Caray, Caray!

I suspect we're in for a rough week.
 

Thank you so much UA for this great recap, love the title and the name La Vipera for the la vaca perfect name for her. I really hated this episode. All the angst. I didn't like that the Cupcake wouldn't even listen to Rohell. I didn't like them slapping each other either. Does he even know Guscake's name? I don't think he does. The Cupcake still refers to him as her boyfriend. I think she slapped him cause its the only thing she can do and she is sooo full of rage, I really think he slapped her as someone mentioned before like the old 40's film noir movies where the woman is hysterical and won't calm down. I don't like that he did it.

May Skelator roast in hell. Anything for venganza for him. I hope the anvil hits him hard.

Sin and Mersnotty good grief. If the Cupcake is still at Hell Fuerte there will be words, especially if lo and behold the alive Guscake comes with them. How will the Cupcake handle that, come to think of it perfect proof for Rohell being innocent, cause Guscake knows who attacked him.

I can't beleive I am actually defending Rohell in this episode, but I don't like the advances cause he has got that whip again and threatens the Cupcake with it. He is indeed regressing. I was hoping he never would.

I wish the Cupcake would talk to Maria. Maria would set her straight.

The best scene of the episode was the split screen of Rohell and Cupcake saying why why and the Cupcake saying she was falling in love with him sigh!
 

UA, thanks for the succinct wrap up of all that angst and drama. Rogelio's eyes were indeed sad. Nothing like pushing a rock all the way to the top of the hill, only to have it roll back down, crushing you on the way.

I would be happy if Bruno and Elsa La Vipera were buried in a deep, dark hole somewhere, preferably in the middle of a toxic waste dump.
I also wouldn't mind if Ulises, Macaria, and Maripaz never returned from the trip to claim their prize.

Guscake might as well show up at the hacienda. It would exonerate Rogelio and allow Gus to check the Cupcake's frosting. Rohell has nothing more to lose at this point. Pobre de Macario, another dream crushed.

La Paloma
 

ahhhh, Urban Anthro, Thanks for the great read. I've decided I feel lucky that I couldn't actually watch or hear this episode. Reading your fine work is plenty. What a mess! I rather think that Gus needs to appear back in APaula's life right now so we don't have to suffer thriugh nights of her refusal to think beyond Skeletor's mind tricks and has to realize that she has been duped.
 

Thanks for the recap UA and also being a trooper in recapping this stinker of an episode. Rog is definitely regressing to mean Rohell since AP believes the worst about him thanks to Bruno's scheming. This has turned into the war of the Montero's.

What can Rog do to clear his name since AP won't even let him explain and of course the slap didn't help either. It's all gone to hell in a handbasket. I hope this doesn't last for weeks on end or I'll be pulling my hair out.
 

BTW, loved the title based on Sexo, Pudor, y Lagrimas. I went to YouTube and watched it and Jorge was excellent in that film as well as not afraid to show some skin *ahem*
 

UA:

You did a great job with a horrid episode. I am so sorry you had to recap this.

The interactions between AP and Rogelio were all too ugly and all too real looking. Argh.

AP was so hysterical that she did not let him get a word in edgewise, but there is never a good reason to hit—for either party.

I hope we get through this section of the story very quickly. However awful this misunderstanding is now, it is easily resolved with the simple appearance of Gus. It sort of looks like Cinthia is going to make that happen by inviting Merc and Gus to be house guests at Hacienda La Fuerte.

Salinas did not look well here. I wonder if this was filmed when he was ill last fall.

EJ
 

She will find out this week that Gustavo is alive, which will at least solve this issue. Since he can ID his attacker(s) Rogelio will have a chance at clearing his name. However, this doesn't exclude the possibility that Skelator won't instruct his henchman to say that Rogelio engaged his services and paid him in cash.

The only person who could tell the truth about this is Tia MentiRosa, who won't because of her own agenda.

What will be interesting is how Gustavo will react at seeing Ana Paula again after all the lies that were told about her and how Sinthia will react when she realizes that Gustavo's lost love was none other than her hated sister-in-law.
 

Thank you for all the detail of a truly horrid episode. When we weren't dealing with the dramas and angst of Roeliana, we were dealing with the Snidely Whiplashes of Skeletor. To add to our misery we get a bizarre Marcaria and Family win a contest. QTH was that?
 

Thank you for your detailed recap, UA. Wish I had time to rapsodise but must run off to work. Darn Univision and their program managers! and reCaptcha, it takes me forever to post.
I don't think there is any guarantee that AP will see Gus this week, I think they plan to continue this plot contrivance for awhile.
 

UA, I just tried to post (and lost) a long comment. So, I will say again that this was marvelous. As you said, the recap "is just too horrible for words".

"True Snidely Whiplash fashion" and "maternal unit" were a few of my favorite lines.

This was so sad! ITA with everyone in hopes this sordid storyline will end quickly.

UA, you are so talented! Your recapping the conversations was masterful.

Diana
 

I meant the episode is "just too horrible for words". The recap was marvelous.

Diana
 

Thank you so much for this recap, and so speedy too, UA! It was a tough one to do!

Ah, Rohellio, Rohellio. The look of confusion and torment on his face was heartbreaking. Just as he was thinking that his life was taking a good turn, it all goes to crap. And with no warning WHATSOEVER!!! Poor Rogelio. I feel so bad for him.

