Caray, Caray!

Thanks so much, Paquita!!! I am only half way through reading and I can't thank you enough because somehow a totally missed the Cesar/Marilu conversation. She was interested in Leonardo?! Does that mean he's her age? The same age (sort of) as Ric and Piero? Doesn't that mean Leo is too old for Fabi, too?

Before I go back to reading I also want to tell you how much I loved the droll "...but it's either that or jail. Have a nice day."
 

Great recap! "Nymphomobile" was another funny quip. Boy, that Raquel is a piece of work.

Thanks too for all the vocabulary. Lots of good little phrases last night. Energúmeno has always been a favorite of mine but I don't find many opportunities to use it.
 

Great job Paquita and I always love a vocabulary lesson. It's more difficult for me to understand the episodes since they've messed with the ccs on Univision, so these recaps are a godsend.

I laughed at Homero's cold shrug of the shoulders after he gave the no good options and Have a nice day!

I hope that Raquel will now turn against JL now that she'll feel scorned. Oriana may feel obliged to have sex with JL, but Ric shouldn't feel obliged to have sex with Marilu.

I'm convinced after this episode that Lucina and Ruben will not be a match. They must want him to be with Fidelia. I'm glad that Lucina has Manolo, I like him too.


 

Great work, Paquita.

Orianna is in a far worse position than Kay Adams Corleone. The Italian Mafia of that world had a code of honor to lay off wives and children; JL's cartel (or whatever) has no such honor. She's walking into a den of hyenas.

I can't believe that Paloma's money can't buy a better solution for this. Particularly since Oriana took on a dead woman's identity to escape from violence, not to steal or defraud anyone out of money.

Good for Cesar finally telling off his mother.
 

Marrying Marilu is a bad idea b/c she's Ricky's ex. She came around to get Ricky back. She's not going to want to let go when this is all over.

Leonardo is closer to Fabi's age than Ricky & Piero. Marilu is closer to Fabi's age than Ricky's age (we know she's at least 25 years old ---but Ricky & Piero should both be between 36 and 41 years of age).

I don't think Homero cares who goes to jail as long as somebody goes to jail. That's what he lives for. If Oriana goes to jail, oh well. He was "just doing his job."

Ha, ha, there's no way Jose Luis can contest Alina's adoption without giving himself up.

Raquel is out of control.


 

Wonderful New Year's recap, Paquita. Thank you.

First day back at work, but had to share a laugh over the cavalier way Homero laid out the bad options. The law's the law. Well, at least we know the guy is incorruptible. That’s how he got his scary reputation.

I noticed when his contact told him about Joaquin, Homero asked if it’s the son of the father. Clearly the person on the other line said the son, because Homero said that he must be a young man then (I guess it’s relative since Homero is older). The other day when JL told Joaquin Homero’s name, he seemed to recognize his name and know his reputation. I’m wondering if Homero had run-ins with Joaquin Sr. years back.

What the hell is JL thinking? He’s pushing Joaquin’s buttons, and now Joaquin has not only threatened his life, but Oriana’s as well. Are both their lives worth having bragging rights that he has Ori back at his side?

20 years ago, Ricky, Piero and Antonio had just turned 18 and graduated, so they are in their late 30s. Cesar, Leo, and Marilu are in their early-mid 20s. Fabi is 18. Sebas is 19-20. Oriana and Raquel are in their early-mid-30s.
 

Gracias, Paquita! You're right on about Homero's attitude. If Joaquin is "bidness is bidness," Homero is "the law is the law."

Raquel is an idiot to think that knowing Francisco/JL's "secrets" is going to get her everything she wants. It's going to get her dead! There's a fine line between "I can't just get rid of her, she knows too much" and "She knows too much. I have to get rid of her."

I'm so stoked to get to cover Marilu's answer, which I assume we'll get tonight. I'm going to be watching her like a hawk for the slightest sign of evil intent!
 

