Friday, November 15, 2013
La Tempestad, Thursday November 14, 2013 — The Penultimate Storm
Labels: tempestad
It has been my pleasure to serve as your Thursday night recapper for La Tempestad. I was lucky enough to be on a great recapping team and I want to offer my appreciation to each of them:
Gloria
Mauricio
Cap'n Sylvia
Madelaine,
and last, but certainly not least
Novela Maven.
The commenting group here was so smart and sassy. I have enjoyed our interactions. I hope to see many of you as we move on to Robo.
Kind Regards To All,
Elna June
I will be watching Robo, so I only say thank you and not goodbye as I see you are recapping still on Thursdays, thank goodness!
Loved your descriptions of Hernan. "Perhaps he's claustrophobic" and "Hernan has a talk with and visit from himself." And your reporting of Ursula's plight, right- really redik, I grabbed my most protective titanium beanie for that.
OK, so if Michel is really Ernies then Michel and Hernan are brothers. Scary.
I don't get why Laz is even speaking to Abi,AT ALL, wasn't she outed by Candy to him as someone who extorted guys in some joint they worked together? Or that she was one of Ernie's girls? Can anyone remember that scene, or do we even care?
This capitula must have started 15 minutes early, because when I tuned in Bea was dying at that moment, glad you caught the first few minutes.
"I guess if you catch the fake belly you will be the next one in Our Lady of the Sea to show up semi-pregnant", "Jose is standing by during this exchange, simply bursting out of his royal blue shirt", "Marina is wearing metallic gold shorts and a flowered jacket for her day in court but somehow that does not seem to have hurt her credibility: and "Fully, but calmly tells them that if they say one word to compromise him he will kill all of the members of their families. Wow. (did Cesar REALLY say that??) ;) were great. Many, many superb lines but ""Hernan has a talk with and visit from himself" was my fav.
I'm a tad confused now as to what I saw and didn't see last night. I gather the random scene of Dam on the phone was after he found Zully's body? Totally perplexed how the Commandante fingered Ursula and spilled the beans to Fully and Delfina.
I felt badly that Ester met such a gruesome end. She killed Ernesto but feel her life as it was, being reviled and shunned was punishment enough. She did not deserve to die so tragically.
Rest in peace Bea...Maria Sorte did an excellent job with the character. Those expressive eyes were haunting.
I can't believe tonight is the finale. So sorry that the time is likely to be spent showing Hernan's last bout of craziness and dealing with Fully and Ursula. Would have liked to have seen more of the happy endings for our beloved Dam and Marina, Jose and Bea and Mags and Valentin. Mercedes and Claudio too!
So will Dam care Ernesto is Michel's padra? Not a whit.
So, who is Zully's sister?
Elna June, thank you again!
Looking forward to tonight and hopefully a few moments of happiness!
Happy Friday all!
Diana
I felt sad for the way Ester ended. I was worried for the little baby during the struggle with Delfina. They had to choreograph that really well, and I'm sure Laura had an iron grip on the little guy, but it still worried me. Was glad they switched to a doll for the Ester-Marina struggle.
Ursula must be as loony as Hernan, because her motivation makes no sense. The show went long, and the last scene was of Hernan attacking the nurse/orderly assigned to him. The one who suspiciously has the same height, build, and facial stubble as Hernan. I predicted a switch the first time they showed the guy speaking with the doc.
Looks like the last episode will be lots of madness as the three remaining villains make their last stands.
Bea's passing was sad, but we have been expecting it from the first episode. I'm glad Delfina gets to live and love her grandson. She and Laz will likely be Michel's only remaining blood relatives.
Loved your comment: Marina says (in court) that she's not an expert in mental matters (you can say that again). Also love re: Ursula does she expect to live happily ever after as a guest of the Mexican government.
I too felt sad that Ester met such a tragic end. All credit to the actress. Laura Carmine manages to make you feel for her regardless of how much trouble she's created.
P.s. My very helpful Ipad decided to change "snarking" to "snarling." Teehee. I think that I should give my Ipad a name because it likes to help me write my comments....like a friend who gives a lot of unwanted..and sometimes wrong...advice.