Yeah, I was the one that likened his slap to the ones in the old 40s movies where the man slaps a hysterical woman to get her to stop/shut up. I do think that was in play here. Cupcake was absolutely out of control and she'd already gotten in a couple of good slaps herself. She was just losing it. I think Rohell just wanted it to stop. But more than that, I think he was starting to lose it; it was just too much to take, so sudden and everything. Not that that is any excuse! But when he hit her, she shut right up, just like how it works in the old 40s movies. But neither of them had any excuse hitting the other. Completely out of control.

It is so frustrating because if she'd only CALM DOWN and listen, she'd at least have some doubts isntead of being so all-fired certain it had to be Rohell that did it. We realize that Rohell unfortunately has a bad track record with her—the whippings, the general bad attitude. But yet, how does it make sense that he'd leave the 'evidence' in such an easy place to find? And why would he need to have it anyway? If he had hired someone to kill Gustavo, he could have been shown the evidence and then the evidence would have been disposed of. You'd think. But this is a telenovela and we need to fasten our beanies extra tight.

Finding out that Gustavo is alive will help clear Rohell, but not completely, since as has been pointed out, it's assumed that the person who beat Gus was hired by someone, and Cupcake will still want to believe that someone is Rohell.

I liked how Dipsh*t Miguel was a bit incredulous that Cupcake hadn't even allowed Rohell to get a word in edgewise. A voice of reason! But of course Cupcake doesn't listen.
 

Managed to get another post. UA, I had so many favorite things from your recap. Elsa La Vipora, and
"Eres aburrido, chamaco; your sister's situation is far more interesting."

ya know, Rohell and AP might be a little too much alike to be good mates. I can see her with that whip.
 

Thank you Elvira I couldn't remember who it was that said the thing about slapping in old 40's movies. I am a huge fan of these old 40's movies.

ITA with you about Miguel. He is so dumb, but in this he was sooo right. The Cupcake needs to hear Rohell's side of the story, but you know it will take a while for her to find out the truth.

EJ- I wonder too if they filmed this when he was ill. He really didn't look good, especially the eyes.

About the winniing the contest. Macaria and family entered a contest in the beginning of this TN with some kind of product Doritos? And now they won.
 

If Ulisses' family won the lottery, maybe they'll move to D.F. and get out of this story. Which would suit me just fine.

We know that Sinthia will turn the knife in a little deeper once she gets home. I would love for someone to catch her flagrante delicto with Efrain to call her on her BS about class. Although I will predict that the first person to find out about that will be Skelator, who will blackmail her about it.

As to whether Ana Paula and Rogelio are too alike, I disagree. She doesn't take any crap from anyone so she is what he needs. And he knows this. Maria knows this, too.

Maria might be the first person who figures out that Skelator is responsible for this explosion.
 

U/A, Thanks for the speedy recap. Like others, I loved your title. Also, loved the "blow-by-blow" conversations.

Re Vainey: "We could not have anticipated any different reaction from her.". How true!

Elvira, hard to believe Mikey was our voice of reason this episode! I guess his brain was having a good day.

I'm somewhat impressed that the writers changed my dread of Gus' reappearance to AP into a desire to have this meeting occur muy pronto.

It's a bitter pill to swallow that someone you love and someone you thought could be beginning to care for you believes you're a murderer. Even once this is cleared up, I would think Rohell could remain very hurt for some time.
 

One thing I am still trying to understand is how relationships in novelas can survive this kind of misunderstanding. If I had ever been on the receiving and of these kinds of accusations or this level of name-calling, I'd be so out of there.
 

UA, good point. The people in these shows go through so much and somehow keep on.

And also, can you imagine if Cupcake had treated Gustavo like that? I somehow think that he, a guy with more "options" (and younger, more idealistic, not as much baggage, etc) would have been so out of there too. But Rohell, because his life has been crap for so long, and because he connects Cupcake with his life not being crap (finally) will probably try to try harder to get her to understand, so he can get back to his life not being crap (so he hopes). But I think the hurt will be there for quite a while.
 

UA yes we are in for a good week I've seen ahead to bad I can't translate since I know no Spanish lol but I can wait for the recaps. I wish to say thank you for the conversations translation in line by line form. I say this because I want to know exactly what they are saying to each other, specifically Paula and Rog. Although loose translations work I just love knowing and since I am devoid of captions till well ever I rely on you an your fellow recapers to let me realize my "it's getting drama-ud in this pot" is valid or not many times not like the ernesto wife die thing thought is was like her saying she had proof or something but I found out from you guys that really she died I was like well yep I need them hahahaha do I appreciate all you and all you do now to wath this episode before I have to go to school happy Tuesday all.
 

Thanks UA. An excellent and very nicely detailed recap of a very painful episode.

Sorry, I have no sympathy with Rog and though I saw his distress (as others did), I'm certain that I also saw unbridled rage in his face as he slapped AP. Sorry, I'm not buying "like the old 40's film noir movies where the woman is hysterical and won't calm down...". The man is a dangerous lunatic.

I'm guessing that his next move will be to have her transported to the catacomb where he held Nesa against her will.

Pirate Babe,

"What can Rog do to clear his name since AP won't even let him explain and of course the slap didn't help either."

Easy. Call the police in to investigate just as AP wants.

It wouldn't take long to reveal that Gus is actually still with us.

Lastly, does he really need to think very hard to come up with who might have planted Gus' stuff?

Carlos
 

I couldn't determine whether Maria knew that Skelator was in the house. She knows enough about people to figure out that he's bad news. I also wondered whether Rogelio was checking him out during their conversation to see if he knew that which he shouldn't.

