Caray, Caray!

Wow, Julia! Gracias for getting this one up early since I'll be out most of the day.

Karmageddon is now on a shark hunt. With all the harpoons Captain Quint could have wished for. He's looking down from the Great Beyond and salivating.

Three cheers for Oriana. While I do not believe -- as she seems to -- that once a slum rat always a slum rat, here I second her emotion. Tiburoncita has no sense of basic decency. Not only did she take her parents for granted she blamed her father for the loss of the papers that caused Arturo to lose the Saenz case. I don't believe that her promise to her father of giving him a business was sincere.

But at least she won't get her greedy fins on Fernando's money. Oriana will see to that.

And really, wearing a black strapless dress in the middle of the day.... how uncouth. I'm surprised Oriana said nothing. That was some last sight Armando had along with Teresa's defiant declaration of her own greed.
 

Teresa: Erasing Emotion

This season at the Metropolitan Opera there will be a brand-new production of Wagner's Ring cycle. The gold ring that is the catalyst to much of the action bestows rulership of the world upon its possessor, but s/he must forswear love forever. Numerous characters do their best to steal this ring from each other, some out of lust for power and others to keep said power out of the wrong hands. In the end disaster strikes, the gods die, and Valhalla goes up in flames along with Siegfried and Brunhilde, who were expected to resolve everything and redeem the world.

Teresa would lust for that ring.

In reality, financial and sexual power depend on emotional detachment. It is not difficult to imagine that one who succeeds in developing an emotion-free demeanor in the workplace carries it over to private life. Many do this without realizing it but Teresa is doing it deliberately, going all the way. She forswore love of Mariano to marry Arturo for his money and position. She now forswears any love she developed for Arturo to do the same to Fernando. If nothing had gone wrong financially with Arturo she might have stayed with him and enjoyed the fruits of her prior efforts, but I think it more likely that she would have bailed before he could see through her. Certainly she would bail before having to make the deeper commitment of having children with him, which he was campaigning for before the problem that caused his financial backslide.

As she would do with Fernando. Her endorphins are raised by his stock portfolio, not his looks or charm. She'd hang around until he started talking babies and then bolt, all the while trying to get as much of his money and as many expensive gifts as possible.

This attitude affects all her relationships, including those with her parents and her old friends. When she got her 60K peso bonus and her parents were in financial trouble, she didn't give them any of it despite that they didn't need it all. She doesn't care that she will hurt Luisa if she steals Fernando from her. She played Aurora for a fool and is crushed that Aurora isn't crushed.

She doesn't want Mariano or Arturo anymore but doesn't want them to be happy with anyone else so she could still have power over them. Power she boasts of to other women.

What she wants to do is laugh at everything and everyone while she queens it over them. She wants people to adore her without making any effort to be a real human being to them. This is Scarlett O'Hara. It's Bizet's Carmen. This is the mindset of a sociopath and is reflected in the lives of history's dictators.

Here I recommend an excellent book called Sex Lives of the Great Dictators by Nigel Cawthorne, which is like reading back issues of an uncensored The National Enquirer. None of these men enjoyed love in their lives and most of them were perverts, sadists, or both. The most normal of them never married and was a “Wham, bam; thank you, ma'am” kind of a guy [I will leave his identity to your imaginations]. Teresa's open-eyed kissing suggests that this is more like her and she fears men with real talent in that area because she fears becoming attached to them. She appears to enjoy sex, but it's more likely that she enjoys what power it seems to give her over men. I have no doubt that Arturo knows how to whistle through the wheat fields, but that Teresa – like Scarlett – prevents herself from enjoying it too much.

Men fall for her game until they know her well enough. We then have to hope that they think more like Rhett Butler than Don José.

Now Karmageddon is getting her. Being the proximate cause of her father's fatal heart attack is only the beginning. She is probably genuinely sad over losing him, but anyone who has seen her true self will only believe this until the funeral is over.
 

Julia, Julia, Julia! That was great, great, great! And thanks for the screen captures as well! I love your style and thanks for the vocabulary tips. You had a lot of nice touches, but "Shark Tank de Juana" and "Chez Cheater" were some of my favorites.

WOW! I can't believe Armando is actually dead! Teresa's sluttiness killed Armando!! So I guess when the paramedics fill out the paperwork, they can put a check mark next to "DEATH BY SLUT".

FINALLY some blood!! Arturo's beat-down of Fernando was excellent. He should beat him up again!

The scene where Oriana comforts Arturo was weird for me. I've disliked Oriana for so long. She's been unpleasant and malicious from the start, yet here she is being a sweet mother figure to Arturo in his darkest hour. It was an enigma.

Ruben again has to find others to blame for his unhappiness and wants to cook up a scheme to get even with Mariano. Hopefully it will backfire and he'll end up in jail or eaten by dinosaur. (I saw Jurassic Park last night).
 

That was a very hard episode last night, and I cried during it, but Julia, your recap was so funny it was like getting oxygen.
I liked “that scumbag Teresa-seeking-missile Mariano” and Fito “getting updates from the other members of the Thug Association”.
Too funny! Thank you!
You know, I can’t remember the Peter and the Wolf story, and I thought this was an odd reference for a TN character. Urban, any thoughts on the Peter and the Wolf correlation since your Wagner reference tells me you may be familiar with other European operas?
My translation of Tere’s reply to Fer’s indirect inquiry as to whether Tere loves Fer only for “interesa” was “well money and security are important but they aren’t everything”.
It was very like the answer Scarlett gave Rhett when he asked her to marry him…now we know Fer is not Tere’s Rhett, but the stories don’t exactly parallel.
Judging from the advances, it is not clear Tere will have a complete redemption, it looked like more drama with her getting all the attention, but we’ll see. I’ll bet she’ll still blame lack of money for everything.
 

Outstanding recap, Julia! My favorites were "The camera is so scared it has to hide behind walls and on the balcony" and "Various knicks and knacks are sacrificed." It really was a very satisfying fight scene, uncomplicated as it was by any sympathy whatsoever for Fernando. (SUUUUUUCIO!!!)

Thanks for the vocab as well. I have been watching on YouTube instead of in real time, so I can stop and pause whenever I need to, so I miss a bit of slang without the subtitles. I cried through the scene with Teresa lighting the candles for Armando -- I lost my own adored father to a heart attack when I was 21 -- but I felt better after. (And now I know how to go see what the pig is wearing!)
 

