Caray, Caray!

They fooled us by splitting the last episode into two parts! Not that I mind; I'm just glad they didn't edit it to death. Another bonus, we get more great screen shots from Carlos.

I didn't count how many deathbed speeches Antonio but it must have been at least three.

Modesta - When I watched the first time I pretty much felt she was a malevolent bruja who helped goad Juana to do bad deeds. This time around I appreciate the complexity of her character. She definitely had smarts and bruja skills that weren't always used for good (quite an understatement). However, as a servant I'm not sure she had the luxury of following her own heart. Her relationship with Juana was also pretty complex. Mistress and servant? Longtime friends? Cohorts in crime? Yes and No to all of the above. Well, maybe just YES to cohorts in crime.

The theme of which deeds deserve punishment is a strong one throughout this novela. It's interesting that Modesta, who seemed to be amoral, decided at the end that she, too, deserved punishment for her role.

Anyway, lots to think about.

I looks like tomorrow might be a lot of fluff. I wouldn't mind that after all the emotional sturm und drang we've had for the past few episodes.

Paula and Carlos, thanks a million for the post and pics.
 

I thought maybe Modesta brought herself forward to be punished because she really wanted to join her mistress in the afterlife.

Audrey
 

Wow - Diego had no idea it was the end for him, did he? No clue of his demise and no time for remorse. It was more like euthanizing a pet. Mother decides the son is too much of a monster to live (the monster she created - kind of like the Frankenstein monster) so she has him snuffed out and joins him.

Very Greek Tragedy stuff!!!!!

Audrey
 

I thought that the way you folks talked yesterday that it was the last day. I commented to that effect on yesterday's posting.
My version WAS edited. I had to go online to see all the parts after Luis was awarded the symbol of the Conde.


Thanks to everyone who helped a beginning Spanish speaker watch a wonderful TN. And thanks for all the suggestions yesterday for learning. Paula, you website will be used! I am an old French teacher and think that, while Rosetta Stone helps with vocabulary, it is not so great with grammar, even when you add the homeschool material. Of course, I have version 3.

I will miss this. It will seem strange not to have a TN to watch, but I am taking a break.

Thanks again.
 

Audrey, I agree with you about Modesta. Juana was her life and without her there was no point to life. I don't think Juana could have done all of the evil without Modesta help. She is probably the only one Juana would have listened to and she could have guided her to the light early on in their life of crime.

I still do not understand why they told that fool Diego that Juana was his mother. Would things have been different if he had not know?

And once again Tia was magnificent!

Carlos and Paula, thanks once again.

Rosemary
 

It seems to me (memory? impression?) that Diego found out that he wasn't the true count in adulthood, not long before the beginning of our story. Anyone remember?

Wasn't it Amor Real, where Ana Martín was Colunga's mother, but he didn't know it, and neither did anyone else? Still she loved him and cared for him in the role of a loyal servant because she couldn't care for him as a mother. I think Modesta behaves very much the same toward Juana in this.

There are no hints of this in the show, but I like to think that Juana was switched at birth, and followed in her mother's footsteps when she switched Diego. It would explain why Juana is evil while her brother Carlos was good. And why Juana can poison her own child, because Modesta poisoned Juana as well.
 

Antonio sure took a long time to die, didn't he? The way he was going on and on, at first I thought he might pull through. Then I wondered if he would talk himself to death. I do wish he had survived to go away with Perla, leaving Marcos for me, er, I mean someone who didn't spend the first half of the telenovela scheming against Hipolita. (In fact, not too long ago I hoped that Andres would die doing something heroic, leaving Marina for Marcos. Andres heroic? Hahahaha!)

Audrey, your comparison of euthanizing Diego like a pet made me laugh. I'm not sure you meant it to be funny, and of course putting down a pet is never funny, but Diego was just so much like a mad dog. (I wonder if anyone ever died of rabies in a telenovela?)

Rosemary, I think Juana's ambition was what caused her to tell Diego about the swap with Luis. She really, really wanted to feel like the mother of the Count, and she couldn't have had that kind of relationship with him if she hadn't told him she was his mother. Also, with her big ego, she didn't anticipate that her son would turn out to be a disappointing fool.

Regarding Modesta's relationship with Juana, I think we saw a hint of that in Mirtha with Esperanza. Those two weren't as evil, ambitious, or bright as Juana and Modesta, but Mirtha pulled out all the stops (subject to her wisdom/experience) to keep Esperanza safe, just as Modesta did for Juana. She was more than a servant or slave. She was like the other half (make that 75%) of Esperanza's brain.

Maybe Modesta could have kept Juana on the straight and narrow at the very beginning, but I doubt it. She probably hadn't earned that much of Juana's trust just yet and was just doing what she was told. Then she was stuck spending the rest of her life protecting Juana's secrets. Her final goal was simply to keep Juana from a humiliating death at the hands of the law or the Inquisition.
 

Hmm, Modesta as Juana's mother? Interesting idea. She doesn't look old enough, but she does care for Juana almost as a mother, almost as Juana cares for Diego.

I don't know how long Diego knew about the swap before the first time he tried to have Luis killed, but even if it had just been the day before, I can understand why Juana might not have realized what a bad idea it would be to tell him.
It's not until we're well along in the story that Juana realizes what a disaster he is. She is shockingly oblivious to his shortcomings for a very long time.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that she first observed that he was "acting crazy." Where was she for the previous several months/years (depending on your threshold for what you consider "crazy")??
 

