaves in a huff after briefly offending them both saying ‘I am leaving so you two can go wherever you feel like’
AA tells Pola he got confirmation that a commander from the plains is coming to meet with them. She is very distracted about what just happened with Alejo and AA notices this.

Pola is meeting with a couple of royalist soldiers, including Arcos. Arcos approaches her in private, asks her if she really broke up with Alejo… Must be true since she always was cutting with him but today she is behaving different. She suggests he stay until close time to talk more. HE gets hopeful smile.
 

Gaspar and Eusebia and Maria Ignacia and Alejo are talking… Gaspar is very suspicious about Alejo’s change of mind. He asks Alejo directly why he broke up with Pola. His daughter’s future depends on it and he feels he has the right to ask. Alejo says Pola is working with the patriots. That is why he broke up with her. They have common friends who told him about her. (Alejo is hiding the fact that he has seen Pola.) Gaspar asks Alejo to promise he will make MI happy. Alejo does, but Gaspar is not buying his commitment. Alejo says MI is now more mature, generous. HE promises he will do whatever possible to make her happy.

At closing at the chicheria, Pola and Arcos talk. He thinks she is interested in him, she asks if he will join the patriot group. He gets offensive. He thought she was going to propose they get together. She gets offended ‘aren’t you Alejo’s best friend??’ .. AA and his team close the way out for Arcos… but Pola, at seeing Arcos reluctance to stay, asks AA to let him go. She responds for him. She and AA convince the others… Pola assumes these two hate the godos as much as them. These guys offer guns, he is guard at the weapons room, so in a couple days he can get about 50 guns. This guy runs right to Iglesias and Samano to report about the Almeida brothers ‘and a woman’.. Policarpa… Samano does not recognize the name but he is more interested in the Almeida brothers. AA and his brother are heading to the meeting place. AA stays behind and tells Pola she does not look well. She says she feels like she betrayed both Alejo and him. He says just give yourself a few days so you can clear your thoughts. Take care. Then he leaves.

The AA brothers (Vicente and Ambrosio) and a couple others are caught at the meeting place… they are taken arrested.

Maria Matea’s friend, Beatriz, is meeting with MM and Pola, where Pola tells the women what the group needs (money)… each day there are more people joining the cause, soon they will be able to fight again for the freedom. Beatriz brings up about the Valencias, and Maria Ignacia will soon marry a military by the name of Alejo Sabarain. Pola pinches herself with the needle at hearing the name. MM gets concerned. Viviano comes to get Pola to see how they are bringing the Almeida brothers arrested. Pola gets upset. Lopezito comes over to talk to her and Vivianito. The A brothers got caught at the weapons meeting place. Someone told on them, there are spies everywhere, they have to be careful. Pola says we will free them. Viviano wants to go on right away but she stops him. At that moment Pola sees Alejo and MI down the street. She recognizes MI since Acacia is walking behind them. Pola is now irritated.

MI and Alejo are talking about the wedding. She wants a celebration, but he says just the ceremony with family only. She backs up from her wishes… but we are not so convinced she won’t insist later.

Samano comes out to welcome the new prisoners… they had arranged with Morillo their old ‘debts’ but Samano says they have new ‘debts’.
 

Pola meets with Arellano and Andrea… they want to postpone the meeting with the plains group leader. Only the Almeida brothers knew where the meeting was. Lopezito is being watched so he can’t talk to the prisoners, but Pedrito offers to do it himself.

Vicente is insisting to Ambrosio that they are locked in here while Policarpa is out there reconciling with Alejo. Ambrosio says he is more worried about the meeting with the plains guy. Pedrito comes by and they get to tell him where the meeting will be before another soldier hawls Pedrito away.

