Caray, Caray!

NovelaMaven - thank you for the great recap. You got an action-packed episode.

Well, this episode certainly was Must See TV!

Anibal forgot the first rule of the animal kingdom --- a cornered rat will come out fighting and go straight for the jugular.

Too funny, when Nelson hopped off that bench, because I was hoping he would. LOL Once again, he threw out the scraps of meat and watched the show, enjoying it and himself immensely. (Capetillo has done a great job with this role.)

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it when Nikki told off Anibal, called him on his hypocrisy (re: class distinction/snobbery) ***and*** called him a coward!

 

Fabulous, NM!!! Loved your title, loved the Hercule Poirot reference! It was so very "Murder on the Orient Express" when Nelson called them into the drawing room. Or Clue: Professor Plum in the study with a lead pipe! :)

I love Nikki as a waitress. It is the perfect job for her; hard work, with honest co-workers who are too busy making a living to try to take advantage of her. Plus the boost to her self-esteem now that she's earning a living and realizing she got the job on her own, she's good at something and independent. Did anyone notice the contrast between her scraping those last pesos off the tip table vs. her disdain when the cashier gave her coins the day before? She will never look at money the same way again.

And all this talk about Vicente has got to be the heralding of his imminent arrival, no? The show's almost over!!!

Loved "Carmina Bouvier, standing straight and tall"! LOL! She will be great to watch. She's tanner than ever, has a new wig and she's ready for action!

Thank you so much NM. I didn't understand QTH Anibal was talking about with Nelson in the office and you cleared that up perfectly.

Oh, btw, what was it Cande said over and over as she was holding on to Arriaga's legs? Did it mean "Forgive me?"

Thanks again!

Katy
 

"A malicious, hard-drinking but somehow whimsical Hercule Poirot. Minus the little grey cells". Such a marvelous line, I had to begin with this...

NovelaMaven: I laughed in pure delight at the title. A perfect title always sets the stage for what it to follow and this was incredible. "villanous citrus fruit" and "waggles a bony finger" were but a few favorites. Sensational...

Nikki's instinct is to "make it work". She manipulated her customers as though she was in charge, exchanging orders without apology, getting customers to move rather cheerfully under her rather sweet direction. A very fun scene. Imagine how successful she would be if she were to put that problem-solving charisma to work for her

Unfortunately, that was about the only light moment last night.

The revelation scene was harrowing. The gut wretching pain on Lili, Vicky and JA's face was palbable. But I'm curious. Why did Nelson stop there? Why did he hold back that Lili is Adriana's daughter? Is he holding onto that fact for some hideous encore??

So Lili now hates Vicky - probably as much as JA is loathing himself right now for what he views as an unpardonable sin. I cannot imagine how this is all going to sort itself out.

Nelson's planting yet another seed of discontent in Nikki's ear was so sad. Yet, I was so disappointed in her attacking Lili "Please, you may get his money but the fact that my grandfather screwed your grandmother doesn't make you a Balvanera.))". Couldn't she for a moment put aside her hurt and realize it was nothing like the pain Lili was feeling??

Appears Carlos may be smitten. So, where is this Vincente?? If he is going to appear, he better do it quickly.

doris: loved your cornered rat comment!

katy: also laughed at "She's tanner than ever, has a new wig and she's ready for action!"

NovelaMaven: Amazing...amazing...

Diana
 

Thank you so much, Novelamaven, that was fabulous!

I too loved Niki telling Aníbal his "verdades". He is a coward, and from his reaction - he knows it.

Nelson is holding out the bit that could land Aníbal in jail as a bargaining chip. Aníbal gave FF his terms. Now FF gives Aníbal a good taste of how things might go if he doesn't cooperate with FF!

On Yawn Carlos - as soon as he insisted that Adriana stay the night (and brought her breakfast!) I knew the "player" bit was all talk. A self-respecting player is always relieved when he wakes up alone. He still sees himself that way, and thus was being honorably honest with Adri when he told her he wasn't interested in a family. But he has fallen hard. Unfortunately for him, he stopped Adri's feelings from growing when he made that clear, and now he'll be devastated when she leaves him for Vicente because she doesn't consider their relationship serious. Oh well, it'll be a growing experience for him.
 

