Caray, Caray!

Looking forward to your recap, Alexandra.

BTW, the snake that Efrain brought in is a king snake, not a coral snake. Not poisonous, just saying.
 

That's good to know, because I thought it is often mistaken for the deadly coral around here in FL --unless I am mistaken? Thought I read it somewhere.....
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Alexandra:

Thanks for putting up the page for us. We are eagerly awaiting your awesome snark-festivities.
 

I thought it was a Mexican milk snake, which I now see looking it up is a sub-species of king snake.

"Red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black friend of Jack"

This one didn't have red stripes next to yellow - so non poisonous. However, even if it had been the poisonous look-alike coral snake, it would be really tough to get bitten. Their mouth is so small, it would have had to chew on the tip of a little finger to succeed in biting.

I have only seen one coral snake in the wild (in TX) and I have seen plenty of other snakes, so it felt like a privilege.

Audrey
 

Good to know about the snake (here's a link . I'm sure they wouldn't have risked an actor's life by having him handle a coral snake so casually. But I was muy impactada until you cleared that up. Thanks
 

Interesting. I spent a half hour attempting to identify those reptiles. There are many with common characteristics so I guess there are a number of examples of non-poisonous ones that resemble poisonous snakes. I may have been born in the Year of the Snake, but I still can't stand them.

I was in shock that Efrain would do this. Up till now he's been a possessive lover (Sinthia), a rescuer (Maripaz from Rutilio), a jerk (Macaria), and a prankster (Tia MentiRosa), but I never would have picked him for a killer. He has no conscience. I'm also convinced he doesn't see Sinthia's crazy. He's blinded by his obsession. Makes me wonder whether he's just waiting for her inheritance now and a way to abscond with it (the clue being his comment about Gustavo doing so). I hope when Rogelio returns ambulatory that he will be the one to catch them together.

My sympathy for Vainessa is now officially over. Her deliberate attempt at humiliating Ana Paula last night did it. This also could precipitate a miscarriage. Here's hoping Ulisses can keep quiet, but that's still a long shot.

Here's something that just occurred to me: What if the operation works, but Rogelio decides to fake paralysis for a while in the hope that his enemies will become careless?
 

UA you have a good point there about Rohell. Especially if he finds out all the stuff that has been going on since he has been gone from Hell Fuerte. Also why would that Don that the Cupcake was talkiing to think that Rohell would poison his own cattle? This man has known Rohell for years, you would think he wouldn't beleive it without finding out more info from someone other than Skelator.

The Guscake is getting too possessive. Especially when he and Mersnotty were ganging up on Ernesto to find out where Rohell was. Even though he told them about the surgery and Rohell needing calmness. Mersnotty should understand this cause she is a nurse.
 

I was highly amused by Guscake having to be told by AP that Rogelio wouldn't be up and walking right away, but that his recovery would take some time. Gus: "So how much time are we talking about?" ROTFLOL! And AP had to spell out that it might be 6 months to a year! Gus: "Well, I'm not willing to wait that long for you and the baby!" Gus is so ready to engage in man-to-man combat to fight for his woman that he's not even thinking! Truly a Guscake! He may even beat AP in the cobwebs-in-the-head category.

Audrey
 

Looking forward to the recap, Alexandra!

I think it should be a foregone conclusion that Cupcake ends up with Rohell. At least one person in a couple should have a brain, and it doesn't seem as if the Gustavito does, and the Cupcake doesn't, so that leaves Rohell! LOL.

I was also shocked when Efrain handled the snake. He doesn't seem the type to do that. He's a lover, a prankster, but he's not violent or evil. We'll see how that goes.
 

Emarie - Thanks for identifying the snake as non-poisonous.

I assumed Sin and Efrain planned to cause AP to miscarry and not kill her, but maybe I'm naive. When Efrain was teasing Tia on their guard watch the other day, I thought this scene was just comic filler. But now I realize it established Efrain's knowledge on critters, so I'm hoping his choice of snake was well thought-out. He's no damn good, but I get a kick out of Efrain. Surely, he's not stupid enough to try to kill the patron's wife, even for Sin.
 