The plains leader, Col Santander, comes to the meeting place. Pola comes out but he confuses her as a serving lady so he just asks her for a drink. Alejo comes in, The guy thinks Alejo is AA, but Alejo presents himself. HE tells him that they are meeting with Policarpa S. The guy thinks Alejo is kidding, but Alejo repeats that since Almeida brothers are in jail and the 2nd in command (Rodriguez) is away on a trip, the next in command is her. The guy gets offended and says he does not waste time talking to women about important matters. Alejo lowers his head taking it in stride. The guy leaves… Pola says we are still a long ways away for all men to consider us women their equal.
Alejo offers to talk to him, Pola passes on it, he asks then why did you bring me? She says I didn’t bring you, you followed me!. Alejo goes out and tells the guy that he is being unfair with Pola. The man with the leader knows Pola, she is the one that got him to s witch sides. So the leader goes back in with Alejo and appologizes to Pola saying he did not know she was that important. She says she is not, she is just a patriot fighting for freedom. And that she is used to being treated like that. She mocks his long list of names, so Alejo questions her doing it. She shuts him up, definitely is mad at him. Santander says the original purpose of the meeting was coordinating their resources to try to do a takeover of Santa Fe. He needs men, weapons, money and information about the enemy forces, locations, weapons, etc. She says men is not an issue, they have a long list of soldiers who would switch to their side should there be a movement against royalist forces. The A brothers and her have been talking to the soldiers. The 2nd item is not an issue if they can get the money. She has been talking to the wives of the important wealthy men. They are scared, but they are also upset at seeing so many people killed. What Pola sees hard is getting the information about the enemy. She asks Santander to try to rescue the A brothers. Santander says he can’t just do that. When she gets him the resources he needs, he can bring his forces and try to take SF and also rescue the A brothers. Pola then asks where to meet when she gets everything they asked for.

Beatriz meets with the Valencias… she asks them if they are willing to contribute to the patriot forces with money. They don’t have as much as they used to… but they still are willing to help. Even if Eusebia is still reluctant to contribute to a cause ‘against the king’. Beatriz says whatever you can get take it to the house of Don Pedro Hernan (MM’s husband). They have a woman contact.
 

Lopezito seems to be a bit concerned about his own life, he is coming to Andrea’s house but is visibly anxious, watching behind his shoulder all the time. Inside, Pola, Alejo, Arellano and Andrea are meeting about what Pola committed to with Santander. Alejo is very reluctant that she will be able to get the info and other items. Pola questions if Alejo just does not want to get the A brothers out of there. Lopezito walks in the middle of the discussion. Pola brings him up to speed on the discussion. The men is not a problem. Alejo ends up yelling again. Money is not that much, Andrea says the A brothers used to help with their money but morillo took most of their money away. Alejo offers to meet with someone he knows that can sell them weapons cheap. Pola says no, the Almeida brothers already have a contact for the purchase of weapons. (again she puts him down when he tries to help).
About the info, Lopezito suggests Arcos, since he is now the notetaker for Samano. Pola is not so sure Arcos will be willing to help. Vivianito tells Alejo that Arcos thought Pola was interested in him, and now is mad at her. Alejo is amused. Pola asks Lopezito to try to arrange a meeting with Arcos anyway.
Pola is very sure they will not execute the A brothers until they get the info from them but they are brave. Also they expect the A brothers to be judged by the royal audience and for that they have time. Meanwhile Samano is telling his 2nd in command that he wants to try them as a military felony. HE claims Morillo gave him absolute power so he will judge them via a war council. The 2nd in command reminds Samano that the intent of the king is for the people to love him, not to fear him or hate him. Samano says the king’s intent is for the people to recognize that he owns everything in these lands, including the people. HE orders Herrera to get all the info he can get out of the A brothers. Samano reprimends Torrai (?) that he defends the people even though he is born spanish. Samano wants to execute those prisoners within a week.

At the chicheria Arellano is with Alejo, and compliments Pola saying she looks prettier every day. Alejo says stop that talk in my presence. Arellano says he did not say anything offensive. Candelaria gets Pola to dance, which does not please Alejo. He comes over and even with the complaints of every other man around, asks Pola to stop dancing, he knows she is not doing anything wrong but he is worried about the men around. He asks her to talk to him about something.

Previews: Pola meets with the Valencias… and Alejo is confronted by MI about la Pola, she is following Alejo around and gets Acacia to confirm that the woman with Alejo is la Pola.