Sharkbyte, my take on Oriana's comfort for Art was more, "there, there, you should never have trusted that arribista, I tried to tell you, but now go ahead, cry it all out on mom's shoulder..." sort of like hiding cod liver oil in orange juice, you still are left with a very bad taste in your mouth.
 

"The camera is so scared it has to hide behind walls and on the balcony." That line also made me giggle. What a treat to start Saturday morning off with a Julia recap. It's been too long amiga.

That was a very satifying beat down and Fer's excuses sounded weak. I hope he realizes that.

Poor Luisa. I can feel her heartbreak. I have never had a relationship end so badly and with so much betrayal, but watching her brings back those post-breakup feelings so clearly that I can undersatnd how devasted she is.

I'm glad they showed Ori comforting Art. They have spoken so much about how she was there for them after their parents died, and we got a peek at what she must have been like with them (without a Teresa to constantly harp about or snipe at).

Now for our Tiburoncita. Armando finally had his eyes opened to the truth Refugio has known all along about their daughter, and he couldn't handle the truth. Julia, you were definitely right that Ter was just softening up dear old dad with all that talk about helping him and her mom, in preparation for introducing the relationship with Fer. She has always been good at playing her dad this way. Every single time she has had the opportunity/ability to help her parents when they have had the greatest need, she has not. In fact, it's at those times when she puts someting away in her own secret bank account or collects another piece of expensive jewelry. While Mariano started improving his father's lot right away by giving him money, buying him a car, and having a room at is condo for him for anytime he wants to go there temporarily or permanently. Teresa wouldn't even agree to let her parents live in the small house on the Barerra property. And the job she got her dad with Art was more about her. She's such a lying hypocrite about this.

Depsite the fact that she really does love her father, I am sure she will play his death to her advantage to play mind games with Fer and Art.
 

Julia: I, personally, can't thank you enough for such an excellent recap of such an incredibly emotional capitulo that had so many incredible details. You did not miss a thing. Thank you ever so much!

UA: I, too, will be gone most of the day, but will return to reply to your excellent comments. It is such a joy to have you on this blog.

This was a powerful capitulo for me on all counts.

Oddly enough, La Odiosa was believable to me in her scene with our devastated Arturo. Sometimes, we all need a mother or have a need to be mothered.

I can't explain it, but I don't see Arturo as a bona fide 'drunkard'. Does he have problems that have simmered for too long and need to be addressed? Without a doubt, but last night...I felt for that man. He came into the relationship with Teresa already a wounded man with so many unaddressed demons.

To see him cry and truly let down his guard with La Odiosa was a very meaningful moment for me. I literally cried along with him.

The scene where he and Luisa are confronting the reality of the situation was so well done. How lucky those two are that they both comfort and love each other.

Undoubtedly, the most powerful and significant moment was dear Armando's lightning bolt realisation that his daughter was not the person he thought she was. It was a visceral moment. In one instant, the veil had been lifted from his eyes and HE KNEW. He had FULL UNDERSTANDING of who and what Teresa was. I think her reply to him that the ends justified the means and that she would do anything to get what she wanted was the final straw. Not only was it the words, but how she said it.

How Teresa said it and what she said made me sick to my stomach.

I also think Don Armando knew...absolutely knew that his daughter was sick...rather much like little Rhoda's mother in "The Bad Seed" when the mother finally saw that her sweet little blonde, pig tailed daughter was a psychopath.

Boyer's emotions in that death scene were excellent, but the way she was dressed and her inability to (once again) tell the truth were simply another step in Teres's downward descent into her own personal hell.

The look on Aurora's face during that scene...oh my...

I felt worn out at the end of this...absolutely worn out.

Our recappers have been dealing with incredibly complex and emotional capitulos these last few weeks. MY HAT IS OFF TO ALL OF YOU!!!

Gracias!

Susanita
 

I wonder...did Teresa hear Don Armando tell her at the very end to 'do the right thing'?

Susanita
 

I expect that "do the right thing" comment to come back at her in flashbacks...if she has any hope of redemption, it will come from that.
 

Suspect you are right, Blue Lass. It's a toss up for me in terms of Teresa's redemption. Her lying borders on pathological. She is sick, in my view, so will be interesting to see how the writers handle this.

Sebastian Rulli: YOU RULE!!!

Susanita
 

Julia- genius recap! Very funny!

LOL: Chez Cheater: Arturo slams into Fernando’s saloon office, ready to rumble. He says they need to speak, but he lets his fists do the talking. The camera is so scared it has to hide behind walls and on the balcony. Art delivers a heck of a beatdown, and Good-Fer-Nada doesn’t fight back. His best defense is, “I didn’t mean to…it just happened!” POW!

And so many others! Thanks for a great start to the weekend.

Lady Lisa de Saint Helena
 

Great recap. I watched Teresa with her father's body when all of a sudden I was touched by the character's great grief.
Hope she takes his last words to heart because we all know there's quite an anvil hanging over her head.
 

Julia, I knew you were recapping and wondered how in the world you would bring humor to this tough episode, BUT YOU DID! These are a few of my favorites tidbits out of many: “Thug Association,” “Good-Fer-Nada,” “Lucha Libre ring,” “greedy fins,” “dirge choir has reported for duty on the music soundtrack.” Great job and thanks for burning the midnight oil for us! Did you go to your concert?

I, like many, felt that we were seeing some kindness in Oriana, she was worrying about Luisa and comforting Arturo, until she asked him to stay married to Teresa, obviously, in my opinion, to keep her away from Fernando. Her kindness was a means to an end! Maybe I’m a cynic too.

“Do the right thing.” Well, the rubber hits the road. Novela (and Lifetime movie for that matter!) characters are most always extremely exaggerated, and Teresa certainly has been, but if she ever manages to turn her life around, after all that she has done, it has to be now.......or she deserves a novela fate: Pole dancing, living in la vecindad with some Cutberto type person and five kids, etc., etc, etc.

Jarocha, in Spanish, is it an insult to tell a woman that she is ambiciosa or has ambicion? It seems to be a slur in this novela.
 

