Caray, Caray!

Here it is folks ... such as it is....
 

Thanks, Mena. No lack of action this week for our friends in Aculco.

Since Hissadora was in the church alone I hope someone can break this alibi. Tolentino's assertion that he had never previously seen her in church should not be ignored.

The idea of restricting the workers' food to beans must be a throwback to slavery. Bitch. I'm sure she plans to cut their pay before firing them all.
 

Gracias Mena! You recappers have had a LOT to cover this week, and you've done it so well.

Darn! Tolentino provides an alibi for Isa. But since he was gone for a few hours, no one can say she was actually there the entire time he was gone. As Urban points out, if someone else was there during that time, they could testify that Isa wasn't there when they were. Did you notice the hilarious look on Isa's face in the flashback when she tried to figure out how the heck to use the rosary? LOL! No, this a woman who set foot in Church much.

Cayetonto continues to get tangled further into Isa's web.

Urban- Did you see the look Piedad and Luzma gave Isa when she told Piedad to just prepare beans for the servants since she (Isa) was not going to be at home to eat that evening? Yeah, throwback to slavery is right. I don't think the MQ workers eat meals differently than the owners, unless the owners ask for something special to eat. Piedad and Dorotea just cook up a few big pots of deliciousness and everyone eats it. Boy, are they in for a change with Isa!

Luzma and Cam are a lot alike in many ways. Both have gut angry reactions to injustice and refuse to bend. Good thing they have very levelheaded, calm, practical boyfriends. I understand where Luzma is coming from, but she also has to see Pablo and Piedad's point of view. Pablo had a good idea that he could keep an eye on things for Cami by continuing to work as the administrator. Little do all of them know that Isa doesn't plan on being a rancher, and MQ is soon to be torn down.

Loved all the little Cami-Dan scenes in the town house (he was being sarcastic that it was clean, because everything was covered in a thick layer of dust). I also really enjoy the fact that Vivi and Cami have invited their boyfriends (not husbands) to live with them in THEIR houses.
 

Missed a word in my last post: No, this a woman who DOESN'T set foot in Church much.

I hope Dan and Cam can follow Dio to the Estevez meeting. Dan was kind of hot when he got all paternal and bossy with Nat. :) But I like how Cam told him he didn't have a right to talk to Nat that way (giving her orders like he's her father), nor does he have a right to jump the gun and tell her Dio is her father-- that's Amanda's job. Hopefully, Nat admitting she's been working for him will finally shake the truth out of Amanda.

One correction: It was Dan who mentioned to Juarez that Leo was involved in Padre B's accident, not the other way around. Until this point, the police had no idea there was any foul play in that accident or in Padre's later death.

I'm glad that the police followed up and found evidence that Al's car had been pushed off the cliff. Now, if only they could pin it on that slippery Isa.
 

There are two paternity reveals pending: Pablo and Natalia. Neither of their mothers want them to know the truth, but Amanda will end up being pushed to the wall soon. Rocio, too, since Hissadora has a motive for this.

She needs to be unmasked as the murder of Padre Baldomero.

La Malquerida's hacienda is so beautiful I wondered how old it is. However, I can't see the "historic building" status in two consecutive series. If Camila files a civil suit that could hold things up for several years... more than enough time to get Hissadora and El Diablo put where they belong.
 

Mena, Thank you for this thorough and entertaining recap. I laughed at the idea of Camila being ranchless! Holy mole for sure.

I liked the scene between Agustina and Piedad, two women who have been duped and can't always strike out at the right people. Agustina sure let Cayetano have it -- he's the wrong guy to get the boot, Augstina!

Who'd a thunk that Toletino was our star witness? He's looking a little more handsome and sharper in each appearance.

Rosario needs to lurk less and squeal more. We need her to fulfill Alonso's last wish.

I'm missing Alonso and Ximena. These intermediary villains playing with and against the two star villains kept the action even more intricate and interesting. It looks like it's Dio and Isa against the Scoobies for a while, with Cayetano and Agustina being witlessly dragged along.
 

I notice Nat was not wearing any yellow last night-- not even a splash of yellow like the other day, nor her yellow watch. What does that mean?