Agreeing with the poster who pointed out the illogic of anyone keeping evidence of someone's death. Only serial killers do such things and they would hide them well (Can you tell I'm a Dexter fan?).

At this time Rogelio could figure out that Skelator is the only person with a real motive to frame him for a crime like this. He's seen him hungry for the Cupcake. There is often a one-upmanship thing between men that's either about money or women. Rogelio has property that would have been Skelator's (although I think he came by it legitimately), so he should assume that Skelator would try to get something out of him. Stealing a woman is often more painful than stealing anything with a monetary value.

I'm wondering where Skelator's house is relative to the hacienda and the town. And who could potentially spot his henchman.
 

Thanks UA! Skillfull recap!

I'm surprised that Rogelio turned to prison warden rather than investigating the evidence pointing to him. Of course without AP telling him where she found the stuff he's going to have a hard time of it. I guess they (the writers) needed a reason for Rogelio to "regress".

I have seen so many furious TN heroines believing the worst and not letting a word in edgewise for "misunderstandings" to be resolved that it's pretty much par for the course. AP is just not the brightest gal and that has always been true. I find I can never really care that much when the heroine is routinely dumb or super naive or immature. It's nice when you have a character like Renata from CME once in a while.

I wonder if the director is just playing us setting up the Mersnotty and Guscake visit to the Hacienda. They've pulled several fast ones on us before. I would LOVE to see them show up at the hacienda, but I'm afraid it's just a tease.

Cinthia is such a wuss! (again). Telling Guscake that Rogelio was the one pushing her to marry David. Please! That girl can come up with more blame-deflecting excuses than Tia MentiRosa! And all over Gus when he is obviously not appreciating it? Yep, she's really tone-deaf.

I'm having to bear parts of it but overall I'd say this has been very entertaining and there are so many possibilities for lots of dramatic fun in the near future. Kudos to the writers!

Audrey
 

Carlos, I reviewed the episode and didn't see unbridled rage on Rohell's face before the slap. Just distress, hysteria maybe. Disbelief. There was a brief moment of "There now!" after the slap (like that was enough already!), but nothing that rose to the level unbridled rage that I could see.

But, it's not good to excuse slapping, especially slapping of someone weaker than you. I guess the same can be said for Cupcake getting in some pretty good slaps to a man in a wheelchair, as well as pushing his chair back so hard that he almost wheels up against a wall.

I don't consider this slap that he administered to be the worst of his sins, by far. It wasn't done in rage, more like hysteria, distress, whatever. The whippings he gave to Bruno and Efrain—those were nuts. He drew blood, he kept on adminstering blows, and over and over again. When we take off our beanies for a moment, we all know that someone capable of that is a freak who is in dire need of anger management therapy. He'd be a terrible bet as anyone's spouse until he has the whip thing resolved.

But . . . since we all wear our beanies tightly to get through these things, we will see how things develop, and see how Rohell can be cured of his anger and bad behavior. I do think it's going to be better; I already think he's not quite as out of control as he was with Bruno and Efrian (where it was really unprovoked on their part—just something they said or did that he didn't like and suddenly WHAP! with the whip! FREAK!!!). But still, we have a lot more episodes to go through and it's gonna take a while to see Rohell completely reformed . . . Two steps forward, one step back, alas.
 

I am also starting to wonder to what degree Rogelio's reclaiming of the riding crop is pure manipulation as opposed to actual malice.

I also don't think he'll lock the Cupcake in the chicken coop. He doesn't intend to break her but he does need to prove that he didn't kill Gustavo. Since Gustavo will shortly turn up at the hacienda that won't be hard, but since the wallet, watch, and shell have been handled by both Rogelio and AP any fingerprinting would be useless at this point.

Sinthia will really go off on a tear at the Cupcake, though.

We also have to see whether MentiRosa gets to give Fed the news about the Cupcake being his little girl. I don't know that he will take this news well.
 

how can i watch this show on line? I tried novelasdetv.com but i can get the whole show to play?
Kat
 

Urban: Great recap. Paula had me from hello until she went nuts over finding Guscake's wallet and instantly blamed Rogelio. Speaking of Gus, he hasn't exactly been burning barns down trying to find her. I sincerely hope that when Sin invites him to the hacienda that Ana Paula isn't locked up and actually sees him. If not, I will have to break my TV.
 

Also, if Cupcake and Guscake meet at the hacienda they'll both have a lot of 'splaining to do.

She's venerating his picture and blaming Rogelio. If she thinks she's hurt now, yikes, just wait.
 

UA, thanks for a riveting recap. Great title. My favorite line: "Eres aburrido, chamaco: Your sister's situation is far more interesting."

Hope Tia comes to the rescue - never thought I'd say this. But surely her desire for Rogelio's money will cause her to try to make AP listen to reason, while she feigns support to Bruno. Tia knows how to play all her cards.

AP's mortified that she (almost) fell in love with the enemy, a combination of rage and guilt. I understand her temporary crazies, and Rogelio's slap (though I was ready to slap her myself) and now imprisioning her aren't helping. I do think Rogelio tried to grab her to hold her and calm her down but she wasn't having it. I do hope he continues to treat Margarito well.

AP had kept Rogelio's love letter, and Rogelio stores his whip (when he's good) in AP's bedroom. Two intimate acts. When they do make up (hope it's soon), it should be fantastic.

Gus is growing on me. I like the way he's showing just a weebit of annoyance with Cynthia, and telling her straight up to slow down.

