Friday, January 06, 2012

La Que No Podía Amar #4 Thursday 1/5/12 The Woman Who Couldn't Get Over Herself

Happy New Year everybody! And a Happy New Show…for now….

Full disclosure: We have had the closed captions on our TV set to Channel 3 ever since Uni showed La Reina del Sur. Mr 5ft read the book in English, so we were both excited to see the TN version, and even more excited that I wouldn't have to translate for him. Since then, we just never bothered to take off the closed captions because most shows don't have anything on CC Channel 3…except that sometimes SyFy will put Spanish captions there, which is just awesome! But it's hit or miss. As of right now, I've seen the captions all week on this show. I don't know if they're here to stay, but since we're also slogging through the last bits of La Casa de a Lado (emphasis on slogging) I'm just going to leave all my settings alone and see what happens. It feels a bit like cheating, and I certainly don't want to lose sight of the fact that not everyone has access to them and so just ignore dialogue, but on the plus side, sometimes I disagree with the captioner's word choice and that'll make for some good Spanish nerd discussions :D

Anyway, on to the actual show….

Consuelo is macking on Efrain. Cinthia sees them, so she backs out and calls out for Simon before walking in again. Puh-leeze, you can totally tell from her face that she saw what they were up to and she did not like it. Efrain offers to saddle her horse, since Simon, the "caballerango" (wrangler, groom) isn't there. She suggests that Consuelo get back to the house and Consuelo hightails it out of there. Cinthia comes on strong to Efrain, who is playing hard to get. He says he's gotta go talk to Consuelo's brother.

Bruno pretends not to understand the question and Rogelio claims he doesn't want his employees fraternizing. Riiiiight. Oh, and besides, she's not on his level. Pfft. Bruno says he loaned her money to get her come out there. "Always thinking about me, huh, Bruno?" He informs him that he bought out the debt and writes Bruno a check. Bruno tries to decline, but Rogelio, as usual, has his way. Bruno takes the check. Rogelio says Paula will work harder if she thinks she owes him.

Jewelry lady has new wares. Rosaura tells her she doesn't want to look at things she can't have! Since that idiot, Ana Paula, quit her job. But no worries about the payments that are due, it's not the 15th yet, so she's got time to figure it out. Ana Paula calls and gets chewed out by her loving Tia, before getting a chance to say she's staying. Rosaura changes her tune instantly and praises her for sucking it up and working wherever she can, like the pauper she is. She starts giving serious consideration to a piece of jewelry. Ana Paula tells her she might be getting a call from a guy, and if he calls, to please ask for his number. She says he had offered to put her in touch with his sister for a nursing job. Oh, well, you won't need that, now that you'll be working out in BFE for a year, says Auntie. Well, yes, but she'd like to thank him all the same. Tia looks suspicious.

PT continues. He tries to weasel out of the last 10 minutes, but Ana Paula won't let him. Miracle of miracles, he doesn't argue with her.

Federico is on the phone talking about needing to get provider's whose cattle are of the same quality as Rogelio's. Vanessa comes to visit him, looking hot in a hot pink halter dress. She says she knows he was in San Gabriel and wonders if he saw Rogelio. He says the contact is up soon, and it's not going to be so easy to deal with. If he won't renew, their company is in serious trouble.

Rogelio moons over the picture of him and Vanessa. Ana Paula surprises him and gets a look at it when he drops it. She's worried about him when she realizes he's teary-eyed. He gruffly tells her not to come in without knocking. She insists on helping him, but he brandishes the whip, telling her to go away and not come back until he calls for her. He manfully struggles not to cry once she leaves. Oh, Rog, you big softy!

Rosa is drooling over that big 'ol ring and saying how she deserves it and more. For freeking what? Jewelry lady convinces her to keep it, since she succeeded in whoring her niece out to that millionaire. What? Is that not what she did? They're interrupted by Gustavo, holding something that looks like a bouquet for a flower girl or a junior bridesmaid. Seriously, dude? Tia is not happy to see him.

Vanessa tries to soothe Federico, saying he can find other suppliers. However, as Federico explains, no one's got as good quality or delivery as Rogelio, and that's what makes their company the best. Bruno's going to talk to Rogelio and see what he can do. Vanessa keeps fishing for personal information, whining that Rogelio has gotten bitter and it's all her fault. Oh, stuff it! Either you feel bad enough about it to stay with him/go back to him or you move on. Seriously, in or out of the pool, babe. Daddy tells her she made a decision, she had every right. Vanessa cries about her hopes for a life with Rogelio and how they all went to hell. "You have no reason to think about him anymore. Your husband wouldn't like that." I don't think she's jonesing for Rogelio, I think her marriage probably sucks and she's thinking the grass is greener over in Rogelio's pasture. It's more the idea of Rogelio than the actual jackass himself.

Gustavo does a little ass kissing and is then disappointed to hear that Ana Paula isn't home and won't be for the foreseeable future. Tia snatches the flowers away to put them in some water, even as she's sneering at them--which makes me want to rethink my earlier opinion, because I hate to agree with this harpy on anything! She tells him Ana Paula found a better job, but she doesn't know where exactly since the phone signal cut off *giggle, giggle* Gustavo is shocked, hurt, and maybe even a little angry. He leaves his card with Rosa so she can give the info to Ana Paula next time she hears from her. Rosa's rich-man-radar goes off when she sees he's an engineer. She really gets excited when he says he lives nearby and his parents are retired. "Oh, and what did they do?" Dad was a high school teacher and mom was a librarian. Stand down! Stand down! False alarm! Don't lower the nets! She gets rid of him quickly. The jewelry lady is impressed, but Tia is not. She gripes that now she knows why Ana Paula was so anxious to get his contact info!

