Caray, Caray!

why oh why would marcela mar ever accept a role like this after Pura Sangre and El Capo?
Even Rafa seems to be awkward playing a guy with limited resources even if he has plenty of valour and heart. hopefully we will see his character thrive.
 

that was ONE HUGE tub of ice cream!
 

Marta, awesome recap. Thanks!

That Antonio is one major sleazeball. The way he said "Camila NAjera" almost made her name sound like a dirty word.

Marta, your PLEASE SPARE ME totally cracked me up. Ay ay ay, poor Julieta Rosen having to go from Rene Casados to Sergio Reynoso. Her "Me encantas" didn't quite ring true, blech.

I love it when Elvira gets mad, the way she bares all her teeth when she spits out insults.

I see the telenovela sickness of not being able to tell a simple truth is alive and well. Pedro spent more time telling Margarito why he couldn't tell the truth to Camila than it would have taken him to tell her the truth.

Yikes, did Gregorio really say he would TWEEZE Esteban wherever he wanted? That's funny. I wonder if he TWEEZES his eyebrows? That's a rhetorical question because I know he does.
 

ITA about julieta rosen...
and yes, he did say TWEEZE...
 

Oh wait, I guess we decided he doesn't tweeze, he mows.

Marta, in the cast of characters Pedro was described as "foolish". Um, yep, I would say so.

I would be eating a gallon of ice cream too if I were stuck in this dog of a telenovela!! Oops, no offense to our favorite doggies.

At least things look like they might get a bit more exciting tomorrow night. I hope.

Thanks again Marta. You are the best at helping us with all those little details.
 

I'm still quite literally laughing out loud at TWEEZE. Do the writers have such a wonderfully warped sense of humor or was it just a coincidence that they had Reynoso use the word TWEEZE?
 

Marta--Thank you. I also had the same SPARE ME thoughts when we were subjected to Greg in bed. *burp*

I spent most of last night laughing:
--Poor Camila will never be able to look at yogurt again. It will remind her of Pedro. Will this extend to all dairy?
--Pedro at the window of the yogurt shop.
--Camila's horseshoe earrings look like they were made during Arts and Crafts time at summer camp.
 

I'm with you guys. I even proudly placed my Emilia beanie on last night to try and get thru one more episode. (I told myslef to give this thru Friday), but I'm having a tough time getting the characters, the relationships, the writing.

I admit, Cuando spoiled me, but I've stuck with some lesser TN's before ( heck I stuck with TDA!) I so agree with you Sylvia on "Julieta Rosen having to go from Rene Casados to Sergio Reynoso". And all this over a ranch with no conceivable lucrative business attached to it (or did I miss something)??

I like that Camilla seems to have some spunk right off the bat, but the baddies in this one are jjust sooooo bad and off the charts, she's going to be exhausted dealing with these people. Someone said yesterday we need some more good characters soon. Let's hope for Camilla's sake, that happens soon.
 

Oh, and what's up with the feathers in Camila's hair?

And am I the only one who hears Gonzo's voice whenever I type "Camila"?
 

I too am trying to hold on here, the first ep started with a bang and it has taken a sharp dip since... hope Rafa/Pedro can save the week tonight. i hate to watch when good actors are wasted on circus rides...
and there is something about S Reynoso i have never liked.
OSG he just does not do anything for me. Even Margarito i find more interesting.
 

"have to say never seen hospital sheets that were that nasty dirty avocado color" --Martai you were reading my mind.

Anyway, thanks for a great recap of events and the little details I missed, like "TWEEZE"--LOL!

I don't care how many cheezy movies SR has made over the years. HE IS NOT BEDROOM MATERIAL y punto. I was so thankful he kept his bod covered up to his chest.

Pedro's mental ruminations had me ready to kick the cat.
 

of course the 'i will tweeze him wherever i wan' referred to a place/table in the casino, not a place in the body LOL.
 

Marta: Thank you for the marvelous recap. The title was inspired!

"(sorry, have to say never seen hospital sheets that were that nasty dirty avocado color)" and "As if Esteban was 8 years old and you were showing him an electrical scooter! Or a pony!)" were among my favorite lines. Gracias.

Since there's little to say on this sad, sordid storyline, I'll just continue to praise your recap Marta.

