Saturday, June 15, 2013
Qué Bonito Amor #45 (Mex 67-68.1) Friday 6/14/13 The Long Lost Prince Charming Returns to His Sleeping Beauty
Cap 67-68 partial
Santos apparently cannot find his way out of the maze of a basement he’s found himself in. (Ask the rat that invited himself to your dinner last night. I’m sure he knows the way.) When JAntos hears voices he hides and, peeking around the corner of the wall, sees Giuliano El Gusano there.
Back at El Coloso’s apartment, Elvira asks Coloso (while Sr. Cock-a-doodle-do is enjoying the petting he’s getting) if El Col had had somebody get JAntos out of the way for him. He says that would’ve been a nice touch, but no such luck and anyway, he would rather do the deed himself, macho a macho.
Maria is getting sicker; her family worries and watches over her as she cries and frets in her sleep. Oscar pays a visit to Maria a bit later and Amalia allows him to sit by her bed. He confesses to Maria he’d dreamt of this moment—chatting with her in between the sheets--for years, but this is not exactly the way he’d imagined it. Maria innocently ignores him and moans that JA must be dead and that she wants to join him in the más allá [great beyond/afterlife]. He tries to convince her that she needs a man who won’t cause her so much grief and uncertainty. (No, she needs a jealous macho country loaf like you to drive her crazy instead.) But she tells him what she needs right now is a big brother. He’s okay with that until El Pochito shows up again.
JAntos is still lost in the maze when one of the thugs grabs him and ties him up again.
Back in El Lay, Derecho and Curtis’s captain demands convincing [contundente] proof and closure to the Santos Marinez de la Garza case ASAP. He gives them two weeks to close the case or it goes into the cold case files.
Justo admits to AltaGracia that Giulio is a mercenary of the worst kind cuz he killed his own cousin. Unfortunately, they have no tangible proof and cannot counter sue the S.O.B. What’s worse is that all the police have managed to do is to slow things down [entorpecer] and stall out.
Olmo loses patience with his hired goofs guns and threatens that if they don’t finish off JAntos immediately then one of them is going to get the axe—literally.
Regino and his own set of goons follow Mil Amores figuring that Fernando will eventually lead them to his runaway punching bag of a bride.
Team DnC visit Justo to tell him they think his son had Bruno offed. Justo tells him he hasn’t the proof but he knows it was Giuli since the guy confessed during a phone call. Derecho notes they saw him traveling to Mexico City and has a sudden bit of insight. “—Either it was Giuliano and he’s a murderer, or it was Santos and he hired him, or the two of them are in cahoots together!” If that’s the case, then Giuli the Gem’s going to Mexico means his son’s life could be in danger, warns Justo! Something has to be done to protect him! (Viewerville has a beanie moment as reality slips in. It struggles to believe Justo would ever trust a pair of keystone coppers like Team DnC with his only son’s life.)
Mil goes to the Cyber Café and sends Altagracia an email that Santos has gone missing. While he’s there he surfs the news and sees the report on Bruno’s murder up in El Lay.
JAntos figures this is his last day on earth and thinks Olmo invited Giuliano down to watch the execution. He worries about Maria and what must be going through her head right now. “—Hopefully, with Fernando’s help she’ll overcome this pain and get on with her life.”
Amalia has a chat with Oscar about the cruelty of abandoning a child. He gets the message loud and clear. He asks isn’t it just as rotten of Gloria to have waited sixteen years to tell him he had a son? Amalia asks if he’d looked for her at all during this time. Sure, but her father sent her out of the country to separate the two of them and all the letters he wrote her were “bounced back” to him, he answers. Amalia suggests he get to know his kid. He’d be surprised the blessing he’d see as a parent sharing Rodri’s joys and sorrows or his little romances --not to mention many semi-adult tantrums….(Remind him to stock up on Just For Men. It’s designed with parenting in mind.) Oscar starts to consider the possibility…..
Mil runs into Rodrigo in the colonia and learns that Gloria’s gone for cancer treatments. He feels so alone, Rodri tells Fernando, especially with JAntos gone missing. Fer tries to convince Rodri that his daddy really is a melty marshmallow under all that burnt crust. Rodri refuses to have anything to do with him. Ok, says Fer. Well, for now you’ve got my friendly shoulder to lean on!
JAntos and Maria continue pining away for each other. Ruben’s goofy goons throw him into the SUV and head for the killing fields.
Fer doesn’t know he’s being watched when he gets a text from Roxy. (Viewerville wonders what the subtext is.)
Giuli and Ruben sign a business contract of some sort, but Giuli tells him that he needs 10 million deposited first before their business dealings can begin. Ruben isn’t the rube he appears to be to Giuli and asks why the pressure for so much cash up front. Giuli tells him he has lots of palms to grease [aceitar]. “--Ahmmme. I let you know when the money might be available.” Giuli doesn’t like the sound of that. Ruben decides he’ll have to think about it for a while and smiles broadly. (Viewerville quickly thinks of shark teeth now whenever Ruben grins.) Giuli plays it cool, but he’s not a happy camper. “—Sure. Take all the time you need. Sr. del Olmo.”
JAntos demands to speak with Giuliano to tell him he’s a coward and that if he’s planned this then it should be doing Giuli murdering him with his own hands! The goons tell him too bad, but they’re the ones who’ll be doing the honors, y punto. JAntos thinks his final farewell to Maria.
Back in El Lay, Wendy visits Michael in prison and confesses that Bruno was the guilty one after all. He snookered them both, she says. She asks in Bruno’s name to forgive him for having betrayed him. Michael hugs her and apparently does forgive all. (What a royal S.A.P.) She then tells him that she’s having Bruno’s baby. (Wendy may be a brat, but she’s nobody’s fool. With Mike free she has a ready-made daddy in the wings for Bronzo, Jr.)
Derecho phones his MC counterpart, Com. Malo, with a ‘tope sacret meesion.’ “--The other suspect we were following’s life is in danger. Keep an eye on Giuliano Rina.”
El Celoso and El Aventurero hop in the mariachimobile, driving to…somewhere. They nearly have an accident with Ruben’s goofy goons’ SUV. Col and the other driver get out and start screaming at each other about what backwater swamp they both learned to drive in, or some such. Santo’s hears El Col’s voice. He kicks at the door and begins yelling. Col hears the noise but has no idea what it could be. “—What have you got inside there? Mules?” Aventurero says he smells a rat and they threaten the others with calling the police. The other driver backs down and drives away. Col misses his chance to be the “heroe de la historia” for now but at least he decides it might be a good idea to take down the SUV’s license plate number. He keys it into his cell phone.
A few minutes later, Santos gets a chance to knock out the goon in the back seat with him, and to throw himself out of the SUV. He rolls into a huge garbage pile and loses consciousness. The two goons in the front realize he’s escaped and want to go back to pick him up but, there’s a patrol car up ahead. They freak and beat it.
Rodri and Mil join forces to first check around for JA and then they figure to stop by Ana’s place.
Wendy tells Mama about her good deed for the day and says she’s going to go visit Michael more often. Mama is muy pleased.
Comandante Malo and Officer Camel-o are tailing Giuli and Arny. They watch as Ruben and the others arrive together at the hotel. Mal and Cam ask for an introduction. Ruben greets the two and introduces them all. Afterwards, the comandante notes it’s a strange thing seeing their suspect and del Olmo hobnobbing there in Mexico City.
On the other side of town, Fernando notices that Roxy’s hubby, Regino’s, SUV is parked outside Ana’s apartment. He calls to warn her. Before she can get out, though, Regino and the boys invite themselves in and demand to know where Roxy has gone. They are destroying her apartment when Mil arrives and quickly drags her out. She and he manage to shut the door and lock Roxy’s hubby and goons in the apartment.
JAntos regains consciousness, uses a broken bottle neck to cut the wrist and leg ties, brushes himself off and finds a way back home. He’s a mess when Doña Pru and her sister greet him at the entrance to the colonia. They give him the rundown on Maria and her emotional breakdown once she found out he was missing. They suggest he get cleaned up before going over to see her now that he’s back. Otherwise he’ll upset and frighten her more than she already is.
Ana tells Fernando she’s had it up to her eyeballs and more with him and his little adventures. For all she cares he can take a flying leap at the moon! She storms off down the street and Fer feeds Rodri some senseless macho-babble about not needing to understand women, just needing love them…..