Ana Paula goes running to the kitchen to tell Maria she saw Rogelio crying over a picture of him and…some woman. She kind of got the impression that woman looked like her. Maria agrees she does. Paula assumes the woman must be dead and wants to know more about her. Maria says she's as good as dead, and they're forbidden to speak of her. She's Vanessa, the woman who was going to marry the boss. But after the accident, she left him. Since then, he…changed. Vanessa is the one responsible for Rogelio being the way he is. Ex-cuse me! As we're repeatedly reminded, no one makes Rogelio do anything he doesn't want to do, and that includes being an enormous ass! No one is responsible for that but the man himself.

Vanessa insists on taking responsibility for Rogelio cutting off their cow supply. I do not like chicks who have such a need to feel like the center of the universe. Daddy says who knows, maybe Bruno can work something out. He gets a call from Bruno, who apparently has bad news for him. When he hangs up, he tells Vanessa that Rogelio is negotiation with their competitors.

Rogelio gets over his emotional upset by cleaning his rifle. Gee. That's healthy.

Rosa explains to Jewelry lady that she doesn't like Gustavo because he's not rich enough. No, I'm not going to break that down to the particulars, because her greed is reprehensible. She won't aim for Rogelio because she doesn't figure he's interested in marriage, what with being paralyzed. So she's picked Bruno as her meal ticket and channels Teresa in gritting her teeth and complaining about needing to get out of this filthy poverty that she just can't stand!

Ana Paula chats to Romeo and Juliet about how super cute Gustavo is and how much she wants to see him.

Gustavo sends Miguel to pick up some "luminarias" (lamps). He sits down with his sister, who is disappointed that Ana isn't there to meet her. She mocks him gently for saying that he's going to wait for her.

Bruno is wandering around the house looking for a decent signal as he talks to Rosaura. She's glad that Ana Paula will be staying, but she fakely worries about Rogelio being "difficult." Bruno reminds her that's not news. Rosaura whinily begs him to please look out for her and take care of her, because she knows Ana Paula must be feeling sooooo lonely. Bruno just grins.

Cinthia goes to the kitchen to tell Maria, as Consuelo's godmother, that Consuelo's been very, erm, "friendly" with Efrain. "She's so young, and you know what Efrain's like…we'd hate for her to end up pregnant!" Maria says she'll have a talk with her, horrified at the idea. Bruno walks in to let Maria know that Rogelio will be eating in his study and that's all he said. Maria and Cinthia are both alarmed. Cinthia takes advantage of this to say she won't be eating at home this evening either.

Ana Paula finds Bruno and tells him she is going to stay after all. She knows that Rogelio bought out his debt. Bruno insists she never owed him anything and he only accepted Rogelio's money so he wouldn't make trouble for her. Ana Paula says it's not just that, he also got her brother a job. "Well, now you see how all of us, one way or another, end up in debt to Rogelio Montero." He invites her to have something to eat and then go riding, but Ana Paula wants to be around in case Rogelio needs her. "Oh, he's locked himself up in his study. There's no telling how long he'll be in there." Ana Paula tells him she surprised Rogelio looking at a picture of a woman. A woman Maria says he doesn't like them to talk about. "Vanessa" guesses Bruno.

Maria brings a tray to Rogelio's office and rather stiffly broaches the subject of the picture, saying she didn't think there were any pictures of "that woman" left in the house. Rog guesses that Ana Paula told her. Maria reminds him it's been years and she's married to someone else. "Oh, don't start," says Rog. She doesn't care if he scolds her, and says she hopes one day he'll go back to being the happy Rogelio that she raised. Well, that ain't gonna be today. Rogelio slams his hands down on the desk and tells her to get out!

Ana Paula tells Bruno that all Rog did was tell her to get out. She was moved to see him so upset. Bruno says that Rog just doesn't like anyone knowing anything about him. He thinks Rogelio needs a woman. "Pfft! As if one would want him with that nasty attitude of his!" scoffs Ana Paula. Besides, he never goes out, so how would he meet anyone? She thinks it's just not good for him not to go out in general, aside from being bad for his dating prospects. After all, it's so beautiful out there. She smiles dreamily, talking about how beautiful the river, especially, is. Bruno offers to take her there. She doesn't answer. He tells her that he's going to make an effort for their time together, at least, to be pleasant, despite being in such an unpleasant place. Ana Paula tells him his support is very important, as he's her only friend there, aside from Margarito.

Gustavo reports to David that Miguel is working out so far. David is pleased, since he was recommended by Rogelio and he wants Rogelio to invest in the new mall. Gustavo actually came over to talk about that. The ground looks good, but they need to do something about the "drenaje" (sewer system, according to CC, but I also see just plain "drainage"). He hands over his proposal. David offers to call Rogelio, and he wants Gustavo to stick around in case Rogelio has any questions. David tells him he has good news--the engineer has finished his study, and they can build the mall. Rogelio wants to be sure there are no problems. David offers to send the report over to him.

