Tuesday, July 02, 2013

PEAM, Tuesday 7/2/13 (#82): Half a Loaf

Xóchitl finds her mother unconscious on the floor and screams for Julio, who comes running to help. He holds a mirror to Bárbara's mouth and verifies that she is still breathing. Xochi calls an ambulance.

At the hospital, Xochi blames herself for her mother's condition. Julio tries to comfort her, but she seems to turn away from his hug. The doctor gives his diagnosis: Physically, Barb is perfectly healthy. She probably faked her swoon. She needs a psychiatrist. (Or a big bowl of Cocoa Puffs, because she is cuckoo!)

Bárbara is staring vacantly in her hospital bed until Xochi enters. Then Barb puts on her most pained expression and demands to know where Xochi was. She's yelling and scaring the other patients. She particularly complains about Julio. "Julio helped me bring you here," Xochi says. Bárbara grumps some more and pretends to gag or choke. "I know you're faking," Xochi tells her. "The doctor said so!"

Bárbara denies everything and says the doctors are all wrong. She's very sick. (With Munchausen syndrome, maybe!) Xochi tells her mother she thinks she's doing it to get attention, but it's not necessary because Xochi loves her.

At the Les Fancy Pants Restaurant

Eli asks Mari what are some of her favorite places in New York. Mari says she likes Central Park and Soto. "Do you mean Soho?" Eli asks. "That's what I said." "Er, not exactly." Mari fantasizes telling him that she lives in a cardboard box and doesn't even have a passport, but snaps out of it and says she also loves Roquefort Center. (That place is too cheesy for me!)

Their meals arrive. The Alaskan crab is HUGE. Mari has no idea how to proceed. Who didn't see this coming? Mari nearly crushes her fingers trying to crack the crab's shell, and sends a claw flying into another diner's soup.

Finally Eli takes Mari home. She complains about all the questions he's been asking her. She thanks him for the meal and the interrogation.

Later that night, Chatita enters the kitchen brandishing knitting needles and a chamber pot to scare off a milk thief - oh, it's just Maricela. Mari gives her full name, which includes her mother's name, and Chatita marvels that Mari would use her mother's name "after what she did to you."

Chatita says the milk is telling her that Mari didn't have fun on her date. Mari says Eli might be catching on that she's a phony. Chatita isn't surprised and says it must be tough to keep up the lie all the time. Mari says it's too late to turn back now. Eli will dump her if he finds out she's poor. "He won't like a liar either. He wouldn't hate you for living in a shack, but he WOULD hate you for being a gold-digger," Chatita says. "Besides, aren't you in love with that guy with the big nose?" Mari is unable to conceal a silly grin.

Patycake

Patycake tells Rogue she loves him whether he has money or not - unlike Alma, who married him out of obligation/gratitude. He scoffs; but when Paty threatens to break up with him, he snivels and begs her to stay.

Cantú calls. Fernando can get out on bail, but it's a lot of money. Rogue really doesn't want to pay it. Where will he get the money? Cantú reminds him the phones might be bugged. (Rogue says "Hi, Delia.") He'll wire Cantú the money tomorrow. "It's only money," Paty says. Rogue thinks she's being sarcastic.

Crazy-Cake

Vero turns on the light so that she can check the time on her phone, which is backlit, so why does she need the light... er, anyway, it's 12:50 AM. She thinks about kissing Chucho just before he said "I will not marry you, you crazy manipulative bitch!" (More tactfully.) She remembers only the kiss and not the "oh HELL no" part.

Una Pareja Sin Suerte

In Toluca, Chucho and Alma rehash that fateful day, what, 48 hours ago? when he thought she was happy to be marrying Rogue and she thought he was happy to be kissing Vero. Oh, haha, what a big misunderstanding! Lives ruined because everyone jumped to conclusions!

"So you married Rogue out of spite," Chucho concludes. No, Alma says, she married him for other reasons - but now she's married, and she hates infidelity. "Isn't it worse to be unfaithful to your own heart? Who are you betraying more - Rogelio or yourself?" He'll keep his distance, but she'll be lying when she says she loves Rogue because she'll still be thinking about Chucho.

Other things shared: Yes, Vero is living in his house, but only because Eli wouldn't move out. She's sleeping in Valentina's room and nothing will happen between her and Chucho. "Would you feel bad if I married her? Yeah? Well that's just my point. I don't want you to suffer. Vero and I are DONE. She's not the same, and I am crazy in love with YOU."