What are the chances that Bruno intervenes so AP and Gus's sis don't run into each other at the hacienda?
 

I don't see how Tia MentiRosa could come to the rescue here when doing so would admit her own guilt in the attack on Gustavo.

At this stage I bet that Skelator would love for the Cupcake to feel isolated so he can pretend to be her white knight, so he won't care if she has a confrontation with Mercedes.
 

Finally, a TN where writers actually write and actors actually act. Good work on developing this TN. Thank you.

I, top. hope the lottery winners will disappear.

As for Rohell taking back his whip. He's got to hold onto some familiar and known part of his life while everything around him in his new life is falling apart. A little like the Linus character with his blanket in the Peanuts cartoon. I don't think he'll use it, he just needs to have it around for inner peace of mind and a feeling of stability and safety.

Slapping each other?? Hurt + disappointment = rage that doesn't stop to think. When you go through several "amor" disappointments, you learn that getting physically angry with someone resolves nothing and just adds another layer of pain. But for AP and Rohell this is the first serious "amor" disappointment in their lives. They are both alive and feeling it. No dreams, no fantasies.
 

Niecie, good points about the "two intimate acts" between Rohell and AP. Whether AP wants to admit it or not, she has felt more for him for quite a while. Her somewhat proprietary treatment towards him (when she was his nurse and telling Vainessa to back off) also points to this.

Regarding the whip: I am reminded of a comment made by someone a while ago (I think it was Jardinera?) that a lot of his anger and freaky behavior is probably due to undiagnosed depression. Things probably wouldn't have escalated to this point had he got help a long time ago. I don't think Sinthia is inclined to push for this; Maria probably isn't in a position to either (if she tried, he'd ignore her). So he is how he is. When the depression lifts (and AP's presence helped with that a lot), his whole outlook changes.
 

UA-
I'm so glad you are a recapper, and that I'm not. My recap would have been FF through this episode and probably the next 5. Nothing good will happen during them.
I actually did FF through this and I knew exactly what happened without hearing it. AP and Rog fight, she doesn't listen to him or believe he's innocent. He's hurt by it and wants to get to the bottom of it.
Vanessa and mom are conniving about what to do about new sister.
Cin and Guscake still really like each other.
Skelator pats himself on the back for a job well done. Rinse and repeat for the next week at least.
 

"I have seen so many furious TN heroines believing the worst and not letting a word in edgewise for "misunderstandings" to be resolved that it's pretty much par for the course. AP is just not the brightest gal and that has always been true. I find I can never really care that much when the heroine is routinely dumb or super naive or immature."

I agree with this Audrey. AP needs to do some serious growing up and not to always jump to conclusions. Of course, she would believe the worst about Rog since she has seen him at his worst so she's not even given him a moment to defend himself. Both were wrong for the physical violence and all it did was escalate an already bad situation. Rog doesn't know what to do at this point but keeping AP prisoner isn't the best choice either. It's kind of a damned if you do and damned if you don't case here.

I'm finding myself hoping that Gus, the boring one, will make an appearance to clear up this situation but I think the damage has been done and Rog will remember this for a long time.
 

Happy I'm not suicidal because this episode may have been too much. Everyone was sad. Except Elsa who is just a bitch.

And the lottery family of course. If they go away then who will push the Tostitos?

Kelly
 

No question that a serious amount of damage has been done. I agree that Rogelio will not get over this for a long time.

Unfortunately, those responsible will probably be able to wreak their evil for quite a bit longer.

Audrey

P.S. I'm like UA - if someone was screaming "murderer, murderer" in my face and refusing to tell me why they are doing it and not listening or letting me say anything, I would be so out of there! Never happens in TNs though LOL!
 

I probably should just be quiet here but I find it disturbing that most seem to be more critical of AP for jumping to the very conclusion that Bruno set her up for than of Rog for reverting to type when stressed a bit.

Which is worse, striking AP out of blind rage or calculating that a hard slap would be therapeutic?

Audrey, I do believe that although Rog does not understand all the details, he knows exactly why she was screaming "murderer, murderer" in his face.

Pirate Babe,

I do agree that "keeping AP prisoner isn't the best choice ...".

I still think calling the police to investigate why a dead man's (well, not so dead actually) stuff has turned up in Rog's desk is a wise, viable option.

Carlos
 

Has calling the police ever solved anything in a novela? It usually seems to make things worse. AP should keep quiet and stay away from Rogeilo until the year is up. That'd be more heartbreaking for him than actually doing something to him. And it'll give Cynthia time to drag Gus to the ranch and reveal the truth, faster than the cops could ever do.

Poor everybody. It's a difficult week.

Kelly
 

Carlos

I think Rog is very dangerous. He is written cleverly and well acted but he is character-disordered, as mentioned earlier by Elvira.

Perhaps with professional help he can be redeemed. Maybe he will start a batterer's support group for recovering rage-o-holics in Tuxtla.

AP's character is criminally naive and, if this were real life I would worry about her safety. In TN land how does someone like Rogelio change into a good person? Will happiness and love save the day? In real life, again, most of the time professional support is necessary to get over power and control issues like Rogelio's. The rage is a symptom of much deeper issues.
 

Great recap UA!

I wasn't upset at Ana Paula for believing what Bruno told her. I still think he'd be considered more trust worthy than Rogelio given that she hasn't seen him do anything terrible yet, unlike with Rogelio.

There's always a big effort to understand Rogelio and his faults and shortcomings but Ana Paula's are human too.

