Wednesday, September 25, 2013
PEAM, Tuesday 9/24/13 (#141): Surprise Parties for Everyone
1. You want to dress as a fairy-tale prince. What kind of costume do you wear?
a. A kilt.
b. Tudor style.
c. Gangnam style.
d. A praying mantis outfit.
2. Your baby-daddy spoils your daughter's birthday party by violating a restraining order and getting arrested. He makes it up to her by throwing her a second, much more extravagant party. How should you react?
a. Boycott it.
b. Show up, but don't open your mouth except for cake.
c. Be gracious for once. It won't kill you, I bet.
d. Make fun of your daughter's fairy-princess shoes.
3. You have terminal cancer. From whom would you most like to hear the bad news?
a. Your doctor.
b. Anyone else whose primary medical expertise isn't based on prime-time medical drama shows.
c. Your probation officer.
d. Your ex-fiance and his wife.
Delia tells Chucho about the inoperable tumor in Discua's heart. Delia thinks Discua is innocent, so she doesn't want to make a terrible situation even worse, which is why she's not telling Discua yet. Discua needs to have a supportive person at her side when she receives the news, but as Delia understands it, Discua doesn't have anyone. (What happened to her congregation?) Therefore, Delia wants Chucho to talk to Fernando. (Can anyone follow Delia's "logic"? I can't.)
Rogelio goes to Alma's house, wanting to see Paty, and Elias punches his lights out. For a moment, Paty wonders if Rogue is dead, but he suddenly jumps to his feet and threatens that Eli will pay. Paty is too stunned to speak, and Eli tells Rogue not to bother her. Alma kicks Rogue out.
Vero is so upset to hear that Chucho and Alma are having a baby that she neglects to shoo Sansón out of Valentina's room at bedtime. She throws a tantrum, as well as some pillows and other objects, and says the baby must never be born.
Alma scolds Eli for punching Rogue, but Paty says Rogue deserved it. Alma warns that maybe Paty's forgotten just how spiteful Rogue can be. Eli's not afraid, but Alma says he should be.
Chucho calls Alma to let her know that he's going to Fernando's house before coming home. Xochi is very glad to see him. Fernando is out doing errands and at first Chucho doesn't want to tell Xochi about Discua, but she gets it out of him with some minor arm-twisting. He tells her about the tumor, and how Fernando is the only person Discua has in the world. If Delia can't clear Discua of the charges, she'll die alone.
Xochi also believes that Discua is innocent, but she doesn't want Chucho to breathe a word of this to Fernando!
Finally at home, Rogue dabs daintily at his bruised lip and tells Vero, yeah I heard about the baby; it was the talk of the office all day long. She wants to know what's going on with him, and nags him not to get the towels all bloody. He shouts at her and tells her what really happened. Vero can't believe Elias hit him. "Why did he hit you?" she asks; he replies, "Because he's STUPID." Wicked mature, Rogue! She urges him to team up with her against their enemies. Their first mission: to prevent the wedding.
Paty tells Eli that at one point, she was so desperate to keep Rogue that she tried to get pregnant, even standing on her head to improve the odds. Eli can't imagine her pregnant, but Paty's thinking about it again now that Alma's so excited about her own pregnancy. Eli reveals that he's sterile; he's happy for Chucho, but it's also a reminder that he'll never experience that joy himself.
Chucho shows up at just that moment, but Eli won't say why he looks so gloomy. He does tell Chucho that he's getting everything ready for "the party," though. Eli and Paty also bring Chucho up-to-date on Rogue's visit. Chucho warns them to watch out for Rogelio.
(What is that on Alma's nightstand? Is it a halo lamp? Angel halo, I mean. Not halogen.)
Chucho comes home, and the invisible baby giggles. Arrrrrgh. Basta ya.
Next day...