Alma admits it was love at first sight. And he knew from the start that she was engaged. [More reminiscing and rehashing about their non-relationship thus far.]

He says she is his boss; nothing can change. "Even after all we've said tonight?" "It will be torture, but I'll transfer to another dept if you like." "No!" "Okay, then we'll see each other every day, aware of our love that cannot be. But I'll bear it because I love you." Alma says they'll keep busy.

Good night. Wistful gazes. Alma wrings her hands.

Chucho prays his thanks for having the chance to tell Alma how he feels. Alma sobs alone in her room.

Good Morning Monterrey

Alma calls an all-employee meeting to announce that Rogue's been suspended and she's in charge. (Apparently, she hasn't even been home yet!) Hopefully, she says, this is only temporary and soon her husband will be cleared of all charges and everything can go back to how it was. (Chucho is thought-bubbling about last night's conversation, how they're going to go back to how it was before, i.e. act as though nothing ever happened.) And while she's filling in for Rogue, Cardenas will fill in for her! (Cardenas turns the color of Mercurochrome.) Xochi will report to Cardenas, and Ricardo will take over Cardenas's job.

Naturally, Chucho will remain in his job as her assistant. She asks him publically if that's okay. "Yes, I told you so last night," he answers, but he looks like he's stifling an emotion of some sort.

Alma says they'll have to postpone Gilberto's retirement. Gil seems relieved not to have to spend all of his days at home with Petunia just yet. He and Julio will fill in for Ricardo.

Chucho maintains a stiff upper lip as the other employees and Alma file past him out of the room. Then he rubs his hands together with glee and turns a delighted smile towards heaven. (Or is it a washing-of-hands gesture and a grimace of pain? FC shouldn't be this hard to read!)

Rogue is in a grumpy mood as he transfers some money from his account to Cantú for Fernando's bail. Paty tells him it's Alma's birthday. Rogue panics.

Alma finds a huge birthday card and bonbons and a wrapped gift in her office. For once, Chucho has beaten Rogue to the punch! Even Alma forgot it was her birthday, what with all that excitement. Chucho says he bought all this stuff before last night's big talk.

The wrapped gift is a bracelet with a turquoise heart charm, though it looks like bluish-green plastic to me rather than turquoise, but whatever, she loves it.

(What will Rogelio get for her birthday? If he's smart, he'll get her a dehumidifier. I know of which I speak.)

Rogue calls Susana and gets her to convince Alma to come home early. Paty hints around that he ought to be thanking her for reminding him about Alma's bday. She's sick of playing second banana to Alma and being treated like a dirty rag. "But you like it," Rogue says. Paty replies that no one likes to be treated that way by the man she loves, so they're through.

She leaves him alone at the breakfast table and walks out of the house. Rogue laughs. Let's see how long it takes before he's sniveling over her again.

Fernando says goodbye to his cellmate, Mosto. (Grape juice? Really?) Mosto and the guard both call him "Désencanto," so I guess the nickname really stuck! Ferni starts talking about La Luz but then stops, embarrassed. Mosto picks him up in a huge bear hug. Wow - Fernando really did make better friends in jail than he did on the outside! As the guard leads Fernando away, Mosto says, "I truly will miss you!"

Ric assures his fellow Sillies that nothing will change between them just because he's a manager now. But maybe Mari will like him! Julio and Gil mock and jeer.

Jessica wants to get out of work early to see Fernando. Ric says there's no need - surely he'll be at Rogue's house for Alma's surprise birthday party, and the whole office will be there. (Won't Alma recognize all her employees' shabby cars in Rogue's driveway?)

Rogue calls Alma, and while her phone rings and rings, she looks at her plastic/turquoise bracelet and thought-bubbles that it really is worse to deny one's own heart.

Next time:
"Marrying you was a mistake," Alma tells Rogelio. OR DOES SHE?

Labels:


Comments:
Thanks, Julie! I liked your mullet recap (all business on top, with the fun stuff flowing underneath.)If that sounded as goofy as Xochi's mama, just remember it's late.

I liked the way Jesus laid out their relationship for Alma. He was both sweet and practical and it was nice to see him speak out instead of holding in his feelings. (I tried not to drool.)

It looks like Patycake may be trying to fight for her love, too. Maricela's dinner with a side of pretense was fun. I think we'll all like her better when she drops the false front.
 

Julie,

Marvelous recap and so funny. I liked all your cake subtitles!

Maricela was too funny with Elias and her not pronouncing things correctly, lol. And the icing on that cake was the crab claw in someone else's soup. She ought to be up front with Elias. Chatita is right.

