Caray, Caray!

Hola, amigos:

Well, we are moving smartly along. They sure did not string the wedding out for long.

there were so many characters to be annoyed with in tonight's epi that I feel spoiled for choice.
Jose Luis, Adolfo + Dimitro. Graciela, Pedro...

I still feel bad for Montse. Someone needs to tell her that her TRUE LOVE JL is wanted as an accessory to murder. He didn't just escape the military police, his accomplice killed a man while doing it.

A small data point, perhaps, for Montse's decision making, but an important one.

EJ
 

Hola Elna June,

Gracias for the recap. I haven't seen this epi yet, but from what you so elegantly wrote, I am in for a treat.

"Jose Luis and Refugio Share a Chicken-Sized Brain", "...Jose Luis is loco. Yes, my dear, and he is stupid as well." were a few of my favorites.

ITA that Refugio and JL are not very bright. I really have not liked JL from the start, but Refugio kind of grew on me (even though he murdered someone).

Dimibrow and Addy are a pair of LOSERS! I really hope Fina doesn't get caught up in their web of lies.

Can't wait to see this epi, and from the looks of it, we will get to see the angry side of our sweet, handsome Ale. If his desire for Montse is as strong as we all KNOW it is, then I can only imagine his rage when he finds out that Montse lied to him. Which will be stronger? Their hate or attraction for one another?

Back to bed...hasta pronto!
 

Thank you so much for the recap. I can't wait to see the next episode - I can watch in advance on line but I don't want to be spoiled ahead of the Caray group.

JL is just NOT likable. Maybe in Amor Real it made more sense for a man to say that he will take the lady he loves on his white horse and ride into the sunset together, but the way JL keeps saying that he's not leaving withouyt Montse, it's quite disturbing. He could even be blamed for having kidnapped her, the girl be returned to her family and nobody would scream "scandal" because, you know, it's 2013, not 1867.

I thought Refu&Esme's first kiss was pretty hot, they had been spending a month in the same house, after all... but then they went with the love making rather fast, I didn't like that part too much, but I'm a romantic at heart.

Dimiterrible is hard to swallow for now, but I enjoy his interactions with Finita, even if I think I should feel appaled by the way he's using her.
I'm surprised that money hungry Graceless hasn't yet realized she has another golden goose in the vicinity - maybe when Ale turns the table on her...

Nadia is quite the friend, huh? Why did she bother giving Montse the note AFTER she got married? Ugh...

I have a feeling Ale's good natured love sick puppy character will turn into a raging buldog after he sees that video Victor took.
As much as the writers try to update the story (and in some aspects, they made it work, it still is completely unrealistic that Ale would insist with the marriage after one month of dating, when he very well knows the bride is not in love with him. Maybe being a nouveau riche, he really thinks that money can buy anything, including a woman's affection, although he can't fully realize this is what he's doing.


 

Was Montse really wearing white sneakers with her wedding gown? That's what it looked like to me when she was running toward stupid on the beach.

How ironic that it's Esmeralda who is helping JL and Refugio when she was a major reason that Montserrat lost faith in JL in the first place. Wonder how they (JL and Refugio) will react when/if they find out.
 

Great work, Elna June, with lots of good snark.

This update is working so far, although I haven't seen a computer on anyone's desk or a TV in anyone's home. we have no explanation yet as to why Nadia married Pedro when he's not just a cold fish but an emotionally sadistic one.

I think we can expect a lot of ugly words and fighting between the should-be lovebirds. I just hope there is one thing about the previous version that doesn't happen here. To have us annoyed with Monserrat for the next few weeks is enough without having us be angry with Alejandro.
 

"Now the seeds of misunderstanding have been planed, watered, and the rich sun of Mexico shines upon them as they grow."

Wow--wonderful EJ, as is the whole recap. Seems this will be our theme for awhile as the two main characters are swept along in everyone's deceptions.

And frankly, that includes JL. Felt bad for him in the beginning, but now he's just not running on all cylinders and definitely not the brightest bulb in the room. I suppose that is purposeful so we appreciate Ale all the more, but it's annoying to think Mons is going to waste her time pining for this dweeb.

