Caray, Caray!

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – VIERNES – Part 1

Despicable Dad’s nurse is also shot by our unseen assassin. Many possible suspects are now shown as unavailable or missing. Cecilia calls DD’s voice mail asking if she should come to the boat. Vicente is looking for the Reptile. Sam tries to call Willy and he doesn’t answer. She also can’t reach Miguel. Neither Ofelia nor Estela are home, also MIA.

Juan Marcos is not buying the story “Camilo” is laying on him: that Luis wrote down all the things he and Ángela were accomplices in doing. He only believes in Ángela. He tells “Camilo” that Luis’ love was a bad love. The Rat leaves the office, but turns back to leave the book with JM.

Nora tells Ángela she’s been in the pen for 25 years. Bernardo del Castillo made everyone believe she was dead.

Miguel shows up at the boat to ask some pointed questions of DD and finds the two of them shot. Miguel calls for an ambulance, saying they’re in bad shape. So apparently they both are still alive.

Ofelia tells Evil/Estúpida that Bernie probably went to the boat to get away from her. And that probably the reason she didn’t go to the boat was that she was afraid he’d throw her in.

Cecilia comes in to tell JM that Camilo Martinez just called him from Mexico! The Rat is still in the lobby.

The Reptile tries to get it out of Vicente who it was that pushed her down the stairs.

Ángela asks what we’d all like to know: how could DD have put her in the penitentiary? We don’t get a sensible answer. Nora just says no one knows what evil he’s capable of. Ángela suggests that JM can help get her out. But she refuses. She’ll stay here until she dies, or until DD does. Nora also tells her that in prison you can’t have feelings any more.

Oh no. Now we’ve got the other DD grilling Miguel [Dummy Duval]. He takes Miguel’s gun and puts it in a plastic bag.

Willy calls to tell Sam they killed his father. El Jefe is there and suggests to Sam that Willy could have done it. Miguel also calls Sam. He says he found them badly wounded. He just wanted to ask him about the issue of Jimenez.

EE bursts into the emergency room in a tizzy, telling the disinterested doctor and nurses that DD is HER HUSBAND.

JM again drops the ball. Instead of checking up on whether Camilo Martínez is really in Mexico, he confronts the false Camilo about the phone call. The Rat sweats some, but manages to squeeze out of it. Just then the Reptile rushes in to drape herself all over JM in her “grief” over her papí.

Sam looks at Willy intently in the hospital and asks if he wanted to kill his father. With great dignity, Willy says that it wasn’t him. He wanted to when he first heard that he arranged the kidnapping long ago, but he couldn’t kill his father.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – VIERNES – Part 2

The nurse has died on the operating table.

The Reptile wants JM to go to the hospital with her, even though Vicente is standing right there. She tells him she has loved him since the first day, and she only married Vicente to feel loved. JM is appalled, and insists that all three of them go to the hospital.

Emma tells Ana, Peralta’s mother, that he is breaking up with her because of the $100K she took from her inheritance. Peralta arrives and in a moment of great irony asks Emma how she could waste that much money. He learned from his sainted mother how to save and to manage money. Ana keeps quiet. Emma tells him she used it to lend to a friend who was going to lose her house because of gambling debts. Ana still lets Emma take the heat.

Miguel tells Willy he went to confront DD on the boat, but he did not shoot him. I like the growing friendship between these two.

Unbelievable! After whining some to JM and Vicente on the way to the hospital about her father never loving her, the Reptile jumps out of a moving car.

Angie has called Sam from the prison and learns about DD. Nora is overjoyed and wants him to die that day.

Willy gets choked up remembering a day his father spent with him. He definitely doesn’t want his father to die.

Because JM is dealing with the Reptile in the middle of the street, he can’t talk with Génesis when she calls. The kid then tells Paula her father doesn’t love her and she wants to leave her house.

El Jefe hugs Nicolás and manages to get some of his hair. Guadalupe gives him a folder with some fake data about the bio parents. When Jefe tells her about the DNA test he’s going to have done, she admits that Samantha and Willy are Nicolás’ biological parents.

“Camilo” comes to see Ángela in prison. She’s not very comfortable with him. He tells her what an incredible person she is. He alludes to the things he says Luis wrote about their complicity. She gets to her feet, angry. He finally puts his hand on hers and tells her he loves her. She pulls her hand away, shocked.

Miguel overhears Lorena [who of course has come to the hospital as well] tell someone at her new job that she can’t come in. He advises her to go to work. It doesn’t do her any good hanging around Willy. She asks him if he’s ever suffered from unrequited love, and he says he was lucky enough to have been loved when he was in love.

Vicente reminds the Reptile that the father she’s so upset about had her pushed down the stairs to lose her baby. JM has just then come into the room and overheard!

Sam and Willy put on their wedding rings in the hospital waiting room, swearing to love each other forever.

Dummy Duval says something about there having been a witness to the shooting. He also says Willy has to go with him as the main suspect.
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Part 1

We finally know when this show will end - Monday. Yes, my wife was right, they needed a cliffhanger for the weekend. The penultimate show had so much going on I don't know how I'll fit it in this short space, but here goes.

Sure enough, Olivia's seduction of JP is just to get back at him. She pulls a gun, tells him she came to peace with Miranda in prison, but JP used her, and what's his real game? He won't tell. His phone rings, she picks it up, and someone on the other end says something about everything's ready for the kidnapping. She won't let JP get away with it. He says you can't shoot me, then you'll go to jail forever. She says she has nothing to lose. He lunges, they struggle with the gun, it goes off. I'm sure SHE's shot, but no! JP was shot, in the stomach. She shoots him again and leaves. But he's not dead.

She visits Mau, says she's sorry, she was blinded by love, but she just did something which might make up for it. She's leaving the country for a new life. Mau is a bit stunned, but doesn't know what she did. She then gives him a piece of paper saying, this is Victor Andrade's address. Don't call the cops, because someone in the department is a traitor, but maybe you can bring down your father's killer.

Victor shows up, sees JP bleeding, and calls Walt. Walt says I'll send a doctor right away, but if JP dies, I'm killing everyone! JP doesn't die, and is shipped to Mexico for recovery.

Victor has been told to clean up the blood at JP's apartment. He hears a noise, and Joaco bounces out of the bathroom, holding a gun on him! I'll kill you, you ruined my life, blaming me for killing Henry. You'll pay! Well guess what, bud, says Victor. You CAN'T kill me. I'm the only proof that exists that I set up the whole thing, that I really killed Henry, and blamed it on you. Hah! He pulls a gun on Joaco. Joaco opens up his shirt, and there's a wire, all this was recorded! The police burst in, and Victor's game is up.

He apparently spills it all to the cops, turning in JP and Walt, who have to hide in Mexico. The kidnapping plan is off. Pedro Garcia has also been found out and jailed. Joaco meets with Mau, finally your father's killer is in jail, and my name has been cleared. Yes!

Liz is relaxing at Teresa's with her long legs bare when Gil comes in drunk as a skunk. I really dig young babes, he leers, and starts to assault her! She fights back, and Teresa rushes in. Get off her! The two ladies finally get Gil down, and some papers fall on the floor. Teresa picks them up. You forged my name on mortgages, and took the money! I'm calling the police! Too bad, Gil!
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Part 2

Five years pass. We see Mirandita (Mau and Mir's daughter) growing up. Apparently Miranda does allow them to visit her at jail, and also has a collection of pictures on her cell wall to chart the girl's growing up. In the meantime, Mauricio has become a lawyer! Yes, college and law school in five year, okaaaay. He's been working on Miranda's appeals the whole time, even though Orlando doesn't think there's much chance. Orlando seems to have married or moved in with Carmen, and now wears glasses.

Pati and Joaco are married, and have 3 kids, all blond, a little girl and twin boys. They're cute as all get out, and full of energy.

Liz has become a fashion designer, and Teresa is going to back the opening of her new shop.

Gonzalo is part owner of a restaurant. Benita, looking way classier, visits him to congratulate him on turning his life around. Emily (much older) and Bob are there, too, and there's a group hug.

Diego and Nora are married, and she's become a U.S. citizen. He's going to be a doctor. But they have no children, and he spends all day at the hospital working. They argue a lot. But tonight there's going to be a 5 year reunion at Cervantes, and Alejandro will be there. This should be fun!

Sofia tells her Mom she'd like to be a mother someday. Don't rush things, says Carmen. You may be surprised, hints Sofia!

Santiago has been painting, but his paintings haven't sold. He and Ana are married, but they have financial troubles. They have a little boy now, and his donation of bone marrow to Bea was a success! She's 8 and he's 5. Cute family, but what about the money problem?

Well, heeeeeere's Julia! She DID become a famous Hollywood Star. Gilberto comes to beg her for money, he's down and out, but she swats him away like the gnat he is. Security!

She goes to visit Santi, looking sexy AND rich (still a little slutty, of course). Hi, Santi, why don't you come on my TV show and I'll tout your paintings? Ana says no way, don't trust that woman, she got away with everything, almost ruined our life! But Santiago is wavering. We COULD use the publicity. Well, it's your funeral, warns Ana. Julia takes Bea for a walk.
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Part 3

Mauricio has presented Miranda's appeal to the same judge who condemned her five years ago. Conejo says with Miranda's good behavior, she has a chance. And she DOES! The judge gives Miranda conditional release. She's out of jail. She'll have to wear an ankle bracelet for the rest of her sentence, and register as a sex offender, but she can be together with Mauricio and Mirandita! She's released, and runs to Mauricio's arms. Finally!