I usually think that the anti-heroe types have it easier than the heroes/heroines because people prepare for the worst and get excited when the best happens, while the heroes/heroines making mistakes causes great dissapointment. They are held to different standards.

I just don't hold Ana Paula to that kind of standard. Just because of the character's origins, she has a certain leverage with me.

Compare it to heroines like Renata in CME: Renata was rich, lived in Mexico City (a place filled with museums and culture and all types of life), had the best education, had the opportunity to travel and meet interesting people, had a smart and knowledgable father as a guide in life, worked for her father's company, etc. He leverage for stupidity with me was pretty short. Fortunately, the CME writers understood that.

Ana Paula: Grew up poor in a small city, in the poorest state of Mexico, never got out of town(she didn't even know places of her own state), surely got a public education, does not own a computer and probably didn't even have cable at home, the one adult in her life was an aunt who was more interested in manipulate her than to guide her into adulthood, has little professional experience, etc. That sort of background gives the writers more room for her mistakes. Although, I do agree that there's always a danger of them being too much. But, AP hasn't been too much for me yet.

Jarocha
 

And how many novela heroines over the years we're all watching have been called things like "ramera", "cualquiera" and worse by the men who are supposed to love them on the flimsiest of evidence?

No forgiveness for that. I am so Anglo that way.
 

Jarocha
It is so nice to see you and your comments are thought provoking, as usual. I guess the real test then, of AnaPaula, considering her minimal exposure to a broader life, is 'Will she learn from her experiences/mistakes?'

If she learns and adjusts then she will be a worthy heroine indeed. I just hope the writers keep her safe until she gains a bit more life experience.
 

I absolutely hated these episodes - so much that I was only able to watch them once (and that with great effort), when they were aired in Mexico. You'll have to be strong here, these episodes have the potential of making you want to abandon the ship for good; even I got to the point when the telenovela makes me indifferent. I am glad it wasn't my day to recap the whole thing. Brace yourself guys, sucky episodes are coming!

Thankfully, while the episode was a contest of who screams the loudest, with AP winning of course, the recap compensated all this - great, and delightful, as usual.

I found both slaps disgusting, but there was no anger in Rogelio's, he was just trying to make her stop, in desperation - not to hurt her, while she clearly hit him with the intention of seeing his blood come out lol. I hated both, but hers disturbed me even more, despite the fact that Rogelio is well built.

She is completely bonkers. You know she is when EVEN her dip*hit brother with half a neuron thinks she should listen to Rogelio. If she would have a brain, she would realize that there was absolutely no connection between Rogelio and Gustavo. Rogelio doesn't even know his name...maybe if he did, he would make the connection with him, since they already met for a project before. I am so pissed that Rogelio doesn't think of Bruno grr.


Rogelio's regression is a cheap way to make the Cupcake look good, because if he goes back to his 'normal self', then she will get away with everything she'll do, which I think is very low. I was expecting the worse when I saw this episode, thinking they will make AP look like a damsel in distress trying to escape from the beast Rogelio. It's a way of distracting the attention from AP's mistakes and stupid attitude to Rogelio's.

I will never excuse her if she won't give me reasons to do it or show any remorse and it's not a good pretext to excuse a bad conduct based on the fact that the other one is worse. I don't know if you understand what I mean, but this is how I see it. At this point, audiences probably hate AP, so instead of making her act like a normal human being to gain that sympathy back, they choose to bring Rogelio to the same level.

Rogelio can get away with more things, because the writers don't sell us the idea that he is the typical galan, who couldn't harm a fly, while they are obviously trying to make AP look like the heroine of the story, who sacrifices herself to live far far away at a big hacienda, with all her friends and relatives, married with a guy who wears black hats and has dimples and who gives her presents, hot kisses, even his fuete and organizes a dinner with Mariachi. Oh yeah, the sacrifice! If that's the definition of a victim, I want to be one too! Where's my cowboy?
 

And yes, around those times Jorge Salinas was getting ill of pneumonia. Indeed it all started with the lagoons, probably because of the scene they filmed when he fell into the water to save AP.

He eventually got cured of the pneumonia, but because of his weak immune system and the huge amount of work which made him tired (he was in the play Perfume de Gardenia by that time also), the illness developed into something more serious. Being a workaholic, he left the hospital several times to work on the telenovela, despite the doctor's advice and even got married, because he insisted that the date should be left unchanged, since he made a promise to Elizabeth. Of course, she wanted to cancel the whole thing, but he didn't want to. He had an ambulance outside the venue where they were celebrating, just in case. Several pictures from the party showed him STILL smoking cigarettes and eventually he was hospitalized for a third time and that illness was almost fatal. He had severe pulmonary embolism and yes, less than 20% chances of living. 8 of 10 men die because of it. But thankfully he survived despite his problems. You'll notice his health will worsen, especially his voice. I hope he left the cigarettes for good now. He has a strict diet and he's not allowed to get too fatigued, but he is feeling way better now.
 

Oh and isn't it ironic for Gus to tell Cinthia to slow down, while he kissed Ana Paula on their first date and couldn't stop thinking of her from the moment he rescued her? Ah wait, he did the same with Cinthia. I.hate.him.

Apparently, only Rogelio questioned Ana Paula's love of 3 days. It bugs me that everybody else doesn't find anything wrong with saying that you'll always love only one man - the one you knew for 3 days. Come on, now!
 