Wow, what great comments. You all are so smart, it's a real pleasure watching telenovelas with you. UA, interesting analysis of the correlation between power and emotional detachment.

It's fun to have no idea how the A plot will be resolved. It's hard to imagine Teresa giving up her quest for money. A lot of the things she does seem so sociopathic, and yet we see her on occasion deliberately stifling her emotions, indicating that she does have some deep down.

Oriana is a shark who occasionally dresses in sheep's clothing. I think the main reason she hates Teresa is because they're so similar. Oriana happened to start off rich, and she isn't as good at playing the manipulation game as Teresa is, but they have essentially the same personality. They value money and power above all else and want to control everyone else's personal choices.

Sandy, I didn't end up going to the concert, unfortunately...I have a terrible cold and figured no one wanted my icky cooties. Oh, well. Next time.
 

I didn't get how Aurora's and Mariano's melodrama was like Peter and the Wolf either. Not the clearest metaphor. Is Teresa the wolf?
 

I think Teresa was sincere about giving Armando his own auto shop. Not with her own money, certainly not, but she probably would have tried to get Fernando to sponsor it. I'm sure she would find it better for her own social standing to have parents who are affluent business owners. Plus, she does love her father at least. I think she'd want them to have a nicer life, as long as it doesn't cost her any of her own luxuries. I wonder if she'll step up and take care of her mother now.
 

Awesome recap Julia. Wow. Armando kicked the bucket after seeing his daughter for what she truly is: a heatless gold-digger. What a surprising turn. I thought Refugio would have a heart attack after Teresa told her she and Arturo was divorcing.

LOL when Arturo kicked the door cowboy style when he gave Fernando that beatdown. It seemed as though Fernando was waiting for his arrival the way he sat calmly in the chair. Boy did Arturo kick his a** like a ragdoll.

With all the talk about Refugio and Armando's wedding anniversary approaching it was definitely foreshadowing that something bad would happen to one to them. Armando died disappointed in his daughter the light of his eyes.

Now Oriana doesn't want Arturo to divorce Teresa so she can't get her hands on Fernando's money. I'm thinking the document he signed without reading it first is coming to come back to bite him. Even if he tried to keep Teresa married to him, she will find a way to get a divorce with her cunning ways.

Monday's episode looks good. Will causing her father's fatal heart attack change Teresa from her ambitious ways?
 

"Pedro y el Lobo" is "The Boy who Cried Wolf" in Spain and Latin America: http://www.pequeocio.com/cuentos-infantiles-populares-pedro-y-el-lobo/

It's not the Russian version from the 20th century.
 

Ah, different story. Thanks, Vivi. Still it seems like the opposite of that story. Mariano really was chasing after Teresa for years, but this last time it was a lie. Well, whatever.
 

I loved your recap Julia. This was such a great episode, very moving in so many different ways. The only scenes I really hated were Ruben's, can't stand him.

Your screen shot of Ter looking like the wicked witch from the West was also great along with all your very humorous comments.

I'm confused about something. If they taped different finales for the TN, they must have also taped different capitols finales because things can turn out so differently right now. Will Ter/Fer marry? Will Ter stay with Art? Will Ter end up alone? They basically have to start moving the plot in that direction right now.

Rule is pretty strong, the way he picked up Fer and tossed him around. I was pretty impressed with him. I find him even more appealing right now. I wish he wouldn't drink so much, that's a really huge flaw in his character. I enjoy a little vino myself but he's too much.

The whole father thing bothers me. Ter cried like she loved him so much, and many of you think she did, but she never really acted like it. She let him get in debt with the loan shark and possibly be seriously hurt instead of helping him financially. That's not love in my book. There were also many instances where she showed she really only loved herself. The scene with the candles and the glow, what was that? Heaven?

Poor Luisa, Poor Art. Even poor Fer to some degree. He was also a victim of Ter's. One them should go buy a gun right now and shoot her. That would make for a great capitulo. She doesn't necessarily have to die, just teach
her a good lesson.
 

Julia, terrific storytelling. From the fight to Armando's sad death, this was a fantastic read.

I haven't been on Teresa's side for some time but I will defend her right to choose her own path. How sad that her latest choice caused her dad's fatal heart attack. Though she's grieving, my guess is this won't change the Sharkita and she'll play the sympathy card for all it's worth. Poor Refugio. At least she has Juana and her friends because I don't think Ter will be much support for her.

On a lighter note, if Aurora can dress that sexy in the workplace I give Mar permission to wear his shirt unbuttoned to his navel while making rounds.

I think Oriana's comfort of Art was truly heartfelt, but just like the Sharkita she can't help but look out for her own selfish interests at all times. But I do hope Art works with her to stop Ter from getting a penny of Fer's money.

What an idiot Fito is to hold onto that medallion.
 

I suspect that only the last two capitulos -- or perhaps a 2-hour finale? -- are different. There is a place I go for quick plot summaries (I won't say where) that has all the capitulos up to 150 and then stops. I believe there are 152 total.
 

I think what they mean by the lobo and wolf story is that Aurora believed Mar went after Ter again rather that go to talk to Luisa because he had done that so many times before. Like the boy that cried wolf, when he really needed help no one believed him, I.e. No one believed that Mar went to Ter's office for any reason other than to see her, as usual.
 

Violence against Teresa, or any type of retaliation, does not work on her. It only makes her play dirtier and think she's justified. The only way to teach Teresa "a lesson" is for the people she's hurt to move on without her, and live well and happy. That's why seeing Aurora and Mariano together bugs her so much. Luisa needs to move on and so does Art. The question is, can Art move on? He has been torn between "I don't give a damn" and "I can't live without her" for a number of episodes now.
 

Julia thanks for your great recap. I've missed your style and thanks for volunteering.

ITA w/your assessment of Oriana and Teresa being the same in temperament. And we can add Ref here too. Notice how both controlling mothers had heart palpitations when their errant children went against their wishes.

And I'm really disturbed by Oriana's last ploy. Even if Art does not divorce Ter (or she him), Fer is dead to me! While I know the womanizing man can change, I don't buy that this "fall from grace" was solely caused by Teresa. Oriana might be that deluded but not me.

What makes this situation even worse is to still try to have Fer marry Luisa. In her pain, at this moment, Luisa would take him back but there are NO guarantees he won't pull the same thing with some other woman. To have them marry now, is not looking out for Luisa's best interest. As someone mentioned yesterday, let her heal from this trauma and have Aurora introduce her to Martin. He's the only one left that's worthy of her.