Bruno shows Ana Paula where "La Querentia" used to be. Ana Paula understands why he doesn't want to leave. Bruno says he won't leave until he finds out what really happened with his own hacienda. How it went from his father's hands to Rogelio's. That's his most compelling reason to be there. Ana Paula asks if he thinks Rogelio got the land wrongfully.

Consuelo comes into the kitchen and gets interrogated about Efrain. She claims there's nothing going on. Maria tells her she's there to work, not the flirt! Besides, Rogelio doesn't like his employees fraternizing, so she'll just have to meet someone in town. Efrain has a reputation as a "noviero" (flirt, womanizer), she says, and flits from woman to woman. "If I told you about all the women I know he's been with!" Consuelo hasn't heard of anyone since she's been there. Well, Maria doesn't want her near him!

Bruno tells Paula, when he's never told anyone before, that when his dad lost the land, he was away. When he got back, he was more concerned with his dad than with the land, since his dad had gotten sick. He heard some rumors going around, but being a lawyer, he knows he can't accuse someone without proof.

Cinthia informs Efrain that as long as he's being used by her, he's not allowed to date anyone else. I'm all for monogamy, but I'm not sure this is how it's supposed to work. Anyway, Efrain says she'd better satisfy his desires, in that case, and it's back to business as usual.

Rogelio is sitting up in bed reading when Ana Paula comes in for his therapy time. Now he tries to fight it, saying it's a waste of time and won't get him to walk again. She tells him he's not facing reality and being a jerk for shutting himself up indoors when there's so much beauty outside. He's just moping around getting angsty. "What do you know about it?!" She says he's not the first or the last person in a wheelchair and she's known plenty of patients who get on with their lives and are happy. Exit Paula. So I guess he gets out of physical therapy after all.

Ana Paula complains to Maria about Rogelio not wanting to do his physical therapy last night. She's trying to be patient, but she just doesn't know how to get him to snap out of it. She wishes she could at least get him to leave the house. Rogelio is wheeled in and is surprised to see Ana Paula there, since it's Sunday. Her contract specifies she's to have one day off a week, Ana Paula reminds him, but it doesn't say that has to be Sunday. Besides, she didn't really work the previous day. "Oh, what a good employee you are. Maria, remind me to tell Bruno to give the nurse a bonus." Ana Paula says that's not necessary. She's just doing her job. Rogelio insists she takes the day off, then wonders why she's walking away. "Since today is my day off, I can eat where I want, and I'd rather eat in the kitchen." Rogelio huffs at Maria to go tell Hugo that he's going to supervise the work in the fields today and insists on serving himself breakfast. Yeah, he just doesn't know how to deal with that spunky Ana Paula.

Efrain and Cinthia are sucking face. I presume "again" and not "still" since the outfits look different, but hey, who knows. "My brother thinks I'm still asleep." Efrain has her horse ready so they can rendezvous up in the mountains. Cue the Barry White music….

Miguel tries to give his aunt the happy news that he and Dany are officially dating, but she figured it out already. Cause she's not blind. "Just make sure you don't distract him from his work." Shut. Up. I'm trying to recall when I've ever seen this actress that I haven't wanted her to just shut up every time she's on screen. I hope it's first-rate acting and that she's not just naturally like that. Dany is happy that her "flaco" (skinny guy) is working and happy, so of course she wouldn't. Rosa asks Dany to pass her the tortillas and flashes the big emerald at her. Dany and Miguel both ooh and aah over it, and Miguel asks where she got the money for it.

Ana Paula works on math with Margarito…"If you have five mangos in this hand and three in this hand, how many do you have?" She says she's going to get him a workbook, then has him recite something out loud that she's written down. "The…house…"

Rosa says the stones are fake. Dany isn't buying it, so Rosa tells her to ask Elena. "If it were real, I would have sold it a long time ago…to help with all our expenses. Especially now that I can't work." She fake cries and pretends to be embarrassed that Dany has found out about their financial troubles. She turns up the waterworks about how she's always working, cooking for other people, etc. Miguel looks guilty. Dany insists on washing the dishes. "Flaquito, tu platito" (little skinny guy, your little plate…"babe, your plate"). Rosa tells Miguel she's glad Dany is so committed, since she can no longer work. Miguel goes to help Dany with the dishes and tells Rosa to go lie down, they'll clean everything up. Rosa rolls her eyes when he's gone and goes back to admiring her ring.

Efrain smooches on Consuelo. Consuleo says she's not allowed to go out with him…but maybe if she talked to Maria…. Efrain says, no, it's no good. Someone saw them and told the boss, so they can't see each other anymore. Shucky darn. "Well, what if we saw each other in secret?" Ooh, Efrain likes that idea, since she's just so purdy and all…oh, but it wouldn't be fair to her, and what if they got caught? No, better wait for things to calm down. "This wouldn't be because you're a skirt chaser who has no interest in being exclusive, would it?" Efrain takes off his hat and swears that he wants to marry her. Dude. That's just wrong. And he swore, even. For that, some part of his anatomy better spontaneously fall off. Consuelo gets all excited. "But in the meantime, we've got to say goodbye, and make it a good one!" Smoochies.

Gustavo asks Miguel to drive him out to deliver, presumably, the plans to Rogelio, and Miguel agrees.