The recap and comments have surpassed anything the actual episode had to offer. daisy, ITA. I'm also "...having a tough time getting the characters, the relationships, the writing". Well stated. Martaivett: "i hate to watch when good actors are wasted on circus rides...". Definitely. And Jardinera, "I don't care how many cheezy movies SR has made over the years. HE IS NOT BEDROOM MATERIAL y punto" had me laughing out loud as did Sylvia's "I would be eating a gallon of ice cream too if I were stuck in this dog of a telenovela!! Oops, no offense to our favorite doggies".

Hoping (but not expecting) this novela to improve.

Diana
 

"I don't care how many cheezy movies SR has made over the years. HE IS NOT BEDROOM MATERIAL y punto"-- oh so well said Jardinera!!

I was on Hulu last night and checking out what TN's were being posted (this one is--and do I care?) but they are still have STD episode on there and I thought--now you want a villian who we could buy Julieta in bed with, Sergio Goyri would sooooo much better fit the bill. (And easier on my eyes too even as a baddie).
 

i agree on sergio goyri better choice, daisy.
 

Thanks, Marta, for the excellent recap. I can't watch on Wednesday nights because I work, but I did DVR the epi so I could go back for the good parts. (It broke my heart that I missed all the Taxco scenes in Cuando b/c I didn't have recording capability!)

But clue me in, everybody -- how DO you say "tweeze"? I need that in my vocabulary quiver, right along with "fencing in wetsuits."
 

Great recap Marta. I'm so glad to be reading your recaps again.

I swear I can make out the word loser printed in both Spanish and English across Stevie's forehead as well as a kick me sign taped to the back of his shirt. I predict that there is a bungled suicide attempt in his near future.

I thought I could back Lucrezia but she seems too comfortably at home in that Negrete nest of vipers. My new favorite is Tracy.

I can picture Valentín sitting on the porch pickin' a banjo.

Carlos
 

Thanks so much, Marta! Terrific job, as always.

"*PLEASE SPARE ME!!**"

Yes, indeed. And so the plot SICKENS.

Hi Carlos,

It took me a few beats to figure out who "Stevie" was. I admit -- the name fits the character much better than the somewhat dashing "Esteban" (which for me always conjures up someone more like Antonio Banderas than this poor, weak cornudo in the story)

Oh Marta, sorry to be such a dunce, but "OSG"? What is that short for?
 

NovelaMaven, OSG is short for Old Spice Guy, or Antonio. In the very first recap, he was given that name.

Carlos, I also like Tracy!

The actor who plays the character of Valentin, or the henchman, or HM, has been in lots of telenovelas recently. He was the grandfather of the best friend of the female lead in Mi Corazon, I think he was a truck driver. In Perro Amor, he was the father of the best friend of the female lead. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure the actress who played "Valentin"'s daughter in Perro Amor, is now the MOTHER of the lead actress in Relaciones Peligrosas!

Elvira is being a little tough on Stevie, criticizing him for losing her patrimony. He did win back enough to buy back ElT, right? She should at least wait until a few crops come in, or she may have to reap what she sows.
 

NMaven...
And so the plot SICKENS.

LOVE IT!!
thanks for the compliments.
 

Hey Marta, what is the verb for TWEEZE? I could not make it out in the dialogue.

NM, I love "the plot SICKENS". It's perfect for this one.

Carlos, I like Tracy too. Last night I thought thank goodness she is around to be Camila's pal. She seems to be the only one with any sense in the bunch. I have hopes for Margarito too.

What do these ranchos do? What is their product? In the first episode they mentioned something about crops but I would love to know exactly what the crops are.

By the way, the yogurt shop, definitely looked like it could be in Fresno. Nice touch of realism there.

Ha, word verification is atamesse, as in ata messe this show is.
 

Ahh... Old Spice Guy! Thanks, Hombre!

I just noticed Zack's new post on yesterday's recap. (It's great -- you should check it out!) He has transcribed Pedro's conversation with the cops. They tell him they are going to investigate. Apparently at that point, Mariana's mental state is such that she can't bear witness to anything.

So I got to thinking ...

