Caray, Caray!

Fernando has a LENGTHY flashback to last night, when he went up to the roof without any wet laundry. Amid a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains, Chucho persuades Fernando to put on his big-boy pants and face his problems alive.

Now alone, Fernando tries to gripe about that meddlesome "Encanto," but realizes that Chucho saved his life. Fernando can't figure out why, especially after the nasty way he's always treated Chucho.

Chatita has prepared some lovely broth for Vero, conveniently forgetting that Vero had requested jasmine tea. (If I recall correctly, the broth was already on the stove last night and I don't think Chatita ever intended to serve anything else!) Vero asks where Alma went; Chatita says she's folding the laundry. She suggests that Vero get together with Alma so that they can compare notes on their own time instead of always asking her about each other!

Alma has to go back to the office. No soup for her! She pauses in tribute at Chatita's shrine to St. Thomas.

Vero says the soup looks great, but she starts picking things out of her bowl. Hasn't she any manners at all? I withdraw the question!

In the Avon cafeteria, Chucho, Mari, and Susana ask Xochi how things are going with Julio. (Jess comes by wanting some gossip, but is rebuffed.) Xochi talks about the fight with her mother. From another table, Julio sees Chucho smiling at Xochi and worries that the smoldering remains of Xochi & Chucho's relationship might be rekindled at any moment. The other Sillies have to reel him back in to keep him from starting a brawl.

Xochi says she needs to figure out what to do about her mother. Jess wanders by again and offers to lend her a costume to seduce Julio. (Xochi's everyday costume is already working miracles with that guy, so why risk another ER visit?) Susana says that since Jess is in the mood for gossip anyway, guess what everybody's saying about HER? Word is that Jess is fooling around with Rogelio! For once, Jess looks embarrassed. She denies the gossip, but is unable to explain why she was promoted. Chucho says they're only asking because they care about her.

Susana asks Jess to clarify her recent claim that Rogue and Alma's wedding wouldn't happen. Chucho wants to know, too! Jess flashes back to the night at Rogue's house with the whip and the firefighter costume and Paty and the phone with the incriminating video. She tries to change the subject, asking why Chucho is so interested in this. Chucho replies that it's not right for Alma to marry this guy if there's something she doesn't know about him. Jess's strong work ethic suddenly kicks in. She's got a lot of work to do! Bye!!

Chatita remarks on Vero's strange soup-eating technique (a lot of items have been dragged to the rim of her soup plate, uneaten), and says she's always happy to listen, but she's not going to tell Vero anything that Alma or Chucho said to her in confidence. Vero just wants Chatita's opinion of how well she's doing in her quest to reclaim Chucho's love. All Chatita will say is that if Vero wants him, she'll have to fight for him.

After lunch: Susana hands Rogue a stack of papers, including the CONFIDENCIAL interoffice envelope with the radioactive "active pause" photo of Alma and Chucho.

At the mall, Paty thinks about Rogue seeing the radioactive photo and gloats. She celebrates her victory by heisting a perfume bottle. The security camera sees all.

Cantú, the shady lawyer, meets with Rogue at the office. Rogue summarizes his plan to have a "professional" seduce Fernando to help him get over losing Diskette.

The "professional" tries to engineer a chance encounter with Fernando in the parking garage. Despite her extreme hotness and apparent interest, Fernando is still too distracted mumbling about Chucho's interference to pay any attention to her.

Paty swipes more stuff from the same store where she lifted the perfume. Is this her first shoplifting expedition? Does she want to get caught? I withdraw the question. She's been caught! She is uncooperative and tries to make a scene. They search her bag, in which she has stashed enough merchandise to open her very own Walgreen's.

Cantú says all the judges are on holiday vacation right now, so the fact that no arrest warrants have been issued yet doesn't mean there won't be any at all. He's worried that Malvino and his pal will say or do anything to save their own hides. He would like to ensure their silence. Rogue doesn't think that's necessary, but has another request for Cantú: investigate Chucho and get some dirt on him. And if they can't find any dirt, they'll make some up.

Désencanto - that's Fernando 3.0 - finally makes his way up to the secretarial pen and scowls at everyone. They think unkind thoughts at him. Jess follows him into his office, and he snaps at her. She offers him a massage. He tells her to get out and NEVER come back. "You really are a Désencanto," she whimpers.

Gilberto's wearing his sunglasses in Alma's office. Alma takes the budget Gil helped her prepare for the campaign and hands it off to Chucho for review. Gil is confused as to why her assistant is reviewing a budget. Alma explains that Chucho has a degree in finance, and she trusts his expertise. Gil seems titillated by this mundane information. I think his wife had better switch to a smaller rolling pin before he loses what little is left of his higher brain functions.

Pánfilo is collecting trash in the office. With great deference, he asks Mari can he please empty her wastebasket? She grumbles at the inconvenience and even holds her nose. Where did she pick up this snotty attitude? And no, I do NOT withdraw this question, because it's legitimate! Has she seen anyone else behave this way? Rogue and Fernando weren't this rude when they were introduced to Chatita. I think Chucho is wondering the same thing, because he's clenching his teeth at her.

