Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Una Familia Con Suerte #48 Tue 12/13/11 Beto channels Paul Revere, Vince channels Pancho, Ana gets a proposition.

Vince explains his hugging Candy to Pina thusly: "I have not been feeling well." "And Candy is consoling you?" "It was a maternal, disinterested embrace."

Chela's not coming back, she tells Pancho; he replies: "But when you're ready, our arms will be open, we love you and miss you." He leaves. More tears.

Now the maids are cooking dinner for los Lopez, an improvement over Candy's salty spaghetti. Pancho reports: his mission was a failure, they must endure Chela's continued absence. Temo is cranky and doesn't want to go to school or eat dinner.

Someone's at the door: it's Monica! Cheering and jeers of encouragement from the tribe! Moni tells Pepe she's wracked with guilt about what she said to him; he says no worries, he didn't believe any of it. "Polar bears!" he says (I don't know why). She cries a lot and then kisses him. Mmm. Then she cries some more and runs away.

Freddy and Vince talk on the phone. Daddy says, be careful with the girl. Pina wants to know if he's wearing his sweater. "Don't be intense, mommy."

Ana sings a sad love song and cries. Freddy is NOT WORTH IT. Ana tells Lupita: love is wrecking everybody's life.

In Brazil, Elena has dressed up in hopes that Freddy will not merely bonk her but will actually also take her to dinner. Nope. He gives her more money and leaves.

Lupe has a great report card. Pancho tells her he's embarrassed he ignored Chela's non-platonic love all those years. Lupe says she'd like him to marry Chela; he reminds her he loves Chela like a sister.

Manuel visits Ana and brings her: a tiny accordion! And kisses her! And says he's way in love with her. She punches him a lot and wriggles. "Be my girlfriend!" She runs away.

Chela, with her gypsy friend Jessenia, cries some more.

Rebe is going on a trip to the provinces to fix a problem in a plant. Pancho gets no kiss goodbye.

Catalina sees Candy doing her exercises on the grass and mocks her for not having a boyfriend. Candy says she hasn't had the greatest luck with guys, they promise you everything and then are unfaithful.

Catastrophe! Beto sobs. "Is it the invasion of the gringos?" Pancho asks. "No, worse! The Japanese are Coming! The Japanese are Coming! In a few hours! We're not ready!" Pancho tries to calm his hysteria and get him to collect the needed papers.

Sandra tells Vince she returned the expensive pocketbook. He complains to Enzo: "She acts like a second spouse or my mother!" Enzo has come to say, the Japanse are coming. They think it will be a shipwreck for the grocer!

In the office they share, Lupe sees Monica crying. In comes Elena, sobbing, back from Brazil. "He left me in the hotel all the time - don't say 'I told you so!!' " Lupe says to Moni: "What a jewel your ex is!"

Catalina debriefs with Pina after meeting with Pina in the yard. "We talked about men's natural infidelity. And I'm not surprised Vince went for her with a body like that." "He hasn't touched me for centuries." "Pay him back with the same coin."

Enzo tries to snap Vince out of it: "This woman Candy gives purpose to your life!? What about her vulgarity? You complained about the Lopez Horde of Savages, now you whine about Candy Candy Candy. I'm worried about you." Vince: "You don't like me acting like a teenager? It's an accident of life that I love my enemy's sister."

Pancho's buddies say he shouldn't ask Vince to help with the Japanese. But when Ana calls and says Temo has a fever, Pancho asks Vince to pick them up at the airport. "Now I'm a chauffeur?" Vince gripes.

Lupita reports to Tomas about the Brazil disaster and warns him: It's apapachos (cuddles) your sister needs, not scolding.

Vince tells the Japanese Takamoto Cosmetics chief's wife that HE is Pancho. "You don't seem Mexican," she says, "you are blond and have blue eyes." Her husband is coming on a later flight and she takes advantage of his absence to make a play for Vince! He gets her sympathy by humbly admitting: I'm a widower and have four children."