Margarito comes running up to Rogelio to tell him someone's looking for him. Someone in a car parked out at the street. Oh, it's Vanessa. Dressed marginally more conservatively and doing her best to look sorrowful. She takes in Rogelio, and his wheelchair, and says overly dramatically, that she came to talk to him. "Forgive me! I couldn't…it was such a blow to me!" Rogelio mockingly says it's a good thing the accident happened two months before the wedding, otherwise she would have sworn to be with him in sickness and health for the rest of their days. "Forgive me…Please understand! We're not all as strong as you are!"

Maria takes some workbooks out of a cabinet to give to Ana Paula. She thanks her for being concerned about Margarito. He's been lonely and needing someone to give him some attention. Margarito comes running in to say that a very elegant lady is outside…and she looks like Ana Paula! She's talking to the boss, and she's rich. He can tell, cause she showed up with a chauffeur. He came running because the boss is fighting with her.

"When the doctors told me you wouldn't walk again, the first thing that came into my mind was that I couldn't marry someone who…" "Someone who wasn't a full man anymore?" She accepts she didn't know how to deal with the situation, but it was he who forbid her or anyone from her family from setting foot on the property (presumably for the purposes of patching things up). He reminds her that order is still in force. Maria comes up and goes into full-on mama bear mode, asking what Vanessa is doing there, coming to upset her cub? She says she's there on business, on behalf of the Southwest Meatpacking Company. "It's your father who does business with Rogelio!" insists Maria. "So you didn't really come to see me," realizes Rogelio. Vanessa knows she's stepped in it and tries to backtrack, but Maria cuts her off. Rogelio screams at her that she's let him down again. "Calm down Rogelio, you'll hurt yourself!" says Maria. Rogelio accuses her of being selfish, as usual. She was only thinking about herself after the accident, and now here she goes again. He says he never wants to see her again and brandishes the riding crop at her. Maria coos to him as he and Vanessa look at each other, all teary-eyed.

Ana Paula wants to go see what's up, but Margarito cries and begs her not to go. "Mr. Montero might need something." "If he doesn't want to see that woman he's going to be angry and he's going to take it out on us! Stay with me! Let Maria tell us what's going on."

Maria tells Rogelio that Vanessa deserves punishment, but it should come from him. "Please! If I came here, it was because…" "Oh, because after seven years you finally wanted to see how I was doing?" He gets up to threaten to throw her out bodily, but he ends up on the floor, waving the crop at her. "Now are you happy? See what you've done?! Get out! God protect you the day you want to hurt Rogelio! You're going to kill him! Leave! Leave! Get out!" Maria shoves her into the car and it drives away. Ana Paula comes running out and tries to help him, but he tells her not to touch him, he can do it himself. He drags himself over to his wheelchair, but knocks it over. Ana Paula grabs it and holds it in place, over his objections. Rogelio looks up at her and starts yelling that she's just like Vanessa. "Go away!"

Tomorrow: Ana Paula continues to stand up to Rogelio; Vanessa can't quit thinking about Rogelio; Rogelio burns the infamous picture; Ana Paula has a riding accident.

Labels:


Comments:
RL update: no auditions, no gigs. I've just been work on music and knitting since I got done with December performances. And I've taken up working with chocolate. A tasty, but expensive, endeavor, that's much more exhausting that I anticipated. But tasty. Did I mention tasty?

I am not liking any of the three "galan" options for Ana Paula. Rogelio's being an ass, Bruno's a fake and a user, and Gustavo's just got zero game. Can we put one back and pick another?
 

Good work Kat. Thanks for putting that up. I was hoping Vanessa and Ana Paula would see each other but Ana Paula was too late as the car was leaving. Oh well.




Ibarramedia
 

Good work, Kat. That's a great title and describes Vanessa perfectly. Was there ever a novela Vanessa who wasn't a snake in the grass? I have no liking for any woman who thinks she's the hottest thing on stilettos.

I dearly hope that at some point in the near future Ana Paula manages to take that riding crop away from Rogelio. He also needs to be told that shouting is unacceptable.

Did anyone else think that Bruno's face looked skeletal in that scene where he and Ana Paula talked about Vanesssssa?

I have a Karmageddon in mind for Tia MentiRosaura already: She ends up as a maid.

BTW, I am also a chocoholic. My next project will be sugar-free brownies.
 

Happy New Year, 5ft. Great recap! BTW, hope you and the Mr. enjoyed La Reina as much as I did. Good luck with work as the new year moves along and people come back from vacations.

I agree with your thoughts about our galans. Two comments about the acting. First, it is the wonderful TN actor who can both use the melodramatic style of the form and move past it. I'm really impressed with Jorge Salinas. I've always liked him, but he's really doing an especially fine job here IMHO. Ana Martin can overact terribly and is NOT doing so here. Bravo.

I'm liking this more as we move past the Beauty and Beast relationship between Ana Paula and Rog (stole that illusion from another forum) to the secondary relationships and to Rogelio's situation with Vanessa. Months and months of Ana Paula and Rog screaming at each other would be too much for me, however good the acting.

I'm getting a kick out of the louse Efraim and the Cinthia character. Different kinds of roles for both actors.
 

Hey, Kat! Very enjoyable read. My fav quote: "Efrain takes off his hat and swears that he wants to marry her. Dude. That's just wrong. And he swore, even. For that, some part of his anatomy better spontaneously fall off. " Great snark!

