Saturday, October 29, 2011

El Mundo de Telemundo, Halloween Week: Discuss Amongst Yourselves

¡Hola a todos! Since every day is Halloween at la casa de los Conde, it’s fitting to start our conversation in everyone’s favorite haunted house:

LA CASA DE AL LADO – viernes

Those Fabulous Mora Boys, Iñaki and Ismael, were each left in a cliff-hanger on Thursday. What happened last night?

Well, in Ignacia’s taller, with Gonzo’s portrait looking on, Ismael waves a gun in Javi’s face. As usual, when confronted with real danger, Javier melts into a sniveling, mewling pool of cowardice. To the rescue – an unlikely hero! Nibaldo slips in unseen and conks Ismael over the head, knocking him out cold. [There’s no shortage of blunt objects on Telemundo sets, is there?]

Javier won’t let Nibaldo call the police – he plans to exact his own justice. Traeme una cuerda (Bring me some rope), he tells Nibaldo.

Somehow the new team of Javier and Nibaldo (not quite Batman and Robin) manages to get Ismael back to the house and lock him in Leonardo’s old room, painfully hog-tied, his mouth sealed with duct tape. But the getaway isn’t clean. Ignacia catches sight of Javier locking the door. What were you doing in that room? she asks suspiciously.

He half-drags her back into her bedroom and ravishes her saying: Quiero que celebremos tú y yo el hecho de que no hay nada de temer. (I want us to celebrate – you and I – the fact that there’s nothing to be afraid of.)

Later, when Javier is sleeping fitfullly, Ignacia slips out and tries the door across the hall. It is securely locked.

Thursday, we left Gonzaki in the driver’s seat with Omar trying to overpower him from behind. Omar grabs the wheel, the car swerves and comes to a stop. Gonzo is slumped in his seat. Is he hurt? Is he ... dead?

Omar gets out of the car; Rebeca gets out too, leaning heavily on him for support – she still can’t walk by herself. Omar reaches cautiously into the front seat and to Rebeca’s relief, extracts Gonzo’s cellphone from his jacket pocket. But Gonzo suddenly kicks out, catching Omar off-balance and knocking him down; then Gonzo sets on him, pummeling him over and over. He has him in a chokehold while Rebeca looks on, helpless and horrified. Omar breaks free and starts to run – only to be shot in the back!

Gonzo leaves Omar’s bloody body prone on the ground and grabbing Rebeca by the hair, he drags her back to the car.

Pilar brings Sebastián to Diego’s bedside in the hospital so he can begin his initial diagnostic session. She also tells him unequivocally that Gonzo is the man she loves, the person she plans to spend her life with. But when she gets home, she replays uneasily what Gonzo said to her earlier: Pilar, vete, vete lejos – huye de mí. (Go far away – flee from me.) I’m not who you think I am!

Karen, who has returned from her tryst with Nibaldo early enough to see Pilar come home, then watches her go out again.

Carola is dying for a drink so idiot Emilio escorts his alcoholic little sister to a club for a trago – his treat! When Carola steps away for a moment, a well-dressed woman in her 40’s sidles up to Emilio and startles him by asking: ¿Cuál es tu tarifa? (What’s your price?) Emilio, both embarrassed and flattered by the proposition, tells her gently that that’s not his thing. Too bad, says the lady: Con ese cuerpo y ese rostro, serías millonario. (With that body and that face, you’d be a millionaire.)

He remembers those words later when he is trying to figure out how he will pay for the expensive treatment the doctors have recommended for his poor, (and still nameless) baby girl – daily growth hormone injections.

When Gonzo stumbles back to his apartment, frazzled and filthy from his latest excursion into madness and evil, he’s not prepared to find Pilar waiting for him and full of questions. He explodes at her and then apologizes and convinces her to come to bed. But later she has a vivid nightmare in which her beloved Gonzalo tells her he has murdered her daughter, Andrea – and now he’s going to kill her too. Pilar startles awake to find Gonzalo sleeping peacefully at her side.

The next day:
A cyclist happens upon Omar, still sprawled out and bloody on the ground. He calls for help.

The doorbell sounds at Casa Conde. It is Pilar and she is there to talk to Javier about Diego.

Upstairs, Ignacia spots Nibaldo lurking outside the locked bedroom door and she forces him to admit that Javier has Adolfo imprisoned within.

While Pilar and Javier are in the midst of one of their vicious arguments – he has just said he’ll only participate in Diego’s therapy if she agrees to withdraw her domestic violence complaint – Ignacia comes flouncing angrily down the stairs, ready for a confrontation.

Now Pilar has just the ammunition she needs to get a unilateral divorce from Javier – he is living with the Igster! Javier denies that he is living with Ignacia and repeats that he will never, ever let Pilar get away: Hasta que la muerte nos separe. (Until death do us part). Pilar turns to Ignacia: Te compadezco (I feel sorry for you), she says and leaves.

A woman scorned – make that a double!
Ignacia runs back upstairs, pries open the locked door with a letter opener (or a chisel) and takes in the sight of Adolfo painfully tied and gagged on the bed. She removes the duct tape from his mouth and he sweet-talks her into setting him free, swearing that once she does so he will disappear from their lives forever.

Of course as soon as he is free, he pops up, and grabs Ignacia in a headlock. That’s your mistake, he tells her: Siempre confias en el primer imbécil que te promete algo. (You always trust the first fool who makes you a promise.) But people like me don’t keep our promises!

The DNA test:
Renato has decided to satisfy Eva by demonstrating that Fake Iñaki is really his son: he will get a DNA test. And he asks Gonzo to be in charge of testing. Gonzo makes a show of reluctance and even appeals to Mabel for help. Somehow, he’ll have to take the test too and then switch his results with Fake Iñaki’s. (Of course we don’t know for sure that Real Iñaki is truly Renato’s son.)

So Renato, Fake I and Real I all go to the clinic. Fake I leaves with Renato while Real I hangs back, has his own cheek swab taken and arranges for the results of both tests to be given to him and him alone.

Carola shows up at Sebastián’s office. Hilda explains that he’s not in yet and no, she hasn’t seen Omar either although he was there the day before. Oiga, says Hilda, are you guys, like, together? Before we can hear Carola’s answer, the cops arrive looking for Sebastián. There’s an urgent matter concerning Omar Blanco...

The problem with Diego
Pilar, Javier and Sebastián meet at the Ruiz house to discuss Sebastián’s initial diagnostic impression. Javier’s facial expression goes from smug and condescending to I can’t believe this is happening to me before the words are completely out of Sebastián’s mouth: Diego tiene problemas de identidad – tiene una clara tendencia a homosexual. (Diego has identity problems; he clearly has homosexual tendencies.) [Because come on, this is going to be all about Javier – it’s not possible that a son of his could be gay!]

Not dead. Yet.
Carola phones Gonzo to say there’s tragic news about Omar. What can I do about it if he’s dead? barks Gonzo nastily. And Carola replies: ¿Muerto? No, ¡está vivo! (Dead? No, he’s alive!) And no one can understand how he managed to survive the attack he suffered.

Will Emilio take up the world’s oldest profession?
Will Omar live?
Is Rebeca still alive in Gonzaki’s killing house?
Will Fake Iñaki pass his DNA test with the help of Real Iñaki?
Will Diego survive his horrible father now that Sebastián has planted doubts about the kid's sexual orientation?
Will Pilar take her doubts about Gonzaki seriously and get away before he harms anyone else in her family?
And now that Adolfo is on the loose again, what new mischief will he be up to?
Will Ignacia ever, ever get a clue? [Well okay, that last one was just a joke.]
-------------------------------------------

Ahora te toca a ti --

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Comments:
LA CASA DE AL LADO

tnx a lot for the great recap.

now what if Omar is dead and they have set a trap for Gonzaki? why else should Carola ask help from Gonzaki?

i thought that Mabel had lied about Inaki's real father, but if so then why wasn't she afraid of the result?!
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO -- viernes

De nada, alex!

"now what if Omar is dead and they have set a trap for Gonzaki? why else should Carola ask help from Gonzaki?"

Yeah, Carola could be setting a trap but somehow I don't think she's smart enough. And she, like her big sister, has a habit of going back to people who have treated her like dirt in the past. And like almost everyone else in this story, she has no friends.

As for Mabel, I continue to find her behavior inconsistent -- as if the writers can't quite remember the words they put in her mouth the other day or a week ago. And her facial expression is so flat -- I imagine intentionally so -- that she is impossible to read. (Unlike Javier, for example, who could probably act out the story in mime, never uttering a word, since hIs face shows EVERYTHING.)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO:

Super recap, NovelaMaven!

As for Mabel, I think she figures if Gonzalo got outed by the DNA test, that's his tough luck. She helped him by hiring the fake Inaki, but at some point, he has to solve his own problems. And if he switches DNA tests, he will have solved them (unless he ISN'T really Renato's son, a possibility raised by NovelaMaven, which would be so cool!)