Temo is sick in bed, his dad is hovering over him worried but ineffectual - and suddenly, here's Chela to the rescue. She sends Pancho to call the pediatrician. Temo lays sick-child-guilt on Chela - "Come back to us! I don't want that woman to live with us or marry my dad."

Labels:


Comments:
Fun recap Melinama. I could not stop giggling when Lamberto was flinging himself around the room shouting "We're not ready!" That guy gets funnier each episode. I'm going to start calling him Chicken Little.

I am glad that Elena came back home, and that Ana's prentendiente finally declared himself, and in such a sweet and direct way too.

I want Moni and Chela to stop crying.

I wanted someone to slap Temo. I know that's mean but he was being a royal brat. Plus after watching little Alex over on LFdD be so brave under much more difficult circumstances (and being a better actor to boot), I have less patience for Temo.
 

Woops! The new recap was up before I even finished reading yesterday's. Well, a lot of things I'd been hoping last night did not come to pass tonight. I had hoped Elena would take advantage of her free trip to Rio and the wad of cash, but I can understand why she didn't feel like it.

I had also hoped that Chela would admit something to Pancho, but that didn't happen either (no surprise). It's too bad because at this point I am having a hard time liking her. (Then again, she is already doing such a thorough job making herself miserable, why should I heap more ridicule on her?)

On the other hand, I was VERY happy to see how disgusted Monica was with Freddy. No matter how things end up with Pepe, at least she's not likely to go running back to Fred.

As for Fred, I hope Tomas does the tangerine wedge thing to his head and then goes to jail. That would remove two jerks from the story. :-)

And in light of tonight's mention of Pearl Harbor, I can now admit that I was a little nervous last week that the Japanese investors storyline would begin on Wednesday night (the 7th) with some uncomfortable cultural gaffe. Glad the timing didn't quite work out that way. Of course it would only be a coincidence, but it'd still have been unfortunate.
 

Vivi, I agree about Temo. He is the old-fashioned awful kind of kid actor, self-consciously cute and over the top at all times. I remember a child actor on one of the shows who was so bad they killed him off early - but they can't do that in this show since it's a comedy. He's cute looking but I wouldn't mind if they gagged him. And a moratorium on tears?
 

Chela has apparently been crying nonstop over Pancho for most of the last eight years, so I don't see that stopping soon.

Monica can stop crying long enough to kiss Pepe, so there's hope there.

Temo is sad now, but it doesn't take much to cheer that kid up. Like a lite mayonnaise sandwich. Or even a dream about a lite mayo sandwich. ;-)
 

Thank you Melinama for the fast and wonderful recap. I am really sick of Chela crying. She ought to get a makeover and start dating as someone said the other day. Temo is cute, but I agree with you all that he is being a brat, but remember Chela is really the only Mother he has ever known, and he is lost without her.

I hope Tomas really takes care of Freddy. Elena didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

I hope Monica keeps seeing Pepe, even on the sly. At least she tried to explain to Pepe what happened, and didn't let him think that she really meant what she said when he was in her office.
 

Thanks, Melinama. I really feel your emphasis in the "Freddy is NOT WORTH IT" line.

Ana was so funny when Manuel so abruptly and formally declared his love for her. She seemed flattered, but oh so flustered and uncomfortable. I admire his directness but perhaps he could have given her some hint he was interested first, maybe flirted a bit and gotten her thinking about him that way. Ni modo. She'll certainly be thinking about him now! Surely she can see that he's at least a better pick than Fred, right?

I also loved the Japanese are coming! leading to the Pearl Harbor argument. So funny. And then the Japanese woman who is so traditional she wears a kimono and hair sticks happens to speak perfect Mexican Spanish. Obvio. Whyever not?

Moni is such a mess. She's lucky Pepe is so sweet, secure, and understanding.

Still no Alex! Alex, phone home! Lupita's gotten over the wandering plumber by now, right?
 