======
Urban: YeSSSSS! I thought Bruno looked skulll-kingly evil in the scene when talking to Tia Mentirosie. In fact, when he smiles, puts his hands together and then rubs them, he for some reason makes me think of Uriah Heep! That said, however, poor Bruno may have a legitimate reason to stick around and to try getting his inheritance back--unless Papa lost it fair and square in a poker game or couldn't pay off his debts on time...... Still he gives me the creeps.

I wanna know who this babe Vanessa married and why we haven't seen or heard about him yet. Tell me it isn't Chef Hawt. JA is just too delish to be married and a creep.
 

This was such a fun read Kat! Thanks. I always leave the captions off (plus I can't figure out how to make them work), but have picked up through comments that the translator sometimes does not use the best/right word for the context. It would be a cool exercise for you to point out those instances.

That Vanessa is one selfish chick, isn't she? It's all about her and her family and her family's business. Consider yourself lucky Ro-Hell that you didn't walk down the aisle with her. I do agree that someone else's actions can't MAKE you a bitter person. Ro-Hell chose that grouchy, whiney path himself.

I hope Dani sneaks that ring away and has it appraised. Tia MentiRosa really has no bounds or shame.
 

Thank you 5ft for the great recap.
That Tia Mentirosa, I really can't take another minute of her. She just oozes greed. Since she took care of Ana Paula and Miguel since they were little I guess they must be beholden to her for all time. She is just horrible.

In the flashbacks, Rog looked very happy, the accident and Vanessa's dumping him right before the wedding has made him so bitter, I really hope he lets go of the bitterness at some point. He still seems to have some heart in him. Ana Paula with her spunk will bring him around eventually. I am so glad she stands up to him he needs the challenge. Everyone else seems to cower.

That Bruno. I don't trust him as far as I can see him. He just looks so weasly, it is hard to believe anything he says.

Good luck on finding a new gig/audition. You are so very talented. I am a chocoholic too! I love the dark chocolate the most. Have fun working and trying out your recipes.
 

Oh, and Jorge Salinas is doing an amazing job in this role. I still wouldn't want Ro-Hell for a crush/boyfriend/husband, but JS is really giving this character a life of its own.
 

Yes, kudos again to Jorge Salinas! Wow, what a performance! This 4th episode was the best so far. Hubby and I are really enjoying this one!

I thought the bit where Rogelio got up out of his chair then fell was brilliant! Smart writers. And, gee, what a llorathon with Vanessa. Like, girl, it was your decision years ago, and are you really crying about your father's business? Huh? We'd been mercifully free of a real llorathon up until now.

Kat, I loved your title, perfect for Vanessa. Yes, it really is all about her. Seems like Rogelio would get over her quick realizing her selfishness, but maybe he's really mourning what could have been in terms of his life as a "whole" man.

I think the TN is really tipping the hat to the old gothic horror flicks with lots of pauses of foreboding let night LOL!
Ana Martin is so stiff, and her face seems to have Botox disease (only her eyes and lower lip seem to move in her face) but that all suits the spooky housekeeper persona. Those are some wild earrings she wears!

Loved the recap! I've always wanted to make my fave dark chocolate almond bark which seems easy enough. I have the bittersweet Scharffenberger bars at home to do it. But now I am trying to shed a few pounds, so not good timing. Hope your chocolate experiments go well. :)

Audrey
 

So Miguel isn't so dim after all if he caught the ring on Tia MentiRosie's finger and questions the source of the money. Maybe somewhere down the road he will overhear something about how she set AP up to be raped by Maximo.

No doubt when Vanessssa and AP meet, the former will look at the latter with contempt and call her a cheap imitation.

It also occurred to me during the massage scene that if Rogelio has any sensation in his legs he must be able to have sexual relations (if the lady gets on top). AP must have figured that out by now.
 

Love your recaps 5ft, really funny.

Out of the 3 galáns, Rogelio is numero uno. We all know he will walk again & return to his lovable self, due to AP. It's just going to take----how many episodes is this TN? His bitterness is understandable, shafted by his novia & paralyzed, hard for him to accept.

Bruno is creepy & Gustavo is wimpy.

Really stupid for Vanesa to show up, that really put the screws to her dad's business dealings with Rogelio.
 

According to IMDB it's 130 capitulos and counting.

Jorge Salinas should get the acting award for this series. Just as a side note, he really made me laugh in the film Sexo, Pudor, y Lagrimas in a scene with another male character who makes a comment about how pleasing women is all about the cl*tor*s. His response was "I don't know about the cl*tor*s." Talk about being cast against type.
 

FANTASTIC recap, 5ft! I laughed so hard at some of the parts, especially "Jewelry lady convinces her to keep it, since she succeeded in whoring her niece out to that millionaire. What? Is that not what she did? "

YES THAT'S WHAT SHE DID!

And: "She really gets excited when he says he lives nearby and his parents are retired. "Oh, and what did they do?" Dad was a high school teacher and mom was a librarian. Stand down! Stand down! False alarm! Don't lower the nets! She gets rid of him quickly. "

Yes, that's exactly what she did. The librarian and schoolteacher thing were the dealbreaker. Tia is totally transparent, isn't she?

There were so many tidbits like that. You are a genius and your recaps are always a treasure!