Marvelous, gem of a recap, Thank you so much! You wove a wonderful recap out of the torn threads that UNI showed.
I am glad they found Zully. I thought that storyline would have ended as one of those unanswerable danglers we usually get at the end of a TN.
Bea's passing was very sad. I am glad she was able to talk at the end and that Marina got to say goodbye.
Ursully has gone around the bend. I bet her and Herny cooked something up. I don't get what she thinks is gonna happen either.
I didn't expect Pester to go that way either. I think in the end, she realized DamFab was neva gonna love her or be with her, she couldn't handle the truth. At least Marina did grab bebe Michel out of her arms. I don't think DamFab will give a fig about who Michel's bio Papa is. Michel has always been his son of the heart.
Thanks again EJ for all your hard work on this TN, and the marvelous recaps you have done and looking forward to seeing you on "Robo"
Thankfully this TN is dying a quick death before we all end up in the manicomio with Hernán. Haven't been watching, what's the point since they have cut it to shreds. The great recaps tell me all I need to know.
The quick end keeps it out of the worst novelas category.
La reina del sur is fantastic.
What made me laugh the hardest? Perhaps it was "what we have here is a failure to communicate". Indeed! I also laughed at Bea's "completely unadorned eyebrows" being a harbinger of her fate. But I nearly fell of my chair at "Thou Bitch Wolf's Son", snort! Such a handy phrase to keep in one's arsenal, and so well-used here.
EJ, I admire your skill in making sense of last night's mess. I do believe the editing in this episode was the worst so far. It was epically bad.
I was somewhat put off that bebe Mercedes was snug in her crib while bebe Michel was sitting on a bed, surrounded only on three sides by pillows. I'm no mommy but is that any way to leave a child? Juarever, it made things easier for Pester, and it made Michelito look a bit of a little man-about-town as he casually rested on one elbow.
EJ, I'm so glad you will be continuing to recap Thursday nights. Yay!
Susanlynn, was it you who asked about my future plans? I plan to head back down to Mexico as soon as we get our house emptied and rented. Our boat waits for us there. It will be another month or so, but I fear I will be too busy to recap or watch much TV. But I WILL you all of you on the patio. A girl needs to rest sometime!
Ursully's plunge into insanity sure was fast. Must be some kind of TN record. The Feds had already suspected her of shooting someone because her confiscated gun had been recently shot. I don't think they ever believed her lame excuse of target practice. Maybe Marcelino helped them along? There was a little scene where Toribio offered Marcelino a job at the police, but Marcelino declined, saying he was carrying guilt that wouldn't allow him be in such a position. He had to make things right first.
The terrariums survived another night!
"The Penultimate Storm" = The Perfect Title! Hah!
You have taken these threads of madness and disjunction and given us an entertaining narrative that actually makes sense. (Pues, dentro de lo que cabe…)
--I loved the image of the foam belly being tossed to the crowd like a garter at a wedding (though did you notice how Ursula stepped back to avoid it, as if it were radioactive?)
--That Marina's wearing gold shorts and flowered jacket did not hurt her credibility as a witness (The wardrobe has deteriorated in recent episodes, no? Poor Becky especially looks like she's been shopping at Tarts 'R Us.)
--another scene with that slicked-back and tedious fool Lazaro and his harpy of a mother
--Poor Beatriz keeps swallowing even though she is dead.
--…the pains of the fallen narcissist. She was Esthercita Salazar, The Queen…and now slatterns on the street laugh at her.
But my favorite EJ line this time was yours and Will's:
Thou Bitch-Wolf's Son, we yell
(Maybe we weren't yellling it before, but we are now!)
Thank you for bringing your wit and grace and vast intelligence to this forum. I love the way your imagination touches and influences the whole blog. (Have you noticed how everyone started talking about "tropes" around here after your famous piece?)
It has been a pleasure having this conversation with you. I look forward to continuing it on Robo.
Love,
NovelaMaven
Ain't that the truth, Sylvia. Maybe that's why we love telenovelas so much.
The terrariums were reprieved? If so, perhaps that's the biggest crime of all. Maybe Crazy Hernán has been hearing the call of the soil mix, and has to escape for that last little bit of unfinished business.
