Caray, Caray!

Andres / Daniel was a STUD IN Studs @ the tribute wasn't he????? OMG!!!
I was eating him up with my eyes!!!! (Borrowed from Camilla's Amiga Vivi)
Just Lucious ~ and that Quick Quint he gave Camilla... Aaaawh!!!! I just melted!!!!!
 

Wonderfully detailed account of tonight's episode. I appreciated the research and all the correct names for the different events. Gracias amiga.

AMOR- Yes, that little wink Dan gave Cami was hot. And he was the best looking man there. That gray charro suit was beautiful. I don't know how she resisted jumping over the ailes and seats, and eating him up with kisses right then and there.

Poor Dan. Flashbacks to Miriam bleeding to death in his arms.
 

I didn't comment on it in the article but wasn't it interesting that the upper-crust and middle class characters (except for the teacher) were in Spanish clothes while the working class were in Mexican folkwear?

The scene with Maja was adorable. Such a darling dog!

The avances look tense, perhaps more than they should. I just hope this one doesn't drift further into unreality.
 

Yes, Maja is an adorable big dog. And SN/Cami has fun playing with her.

Hey, I think this flowered robe might be the same one SN wore in MEPS. Wonder if it's her personal robe. I hope Ximena busts out with the Pear Robe. :)
 

Thanks, UA, for the speedy and very helpful recap. I love your new name for Leoncio: Leoncerdo.

I've got no use for Ximena, but I found myself on her side tonight, when her ditzy mother, totally oblivious to Ximena's wishes, invites Bruno to La Malquerida.

How did Hissadora manage to arrange for the bull to be in a place where it could do harm to Camila? And how can Hissy be so sure that the bull will kill Camila rather than just wound her? I would have thought that Leoncerdo's botched killing of Padre Baldomero would have brought home to her the importance of making sure the target is indeed muerto/a.

The avances make things look quite bleak, with the medic in the ambulance saying that there's nothing more he can do. Clearly SN has to pull through, but it looks as if poor D'andres may again find himself with a beloved in Intensive Care on the brink of death.
 

Hmmm...the capcha quickly approved my message but claimed I was Unknown. Oh well, "Unknown" is Juanita.
 

"Methinks Anna Wintour just ran out to the vomitorium".

Urban...you are the best!!! I am only able to "see" this novela through the eyes of the recappers. As always with your writing, Urban, I felt like I had watched the episode!

Thank you so much!!

Another Anon
 

Forgot to add that your efforts to get this up so quickly are hugely appreciated. We all know that these recaps are quite a bit of work. All of the recappers are very much appreciated. :)

Another Anon
 

Natalia looked GREAT in her yellow & Teal dress!

But tell me why was that man hiding behind the shed/stand where Andres/Daniel Grabbed the Pink/Red cloth he used to flag tha bull down. The man ducked right as the camera went to him! I was confused if he was legitimately supposed to be there why dint he flag the Bull???

Maybe he was a stunt man or just needs to be fired from Ranch Malquerda for hiding while hiding while his patroness was laying Hurt on the ground!
 

Wait...did I miss your fan for this week?

Another Anon
 

UA thanks for your recap and all the details you included.

Yes Dan looked great and I do admire Cam's restraint. And then poor thing had flashbacks of his wife's death. The previews look bad but thankfully we know the protagonists live.

Yeah Padre! The writers actually allow him to see malo tio in action and her friends realize wanting to become a nun is not consistent with Luzma's behavior. I just hope Luzma denounces that horrible man soon.

Maja is a great dog. She's so playful.
 

Isadora swapped her red cloak of invisibility for her blue one. Works really well! What was that thing that Viviana was wearing? The costume designer must be color blind?
 

Dan can wink at me anytime.

Both Dan and Camila were in almost the exact same circumstances they were last with their loved ones:

Camila was injured badly in her leg, just like her accident with Luis.

Dan was watching a woman he loved have the life ebb from her due to machinations by others.