Hay-Sooos and Alma, sigh. I am glad they talked it all out, they know how they feel, and they didn't do anything. Let's see how they can work together now.

Patymelt should give Rogue a shove, out the window or something. He treats her like crap, but she actually told him the truth about why Alma married him. I wish Patymelt would find a job and just ditch Rogue and move on. I can't wait for tomorrow to see if Alma really tells Rogue she doesn't love him.

I am glad Ferny is out of the hoosegow. And he is still on the light path. hmmm......
 

Oh Julie, what a gem -- a real one not a plastic looking heart shaped one. I loved your theme & the way you organized it -- and the sub headings. I particularly liked the nod to UFCS (una pareja sin suerte)

Is Paty really bailing on Rogue? She should. She needs to work on her self esteem -- as a person who can be alone without Rogue -- and he needs a reality check about his real feelings for Paty.

I loved the Cocoa Puffs reference. What is with Cuckoo Barbara?

The best part of the dinner was the thought bubbled confession from Marisela. I enjoy these little bouts with reality. I only hope that the preview is not one of them. Will she or won't she? We can never be sure just because we saw it in the previews.

Güera


 

Julie, thank you for your fun recap. Yes it was a "fancy pants restaurant"! I agree with your assessment of the "bluish green plastic" bracelet And "cuckoo Barbara".

Well, it is all out between Alma and Jesus. Now how long will it take Alma to tell Rogelio and for Jesus to get Vero out.When Vero came to stay a couple of days ago staying with her mom was offered as an option. So with Jesus back she has no real reason to be living with Jesus.

Jarifa
 

Julie- Great, funny recap amiga.

I just knew Babs was faking it. So glad the doctor laid it out clearly for Xochi. Mom needs a shrink.

Well, the truth is out now. What are Jesus and Alma going to do about it? I am hopeful that the previews are not deceptive. In the fantasy sequences, the characters say what they really think boldly. That's how it was easy to tell the hotel kissing wasn't a fantasy because Alma was crying and looked worried. Same case with the previews for tonight. Fingers crossed she ends this farce with Rogue. Then Rogue will be left with no job, side biz, no money, no freedom, no Paty, and no Alma. Hopefully, Ferny and Sanson will dump him too.
 

Wonderful as always Julie. Some of the scenes were actually interesting last night, taking out anything with Alma and Chucho. (Is it awful to say they are sort of boring to watch lately?)

The scene with Xochi and her mother was well-done, and I cracked up with Chatita brandishing the pot at Mari. Personally, I think she should have whacked her with it good. Juarever.

Color me amazed at the ability of these people to move into all-new roles, or is this Alma being clueless as to skill sets needed for these jobs? Really thought she would move Chucho up, but of course she keeps him close and we are left having to deal with him again in those stupid pink shirts.

"She remembers only the kiss and not the "oh HELL no" part. So that's what she suffers from...Selective memory. Can we just end this crud with her?

So happy Ferny is back to the land of the free and mobile. Rog may need his brother's shoulder tonight if the previews are true...operative being, if the previews are true.

Daisynjay
 

Argh, it's Begonia, isn't it? Not Petunia. I'll fix it later (much later).

I am bored with Chucho and Alma too. I did like the recent, frank exchange of information, but I know it's going to be another long, dull haul before anything else happens.

I wonder if Fernando will go home to Rogelio. I don't know if I would. Though I suppose he feels he owes him for bailing him out (though I'd say they're even).
 

I thought you did it on purpose. I liked it. Please leave it. It reminds me of Petunia, Porky's GF, and that, for me, makes sense.

I also think this is the ''new phase'' and that there will probably be another ''newer'' and then the ''newest'' and hopefully final phase.

They have to shut up and endure for another 80 episodes and then get married. I didn't spoil it, that's how all TN end, right? LOL!!
 

It's another HUNDRED episodes! Right? I don't know if I'm gonna make it!

I'll leave Petunia as-is. She could end up having a whole slew of flower-inspired aliases!
 

Yes, 182 total but I couldn't think of a nicer group to slog it out with!

Jarifa
 

Yeah, it could definitely be worse!
 

Hey all!: Flaco and I have decided we're the only ones on Caray, Caray! that really like this novela. :)
 

Thanks, Julie! So funny. Barb needing a shrink, or Cocoa Puffs. Roquefort Center is too cheesy for you. I liked the Petunia, too.

