Caray, Caray!

NovelaMaven! I am so excited your recap is up! How fantastic!!! Now, off to read another one of your gems. :))

Fatima
 

Ooooo - those writers! They made me so mad! What an awkward and obvious setup for Alejandro. Ridiculous! And then Ale's sober, but hallucinating in the streets? How bizarre. All I could think was - Oh, no, Mr. Rage is back! while cursing the writers. I was ready to turn off the TV, but then I calmed down. :)

Macario's little nyah-nyah-na-nyah-nyah happy dance really did it for me! :)

Thanks for having the recap up so quickly, NovelaMaven. But to do it justice I'll have to savor it in the morning with my coffee.
 

Your writing style is superb, NovelaMaven!

Like Audrey, I think I will wait until later to comment. It all seems a wee bit too discouraging right now. It looks like Round Two of the same old, same old.

Fatima
 

Almost forgot. The Milton quote. PERFECT

Fatima
 

Novela Maven, that was so quick and so well done. The quote from Milton was perfect. I liked you pointing out that "EZ and Pedro relax in what is not a very big Jacuzzi." That was one weird scene that made me think??????

Ale got what he deserved tonight: another hellish attack of jealousy because of skulking and not making his presence known. Nothing good ever comes from "skulking". Hey, besides bad info he even got hallucinations.

Graciela 's anvil cannot be heavy enough or come quick enough. Her thoughts about Rosario were particularly hateful. The only good thing she did was call BM "criadita" (little maid) and put her in her place as only Graciela can do.

Talking of Rosario, I loved how she told BM to finish setting the table. BM looked rather deflated. So sad, too bad.

Jarifa



 

NovelaMaven, thank you for your most excellent recap. It is a joy to read. And I love the quote. I'm impressed at how amazingly pertinent it is for this tale. Just goes to show you, the human condition really does not change much.

So sorry I missed the mix-up hot tub scene with EZ and Pedro. Must have been classic.
 

Great work, NovelaMaven.

That Jacuzzi scene was such a perfect blunder of Pedro's I was almost on the floor. It's episode 71 and we still don't know his secret. The dynamic between him and Basurto is bizarre, but my gut is starting to say that Basurto is looking to dethrone him somehow. Like Caligula going after Tiberius. These two are definitely going to take each other out at the end.

So does this mean no DNA test now?

I wasn't surprised that Alejandro signed the divorce papers after the events in this episode.

As to the inheritance being cursed, I've heard people in the real world say such things. However, since Benjamin Almonte probably came by most of it dishonestly maybe it is. But the biggest curse in his life is Maria, followed by Graceless.

In last night's episode when Alejandro told Rosario that the Mendoza house was not her home I don't think he was being selfish. He needs her but he was thinking of how Graceless must be treating Rosario and that the baby has Monserrat and Carlota to protect him.

Alejandro needs Rosario for all the right reasons, including helping to evict Maria.
 

A Very Astute Observation: "though there is no test to show that Laurito was conceived in an act of abuse".

Here here! Your drink of choice awaits you at the bar. Lemonade? Wine? Cerveza? Spirits? Agua? You name it.
 

Dear Novela Maven:

I haven't yet seen the episode but I could not wait to comment on your fab recap. Starting with the Milton quote, this was a gem. I love the entire introduction.

I cannot tell you how great is my disappointment that the monkey writers appear to be back. It sounds like they have made Ale incomprehensible and even more unlikeable.

I must now go watch this (unpleasant) episode. I just hate seeing people go crazy. It is so very depressing.

Thanks, Maven, for getting the recap up so quickly and for providing the warning that I was about to get the Pan Troglodytes view of a human psychotic break.

Somebody get Alejandro to a manicomio, STAT.

Elna June
 

NovelaMaven:

Thanks so very much for this jewel of a recap, it sparkles and shines from your Milton quote to you introduction, simply marvelous!

Ay, yi, yi, I so didn't like Ale's fall into hallucinations. I wished he had stayed to the end to hear JL tell Monse thanks for the lie. Now he has gone off the deep end again.

I too am glad that Rosy is with Ale. I think Y'all are right about Graceless, treating Rosy like dog doo on her shoe, for pity's sake. I hated when she told Lottie that Rosy should dress better and get her hair done! I loved Lottie giving Graceless the bidness. My favorite part tonight was Rosy telling BM to finish setting the table, oh, snap! I didn't like BM's apology at all. It was not even half hearted. I hope Rosy kicks her out of the house.

Dimwit is again surprising me. I think he was actually sincere when he was talking to Monse. He gave her some good advice, but Monse needs to still work through the horror Ale put her through. She should only go back on her terms and no one else's.

I am so worried about Angie. She looked so sick sitting there with JL. I hope this isn't the end of her.

It did look quite suspicious with EZ and Pedro in that hot tub. Nadia looked sick to her stomach. I too wonder what Pedro's big secret is as far as himself and what he is doing to those lands of Ale's.

I hope Ale gets a DNA done to prove that Dimwit isn't related to him. Graceless just wants all the money, all the time. I wonder too, what her big secret is, if it isn't Dimwit's parentage. Hmmmmmm

Thanks once again NovelaMaven for this most excellent recap.
 

If Graceless is just pulling Alex's leg about the paternity of Dimi, Alex is going to want DNA proof before he hands over half of the estate. Now are we in for a fake DNA result with the help of Pedro? It's been known to happen in TN land.
 

Has anyone else wondered if Graceless knows BM is her child with Benny as we speculate? and if Yes why doesn't she oppose their sleeping together strongly as most people believe they are doing the did?
 

NovelaMaven,

You never cease to amaze us with your writing. Thank You so much for this most excellent recap.

I knew that it was a mistake for Montse to go to that hospital. It was not her place to be by JL's bedside if he is dying (which I hope he isn't). It is Angie's place. I felt so bad when Angie was sitting next to JL while he called out for Montse. I know that Angie knows about JL's love for Montse, but it still has to hurt her. Montse should not have told those lies that JL "requested" her to say. What if it had been Angie at the door hearing everything instead of Ale. She would have been crushed, and thought that Montse was not her friend because Montse had sworn to her that she no longer was in love with JL. Or worse, Angie could have had a setback in her illness, or even God forbid die. I know Montse said what she said to comfort JL, but she just really irks me sometimes with her "cara de inocente".

With that precise timing of Ale at that hospital door, I knew the monkey writers were back. I don't blame Ale for being pithed. The only thing he knows is that his wife just confessed her undying love for another man, while that man talked about them making love. That would drive any red-blooded man crazy!