The Arriaga as parasites bit was started by Kendho, no? Told to FF, who totally bought it, and passed on to Niki, who is predisposed to believe it given her grandfather's recent behavior.

Kendho - parasites always see others as parasites.

Niki - revolcandose con Aníbal is exactly how one's descendants become Balvaneras! LOL! Captas? Or do I need to explain it with apples?
 

"Why did he hold back that Lili is Adriana's daughter? Is he holding onto that fact for some hideous encore??"

Why? indeed. Why did Cande hold back? Well, Cande is still a lying coward. She is dead to me. Nelson is waiting for the right moment to play his last and final card. I almost kind of like him (just for a NANOsecond!) when he has Anibal's back to the wall regarding all Anibal's lies.
 

Loved your recap NM!

Things starting to heat up over there!

"Hold on to your beanies, out there on the Patio -- it's her Orangeness, Carmina Bouvier*, standing straight and tall and unaccountably calling herself Bruna Cristo! ¡No lo puedo creer!" LOL!
I wonder if she's going to be such a bad, pain in the @ss, agitating character?
She really plays the bigtime beyotch well.

@Doris "a cornered rat will come out fighting and go straight for the jugular" - soo true - Anyballs should have expected this, however Nil-son still holding some info back, maybe he wants to blackmail Anyballs? I'd be a divine justice.
 

NovelaMaven:

Thank you for this marvelous recap. Liked your Poirot reference too.

Anyballs and FF what a pair! I just knew Anyballs would find some way to let FF dig his own grave. But Anyballs lost his touch. He seems to have forgotten all the little secrets FF holds. I too think he will use Lili being Lucia as his last bargaining chip.

Cande and Anyballs what a pair. Did they really think Cris could be swept under the rug like that? Cande and Anyballs should have told the truth long ago.

Now Lili is acting like Nikki. They are both so much alike. I didn't like Nikki slapping the crap out of Lili, and I didn't like Lili's hate rant about Ms Vikki. I did like the fact that Frankie told Lili the truth, about Ms Vikki and the Angel, but Lili doesn't want to hear it. She is too enraged as Nikki is enraged about what she thinks Lili is doing with Frankie. As in trying to get her man.

I felt sorry for the Angel and Ms Vikki and Adri too. And I do feel sorry for Nikki and Lili. So much pain and hurt. What is this stigma with falling in love with the sister bit? I think Audrey mentioned the other day about the Church's views, but I had never heard of that. And besides neither of them knew.

I am also liking Nikki as a waitress. She was too funny, but those people really liked her idea of putting the tables together.

Bruna was a surprise, si? I knew you would get a kick out of that, Novelamaven, as soon as you saw her. I may have to change my opinion about Joan. Seems he really is sincere about Adri. But I too don't think Adri will like the fact that Bruna is staying with Joan.

Can't wait for tonight to see the fallout from FF's little revenge ploy.
 

NovelaMaven – Absolutely marvelous recap of a sensational episode. Loved it all, especially the Nelson jabs:

“aiming his knife at that place in the chest where a heart would be if Nelson had one”

“Nelson Brizz reinvents himself as Hercule Poirot."

“Nelson, finding himself alone with Nikki, takes the moment to sow a little hatred.”

I have a friend learning Spanish who despite my best efforts won’t watch TNs. He says they’re “too emotional” for him. Well, last night was too emotional for me. I almost got the vapors watching Lili and Angel. I felt so sad for both of them.

Lili’s a sweet girl and doesn’t really hate Vickie, but it’s only natural that she would explode from the shock. Glad she did it with Guzman though instead of with Vickie.

Surely somewhere out there Opalina has picked up on the vibes surrounding her soul brother and will come a running to help him.
 

Audrey: "A self-respecting player is always relieved when he wakes up alone". Great line. Enjoyed your insight and it may be that Carlos lets another Balvanera sister slip away.

Madelaine: "Did they really think Cris could be swept under the rug like that?" Indeed! :)

Niecie: "Surely somewhere out there Opalina has picked up on the vibes surrounding her soul brother..." think you've just defined the only hopeful solution to this mess.

Diana
 

Thanks NovelaMaven. You got a dream of an episode to recap and you managed to get the very most out of it. I'm in awe and appreciation of your immense talent. I think my favorite observation:

"Balzac (heh heh) is asked his opinion about Lili's situation but, wisely, he says nothing."