Urban Anthropologist..could not have said it better!

The stress of so many people dumping on Ana Paula (Vanessa, Don So and So, etc) I think are going to be enough to lead this woman to lose that child.

Gustavo and his heavy breathing in every scene is getting very old.

Sorry, that kid also gets on my last nerve (the one with the girly name).

Sinthia is beyond sick (and her crazy outfits are old news). I think she and that scruffy, dirty looking Efrain deserve each other.
 

It looked like when AP was talking ot Ulisses after her dear "sister' left, she was having some kind of stomach pain. I am thinking miscarriage down the line.

I agree that Gustavo is really a childish, macho jackass. Cupcake might not be a genius --although I think she is intelligent but usually misguided by emotion-- but I think she eventually gets a good reading on people and at some point she iwll find Gustavo as obnoxious as the rest of us do.

I must say things are really getting exciting around the Hacienda.
 

Cinthia already said that she could kill AP with her bare hands. I think they would be happy with either outcome - miscarry or death. I was also amazed that Efraín seemed to go right along with Cinthia's evil plans. He paused for a moment, surprised that Cinthia would be willing to do such a thing, but then his attitude seemed to be "no problem!"

The Mexican milk snake looks so much like a coral snake. It's a beauty! (apologies to those who can't stand to even look at snakes) The difference is that the yellow rings are banded in black, separating the red from the yellow Mexican milk snake. In the coral snake, the red and black alternate between the yellow rings.

Audrey
 

Here's another possibility about Efrain: What if he is lying to Sinthia about the species of snake?

If anything were to happen to AP or Margarito, wouldn't Rogelio's wrath fall on him, Hugo, Maria, and everyone else at the ranch? If anything, Sinthia could only potentially benefit from Rogelio's death because there is nobody else (that anyone knows of) to inherit. All she would have to do then is destroy the letter stating that Margarito is Rogelio's son.
 

Agreed that AP is quite intelligent and that her main problem is that she "thinks" emotionally. Which isn't really thinking, but rather reacting. So we see her so easily influenced and totally caught up in the emotional drama of the moment, not really able to remember how she felt a couple of hours ago, not to mention a day or week ago! I suppose maturing will take care of this emotional reasoning problem, although it's a bit of a catch-22. How does a person learn to not reason emotionally? It takes maturity to get past that first gut reaction. How does one gain maturity when the gut reactions are so strong?

I am amused that the longer AP takes to "clarify her feelings" the more confused and reactive she seems to become. Because, of course, if you can't stand back from your emotions and analyze them somewhat dispassionately, you'll never get anywhere! You have to be able to discern priorities. Instead I think she is trying to put off that kind of decision making because she is just too overwhelmed by it all. An unexpected pregnancy would be overwhelming even in the best of circumstances.

I still see AP's "love" for Rogelio as being immature just like her "love" for Gustavo. Her love for Rogelio seems based on the extreme romancing he has done for her, gratitude, and idealization of Rogelio's past "noble" actions. Same kind of pedestal as Gustavo. She's still dreamy-eyed. It'll be interesting to see if the writers can convincingly mature AP to the point where the love seems realistic rather than idealized.

Audrey
 

I don't know, UA. At some level Efraín seems like a slacker who coasts whenever he can. I'm amazed that Rogelio puts up with him as "capacitaz" because he doesn't seem very inclined or capable. Rather more of a rustic silver-tongued devil type who knows how to give just the right deferential answer to el patrón. Efraín must have been the one to corrupt Cinthia at some point - taking advantage of her by seducing the lonely daughter of the hacienda. He sees her as his meal ticket in the long run, although he is obviously very possessive about her. Still that doesn't keep him from running around - and wasting a LOT of time doing so. I guess the other peons are able to do the ranch work unsupervised.