I thought this was a cracking episode and I agree with all of you in your assessment of Vanessa. Seriously, after all this time, the first time she bothers to visit Ro-hell is because the business is about to take a hit? Did she even THINK about how that might look? No wonder he flipped his lid a bit.

Regarding CC3: I'm all about CC3 (English) in these early episodes. As I have already said many times, this show has been the first that I was able to follow along to without any CCs. I have pored over the first episodes in particular with a fine-toothed comb, re-watching some scenes many times, trying to get as much as I could from just listening. My listening skills still need much improvement, but at this point I feel I have paid my dues on this ep it's time for the English CCs now!

I read some article that says that Univision is going to have English CCs on all its new novelas starting in 2012. Pretty cool, huh? There was also a mention of the great ratings of LQNPA among the 18-35s; I think it beat out all the other networks for that timeslot (NBC, CBS, etc).
 

Univision beats all other networks on finale nights. Alborada was the first novela finale to be the #1 prime time program in the US.

I haven't checked lately but I think that novela premieres' ratings have been increasing in recent years as well. Making them all with English subtitles will certainly help that: When I first got into them and showed scenes or photos to friends their eyes always bugged out at the gorgeous leading men.
 

It is VERY smart of all of the Spanish language networks to start using English captioning on their shows. Not only is the number of people from Spanish speaking backgrounds (but not necessarily strong Spanish speakers themselves) growing, but so are people's interest in that community and all it has to offer, including entertainment.

People may offhand dismiss telenovelas as being cheesy fluff (we know it's that and so much more), but I would say most of reality tv is even more so, and those shows have huge audiences!

The ad companies know this is a huge market too, so these networks need to step up their game to get that even more money.
 

I can not stand tia Rosaura. She drives me up the wall when she talks. Thank goodness for the mute button!

So far this is not a fun show, so much anger and yelling. I hope it eventually lets up some.
 

Kat: A "cracking episode" indeed (thanks Elvira) And a cracking recap. Your brilliant wit does it again. "Rogelio gets over his emotional upset by cleaning his rifle. Gee. That's healthy." This is turning out to be a great show. I'm still using the Spanish CCs. Perhaps I should switch over to English and see what it does for me. Haven't been able to shut them off completely yet. It's like a security blanket, even though it probably impedes my progress.
 

Kat, another hit. The title was perfect.

This was fantastic and my favorite line (of many) was "bouquet for a flower girl or a junior bridesmaid. Seriously, dude?" Your comments are always insightful but infused with humor. Simply great.

I would watch this solely for Jorge Salinas. The only thing I've really seen him in was FELS which made pitifully poor use of his now obvious amazing acting skills. I like Ana Brenda but wondering if she will be up to the task of holding her own when they are onscreen together.

Traveling Lady, loved and agreed with several of your comments: "Ana Martin can overact terribly and is NOT doing so here. Bravo" and "Efraim and the Cinthia character. Different kinds of roles for both actors."

Of course Vanessa is horrid, but to be honest, I think some of my feelings come from the fact I didn't care for the actresses character in Teresa either. Perhaps that's unfair and it IS all the character, I will have to wait and see.

Happy Friday all.
 

Ooops, that was me, Diana.
 

Jorge Salinas was also amazing in the otherwise forgettable La Esposa Virgen where he played a town doctor married to an invalid who falls in love with the title character. He had a grief scene that should have gotten him the acting award that year.

I love his intensity, not to mention his macho look.
 

You were to feel like you'd seen Dany before, that is if you watched "Ruby" years ago.
 

Kat, this was great! Thank you.
 

I thought Ana Brenda did very well in Sorlilegio, I didn't see enough of Teresa to judge. She is certainly beautiful. I think she'll do fine with Jorge.
 

UA:
Talk about being cast against type.

He-he. I should watch that movie, too.

Audrey: llorathon? I never heard this word before, but I like it, it's hilarious. :)
 

Hasn't even been a week yet, and I'm already sick of Ro-hell's bedside manner. hope this changes soon, even if just slightly.
 

I really can't make up my mind if i'm going to stick this one out. It has a good cast and its nice to see Salinas in something with a little depth. I've missed getting hooked on a novela have just been driving by lately so hope this will be a keeper.
 

Kat, a great recap. Thanks for rolling them out, one after another. Sort of like dipping chocolates (have fun with that!)

I'm enjoying this so far--it has that "classic TN" feel, yet enough freshness to be interesting. Love Jorge Salinas and I think Ana Brenda can hold up her end of things. I always like Ana Martin.

Someone already mentioned the "Jane Eyre" vibe with the bitter, wounded older guy in the mansion with the sweet and determined new staff. We also have some "Pride and Prejudice" snappy give and take between our female and male protagonist.

Our hydraulic engineer galan is a sweet little thang, but he just doesn't have the dynamic interest that Rogelio can generate (IMHO).

Yeah, it's time for Rogelio to get over Vanessa and for Vanessa to get over herself. The scene where Rogelio rose up from the chair in tormented anger and then crashed to the ground was fabulous.

I had to ask one question--if Rogelio is such a wealthy guy, why is he using a dinky little wheelchair?!? He should have a couple of motorized models--one for the house, one for outdoor use. No reason (except refusing to face reality) not to invest in some top-rate equipment.