Valentina and Rai go to school, where a man who looks as though he's seen quite a bit of sun lately himself tells them all about solar power. He also tells Ricardo and Gilberto (what are they doing at the school?) about using recycled water to flush toilets, or something. (It turns out this episode aired on Earth Day, thus all the talk about renewable resources.)
Chucho brings Chatita groceries. She's in a good mood because everything in her life seems to be falling into place. Chucho and Alma are getting married. Chucho asks her to accompany him to the altar at his wedding!
At breakfast, Rogue asks Cantú to get rid of Paty's car that she gave back to him. Cantú thinks he means mess with the brakes or something, but Rogue wants him to sell it, even if for only a fraction of its value. Just advertise it on a website or something. Cantú wants to know why the hurry? Rogue won't tell him, and he doesn't let him have any more toast, either.
Xochi goes to Delia's office and asks her not to tell Discua that she's dying. We don't get to hear Delia's reply.
At the same time, Fernando is greeting Alma at the office with sincere congratulations on the pregnancy. Marisela wants to talk bridesmaid dresses with Alma, but Alma makes a private phone call first: to her father!
Sebastian answers in English, "Hello?" He's in Houston or Miami, right? She tells him she's marrying Chucho - and he congratulates her sincerely! She asks him to walk her to the altar. The second bit of good news - he's going to be a grandfather. He takes this news well, too. I don't know which of them is more surprised.
At Avon, Xochi tearfully thanks Fernando for all he's done for her and says sorry, but she doesn't really love him. He doesn't believe her for a moment; he knows she loves him; she's the other half of his orange. (That one always sounds better in Spanish.) He's promised never to break her heart. At last Xochi relents and spills the tepache: Discua's dying of cancer.
At Orion, Augusto surprises Chucho with accusations: last time Chucho held his tongue, it was because Melquiades tried to poison him. So, what secret is Chucho keeping from him now? Would it by any chance be about Augusta? Chucho tries to blame it on "professional differences," but Augusto recognizes his daughter's behavior as that of a woman scorned. So, what REALLY happened last night? Chucho says it was a "misunderstanding." Augusto doesn't buy that either. His daughter tried to get Chucho fired, and he's still covering for her? Augie doesn't understand it.
Chucho offers Augie some advice. After being dead for a couple of seconds, he realized that there are only two important things in life: health and family. Don't get sick or become alienated from your family because of work. Augusta needs Augusto - not as a boss, but as a daddy. Augusto thanks Chucho.
Xochi admits to Fernando that she couldn't bear the thought of Discua dying alone with no one, and since Discua doesn't know she's dying anyway, Xochi thought if she pushed Fernando in her direction, then at least her last days could be happy ones. (Again, logic takes a holiday. What did Xochi think it would do to Fernando when Discua died on him?) Fernando thinks Discua has the right to know what's happening to her. They can respect her wishes not to accept medical treatment if that violates her beliefs, but they should still tell her the truth and let her know that she's not alone. She will have the support of both of them.
Paty gets excited about the price of something on the Internet and asks Remigio to cover the phones while she tells Alma. Could this end in disaster? Oh, guess what she wants to buy: she found a car exactly like her old one, for sale at only a fraction of its actual value. HMMMMMM... Alma agrees to front her the money and Paty promises to pay it all back.
Rogue and Cantú are still having breakfast, so unless Cantú is the world's fastest Craiglist seller, I believe we're being set up for a big comedy of errors with two identical cars. Referring to the beatdown from Elias, Cantú says no woman is worth getting killed over, but Rogue continues to mope and says he loves Paty. Cantú is surprised. He didn't think Rogue was capable of love. Cantú reminds Rogue that when he was engaged to Alma, he cheated on her with Paty, and he gave the dog better treats than either of them, and now he's living with a woman he can't stand. Rogue says he cried over Alma leaving him only because he was so upset that she picked Chucho over him. He's really more compatible with Paty. She's the only one who ever loved him. "So why'd you treat her so crappy?"