But this is what JP and Walt have been waiting for, all these years. JP has pretty much recovered. Walt says the deal is we deliver the child to Miranda's grandmother, Señora Ávila. This is the mother of Miranda's father who was killed by the drug cartel. They've told the woman that her great granddaughter is all alone, no mother, no grandmother (Soledad). Señora Ávila has agreed to give Walt and JP the inheritance in return for her great granddaughter.

Walt says since they said no mother, Miranda has to die. JP shudders for a minute, then says fine! That punk Mauricio stole her from me. This will be my ultimate revenge!

As some evil thug looks on from afar, snapping pictures, Mauricio and Miranda hug their daughter, and Mauricio utters the classic telenovela line "Now we're together forever. We'll never be separated again!"

Monday: The Gran Final!
 

RELACIONES:

Everything should just go down and finish up at the reunion (remember Cervantes??). Everyone comes to Miranda and Mauricio's defense (even Yesenia); Elizabeth sees a new Gonzalo; Sebas and Nora hook up again; Diego and Ale come to terms with themselves together; Leo---well, he doesn't get Liz but that other random girl; Santi has sold some paintings to whoever (maybe through Julia) so he and Ana are OK, etc...etc....

Like I said before, this story could have used 10-15 more episodes to give a little more time to wrap things up. It's only around 100 episodes, which is on the lower side. Also, the stories were never really as good after the focus shifted from Cervantes (and the kids) to the adult story lines.

We'll have to see.
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS

What a fabulous job you did telling the story! Even though I haven't been following this show at all, now I HAVE TO see Monday's final episode. Thank you, Mystery Man!
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap!
Btw.:
Willy was at the agency with Sam and El Jefe when he got the call about his father (he later called Fernanda). Esteban actually told Sam (earlier at the apartment) that he didn’t think Willy was capable of killing his own father and at the agency pointed out that Sam was scared that Willy could be a murderer (but he didn’t otherwise insinuate that Willy could have done it.)

So the nurse was the next to be killed off while Bernie still has a chance. Maybe he could fall into a coma for a while, so he’d still be alive, but not able to reveal anything?

Sam’s comment at the hospital about Willy at least knowing his father felt really out of place and inappropriate, especially with Miguel Jr. right there. Besides, Sam DID grow up with two parents… unlike both Miguel Jr. and Willy.

Last time when someone tried to kill her father Fernanda didn’t seem to care and now she’s throwing herself out of a moving car? Okay.

I hope Angie doesn’t keep her promise… or that Willy and Fernanda find out some other way that Nora is alive.
Btw. it's a little strange that Angie would have a photo of Fernanda.

JM stays true to his character and not only doesn’t even think of the obvious answer, but also doesn’t try to find out what’s going on before confronting the obvious suspect so that that person can be on his guard. (I actually expected him to finally get it even though he’d have to think quite a while to reach that conclusion.)

I liked the scene with Sam and Willy and the rings (that Sam conveniently was carrying around), and overall their scenes at the hospital.

It will be interesting to find out what "evidence" will be against Willy and/or what the witness saw and has to say.

And why DD was on the boat. (At least Cecilia seems to know.)
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS

Excellent recap, Hombre. It almost looked like they were going to end it last night, moving forward five years and wrapping up so many of the stories neatly.

I especially enjoyed Joaco's entrapment of Victor.

I have not been a big fan of Olivia, but she definitely redeemed herself last night. The scene with Mau was well acted.

Little Mirandita is SO cute. Of course we know the plot will be foiled somehow, but it was scary seeing people watching Miranda's exit from prison.

I was sort of surprised Ana and Santiago didn't seem happier together. I don't know if we're meant to believe that Santi's art is crap, and Ana is right to be somewhat pissed at their financial status. Or if he really is a great talent on the verge of discovery.

What? No prison for Gilberto for defrauding Teresa?
 

CORAZON VALIENTE

Nice recap Novelera.

I have to say that the scene with Willy and Sam in the hospital when Willy remembered the day he spent with his father was some really good acting. Very moving scene indeed. I had to rewind it once and watch it again.

I also loved the part where Sammy pulled out the rings and told Willy how much she loves him. Did anyone else notice that when he put the ring on her hand, it wasn't her left hand?

Como siempre, Gabriel Porras is 100% solid. I've always loved this guy and what he brings to a show.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Thanks, Rand. I agree with everything you said.

Fabián Ríos has been a revelation to me as Willy. His tender pursuit of Sam, getting past all her resistance has been delightful. He's good in the angry scenes, funny in the prickly, jealous ones, and a very sexy galán when that aspect is required.

I've liked Gabriel Porras since I first saw him in Madre Luna years ago. He was horrifying as El Gato Fierros in La Reina del Sur. And he was nuanced in La Casa de al Lado.
 

this and that,

CORAZON VALIENTE -

thank you so much,
jean and novelera for you recaps
I have no idea how you two can keep this train on the tracks,

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS -

thanks so much Hombre de Misterio,
this is a story I really couldn't watch,
but I love your recaps and have ended up following it anyway,
I owe you,

btw,
I think I saw a promo for Decisiones Extremas,
otherwise known as a vacation,
for dedicated novela watchers.

also,
last week Telemundo formally announced the start of filming of,
El Rostro de la Venganza,
http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/telemundo/pressreleases?pr=contents/press-releases/2012/06/21/telemundoinicia1340308625026.xml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rostro_de_la_Venganza
http://www.facebook.com/ElRostroDeLaVenganza

interesting,
Maritza Rodríguez with dark hair,
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/208872_321421741271672_2097759317_n.jpg

David Chocarro did such a wonderful job in La Casa de al Lado,
maybe he will shine here,
http://0.tqn.com/d/novelas/1/0/6/5/-/-/El-rostro-de-la-venganza.jpg
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS:

Thanks for the recap!

Great that Olivia made her peace with Mau and Miranda and helped bring down Victor.
I like that she wasn’t portrayed as a villain after all, but someone who had just gone a little off her rocker because of love.

I felt like Gonzalo deserved worse, but at least he seems to have learnt from his (terrible) mistakes and choices and has turned his life around.
Other characters that should be punished: JP, Walt, Gilberto, Julia, Hector….
(Are there still others?? What happened to Javier??)

Scoot:
Yeah, I too felt that the telenovela lost a lot when the stories shifted from the students. Of course, I personally found them more interesting and because they were on the backburner their characters and stories were lacking and that affected my enjoyment. (But the censored gay kiss and the Ale/Diego/Nora/Sebas disaster pretty much destroyed it) I don’t think extra episodes would have helped them in any way… and I think the main story has been told well enough…from what I can tell. I have hardly watched the latter half of the episodes…

I also hope to see the kids and get some closure at the reunion. (I’d also like to know what’s going on with Clementina)
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Great recap novelera. Thanks.

I agree with you (Rand and novelera) about Willy's great acting in that scene and Gabriel Porras being excellent como siempre.
I wonder what DD's plan is with all this. Framing his son? I hope the actor will be back soon.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Yeah, I noticed the rings. They were (momentarily) on the same fingers during the wedding as well, so I assumed that Sam and Willy were being unconventional or something. ;)
(Well, we’ll see if they end up switching fingers.;) )

Otherwise: I agree with what has been said above. :) I like how the actors have portrayed Sam, Willy and Miguel Jr. and the dynamics between them. :)

NovelaObserver:
I'm not sure DD is the one doing the framing... I assumed it was El Jefe's plan (and I wouldn't be suprised if he was behind the whole thing). Not that DD hasn't sent a loved one to prison before... Yeah, I also hope that the actor will be back. :)
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE -

the wedding rings...

this question came up in Flor Salvaje,
and it was mentioned that in Colombia where that was filmed,
it is traditional to wear the ring on the right hand,

(Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain, Slovak, India, Venezuela, and Poland also choose the right hand)

Ximena Duque an Fabián Ríos are both Colombian.
(wasn't there some fumbling around,
like they weren't quite sure how to do that)

interesting searching this on the web,
one reason for the right hand is,

The Latin word for left is "sinister", which in addition to this sense also has the same senses as the English word. The Latin word for right is "Dexter", a word that evolved into "dexterity". Hence, the left hand had a negative connotation and the right a good one.
 

Good stuff Deb!
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS:

I'm guessing Gilberto did get in trouble for stealing Teresa's money. Maybe he got a few years, and is now out of jail, but destitute (that's why he was begging Julia).

We never did see what finally happened to Andres. Maybe tonight. And Julia HAS to get some punishment. She KILLED Armando, tried to poison Miranda, among other things. Yes, she ended up sterile from one of her foiled plots, but that's not enough for me.

I'm wondering if we've seen the last of Olivia.

And JP? He's bad, but unlike his brother, who killed Olivares, Valentina and Soledad, I don't think JP has killed anyone (or did he kill that guy with the artificial arm?). Anyway, he needs punishment, too, if only for his acting the hero with Miranda, over and over, when he was really plotting against her. As they say in Spanish !Qué cínico!
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS:

Oh yeah, it's possible that Gilberto did indeed serve some time in prison.