Vocabs:


el pájaro es en el alambre - we have an eavesdropper

¡desembucha! - Talk! Out with it!

torció la puerca el rabo - the situation has gone too far; this is the limit

no está (el horno) para bollos - the time is not right

petacón - broad in the beam; wide-arsed

hecatombe - catastrophe

coscolina - a flirt
 

I am soooooo tired of wet blanket Chela. And she wonders why Pancho fell for Rebe instead of him! Rebe's energy, intelligence, chemistry, etc. are why Pancho loves her. Those qualities of hers pull Pancho out of the sadness and negative emotions that Laurita's death caused.

Chela on the other hand, is stuck in the past, stuck in sadness and depression and has a bit a martyr complex I think.

I understand why her nephews and nieces love her, but she's not what Pancho needs (or wants, and the kids and Chela need to come to terms with that).
 

Whoops, that should have been "she wonders why Pancho fell for Rebe instead of her!"
 

TKS CHF,
I was hoping one of band members would be interested in Ana.

I am soooo tired of the sob sisters, Chela & Monica. Why do directors have to do that, no one wants to be around someone that cries all the time.

Betcha $10,000 that Chela & Pancho end up together. Chela looks like such a frump but we know how pretty she is, so the makeover is coming & she will catch someone's eye.

Variopinta
 

I'm not sure that Elena didn't deserve what she got (not that any woman, or anyone at all, deserves to be treated without compassion). But why would any young man who had a young woman constantly throwing herself at him in a self-assured sexualized manner not go for it? She didn't give any sign that she wanted anything other than a good time. She wanted to be a "player" and she learned the lesson that is there to be learned (candy's lesson), though it's a bit difficult to see how she couldn't have had some clue after seeing how her brother treats her best friend. It's unfortunate that she may have felt that only way to get a man's attention is with that attitude -- although she was present when one of her brother's girlfriends gave Lupe a lecture about the importance of "amor carnal," so maybe that influenced her. I hate to think it but I wouldn't be surprised if she does end up pregnant. Isn't that one of the rules of TNs, that someone inevitably has to utter the words "Estoy embarazada!" (just before someone runs them over with a car).

I also don't have a problem with Chela's crying. The poor woman's world has fallen apart and she's got a lot of adjusting to do. To me she's still the strongest character in the show, the one who holds everything together for everyone else while they do their best to ruin their lives. I can imagine she feels just a little bit taken for granted and under-valued and is asking some pretty unpleasant questions about the meaning and value of her entire life to this point. She's strong, she'll get it together in some surprising way that will get Pancho's attention. Anyway, I think there are more tears in telenovelas than anywhere else in the world. I finally had to stop watching El Triunfo del Amor because, among other things, I got so tired of hearing the main character crying every five minutes "Mi hija, mi hija! Whah!"

It often seems the most interesting love affairs are among the secondary characters, like the one with Ana and Manuel. Those are the ones that bring a little tear to your eye. The main affairs are predictable and formulaic and impossibly idealistic -- I often find myself changing the channel for a few minutes whenever the main love characters appear. Pancho and Chela will end up together. The great "lesson" of the show may turn out to be that the social classes really cannot merge and each is happiest in his own group (though each group is equally valued). Pancho may learn this the hard way when Rebe finally meets someone who really can sit through an opera without checking the futbol scores. Monica seems like another strong and sensible character. She understands that a few moments of hormone-fueled passion can't overcome a lifetime of upbringing. I'm not saying that this is necessarily always true or right, just a guess about the direction of the story. Pepe and Moni, Pancho and Rebe -- together forever? I honestly don't see what Pancho sees in Rebe, she's never really demonstrated any other character traits than being a corporate robot, and she seems utterly indifferent to the concerns of family, which is supposedly Pancho's core value.

Sorry this is a bit long. I'm new to the site -- thanks to the recappers and commentators and to Julia for the vocabulary -- well done everyone!
-- JR
 

Thanks for your recap Melinama. ITA w/you and others that Temo is being a brat. Yes, Chela is the only mother he knows but his acting out is just bad behavior.