Oh, wow. I guess Cantú IS the world's fastest Craigslist seller, because that's Paty on his phone now, wanting to know about the car for sale. He asks Rogue, "You don't care who buys Paty's car, do you?" He agrees to meet the caller in the parking garage at Avon in an hour. Paty says his voice seems familiar. He says her voice seems familiar to him, too.
Chucho tells Julio that not only are the party plans going well, but he even managed to get that extra-special surprise.
Paty and Alma wait in the parking garage for the new car to arrive. Paty gets suspicious when she notices that this car has a scuff mark in the same place her old one did. They are not terribly shocked to see Cantú. (I notice that the Spanish captions often do "[...]" in place of Zorilla. I'm sure we all appreciate their delicacy, LOL.) When Alma asks Cantú if he knew Paty was the buyer, he giggles stupidly. Paty looks in the glove box and finds a necklace she stole ages ago.
Elias picks up Valentina at Rogue's house. Valentina already knows that she's getting another birthday party, this time at Eli's house, but apparently Vero did not. Valentina invites her.
Discua's out of jail. The charges against her have been dropped, because the bank was able to confirm (somehow) that the money shouldn't have been deposited to her account. Discua is grateful to Delia, and very surprised to see Xochi and Fernando approach. Delia urges her to go with them and wishes her the best of luck. (Maudlin music plays. Ha ha! Funny!)
So, yes, Valentina's second seventh-birthday party is even bigger than the first one and boasts, among other things, a surplus of bouncy houses, a giant cake with a somewhat unflattering photo of Valentina on it, wacky wavy inflatable balloon tubes, and a cartoony-looking plywood castle façade that Eli doesn't want Chatita to explain. Valentina wonders where Alma and Daddy Jesus are. And Paty. Eli says Paty couldn't make it because she's at work. Vale likes it when Paty says "casual."
There's an emcee at the party who says there are two big surprises. First, he reviews the silly story about the queen and her helper, and the castle doors open in a flurry of confetti and dry ice. Chucho and Alma emerge in full royal regalia. (I thought it was impossible for Colunga to look bad in any period costume, but I was wrong. With the long coattails, he looks like a big blue praying mantis.)
The second big surprise is a live performance by America Sierra, who sings a song specially written for Valentina, something about crossing the ocean to see her smile. (I usually hate this kind of stuff, but it is a very sweet song. And brief.) And then a big gift: a pair of pointy white fairy princess boots (I think the toes are supposed to curl, but they don't really). America sings the disco theme from the show, and I can't bring myself to FF through it. Sorry, gotta take a dance-break!
A party isn't a party if someone doesn't rain all over it. The aguafiestas is Vero, of course. Valentina is so excited to see her. Vero greets her with, "what ugly boots."
"The witch in the story," says Rai.
"The patrona," says Minerva.
"The fly in the soup," says Chatita.
"The black grain in the rice," says Eli. (Univision sometimes bleeps "negro" when it's used in this manner, e.g. "black sheep." Not tonight. But they still dot-dot-dot "Zorilla" in the captions. Go figure.)
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS," Paty shouts at Rogelio as he steps off the elevator into the lobby. "Isn't life funny? Guess who bought that new car that you just sold off? ME! I BOUGHT it!" Rogue seems quite pleased with himself, tricking her into accepting a sort-of gift.
At Fernando's, Xochi and Fernando tell Discua about the big nasty tumor in her heart because apparently, in Mexico, that's not the doctor's job and nobody thinks it's important that patients hear about their health issues directly from someone with actual medical training. Can you tell I'm disgusted?
Shocked, Discua winks and blinks uncontrollably.
The winking totally makes it funny, though, right?
Laugh, dammit! It's a comedy!
Next time:
The wedding is DERAILED by a couple of guys who whisk Alma away to be confronted by Vero, who slaps her silly and possibly provokes a miscarriage. OR DOES SHE?