I think you mean that Julia tried to poison Ana. (And yeah, I agree that Julia deserves to be punished more.)

Hmm... I haven't been following properly, but didn't Andrés go to prison? As for JP, I don't know everything he has done, but a few episodes ago he hanged the doctor who told him Miranda’s baby was conceived in Georgia.

I thought Olivia got a good exit, if that indeed was her exit, so I'd be satisfied with that.
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS:

Kihaku:

Right, I meant Julia tried to poison Ana.
Thanks for pointing out JP hanged that doctor. And I now do think he shot Ignacio, who was working for Olivares. So he's scum.

Andres was IN prison, and they had proof of his crimes (such as killing the kid in front of Gonzalo's eyes, and maybe the drug connection). He asked Clementina to support him, but she walked away. We don't know his final sentence.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – LUNES – Part 1

The women in Willy’s life [Ofelia, Sammy, and Lorena] all insist to Dummy Duval that Willy is innocent, but Evil Estúpida Estela insists that justice will prove who did it.

Guadalupe tells El Jefe how she got Nicolás. The fertility treatments did not work. She knew Perla. She and Perla were doing some volunteer work related to the orphanage. Perla told her that her grandson was in the orphanage. Lupe adopted him without Perla knowing about it. She knew he came from a good family. El Jefe tells her she picked him out like a handbag. Lupe asks him to swear he’ll never tell Sam whose child they have.

Juan Marcos is incredulous that Despicable Dad would have sent someone to push Fernanda down the stairs, causing her to lose their baby. She lies and says she always knew who did it. Her father told her, and was repentant. She forgave him because she loved him.

The Rat has hold of Ángela’s hand and tells her he loves her to madness. She pulls her hand away and runs out, disgusted.

Perla seems like she might be responding to Vicente, sending him a text to thank him for the flowers.

Jefe tells Lupe he’s not going to promise not to tell Sam. She raves on that he wants one big happy family, and then says he could kill Willy and have Sam and the child. He says that’s not such a bad idea.

Sam asks our rather inept attorney, JM, to come to the police station to represent Willy. She then asks Miguel if HE did it. He swears that he only wanted to talk to him. He wanted DD in jail for what he did, not to kill him.

Dummy Duval laughs at JM when he shows up, saying he’s taken on another hopeless case.

The third prisoner in the cell with Nora and Ángela comes to tell them there’s going to be a prison break that night.

Willy tells Duval that he never got on the boat, even though he went to the marina. DDuval excuses himself for a minute. He returns to say that the cameras proved Willy stayed in his car the whole time. JM, more on the ball than usual, says that in that case the cameras will show the real killer.

Luis is griping to Vikingo about Camilo having called from Mexico, when who should show up but his twin. Camilo says he wants to find out what’s going on. He tells Luis he barely recognizes him. He copied Camilo’s hair. After telling Camilo that “Luis” died, the Rat threatens Camilo.

The Reptile has a flashback of shooting her father on the boat, telling him it was because of the child she never had. Frankly, I was surprised. I thought it was her from the beginning, but thought they’d spring a surprise.

Evil/Estúpida is ranting about being allowed to see DD, when a nurse comes in and says that he woke up and wrote hija. The others think he wants to see his devoted daughter, but the Reptile thinks her goose is cooked.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – LUNES – Part 2

A fight breaks out in Ángela’s cell when she and Nora tell the other prisoners they’re staying.

Paula tells JM he needs to spend time with Génesis and reassure her that he loves her.

Ana calls Emma saying that “they” are going to kill her. Emma asks her why she gambled again, then gathers up some money and heads off in a taxi to rescue Ana again. Peralta is following the taxi.

It turns out that the camera at the marina was destroyed. What? It worked to show Willy arriving and then leaving without getting out of his car. I guess the Reptile broke it afterwards.

The cop in DD’s room asks him to write who tried to kill him. He starts to write and then flatlines. I think this is the 5th flatline in the novela.

The prisoners seem to have started some kind of fire to aid their escape.

Emma tries to reason with the guys who have Ana. Stereotypically, once they see a pretty woman, they’re more interested in rape than money. Peralta shows up with a gun to put a halt to this. Later he starts blaming Emma for being a compulsive gambler when Ana appears. Ana finally confesses that she is the one with the gambling problem.

At the hospital, Evil/Estúpida goes on the attack and tells everyone that Miguel was the one who shot DD. They come out to say that DD had a recaida and is in a coma. Oh boy, the good old standby – a coma!

All the prisoners except Ángela and Nora get in some kind of vehicle to escape.

The Reptile tells Vicente she has no more reason to revenge herself on JM, but instead she plans only to love him and make him happy for the rest of her life.

Sam and Miguel are going to prepare dinner at Sam’s apartment. Willy, rather sarcastically, remarks that: wow, Miguel can cook also! Miguel assures him he’s a gourmet cook. After they leave, Sam’s phone rings. Willy answers. It’s Ángela saying she’s escaped!

Jefe tells Guadalupe he’s made a decision regarding Nicolás. He’s not going to tell Sam, at least not now, that the boy is her son. Guadalupe faints. Showing his good side, Jefe is very concerned and says he’ll take her to the doctor.

Camilo comes to tell the Rat that he’s going to give him a chance to go away before he goes to tell JM everything. Uh oh! Fratricide on Tuesday??

Ángela is free and is at Casa Arroyo. She and JM kiss passionately. Sam arrives to embrace her. JM is going to call the prison. They realize she has to go back. Willy comes in behind Sam, and Nora looks at him adoringly. He smiles pleasantly at her and asks her who she is.
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Gran Final, Part 1

We've reached the end of this intense drama involving lots of current issues. Congrats to several commenters who correctly predicted some of the outcomes.

Our little family of Mauricio, Miranda and Mirandita has finally been reunited, as Mir is out of jail. JP's henchman is told to keep a close watch on them. The family comes home, and is greeted by loving friends and family. Mauricio tells Orlando he's been like a substitute father. Pati and Joaco are having fun with their 3 wild kids. Tonight is the reunion at Cervantes, although I don't think these people are going. Sofi is going, with Cassius. They don't really tell us if these two are more than friends.

Turns out Santiago did NOT go on Julia's TV show for publicity. He goes back to Ana, tells her he's been selfish, just working on his paintings. He realizes she's been working two jobs, principal of Cervantes, and raising Bea and Andy (think that was his name). So if she'll hire him back, he wants to teach and do his art. Together they'll make it work. Awwww, how sweet.

So what about Julia? Gilberto visits her. You can't throw me on the street, I know too much. I know you killed Armando, tried to poison Ana, left your daughter unattended in a car. Also, you're a drug addict, and crazy. How would your fans like to hear that? Okay, says Julia, how much do you want to keep quiet? One million dollars. Fine, she says, let me go to the bathroom, I'll be right back.

In the bathroom, she looks in the mirror, distraught. First it'll be $1 million, then another. I'll never be rid of him. All I ever wanted was Santiago, and I didn't get him. My life is a bust. She reaches for her pills. After a few minutes, Gil wonders what happened. He goes into the bathroom, and finds Julia with her head in the filled tub, pills all over the place. No, Julia, no! he screams. He drags her out of the tub, hugs her lifeless body, when the security guards burst in, and he's arrested for murder! Couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy.

So it's time for the reunion at Cervantes. Everyone's there. Sebastian is back in town, and he's been talking to Nora, when should we tell him? Now's a good time, she says. Apparently these two have been seeing each other behind Diego's back. They approach Diego and tell him the truth. He's okay with it, though, as he calls Diego over, clasps his hand, and tells the whole crowd, I'm finally admitting it. I don't care what my father says. I love Alejandro, you don't know how much! Do you love me, too? Alejandro DOES.

Gonzalo approaches Liz, tells her he turned his life around, owns a restaurant. But she doesn't feel it for him. Leo, though is another story. She's finally been able to realize that he's not responsible for his father's crimes, and it looks as if Liz + Leo = Love.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap!

Despite everything I still didn’t expect Fernanda to be the one who shot Bernie.
As for the cameras, the only camera that would have caught the shooter was destroyed. (I understood that it was a different camera that proved that Willy was in the car the whole time) Anyway, I suppose the main point is that Fernanda gets away with it and in the meantime Bernie is in a coma until the actor can come back. (I hope he does come back.)

I liked Miguel Jr.’s and Willy’s expressions when Sam insisted that she was "Mrs". :)
(The wedding rings seem to have disappeared though.)

Great that Willy’s innocence was proven and that not yet another character had to end up in prison. I don’t know what the "evidence" that Duval was talking about was, though.
(In a way it’s a little disappointing that it was solved so quickly, since the shooting seemed to set up something bigger.)

So Guadalupe is suffering from an illness that will end up conveniently killing her?

Paula has been less annoying lately and actually quite reasonable. So I don’t want her to go for Vicente. Paula deserves better.

I hope Nora tells Willy that she is his mother (or Willy finds out), but I doubt it…
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Part 2

The next morning, Mau and Miranda take Mirandita to school. But the principal (the same actress who plays a prison guard on Corazon Valiente and played a nurse in another recent show) tells them that as a sex offender, Miranda can't walk her kid into school. She can't get anywhere near other children. All the other parents are pointing at her, wary. Miranda grudgingly agrees, telling Mau, you're a lawyer, you know the law. Mau is upset, but decides they'll just take the day off, and have a picnic. They go to their special spot in the park with their cute little daughter. Mauricio goes to get some ice cream.