And I agree, Rulli is going to now how fun bringing his best rage and anger scenes. Ditch the sweet smiles and cue the stone cold stares and clenched teeth. Who cares...he is still gorgeous even angry. (Sorry, shallow moment. I'll go sit in the patio corner.)

But hey, at least someone is getting some lovin'. At first I thought Reffie and Esme were moving a little fast, but then she probably hasn't known real affection for awhile and well, he IS on the run, so enjoy while you can?

As for Mons shoes--those were a high wedge lace up tennis-style shoe for sure. I had actually seen a photo taken during the shoot where she held up her dress and showed them. Most likely to help with the running and dealing with the sand. Kind of a hoot--

Daisynjay
 

Elna June: Your words broke through the clouds of this depressing episode, bringing sunlit rays of hope with lines including: "Dimmy-Timmy", "Then the dim bulb in his diminshed brain comes alight", and "Now the seeds of misunderstanding have been planed, watered, and the rich sun of Mexico shines upon them as they grow".

An excellent recap.

My heart went out to Monse - everyone in her world has betrayed her. Or, so it appears. Who can she trust if anyone? Her divine husband has bought her and the love of her life left her and she is now reeling from confusion as to how her life has spiraled so out of control.

I wish Pedro's character would be fleshed out a bit. So far, all we have is a character uttering words of little importance, delivered in a monotone with an icy, cold stare. What is the background and how on earth did he ever persuade his lovely wife to marry him? Was there some charm exuded? We have not been privvy to it...

Dimmy is damdepressing (ahhh, William). Sigh.

I am going to very quietly admit that I have a soft spot for Refugio. I realize it is in part due to the fact I really like the actor. Is it too much to hope that a murderer can be redeemed and that he and his pole dancer love can find happiness?

Much heartbreak appears to be on the horizon. I know I am in the minority here, but I feel for JL who has made mistakes of course, but the fates have not been kind to him and seeing Monse in her wedding gown did break his heart.

Could Graciela have been more rude and dismissive to Josefina? She would not even make eye contact but stared and her guests as a queen would condescend to view her subjects.

Could Fina have been given an uglier dress for the wedding? Ack. daisy, appreciate your notes on Monse's shoes. I was wondering how she was able to run in the sand without falling.

Great comments this morning.

Elna june, always a treat - this was no exception. Thank you!

Diana
 

Thanks for this great recap of such a pivotal episode, EJ.

Yes indeed. The seeds of hatred and misunderstanding are being sown all over. Now it's Ale's turn when he sees those pics. Monse's vow of hatred was a kick. Really brought this tn back to the original title- bodas de odio. In AR, did the protagonist declare her hate so strongly? I got a kick out of the contemptuous looks Monse was throwing around after dinner the night before the wedding too.

Diana- I also like Refugio. I laughed at his total screwup of the "get the maid" plan. And I was totally on board with him and Esme consummating their feelings. There was a scene of them during the afterglow, when she asked for his real name and what he's on the run for, and he said for her sake it was better that she not know so that she won't be incriminated. These two are doomed for sure, so they should enjoy each other while hey can. At least someone is getting love and making love in this tn!
 

Good Morning Ms Elna June:

Fabulous recap and a marvelous read! Awesome!

I too feel very sorry for Montse. She's is being pushed and pulled about. I can believe how angry she is. Look what she's been told.

I agree with what Vivi said about Refugio and Esme. It has been a month, now if it had been say a day or two.......

I can't believe Adolfocito with his "charming" money from Fina. I didn't like the way that Gracie just dissed Fina at the wedding.

I thought it was heartbreaking when JL fell on his knees when he saw Monse in that wedding gown. All his hopes and dreams were in those tortured eyes. And Monse at her angry best, and then both realize how much they have been had by Graceless' lies. It was a very moving scene.

I too wonder why Nadia saved that note until the wedding. Maybe she was too afraid to give it to Monse before the wedding. Fear of Pedro, she did get that note in the evening while Pedro was out. I think she saved it to kind of protect herself. What would Pedro have done if he hadn't found her home when he got home? And since the maid knew who was at the door, he did give his name, she decided to err on the side of caution by not seeing JL.