And for lagniappe, how great was it to see her Orangeness, Carmina Bouvier, standing straight and tall?

Hurrah for Nelson. Once again he stole the show. He managed to administer an almost lethal dose of the truth in the meanest possible way and he offered up a little something for everyone.

Wouldn't you love having Nikki as your waitress?

Carlos
 

Novela Maven-How wonderful to return to one of your precise and snarky recaps! Oh and the joy that the return of Orangina fell on your night. Delightful!

Loved the Hercule Poirot reference. That and Katy's comment about Clue have validated me. I had the same thoughts last night, but figured I was crazy.
 

A lot of western countries had laws prohibiting a man from marrying his dead wife's sister (or the converse). Most of these were abolished by 1950 (in England) and in the US south-eastern states which had adopted the English rules, by 1861. Catholic countries had their own "Affinity" laws with similar restrictions and similar time frames for when they were abolished in civil law, and made it easy to receive dispensation under Canon law.

Frankly, this is the first time I have ever seen it brought up as a moral issue in a TN before, and I suspect it's no big deal in Mexico. Viki can't marry Arriaga in the church anyway, until FF meets his maker. It's just being used as a plot device.

I have seen it used in a historical novel - usually the ban against marrying a father's widow.

Just look up "Affinity" if you want to know more. Some history of UK Affinity laws
 

Good morning everyone,

Thank you for your generous comments. As several of you pointed out, this episode was a gift and I just happened to luck out this week.

Doris:
I love the way you describe how Nelson "threw out the scraps of meat and watched the show, enjoying it and himself immensely." It's fun to see this actor break out of the multi-F role and show us his comic chops.

Katy:
Wow, here you are bright and early, before the kids' piano lessons and swimming class to spend a little quality time on the Patio! Nice catch about Nikki's shift in attitude towards money.

"what was it Cande said over and over as she was holding on to Arriaga's legs?"

I took another look at the scene. She says:
Te lo ruego, JA, te lo ruego, hijo ...
(I beg of you, fr. rogar)
 

Diana:
I find myself looking forward to your daily comments as much as I look forward to the evening show. Today I especially enjoyed what you had to say about Nikki "getting customers to move rather cheerfully under her rather sweet direction"

What I liked especially about this scene is that it played against expectations. Weren't we all expecting the cranky, demanding customers to bring out the worst in our girl? Hah. We were all snookered. Pleasantly.

Audrey:
I think you're right about Nelson holding something back as a bargaining chip. I was surprised (though I shouldn't have been) and a little disappointed that he was only going halfway. But I guess we need to save a little something for the next 20 episodes.

Thanks for the info on "Affinity." I agree with you that the issue is just a plot contrivance. (I know there are a lot of folks who feel otherwise.)

Hi irisz79:
Nice to see you in the neighborhood. As for her Orangeness, Bruna -- I suspect she'll be a trouble-maker but this time around she'll have to take a back seat to Miss Kendra in the BSC and Evil department. We'll see.

Mads:
I know you're a big Agatha Christie girl so I figured you'd enjoy seeing Hercule Poirot in the mansion. :D

Niecie:
I'm also glad Lili vented her spleen to Guzmán and not to Vikki. But I fear that may have just been a rehearsal. She is going to do a lot of damage -- or at least hurt a lot of feelings -- before she has her Vicente/Adriana epiphany.

"Surely somewhere out there Opalina has picked up on the vibes surrounding her soul brother and will come a running to help him."

One can but hope.
 

Carlos:
"Wouldn't you love having Nikki as your waitress?"

Yes.

P.S. I had to look up "lagniappe."

Gracias por la flor.

Sara:
The return of Sara and the return of Orangina on the same day. My heart be still!

But listen up, children. If we are looking for murderers, we snails all know it was Miss Scarlet.
 

"Balzac is asked his opinion about Lili's situation but, wisely, he says nothing". That line took me off guard. Very Funny!

You said, "se haya revolcado". Tee hee!

Thanks for the recap Novela Maven. As always, you are awesome.

Rella as in Cynder
 

Novela Maven---Boy, you sure got a good one last night and you did it to perefection. A big thank you.

Great one Doris---A cornered rat goes for the jugular. I guess Anibal forget that. He's walking on thin ice right now because FF Nelson is still holding the trump card that could send him to jail.