All I know, is that those two truly deserve each other.

Audrey
 

So I was half asleep at the end. Does Efrain KNOW that the snake isn't poisonous? Or is this perfectly safe (and kinda pretty snake) doing a stand-in for for something deadly? Are they trying to poison her or just scare her into a miscarriage?

Either way, I think I'm done with these two. Efrain is very funny with the Tia but this is a giant step too far. And my sympathy for Cinthia and her upbringing are waning as she gives in to her crazy. Maybe she and Elsa could get a bulk discount on the manicomio.

Ernesto is such a voice of reason here (dealing with his brat of a daughter, dealing with his brat of a girlfriend who thinks she can demand he break patient privacy). I'm not sure he belongs in San Gabriel.

Kelly
 

How many times in the last 7 episodes has Cinthia told Maria she's a servant and could not fill the shoes of her mother. Plotline ahead I guess. But I have never had symphathy for Cinthia, she's far too old to be at a hacienda looking for someone to marry so she can claim hers. Knowing Rohell, I would have thunk she would have left 20 years ago and made her own way, after all isn't that the real reason the Father left the will as such.

To the actor who plays Gustavo, for your next role please make it different, now in 2 TN's you were the cheesecake the lead wanted, and then you went on a crusade and lost out, let's move into a different direction in your career, I think you deserve better.
 

Esteban, and Ernesto are the ones in this TN that seem to have their emotions in check and reason in control. Maria comes in a close third. The rest of them need mental consultation, medicine or jail.
 

yeah i agree about esteban and ernesto, and not saying that maria cant be levelheaded but she annoys the crap out of me! cant tell you why but she does

wish that ernesto would drop mercedes, he is too good for her

btw, i really hope that everything that happened in the avances happens tonigt & that they weren't teasing us for the nxt couple of episodes!
 

I'm pretty sure that for the purposes of the TN plot, they intend this to be a poisonous snake. This is a wake-up call about the lengths that Sin is willing to go to remove "rivals", and that Efraín is her perfectly willing and resourceful accomplice.

I would guess that if it ever looked like Margarito's parentage was about to come to light, Sin would start planning his demise as well.

Gosh, do you think at some point she might even want Rogelio gone so that it's "all hers"?

Audrey
 

María is definitely the most level-headed person in the hacienda. I enjoy her character and the actress immensely. But she has her huge blind spots as well. She is way too enabling of Rogelio's bad behavior: for her he can do no wrong - or at least she quickly explains it away to other people. And at the same time she is the one who panics the most about him losing his temper, insisting that other people hide things from Rogelio that really should be brought out in the open right away. Basically - classic "enabler" behavior.

That is one cracked hacienda household - I think it's one of the reasons I enjoy the show so much LOL!

So far agreed - Esteban and Ernesto are the only ones with clear heads on their shoulders, and it provides much needed relief at times. And Esteban sure can wear those form-fitting trousers! (Wait - did I write that out loud!?! - LOL!)

Audrey
 

Looking forward to the recap Alexandra. With Gus, the bigmouth, breathing down her neck telling pretty much whole town that she's pregnant with his baby, the problems at the hacienda with the cattle poisoning and low water, Vainessa embarrassing her in front of Ulisses, and now the cattle man having Rog removed as president, I'm surprised AP hasn't gone crazy herself.

The way she was cramping at the end makes me fear she may miscarry if the snake doesn't bite her first.

What a mess Rog will be coming home too. I couldn't believe how Gus and Mercedes ganged up on Ernesto to tell them where Rog was. Those two really gets on my nerves.

Per the previews, Gus arrives at Rog's hospital room. Will he open his bigmouth and tell Rog the news?
 

I still don't think that Margaro is Rog Jr.'s kid. I think they are playing the name game again here. I think we're supposed to think so, but in the end it will turn out to be the senior Montero's son. Just speculatin' And I think all the confusion about the snake being poisonous "for reals" is the same kind of game the writers are playing just to tease us along. Lots of ambiguity, lots of suspense. Are we supposed to know the difference, Is Sinthia? Who's pulling the wool over whose eyes here.