 

Thanks UA for this detailed recap. I really enjoyed the festivities which showed the beautiful traditions of Mexico. UA, regarding your mention about the costumes of the rich and the poor, I too am wondering, (I was once in Mexico DF's museum and was reading regarding social classes)are they (social caste system) still the way it is in Mexico? I also notice this strong difference between rich and poor and their attitude in most of the TNs.Just wondering.
 

Can't sleep so I'm online for a bit.

I sometimes wonder about social classes. There are times that I truly believe it is built into human DNA because although the US is theoretically not supposed to have them, we do. It's not based on race or strictly about money anymore; it's mostly based on education and what you do with it. Education changes people's outlook on most things and that is what I think we see in novelas.

I hope it occurs to somebody to teach Piedad how to read and write. The writers may be setting us up for PSAs about literacy.

As for class in the other sense of the word, it's never difficult to see who has it and who doesn't whether we're talking about TN's or real life.
 

I have not been on lately. Too busy, although I have been watching and reading. Thank yo all for the work you do. I end up doing schoolwork while this is on and rely on recaps to fill in what I missed or did not understand.

I understand her fear for the present time, but is it because Pablo is talking of leaving that is why LuzMa will denounce her uncle later?

Cindy
 

Thank you, UA. Another compelling episode and wonderful recap.

Daniel certainly did look handsome. The women looked very good, too,especially Natalia. I agree that Vivi's dress was not very attractive.

The three most miserable looking people at the party were Leo, Dio and Ximena. What a nasty bunch!

Let's hope that Luzma's gambit works. We know that she won't stay in the convent, but getting her away from her family and into a safe space may be necessary to get to the truth. Padre is as close to our hero on this one as we have right now.

Symmetry abounds with the parallel accidents. Looks like another tension-filled episode, as you said. We have to wait until Wed, no?

 

Yes, we do. This annoys me big time.

I don't think this is a gambit. I think she is trying to get away in the only way she can think of that her mother would understand and approve of. However, she doesn't have a vocation and any mother superior or priest can spot that.
 

I think Luzma sees both her going away to a convent and Pablo going away to school as a good thing to keep them both safe. And then she can denounce Leoncio. She is very brave though. She still is fiesty with Leo. Her easy smile might be gone, but he hasn't broken her spirit.
 

Thank you for putting in the fan picture. Love those fans!

Another Anon
 

I think the class system in the US is still very much based on race and socioeconomic status; although there is a bit more mobility here than in other countries, I think. I've always found it interesting the darker skinned Mexicans are always the maids and ranch hands, whereas the lighter skinned Mexicans are almost always the upper class. The only show where I've seen a lighter skinned Mexican being portrayed as low class scum is Teresa.

What's interesting in this story is the question of class and love:

Daniel/Miriam...while Daniel was not lower class by any means, Miriam's brother didn't think Daniel was up to their class standards (and I don't think that had anything to do with Dan not being a born Jew)

Andres/Camila...although many characters have noted that Andres is too elegant & educated to be of a lower social class, Andres is just a ranch hand....

Natalia's crush on Andres...after she learned Andres was Dan, the real heir to La Malquerida she realized Dan was not for her


Pablo/Luzma...rich boy + illiterate cook's daughter...and Iliana is of the same social class as Pablo & thinks it's a shame he's hooking up with the cook's daughter...

Yago/Natalia...they're making googoo eyes at each other (especially Yago)...but Yago is in the social situation as Daniel...and if Natalia couldn't go for Daniel, why could she go for Yago? And Yago looked down on Luzma...while Natalia is definitely not in the same social class as Luzma, she's not in the same social class as Yago either...especially when he's looked down on Luzma...

I'm just glad Maria Sorte is not playing a downtrodden maid...
 

Anon207, I wonder whether the racial divide in telenovela casting is a point of controversy in Latin America. I think it probably started and continues because having European-looking actors in lead roles makes the programs more internationally marketable. We need a reality check on how wealth is distributed in Mexico.

Notice that servants in a wealthy novela household often include a prominent position filled by a white person: A chauffeur, a major domo, or ama de llaves is usually white. In Salome she was even the illegitimate half-sister of the patrona. Ranch foremen are also often white (Diego in the prologue of Abrazame Muy Fuerte).