Snap! Loved the scene with Rosario telling BM to finish setting the table after learning that Rosy was Ale's mother. And Mac laughing in her face; PRICELESS!

Urban A,
I was thinking the exact same as you; "In last night's episode when Alejandro told Rosario that the Mendoza house was not her home I don't think he was being selfish. He needs her but he was thinking of how Graceless must be treating Rosario and that the baby has Monserrat and Carlota to protect him."

I was not expecting Ale to sign the divorce papers.

Did anyone notice that Ale told his mother that he wanted her advice about something when she was setting the table. I wonder what was said in that conversation. Was it important, and did it have anything to do with Montse?

Off to bed...hasta pronto!
 

AuntyAnn, Monserrat should not be criticized for the "cara de innocente" in that scene. She isn't Maria and had no evil intent.

However, it certainly wasn't logical for Alejandro to return to the hospital after Angelica's harsh words the last time he was there. That was all about the writers creating a new misunderstanding that should not be there. That he missed the critical "Thank you for that lie" is TN SOP.

Faked DNA results? That's happened before, too. But there is a third possibility, that Dimwit is the son of yet a third man. I actually think that Graceless may really not know whose sperm landed that time although we know that this is not her biggest secret.

The only way to know this would be a kinship analysis involving Dimwit, Alejandro, and Monserrat. And if there was any concern of scandal (TN doctors often don't obey HIPPA laws) they should all go to Mexico City to have that done.
 

Ah NovelaMaven--thank you for that wonderful Milton quote and for all the grace and elegance of your writing. What a dismal episode to have to report! I don't know if I can bring myself to watch. I hate what the present-day writers are doing to this story. There was hurt and misunderstanding in Amor Real, but not like this! Ugh!!!

But the Milton quote is a timely reminder that we create our own Heaven and our own Hell. Alejandro is in his right now. And we can choose to watch or not watch.

Thank you for another exquisitely crafted recap of what was clearly a dreadful episode to watch and write about. Must have been so depressing that even the Grammar Nerd had to bow out. Dang!
 

Milton knew what he was talking about , and so do you, NovelaMaven. I always look forward to your insightful and clever recaps.

My absolute favorite scene last night was Ale letting Malria in on the news that the woman she took such perverse pleasure in insulting and demeaning was his madre. SNAP....I love the snaps that Macario so joyfully gave to the stunned Malria. Gracie did some snapping of her own.

Wow, who knew that Pedro's surprise for Nadia's evening would be Viktor. Also, I did not realize that people put bubbles into an outdoor hottub. That was quite an interesting picture of EZ and crazy Pedro relaxing in those bubbles. que?

I guess that Ale wandering the streets seeing Mony and JL in every lovey dovey couple was supposed to be artistic , but I found it silly . We will see a lot of scenes that are just necessary to extend this story through all the added episodes. Boo

well, off to work and hoping the freezing rain does not start while I am on the road. I am so tired of this winter and constant fretting about driving in bad weather.
 

Dear NovelaMaven,

Thanks so much for the tremendous recap! I especially loved your line about double-bubble night in the jacuzzi and also this wry observation about Alejandro:
"Alejandro concedes the point. If Dimitrio is right, he's willing to turn over half the inheritance to him. (Because greed isn't this man's problem.)"

So true!

Thanks, too, for including all the many sentences in Spanish. I appreciate having them to think about the grammar structures and vocabulary, and most especially to learn new idiomatic expressions. They are incredibly helpful.

But, oh, the writers made me angry last night--why in the world would Alejandro suddenly appear at the hospital at just that moment? It doesn't really make sense even by the generous standards of happenstance in TN-Land.

I did feel better though, that he didn't seem outraged when he returned and asked to speak to Rosario very calmly. My sense of hope for our protagonists was mostly augmented by the avances. I really hope we get something positive happening between them tonight.

Thanks again, NovelaMaven. Love the title, too!
 

Before I dash off to work, I thought I would share a favorite uplifting quote that I have framed . After that downer of an episode in the midst of a harsh seemingly endless winter, I think we could use some positive thoughts.

Is it so small a thing
to have enjoyed the sun,
to have lived light in the spring.
to have loved, to have thought,
to have done ?
Matthew Arnold
 

NovelaMaven, Although I am bereft due to the agonizing events of last night, I feel something I thought I was no longer capable of. Hope. All due to your generous, absorbing,carefully crafted recap.

The title made me smile and your Milton quote was inspired.

We desperately needed you to reiterate the facts and you did, sparing nothing but you recanted the events beautifully and soulfully. Thank you.

Although Ale continues to be mired in muck, your details managed to ease his self inflicted wounds with soothing balm. Thank you for pointing out that some small encouraging moments did take place (Rosario's subtle but very effective announcement to Maria accompanied by Ale's support and Macario's subsequent glee). Perhaps all is not lost. Yet.

Audrey and Elna June, I also think the writers made another mis-step here, rendering Ale just about unforgiveable.

"EZ takes a dive for Pedro -- it's double-bubble night in the Jacuzzi", "he tunes her in when he wants to hear someone else voice his own suspicions (because if someone else is saying it, it means he's not crazy). He tunes her out when he allows himself to believe that he might deserve Montserrat's love" and "(Because greed isn't this man's problem)" were but a few of my favorites.

Sylvia and I both agree that "though there is no test to show that Laurito was conceived in an act of abuse" was indeed a key statement.

Ale descended into madness while roaming the streets yet managed the short jaunt to sanity to arrive home, welcome his mother and put Maria in her place. I'm glad that happened, but wasn't that a rather abrupt change in temperment?

AuntyAnn, I'm sure Ale will fill Rosario in on what he saw and "heard" at the hospital. I'm sure she will be crushed as she hoped they will reconcile which doesn't appear to be the remotest of possibilities from Ale's perspective. Nor does Monse know the divorce papers were signed.

I was disappointed JL chose to ask Monse to utter sentiments she no longer holds. But, he never stopped loving her and do not think he meant any harm nor did she by lying to him. I still think (no spoiler) that he will fully realize that the one he truly loves is Angelica. Let's hope that occurs before she passes. Madelaine, I am also very concerned for her.

(Don't worry. I'm "one of so many girls".) Hmmm. I have a suspicion Fina may well be in control of her situation with Dim and that events may bend to what she has yearned for and planned for.

Dim and Monse's conversation was most welcome and it's a shame it didn't occur earlier.