After reviewing the budget for like five minutes, Chucho has an idea that will cut costs by 20% without any reduction in quality. Amazing. Alma is impressed. She'll tell Gilberto to make the changes. I'm sure he'll be delighted to take the secretario's advice. Alma also tells Chucho she met Chatita for lunch today to talk about him, but here's Marta so that's the end of that conversation!

Rogue tells Cantú the plan is to wipe Chucho off of the map, but apparently that's not the same thing as ordering a hit as we were led to believe in the avances last night, because they just finished saying that they would either blackmail him or frame him for something.

Rogue gets a panicked call from Paty at the store's security office. He and Cantú rush off. The radioactive photo remains on his desk in the unopened CONFIDENCIAL envelope.

Marta tells Alma that "active pauses" are great, but she needs to do a comprehensive analysis of all the dynamics in the office. She'll have to interview everyone individually and also observe how people interact. They're having a little social in the office tomorrow, so she can get started then. (She has no appointments? Or maybe she's hoping that if she spends more time in another office, she won't have to worry about Vero bursting in on her. If that's what Marta thinks, she's in for a rude awakening!)

Vero and Valentina are at the supermarket. They're planning a nice dinner for Chucho. Their shopping cart is chock-full, and they have about ten pounds of meat in there. Gee, are you sure that's enough, Vero? And Valentina's going to make him a "Greatest Daddy in the World" poster.

Chucho asks Marta to leave Valentina out of whatever personal interest Marta may have for herself in the divorce. She promises. He says he feels guilty, like the divorce is his fault. Marta says Vero's marriage had already run out of steam before he even showed up, and his arrival was simply that one last drop that made the bucket overflow.

Susana asks Pánfilo some friendly questions, and he tells her about his old job as trash collector and his diabetic foot and how Alma helped him out "again." "Oh, Alma's helped you before?" asks Susana innocently, and Mari is terrified that her cover will be blown. Pánfilo backpedals and all is well, but Chucho lets Mari know that he Does Not Approve. She tells him to mind his own business. He warns her not to ask him to lie for her.

Mari goes to Alma's office to pick up the dress. Alma tells her she'll have to take it in to be altered right away. We don't get to see much of it, but what we do see is stunning. Alma asks, who's this hot date with? Elias Franco?? Alma is impactada!

Julio and Ricardo have proposed a brilliant plan for Gilberto to get away from his wife: Pack his bags and move out. This was the best they could come up with? I withdraw the question. Gil wishes she would just disappear. This sounds rather ominous to Ric. Chucho comes in to get Gil's updated budget. Julio wants to talk!

Paty denies that she was stealing anything. Rogue tells the security goons that she's very wealthy and doesn't need to steal, but they've got the proof on video. Cantú says they'll pay for the stolen goods, and that will be the end of it. Paty doesn't like this, because she feels it's an admission of guilt, which seems only fair since she's guilty. Cantú hands them a large wad of cash and I think he gets the video disk in return. (That doesn't mean they don't still have their own copy of it!)

Alma is looking for Rogue. Susana says he and Cantú left in a hurry a while ago. Alma wonders what's up with that.

At home, Paty swears up and down to Rogelio that she didn't steal all that stuff. It was someone else! (Even her crying is hilarious.) Alma calls. Rogue pretends he's at Cantú's office, dealing with something regarding his "other business." Alma can hear Paty's exaggerated sobs over the phone, but amazingly does not recognize the voice. Rogue says it's another client of Cantú's, she was accused of shoplifting. Alma is SHOCKED by this stranger's moral turpitude.

Fernando looks at pictures of Bisquick on his computer and cries and feels sorry for himself.

Jess goes crying to Cardenas and confesses that she's done something terrible.

Elias goes to Marta's office. He's not sure why she asked him to come. "I'm in love with you," she announces. "But we hardly know one another," he protests. "We've only met a few times." She says she knows him better than he thinks. (That doesn't sound creepy or anything!) She's heard all she needs to know about him through Veronica. (She should know better than that.) He's a wonderful dad, talented, sensitive, etc. "Yeah, I'm so great she can't wait to divorce me!" "She can't appreciate you, but I can!" And she fired Veronica as her client, because she can't give therapy to the wife of the man she loves!

What does Julio want to discuss with Chucho? He's worried that he can't compete with him for Xochi's affection.

Rogelio finally opens the CONFIDENCIAL envelope and sees the radioactive photo. He drops it, and then peeps at it through his hands in a masochistic game of peek-a-boo.

Next time:
Rogue confronts Chucho with the ¿Será Amor? photo. A crowd gathers. Alma shrugs and says, "¡Sí!" Or, you know, maybe that was just snippets of four unrelated scenes spliced together.

Labels: Manda