Caray, Caray!

Did Maria not know, or did she deliberately slit her wrists the wrong way to do the job properly?
 

Great song! Can't wait for recap.
I thought the same thing Nanette. The actress is doing a great job because I can't stand her !
 

Can't wait!! So mad I had to miss it today :(
 

Madelaine,
Looking forward to the recap and thanks for the earworm.

Nanette,
I will have to go back and watch the BM scene to see what you're talking about. When I realized what she was trying to pull off I turned away to grab the remote and missed the shot of her wrists.

Off to bed...hasta pronto!
 

I think she was faking it. She isn't interested in dying; she wants to manipulate Alejandro.

While I don't think she has thought it through this far, he is so filled with guilt about Monserrat Maria would think that his guilt about her would be greater due to the length of their relationship and the fact that she has no family left. That would be compounded by the fact that her uncle murdered her father.

However, I think that Rosario will see through her.

As for Graceless, we were all wrong. I never saw this one coming because as far as I know this crime is unprecedented. It's a level of cold-blooded evil that guarantees her a place nobody wants to end up in.
 

Madelaine, thank you! Cannot wait to read your recap.

I thought the acting was stellar all the way around last night.

Didn't we all see and somehow feel the savagry of Pedro's vicious beating? Wasn't Esme's devastating pain and fear palpable? Was there ever a more beautifully conveyed hopeful, wistful smile than the one that eminated from Carlotta? Another tour de force from Graciela. The list goes on.

With my poor language skills, I did not follow exactly what Graciela did. I am hoping it isn't what I thought (but I'm alarmed after reading your comment UA) so will have to wait to read the recap.

Maria should have vacated the hacienda long ago. That said, Ale has done nothing but enable her since the beginning. He kept her there, clearly for his own selfish reasons although it was clear he never loved her. Yes, she bears the lion's share of blame but he did nothing to stop her downward spiral. At the risk of sounding cold hearted, right now, I am reserving my worry for Esme.

Diana
 

We should worry about Esmeralda. She may have gotten out of there under her own steam, but Pedro's phone call with Basurto implies otherwise. If he did go back and kill her, we're going to all be on pins and needles hoping there is evidence to hang on him.

I had completely misjudged Basurto; he's not Caligula yet and he failed to think the situation through. Unless he really is a closet case and is now going for something he isn't likely to get. He hasn't yet seen Pedro at his worst because he keeps that well-hidden.

What he was telling Carlota over dinner was total BS. Monserrat doesn't know enough about him to help her and we all saw how Graceless treated Carlota over this.

Carlota and Monserrat should be smart enough to know that Basurto couldn't afford that necklace on a small-town police chief's salary. He obviously used some of the money Angelica bribed him with but that dinero can't last forever.
 

BM's failed suicide attempt was so predictable. If she would have had sex with Ale she would have tried to get pregnant. They all better sleep with one eye open because BM is on the crazy train.

Jarifa
 

Oh no UA. I can't bear the thought that Esme might be dead! That would be just terrible. I am thinking positively - that she ran out and quickly. I thought Refugio's search revealed that her clothes were gone. I hope that she packed them in a hurry rather than being disposed of to cover up a crime.

Diana
 

Love the song, MADS. Thanks.

Well, I vacated the "Graciela table" rapidly last night. Honestly, it didn't bother me that Gracie accelerated the death of a man who abused servants, raped women, killed Rosario's fiancé, framed her for the murder, sent her to jail for 30 years and separated her from her child. Nope. Didn't really bother me. Sorry. But killing her own baby! Finito. Yes, Graciela's karma is going to be righteous.

The best scene was seeing Alejandro and Montserrat work things out after his suspicions and jealousy flared again. Realistically, there will be many such flares in the future, but if confronted immediately, rather than left to simmer and fester, there's hope.

Maria's cuts were not deep enough to be serious. Superficial flesh wounds like that are fine as attention-getters but that's all.
 

And oh my, isn't it painful watching Carlotta bloom under that seeming loving attention. I hate the thought of her being disappointed and then shamed by Graciela. Dang! Heck, Basurto looked so sincere when he said he wanted a "compañera" and to "formar una familia", I was ready to believe him myself!
 

BTW, Graciela's mere existence is another reason for them all to sleep with one eye open. Yikes!
 

Judy B., I also liked that Ale hasn't magically changed but is struggling with his jealousy as he would be in real life.

Jarifa
 

Graciela's table has been retired; the space will be redeployed.

We'll mix up a batch of Bloody Marias for Carlos (tequila instead of vodka).

Tia Carlota needs a good man with a bank account. A widower with teen daughters sounds about right (I'm thinking that Alfonso Iturralde should play this role).

When Monserrat finds out Graceless' big secret she will disown her.
 

UA,

"We'll mix up a batch of Bloody Marias for Carlos (tequila instead of vodka)."

Heh heh, cute... insensitive... but cute.

Carlos
 

Whoa!...you guys are playing rough this morning! And making me laugh, I must admit.
 

When it comes to playing rough I think our lab subjects are the pros; we're just the chroniclers.

In this tale, however, I think the females are deadlier in the long term and Graceless will be the last to go down.

I added more photos to the weekend gallery, if anyone is interested.
 

Wow! What an episode! Catch y'all after breakfast but among the most impactful moments was the revelation of Gracie's secret: I thought they'd string that one out! Baby murderer! I hope her table is empty now. She is truly evil and psychotic and totally bereft of morals or conscience. Jeezopete!

Something else which has probably been commented on is the total absence of even an edited make up love scene between Montse and Ale but then we go right to a brutal beating of Esme scene. I muted and looked away only glimpsing her bloodied nose and mouth between my fingers as I peeked to see if it was over. Monstrous! Someone noted the other day the craziness of Esme telling EZ about Pedro's sexual preference. Seems we have some sadist chimps on the writing team.

The Maria problem is totally unnecessary. She should never have moved into the house, but she did, ok, Ale should have sent her packing after the first night he made up with Monstse. Ok, he didn't. Thank goodness Rosie, Macario and Dominga are in Ale's household: they, especially Rosie, will see through this ruse. And so we get poor little Laurito kidnapped on Monday. So Maria recovers and snatches the baby? I have to say the kidnapping is truly dismaying. I don't know. . .if this turns into the baby being disappeared for, like, 20 years with an "años después" I don't think I can take that!

Thank you Madeline! This episode should generate vigorous discussion!

Lila
 

Graciela is now the reincarnation of the character Livia as portrayed in Robert Graves' I CLAUDIUS: one of the most murderous women in history.
And she probably will want her son to make her a goddess after her demise.
 

I don't see that happening. No 20 años después; there's too much going on for that kind of a time jump.

However, the revelation about Graceless makes for a new and hideous possibility.

What is mystifying me is how Maria could possibly kidnap the baby in the first place. Monserrat wouldn't leave him without Carlota, so Maria would need an accomplice. I don't see Dimwit going along with this, but Graceless is so soulless she would do this to get big ransom money out of Alejandro.

Of course as much as she hates this infant it would not be in her interests for Maria to kill him, but Maria is certainly capable of it. What a sick bitch she already is.
 

Anon at 10:21, what a great observation! I am reminded of what Tiberius himself said in the second episode: "They say a snake bit her once... and died."
 

Now knowing Graciela's secret it makes me look back at her past actions in a whole different light. The only things she loves are herself and money. Period. Punto final. No other reason for her actions. Not a very complicated person at all.

Poor Padre Anselmo living with her confession. She so skillfully manipulated him with the "confidentiality of the confessional." bit just to make herself feel better.