It also surprises me that we don't see more priests played by mestizo actors.

Back to our tale...

El corazon no se manda. Iago looked at Luzma and said she was pretty. Iliana is an insecure trust fund brat who could grow up to be Altair Jarabo.

With regard to Daniel and Miriam, I am going to guess that his father left Agatha with nothing. Daniel was taking care of her and having trouble getting work. That would be Abraham's objection to him. Had he landed a job I doubt Abraham would have had an issue with him. The Jewish community is very small in Chile so the dating and marriage pools are small. He is also smart enough to know that marrying out of the faith is likely to be genetically healthier for any future children.
 

I thought it was very interesting that, while everyone else was grinning and clapping while watching the rodeo and bullfighting scenes, all of the villains were bored by the spectacle......as though to imply that only bad people wouldn't enjoy watching what is essentially the ritualistic domination and torture of animals. Very different cultural assumptions.


 

UA--You added to my knowledge of corridas. I still think it is a cruel sport--thank goodness this fiesta didn't get that far. I enjoyed seeing the dancing show horses, though. Thank you for all the details. It's a great read.

Leoncerdo is a good one. It disgusted me to see him sitting there with his legs spread wide open. Why on earth Luzma was sitting next to him.

Anon207--Great insight into some of our class-conscious and unclass-conscious couples. Education is certainly one way up the socio-economic ladder--as it is here. That's why Piedad was so insistent that Luzma attend school--even if her uncle was against it. But we know el Corazon Manda, so if Pablo and Luzma were attracted to each other it was for other things than social status. Besides, they are a younger generation and perhaps some of those lines are blurring.

Natalia is an interesting case. She's educated and holding down a fairly responsible position. Dan was an aberration. She *is* looking for a compatible, eligible mate. She hadn't been presented with too many when Dan came along. He seemed to be geniuinely interested in her, but as he told her early on, as a friend, because he wasn't ready for a relationship yet, so soon after the loss of someone he loved. She left the door open, but he never walked through it. When she told her mother Dan was not for her, I think she meant it more in that light than because he was in a higher social strata.

Rodolfo, as cute as he is, is "just" a ranch hand to her. As her mother said, he represents all the qualities of a good husband, steady, polite, hard-working, caring. But her heart didn't pitter patter around him.

Yago does represent a notch above. If they made googly eyes at each other, she's responding to his looking at her, while he's busy sizing her up. Remember, he's been tagged by his brothers as a womanizer, or at least a guy not ready to settle down yet. Natalia may be in for a hard time if he's the one her Corazon Mandas.

Bratgirl is a little girl lost. She knows her parents want her to marry well and Pablo was the only one of the three that would be "appropriate." She's been brought up to expect the finer things in life--entitled as we would say today, so anyone who doesn't have money would be off the list. Even an educated, hard-working, successful middle-class guy would probably be at the bottom of her list.

Yes, Yago, kinda looked down on Luzma, but I think it was more Bratgirls constant harping on it. He probably wanted BG to stay away from him, so helping her snag Pablo was one way to do it (JMHO).

And it is MHO, since I really don't know what I'm talking about. We need to get RLO or JudyB in here.

On the twitcam link Vivi gave us, Silvia mentions that Maja is a boy dog playing a girl. (I didn't want to use bitch. That's reserved for Gala and Ximena). She didn't mention two dogs, but were the ears different enough for there to be two dogs being used?

So we only got a wink and a smile from our lovebirds before the tragedy.

Juanita--I'm sure Hissydory paid the guy to run and tell Camila that she was needed in the pens to attend to one of the bulls. Camila wasn't in the main ring when the bull tossed her, but probably in some sort of corridor for the bulls. Hissy was lucky that everything fell into place. Someone had to have let the bull out of his stall. She may have done it, but she was too well hidden. She did have to wait until Camila came through there before letting him out. Hissy did leave a lot to chance, like someone else coming along. That's why we have Emilia-made Beanies to wear. Interesting that the bull gored her on the inside of her thigh. I guess they needed an artery to be severed. Matadors have been killed by bulls tossing them on their horns from behind. Camila was tossed.