Signature colors/looks:
Natalia- Yellow
Amanda- Coral (pink, orange, red tones)
Piedad- Green
Iliana- Blue
Gussy- Purple
Luzma- Flowered dresses
Isa- Metalics, animal prints, or white
MQ Men- Charro wear (either full suits, or minus the jacket and vest for everyday wear)
Camila- button down shirts over fitted pants or jeans
Vivi- maxi dresses and cool dangling earrings
Rafa- cargo pants with tees and vests
Aaron- native shirts and drawstring pants
Pablo- Before becoming a MQ worker wore fitted vests over button down shirts

 

Vivi - The list is great! There is a strong tendency in novelas to keep characters in certain styles for long periods of time.

Two quick observations: I love Camila's look. She is so petite and style accentuates her diminutive size in contrast to her strong personality. I also love Vivi's style, especially the outfit she had on the other night with some sequins on the bodice. I'm way too short at 5 foot 2 to ever wear the long-willowy maxi's and long earrings, but like it so much on those who can carry it.
 

Where did the short vest over the long, untucked shirt look come from? I hate this because it looks so sloppy. Lucero was stuck with this one in StuD.

Long dresses can work on short women; I'm only 5'3" and I wear longer skirts because I don't have good legs, even at my best weight. I dumped a boyfriend who said I had a peasant body.
 

Thanks for the early recap Mena. Your title nails it. That's exactly what she is doing.

If we need to wait for Isa to have an affair with Cayetano before anything happens to her, then I don't think Rosario is going to turn over the envelop anytime soon. I hope I'm wrong.

One thing about the singnature clothing and colors for the characters, I think that they also do that for the viewers to be able to distinguish the characters from one another.



 

Thanks, Mena, for another splendid recap. You helped me understand several things that went right by me when I watched (e.g., why Rosario was at the police station). And thanks, too, for translating "coartada." I had tried to look it up, but I didn't spell it correctly, and so I didn't find it. It's likely to be a very useful word for anyone watching telenovelas!

Speaking of vocabulary, I was a little surprised that you translated "chamba" as money. I've heard the word quite a bit, and it has always meant "work" rather than money (though of course the two are usually related).

As always, I loved your snarky comments, such as Isa flying into and then out of the kitchen on her broom, and "[Dio] calls his henchmen useless. Who picked them? Just saying!"

I was so frustrated when Tolentino provided an alibi for Isa. I wonder whether there's a way of finding someone who was in the church that afternoon and did not see Isa. Alternatively, although Isa surely used a false name when she rented the car she used to push Alonso and Ximena over the cliff, if she returned it, someone might remember that it was returned with scratches on the front and might recognize a photo of Isa as the person who rented it. Hmmm...even if she did not return it, someone might be able to identify her from a photo as the person who rented a car that was never returned. Her looks are pretty distinctive.
 

Her platinum hair would be very distinctive and unusual in that part of Mexico.

I don't think she would take the chance of renting a vehicle and then not returning it with that in mind. More likely she took one belonging to El Diablo, one of his henchmen, La Malquerida (although that is less likely since she would have been seen entering the property and her car could be ID'd by anyone there).

More later; have to go to an appointment.
 

I really enjoyed Gussie's moment with Piedad. It gave me some perspective. Much like Nat wondering what the deal is with Dan warning her away from Dio, nothing Dio's done to Gussie adds up to "murderer", just "jerk". And since she married that jerk, well, she's been raised to make her bed and lie in it (and mess it up for the maid if her hubby doesn't come home at night).

I too hope something memorable happened at the church while Isa was out murdering people that she can't comment on, or that someone was there from 2:01-3:59 and saw neither hide nor tail of Hissy.

Love that Pablo and Luzma, like Dan and Cam, can not agree on things. You hardly ever see that in TNs.

Glad Rafa and Vivi are together, but I'm still surprised at how quickly she went from totally conflicted to "this is all OURS".
 

Yes, chamba is work. "A chambear" is to go to work. "Chambeando" is working: Estoy chambeando.

"Lana" is another word for money.
 

Cathyx- In this tn, all the characters/actors look so different from one another (especially the women) that colors and styles really aren't needed to distinguish them. No one would ever mix up Gussy, Isa, or Amanda. And no one would ever mix up Vivi, Cami, or Luzma.