Outside on the steps to Maria’s apartment, Oscar tells the other mariachis that he owes his singing career to her. We get a musical flashback to the successful audition at Concho’s bar.
Amalia leaves a few more requests on the virgencita’s voice-mail. Seems she’s been a bit behind in answering lately.
The whole group is there waiting for Maria to give up the ghost when JAntos reappears, obviously a bit worse for wear, and enters her bedroom. He wakes her up with a kiss and words to the song “La Vida No Vale Nada Sin Ti” [Life’s Not Worth Living Without You].
v Back at the bar in the uptown hotel, Ruben says he’ll finalize the deals of the contract soon; Fabian adds they’ll see how the 10 million is spent; and then, continues Ruben, they’ll all travel to someplace full of gorgeous women. Fabian surprises everyone in the group saying he’s got a special surprise for them all.
Fer warns El Celoso off making a scene in Maria’s bedroom now and he reluctantly agrees. Actually everyone vanishes once they see that Maria realizes JAntos is back and at her bedside. She grabs his hand and caresses his bruised and cut face. “—I wanted to die. What have they done to you?” “—They tried separating me from you.” He admits he should probably never have fallen in love with her, but he couldn’t help it. From the first night they met he was in love. Ditto for her, she says. He rocked her world. “—Tell me now, who hurt you? Tell me who wanted to kill you?” Cara de how could she know de JAntos.
Back at El Coloso’s apartment, Elvira asks Coloso (while Sr. Cock-a-doodle-do is enjoying the petting he’s getting) if El Col had had somebody get JAntos out of the way for him. He says that would’ve been a nice touch, but no such luck and anyway, he would rather do the deed himself, macho a macho.
Maria is getting sicker; her family worries and watches over her as she cries and frets in her sleep. Oscar pays a visit to Maria a bit later and Amalia allows him to sit by her bed. He confesses to Maria he’d dreamt of this moment—chatting with her in between the sheets--for years, but this is not exactly the way he’d imagined it. Maria innocently ignores him and moans that JA must be dead and that she wants to join him in the más allá [great beyond/afterlife]. He tries to convince her that she needs a man who won’t cause her so much grief and uncertainty. (No, she needs a jealous macho country loaf like you to drive her crazy instead.) But she tells him what she needs right now is a big brother. He’s okay with that until El Pochito shows up again.
JAntos is still lost in the maze when one of the thugs grabs him and ties him up again.
Back in El Lay, Derecho and Curtis’s captain demands convincing [contundente] proof and closure to the Santos Marinez de la Garza case ASAP. He gives them two weeks to close the case or it goes into the cold case files.
Justo admits to AltaGracia that Giulio is a mercenary of the worst kind cuz he killed his own cousin. Unfortunately, they have no tangible proof and cannot counter sue the S.O.B. What’s worse is that all the police have managed to do is to slow things down [entorpecer] and stall out.
Olmo loses patience with his hired goofs guns and threatens that if they don’t finish off JAntos immediately then one of them is going to get the axe—literally.
Regino and his own set of goons follow Mil Amores figuring that Fernando will eventually lead them to his runaway punching bag of a bride.
Team DnC visit Justo to tell him they think his son had Bruno offed. Justo tells him he hasn’t the proof but he knows it was Giuli since the guy confessed during a phone call. Derecho notes they saw him traveling to Mexico City and has a sudden bit of insight. “—Either it was Giuliano and he’s a murderer, or it was Santos and he hired him, or the two of them are in cahoots together!” If that’s the case, then Giuli the Gem’s going to Mexico means his son’s life could be in danger, warns Justo! Something has to be done to protect him! (Viewerville has a beanie moment as reality slips in. It struggles to believe Justo would ever trust a pair of keystone coppers like Team DnC with his only son’s life.)
Mil goes to the Cyber Café and sends Altagracia an email that Santos has gone missing. While he’s there he surfs the news and sees the report on Bruno’s murder up in El Lay.
JAntos figures this is his last day on earth and thinks Olmo invited Giuliano down to watch the execution. He worries about Maria and what must be going through her head right now. “—Hopefully, with Fernando’s help she’ll overcome this pain and get on with her life.”
Amalia has a chat with Oscar about the cruelty of abandoning a child. He gets the message loud and clear. He asks isn’t it just as rotten of Gloria to have waited sixteen years to tell him he had a son? Amalia asks if he’d looked for her at all during this time. Sure, but her father sent her out of the country to separate the two of them and all the letters he wrote her were “bounced back” to him, he answers. Amalia suggests he get to know his kid. He’d be surprised the blessing he’d see as a parent sharing Rodri’s joys and sorrows or his little romances --not to mention many semi-adult tantrums….(Remind him to stock up on Just For Men. It’s designed with parenting in mind.) Oscar starts to consider the possibility…..
Mil runs into Rodrigo in the colonia and learns that Gloria’s gone for cancer treatments. He feels so alone, Rodri tells Fernando, especially with JAntos gone missing. Fer tries to convince Rodri that his daddy really is a melty marshmallow under all that burnt crust. Rodri refuses to have anything to do with him. Ok, says Fer. Well, for now you’ve got my friendly shoulder to lean on!
JAntos and Maria continue pining away for each other. Ruben’s goofy goons throw him into the SUV and head for the killing fields.
Fer doesn’t know he’s being watched when he gets a text from Roxy. (Viewerville wonders what the subtext is.)
Giuli and Ruben sign a business contract of some sort, but Giuli tells him that he needs 10 million deposited first before their business dealings can begin. Ruben isn’t the rube he appears to be to Giuli and asks why the pressure for so much cash up front. Giuli tells him he has lots of palms to grease [aceitar]. “--Ahmmme. I let you know when the money might be available.” Giuli doesn’t like the sound of that. Ruben decides he’ll have to think about it for a while and smiles broadly. (Viewerville quickly thinks of shark teeth now whenever Ruben grins.) Giuli plays it cool, but he’s not a happy camper. “—Sure. Take all the time you need. Sr. del Olmo.”
JAntos demands to speak with Giuliano to tell him he’s a coward and that if he’s planned this then it should be doing Giuli murdering him with his own hands! The goons tell him too bad, but they’re the ones who’ll be doing the honors, y punto. JAntos thinks his final farewell to Maria.
Back in El Lay, Wendy visits Michael in prison and confesses that Bruno was the guilty one after all. He snookered them both, she says. She asks in Bruno’s name to forgive him for having betrayed him. Michael hugs her and apparently does forgive all. (What a royal S.A.P.) She then tells him that she’s having Bruno’s baby. (Wendy may be a brat, but she’s nobody’s fool. With Mike free she has a ready-made daddy in the wings for Bronzo, Jr.)
Derecho phones his MC counterpart, Com. Malo, with a ‘tope sacret meesion.’ “--The other suspect we were following’s life is in danger. Keep an eye on Giuliano Rina.”
El Celoso and El Aventurero hop in the mariachimobile, driving to…somewhere. They nearly have an accident with Ruben’s goofy goons’ SUV. Col and the other driver get out and start screaming at each other about what backwater swamp they both learned to drive in, or some such. Santo’s hears El Col’s voice. He kicks at the door and begins yelling. Col hears the noise but has no idea what it could be. “—What have you got inside there? Mules?” Aventurero says he smells a rat and they threaten the others with calling the police. The other driver backs down and drives away. Col misses his chance to be the “heroe de la historia” for now but at least he decides it might be a good idea to take down the SUV’s license plate number. He keys it into his cell phone.
A few minutes later, Santos gets a chance to knock out the goon in the back seat with him, and to throw himself out of the SUV. He rolls into a huge garbage pile and loses consciousness. The two goons in the front realize he’s escaped and want to go back to pick him up but, there’s a patrol car up ahead. They freak and beat it.
Rodri and Mil join forces to first check around for JA and then they figure to stop by Ana’s place.
Wendy tells Mama about her good deed for the day and says she’s going to go visit Michael more often. Mama is muy pleased.
Comandante Malo and Officer Camel-o are tailing Giuli and Arny. They watch as Ruben and the others arrive together at the hotel. Mal and Cam ask for an introduction. Ruben greets the two and introduces them all. Afterwards, the comandante notes it’s a strange thing seeing their suspect and del Olmo hobnobbing there in Mexico City.
On the other side of town, Fernando notices that Roxy’s hubby, Regino’s, SUV is parked outside Ana’s apartment. He calls to warn her. Before she can get out, though, Regino and the boys invite themselves in and demand to know where Roxy has gone. They are destroying her apartment when Mil arrives and quickly drags her out. She and he manage to shut the door and lock Roxy’s hubby and goons in the apartment.