NovelaMaven, thank you for this excellent summary. While dreading the episodes, the recaps somehow seem to alleviate our anxieties and fears.

Diana
 

NM: You surpass yourself every week.

Alejandro is a nut job. He has uncontrolled anger, makes incorrect assumptions about what he hears and sees, and he has hallucinations. And, he attacks unknown people in the street. You're correct. He should be in jail or in a manicomio.
 

Thanks NovelaMaven: peachy! Absolutely peachy-keen! U turn to Crazy Town indeed! At this point, I'm done with the guessing game. As many of you have said, just gonna watch sit back and watch these crazy folks to see what they do each night. Love how you highlight and define certain very useful phrases throughout.

So, we get the old eavesdropping only the damning parts of the conversation trick hunh? Hoo boy! But in the previews Ale looks as though he's trying to stock up on Montse pheromones for an extended dry spell. Ok, not a guess, just a lament. Now that they're divorced and he's acting even more like a nut job I could see him marrying Maria. Gag!

And greed is not his problem, but how about stupidity? Why did he tell Gracie he would happily share half his inheritance with Dimwit? Don't know how and many of you guys are better with the novela crystal ball but I don't see how she's gonna swing this swindle.

Oh well, like I said, gonna just sit back and watch these locos work it out. Thank you NovelaMaven for another one of your fun, funny and wonderfully detailed recaps.

Lila
 

Lila, "But in the previews Ale looks as though he's trying to stock up on Montse pheromones for an extended dry spell". Too funny...

Diana
 

I just erased a whole rhetorical paragraph about Benjamin Almonte, but I suspect that it won't be long before Rosario tells Alejandro the tragic details about his conception and her subsequent arrest. I have been wondering for a while why he did this and the only answer I can come up with is that he thought of people as disposable things.

Just like Graceless, who has no use for anyone except as cash machines.

Ever since Graceless was getting out of the house because she couldn't stand to hear baby Lauro crying I have been picturing her yelling at him that he was useless because his father didn't hand over his entire fortune to her.
 

NM, Thanks for the great recap and to all our commenters and recappers through the weekend. I've been down for the count with a very bad case of stomach flu and those moments when I feel half way decent I've indulged in the wonderful world of Caray to bring a smile to my miserable face. Can't wait to catch up these episodes!

Daisynjay
 

NovelaMaven that was a brilliant recap with a lovely title!

The whole hot tub scene was just hilarious. First there was the bubble bath in the jacuzzi. I've seen this before in TNs - but not outside next to the pool! Then the accidentally cellphone drop in the tub - another SS cellphone accident gag. But the funniest was Basurto bursting up out of the water saying "I'm choking!" Ahogar means choking as well as drowning. I can just imagine what Nadia was thinking!!!

How can Monse be so sympathetic with her brother? He did some horrible things to her and JL. Setting JL up for murder - no tiene perdón de Dios, but also blackmailing Monse at the hacienda and causing her no end of grief and anxiety. Now it's all cool because they're full-blood siblings and maybe Dim is changing? Give me a break!
 

Madelaine - Gracie's big secret, which she now claims is super painful, is that 5 months she was away in a "convent" before she married Lauro.

Looks like they are trying to set it up as a life-changing event for her, because it's hard to think of the Gracie today having super painful past events.
 

Audrey, I'm with you re Dimwit and his words to Montserrat. I didn't believe him, frankly. He and Adolfo have mastered the art of lying, cheating,stealing, and manipulating. Dimwit is a male caricature of his mother. He sets up another man to take a bad rap that has literally destroyed that man's life and all of a sudden, he is turning a new leaf.

I ain't buying it. Plus, what's with Dimwit and his "no me toques!" routine?!

So, the handsome couple is divorced. I hope and pray Alejandro does not become even dumber and marry The Whore Maria.

Please, Rosario, talk to your son.

Fatima
 

Diana: I have a suspicion Fina may well be in control of her situation with Dim and that events may bend to what she has yearned for and planned for.

I have tried to maintain this belief from the beginning but have been thrown by the flip flops! I want to believe this is true.

Loved the hot tub scene! Pedro was absolutely glowing! He looked quite handsome, relaxed and goofily happy til EZ dunked his phone! EZ is already his flunky so what's his angle? Is he trying to seduce him or bond with him or what? Another kooky relationship to just sit back and watch!

Loved Maria's takedown. Should have been stronger but Rosy is a classy lady and did it subtly with just the right sting.

Do you guys think Ale decided to sign the divorce papers after talking to his Mom or do I have my timing off?

Lila


 

Fatima, another writer annoyance was Ale declaring that, yes, JL slept with Monse when she was his wife. Huh? A reminisce of their first time together? Ale knows Monse's first time was with JL, before she started dating Ale.

Although, really, the setup was so outrageous and Ale's later hallucinating street scene while he chants the above over and over - ridiculous!!!
 

Daisynjay: Vibes and prayers for a speedy recovery! Feel better!))))))))))))
 

Yes, Fatima, I noticed that too. Ale was out of his mind wandering in the street hallucinating. Then the next scene he's in the dining room oh so calmly introducing his mother?

It sure looks like the street hallucination scene was added later - hmmmmm!
 

Daisy, hope you feel better soon!

Diana
 

I'm with you about the WTF moment between Dimwit and Monserrat. Between Dimwit and Graceless, Monserrat is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome with her family of origin.

No redemption for Dimwit. He will have to save someone's life, volunteer at an animal shelter, plant a vegetable garden for 20 poor families, and enter a seminary before he earns that.

As to ordering his mother not to touch him, I was actually cheering that. Someone has to put Graceless in her place. As I said yesterday, Dimwit doing this will hurt Graceless the worst, but we will cheer Monserrat when she finally does this because she has taken far more abuse from this nasty excuse for a woman.
 

Urban, Dimwit also told Fina not to touch him which sounded so PHONY to me when he said it. I agree with your plan of possible redemption for Dimwit. He is still a bona fide jerk to me and has shown NOTHING to make me think otherwise. He is a born phony.

Audrey, oh yes! We are on the same page, amiga!

Fatima
 

Urban, one more thing. I am in absolute agreement with you re Stockholm Syndrome as far as Montserrat is concerned.

Fatima
 

Good morning everybody!

Fatima:
I am so flattered. You really know how to make a Maven feel special. And I'm delighted you liked the Milton quote. I have been thinking a lot about Paradise Lost lately, of fallen angels and arrogance…

Audrey:
I was less upset about "Mr. Rage" hallucinating in the streets than I was about "Mr. Paranoid" lurking in the doorway of JL's room and hearing just what would set him off.