If I were a creepy cretinous slug like Gregorio and wanted to keep Pedro out of my hair (body, head and facial), I'd try to frame him for the attack. Don't the police usually look at the husband first? On the surface, it might appear that Pedro had a powerful motive: He discovered that his wife was expecting another man's baby!

How could he defend himself? If he admits the marriage is just a sham, he risks (perhaps) being deported ...
 

Martaivett:

You did such a nice job recapping this nasty little story. Thank you.

I loved the following:

"He offers hospitality (and then some!). You caught the essence of Antonio's character here—his idea of hospitality makes me shudder.

Beanie tightening moments with Mariana...Why would she continue to get worse? Why not find a PTSD and head injury specialist? Why would the Doc foreshadow this by saying to Pedro, essentially, "You are going to be stuck with her for life?"

A couple of other burning questions...Why is Pedro's un-tucked shirt so long? Does Antonio's really large BELT BUCKLE mean he is a rodeo star?

Even Julieta Rosen's acting seems stiff and forced in this hot mess, as JudyB called the TN yesterday.

Marta, your "spare me" said it all regarding seeing Greg in bed. Why? Why did we have to see that? Why did Elvira fall for the troll who lives under the bridge?

EJ
 

I just watched a short interview of Blanca, Aaron and Rafael on El Gordo y La Flaca and Blanca had a feather in her hair!

I hope I never have to see the troll in bed ever again. Ever. I don't care even if it my recap night I will shut my eyes.
 

Thanks Marta: You recappers are pretty good at writing something about nothing.

Trying to stick this out for at least a week. Even tried paring up a couple: Magarito and Mariana (assuming she gets better)? Like how most of the TNs I've watched have awesome girl best friends. I'm with you Carlos, really like Tracy (partly because I can actually understand some of what she says--yay for Spanglish) :)

Robey
 

Sylvia: Cracking me up!!! "I hope I never have to see the troll in bed ever again. Ever. I don't care even if it my recap night I will shut my eyes."

Robey
 

I don't understand why Pedro thinks it'd be too hard to tell Camila about his situation. He managed to explain it to Margarito in less than a minute! And considering these two were getting all lovebirdy after knowing each other for 2 seconds, I think they could handle the honesty.

And in Camila's defense, that was just a tub of frozen yogurt she was eating rather than ice cream. Chug away, skinney girl!

Kelly
 

EJS - I noticed all of Pedro's shirts too. they're kinda big on him.
is the actor trying to hide some pudge?
 

Thanks for the funny recap.

I'm enjoying this show so far, even if it is full of cheese, or fro-yo as the case may be. I like buckets of frozen yogurt better than buckets of tears.

Can't figure out why Mariana's memory would continue to get worse, though. Or why Pedro wouldn't just explain things to Camila...it's not that big a community! She's going to find out!

So here are the apodos I thought of for Gregorio while I was watching last night:

Greg-odio
Gargoyle
Gargamel
Dregs-orio
Gagorio

I'm sure more will occur to us as his villainy rages on.
 

Martaivett--a masterful job turning dreck into gelt.

After three nights, I'm highly disappointed--with the writing, character development and acting. After being spoiled by the quality of Eva Luna and CME, I'm tempted to bail, but for now I'll hang in, mainly to be here with friends.

So much to criticize, so little to extol, too bad.

And speaking of eyebrows, after the crying scale that was started on a different tn, could we create an eyebrow scale for the men?

0=Esteban, who has none or nothing perceptible, on one end (representing the good, innocent and foolish)

10=Don Gregorio, whose eyebrows are surely blackened with lampblack--and ugly to boot--on the other end (representing the cruelest, baddest evilry ever--at least Marcela & Leo used poison to deshacersen de unwanted chamacos)

I think Tracy is our firey but sweet Matilde, but where is Manuela and the rest of the help? You just can't (without a beanie) cook and clean ElT without a staff.

They should have spent a little more time developing the bad side of Elvira's character. I was also still in the Regina mode--then I saw her arriving for dinner at Gregos in some sort of weird fur cape and mini-skirt? From sweet to tart was too quick.

Where is Lazaro and Ezequiel? I guess Margarito will have to do.

I'd rather see Elvira bedding down with Augustin than paunchy Gregogre.

