Caray, Caray!

I'll have you know that I almost named this Cap: "The enamored old turd," but remembered some of your comments about Rohell's "complex hotness" in the previous recap discussion, and came up with this title instead.


I'm feeling sort of lazy right now, so will go with a semi-abbreviated style (especially with the FISHERMEN scenes) but will give ample screenshots, as is my wont.

We start with a rewind of Gus at the beach, and telling Carmen's little daughter Melina that moms can have novios if they're not already taken. Carmen and sulky Juan overhear.  Carmen takes the girl away as she cheerily says Adios. Juan gives him the stinkeye.

He may not have complex hotness, but Gus is certainly very lovely to look at.

 Back at the Lakes, Tia is pumping Rohell for info on Fed. He wants to know why she wants to know. She says it's going to be hard working with Fed's company, since all the douchebaggery has gone down. Rohell shrugs. It's up to Fed to decide if he can mix personal and business; he (Rohell) doesn't have a problem with it. Tia then gets to the point. "Well, then that means since you have a contract with my niece, you won't ever fall in love with her?"

The two resident old turds have another to-the-point conversation.

The old turd replies, "Why do you ask?" Then Tia lays out her scheme to Rohell. Cupcake (Ana Paula) is starting to warm up to Rohell and enjoy the attention he's giving her. Rohell doesn't believe it. Tia says she can help things along. Rohell still isn't going for it. He brings up the dead boyfriend and AP's unwillingness to let go of him. "Why would I fall in love with someone who can never love me back?" he asks. Tia says she thinks he has an opportunity to "conquistar" (win) AP. Rohell looks wistfully around at AP who is with Margarito at the edge of the dock and says, half to himself, "Do you think that some day she'd fall in love with me?" Winsome puppydog look.

Oh he with the hopeful puppydog eyes.

FISHERMEN: Juan tries to hit on Carmen. She and her daughter shouldn't be alone so much. He can help with that. Some griping about Gus and his untrustworthyness. Carmen ain't going for it. FF>>

Back at the lake, little Margarito is asking Cupcake if Rohell is better. Yes he is. She says she's apprehensive because she doesn't want to go to that beach (Boca del Cielo). Tia comes up, saying they should "take advantage" (a recurring theme for her) of Rohell's generosity, because not all husbands are like that. Cupcake explains why she wants to avoid Boca del Cielo—sad memories of Gus. But Tia is apprehensive now for a different reason. If Gus worked there when AP met him, he might still be there.

At the Hacienda, Bruno is telling Maria that he's concerned (because as we know, "all his loyalty is with Rohell" *coughcough*) that Vainessa will be handling all the business that will be between Rohell and her father's business. Bruno suspects she's up to no good. Maria looks concerned too.

At the lake, Margarito pointedly asks Tia if handicapped people like Rohell can have kids. "Por supuesto que no!" Tia answers, emphatically! (Is this just assumed by everyone on the planet? I don't get it.) Margarito then gets to the point. Wouldn't it be nice, then, if Rohell and AP would adopt him? Tia is disgusted and tells him in the cruelest, most disdainful way possible, that NO WAY would they consider a little poor nobody like him. She tells him to scram. Margarito, crushed and in tears, runs off.

Too young to be a victim of Tia MentiRosa's cruel thoughtlessness.

Hacienda: More with Maria worrying about what douchebaggery Vainessa would be capable of working at the family business. Bruno agrees. He says he doesn't want Vainessa interfering with Rohell's and Cupcake's marriage. Maria thinks especially now. Bruno jumps on this and wonders if they're having problems, is that why they cancelled their honeymoon? Maria says no, it's just that any new couple needs time to adjust. Bruno says, with his sneaky walleyed way, that despite the fact that his and Rohell's friendship has "changed" over the years, he considers Rohell his best friend and he wants Rohell and AP to be happy. *coughLIARcough*

Back at the lake, it's time to move on to Boca del Cielo but they can't find Margarito. Hugo has looked and looked. Cupcake is getting very worried. Tia seems not that concerned. Rohell's own concern escalates and he urges Hugo to look some more, to get some local people involved in searching. The forest around there is pretty big; a lot of places to get lost. Cupcake starts to run after Hugo to do some searching of her own. Rohell tries to call her back, but she says she must do something. Rohell is left in his chair, no doubt feeling helpless since he can't do anything other than wait.

After Cupcake leaves, Rohell turns to give Tia the stinkeye. He instinctively knows that she somehow is behind Margarito's sudden disappearance.

Giving Tia the stinkeye.

