Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Qué Bonito Amor #57 (Mex 85-86.1) Tuesday 7/2/13 Cry Me a River Grande – or – Maria Needs a Dope Slap
Todo lo que Paso Ayer, Pasó Ayer
Esto Pasó Hoy
The Streets of D.F. lead to a Cantina Flophouse
Jorge Alfredo is still meandering the streets carrying his remaining memories of Maria in a sack and in his arms. (We are afraid he will gift it to some street person.) But no, he goes into a unknown cantina, asks for a bottle of hooch and gets a room. The lady barkeep takes him up and unlocks the door. It looks more like a cell. (The Televisa Rata is in the scene and here we thought he was a goner. He looks quite healthy.)
Serenataland
The fellas are outside, the gals are inside. (We notice that Pilar, El Siete Mares has joined the mariachis and has two lines.) Oscar is very upset because Maria is drinking and it’s all El Pochito’s fault. Inside, the girls are washing that man right out of Lady with Bangs life. Back at the Mendoza apartment, Amalia is fretting again. Maria hasn’t come home. She calls Oscar and this time he answers.
She’s on the phone as the girls emerge carrying bundles of clothing and gasoline. They proposed to burn that man right out of Lady with Bangs life rather than wash. They are screeching down drunk and Amalia can hear them through the phone. She asks Oscar to put Maria on the phone, but he says she can’t come right now, because she’s with a client. Yes, he knows what time it is, but out there, time is money and they’re making it. He’ll bring her home safe and sound.
Oscar and Susanito take it upon themselves to light the fire—it could be dangerous. At the last moment Maria takes the Wanted Poster of Santos out, unfolds it and adds it to the pile. The matches work; the stuff goes up in flames; Lady with Bangs cries; Maria cries; she says, Hasta Nunca, Jorge Alfredo; Lo Nuestro se Acabó (until never, JA; our [love] is finished). Santos hears her singing in his mind up in his room and cries. Maria watches the fire and cries. (This is just the beginning folks—it will be enough to fill a river before the hour is up.)
Mendoza Apartment
Oscar brings Maria home, crying and drunk, mumbling Jorge Alfredo, Jorge Alfredo. Maria cries to mama. Amalia gently gets her to bed.
Cantina Flophouse
Jorge Alfredo is spending his last hours as Jorge Alfredo, before he becomes plain old Santos again. He lies there and strokes the sheets Maria gave him. He looks at the charro suit and says he’ll give it back to Maria the same way she gave it to him. He cries, Maria, Maria Bonita, you didn’t believe in me. Jorge Alfredo sadly cleans and shines the hardware on the suit. He remembers when she gave it to him saying that it brought happiness to a lot of people, but it ended in a betrayal. He’s saying to himself that he betrayed Maria; he should have told her the truth, but he wanted to protect her and now he’s lost her.
++++++
Amalia repeats the same refrain, it hurts her to see Maria suffer. Then she rubs it in, she knew that muchacho was hiding something. Maria admits that she was warned, but didn’t listen. She gave him her heart. What did I do wrong? Amalia is sympathetic. You just let yourself get carried away by passion (oh and all Viewerville knows what that means—must see tv tomorrow). Maria was so sure he was sincere. In my heart I don’t believe JA wanted to harm me. Amalia consoles her by saying, his looks were sincere, his words not. She tells Maria she’ll just have to forget him. Maria muses, how could he have ensnared me so tightly.
Isa comes in to see Maria. She sees Maria crying. She knows something is up and it has to do with her papi. She starts to cry, No es Malo (he can’t be bad). After mucho tears, she leaves defiant that her papi no es malo and is going to go look for him. Maria cries.
It’s Jorge Alfredo at the door. He’s come to bring Maria’s things back. Amalia says she’ll go and let Maria know he is here. JA wasn’t expecting Maria to be home, but agrees to let Amalia tell Maria he’s there. Amalia tells Maria she doesn’t have to see him if she doesn’t want to, he’s just bringing back the suit and the things Maria loaned him and she’ll take them. Maria cries and says if she sees him, she’ll die.
MARIA IS A DOPE to let him go. (I noticed she didn't "bury" the rebozo JA gave her, nor the silver victrola player.)
Labels: QBA
Maria doesn't love Santos/Jorge Alfredo and never did. She's in love with the idea of love, with drama. If she truly loved Jorge Alfredo she would've listened to what he had to say instead of branding him a delinquent & demanding he prove his innocence before seeing her again.*/**
Fernando needs to leave Ana alone too, because she's another one who doesn't like to LISTEN.