Now, I'm going to answer NM's questions (I know some were rhetorical, but here goes)

IMHO

Emilio WILL become a gigolo.
Omar will NOT live.
Rebeca IS still alive in Gonzaki's killing house.
Fake Inaki WILL pass the DNA test, with the help of real INAKI.
Diego will survive. Somehow.
Pilar will NOT take her doubts about Gonzalo seriously and will NOT get away.
As for Adolfo's new mischief, I think he won't kill Ignacia right now. I think (okay, this is out of left field) he'll kill fake Inaki!
Ignacia will NEVER get a clue, will end up trying to kill herself in some artsy, bizarre way, to draw everybody's attention. However, no one will notice, and she'll be stuck somewhere (like underground) forever!

Let's put Pilar in there with her!
 

LA CASA

"As for Adolfo's new mischief, I think he won't kill Ignacia right now. I think (okay, this is out of left field) he'll kill fake Inaki!"

Hombre, let's say Gonzaki successfully switches DNA results (assuming he IS Renato's son) and convinces everyone that Fake Iñaki is the real deal. Wouldn't it make more sense for Gonzaki himself to then kill off poor Fake Iñaki? Poor Renato would grieve and the Conde kids would get off Gonzaki's back.

So if Adolfo kills Fake I (and I agree, poor Fake I isn't long for this world), he'll be doing Gonzaki a huge favor, intentionally or not.

Of course logic has never been a big driver of plot in this show, so it's anybody's guess what will happen...
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE:

It's now confirmed, Angel is Marco's father. He doesn't like his son with Diana, though. The two of them (Angel and Diana) make love in the typical, animalistic villain way (lots of licking and biting). Diana doesn't want him to bruise her too much, the way he usually does, since Andres could notice. Diana does love her son, and I wonder if her motherly love will cause her to betray Angel at some point.

Andres' detective has gotten some photos of Diana with Marco, looking as if she's his Mom, not his sister. Diana had confessed she lied about not having a family, to defuse the situation. Andres goes to visit Diana's mother, and may have discovered the truth.

Angel is also working on getting Lola not to give Tiberio's money to charity. Somehow, he wants to get it.

Daniel is sort of shocked that Adelita is expecting Fulgencio's son. Sofia counsels him that if he truly loves Adelita, he should accept, embrace and love every part of her, especially this child. Hopefully Daniel will take this advice to heart.

I feel that Lola and Andres are getting closer to trusting each other, although they're not there yet.

I think we may get an announcement about the gran final soon. If they don't announce it this week, maybe next week. Will Lola wear a miniskirt at her (3rd) wedding? :)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

NovelaMaven, if we consider Mabel as a deeply depressed woman who thinks her unsuccessful marriage wasted her life, I think her behavior would be understandable.
and yes, the impossible-to-read performance of the actress helps to shape a complicated character.

as for Javier, sometimes I feel Varoni is overacting; but anyway I find him so entertaining! :)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO
Novelamaven--what a fabulous recap. Thanks.

I agree that Emilio will become a gigolo. But I don't think that Omar will die (I said the same about Mattias) because I feel that Carola will be saved by him and wind up with him.
By the way, didn't we see a moribund Omar in the hospital, or was that in his previous attempted killing? I think we know he isn't dead, Hombre. Gonzalo is not going to be exposed as he has to hang around for plot purposes. (I think Pilar is going to wind up with Sebastian at the end...which will be poetic justice, as those two deserve one another.)

It almost seems like they are directing Mabel in the same way as they directed Gonzalo at the beginning: to not show very much about the character. Maybe, like with him, there will be a big, shocking surprise with Mabel. The entire show is written and directed (to try at least)to SHOCK the audience at every turn.

I agree with Alex about Varoni. He and the Ismael character are the only two really interesting actors. Although Varoni does overact at times, he also is adept at making you hate and sometimes feel sorry for Javier. I think his characterization has depth.

Now --how many illogical events can one show have?
1. How can Gonzalo still be working for Renato who is totally ruined and bankrupt?And why in heavens name would Renato ask Gonzalo --who is no longer his son-in-law either- to be in charge of the fake inaki's ADN test?
2. I am still struggling with the logic of Gonzalo's not killing Rebeca...
3. Why would Rebeca and Omar go back to G's car --after they have escaped- for his cell phone? (I know neither has one, but come on...) If I could escape from a murderous madman, I would be out of there before anyone could say "cell phone."
4. Why is fake Inaki going along with the DNA test? The last I knew he told Mabel he was out of the situation and was leaving town. How was he persuaded to do something that would end with his being exposed?
5. Poor Diego. Except for Javier's taunts, have we ever been led to believe that he was gay? Is he really, or does Sebastian just think he is?
6. I was surprised when Adolfo/Ismael turned on Ignacia. (And doubly surprised when she was able to dismember a door handle with what looked like a letter opener. Even a knife wouldn't have made sense). I guess he hasn't gotten over the fact that she called him "Javier" during a sexual moment. But wouldn't it have been more logical for him to escape from the house rather than to hang around and to taunt and brutalize Ignacia.

Oh well....Beanie time!
 

Mi Corazon

Hombre, thanks for your great recap! Without English captions, I couldn't follow Diana's tiff with Angel. Loved your description of their rough sex! Are they actually married or divorced? Why would Angel reject his own son and why would Diana tolerate this?

I don't think you mentioned Angel and Diana scheming with the custody lawyer she recommended to Andres. I didn't catch what was revealed there.

Also, Andres ambushed Diana at the end when he popped out of the grass while playing with her son at her mother's house.

As for what will Lola wear at her wedding to Andres? Perhaps she will wear a stretched toddler's tee-shirt as others here have humorously pointed out! I would love to see her and Adelita open up a stretched toddler's tee-shirt "dress" boutique for the hot momas of Beverly Hills.
--Mary
 

FLOR SALVAJE - VIERNES

We learn Amanda's "plan" for survival. She and Sacto show up at her drunken father's (Abelardo) place and propose helping him get the business on its feet. Sacramento is very dubious about this plan working, but Amanda uses a metaphor of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly to describe her hope that her father might change.

Mariano Guerrero has spent the night in Rafael's bed at Hacienda Lazárral and says that he's living like a king. He thinks that the only thing lacking is his getting Cat. He comes into breakfast full of himself, only to have his face fall upon seeing Lourdes at the breakfast table. Cat and Lourdes are doing a great job of fake friendship. Cat says Lourdes should stay with Mariano in her hacienda, causing M’s face to register horror.

There are several long and very well acted scenes in which the result is Zahra throwing Alicia out of the 4P's. She caused the fight in the bar in which furniture got broken. Zahra says she gave her a chance to stop drinking, but she didn't do it. Alicia, exuding drunken defiance, tells Zahra she thought herself superior because she slept with Tío Francisco, but got dumped just like she did. Zahra, tears brimming in her eyes, tells Alicia she has two hours in which to pack and leave.

Tío is sitting in his sister-in-law Filomena's living room pecking away on his i-pad when she enters the room. We see Enrique staggering around town and grabbing a newspaper with the restaurant engagement scene on the front page.

Amanda finally gets through to her reluctant father, telling him she wants to work at the restaurant to feed her sisters. Abelardo finally agrees, but with a final snarl that he won't let anyone steal HIS business.

Enrique returns home to find his tío there. When Pancho tries to chew him out, he responds that he has no right to get on his case for spending the night in a brothel; he did the very same thing. Enrique tells Francisco that he was the one who manipulated Alicia; and that he who buys a woman's body is more despicable than the woman who sells it.

Amanda and Sacramento appear to be very happy together. I don't see even a shadow of regret when she's with him.

Ana has no pity for Alicia. She tells Zahra she's moving to the hacienda when Rafa is released from the hospital. Zahra just laughs at her, saying she's a fool for thinking she'll be the señora there.

Rufino tells Rafa that Flor will never forgive him if he finds out he's with Ana. Rafa says that, if Flor finds out he has Ana, she'll come for her.

Frigida is trying to set José María up with a girl. He tells her that he's going to help Rocío in her campaign. And that he feels something for her. Typical screeching by Frigida.

Tío Francisco tells Filomina that a month is too soon; his nephew is still messed up. He tells her his son fell in love in that little town. Of course Filomina won't hear of any postponement.

There's a very sad scene with Alicia all packed. The odious Piruetas is gloating and telling her to hurry up and leave. La Mina finally feels something and gives her a wad of the money that Lourdes gave her for coming up with the names of Rocío's lovers.

Mariano tells Quezada that, if he finds any evidence of the brakes of Rafa's truck being tampered with, to cover it up.

Raimundo comes to meet with Cat at her hacienda and tells her Sacto is his son. Cat says she's still in love with him.