Hurry up Wednesday night.
Anita
 

Thank you for the recap! Looks like Little Blue Riding Hood has arrived! Uh oh!

I actually laughed when DDA finally showed up at the event in full charro (?) attire. Very handsome!

I was amused by Ximena's noticeable boredom. I wonder what'll happen with her and Bruno.
--TF
 

Class systems exist in every society but are more rigid in some than in others. As these systems are often built on difference in not only economic standing, but also race, skin color, religion, castes, clans, and tribes, it’s not unusual that groups become marginalized because of these things. You end up with people descended from the dominant group having money, power, and social position for decades and centuries to come, and those who originate from marginalized groups forevermore being associated with poverty and being “low-class.” These things don’t happen by accident, who systems are created to reinforce it. These systems are not built overnight, and they can’t be dismantled overnight either. So in Latin America, in countries with significant Indian/native, mestizo or Black populations, they are usually at the bottom of the social ladder. The same is true in the U.S., but increasingly in the U.S. education is the way out and up. This was not true just a few decades ago.

When I lived in Ecuador and went to a university there in the late 90s, I was a source of curiosity because I was Black and attending a posh university (although there was relief when people realized that I was American and not Ecuadorian—the order of the universe had been preserved). There were four Indian/native (Quechua Indians) at the school on scholarship, and they caused quite the stir. All the rest of the students were white, mestizo (but likely wouldn’t admit to it), or foreign. The family I loved with was upper middle class and claimed to be White. The family maid was clearly mestiza. The host families of my other foreign classmates looked at me like I was an alien each time I came to their luxurious to visit my friends. One even forbade my friend to bring me again. She moved out and into an apartment with some other exchange students. Dance clubs, where our fellow students frequented, would turn me away, simply because in their view a Black person could not have the money and be of the right class to enter. It was quite an education.

All of this is to say, that yes. Classism is still VERY strong in Latin America, and it’s very closely tied to race.

 

Sorry for the typos. You get what I'm saying.
 

Vivi--Thanks for sharing what could have been a very negative experience. Having met you, I know you to be a very smart, upbeat, optimistic, color-blind person--all of it pointing to a happy home life and instilled with good moral values. Huzzah to you!
 

Thanks Anita. I still managed to have a fabulous time. And the folks I met who were not from the "upper" classes were fabulous, fun, and welcoming. Too bad I couldn't say the same of my upper-class classmates and their families.
 

UA - fab recap. There was a whole lot to cover last night – seemed like the entire cast was in it - and you did it so seamlessly.

D'Andres and Rodolfo out-guapoed everybody. I liked Mariano in the hat, but the Albarrans’ blueblood suits and sash nope. D’Andres' charro suit was his best yet.

Too bad Natalia's swooning for Yago. He's so undeserving for being in cahoots with Bratgirl. Earlier it was mentioned that Mariano and Pablo were in charge of the estate (or something) while the parents were away. Wonder why Yago, the middle brother, was skipped over.

Seemed to me that a dim lightbulb might've flickered in Augustina's head about Dionisio. She seemed to note that he wasn't really into the festivities and she looked puzzled about him being off taking a call.

Maja is so adorable, and I know the bull was charging Camila but he was cute too going through his stomping/charging motion. He's not to blame for the attack.

Love that the bad guys screw up. Thank goodness pieza de mierda can't read. Plus some stranger seemed to notice Hisssadora in her rodeo clown get-up. And I hope somehow Viviana caught her in a snapshot.

Vivi: Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you were able to deal with that foolishness. IMHO, folks who are so class-conscious are very insecure and lack earned self-worth.
 

Thanks UA for s great recap complete with your trademark background music. As usual, you filled in the blanks of several situations that I failed to grasp. (Seems that whenever a new plot or scheme is introduced it's easy for me to get lost on the details).

Thanks Vivi for sharing your very interesting experience with us. It's obvious that you are fluent in Spanish and I often wondered how/where you learned it so well. I live in South Florida where it is to ones advantage to know Spanish especially in jobs that deal with the public.