You're right -- "choking" would have been funnier than "drowning" in the Jacuzzi scene. That was a pretty bawdy joke, all told. [So how come that gets past the censors, huh?]

Jarifa:
Oh yes, it was great the way Rosario just changed roles in front of our eyes. She wasn't rude or abusive -- just clearly in charge. I'm glad you liked the recap.

Cap'n Sylvia:
Thanks so much. I am thrilled to see you back on The Patio. A drink, you say? Right now, I'd go for a double latte.

I have a hunch the 'boys in the bubbles' scene will be all over YouTube. It is crazy enough to check out, when you have the chance.

Urban:
I got the same vibe as you did during Monday's episode when Alejandro told his mother that the Mendoza house was not her home. He WAS being protective. Graciela is pure poison, and Alejandro is in a position to know that very well.

Elna June:
I'm so glad -- well, relieved, actually -- that you enjoyed the introduction. I always hesitate to add to the length of the recap, but the episode was so 'difficult', I felt the need to make some sense of the whole.

Yes, Alejandro's behavior is very depressing. It is a good thing that he looks so pretty in blue and that the characters around him have various degrees of memory deficits, or the novela would end right here.

Mads:
Thanks so much! You know, I'm not so sure I like the advice Dim gave his sister, but I did like the way it reflected a change in their brother-sister relationship.

We know that Graciela's big secret (or the one that only Amelia and Padre Anselmo are in on) is WHAT SHE HAD TO DO TO MARRY LAURO. And we figure it involved her stay in the convent just before her wedding. Everything else is just Patio Speculation.
 

NovelaMaven - what definitely upset me most was the ridiculously contrived dying man's wish scene with lurking Mr. Paranoid showing up at the hospital out of the blue for just the right few moments to hear what he would think the worst. What followed was just adding insult to injury.

I guess they had to some up with some way to make Ale sign the divorce papers, and it had to be drastic after his kneeling and begging for forgiveness just the episode before.

It's all about filling out those 180 episodes (or whatever that number is) and keeping the couple apart as much as possible.
 

I wonder if Gracie's sin involves an illicit relationship with a man of the cloth. Was she the seducer or the seducee or was it mutual and uncontrollable love/lust?

Lila
 

Lila - I think you're ready to join the ranks of TN screenwriters! :)
 

NovelaMaven, thank you so much for your recap. I thoroughly enjoyed it as well as your title and quote from Milton.

It seems the writers are trying to constantly challenge viewers to with Ale. Attacking random strangers b/c of rage. Really??

Daisy, I hope you recover quickly so to hear you were ill.

ITA w/those of you who don't buy Dim and why Montse would trust him. He's having a good day but what happens (like Ale) when he has a bad day?

So happy about Maria knowing about Rosie. She can't undo all that mess and venom she spewed at Rosie.

 

Kana:
We are just guessing about María. If she is Graciela's long-lost child, Graciela doesn't know that.

AuntyAnn:
"Did anyone notice that Ale told his mother that he wanted her advice about something when she was setting the table."
Yes! I noticed! And I also wondered what they talked about -- did she persuade him to sign the divorce papers?

JudyB:
As always, I am honored by your kind words. I am rather surprised that with all the commotion last night, you noticed that the Grammar Nerd was absent. I'll let her know you were asking after her.:D

Susanlynn:
Thank you for the lovely Matthew Arnold quote. And safe journey today -- freezing rain is the worst.

Julia R:
I appreciate your kind words. I guess I can buy into Alejandro going to the hospital to check on JL. After all, his own fate is intimately tied to his victim's: If JL dies, Alejandro is a murderer. But yeah, the part where he doesn't hear LIE TO ME or THANK YOU FOR LYING but does hear all the damning stuff in between -- monkey time!

Diana:
I'm happy if the recap helps you to get past the bad taste of the episode itself. Personally, I give both JL and Montserrat a pass. When people are gravely ill or dying (as I suspect you know), they often weave back and forth in time and place. If Angélica can understand JL's emotional state, I guess we can too.

Remember how he told her a day or two back that although he doesn't feel the same kind of love for her that he felt for Montse, he DOES love Angie, and just as intensely as he loved Montse. I believe that's true.

Pasofino:
Thank you! I think you're right. If we were judging by real-world standards, Alejandro would be a dangerously ill criminal. y punto.

Lila:
"in the previews Ale looks as though he's trying to stock up on Montse pheromones for an extended dry spell.'
So funny!

Do you really think he would marry María? Yuck. Maybe Rosario can keep him from that particular locura.

"Do you guys think Ale decided to sign the divorce papers after talking to his Mom or do I have my timing off?"

Lila, that was the sequence in which the events were presented. Maybe we'll get a flash-back or reference to their conversation (if the monkeys think it matters.) Wanna banana?


Daisynjay:
Oh no. Stomach flu is the pits. I hope you feel better very soon. And I'm delighted to know the nonsense here is giving you a little diversion. Take care.
 

If Angelica dies and JL follows her shortly after, who gets the money?

Not Refoolio, ojala!
 

Audrey:
It's an interesting challenge for the writers. The protagonistas need to be apart, but the viewers are so hungry for them, that they can't be off the screen too long. And if they sizzle separately, they explode when they are together. So I guess we have to brace ourselves for several converge-diverge scenes while everything sorts itself out.

[This show is a phenomenon. There were over 100 comments on the weekend BEFORE there was a posted recap. This is heady stuff.]

Lila:
Check out Victoria Ruffo's resumé. She has played out that scenario at least twice! hee hee.

Karen:
Now that I have read what you and others have to say about Dimitrio, I have to think about him again. He certainly has been arrogant and lazy and willing to use other people to get what he wanted, consequences be damned. I'm not sure why, but I believe he may end up being a mensch (though not at Josefina's side. I can't believe he will ever deserve her.)

Lauro's death and Graciela's revelation about her past and about the kind of person she really is -- these things have shaken him. Maybe something good will come of it.

Oxnard Huero:
Maybe José Luis has a will leaving everything to Montserrat.

[But I don't believe JL is going to die (unless Joaquín shoots him). His fever is going down. They changed his medication. So apparently his infection is responding to a different antibiotic and he will soon be right as rain. Poor Angelica puking blood -- ay ay ay. Another story.]
 

Thanks for the great recap!