After two weeks of bed rest and Ana caring for him, Rafa is ready to leave the hospital. We see a bit of goodness in him as he thanks José María for saving his life.

We also see that during these two weeks, Sacto, Amanda, Susana, and La Beba have transformed the merendero. All is painted and looking great. There's a new sign: Parador la Mariposa.

Rafael arrives back at the hacienda with a grinning Ana on his arm.
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE - VIERNES

Thanks for the witty recap, Hombre.

Mary, only on Friday was it revealed that the lawyer Diana recommended was also working for Ángel. Andrés had just told the lawyer he wasn't proceeding with the effort to get custody of Chabelita, even though the lawyer told him it was a slam dunk with all the bad stuff he dug up about Lola. We then see the lawyer in Ángel's apartment. Ángel forces the lawyer to go and tell Lola Andrés is going forward with the custody fight, even though this is a lie. Don't see how this can hold up for long.

As far as Ángel rejecting his son, he was very clear that Diana had defied him and refused to get an abortion when she got pregnant 9 years ago. So he never wanted the kid and is furious that she inadvertently took him to Sofía as his psychologist, causing Andrés to find out she had a child. All this goes to demonstrating what a complete monster Ángel is.
 

LA CASA - VIERNES

As usual, Novela Maven, your recaps are better than the program!

I am thoroughly disgusted with this carnival of losers, but continue to watch in much the same way we can't look away from a horrible car crash.

NJ Sue, you are so right. I felt like screaming as previously intelligent Rebeca insisted on Omar trying to get Gonzaki's cell phone. She has this gym rat guy helping her. Why doesn't she have him carry her as far and as fast as possible away from there?

I wasn't surprised when Sebastián brought up Diego's homosexual tendencies. Diego had already mentioned that there was something about him that caused the boys at school to bully him. Javier as much as called him a girl many times, taunting him about the kind and colors of clothes he wore. And Diego himself muttered something about his never fitting in or something to that effect.

I was not surprised crazy-as-a-bedbug Ismael turned on Ignacia the minute she set him free. It's like the fable of the scorpion and the frog. When the dying frog asks why the scorpion stung him when the frog was carrying him across the water on his back, the response was: "It's my nature."

Although I'm completely bored with it, I'm pretty sure Rebeca is going to stay in that cellar until January when this thing finally ends.
 

LA CASA

Hey guys, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recap. Pretty inconsistent of me, huh? First I announce I'm not writing about this dreck anymore and then I end up writing an almost full-blown recap like the ones on the Univisión shows.

All your criticisms of the show are on the money. Beanie time, indeed, NJ Sue! So why, as Novelera points out, can't we look away? Why do we keep gawking at the wreckage?

Well for me the show is sometimes surprising and suspenseful; but more often of late, it has become a hoot -- a modern equivalent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I imagine each of us at home dressed up as our favorite character. (If I owned 6" platforms, I'd wear them to parade around the house during the commercials.)

Alex, I found Miguel Varoni insoportable for the longest time but now, like you, I'm enjoying his over-the-topness. How else could this part be played?
 

Mi Corazon
Remember how furious Angel was when he found out Tiberio killed his mother, leaving Angel an orphan? That makes Angel's rejection of his own son all the more heinous, because he knows what it was like to grown up alone. This could be Angel's blind spot, because the rest of us can see that Diana is going to turn into a "Momma Grizzly".
J in Oregon
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

NJ Sue, Javier, Ismael - and Karen - as CHARACTERS have comic lines and are so funny (though sometimes unnecessarily, and though I hate the Karen-Nibaldo scenes); but I think it would be unfair not to consider the other ACTORS successful performances: Renato, Carola, Ignacia and... especially Gonzaki (a really difficult role).
as for the escape, the best choice would have been to throw Gonzo out of the car and to go in car!
the writer has focused on making surprises and had had no time to rationalize the acts of characters! :)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO:

About Omar, yes, we know he's not dead, he's in the hospital. I was just saying I thought he would die (by Gonzalo), as was hinted in the previews (I know we don't like to talk about the previews). But now I'm reconsidering, and remember how the book said a character knew who the bad guy is, but couldn't tell? Well, Rebeca fits, this, but maybe Omar will also not die, but be unable to speak. Obviously, if he lived AND spoke, the novela would be over.

As for Carola and Omar's getaway goof, they ran outside. They couldn't find a place to hide. Gonzalo was almost right behind them. I figure they just wanted to hide, and stupidly didn't think Gonzalo would get in his car and drive away. They made a quick decision, and it turned out stupid. Then, after the accident, they didn't know if he was dead. If dead, they wanted to get out of there. If alive, they wanted to get out of there. But they needed the phone, both to tell someone the truth and to call for help. Again, this split second decision went wrong.

BTW, where is Omar's car? Didn't he drive it to that house? Is it now sitting outside Gonzalo's country house?
 

LA CASA:

I meant Rebeca and Omar's getway goof.

NovelaMaven, I agree it would make more sense for Gonzalo to kill fake Inaki (than Adolfo doing it). I was just thinking Adolfo liked to upset things, but I didn't think it through. Gonzalo's doing it would be brilliant!
 

LA CASA:

One last question. Didn't someone (Gonzalo or Adolfo) kill Ignacia's dog long ago? We can't forget that in our list of evil deeds. :)
 

LA CASA

Hombre, Adolfo the crazy killed Ignacia's poor dog :)
 

Corazon

J in Oregon agree with you. I think she is becoming Mama Grizzly, and she is falling in love with Andres. Somehow I think Diana will be the one to kill Anghell at the conclusion.
 

La Casa

NovelaMaven thanks for recap. I had a great deal of difficulty trying to understand this episode. I thought the woman who came up to Emilio was Carola's real mom - that's how confused I am. Your recap put it all together for me. thank you

I do have to wonder how many women has crazy Gonzaki bedded? Small household, maids don't see? woman don't talk? Very confusing.
 

LA CASA

Hombre, I wondered about Omar's car too. When Gonzo got to the house, I thought for sure he'd know someone was around because he'd see a car outside. Since he didn't, either Omar hid the car or got there by some other telemagical means, say a flying carpet? Or maybe he walked or hitched a ride. TeleGente move in mysterious ways...

Nellie, I also thought that the woman in the bar was Carola's bio-mom, Carmen, when I first saw her. But then Carola and the woman had a chance to see each other and there was no hint of recognition on the part of either one. Besides, Carmen couldn't afford Emilio:)

Still, there is a resemblance. Maybe it IS Carmen. The OTHER Carmen. Bwahaha!
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO – lunes
Part 1 of 2


The pace slowed down a tad tonight. Mostly we dealt with the fallout from Friday’s episode.

Omar survives the shooting. He languishes in an intensive care unit, connected to a ventilator and unable to speak; according to the doctors, he’s lucky to be alive. Unlike most telenovela hospitals which may as well have flashing neon signs saying “Murderers Welcome Here!”, this one seems to have decent security. Gonzaki does manage to sneak into Omar’s room to finish the job he started but his presence is quickly detected and he is ousted before you can say “pull the plug”.

Adolfo makes his escape from the Conde house leaving Ignacia shocked and gasping but essentially unhurt. When she tells Javier that Adolfo almost killed her, he snaps that it might have been better if he had. This is more humiliation than even Ignacia is prepared to accept. She packs up and gets ready to leave. Where to? With what money? Meh. She’ll sleep under a bridge if she has to. But Javier never sits at a table without an ace up his sleeve:
What if he gives her a child? A boy, a real boy.

They set to work on making a baby.

Ignacia dreams aloud about forming a new family. Having a child doesn’t mean forming a family, Javier corrects her. If that were so, he and Rebeca ... Oopsie... Ignacia is appalled to hear about Rebeca’s (fake) pregnancy. So much for peace in Casa Conde.

Carola just can’t shut up
She tells everyone – Sebastián, Emilio, Pilar, Hilda, and Gonzaki himself – that she is sure Gonzalo is responsible for Omar’s shooting.

She convinces Sebastián and later Emilio to help her prove her theory: Fake Iñaki is a fake and Gonzalo Ibañez is the psychopathic killer and oldest son of Igor Mora, Iñaki Mora. If the DNA tests show otherwise, then they have been tampered with. The evidence is to be found in the house Gonzaki bought. And whatever he is hiding must be in the cellar.

Carola even persuades Pilar to cooperate by keeping Gonzaki with her as long as possible so she, Sebastián and Emilio have time to check out the house.

Hilda has another suspect in mind. She remembers Emilio’s angry threat to Omar when he seemed to be flirting with her and she fears Emilio attacked Omar out of jealousy. Later, though, she softens her stance.

The Conde engine is running on fumes. Never mind expensive growth hormone treatments for the baby. They have no diapers left.

