Caray, Caray!

Amalia and bar in the same sentence doesn't seem quite right.

Thought their was a lot of family problems in Rufugio but poor Maria's family takes the cake.

Will Isa and Paloma sing, too?

Ooh. Look at all that money.
 

Every time I think Maria has some smarts she does something stupid. She knows that Ruben was responsible for JAntos' kidnapping so who does she let "help" her with Susanito's case none other then the probable killer himself. Brilliant move especially pointing out all the evidence that doesn't prove Susanito's guilt. I just hope that Rub speaks up during that very odd, very speedy "trial" and that Irasema remembers where she heard his voice — otherwise it's curtains for Sue.

Elvirus never gives up still trying to cause problems between JAntos and Maria. She tried to smear lipstick on his collar but it doesn't look like it worked. In any event the news JAntos is giving the family is going to be so impactful even suspicious Maria won't notice. Looks like Elvirus' dream of being the big bar owner is going down the tubes.

I wonder if Mirna will tell Lourdes that the wax job was her precious daughter's and that E was responsible for Maria's accident. Unfortunately even if she does Lourdes won't believe her.
 

Frustrating, isn't it?!!
 

One thing did shock me last night it was the notice we are in our final weeks. With over 40 episodes still to go and lots of story lines to wrap up we should be in for a bumpy ride. I guess the estimeate of mid Sept trumps my guess of late Sept. Lots of anvils stacked up and ready to go.
 

Many thanks, Jardinera. This epi had a lot of good stuff, as did your recap!

I liked seeing Rodddy sing again, even though it was the same song and he was skipping school.

Did I miss it or did we not see what Amalia said to Rub about her losing the baby?

Lots of luck to Elvirus in becoming Maria’s pal. I think that horse left the barn a loooong time ago. However, Maria was stupid enough to allow Rub to slime all over her, so who knows. Poor Sue. He really deserves better legal representatives than a law school drop out and a crooked real estate attorney.

A minor but interesting point … the records clerk told JA that the documents might not exist because many were lost in the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. That is a very realistic detail; even though it was nearly thirty years ago, that disaster continues to affect the city in various ways to this day.

I think Mirna will spill all about Elvirus to save her own skin. I don’t know how Lourdes will react. She’s protective of her evil little spawn, that’s for sure, but she was also very suspicious of Elvirus’ behavior at the hospital, even after she confronted her about it. Despite her dislike of Mirna, I think she will realize that Mirna is telling the truth and Elvira is guilty. But will she turn on her daughter? Hmmm. Other evidence against E is Ana overhearing the convo between Mirna and her after Coloso fell, Elvirus’ threat to Maria and JA and, of course, lots of witnesses to her strange behavior at the hospital and earlier attempts to interfere with their relationship. Things don’t look so good for Concho’s little pride and joy. How I’d love to see her behind bars.

That was quite the stash of cash that Mirna had, wasn’t it? I wonder what will happen to it. I can’t see Mirna successfully making off with it, and, in fact, it she could end up a jailbird as well. If JA finds it, which seems likely as he seems to be one of the few* capable of figuring stuff out, you can bet it ends up with the Mendozas as partial payment for all the years of profits they are owed. (*Fernando and Maria on a good day are also capable. However, I can totally see JA investigating what Mirna was doing in that bodega and finding that money.)

DCG, I missed the final episodes announcement, but wow, I'm shocked, too. ITA about the schedule. If we are going to wrap up in the second week of September, things will have to move along quickly from here on. Mercifully. There are about 45 original episodes left. Divide that by 6 weeks (ending Sept. 13), and we’ll be seeing 7.5 episodes a week or 1.5 a day. Divide it by 7 weeks (ending Sept. 20) and we’ll be seeing 6.42 episodes a week or 1.28 a day, which is about the pace we’ve been moving, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking all along that they wanted to finish QBA in time to start a new TN when the new fall season starts in late September. In any event, I am more than ready for to see some anvils let loose.
 

Carolina

Amelia didn't tell Rub about the lost baby. He commented that Maria needed to be kept away from stress because of the baby and she didn't correct him. As much as she dislikes JAntos Rub has moved to the top of her list. He is divorced and she finally recognized and called him on his obsession for Maria.

I too think Mirna will bust Elvirus for the wax job. She knows full well that the Mariachi Gang will be furious and she won't want their wrath turned on her. And since she is planning to grab her ill gotten goods and make tracks out of the DF she's got nothing to lose by telling Lourdes what a little beyoch her evil spawn is.