Maybe Arriaga and Lili will have that long overdue talk now.

Wow! The Orange lady [Sabine Moussier] is as orange as ever. What does she use to get that color?

Where is Opalina and her snails when we need her/them?

OK the Nikki truth that [ALL] of the Nikki cheer team out on the patio failed to see last night. I guess that either they were too busy cheering foe Nikki or possibly
they were in deep thought as how to critize Lili the Little Orchid. But, if you rewind to the pizza parlor its plain to see. Before we go there, it's true that Nikki's charm kept the customers happy even when she got the orders mixed up---points for her. Nikki got some minus points too. If you notice, the restaurant was fairly
busy, the other waitress was working her but off while Nikki stood chatting on the phone. At another point, Nikki took several minutes away from the customers to chat with her guzmancito---not enough to get fired for but not a great way to start out on your first night.

Well after last night, what's next?
I can't wait.
the gringo
 

NovelaMaven-

I love how you presented this drama-filled episode in such a condensed and to the point way. The Balvanera-Brizz sure know how to ratchet up the drama. Nelson was in his element. Perfect to refer to him as the fun house version of Poirot. I did not like the way he kept grabbing on Lili and Cande. Guzman should have gotten out of JA’s way, because Nelson needed to be taught that he can’t manhandle JA’s women-folk like that.

Nikki’s waitressing adventures were funny. Good thing that table full of young guys was so willing to join with that table filled with young attractive women. The outcome likely would have been different had that table been filled with middle-aged soccer moms. Katy- I too noticed how eagerly and happily she scraped up those coins, that just two weeks before she threw away with disdain. She’s learning. No, I would not like her as my waitress. Well, only if she paired me up with the hot single guy at the next table. :)

Just as Lili is letting her grief and guilt over not believing her mom about JA/Vicky blind her and feed her anger at Vicky, Nikki is letting her jealousy feed her hatred of Lili. I hope Lili slaps her again for that insult to her grandma. She just insulted her mother earlier that day at the greenhouse opening, and didn’t get smacked for it. OK, really I’d like for them both to stop with the violence and insults.

 

Brilliant recap, NM! You always deliver excellence! Love your Poirot reference!

Wow, it was quite a night, wasn't it? I was worried that Nikki would bomb as a waitress, but I guess it worked out all right. Let's hope she keeps it up!

We have the start of a full-on catfight coming up, between Nikki and Lili. Wonder how far they'll let it escalate? MUST SEE TV!!!
 

Thank you NM, for another verbal romp through the Balvanera forest of misconceptions (and I don't use that last term lightly).

Nikki as mesera. Wouldn't she be a joy to have on the Patio in her present mood? Pretty soon, she'd have us all pushing the tables together to have a banquet.

She'd even make sure Balzac [heh heh] had his own seat. Not sure if she would serve Lili or accidentally spill water or dinner on her.

But Anibal? No way, Joe. He's banished from the Patio (well after bringing FF down a peg or two he could watch through the window). On with the joviality of it all.

Still not sure where this sleeping with your deceased wife's sister is going. Do Vikki and Arriaga have to prove that their tryst in the country was their first time? Although maybe like Jimmy Carter, they sinned by having lust in their hearts early on--but it still doesn't answer the non-blood relationship matter to my satisfaction.

I wish it had been Vicente at the door instead of her Orangeness (aka Justina Huerta and Mireya Serrano). Vicente could have been a referral to a production staff position. He'd be much easier on the eyes, I'm sure.
 

With a name like Bruna nothing good can come out of this character. I'm sure she and Vikki will be loggerheads on the interpretation of the heroine of her novel. Shame on Joan Carlos for not having more to do with the casting of the lead--and curiously, not knowing who it was until this precise moment.
 

Audrey--About the affinity laws. Thank you for re-clarifying it for me. Ok, I'll accept it as a *temporary* plot device. We've invested too much of our emotional savings account on the Vikki/Arriaga relationship to toss it away now.

Re, you said: "I have seen it used in a historical novel - usually the ban against marrying a father's widow." That certainly didn't stop Mejia from using the reverse in La Esposa Virgen (even though she was supposedly a virgin, how would they really know).
 

Thanks, NovelaMaven! Loved your descriptions of Nils's cornered-rat drunken parlor drama.