Jarifa
 

Did Gracie confess to Dimmie that she had killed her first baby? . . .I need to look at that again. If she did tell Dimmie I would expect this to finally reject her and this "hair-brained" (pun intended) scheme to fix the DNA results to get half Alejandro's inheritance. And I agree Montse would be totally through with her.

Like many of you I though Lottie was absolutely radiant and beautiful last night. She was so lovely and smiled so brilliantly when EZ came to fetch her. I could have slugged Gracie for that dig "I hope you have a lot of money because Carlotta can eat and eat. . ." Yet she tried to smile through her tears. Uuuuuuf, that Gracie! You're going down in flames heffa!

Lila
 

*expect him to finally reject her. . .

Lila
 

I've been wondering how long it would take before we got a world-class example of confessional abuse in this story. However, I think she enjoyed burdening him with this at that moment.

She may now regret it, which could spell a dire fate for the good padre.
 

UA, ITA about burdening him she seemed almost giddy.

Jarifa
 

I don't think she told Dimwit the entire truth. She's savvy enough to realize that might push him completely over the fence. I also doubt that Amelia knows the whole truth.
 

Mads, I can to wait for your recap of this action packed episode. Yikes

thanks for the link. I love that song. I am also thinking that our star crossed lovers should be listening to a little Barry White...hang on in there! Baby.

I had to turn away from the scene of dreadful PedrHO beating up poor Esme. There is a special place in hell for men who push weaker people around. Cowards.

Looks like Pedro and Gracie will be getting a table for two in hell.

Well, the sun is shining brightly and temps are going into the 50s so Hub and I are headed out for a drive . Our driveway is like a skating rink.
 

Lila, Urban is right. Graciela didn't tell Dimitrio she had killed the baby, only that the child had died a few weeks after birth.

Did you notice how gallant EZ was after Graciela's horrible "Don't think you can keep her cheaply, feeding her little salads -- she can eat and eat"? He smiled at Carlota and said "A mí tambien me encanta comer." (I love to eat too). EZ is scary good.

And as if we didn't have enough to worry about, there's José Luis, now almost fully recovered, confiding to Refugio that if it weren't for Angélica, he'd snatch up Montserrat. Oy vey. Because we all know that soon Angelica won't be in his way.

I'm kind of hoping María has some heretofore undetected clotting disorder and does, in fact, die from the feeble self-inflicted scratches on her wrists. (oh dear. Did I just write that?)
 

Thanks UA and NM, she didn't tell Dimmie: crazy and eeevil, but not stupid. And I didn't hear EZ say he liked to eat, too. I agree that if one just tuned in to that scene at the door and at dinner it would be easy to cheer for a EZ/Lottie hook up! Is it possible he will really fall for her and forsake his idol (Pedro) and ambitions for power? The way he kept touching Pedro he is giving vibes of being willing to fulfill some fantasies for Pedro in order to climb to the top.

I think I just answered my own question. Poor Lottie!

Lila
 

JudyB and others: The trouble with Graciela is that she lies out of both sides of her mouth. You never know which lie is true and which one is a lie. There's got to be more to the story of the "dead" baby.
 

Here's a YouTube version of the new song, "Bajemos la guardia" sung by Alex Sirvent. This is a collage of scenes from the story up to the present, with the song lyrics (with some typos here and there) running on the bottom of the screen. Youtube has it marked for adults only so blogger may not allow it here. Let's see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-c191dRiuc
 

Jose Luis is getting stupid again. First he begs Montse to lie to him and tell him she never stopped loving him (which she does, thinking him on his deathbed) and now he conveniently forgot he asked her to do it, and only remembers that she said it! He needs to go back into a coma!
 

"Jose Luis is getting stupid again"

I'm afraid I have to agree with you, anon. It's only a matter of time before he starts getting SWEATY.
 

Susanlyn the reserved table for two in hell made me laugh hard.

Anonymous 01:38 "he needs to go back into coma" i do agree

NovelaMaven aaa now geting :
"SWEATY" again, i think going back into coma is enough for him

Kana
 

All:

I agree with Pasofino; who knows what Graciela did with the baby. She probably killed him, she certainly seemed sincere when she said he didn't suffer. But who knows?

Isn't it convenient that she saved a lock of the baby's (dark) hair so that she can use that to get a positive DNA match with Benjamin for Dimitrio.

She might not be sure if Dimmy is Benjamin's child or Lauro's. It is possible she is telling Alejandro the truth on that point.

Also note that Graciela, before admitting her crime to Padre Anselmo made sure that whatever she said would not be repeated outside the room. The good Father PROMISED. However Graciela did not really confess or become absolved. She just tortured the poor priest with the hideous innuendo. I heard her said, "He died." and "He did not suffer." The implication was clear but I never heard her say that she killed her hijo. Sorry to parse the language so finely but I think that is what I heard, and her "confession" probably contains clues for the forward storyline.

Just a creepadelic episode, as far as I am concerned.

I was sickened by EZ Basurto's cozening of Carlota. My only consolation is that "if" that necklace is real it would probably cost upwards of $40,000., depending on the quality of the diamonds. Sigh. She can always pawn it if she needs to. EJ's advice to Carlota: Get the piece appraised for insurance purposes, and be sure to keep the original box and papers.

The Esme scenes were more than I could watch.

EJ

 

Elna June:

I heard Graciela's words to the padre just as you did: she never explicitly said that she had killed the child, though she implied it and it seemed that is how the padre interpreted her words.

Pasofino is so right. With Graciela, you never know. Q: How can you tell she's lying? A: Her lips are moving.

Not that it really matters but…
A snippet of hair like that is useless for proving paternity. For that, you need a hair yanked out at the root. At best, you could get mitochondrial DNA from a cut hair; and that could demonstrate the child's mother, not his father.
 

Plateau time for me. A lot of the tension gone, thank you, but story starts to sag.

I am worried for Esme since that looked like a dreadful event and Refugio is not bright. But Esme was told by PM to pack up and get out and she did. I guess there are reasons for Sergio Sendel being voted best villain. Good special effects make-up. Terrible to see her like that.

I'd love for Mons to ask about her letter! I love love love me some Ale but even in weirdly not of this time and place Agua Azul I'd be asking Mr. Gorgeous to go get some terapia! He's totally breaking down his mojo with these constant insecurity breakdowns. Why unpeel a Diane von Furstenberg wrap around, surpresa!, and then start clutching at your own hair?

Favorite moment: Monse miming putting on her high heels after epic bed roll. Who doesn't have fond memories of those happy few seconds?

Memo to the beautiful Carlotta -- When going out on a date, just look the way you do when you are everyday at home! So gorgeous in every day novela land -- What happened on her date night?

I gather that DC or Graciela will have had to emote every possible option in the DNA story. Seems obvious now that neither Dimi nor Maria are her kin. As soon as Monse pronounded that she knew in her heart Dimi was her brother that whole thing went totally out the window.

I do think that Maria was definitely looking to monologue and check out for real. She just didn't know that vertical makes it happen and horizontal does not.

And, again, I love Alejandro, but for real, dude, recognize a suicide atttempt from the get go and get your sister some help! As in hospital-rehab and a tour of Europe on your dime.

Gretell Valdez has done a bang-up job of showing that beautiful woman who fixates and destroys herself in the process. She may not succeed this time around in doing herself in but this has been her intent all along and she'll get there eventually. Let's hope old Ale and to an extent Monse who ought to know better at this point can get her out of the house and onto to some help! There is no way in hell I would have Maria anywhere near me or my baby!

 

NovelaMaven, I think your comment re that snippet of hair DOES matter. I hope and hope they can only extract mitochrondrial DNA from that specimen. The Whore Graciela cannot win all the time.