Can't help thinking that the next paring we should see is Elvirus with her obsession over JAntos and Rub with his for Maria. Both of them are completely delusional thinking that if they split up the pair the person their sick dreams will be theirs for the taking As if.

Golawah

I think we have heard Paloma sing but apparently Isa only dances LOL
 

I would like to think that Maria is trying to observe Ruben to see if she can catch him out on anything. Otherwise I can't see how she could forget that he is suspected of kidnapping JA.

It still bothers me that he got away with that, but I'm guessing that the reason is because it would have been too much of a risk for JA to report it. And he got away with it because he's worming his way back toward Maria again. JA is going to be furious when he finds this out.

It will probably take a while for the Mendozas to recover the money they've been owed for the past ten years but at least Ruben's biggest excuse for coming around will go away. Not that this will stop him because his crazy is showing more each time.

If Mirna is planning on flying the coop she may as well leave a path of destruction behind her. Rat out Concho's theft and Elvira's murder attempt and laugh as she imagines the fall-out.
 

Carolina: Oops! Yeah, I goofed with the earthquake and was thinking fire, and will change accordingly, not that many are left to care whether QBA gets dumped before its final or not --as some tn's have been in years past.

I caught the ultimas semanas mention at the very last of the "avances" and was overjoyed to hear it. I know Paquita had to have been for sure!

I caught the remark Ruben made about Maria's baby and wondered how he could not be in the know that she miscarried. Amalia didn't correct him in the scene. Perhaps that was edited out. I condensed as much conversation as I could this time around.



 

UA: I've noticed that the episodio numbers vary from site to site. Hulu counts this one as 73 I believe. Nasty, huh?
 

Hulu is probably counting it per the Univision broadcast, since Univision began showing it on April 15th.

If we have 42 typical-length episodes left and Univision shows 7.5 episodes per week as they had been doing, we're done two weeks after Labor Day. But "ultimas semanas" is relative per the length of the series.

To my knowledge, nothing was edited out of the conversation where Ruben mentioned Maria's baby. Here's hoping Maria is smart enough to say nothing about it.
 

I for one will hate to see this one end just because it was so uncomplicated and had great music. If everything goes the normal route it will be follow by a Rosy Ocampo number with David Zepeda. Can't ever see him as a galan and with Ocampo things can be great, ghastly and who knows what. Think I'm going to head over to Telemundo for Santa Diablo. Not crazy about Aaron Diaz but the Televisa offerings at the moment leave me stone cold.
 

Cannot deny the musical productions in QBA have been tremendous and far outshine the rest of it all. I may travel over to TM at 9 myself since watching the female lead in LT is akin to Chinese water torture. If they'd chosen somebody with actual talent like Angelique Boyer they'd have had another winner on their hands.

====
As for Amalia and the news about the bar and Pedro, she gets no sympathy from me. How stupid could she be not to follow up on a possible will? I find it hard to believe they were as poor as church mice if he were such a popular singer back then. We're in the 21st century and she prides herself on being so intelligent and having produced a wonderkind like Maria....As for the cause of his death, well, charming Concho we see has been a lying, cheating scum bucket all his life. Although he's the mainstay of JNTR, he deserves to lose all and to go to prison in the end. JAntos can run the business, but he's still a fish out of water down in the barrio.
 

Since Pedro's murder occurred so close to his putting up the money for JNTR I am wondering whether Concho has any responsibility for it. If so he's a sociopath because how else would he be able to employ Maria and not crack from having Pedro's death on his conscience?

The thing that makes me suspect this is how uncomfortable he is around Amalia, who has -- understandably -- avoided him for years because of the past difficulties between him and Pedro.

Now, if Amalia had half a brain she would see the parallels between her own past and what is now going on with Maria, Oscar, and JA.

Jardinera, your comment about Pedro's will makes me wonder how many people die intestate in Mexico. In view of how she didn't know he had a half-interest in the bar and they most likely didn't own a house, I can understand how she wouldn't have wondered about this. I suspect they did a little better than being one or two paychecks away from disaster and she was in better health at the time, so she went back to work as soon as she could.
 

I too have wondered if Concho actually killed Pedro himself. There has been some infrence that he was there the night Pedro died so who knows. Also Concho apparently was in love with Amelia not as secretly as he may have thought since Lourdes was clearly jealous of the other woman. Amelia may be uncomfortable because she knew it or just lately when she discovered he had lied about Pedro being a lying skunk.