Emilio googles escort services. Hey, a man has to what a man has to do:
Por mi hija soy capaz de cualquier cosa – yo soy capaz de trabajar en lo que sea..
(For my daughter’s sake, I can do anything – I can do whatever work I have to.)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO – lunes
Part 2 of 2


Diego comes home from the hospital to Andrea’s surprisingly – and sweetly – warm welcome. He feels comfortable talking to Sebastián, he tells his mother. Unlike his own father, this guy actually seems to listen to what he has to say.

Pilar is having trouble digesting Sebastián’s description of Diego’s “homosexual tendencies” and Diego picks up on her nervous manner.

Karen doesn’t know exactly what is happening (yet) but she also cannily picks up on Pilar’s unease:
Tiene una cara como si le hubieran hecho algo mal ... como si le hubieran dicho algo que no le gusta.
(You look like someone did something bad to you ... it’s as if someone said something to you that you didn’t like hearing...)

Javier, of course, takes the suggestion like a Neanderthal – he rants and blames Pilar for raising a sissy.

The money scene:
Our amateur sleuths make their way to Gonzaki’s house. Emilio gains entry expertly (if the gigolo gig doesn’t work out, he could consider a career as a cat burglar) and the trio pokes around with flashlights. The house appears empty.

Meanwhile, back at the Ruiz house Gonzaki slips out the door when Pilar goes into the kitchen to fix him a snack.

Then we see him in his car, speeding through the night.

At Gonzaki’s killing house, the cellar door is open...

We see Rebeca, duct tape across her mouth, head resting on pillows. The camera pulls back and we see ... SHE’S NOT IN THE CELLAR! She is lying on a bed, bound hand and foot. And she’s not alone. Says Gonzaki:
¿Y? ¿Te gusta haber regresado a tu antiguo casa?
(So... you like being back in your old house?)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO—Lunes

Muchisimas gracias por todos los deseos calurosos.

“Entretenido” is the perfect word to describe Miguel Varoni, as is "colorful." Estoy de acuerdo, there really isn’t any other way for “Javier” to be portrayed. I think he’s the main reason I’d hoped this novela would end in early November, before I “ship out”—so I don’t miss a moment of him. But January it is…

Sometimes, it’s almost as if he’s acting like his surname is “varonil.” You’re close but no cigar, Miguel.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar……
Dieguito’s “homosexual tendencies” story line seems to be a ripped-from-the-headlines device. His suicide attempts smell like the rise in gay teen suicides in Michelle Bachmann’s district… (suicides caused by taunting, hate/homophobia, hyperconservatism)

Very good question about Omar’s car. I wondered the same thing, but the three stooges Emilio, Carola, and Sebastian didn’t seem to find it at the country house :-( Does anyone know if Gonzaki still believes Rebeca to be pregnant? If so, I wonder if this is one of the mysterious reasons he’s keeping her alive. (still going with she’s his work bff/girlfriend’s sister) No se preocupen—no one will find or hear her in his apartment ;-)
Going to miss these recaps—and Varoni!
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

an enviable recap again! tnx NovelaMaven.

Carola says to Pilar "Gonzalo is not the person who he is. get away from him ASAP". and Pilar remembers Gonzalo said to her "I'm not the person who I am. get away from me before it is late". but anyway Pilar doesn't seem to believe Carola yet. her love is stronger.

bringing Rebeca in his apartment Gonzaki will be in big trouble now, while Carola and Sebastian have already discovered his secret and are exposing it wherever they can...
 

MI CORAZÓN INSISTE - lunes
Lola is outraged when the guy she believes is Andres' lawyer tells her that Andres has filed papers to get custody of Chabelita. She chases him out of the spa.

Ángel takes advantage of her outrage and invites her to go with him to the beach.

Daniel tells Adelita that he wants to be a father for her child but he's still not making any progress with her.

Andres gets to know Marcos, Diana's kid.

Camilo invites Sofía for a walk on the beach. Wouldn't you know it, he and Sofía are on the same beach as Lola and Ángel.

On the beach, Ángel asks Lola to marry him and she accepts. Camilo and Sofía observe.

Vicky tells Soledad that they are being held in a commercial neighborhood with people around. They have to try and get a message out about where they are.

Later, Vicky and Soledad are permitted to eat outside. When their guards hear sirens, they are hustled back inside.

Soledad's announcement that she is going to marry Ángel goes over like a lead balloon with her household.

Camilo tells Andres about Lola's decision. Andres swears that he told the lawyer not to file the custody suit. Camilo asks how Andres got his lawyer and he isn't surprised when Andres tells him that Diana recommended him. Diana is listening. of course. She tells Ángel that Camilo is getting too close.

Sofía and Camilo are in a cafe. Camilo goes to get something and is run down by an SUV.
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE:

Thanks, Jean, for the fine recap. I missed the show, watching football.

It's really silly for Lola to agree to marry Angel, when she couldn't bring herself to sleep with him, didn't feel anything for him, etc. Angel also promised way back he would never ask Lola again. But our characters usually can't remember back past a few episodes. However....if this is like a typical novela, we may have some big buildup to a wedding, and then, at the last minute....

I did see the first few minutes, and although Adelita told Daniel she wasn't impressed with his desire to be the father of the baby, I felt that her expression later showed she actually did like what he said. These two are definitely getting together eventually.

I don't think it's ethical for a lawyer to come to the house of the person being sued and talk to them about the case without the person's lawyer being present, or aware of this. Not that these shows ever actually worry about lawyers' ethics too much. :)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO:

Thanks, NovelaMaven, for another terrific summary. Do we know for sure Rebeca is in Gonzalo's apartment? When he said "your old house" I was thinking Rebeca had a previous house or apartment. But since I can't actually remember one, I guess it must be Gonzalo's apartment. However, everybody knows about this place, and it doesn't seem possible this could work for long.

Ignacia and Javier are always so much fun to watch in their nutty scenes (and in the love scenes), knowing they are married in real life. But they totally inhabit their characters, who are (we hope) far different from what the actors are like in real life.

I'm hoping Gonzalo left some clue in the basement, but he's usually pretty good about cleaning things up.

I agree with Alex, Pilar has to recall that Gonzalo said the same thing about his not being who he appeared to be, that Carola said. He was also dirty and disheveled when he showed up late at her place. Her doubts are going to increase.
 

Corazon:

Thanks for recap.

Did the lawyer skip town for his own good? Do you think Camillo will die or is this the way for Sofia to tell Camillo she loves him, finally? I hope all turns out well, after seeing this actor suffer so much in Eva Luna, I hope he gets a chance in this one. What happened to Sofia's illness, was it just a stomach flu?

How is Anhell going to kill Lola 2 weeks after marriage and get it all when she has a daughter? If he strangles her will there be enough cloth material on her outfit for him to do it, or will he finally take off that vest?

How will Soledad get her message out? So Diana knew Tiberio so why was she surprised when Anhell mentioned he was going to kill? Was Tiberio keeping Anhell away and only using him as a lawyer?

And finally where is Chabela??? Didn't she say she would always come back and help Lola?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm losing track of everything on this one.
 

LA CASA -- lunes

Sometimes, it’s almost as if he’s acting like his surname is “varonil.” You’re close but no cigar, Miguel.
Hah! Nice one, Erin!

I agree with Alex too -- Carola's echoing Gonzalo's own words has to have made an impression on Pilar. But I'm sure we have weeks to come of waffling, weaving and wavering on her part before she accepts the fact that Gonzaki is not who he pretends to be.

Where is Rebeca now? I was deliberately noncommittal in the summary but like Hombre, I thought it might be her own apartment. Did she and Matías have a place together?

I can't remember if Gonzaki ever knew about Rebeca's fake pregnancy. I have a hunch he didn't. Don't you think that with all his mommy issues, he would be overtly fretting over Rebeca's unborn baby -- if he thought there was one? Good question...
 

FLOR SALVAJE - Lunes
Not a recap but I just wanted to say that things are certainly getting grim on this novela. Rocio's mayoral campaign sabotaged by Mariano parading her johns; Malicia taking heroin; Sacto jeopardizing the restaurant business with his jealousy of anyone looking at Flor and I turned off the TV when Barba Roja had to either get blown up or saw his hand off. Yuck!
 

LA CASA -- lunes

it was Gonzo's apt. (walls, bed, bedsheets...)
 

LA CASA -- lunes

it was Gonzo's apt. (walls, bed, bedsheets...)

Thanks, Alex! You've got a better eye for details than I do!
 

MI CORAZON:

Nellie, I don't think Camilo will die, since he has to end up with Sofia.

As for Anhell and getting the money, in many states, if there's no will, the surviving spouse gets 1/2, and the children get 1/2. So he'd get 1/2, and Chabelita would get the other half.

But since I don't think the wedding will actually be completed (I think something will happen at the last minute, in typical telenovela fashion), we may not have to worry about Lola's money.
 