Art beating down Fer was an event. I think Fer's guilt prevented him from retaliating.

Unfortunately I don't think her father's death will lead Ter to change. What will be interesting is how Art interacts with her.
 

Thank you so much for this outstanding recap! It was an emotional episode with so many key scenes and you did a beautiful job on everything. And with lots of hilarious lines as well.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who got verklempt when Armando died. The acting in that scene was superb!
 

"On a lighter note, if Aurora can dress that sexy in the workplace I give Mar permission to wear his shirt unbuttoned to his navel while making rounds."

HA! It is weird how all the men in this show wear their shirts all buttoned up. It's almost...normal. But Mariano should just go for the airy look. What the heck; his boss hates him anyway.

The way Fernando sat there in his office waiting, then meekly accepted the beating, it was like he not only expected it, he wanted it. Like that was payment for his sins, and now the account would be settled so he could go after Teresa without further remorse. Doesn't quite work that way, of course.
 

The suspense has been thrilling. First Refugio and Oriana with their chest pains ... Armando was a complete surprise to me ... had Armando had pains before?

I believe many people die from broken hearts. And Teresa was the person who could break her daddy's heart the most. When I lost my beloved cat, I went to the emergency room for another matter, and my BP was 211/93 I think. Luckily, my heart was in better shape than Armando's.

I thought the scene with his body being bathed in white light was beautiful, as if the angels were coming to take him to heaven. Reminded me of the movie Ghost.

I really wish they didn't have previews. I love the surprises.

Thank you Urban Anthropologist for the info on the opera.

And lastly, thank you so much Julia for the vocabulary lesson ... a little at time ... and maybe I'll get somewhere.
 

Julia, great recap, thanks.

The comments have been good today so there is not much to add.

I guess Fernando is really a lover and not a fighter. Oriana should have gotten her house in order long ago and given her only child a sense of basic decency before starting in on others. I am sure there is a long string of women with broken hearts and there will be many more in the future.

Rosemary
 

Yowza, what an amazing recap! And this was one heck of an episode. Well done Julia.

I think my biggest LOL moment was when you said the camera was scared. Too funny. I think all my other favorite lines have been mentioned too so I'll just say your recap was pure joy from beginning to end.

The fight scene was wonderful. I agree that Fernando seemed to want to take it instead of defending himself, maybe to help absolve himself of guilt.

So sad about Don Armando. I liked his character. In a way Teresa is alone like she has never been before because he was the one who always took her side and tried to protect his little girl. Juana is married now and not as 'available' to Teresa as before. Refugio is, well, Refugio; she loves Tere but is pretty hard on her.

Thanks again Julia. Great title, recap and vocab lesson.
 

** QUESTION FOR RECAPPERS **

First some background:

I put together a gallery of pictures that shows a historical progression of the Teresa character, starting from episode 1 up through episode 138. It is currently online as an unpublished draft.

The idea was suggested by Susanita a couple of days ago. Several folks were commenting about how the Teresa character seemed to have transformed since the show started. Susanita had the idea for the picture-history and asked if I wouldn't mind putting something together.

Now for the question:

The draft contains about 100 pictures, so it is a fairly long Post. My concern is if I publish it, because it is so long, will it then push all of the other recap articles off the main page?

I don't think I want to do that, and probably others wouldn't appreciate that either.

Do any of the recappers have any idea how the main page is configured? Is it limited to display only a certain number of lines of text or does it just retain the most recent 4 or 5 Posts regardless of their size?

I wasn't planning to publish this until the last week of the novela (unless folks want to see it now). I'm also reluctant to post it until I hear back from someone that it's ok to post it.

Does anyone know who I could ask about the main page configuration, or does anyone know who I should ask to get permission to post it?

Thanks
 

SharkByte, if you are an administrator, you should be able to check that setting for yourself -- it's under settings/formatting, right at the top. It will show either the number of posts or the number of dates to keep on the main page. I don't think it's limited by lines.
 

I know I'm not one of the recappers, but I use the same software for my own blog. And I'm at work, and I'm bored.
 

Blue Lass - I'm not an admin on this blog; just a contributor (Author).

If it isn't limited by number of lines then it should be fine to publish it.

The gallery looks cool! Susanita had a great idea. Even though it was just meant as a way to see how the Teresa character has changed over the course of the novela, it really brings back memories of key moments in the story arc.

That's kind of got me thinking of doing a recap of the whole novela, but that's proabably too ambitious.
 

If you don't want to dominate the main page, you could also set up another blog site just for this purpose and provide a link to it on CC. Only takes a few minutes. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Memory lane...
 

“Oriana should have gotten her house in order long ago and given her only child a sense of basic decency before starting in on others.” Rosemary, I think you make an excellent point that we haven’t talked about before. Oriana had 18 years to mold
Fernando into the man she would have liked him to be. If nothing else, the professional sports arena has taught us the importance of a good home in molding young boys into good men, bad home almost always equals bad man. When Oriana blew into town, she was wise cracking about her “mujeriego” son almost with a sense of pride, now she wants to change the outcome. She is playing catchup......too bad, her mothering cake has been baked, and it’s burned. As a mom she made her bed, and now she has to sleep in it. She’s left with denying him his inheritance, playing the money card, maybe that will work, maybe not. Fernando has left a long trail of broken hearts in his path, “best family in Spain” or not! I know others don’t agree, but I think Teresa is a product of her environment as well....more later!

Sharkbyte, I’d LOVE to see the photos, but I’m not sure how to make it happen. When Jardinera checks in, she can help you. If they can’t be posted on the home Caray website, maybe there can be a host site with a couple “tease” photos and a link. I’d like to see the evolution of the eyebrows, if nothing else!!!
 

I think Oriana was sincere in the scene when she was comforting Arturo. She was there for him and Luisa when their parents were murdered and would only want the best for them.

I also don't think she was setting him up for the request not to divorce Teresa. She was just asking him to delay the divorce long enough to allow her to get Fernando back on track. She doesn't want Arturo to stay married to this arribista for the rest of his life.

