Caray, Caray!

First, just wanna catch up with Kat and say Congrats! You're perfect for the role. Second, I loved the recap as usual. Great guffaw lines:
"cause she fell down on the job and never taught him how"

"Jantos misses his mom and gal…throw in a truck and we've got a country song."

"Ruben and Evilra have breakfast. Seriously? In the daylight?"(my fave--tho' Elvira and her boobs hanging over the desk was hilarious, too!)

Thanks, Kat!
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We're in countdown mode and I for one am thrilled. I do love and admire JS, but he shouldn't have been wasted on this drek and I wouldn't add it to his C.V. if I were him. Anywhoooo, the recap will come later today as I have a number of things that have to get done before I can attend to JAntos and Maria appropriately.
 

I'll be back later to comment, too.

This breakup is an obvious plot device to allow Ruben and Elvira to interfere and make it worse. Although Jorge Salinas and Danna Garcia are good enough to compensate for script deficiencies, this series deserved better writers.
 

I'll be back later, too, Jar, but take your time, I've had all sorts of fantasies swirling around in my head to keep me company--JA, aka Rogelio Montero Baez.

I must say, I became fixated on JA sitting behind the desk at the bar office in street clothes, gracing us with various close-ups.

This is a man ready for business (of the business kind, not the other kind). It made me realize what this man was really made for.

And it's not a Mariachi singer.
 

I can only imagine that JS took the role because of the singing or lip syncing as a big change from Rogelio. It is so much less intense it must be a relief for him.

Anyone whose career could survive Dos Cominos will have no trouble with this one.

Off to continue moving furniture and clearing out the family room to allow for new flooring to be installed.
 

I for one am glad that Santos grew a pair. It was about time!
 

ELI I think all of us agree on that one. Maria has consistently been inconsistent with her I love you forever, our love isn't strong enough, I love you, get out you're violent and an animal. Her last outburst was so over the top even JA had had enough. She is now in the same kind of panic mode that he often was. Serves her right and I hope he holds out until she really grows up and cuts the apron strings.
 

Carolina--Reacting to your last comment for Thus' epi. Wow. I would like to think that there are organizations in the US that are busy providing old and new computers and software to our neighbors to the south. We're too close geographically to ignore this technological gap.

Dagnabit, to be un-altruistic about it--it would be in our interests......just sayin'.

About JS, yes, he needed a break from LQNPA, for health reasons and being a new bridegroom, but I don't ever want to see him in another mile-wide sombrero, crying in the rain, climbing ivy covered ladders or dealing with a MIL like Amalia and a jealous, rooster*-holding adolescent like Oscar.

(*I really meant cock-a-doodle-doo.)

OK, rant over. I'm enjoying mucho mas, Juan Soler over on TeleMundo, Marido en Alquiler (although there's not enough of that JS and too much of his screechy wife).

 

Lo siento, Anita; Juan Soler does nothing for me.

I have no doubt that Jorge Alfredo (who wants to be that he will change his name at the end) is absolutely suitable to run that business. The future I would prescribe for him is to hire someone reliable to run the car dealership while he pursues his musical passion running the bar, which he should expand.

We know he will marry Maria at the end. Despite that JA pulled a Rhett Butler on her, she is no Scarlett. She has about the same level of maturity, but she's not a narcissist. It will not take her 12 years to realize she doesn't manage her relationships well. Although she snapped at her mother, her attitude was understandable there.

She should have been far more careful in communicating with JA over the beatdown he supposedly gave Ruben.
 

I meant "Who wants to bet" above. Wish we could edit our posts.
 

Anita does have a point there. All of a sudden it was two professionals/businessmen facing off and ITA, Mariachi never came to mind! (Snicker!)
 

I thought it was great to see JA face off against the weasel on equal terms. JA has always been seen by Ruben as a low class singer who was no match for his educated rich self. Even after he learned who JAntos was he still felt superior to him but in that scene he got a nasty shock when he realized not only is JAntos richer than he is he is also apparently much smarter. I also liked that JAntos remained cold, calm and collected and really let Ruben have it especially when he told the other man I can give Maria much more than you. Score a fistful of points for Santos.