Labels: Manda
This whole recap was wicked fun, from the beginning quiz to the snarky rest! This was one of your finest eva!
I could see FC in a kilt. Wouldn't that be wicked awesome? I did kinda like his outfit though, beats the sweater over the shoulders.
I liked this birthday party of Val's if only Moronica hadn't shown up!
I am glad Ferny talked some sense into Xochi, and that both went to tell Discua what was going on. I know most people would like to hear this news from a Doctor, but I think Ferny and Xochi handled it rather well. What Discua needs is a miracle.
I am glad Pato got her car back, and Cantu really made me laugh, I have to say! I wonder if Rogue really does love Pato, as he says?
I can't stand Moronica. She is the worst, self absorbed, it's all about me person with a truly evil streak. She doesn't care who she hurts. I'm surprised she kept her temper when Val told her about the new bebe coming. I wonder if she'll bite her tongue at Val's party.
I don't like the previews and it's time for Moronica to get the cast iron skillet, basta ya!
Oh,Julie, you just hit the nail on the head with your quips on the antics last night. Maybe the writers should take your quiz~
Definitely pays to have parents now making tons of money. I guess the party was supposed to be cute, I actually thought it was a bit much. And choreographing the kids dancing. yeah, right. And those fairy tale cowboy boots sort of left me cold, right along with dad dressing up like a major domo at a Disney hotel. My snark meter is running on high this morning, sorry.
And the Discua health reveal. Wow, just wow. And they have her wink? WTH? So not a moment to add humor. They could have least just MAYBE had the doctor do it with Ferny and Xochi there with her? Wonder if now they'll have her move in with them?? Nothing will surprise me. (Thank you Ferny for at least seeing thru Xochi's lame fake out of love idea.)
They are so setting Paty up to go back to Rog...ARGH! I'm getting the feeling that Eli is going to be the loser in love in this TN. So not fair.
As for the previews - methinks our Wicked Witch in this fairy tale has officially crossed the line. Anvil alert!!
Daisynjay
Alma CAN'T be pregnant, she didn't faint. Isn't that a TN rule?
There is a great picture of FC on the web, the only thing, he has a dumb scarf around his neck, so I won't use it as my avatar.
What a great line, Julie. As was your quiz and puzzled commentary throughout. I am really not enjoying this show at the moment, but the recaps continue to be outstanding.
And who would believe that Fernando would be the one to give wise, rational advice in a very crazy situation? Go figure. "Casual".
The writers have certainly taken Veronica in a very dark direction. Again, where's the comedy in that? ugh.
Univision runs a commercial on all these telenovelas and the commercial is about their Uvideos web site.
Can anyone translate what the announcer is saying near the beginning of the commercial when he says "videos punt a col"? The "punt a col" is what the words sound like.
Julie, thanks MUCHISIMO! I must have been really tired last night, or maybe it was the editing, but nothing was making sense to me while I was watching. Now I know what happened in the episode I watched. Except the green school PSA. I'm still mighty confused about why there were there; did they give even a 1-sentence explanation as to why those characters would be there, or do they not even care about fitting the PSA into the story? That isn't even the school Val attends!
Never would have thought in the beginning that Fern would be the voice of reason. I'm glad he decided Discua had the right to know about her own medical issue. If only the telenovela doctors would get on that ethics train!
I think Chucho is really unhealthily obsessed with his fairy tale fantasy. It was cute when it was just a story he told Val, and a pair of dolls, but now he keeps trying to bring it to life. Weirdo!
That party was way too much.
I'm really surprised by where this is going. Can't wait for tonight!
Yeah, anything is better on Colunga than a sweater tied around the shoulders. But that was not the ideal coat for him, I don't think.
I agree that Xochi and Fernando (mostly Fernando) did the best job they possibly could in giving Discua the news. And it occurred to me this morning that she might not have been receptive to hearing it from a doctor anyway. But it's still important that she has all the facts about her illness before making any decisions, and she can't get that from her de facto friends.