About the murder of the LT. I see it as an act of self defense. Let us not forget, that at the moment that Refugio shot the LT, he had a gun directly at JL's head. Given what Refugio already knew about Graceless' family and what they had done to JL, I think this is the reason he killed the LT. Refugio must have felt that the LT was surely going to kill JL. I'm not excusing Refugio for what he did, but he does have a defense.

I too can't wait to see the angry side of Ale. SR was angry in AV, but not like we saw in the previews last night.

Now on to the fashion. Poor Fina looked so frumpy for a wedding, and Graceless and her ensemble, was she trying to compete with Monse? She wore white???? Gracie's outfit was okay, but the hair???? Gracie looked like a reject from an '80's big hair, heavy metal band video, jus' sayin'. I too agree about Ale's ill fitting suit. Dimmy and the tropical loose fitting Miami Vice reject outfit. I think Monse, Nadia and the Admiral (Lauro) looked very nice. Especially Monse, that gown was really beautiful. I can see why she wore those shoes too : )
 

Hi Elna June,

Thanks for fantastic, funny, and thoughtful recap. I admire the overall tone and also many lines: Like Daisynjay, I love the line: 'Now the seeds of misunderstanding have been planed, watered, and the rich sun of Mexico shines upon them as they grow.' I think my favorite is 'Okay, boy geniuses, now on to Plan B' What ding dongs those guys were in that scene, but it was really funny!

I have been surprised at the fast pace and am really enjoying the show, but I do feel sad we've gotten to the misunderstanding part between Ale and Monse already. Couldn't the writers have given us at least ONE montage of them doing some stuff that normal people do when they're dating-you know, walking the streets of Agua Azul, going bowling, watching Mira Quien Baila?
I know we're supposed to think Montse isn't interested, but I think this montage would have shown us again that she's more attracted to him than she realizes, given us the sense of a little more passing time, been a service to the Mexican tourism industry, and made her anger and sense of betrayal more poignant when she finds out about the contract. Also, most importantly, it would have added to my pleasure in SR/Ale a lot! Oh, well.

Overall I'm enjoying the show and love the recaps and comments most of all. Thanks again!
 

"This scene is not as dramatic as I have made it sound, I confess. Neither one of these men scares me. They remind me of two prissy over groomed dogs circling around one another in an upscale dog park. You just know that no one dog is going to bite or scratch the other because it might just damage his pedicure. "

Just one of the reasons why I always thoroughly enjoy an Elna June recap. The asides are always the scrumptious icing on a perfectly delicious cake.

A few other treats were "swallows the line like a guppy with open lockjaw" and [Dimitrio} "you are gum on the bottom of my shoe, on the three day Walk for the Cure. May you feel every step."

Words to remember. Haven't seen this yet. Sounds depressing...and as you noted, gets even more depressing.

Also, what's up with Sergio Sendel in this one? I am finding him very hard to understand, and that has not been the case before. His portrayals of villains usually are far more vivid and interesting than this...AND understandable. Disappointed in his performance as I am in the actor playing JL.

Oh well..didn't I say a few days ago that I wasn't going to kvetch? Sooo..I'm grateful that I've got a fun, entertaining way to work on Spanish through telenovelas. And ecstatic that we have this funny, literate, delightful community to discuss the shows. Y punto!
 

Forgot to mention this before but there's a typo on the money Dimwit gave his father; it's $30K, not $300K (since they only bilked Josefina out of $100K).

I wonder how they are going to pad this story now that we know it's destined to be almost twice as long as Amor Real. They will have to add more characters.

Josefina is in for a lot of heartache and Dimwit doesn't deserve her or her money.

 

Thanks, Elna June, for a snappy recap to read as I sip my coffee on this damp and drippy morning.

"Stupid on the beach"....is that a cocktail....like "sex on the beach?" ..... If do, I think I'll be the designated driver and pass on that one.

In AR, the Nadia character (pilar) also waited until after the wedding to give the leading lady the note. I believe she gave it to her in AR was because the note said her first love would come into the house if she did not meet him. Like Robo, she met him in her wedding gown and confronted him about his wife and child . Her brother's "friend" had told her that she was the beau's wife. He told her it was a lie, and she was devastated.