Also, is it just me, or did JL LIE to Joaquin again? Talking about "Oh, I need more time, it's not easy finding an accountant, we've interviewed a bunch but I just don't know if any of them are right." I got the impression from his conversations with Antonio that Escalona was a shoe-in and we haven't even seen a conversation with him, much less interviews with several other accountants. Is he trying to get himself killed?!

And what a criminal underuse of Luis Gatica! Let him do something already!
 

JL strikes me as the type if guy who would kill his wife and child in order that no other man is with her. And if the jig is up with him and he knows he's caught, I can see him killing himself and both of them. Not that I think this will happen in this show though. He just has this out of control control freak going on that makes him desperate.
 

Good points 5Ft Latina. We know that Oriana worked in accounting at Aresti, so she would be a shoe in for the position, but Antonio supposedly stole the accountant from Aresti for the position. I also liked your comparison of the options of what to do with Raquel. She really is not that smart.
And I already know Maritru's answer. And I think she will do it because she's a nice person with no ulterior motives.
 

Paquita, Paquita!! WONDERFUL recap. As always, I am so very appreciative of the vocabulary lesson.

cathyx, why do you think Oriana "may" feel obliged to have sex with JL? I can see this guy threatening her if she doesn't, but I still don't see her as a willing partner.

I did like the scene when both Ric and Oriana were worried that one or the other would have sexual relations with their new/old partners. Looks like Ric is not the only one with these meme in his head. I think Mariano did a good job of trying to convince both that they were getting way ahead of themselves, but to Ric and Oriana, this issue is very real.

I think the solution that Homero has provided is not the best and I am surprised that a man of his intelligence and experience could not come up with something better.

Someone needs to plot a new solution.

Mil gracias, Paquita!!!

Fatima
 

Fatima, I think that Oriana will think she's obliged to have sex with him in order for this plan to go as smoothly as possible, but I don't think she will want to do it and she will be repulsed by it too.

As to Homero's plan, it seems lame to me too, but it was probably the only way the writers could get the main couple apart with a hint of possible betrayal while they still love each other. Then we can all 'wonder' if they will stay together.
 

Thanks, cathyx. I think we are both thinking the same thing. I just do not like this plan. It is dangerous for Oriana. Right now, she is the one with the most to lose on all counts. I do not like it.

The actor who played Berto in this TN had this horrible greasy, slicked back hair. He is in "Robo" right now and has the same dirty looking, slicked back hair. He also talks like he has marbles in this mouth.

I did not find this actor physically attractive in "CME" nor do I find him physically attractive now.

My question: Do women really find that dirty looking, greasy slicked back hair attractive? Is this just a TN fad or this a real life deal? The perennial 5 o'clock shadow drives me up the wall, but this greasy hair is the WORST!



Fatima
 

Thanks, cathyx. I think we are both thinking the same thing. I just do not like this plan. It is dangerous for Oriana. Right now, she is the one with the most to lose on all counts. I do not like it.

The actor who played Berto in this TN had this horrible greasy, slicked back hair. He is in "Robo" right now and has the same dirty looking, slicked back hair. He also talks like he has marbles in this mouth.

I did not find this actor physically attractive in "CME" nor do I find him physically attractive now.

My question: Do women really find that dirty looking, greasy slicked back hair attractive? Is this just a TN fad or this a real life deal? The perennial 5 o'clock shadow drives me up the wall, but this greasy hair is the WORST!



Fatima
 

Fatima, I think Berto was supposed to portray a dirty unwashed seedy kind of character, so they made his hair appear unwashed and long. I don't know the character he's portraying in that other TN, is he supposed to be a bad guy too?
When he was in CME, he had short hair and played a nice guy. I prefer short hair on men, and I thought he was handsome in CME, but he has never been my telenovio, I'm just not that attracted to his looks, but I think he's handsome. I put him in the same category as Jose Ron. Handsome but not my type. Also, I don't love the 5 o'clock shadow either, some can carry it off better than others, but I don't like kissing that scruff too much. By the way, my BIL calls it a fashion beard, not sure where he got that term, but he reads a lot, lol.
 