And all the MQ men get dressed alike, all the way up to Dan and Pablo, so that would make it harder to distinguish them. All the Buenaventure workers also have a uniform-- loose pants over a tucked in button down shirt, with a loose vest. Not as guapo as the MQ workers. :)
 

What really defies belief is how the dyed blonde viper would even consider bedding the old goat Cayetano. I nearly die from laughter every time I see these two.

Who in their right mind would want to bed this goofball? He looks like he hasn't had a bath in days and probably has bad breath, too. Is the Viper that money hungry that she could hold her nose while doing the deed? The whole thing is hilarious.

It's also pushing things to believe that Cesar Evora is some hot dude in the sack. Yeah...he has that beautiful voice, but you can't hide his bloated belly and fat face with a beard and black clothes. The man's good looks are hiding in that excess weight. If he'd just lose some of it, he'd be a believable older galan for a few more years. The voice alone ain't cuttin it no more.
 

Thanks Mena for a great recap! Holy mole indeed!

I'm disgusted with Cayetano and believe he will deserve what he gets. Pablo was right on to tell him that as an honest man he should/would think that Isa should return the ranch to Cami.

On another note to UA: I'd love to meet you some day. I like your insight into this novela as well as LQNPA. Loved your comment that you broke up with a guy who told you you had a peasant body. Way to go!
 

Laugh out loud moment for me: “He calls his henchmen useless. Who picked them? Just saying! “

I love this line of Agustina’s “Our children are our harshest judges.”

Loved the scene where Cam was talking with Vivi, with Dan unpacking in the back and both Dan and Rafa mirroring their kisses.

I’m with all of you that are looking more forward to Cayetano’s anvil than justice for Isa. What a fool. He actually belongs in the same group as Gussie and Rocio.

I love Luz. I love her fierce loyalty to Camila.

I also love all the Cam/Dan scenes. I like that this relationship isn’t all about the sexual passion. That they show them growing together as a couple: working together, spatting sometimes. It’s refreshing.

Love how Vivi told Rafa that her house is their house. Do you guys think this couple is solid or will there be a TN temporary break up for them?

Unless they can prove the accident happened at the time Isa was seen in the church, then I don’t see how this can be an alibi since she could have left anytime in between.

“Love” seems to be my favorite word for the day.

Avances: did it say why Isa smacked Gussie? Can’t wait to find out.

Nanette
 

Mena: Forgot to say thank you for the recap. I don’t know where I’d be without all you great recappers.

Vivi: I hope you’re right about Amanda telling Nat about Dio once she finds out Nat’s working for him. I love Luz’s fierce loyalty as I commented before, but you do have an excellent point about both Cam and Luz having level headed partners to temper their passion.
 

Mena thanks so much for your recap. You cleared up important points for me.

When it comes to the bad guys winning, I have ADD. I can't stand it and Isa's smug smiles are like fingers on a chalk board.

ITA w/those of you waiting for the Cayetano anvil. He is ridiculous and so obvious. As someone mentioned sometime back, he's already having an emotional affair and we can only hope the writers won't show us a physical one. And based on his comments to Iago, do we think he has had an affair as well?
 

Karen: I HATE HATE HATE smug vilains. The only good thing about smug villains is that when justice happens, it feels sooooooo good.
 

Nanette, though I agree that Cayetano's infatuation with Hissadora is foolish, I do not agree that he belongs in the same category as Gussie. If Hissadora behaved toward him half as badly as Dio behaves toward Gussie, Cayetano would quickly drop her. He's infatuated, but not a total idiot.
 

Thanks for the great recap, Mena!

Only in TN land (and in the land of soap operas) would the police believe that alibi. All indications are that Isadora is a smart woman. Of course, she'd come up with an alibi, but this one doesn't account for her whereabouts for a two-hour period!
 

Marta, I've learned not to apply the aptitude of the investigators on American and British mysteries to those on TNs. I would always be let down if I did.

As for villain smugness, they go hand in hand, don't they? It serves the purpose of making us hate them even more.
 