Sorry, but Pedro is no Daniel--give me even one minute of a lip-lock with Daniel and I'm jelly.

I'm filled with rant. I hope this is not the way it's going to be for the next few months.

Well, to be truthful, I'm SoooO glad I have Montecristo w/Silvia Navarro and Diego Olivera to fall back on. For those who might want to try it as an on-line alternative, it's on YouTube. The best poster for full episodes is someone named SySBasanezNavarro and the title line is MTC - 1.1 (from the beginning). It's worth taking a look.

Meanwhile, arriba y adelante, amigos, let's tough this one out together.
Anita
 

Julia, I thought of Gagorio last night during the bed scene, can you guess why? I've decided that for me, that is exactly who he is. I can call him Gag for short.
 

I also like Gargoyle for obvious reasons. Great list Julia. I knew we could count on you!

Anita, I like your eyebrow scale. The bigger the brow the badder the boy.

Kelly, the not being able to explain simple concepts is an illness that seems to afflict most telenovela characters, especially the good guys.
 

Thanks as always, Marta!

Fun fact: there have been a total of seven timeskips in the first three episodes of this show--the last one (in last night's ep) apparently being only to skip over the actual beginning of Elvira's affair with Don Bombastico. (Speaking of which--how the heck did Tracy find out about it?) On the one hand that's something that really should have played out onscreen, but on the other...yeah, we probably could hold off a little longer on seeing Julieta Rosen suck alt.Emeril's face.

On a slight tangent: is it just me or is gambling a generally uncommon novela device nowadays?
 

Bill--Gambling has been used before, at least once with Juan Soler in Apuesta por un Amor. He was supposed to be the good guy but was a professional gambler and had a very agressive streak to him. Was hard to watch him abuse the women.

Blue Lass--about Tweeze--it seems that the Fresno Spanish-speaking community does not tweeze, although they do have tweezers.

Here are the definitions: pinzas, tenacillas & alicates.

When you reverse the process and look up the English definition:

alicates--are fine-pointed pliers or pincers;

tenacillas--include pincers, pliers, curling irons, snuffers, sugar tongs and tweezers (haha)

pinzas--include pincers, nippers, forceps, lobster claws and tweezers (more haha)

No reference to gambling, though.
Anita
 

Well I'm glad to see that a lack of plot and character development have no ill affect on our desire to learn, LOL!!
 

TWEEZE ... well official translation is 'sacar con pinzas' but i also have heard it translated as depilar even though it is not really the literal translation.
 

I love Gagorio best, Gag for short works for me, and i too will close my eyes when i see him and a bed on screen...
 

I too am missing lazaro and ezeq, Carlos too, although Margarito works nicely too.
 

I cast my vote for Gagorio as well.

Sorry I didn't pop in earlier with pinzas. I found that one out a couple of weeks ago when doing my recap for LQNPA.

I'm giving this one one more week and that's it. So far not impressed with the show, but the peanut gallery ROCKS :-)
 

Thanks, Marta, and OBTW your title is deliciously sadistic!

So far this TN's OK by me. Not the greatest, a la CME, but that's a hard act for any TN to follow. Note all the comparisons we're making in the comments.

Dang, ladies, in CME y'all were trashing the sight of Alvaro Nesme shirtless in his hospital be and this time it's the Gregorrhoid. Wow. And now we're getting an eyebrow scale as well. Chris Ferro, see what you started with your Ugly Crying Scale.

Thanks, Hombre, for the explanation of "OSG" - I'd lost the bubble on that one.

One last note - I added Univision to the Google+ "La Plaza de Caray" page, so it might be possible to put a comment there under one of the Univision posts re your feelings about this TN. Those of you who aren't members there, I'll be more than happy to add you. It was started a place to snark between the CME Gran Final and the El Tal Estreno.
 

Mike, I've definitely seen worse too. Hey, in fact Gagorio was in one of them. Do I notice a pattern here? You're right, it's not fair to compare El Talisman to CME. I wonder if we will learn about raisins the way we learned about grapes in CME? Oh shoot, I'm comparing again.
 