I too wonder about the will thing. How could Amelia be so stupid as to not wonder? We don't know if the Mendoza's ever lived anywhere but that dump they are in now. Amelia is majorly pithed that her girls didn't have the opportunity to have better things and live like the ricos and poor Maria had to give up her youth to help support them. Typical Amelia exaggeration about living like the ricos but they sure would have had a lot more then they do today, perhaps like that ghastly flashy pad Concho and family lived in.

Jardiners

The combo of the female lead in LT along with Levy being more mush mouthed than usual may be the reason there was talk on Mexico of changing time periods because it is such a bomb. Don't know if they did but it looks like even Cesar E is being misdirected. It seems to me that i read that they had casting problems which always is a heads up for me.
 

It was a while back when Amalia and Concho were face to face after a long time (can't remember whether it was when she was sick or when Isabel had the accident) that it came to light that she and Concho hadn't seen each other in years. The discomfort goes back farther than the recent discovery that Pedro had been a faithful husband.

While many people go through life without their parents ever meeting their boss it surprises me that this wouldn't be weird to Maria.

So many people in the US die intestate so it would not surprise me if a lot of Mexicans also do.
 

Urban

I think the Concho Amelia meeting was when she was sick and he brought flowers to the hospital. My parents never met any of my bosses but then again I didn't start singing in as bar when I was in my teens. Maybe Amelia did originally meet Concho at that point or because she thought he was a friend of Pedro's it would be ok if her nina worked for him.

As for the will Amelia doesn't seem to be particularly well educated, as far as she knew the Mendoza's didn't have much other then the clothes on their backs and what was in the apartment so she may never have thought about a will. Pedro obviously had some smarts and tried to take care of his estate such as it was. By the time Maria went to law school she probably wouldn't have thought about it.

I don't have any idea about Mexican inheritance laws bur if I remember correctly in this country or at least in Cali the state grabs a hunk of the estate, the spouse gets 50 percent of what is left and the remainder is divided equally among the kids.

I was somewhat amused when JAntos told Amelia about the will and the share of the bar and commented another man betrayed by his best friend. It parallels his story but probably went right over her lacquered head.
 

I like Irasema, but her nasal, whiny monotone for ALL her dialogue gives me nails-on-chalkboard chills. UGH! I don't even want to mention Mancia's screeching. I always miss their dialogue because this is the place where I ALWAYS FF. Other FF-worthy areas: the two fools at the bar; all of creepy Jalisquito; all the teen angst; Coloso and his rooster; Coloso and JA's fist fights; Maria and Amalia's "mother/daughter" talks about el amor (which never vary); even Rodrigo's crybaby moments with Gloria grate on my nerves. In short, on a good day I will sit through and pay attention to about 10-15 minutes of the program. LOL

Leave it to Amalia to assume that when Pedro told her he had a surprise for her that night (which was most probably going to be about his ownership of the bar), she assumed that he was going to tell her about his affair. QUE, QUE? Are you serious? What man would ever tell his wife, "I'll have a surprise for you tonight," while referring to an affair? And she didn't even think it was weird to think like that, even now that she knows he wasn't cheating! Unbelievable! Wait, it's Amalia. Yep, totally believable!
 

Anon

Laughing about the idea of Pedro telling his wife I have a surprise for you tonight and her thinking he was going to tell her Hey baby I'm replacing you with a younger hotter number. Idiot. It did tell us one thing however and that is that Concho had lied to Amelia before Pedro died.

As for Irasema's voice Karla Alvarez has always had an odd voice but it sounds like she has a speech impediment or dentures that don't fit. Annoying is an understatement and it is worse when she has to screech something.

I'm watching it in real time so I don't have the luxury of FFing through some scenes and those two fools at the bar and Jalisquito would be at the top of my list too.
 

It's a shame about Karla Alvarez. She was a real hot little actress twenty years or so ago in La Mentira and later in a few things I caught snippets of.
 

Jardinera

Karla was in the first novela I ever watched Maria Mercedes. She was the brat kid sister next to a very hot Arturo Peniche. She then went on to be type cast in the kind of parts Altair Jarabo is playing these days.

I really do wonder about that voice and find it hard to think that she is being directed to play it this way then again you never know.
 

I cannot believe the Irasema actress is only 40! #ruff_life

I believe Lourdes would believe Mirna about Elvira being the one to cause Maria to lose the baby. Lourdes was suspicious about Elvira popping up at the hospital when she knows E doesn't care about Maria. She's also commented many times in the past couple of weeks that the light has gone out of Elvira's eyes, and that she knows something is up with her.