Let's put our thinking caps on. Can we all come up with a better plan for putting JL (and his associates) in jail, clearing Ori’s name, and keeping her out of jail, legally?

We all just want the police to forget about the identity theft (and passport forgery, which is a major crime everywhere), but can they really do that, without Ori doing something for them in exchange (the spying)?

Considering how dangerous this spying business is, I think I'd take my chances with jail, if I were Ori.

 

I agree she'd be safer in jail. And a jail term is finite with a reasonably standard procedure for how and when you get out. Spying on JL...who knows how long before someone decides the info is good enough, and then there's the matter of when they're going to act on it, and when she does get enough for them to take down big fish Joaquin, is someone going to decide they can let him go in favor of getting at the even bigger fish above him in the organization or the people he's laundering the money for, or etc., etc., etc.
 

Vivi, if she could be a states' witness, she can tell all then go into hiding while they nab her husband. But that wouldn't make a good story line because she would leave and not come back.
 

Great recap, Paquita, with funny asides and comments. I did love your line about poor Cesar. I hope he finds a nice woman (Marilu?) to erase memories of his mother. Geez!

I appreciated Homero's cut and dried view of it all only because Oriana's crying and Ricardo's chest-thumping are just a might too much. Someone on another forum said that their dialogues with each other are written for younger people; as a mature couple, they would speak differently, one would think, when encountering such a dangerous, difficult mess. (I keep thinking of the main couples in AV and in AB who managed to be so convincing and loving but talked like people in their age groups.) I think that the misdirected writing accounts for a lot of the lack of chemistry -- with Ricardo the more juvenile in words if not in actions.

Here, here, 5 ft. Why is Luis Gatica in such a silent, small role? Is there more planned for this very good actor?

Agree with all who wish for a better plan!
 

Traveling Lady- ITA. I actually like this plot/story a lot, but think the writers have missed the mark in the way they write the dialogue between Rick and Ori. Yes, AB and AV are perfect examples of how a couple in their 30s and 40s would speak to each other, especially in the face of difficult life choices, and the presence of ex-husbands/wives/lovers.
 

My plan would be put out a hit on JL. Joaquin would probably be grateful.

Hell, Eliseo is on the skids, could he be bought?

 

5Ft and Vivi in DC, I agree that Oriana would be much safer in jail, but you've got Ric telling her that jail is much more difficult for a woman (when they had the convo about him wanting to kill JL) and Paloma telling her that if she went to jail, heaven only knows how long she would be there.

Honestly, not really good comments from either Ric or Paloma. Oriana feels that going back to JL is her only way out.

There IS a better way to deal with this. Going back to JL this time is going to be so very hard. She won't escape his clutches so easily this time. JL is going downhill mentally and that STINKING Raquel does not help matters at all.

cathyx, "Fashion Beard" LOL! Some of these guys can pull it off,but most just look scruffy.

Fatima
 

Here’s an excerpt from a TIME article on the Mexican witness protection program, after the murders of two key witnesses against drug cartels as few years ago:

“Mexican officials concede they have an utterly inadequate witness-protection system in place. "There is a vacuum regarding the rules and how to operate a witness-protection program," a high-level source inside the Mexican attorney general's office (PGR, after its Spanish initials) tells TIME. "We keep [informants] in secure houses, but they can move around and do as they want. This does not work like the American system — we do not have [protective] marshals, and as far as I know, we have not given any [informants] new identities.""

Yeah. I think I’d take my chances with jail, and keep my mouth shut.

 

Because of the failures of the disorganized "witness protection" program, just last year the Mexican President rolled out a new and improved program, which includes providing new identities. Reviews so far say the program is still a disaster.
 

Everything I know about Witness Protection I learned from watching My Blue Heaven and In Plain Sight. If it's even remotely accurate, they don't mess around! New name, new paperwork, cut all ties with the old life, and you don't go back to doing anything you did before, either as a career or a hobby. If anything, turning Oriana into Ines was a much better job of "witness protection" than what it sounds like the Mexican government does...except for not cutting ties with Raquel and Lucina.