This episode was almost too much to watch with the Esme scene.

Maria is now becoming pathetic and I fear she will do desperate and dangerous things.

Fatima
 

Novela Maven:

Thanks for clarifying the hair/DNA thing. Of course, only mitochondrial DNA would be available. So I am wrong about the point of showing us that lock of hair. I am over-attributing, as usual.

I am glad to have you confirm that you heard the Padre/Graciela conversation as I did. Last night surely did not empty the stash of Graciela's secrets.

Maria de Andrade, I am totally scratching my head as to why both Maria and Ale are not seeing the best shrinks in Aguazul.

The real city of Campeche, which is where 'Robo' is filmed, has a population of 200,000 plus. There should be plenty of good psychiatric help available for Ale and Maria.

Now, where did I put my tin beanie?

Elna June

 

"I was sickened by EZ Basurto's cozening of Carlota. My only consolation is that "if" that necklace is real it would probably cost upwards of $40,000., depending on the quality of the diamonds. Sigh. She can always pawn it if she needs to. EJ's advice to Carlota: Get the piece appraised for insurance purposes, and be sure to keep the original box and papers".

There is no such proof. He got it out of the evidence locker.

Graciela got in a nice dig at EZ by questioning it's authenticity as well.

I must admit that I really could not comprehend what Graciela was confessing to el padre. Too much subtlety for my SSL ears.
 

Good Afternoon Y'all:

Lo Siento it took me so long to get this recap up. Please enjoy, and if I made an error please let me know.
 

Mads:
Thank you so much for putting up this breezy and light recap on this busy Saturday. Your recap took the edge off of what was for me a very dark episode.

I did not like EZ's fleecing of Carlota, Ale's descent back into jealous idiocy or Maria's gesture of despair. I hated Graciela's insult toward Carlota. I did not like Refu's jealous and self-righteous rant. Grump grump. I was disgusted by Pedro's battering Esmeralda.

I must have missed the part where, as Oxnard H. says, EZ took the necklace out of police evidence. That explains how the hell he would even find a piece so elaborate in Aguazul.

A jewelry comment:

Also, the necklace page in the magazine may have just been a full page ad in a periodical like Vogue or Vanity Fair, a opposed to a jewelry catalog. It had a look of a LeVian Couture piece to me, although I am sure the necklace was just a knock-off.

Those kind of pieces, (should they be real) are vary rarely made in multiples. Who wants a 5-6 figure necklace that their Beverly Hills neighbor also owns?

Again, that whole scene required a tin beanie. Who brings a 5-6 figure necklace as a gift on a first date? Who accepts such a gift? I was actually staggered by that scene. I found it much less probable than Graciela murdering her infant.

Graciela was right, for once, when she implied that the necklace came with 'obligations'.

EJ
 

Mads: Thanks for the great snarky recap.

I though Basurto told Gracie that he could afford that necklace because he had business interests besides his salary as chief of police.
 

Pasofino:

I thought I heard the same thing as you did re: Basurto's 'business interests'.

Was Oxnard H. Just pulling our leg?

EJ
 

That was a joke I made about the evidence locker but it would not surprise me if EZ confiscated the piece from a contabandista.

I think EZ will make a move on la pedaza de escoria Pedro when he and Carlota become an item and are seen around town.

Street cred, if you will.



 

That is what Basurto said.

Great job, Mads.

Carlota should have that necklace appraised and she should lock it in a safe to which only she has the combination. That he presented it on a first date should look incredibly suspicious.

As for Maria, manicomio now! This was a calculated move to get Alejandro's attention and inspire guilt and locking her up in a padded room would be necessary for everyone's protection.
 

Graciela said to Anselmo that the child had died in her arms. And then told Dimi, decades later, that the infant had died after a couple of weeks.

I don't think she killed the baby nor would we have that on a soap opera, north or south.

So the matter of the baby, no doubt now a grown up, will come up again. And come knocking on some doors. I no longer think we are talking about either Dimi or Maria. More's the pity really.

Basuto did say he had business interests with Pedro Medina. Dumb stuff. Including Carlotta having accepted it and Graciela always acting like such an ass.

Glad the Ale-Monse thing is basically over and done with now, except for some bumps on the road. At least, we have seen them say they love each other and the rest will be some hiccups.

For the rest, I want to see Dimi and Josefina get it together. The other couples I can live without although I will hang in there.

And the mystery of Graciela's baby and Rosario doing her thing. And poor exhausted Padre Anselmo.
 

Madelaine: Marvelous recap. I enjoy all of your clever comments and your perspective is consistently fresh and refreshing.

"her sassy, murdering self", "afterglow of their evening delight" and "Gracie is still harshing her mellow"were among a few of my many favorites.

Like most of the comments, I despaired at Esme's beating, Carlota's hoodwinking and Graciela's horrid musings. I shudder at what she may have done at her coldly calculated cruelty.

NovelaMaven: "And as if we didn't have enough to worry about, there's José Luis, now almost fully recovered, confiding to Refugio that if it weren't for Angélica, he'd snatch up Montserrat. Oy vey. Because we all know that soon Angelica won't be in his way." Wisely stated. I had hoped JL would have succumed to Angie's charms and be in love with her as much as we are, enjoying what will likely be her very limited time left in this world. JL has regressed -it pains me to say it but it's true. He continues to torture himself by living in the fantasy land he himself created.

Maria, I did not care for Carlota's date night look (the hair was simply inexplicable and inexcusable). You captured my feelings perfectly with "Memo to the beautiful Carlotta -- When going out on a date, just look the way you do when you are everyday at home! So gorgeous in every day novela land -- What happened on her date night?" Yes, indeed.

Elna June, thank you for your thoughtful "Sorry to parse the language so finely but I think that is what I heard, and her "confession" probably contains clues for the forward storyline".

I enjoyed all the comments!

Madelaine, thank you for this amazing summary.

Diana
 

Thank you so much, Mads, for giving us such an upbeat and amusing recounting of the evening.

Whatever we may say about the mixed species of writers, they know how to keep things moving and how to keep The Patio on its toes. (And they do seem to have a thing about jewelry, don't they?)

Now what?
 

Whether Graceless murdered the infant or not I think she will end up shunned by all.

Carlota was right the other day about not wanting to trust her with baby Lauro. If his crying is waking up the meager remains of her conscience, so be it. I want to see this bitch go completely mental and spill everything.
 

Madelaine, thank you for another excellent recap as usual.

I sure hope Carlota doesn't end up getting hurt in this mess. After her years of sacrifice she deserves some happiness.

Esme should have kept her mouth shut in the first place so it is hard to feel sorry for her.
As they used to say on the old *prah show "If someone tells you who they are believe them."

JL seems to have a twisted memory of why Montse said what she did when he was so ill. Maybe he was so sick he really does not remember the whole incident with him asking her to lie to him. In this case I feel sorry for both Montse and Angelica. Montse should be able to be free form him already. He is becoming a real pain again.

Well, the plot just keeps percolating along!

Jarifa


 

Great Work, Mads. This happy/sad/maddening/self-delusionary/revelatory/evil-evil-evil episode was handled so perfectly.

I haven't read the comments yet, but I'm sure I heard EZ's explanation on how he could afford a real diamond necklace (maybe they were man-made diamonds) when Gracie embarrassed him about his policeman's salary. He said he had some investments on the side.
 

I thought Tia Carlota cleaned up very well. She looked lovely as Carlota, the date. Her hair and make-up were understated, the dress, beguiling without cheap-ho looking. Her figure is closer to what mine looks like, so I am envious. She certainly doesn't need to wear maternity smocks any more.
 