But this is just what JP and Walt have been waiting for! The SUVs scream in, and both Miranda and Mirandita are kidnapped! When Mauricio gets back with the ice cream, they're nowhere to be found. But he sees the little pink shoe of his daughter, and the shocking realization hits him like a ton of bricks. Nooooo!

He speeds to the police station, telling Orlando and an officer what happened. He gets an idea. Miranda is wearing that ankle bracelet to keep track of her whereabouts as a sex offender, why can't they just track her with that? Orlando explains that they'd have to get clearance, or a court order, or something. He and the cop go to try to obtain it.

As soon as they leave the room, Mauricio jumps onto the completely unsecured cop computer, types in Miranda Cruz, and a map pops up with her location! He writes it down, and he's off.

JP and Walt have taken their prey to your typical half constructed building which works so well for telenovela finales. They're up on about the tenth floor. Miranda and Mirandita are blindfolded. Miranda pleads, I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt my daughter!
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS, Part 3

That's EXACTLY what we have in mind, says Walt, taking off Miranda's blindfold. We're going to kill you, but your daughter will be safe. Do you remember how your Nana Valentina told you a story about two brothers who wanted revenge? I'm one of them. And here's my brother (pointing to JP). Miranda gasps. Juan Pablo? No, my real name is Gael Sanchez.

I loved you, I wanted to do anything for you, but you threw it down the toilet. Just like your mother did to our mother, who committed suicide. Your mother had an affair with our father, and our mother died! But, squeaks out Miranda, I had nothing to do with that. And it's all way in the past. Too bad, says Walt, you have to pay the price, like your mother did when I KILLED her!

Miranda is stunned. She begs her captors to not let the little girl watch when they kill her. JP takes Mirandita out of view. Walt raises his gun, aims at Miranda......when all of a sudden, Mauricio lunges forward, knocking the gun from Walt's hands. He had driven to the construction site, climbed ten floors, donned his Spiderman costume, and - well, you know, the hero thing.

He and Walt begin to fight. Punch, punch, kick, kick, Walt misses, and goes hurtling off the edge, impaling himself on a pole, 50 feet below!!!! JP rushes out, but Mau says, it's all over JP, the cops are on the way. There's no escape.

JP isn't so sure. It's not over until I SAY it's over! he bellows, grabbing a convenient CROSSBOW he had ready just in case this happened. As Mauricio, Mirandita and Miranda huddle together, he takes careful aim at Mauricio and FIRES! We see the arrow slice through the air in super slo mo, but Miranda steps in front of Mauricio, saving him, and letting the arrow pierce her chest!!!!

JP is destroyed, staggers backward, letting himself fall off the edge, plummeting to his death.

Mauricio pleads with Miranda. Don't die! Fight back for our love!

In the hospital, the entire cast has come to give support. Dr. Hector comes out of the operating room, stone faced. What happened? Did Miranda survive?

A year passes. Mauricio is in the park with Mirandita, who yells, I want my Mommy! I miss my Mommy! Well, says Mau, she's always here in your heart, wherever you go. But I want her NOW! Well, close your eyes and count to three. Uno, dos, tres, and here she IS, alive, more beautiful than EVER, she DID make it through. Miranda ask Mau why do you wait for me for 5 years, there are so many other women in the world? Mau replies, there are millions of people in the world, but the perfect love is extremely rare. And once I found it, I was NEVER going to find it again. I HAD to wait for you. Our love is the most beautiful love of all, more beautiful than the love of Tristan and Isolde!

They kiss. The three look off into the sunset, sparkling on the vast ocean, resplendent in its magnificence.

FIN
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS-
Thanks, Hombre, for all your work on recapping RP solo. You did a great job!

I watched just the end of the gran final. Sure, you should always have a crossbow handy, instead of say, a gun. Very predictable teaser about whether Miranda survived. She didn't even have a scar!
 

CORAZON VALIENTE-
Thanks for the great Friday and Monday recaps, Novelera. I have been out of town and haven't seen last night's episode yet but I, too am surprised that it was revealed so quickly that the Reptile was the shooter of DD and the nurse. Why bother to build up all the suspense about who did it for like one day?

You never have to wait too long for anything on this novela so I'm sure that Willy will find out that Nora is his mother very soon.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap, Novelera. This show is really funny at times, although I'm not sure if it's intentional. I wonder if Duvall has any regrets after laughing at JM for taking another "hopeless" case, then having Willy proven innocent a few minutes later.

I'm glad Ana finally admitted to Pablo she was the one with the gambling problem. Emma was funny sticking her tongue in her cheek to tease Pablo about his lack of trust in her. I don't see why Emma is supposed to be a housewife and let Peralta support her, though. She should at least be doing painting (what happened to that?) or looking for a job.

I think some of us remarked a few weeks ago that we might have twin Luis's, the way we had twins on La Casa de al Lado, one good, one bad. I agree the good one here may not last long.

I hope eventually Nora gets OUT of prison, and Estela goes IN to prison, although I guess she hasn't really committed any crimes yet.

I wonder what Miguel meant when he said he had a love, but couldn't save her. We saw some flashback last week, but I don't think we know the whole story yet.

The corrupt guard helped the prisoners try to poison Nora last week, this week they stabbed this same guard. Where's your prison loyalty? :)
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS

Mil gracias, Hombre, for all your interesting and well written recaps!!!

I thought the finale was pretty good. I especially liked Gilberto's comeuppance and likely loooong prison term.

For a minute there I thought Liz was going to go for the reformed Gonzo; but reflecting on it, he did rape her after all.

That impaling of Cuatémoc was pretty gruesome!

Maybe they should have included a scene of Victor being chased around in the shower by a big, hairy inmate.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Just noticed a mistake in my recap. It's Paula who might be responding to Vicente, not Perla, who is long dead.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Hombre, in my view Estela has committed a crime. She apparently colluded with the kidnappers so that they asked her husband, Miguel, to be the one to deliver the ransom money. She planned for DD's hired thugs to kill her husband because he was unfaithful. Instead he killed himself AND the thugs.

I'm not sure, though, if an intent to conspire murder that fails is a crime. If not, it should be.
 

Novelera, thanks for the great recap!
I did notice Paula being nicer, and wonder if the writers will set her up with Miguel? (Can't help it, they all have to be paired off like salt and pepper shakers at the end...) Do I remember correctly that Nora had an affair with Dario? So Willy could be Dario's son. And Sammy knowa that Dario wasn't her father, right? Forgive me if I'm going over old ground, this gets confusing sometimes...
:o)
J in Oregon
 

RELACIONES PELIGROSAS:

Thanks for the recap!
(And sorry my previous comment went between the parts of the recap. I posted without knowing you’d already posted the first part.)

Yeah… Walt’s death was gruesome.

Actually, I didn’t even question why JP had a crossbow. ;) It seemed natural that he’d have a one. :)

So Julia killed herself to incriminate Gilberto? (Or maybe she didn’t care and it was a happy accident?) Weeelll… that’s an interesting revenge, but nobody found out that she killed Armando. (Also, it did look like suicide, but I have nothing against the police not getting that.)

I was a little disappointed with how the kids’ stories ended and I wasn’t expecting much. Well, at least they were wrapped up. Nice that Leo, Sebas and Ale decided to wait five years for Eli, Nora and Diego to work out their issues. Diego and Ale even got to hold hands. Wow. Daring. No confrontation with Hector. I guess working with him might be kind of tough after the sudden decision to not care about his opinion… That guy deserved to be in prison. Speaking of which…what happened to Monica? And Javier? And JP’s lawyer? (I think it’s safe to assume that Andrés did end up in prison for a long time.) I missed Clementina in the previous episode and would have liked to see her in this one.

Btw. Ana and Santiago’s kid was called Armando. :)

Great that Miranda and Mau got their happy ending. I wasn’t expecting any less. At least that part was nice. :)
 

Relaciones

Thank you Hombre for your recaps and for sticking to this. The ending was what I expected but I was hoping the Isolde story would take hold and make this different.

Novelera love your line About Victor.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

I’m pretty sure that intending to have someone killed is enough. Just the fact that it failed, doesn’t remove her guilt. (She’d have to give up on her plan willingly. And since Miguel knew he was doomed, technically her plan did lead to his death.) Also, Estela has been hiding the fact that Bernie killed Darío and has used that info to blackmail Bernie and Ofelia. There’s also the tampered DNA test.

And yes, I also hope that Nora finally gets out of prison. (Estela can be either killed or sent to prison. I like both alternatives… but maybe prison would be sweeter.)

Hahhah. A hopeless case indeed. JM didn’t even have to do anything. :) Maybe Duval was a little prejudiced and as soon as he saw JM deduced that the case had to be hopeless.

I also liked that Ana admitted to the gambling. I understand that Pablo is traditional, but if Emma has more money, she should be allowed to use it. (And I think she does still paint. At least I remember her painting in that apartment.)

Yeah… I think there will be more about Alejandra. I don’t want to speculate yet. :) ("Saving" can indicate a few things...)