She tries to pretend she is harmless and innocent, but she can't fool a fellow old turd.

Rohell starts to rip Tia a new one, scolding her for not taking better care to look after Margarito. Tia says she's not the brat's babysitter.  When he yells at her in anger, she tells him that she's his mother-in-law and not to speak to her like that. He puts her in her place, reminding her it's just for some months and she's to keep her distance from him. (Remember, you can't sh*t an old turd and both these people are old turds!)

She tells him that he's just annoyed because he can't go looking for the kid himself. He expresses his frustration; he knows this area so well but yet he is powerless to help.  She replies that she gets that, but to not take it out on her. He makes a veiled threat, saying she will see what happens if they can't find Margarito.

Fortunately it takes very little time to locate Margarito. He's sitting in the forest, crying about how no one loves him, not even Cupcake. When she reaches him, she reassures him that he is loved and hugs him. He is still apprehensive about returning, however, for fear that Rohell with either whip him or kick him out of the hacienda. She assures him that Rohell won't do anything of the sort.

Comforting little Margarito.

At Mercedes' place, Esteban is elatedly telling her how he's getting back with Vainessa. She's not entirely enthusiastic, though she says that of course she's happy that he's happy. She's just worried about all the wounds and baggage they've already got. Esteban says sure, but he's got to try. Vainessa is the "love of his life," he fell in love with her at first sight and he still feels the same way today. Mercedes is like, "Okay, sure." She then jokes that now she won't be able to pass him off as her novio. He laughs and says that actually helped—when Vainessa thought they were novios, it got her jealous.

Her enthusiasm isn't quite there yet, when it comes to Esteban's reconciliation with Vainessa.

I don't get why this guy isn't starring as a galán in some novela soon. I'm just saying.

At Boca del Cielo, Gus visits Carmen because they have to talk about the whole conversation between her daughter and him. In a nutshell, Carmen's a great girl and all that, but he's still hung up on Cupcake. Carmen gets it. She obviously likes him, but it's okay. The whole "just friends" thing is cool. She adds that her daughter will be disappointed, because she would have loved Gus as a daddy. They hug, and of course in walks Fermin and takes it the wrong way.

Busted!

Back at the lake, Cupcake and Hugo return with Margarito. It's dark and Rohell has been waiting anxiously as Tia looks on. Rohell barks that he wants to know where Margarito has been. Margarito recoils a little in fear as Cupcake comforts him. Then Margarito flatly tells the truth: He ran off because Tia said that Rohell and Cupcake would never adopt him. Rich people don't love poor boys. Everyone turns to give the stinkeye to Tia, who protests her innocence by telling lies, lies, lies.

Busted Part II.

Margarito wants to be assured that they could love him then? Cupcake tenderly hugs him and says of course, as Rohell looks on, shaking his head slightly, presumably over how heartless Tia was to the poor kid.

Fermin is in the middle of ripping Gus a new one over being there with Carmen. He asks Carmen to leave, and reluctantly she does. He tells Gus that before he would have liked Gus to get together with Carmen, but now that he knows what a skunk Gus is, no way. Gus tries to protest but Fermin forbids him from seeing Carmen or little Meli again. Little Meli comes out, hugs Gus and cries that she doesn't want him to go. Gus says don't worry, things will get better, but in the meantime she must obey her grandfather and mother.

They make a cute couple. Just saying.

At the lake, Rohell is urging Cupcake to not run off again, like the way she did when she went looking for Margarito. You can tell he was feeling so helpless and worried about her while only being able to wait until she got back. They are interrupted by Tia, who assumes they'll be cancelling the visit to Boca del Cielo. "Yes, we'll be going. In the morning." Rohell says, while giving Cupcake a pointed look. She purses her lips; it seems useless to protest visiting the dreaded Boca del Cielo.

"It's Boca del Cielo in the morning!"

"Yipee!"  Not really.

It's morning at the lake and Cupcake is in the middle of a conversation with Tia. It looks like she was saying that she'd love to adopt little Margarito (to which Tia protests) but she can't explain to Margarito that her marriage to Rohell is by contract and has a definite expiration date. Then she addresses the book that Tia loaned her. Cupcake deduces that the book, which is about a woman who married an American to get citizenship (only to fall in love with her husband later) was a broad hint meant to suggest to Cupcake that the same could happen for her—she could fall in love with Rohell. Cupcake says, with some impatience, that her situation isn't the same. She's already in love and it doesn't matter if 50 years pass, she'll always love Gus. No way ever will she fall in love with Rogelio Montero! (Notice how she always says his first and last name?)