However, if she is expecting Fernando and Luisa to still marry she is being more than a little delusional. Arturo and Fernando's friendship has been destroyed by all this and Arturo would never trust Fernando to not betray Luisa.

Vivi, great comparison between Teresa's and Mariano's ways of treating their parents. Mariano is a class act all around and even Oriana saw that without knowing this stuff.

Teresa is a pathological liar. Last night I thought of a line from Carlos Saura's Carmen where this is said of her "She had never spoken a single word of truth." I think that describes Teresa perfectly. Unfortunately, she failed to learn from the first Big Lie (back in school) that lies are too much work to maintain because they are too easily uncovered. The rest of them are waiting to be revealed.
 

Everyone has made such great comments. I have only a few to add.

Fernando is to Teresa as Frank Kennedy was to Scarlett. Scarlett needed money fast for the taxes on Tara and Rhett was in jail at the time (he telling her all his money was tied up in English banks) so Scarlett proceeded to seduce Frank away from her sister Suellen (in this case Luisa). Scarlett did marry Frank, saved Tara from the tax man and lost her sister in the process. It wasn't until after Frank was killed that Scarlett got back together with Rhett.

There isn't that much time left in this novela for Teresa to actually marry Fernando, so I beg we will fast forward to her redemption part. I seriously hope the death of her father is what will turn her straight. I want to see the same kind of emotion she displayed over her father's passing to the begging for Arturo to take her back. She really has to show to him her real inner self for him to believe her. If she shows him what she showed us over her father, he should believe her.

The fight with Fernando! OMG I was afraid Art was going to kill Fernando. (not that I would care if Fernando was dead) but I didn't want Arturo to go to prison over that scumbag.

Oriana made a lot of sense last night. Practically everything she said was spot on. The confusion some of you have over why she wants Art to stay married to Teresa is so that she has a chance to straighten out her son. She knows Fer is being totally "second head" ridden. She knows Lucia is what's really best for her son (she knows her son better than anyone). So for his future life she wants her son happy and she needs some time to get Fer "cooled off" of the zorra (I love that word, it was the first time I heard it in this novela).

Did anyone else catch the insinuation Oriana gave that if Fer did end with Teresa, he wouldn't have any money (inheritance)?

Poor Armando. D.E.P.
I loved how his dying words were "Do what's correct" to Teresa. (do the right thing) hopefully this will be part of her redemption.

The avances were too good. They better not be playing with me and teasing over a reconciliation/redemption with Arturo. Another reason there must be reconciliation is for Arturo's own sake. That man is completely in love with her. He is hurting so deeply, he may never recover his own self. Look how long it took him after Paloma (and he didn't love her as much as he loves Teresa). Arturo can not end up a destroyed man. He needs to be happy, and it would not be realistic for him just taking up with someone else ie. Lucia.
That man is in world of hurt that only Teresa herself can heal.

Diann
 

My dear Sharkbyte! I am so excited about this portfolio you have put together!!!

The Evolution of Most Puzzling Character! I can't wait...absolutely CAN'T WAIT!!!

How lovely of you to do this for us. I think this foto collection is going to tell a hugely interesting story. More food for thought!!

UA: ITA that Teresa is a pathological liar. I think I am going to look up some of the traits of these kinds of people and see what else I can dig up here.

Chuchi: Very good point about Teresa literally throwing Don Armando to the loan sharks. Think of the times Teresa has had money in her hot little hands and never once offered to help her parents.

It was that thought that was going through my mind as Don Armando was dying. His heart literally broke because of the realisation of what his daughter truly was. My sadness was really for him...not so much Teresa.

UA: Do you think Teresa is a sociopath?

Sharkbyte...I am anxiously awaiting your masterpiece of fotos!!! Mil gracias, amigo!!

Susanita
 

Diann: Absolutely love your comments re Arturo. I am ITA and, yes, I did catch the insinuation that La Odiosa threw out there about Fer's inheritance.

Teresa's redemption is still a toss up to me. Just look how easy it was for her to lie to Aurora as to the circumstances surrounding Don Armando's heart attack.

Teresa cannot be trusted; not ever.

Susanita
 

The interesting question is can Teresa be redeemed. She has inflicted so much pain into the lives of those who love her. Not only that, she takes great pleasure in the pain she inflicts. I can't get over the scene of her standing at the balcony overlooking the railing at Arturo as he drank himself into a drunken stupor and the grin she had on her face. She enjoyed it. It will really be interesting to see how that questioned is answered as we're building up to the grand finale.
 

hi julia, I think you are being a little too hard on oriana. think about it, you are a mother and you see that your son or at least a loved one is with someone who is only after their money, who uses lies and manipulations to use others, but your loved ones are completely blind, you would have reacted the same way as oriana, If arturo and luisa and fernando had paid at least a little bit of attention to oriana, they would not be suffering right now. lives shattered, childhood friendships totally destroyed all because they didnt listen. oriana is not the greatest person, she certainly has her issues with as she would call it the lower class, it's definitely not right that she feels that way, but i think it's because of overly ambitious people like ruben and teresa who uses manipulation to get ahead. she isnt rude to anyone just for being poor, not to her maid or mariano even cutberto. she might not want to hang around them , but if it were bill gates you wouldnt find him hanging in the vecindad either, oriana didnt make that up, that's just a fact, money hangs with money and most of the time people with money marry with someone else that has money. she is nothing like teresa, who despises these people just for being poor. she is frank and honest to her loved ones, she tells it like it is. whether it is bad or good, she lets you have it ,unlike teresa who is beyond FAKE and pretends to be friends with everyone just to get her way. oriana only wants her son and arturo to be with a good woman, and she sees that luisa truly loves her son, that is not control, she simply wants to protect them.
fancy pants,
 

I disagree. I don't think Teresa enjoys causing pain except maybe for her revenge against Aida or Oriana. The times we have seen her do her classic smile as in the picture captured by Sharkbyte with Fernando has more to do with her pleasure in how her plans or manipulations are successful. I don't think she is masochistic and enjoys other people's pain as an end to itself.