I don't think Ale loves Montse. He only wants to own and possess her. He physically assaults her, made her a prisoner in his home and continues to verbally attack her. And now, a man he shot is dying, because he went after the woman he loved and all Ale feels is jealousy and rage. No empathy, no compassion for the dying man.

JL needs to live just so we have one decent (young)man left, apart from Victor.
 

About JL's hypothetical will, I agree. He has no relatives to leave anything to. I also agree that he's not going to die anytime soon. It's a Law of TN Medical Situations that Death knocks at the door but the door is actually locked from both sides when the series is not even at the halfway mark.

Alejandro does love Monserrat but I suspect he hasn't had much experience with love and even less with anger management.
 

Daisynjay...Ay yi yi...Tough enough to be in Cleveland with this weather...and then to be sick with the stomach flu! Dang! Sending you good vibes and prayers for recovery. I could use a few myself, having had a cold for four weeks (well, one week of a cold, 3 weeks of sinus infection). Sucks To Be Us, kid.

On the other hand, the sun is out (here anyway) and WE WILL GET WELL, DAISYNJAY. i GUARANTEE IT.

In the meantime, annoyed as hell at the writers, jerking us around with these Alejandro/Montserrat ups and downs. Grrrrrrr.

I'm believing in Dimitrio's redemption by the way. Put me at his table. And I believe he and Josefina will end up together.

And horrid as this is to admit, I'm actually at Graciela's table also. If you're going to be a bitch, be one all the way with bells on. And this lady brings it every episode. No shame. Sheer, everlasting chutzpah! What a woman. And ye gods, those shoes she had on! Lord have mercy! I just have to admire that relentless-never-back-down attitude of hers. She's a steamroller, baby.
 

I'll join you for a while. Maybe I can teach her how to bottle her chutzpah so she can get rich.
 

I'm with you, Carvivlie. It's all been about possession and ownership with Ale, which led to the "bride buying" in the first place, and why he continues to have financial dealings with Gracie behind Monse's back.

Maybe one day he'll learn to love with respect and consideration, like JL does. Then maybe I'll be a little more interested in his story.

I sure hope JL lives - that would be awesome! Of course, once widowed, he'll probably be annoyingly begging after Monse again, but I'd rather that than he die from Ale's gunshot.

The divorce, whatever. Everybody deserves to start from a clean slate in this and that is a good way to do it. The first marriage was an abomination.
 

daisynjay, I hope you are feeling better soon. Stomach flu is such misery.

NovelaMaven, double latte comin' at you!

Diana: "I have a suspicion Fina may well be in control of her situation with Dim ". Yes!! I am with you and Lila and will not be swayed by Fina's flip-flopping. She will reign supreme. She has to.

I hope the hot tub scene ends up on youtube. I'm dying to see it.
 

Didn’t watch much of the ep last night and haven’t had a chance to read the recap or comments, but I’m going to put my two cents in anyway.

Ale didn’t need a DNA test to prove Ros was his mother?!

Saw the part where Ale was walking down the street. What a whack job. Whose crazier Pedro or Ale? My vote is for Ale.

Don’t get me started on Monday night’s child abuse. How could they let that baby cry like that and where the hell was it's mother?! Stop the action, take the baby out of the room, put a doll in the crib, get on with it. I couldn't even pay attention to the action between Ale and Mons--which was important to the story (got that from the recap)--because I was so upset about the baby. Furious, actually.

Nanette

 

Didn’t watch much of the ep last night and haven’t had a chance to read the recap or comments, but I’m going to put my two cents in anyway.

Ale didn’t need a DNA test to prove Ros was his mother?!

Saw the part where Ale was walking down the street. What a whack job. Whose crazier Pedro or Ale? My vote is for Ale.

Don’t get me started on Monday night’s child abuse. How could they let that baby cry like that and where the hell was it's mother?! Stop the action, take the baby out of the room, put a doll in the crib, get on with it. I couldn't even pay attention to the action between Ale and Mons--which was important to the story (got that from the recap)--because I was so upset about the baby. Furious, actually.

Nanette
 

NovelaMaven- Your perfectly crafted recap means that I don’t have to watch this frustrating episode. I may take a peek to see the funny hot tub scene. It sounds like it’s not to be missed.

I don’t get why Ale would be back in the hospital at all. It makes NO sense! Why can’t he just once calmly listen and wait till he’s heard everything? What was he doing waltzing into the room without knocking? Anything could have been happening in that room. The nurses might have been changing JL’s bedpan. He might have been naked. He and Angie might have been making out or making love. He had no right to enter that room without knocking. I don’t blame Monse or JL for this. As far as they both know, JL is on his deathbed. People ask all kinds of things on their deathbed, and in tns everyone always goes out of their way to make their final request reality. In the larger scheme of things, a requested sentimental lie is not a big deal, and no one’s business but theirs.

Audrey- Monse is far more forgiving than I could ever be (good for her). She forgave both Dim and Ale very easily, when you think about what they have each done to her.

 

Hey UA...a table for two! I imagine only you and I will be at the Graciela table but I think we can have some fun there. You sound like you'd be very good company./ And I could certainly stand to learn a bit more about "standing my ground". Gracie Baby is untamed and unshaken.
 

Fantastic recap, NovelaMaven! Love the title, love the whole literary thing, and I am noting that Milton quote for future reference.

I am super befuzzled as to how Ale can wander the street in a psychotic break, assault an innocent bystander in front of dozens of concerned witnesses, and then just stroll on home como si nada. He needs to be in the manicomio, or at the very least see a psychiatrist. He is not okay.

I'm willing to believe in Dim's redemption, but he still has a LONG way to go. Breaking away from his smother is a good step. I liked his chat with Montserrat.

I was hoping Ale would see Maria at her very worst...not that I wanted Rosario to suffer even more abuse, but I'm disappointed that he didn't catch the full extent of Maria's nastiness. That might have actually gotten her thrown out.

I don't think Montse did wrong in going to see JL. She thought it might be his last chance to see her, and who knows, maybe he had something important to say. She might have gone a bit too far in telling him what he wanted to hear. Still, though, when a person is on the verge of death and probably also high on painkillers, it's not really the moment to try to talk reason into him or expect him to say sensible things. You just try to make him comfortable.
 

Well, I am back home after a very odd day. I decided to leave for work early to try to beat the predicted freezing rain. I did and had an uneventful ride. However, everyone was late for the 9.30 class. Finally, one guy came in and told me that it was raining and the roads were slippery. no one rise came. Then, another student called the one student who was there. There was N accident and traffic was at a standstill. No one showed for the 11.00 class. Then, I found out that the college was closing at 12.15. This winter has been so odd, The sun is coming out as I type this.