JAntos regains consciousness, uses a broken bottle neck to cut the wrist and leg ties, brushes himself off and finds a way back home. He’s a mess when Doña Pru and her sister greet him at the entrance to the colonia. They give him the rundown on Maria and her emotional breakdown once she found out he was missing. They suggest he get cleaned up before going over to see her now that he’s back. Otherwise he’ll upset and frighten her more than she already is.
Ana tells Fernando she’s had it up to her eyeballs and more with him and his little adventures. For all she cares he can take a flying leap at the moon! She storms off down the street and Fer feeds Rodri some senseless macho-babble about not needing to understand women, just needing love them…..
Outside on the steps to Maria’s apartment, Oscar tells the other mariachis that he owes his singing career to her. We get a musical flashback to the successful audition at Concho’s bar.
Amalia leaves a few more requests on the virgencita’s voice-mail. Seems she’s been a bit behind in answering lately.
The whole group is there waiting for Maria to give up the ghost when JAntos reappears, obviously a bit worse for wear, and enters her bedroom. He wakes her up with a kiss and words to the song “La Vida No Vale Nada Sin Ti” [Life’s Not Worth Living Without You].
v Back at the bar in the uptown hotel, Ruben says he’ll finalize the deals of the contract soon; Fabian adds they’ll see how the 10 million is spent; and then, continues Ruben, they’ll all travel to someplace full of gorgeous women. Fabian surprises everyone in the group saying he’s got a special surprise for them all.
Fer warns El Celoso off making a scene in Maria’s bedroom now and he reluctantly agrees. Actually everyone vanishes once they see that Maria realizes JAntos is back and at her bedside. She grabs his hand and caresses his bruised and cut face. “—I wanted to die. What have they done to you?” “—They tried separating me from you.” He admits he should probably never have fallen in love with her, but he couldn’t help it. From the first night they met he was in love. Ditto for her, she says. He rocked her world. “—Tell me now, who hurt you? Tell me who wanted to kill you?” Cara de how could she know de JAntos.
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I'm going out in a few but I'm looking forward to the recap. Great title.
Did everyone really believe they were gathering at Maria's deathbed? If I'm right about that, it was outrageous on the part of the writers.
I'll be back around 4 or so with more comments.
Did everyone really believe they were gathering at Maria's deathbed? If I'm right about that, it was outrageous on the part of the writers.
I'll be back around 4 or so with more comments.
I actually watched this last night, well while I was on the phone. I could not believe my eyes that the heroine took to her bed to weep and die simply because the galan went missing. Shouldn't she have been out beating the streets? Or praying to the Virgin? Gosh, anything proactive! This doesn't seem consistent with the take charge attitude they have shown Maria to have.
Really looking forward to your take on Sleeping Beauty.
Really looking forward to your take on Sleeping Beauty.
ViviDC: Love that quip about Weeping Beauty! I suppose the only bad thing about that would be automatically thinking of Whiny Wendy. LOL!
Loved the recap, Jardinera! Very succinct and snarky. Love your recapping style!
I also was confused by the sudden "deathbed" scene. Que the heck? He's been missing for a day or two, I guess, certainly not enough time to fade away from a broken heart. The whole thing was bizarre. Bizarre to the extreme.
I could understand it more (but then not) if it had been months and months and no word. But this was a day or two! Really, there is no beanie that can withstand that.
I also was confused by the sudden "deathbed" scene. Que the heck? He's been missing for a day or two, I guess, certainly not enough time to fade away from a broken heart. The whole thing was bizarre. Bizarre to the extreme.
I could understand it more (but then not) if it had been months and months and no word. But this was a day or two! Really, there is no beanie that can withstand that.
Hey, Elvira! Glad you've joined out little band of maudlin makers again! Yeah, that deathbed stuff was really a joke. A nervous breakdown? Perhaps, but willing herself to die? Puh-leese!
Jardinera:
Thank you so much for this most excellent recap. I really loved some of your lines like:
country loaf, lol
Sr Cock-a-doodle-do
hired goofs
Remind him to stock up on "Just For Men". It's designed with parenting in mind, lol
Virgincita's voice mail!
I too liked Vivi's Weeping Beauty, lol. I am with y'all about how she just wanted to die cause she doesn't have JA anymore, que, que, what???? What year is this? Hmmmm
Does Meija have something against cops? I am beginning to wonder, cause these are the dumbest ones I have ever seen, lol. They are quite funny though. I agree with whoever said that the cops are making the evidence fit to make Santos look guilty.
I hope Oscar took Amaila advice to heart and starts getting to know Rodri.
I thought for sure Adventuro and Oscar would get a look inside that car, but at least they had the good sense to take down the license plate number. These cops could learn something from them : )
I wonder how Rox's hubby and his thugs will get out of Ana's apartment? Poor Ana, but then again she is dim as far as Mil Amores goes. She can't see he is a really nice guy, she's too bitter.
I'm surprised Weeping Beauty didn't pass out when JA was kissing her, all the stress and anxiety ya know : )
Thank you so much for this most excellent recap. I really loved some of your lines like:
country loaf, lol
Sr Cock-a-doodle-do
hired goofs
Remind him to stock up on "Just For Men". It's designed with parenting in mind, lol
Virgincita's voice mail!
I too liked Vivi's Weeping Beauty, lol. I am with y'all about how she just wanted to die cause she doesn't have JA anymore, que, que, what???? What year is this? Hmmmm
Does Meija have something against cops? I am beginning to wonder, cause these are the dumbest ones I have ever seen, lol. They are quite funny though. I agree with whoever said that the cops are making the evidence fit to make Santos look guilty.
I hope Oscar took Amaila advice to heart and starts getting to know Rodri.
I thought for sure Adventuro and Oscar would get a look inside that car, but at least they had the good sense to take down the license plate number. These cops could learn something from them : )
I wonder how Rox's hubby and his thugs will get out of Ana's apartment? Poor Ana, but then again she is dim as far as Mil Amores goes. She can't see he is a really nice guy, she's too bitter.
I'm surprised Weeping Beauty didn't pass out when JA was kissing her, all the stress and anxiety ya know : )
Thanks, Jardinera. Loved your snarky summary, with play-by-play of Maria's death-wish siesta. There's no excuse for her to go into a decline like that.
My favorite spunky gal and minor character is Dona Remedios,sister of Dona Pru. She sports her elaborate blonde hair style and enjoys life. I looked her up and she was a dancer, was in movies, and was a hot number back in the day. Don't know if someone owed her a favor or she just decided she wanted to join the fun as part of the large cast here.
My favorite spunky gal and minor character is Dona Remedios,sister of Dona Pru. She sports her elaborate blonde hair style and enjoys life. I looked her up and she was a dancer, was in movies, and was a hot number back in the day. Don't know if someone owed her a favor or she just decided she wanted to join the fun as part of the large cast here.
Crazy epi Maria the spunky morphs instantly into some Victorian maiden swooning away. And the bedside wake? Sorry but that whole thing served no purpose to advance the story by one iota and makes our heroine look like a twit.
JAntos has more lives than a cat. He used up three of them during his latest brush with death, had three before getting to the Barrio so he is walking on thin ice.
The Gang of Four is a puzzle. Initially I had thought that OJ and the Weasel had been long time friends and associates but when they all got together everyone had to be introduced. While I forgot to listen for the tu/usted when they spoke they did address each other by titles and last name. Looks like OJ needs this new biz to get the money to bail him out with the GF. Ruben is definitely the smarter of the two capos although both are equally cold.
Glad that Fernando has the sense to e-mail Gracia but for a while there I thought Rox's hubby was going to snatch him and we would have two missing mariachi's and no one to save JAntos. I also thought that when the apartment was being ripped up that the hubby would hit Ana, he has no compunction about slugging women. That would really have set of Fernando.
Dumbest cops on earth, no wonder no one in Mexico calls them when there is trouble and Team D&C is no better.
Fernando now knows two important things, who JAntos is and that Gloria is or is not dying.He will keep silent about one because he now knows there is real danger but when or will he spill on the other since he doesn't know Rod doesn't want Oscar to know.
Prison scene — so wrong. Don't the writers know there is no physical contact between prisoners and their visitors in the US, it's all through glass. Every time I see one of those prison scenes in a novela I wonder if it is really like that in Mexican prisons people bringing in bags of food and all the mingling around in a common room.