I didn't start learning spanish until after I retired which means it's not all that easy. Even though I've taken several Spanish courses including private lessons and Rosetta Stone I'm still not that good at it. The good news is that I love the sound of the language which motivates me to keep at it.

By the way Vivi, I always enjoy your very interesting comments.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Thanks for the recap UA, and thanks for sharing Vivi. Our experiences are always flavored by our approach to life, and luckily for you Viv, you put a very positive spin on things (even when being positive is hard to do as it can be at times). It also helps to be "buuff proof" , which is Jamaican for thick-skinned.
I got a chuckle out of imagining what the animals were thinking, particularly in the scene with the horse and bull. The horse seemed to be looking over its shoulder at the bull as if to say "easy, no hard hittin"', and the bull at the end seemed to be "over it" and just came to a halt.

Yola
 

Augustina is such a dim bulb. Does she seriously think that Ximeana should be so desperate for male company that she doesn't listen when she says that Bruno is a cad? It's a good thing intelligence doesn't depend on genes or both Camila and Ximeana would be in serious trouble.

I like that the new priest is getting pro-active about Luzma.

Iago is probably not as smart as his brothers or shows less initiative. He's also less attractive. Probably classic Middle Child Syndrome since he has two brothers.

Removed and reposted to correct a serious typo.
 

UA - Thanxx for the very detailed recap and interesting factoids and vocab.

Viv DC - Thanxx for sharing your story. Tell me if this is still true, if you know? In Ecuador, there is a region, in the mountains, where there are persons with African roots and other indigenous bloodlines that are often scouted out as top flight national soccer prospects. These are people with very humble means and dark complexions relative to the overall population. Add sports to education as a means to change one's lot in life!
 

Thanks, Anita, for your explanation. I had already tightened my beanie, but after reading your explanation I loosened it just a bit.

Vivi, I found your account of your study in Ecuador very compelling and disturbing, though alas not surprising. I'm glad you managed to enjoy your stay there in spite of the prejudice you encountered.
 

Anon 12:47 I took the boredom of the villains to mean that they were much too shallow and self centered to appreciate a deeply honored cultural event and homage to Daniel Monterde Sr.
I agree with you and others that as skillful and artistic as some of the performers are, it hurts to see the experience for the animals.
 

Anon 207,

Thanks for explaining broke bama...LOL!

Ann-NYC
 

Hiccup! I finally watched the episode and by am I drunk from all the bull scenes. (just kidding of course)

Great job on all the descriptions of the outfits and proceedings. I would never have been able to accomplish that.

2 things. Leo took that envelope with the letter and the picture. Not good. The other thing, the avances show the medics using defibrillators to start Camila's heart. We do know that she won't die, being the main chick and all, but it is a close call.

I think that Viv's dress is meant to be a bit over the top because she's supposed to be a bit eccentric.


 

Mena- There are quite a few communities in Ecuador that were founded by escaped slaves from further north (what is now Colombia). When I was there, all the Ecuadorians kept saying there was an area of Ecuador that was "like Africa in Ecuador". My friend Sara and I hopped on a long bus ride in the general direction and got off in the middle of nowhere when all the Black folks got off. The things we do when young. The area was desert like and dry, between mountains, and dirt poor. The only escape is through something like sports (soccer). The people were very welcoming, but it was obvious that people didn't often get off the bus there unless the lived there. We had to hitchhike to get to the next bus stop.

Really, Ecuador is a lovely country with a rich, diverse culture. But the upper class of Quito can be a real drag.

Foxy- Immersion learning is the best way to learn. I had studied Spanish in high school and college up until I went to Ecuador my junior year, and my Spanish just improved tenfold after that, and it’s stuck with me all these years since.

 

Viv DC - Yes, like any class of people that is certain they are somehow superior right?! Our own TN Albarran Moms and Pops are a great case in point.
 

Vivi- It sounds like you had quite an adventure in Ecuador. Those kind of experiences are the ones you never forget.

The scene with Dan rescuing Camila was so well done. It was sweet yet frantic.

I did like the way Mariano was dressed. I'm not as big a fan of the charro suit.
 

Well, that episode was a bunch of bull!