Anyhoo, I have enjoyed reading all the new comments. I agree that Ale has some major problems. He should get some counseling, but we know that won't happen. I wonder what his mental problems are, obsession is the theme of so many novelas. Ale and JL are obsessed with Mony. Malria is obsessed with Ale. Pedro is obsessed with power. Gracie is obsessed with money. What causes obsessiveness in people ?
People fall in love (lusth so quickly in novelas.


Daisy..so sorry that you are under the weather. The stomach flu is awful. You feel as if you will never get well. I hope that you have a speedy recovery.
 

Graceless is such an interesting person to study. Maybe I can come up with a real battle plan for Monserrat.
 

NovelaMaven - The Milton quote was a perfect setup. Terrific recap.

I'm in the don't blame Montse and JL for a deathbed lie camp. I knew overhearing would turn Ale, but I didn't expect him to jump to the conclusion that their tryst happened while she was married. JL said something about a waterfall and some other stuff that clearly indicated to any sane person overhearing that he was referring to their first [and, as Viewerville knows, only] time.

That scene was so sad. JL thinks Montse is the best thing that ever happened to him and wanted to leave this life on a cloud with her. But Viewerville knows that it's Angelica who is the best thing that ever happened to him. If he doesn't realize this before Angie goes, grrrhhh!

Kudos to the actress playing Nadia. It was already funny when EZ dove under water for the cell phone, but after Nadia greeted them and turned away she had a QTH! look on her face that made me laugh out loud.

Why is no one wondering if Montse too might be Benjamin’s?
 

I assume everyone thinks Graceless would never have pushed Montse into marrying Ale if there were even a chance they were half siblings. Though I would think that question would at least have to have crossed everyone's minds!
 

Nanette: I agree with you on Monday night's baby scene. I wanted to reach into the telly and pick the poor thing up. The writers should provide for it by having a maid in the room (who is sometimes the real mother) to pick the baby up when it cries.

Other than that, I am really bumfuzzled about the story line in this novella. It looks like its being made up as it goes along.
 

Because even Graceless has to have a line she can't cross. Not even she could hate her daughter that much that she would make her commit incest. Or take the risk of tempting Hellfire and Damnation.

I don't know if anyone else noticed this but Lauro (Rogelio Guerra) had bright blue eyes. If we didn't know what we know today about genetics that would be the evidence that he is Monserrat's dad. Also that dreaded Llamada de la Sangre.
 

Pasofino I feel that way sometimes, too. That's definitely what the crack-up on the streets looked like: made up on the spot. Not one of the women was even blonde and the guys were all stocky -- he really nutted out. As others have said moments later he's calmly introducing his Mom and why those guys in the street didn't mop the cobblestones with him is beyond me! Tonight we get him trying to inhale Montse's face! Sheesh!

Lila (Yah, that's what he was doing, the anti-robot word: "engulphing" Montse's face! Ha Ha!
 

NM--You keep turning out masterpieces as if they were no more complicated than a shopping list. My beanie is off to you.

Then I had to put it back on tightly when Ale showed up at the hospital. Poor guy after being sworn to that he is Montse's only love he listens to a private conversation, doesn't stay for the end and jumps to the conclusion that the lovemaking between JL & Montse took place while they were all together at the hacienda. ITA, why would the writers do this to him--*again.* He has enough on his plate with Maria, Rosario and Dimi, and Graceless.

Pedro's personality is being peeled away like the security tape on a fresh DVD. How many think that he just doesn't like sex with anybody except himself. I got that vibe when he didn't want EZ to strip down in front of him, but to go to the cabana to get changed that the male body disgusted him.

Good that we are learning a bit more about Ale's land that he is renting. It is likely they are either bringing something in or out by boat, if he doesn't want the navy sticking its nose in the business. Ale's the one that's going to be in trouble when the operation is uncovered--he's still the dueno.

P.S. Loved the scene captions, NM, especially the first, Brother, can you spare a few millions. Poor Dimi, his luck just won't change. I think Graciela was telling him a half-truth about his paternity and was telling Ale the whole truth. The situation doesn't need a third man to complicate things, although it is conceivable (pardon the pun) that her stay at the convent was the result of a third person, if it hadn't been Benjy.

Gracie's telling Dimi that he was Lauro's was to protect herself and her reputation. He was about to go blab to the Aguazul society page reporter. Gracie's telling Ale she didn't really know is leaving it open to getting half the inheritance.

DNA tests don't lie unless they are tampered with and that is a tn convention. Gracie would have to have the doctors and the lab on her payroll and this tootsie is running out of cash--oh wait--she just got a huge infusion of cash this very same night. Woe is Dimi. He's probably Benjy's afterall and she's going to fix it so that it's Lauro. As long as Ale keeps writing checks ad infinitum, she doesn't need the entire half right now.
 

The scene between dim and 'Mony surprised me. who ever thought that dim would turn into the voice of reason !

My fav subtitle was "outsourcing."
 

Sorry I didn't realize I posted twice.

Pasofina: I still can't put my finger on why I don't care for this TN. I think the writing is good, the acting is good, most of the characters are interesting. It must be that I just don't care for Ale and I'm not that attracted to SR--that last part makes me kinda shallow.
 

We don't know exactly how much land or dinero Alejandro inherited, but we know that Graceless and Dimwit can go through cash like sailors on shore leave. No matter what Dimwit would get if the DNA says he's Benjamin's son they will be begging at Alejandro's door in a year or so.

And Graceless is truly delusional if she thinks she can guilt-trip Alejandro any more. While he knew all along that she was his father's main piece of tail (and I doubt she was much more to him than that) when he finds out about the cover-up stay in the convent he can hold that one over her head and compound it with letting her know just what kind of woman he thinks she is. She will have no defenses then.
 

Audrey, Fatima, Pasofina, et al:

I am as annoyed as I could be about the state of our fictional characters in Aguazul. We are supposed to be in the TN pits right now; we are at the halfway point in a LONG telenovela. But the cheap tricks the writer's used last night put me off my lunch. Really? The Damning-Partially-Overheard-Conversation Trope?"So...tacky, writers. So unsubtle.

Tut tut.

I stand by my earlier statement. Get Ale to a manicomio, now, for his own sake and the sake of others. The character as written—with his combo of character disordered rage-meister and paranoid psychosis—is dangerous.