MI CORAZON:

BTW, Lola just agreed to marry the man who killed her father. Of course, if Andres agreed to marry Diana, which is unlikely, he'd be marrying the woman who killed his first wife!
 

MI CORAZON:

And Lola would be marrying the thug responsible for making widows and spinsters of Soledad, Vicky, Adelita and maybe Sofia (not that all the husbands and grooms were keepers). Lola and Andres would also be marrying the kidnappers of Soledad.
--Mary
 

Mi Corazon
It's funny how oblivious Lola is to Angel's true character, while she continues to get in Andres' face daily about his lack of judgment when it comes to women. Boy, will there be egg all over Lola's face when Angel's true self is revealed...Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Camilo..
J in Oregon
 

Mi Corazon
Ruh-roh...Angel tells Lola he wants to take her to Hawaii for their honeymoon, to a secluded spot where nobody will find them. Yikes! Also, Andres is chumming around with Marquisito (who "wants a Dad just like Andres"), so maybe that means Diana will get killed off. That way, Andres will end up adopting Marquisito.
Just tryin' to think like a writer here...
J in Oregon
 

MI CORAZON:

We still don't know anything about Diana's mom and dad, so I'm predicting they're both connected to Tiberio. Diana's mom could be Tiberio's sister, if not another wife or mistress.

Perhaps I missed it, but I expected Diana to keep using Lola's gym to torment her. When Lola cancelled classes for Lopez's funeral, did she tell Diana not to come back?

Diana is also probably a few years older than Andres and Lola if her kid is already 9 years old.
--Mary
 

FLOR SALVAJE

Jean, I felt bad for Rocio. And then to see the reaction of Jose made it even tougher. I think his reaction was real and well played, not easy for him.

I thought it was interesting that when the dealer offered Alicia the heroin, she looked inquisitive, like not really knowing...next scene she's cooking it up and finding that vein like a long time user.

Rafas act is tired.

Sactos jealousy bit is tired too.

Barba Roja to the piranas, some tough luck for this guy during his tenure for Rafael.
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE:

It's so sad. Even though I thought Camilo would live, he's dead. They try over and over to revive him, but the lines on that meter go straight, and there's that long beep. Sofia comes out to tell the family, who all start weeping. Then Camilo comes out. Wait, it's his ghost. He's surprised to see everybody really cared about him, so he goes back into his body, and miraculously, he's alive! How convenient (not for Angel, though). He's still in grave condition, can't talk, but yay!

The cops are narrowing down their search area. They're really close now (again).

Mary, we do know about Diana's mother, we've seen her for the last two days. I don't think there's a Tiberio connection (I could be wrong, though). But I love your fun, original and imaginative ideas.

Etelvina, Pepe and Adelita continue to give Angel the cold shoulder, they're not going to pretend they're in favor of this wedding. Even Lola doesn't want to rush things, with her mother still missing. Lola believes Andres when he says he DIDN'T tell the lawyer to keep going with the paternity thing. But, Lola's not too happy to see Diana, Marquitos and Andres looking like a happy family.

Angel is really mean to Diana, even holds a gun to her. He's also mad about having that son with her. She, on the other hand, is really starting to love Andres, when the plan was just to use him. She tells herself, don't fall for him (since she has to leave him after Angel gets the money). This is more proof that she may turn against Angel eventually. I also agree she could die, and Andres end up with Marquitos.
 

Mi Corazon

Thanks Hombre for your comments. Good to see that Camillo only left us for a few minutes last night.

J - I have been wondering the same thing about Lola, how is she going to handle "sleeping with the enemy", will she repeat her mother's psychotic stance?

For the first time last night, I think Diana will die probably rescuing Andres. So will this mean Andres stays with her son?
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO - Martes

Despite Mabel's objections, Renato insists she and Gonzalo both accompany him to get the Inaki DNA results. Mabel starts to say something, but Renato shushes her. Gonzalo, sure enough, switches all the envelopes, so the results will show Inaki IS Renato's son. Gonzo puts his own results in the envelope. But guess what? He's NOT Renato's son! Mabel made up the whole thing, sort of to make Renato happy. She even admits the faki Inaki was an actor. Renato is crestfallen. Gonzalo, though, looks as if his head will explode! He's Igor's son after, all (he flashes back to how he killed his own father by injecting poison in his neck). Uuuuuy!

The junior detectives found nothing in the basement. Well, almost nothing. The book, La Casa de al Lado, was there, in brand new condition. Carola starts reading it, and it's just like their lives! She wants Emilio to track down info about the author, and how it could be connected to their family.

Carola also visits Omar, who can't talk. She says "Gonzalo did this, right?" Omar can't really give any sign, but Carola is convinced she's right. Lots of the characters seem to think the real Inaki could be among them (I think even Eva said this at one point).

Emilio answers an ad for the male escort service, I think it was called Silver Boys. Turns out the owner is the same lady who propositioned him in the bar. He has to try out to see if he "measures up", and this involves stripping nude in front of her, which he does. She likes what she sees (as do many female viewers, I bet) :) He's hired.

Gonzalo does have Rebeca at his apartment, but he tells her he's going to move her soon. He goes to answer the door, and it's Renato, wondering about Gonzo's extreme reaction to the DNA flop. Gonzo thinks fast again, says he's disappointed Renato cared so much about a biological child, while ignoring his own family. Renato buy this. Meanwhile, Rebeca manages to butt dial Gonzo's phone, calling Pilar, but she can't exactly talk through that method, so this may not work.

Ignacia is Ignacia.

Javier is Javier, ranting at Sebastian to "cure" Diego of his "dreadful disease".

And so much for hospital security, since at the end of the episode, it looks as if Gonzalo DOES get into Omar's room, and disconnects the hoses, silencing him for EVER!
 

LA CASA:

Also, Pilar is excited about going to her new home, with Gonzalo, and asks Karen to come along. Karen's excited, since Don Gonzalo is so nice!

And evil Adolfo uses a fake name to do internet chat with naive Andrea, setting up a meeting the next day. Andrea is happy about meeting a new, cute boyfriend, but we know this means trouble!!!
 

LA CASA:

And kudos to NovelaMaven for correctly predicting that Mabel was lying, and Gonzo was not Renato's son. You called it!
 

MI CORAZON-
Thanks, Hombre. I just didn't have time to do a recap this morning. What a weird episode. I won't even mention that since Camilo's heart stopped, he would have had brain damage with no oxygen getting to his brain but hey, it was a miracle. Did they even do surgery on him with all his internal bleeding, etc.? Maybe the miracle fixed that, too.

I agree that all the bonding between Marcos and Andres indicates that the kid will end up with Lola and Andres at the end. That means that Diana probably won't survive. Angel certainly won't.

This was about the third time that Angel told Felix that if he screwed up again, he would kill him. Tiberio would have chopped off Felix' head already.
 

LA CASA -- martes

Hombre -- what a terrific job you did getting the essentials of this nutty episode in a few, well-chosen words. Thank you.

I thought my own head was going to explode in the DNA results scenes. I'm glad you explained it because I wasn't exactly sure what happened. So we know for sure that Gonzaki IS NOT Renato's son? And it broke his heart because he so very much wanted to be? And Mabel concocted the whole story to make Renato happy because she loves him? Well on the bright side -- Fake Iñaki is off the hook. I think.

The Silver Boys scene was a hoot -- the Only Cougar in Miami (TOCIM) welcomes Emilio in her cat-print dress. Everyone involved with this scene must have had a hard time keeping a straight face.

I had the feeling that Karen was about to tell Pilar that she wouldn't/couldn't move with her to the new house but didn't have time to spit it out before the "butt-dialed" phone call interrupted their conversation.

About Omar -- it looked to me like he was still alive when we left him last night.

Good eye, Alex! As Hombre said, Rebeca is indeed in Gonzo's apartment.
 

LA CASA

tnx Hombre.

if Omar's fate was to die this way why he was kept alive after being shot?!

I'm amazed how cool Mabel was about the DNA test!! "don't worry, you can change the results" she had said to Gonzaki! :-|
apparently Gonzo had been happy with Mabel's lie about his real father though Renato never considered him as his biological son. pobrecito!
 

LA CASA:

I think Gonzalo was so crazed after the DNA results not because he wanted to be Renato's son, but because he had spent the last few weeks agonizing over all this, first begging Mabel to help, which she did with fake Inaki, for a while thinking he slept with his own sisters, then going through all the anguish and switching everything, only to find out none of it was even necessary!
 

LA CASA:

Alex, good point, maybe Omar won't die, but just won't be able to talk.
 

LA CASA

"...only to find out none of it was even necessary!
interesting point Hombre, but his sorrow was too deep... he cried "I hate my life".
 

LA CASA

I'm pretty surprised at what an interesting and nuanced character Gonzaki has turned out to be, thanks to the skill of the writers and of the actor himself.

Like Alex, I thought Gonzo's reaction to the DNA results had at least some element of real grief.
 