Lila - The 20 anos despues was done in Un Refugio para el Amor as 5 anos despues and that was agonizing and heart-wrenching enough. Definitely, just pay the money and get him back.

My fingers would point to 1)Maria, but she's indispuesto right now; 2)EZ for Pedro, who can't risk an Ale-heir; 3)Addled for Pedro who promised him some good lana; 4)Dimi for Gracie who needs bebe Laurito out of the way so if she decides to off Ale, soft-hearted Montse won't have an heir to leave anything to. Gracie'd have NO qualms about killing Laurito, now that we know what she did with her first bebe.

I don't want to make *ANY* excuses or justifications for Gracie's actions back when--30 years ago, but if she's in her late 40s, early 50s, she must have been about Montse's age when this happened. Regretfully, there are teenage moms out there today who give birth and then wrap the infant up and put it in the garbage or on the street or leave it in the lavatory and try to get on with their lives. How appalling, how depressing not to have anyone to turn to. We know Gracie did have family backing her up, so she didn't *have* to suffocate the baby--unless she is telling the truth and it may have been premature and died on its own. We will never know, unless she lets us in on it.
 

Graceless's plan is stupid. Of course, this is a telenovela, so it may work. But:

1. Snipped hair isn't useful for a DNA test.

2. Would Ale and/or his lawyer really be willing to let Dim provide any old hair sample rather than having a witnessed DNA sample taken directly from him right at the lab?

3. No one is supposed to notice that the fine straight baby hair certainly did not come from Dim's curly adult head?

4. This could work if someone at the lab is on the take, but in that case, why do they need hair from the correct papa at all?

Better go fetch my beanie wrench.

I could barely watch the scene with Esme and Pedro. That was brutal. It needed a content warning at the beginning of the episode. I was hoping she had called an ambulance and Refugio would see her at the hospital. She was in bad shape to try to get very far on her own. I hope she found some safe place to go, where someone will help her out. Fina's, maybe? Ange's house?

Maria needs to be sent to a manicomio. Of course, the usual novelaland thing to do is to get her wrists bandaged at the hospital, get her absolutely no mental health care, and then bring her back home and let her use the suicide attempt to get what she wants until the last week of the show.
 

Mads, thanks for your cheerful recap. I really like how it zips right along. So sorry to hear some bad things happened. We were worried for Esme and now our fears are realized, darn it! I hope she escaped and that Refugio finds her. I could just kick him in the rear. Esme should really have been more careful. Not only because Pedro is dangerous, but because I recently found out that Mexico has some serious slander laws. In short, it doesn't pay to bad mouth people.

Ugh, Gracie's secret...so glad I didn't have to hear it with my own ears.

I was also sorry to hear about Maria, sorry that her suicide attempt was so lame that is. Hopefully Ale will just take her straight to the clinic and drop her off. Play Misty For Me anyone?

Great comments today!

My internet is spotty today so I hope this goes through. Thanks again Mads.
 

Wow, Mads. Fab recap and everyone's comments really made me rethink a few things after watching last night. Had to run errands all day and couldn't wait to see what everyone thought of last night. It was a hum-dinger.

As someone who had to deal with a person who use to pull the "I've slit my wrist and killing myself" routine, but was ever so careful to not go too deep or made sure it was done when there would be someone arriving to deal with it, I didn't believe Maria's attempted "alas, poor me ending." The cuts were too superficial and maybe it was for affect, but not a tremendous amount of blood flowing. The fact she did it where she KNEW Ale would find her also made me suspicious. She had to do something drastic to get his attention and once again, make him keep her around because now he'll feel guilty. If I'm proven wrong by the writers doing a lousy job of showing this, I'll stand corrected. Right now, nope, I vote fake-out.

I'm just hoping Rosario is on to her fast! I hold out no hope for Ale...he'll be all mopey about now for episodes. At least he and Monse had one night of fun. It'll probably have to hold them for awhile.

I can't even on the Esme beat-down. That had to be very difficult to film for both actors and the fact it left me tearing and my stomach in knots--it was extremely well done. Wish we didn't have to see it at all though. May Peedro the character rot in the deepest pits of hell for that.

Speaking of whom, seems in the convent flashback, Graceless ( lord, what an ironic name for this woman) seemed a bit too flippant in talking about a dead child. The fact she was all teary in present day made me head scratch, so I think there's more to this. And the hair is dark and straight. She didn't mention it whether it was a girl or boy. hmmmmmmm. Who else do we know with the ethics of a deranged psycho?

You know, what it comes down to it, not too many characters right now that you wouldn't want to take behind the woodshed and give a good kick too.

And as much as I love her dearly, poor Angie doesn't deserve that lunk-head JL. He needs to shut up so she at least doesn't have one of her last days on earth succumbing to the dreaded Eavesdropping Syndrome and have to listen to him waxing poetic over Monse again. Wanted to take both he and Refugio and cracked their head together.

Lord this show is turning ME violent. I need a glass of wine and a kitty hug.

Daisynjay
 

Daisnjay and Julia! Preach sisters! Ha!

Anita, I think you're on to something re the kidnapper: "3)Addled for Pedro who promised him some good lana". I certainly hope Dim wouldn't do such a thing. . .he is a whore like his mom but he just made up with his sister and encouraged her to forgive Ale. . .this would be Dim's ticket to hell. Hell! Half the darned novella will end up in the cavernous inferno if this is the case!

Thank you Madeline! You gave just the perfect touch to this eventful and sometimes monstrous episode!

Lila
 

I'm with you EJ - so much to blow the mind - especially the presentation of the necklace on the first date - and I thought he was going to give her a corsage! Loved the evidence locker joke Oxnard! - good one!

I also understood that Graciela strongly implied she'd killed the baby to Padre. But why is she crying rivers over this (supposedly) painful episode now? She sure came across as cold bloodedly ruthless way back then.

And how did she know when she gave birth to save a lock of hair because it might come in useful in a DNA test (which hadn't been invented yet) 30 years later?!?!?! More mind boggleation! I think the writers are ignoring the lack of hair root and fully intend it to be viable DNA "evidence".

I couldn't watch the rest after the Esme bit and her desperate call to Refugio. It's just getting tooooo freaky for me. JL imagining Monse's deathbed lies-on-request as being real - OMG! I'm glad I missed the momentary return of Mr. Paranoid, and the BM suicide attempt.

I have to take a break!
 

Remember EZ tried to give Esme an expensive piece of jewelry a few episodes ago. It's his MO.
 

Madelaine - Terrific recap. My favorite line: "[Graciela] harshes Ms. Tia's mellow." You so well captured Gracie's attempt to spoil things for Tia.

I like Tia's normal look better, with her hair down and in pastels. But it was realistic that, after not dating for a long time, she felt the need to "special herself up."

Tia and Montse were coming back home at the same time. So who was watching Laurito?

JL is getting stupid again.

Anon, so true. JL is ticking me off making Angie spend her last days in the place she dreads the most: the hospital. I guess Angie's function in the story is to make JL a rich man, on equal footing with Ale so he can chase Montse for the rest of the TN. Angie deserves better. I'm back to hoping Angie dumps JL. Esme could use a road buddy.
 

Where in the world are Tia Pru and Robledo in all of this! My gosh, we NEED some reasonable, straight forward thinking people. People with a lesser degree of dysfunction would be so nice right now.

Fatima
 

Good point, Fatima. Where is Dominga also?

Totally agree Niecie: "I guess Angie's function in the story is to make JL a rich man, on equal footing with Ale so he can chase Montse for the rest of the TN. Angie deserves better."