As far as I'm concerned, Vero already blew her chance to bite her tongue at Valentina's party. She opened with "your boots are ugly" to the guest of honor. I just hope she doesn't bring the party to a screeching halt.
And I DEFINITELY agree that that party (as well as the first one) was way too much. I'm sure these parties are fun for the kids, but I know just how it must make the other parents feel. (And the other kids too, when their birthdays come around and the best their parents can do is the Birthday Club at HoJo's.)
I don't think Paty is being set up to get back together with Rogue. I know HE thinks he's winning her back by tricking her into accepting a "gift" discount, but she seemed to think she was rubbing his nose in it when she told him about the car. I don't think they're on the same page at all, and her growing self-esteem is immunizing her against his charms.
Julia, if you were tired, that's not the reason nothing made sense. The writers really twisted logic to the max in order to force the plots into the directions they wanted them to go.
I was VERY confused by the school scene. I did see Valentina and Rai skip through the gates of their regular school, which is why I assumed that they were at their school in the next scene; but maybe that wasn't a safe assumption, and in any case why were Ric and Gil there??
Regarding the avances for tonight, I can only hope that Chucho is having a nightmare and none of it's for real. Oddly enough, the most striking image for me was not Alma on the floor clutching her belly in agony, but the beads from her necklace flying everywhere. (I thought, oh no, how will they find them all? How will they even know whether or not they found all of them?)
I will say, though, that of all the parents in Vale's life, I find Eli the least offensive. He's not perfect, but considering the very thankless position he's in, it's amazing that the worst thing he's ever done in front of Valentina was argue with his relentless wife who would pick a fight anywhere and everywhere.
Not that I'm questioning Chucho's devotion, but Eli is less disposed to the grand gestures. He favors the direct and sincere approach. He also doesn't violate restraining orders or fill the girl's head with fairy tales about his own love life.
And I won't even begin to list all the ways that he's different from Vero...
I don't know if it's the acting, the directing, the writing, or just my own confusion about Mexican comedy in general, but Eli really does look like the better Daddy to me.
Chucho is going too far with the spoiled princesa thing. If he keeps it up, it will be amazing if Val doesn't develop a major Miss Centro Universo complex. His obsession with his fairy tale makes me cringe. His entire deportment toward Val is sickeningly saccharine. Eli is more direct while still treating her with age-appropriate gentleness.
I think Chucho is so over the top because for six years he didn't know Val even existed. I think that accounts for so much of his being over the top, he is really trying to make up for lost time. I really liked the way he was with Val when he first found out she did exist, and I hope he dials it back some : )
We had the same Desperate Disneyland Daddy phenomenon in Tontas. Patricio was completely overwhelming in his interactions with the son he had recently met (and then also with Candy, when he was trying to win her back). Nothing could be relaxed. Everything was always a Big! Exciting! Production! Each outing was the Most! Fun! Thing! Ever! And it was very loud and exhausting to watch. That kid had a serious centro universo complex. He was a brat.
Rai and Vale at school (they attend the same school?) with Gil and Rico. A surreal moment.
Thinking Xochi and Fern will take care of Discua until she dies (if she dies—maybe it’s a misdiagnosis). I’m thinking she might come and live with them. Is that too weird? ☺ (I see it crossed your mind, Daisy).
Sebastian just earned his right to court Susana again. Leaving Panfilo for his one true love, Chatita. I’m thinking Alejandra for Saturino. It’s weirder than Jess and Cardenas—but not by much.
Finally, when I hope it’s too late because I really like the Pato/Elias pairing, Rog realizes he’s most compatible with Pato. However, Elias not being able to have kids might have her choosing Rog. I hope not.a
Cute watching the kids dance. There was a bit of choreography going on there. Rai must be a gymnast. Great cartwheels.