Of course—OF COURSE—Rohell rolls up and hears all of this. The look of sadness, rejection, disappointment and heartbreak are all too evident on his face.

When you listen in on other people's conversations, sometimes you hear things that you wish you didn't.

*sob*

Complete dejection.

In the hacienda kitchen, Efriam is snuggling up to a deluded Consuelo. Some talk about marriage. Maria promises that if there is a wedding, she'll prepare a banquet. (I think?)  Maria goes on to talk about how when Cupcake married Rohell, it brought good luck to the hacienda. (Or she should say, it helped make Rohell less of a douchebag.) Sinthia sashays in and talks about how they'll have more good luck, since she's going to marry David! Consuelo says that well, she caught Cupcake's wedding bouquet, so it brought her good luck. More crap about weddings—Consuelo's and Efriam's and her's and David's. All this is spoken of as both Efriam and Sinthia look jealous and uncomfortable. FF>>

Consuelo is unaware of the tense look Efriam is giving Sinthia.

Back at the lake, it's time to go to Boca del Cielo, but Rohell's mood has changed entirely. He curtly tells Cupcake that they won't be going—they'll be returning to the hacienda instead. She doesn't object too heartily (as we would expect) but when she tries to guide his chair, he rebuffs her. She wonders what is wrong. He isn't saying. Little Margarito wonders if it has something to do with him. Rohell softens, pats Margarito's cheek, and smilingly says no, it's not him, it's "other things." Hugo pushes Rohell away as ominous, sad music plays. Cupcake looks absolutely befuddled.

Tia exclaims that it's such a relief that they won't be going to Boca del Cielo. She pauses and adds, "For YOU." (We know it's because she's worried that a very much alive Gus might still be there!) Cupcake somberly says that she couldn't go there with Rohell when all her thoughts would still be on Gus.

More lather-rinse-repeat crap with Sinthia and Efriam. Sinthia puts on a big show about how Effer and Consuelo are a "real couple" and "made for each other." Maria just shakes her head in the background. FF>> Then Sinthia gets a call from Rohell, they're coming home! This gets Maria moving to action, getting everyone busy readying the hacienda for el patrón's return.

Oh she with the washboard abs. (Which the CCs are covering; sorry about that.)

Aaand, when Maria calls Consuelo out to do chores in preparation for Rohell's return, we have the SAME OLD CRAP between Efriam and Sinthia. "You don't love him/her, you love me!" WHAT. EVER. Enough already, you two, with your mind games. FF>>

Boca del Cielo, Carmen warns Gus that he'd better leave. It's not safe, the fishermen have threatened violence on "outsiders" that p*ssed them off before. FF>>>

Everyone's returning to the hacienda and unpacking the truck. Rohell is waiting in his chair as Consuelo greets Cupcake. Cupcake enthusiastically talks about how beautiful the lakes were. Consuelo replies and calls her "Paula." At this, Rohell wheels around and glares at Consuelo, and insists that she is HIS WIFE and the patroness of the hacienda. She is to call Ana Paula SEÑORA MONTERO!! He yells and makes a big scene of it. Cupake tries to explain that she asked Consuelo to call her that, but Rohell does not relent. He turns to the others behind them and warns them that they also must call Cupcake SEÑORA MONTERO! Everyone is shaking in their boots. Cupake just shakes her head and rolls her eyes a little bit, like she's thinking, "Whatever."

"It's SEÑORA Montero!" Get over it, dude.

Gus tells Carmen he doesn't want to leave yet; it'll look like he was chicken. She's still worried. He gets a phone call from Esteban.

Cupcake rolls Rohell inside and he continues with the whole "Señora" thing. He asks her if she isn't proud to carry his last name. It's been around for a while. His grandparents are mentioned in the history books, for crying out loud! She says she just wants to be Paula. The servants met her as Paula. But, he says, she's not his nurse anymore, she's his WIFE—Rogelio Montero's WIFE.

Then he says, with that familiar sound of defeat in his voice, "If only in name." Then he starts to say, "I'd like you to," then he pauses and commands: "You will use my last name whether you like it or not." That old douchebag look is back. Her returning look is like, "WHAT. EVER."

Gus and Esteban: David has claimed that Gus wanted to get a bribe. They both know it's not true, but Esteban says it's going to be more difficult now. "That's why I'm telling you about it," Gus says, "so we can discuss what I'm to do next."