Do we know for sure that Juarez believes her alibi? He may not be able to hold her in jail, but it doesn't rule her out totally. Really, he doesn't have any proof that she did the deed right now, other than the ravings of a dying criminal (Al). It's amazing he's even taking it seriously and investigating! I'm going to give Juarez credit. I think he's done a great job so far, and kept a cool head, considering all these people associated with MQ have been holding back all this stuff for MONTHS.
 

Good point, Cathyx...haha. Being a mystery addict, I guess I'm just expecting too much from the TN's.
 

Vivi, I agree that this guy is more on the ball than most, but come on, no investigation of the tire tracks above the cliff? There had to be obvious marks by the way they went back and forth before she finally pushed him over. Also, can't they show Leo descriptive pictures of different hair, build, male, female, eyes, nose, mouth, etc. to get a description of the person who cut his tongue out? He can give them a thumbs up or down. Even give him pictures of people in his circle and ask if he could point to one of them.
 

PC Juarez is doing a fine job. Loved his "que the hell now" look at The Character Formerly Known as Dandres. It's a wonder he lets them in his office, or doesn't just throw them all in jail.

I haven't given Augie much respect (she didn't deserve it) but I liked her scene with Piedad. She was so understanding about P's desire to be loyal but needing a chamba more. Augie was sweet with her. Not that Luzma doesn't have a point but she has more options than her mother. Bonus points to Augie for yelling at Cayetano.

Kelly
 

Juarez is much smarter than the average TN cop. Maybe that's why they cast this actor who in Duelo de Pasiones was the hero's commanding officer and in FELS was the doctor who was always patching up the Reyes brothers.

Anon, Cesar Evora is absolutely stunning at his ideal weight, but he has that basso profundo that virtually guarantees villain status. If he were an opera singer he'd be cast as Mephistopheles (which is why I call him El Diablo here), Scarpia, Sparafucile, other great villains, and the occasional king.

Nannette, I know why the slap, but I'm not telling.
 

I believe you Anthropologist re Evora. Maybe you should give him a talking to re some weight loss! He doesn't need to be skinny...just a good healthy weight.

Also caught on as to why you called him El Diabolo a long time ago as I am an opera fan, too. :)))

But asking me to picture him now in this TN as a great lover...uh...NOT!
 

Nanette - ITA on Cam and Dan's relationship: it is very refreshing! I absolutely love them and the fact that their relationship has multiple facets just like their individual characters.

I think Vivi and Rafa are solid. I can't see there being time to introduce much into their relationship that would break them up, unless it's something about adoption (they seem to be putting little Roman in her path to at least suggest that's a future decision for her).

I'm with Vivi on Juarez. Although I agree, cathyx, there are other things to be suspicious of Isa, there's no reason Juarez should be sharing any suspicions with Cami and Dan and there's no reason he should think she's an evil she-beast bent on destruction.
 

OT - We need a TN where the police are the central characters and all the others are in supporting roles (rich guy/girl, poor girl/guy, evil stepfather/mother, long-lost twin, etc) - and have them be as astute as our CSI and Law and Order cops!
 

Juanita: Good point re: Cayetano.

Cathyx: There’s smug villain and then there’s SMUG villain :)

UA: Meany. Something to look forward to. Not her getting slapped but what Gussie could possibly say to Isa to warrant a slap. It’s probably just Isa acting outraged instead of actually being outraged—but I’d love it if she it was actually.

Where the heck is New Girl?!

 

Anon, check this photo gallery of Evora.
 

Oy, click on the word "this"; I don't know why it's not in blue.

There is a novela with Eduardo Yanez as a former cop turned private eye who cracks a 15-year-old case; it's called En Carne Propia and was made in 1991. I saw it in late-night a few years later.
 

Anthropologist...link not coming through even when clicking on "this".

Could you try again, plz?
 

Thanks for this nifty recap Mena.

I'm really disappointed and annoyed with Pablo's disloyalty.

UA,

"I dumped a boyfriend who said I had a peasant body."

Must have been the way he said it... that line always worked so well for me.

Nanette,

I'm fascinated with New Girl, why was she here in the first place and what have they done with her?

Carlos

 

Carlos: she has to be coming back. Those few scenes she was in were unecessary--as stand alones, at least.