Lili and Nikki both need some tranquilizers and meditation classes. They are so reactive. On the other hand, I'm glad the writers aren't trying to sell us on a miraculous instant turnaround of Nikki's personality. She's always been sharp-tongued and quick to attack, and it's taking time to change her habits. It would be nice if she would try just a little to feel some empathy for Lili, though. She had a smidge of compassion when Cristina died, but that seems to have passed.

Is FF planning to still use the last weapon in his arsenal (the baby swap secret) to blackmail Anyballs? The both of them cannot hit rock bottom fast enough for me.
 

It befuddles me that Sabine Moussier is constantly cast as a femme fatale. I don't get it. She is many things, and not unattractive, but she seems like an odd choice for that role.
 

Thanks, NOvelamaven, for that amazing recap of what seems to have been a fast moving episode. I'm in Toronto and did not get to see the last two episodes. So..how many episodes are left and what do we have to look forward to...I am anxious for VIncente to appear, and I hope that he and Adri will get back together. Also, someone has to drop the bomb about Lili being Adri's long lost daughter.
 

gringo: "If you notice, the restaurant was fairly
busy, the other waitress was working her but off while Nikki stood chatting on the phone". Point, set, match! There are 2 sides to every story. Thank you for your even-handed and observant comment.

Anita: "verbal romp through the Balvanera forest of misconceptions" - wonderful. It didn't hit me that Carlos WAS totally surprised at the casting until your sharp comment pointed it out and you are right, casting without his approval should not have occurred.

Let's see if Orangina can get the Cris Balvanera spark going in Adri that is unless of course Vincente does show up. However, I'm beginning to think he is just an urban legend ;)

Diana
 

Gosh, if someone hadn't spilled the beans here a while back, it would have been fun to imagine Salvador Zerboni (Gabino Mendoza in Abismo de pasión) showing up as Vicente. Or even better, as Diana the Huntress says, Vicente ending up as just "an urban legend" :D

Gringo:
Lili has a great advocate and friend in you. Personally, I look forward to seeing the cousins making peace. I do think it can happen once the dastardly duo of Aníbal and Nelson Brizz stop manipulating them.

Cyn:
Even as I was writing that line, I was thinking of you. So do you have special vocabulary-detecting software or are you just a close reader? Glad you liked the recap!

Vivi:
"The outcome likely would have been different had that table been filled with middle-aged soccer moms."
hah. So true. And they would all have asked for separate checks. :-)

Aw shucks, Elvira. Thank you.
I'm kind of hoping the Lili-Lucía reveal distracts the little gardener before we end up with a Women in Prison episode.
 

Diana--I think we created the Urban Legend for our own amusement.
 

NM--Laignappe is a wonderful Louisiana Creole word, no? I use it fairly often, just to impress people, then I can launch into the, "I was born in N.O. and even know how to pronounce the name of the city as native-speakers would." (Then I say I left when I was two and neither of my parents grew up anywhere near Ñ-orlans, haha).

 

Anita:

"the Balvanera forest of misconceptions"

Nice one!

"Wouldn't [Nikki] be a joy to have on the Patio in her present mood? Pretty soon, she'd have us all pushing the tables together to have a banquet."

Yes, if she can bounce back from that family "therapy" session.

Julia:

"I'm glad the writers aren't trying to sell us on a miraculous instant turnaround of Nikki's personality."

I agree. As for her sharp tongue and short fuse, it isn't helping that Lili repeats ad nauseam "Frankie is going to leave you and end up with me." Honestly, who wouldn't want to smack her for that?

I just hope Sabine isn't bringing her crazy eyes to the part. We get enough of that from Adriana (who really would be easier to watch if she turned down the wide-eyed scleral display a notch or two.)

Susanlynn:
Well we've got 20 episodes left. We need the mother-daughter reunion, and the appearance of Vicente, as you said.

We also need to see if Roy wins over Lili, if Vikki and Arriaga can get past the cuñado trap (duh), if Nikki and Guz can stand up to the pressure (double duh).

What will happen to Santino? How will he make amends for the past? Or can he?

Will Kendra do away with Nelson Brizz? With Mia? (gasp)

Can Aníbal be forgiven or is he doomed?

What is Kendra's fate?

Is Odette coming back? Will she be different?

Will JM and Stevie have a happy ending together?