Consuelo hands over the repaired St. Francis of Assisi picture to Paula, laughingly calling her "Señora." Sinthia interrupts and starts in with this whole flouncy rant about how Paula's a gold digger, her family are all losers and freeloaders. Cupcake tries to protest, but she can't really deny that she is "getting something" out of the marriage—her brother's freedom. (Though she doesn't admit that.) 

Meanwhile, Rohellio is in his office, which I assume does not have soundproof walls (and which has an OPEN DOOR, I'm thinking) and yet he pours out his innermost, most intimate thoughts to an ever sympathetic Maria. Somehow, no one overhears as his emotional outpourings become louder and louder.

He first tells Maria that Cupcake doesn't give a darn about him. "And me being the fool trying to please her and be attentive!" She didn't even want to go to Boca del Cielo with him—obviously the thought of extending the trip was of no interest to her. She even seemed relieved that they weren't going. She doesn't like traveling with me! He's wallowing in his depression and self-pity.

"And you know what the worst part is?" he adds. "After all these years, I'm love with Paula, like an idiot!" A wistful, heartbroken look is on his face as he fights back tears. Maria looks at him with loving sympathy in her eyes.

The old turd's fallen in love with the Cupcake.

Continuation of the b*tchfest that Sinthia is heaping on Cupcake. She planned to ensnare Rohell since she first got to the hacienda. Blah blah blah.  FF>>

Rohell to Maria: Maria's so glad for him. He doesn't get it. The trip was awful. He was useless when Margarito got lost. The whole thing was a disaster. He couldn't do anything! He's useless! She's just in the marriage because he saved her brother. (Well, you know, that was the deal you made with her!) Maria tries to assure him that Cupcake does care about him. She was always interested in his care, his therapy, his treatment. Rohell stops her and says "That's her job." (Now I want to interject something here—that's not entirely true. Cupcake insisted on treating him when he protested and didn't want her to; she left that letter for Maria, asking her to make sure that he kept on getting his therapy. Even though Rohell had been the most hideous DOUCHEBAG imaginable, she still cared enough to mention that to Maria. These are all above and beyond just "her work.") Maria also brings up that Cupcake made him his favorite cake. But Rohell is not consoled.

Maria and Rohell have a heart-to-heart chat.

 Rohell warns Maria, that she must never repeat anything that he's said there. (Oh, you tell her THAT, while yelling with the door open? Really?) Maria kisses the top of his head while assuring him that he can trust her.

Maria is just the sweetest person ever.

Rohell adds, "It's true I married Paula to get back at Vainessa, but even though I don't like it, I think about Paula all the time, her smell, everything. I want to be near her."

 "Ah Rogelio," Maria sighs. "You've fallen into your own trap."

Angry fishermen confront Gus, accusing him of things. They want him to leave. He says he'll leave because he's been called back to the office anyway, to deal with this problem. Fishermen don't believe him. Creepy traitor Juan is the leader of the pack.  FF>>

Back with our lovelorn old turd. Maria is telling him that even though she didn't approve of the whole revenge scheme against Vainessa, that at least him loving Cupcake was a good thing that came out of it. "Oh sure," he says. "I fall in love with a woman who can never feel the same way back." "Don't complain," Maria replies. "Some people never fall in love." This sparks Rohell's interest. He asks her if she ever had fallen in love." Of course, she answers. He asks if she still thinks of the guy. "Less as time goes by."

Rohell hopes that the same will happen with Cupcake. Maria tells him that she can't predict what will happen between him and Cupcake, but she's glad to see him in love, full of excitement, because before this his heart had been so hard. (That's a polite way of saying that he had been a bitter douchebag, I'm thinking.)

"Maybe it would have been better to continue as I was—resigned to being alone the rest of my life, in my solitude, without love." Maria contradicts him. She thinks he can take advantage of this situation. "How?" he asks, with bitter skepticism. "You have twelve long months to win her!" Maria urges.

This gets him to yelling. "How do you expect me to win her?" He rolls from behind his desk to face Maria. He slaps his motionless legs in frustration. "You know how I am! I've been this way for years! Half-man! Half-dead!"

A very heartfelt, very heartbreaking, very LOUD outpouring of emotion that somehow does not attract the attention of anyone else in the hacienda.

"How do I fight to win her? Besides, she's still mooning over this dead idiot!" (Okay, he doesn't say it quite like that, but he does make mention of the dead novio being an "imbecile.") "That's precisely it!" Maria replies. "He's DEAD. How do you believe a ghost can compete with you?"

Maria tries to reason with the despairing old turd.

Another heartbroken look from our complex hot one.