From those previews it looks like Amelia is going to do another flip flop. Last night praying for JAntos to return, Monday telling him to go away and never come back. SMH
JAntos has more lives than a cat. He used up three of them during his latest brush with death, had three before getting to the Barrio so he is walking on thin ice.
The Gang of Four is a puzzle. Initially I had thought that OJ and the Weasel had been long time friends and associates but when they all got together everyone had to be introduced. While I forgot to listen for the tu/usted when they spoke they did address each other by titles and last name. Looks like OJ needs this new biz to get the money to bail him out with the GF. Ruben is definitely the smarter of the two capos although both are equally cold.
Glad that Fernando has the sense to e-mail Gracia but for a while there I thought Rox's hubby was going to snatch him and we would have two missing mariachi's and no one to save JAntos. I also thought that when the apartment was being ripped up that the hubby would hit Ana, he has no compunction about slugging women. That would really have set of Fernando.
Dumbest cops on earth, no wonder no one in Mexico calls them when there is trouble and Team D&C is no better.
Fernando now knows two important things, who JAntos is and that Gloria is or is not dying.He will keep silent about one because he now knows there is real danger but when or will he spill on the other since he doesn't know Rod doesn't want Oscar to know.
Prison scene — so wrong. Don't the writers know there is no physical contact between prisoners and their visitors in the US, it's all through glass. Every time I see one of those prison scenes in a novela I wonder if it is really like that in Mexican prisons people bringing in bags of food and all the mingling around in a common room.
From those previews it looks like Amelia is going to do another flip flop. Last night praying for JAntos to return, Monday telling him to go away and never come back. SMH
Permalink posted by 
: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 1:27:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 1:27:00 PM EDT
Jardinera, thank you for another great recap. A few of my favorites:
“No, she needs a jealous macho country loaf like you to drive her crazy instead.”
“Fer tries to convince Rodri that his daddy really is a melty marshmallow under all that burnt crust.”
“Giuliano El Gusano”
“senseless macho-babble”
Elvira: “Really, there is no beanie that can withstand that.” LOL!
Re. the sleeping/dying beauty, she was drugged, but just what kind of spunk-draining drugs did they give her? I think it was all just a set up for the wake up scene, which was supposed to make us clutch our hankies instead of our beanies.
Decie Girl, the way that prisons are represented in novelas is one of my pet peeves. Not that our system is so great, but in Latin America in general, inmates are not kept in cells and the guards are only there to prevent escapes. They toss everyone in together and let them work things out among themselves. They don't do anything for the inmates but cart off the bodies. Gangs operate freely. Any one with any money is targeted for extortion. Little or no food is provided, but vendors are allowed in to sell stuff, as well as prostitutes, visitors, anybody can go wandering around, as long as they don’t mind the danger. Murder, hunger, drugs, weapons and rape are all very common. It’s a completely different system.
For a reality check that is NOT pretty, take a look at this:
World’s Toughest Prisons: Mexico (from National Geographic – excellent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvu575hiOOc
A coed prison with no barriers between, apparently:
http://youtu.be/pGcsZooooOc?t=28m59s
Just about any “Locked Up Abroad” or “Banged Up Abroad” (same show with different title for British audiences) shows realistic Latin American prison conditions. I am sure that there are differences among the different nations, but they all seem like hell on earth to me.
“No, she needs a jealous macho country loaf like you to drive her crazy instead.”
“Fer tries to convince Rodri that his daddy really is a melty marshmallow under all that burnt crust.”
“Giuliano El Gusano”
“senseless macho-babble”
Elvira: “Really, there is no beanie that can withstand that.” LOL!
Re. the sleeping/dying beauty, she was drugged, but just what kind of spunk-draining drugs did they give her? I think it was all just a set up for the wake up scene, which was supposed to make us clutch our hankies instead of our beanies.
Decie Girl, the way that prisons are represented in novelas is one of my pet peeves. Not that our system is so great, but in Latin America in general, inmates are not kept in cells and the guards are only there to prevent escapes. They toss everyone in together and let them work things out among themselves. They don't do anything for the inmates but cart off the bodies. Gangs operate freely. Any one with any money is targeted for extortion. Little or no food is provided, but vendors are allowed in to sell stuff, as well as prostitutes, visitors, anybody can go wandering around, as long as they don’t mind the danger. Murder, hunger, drugs, weapons and rape are all very common. It’s a completely different system.
For a reality check that is NOT pretty, take a look at this:
World’s Toughest Prisons: Mexico (from National Geographic – excellent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvu575hiOOc
A coed prison with no barriers between, apparently:
http://youtu.be/pGcsZooooOc?t=28m59s
Just about any “Locked Up Abroad” or “Banged Up Abroad” (same show with different title for British audiences) shows realistic Latin American prison conditions. I am sure that there are differences among the different nations, but they all seem like hell on earth to me.
Beats me how JAntos bought the ring. It didn't look huge and overblown and I can only assume he had stashed some of the money sent from home. Whenever any money is needed he seems to come up with it but we haven't seen him doing anymore paint jobs or hauling stuff in the market. I guess those serenatas pay pretty good.so I guess we just take it on faith. I'm pretty sure he didn't get credit. LOL
Permalink posted by : Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 7:30:00 PM EDT
: Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 7:30:00 PM EDT
Great work, Jardinera. Everyone else has repeated the great lines, so I'll just get straight to my comments.
Maria must have been drugged up -- Victorian style -- to suddenly go into a decline (also too Victorian). This is so not like her.
Fernando really should not have involved Ana in the whole ridiculousness with the abused Mafia wife. This is the second time her life has been at risk over this and we can't fault her for being peeved about it. However she needs to learn that not all men are like Fernando (or Regino).
Ruben is definitely a shark. I remember a scene from a Mujeres Asesinas episode where a bunch of lawyer were joking about "tiburones" so I guess that analogy happens there, too. I still wish his wife would channel another Lorena even if she is loca.
Santos could probably have talked the jeweler into extending him some credit. Equally possible that his parents sent him more money than we thought, since we never found out exactly how much.
Good thinking on Fernando's part to e-mail Santos' parents about the situation. They better provide an update in Monday's episode.
Maria must have been drugged up -- Victorian style -- to suddenly go into a decline (also too Victorian). This is so not like her.
Fernando really should not have involved Ana in the whole ridiculousness with the abused Mafia wife. This is the second time her life has been at risk over this and we can't fault her for being peeved about it. However she needs to learn that not all men are like Fernando (or Regino).
Ruben is definitely a shark. I remember a scene from a Mujeres Asesinas episode where a bunch of lawyer were joking about "tiburones" so I guess that analogy happens there, too. I still wish his wife would channel another Lorena even if she is loca.
Santos could probably have talked the jeweler into extending him some credit. Equally possible that his parents sent him more money than we thought, since we never found out exactly how much.
Good thinking on Fernando's part to e-mail Santos' parents about the situation. They better provide an update in Monday's episode.
Well, now that his parents are inclined to help and have a means to do it, I am sure they can wire him the cash from time to time. He never mentioned to his parents his intention to return home before when they sent the last wad of cash, so....
Jardinera - Fine recap. Like others, I was hoping Maria didn't just take to her bed to die cause Santos was in danger, but nope. Thanks for putting fun in the facts.
A while back I saw an interview with Meija where he said his weakness was being overly romantic. Maybe if Maria was 15 and not the breadwinner of her family, it would've worked.
Didn't expect Concho, whom I enjoy, to let Ruben con him so easily. But it should be interesting to see how Mirna and his wife react to this.
A while back I saw an interview with Meija where he said his weakness was being overly romantic. Maybe if Maria was 15 and not the breadwinner of her family, it would've worked.
Didn't expect Concho, whom I enjoy, to let Ruben con him so easily. But it should be interesting to see how Mirna and his wife react to this.
We haven't seen Mirna interact with Ruben, but I'm sure she's smart enough to spot that he's rotten to the core.
If property and business law in Mexico has anything in common with such law here, the proof that Concho doesn't own 100% of the business can invalidate the deal he made with Ruben, but Mirna would probably have to speak up quickly to prevent him from destroying it first.
Lourdes will probably lose it completely and one would hope she would find a shark of her own just to put the brakes on Ruben.
If property and business law in Mexico has anything in common with such law here, the proof that Concho doesn't own 100% of the business can invalidate the deal he made with Ruben, but Mirna would probably have to speak up quickly to prevent him from destroying it first.