Will Nelson end up raising Mia (assuming they both survive)? Or will one of the other families take her in?

How will Lili-Luci and Nikki accommodate to one another?

Will we get to see Vikki great with child? The birth of Arriaga's son?

What else?


 

Novela,

I read every word of your recaps. I don't use any software.

Recently, I've been bought a lot of Spanish verb drill books because I always confuse the tenses. I like reading your recaps because they help me with verb review.

Cynderella
 

Audrey, thank you for the info on Affinity laws. I had never heard of such, even in the few historical fiction book I've read. I wonder why they were instituted?
 

Other things that have to happen in the next 20 episodes:

Adriana and Vicente need to meet again. Will they be a couple? Is Joan a serious contender for the fair Adriana?

We have to say goodbye to Paula.

We may have a few weddings, of course, depending on who stays out of jail, who survives -- stuff like that.

 

If Aniball drops dead before the end, and if Candelaria is the one who knows that there was a "baby switch" and that Lili is really Adriana's child (not Christina's), will she just hold on to this secret or spill the beans? Actually I can't imagine that Lili would be able to deal with the fact that Christina was not her mother or that Ariaga is not her father. Don't forget, telling everyone about the baby switch is probably a crime. Perhaps the statue of limitations applies and no one would go to jail.
And since hardly anyone in this TN is religious (save Christina -rip) and Lili, the divorce between Roy and Nikki is just a civil one. I cannot see how a religious wedding for either Nikki/Guzman or Roy/Lili is possible unless Roy and Nikki get an annulment from the Church. It has to be a formal annulment since they were married in a formal ceremony.
 

Cynderella:

I'm very flattered that you read my recaps so carefully. (I was only kidding about the software.)

Since you're working on your Spanish, you might be interested in a website that I really like for language practice:

duolingo.com

It's pretty new -- I think it's been around for a year or so. I stumbled on it a couple of months ago. It's kind of fun, I think. And it's free.
 

Anonymous made me think of something....What did they do with Christina's baby? Wouldn't Arriaga, Opi and Lilly want to go see it or something? They seem to live at the graveyard.

Cynderella
 

Thanks, Novela. I'll try it out.

Cynderella
 

Cyn- I am sure that will be one of JA's first questions for Cande after he stops yelling at her when the Lili-Luci reveal is made. Or maybe he'll still be yelling when he asks/demands to know.
 

NM--thank you for re-watching and the translation! Above and beyond!

And you are as perceptive as always: my big kids left for a camp at 5:45am. Freedom at last!

Cynderella, you aren't the only one who struggles w verb tenses. I believe there are 7 in English and 14 in Spanish! I tried doing a verb tense of the month for my New Years resolution but it only lasted to March.:(

Sara, glad you're back and glad we played the same board games!

Viv, you are cracking me up with the slapping comments because you are so non-violent!!!;)

Katy
 

Katy- LOL I know. This tn brings it out in me, but then I can't commit to my wish for violence.
 

Re: verb tenses, I never knew English had "state" verbs until a former ESL Conversation student asked me about them. She now teaches English in Mexico City and a perfectionist. * I * had to Google it. :-0


If Opalina is smart, she will stay away until things cool off. Otherwise, her snail shells might get pelleted by ...lanza caracolazos.
 

Doris--Be still my grammar nerd heart! I had no clue about "state" verbs. (I mean, I use them all the time but had no idea they were called "state" verbs.)
 

Thanks for a great recap NM. Boy did you get a load of action to deal with!

Forget Sabine Moussier, I want to see Malu as per Joan's phone conversation with her on Friday night that prompted Adriana to leave the apartment and him wondering where she was. I want a Malu concert with her belting "Ahora Tu" as Vikki and Angel stare into each others' eyes and contemplate making a baby.

So now I'm waiting for Cande to have the spine to go talk with Adriana and tell her the entire truth about her baby. How can Cande marry that despicable Anyballs????
 

Katy , English has 12 active verb tenses (the subject is doing the action) and additional passive voice tenses (the subject is not doing the action..ex. The vase was broken.)
 

I teach verb tenses over and over. Most students have a lot of trouble with verb tenses.
 

Thank God most people's expectations of (U.S. of)Americans' language skills are so low that they are usually just thrilled that I'm at least trying to speak Spanish with the present and 1 and 1/2 garbled past tenses.