No one is their right mind could be 'in love' with that man. Thank God he now has a mother's love.

AND, I think we can expect Rosario to sort out Ale and Montserrat sometime soon. She just told us that she would spend the rest of her life energy to get—and keep—the little family together.

EJ
 

Audrey:

HATED the stupid out-of-character not-deathbed scene. Hated Montserrat lying and the idea that her lie might just give JL the will to live. Gross.

Jose Luis, what about Angelica, remember, your wife? JL told us recently that the love he felt for her was 'different' but of equal intensity'. I hated JL blubbering all over his ex-girlfriend, Montse.

Hrruumph!

1.He is not going to DIE. It is too early in the show and there is no other male to fight for Montse's heart.
2.Hiring new cast is too expensive, especially for a semi-galan. I would bet my telenovela suitcase full of cash on it.

Grumpy EJ
 

Nanette and everybody, this part of the telenovela process, when the characters are absolutely STOOPID, is the most frustrating time. I'm kind of glad I am unable to watch and must rely on the excellent recaps which are written so much better than the script. I do miss the occasional scene (hot tub), but I guess I can catch up with those in June.

It's hard to identify with characters who behave so ridiculously, isn't it?

EJ, I don't think JL is going to die either. His being alive provides so much fodder for misunderstanding that I simply can't imagine he would be written out of the script.

Thank goodness The Patio is well stocked with Nerfazos. Whew!!
 

EJ, I wanted to add that I am so glad I did not have to see JL blubbering, AGAIN, over Montse. I hope he mans up and realizes he loves Angelica before it is too late. I guess I do think he loves Angie, but he is still obsessed with Montse. Get over it, man!!!
 

oooh, this is getting fun.

Dear Elna June:

WE know that José Luis isn't going to die (at least not in the hospital from an infection), but HE doesn't know it. The crepe-hanging doctor has told Refugio and Angie To Abandon All Hope.

WE know that we're not even at the halfway point of the story, but JL doesn't know what episode of life he is in.

When I see a novela character as a case study, I know that my perspective is, at least in part, culturally determined. Definitions of personality disorders are awfully squishy sometimes.

But yes. Stupidity is in the air. I, for one, shall embrace it!
[snort]
 

Which Nerfazos are we using for this show? I don't even know what Ale's hacienda grows. When in doubt, do we use the avocados? Do we have cell phone Nerfazos?
 

Julia--Both are appropriate. So are the flying hands with the index finger pointing out.
 

That's "We're #1" on its side.
 

What about the flying hands with the middle finger pointing out?
 

Don't waste the avocados!

Anita, about Pedro's personality is being peeled away like the security tape on a fresh DVD. How many think that he just doesn't like sex with anybody except himself. I got that vibe when he didn't want EZ to strip down in front of him, but to go to the cabana to get changed that the male body disgusted him.

I am prepared to believe my earlier theory, which is that Pedro's equipment is either deformed or damaged (as in an accident sometime after puberty) so he has no ability to boink. Nadia has never seen him naked, so she doesn't know (therefore, we don't at this point). Pedro therefore can't look at other men's bodies because they remind him of what he doesn't have.

Now wondering how long it will take to find out if I'm right.
 

Carvivlie:
I like your comment very much. I have been trying to figure out what Alejandro means when he says he loves Montserrat. He does treat her rather like his prize pig, doesn't he? [Well no. He seems to have a certain respect and compassion for the livestock.]

JudyB, yeah you, over there at the Graciela table…You do realize your girl murdered Ben, right? I say that goes beyond chutzpah (There must be a word that combines chuztpah with real malice. Wait, I know -- Graciela!)

Nanette:
Nice point about Ale accepting that Rosario is his mother without demanding proof. I hadn't even thought about that.

Vivi:
This was actually an interesting, if nutty, episode -- definitely not boring, anyway.

Hey, if I were in Montserrat's place, I would never forgive Alejandro, though I might eventually come to some kind of peace with him. I wouldn't want him living in the same house as my child. He is just too violent and unpredictable.

Julia:
I see you have asked and answered the etiquette question of the day: What type of nerfazo goes with this show? I am glad we are thinking beyond fruits and vegetables. If we don't have cell phone nerfazos, then shame on us!

Niecie:
"I knew overhearing would turn Ale, but I didn't expect him to jump to the conclusion that their tryst happened while she was married"

Yes, that took me by surprise too. I guess we just have to put it in the crazy pot and stir.

Anita:
"Pedro's personality is being peeled away like the security tape on a fresh DVD."

Very nice.

Have we had fake lab results in this one? I don't recall any and I sure hope we aren't going down that path.

I'm glad you and Susanlynn liked the subheadings.
 

Pedro's personality is being peeled away like the security tape on a fresh DVD.

That means very slowly and in irritating little shreds, right? Or am I the only person who cannot open DVDs?
 

Novela Maven:

You said:

'When I see a novela character as a case study, I know that my perspective is, at least in part, culturally determined. Definitions of personality disorders are awfully squishy sometimes.'

I hope you are NOT suggesting for one-single-minute that:

-My harping on certain of our telenovela charcters' behavior borders on the obsessive;

-My irresponsible but irrepressible armchair diagnostics could be faulty or just plain wrong;

- My ideas are quite culturally and socially biased; Really?

(Indignantly and with multiple negatives)...Maven, I will have you know that just because the writer who is adapting this show script from an earlier version of an earlier version of the show, AND is writing in another language than my own AND has another cultural perspective in mind; Well!

Just because those things might be true, does not mean that this show, is not about ME and my perspective!

Me, me, me, me.

How absurd.

Hrumphh.

Yours in self-importance,

Elna June

 

Julia, you are not alone!

:D Lila (anti-robot word is "cement" sometimes they're like that to open!)
 

"Me, me, me." EJ- You're channeling Alejandro.
 

Miss Elna June, you crack me up!
:D
 

Elna June, I can see that you have fully embraced the culture of the telenovela character. Me, me, me, me. You're an insider now :).
 

Hey guys, why was Gracie in the convent? Was she, like Montse educated at a convent school and then maybe had the illicit relationship with a priest and stayed there til the baby was born and left it there? Or was she already with Bennie, got pregnant by him and went to the convent until she delivered the baby. Just wondering what could be such a terrible secret to make Gracie feel like she's "torn to pieces" just thinking about it?