MI CORAZON:

Hombre, I wasn't being very clear. I meant that while we have finally seen Diana's mother, it's not clear whether Diana is a first or second generation gangster's moll. Her mother seems too nice to be enabling her daughter to continue with a ruthless, selfish gangster, unless if it already runs in the family.

Only if Andres is dumb enough to marry Diana could he then get custody of Marcos from his grandmother. Without custody, I could see Andres remaining a mentor to the kid.
--Mary
 

MI CORAZON:

Mary, thanks for clarifying. I'm sure you're right that if Diana and Angel died, Andres could really only be a mentor to Marquitos, since he has a grandmother.

But I don't think the grandmother knows the whole story about Angel. She might not even know that Angel is Marquitos' father. Diana keeps telling her she's doing this "job" that's going to get her a lot of money, but I don't think her mother has any idea of what it is. I could be wrong, though. I'll try to pay attention to exactly what Diana says to her mother to clarify this.
 

LA CASA

NovelaMaven, I agree with you. Gonzaki is one of the most interesting characters - or let me say the most interesting character - that I have ever seen in telenovela. great job of the writer and the actor.

i wonder how Andrea will be saved from Ismael's claws. Will Pilar do murder once more this time for her daughter?
 

Does the Silver Boys madam have a name? Does anyone recognize the actress? What's her name?

I don't know if I'm watching a novela set in Miami or Juarez, because there have been no investigations of the diappearances of Gonzalo's victims. If one of my employees disappeared from work, I'd be calling the police. And why hasn't Renato Conde been prosecuted for fraud? I don't get such glaring oversights.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Mi CORAZON - miercoles

Last night's episode was mostly about Diana. When Andres confronts her with the many lies she has told him, she admits that she lied again by confessing that Marcos is her son, not her brother.

She had some elaborate story about why she lied about it to Andres and to the kid but I wan't really paying attention. She told Andres that she loves him. She also told Andres that she would protect him.

Since Andres doesn't know that Angel described him a few days ago to Diana as, 'huele de formol,' smelling of formalin,' i.e., a dead man, he was a little confused.

Angel visits Diana's mother and is nasty and threatening. He doesn't want to know anything about the kid but he doesn't want Andres involved with the kid either.

Diana confesses to her mother about that Marcos's father is a criminal and a murderer and that she has been working in his criminal enterprise. She claims that she didn't know about Angel's business before she fell in love with him but that it over now. She is in love with Andres. She can't go to the police because she would go to jail.

Camilo is holding his own. He was able to squeeze Sofia's hand and speak to her. (Once again, we can hear the sound of a respirator in Camilo's room but he isn't connected to one.)

Vicky and Soledad have some kind of plan. Vicky goes spare on Felix for not getting them any decent food and Felix sends one of his henchmen to get pizza for them.

Daniel is still working on winning Adelita's affections. He strikes out by bringing her a ton of food that makes her nauseous.

Rodrigo is suspicious of Diana and the lawyer she recommended. Andres is going to try and find him. And yes, to the commenter who questioned before whether it was ethical for Andres' lawyer to meet with Lola without her lawyer being present. That is what is called an 'ex parte' conversation and is prohibited - not that any rules of legal procedure are followed here. The only reason that Camilo refused to represent Lola, which in real life would have been an ethical problem, is that the writers needed to have Lola represented by a scumbag tool of Angel.

That was about it.
 

Corazon

Thanks for the wonderful recap, for some reason I fell asleep during Diana's confession. So what are they doing dragging this out with the same scenes? I do wonder what Vicky and Soledad were up to?
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE:

Jean, thank you. Excellent recap. Here's what I think Vicki and Soledad are up to. There were two guards and Felix. One guard is nowhere to be found (maybe sick today?). The other guard gets sent out for pizza. That leaves just Felix, and the ladies probably think two against one, they'll be able to do something.

So it turns out that Diana did know all about Angel and Tiberio, the slavery ring, etc. She's been working to "clean" his image for the last few years, very successfully (since the cops can't find anything). For this crime, she could go to jail. Also, she just about ordered Camilo to be taken out, she muses to herself (feeling very guilty about it now, especially when Andres calls Camilo his brother).

However, Diana's mother knew nothing about Angel, except that he was Marco's father. She's shocked about the mob connection. She knew her apartment was being paid for (Angel tells her he's been paying for it), but thought Diana was paying for it. She is a successful businesswoman, right? Besides Diana's possible jail, she also tells her Mom that Angel and the gang could kill them if they go to the police. She may be right here, but I think she should go to Rodrigo anyway. Angel's gang seems much less in size and strength than it used to be. But I doubt she'll confide in anyone, except Andres (and probably at the last minute, when it's too late).

At the end of the episode, Andres and Lola seem to be trusting each other more. But Andres points to Lola's ring. Isn't she doing the same old thing again, marrying for spite? Lola doesn't know what to say (but she'll probably deny it again :)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO:

Rebeca's butt dialing ALMOST worked. Pilar couldn't figure out why Gonzalo kept calling and not talking, and why he wouldn't answer when she called back (I was hoping Rebeca could "nose-text", but I guess she's not nosy enough:) Anyway, Pilar goes to Gonzalo's apartment, but before she finds Rebeca, Gonzo arrives, and hustles here out of there (Andrea had defied her Mom to go out, Pilar told Gonzo, and Gonzo used this to get her out of there).

Andrea wants to meet "Anderson", her internet "date". She goes to the warehouse where Adolfo lies in wait with a knife. But after she calls for him a few times, her chauffeur gets impatient, and takes her home before Adolfo can strike.

Javier goes to his old house. He barges past Karen, goes up to Pilar's room, and takes a big box. Nibaldo is ordered to carry it to Javier's Conde mansion. He wants to see inside, but can't, since he's the employee. Ignacia, though, isn't bound by this, struts in, orders Nibaldo away, and opens the box.

Back at the house next door, Javier goes up to Diego's room and wants him to come live with Javier, so Javier can give him some more man mojo. Pilar arrives with Gonzalo, don't you dare! They order Javier out. There's a hearing tomorrow on the harassment case.

Javier's back at the Conde castle, chides Ignacia for looking in the box, but tells her it's just diaries that he's kept of his exploits. He's going to write his memoirs! (Gag me with a spoon).

Emilio has his first escort date. The middle aged lady is VERY satisfied (Emilio was thinking of Hilda to get him through it). He gets lots of money (looks like thousands of dollars). He later begs Hilda for them to get back together. He's changed. She's considering it.

Gonzo wants to go back to the apartment, but Pilar convinces him to sleep next to her, which he does. In the morning, Andrea catches them, and Pilar explains she has the right to happiness, Gonzalo and she love each other. Andrea tells Gonzalo, you've got to do one thing for me - get Pilar to drop the harassment case.

Mabel meets with Renato and shocks him with what we already knew - she's in LOVE with him!

And Adolfo/Ismael's latest mischief involves messing with Gonzalo's apartment. He never expected to find Rebeca tied up in the bedroom!!!!!!
 

LA CASA:

I almost forgot! Omar died!! Carola is destroyed, and Sebastian tries to comfort her.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

MI CORAZON - Thanks for the fill ins and clarifications, Hombre. I thought of that for Soledad and Vicky's plan but how do they know that Felix is one guard down? They are shut up in that room. I guess we have to assume that somehow they got that information.
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO -- Día de los muertos

Alas poor Omar -- so soon forgotten! But not by Carola since he's now her personal ghost.

Thanks for a great recap, Hombre.

I enjoyed the scene where Ismael picks the lock and makes his way so stealthily through Gonzaki's apartment. The actor's movements are positively balletic -- I kept expecting him to break into song, say something from "West Side Story" (♪♪When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way♪♪)

And then he enters the bedroom, gun first, and is stunned by what he finds. He and Rebeca stare at one another, he incredulously and she with a mixture of hope and fear.
-----------
So our boy Emilio has Undressed for Success. (It's a good thing the Condes are broke or we'd have to worry that his next client could be Eva.)
---------------
One more detail that might become important: Javier called the bank to cancel all Pilar's credit cards. He is determined to force her to withdraw her domestic violence charges against him. So will she cave, given Andrea's plea on his behalf and his cutting her off economically? I sure hope not.
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

tnx Hombre & NovelaMaven

with Ismael the crazy, I guess Rebeca will miss Gonzo!
having Rebaca, Ismael is able to torment Gonzo in many ways - whether by letting her free or by killing her.

despite of all the fishy things, Pilar seems to have no doubt about Gonzaki. but he will have serious difficulties with Carola and Sebastian.
 

GENERAL

I've been MIA for a couple of days. My gorgeous granddaughter inherited my love for our mutually favorite holiday - Halloween.

So I drove up to where my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter live to help them decorate the best haunted house on the block. And stayed over the next day to clean up after a large party Monday night with all of my granddaughter's interesting friends.