Lourdes will probably lose it completely and one would hope she would find a shark of her own just to put the brakes on Ruben.
UrbanA: I wonder about property law in Mexico as well. I have a feeling that what you've stated will be the operative legal principle and failsafe, i.e., the wrench in Ruben's evil works and the financial boon and life-saver for Amalia and Maria. I see Maria taking over half if not all the bar from Concho and becoming full if not majority owner by the end of this tn.
As for Lourdes and Ruben's wife--do we see any redemption for these two? They're both wealthy women who've been led down the primrose path and duped by their wealthy hubbies when it comes to the "other woman"; they've tried to stop the inevitable losse by fighting back in the only way they can imagine and nothing has worked. Hmmmm.
As for Lourdes and Ruben's wife--do we see any redemption for these two? They're both wealthy women who've been led down the primrose path and duped by their wealthy hubbies when it comes to the "other woman"; they've tried to stop the inevitable losse by fighting back in the only way they can imagine and nothing has worked. Hmmmm.
Lourdes has an advantage over Lorena: She isn't crazy. If she were to catch Elvirus in the act of pursuing the unwilling Jorge Alfredo, she'd yank her out by the hair and take away her credit cards and car keys. That's if she waited long enough to hear him tell her to take a hike.
I think there is room for redemption for Lourdes, but not for Lorena. Lorena already hired one thug to murder or disfigure Maria and that puts her over the line. Lourdes is the kind of snob possible only for the nouveau riche; she hasn't seen through Jorge Alfredo's "disguise" as Amalia has. She doesn't seem to understand that his level of refinement is the product of more than pride or self-confidence. However, she isn't stupid. She can still learn, but who is going to teach the lesson?
Oscar is still playing ostrich about Maria being beyond his reach. All the guys need to tell him to cut his losses and look for a new lady. What I haven't decided yet is whether he will be faithful to whomever he ends up with.
I think there is room for redemption for Lourdes, but not for Lorena. Lorena already hired one thug to murder or disfigure Maria and that puts her over the line. Lourdes is the kind of snob possible only for the nouveau riche; she hasn't seen through Jorge Alfredo's "disguise" as Amalia has. She doesn't seem to understand that his level of refinement is the product of more than pride or self-confidence. However, she isn't stupid. She can still learn, but who is going to teach the lesson?
Oscar is still playing ostrich about Maria being beyond his reach. All the guys need to tell him to cut his losses and look for a new lady. What I haven't decided yet is whether he will be faithful to whomever he ends up with.
NieceMD: yep--Hubby has a theory that these things are written with a 14 yr. old girl's idea of what romance should be.....
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UA: You have some interesting things for me to ponder. I'll have to come back when I've sorted out the brain cells a bit more. LOL!
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UA: You have some interesting things for me to ponder. I'll have to come back when I've sorted out the brain cells a bit more. LOL!
Hola amigos, amigas y PADRES of all kinds, Feliz Domingo.
I'm trying desperately to catch up with 4 tns for the week I missed. I'm drowning. I don't know if anyone has mentioned this since Tuesday and the Alejandro Ruiz, El (?--shouldn't it be Los?) Siete Mares, character. I do hope we see him again. When he encountered Mirna (maybe it wasn't Mirna, I thought so, but it was all going by so quickly--[admitting to a bit of >>ffffff]) in the hall, I thought he took off his sombrero and did a little reminiscing. He was recalling something--maybe Mirna just jogged his memory about another lady who came to DF. Could that be it?
Also, I hope that at some point our Whiny-Mother-to-Be remembers that SHE called OJ and he was the only one who knew where she and Bruno were meeting. (Sorry if someone mentioned this after Tuesday.)
I just saw Vivi's take on Weeping Beauty. Good one. It was sort of odd, the whole mariachi band showing up at the same time to keep vigil over Maria. But maybe that's the only time they could come and they had promised to find JAntos. It would have been more believable for her to be sorrowing unconsolably and they would all be hanging around to comfort her. OTOH--I recall a nurse coming to give Maria a sedative and maybe that's what put her to sleep.
Personally, I thought JAntos writhing around with the diamond ring in his mouth and the solitary rat just sitting there was just too funny. I'll see if anyone else has commented on the rat. If that's the best they could do, it's obvious the producer didn't have enough money to hire the real rats. It's ok with me, though, if most of the production money has gone into Maria's ranchera costumes. They are nothing short of gorgeous.
Will be back later.
Anita, Proudly--La Dama del Queso
I'm trying desperately to catch up with 4 tns for the week I missed. I'm drowning. I don't know if anyone has mentioned this since Tuesday and the Alejandro Ruiz, El (?--shouldn't it be Los?) Siete Mares, character. I do hope we see him again. When he encountered Mirna (maybe it wasn't Mirna, I thought so, but it was all going by so quickly--[admitting to a bit of >>ffffff]) in the hall, I thought he took off his sombrero and did a little reminiscing. He was recalling something--maybe Mirna just jogged his memory about another lady who came to DF. Could that be it?
Also, I hope that at some point our Whiny-Mother-to-Be remembers that SHE called OJ and he was the only one who knew where she and Bruno were meeting. (Sorry if someone mentioned this after Tuesday.)
I just saw Vivi's take on Weeping Beauty. Good one. It was sort of odd, the whole mariachi band showing up at the same time to keep vigil over Maria. But maybe that's the only time they could come and they had promised to find JAntos. It would have been more believable for her to be sorrowing unconsolably and they would all be hanging around to comfort her. OTOH--I recall a nurse coming to give Maria a sedative and maybe that's what put her to sleep.
Personally, I thought JAntos writhing around with the diamond ring in his mouth and the solitary rat just sitting there was just too funny. I'll see if anyone else has commented on the rat. If that's the best they could do, it's obvious the producer didn't have enough money to hire the real rats. It's ok with me, though, if most of the production money has gone into Maria's ranchera costumes. They are nothing short of gorgeous.
Will be back later.
Anita, Proudly--La Dama del Queso
Oh, Carolina--You have such a good grasp on culture and customs in Mexico that it certainly helps making our gringo-centric take on all things "alien" I must congratulate you.
This is Carolina on the Santos family accepting Maria into the family: "A wealthy family may not be 'snobby' and still not want their children to marry someone of a much lower social class. The family may personally like the person, but Mexico has a rigid social class system, and such a marriage could set up the new couple for a life of snubs and cruel gossip. The parents could have concerns on that basis and not themselves be 'snobs'."
This is me: Based on the 90% of the telenovela storylines, one would think that disparaity is the norm and unequal pairs can always live happily ever after! Cinderella and Cinderfella stories are the most common, no (at least in Televisaland)?
This is Carolina: "Any one working in the foreign service is very, very aware of social conventions and very, very much follows them. Mexico has an oligarchy and Justo is a part of it or he wouldn’t be consul in LA. It is difficult if not impossible for outsiders to be accepted into it, and Justo would know this very well.
In the opening episode, Justo nags Santos about getting married and mentions that muchachas from all the best families have fallen in love with him, so he’s had plenty of opportunity to find a wife. That indicates the sort of woman that he expected Santos to marry before this whole situation came up. As long as he understands that things have changed, then I think he is smart and flexible enough to change his expectations. It may not be easy for him to accept Maria, but I do think he will."
This is Me: I so agree. Also, we have the fact that the whole family has lived in the United States for many years, moving in embassy social circles, which might be a little more egalitarian here. Santos' best friend is a dentist--not from old money (that we know of). Santos, after all, was "giving" Michael a very expensive car, just because.
Anita, La Dama del Queso
(With thought processes in gear, minus beanie, for now.)
This is Carolina on the Santos family accepting Maria into the family: "A wealthy family may not be 'snobby' and still not want their children to marry someone of a much lower social class. The family may personally like the person, but Mexico has a rigid social class system, and such a marriage could set up the new couple for a life of snubs and cruel gossip. The parents could have concerns on that basis and not themselves be 'snobs'."
This is me: Based on the 90% of the telenovela storylines, one would think that disparaity is the norm and unequal pairs can always live happily ever after! Cinderella and Cinderfella stories are the most common, no (at least in Televisaland)?
This is Carolina: "Any one working in the foreign service is very, very aware of social conventions and very, very much follows them. Mexico has an oligarchy and Justo is a part of it or he wouldn’t be consul in LA. It is difficult if not impossible for outsiders to be accepted into it, and Justo would know this very well.