J:
Yeah, Nora had an affair with Darío… who knows when anymore. Darío said that it was around the time of Sam’s kidnapping, but Nora was supposedly dead already then (according to the current situation). I suppose it could have been whenever and who knows when Bernie found out about the affair and how long it had been going on when he found out. I originally thought that Darío was Willy’s bio father and that’s why he separated Sam and Willy, but he at least never had any idea himself, so who knows what his motives for the seperation were. As for Darío being Willy's father... I suppose it still could be possible. :) I personally hope that Willy’s biological father is anyone but Bernie.. well, and Miguel Sr. of course. And yes, Sam knows Darío isn’t her bio father.

I wouldn’t mind the current Paula with Miguel Jr. :) (But I also wonder if she’s doomed…)
I also thought that there was something meaningful in the conversation Lorena and Miguel Jr. had at the hospital… but on the other hand it has been hinted that Lorena killed her husband and his lover, so that probably won’t happen.
Well, I'm expecting for Miguel Jr. at least to be paired off with someone. ;)
 

Relaciones Peligrosas:

Hombre, my friend, muchas gracias for keeping track of this occasionally rambling (but not nearly on the level of a hot mess such as El Talisman)show largely solo. You deserve a break today. :)

First and foremost: the pole gag! They busted out the pole gag (anybody who's seen any action movie from the 70s or 80s has likely seen someone impaled on a pole, or fence post, or so on) on perhaps the one person on the show, next to maybe Andres Maximo, who truly deserved it. That made up for the sheer clichedness of just about everything else that came after it.

By extension, though: I was kind of surprised that, in the end, pretty much all of the young-adult crowd got happy endings. It was probably telegraphed via the five-year timeskip, but it still struck me as curious that everybody either ended up paired off or, in Gonzalo's case, a rags-to-modest-riches success story. Maybe they decided that decimating the older adult crowd as they did was punishment enough for the show, I don't know.

And it occurs to me that the five-year timeskip also makes this a much closer skew to the Mary Kay Letourneau story than I was expecting early on. Even if it was a sugary hearts-and-flowers version (albeit with the occasional nod to reality, such as Miranda being stopped outside of Mirandita's preschool).

I guess we're all waiting on Rosa Diamante and the Pablo Escobar series to start up now...
 

RELACIONES:

Loved the pole impalement. The ending for the kids was predictable but no one really paid for their bad deeds. Gonzalo now has a successful business and he gets off for raping Elizabeth? Eh....At least Oliver Torres got jail a while back.

Poor Yesenia. She looked totally different after the time jump, but ended up alone. Even Jaoco has Patty so he's not around too much anymore.

I thought a more dramatic and tragic/hopeful ending would have been that Miranda dies (I know...I know...but it would have been unexpected and made a point that people don't get to break major laws without serious consequences--though I realize she was in jail) and Mauricio ends up with Yesenia.
The final scene could have been Mau talking with Mirandita about Miranda and Yesenia included, without any animosity toward Miranda at all.

As I've said, it ended rather abruptly. Could have used 10-20 more episodes. But I'm satisfied for the most part.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Thanks for the great recap novelara
My question is that what was the motive behind the kidnapping?
What is DD's business?
By the way I don't like Miguel to be paired off with stupid Paula!
:)
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE - martes part 1

Nora is overcome at seeing and touching Willy. She starts to cry.

Camilo urges the Rat to give up his plan of vengeance. The Rat tells Camilo that if he be interferes with his plans, he’ll kill his own brother.

Nora ask Ángela to call her Dora so as not to raise suspicion. Nora can’t stop trembling. She tells Ángela that seeing Willy all grown up and and the look in his eyes has affected her very much. She makes Ángela promise again not to tell anyone who she really is.

Génesis comes in and tells Ángela that she knows Ángela is guilty and she is afraid to have her in the house.

Sam tells Nora that she is sure that Nora knows Willy. Nora replies that Willy reminds her of her son who is Willy’s age and whom she hasn’t seen for years. Sam tells Nora that she doesn’t think she is telling the whole truth. Nora says that she is correct.

Willy feels “la llamada del al sangre” “the call of blood” for Nora. He tells JM and Miguel that he has goosebumps (escalofrias). He says that he thinks that he has met Nora before but he can’t remember where or when.

[We notice that although the Reptile has heard about the prison break, she doesn’t rush over to JM’s place like she has done for every other incident in involving JM. Presumably, she would recognize her mother since she is older than Willy.]

Ángela gets a little prison vacation. She and JM take a bubble bath, presumably have sex and then Sam brings Violeta over. Génesis decides that Ángela’s eyes don’t lie and she is innocent and they all get in bed together.

The next day it’s back to prison for Ángela and Nora. JM tells Ángela that she just has to hang in there for 7 months and then her innocence will be proved.

Jimenez calls Miguel and says that he knows about the attempt on the life of DD and is afraid for his life. Miguel tells him to hang tight and he will be right there.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE - martes part 2

Guadalupe finds out that she has a tumor in her uterus and needs an immediate operation.

Willy tells Sam that he can’t stop thinking about Nora/Dora.

Lorena comes over to say that she now has a job and an apartment so she is saying goodbye. She can make it on her own now. She thanks Willy and Sam for everything so it seems like she is turning good but she doesn’t mention anything about her agreement with El Jefe.

Miguel arrives too late. Jimenez has been murdered. We see Evil/Estúpida Estela there. [Has EE crossed over to murder? I thought the Reptile shot DD.]

Miguel swears to Sam that he will find out who is responsible for the murders. Once again, he mentions someone besides his parents that he has lost.

Camilo comes to see JM. He is concerned about Violeta living at the Castillo house. He tells JM that since Violeta is sangre de mi sangre, he wants to take care of her. Then he gets a phone call from the Rat who threatens to murder Camilo’s woman in Mexico if Camilo betrays him. Camilo abruptly leaves JM’s office.

Miguel comes to Sam and Willy’s apartment to discuss what he and Sam are doing to find witnesses to help Ángela. Willy starts to react with jealousy and then says that he likes Miguel and wants to have him for a friend. Miguel is happy and he suggests that Sam and Willy produce a nephew (he and Sam consider themselves sister and brother) for him.

The Rat tells Camilo that it’s him or Camilo. He pulls a gun and we hear a shot but that’s all.

It’s seven months later and time for Ángela’s trial. As usual, we have jumped over the inconvenient months from conception to delivery. Poor Ángela shows up in court in her prison clothes.

We find out that Willy and Sam have been trying to have a baby without success. [Do I see a fertility doctor we know of in her future?]

The Reptile has been faithfully visiting comatose DD who is still all bandaged up. She says that she misses DD’s mistreatment of her.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE - martes part 3

At the trial, JM show some ability as a lawyer. He cross examines Duval about why the police came to search his house (anonymous call) and why someone as experienced as Ángela would leave incriminating evidence just lying around.

Miguel tells Peralta that he has found Fabiola Ferrada, the child JM’s father supposed had with his mistress. [Who told JM about FF? Wasn’t it one of the false witnesses?]

El Jefe comes to see Sam and Willy and tells them that Guadalupe has died. Sam tells Willy and El Jefe that Guadalupe came to see her and gave her advice: get regular gynecological checkups; live every day like it’s your last and don’t hold grudges. She says that she was jealous of Sam for a reason Sam will know someday.

Sam tells Willy that she can’t stop thinking about Nicolás.

Miguel is going to Colombia to find Fabiola.

Back at the trial, JM asks the guard who testified that he saw Ángela with JM’s father how he was able to buy a $400,000. apartment right after he made his statement to the police.

Peralta and Emma go to see a woman who I guess was the real mistress of JM’s father. She doesn’t want to testify.

Ofélia makes her usual visit to Nora and this time Nora agrees to see her.

Miguel tells JM that Fabiola is his only sister. Emma is not his sister.

Sam and Willy come to Guadalupe’s funeral. Nicolás runs to Sam and hugs her.
 

GENERAL:

Pablo Escobar is starting July 9th, at 10:00 Eastern. Until then, they'll apparently have Decisiones Extremas, which I'm not going to recap. But I do plan on recapping Pablo Escobar.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE:

Thanks, Jean! Yes, we have the usual host of questions. Yesterday, we were debating the severity of EE's crimes, since we all want her to go to jail for SOMETHING. Well, if she killed Jimenez (and she's the prime suspect), that's a biggie. Of course, now it's 7 months later, and I'm sure the incompetent police (or writers) forgot all about Jimenez.

Good call about the fertility doctor that Sam and Willy will need.

We really don't know who is whose child for most of the characters. Now we find out Emma is apparently not JM's sister! Do we even know if JM is the child of HIS supposed parents? I'm guessing the "real lover" of JM's father is the parent of either Emma or JM. And maybe since Estela is so bad, Angela isn't HER daughter. And what about Genesis and that red hair? Yes her mother was blond and JM has dark hair, so it's possible. But you never know.

I did think JM was doing a better job this time in court. But why isn't there a jury? We know how mean these telenovela judges are!
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE- I went back and looked. Jimenez said to Miguel, "Supe del atentado a Bernardo del Castillo. Tengo miedo." What Estela was worried about was Jimenez's knowledge concerning the kidnapping of Sam when she was a girl and Miguel Sr.'s death. What could Jimenez know about the attempt on the life of DD and did he mean attempt #1 (blowing up boat) or attempt #2 (shooting on boat)?