I also like that he is standing his ground with Maria and not caving and forgiving her not only for not listening to him but for her cruel words. I always have problems with the easy forgiveness in TN's. Real life isn't like that of course there is nothing approaching real life in novelas. LOL

It amuses me that all these men who have made a hash out of their romantic lives are so quick to offer advice to others Usually it is the trite fight for her but Fernando is truly worried when JAntos says he can't forgive Maria. I'm with JAntos at this point he has had enough from his "so called friends", his sister, Coloso, Amelia and now Maria. I'd be fed up too and planning to fulfill by obligation to fix up the financial mess and then take my stuff and go back to clear my name. There are only so much emotion trauma you can take before you reach the point of shutting down asnd that is where JAntos is.
 

DecieGirl: ITA and think you've pegged it.
 

Jardinera-

Thank you for the wonderful recap. The quality of your recaps never wavers.

Glad to read that Jantos is staying firm with Maria. Maybe they'll finally break their silly breakup-makeup pattern and learn some lessons from this breakup.

Looks like quite a few of the major plot points have been resolved. I'm surprised there hasn't been a big sene where Amalia and Maria tell Concho off for having deceived them for all these years.

Do you suppose the last plot point to be resolved will be Jantos getting his name cleared?
 

VIVI - Yes Santos has to clear his name, Elvirus has to pay for causing Maria's miscarriage, Coloso has to grow up and become a real father, Wendy has to learn to stop being a beyoch, something should come up about Isa's adoption if there was one, Ana and Fernando need to fish or cut bait, the Mendozas should face down Concho for his theft of their inheritance, OJ has to pay for his murders and money laundering and best of all rat fink Ruben has to pay for killing Fabnot, kidnapping JAntos and in general for being a PITA. With less than 40 episodes to go there is still a lot of stuff to cover.

Did I miss anything?
 

The only other thing might be finding out who murdered Pedro. I am still thinking that Concho had something to do with that. If he didn't and he knew I don't know that he could have kept quiet about it unless it was someone who could blackmail him for some reason other than the theft of the Mendozas' share of the bar.

Something neither Amalia nor Maria should be too quick to forgive after Maria worked for him for the last ten years at lower pay than she deserved.
 

I'm here late but grateful for your excellent recap. I can't blame JAntos for being so worn down.
La Paloma
 

I think Maria genuinely doesn't get why JAntos can't forgive her. She doesn't realize what she did wrong. He told her that she took Ruben's word over his which she did by refusing to believe him when he told her what Ruben did when she fainted. She has managed to put that in the back of her mind somewhere. Then she lashed out at him and she thinks if she gives him a quick sorry I didn't mean it erases it.

I would love to have JAntos really give her what for and remind her of the number of times she told him to go away, the times she has flung engagement rings back at him, told him their love wasn't strong enough, called him an animal and coward. He should also tell her she wouldn't even let him share the pain of losing the baby and remind her that love is about trust, sharing and faith and that is the kind of woman he wants and she just isn't that woman.
 

I've been watching the show since late May and have read all the recaps, and I'm having a hard time understanding why so many of you seem to dislike the show so much. As an American (estadunidense) who has loved Mexico, its people and its culture since I first visited in 1972 and who continues to visit the country for several months each year (I'm an anthropologist, really!ntsen), it is clear to me that this TN is about Mexico culture as much as anything else. Of course, its a caricature, as are all TNs, but it does home in on and reflect many of the central elements of Mexican culture, especially the culture of Mexico City. I think that if you are not familiar with Mexican culture, you will miss much of it, especially that which deals with class and regionalism.

For example, Amalia's apartment is decorated with folk art and indigenous fabrics that upper class and middle class Mexicans find crass and low brow. So, in creating the set, the producers are placing Maria and her family an the margins of society, associating them will Indians (pejoratively referred to as indios in Mexico), a category of people that is broadly disdained in the larger Mexican society. Another example is the fact that Oscar is the "Coloso de Apodaca." Apodaca is an industrial/working class suburb of Monterrey, renown today for its high security prison that houses the worst of the narcos (where a massacre and prison break occurred in February 2012). Apodaca and its residentsw are, by definition, déclassé. Northerners, in general, and natives of Nuevo Leon specifically, are considered boastful, dangerous, any maybe a bit uncivilized by people from other parts of Mexico. Coloso's behavior is consistent with the stereotype.