Well, it has really hit the fan now. As Sylvia said, Manuel in AR was not always a galan and definitely had another side. The previews showed that AleHandsome also has a temper. We have not seen that side of him before now. I wonder how that honeymoon is going to go.......
 

Susanlynn- Did the heroine in AR marry the hero with as much hate in her heart as Monse did?
 

Vivi....Matilde was devastated, silent, and weeping as she and Manuel left by coach on their "honeymoon", but she got pretty mouthy along the way.
 

Elna June, while watching last night I was so very glad that it was YOUR night to recap. I knew we would get some excellent zingers out of the chaos.

As has already been mentioned, "Now the seeds of misunderstanding have been planed, watered, and the rich sun of Mexico shines upon them as they grow." is absolutely eloquent and brilliant.

And of course I got a good laugh out of "I guess there are no phones at the Hacienda and the carrier pigeons are on strike."

"B-odio"...boy was it ever! Boyer's got the hate look down pat. However I am growing weary of her constant sniveling. She totally deserved to be weepy in this episode, yet I was mentally screaming at her to stop the waterworks because they go on and on. I think we need to add a bingo square for this one - "Angelique Boyer does NOT shed a tear". Then again, we might never get a "Bingo!".

There. That was my kvetching.

Two thumbs up for the Refugio/Esme first kiss.

Thank you dear EJ! This was a thoroughly enjoyable recap on so many levels. Your impatience at all the dumbs and dims just cracks me up.
 

Judy: amiga, your take on Pedro/Sergio: "His portrayals of villains usually are far more vivid and interesting than this...AND understandable" was perfect. I am disappointed as well!

As disappointing, there has not even been a hint or a whisper that a cell phone throwing tantrum may be in the works...Sigh.

Diana
 

Vivi...I think that before and during the wedding, Matilde was sad, silent, and resigned...but not furious like Monsy. l am not sure if she found out about the deal between her mother and Manuel before the wedding.
 

Sylvia..maybe we should tell Monsy what I tell the three-year-old...,, No crying and Hissyfits...Use your words. , I taught her to say "Look at me". And "Listen to me " in Soanish. I am with you. I got very tired of the scrunchy face , glistening eyeballs, and trembling , pouty lips. the one-year-old makes the same scrunchy face. Basta...I have had enough of the ranting and raving.
 

Judyb...Now I am hungry for cake.
 

I am confused about Gracie's rudeness towards Josefina. She must not realize that she has lots of money and would make a great catch for the family coffers. Wevall know how Gracie can kiss up for cash and prizes.
 

EJ..I just noticed something. Was " Monsy's finance " a Freudian slip or a typo ????
 

My dear Elna June:

This is just a hurried note (stolen from our family Festivus celebrations) to tell you how very much I enjoyed your narrative.

If you and our other Caraymates were not along for the ride, I might stay away for a time. I am not feeling much sympathy for any of our characters at the moment, but I adore their chroniclers.

[I do hope you have affixed this small masterpiece with Bloggersuperglue (can you tell I've been working on my German?) so when I come back for a more lingering look, it will still be around.]
 

EJ..I loved you references to "Monsy's fugue state" and Gracie guarding the gates of hell. Unfortunately for poor Ale , she opened the gates wide for him to walk through.
 

ElnaJune, thanks for a great recap of a pivotal episode. Many great lines already mentioned (the seeds of misunderstanding, etc.).

At the dinner the night before the wedding, was Graciela wearing a lace tablecloth draped over her shoulder? Can't decide where she gets her "fashion" tips.
 

La Paloma...yes! I thought that it looked like a tablecloth that Gracie was wearing tartan style across her body. Que ????? it made me wonder why she always has some kind of fabric draped across the front of her body. Is she perhaps hiding a belly or a baby bump ?
 

Hola!

I would love to stay and chat with everyone—last night the novela certainly gave us enough to chat about—but I am headed out for an appointment with my beloved neurologist, Dr. X. Really, he is beloved, although I would much rather be with you lovely people on the Patio.

I look forward to joining in the lively convo when I return.

Chat away, my friends!

Elna June
 

Susanlynn- Daniela C just gave birth to her third child (a son this time) less than a year ago, so I hope she's not pregnant again, already! It is funny how often she has something draped across herself. She's so small, that the fabric just swallows her up.
 