Loved the recap and the comments. I can't believe I fell asleep and missed The Great Save.

I hope Hissyfit shows up in the background of one of Viviana's pictures.


 

Rosemary-
'I hope Hissyfit shows up in the background of one of Viviana's pictures.'

You are brilliant! That would be huge.
 

What an intelligent and well-read group of commentators we have on this site. I always learn something and have a few ideas to chew on -- some directly related to the TN and other not.

Great comments, Anon, about class and love interests here.

The novelas de campo are interesting because the old social class arrangements seem to have endured and been isolated from all of the changes in the modern world. The land barons, Don Daniel and Mariano's family, are the historically rich, lighter skinned, European-origin folks, defending themselves not against the poor peasants but the arrivistes like Dionisio, Alonso and company. Novelas de campo are very popular, I've read, because they remind people of an idealized past time. In real life, the people who buy the land, build hotels, etc., might actually bring more prosperity and opportunity for people in the community than the land barons have done. I'm willingly suspending disbelief, however, because in this fictionalized world, the owners and lovers of the land seem to have the money-grubbing villains beat by many yards. And it's a good novela, too!

UA -- great point about the few mestizo priests. Our late Padre Baldomero is a bit of an exception; the actor has played peasants and other poor people in other novelas.
 

The new Padre is also being played by an actor who is often the peasant/ranch hand/etc.
 

Yes, Vivi, you are right. I don't think I've ever seen him play an upper-class character, though I've surely missed many of his performances. He's one of those character actors who seems to have shown up in many novelas.
 

I've seen a lot of Mestizo-looking priests in TN's: probably more than completely European-looking ones. 2 examples that leap to mind (other than the already-mentioned examples on this show) are Salvador Sánchez (more on the Indio side of Mestizo) from Mi Pecado and René Casados (though he's admittedly fairly Euro-looking, you can still see some Mestizo traits)from AdP and FELS.

It seems like there have been more, but now I'm having a hard time thinking of TN's that had priests in major roles at all. I just realized I've seen some that didn't (LQNPA fe.) Ahh yes, just remembered the priest in CME looked quite Mestizo. The only one I can think of that didn't at all was the one from Triunfo del Amor.

Karamy
 

Karamy, in the previous version of TdA the priest was played by Cesar Evora, our Diablo in AB. Scroll down a little past the middle of this thread to see the others I can think of.
 

I agree with the comment about the commentators. Very interesting stuff. Vivi, thank you for sharing such a personal experience so others can be enriched. Thank you all recappers for your hilarity and time spent.
 

Karamy--You have your padres straight! The one in Triunfo is from Argentina (which doesn't mean he couldn't be mestizo, but...) he was played by Diego Olivera. Check him out.

The other non-mestizo or indio looking padre that I'm familiar with is Padre Pedro from Montecristo (a good introduction to Silvia Navarro--available on Youtube).

Sortilegio didn't have a regular priest. I don't think Soy Tu Duena did either; or La Verdad Oculta. Eva Luna had a padre that Justa used to go talk to, but I don't remember what he looked like.

What do you think of Arturo Peniche in En Nombre de Amor?
 

En Nombre de Amor had a huge gaggle of priests, including Arturo Peniche. I seem to recall all of them being very Euro-looking. Arturo was a great priest in that.

Related topic...we know that Arturo Peniche's son Brandon is currently starring in Refugio. But did you know his daughter is in Amor Bravio? She plays the mestiza looking maid in the Monterde house. The maid who helps Piedad out, and says so much with her eyes, if not yet with actual lines. Her name is Khiabet Peniche.
 

Thanks for sharing Vivi and the info on another Peniche! Khiabet has been so good in her small scenes even though she has not said a word. Both she and her brother learned a lot from their dad.
 

Anita said...What do you think of Arturo Peniche in En Nombre de Amor?


I almost mentioned him in my last post (as an example of a very European-looking TN priest) but I didn't know his name and couldn't remember the name of the show. I didn't watch that one but still remembered him from all of the ads.

En Nombre de Amor was pretty well-liked around here, wasn't it? I don't remember why I didn't follow it. I hope they re-run it sometime.