I'm not understanding what happened. My DVR recorded only 1 hour yesterday - was it two hours? I didn't see anything after Hipolita was being dragged outside and after Perla was listening to Antonio's speech about raising their kid. As for Juana and Modesta, the last thing I saw was Juana telling Modesta that "the time has come" as they were leaving Diego's room. Did I miss an hour?
 

Melissa, my Tivo originally showed yesterday's as the penultimate episode and this morning's as the last. However now there is another episode tomorrow and it is the final episode. So...third to last episode was yesterday, second to last (penultimate) was this morning, and then the gran final is tomorrow morning. If I recall correctly the final episode as originally aired was 2 hours. This time Univision has split it up into two separate episodes.
 

And you can see the episodes in their entirety via the youtube links that Paula provides in her posts.
 

Thanks! I was completely confused - they kept saying it was ending on Wednesday.
 

I am so sad that Modesta is coming to a bad end. I wanted her to go back to her village to live happily ever after. Juana tried to protect her, but I guess her guilt got the best of her. Her performance was superb.

Had a real hard time with Hipolita being told that Antonio was "agonizando". I just couldn't understand that word, thankfully I woke up early enough to catch the captions.

Diego just got crazier because of the syphilis. Would have been interesting to know the relationship with Luis when they were children.

Variopinta
 

Hmm, now I wonder if my final episode will be tomorrow. I don't think so. There was no preview shown today.
I watched the ending on Youtube anyway.

I felt bad that Antonio had to die, but there was no other female for Marcos. Eloise? Isabel?

You know, I never did quite get the relationship. So Juana was Carlos' sister? Leopold was the husband of Juana who was the brother to Isabel? So Luis was not related to Isabel? Do I have this right?

Cindy
 

Cindy- Yes, you have that right. That's why the truth was so hurtful ti Isabel, because it means she and Luis have no blood ties.

I haven't watched my recording yet. Looking forward to the excitement of the Hip rescue, but not the actual flogging or Antonio's death.
 

I thought today was the last episode and was so puzzled by the abrupt ending,without a wedding, etc. I was mad! Thankfully I came here and found out there's one more to go.

Antonio died "in the light" and went to a good place. Over at the palacio, Juana and Diego seemed to be escorted to the other side by darkness, a fierce wind blowing out the candles. That gave me the willies. What a difference.
I don't think they'll be in the same place as Antonio.
(I noticed Diego breathing after death when Luis was there - big blooper!).

Modesta I'd hoped would go back to her village and become a curandera to make up for her misdeeds. I know she was bad, but I liked her.

Strong messages about mothers and their effect on children , notably Antonio and Diego. I was very sad for both, more so Antonio.

Luis gets the title, and best of all, Juana's letter admitting she wished he had been her son. Nice touch with burning the letter.

How come Luis didn't get charged with adultery like Hipo did? Not that I wanted that, just wondering. Dumb question, did that ever happen back then?
 

I just finished watching my recording of today's show. WOW!

I had some idea about how good it was with my memories of the first time around as well as searching for a few pictures to go with today's posting... but again... WOW!

How thrilling was that rescue? First Cristóbal kissing his crucifix then ordering a halt. How surprised were those soldiers to find knives at their necks and rifles pointed at their bellies?

Then Luis showing up and pointing his sword at gizzard after gizzard. I'll bet that the Pillsbury doughboy and Fray Alvaro wet themselves. I think I detest those self-righteous Inquisition bastards more than Diego.

Oh well... looks like they're out of jobs now.

And didn't Juana and Diego have the most elegant deaths ever in a novela?

Good job, Modesta.

My award for the most photogenic is a two-way tie:

Modesta
Gasca

I could capture pictures of them all day long.

Someone whom I neglected submitting a photo of but kept intending to and with Paula's permission will add a photo of tomorrow (even if from a previous episode):

Vicente

This guy is one of my favorite actors (un Gancho and Destilando Amor). His implied romance with Ana Martín in Gancho was hilarious and he's well constructed as well. I'd love to see him as the main galán in a TN and I'll bet that many agree with me on this.

Carlos
 

One of my favorites was Higenio. Has he been in any other TN?

And son of a gun, there is another episode here tomorrow too. Maybe I will watch it again.
 

Carlos- About Vicente (Edgardo Tejeda)...my hand shot straight up in agreement.

Still watching my recording...
 

Higenio is Adalberto Parro. It seems he is EVERY novela. This is the 1st time I've seen him as a good guy.
Here is a list of his TN's

http://www.seriesnow.com/latinamerican-actors/adalberto-parra.html

Variopinta
 

Vicente...sigh. Loved Edgardo Tejeda in Gancho where he got to show off his shapely self as well as play the rogue. I agree, his charisma has not yet been fully explored.
 

That death scene with Juana, Diego and Modesta was amazing! Beautifully shot and staged, and the acting by DR and MM showed what mistresses of the craft they are. Arturo P really brought it to his scenes too.
 

Why is it that Esperanza got banished to the far side of the graveyard for her sins, but Juana (who committed suicide) and Diego (who committed attempted murder, amongst other crimes) get the full treatment from the Church at their funeral?
 

They are explaining Diego & Juan's deaths, that Diego died from his wounds & Juana died from her illness.

Variopinta
 

Antonio made me smile even as was on his death bed. He sighed and said to Perla,

"I never thought that dying would be so tiring."

He could have asked Martín or Esperanza.

Carlos
 

Carlos, LOL on the tiring of dying. Good point. But poor Antonio had at least three deathbed soliloquies. No wonder the guy was tired!
 

I got tired watching Antonio die!