Montse gets no sympathy from me. Nor does Jose Luis. I find her to be a very strange and conflicted not so much heroine. She and JL had the opportunity to approach her father right up front, but he chickened out. Now she's turned into a mean shrew.

How much you want to bet that Fina turns into the Fairy Princess after a makeover. She and Dimi should both have their unibrows trimmed by the same stylist.

And, as for Graciela's wardrobe, yikes! It looks like she's wearing a half pair of lace curtains.
 

I've been reading the recaps and this episode sounds so awesome, I think I'm going to start watching. I don't see how the two of them can stop hating each other long enough to fall in love. She thinks he bought her and he KNOWS that she was making out at the beach with another man on their wedding day.

Karma is a b*tch, Rulli! Remember on Amores Verdaderos when you (Guzmancito) were rolling in the hay with Nikki on her wedding day? Roy didn't appreciate that and now ya know how it feels. LOL! OK, I might be the only one who gets that joke. I miss that show.

Cynderella
 

Thanks for the recap Elna June.

P.S. Urban, I love your old English recaps.

Cynderella
 

hola a todos!

mira esto........


http://masquetelenovelas.blogspot.com/2013/12/televisa-presenta-campana-navidena.html




 

hi, Cynderella. heh..I get that joke.

I hope that you will join us here. It is a remake of a wonderful historical novela Amor Real, my second favorite novela after Alborada which also starred Fernando Colunga. The storyline is better suited to a period novela, but this cast is very good , and I am enjoying the show. The recappers and commenters are wonderful. For my final point, I want you to know that, like Miss Vikki, our petite heroine Monserrat, always wear skirts and dresses...never capris , jeans, shorts, or slacks...wink, wink. Therefore, eventually, there will be a lot of action .....on the bed, on the floor, under the desk, beneath the dining table, against the French doors...etcetera.
 

Elna June - Thanks. I missed parts of it last night but you filled it in beautifully. Glad you pointed out Ale's ill-fitting suit cause I thought it was just me.

Montse and Ale are electric together, whether they’re in love or hate. I blame him much more than her for the mess they're in now.

I'm enjoying the friendship between JL and Refugio. When JL was hiding in the closet or something and Esme gave Refugio that full-body kiss after he ran off Dim, I thought they we're going to do it right there and JL would have to listen to the whole thing. I know, that sounds more like "Friends."

On JL being an accomplice to murder, unfortunately Refugio committed murder in the service of helping JL escape. In my view, JL would be a huge ratfink not to stay loyal to Refugio. But JL wanting Montse to run away with him under his present state is indeed nuts.

Nadia impressed me. I thought she would follow the orders of her ogre husband, but she didn't and passed on the note. Why an intelligent, wealthy young woman stays with her husband hasn't when he hasn't even consummated the marriage is a mystery to me.

Cynderella - Yep, Rulli's getting payback.
 

Cyn- LOL! I got the joke. Payback is a b!tch Guzman..er, SR.

Shallowgal- Yay! I always love Televisa's holiday video, and I love the song Seasons of Love. It's a perfect song for the time of year. Uni is just now showing Televisa's holiday video from last year. That used to make sense when we got tns almost a year after Mexico, but now we are getting closer to their schedule and the folks in the video always line up with the stars that have been in their shows over the past year.
 

This novela makes me think of Duelo de Pasiones, which was in modern dress but would have worked much better as a period piece. The entire premise of the story and the way the controlling father villain carried on wasn't entirely realistic in the 21st century, just as we have said this novela's premise doesn't quite ring true now.

Not to mention that the doomed first love is miscast.

We know that Graceless deserves the majority of the blame for what is happening in this story. When Monserrat finds out about her brother's latest shenanigans she will be spitting even more fire in their faces.
 

All:

Thank you for all the lovely comments. I love the folks on this board—you are all so generous.

Sadly, I am a little rummy after my visit to the good Doctor. Although I much prefer to thank you and engage/discuss our thoughts with each of you, today a group 'Gracias' will have to suffice as I am not feeling my best.

A couple of points I noticed upon reading the comments—as a group we are not in agreement about just who is responsible for the mess in which Montse/Ale/Jl find themselves.