Karamy
 

Karamy- Leticia C. (Isadora) was the main villain in ENDA. She was so evil to her little niece that many of us found it hard to watch. I stopped watching for a while but then I was drawn back in because the acting was excellent and so was the writing. They also kept it exciting throughout. It's the same team who also brought us CME and Amor Bravio.
 

There is a short list of actors at Televisa who are often cast as priests. There is one named Roberto D'Amico who has twice played a cardinal and who so looks the part he should have been in movies like The DaVinci Code.

Gustavo Rojo is another who has been playing priests, doctors, and lawyers in recent years. He is the father of Ana Patricia Rojo and will be 90 next year.
 

Anita said "What do you think of Arturo Peniche in En Nombre de Amor?"

I LOVED him in that role!! I think he was probably the main reason I stayed with that telenovela in spite of its darkness.
 

Finally got to see The Wink! Sexxxy!

Something that has struck me on AB recently is how they've matured Poor Luzma. She was a young, giddy school girl with bangs and now, since the violation, they've aged her. Good effects and excellent acting by that gal.

About priests, and adding in TN crossovers...how fun it would be for our gored Camila to have a near death experience and see Padre Lupe from AdeP given that Rene C. played her much-loved dad in CME.
 

Loved watching all these bright dresses! Something good to look at after all those shots of Tio Leo, putz. I kept thinking that if Ximena had just turned around she could have met Iliana and they would've been fast friends. Like Camila and Vivi, but bitchier.

I think that even though these class divides still clearly exist in Mexico, they are exaggerated here. Or at least focused on so much that we miss the bigger picture of society. Like if we watched the Real Housewives of wherever-the-hell and thought that's what real housewives did. Some might, but it's the minority. I was there in 2007 and met up with a friend of a friend. He was darker and definitely looked Mexican, but he went to UNAM and had a good job in that building that we see on Refugio with the modern sculpture of a yellow horse in front. If my spanish were better I'd tell you exactly what he did, but I think it had to do with media relations in politics. He took a picture of me in front of a Senadores podium, so maybe city or county representatives? Whatever it was, it was a professional job although both he and his exwife lived in small places compared to our suburban homes. That could just be a function of it being a big, expensive city though. And Mexico doesn't totally ignore the situation. An architect I met went to UNAM and said that kids from poorer schools still had to pass what ever test they take to go to university, but they didn't need as high of scores to get in. Sort of an allowance for their educational background, although how they managed I don't know. They didn't have dorms at UNAM and some kids had to commute from home a couple hours away. Every day. Imagine trying to get all your studying done on a bus. I'd need that vomitorium.

Back to the story: Leoncio should get trampled by bulls.

Kelly
 

I just want to see Camila recover and kick some ass. Starting with kicking Alonssso and his bony ass out of her life with Hissadora, El Diablo, and Ximeana right after them. And boil Leoncerdo in oil.
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Kelly- Education is always key. It's good when governments make that commitment to help those from economically disadvantaged communities get access to education. But they often forget about some basic challenges for those students, like transportation and housing. However, kids who get an opportunity usually make it work somehow by making great sacrifices. They know not to pass up a good/rare opportunity.

I'm glad that Luzma's teacher and everyone else are so surprised and are questioning how someone who is so bright and loved school so much, and had ambitions, has now suddenly dropped out of school. It just doesn't make sense. Think Piedad!

 

Thinking about why Piedad can barely read and pedazo de mierda not at all despite the fact that Mexico has a very high literacy rate. Maybe their family has been dysfunctional and abusive for generations. Experts say most molesters have been molested. Maybe Piedad's father was even worse than pedazo de mierda so by comparison (especially since she's in the dark about all he's done), so she sticks with him. The worst day of Piedad’s life was when pedazo de mierda killed her novio on their wedding day. She lost her hope for anything much better. I guess Luzma gets her fighting spirit from her dad.
 

Leoncerdo could have watched his father molest other females. One occasionally hears nightmarish stuff like this.

Theory: Piedad's father sexually abused her and her novio was the way out that Leoncerdo didn't want her to have.