Any chance Barbarian will actually see a shrink? For example, Mad Marta, The Only Shrink In Monterrey?

Now Alma has a bracelet to go with her plastic turquoise heart-shaped engagement ring, also chosen by Hay-sooos. He's really into this theme, for some reason.

The funniest part, to me, was Julio asking Xochi for a mirror, then checking himself out before holding it under Barb's nose to see if she was breathing.

The job shuffling was odd. What does Cardenas know about the management stuff Alma does? How is Ricardo suddenly going to have HR skills? Well, I guess the place was so terribly run before, it probably can't get much worse. Ricardo might find out a few things about Marisela (and Chucho) from the personnel files he'll now have access to, though.

I wonder what Pato will do. I hope she does decide to be more independent. She could be really great at sales or publicity if she put her mind to it.
 

Since I am still relatively new to this site (I started with PESE) I have a question for the veteran recappers: Has any telenovela ever been so bad that the recappers have just lost interest and dropped it?

Jarifa
 

Like Corona de Lagrimas?

I have another question, I recently saw an episode of LFMB and thought I recognized the set. Is it the same from PEAM? I thought I saw a round space, but I am not sure... thanks!
 

It's an interesting phenomenon: when the show gets REALLY bad, the recaps tend to get REALLY great. See, for example: Fuego en la Sangre, Talisman, the doldrums of Cuidado Con el Angel. I can't think of any that we've dropped entirely partway through. There have been a few primetime Univision shows that no one was interested in recapping, so we didn't cover them ever. There have been other shows that started in primetime, and then Uni moved them to midnight or afternoon, and I think for some of those the recaps were scaled back to quick summaries, or even weekly summaries since people couldn't keep up with watching them as they aired. Individual recappers have dropped out and been replaced. But I can't think of any in the time that I've been on CC that the entire recap team has just dropped.
 

If you saw a set that looks familiar, it probably is the same. They reuse parts and pieces in different configurations all the time.
 

As far as I know, Marta is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. I only mention this because I don't think a psychologist can have someone committed against their will. ;-)

LOL, I didn't see Julio check himself out in the mirror! Thanks!

Also:

- It's not totally crazy for Ric to temporarily do Cardenas's job. I think he works for the guy, and is probably familiar with a lot of his duties.

- Fuego en la Sangre had a high recapper turnover rate. The show was so bad that after a while, I couldn't even joke about it and I had to take a break and recap another show for a while.

- Round offices aren't very practical in real life, but they are probably very convenient for shooting a TV show. I don't think the desks in LFMB were arranged in a circle, but the executive lobby (where the cuartel worked) might have been round. I don't remember. I know a lot of the look alike, though!

Rogelio's house looks familiar, too, though I'm not sure where I've seen it.
 

In the very early days of Caray, Melinama was the only one recapping Barreras de Amor and I think she gave up on it after a while. Or maybe she did weekly updates after that after someone asked really nicely.

Chris Ferro quit recapping LFMB a few months after it started, and there was a multi-month gap before I picked it up. Later, someone named Kim got the ENTIRE (300 hour) ordeal on DVD and recapped the missing episodes!

But, yeah, I think FELS was the recapper killer. It was a really dumb show and we were also being plagued by trolls and it put some of the recappers in a bad mood.

A bad show can result in good recaps, but only if the recappers are still getting some kind of enjoyment out of watching it - even if just to make fun. In some ways, FELS was a parody of itself, but a lot of it made so little sense that I would get frustrated trying to recap it because the things they were saying were so stupid that I thought I was translating it wrong.

As Adam West once said: "Life is too short to watch crap." (He was starring in a crappy show at the time!)
 

I always get distracted during scenes in Rogue's living room by looking at the assorted objects on the shelves. They're so random, and NONE of them look like anything Rogue would have chosen. Either he inherited the house that way, or he hired decorators and when they asked what he likes, he snarled "Juárever!" There's some funny stuff there, though. One time I was pretty sure I saw an "Elf-on-the-Shelf".
 

I'm a little disappointed Alma didn't think of promoting any of the women in Avon, The Company For Women. Xochi, for example. Alma knows she is smart and capable. Why not give her a chance to move up? Surely she could learn to do whatever it is Ricardo has been doing.
 

I don't drop in very often here, but I wanted to relive Haaysuss' advice to Alma, so thank you Julie, it was a very good read.

I thought that Jucho gave a little happy dance when he finally left Alma. His amateur pshychology had begun to work on Alma--the bit about who she would be betraying by staying in the marriage with Rogelio, her heart or Rogelio. That certainly gave her pause to reflect (maybe later after she dries her tears).