*Maria rejecting him until he proves his innocence might be the motivation Santos needs to clear his name.
**But he should clear his name for him, not Maria because even when he clears his name, Maria will still throw a drama fit b/c he hid his true identity and Amalia will think of something else to hold against him.
Nothing happened in this episode. Nothing. Just lots of crying. At least according to the avances something finally does happen tomorrow! I can hardly wait!
"Go prove your innocence then come back, maybe I’ll still love you, but leave now and I don’t want to see you again???" Come on, Santos, man up! His answer to her should've been, "I AM going to prove my innocence, because I am innocent. And don't worry about 'maybe' still loving me. If you don't know me by now ... you know the rest. You don't have to see me again, either, because if I don't have your love, faith and trust right now, I don't want it later. Ojala que te vaya bonito, Bonita! Hasta la pasta!"
Susanito might have heard him out if he had attempted to explain it to him, but Santos needed to try once more to get through to Maria.
I've cut Maria a lot of slack for inexperience so far, but she needs to look at the existing facts. If she still has any ideas about a career in law (which I doubt she will end up with) she needs to learn to do that and to be objective about it.
There were at least two scenes missing from last night's episode:
-- extension of Santos' brooding in the cell
-- Fernando's arrival at the pension. He knocks at the door and Prudencia comes up to tell him that Jorge Alfredo left for good. She opens the door and shows that the room is bare, but clean. Jorge Alfredo did that himself. Saying that the place isn't the same without him she closes the door, declaring that this room will not be rented to anyone else. Fernando walks down with the ladies, telling them he will look for Jorge Alfredo.
Well, tonight Maria sees the positive results on the pregnancy test. Per TN cliche she will try to keep this from Santos. However, with Susanito as a neighbor that will be difficult at best.
Yeah I am sick of Maria too. Poor JAntos. Though he is being a drama queen too. But the poor guy just lost his mama. Man, talk about kicking a guy when he's down!
It looks like Amalia is softening towards JAntos. I wonder if this will stick or what?
I also think that Isa (the little sister, right?) may be the one to help mend this rift.
But she's not immune from drama queen crap either. "Nobody loves me!" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard out of her. It's obvious that all the Mendoza women love her. She just misses having a father. I guess most of her playmates have dads and -- contrary to many misconceptions -- girls need fathers as much as boys do.
Something else occurred to me the other night and I forgot to mention it: All the mariachi guys are single. Not a mystery due to their frequent frat-boy behavior, but does anyone else think they will all be matched up by the time we get to the end of this tale? Maybe one or two with one of the mujeres enganadas from Monday's episode?
I haven't watched the episode yet but it might just be better otherwise I think I would have throw something at the screen and don't want to replace it just now.
I can't beleive Maria told Santos to clean his name and she might love him just then.
If I had been Santos my answer would have been turning around and walking out on Maria forever - ¡Hasta nunca bonita! - .…but he's just too lovesick for that.
Maria needs a major smack down or for Santos to leave her, that'd put the fear of god into her!
Amalia - now that Maria sent away JAntos for good - changes her tune?
Too little too late lady! Should have started with this from the beginning.
Speaking of songs, that one by Roy Clark seems appropriate for Santos...thank god and Greyhound she's gone.
Catch the probably awesome recap later.
My favorite scene was Coloso on the phone with Amalia. He was so cute trying to prevent Amalia from knowing Maria was wasted.
I'm pithed at Maria too, but it must be a bad feeling to find out you gave up your long-held virginity to a guy who didn’t give you his real name. But it is totally out of character for Maria not to at least offer condolences on the death of his mother.
Maria really must think she is something. She storms in and tells JA we need to talk. What she should have said is I'm going to talk and you are going to listen to all my stupidity. That clear your name and then come back after all the it's over you're dead to me shows she is just a wishy washy as Amelia.
Couldn't believe how cavalierly she handled the suit. I assumed it would immediately be returned to the Suit Shrine of Lying Men.
Santos shows his good breeding by having all the things cleaned and in the missed scene clearing up the room. Most guys would have either left the stuff for the old ladies to give back or stuffed them in a pillow case and returned them for Maria to wash.
Poor Fernando just can't get a break from Ana. I had hoped she would be reasonable to listen to him and then being a gossip tell Maria but nope she reverts to her all men are rotten and storms out. This after god knows how long of being in love with the guy and now she has him. Twit.
Poor Isa, she so desperately wants a father figure in her life and nobody seems to get it. She was so heartbroken but she is the only one who knows that it doesn't matter what Santos called himself he is a good man. The others in and out of the house are all tied up in words not deeds.