We cut to fishermen. ZZZZZ. Something about Gus urging the fishermen to stop the construction. He'll be back. Don't care don't care. Sorry about that. FF>>

Sinthia calls Vainessa and they have a twin-bitch fest. "Cupcake is insisting that everyone call her SEÑORA MONTERO!" Vainessa: "Everyone should be calling ME that!" More bitchy outrage exchanged between the two brujas.  Sinthia asks Vainessa to help her get her half of the hacienda.

Bruno is snooping in Rohell's office. (I guess Rohell vacated it after yelling loudly about all his love life troubles.) Tia wanders in and busts him. He strong-arms her (literally—he grabs her roughly by her arm) outside. He knows about the contract Paula signed. Tia tries to act astonished but Bruno isn't buying. Finally she says that Rohell threatened her. He then talks about how he needs to see a copy of that contract, to see if Rohell put any douchebaggery in it or if there are any loopholes. I missed something here, but I think Bruno says something about how Rohell knows that he (Bruno) loves Cupcake, which is why he had someone else draw up the contract? (Or something?) Anyway, Bruno wants to see the contract, ASAP.

Fermin, Carmen, and her daughter. Daughter is bummed. She misses Gus, she wasn't allowed to speak to him when she saw him today. Fermin doesn't trust Gus still. FF>>>

Vainessa is at her dad's office, pumping him for business info pertaining to Rohell's hacienda, etc. Fed wants her to slow down. Sure, it's great that she's interested in the business, but he wants her to be happy and to get over this Rohell thing. She assures him that she's interested in the business anyway, not just to Rohell part. In walks Esteban to see Vainessa. Fed wants to have a "talk" with Estaban, but Vainessa stops him, saying that she and Esteban are adults and they want to see if they can work things out. Papa looks resigned to this.

Tia approaches Miguel, who is moping outside. He says he's missing Dany. Tia thinks he can do better, now that he's in such lofty company such as the Monteros, he should be looking for a better class of girl. But Miguel only is interested in Dany. Then Tia talks about wanting to see a copy of Cupcake's contract with Rohell. It'll be difficult, but Miguel says he'll try to do it.

Cupcake is giving Rohell his therapy. He's acting sort of flat—not saying much, not being rude, but acting down and apathetic. She asks him how come he's acting like he's in a bad mood. He replies, that's how he always is, didn't she know that? He didn't say anything bad. She thinks that his mood has something to do with him returning to the hacienda—he's a different person. She's noticed this before. He denies it. She presses on. On the trip he was different—he smiled, he laughed. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asks. "No" he quickly replies. "What I want is very difficult to get." (And what would THAT be, Rohell?) But then he starts to ask her, what does she expect from this marriage? She doesn't have time to answer, because Sinthia swishes in, rude as ever.

Grumpy Rohell is back.

A question she never has an opportunity to answer.

Sinthia gets right to it. She wants to talk about her marriage to David. She knows Rohell doesn't approve. He replies that of course he doesn't approve! He knows that she only wants to marry David to escape him!

Confronted with the truth.

Gus goes to the construction site and sees traitor Juan chatting with David. Gus knows that David set things up with Juan so the fishermen would turn against him. David tries to distract him by saying that he's wasting his time here, not going to get anywhere. He offers to take Gus to Rohell's hacienda. Now that Montero is married, he'll want to spend more time with his wife and would be more apt to want to hire someone like Gus! But Gus is not interested and tells David he'll pay for all his douchebaggery.

Gus gives David something to think about. (David looks lovely in lilac, by the way.)

More arguing between Sinthia and Rohell.  Rohell's got Sinthia's number, he figures that she's already decided that not marrying David is what suits her. They talk about how she passed up her chance with Bruno; because Bruno couldn't give her the lifestyle she wanted. They get a bit snippy with each other and Cupcake tries to intervene and tells Rohell to not say anything he'll regret later. Sinthia snaps, saying that she doesn't need Cupcake defending her.

Finally, Sinthia comes out with it: She won't marry David, IF Rohell will divorce Cupcake. Tense looks are exchanged as the episode ends.

Rohell's expression at the suggestion that he divorce Cupcake.

AVANCES:

* Sinthia on some rampage bitchfest.

* Cupcake tells Dany about the Kissing in Water (telenovela tradition) with Rohell. Commence squeeing from Dany.

* More bitching from Sinthia.

* It looks like Rohell and Cupcake are getting cozy, looking at a book on the terrace.

Avance screenshot #1.

Avance screenshot #2.

Avance screenshot #3.

Labels: no-podia