Sylvia,
"There was a little scene where Toribio offered Marcelino a job at the police..."
Why isn't Marcelino in jail? Cleanup after murders isn't a crime?
Carlos
I would like to spend 4 to 6 wks there, but not sure where to go. I really loved Guanajuato but I don't want to return to the same place. I don't want to go to gringo land & I want a place to do a lot of site seeing. I would like to rent a small house or apt as my base. I would value your suggestions.
Novela Maven reminded me, great title EJ. Wonderful twist on The Perfect Storm. Buen hecho!
Cheryl New Mex loves Oaxaca, has been there several times, and that is some place I would love to visit. I have heard from many people that it is worth seeing.
If you go to the Puerto Vallarta area you might consider getting a little place in La Cruz. It's still very quaint and there are many places to visit in the surrounding area, beach towns (Sayulita), old mining towns up in the mountains, etc.
Since we travel by boat we are limited to places where we can drop anchor or go into a marina.
I have been to Guanajuato once and loved it. I would like to go back sometime.
Oaxaca is one place I've been thinking about, also Puebla & Chiapas. I travel by myself, so have to be smart about things.
I didn't want Bea to die. I was hoping she would survive. It was so sad to see her go.
Pester's end was sad too. But as mentioned it had to happen so DamFab and Marina could live happily ever after.
Was glad to see Valdivia and Lara getting locked up. Thank goodness the writers did not let them get away with all they had done.
Man, DamFab did most of Robles' job. Not only did he help capture Hernan but he also provided him with the agenda with all the names of the men involved in the organization and thus helped the organization be taken down. Then he goes and discovers where Zully's body is.
Loved seeing Hernan in that straightjacket and in a padded room. Ursula is stupid stupid stupid. I'll never understand what she sees in Hernan. She knows he nuts and yet insists on being with him.
Laz/JazLu/Abi -- I can't believe they have dragged out this storyline until the final episode. Why Mejia why?? Why must you torture us this way??
Did they cut out the explanation of how Robles knew that Ursullied killed Zuly or was it never addressed ? I guess only three people knew that Urs did the deed.....Urs, Herny, and Marcelino.
Sylvia...Happy Sailing to you. are you going to record Black Sails the PIRATE miniseries on Starz? It starts in JAN.
Variopinta, I have never been to Mexico, but my older daughter went to San Miguel for a wedding and loved it. I think that it is a quaint colonial town. One of my best friends is a Spanish teacher who often goes to Mexico in the summer. Sometimes, she travels alone, and she assures me that you just have to be mindful of where you are. My Mexican student is from Jalisco , and when I asked him about safety , he told me that many places in Mexico are perfectly safe. Also, I remember that Carlos and the lovely Linda went somewhere in Mexico a little while ago and loved it...cannot remember the name.
As for pirates, I fear I will have no home and no TV for recording that series. Maybe when I get back I'll be able to watch it on Hulu or something. Alas, no Hulu in Mexico.
Thank you for your kind words regarding the recap.
A little introspection follows:
The editing and chopping of the La Tempestad story has taken all the wind out of my sails. (That metaphor is for Cap'n Sylvia and Madelaine). There is so much confusion in the show, so little continuity, that I feel a bit bewildered as to what to discuss here.
Also, the hours and hours that it has taken to keep up with double or triple capitulos have taken a bit of a toll.
I am trying to decide just what I have found most disheartening in the demise of La Tempestad. I know that I am not the only person on the Board who feels this way.
I think that the form of a telenovela is a more delicate than we might suppose. It works because we agree to accept the arc of a love story, with interesting secondary characters, and a 'happy ending' most of the time. We accept a bag of tropes, some cultural givens, such as suffering, and that the characters will act foolishly as they cope with the improbable situations into which they are placed by the writers. The Perils of Pauline serial storylines work, I think, because of the safe suspense—although secondary characters are grist for the story mill, the protagonistas are not going to die early in the show. A viewer can stay 'safely' emotionally bonded with the good guys and sometimes the anti-heroes or outright villains as well.
When the story loses continuity, when we no longer have to strain to catch the clues as to where we are being led as viewers, then I think we lose interest. The serial, with it's plot hanging devices at the end of most shows, is not interesting to us because we can longer REASONABLY anticipate and share the experiences, sorrows and joys of life with the characters in the show.