That is too bad. I don't think any of us want to see the return of the sweaty, whiny JL. Darn it all!

Lila
 

No, we want to see Monse and Alejandro figure out what's going on around them and fight back.

That starts with putting Maria where she belongs.
 

Madelaine,

Gracias g\for the recap. I really enjoyed reading it while on my dinner break at work.

Just got through with most of the comments, but I will comment later because I am at work.

Back to work...hasta pronto!
 

Fun recap, Mad, and even though it is on the "fly" it is very comprehensive.
NovelaMaven-yeah, I felt guilty about not caring if the Maria character dies either, when Nanette mentioned it was the incorrect way of cutting I though "maybe you could instruct her properly" but felt ashamed.
I will say the actress who plays Maria did a bang up job of it.
EZ is playing the galan to the hilt. If only he were real.

 

Thanks, Mads, your "on the fly" recaps are always excellent!
 

I just want María to stop wearing those fake eyelashes please!!!
 

Fatima:

You said:
"Where in the world are Tia Pru and Robledo in all of this! My gosh, we NEED some reasonable, straight forward thinking people. People with a lesser degree of dysfunction would be so nice right now."

I couldn't agree more. Maybe Tia Prudencia could come kick JL's butt. Angelica deserves better.

Plus remember that Carlota lit up when Capitan Rpbledo came to the Hacienda when she was there. Now there is a nice man for her. He won't mind if she wants an entree with her salad.

Daisynjay: Glad to see you returned to health. Abrazos.

EJ


 

Elna June and Lila, thank you for the shout out!

There was too much dysfunction last night!!

Madelaine, I refuse to believe this was written on the fly! My "on the fly" would not be half as good, that is for SURE. Thank you so much for this. :))

Fatima
 

Madelaine,

Once again, excellent recap. Awesome descriptions, and informative.

Well, with all the speculation, we were right about the pregnancy, but we would never think of a mother killing her own child. Do we even know if that is true. I don't know what to believe now. Since Padre A went asking where the baby was at the convent, does that mean he was going to take the baby and give it to a family to adopt? Maybe Graceless didn't kill the baby, but sold him/her to a rich family. We all know she likes to sell off her children to the highest bidder. And why did she hold on to that hair? Maybe she kept it in case she needed to bribe the rich family she sold the baby to. With that lock of hair, she could prove she was the mother. Whatever the reason, Graceless wants everyone to believe that baby is dead. I am still doubtful.

Dimi can not start to fully redeem himself until he completely tears himself away from Graceless. She is the one who taught him to worship money. If he ever wants a life of his own, he's going to have to cut the apron strings leave his mother behind and refuse to have any contact with her. But HE is the only one that can make that decision.

I hated seeing Graceless trying to ruin Tia's date night. I think she was jealous. Especially after Tia received a necklace. I too found it an unusual gift for the first date, but EZ is in a hurry to find a wife "de buena familia." It was a nice change to see Tia so happy. Too bad it was with EZ because he's just going to use her and break her heart.

Anon 1:38, ITA:
"Jose Luis is getting stupid again" Is he ever! I can't believe that he's thinking that Montse still loves him. What? Que? Seriously? Now that he's feeling better, he's only thinking of what's going to happen between him and Montse. What about Angie? Is he going to leave her behind? I knew Angie was going to get hurt if she married JL. I hope he snaps out of it, but I doubt it. I saw him looking sweaty already in that hospital bed.

It was hard to watch Esme getting beat up by Pedro. I am glad she left town. She was in too much danger with EZ and Pedro around. Maybe Refugio will look for her and she can come back one day.

BM is a faker. Sorry Carlos, but that's the truth. She's pithed about Ale and Montse getting their groove on. Also that Rosario has taken over her duties at the house. BM no longer has a title and she found a way to gain sympathy from Ale, and perhaps some others as well.

SO HAPPY to see our couple together. Even though they had a small argument, at least they talked about it and worked it out. Those two lovebirds just wanted to find another reason to go back to the bedroom. Those scenes with baby Laurito at the beginning of the epi were so cute. Ale looked liked a proud, handsome and sexy papa. I don't know what it is, but I love to see telenovela galanes holding their bebe. I just find it adorable and sexy at the same time.

Off to bed...hasta pronto!
 

What Graceless said to Padre Anselmo was that she deprived Benjamin of his child. While we know she is capable of murder it is normally a big stretch from murder in general to the murder of one's own infant.

I watched this episode twice and now I'm not sure.

I'd love to know what Televisa's viewers are saying in Mexico.
 

Maybe the writers just wanted to leave us with that unsavory impression so they can shock us further down the line,

Jarifa
 

That is certainly possible. The problem is that we're not at the halfway mark yet and there is a rumor of a 50-episode extension. How many more shocks will there be?

The already double-length of this story is probably because of the drug trafficking, which I dearly hope doesn't become another series of violent incidents to attract an audience with a greater appetite for blood than drama.
 

"deprived Benjamin of his child." Thanks for that clarification UA. That makes me all the more suspicious of implying it was a death. Like Jarifa, think it could be a writer's ploy. I can just see them pouring over a thesaurus to find the perfect word with just enough vagueness to it. At least we can give them credit for having a plan to this TN instead of writing as they go like some recent TN's we've seen ( Corazon, cough cough, Indomitable, cough).

Thanks EJ. This was a really a crummy week. Office was closed Monday and I had a planned vacation day Friday...all of which I spent either sick as all get out or recovering. I'm about done with this winter. Watching Tia and EZ sitting outside at night eating dinner almost made me want to throw something at the TV (besides the fact he's using her.) Back to polar vortex this week. just no....

Daisynjay
 

Thanks, Mads, for a fun, tongue in cheek recap. I so appreciate your happy, upbeat tone during these mostly disturbing story lines.

DaisynJay: you reminded me of that dinner w EZ and Tia. There was so much traffic whizzing by I felt like they were eating in a parking lot or, God forbid, the median!!!

EJ--thank you for bringing us back to reality! Academy Award worthy jewelry as a first date gift is just wacky. And note to Graciela, go read in one of the other rooms of the family manse. That gal doesn't miss a visitor and always has an inappropriate comment at the ready.

Thanks again, Mads, for your great recap!
 

That definitely was a bad place for an outdoor restaurant table.

I hope Alejandro hears about that necklace. Isn't Basurto on his hinky list? If not, Refugio needs to speak up.
 

Thank you Ms. MADS...Your recaps are always upbeat despite whatever horrors the writers throw at us. Thanks goodness. Lots of fun lines which have been mentioned, but I think my favorite was:

"Addled comes by and Nadia tries to keep the barbarian from the gate, to no avail." Just cracked me up!

And NovelaMaven--thanks for the link to Bajemos la guardia. My computer had no problem believing I was old enough to see the video!
Lovely to recall those romantic moments.
 

After a second go around, here are my odds 'n ends thoughts/questions for today:

--In the flashback with Cruella/Graciela and the young Padre, were the clothes she was wearing merely a ruse or for real?

--I think Adolfo is a phony and a liar. This game he has been playing with Fina is just that; a game. He SO willingly gave Pedro some chisme becuase he knew it would get him some lana in the long run. I despise his greasy look and the stupid looks on this face. This fool doesn't know what Pedro is capable of doing to him and I hope he pays the price.

--I am struck, once again, how Maria knows no boundaries. I know Carlos just loves to get us all riled up with his defense of her, so I will patiently wait to see what he comes up with this time. :))

--I hope this is a wake up call for Esme. Her line of work can only get her into more trouble. Refugio doesn't deserve her. Period.