After watching this show this week, I realized one big problem I have with it. They miscast Pedro and Antonio. Pedro should be younger. When he left the orphanage, I thought he was a worker there or a doctor there, not someone leaving if from being raised there. The man is easily 40 for gosh sakes. And the age issue plays in again when Mariana looks at him like a brother. She looks to be in her 30's herself, she would only look at him like a brother if he were much younger looking.

Antonio is already married with kids, he could easily be 40 years old, but instead he looks to be in his 20's. So having an affair with a woman who looks to be in her 30's doesn't fly with me.

Not sure I want to continue with this one. 8:00pm is a bad time for me. If it were 7:00, I could watch it in real time and I would stick with it, but maybe I'll just keep reading these wonderful recaps and if it gets more interesting, tune in then.
 

Mike: I would like to be added please? Is that ok?
 

Cathyx- I have had the same thought IRT Antonio.
 

Marta- The low quality of this tn so far has not affected your high quality recapping abilities. :)

I have nothing more to say about this show, other than I will give it a bit more time. There is something a bit off with the pacing that I can't quite put my finger on. I would also like someone like Sergio G. better in the role of the older villain, and I certainly did NOT appreciate seeing Don Gag (thanks for the additional nicknames Julia) in the buff. Blech!

In addition to the pacing and the un-charismatic villain, they are wasting a hot heroine. Blanca Soto is not the strongest actress in the world, and that's fine. A fab actress like SN can get away with non-flattering outfits. But when the acting and the story are weak, then you should play up the fact that you have a drop dead gorgeous heroine with legs up to there. They did a good job playing that up in Eva Luna. I know Pedro/Rafa is capable of looking hot, but they are hiding him under those baggy shirts. Perhaps when we have a big time jump, the two leads will get sexy makeovers.
 

Oh, and I LOVE the title! Stevie's got it bad.
 

I'm with you Vivi, bring on Pedro's knock-out smile over a open collar formal shirt with a suit in the european cut. And can he go gamble at a real casino please?
I mean, Camilla didn't even dip into her yogurt! and I bet that cup had a large dimple on the bottom. Feed me Writers!
 

Maybe the land is valuable for it's curb appeal???
 

That land must have all the water in the area. How else do they have that luscious landscaping and their own little lake?
 

Thanks for the recap Marta. Enjoyed it greatly....as well as the comments. Y'all are too good for this telenovela. I skipped the whole thing last night and did something else...Started to watch the first few minutes and when we had that mental replay of Gagorio beating up the poor pregnant lady, I turned it off. Sooooo glad I missed the bedroom scene.
 

cathyx, I gave up caring about obvious age discrepancies when they passed Fernando Colunga and Mario Ivan Martinez off as a recent college graduates in MEPS. I pretty much threw in the towel after that. I'm happy that the main hero is an actual man, not a boy. I just adjust my beanie a bit and let his sexy voice do its magic.
 

I may be losing something in the translation that doesn't support this, but maybe Gargoyle's obsession to own El T is a weird sort of revenge thing against Don B for stealing the love of his life. At this point, it wouldn't even matter to him that DB is dead.

Just a thought.

If anyone gets news that Eva Luna is going to be repeated on Telefutura or again on Uni, would you let me know. I'd like to try that one. There's a new one coming on Telemundo this year that I might check out: Corazon Valiente. Haven't seen any TMundo ones yet.

Thanks.

Robey
 

Been trying to get together a list of TNs showing at present on all the stations in my area, so that I can keep an eye out for any new or new to me ones I can start from the beginning. Uni's new ones aren't grabbing me.

Robey
 

Robey/NovelaMaven: Please let us know when the Telemundo novela you mentioned starts. I finally get the station here and I've got no info on what might be good to alternate my one free hour nightly with. Thanks!
 

Oh man, for some reason this recap did not come up on my iphone and I kept hitting refresh throughout the day.

Now I'm heading out the door again, so I really only have time to say THANK YOU to Marta. I am so glad you are recapping this show.

And, feathers in the hair are real big now. My son's gf had a "feather party" where a gal who puts them in came and pressed them in with hot wax to anyone's hair who wanted them. They stay in for months. Steven Tyler has them on Idol.

Rosemary la Otra
 

My cousin got some put in her hair when she was at Disneyland. She said she washed, brushed, and blew dry her hair and it didn't affect them at all.