And as for stress causing a miscarriage, I doubt it EXCEPT in telenovelandia. Think of all the unwanted pregnancies and the stress they cause. Just because a pregnancy causes stress doesn't make it go away. It's going to take a lot more to knock that little mini-cake out of the easy-bake.
 

Excellent comments today - thank you! I'm sorry I won't be able to check back to read the recap and I won't have access again until next week.

UA, you made some excellent points about Efrain. I thought he had a line he wouldn't cross but apparantly not. He did looked somewhat shocked and horrified when Sin unveiled her plan but obviously not enough to run screaming from the room.

I'm enjoying the recaps and comments far more than the story now. But, that may change when Jorge reappears. Let it be soon. Please.

Happy early weekend all.

Diana
 

Alert, a Jorge Salinas fangirl moment here: I have been trying to follow "Maria Isabel" (have wanted to see it since last year, when I read the reviews for it on Amazon) and who pops up in yesterday's recording but . . .

A VERY YOUNG JORGE SALINAS!!! He looks about 12, but with that Rogelio Montero voice. It's quite disconcerting. Okay, he looks older than 12, but still, sooooooo young. His voice sounds the same and his dimples are still there! It was such a trip to see him looking so young.

Okay, end of fangirl hijack.

Back to the episode discussion: I never doubted that Margarito was Rohell's kid. It all seemed to make sense to me, that this was leading up to Rohell's "happy ending," in case he doesn't get to father anymore kids--that he still gets to have a flesh and blood child of his own. But we'll see how it goes, certainly this show is full of twists and turns and lots of surprises! :D
 

There needs to be a DNA test to figure out how Margarito is related to Rogelio and Sinthia. He could still be their half-brother; the letter in Efrain's possession may not make that obvious.
 

Okay, no flies on me. I posted a clip from the video capture I made of a 12-year-old Jorge Salinas. (OK I know he's not 12! LOL.)

Click here (links to my blogspot blog).

This blog seems to have started to function for a LQNPA fangirl page. I didn't plan it that way, but that's how it's turned out! LOL
 

Elvira, you could certainly be correct about Rohell being Margaro's baby daddy. I'm really on the fence about it; it seems the most obvious thing and would make me happy if, in fact, it turns out Rog no longer has what it takes. Meaning his wild oats turned into his heir. But, this novela has strayed so far from the path of usual expectations, I'm ready for anything. And for once, I don't mind being wrong. LOL
 

It's official. Rogelio will walk again. How do I know this? Because AP prayed for it and in TN world, when something is prayed about, it happens. This is not a spoiler, I have not seen any future shows. But AP prayed, so it must be.

Gus is getting on my last nerve. When AP wanted him, he didn't want her. Nothing has changed, but now he wants her. UGH.

If AP miscarries, I won't be unhappy. I actually hope she does. Rog doesn't need her to have another man's baby.
 

As for Margarito being Rohelio's son, I am praying that the Rogelio mentioned in the letter is his father. Too bad my prayers don't always get answered like they do in TNs. But maybe they will this time.
 

Regarding Rohell walking. (NO SPOILERS HERE) My thought from almost the start was that it could go either way. On one hand, dammit, he deserves that happy ending and that includes walking, dammit! He's already got feeling in his legs and so it shouldn't be as impossible or miraculous as it would be, say, if he was just numb from the waist down. He's clearly not. He's kind of unique in his condition, he keeps on talking about how he'll "never" walk again, here he has this nurse who is giving him therapy and there's all sorts of talk about him walking (or not walking) and what is that all building up to, anyway, but him walking? Right?