As for Estela's possible guilt of a crime, if she paid the kidnappers to kill Miguel Sr., that is attempted murder but that was a long time ago, in Mexico and the kidnappers were killed along with Miguel.

A person has a right to a jury trial, you don't have to have one. Criminal defendants almost always request one but maybe the novela's courtroom set doesn't have a jury box.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

I forgot to mention that when JM was cross examining Duval, Duval said Ángela's wrap/shawl thingy was the probable murder weapon. Didn't the CSI team do any tests to determine if it was in fact what Josefina was strangled with? If now, how can it be used in evidence against Ángela.
 

GENERAL

Hombre, I will be watching Pablo Escobar. The actor playing him was in El Cartel, and I thought he was very good. He actually played kind of a kind-hearted narco in that one.

Some people are turned off by narco-novelas. Me, not so much. The main thing is whether they establish a good plot and have good acting.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Excellent recap, Jean. And that was a winner of an insight about Lorena helping Willy and Sam conceive. Since she seems to be turning good, I wondered if maybe the writers changed their minds. They might reveal that the husband/boyfriend of Santiago's amante really killed them and she just found the bodies.

It also seems like they're working up to turing Jefe away from his obsession. He was great standing by Guadalupe, and we haven't seen any of those glassy-eyed looks around Sam lately.

Yes, JM was excellent in the courtroom. If they only suspected the Reptile, they'd notice the $400K cash she withdrew the same day the crooked landlord got his money. Another thing: the Reptile was strapped and had to hit up Vicente for blackmail money back when Gloria was alive. So now she's bought witnesses all over LA?

I think it was Vivi who suggested mass DNA testing for the whole cast. I second that!

NovelaObserver, assuming that you mean to ask the motive behind Samantha's kidnapping all those years ago, here it is. Despicable Dad (Bernie) was jealous and spiteful because his wife, Nora, had an affair with Darío, the supposed father of Samantha. He wanted to make Darío suffer.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

One more thing, NovelaObserver. DD or Bernardo del Castillo is a partner in the automobile business with Juan Marcos Arroyo. He was partners with JM's father, until the Reptile killed him. It's unclear to me whether they manufacture cars, own car sales lots, or what. DD also owns an art gallery where fine art is also sold. In that business he was a partner with Perla, the deceased mother of Samantha
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap!

I suppose we can’t be completely sure if Estela was behind the murder (it does seem obvious), but I think it’s clear that murder is no issue for her. I do think she will go down for something even if the murder attempt in Mexico can’t be proven.
(We also guessed that Jimenez would be killed soon… only the nurse went before him.)

I think Jimenez was just scared that anyone related to the kidnapping would be in danger. I think he meant the 2nd murder attempt. He doesn’t know the motive behind it after all and it happened a short while after he revealed Bernie’s involvement, so it seems natural to feel scared. (I’d like to know what sort of role Jimenez himself had in the kidnapping.)

Yeah, JM found out about Fabiola from one of the false witnesses a few episodes ago. (He assumed she was a lover, but then found out she was his half-sister)

Well…. JM probably should have asked Duval to clarify if he was sure that the scarf was a murder weapon or not… because yeah, it doesn’t really help if it could be. (Maybe Duval just chose the wrong words or something)

Ever since Lorena’s expertise was established I had a feeling it would come handy one day. :) (And she conveniently feels that she owes Sam and Willy)

What I didn’t expect:
-Emma not being JM’s (biological) sister
-JM using sense and logic in court (I actually think Angie might have a chance)
-The trial itself (until now it has been fairly coherent)

Hmm.. I don’t know about Lorena becoming good. (But yeah… it could be possible that someone else killed Santiago+ lover)

To me El Jefe is still a villain, although not quite as bad as a few others. I need some comeuppance for his physical and sexual abuse (and kidnapping) of Sam, the cameras in the apartment and the other laws he’s broken because of his obsession.

Well… if Juan Ignacio’s lover is Emma’s mother, she’d still be JM’s sister and since Gloria said that JI left her mother when his wife was pregnant with JM, I suppose it would be hard to dispute that…(unless Leonor cheated on her husband and JI had no idea… Oh.. the possibilities…)
So… could Juan Ignacio have had more lovers and could thus JM have other half-siblings??
Estela was pregnant and Miguel is Angie’s father… it would be hard to make Angie someone else’s daughter… (Maybe one good parent is enough?)

Oh, who knows. In this telenovela not even DNA tests are always reliable. ;)

Maybe Fernanda had Vicente pay for the witnesses or since they’re married they share their wealth.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Thanks a lot novelera. So the motive behind all the crimes in this novela is jealousy! :| Then Miguel Sr.'s suicide attack doesn't make much sense.

Yes it seems like Paula, Jefe and Lorena are turning good so the boring "obsession scenes" will be repeated less. Que bueno! Though we still have Fernanda and Luis with the same motive.

A new character: Fabiola!
Que paso con Rodrigo?
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Ah, Rodrigo!! So far this guy has only been the subject of conversations between Ofelia and DD and/or Ofelia and Darío. Last we heard he was in school in Scotland. They seem to be holding him back for some reason.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Actually Rodrigo was taking a course in Paris when Darío went looking for him in Scotland (but quite a bit of time has passed since then). Also, other characters have talked about/mentioned him as well, like at the reading of Darío’s will or when Sam needed a plane to go look for Willy. Ofelia apparently takes care of business (and acts as his representative) at the company Rodrigo now owns… who knows why he hasn’t bothered to show up himself. Yeah… maybe he is being saved for a different stage of the novela? It seems like he could end up being a major or influential character and might appear only when other characters are killed off/make their exit, so there will be room to add him to the cast.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – MIÉRCOLES – Part 1

After hugging Samantha, Nicolás tells her that his mother, before she died, repented of disliking Sam and told him to seek her out.

El Jefe, rather touchingly, bids a farewell to Guadalupe and promises her he’s going to make Nicolás smile again.

Oh boy! They’re going with switched babies. Miguel tells JM that Emma and Fabiola were switched at the hospital, so Emma had the life of luxury that should have belonged to Fabiola. Miggy is going to Colombia to meet Fabiola. He also tells JM that Juan Ignacio found out about the switched babies shortly before he died.

Nora has agreed to see Ofelia because she wants to know the latest about DD. When she hears of his coma, with not much chance of recovery, she smiles and says this is maybe better than death and that he’s paying for what he did to both she and Ofelia.

[Okaaay. We saw the Reptile last episode visiting DD after the 7 month time lapse. If he’s in a coma, wouldn’t his burns have healed some. Why is he still wrapped in bandages, except to conceal the fact that he’s not Manuel Landeta?]

The Reptile tells Vicente that the trial isn’t going well and that JM is impugning every one of her paid witnesses. Vicente remarks that Ángela’s baby will be born in any case. The Reptile says this may work for her; she’ll get to be the baby's mother!

Willy tells Sam he’s going to consult with the best fertility expert in the country.

We are experiencing a population explosion of villains in this novela. Miguel gets a call from López, someone I don’t remember seeing before. López tells him Fabiola is in Los Angeles and gives him a work address. Some other evil guy points a gun at López and says that, while Miguel may trust him, he doesn’t. And shoots him at point blank range.

Can someone please gag Estúpida Estela. She tells the Reptile at the courthouse that her daughter is going to be vindicated because JM has found the real amante of his father.

The hijitas call on all the saints, plus a guardian angel, to get Ángela free.

The scorned amante says on the stand that Juan Ignacio abandoned her for Ángela, pointing at her. JM asks her if she knows Sonia Estévez. She looks nervous. JM reminds her about perjury and says that Sonia is the one his father left her for, not Ángela.

The Rat tells Vikingo that he has to say what he’s supposed to in court.

The Reptile calls the Rat and sends him to dispose of Sonia Estévez. JM also calls Sam to make sure she doesn’t decide not to testify.

Miggy arrives at a bar, the address that López gave him, and discovers that Fabiola is a stripper. The bartender tells him she’s working tonight, and to come back.

Sonia lets the Rat right in. Would you? She tells him she’s not going to testify. Sam and Willy show up, and the Rat again is peeping up over some barrier. Sonia has been murdered. Shots are fired but, as per usual, the Rat escapes.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE – MIÉRCOLES – Part 2

Nicolás now tells his father that he doesn’t want to know his bio mom out of respect for his deceased mother.

The Reptile testifies that Josefina was the mother of a schoolmate, and thus invited to her wedding. She says she doesn’t know if Ángela and Josefina didn’t get along. She does say she recognizes the shawl.

Ángela has false labor pains.

Peralta is worried about Emma finding out that Fabiola is JM’s real sister. It might push her into another breakdown.

A surprise witness is called, with no notification to the defense to prepare. More TN trial idiocy. It’s Germán Galindez aka Vikingo. He testifies that he was Luis Martínez’s best friend. He saw him days before he died. Luis was upset because his wife Ángela was going to put him aside to marry JM. The original plan was for her to marry JM, kill him, and then share the money with Luis. He also says that Ángela killed Luis. JM and Ángela both go berserk.