We have yet to hear what Papa Sebastian has to say about dissolving a church wedding. I don't think he will care one whit that it wasn't consumated after the vows were taken. (And of course, we all know they had been consumated regularly before the vows had ever been taken. Or to be really exact, since Jucho came on the scene.)

Julia to Jarifa--About dropped recaps. I have to stick my nose in. You mention that none had been dropped midway through (in very recent times). Talisman nearly suffered that fate, and I use the term 'nearly' very seriously when it was moved to daytime and the recappers wanted to stay with nighttime. It was only through the super super human efforts of Madelaine that it was kept going on a daily basis (we actually considered going to weekly headings for discussion) until we had a collection of folks willing to do the daily grind (it is ground willingly, don't get me wrong). She also was a one-person flag-waver for Refugio when they were hitting us with 2-hour episodes every night.

It was worth all the agony, because, as you, Julia said, "It's an interesting phenomenon: when the show gets REALLY bad, the recaps tend to get REALLY great."
 

I meant NO consumation since Jucho had come into the picture.
 

All Sebas wanted in his life was his daughter to get married to Rogelio, he didn't say anything about divorcing him immediately afterwards.
If she does it, she can say she had accomplished what her pops and now herself wanted. Case closed!
 

Pablo
I can guarantee that El señor de los cielos will NOT end a wedding. More likely a funeral. Could be a 1st in novela world.
I can just as readily guarantee that this one will.
I was hoping that Blanca Soto's acting would improve, nope.
Chucho is getting some of his FC on, just not enough. I would probably give up except for him.
 

Well I, for one, am really glad that you stuck it out with el tal Talisman! The show was awful, but the recaps were possibly the best I've ever seen! And Tal*Mart was doing some hopping business!
 

I'm still enjoying this one, although Alma and Chucho are boring me a bit. I still find Paticakes and Rogue entertaining, and I want to see Xochi succeed and Marisela get thrown off her high horse. I want to see Eli get it together and turn back into the great guy he used to be. I want Julio and Ricardo to succeed at wooing their selected damsels and improve their life situations. I want Xochi to find out what is the deal with her paternity. I want to find out what became of Marisela's mother. I still love the sneaky little humor bits they stick in.

So I still look forward to tuning in. I just think they should spend a little less time on the leads' stupid angst.
 

Julie, Julia, Anita, thanks for all of the info. It is like I am getting a history of Caray,Caray. :)

Jarifa
 

Variopinta- NO narconovela ends with a wedding. They always end with an orgy of bullets and death.

Of the recent romantic tns, neither Amor Bravio nor CME ended with a wedding for our protagonists, so PEAM might surprise us. We do have 100 episodes to go! Anything could happen.
 

In one of those trips to Acapulco, I wish Jesús and Alma's plane would fall on a desert and uncharted island and never come back to Avon. I don't want to see them anymore, but I wouldn't mind to hear people talking about them and such, like if they're looking for them...
 

Teresa didn't end with a wedding, at least not for the main characters.

The only part of the finale of Talisman that I remember was the meltdown of The Beltbuckle, and his hair. There might have been a wedding, but who cared?
 

I like that idea. We can be reunited with Chucho and Alma around #176 or so.
 

Julia- Yeah. There was never any way antiheroine Teresa was going to get a wedding at the end. Did Mariano and AB's characters marry each other? Didn't part of the drama of the El Tal finale happen during a wedding? All I can remember are the curls too. Plus I think they cut that tn short to get it done and over with.
 

Thanks Julie! I very much enjoyed the cocoa puffs links and I especially liked your chapter titles. Very clever.

Julie, you are right about Barrera de Amor. To my recollection it is the only telenovela we actually stopped recapping because it was so bad. Mostly we loathed the sadly miscast galan, Unibrow. Melinama recapped the last couple of weeks to give it a proper closeout and because the villainess was so impressively diabolical. Coincidentally, the other epically bad telenovela, El Talisman, was shortened by the powers that be. I say coincidentally because the worst villain of the show was none other than the very same Unibrow, Sergio Reynoso. GAH!
 

Is it just me or does Xochtil and her mother remind anyone else of Carrie (Stephen King).

Cynderella
 

Post a Comment



<< Home

Newer›  ‹Older

© Caray, Caray! 2006-2022. Duplication of this material for use on any other site is strictly prohibited.

Protected by Copyscape Online Plagiarism Finder