I noticed too that Jorge didn't look good and his voice sounded a bit hoarse. It's a miracle that he survived having a pulmonary embolism. Rapper Heavy D (if you're familiar with him) died from that this past November.

You're right about me not liking AP at this moment. I still sympathize more with Rog even with his regression.
 

I don't really have a problem with AP's over reaction. She JUST found out that her husband murdered the love of her life. (Thanks a lot Bruno. I could forgive you for previous schenanigans, even killing Gus because he was boring back then, but this is too much). Rogelio should've backed off for a day and give her a chance to catch her breath. Try the letter writing thing again. Isolating her and getting rid of Dani isn't going to help and will only make her hate him more. Which is probably the point since things were going a little too well and that needed to be stopped.

But does this mean that when she finds out Guscake is alive that EVERYONE will hate her? Cynthia already did. Now Rogelio's pissed and what are the chances Gus will listen to her explaination? I think not good. Bring back Tia and Efrain as comic relief!

Kelly
 

"Everyone was sad. Except Elsa who is just a bitch."
-----
So funny, Kelly!!!

I can't remember who asked it, but if familia Marcaria leaves, Maria can hawk the Tostitos. I think she did once.

UA, was it you who asked the very valid question: "if you can make your own tortillas by hand, why use tostitos?"
 

I don't have a problem with Rogelio's regression. The man has whipped people until he drew blood. He obviously has issues that aren't going to go away just because he fell inlove with Ana Paula.

I think Ana Paula has idealized Gustavo. I don't think she loves the real him at this point. That's why I find her reaction normal, she didn't lose a person, she lost an illusion. Rogelio has treated her well and she was starting to let go of Gustavo's illusion. But Rogelio still owns her freedom and he can take it away whenever he wants, she now believes him a murderer and that's pretty scary so of course she will go back to obsess over the illusion because he is the memory of simpler and hopeful times. A golden cage is still a cage, no matter if how beautiful it is and how nice the owner might be.

Jarocha
 

Elna June: I can only hope for the evolution of the characters in each of these stories. I have my own impressions of the them as a whole through the changes I saw in the story but I prefer to keep the reactions and judging of the for the time the storyline is being presented. This was the way I felt for her then and this is still the way I feel when recalling these episodes.

There was also a harsh reaction to her online when these episodes aired in Mexico months ago, so maybe my point of view is flawed. I still can't help but feel more compassion for her than for Rogelio.

Jarocha
 

Sara, no; that was somebody else.

As to Ana Paula idealizing Gustavo, that's normal for a girl her age who probably never had a boyfriend before him. He's handsome, smart, and he saved her life. Of course that makes him a Principe Azul to her. For her to find Rogelio intimidating is also normal, but until now she's been able to stand up to his stubbornness. The idea that he killed Gustavo and that she can't escape because she doesn't have a car or much cash or anyone who can help in this way is going to make her irrational.

What I am dreading is how Vainessa will laugh at her.

Finally, it does annoy me that so many novelas have situations where a character is presumed dead and it's so damned easy to find out otherwise.
 

Rogelio is not a bad man; never was and never will be. He just didn't have a reason to change for good. When Vanesa left him, he thought he'll be the one who can't be loved and so, to hide his bleeding heart, he decided to put on a mask and pretend to be ruthless cowboy. While he went to the extreme with some reactions, he never debunked the idea of becoming a better person; it's just that no one ever really wanted to see that side of him. Even before AP's arrival, we saw tender gestures, like when he is trying to get along with his sister at the diner. He is kind with his Nanny because she knows well enough his essence and she is treating him like she always did.

And the reason why he behaved in such an authoritarian way with Cinthia was simply because he saw that she doesn't have any goals in life nor is she really interested in learning something useful. Just money money money. And in a way, by shouting and pissing her off, he was just putting her to the test to see if she is ambitious enough to escape his influence and make her own life.

He is a flawed man, but he has enough qualities to redeem himself. The whip is merely an extension, like a part of his body. Having the whip means for him having the control over the situation. The whip is an empowerment tool, because while he has it in his hand, no one can tell how vulnerable he really is. And giving it to AP was probably the biggest proof of love. She took the mask off his face and we all discovered that he was simply a wounded man whose cuts never got a chance to heal. Of course we have to make use of the suspension of disbelief - in real life, no one changes that fast just with a bit of love. But Rogelio was never brought to that level when you thought he wasn't redeemable. Sure, he was cruel and unfair, but ever since the telenovela started, he managed to show his better side more often. I think I would love him no matter what he would do, but despite my fangirlism, I know that he is a good man.

He always wanted to show that, but he didn't have any motivation or reason or someone to help him. When he challenged AP to make him a better person, he looked happy to see her wanting to try.

AP's radar of detecting stinky men is way off. Yeah, she doesn't have that many reasons to doubt about Bruno, but she knows his desire to get his land back, that he got whipped badly by Rogelio, his passion for her and the reason why Rogelio still sticks with him. Even at the beginning she was skeptical of him and now, to trust him 100% and to accuse Rogelio of being a murder without reasoning...that's too much.

I wouldn't mind it THAT much if she wouldn't pretend to be a girl you can't fool with, but she has a very good opinion of herself, yet she behaves so naive and childish. Ok, the first impulse is to blame Rogelio, but then she should think for one second and put all the pieces together and realize that they don't fit at all. Besides, women nowadays don't sit in the kitchen anymore. I refuse to believe that you could spend time with a man and not realize that he is pure evil. Sure, his records don't speak too highly of him, but if she supposedly loves him, there should be at least a tiny ounce of doubt. However, she never asks herself whether or not he murdered him or not. Even if she would find Gus alive, she would probably just think that he did attempt to murder him. I can't stand those people who think that they are know-it-alls and don't listen to anyone, because they know that only their truth is valid. AP seems to be that kind of person.
 