La Paloma
 

Does anyone know whether Mar Contreras and Ana Brenda are related?
 

La Paloma, I think you nailed it about the wheelchair. I was thinking the same thing (because I was in one not long ago and I know from wheelchairs) and all I could think was denial. He just can't face up to it and that's why he is unable to move forward (literally) in his life.
 

Kat thanks so much for your recap. New TN and great snark too.

This TN has a group of characters and not many of them are likeable. Thankfully I'm still intrigued but we'll see.
 

Hi Aribeth! Llorathon - I didn't make it up. Pretty sure I read it here on Caray, Caray. :)

It's a great description of some of the cry fests you often get on telenovelas. Chela anyone? (from Una Familia)

There is a good Spanish word though - llorona - someone who cries a lot.

Audrey
 

I guess the word is actually llorón, although I have llorona used to describe a constantly weeping female.
 

5ft, thanks for the fun recap. If Vanessa hasn't had a kid after three years of marriage, I'm thinking she's still hung up on Rogelio.

I don't trust Bruno's story at all, but think he's trying to win Ana Paula's confidence by "opening up" to her about his secret plan. As much as I'm fascinated by Rogelio, for me Gustavo would be #1 for Ana Paula. He's handsome, sweet and, gosh, he saved her life. Bouquet selection skills can be taught. :D

I'm wondering how long Margarito has been at the ranch and who brought him there in the first place.
 

Thanks, 5'. Great recap as always. I enjoy your take on things.

At the beginning of the show, Rogelio didn't have that constant scowl and I could see what many have seen in him. He was actually quite handsome. But unfortunately, he had the scowl for the rest of the show.

I think Bruno is miscast. He'll probably be a good guy, this actor just has the look or a conniver and it'll be hard to get over.

I was looking forward to the actor playing Gustavo in this TN and he's very handsome with hair. But again unfortunately he has a blah character and that makes him less attractive to me. Just like in Cuando me Enamoro.

So I'm holding out hope for less scowling from Rogelio and therefore become more handsome to me. I need to have some interest in the main male character for me to want to continue with the story.

I'm glad that my cc is in Spanish. I think if it were in English, it wouldn't help my comprehension at all. I doubt I would even listen to what they are saying and only read the words.

Several of you were mentioning books that have a similar storyline. The Sound of Music came to mind for me.
 

Thanks Kat. How great to be reading your recaps again. So far I'm really enjoying this show and the fact that you're recapping it is indeed a wonderful bonus. As usual some very funny stuff. My favorite today:

"...Dad was a high school teacher and mom was a librarian. Stand down! Stand down! False alarm! Don't lower the nets!"

Hilarious.

So far my favorite character in this Cinthia. I like her friskiness.

Carlos
 

Carlos-
lol. I never heard great abs referred to as friskiness before.
 

I doubt our flawed hero would cheat anyone, so I believe Bruno is lying, doesn't he look like a liar?

I prefer the captions in Spanish also, I can learn sth, instead of just a total crutch.
 

Carlos,
you haven't been watching Familia, I think you would love Candy.
 

Variopinta-
I'm not sure he said that Rogelio cheated his father. He said he didn't know what happened and he wants to investigate it. I'm not sure we should judge a book by it's cover just yet.
 

Does any area of Mexico ever get winter? It never seems to get dark early.

The writers then could have inserted a subplot concerning la llorona and really make it gothic...
 

I think Bruno is going to be a bad guy for the simple reason that he has the hots for AP, but she's just not into him. So I see him trying to manipulate the situation 'cause he won't take no for an answer. They made him look sleazy for a reason IMO!

Hubby definitely likes Cinthia too - he admires feisty and mature women and I'm sure he is enjoying the outfits. There is often a smile on his face when I glance over. I'm enjoying Susana Gonzalez's portrayal.

Ooooooh! I got to see Tia Rosa fondling jewelry again last night! She cracks me up so much!

Spanish captions - I don't think they become a crutch. I barely ever look at them now that my comprehension has improved so much. My husband is still dependent, but he hasn't really cracked the books to study the language. His comprehension has improved considerably as well, but I guess the speaking is still fast for him.

Audrey
 

UA - most of Mexico is south of the Tropic of Cancer, so I wouldn't expect day length to vary that much. There are areas with perpetual snow in the higher altitudes, but most of the country is too far south to have freezing winters.

Chiapas itself is the most southerly Mexican state - really tropical.

Audrey
 

Regarding CCs: I have learned so much in the last 15-something months by having Spanish CCs on while watching. I heard somewhere (before I developed my telenovela addiction) that it was "bad" to watch Spanish-language TV with Spanish CCs, because all you end up doing is get good at reading CCs. But that hasn't been the case for me. Eventually I started "hearing" the connection between what the actors were saying and what was on the CCs. I absorbed this so gradually that I didn't realize it was happening.

A year ago I would have found it incredible and completely unbelievable to think that I could actually understand all this fast-paced talk (gibberish it what it sounds like!) but now, while much of it I still can't catch (and part of that is because my vocabulary needs to be bigger), I understand SO MUCH more. I wrote my recap on Wednesday mostly from a downloaded episode, and maybe had to add/fix 10-15% of it after I watched it on TV with the English CCs. Let me tell you, I'm pretty darn proud of that, considering how impossible I would have considered it less than a year ago.

