Caray, Caray!

Short scenes are combined in an attempt to force some sense into this report from Planet Bizarro.

 `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
. . . no, that won’t do, although much jabberwocky and wacky jabber is to be found in recent episodes of CI.  Let’s look for another poetic reference to set the scene for our jailbird.

It's a hangin' day in Wolf City, Wyomin'
Wolf city, Wyomin', eighteen ninety four
They're gonna drop Cat Ballou
Through the gallows floor.
She killed a man in Wolf City, Wyomin'  
. . . well, that’s not exactly right, either. We know MariCruz didn’t actually kill a man, but she’s determined to claim it.

Perhaps we’ll share a few lines from that famous prison epic, The Ballad of Reading Gaol:
The moaning wind went wandering round
  The weeping prison-wall:
Till like a wheel of turning-steel
  We felt the minutes crawl:
. . . We’ve certainly felt some minutes crawl with MC incarcerated. Let’s see how she does in today’s episode.

Seen Previously
    Ed and Tav run into each other at the airport and catch up with Tav’s miserable life. He’ll wait for MariCruz to get out of prison.
    Carola is sent to isolation as punishment for the knife wound scam she pulled on Maricruz. For some reason, she’s not happy with the situation.
    Maria is at Don Ale’s former mansion, talking to the maid/caretaker with the cadaverous face and messy hair. She wants to find some of the family, but none of those names are known to the maid. (She looks like she would fit in with a family named Addams.)

There’s a Ray of Hope for Maricruz, If She Would Only Recognize It
    Natasha visits MC in prison. (The guards probably haven’t seen this many visitors for one prisoner in a long time.) MC recalls what a ruckus Natasha caused with her painting career in the Rancho Abuelo neighborhood and asks (bingo!) “Que haces aqui?” Natasha is interested in MC and she knows who really killed Alfonso. She wonders why MC wants to be in prison?


    MC tells Natasha, “I’m the real killer and no one will make me back down.” She wonders if Octavio sent the artist to see her?  No, she was impelled by her conscience. Natasha is going to testify and the evidence will show Anibal is the true murderer of Alfonso. “You’ll thank me one day,” she assures MC. La Salvaje wonders if this version could be true.

    MC returns to the general population to find Carola and Carmela going at it. Carmela’s testimony caused Carola’s punishment for the knife trick, so Carola tries to choke her former ally. We see a few fun close-ups of this blond on blond professional level catfight.

Galan #7 Asks Elsa “Who’s Your Daddy?”
    Since Alvaro’s in town helping MC, he stops to see his daughter, Elsa, aka another purported fiancée of Alfonso. He was cruel to separate her from the man she loved and she hates him! Alvaro insists that Alfonso’s gone and won’t return. (Not sure why he didn’t go into detail.) The rebellious teen Elsa must not read the newspapers, since she insists that the defunct painter is going to marry her. One day she’ll go find him, wherever he is. (So sad to see such ignorance in the young. If she were truly stalking him, she should know about his murder.)

Maria Struggles to Negotiate the Big City (Compulsory Comic Relief)
    The caretaker at the mansion, named Agripina, gives Maria the lowdown on how things work. Her bosses bought the house after Don Ale lived there, then died in an accident. She stays there in case other family members show up. (No heirs, no lawyers, que?) She sells the contents to live. Maria rambles on about ghosts and a rather pointless story where her brother stole a hat from a dead guy and so on. A curtain falls off the wall, scaring the two, and Agripina invites Maria to stay.

    Maria is talking to Filemon in a field near the house (he must be staying there.) Agripina told Maria where the prisons are. Maria will either find MC or find a job. On foot, Maria is overwhelmed by the city streets and the traffic she sees from an overpass. Her classic “country bumpkin visits the big city” shtick is complete with a pratfall on the sidewalk.

As Usual, Natasha Pursues Her Goals

• At a memorial service for Anibal, Natasha eulogizes him and reminds the other painters they loaned works to the talent-challenged Alfonso.

• She explains how Alfonso stole the “Liberation” painting, provoking Anibal to stab him. Dismay spreads over the faces of the assembled artists.

• The intrepid Natasha visits Clementina, where she reveals the true story of the theft and the resulting murder. The painters hope to vindicate Anibal’s talent and his quest to recover “Liberation” by buying back the work.

• Clementina is angry and disbelieving and orders Natasha to leave.

• Francisco, Clem’s husband, overheard Natasha. He respects his wife’s grief, but thinks they should accept the truth and see justice done. Their son was blinded by his ambition.

(No sense in quibbling over details, but Alf was sorta ok with just being a party-boy painter. Mama is the one who wanted him to stage the exhibit and become famous.)

• Natasha rallies the painters’ group to further action. They need to go all together to Clementina and agree on tomorrow. (Except the snooty one who’s busy—name?)

The Kindly Cira Also Has a Goal
    Unlike Elsa, Cira does read the newspaper and even quotes it aloud to MC. The true killer is Anibal, so MC should drop the charade. Is she covering for her ex-husband? Guilty people never want to pay, so MC should tell the truth.  Once the police experts question her, they’ll discover her innocence.  Cira has experience and could share some tips with MC, maybe help her get a shorter sentence. MC admits she didn’t kill Alfonso and begins her story. The closeup of Cira’s pocket suggests a tape recorder hidden there.

    Cira takes the recording to the warden and lets him hear the true confessions of MC. The warden agrees that the painter who fell from the airplane killed Alfonso and MC is innocent. They agree they won’t let MC know how he learned the truth (I guess he doesn’t read the papers, either.)

One More Visitor for MariCruz
    Tav has been spotted reading newspapers before (way to maintain that brain cell, Tav!), so he gets credit for doing it again. He sees the story of Anibal The True Murderer and thinks this could be MC’ salvation. He also gets credit for a cute scene with Miguelito demonstrating his new jumping skills from kindergarten.

    Tav hotfoots it to the prison for a visit. When MariCruz meets him in the visiting area, she’s thrilled to see Lupita peering around the table. She hugs and kisses her child, thanking Tav for bringing her. She’s going to make the best of this (possibly last) time with her daughter.  Tav thinks aloud how happy they might be if they could only be together. Lupi still likes to play with her mama’s hair.

    Tav explains to MC she no longer has to stay here—she’s innocent. She says even if she does get out, she’ll stay with Lupi and he will marry Doris. Not so, he rebuts. She pleads with him to take good care of Lupita and when she’s older, tell her MC died. (Que que what!  Did the prison rats nibble MC brain?) Tav also rejects this idea, but MC urges him to do it! (haz lo)

    Determined martyr MC tells Lupi that Mama has to stay a little longer, but her dad will take care of her. Tears and hugs with Lupi follow. Her mama loves her very much!  MC tells Tav they can’t be together, since they’ve hurt each other too much. She loves him and she always will. He’s heard the engineer is back in her life.  Only as a friend.  She doesn’t want Lupita to see her anymore in prison. The guard calls time and the visit must end.

    The sad farewell continues. Tav asks if this is good-bye? They kiss briefly. MC thanks him and he replies no need, she’s his only love. They exchange “Te amo” and move into a long kiss and a longer hug, with Lupita’s head between her parents’ tear-stained faces.

Preview—MC walks out of prison! Free and wearing jeans instead of a dreary gray dress. Hair product can’t be too far behind.

Labels: Indomable