Personally, I am quite willing to share the blame around, with the prime instigator being Graciela and her well-developed sense of greed and entitlement.

But Montse has some fault here; Ale certainly does, and I find Jose Luis to be a cad rather than a victim or a galan. His selfishness in wanting to take Montse away with him is quite telling and would not bode well for a long term relationship between those two.

Rulli should be fun to watch in these next few epis as he acts out his rage and hurt pride. In the end, though, he DID 'buy' Montserrat and he will pay the full price plus a premium.

Ah, let the great suffering begin...I love telenovelas.

Kind Regards,

Elna June
 

Elna June, thanks for this wonderfully crafted recap. Your descriptive and narrative skills always leave me awestricken. I hope that your visit with Dr. X, the neurologist, goes well and pray that he doesn't tinker too much with the little hamster that powers the miracle that is your clever brain.

Poor María, you're wishing for the wrong pony.

Montserrat, there's a useful word that you might have thought of utilizing: NO! Por favor, please spare me the tears about doing this for Daddy. You were all set to run off with the loser JL without even telling Daddy as I recall. That might have been a jolt for his delicate heart don't you think?

Alejandro, good luck. You bought and are paying installments for this bit of cotton candy. You said yourself that you know that she doesn't love you. Without your money, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

Carlos
 

Carlos:

I caught your note just as I was signing off. You made me laugh and I had to respond.

Good Dr X, gave the hamster a look-see inside his head, and then placed 32 lovely injections of Botox in the little hamster scalp to ease the difficulties inherent in Chronic Migraine. Sadly, as these injections are not on the face, little hamster's appearance will remain "unimproved".

The hamster is less than amused by these proceedings, especially by the cervical collar he must wear for a couple of weeks afterward. The hamster's head tends to loll about without the additional support of the collar and he thinks this is sure to negatively affect his appearance in all those msny anticipated Holiday portraits.

Abrazos a ti, amigo.

EJ
 

(((Elna June)))..I hope that you feel better soon. I am sending good vibrations across the country to you )))))))
 

Carlos..cotton candy pretty well sums up Monsy....spun sugar and spice. Right now, she seems a bit spicier than sugary.
 

Thanks EJ, mighty fine, mighty fine indeed. I agree with you on JL. I was feeling sorry for him but you're right, he has nothing to offer and he was slinking and sliding around even before he became an accessory to murder. Poor Alejandro will be crushed. Wonder how he will deal with this. Funny that amidst all the lies and scheming, Gracie was telling the truth when she told Montse that Ale loved her. I think maybe she even sincerely (for Gracie) offered that as a consolation to the beyond-pissed and hurt Montse. Yeah. Tonight should be good.
 

My electricity went out just after I posted my last comment and it just now came back on. Apparently a residual from our 12+ hr blackout two nights ago. Whew!

EJ, your Dr visit sounds like a trial. My thoughts are with you amiga. How you can still make jokes after your Dr visit is beyond me, but I am enjoying your humor event though it is at your own expense.

Urban A, YES! This has also reminded me of Duelo. I didn't know why but you are so right, it's that weird feeling of being in the wrong era.

I, too, wondered at why Gracie was dissing Fina. Maybe she assumes her Dimbulb son has so much to offer (cough, cough) that he should be able to snag a rich, charming, beautiful, fascinating wife. Right. Or maybe she doesn't want her little sweetheart to end up with any other woman and she wants to keep her baby for herself. Blech.
 

Cap'n:
Or maybe she doesn't want to end up with Little Baby Unibrow, or - horrors! - Twin Twobrows! LOL
 

Or Dimwit could be a male candidate for Tita syndrome.
 

Elna June - Quick note to thank you for the recap! Pobrecito de JL.... he reminds me of the Scarecrow in Wiz. of OZ --- "if I only had a brain".
 

I wonder if the actor who is playing JL originally wanted the lead role (Alejandro) and is unsatisfied with being in the 2nd tier. He could've called in his acting in this tn. His acting in Alborada was so on-point. It was obvious he relished the part. There is NOTHING here. He seems to just be reciting his lines, there is no feeling, no "oomph" in his acting. Maybe they should've switched the actors playing Jose Luis and Victor. Or, as someone else already mentioned, even Jose Luis and Refugio.