My daughter-in-law decorates cakes as a hobby and made one that looked like a fresh grave with a skull poking out of it.

Anyway, I'm definitely behind on novelas this week. They're mostly sitting on the DVR.
 

GENERAL

Nice to see you back, Novelera -- we do miss your voice when you're away. It sounds like you had a blast!
 

MI CORAZON:

Are we supposed to feel sorry for "misunderstood and maligned" HOME-WRECKER Diana who made her own bed with a sex trafficker/murderer, risked her law career by covering up his crimes, and bore him a rejected son and now prefers laying with one of his countless victims while she helps her gangster boyfriend further ruin him and all his loved ones? Perhaps tonight's episode will reveal that she was coerced over the years, but I suspect she was much freer than conned, shackled and drugged Soledad and Adelita. Her mother's house looked pretty nice and her law career should have brought in enough money for her not to need criminal payoffs. She doesn't deserve Andres, and I hope Lola busts her chops. Maybe because we're only getting glimpses of Diana's past, and her lies keep changing that I am so confused.
--Mary
 

MI CORAZON:

Mary, you're absolutely right. Diana has no excuses. And I predict she's going to pay for her evil choices.
 

MI CORAZON:

And, Hombre, you were right about Diana's mom not knowing the whole story. It would have been interesting if she were in the gang like Vicky also. Diana could have at least insisted on getting work not tied to Angel's mob. Angel probably would have allowed that and not made her a criminal accessory. This storyline would be more believable if we were shown more about their changing relationship over the years.
--Mary
 

MI CORAZON- jueves
No time for a real recap - not much happened anyway. Just a couple of thoughts.

So Camilo didn't really know anything that would jeopardize Angel and Diana? He seems to have had nothing to tell the police.

I guess you were wrong about Vicky and Soledad's plan, Hombre. They seemed to only want to find out how close the pizza place is to their prison. Then Soledad and Vicky make a hole in the wall so they can see what is going on in the other room. They see Felix beating up one of the guards who shows up drunk.

I agree with the various comments about Diana. She seems to have been made more into a more sympathetic character without much justification. She tells Sofia that Marcos is her son and decides to do honest work at Exportex.

What was Diana going to do with that gun at Angel's place - shoot him? If that's what Angel thought, he doesn't seem to be that concerned that she will try again.

We need to move this Adelita/Daniel thing along. Admit you love him already, Adelita and move on.

Now we see Pepe making a move on Etelvina.

Rodrigo's confrontation with the divorce lawyer didn't amount to much. The police suspect Angel and now Diana but have no evidence.

Still no date or even a teaser for the gran finale.
 

MI CORAZON:
Wikipedia says that the last day for the novela will be November 25. Can't come fast enough ;-)
 

MI CORAZON INSISTE:

Jean, thanks for the recap. You're right that they are slowing this thing down, with lots of talk and not too much action. I agree with your thoughts about Diana and the gun.

So everybody is getting closer and closer, but it's all at a glacial pace. Vicky and Soledad's "plan" is a start. They now know sort of where they are, as the pizza place was closeby. But how can they get this info out to anyone?

Rodrigo has good police sense, realizes that Angel, Diana and Mauricio the lawyer may be connected. He's got Mora checking "everything" about the lawyer. Maybe they'll find that they all went to the same law school, which I think they did. Angel point blank said he did not know Mauricio, and Rodrigo may be able to catch him in the lie. If Mauricio starts to open his mouth, could HE be another victim?

Lola is still going ahead with her loveless plan to marry Angel. Her declaration that she doesn't care at all about Andres is as hollow as Adelita's that she doesn't care about Daniel (Adela, at least admits to herself that she does).

Camilo and Sofia's relationship is also bogged down, but it's only a matter of time.

Yes, time. We have to wait until November 25th. I agree, I'm impatient, but I do enjoy all the eye candy of this show (especially Lola and Adelita's outfits), so I may miss it.
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO -Jueves

Another blockbuster episode! I found myself standing up watching, the excitement was so great.

Rebeca stares at Adolfo's gun, pleading with her eyes. He rips off the duct tape from her mouth, and she pleads to be let free. No such luck. Adolfmael is tickled pink. He's going to really stick it to Gonzaki, by moving Rebeca somewhere. He hustles her out, she still barefoot, with that same dress, limping, hair looking good, but the makeup now has a blander, "natural" look. With a gun in her ribs, she's warned not to call out. At the car, she elbows him, staggers into the car, and zooms off.

Adolfo jumps in front of another car, rips the lady driver out, and zooms after. Rebeca is so nervous she doesn't see that big truck, swerves, flies over a pile of dirt, and the car bursts into flames! She's taken to a hospital where it later turns out she's unconscious, in critical condition, and they can't wake her (coma, anyone?)

Pilar has her hearing. Javier says she'll lose the kids forever, going against him. He tells the judge Pilar is just doing this to hurt Javier, and go with her lover, that lawyer right next to her (Gonzalo)! Gonzo is forced to admit he does have a "sentimental" relationship with her. Javier grins, but that disappears when the judge says the next hearing is in a week, and Javier is ordered not to enter Pilar's house! He does get back a little when later he has the kids over HIS house.

Emilio has another "date", and the lady offers him double to come back the next day. He tells Hilda he has some money now, and they shop for baby clothes, but of course he can't reveal his new job description.

Renato is not too impressed with Mabel's declaration of love, or the mysterious flowers she sent the other day, and tells her not to tell anyone else.

At Omar's funeral grounds, Sebastian shows Carola the grave of Maribel, who was Omar's older sister.

Mabel also goes to Gonzo's apartment, where she tells him, yes, his real father was Igor Mora. He gets her out of there, goes to check on Rebeca, but she's GONE! He then decides to tell Pilar the truth, that he's Inaki Mora, but doesn't quite get around to it, since Pilar gets the call from Diego that they're at Javier's for the afternoon. She's irate, but Gonzalo says Javy's technically not breaking the restraining order.

Ignacia starts reading the book La Casa de al Lado, too. And someone has mailed the book to Javier! I wish there were a real book, I'd like to read it :) Emilio is still trying to dig up info on Anderson Chuncler, the author (so that's where Ismael got the chat name Anderson!)

Pilar is so smitten with Gonzalo, that even if he tells her he's Inaki, she might stay loyal to him (of course she doesn't know who he's killed). And will Rebeca wake up? Or will she be trapped in some kind of twilight sleep, able to see those around her, but unable to communicate?!!!
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

tnx Hombre for the great recap.
Rebeca seems to have the same fate as ATM. Gonzalo was so anxious about her condition. we don't know if he's afraid of her health wishing her to recover, or is afraid of his secret wishing her to die. maybe he doesn't know even what to wish!
 

FLOR SALVAJE

So after the death of Raimundo Sacramento is being escorted by Marianos goons back to Timotes while Rafas goons are in hot pursuit. What?? hahah. Am I missing something herre? A ver si lo tengo entendido...

The main cop, Quesadas tells Sacto that Rafas guys are continuing to follow. He says "let us help." Sacramento tells them to pull over at the shore so he can make a run for it solo, back to his escondite with Flor y sus hermanas. As soon as he gets out of the boat Rufino and the others are getting out of their boat with guns drawn in hot pursuit, meanwhile Quesadas and the "cops" figure they'll sing their song and trol on down the river! lol. Not even a few words with said bad guys to deter them for a minute, just right on down the river, classic!

Looks like I missed out buy passing on La Casa. With the little bits that I see and with all the comments here I'm wishing I wouldn't have skipped it.
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO -- jueves

And another homerun of a recapette, Hombre. Thanks!

You guessed right about Maribel being Omar's big sister!

Also -- I knew the made-up name of the author of the made-up book was "Anderson Chuncler" and still didn't make the connection with Adolfo's chatroom nom de plume until you pointed it out:)

It occurs to me that Adolfo/Ismael has shown his hand to just about everyone -- the police are after him, he has openly threatened, held captive, or otherwise brutalized Renato, Carola,
Ignacia, Pilar and others.

But despite all Iñaki's bloody crimes, HE has played his cards close to the vest. All HIS witnesses are dead except for Rebeca. And she'll either die or remain unable to speak until the very end. So right now he can say:

I'm Iñaki Mora. After he killed my little brother, Iván, I came here to protect you all from my monstrous brother Ismael. All I want to do is find him and get him locked up so he won't hurt anyone else.

Of course the inscrutable Mabel is still out there ... how much does she really know of his monstrous deeds? Will her love for Renato lead her to betray Iñaki in the end?
---------
Oh yeah -- I loved the scene where Andrea tries to smooth things over between her father and her brother, asking Javier to please not get mad. And Javi does his fakey, smarmy daddy thing and calls to Nibaldo to order them a pizza, some ice cream and a movie. When Nibaldo doesn't respond immediately to the order, Generalísimo Javier loses the mask, SCREAMS Nibaldo's name and Andrea and Diego cringe.
 