Also, though I can't remember the details, Teresa did have something to do with stopping that loan shark grocer from continuing to loan to her dad. Mariano had originally paid her off with the engagement ring, but Teresa recovered it someway without Mariano knowing. Remember too, a lot of us were very critical of Armando for foolishly getting involved with the loan shark woman. It may have been to satisfy Teresa's wants, but let's face it--Armando was the parent. He should have not done it.
AnonoOne
 

Susanita: I definitely consider her to be a sociopath. She thinks the rules of society don't apply to her. She lacks empathy. She lies constantly to everyone. She cons money and/or expensive gifts out of Arturo and would expand this behavior to Fernando.

She fails to help her parents when she can well afford to and they desperately need it.

She double-crosses her female friends.

Si; she's a sociopath.
 

I meant Teresa is not sadistic as an end to itself. Not masochistic!

And BTW, Thanks Julie for the recap.

AnonoOne
 

AnoniOne: Here is how Teresa got the money for Armando to pay his debts. These are excepts from recap 23 and 24. It as truly mala:

Teresa can’t believe what her dad is saying. Once she does, she is P.O.’d that Mari used HER ring to pay debts (her father’s). It was HER ring! And since when does her dad have debts anyway? Armie fesses up that the cash was to help her. Armie tells the whole loan shark story and this gives Teresa the opportunity to once again lay all the blame of their problems on being pobre. For all her talk of Maldito Dinero! she sure is keen to get some…
Teresa goes straight to the source for her anillo: the loan shark. “How much does my dad owe?” Gema gets out the book and shows her. By the look of Teresa, it’s a lot…
“Oh Mariano, I love you like no one else (herself excluded, I assume), but I just can’t ask your forgiveness”…
Luisa and Teresa at lunch. Luisa needs to talk to an amiga. ‘Me too!’ says Ter. But then she feigns reluctance to talk. Luisa manages to drag out Ter’s story about her dad getting robbed of money that wasn’t his and now he has to find to get the missing money. Luisa buys it hook, line, and sinker and heads straight to the ATM…
Holy schminoly Teresa is taking the supposed loan shark money and going on a shopping spree!!! Oh, that is mala. Ok, it’s just one dress, but it is an expensive one (1/2 of the money Luisa gave her)…
Back in the vecindad, Teresa spills the beans about the loan shark debt to Juana. Juana flips without even knowing how much cash is involved…
Ter wishes that she could only come up with a way to help her dad. She thought about asking Arturo, but that would look bad. Wellllll, says Juana, I have a little saved up, but you can’t tell your dad where it came from…
Teresa comes home and counts all her money. Dad comes in and she gives it to him to get the ring back. He tries to thank her and say he’ll pay it back, etc, but she cuts him off.
 

So as you can see, Teresa's motivation for helping dad pay his debt was to get HER ring back and she did so by conning money from Luisa (for her own shopping pleasure) and Juana.
 

Vivi, wowie-- I remember that now. What a con artist. But after that I still think she did something (threatened the loan shark in a lawyer shark manner?) to prevent Armando from getting another loan.

And hey, she did pay off the loan. She didn't keep ALL the money even if it wasn't for the reasons we might think it should be. LOL.

AnonoOne
 

Fantastic recap Julia! And what an episode you got!

Loved seeing Fernando pay even a little for his mistakes. Mostly for what he did to Luisa.

I think Oriana was sincere with Arturo but she is also worried for her son to end up in the same place so she asked Arturo's help.

Sandy: Ambiciosa can have a good of bad connotation depending on the way it is being used. It can mean the good kind of ambition and the bad one (where money, power of fame is all you care about), depends of the phrase you are using it.

Jarocha
 

Terrific read!! Smashing Sebastian was out of control! Loved it all!!
 

UA: Thank you! These past capitulos I have felt more than ever that Teresa was a sociopath. Have really appreciated your comments today as they have been very insightful.

Susanita
 

You're welcome, Susanita.

I have also been wondering whether there are not only different finale episodes but whether there are matching penultimate episodes as well. Maybe three sets of the final three hours?

I would have tremendous difficulty believing that Teresa could be redeemed even after her father's death. Note that she even lied about how that happened.
 

I believe Teresa DOES enjoy it when others are hurting. She was downright gleeful when Fernando was calling Luisa to drop the bomb on her.

She was downright gleeful when Arturo was drinking like a fish, crying for and about Teresa.

She was happy when Mariano would ignore Aurora to come running to her.

She was full of cheer when Mayra's life was being destroyed by the revelation of Ruben's crimes & cheating.

She was only horrified by Paolo's death b/c it could be traced back to her.

When Esperanza was in pain re: Ruben she was very happy to extend that pain just to hurt Ruben & Aida.

We've just seen too many times where Teresa was just too gleeful at another's pain as long as that pain furthers her goals.

Teresa needs to be stopped, and Armando's death is not going to be the event that stops her. She's going to milk his death for all she can get out of it.
 

LOL AnonoOne! I'm glad Teresa still has some folks in her corner. I just don't want any revisionist history about "good" things Teresa has done. She may well have some real feelings of love for some people, and might have a shot of redemption. But she has NEVER done a kind/good thing that wasn't linked to her own selfish goals/plans. Not even for her parents or the other people she says she loves.
 

UA: That moment when Aurora asked Teresa about the events leading up to Don Armando's death clinched it for me.

In the midst of her agonising cries (and without missing a beat) she so very, very easily lied to Aurora.

Interestingly enough, I missed the rest of the conversation because I was dumbfounded at Teresa's response. If she had told the truth (even just to say that they had been arguing), that might have been the point where Teresa could have turned things around for herself.

But no, the lies continued and will continue...just as Anon207 has said.

IF she had told the truth, I would wish that she and Arturo would put everything they had to save their marriage, but even with his own demons, Arturo has never done to Teresa what she has done to him.

Luisa and Arturo deserve a far better life.

Is Lucia the answer for Arturo? For me, that is too pat of an answer. I don't think Arturo sees Lucia in that light.

Interesting how Teresa's sickness is now making others physically ill.

I also wonder about these final capitulos leading up to the Gran Final. We know that these alternate endings are out there. Univision needs to do 'the right thing' and give us the opportunity to see this TN in its ENTIRETY.

Anon207: excellent points.

Susanita
 

anon207 are you reading my thoughts? i feel the same way about teresa. she is beyond selfish cruel and i dont get how someone like her has any fans.
fancy pants
 

Susanita,
I must point out that Teresa lied to Aurora regarding the circumstances surrounding Armando's heart attack BEFORE the "white light" shone on her and Dad.