I don't believe Lourdes would turn Elvira in, though. I also thought the line (was said last week) about a mother never turning her back on a child (NEVER!) is come to come back into play.

I think Amalia, Maria etc. are intimidated by the slick talking Concho & Ruben types and so they don't challenge them. They assume the Concho/Ruben types know more than they do so they accept their word.

Maria, however, is a dumb ass for accepting Ruben's help after

a) Jorge Alfredo TOLD her that Ruben was behind his kidnapping & that he's dangerous

b) Jorge Alfredo TOLD her that one of the guys who betrayed him in the US (OJ) is mixed up with Ruben (whom he told Maria is dangerous)

Plus, use some common sense: if Ruben is this big time important businessman, why is he ALWAYS hanging around the vecindad? Why is he ALWAYS popping up at the hospital, at the jail, at the bar, wherever Maria is? Common sense would say "This person is creepy, let me stay away." But not Maria.

Even AMALIA is wary around him. Maria should buy a clue and be wary around him too.
 

Jar--This was a must read/watch since I'm recapping tomorrow evening. Geez, this could go in a hundred different ways, so I can't use my predict-o-meter to save myself some time. Thank you for making a molehill out of a mountainous mess, with flair.

Golawah--Haha..."Amalia and bar in the same sentence doesn't seem quite right." Even if it's the four-legged, furry, growly kind. AND..."I too think Mirna will bust Elvirus for the wax job." I busted out laughing, picturing an angry Mirna for Elvira messing up a wax job on her face, legs, backside...

Decie--You don't hold back, eh? (Congrats on being the first to mention the "wax job, btw)..."Every time I think Maria has some smarts she does something stupid." Agree, but why? I'm hoping it is to throw Ruben off her suspicions and to get the goods on him. That, unfortunately would be SMART, so that's probably not it.

Also, Decie--I watched Maria Mercedes on-line and I would *Never* have placed Karla Alvarez as Arturo's young sister and Irasema, 20 yrs. notwithstanding. I had no trouble seeing Arturo in both tns.

I think Mirna's money will be found by someone else and logically, it should go to Amalia & Co., so it probably won't and will go to Susanito's defense.

Who ever heard of Mexican justice being that quick? We've only heard of anos in the carcel before even having a trial. His is a day or two after being transferred to the big house to await trial? For me this is major beanie time. Sure wish Emilia's beanie wasn't wool. I "dew" a lot in this humid swampy mid-Atlantic climate. (I was recently informed by a very proper Tidewater lady that Horses sweat, Men perspire and Women dew.)

Anon207--You are the only one who speaks common sense.

 

Anita: Guess I have an "in" on dewy skin then down here in Florida. We gals definitely "dew" it up right and right often!

IMO, Mirna's money just very well might be discovered while she's somewhere else and then Concho will get the blame for squirreling away ill gotten gains from Pedro's share of the bidnez.
 

Anon - if Maria hadn't been so stupid so often I too would think she as stringing Rub along sort of the keep your friends close but enemies closer. JA has indeed told her and warned her how dangerous Rub is but I guess the poor overworked Virgin is on the job protecting her.

Anita - Karla played Thalia's younger sister not AP's. Arturo was the galan and right at the start of his career. I remember several years later seeing an interview on the Christina show where he said he hated playing galans. There really isn't much challenge for a real actor the way the roles are written. Look at the spectrum of parts he has played from galans to that part in Alborado and now a mariachi.

I agree that swift justice in Mexico seems an oxymoron but TN's either have long waits or next day off to the reclusorio. Unreal but it does at least advance the plot in a hurry. Now if only Irasema will have a lightbulb moment and remember hearing Rub.
 

I was wondering whether Ruben didn't do something behind the scenes to rush this procedure in order to sabotage Susanito's chances of getting free. That would strip Maria of a supporter as well as decrease the chance that Ruben himself would be found out as the real killer, at least in his head.

Never mind that he is a real estate and not a criminal law specialist.


 

Rub did seem to make fishy eye contact with that policeman who is so hot to nail Susanito. It wouldn't surprise me if Rub had used some influence to get a speedy trial/sentence. It isn't as if the Mexican judicial system is corruption free.
 

Decie G--Thanks for the correction. No wonder I couldn't place KA in MM. Now I remember her as snobby sister Rosario in MM and Florencia in Heridas de Amor. Still would not have recognized her.

Jar--From your fingers to the writers' eyes. Here's hoping, but not expecting much.