--JL, my oh my, how quickly you forget how Angelica and her Tia literally SAVED your skinny rear end. Jerk.

--My money is on Graciela kidnapping that baby. Urban, would you call Graciela a sociopath or a psychopath?

Fatima

Fatima
 

Good Afternoon Y'all and thank you so very much for all your kind words. I have read all the comments, and I am as confuzzled as the rest of you. My goodness, Graceless is a case isn't she? I thought, for a millisecond, mind you, that Graceless actually felt sorry for having lost/purposedly lost her child. Only a millisecond. After she came up with the hair, I thought, que, que, what? Now, back in the day, way back in the day that is, women used to keep locks of hair of people they loved who had passed, sweethearts, children, husbands, and to top that all off, they had a whole line of what was called mourning jewelry. I'm not kidding. Skulls, coffins, etc in black jet. I saw some on "Antique's Road Show" not too long ago. That lock of hair completely threw me off. I put the phrase "murdering self" in the recap because she did help Don Benny into the great beyond.

To tell you the truth, I kind of looked away when BM cut her wrists. I didn't really see too much, I'm squeamish about blood.

I too hope Esme made it out alive and I'm hoping she went to Angie's. Esme is one of my favorite characters, so plain spoken, but just for once I wish she had kept her mouth shut and not told EZ what she did. That was bad, bad, bad. Angie would protect her, along with Tia Pru.

Thank you for all your insightful comments. I love the way Y'all think!
 

Re: Carlota and Ezequiel.

WE (emphasis intentional) know that EZ is a no good lowdown evil person. His latest bad deed: turning Pedro loose on Esme as revenge for having been rejected by her. But, as to Carlota, I'm going to say - better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. Even if it is fake, she deserves a little attention and love and affection. Who knows? Maybe EZ will be one of the bad boyz who is redeemed in the end. Meantime, he should shower the good Carlota with flowers and food and be rewarded with nothing more than gratitude and a smile.
 

I wouldn't give anyone odds on that.

As for whether Graciela is a sociopath or a psychopath, they are related, but I am voting for psychopath. She displays two out of three of the primary characteristics and we add one more, which is premeditation.

Since DNA was not a possibility in the 80s I am going to guess that at some point she may have wanted to use that clipping of the baby's hair to torment Don Benjamin. However, that would probably have backfired on her because he had no empathy for any human being and no conscience. He would have beaten her senseless or killed her. Perhaps just to amuse himself in the process.
 

thanks, mads. Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. I know that you are all trying to figure out where this novela is heading,

Malria is a wheeler dealer. That suicide attempt was just an attempt to guilt Ale into letting her stay with him by making him feel sorry for her. Do you think that she still has any hope that he will ever be hers after Rosario told her not to enter Ale's bedroom ? I liked Rosario's little smile as she blocked the door. Yes, Malria! Mony and Ale in there getting busy.

and so, we are not sure if Disgraceful actually killed her newborn babe , sold him/her or made him /her disappear somewhere. She was awful to Tia when her date arrived. Did anyone else get a "being picked up for the prom" kind of vibe ? Wow..a diamond necklace. All I ever got from a prom date was a corsage or nose gay.

Looking forward to tomorrow night's episode.y
 

I have locks of hair from my daughters and granddaughters. I have my daughters in their baby books.

Esme has to learn to not constantly open her mouth to the wrong people. If I have learned anything in life, it is that sometimes the best course of action is to keep my mouth shut.
 

We're not sure based on the exact dialogue of that scene, but I am sure she was and is capable. There is no goodness in this woman.
 

Thanks for this excellent recap, Madelaine. Very well done.

Julia,

"Of course, the usual novelaland thing to do is to get her wrists bandaged at the hospital, get her absolutely no mental health care, and then bring her back home and let her use the suicide attempt to get what she wants until the last week of the show."

and I'm counting on it.

As for Maria's wrist cutting... I looked closely at her wounds and indeed they appeared to be superficial. At the rate the blood was dripping from them, it would have taken a very long time for her to bleed out. However, this is a TN and perhaps there are restrictions on the amount of blood that can be shown. Over the years I put in many hours in the ER and saw many sliced wrists. We considered each attempt, no matter how feeble, as a serious effort, so I'm going to extend the same consideration to María.

Maria de A,

"I do think that Maria was definitely looking to monologue and check out for real. She just didn't know that vertical makes it happen and horizontal does not. "

I agree with your first sentence, but as for the second, I've heard that said and would be willing to challenge and debate that point, and interestingly, in all the attempts that I attended, not a single one utilized vertical cuts.

As for Graciela's baby, Padre Anselmo inquired, "Where is the baby?" and she replied, "It died." For now, I'm going to take her at her word though I can't imagine even Graciela actually murdering her own child.

Carlos
 

The Beatles have a message.."Listen, do you want to hear a secret...do you promise not to tell...whoa.oh...oh.....closer ...let me whisper in your ear...,
 

Can't wait until JL finds out Ale and Mons have reconciled.
 

That will have to happen soon, but Angelica doesn't even know this yet. She is the one who truly needs to know at this point.
 

Mads, excellent recap. I just watched this episode late last night, and since I still hadn't seen the two prior episodes, seeing Ale's near complete turnaround was jarring. Not believable without therapy, but ok, writers.

What's more unbelievable is that he would still have Maria living in the same house! I didn't hardly see any complaints about this, while folks were screaming about Monse visiting dying (at the time) JL in the hospital-- both the tn characters and folks on the blog. Monse is also being incredibly understanding about this, and her easy acceptance that, although they have been sleeping in the same bed for months, nothing happened, is way more trust than Ale deserves.
 

Vivi...yes, we must put on our beanies as we suspend our disbelief at the abrupt reconciliation of the star crossed lovers after months of distrust and jealousy. Que?

Well, it is cold here after a few days in the 50s , but the sun is shining. Hope everyone has a good Monday. I am off to give the verb tenses test that was supposed to be last Wednesday,,but, a sudden freezing rain cause an accident and a traffic jam ,and only one of my students was able to get to the college. This winter has been hard on my teaching schedule.
 

Most of us have probably concluded that nobody in Alejandro's employ wants to rock the boat and Monse hasn't wanted to address this either for different reasons.

She should not fully reconcile with him until he tosses Maria out on her arrogant ass. Which reminds me that Adolfo needs to tell him about the murder attempt.
 

Dear Mads,

As always, thanks for the fabulous recap with the great accompanying soundtrack! What a treat--so sorry I'm late in commenting.

I enjoyed everything and these lines really had me laughing:

"We start with the refried of Ale, Monse, and the blurred bebe butt changing scene. Univision, really?"

"Gracie, the ice water queen, comes in and harshes Ms Tia's mellow."

And I also thought this line was especially well-observed and delivered:

"She smarmily asks the Good Padre for a benediction but he does not give it, and her sassy, murdering self goes. "

I am happy and relieved to see Montse and Ale back together, even though the way it happened stretched my ability to suspend my disbelief. It was an awful period in this TN when Ale was in his rage mode. It was believable, though, to see that he wasn't completely over everything, but was trying to work it out with Montse.

I though I heard, too, during María's attempted suicide that she finally mentioned her mother. Did anyone else get this? She said where she was going, that she would see her father and mother. I can't remember if she said AGAIN, which made me wonder if she had known her mother or not.

Thanks, again, Mads, for a stellar recap!

 

I don't remember hearing "again", so I am still not sure that Maria ever knew her mother. She never mentioned her up to this point.

Just a heads' up to all that the next two episodes will be intense.
 