At the point when Aurora asked her what happened, she was still in full Teresa mode. The severity of what had just happened had not hit her yet. So of course she responded like she always have. Obscure the truth.

However, the enormity of her father's death hit her when she was alone with him. She thought to light candles so his soul "could find the light". That right there show empathy.
She cradled him and was crying out to him. Then the "light" was spotlighted on them.

We will have to see what happens Monday, but I am still hoping this event is her turning point.

Diann
 

ok I know teresa has a lot of haters at this moment, but I still love her. You have to admire her determination to get ahead no matter what the cost. she doesn't back down from any challenge, even when she was paralyzed, she's confident and she knows that she has the power to play men like yoyos.
All of these people you guys are calling vicitms of teresa needs to take a little bit of responsibilty for their actions. pablo didnt have to take the drugs that fito offered him, but he did. teresa didnt have a gun over his head, it's all him. Esperanza knew that ruben was married but she stayed with him, even if ruben lied and manipulated the situation, she knew that legally he belonged to someone else, you cant blame teresa for coming out with the truth no matter how selfish her reasons are.
aida, you cant blame teresa for pblo not wanting to be with you or mariano not being over teresa, you're just not that interesting. aurora you can't blame teresa either, mariano was her's first, broken up or not he was with her before you two were friends, so what if teresa wanted her man back. shame on you to want to have your best friend's man and you are not that innocent, you were going to marry martin and you didnt love him, stop it with your "i have been a good friend to teresa" you hypocrite. Who wants to have a best friend but you know that she is in love with your man, i give teresa credit, i would have dumped her, And aurora is so ungrateful wanting to dump her father and juana to go live with mom. If it wasnt for teresa, she would still be in the dark. Now she want to dump dad again for mariano, but who was there to dry your tears when mariano was chasing teresa. Fernando, you are an idiot, it's good that you are finally getting played. I can't wait when you find out that you are not so irresistible.
the only two i feel for is luisa and arturo but hey luisa she's doing you a favor. what I am trying people to say is that if these characters weren't already messed up, teresa would be out of a job lol.
arturo, you are the only one that can play the same game as teresa because you proved it when you went and slept with paloma but you let your emotions get the best of you. i hope you and teresa get to stay together at the end. ser or no ser, my girl teresa Is.
 

I would never want Ter to go back with Art. Poor Art, no matter how much he loves her, he'll get over it and find some one good to share his life with. He could never trust Ter and his relationship with Luisa would be over. I can't imagine Luisa coming over on Sunday for a barbecue after what Ter did to her. He deserves much better.

I am dying to see your pictures SharkByte. Ter's look has definitely changed, her make up is darker and her face is paler. Her clothes are also different, she usually wears black now.

I think there is still time for a Ter/ Fer marriage if they pull the fast forwarding routine. Might be interesting to see how they are faring a year from now, all of them.
 

"Ter's look has definitely changed, her make up is darker and her face is paler. Her clothes are also different, she usually wears black now." Maybe the makeup and wardrobe department is going for the vampire look.
 

Many thanks to the recappers who have done such a fantastic job!

I don't admire getting ahead at any cost or playing men like yoyos. That is usually cheap, easy and deceitful.

Teresa has been an interesting villainess, but totally unredeemable.
 

PirateBabe, I think you've got something there about the "vampire look." It certainly suits her approach to relationships.
 

[Teresa] may well have some real feelings of love for some people...But she has NEVER done a kind/good thing that wasn't linked to her own selfish goals/plans.

Well, I don't know about that Vivi. Teresa wore a bikini a couple of times, and I thought that was VERY nice of her!

I think Chuchi made a great point - how can Art take Teresa back after the way she hurt Luisa?
 

LOL Sharkbyte! Yes, that was very nice of her. Can't wait to see your photo project. That is very nice of YOU.

"shame on you to want to have your best friend's man"

Anon- Actually, Aurora met and fell for Mariano BEFORE she knew he was Teresa's ex boyfriend. She gushed about him to Teresa, and Teresa even knew for a time exactly who Aurora was talking about and did not tell Aurora. Then she rubbed Mariano's love for her in Aurora's face. Once Aurora knew the history between Mariano and Teresa, she backed off. She backed off so much that she left the country for three years! Again, I don't fault Teresa supporters, but let's not revise what really happened.
 

True, true, true, Vivi. Teresa had dumped Mariano and thought he was a loser who'd lost his ambition, but when she saw him and Aurora making eyes at each other, she immediately moved back in on him. She doesn't want any man she's ever marked as her property moving on. Then she started prodding him more into becoming the sort of person she'd want to stay with, i.e. rich. Aurora was very respectful of Mariano's and Teresa's relationship. But she fell for him before she knew he had ever dated Teresa, and before they got back together. Nothing dishonorable there.
 

Diann: Very interesting point you make. We'll definitely have to see what is to come. If I believe that Teresa is a sociopath, then light or no light, there is no hope.

I WANT people to change and I WANT them to be redeemed, but the unfortunate thing is...I do believe at this very moment that she is a sociopath and incapable of change.

However, I am always willing to change my mind given the appropriate facts.

Julia: Like Diann, you bring up another good point (and one for which I really have no answer at the moment).

Do you think that Mariano is who he is today solely because Teresa pushed him to get there? I am not remembering the initial details of what Mariano was like in the beginning. Do I remember correctly that he was really willing to give up his dream to become a doctor and just be a taxista?

Susanita
 

Dear Sharkbyte, where is the foto gallery!!!???

Susanita
 

Susanita- Mariano dropped out of college/med school for a year after his mom died so that he could work full time to help his dad pay off the medical debts his mom's illness had racked up. That was his primary motivation (helping his dad). And actually I don't fault him. A LOT of people drop out of school for a while after a parent has died due to depression. That's some major emotional stuff to deal with, plus all the debt and pressure he saw his dad under.

Sure, Teresa prodded him to go back to school. But so did his dad and everyone else in the vecinidad. Who's to say he just wasn't just emotionally ready to go back by that point? My nephew took a year off of college after a bad break up, and the break did wonders for him. He went back energized and did super well.

When Mariano decided to go back, he continued to work day and night, and his dad also took on extra work to make up for the loss of income, so that they could pay off their medical bill debt.
 