In the opening episode, Justo nags Santos about getting married and mentions that muchachas from all the best families have fallen in love with him, so he’s had plenty of opportunity to find a wife. That indicates the sort of woman that he expected Santos to marry before this whole situation came up. As long as he understands that things have changed, then I think he is smart and flexible enough to change his expectations. It may not be easy for him to accept Maria, but I do think he will."
This is Me: I so agree. Also, we have the fact that the whole family has lived in the United States for many years, moving in embassy social circles, which might be a little more egalitarian here. Santos' best friend is a dentist--not from old money (that we know of). Santos, after all, was "giving" Michael a very expensive car, just because.
Anita, La Dama del Queso
(With thought processes in gear, minus beanie, for now.)
Oh, and one more thing. Lately there was a discussion on whether Amalia would accept JAntos as a mate for Maria. It was decided she would NOT, as long as he was a desconocido with an iffy background, no papers, no money and maybe even a criminal. Then it was considered that she would NOT, after it was revealed that he is a very wealthy man from an important foreign service family (named ambassador to France, probably one of the top posts in the world), just because he was rich and wouldn't understand their class culture.
My take, not a spoiler, just a logical conclusion, is that disparity will be evened up when Amalia comes into her share of the Bar money (and I happen to think so, because they've made such a point of it) and she herself can afford better digs, (I won't say schools because I think they all went to a pretty good school), future education, better health care, travel, etc.
Anita, again
My take, not a spoiler, just a logical conclusion, is that disparity will be evened up when Amalia comes into her share of the Bar money (and I happen to think so, because they've made such a point of it) and she herself can afford better digs, (I won't say schools because I think they all went to a pretty good school), future education, better health care, travel, etc.
Anita, again
Anita
You pointed out what i've been thinking. Santos and his family have not been stuck in the more rigid Mexican culture. We do not know how long they have been posted in the US but foreign service assignments don't typically last 10 or 20 years. Three to five tends to be more like it. Since Justo is a career diplomat it is safe to assume that they have lived in many places which gives them a broader world view and it seems a less provincial attitude. Also in the beginning wasn't their discussion of a move to Europe - Paris sticks in my mind for some reason. In any event it will be interesting to see how the two families meet and come together.
The mechanical rat was amusing and I keep thinking that not only did the mariachi outfits take a bite out of the budget, the royalties they must be paying for all those songs must be equally steep.
Caro
Re the prisons and the inaccurate portrayal on novelas - I don't think they have the nerve to show how horrible they are. I was watching HLN one night a year or so ago and we were taken on a tour of Lima's Castro Castro prison where they were holding Joren Vander Sloot. I was truly ghastly and scary. Oddly enough after me bitiching about it last week I finally caught up with La Patrona and there were some prison scenes where the inmates were not allowed all that free contact with their visitors and did their talking though glass on a phone.
You pointed out what i've been thinking. Santos and his family have not been stuck in the more rigid Mexican culture. We do not know how long they have been posted in the US but foreign service assignments don't typically last 10 or 20 years. Three to five tends to be more like it. Since Justo is a career diplomat it is safe to assume that they have lived in many places which gives them a broader world view and it seems a less provincial attitude. Also in the beginning wasn't their discussion of a move to Europe - Paris sticks in my mind for some reason. In any event it will be interesting to see how the two families meet and come together.
The mechanical rat was amusing and I keep thinking that not only did the mariachi outfits take a bite out of the budget, the royalties they must be paying for all those songs must be equally steep.
Caro
Re the prisons and the inaccurate portrayal on novelas - I don't think they have the nerve to show how horrible they are. I was watching HLN one night a year or so ago and we were taken on a tour of Lima's Castro Castro prison where they were holding Joren Vander Sloot. I was truly ghastly and scary. Oddly enough after me bitiching about it last week I finally caught up with La Patrona and there were some prison scenes where the inmates were not allowed all that free contact with their visitors and did their talking though glass on a phone.
Permalink posted by : Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 2:37:00 PM EDT
: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 2:37:00 PM EDT
I think Santos has lived in El Lay consistently while his parents have moved around more. He has to have had time to build up such a successful business and the fortune that comes from it and also to make friends outside of his parents' social circle.
Which I don't think is necessarily more egalitarian in the US, but it might be more formal in New York than in El Lay.
I'm also sure that if Amalia and Maria discover they own half of JNTR Amalia would just tell Jorge Alfredo to take a hike. She wouldn't need his financial support and doesn't want him to take Maria away from her.
As it is it looks in the avances like she is telling him to get lost because he's a murder target. I'm ready to strangle her.
Which I don't think is necessarily more egalitarian in the US, but it might be more formal in New York than in El Lay.
I'm also sure that if Amalia and Maria discover they own half of JNTR Amalia would just tell Jorge Alfredo to take a hike. She wouldn't need his financial support and doesn't want him to take Maria away from her.
As it is it looks in the avances like she is telling him to get lost because he's a murder target. I'm ready to strangle her.
Urban
You and me both. She is inconsistent. I can understand her being worried about him being a target but that should also make her understand why he has done what he has. But it doesn't fit in her image of how things are so she throws him out. It also makes me understand why Maria reacts in that juvenile way that she sometimes does.
Amelia is no Bernarda or Antonia (LP) but she has some of the same manipulative traits. She sees herself as loving and protective, offers advice to all in need, Coloso, Roddy but she has a blind spot when it comes to Maria. I've seen first hand the damage that her kind of parenting does to a child who becomes sheltered adult who cannot handle real life. Maria is strong enough to get a job, to take care of the family but she doesn't have either the experience or the maturity to handle it when life throws her a big curve ball like JA's disappearance, hence her Victorian swoon. If Amelia had let her out in the world a bit more she would have been hurt as a teen and been able to roll with it. Sooner or later Maria has to stand up for herself. She has made some stabs at it but she always falls back into being a little girl.
You and me both. She is inconsistent. I can understand her being worried about him being a target but that should also make her understand why he has done what he has. But it doesn't fit in her image of how things are so she throws him out. It also makes me understand why Maria reacts in that juvenile way that she sometimes does.
Amelia is no Bernarda or Antonia (LP) but she has some of the same manipulative traits. She sees herself as loving and protective, offers advice to all in need, Coloso, Roddy but she has a blind spot when it comes to Maria. I've seen first hand the damage that her kind of parenting does to a child who becomes sheltered adult who cannot handle real life. Maria is strong enough to get a job, to take care of the family but she doesn't have either the experience or the maturity to handle it when life throws her a big curve ball like JA's disappearance, hence her Victorian swoon. If Amelia had let her out in the world a bit more she would have been hurt as a teen and been able to roll with it. Sooner or later Maria has to stand up for herself. She has made some stabs at it but she always falls back into being a little girl.
Permalink posted by : Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 4:09:00 PM EDT
: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 4:09:00 PM EDT
Jardinera- I finally got around to reading your great recap. Your recap moved at a much faster pace than the episode did. Thanks for that. You were also much nicer to Maria than I would have been. :)
I did read that she got sedated last episode. Why did she let them do that to her? Seriously, this is the first time I've seen a heroine getting a sedative by choice (Bruno sedated Camila in AB when she kept fighting back and trying to escape after he kidnapped her), just because the galan went missing for a few hours. Usually they only sedate someone in tns when they are BSC, rending their clothing in grief over a death, or are being kidnapped.
Maria needs to put on her big girl pants, because I'm sure eventually she and Santos will have to face tougher situations than this one.
I did read that she got sedated last episode. Why did she let them do that to her? Seriously, this is the first time I've seen a heroine getting a sedative by choice (Bruno sedated Camila in AB when she kept fighting back and trying to escape after he kidnapped her), just because the galan went missing for a few hours. Usually they only sedate someone in tns when they are BSC, rending their clothing in grief over a death, or are being kidnapped.
Maria needs to put on her big girl pants, because I'm sure eventually she and Santos will have to face tougher situations than this one.
Vivi
After JAntos disappeared and Fernando hinted maybe he was dead Maria went on a Wendy-like crying jag and couldn't stop. Meddling mommy called for a nurse to give her something to calm her down instead of telling herr to get control of herself hence the sedative. Obviously the whole purpose in the story is to have her so distraught she can only be helped by the kiss of her principe azul. If this had been a historical it would have made more sense that she had the vapors but a 21st century woman - oh puleeze..