Vivi:

I agree with you about BM still being in that house. I think Ale still has a kind of blind spot for her. He knows she has no one in the world and he feels sorry for her, but he should really have insisted after he decided to reconcile with Monse to have Maria leave. Now she has gone and cut her wrists and now she will try to manipulate Ale. Not like she hasn't try to do that before. She's done it all along but nothing has worked. I think, she thinks, this is the way to go. I wish Addled had gone to Ale and told him what BM tried to do to Monse.

Julia R:

Yes, she did mention her Mama. It was interesting that BM did. I had never heard her mention her Mama before as Urban mentioned. We don't really know when her Mama died either. I'd like to see more a back story for her too.
 

I can't remember the exact words, and they'll likely show the scene again tonight, but what Maria said made it clear she had known her mother, and she was wondering if she would be reunited with her mother and father (in death).
 

I think Graceless did kill her baby. The fact that she was crying in the present is just her crying for herself. Crying for her lost youth and lost wealth. Otherwise, what was the point of implying to the Padre that she killed her child and letting him believe it all these years?

Going back to Maria living in Ale's town house (really, he couldn't even send her back to the hacienda, at least?)-- As much as Lottie and Rosario bitched at Monse for visiting JL in the hospital, then two of them are just sitting back and smiling while Ale continues to have his mistress living in the same house? There is some major double standard bs going on here.
 

I think Graceless loves to torture people emotionally. She definitely enjoys intimidating anyone who can't fight back, so torturing a good priest with a confession like that would definitely give her a high. Her ego is such that the idea of him having nightmares about it all these years would make her more excited than the prospect of novela sex.

She could also be frigid.

What I do believe from that confession is that she didn't love Benjamin and she certainly never loved Lauro. Both men were a means to an end.
 

Madelaine, thanks for an excellent recap.
I believe Gracie killed her baby, because it was an object to her, not a person. She was depriving Don Benji of his baby, as well. Don't know if the pregnancy was an accident or a planned trap. Either way, it didn't induce Benji to marry her so was no longer a useful tool.

So, if Don Benji not happening, then ditch Plan A, including the baby, and move on to Plan B, marriage to Lauro. (If I missed some pertinent details, please correct.)

Gracie is all about herself and maintaining her lifestyle and position. Probably the only thing that makes her feel secure. Funny list the other day on net--fashion errors that middle-aged women should avoid. Gracie was guilty of at least half of them.
 

Urban:

I wonder if in fact it is the other way round with Graceless that maybe she did love Benny, but he didn't love her? In all her flashbacks she is sure enjoying her time with him. I wonder if she knew about Benny's proclivities to the women on the hacienda, as Joaquin implied? She sure was shocked to find out about Ale.
 

Vivi in DC, I agree with the excellent points you have made re The Whore Maria still in that house. I think the writers could have given us something more believable here and still keep the plot moving. The faux slitting of the wrists is really a trite TN tool which does not impress. We know The Whore Maria is a skilled manipulator. Give us something more interesting than this.

Like you, I am also bothered that Montserrat, Tia, and Rosario have said not one word about getting Maria out of there. Maria is a major impediment to Alejandro in that he is emotionally blinded by their childhood relationship. The guy has to start growing up (as does Montserrat).

I also agree with Julia Rold that the way the "reconciliation" was handled really made me wonder what drove Alejandro's sudden transformation.

I hope that Rosario continues to offer wise counsel to her son and that discussion should start now with a plan for The Whore Maria. I just don't think I can take 40 episodes of The Whore Maria still living in that house.

Interesting isn't it how our feelings about the actors can drive our responses to the characters they play. When an actor reminds us of real life difficult people, it's hard to cut that actor some slack! I will be the first to admit it. :))

Fatima
 

She told the padre that she didn't love Benjamin and I totally buy the notion that the pregnancy was meant to be a trap. Which didn't work.

The adds to Carlota's comment about not trusting Graceless around Laurito.
 

Week of February 17, 2014:

Low Points:

Sad Dim when he hears about his “parentage”.
Pedro insisting Nadia have kids to fill his big (overcompensating) house.
Baby crying and nobody comforting him—so not cool.
Ale admits that it was the DNA test and Ros’ influence which had him believing Mons wasn’t cheating on him and not Mons’ word.
Mons crying when Ale leaves.
Ros doesn’t want to leave Little L.
Ros’/Mons’ leave taking.
Angie coughs up blood.
Doctor says JL is dying.
Alpo tries to seduce Fina.
Pedro wants Nadia to meet him wearing his slutty dress (I mean the slutty dress he picked for her).
Fina overhears the conversation between Alpo and Dim.
Angie should have been brought to JL’s deathbed, too.
Dim demands “his” inheritance.
JL calls out for Mons in front of Angie.
Ale overhears Mons telling JL she loves him after JL asks her to lie about it.
Ale walks away before JL tells Mons thanks for lying.
Ale has really bad timing.
Ale is a whack job (no surprise there).
Mons decides to reconcile with Ale as Ale signs the divorce papers.
After hearing Ale say he signed the divorce papers and provided for Little L, Gracie seizes the main chance and tells Ale Dim could be Ben’s son.
Fina gives Dim his freedom (LP-because it makes her sad).
Dim leaves Fina for a chance at an inheritance from Ale.
EZ sends orchids to Tia.
Angie collapses.
Ref sees EZ kiss Esme, but does not see her push him away.
Nadia has a crazy plan.
Ros tells Maria she won’t rat her out.
EZ tells Pedro Esme is bad mouthing him.
Alpo comforting Fina scene. Nadia looked as sick to her stomach as Viewerville.
Pedro beats Esme up.
Ref refuses to talk to Esme when she calls for help.
Possibility Gracie killed her baby.
Gracie plans on using “dead” baby’s hair for the DNA test (good luck with that).
Pedro tells Esme to leave town.
JL believes his delirious conversation with Mons is true and that she really loves him.
Gracie embarrasses Tia in front of EZ.
EZ gives Tia a totally inappropriate gift and Tia accepts it.
EZ is so courtly Tia is going to feel gut-punched when the truth comes out (assuming he doesn’t reform).
Alpo tells Pedro that Dim is Don B’s son.
Ref is too late to help Esme.
Maria didn’t succeed with her wrist slashing.
 

Highpoints:

Tia stands up to Gracie.
Gracie gets the Ros news.
Tia reveals to Gracie she knew about Ros.
Tia zings Gracie.
Tia and Ros embrace in victory.
Ale sees his son for the first time.
Ale begs for forgiveness and Mons refuses.
Mons gets to unload on Ale.
Tia eavesdrops on Ale’s and Gracie’s conversation.
Alpo kicks Maria out and tells her not to return.
Tia refuses to let Gracie harangue Mons and also refuses to leave Mons alone in the house with Gracie.
Angie encourages Esme to reconcile with Ref (though Viewerville is torn on an Esme/Ref reunion, I’d like to see it).
Tia and Mons have an interesting talk.
Tia owns the HP list, thus far. You go girl!!
Mons goes to JL’s bedside (Viewerville is split on this—I’m putting it here because I believe she should go, just as I believe Angie should have been told so she could be by his bedside, too).
Fina is not falling for Alpo’s crap.
Angie not upset about JL calling for Mons.
Tia is still standing up to Gracie.
Pedro gives Viewerville a chuckle and pretends he’s into women.
Nadia catches Pedro with EZ.
What Viewerville been waiting for since her first appearance—Maria finds out Ros is Ale’s mother.
Ros tells Maria to set the table.
Very nice moment between Dim and Mons.
Fina gives Dim his freedom (would be best for her).
EZ’s face when Nadia accuses him of cheating with her husband.
Nadia talks to Ale about Mons.
Ale/Mons reconcile (can’t stand him, but it’s better than seeing him mopey).
Dim seems about to tell Fina he wants to be with her.
JL is better. He and Angie have a nice moment.
Esme quits her job.
Gracie is confused re: Ale/Mons relationship.
EZ is being very touchy feely with Pedro.
Gracie’s secret is revealed (or is it?).
Ros’s face when Mons tells her not to bother getting Ale, she’ll go up to him.
Ros telling Maria that Ale and Mons are busy.
Ale actually doesn’t overreact when he thinks about and confronts Mons about her telling JL she loves him.
Ale and Mons talk it out.
Maria sees Ale and Mons making out.
Maria tries to off herself.
 