Welcome JR. Your insights were very good.
 

Thanks, Melinama. Not taking Variopinta's bet, though: Chela and Pancho are the fated couple for this show (unless they use that supposed extension to pull a huge swerve), and it's about time for Candy or somebody to drag her kicking and crying into a makeover so she can catch some wandering galan's eye and make Pancho's hair jealous.
 

Welcome, JR! I agree with you that the secondary relationships are the most interesting. I'm not convinced Pancho will end up with Chela; I think it could go either way, but I really don't care. The kids' relationships are more compelling to me, plus I'm curious to know what will become of Pina.

I think Freddy's treatment of Elena was low. She did keep asking him if he really cared about her, which to me is a clear sign she wasn't looking for JUST a good time, and I think he knew that very well.

I was surprised Pancho and the rest of the family let Temo get away with being so rude. Maybe he is really suffering from Chela's departure but that doesn't mean yelling at the maids is okay. That kid is insufferable.
 

This is a long tn and anything could happen, but I am more convinced that Pancho will end up with Rebe than that he'll end up with Chela. He has had zero attraction to Chela and that's been the case for decades! I don't see that changing just because she stops being frumpy. However, I do see her starting to attract the attention of many men once she stops being frumpy, and that will be good for her.

I understand that Temo is hurting because his "mom" just up and left him with no explantion. (By the way, I think that's incredibly immature of Chela to do.) But that's no reason for him to become a rude brat to his family and the maids.
 

Melinama, I enjoyed the way your recap zipped through all the action. Quite a bit happened last night. Oh, what dastardly deed is Vince going to do as Pancho? Thank goodness, the Japanese executive's wife will no doubt mention to someone "Pancho's" blond hair and blue eyes.

I feel for Chela. Family has been the most important thing to her (other than Pancho) and now she's living alone. I actually hope she comes back to the house even though I know she will watch Pancho like a hawk.

I'm annoyed with Temo, but Lupita too. She's older and should know better. Telling her dad that she wished he loved Chela instead - yuck. This man has been sad and lonely on the inside (despite all his humor) since Laurita's death. She should be glad her dad's again found somebody that moves his carpet.

I like that Elena owned up to her mistake and told Lupita what really happened. I was afraid she'd keep trying to attract Freddy.
 

Thanks Melinama. This was a fun episode and recap. I find myself fast forwarding through all the weeping though. Temo and Chela are the worst and when they are together it's doubly tiresome. ITA he is a rude brat. Julie, funny comment about the lite mayo sandwich dream. Here's hoping.

Pepe smiles when he kisses! I adore that kid.

Ana's suitor Miguel is a cute guy and his silver accordion gift was very sweet. I hope he can help Ana forget about Fast Freddy.

I also liked how Monica told Lupita that Freddy's rotten behavior was not a surprise to either of them. Hopefully Elena will move on and not be embarazada.

Variopinta, sorry but I don't see Pancho and Chela ending up together. The spark is missing.
 

I agree with you Vivi about Chela. Instead of the letter, she should have had a family meeting and told them she had some stuff to work out instead of abruptly leaving the way she did. I think she is afraid to face the fact that Pancho will never be in love with her.I don't think they will end up together either.

I'm defending Temo a little bit, because I have seen this behavior before. I was in the Navy and my husband is still in the Navy. When she was little and he deployed she would be like Temo rude and bratty.
She couldn't understand why he had to leave even though we talked to her about it all the time. She was acting out the only way she knew how. I think that is what he is doing, hoping it will bring Chela back. I'm not excusing his behavior but it may be the only way he knows how to deal with it.
 

Sorry I left out our little girl! She would do this everytime he deployed.
 

I can understand why Temo behaved that way, but I don't approve of his father letting it go without the slightest rebuke.

Sylvia, I adore Pepe, too. He actually seems happy when he's with Monica and doesn't get all bent out of shape over her angstfests. He's persistent, but he isn't pushy and demanding, which makes him more attractive.
 

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