Something keeps coming back to me...Homero mentioned that there is no information at all about Jose Luis Falcon back in Colombia. That makes me wonder if even "Jose Luis Falcon" was an alias and he was already part of "the organization" (though he denies it) when he met Oriana.
 

5Ft, agree on all of your excellent points! Excellent!!

Vivi in DC, thank you for that bit of good info!! Very telling, isn't it?

Oriana: Jail. Period.

Fatima
 

That is a serious possibility. He could have changed his identity several times by now.
 

Yeah. There has to be a reason why the house in Colombia was in Ori's name. Not JL's name and jointly. It struck me as odd, way back when Ori mentioned it. He was covering his tracks from the very beginning and making sure he didn't leave a paper trail. And of course, he also got her signature on the bank accounts by having her think she was signing papers dealing with the house. He's been doing this for a long time. You don't get a nickname from the mob, El Zorro, by just being some underling who happened to stumble/be forced against his will into the game.
 

Now that you mentioned his nick, this actor would make a good Zorro if Televisa decided to do its own version.
 

Interesting about the possibility that JL's real name isn't JL. That would blow away his entire premise to Oriana that he got involved with them because he had no other choice.
 

First time poster. Thank you recappers! This is my fourth telenovela. My husband and I watch together in an attempt to improve our Spanish and we would have some pretty strange ideas about what was going on without the recaps. The first novella we watched was El Cuerpo del Deseo, which was before we discovered Caray Caray. Post Caray Caray, we have watched Abismo de Pasion, and Amores Verdaeros all the way through. We ditched El Tal and jumped ship from La Tempestad. Mentir has moved along a good pace, and I'm appreciating the fact that the "secrets" don't stay secret for long. Also, I like the fact that most of the acting is not as stylized and extreme as I have seen previously. We haven't had to put our novela "beanies" on as often, however this new scheme involving Oriana's return to JL is pretty silly. I'd have preferred Oriana going to spy as an accountant for the new company without her having to move back in with JL.
Lucina and Raquel are my favorites.
Thanks again recappers! We love the snark.
 

UA, yes! he would make a good Zorro, but I would love to see Fernando c. In that role. He looked like Zorro when he played Don Luis in Alborada and he is an excellent horseman. When Telemundo did Zorro a few years ago, Imwas not impressed by the actor they chose. I preferred the by who played his father.
 

Jail would be a better deal for Oriana, but the writers are trying to keep the action and focus on how evil JL is and her being a spy with her stolen ID keeps it so. With Ori in jail, we don't find out more about JL since he could just up and leave.

I've thought that JL was not even JL's real name since Homero said he couldn't find anything on Jose Luis Falcon in Colombia. Yeah, that smells like JL wasn't even his real name and he was a criminal before he met Oriana; and maybe he loved Ori enough to settle down and have a child but never told her about his real identity.
 

Welcome, LN! I hope you and your hubby comment more often. :)
 

Indeed, LN; join the party as often as possible!

J, I also wonder whether their marriage is even legal if he used a false name. That doesn't invalidate a marriage in the US, but it does in Mexico. Anyone know Columbian law on that one?
 

Muerto el perro, se acabó la rabia.
Dead dog, no more rabies.
How about, sleep with dog, get up with fleas, Oriana! )Im talking about JL not Ricky of course.... Look what happened to Fabiola!


Found this Refranero Castellano list of sayings in Spanish, seems like the writers got there first !

http://personales.ya.com/refranero/principal.htm
 

I think Homero is acting like a Fed. My aunt was a U.S. prosecutor and she told me that they always want something bigger. If you don't take the deal, they throw the book at you to make the next person nervous. She used to present her cases before us and we would say...guilty or not guilty. Most of the time, the jury saw it our way.
 

Cynderella, that sounds like so much fun. I obviously like giving my opinion and serving on a jury has been very rewarding for me.