Willy and Sam show up for their appointment to see Gregorio Montalban, the best fertility doctor in the country. He’s been called away and, big surprise, Lorena is his trusted assistant. Sam does NOT want Lorena to do her fertility tests. Willy keeps insisting. [This is dumb; there must be thousands of such doctors in LA.]

Miggy goes to the strip club, seems stunned by “Fabiola” and calls JM to come down also. Another sinister villain remarks from the background that these guys wanted Fabiola, but they may get death. Fabiola says she’s not interested in talk, just money or sex.

Vicente tells Paula that he’s gotten some other prejudicial witnesses for Ángela’s trial. He ends up kissing her. The Reptile puts her hand over Nelly’s mouth so she won’t say anything. She wants Vinnie to keep on with his seduction.

Willy and Sam are in a snit with each other about using Lorena for treatments. They make up, though, and Jefe watches with disgust from his lair as they roll around on the sofa. He turns off his spy cameras and turns his attention to a letter from Guadalupe to be opened after her death. She tells him Samantha was robbed of her child, and she wants El Jefe to tell Sam and Willy that Nicolás is their child.

Nicolás himself shows up at Sam and Willy’s apartment saying his mother left him a letter.

While JM and Miguel question Fabiola, she gets a call. One of the multiple evil guys tells her that she has to convince them that she is Fabiola. So I guess she isn’t.

Ángela has been moved to the prison infirmary because of her contractions. EE shows up wanting to fuss over her. Nora comes in and says she wants to meet her. She announces that she’s the wife of Bernardo del Castillo!
 

CORAZON VALIENTE-
Thanks for the great recap, Novelera.

Yes, indeed, more Telemundo trial silliness: the surprise witness; all of Vikingo's testimony was hearsay and should have been inadmissible, and finally, letting the Reptile make a statement from the witness chair. And that's not even including JM's outburst.

It's not at all clear to me what the Fabiola story is. Who are these bad guys who are using a false Fabiola? It doesn't make a lot of sense that it is the Reptile behind all this. If there was a baby switch, that would't make much difference in Angela's case. Well, I'm sure we'll find out fairly quickly.

Poor Sonia. She was only on screen for about 2 minutes.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE

Thank you Novelera for your recap.

Interesting, how the Reptile and Rat had Sonia's address at the ready. Intruder is in a black cap yet Sam does not mention the guy that tried to rape her had a similiar cap on? No coincidence there?

Please Nora finally put EE in her place.

With this insane storyline of mixed babies I have to wonder about Miguel now, he's the only reason why I tune in. I hope indeed he's a good guy. At least it's good to see an actress from Relaciones in her next role, but I liked her better with her curly hair.

It would serve Reptile right if Vincent falls in love with Paula. I can see Vincent turning Reptile in. I feel bad for Vincent looking like Ron Moss it just doesn't fit for him to be a bad guy, a cad yes, but not bad.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE

Great recap! Thanks novelera

I don't know either what the story behind Fabiola can be. I hope the writers know it! Anyway I liked her meeting scene with Miguel. "Miggy" was so cute :)
 

CORAZON VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap, Novelera! Yes, par for the course, we had two more murders, several new characters, and a few shocking revelations. Nobody could accuse this show of staying still!

I enjoyed "Yesenia" from Relaciones in her role as the fake Fabiola. Of course, the real Fabiola is in Colombia, where Miggy was going. Lopez was forced at gunpoint to lie and say Fabi was in LA. But I think Miggy is smart enough to see through the fake Fabi. Sadly, this means fake Fabi has to die!

I have no clue as to the motive to keep Miggy from finding the real Fabi. If he weren't already dead, I'd say Gabriel would want to make sure Emma keeps her money. Is there anyone else who wants that?

I think they said Dr. Montalban was out attending to family matters. But can't they just wait til he he gets back? Of course not, we need Lorena to be the doctor. I don't see why they're so desperate anyway. They've only been married 7 months. Of I forgot, they want to have "hundreds" of children. Has any telenovela couple ever said they want to have two children?
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Guys, "Miggy" occurred to me because that's what we fans called Miguel Tejada when he played for the San Francisco Giants last year. It seemed to me to suit Gabriel Porras and distinguishes him from his father, our heroic Miguel Valdez, Sr.

By the way, I'm on cloud nine today because the Giants shut out the hated team from the southland three games in a row and are now tied for first place in the National League West with said hated Dodgers.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE:

Things to avoid if you want to stay alive in Corazon Valiente:

1. Finding out who the real murderers are.
2. Changing from bad to good.
3. Being a minor character.

Paula had all three of these. Her death was "shocking."
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE- jueves Part 1

Nora takes pleasure in telling Evil/Estúpida Estela that Despicable Dad’s first wife is alive and well. She knows that Estela won’t tell anyone about her. Estela comes back by saying that she won’t tell because it would be better for the Reptile and Willy to believe that their mother is dead than in prison.

Guadalupe left a letter for Nicolás that said that if he ever needed anything to go to Sam and Willy. Nicolás does not understand why. Sam suggests that Guadalupe knew that Sam had a child who was Nicolás’ age. “Had,” asks Nicolás, “did your child die?” Sam explains that her child was stolen from her and that she has been looking for him all these years.

El Jefe sees Nicolás at Sam and Willy’s when he turns his monitors back on. He is concerned and scurries over there to get him.

Miggy tells JM to get out of the strip club. It’s dangerous and he’ll handle the situation.

The Reptile congratulates Vincente on his conquest of Paula. She wants him to keep Paula distracted. She says that tomorrow Ángela will be convicted of the murders and it will be her turn to get JM.

Nora tells Ángela that her mother isn’t who Ángela thinks she is.

EE and Ofelia get into one of their catfights. EE asks why Ofelia has never told the Reptile or Willy that their mother is alive. Ofelia says that she is following DD’s orders. Ofelia comes back and says that not only does she know that DD ordered Sam’s kidnapping, she also knows that DD did not want Miguel Sr. to make the ransom delivery and that it was EE who ordered that. She accuses EE of being a murderer. [That’s the pot calling the kettle black – Ofelia is an accessory to many of the Reptile’s murders.] The two ladies start to fight and the Reptile and Vincente have to separate them. The Reptile orders EE out of the house but EE correctly predicts that Ofelia won’t want her to leave.

The Rat coaches Vikingo on his testimony. His wife/girlfriend (I’ve forgotten her name again and I’m too lazy to look for it) doesn’t want him to testify. She says that it might get them into trouble.

Miggy and False Fabiola get it on and while grappling, Miggy finds and destroys the microphone that FF was carrying.

Willy goes to see Lorena. She tells him that she has moved on with her life and is even romantically involved with someone else. She really wants to help them get pregnant. Willy says that he will try and persuade Sam to see Lorena.

Vikingo testifies at Ángela’s trial that the Rat told him before he died that he was afraid of Ángela and that if anything happened to him, Ángela was responsible. JM does not object to this testimony on the grounds that it is inadmissable hearsay and is about a crime that Ángela is not even accused of committing. Rather, he asks Vikingo if he has any proof that Ángela committed these crimes. He doesn’t.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE- jueves Part 2

Miggy confronts False Fabiola and says he knows she is an imposter. He wants to know who is behind all this. FF says that her real name is Natalia and there are narcotrafficantes involved in this and they know that Fabiola is JM’s sister and that he is looking for her.

Vikingo’s woman succumbs to the charms of the Rat.

The Reptile tells DD that it’s time to pull the plug on his life support.

Peralta gives Sam the proofs he has collected that show that Ángela is innocent. The Reptile overhears their conversation.

El Jefe testifies that Ángela didn’t ask him to be Génesis’ bodyguard. It was his decision.

The Reptile summons the Rat and tells him that Ángela is going to be acquitted. She has a Plan B that she wants him to implement.

JM produces the proof that dead Sonia was the real mistress of Juan Ignacio. The judge calls a recess to review the new evidence.

Miggy has some plan to use Natalia to expose the people who hired her to impersonate Fabiola. I couldn’t quite follow what was going on except that it involved Miggy and Natalia going to Peralta and Emma’s apartment.

The prosecutor is convinced by the new evidence that Ángela was not Juan Ignacio’s mistress. JM demands that Ángela be acquitted.

The Rat comes to see Ángela and tells her that unless she is convicted of the murders, Violeta will be killed by some mysterious vengeance seeking folks. He also tells her that he is Luis, not Camilo.

Vincente has managed to perform with Paula and they are drinking wine in the obligatory post-coital bubble bath. Paula makes a toast to JM – always in love with another woman. Vincente makes a toast to the person responsible for all the murders – the Reptile. Paula is impactada and confirms with Vincente that not only did he know about all these murders, he helped the Reptile commit them. Paula says that Vincente should go to the police and make a “declaración” againt the Reptile. Vincente agrees that he should do that but he’s not going to. He gets out of the bath and tosses a hair dryer into the bath, electrocuting Paula. [Unless this bathroom is in a really old house, it would have a ground fault interruptor outlet that would keep the hairdryer from causing an electrocution – but whatever.]

The Reptile tells the doctor that tomorrow she will sign the papers to pull the plug on DD.

Jefe and Nicolás drop in with a take-out dinner at Sam and Willy’s.