Side note. I heard a story the other day that aco Bell is going to make their taco shells out of- get this- Tostitos! Or maybe it was Doritos. Same difference. It makes an cheap taco worse and turns your fingers odd colors. I hope Maria doesn't have to start making these.

Kelly
 

whoops. That's Taco Bell, for those of you who only eat good food.

K
 

Aco Bell.... I read it as asco bell.
 

I have absolutely no problem with Rogelio slapping Ana Paula!

Why?

Because I couldn't be there to smack the CRAP out of her! Someone had to do it!!!

Grrrr! I'd like to re-create that scene out of "Airplane" where everyone lines up to slap the hysterical woman. AP has annoyed me a lot with this inability to forget Gus (which of course is the whole basis of the novela), but this was beyond the pale for me!
 

Hahahaha! That was such a funny movie, Anita. Hilarious scene, too.
 

Ana Paula is quite irrational when it comes to people she loves. Just wait until she finds out the truth about Tia MentiRosa.

Her behavior in this situation is no better than Mercedes' was about her. Or BratGirl about her dad. Or Elsa or Vainessa about anything. Escept for Maria, one would think they were all on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
 

Agreed that AP is doing to Rogelio exactly what Mersnotty did to her.
 

Thanks for a good recap UA. Very good discussion by everyone. I really agree with the person who said that it takes time for Rogelio to change his behavior. I think it might be Jarocha and someone else. Changing or modifying a behavior takes a very long time especially if it has been a part of you for a very long time. These things happen at a glacial pace in real life and there will be bumps on the road. There will be ups and downs and adversity. We have seen Rogelio turn the corner and make some progress only to suffer a setback with all this murder accusation business.

That is the kind of thing that will make a normal human go nuts. We already know that Rogelio has some issues that he has to work out. So it is a daunting task for him to maintain his composure given the circumstances. I agree that his slapping of Ana Paula was more of a desperate emotional response to get her to "snap out of it" for lack of a better word. We also have to understand that it is more common in Mexican society than it is in American society to see such slapping by both parties involved. I'm not saying that it is good or acceptable. Here in the states, that can be classified as domestic violence by both parties.

Same thing with the "classicism" or class distinctions that we see all too often in these stories. ie, Cinthia and Efrain.

I don't think calling the cops in Tuxtla, or any place in Mexico would be a good idea. If I remember correctly with my discussion with Jarocha during the MEPS final episode, Mexican law is patterned after Roman Law and the Napoleopnic code. You are also guilty until proven innocent or not guilty. Even if Rogelio has the vast wealth and influence, this would not work out for him. Another thing is that if any publicity or word gets out, this could scandalize him and his image. We all know that most Mexicans are adverse to scandals and want to avoid it at all costs.

In the US, the first thing you would do is call the cops and have them investigate this matter. Not so in Mexico. Jarocha and others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Since I was behind most of the episodes a few weeks back, I just have to ask why some people thought that Cinthia hooking up with Gustavo will redeem her? Redeem her from what? I don't think she is a villain and she is a complex character with flaws like all of us here. She is not one dimensional in being all encompassing evil. Not that she is evil or a perfect saint.

She is my favorite character and she intrigues me the most. She also seems the most human in the real life sense of the word. I do like her pairing with Gustavo because she becomes an equalizer to Gustavo's boring nice guy. They may teach each other things from a different perspective and he could actually be very good for her. She may evolve as a result of this. I'm looking forward to Ana Paula, Gustavo, Cinthia, Rogelio and Mercedes meet up and clear up all this mess. I'd like to see something good come out of Ana Paula and Vanessa realizing that they are sisters. When all is said and done, there will be a clarity, a light bulb moment that points to Bruno and David being the major causes of all their troubles and amidst the backdrop of Rosaura's and Elsa's scheming and manipulations.



Ibarramedia
 

Funny, when I first saw this, I didn't have as much of a vehement anti-AP response. (Though this phase of the story is hard to get through, no question.) I thought she was uber-frustrating and I wanted to slap her, because she wouldn't listen. I also agree with those who said, if she sat down, calmly, and THOUGHT about it, she'd connect the dots and realize that the guy who was whipped bloody by Rogelio AND the guy who thinks that his lands were robbed by Rogelio is the same guy who is pushing the "Rogelio is a murderer" theory. Maybe this wouldn't be enough to convince her of Rog's innocence, but at least it would be enough to question the murderer thing, to a point where she isn't so all-fired sure. I swear, it seemed to me that if she had a gun when she first confronted him, she would have shot him dead.

And again, I agree with those who say that there was no uncontrolled anger or rage in Rog when he hit her. He was distressed, shocked, gobsmacked—he had no excuse to hit her, but he wasn't blinded by rage. He didn't have time to get mad. He was too overwhelmed by "WTF" to feel that.

But, I thought that because of Rogelio's bad behavior before, that it was not beyond comprehension that she would jump to the conclusion she did. And his treatment of her now is the worst thing to do! It's just reaffirming that he's a douchebag. Of course I agree that it's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. But better that he let her go, let her call the police, and get it all out in the open. He knows he's innocent. He's got nothing to hide. Well, it would be a bit embarrassing for the world to find out he had to get a contract to get a wife (if that were to come out to the public) but still, that's nothing compared to some of the control-freaky things he's doing now. Too bad he can't get over his control freak tendencies for a moment to see that.