On the other hand, what sort of message would it give if he can only be happy if he's out of the chair? Another thing they've tried to explore in this novela is how Rogelio is not at "peace" with his disability. That's what's causing all his behavior and crappy personality. That's his main malfunction—how he's taking being disabled. So maybe the big triumph for him at the end would be to come to terms with it and be happy in the chair, the way many, many disabled people in real life must do. So in a way, my thoughts almost from the start were that they kind of had to keep him in that chair, to cement that message to everyone. That life does not end because you're in a chair, and hey look, Jorge Salinas played this totally hot guy, interesting, vital guy, and he never left that chair but he had a happy ending just the way that he was—in the chair.

So I have been very divided and conflicted, right from the start of this novela, about how it should turn out for Rohell. Either way would work for me.

These are the thoughts I had almost right from the start, so take them as you will! :D
 

Elvira: Loved that clip! AN and JS! He must have been in his mid-twenties. Damn! He was mighty fine back then!
 

Elvira, I don't think that TN writers are as evolved as you are.
The reason I think Rohell will walk is that they keep showing him sitting on a bench WITH A CANE in the lead in. Who needs a cane who is paralyzed from the waist down?
 

WOW. I just caught that video of JS on your site, Elvira.
Oh my. Yes.
 

Emarie, I think that's his riding crop. And I think him sitting on the bench was shot along with many other promo scenes. They actually reshot many scenes (including the scene from the first episode where he's shaking poor Margarito and yelling at him and AP comes up and stops him) while sitting on that same bench. My feeling is that they didn't want anyone to guess that Rohell was in a wheelchair. So in all the promo scenes he's always sitting--on a couch, a chair, a bench.

I found it so bizarre that they actually reshot scenes in order to avoid us seeing him in the wheelchair, but they did!
 

I'm so furious! Between these ridiculoso word verification puzzles, and the fact the Verizon FiOs doesn't work with my Mac OS, I have to reconstruct most of what I have to say for the umpteenth time. Needless to say my last post was pretty-f--ing good, but got munched in the system. Booo-hooo. Anyway, the gist is: I like Elvira's notion that Rog may never walk again, as much as we may wish it. The reality is that many people live fulfilled lives this way. Acceptance is the key. And from what i've seen of the Cupcake, she is nothing if not accepting of Rogelio's reality. Both are such strong characters, they belong together. Gustavo may have nice eyelashes, but he's a chump IMO, and will never match the strength of character of either of the protagonisto(a)s.
 

WooHoo! Rog & Bambi. 12yo NOT, but very very cute. I sure hope he solves his smoking problem before it kills him. I am a total Rogeliana and I wish him a long and productive future. Thanks for the link Elvira.
 

@LXV,
I don't know what browser you use, but there's a marvellous add-on for Firefox that is now in Beta for Chrome and Safari called Lazarus. It saves everything you type in the browser and lets you retrieve it. You can tell it how long to save things for. It has saved my bacon MANY times, especially on this forum, since I too have had continual problems. You can find out more information about Lazarus at http://lazarus.interclue.com/.
 

Juanita: mucha, pero, muchas gracias!! I will try this.
 

omg elvira, i've also started watching maria isabel, but i'm a couple of episodes ahead of you. anyways i had a fangirl moment too when i saw JS, i became ridiculously excited to see a younger JS, also prob because I didnt expect it
 

In Ni Contigo Ni Sin Ti, which just ended last week, the blind galan has surgery and does NOT get his sight back. He is so crushed that he cancels his wedding with the heroine. He was set on seeing her walk down the isle. She refuses to accept his rejection and tells him she will be waiting for him at the church on the day of the wedding. The finally dealt with him finally accepting his blindness and showing up at the church to marry the love of his life. End of story. No miracle cures. This story might end the same way.
 

Cruz married Fer before she could walk.
 

Was this summary ever written? I'm trying to find it because I'm interested in the conversation between Cynthia and Efrain about killing Ana's baby.
 

The summary was never finished. I've been toying with writing a quick bulleted list recap on my recap (which is the one right before this) at some point.