LA CASA

Oye Rand, it's not too late to join us. I mean it's not exactly a class in advanced physics. Here you can start two thirds of the way into the thing and still expect to ace it:)
 

LA CASA DE AL LADO

"But despite all Iñaki's bloody crimes, HE has played his cards close to the vest...
excellent point, NovelaMaven!
there would be only one question he will have to answer : why hasn't he introduce himself?
 

FLOR SALVAJE - JUEVES

Hi, Rand, glad you're sticking with this one. As Jean said, it's gotten dark, very dark. I'm still on board, though. The acting is excellent and, from my point of view, things move along briskly. There's almost no repetitive conversations.

When Zahra comes to the hacienda, concerned about Ana, the little idiot says she's staying, despite being forced to sleep on the floor. Rafa then tries to get Zahra to "realize her big dream - getting it on with him in his bedroom in the hacienda". He's amazed that she's not interested. Apparently he thinks trying to burn her at the stake is not a biggie.

Things are heartrendingly sad with Alicia. She's in such a bad state over Enrique that she quickly falls into heroin addiction, helped along by the evil guy who lives near Sacto and Amanda. When she's out of cash, he takes it out in trade.

Amanda and Sacramento continue to have problems because of his jealousy. His not wanting her to wait tables appears to be affecting the prosperity of the restaurant because customers get tired of waiting and leave.

Tío Francisco comes to Enrique's studio and sees an amazing number of portraits of Alicia, some of them done with anger. Enrique arrives and tells him he only feels alive when he paints her. Tío finally seems to realize what he's done. He admits he was wrong to have separated them.

When Raimundo moved his vehicle in front of Cat's horse, for a moment it looked like all would be well, but the horse trampled him and he's very seriously injured.

The odious Frigida acts up when Cat brings Sacramento to Raimundo's bed of pain. The death bed scene was very sad, very touching. Frigida, overheard by Ines, admits that Penélope came to her when she was pregnant asking her to take the baby. Frigida pretended she would and then gave baby Sacramento to the priests to raise. This finishes Raimundo off, giving him a heart attack. But Frigida blames his death on Sacramento.

Rafa is stunned to find Sacto at the clinic and more stunned when Cat tells him Sacto is Rai's son. Rafa can't do anything there, but he tells Rufino to follow him to find Amanda. Ana overhears and warns Sacto.

Rocío came to the clinic to see if there was anything she could do, but José María asked her to leave. She thinks it's because of the guys who showed up at the debate, former clients. Zahra thinks it was so Frigida wouldn't go nuts. But things don't look good for Rocío and José María right now.

Photos of Enrique's paintings impress a gallery owner, and he's going to have a show. Meanwhile, he's ignoring his fiancé and mother. Tío tells these two that the wedding cannot take place; it will be a horrible failure.

Sacramento tells José María that he doesn't want his share of Raimundo's inheritance. In the one funny moment, Mariano jumps to his feet basically saying: "Say what?" He can't believe anyone would reject a share in a hacienda.

Oh, there was another cute one when Dudi is overjoyed with having lost his virginity to Correcaminos and tries tactfully to tell Gabriel why he's so happy.

As Rand described, Sacto gets off the boat and runs. He manages to elude Rufino and the boys. He gets back to Amanda, but unfortunately tells her that Ana is living with Rafael at the hacienda. That she's his exclusive woman.
 

FLOR SALVAJE-
De acuerdo, Rand. That was weird. I guess Mariano's goons can't do good things.

What do we think is the story with Inez? She fainted at the debate when the johns were introduced and she eavesdropped on Raimundo's confession about Sacto's mother. Somethimg more than nosiness is going on here. She asks Jose Maria if all his female patients undress for him... Very weird.

Inez is played by the actress who played Gervasia on Dona Barbara.
 

FLOR SALVAJE-
Thanks for the great recap, Novelera and welcome back from Hallowe'en festivities.

Poor Raimundo - another victim of Rafa if indirectly. Now there's no one to rein in witchy Frigida. Since Ines heard Frigida's confession, she will be able to tell Sacto because Frigida is hardly likely to tell him.
 

FLOR SALVAJE - JUEVES

So far, I think Ines is what she seems. I may be proven wrong at any minute. She seems to me to have been raised as the precious child of her über-religious mother. Many things in this novela seem as if they're taking place in a different era. Ines almost seems as if she lives in the 1880's. She was very concerned about disrobing in front of a man, even a doctor. The faint at the debate could have been a ploy or it could have been a very sheltered person reacting to the many "clients" of Rocío.

She was very nice to Rocío asking her to pray with her. This seemed kindly to me. And she certainly was taking a stronger role, as a nurse and friend of the family, when Don Raimundo was so badly hurt.

When she overheard Frigida's badly timed confession, she only showed shock. She didn't seem to think of it as a weapon she could use.

Some of the folks on TW think she's a fake, scheming to get José María. I haven't really seen that yet.
 

LA CASA:

We did find out the other day one of the reasons why Gonzaki wanted Rebeca alive. He wanted her to write a letter to Renato, admitting she took money and left. But if she's in a coma, that's just as good for Gonzalo.

I agree, NM, now Gonzalo can come out, although lots of people will still be very suspicious. I don't think he wanted to come out before, partially because he was still working on his revenge, and partially because can you really trust someone who even marries to "save a family"? People often value betrayal more than the motives behind it, however noble. So Gonzaki may come out now, partially because he can't stand the mental torture, and partially because the coast is a little more clear now.
 

FLOR SALVAJE

Jean, I recognize the girl playing Inez too, but can't remember from which show? I never saw Dona Barbara except for bits and pieces, but I know I've seen her before.

Novelera, really good recap! I forgot about the part with Rocio going to see Jose Maria knowing that Don Raimundo was in really bad condition and him very politely asking her to leave, I felt bad for her. It's like Jose Maria is suddenly confused with his feelings for Rocio and at the same time he recognizes that maybe the "smart" choice would be Ines. But I'm kinda thinking like Jean here...maybe there's more to her than we know. Something seems a bit off.

I gotta be honest, I really can't take this Rafa bit anymore with the gun all the time, shooting at people in broad daylight and keeping his women prisoner one way or the other. This guy really is too much.

Sad how fast Alicia has fallen.

Another touching scene a couple of days ago...Rocio was sharing with La Mina her humiliation at the debate and how she couldn't understand how Mariano could find all of those guys who had been her clients...La Mina feeling guilty gets up and gets a wad of cash to give to Rocio..."for her campaign". And when you see Rocio thanking her genuinely, you can see the guilt and sadness in Mina's eyes.

I know that Frigida was going to cause her own husbands death when she screamed "nunca, jamas!" in front of all of them when asked to accept Sacramento as a member of the familia.

Anna is setting herself up for some serious trouble. I don't remember her running and telling Rufino that Sacramento was at the Raimundo hacienda. Maybe she did and I missed it but either way, one week the writers give her a sensible head and some maturity and the next it's right back to too stupid for her own good. Not gonna end well with her I don't think.


LA CASA

Ok Novelamaven, got the DVR set. See if I can't get up to speed in the next week or so with what's going on.
 

Mi Corazon
Well, when Soledad starting folding up that pizza box, I thought "Brilliant! she's making a paper airplane out of it with a message to throw out the window!" But alas, no. Anyway, the BIG suspense for me is whether Etelwina will get an extreme makeover. Of course, I do wonder if the writers will let Vicky survive, I hope so. Speaking of writers, it's still a mystery why no baby-kidnapping by Deborah, that plot line almost wrote itself...
J in Oregon
 

FLOR SALVAJE - GENERAL

Rand, I see what you mean about Rafael Urrieta's behavior. It really strains belief all the things he gets away with.

It kind of works for me when I remember that this is a joint production of Caracol and Telemundo. Maybe Colombia in smaller towns is a bit more lawless. I also feel that much about the novela almost appears to be happening in a different era.

I'm fairly sure that those hacendados in Latin America, certainly in México, got away with all kinds of crimes on their remote haciendas. Have you read Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo? It takes place around the time of the Mexican Revolution. Guys with land and money could pretty much do whatever they wanted then. Maybe they still can.
 

MI CORAZON -
J in Oregon - You and I are on the same page! I thought exactly the same thing about the pizza box and the Etelvina makeover. Can you see Etelvina in one of the infant t-shirts that Lola wears? Well, maybe not that extreme a makeover! That actress played a psychic on El Cuerpo del Deseo and wore lots of makeup.
 

Mi Corazon
Jean, thet Etelwina actress also played a rich-b!tch society lady on "Mas Sabe el Diablo", also starring JenCarlos Canela.
Believe me, she did not have any facial hair in that one!
I'm going on record as saying yep, they'll do a makeover on Etel.
:o)
J in Oregon
 

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