The telenovela is increasing in popularity in the United Sates. William Levy was a recognizable figure to Americans because of his exposure on 'Dancing With the Stars'. Regular television doses of a now familiar, impossibly handsome, charming and athletic actor is a recipe for viewership, I think. In addition, Levy has become a good actor, not just another pretty face.
Univision's squandering of this opportunity to build telenovela viewership in the US seems utterly unwise.. As recappers, our volunteer efforts to share the fun and learning available in the telenovela are engaging. We watch the enthusiasm grow for a show and join in a community of people to create a shared experience. We are offering our skills in writing and translation—however modest these may be—free of charge, to make the medium more accessible to a broader audience.
In analyzing my experience with the abbreviated version of La Tempestad, the dissection of the show has left me feeling a bit like chopped liver.
Tonight we can look forward to the pleasure of Novela Maven's wonderful recap of the Gran Final.
That means that despite the challenges of La Tempesatd—for recappers and viewers alike—we will finish the series on a very high note. I am looking forward to our weekend commenting as we say goodbye to La Tempestad and prepare to say hello to 'Robo' on Monday.
Elna June
Sad to see both Bea and Pester go. Mercedes seemed to speak an awful lot about herself at Bea's service, but I'll let it go. Pester wanted no parts of Michelito, so she could've just left town never to be seen again.
Did we ever get to see Jose shirtless? Maybe Claudio will buy him a bigger shirt and he'll have to change in front of us.
Ursula's willingness to stay in a dive motel and run away with a broke Hernan makes no sense. But then she knows the police are on her trail for the murder of Zully, so maybe she just figures "what the hell, might as well go out in a blaze of crazy."
As for the manly Jose and his too tight shirt, he appears to be attempting to put 10 pounds of manly muscle into a five pound bag ?
Poor Michel! kidnapped twice. Over at CI, we have had quite enough of the dimwitted but studly dad who has kidnapped his young daughter twice in addition to not being very concerned about his missing infant son who was left in the great outdoors overnight by his wacked out mother. Ahh, the wonderful world of suspended disbelief that is the telenovela.
I am relatively new at watching these shows.
Can anyone tell me which novelas are considered of high quality and which a loyal viewer might benefit from watching again (if that were possible). For example, I totally enjoyed Amor Bravio and even Amores Verdaderos. They were both very engaging and fun to watch.
You have this wonderful gift of putting exactly how this experience was for us all with La Tempestad. Thanks so much and I heartily concur.
I too am sad that Bea and Pester met their end. Pester definitely seemed a mess throughout the episode. Fully and Fina are in for a sad surprise.
Looks to me like Ursula has a dark cloud looming over her head. Obviously Hernan doesn't care about her and seems willing to get rid of her somehow so he has a better chance with Marina (or so he thinks),
Looking forward to the finale tonight. I'll miss seeing WL on my TV.
--TF
I will miss you heartily, but please dew drop in when you get the chance to say Hiddy Ho on Robo.
"although she is not an expert on mental matters (you can say that again)"
Classic EJ!
And Mauricio, ISTA that it is crazy Mejia has saved Jaz-Lu to the very end.
If baby Michel is old enough to be sitting up, he is for sure old enough to be NOT left unattended in a room on a bed for gosh sakes!
I have loved this novella, despite all the merciless editing. And I have loved the recaps even more!
Thank you, EJ!
Michelito was kidnapped four times:
1. As a newborn after the police raid on Ernesto.
2. When Pester and Ursula took him from Mercedes' mansion.
3. When Ursula took him to give him to Hernan who gave him to Ernesto.
4. Just now when Pester took him to get back at Damian.
Poor Michelito. It is a good thing he's still a baby and won't remember all this madness.
He most definitely should have not been left unattended. What were Marina, Becky, and Mercedes thinking???
I completely concur with your favs and would add these few:
Mañana Es Para Siempre -Great villains, esp Lucero, fine protagonists in Sylvia Navarro and Fernando Colunga and a bit of a mystery story.
I liked Teresa, even though I am not a Boyer fan. A dark and unusual TN.