After JAntos disappeared and Fernando hinted maybe he was dead Maria went on a Wendy-like crying jag and couldn't stop. Meddling mommy called for a nurse to give her something to calm her down instead of telling herr to get control of herself hence the sedative. Obviously the whole purpose in the story is to have her so distraught she can only be helped by the kiss of her principe azul. If this had been a historical it would have made more sense that she had the vapors but a 21st century woman - oh puleeze..
Permalink posted by : Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 5:47:00 PM EDT
: Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 5:47:00 PM EDT
Vivi, I couldn't agree more.
Tomorrow will be the fallout from Friday and I've got the tar and feathers ready. Parents who attempt to infantilize their adult children deserve no less.
Tomorrow will be the fallout from Friday and I've got the tar and feathers ready. Parents who attempt to infantilize their adult children deserve no less.
The whole Sleeping/Weeping/Drugged Beauty thing was just ridiculous. I told a good friend of mine who is a physician about it. She doesn’t watch TNs, but enjoys my updates. Her response was to burst out laughing. So, let’s take that as the official medical opinion on the situation.
I think this TN, more than others that I have seen, is created backwards from the Big Scene. Instead of thinking lineally of how to tell a story, the writers seem to dream up something that they think will really WOW the audience, like Sleeping Beauty being awoken by a kiss from Prince Charming, and then they devise some super implausible chain of events that will lead to it. Who cares if it doesn’t make sense and makes the heroine look like a twit; they got their Big Scene. Probably all TNs do this to some extent, but this one seems to overdo it – both doing it too often and too clumsily.
Having said that, it is possible that the writers intended for us to understand how Maria has powerful and accurate ESP and that will come into play again when Santos’ life is threatened yet again.
I think this TN, more than others that I have seen, is created backwards from the Big Scene. Instead of thinking lineally of how to tell a story, the writers seem to dream up something that they think will really WOW the audience, like Sleeping Beauty being awoken by a kiss from Prince Charming, and then they devise some super implausible chain of events that will lead to it. Who cares if it doesn’t make sense and makes the heroine look like a twit; they got their Big Scene. Probably all TNs do this to some extent, but this one seems to overdo it – both doing it too often and too clumsily.
Having said that, it is possible that the writers intended for us to understand how Maria has powerful and accurate ESP and that will come into play again when Santos’ life is threatened yet again.
Anita, thanks for your kind words and welcome back. Telenovelaland is definitely a bit different from Realityland. :) I think that being from a diplomatic family would make it much more likely that they would NOT be willing to accept Maria because they really are a bunch of snobs in that biz, but if Santos is rejecting his social class rather than trying to bring Maria into it, and makes that clear, then his family will accept his choice. Or whatever. We’ll have our happy ending, one way or another, and no doubt about it. (BODA! BODA! BODA!)
We haven’t been given any info on where Santos’ family has lived, and what we do know doesn’t make sense to me. Most diplomatic posts are 3-5 years, as DCG said. Since Mexican presidents serve for 6 years, that seems to me to likely be the maximum as there would be turnover with each new administration, in general. Santos seems to have been in LA for long enough to have his business, but I guess it could have only been 5-6 years or so. He’s been there long enough to have friends, Michael and Bruno, whom he considers brothers. Gracia was best friends with Bruno’s mom and I believe she said she knew him as a child (not sure about that). Most diplomats have close ties to their home countries (or they wouldn’t be very good at representing it overseas, no?) and even if they are career diplomats, they and their families travel back home and spend quite a bit of time in their home country. I think children of diplomats actually would know a lot more about their culture than Santos because they grow up as little miniature, unpaid, unofficial diplomats. So, the whole deal of how much time has the family spent in LA or Mexico or where else they have lived or Santos not knowing beans about Mexico doesn’t add up. But I don’t think we’re going to get any info about it, either, because I don’t think the writers care about that level of detail.
I think the same applies to the purchase of the diamond ring. It bugs me that they have made a big deal about JA’s finances, where he has gotten his money and how he has spent it, yet they haven’t explained this expensive purchase. Imported, luxury items are heavily taxed there and usually cost more than in the US. I don’t think a jeweler loaned him any money because aside from not having any ID, retail credit pretty much doesn’t exist in Mexico. (With a history of unstable banks, it’s too risky to lend money, so credit of all types is very, very difficult to get in Mexico.) And I thought he spent all of the money his parents sent on Isa’s hospital bill and it still wasn’t enough because the mariachi boys paid the rest. He could have asked his parents for more money, but I think we would have been shown that. However, I think he is too proud to do that. The only thing that I can think of is that Bruno somehow left some money for him (Santos would certainly be too proud to accept it from him) and the scene got cut for the US broadcast. Maybe when he gives it to Maria, she’ll ask how he paid for it and we’ll find out. Otherwise, it’s something else in this silly novela to just let go. *sigh*
DCG, it was that creep Joren Van der Sloot that led me to Locked Up Abroad in the first place, so funny that you mention him. I was curious about the description of the prisons in Peru and found those shows online and then I watched a ton of them. They most definitely made an impression on me. Did you know that he is getting married to a woman that he met while in prison? Anyhow, ITA that the Mexican audience probably just doesn’t want to see the reality of the prisons.
We haven’t been given any info on where Santos’ family has lived, and what we do know doesn’t make sense to me. Most diplomatic posts are 3-5 years, as DCG said. Since Mexican presidents serve for 6 years, that seems to me to likely be the maximum as there would be turnover with each new administration, in general. Santos seems to have been in LA for long enough to have his business, but I guess it could have only been 5-6 years or so. He’s been there long enough to have friends, Michael and Bruno, whom he considers brothers. Gracia was best friends with Bruno’s mom and I believe she said she knew him as a child (not sure about that). Most diplomats have close ties to their home countries (or they wouldn’t be very good at representing it overseas, no?) and even if they are career diplomats, they and their families travel back home and spend quite a bit of time in their home country. I think children of diplomats actually would know a lot more about their culture than Santos because they grow up as little miniature, unpaid, unofficial diplomats. So, the whole deal of how much time has the family spent in LA or Mexico or where else they have lived or Santos not knowing beans about Mexico doesn’t add up. But I don’t think we’re going to get any info about it, either, because I don’t think the writers care about that level of detail.
I think the same applies to the purchase of the diamond ring. It bugs me that they have made a big deal about JA’s finances, where he has gotten his money and how he has spent it, yet they haven’t explained this expensive purchase. Imported, luxury items are heavily taxed there and usually cost more than in the US. I don’t think a jeweler loaned him any money because aside from not having any ID, retail credit pretty much doesn’t exist in Mexico. (With a history of unstable banks, it’s too risky to lend money, so credit of all types is very, very difficult to get in Mexico.) And I thought he spent all of the money his parents sent on Isa’s hospital bill and it still wasn’t enough because the mariachi boys paid the rest. He could have asked his parents for more money, but I think we would have been shown that. However, I think he is too proud to do that. The only thing that I can think of is that Bruno somehow left some money for him (Santos would certainly be too proud to accept it from him) and the scene got cut for the US broadcast. Maybe when he gives it to Maria, she’ll ask how he paid for it and we’ll find out. Otherwise, it’s something else in this silly novela to just let go. *sigh*
DCG, it was that creep Joren Van der Sloot that led me to Locked Up Abroad in the first place, so funny that you mention him. I was curious about the description of the prisons in Peru and found those shows online and then I watched a ton of them. They most definitely made an impression on me. Did you know that he is getting married to a woman that he met while in prison? Anyhow, ITA that the Mexican audience probably just doesn’t want to see the reality of the prisons.
Vivi: "Maria needs to put on her big girl pants". Snap out of it Maria!! Now if Fer hadn't scared her unnecessarily we could have avoided most of this yawner of an episodio.
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Carolina: You do seem to have a handle on the societal aspects of Mexico. Did you live there for a long while and I missed that?
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Carolina: You do seem to have a handle on the societal aspects of Mexico. Did you live there for a long while and I missed that?
This is not the first example of someone dying for love in a Mejia production.
I don't know all of them, but the earliest one I ever saw was in Abrazame Muy Fuerte. The character was a 30-year-old assistant foreman who was in love with the junior female protagonist who -- of course -- was in love with another man (The two guys turned out to be half-brothers through the story's male villain). He went into a severe depression that ran for about 10 episodes before he died on one of the steps of the fabulous waterfall seen at least twice per week. I did a double take saying "WTF???" because healthy 30-year-old men do not die of broken hearts. Not that the performance wasn't believable; it's the writing that wasn't.