As I said before, and as others have affirmed, if this were real life we would not consider Rog a good bet for a spouse because he unfortunately has undiagnosed, untreated issues that make him a FREAK FREAK FREAK. But we in Viewerville know that he is wounded, that he's not evil, that he wants to change (he does not revel in being a FREAK FREAK FREAKY FREAK as actual villains do) and that what he needed most of all was hope (and this "hope" manifested itself in AP).

One compensation for this "dark" portion of the novela—JS's great acting. He is Mr. Full of Awesome, after all. I have been reviewing some of the upcoming episodes and he's great. (Like Alexandra, I had avoided re-watching this "phase" and up until now had only run through them once.)
 

Alexandra:

I don't think Rogelio is a bad man. I don't like to put people in categories in real life, all of us have our "good" and our "bad" side. It is our actions that define who we are. If Rogelio here is presented as a three-dimensional man, instead of the usual moustache twirling villain or the dumb but honorable galán, then I'll judge him depending on the behaviour that is most consistant to his persona. So far, the beatings have been more consistent than the mariachis but that does not mean that such behaviour can't change. It just means that he still has to work his issues out. It also means that the people around him have the choice to accept him or not.

Ana Paula thinks highly of herself because she has always been surrounded by people with a little more or less the same conditions in life as her. In that environment, where she is used to be, she has learned the basics for human interaction and she knows how to recognize right from wrong in the basic ways.

In "El Fuerte" she's been thrown out of her comfort zone and she is meeting someone who fits none of the characteristics she has learned to understand in people. Rogelio, in Ana Paula's mind, was a horrible person when she saw in in his bad behaviour and she was starting to think of him as a wonderful person when she saw him at his best. Now that she believes him to be a murderer, she feels duped and her opinion goes to the extreme. She needs to learn to conciliate the good and the bad from the flawed man to really understand him and be certain about what she really feels for him and to be able to say if she accepts the option of being with him or not. He is not easy to put in a box, like Gustavo was.

Jarocha
 

Ibarramedia, I totally agree with your assessment of Rog's slap and the reason for it. You said it much more succinctly than I did.

Also I didn't know that about the police in Mexico. Okay then, it sounds like there are some serious downsides to calling the police. Though if they did investigate, it wouldn't take long to realize that Gus was alive. But maybe they wouldn't resolve who beat Gus or who hired the guy to beat up Gus, and in the meantime, Rog's image is in the crapper.
 

"Another thing is that if any publicity or word gets out, this could scandalize him and his image. We all know that most Mexicans are adverse to scandals and want to avoid it at all costs."

True.

And I think Rogelio cares as much about what people think as many characters in other novelas have. Or else he wouldn't have invited a big part of the town to his wedding when he has little interest in them.

You are also right about the Napoleonic Law Ibarramedia, I hadn't thought of that. I do think with his money and power it can be possible for Rogelio to make the investigations end quickly but that would make him look guilty in Paula's eyes, which would make this choice a moot point. I also think, that if he let the police investigate him for murder, it wouldn't look good for his business deals. It could cause him to lose partners, this isn't just true in Mexico.

Jarocha
 

Wow, some interesting facts and insights about the Mexican police, you people are really good and I mean it. I knew some of these details and I suspected others, but this just confirms it. Also, I think it's important to emphasize on the fact that Rogelio told her that he doesn't want her to leave not because she signed a contract, but because he wants to prove her that he's innocent. So he prefers to hold her there against her own will, while he tries to do what she didn't...putting everything together.

Jarocha, I see your point. I meant 'bad' by telenovela standards, where they like to put people into two categories: good and bad, without giving them any dimension. Rogelio has issues, just like everyone else, but you have to give him credit for trying. It's not easy to make such a turn, despite the fact that the telenovelas sell you the idea that it is. For seven years he didn't know the meaning of love and he is out of his comfort zone too, showing his true self to the woman he wants to conquer. We've seen him jumping into the water to save her, bringing her family and friend there and even surrendering his whip, so he puts everything he can to show her that he really means it. Ever since he whipped Bruno, he hasn't really shown that side of him anymore. In the end, it's not about making your own demons go, but to manage to keep them in control and Rogelio is doing a great job.

Regarding AP being full of herself, I was thinking back of the episode where she tells Vanesa that she won't tell Rogelio that she is waiting for him, which clearly wasn't her attribution, despite her good intentions. She needs to learn that she is as imperfect as everybody else and she can make erroneous judgment too and not have that "It's true because I say so" attitude. She needs to talk less and listen more.

Remember she told Rogelio that she believes in everyone, including him. What happened now? Why can't she give him at least the benefit of the doubt? Why can't she herself doubt that Rogelio did that? I only want her to DOUBT and to think, that's all.

Rogelio can be a riddle sometimes, but it's not THAT hard to figure him out. Since AP is a nurse, you would expect her to have patience. Well, she doesn't.

I admit my reasoning might be influenced a bit by future episodes, because I know the course of the story, although I was pretty much thinking the same at that time.
 

Ana Paula is the typical telenovela protagonista...blind, stupid, naive, and judgemental in las cosas de amor. She will be easily manipulated by all the malos around her and will stoically suffer rather than confront the truth that will expose all the lies, ulterior motives and betrayals.

Still we're learning some new vocabulary and some new meanings to familiar terms and phrases.