There are so many other elements I could comment on that I feel many of the recappers and commentators here miss that make the show fascinating to me and my wife. We look forward to seeing it everyday and are frantic that we will miss a week soon when we travel to Mexico City. I've seen the show referred to as porqueria (garbage) by commentators on Spanish language sites, but I think it's a hoot and a lot of fun. And, after all, its just a TN.

Thank for the time.
 

Neither of them has experience in handling the relationship they entered into. Santos had the example of his parents to follow, but they probably spent a lot of time apart. Maria has a very bad example in her mother who -- on the assumption that her husband had been unfaithful -- didn't enter another relationship and didn't teach Maria Jack Squat about relationships with men.

All the other older women surrounding Maria are without men as well. Mancia, Prudencia, and Remedios are either widowed or have been done wrong by men. She's also relatively deprived of more experienced female friends because what time does she have for that with all her responsibilities? Ana is no help because of her own issues.

Maria needs help that she isn't getting. Time for a few books and a shrink.
 

Ilhuicamina, I believe a lot of people who comment here lose patience with the writing deficiencies of novelas by this particular producer. I am highly critical of character inconsistencies and obvious plot devices.

Not to mention certain elements of stereotyping that probably strait-jacket actors who aren't given a chance to grow their talent.

Having said that, I enjoy this series tremendously and will miss it when it ends. It has only about 39 episodes left.
 

Ilhuicamina

I think you might misunderstand snark for dislike. One of the things I truly love about this novela is that it highlights much of the Mexican culture,, food and music. Far too many TN's could take plac anywhere and are top heavy with actors who are more European in appearance. I love the color and decoration, the music. My husband went to college in Mexico, we were married in Mexico and I have lived there. I will miss this novela when it ends.
It id as mystery to me why people don't like it but that is true of most novelas. Those of who are commenting here for the most part do enjoy it and like you can't wait to see what will happen next. For my taste aPEMA is absolute dreck and wouldn't be worth watching in any language. Different strokes for different folks.

Like most novelas this one has had the characters behavior in an unbelievable manner, the constant break up and get back together is annoying in the extreme. There was a strong original plot line that seems to have fallen by the wayside and will in typical TN fashion suddenly wrap up in an hour or two.

Look forward you commenting more along with the rest of us fans of QBA
 

UA--I'm glad you answered IIhuicamina the way you did.

Illhuicamina: If you see this, please know that there is always something to like and enjoy in these telenovelas, made for Mexican audiences. If not, we would not watch.

We're glad you are enjoying it. We are making the best of it, for we know there are far better tns that have aired or, hopefully, getting ready to air. Not every American drama or comedy series should win or deserves Emmys, but this producer has had more than his share for his productions, which put side-by-side with some of the non-accoladed tns, comes up short.

We found a community here at CarayCaray that is like minded, but many times frustrated by artificial plot devices to keep the action going for far longer than is needed.

We've never had a problem with the locations, street scenes, neighborhoods, furnishings, etc. nor choice of actors or even main storylines in more tns than less.

Through tns, we are inspired to study our Spanish, maybe even travel to Mexico or try South of the Border cuisine, cooking our own or dining out at a local restaurant. We also go to Spanish language plays, concerts, art exhibits, etc.

Our comprehension ranges from non-speakers to people born, raised and living in Mexico. For those on the short end of comprehension we have dedicated our free time for translating the action and as much of the dialog as we can.

Thank you, IIhuicamina for your insight on regionalism. We do welcome all observations that help us understand and appreciate Mexican culture. So, Welcome! and do join in the conversation.

BTW--we recommend not reading the comments on other websites--we're just very immodest about how good this blog is, for all of the above.

Anita (watching tns since 2009)


 

Great points, Anita.

As to anyone who truly believes this or any other novela is a porqueria, I have to ask why they are bothering to watch or comment.