I don't know all of them, but the earliest one I ever saw was in Abrazame Muy Fuerte. The character was a 30-year-old assistant foreman who was in love with the junior female protagonist who -- of course -- was in love with another man (The two guys turned out to be half-brothers through the story's male villain). He went into a severe depression that ran for about 10 episodes before he died on one of the steps of the fabulous waterfall seen at least twice per week. I did a double take saying "WTF???" because healthy 30-year-old men do not die of broken hearts. Not that the performance wasn't believable; it's the writing that wasn't.
In California, state prison facilities, visitors can have limited physical contact with prisoners, even to the point of a brief kiss and hug when greeting and departing. They have visiting areas with chairs and tables, where many inmates can sit with visitors. I used to work for the Department of Corrections in NC, and it was the same. The only places I saw where you had to visit through glass was in local jails that didn't have communal visiting areas. There may be exceptions when security is an issue, but this seems to be the norm.
Beth
Beth
Permalink posted by : Monday, June 17, 2013 at 1:17:00 PM EDT
: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 1:17:00 PM EDT
I don't know if Fernando's statement to Maria was so unnecessary as him gently trying to prepare her if the worst came to pass. He just said might not probably is. I never knock the ESP aspects on these things because I once had the same thing. I actually saw the man in question lying in his coffin. When the call came I said it's Pete isn't it, he's dead. Then asked when it had happened and it was at the exact time I had the "vision".
I've got a question about that bar. Lately we've all being going on about Pedro having owned 50 percent of it. Back when the revelation first came I thought it was 20 percent. It would seem to me that even Amelia would have noticed if that much money not going to the family unless Pedro was a really successful mariachi.
I've got a question about that bar. Lately we've all being going on about Pedro having owned 50 percent of it. Back when the revelation first came I thought it was 20 percent. It would seem to me that even Amelia would have noticed if that much money not going to the family unless Pedro was a really successful mariachi.
Permalink posted by : Monday, June 17, 2013 at 2:10:00 PM EDT
: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 2:10:00 PM EDT
Jardinera--Forgive me for not acknowledging your recap. I read it first, before going back through the week and was in a hurry to make a couple of comments. Beanies off to you, m'dear.
Yup, a pretty old prince charming still has a little magic left in them thar lips.
As I watched the episodes of JAntos waiting for death--I was just hoping Jorge Salinas didn't accidentally swallow the ring. It would take 3 days of examining his you-know-what to find it. Have pity on the staff. Fortunately he got it safely back in his pocket before they came for him for his desahoganse ride in the black mariah.
The other thing that had me worried to death (oops, wrong phrasing), worried out of my head and still does, was: with Maria out of commission for a couple of days, who gave Amalia her 5 am injections? Did the nurse-friend come back for her?
Looks like everyone did notice the cheap, imitation Uni rat look-alike. The stationary one was probably cheaper to get, although I think a real one was used when they held him up by the tail. I could just see the prop folks and the director positioning the rat ontop of the box, just so, no, a little bit more to the right, no, too far, closer to the center or he won't be totally in the shot. I wonder if *that* took 2 and half hours, too.
Yup, a pretty old prince charming still has a little magic left in them thar lips.
As I watched the episodes of JAntos waiting for death--I was just hoping Jorge Salinas didn't accidentally swallow the ring. It would take 3 days of examining his you-know-what to find it. Have pity on the staff. Fortunately he got it safely back in his pocket before they came for him for his desahoganse ride in the black mariah.
The other thing that had me worried to death (oops, wrong phrasing), worried out of my head and still does, was: with Maria out of commission for a couple of days, who gave Amalia her 5 am injections? Did the nurse-friend come back for her?
Looks like everyone did notice the cheap, imitation Uni rat look-alike. The stationary one was probably cheaper to get, although I think a real one was used when they held him up by the tail. I could just see the prop folks and the director positioning the rat ontop of the box, just so, no, a little bit more to the right, no, too far, closer to the center or he won't be totally in the shot. I wonder if *that* took 2 and half hours, too.
Decie--You are correct, as far as I can recall. Amalia was supposed to get 20%. Maybe Pedro had a 50% stake in the bar, but when he died....and we don't know for certain that Concho didn't have a hand in the murder...maybe there was no will. Concho and Pedro surely had a contract, but Amalia might never have seen the terms, in which the widow of either guy inherited 20%.
All that is to say, someone owns 30% or Mirna is assuming that it was 50-50 ownership. She looked for these papers once before, as I recall.
But in true tn Cliche: If she is not meant to find the document, then she looks for it in the most obvious place, loose in a drawer.
I do recall some papers falling onto the floor when Tio's ashes fell off the shelf, but I thought the jar broke. Does anyone recall any other details? I do remember the camera focusing briefly on the folded up papers. Hmmmm.
All that is to say, someone owns 30% or Mirna is assuming that it was 50-50 ownership. She looked for these papers once before, as I recall.
But in true tn Cliche: If she is not meant to find the document, then she looks for it in the most obvious place, loose in a drawer.
I do recall some papers falling onto the floor when Tio's ashes fell off the shelf, but I thought the jar broke. Does anyone recall any other details? I do remember the camera focusing briefly on the folded up papers. Hmmmm.
Anita, I don't think the jar/urn broke. I didn't catch it all the first time, but when I rewatched that episode, I thought the papers that Mirna had in her hand were left on the bar, and then some papers flew into the urn. So when she started to talk about the papers and couldn't find them, it made me very suspicious.
If Pedro initially invested 20% of the start up costs for the bar, it is possible that it wasn't that much money and maybe Amalia didn't know that much about what he was doing with his money. Maybe he invested before they married. Or if the bar struggled initially, he told her he had lost the money without ever telling her how he had invested it. Now that it is an established, successful business, the initial investment could be worth a lot more.
Even if Pedro only owned 20% of the bar, if he was supposed to be paid profits, it could be a lot of money by now. Also, it would be Amalia who is Pedro's heir, not Maria, so it's quite a leap to say she would end up owning the bar or any part of it unless Amalia dies. Even then, all three of the daughters would be heirs, not just Maria. (or maybe not Isa?) Or if JA buys it from whoever the heck owns it.
What I don't understand is how Ruben could ever claim ownership of the bar as long as Concho is alive to squawk about it. Even if Concho was too stupid to read what he was signing, I would think Mexican law would still recognize the concepts of good faith and fraud for that kind of a sneaky deal. At least I hope so. However, if Concho dies - or is murdered, which we now know Ruben is quite capable of doing - Ruben could take the bar because no one would know to dispute what Concho signed.
If Pedro initially invested 20% of the start up costs for the bar, it is possible that it wasn't that much money and maybe Amalia didn't know that much about what he was doing with his money. Maybe he invested before they married. Or if the bar struggled initially, he told her he had lost the money without ever telling her how he had invested it. Now that it is an established, successful business, the initial investment could be worth a lot more.
Even if Pedro only owned 20% of the bar, if he was supposed to be paid profits, it could be a lot of money by now. Also, it would be Amalia who is Pedro's heir, not Maria, so it's quite a leap to say she would end up owning the bar or any part of it unless Amalia dies. Even then, all three of the daughters would be heirs, not just Maria. (or maybe not Isa?) Or if JA buys it from whoever the heck owns it.
What I don't understand is how Ruben could ever claim ownership of the bar as long as Concho is alive to squawk about it. Even if Concho was too stupid to read what he was signing, I would think Mexican law would still recognize the concepts of good faith and fraud for that kind of a sneaky deal. At least I hope so. However, if Concho dies - or is murdered, which we now know Ruben is quite capable of doing - Ruben could take the bar because no one would know to dispute what Concho signed.
The only answer I have for that would be corruption. Ruben has enough money to bribe and to purchase influence. Although Concho may not have any criminal record or even have suffered any major financial setbacks who has the greater ability to make himself look good in court?
As for how Amalia doesn't know about Pedro's investment, we can probably assume it happened shortly before he was murdered. Maybe that's why he was murdered.
As for how Amalia doesn't know about Pedro's investment, we can probably assume it happened shortly before he was murdered. Maybe that's why he was murdered.
Wow! I like all those theories about Pedro and the bar. As for Mirna and the lost note, I remember seeing it fall down into the vase and I thought Lalo took it out of there cuz I remember wondering whether it would be left and lost or not and thought not. Now possibly something else fell through the cracks or in between the bar and the floor or wall or sinks.
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