Thanks Nanette...quite a list there! Especially liked your "What Viewerville's been waiting for since her first appearance--Maria fidns out Ros is Ale's mother."
 

Gracie's a real beyotch, but fun to analyze. Killed her bastardo baby to keep moving with her life. However, once married to Lauro, with a secure home base and social position, had two more babies. She's not in a position to get rid of them, important to use them for her advantage.

Loved her "prize" son and heir, even learned to dote on him, run interference for him, and love him a little too much.

Not so much love for her beautiful, sweet, and dainty daughter. Sees her as a potential rival and/or tool for negotiations with suitors of social prominence.


 

Mads thanks so much for your wonderful recap and musical accompaniment.

Nanette thanks for your great list.

Must use a heavy-duty beanie for Ale's transformation and question Montse's sense in returning w/o any medical help.
 

Why can’t JL just wait? Angie is going to die—I don’t think there’s even a TN miracle for her. Give her the best last few weeks/months of her life. No more moping about Mons.

UA: Please tell me you’re wrong about the extra 50 eps!!!

Is Robledo married or not? He keeps popping up here as a suitor for Tia, but I thought he was married (I like him for Tia, too, by-the-way).

If they use that lock of hair for DNA and get a match with Don B., it will be a major beanie moment.

 

Captain Robledo is married; Carlotte commented once about it. However, if the good Señora Robledo were, at some point, to die conveniently, perhaps our Carlotta might find a suitor worthy of her charms.
 

Thanks Mads for a great recap, and everyone else this week. They are all so varied and good. They are a big help when I do the lists, especially now since I'm going to start reading them first and then just watch the scenes that I'm interested in. At least until I find out whether I'm going to totally commit to En Otra Piel.

Re: the lists: You're welcome JudyB and Karen.
 

Thanks for the list of highs and lows. You are amazing at picking out the most important points. Where were you when I was studying for tests ? You would have been a spectacular study buddy.

I have thought of a solution to the problem of Malria.....send her to work as a maid for DisGraceful. !! Say it with me now....YIKES. They could be each other's worst nightmare.
 

Excellent list, Nanette!

Since JL was delirious, and can't even remember the stuff he said to and about Monse while he was feverish, I'm going to give him a pass. But I do hope that he finds out right away that Monse and Ale are back together (even if they are divorced), so that we can put a halt to a 2nd go round of this love triangle. However, with MANY capitulos to go, I'm sure the writers will be recycling this storyline once Angie is no more. I'm already tired of it.
 

Susanlynn: thanks so much. It would have been nice to have you as a study buddy, too. I do so enjoy your observations about this show.

Vivi: I give JL a pass for his mis-remembering what went on. I just don't want him to be distracted in any way from Angie. She needs his full attention and love. I agree would be very boring to have them revisit this triangle once Angie is gone. Time to introduce someone new for JL after she dies.

In my fantasy world, Angie would miraculously survive and JL would realize she's really the one for him.
 

Vivi: thank you.
 

I don't think anyone should be held responsible for what they say when they're seriously injured, feverish, delirious, and drugged-up, but I hope someone puts and end to JL's delusions ASAP and he finds out Montse only said that to humor him when she thought he was dying. I'm REALLY tired of that triangle and it's especially tiresome when he has someone new who is great and whom he really cares for. Maybe Ange is dying, but wait to check out your other options until AFTER she is gone, JL! Sheesh!
 

People say things to a dying person because, well, they're dying. But what happens when that person lives? Are you supposed to take it back, say it was a lie and move on? Especially when those lies were a request from the person dying. That is why I thought it was a mistake for Montse to tell JL she never stopped loving him. Now his feverish, delusional request is going to come back and bite several people in the ass. I can already hear the whining in his voice. And he told Refugio that he wanted to steal Montse again. It's like we're back to square one. He is insisting that Montse still loves him. I just hope that Angie never has to hear JL talk like this. Even though she knows about JL's love for Montse, it would still hurt her to hear him talk this way while she is still alive. I hope JL finds out that Ale and Montse are back together, and soon!
 

Julia, ITA...

"Maybe Ange is dying, but wait to check out your other options until AFTER she is gone, JL! Sheesh!"
 

Holy cow, Nanette! How do you keep track of all of these things?! Thank you so much for another excellent list.

I TOTALLY agree with you re JL. Like Vivi in DC said, the triangle is old. Forget it now and move on everyone.

Fatima
 

BTW,
Ale did not have time to tell BM to leave the house in Aguazul. When he went to talk to Montse, he didn't know if they were going to get back together. BM slit her wrists the same day. It may be hard to believe, but everything happened in one day, after Ale heard Montse's "confession of love " to JL in the hospital. The next morning Ale signed the divorce papers while Graceless went to get her money from his house. Ale then talked to Nadia, then went to see Montse. Yada, Yada, Yada, they got back together, spent time with baby Lauro, then Ale went home. He wasn't there long before Montse showed up for a little visit and they really got back together in his bedroom. After Ale took Montse back to her house, he came back home and found BM and her slit wrists.
 

Nanette,

Thanks for the High/Low list. I love reading them every week. They remind me of the stuff I may have forgotten.
 

AuntyAnn- I'll only cut Ale a tiny bit of slack for not having thrown Maria out on her butt the same day. But when he came back home from having made up with his (ex) wife and mother of his child, the FIRST thing he should have done was sit Maria down for a talk about where she was going tomorrow, because she sure as heck couldn't stay in his house anymore, given that his mujer could visit him at any time and wouldn't take kindly to his MISTRESS living there. It's not like he was busy. When Monse came over that evening, he was just hanging around moping sexily in his pj bottoms.
 

He was just hanging out, but I don't think Maria was home then. She was out trying to get some action from Adolto. Still, if he'd been thinking, instead of lounging around shirtless, he would have been waiting (dressed and pep-talking himself to tolerate no nonsense) for Maria with an envelope of cash to get her on her way and a list of suggestions for places she could crash.
 

Fatima: I work on the list daily. I rely very heavily on the recap and all the comments. So you help make the list happen. Thanks.

AuntyAnn: you’re welcome. I enjoy doing it.

At the risk of being ostracized, I have to say that Ale does owe Maria something more than throwing her out in the streets. He's used her badly. I think he probably feels guilty about that. He knows Maria's no saint, but he's not aware of all the things that we know she's done. And, no, I have no intention of sitting at Maria's table.

 

It's difficult with Spanish sometimes to catch the gender. I wasn't clear whether Gracie was saying she was happy to keep his son from Benjamin, or his child, since hijo can be used for either.

Anyway - if it was a "son" - then it couldn't be Maria. FWIW.
 

Nanette:

The lists were great this week, as always. Not having the memoryof our Vivi, I always find something on the list that i had glossed over or forgotten.

Your judgement about what event goes on each list always gives me a chuckle.

Thanks, Nanette, fo ryour hard work.

Elna June