Vero, once again, ruining Vale’s party. And telling Vale her shoes were ugly. Firstly, don’t tell your seven year old daughter anything about her is ugly. Plus, pot calling kettle black, much.
Seriously.
I think the parties were an opportunity for more food porn.
Re: the previews. One of those TN moments when I have to repeat to myself, this TN will end happily for our main couple. I can’t believe how evil Vero has become. I didn’t think it made sense until I remembered Criminal Minds (season premiere tonight, by-the-way). All of their unsubs have a psychotic break and Jesus rejecting Vero was hers.
Mads: good point about Jesus’ excesses with Vale.
This is my first comedy TN and I like it, one of the few, actually, who REALLY like it. But I have to agree that there seems to be an awfaul lot of heavy drama in this: attempted murders, kidnappings, near death of a child by fire, a good character with a devastating incurable disease. Is that the norm for a comedy TN? I know they have to have some drama in the comedies, but this much heavy drama?
Nanette
You are right. He is way over the top. Hopefully with a baby on the way now, he'll dial it back and focus on the real things in life : )
From the comedy TNs I've seen so far, this is not an unusual amount of melodrama. UFCS had a lot of it too. LFMB and PESE had a better humor-to-horror ratio, but they went into some dark places, too.
Sometimes, when I describe comedy TNs to friends, they laugh because they sound so absurd. In that sense, okay, I guess I see the humor, kind of. But they laugh exactly the same way when I describe most of the "real" dramatic TNs, too - even the ones that didn't involve Salvador Mejia.
Did not like Chucho's sailor sweater, though I was surprised it came across all right on the TV, not all wavy lines. I guess digital is different nowadays.
Seems like Jesus and the little girl who was a boy who lives next to Chatita went to the beach together without any SPF lotion. In addition to the fact that she grew a foot (in height, not another leg)I almost did not recognise her.
It's hard to believe that Alma is pregnant because the couple seem so chaste and shy with each other, and they never spend time alone together! There was even a scene last week when Chucho showed Alma a new dress on the bed, and she gasped, "What, before we eat?" And he said, "Oh, no, not that, just want to show you the dress." And she was so relieved!
I remember having similar complaints about Aldo in LFMB. Everything he did was textbook romantic. Not on as grand a scale as Chucho, and not as reliant on cliches - but his "surprises" were so contrived, corny, and premeditated that it was hard to take him seriously as a man who could cope with the routine of daily life.
Or else the writers are mistaken and just keep making the same dramatic mistakes over and over again because that's the "formula".
I had to take a phone call in the middle of the episode and I'm kinda grateful for it. Seemed to me that it went down the rabbit hole as well as off the rails to the point of rivaling El Tal for a high QTH factor.
You all are, IMHO, absolutely right about this new normal Jesus seems to be concocting for Valentina - and for himself as well. Glad he's successful at Orion but think he'd do well to be putting money, and a lot of it, in savings for college for the kids and his own retirement. Am I an old soul for thinking this way?
Thanks again, Julie, really enjoyed it!
Roger didn't think he tricked Pati into anything regarding the car. He was just pleasantly surprised (and not at all upset) that it was Pati who bought it. He told Cantu he didn't care who bought it, and Cantu never told him it was Pati. Pati WAS surprised that he wasn't upset when she threw it in his face that she had HER car back, and did it without his help.
Elias is the best parent of the three, but he has also gone into unnecessary excesses with Val. Don't forget during the time that he was mad at Jesus, around Christmas, he practically bought out the whole toy store for Val, just to prove he was the better father - all at the time when Jesus couldn't afford anything but the two dolls. He was highly upset when Valentina obviously preferred the dolls to all his (Eli's) mountains of gifts.
Elias did have a period of acting out when Vero had just cruelly thrown him aside, but he got over it.
<< Home
© Caray, Caray! 2006-2022. Duplication of this material for use on any other site is strictly prohibited.