But there is always stuff I'm missing, which is why each night is such a treat, because I find out new things about the story.

When I recapped for "Eva Luna," I would first watch it with Spanish CCs, and sometimes (not always) write my recap while re-watching with the EngCCs. I didn't feel this was "cheating" because I had already comprehended so much with the first "run" with the SpanCCs. Sometimes I found the English CCs to be wanting, because I remembered the Spanish word used and the English translation was way off. Even with my sometimes iffy Spanish comprehension, it was sometimes embarassingly obvious that the English CCs were just not getting it right.

But even so, I think the English CCs are an absolutely AWESOME addition and I'm so glad that Univision has finally made the leap! Now I can recommend some of my fave telenovelas to friends who don't understand any Spanish! YAY!!
 

Thanks, 5ft, for your usual fun take on things. Tia Ro$aurio is a piece of work. This actress always brings a lot of enthusiasm to her roles. I loved her in Amor Real as Matilde's tia. And Vane$$a is having second thoughts. I wonder how this will play out with her saintly lookalike. Carlos ~~~ Friskiness??? Really ?? It's those cropped tops and sprayed on jeans
 

p.s. Sign me up for the chococlub. I love dark chocolate, but nothing beats a Hershey bar with almonds....or M&M peanuts. [We live about an hour away from Hershey , PA. I remember touring the factory when I was a Girl Scout and leaving with a headache from smelling that chocolate for an hour. There is a big amusement Park now with chocolate kisses everywhere.] Which novela made a big deal of the cacoa plants ? Was it Heredos de Amor with Jackie B. ? They were always talking about the magical powers of cacoa.
 

Well, you've all got to admit that Cinthia prances around like a mare in heat = friskiness.
 

La llorana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona

We've seen our fill of lloranas but I remember Adela Noriega in sth, can't remember what but she takes it over the top, the blue ribbon for lloranas.
The only flaw in Amor Real.
 

Thank you 5ft! I always look forward to your snarky recaps. I loved "Stand down! Stand down! False alarm! Don't lower the nets!".

I really wish I could watch this with Spanish CCs but as I've said (ad nauseum) the CCs on Univision are always useless garbled junk on my TV. Is it because my cable company doesn't broadcast it in HD? (I know nothing about HD. Our cable company has 4 different channels for the major networks in HD, and 4 other channels for "regular" broadcasts...am I making sense?)

Anyway, to make a point even more laborious....my Spanish CCs don't work and it annoys the stew out of me.
 

Awesome recap 5ft. I'm really liking this show so far. Rog is a piece of work for sure. Vanessa really hurt him but he shouldn't continue to wallow in bitterness and self-pity.

I have to give JS props. That scene in the end when he falls out the wheelchair and doesn't want AP to help him were riveting. Did I say again how much I'm liking this novela.
 

Great recap as usual, 5ft.
You have amazing insight and narration for the reliable as well as the unreliable witness.
Just for example, Rosy ranting, "...Since that idiot, Ana Paula, quit her job. But no worries about the payments that are due, it's not the 15th yet, so she's got time to figure it out..."

We know what the character's are thinking from your writing. You really get inside these characters. I could give 20 examples today alone, but it would take up too much room! You are a wonderful writer!
 

Amor Real was my first, and a Mexican woman I knew then said Adela Noriega was well-known for her crying. I've never seen Jorge Salinas before, but I'm hanging on to this one in part because of his very expressive face. Plus, I like that the 3 men are not obviously villians (that's saved for Efrain so far). I also admire Cinthia's "friskiness", but mostly because it's a reminder to get back to the gym and work off the Xmas cookies. Thank you, LQNPA, for the well-timed belly shirts.

I tend towards laziness which is why I'm also glad that I can't get English subtitles- the Spanish ones are enough help without making it too easy. It would be fun though to get other people to watch. Cheesy Fluff is way better when it's clearly fake (unlike reality shows that pretend to be real).

kelly
 

Having gotten around to actually watching the episode all I can say is wow. That final scene with Rog falling out of his wheelchair and refusing anyone's help. The whole Vanessa scene actually. I just had a lump in my throat the whole time. Jorge Salinas is a fabulous actor. Ana Barbara is just.so.gorgeous.
 

LOVE the recap title!!

I'm feeling a bit discombobulated over the change in Ana Brenda characters from Aurora to Paula... I like that Paula stands up for people and has a will of steel, but sheesh she's intense. I kind of miss Aurora's lightness.

I definitely agree that her galan options are sadly lacking, but I think I'm Team Rogelio for now. He's so blatantly bad-humored that I don't think they'll keep him that way for long; we're already seeing chinks in his armor, and Gustavo is adorable but booooooooooring so far. Jane Eyre was so much more romantic when she wound up with Rochester rather than rivers. I guess we'll see how things pan out!

And Bruno? Well, he's just gross. Something about him is slimy.

Um, did Ingrid Martz reverse-age or something? I didn't watch Zacatillo, but in the promos she always seemed a lot older than she does in this one...

Enjoying the recaps!
AnotherAmy
 

Urban: No, Ana Brenda Contreras and Mar Contreras are NOT related, despite having certain similarities and even the same apellido ;). Ana Brenda is 25 years old and Mar Contreras is 30. Loved this recap as all the others, but I won't comment on it anymore, just wanted to clear Urban's doubts.
 





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