Flaco (who finds it easier to tell me these things to comment on instead of typing them because I'm a better/faster typist) thinks that Rodolfo doesn't want to have anything more to do with Ileana because he's afraid he's falling for her.
 

Unnecessary. Really need to watch my spelling
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Cesar Evora in La Madrastra.
 

Thanks for all the friendly comments and corrections to this blog. A few comments:

Flaco: I am not sure about your theory because of what Rodolfo told Bratgirl last night. He told Bratgirl that he couldn't understand how she could be so cold towards Yago if she supposedly liked him. Bratgirl tried to convince Rodolfo to be more calculating and think about the big picture (something or other in this line - I forget the details). Then Rodolfo went on a riff that about how it is too hard for him to see Nat being used by Yago because even if Yago doesn't care about Nat (Ileana said "amor no es"), Nat cares about Yago. Rodolfo still has a thing about Nat, no doubt and just doesn't have the stomach for being cold and calculating like Bratgirl. Heaven help him if he should fall for Bratgirl. Holy Mole!

BTW, Holy Mole still comes to mind after using 10 pounds of masa for holiday tamales. I never did get to the Three Kings day bread. But I did make a might good cheesecake if I do say so myself.

Happy belated Dia de Los Tres Reyes for those who celebrate.
Mena


 

Anthropologist...ok...now with that picture...a TOTALLY different story! (Evora). If he dropped some pounds and the beard (which always ages a man by at least 10 years), then, we'd be talkin bidnez. :)

Who was the chick with the fake boobs? Do all of these TN chicks sport fake boobs? Is it a Televisa requirement?
 

Anon- No fake boobies in AB, so nope. Not a requirement.
 

Interestingly, if you watch Brazilian novelas (Latele Novela Network usually has at least 4 of them at a time) you see a lot of actresses who look natural. Many don't have the toothpaste-commercial teeth that glow in the dark and at least half of them don't have fake or overly large boobage. The last Brazilian series I watched there was a novela de epoca and nobody had anything fake-looking there. I guess the producer reasoned that an actress with surgically-provided boobage would not look historically appropriate in a dress requiring a serious corset.
 

Brazilians favor a shapelier backside over being top heavy, like they do in Mexico and the U.S. Pretty typical for countries with a large African influence. Most plastic surgeries in Brazil are on the pompis. It's just regional preference.
 

Gracias Mena, this is my last episode before I hit the road for California for two weeks. I swore I would make tamales this New Year but haven't had the time yet. It takes me two days. The pork and chiles takes one day and the masa/assembly takes another. ( I remember always driving up to Paramount to buy them off somebody's tailgate) but since coming to NYC, I've had to make my own. I remember 30 years ago scouring the city for the proper ingredients with very little success. It's easier now that more Mexicans live here. But I used to go to the carniceria in Long Beach and buy my masa batida all ready to go. So once I get back from the Left Coast, I'll try to make up a big batch for the year. They go in the freezer and we pull them out a few at at a time for guests and for a treat. I tamales!. Wonder if Piedad makes them all year round for the staff. I think of it mostly as a New Year's thing.—Agnes
 

I hear ya on the glow in the dark teeth, Anthropologist!
 

LXV - All those places are still selling the masa. However, now tamales are in the la-dee-dah restaurants and can cost up to $10 for one as an appetizer. And they are skinny little things with fancy titles like "such-and-such" fusion etc. For the same amount of money I can get a dozen in EastLos or whereever.
 

Mena, I've had a few of those la-dee-dah tamales in NYC. And you are right, they are skinny and expensive. I swear we have more Mexicans than other Latinos with the possible (probable) exception of Dominicanos in New York now. When I first came here, there was only ONE store, on 14th St, the Casa Monedo, that sold Mexican groceries. But now, I can easily get the masa, hojas de mais and any kind of dried chile I could want, very cheap in lots of local stores. It would make my old neighbor Sra. Gonzalez very proud to see how well she taught me. One day, in her kitchen, while she was showing me how to pull the pith out of the dried chiles because leaving it in would make the sauce bitter, she received a phone call and I heard her say, "Ya, esta una gringa en mi cocina." So this gringa makes good tamales now. —Agnes
 

This comment has been removed by the author.