Speaking of dark, ENDA was the darkest TN I have ever seen with Letitia Caldeon as the most eeevil woman on earth.
EJ
Great comments today! This is such an observant and humorous group. It's a joy hanging out with you on the patio.
BTW, I am heading out of town now for a friend's 80th birthday party, so will check back in with everyone tomorrow afternoon.
Have a great Friday and a great weekend!
Thx!
I thought AB was much darker than ENDA. With LC and then adding Cesar Evora to the mix of villains. I don't think you can get much darker than that.
--TF
I watched most of this TN and enjoyed it. The cast was good and lots of fun was had with our Sweet William and his manly musculature. He was also more intelligent than some galans (Octavio, I'm looking at you).
I don't understand why Univision felt the need to cut it unless it was for venganza of some sort.
Ester's end was both satisfying and sad. I think this suicide jump was from the tallest structure, unless I missed one elsewhere. I look forward to Hernan's and Ursula's final fate.
Thanks so much for all of your hard work recapping this TN for us, and for making sense of all the deleted scenes. Damn you Uni! I would have been lost without all of your recaps that were descriptive, cohesive, full of thought and witty.
I saw last night's butchering of an episode, and could not believe all the loose ends left for tonight. I think Uni should have given the finale a 2-hour slot. But alas, we are left to piece together another episode after tonight.
Again, thank you for your re-caps. I would LOVE to comment more, but I am out of time.
Back to work...Hasta manana!
Another thing important to me, since I am up there in years, is ease of getting there. I'm not spending 24 hrs to get there. I wanted to go to Zacatecas but there is a 3 hr bus trip & I haven't dealt with Mex buses. I have heard they are way better than Greyhound though.
There are so many wonderful historic sites in & around DF, but not sure I want the hustle, bustle, pollution, & I'm sure more expensive, but my latino friends tell me I should go there.
The people in Mex are just wonderful, so helpful. I really love the country. So sad they have the brutal narcotraficantes, that spoil the Northern part.
Keep your suggestions coming amigos.
The villains are the meatiest roles.
But zooming through the comments, saw your wonderful analysis of why chopping up this show was so wrong-headed. I hope you will send that as a letter to Televisa or Univision or to whomever it concerns, Elna June. It was a beautifully clear statement of the downside of their butchery.
Sylvia enjoy your travels and look forward to you popping in.
con las otras Telenovelas de este momento, que sufren igual: La peor cosa que e visto en
mi vida (o al menos, desde hace 2
anos cuando empeze a ver telenovelas porque me jarte con TV en Ingles.)
Las Peores para mi estan entre esta y Corazon Indomable y Porque el Amor Manda.
Soy Americana, pero estudie por mucho tiempo en Bogota. La Tempestad es una atrocidad, especialmente el lindo Mr. Levy, y Mama Mercedes, y Las 2 jemelas inspidas, para empezar. Como dejan que salgan cosas sin logica, con tan mala actuacion, llenas de "pausas embarazadas", y en La T, todas suenan como Mercedes, la Reina de Las Pausas. Por lo menos tienen un Loco Espanol para refinar el Espanol tropical, lo cual no molesta tanto, sino que suena que quiere hablar Ingles de Alabama, en vez de Costeno o Espanol Tropical, (estilo acento de Barcelona).
Las peores estan competiendo con Corazon Indomable, La Tempestad y Porque el Amor es el que Manda. Pero la logica de cada linea de Corazon Indo... es tan extrana, y esas miradas estupidas de casi todos . . . gana por ser la peor basura! Por lo menos Amor Manda tiene la cancion, pero esa chiquita y la Chatita ya me tienen enferma. Las novias de Rogelio y el hermano tambien, que desgasto de energia tan amphetaminco para nada!
Lo que me hace apagar son los besos desabridos de Levy y X, las lineas largas y epicas, frases volteadas, estilo perdido durante la Inquisition of Spain -- por La Madre de Las Pausas, y el nuevo Padrino! Sorry Mr. Levy, I liked you in the Angel one in Mexico City. BUt I didn't know better then.
Quize decir que LEVY no puede finjir que esta hablando Espanol. El Espanol del Loca Espanol es normal.
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