Ángela is delivered several items reiterating the threat against her. These items would be perfect to show to JM or whatever to demonstrate that she is being threatened but of course she doesn’t tell anyone except Nora. It also seems that the one and only guard in the prison is in league with the Rat. She delivers the packages.

JM makes his closing argument to the jury. Ángela interrupts to announce that she is guilty of the crimes.
 

Corazon Valiente:

Thanks so much Jean. I have not have a chance to watch the show this week, so the recaps are my life line. I did see the last two minutes last night and saw Angela's confession. I think I exclaimed out loud and threw my hands up.

Oh well, at least Paula is dead. Another inconvenient character out of the way.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Jean, thanks so much for the great recap! Your asides were right on. The hearsay drives me nuts also.

Hombre, loved your comment about Paula's shocking death.

I wonder how long the "confession" is going to stand up. In some novelas it would result in boring months in prison. This novela has moved very fast in undoing some of the "hopeless" situations our protagonists find themselves in.

I loved Nora telling Ángela that her mother is not who she thinks she is. If EE ends up dead or in prison, Ángela already has a replacement mother ready to step in.

I thought Lorena had a very weird expression on her face after convincing Willy she'd "moved on". I wouldn't put it past her to inject Sam with something PREVENTING her from pregnancy.

Is it just me, or have they gone overboard on hair extensions in this novela? It seems to me that both Fernanda and Sam have about 8 inches longer hair than when the novela started.

Vivi, I also threw up my hands when the Reptile had the Rat make up the threat to Violeta's life. They also showed a picture of her with duct tape over her mouth. What? I guess JM never moved her to the relative safety of Casa Arroyo (security detail patroling) from the danger zone of Casa del Castillo. We can be sure her devoted grandma isn't doing jack sh!t to protect her; she's all about securing her position as DD's true spouse.
 

Corazon Valiente

Thanks Jean for your recap. I think the writers are living their fantasies by killing every minor character off. The only wish I have is for someone to put Angela out of her misery.

I have begun counting the episodes until Angela and JM get a clue. I also wonder if the writers from El Talisman took over, they were good in torturing the audience,

But now my fav couple is Miggy and Fakegirl. Fan of both.
 

CORAZON VALIENTE

Thanks all!

I also thought that Lorena had a strange expression after she convinced Willy that she had moved on. In novela terms, her character only makes sense if she is impeding Sam and Willy from getting pregnant so that she can go after Willy herself.

We should play the "who will be next to die?" game again.

I vote for Vikingo's girlfriend. Using Hombre's criteria, she's a minor character, she veers towards good [she wanted to give Sam the DVD] and I still think she knows that the Reptile is the murderer.

Of course, False Fabiola is an obvious candidate as well.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Thanks for the recap

Another fan of Miggy-Natalia here! :)

At last thanks to Vicente we got rid of Paula. I hope he will do something about... well, it's a long list!
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Thanks for the recap!!

Oh, Paula. I was actually starting to like her. She was never bad, just annoying, but since she finally moved on from JM, there wasn’t any use for her. Yeah, her death was hardly shocking (but it was a new way to murder someone in this novela). I’m not sure why she had to be killed off though. Because Fernanda didn’t like her? She was hardly a threat to her and there’s yet another murder to be explained. Since Angie is in prison, it will be hard to pin that on her.

The only way to survive is to have main character/plot immunity. Everyone else is eventually expendable.

(Btw… during these 7 months has anyone wondered why Gabriel is on such a long "trip"??)

Gosh yes, Ofelia gets on my nerves with thinking/acting like she’s somehow "better" than those she judges. I liked how Estela pointed out that Ofelia shouldn’t be claiming moral high ground, considering that she’s letting Willy and Fernanda believe that their mother is dead. "Because Bernardo asked" is no excuse for something that awful (and it sounds like she’s condoning that decision). But it seems that it as well as "protecting Fernanda" works for her to justify her actions.

Natalia is pretending that she has successfully convinced Miguel Jr. that she’s the real Fabiola and is supposedly waiting to get the DNA test results. (That’s why she is staying at Pablo and Emma’s place) That probably gives Miguel Jr. time to find the real Fabiola or who knows. The whole plot with the Fabiola and Emma baby switch, why she has to be found and why the new bad guys don’t want her to be found confuses me. Maybe it will be clearer later on.

Oh, Andrea… why? I’m sure the Viking will like this. (And why would Luis anger the guy who knows all his plans? Smart.)

Maybe Angie can later prove that she was threatened to confess, but it’s a little silly that she wouldn’t somehow try to find out if her daughter actually has been kidnapped.

I too really like the relationship between Angie and Nora. :) (I hope Nora will eventually connect with Sam as well.)

Yeah, I’m not convinced that Lorena has truly moved on, either. She wouldn’t have much purpose otherwise.

I’ve noticed the hair as well. The hair length also tends to change from one scene to another without much time passing.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE

Thanks Kihaku for amplifying Miggy's plan with Fake Fabiola.

By the way, what Hombre meant by Paula's shocking death was (wink, wink, nod, nod) she was shocked to death!

Good point about Gabriel. Actually, his loony tunes older brother is too obsessed with Fernanda to have grieved more than 5 minutes.

I'd LOVE to see Vikingo catch the Rat with his girlfriend. Something tells me he'd make mincemeat out of our rodent.
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Ah… who will die next? I’ve had Andrea on my list, so I’ll stick with her. Of course it could again be a nameless character and/or one not introduced.
Lots of people have already died this week though.

I’m not feeling Miguel Jr. and Natalia… Maybe it’s the age difference, maybe it’s because I think Natalia won’t last that long either… or something else.

Novelera:

Hah! NOW, I get that pun! Thanks. :) (I can’t believe I missed it.)

Yeah, Vicente’s brain is only fuelled by Fernanda, but Gabriel must have other friends…

I’d also like to see Luis get a good beating. :)
 

I am really surprised the writers didn't get more mileage out of the Paula character. But am hoping that FF (Fake Fabiola) will be with us for awhile. I really like her chemistry with "Miggy", who is a great addition to the cast. And we know he will end up with somebody. But...not before his dark tragic secret is revealed, I'm guessing. And tonite---plug-pulling party for DD.
J in Oregon
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

Gracias to all for the super recaps and comments this week.

After a marathon viewing of my DVRed episodes in two fast forwarded blocks of time, all I can say is, "What the ... WHAAAAT??!??!?" I'm at a total loss about where the writers are going with this, but I'm fastening my seatbelt for a runaway train wreck of a ride. There are new villains, more deaths, a time jump, and Ángela will give birth soon.

So in review, Nora is Fernanda and Willy's bio mom. Emma is NOT JM's sister. She was switched with his biological sister, who is MIA so far. Will we later find out that JM's parentage is also a scam? EE is not Ángela's bio mother. So who is? Sam and Willy are Nicolas's bio parents. Lorena might render Sam infertile. In this novela, she could deviously use Willy's sperm to fertilize her own eggs and use them to impregnate herself or use Sam (unbeknowst to Sam) as a surrogate (which makes no sense, but in this novela, what does?) Now Miggy knocking boots with Natalia, a deceitful stripper, who isn't beneath working and hooking on the wrong side of the law for cash! Will he impregnate HER? Next, will we find out that Genesis is a product of JM's first wife (I forgot her name) and DD's affair?? Who is Arturo's real father? This is truly some outrageous foolishness! That's why I'm treating it like a comedy. I need a score card to keep track of the characters. Also, I'm confused. Did Luis kill Camilo or not? I might have missed it while FFwding.

What the heck is wrong with Ángela?? What mother in her right mind wouldn't have immediately told someone about her child's alledged kidnapping after seeing that duct tape pic??? Where's that visceral motherly instinct to do everything to protect her child?? Those kangaroo courtroom scenes are a joke. Anyone who has watched Judge Judy knows that hearsay is almost never admissible.

Yes, I noticed the hair lengths, too. I would be willing to bet that over well over 90% of all actresses and models everywhere wear extensions or weaves to supplement hair length and volume when they're on camera

I'm on the West Coast so some of you are witnessing more weird plot twists as I write this. I'll check back tomorrow.

NovelaNewbie
 

CORAZON VALIENTE

NovelaNewbie, I think you may have misunderstood my comment. Nora told Ángela that her mother (Estupida Estela) was not who she thought she was, meaning Angie thinks she's a good person, but she's a scheming b!tch. She really is her bio mom, at least as far as we know so far!

We are assuming Luis killed Camilo, but who knows. We saw him point the gun at his head and heard the shot, but we didn't see a body fall or any blood, so it could be a fakeout.

Actually, we're pretty sure Arturo's father was the family dog back when Sam was kidnapped. He must have had Arturo at an advanced age, or the years don't make sense!
 

CORAZÓN VALIENTE:

@novelera - Ah ... I DID misunderstand your comment. Thanks for clearing it up, and thank you for your consistently outstanding recaps and commentary!

Btw, I live in San Diego now, but I'm indifferent towards the Padres. I do understand your loyalty to the Giants. I grew up in Chicago so I've been privy to that White Sox/Cubs rivalry. I'm still in the minority by being a loyal White Sox fan!

@Jean - I forgot to acknowledge that you were the one wo called out the courtroom hearsay nonsense.

@deb ::waving:: Good to "see" you. Thank you for researching the wedding ring questions. Interesting stuff.