Very disappointed in Susanito. Turns out he is another one of Coloso's sheep. Yes, all the guys have known Maria for a long time and this strange dude rides into town and she get hurt, mostly of her own making which they don't know but never in my life have I seen a group of men get so involved and upset about a woman friend, sister having love problems.
I'm beginning to agree with Anon207 that this love came to her before she was really ready for a mature love. She'd gotten acustomed to the frat-boy hijinks of her fellow mariachi band and this threw her for a loop. Right NOW, she doesn't deserve Santos. Since we know they are to end up with each other, what will she have to do to prove her love has been resurrected and is now steadfast. Lord help them if they ever have another major crisis in their lives. Oh, yes, THE LIE that Isa is not theirs....Now who's calling the pot dirty. I'm sure Maria will justify it by saying it was a lie to "protect" Isa, an innocent lie that didn't hurt anyone. Where have we heard that one before? Oh, yes, Santos.
I truly don't think she wants Maria to be happy with a man. She is willfully blind about the fact that Maria never felt this way about Oscar. Could she possibly have serious issues about having to face that Maria is a sexual being?
There was one more missing scene but I will hold my peace on that until tonight's episode's article is up in case they show it out of order.
Interesting thought about Amelia having problems with the idea of Maria being a sexual being. I think you are right. She is a bit prudish herself although how she had two kids is a mystery. LOL. Since Maria blabbed about giving her virginity to Santos during her harangue last night now Amelia knows it for sure. She of course has suspected it eons ago before the deed actually happened. I remember her asking Maria about it but last night I'm pretty sure she had her ear pressed to the door and of course she has added nausea, fainting equals pregnancy.
Anita
I agree Maria was never prepared for mature, real life love. Real love is messy, emotional with pain and joy. Maria got the idealized Principe Azul, flawless human being who would worship at her feet all installed like the Suit Shrine by Amelia. Frankly if I were Santos It would always be in the back of my mind that when hard times came Maria would be headed home to mama.
Yes to big Isa lie. I do so wonder how they are going to explain that one away when ll of them are so judgemental about Santoa great sin. And I agree it will be the protect excuse which they refuse to accept from Santos who really is protecting them from harm.
If I were writing this series I'd have Ruben do something on this as a way to manipulate Maria. Not that it would work, but it would definitely provoke Santos into taking action.
I know of a case where a new baby in a large family was "given" to a childless sister and her husband, but this was 30 years ago.
Out in rural areas of the country, it is probably not unusual for aunts/uncles, cousins, nieces/nephews to be given babies or related children to raise, especially if the mother dies. Whether anything is ever said or an adoption became legal, we need an abogado to tell us.
Since we deal with this all the time in tns, it may be one of those urban myths that nobody ever says anything and the revelation of a secret is done for shock value.
This is probably not possible any more. We're dealing with a tn whose original story was written in 2006, but where those occurrences were around for generations. Perhaps legality was less of a problem.
Besides Isabel here on QBA, we have MC/MA and Solita on IC, Lili on AV, and even Xoxchi on PEAM who has a questionable parent--but at least she has always been with the mother who birthed her (or has she.....?).
That doesn't even address the fact that there is nothing known about who the real parents of Isa are and whether either can be contacted.
Believe it or not, I can actually see Maria becoming a family law lawyer. She'd always be on the side of what is best for the child.
Ruben to get something to hold over Maria could investigate but the question is how would he be tipped of that something was amiss. So far as we know, the doctor who treated Isa knows she isn't a Mendoza, JA being the only one whose blood type matched could raised an alarm, and of course the three older Mendoza's know. I'm not sure any of the neighbors or Coloso's sheep know anything about how Is became a member of the family.
The truth has to come out somehow but the question is when, why and what will happen to her. Considering that she thinks nobody loves her the revelation should be devastating to her.
Still amazed that Paloma, even at the age of 5 or 6 wouldn't have found that a little strange. Even I knew where babies came from at age 5 because of all the pregnant women around me then having babies and the bump was gone.
That's what makes Isa's story so interesting. How did the senior Mendoza's get her into school if they had no legal papers. I'm pretty sure they would have had to show something - Mexico seems obsessed with papers. I still remember how many papers we had to show when i got married there many years ago.
Amelia may be a hypocrite but even I have a hard time imagining her getting forged papers.
It is also ridiculous that Paloma knew nothing up until the hospitalization. As you said even if she was only 5 or 6 and I keep thinking 7 or 8 she must have asked questions which would mean Amelia and Maria must have tossed some whopper lie to get her to think all these years that Isa was her sister. Then again brains don't seem to run in the family.
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