And I want to point out that I think Mariano working day and night, while going to school, helping a parent financially, becoming the best in his field, and giving back to his community, shows WAY more motivation than the route Teresa has taken, in my opinion.
 

I agree, Vivi. I think Mariano would have gone back to school eventually, but Teresa maybe pushed him to go back a little sooner than he would have otherwise. He's very smart, and very motivated, and I think he would eventually have gotten bored with driving the taxi and felt the need to challenge himself and to be able to do more for his family and his community. He just needed a mental break and extra income after his mother's illness and death.

Also, like you said, he actually worked much, much harder to succeed than Teresa did. She had school and a rather cushy job with Arturo, which really just helped with her schooling. She had no responsibilities at home and tons of people helping her out with extra money and such. Mariano's paying work cut into his study time and sleep time, he helped his dad with expenses and housework, and he still helped everyone in the vecindad with their problems. Not to mention the challenge of courting Teresa and trying to keep her happy.
 

Vivi and Julia: Thank you both for the clarification. BTW, I was NOT, repeat NOT faulting Mariano, I simply could not remember his feelings, motivation at the time.

Thanks again.

Susanita
 

Susanita - Currently I have the foto gallery stored as an "Unpublished Draft Post", as I'm still updating it.

It's in reasonable shape to look at now, but I'd like to add more pictures, add more captions, and clean up a few things before officially publishing it.

Plus, I was thinking of publishing it during the last week the novela airs, so that I could include some pictures from the episodes that will air this week.

If you want to see it, I think (I honestly don't know) that you need a Blogger/Google account.

I think once you have one of those, you can log into Blogger, then look in the "Edit Posts" page.

Once you are there, you will see a list of all published and unpublished posts. In the list, you'll see the foto gallery listed as one of my drafts.

I'm not 100% certain unpublished drafts can be viewed, but I think it's possible.

Also, I still haven't 100% figured out the details of how I'm going to publish it, but Julia had an idea that seemed workable, and I'm going to look into that.
 

SharkByte,
I hope your Gallery will be able to be viewed without having an account. I hope there's a place we can just "click" on.

Thank you for all your work putting it together and I bet there a many bikini pics ;) jejejeje

To anon who types with no capital letters:
Yea Girl! I am 100% with you. I love Teresa. You are 100% correct in that everyone got themselves into their trouble. Can't blame it all on Teresa.

Diann
 

Sharkbyte: Well...I can certainly wait for the 'work in progress'. I'm sure it will be a stunner once you are finished!!

I know it is a time consuming process. I'm so happy you are doing this for us!!!

Susanita :))
 

I just looked at my reply re Mariano. You'd think this was a 'real' person I'd been wondering about! I have to laugh...these TN can make us believe the characters are 'real'!!

I think I need some of that Peach Cobbler Cap'n Sylvia has been cooking to bring me back down to earth!



Susanita
 

Ok, David Zepeda got the lead with Angelique Boyer in the Cañaveral de Pasiones remake.

She now has a shoulder lenght cut and they changed the color to dirty blonde. I think she looks younger like this so it would be interesting to see how they deal with the age difference between her and Zepeda. Although it hurts me (cause I loved Cañaveral) I prefer them to change the plot point of them being the same age to him being older.

Jarocha
 

Fotos, Jarocha! Do you have Fotos?!

Gracias,

Susanita
 

I don't have pictures, I saw a quick shot of her on tv but they said they would still make some changes to her hair, I don't know if it's going to be darker or lighter but it will definitely stay blond.

She IS a natural blond though, that's why her eyebrows have to be painted on. So I can at least say she looks good.

Here's a scene with her and Silvia Mariscal from Muchachitas Como Tu. Simmilar dynamic to Teresa/Refugio, except they are mother/daughter in law and Silvia's character is the evil/crazy one but Angelique's character wasn't exactly nice either.

Jarocha
 

Wow Jarocha! Thanks for the scene link. Angelique looks so different blond. I think I like her better with dark hair. Not so washed out looking.
Loved seeing Sylvia made up. She's a great actress. She played comedy against Jaime Camil in Las Tontas No Van A Cielo. She was his mom if I remember correctly.

David Zepeda is way older than Angelique, right? He's even older than Sebastian. I'm currently watching Zepeda in La Fuerza del Destino and gotta tell ya, not really seeing anything hot. Mmmmm, so far that TN is kind of a dud.

Diann
 

Diann, I kind of agree with you about DZ in lFdD. I think it's because his character is so uptight and pinchy-faced, though, because I have found him VERY attractive elsewhere when he looks more relaxed.
 

Devid Zepeda (happy birthday) is only 1 year older than Sebastian Rulli. David is 37, Sebastian is 36.
 

Angelique is 23 and I prefer her as a blonde. It suits her complexion better.

She's an excellent actress and I'd love to see her in a novela with Edith Gonzales playing her mother.
 

Wow, Jarocha! Thanks for the clip! It's fun to see Silvia Mariscal with something to do other than fret. It's hard to get used to Angelique as a blonde, though. She reminds me of Julia Stiles:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005466/
 

JULIA: Wow!!! Terrifica shark-snark, amiga! You had me chuckling and snorting all the way through! You got me at “But I don’t have a heart,” says Tere’s confused face." I didn't have a chance to take a breath even after that!
 

ITA that like father like daughter in that Rube has to have someone else to blame to justify his actions. What a waste of precious oxygen these two take up.
 

Gracias, Jarocha! Lovely clip of Silvia Mariscal and so interesting to see Boyer in her natural hair colour.

Looks like she favours those tight necklaces. She must be wearing hair extensions in Teresa as her hair looks so thick, but in that clip, the blonde hair looks much thinner.

So interesting! Thank you!

Susanita
 

SharkByte: as for the photos, you can ask Melinama what she'd prefer. She has used picasso in the past I think, and there's photo bucket. If Blue Lass says there's a way to work it on the blog, why not try it cuz I think you can always reverse it on your draft page. Otherwise, I draw a blank at the photo portion other than "insert photo here".
 

Jardinera - thanks, I'll look into the options and contact Melinama (I think I still have her email address).

Diann - once the gallery is published, you won't need an account to see it. The info I wrote up regarding the account was just if you wanted to get a "sneak peek" now at the unpublished draft.