An "illegitimate" baby doesn't seem to be that terrible. Yes, I know we're looking at a different culture and something that happened 30 years or more ago. Is this one of those elements that doesn't translate well into the 21st century?

Lila
 

Thanks NovelaMaven, well told and well said.

"Stupidity is in the air. I, for one, shall embrace it!"

Me too. I think that everything that happened last night and which you described so well was TN tradition and cliche at its best.

The discussion here is so spirited and so enthralling that I'm tempted to simply sit back and lurk.

I loved Pedro in his jacuzzi. For the first time since this all began he genuinely looked happy and pleased with himself. Sort of like a bespectacled Mr. Toad relaxing in his own private puddle.

I thought María handled the grand revelation with grace and style... she stood up straight and uttered a simple heartfelt (some may dispute her sincerity) "Perdón."

So what now? I don't see Alejandro marrying María but I don't see him sending her packing either. I hope that she is her mother's (Graciela's) daughter and finds a way to adapt... quickly.

Carlos
 

Lila- Five months before Gracie married Lauro she went to a convent. Her family told everyone she was in Italy, soaking up the culture before getting married. Lauro revealed to Gracie that he always knew she never went to Italy, but instead was in a convent that whole time. He assumed she went for some sort of spiritual retreat, to think things through, whatever. He never pried or revealed that he knew she didn't go to Italy.

We not yet been told why she was in a convent for 5 months before getting married, but it's pretty easy to assume she was pregnant. This storyline was not in the early versions of this tale, but I think it's totally realistic that 30 years ago, a well to do family in Mexico would send their out of wedlock pregnant daughter to a convent to hide her pregnancy, send her baby to an orphanage/adoption, and marry her off quickly. Heck, that happned in this country 30 years ago!
 

Thank you, Carlos. And thank you for this lovely image:

"Sort of like a bespectacled Mr. Toad relaxing in his own private puddle."

So can we say that Mr. Toad and Mr. Frog are Friends?
 

Lila--
We've been speculating the convent visit to death for weeks. Here is what we know for sure.

Lauro was the one who said he didn't understand why she went to Italy to visit her relatives for five months just before they were to be married.

We speculated that they were already engaged to be married at this point and should have been spending time together during their noviasco, therefore there was some other reason for her to be away.

I think it was Gracie herself in a convo that could only have been with Amelia or Padre that it was a convent she went to.

So we have speculated, naturally, that 30 years ago the only reason you go away to a convent would be if you are begining to show if you are pregnant (4 mos) and don't want the town to know it. You stay there until baby is born, then leave the baby there and return from "Italy" where she had a wonderful time.

We have also speculated that if she had been pregnant by some other guy besides her fiancé, Lauro's family would have rejected her as a blushing virginal bride.

We have also speculated that IF the reason she was pregnant and gotten that way with Benjy, he made it clear he was not the marryin' kind and she'd better get rid of the escuincle.


 

There you go again Vivi--typing faster than I can. Two heads are better than one to get the point across, though.
 

Thanks, Vivi. It just doesn't seem like Gracie to get so distraught over having a baby out of wedlock. The word "bastard" rolls so easily off her tongue. I guess this kind of handy hypocrisy is not uncommon: people can easily accuse others of the sins they won't admit to themselves. New storyline hunh? Ok, we can see what they do with this secret.

Lila



















 

Vivi--I defer to your encyclopedic memory that Lauro knew she didn't go to Italy, but rather spent the time in a convent. Even if we don't know why he never brought it up with Graciela, I wonder how he found that out.
 

Whoa! Sorry about all that space!

Thanks, Anita. I'm recalling this conversation. A premarital pregnancy makes sense but seems like they're making it a bigger deal than it is. . .hmmmm. . .if they are putting the new story elements together off the cuff they're probably still thinking of what the terrible secret could be!

Lila
 

Lauro was the one who brought it up to Gracie. I can't remember what prompted the conversation, but they were in the bedroom, she was at her dressing table, he got nostalgic about how beautiful she was and had always been, and how he was so proud to be the first and only man in her life. He really didn't seem to suspect anything-- either about the mysterious 5 months in the convent or about being the "only" man in her life. But you could tell that Gracie could see the irony.
 

This next comment is coming from the Bunker, so don't waste your Middle-Finger Nerfazos -- they'll never hit me:

About the baby fussing during the Montserrat/Alejandro scene on Monday --

I noticed it. I admired the actors' poise and focus. I considered the pros and cons of trying to pick up the kid,(keeping his head supported, taking the risk of upsetting him and getting him wailing, muffing the lines and having to do it all again…) and figured they were smart to just shoot the scene and then have the baby's mommy take over.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that it's really okay for a baby to fuss a little. Seriously.
--------------------

Anita, Vivi and Lila,
I happen to remember what Lauro said because I was recapping that night and because the whole scene was only in the U.S. version of the novela: as Vivi says, Lauro says he always knew that Graciela was fibbing about visiting family in Italy in those months before they married. (We never did find out how he knew.)

The big SECRET was alluded to in a totally separate conversation between Amelia and Graciela. Amelia asked if anyone besides Padre Anselmo knew WHAT GRACIELA HAD TO DO IN ORDER TO MARRY LAURO.

We speculate that the convent stay and THE SECRET are related. But we don't really know anything specific. We are just spinning theories here.
 

Hey Lila,
Make yourself comfortable, why doncha?

hahahahahahaha
 

NovelaMaven: Hee Heee! Guess I did! :p

Okay, maybe the BIG SECRET is an abortion? Ok. I'm just not going to worry my pretty little head about this and just the let the writers we like or the chimps sort this one out!

Lila
 

I'm with you, NovelaMaven. Babies don't need to be picked up every time they cry. And Montserrat did pat his tummy a little and try to get him to take the pacifier when she was standing next to the crib, while still saying her lines with Ale.

I was more offended that this was the only time Ale had even seen his new son, and he didn't seem to have any interest in him aside from a brief appraising look. He should have wanted to hold him, whether he was crying or not!
 

Five months seems like a long time away for an abortion, though. What else could she have been up to?
 

That's why I don't think it could be an abortion. 30 years ago I doubt that abortion would have been legal anywhere in Mexico, not to mention that nuns in a convent would have given her holy hell over it, as though she were one of The Magdalene Sisters.
 

Was she really in a convent, though? Are we sure about that? That could be another layer of lies.
 

Well, maybe we should do some dusting and a littlestraightening up in The Bunker of Ironic Detachment because I think that we need to detach a little. The writers seem to have started on a long and winding road of trying to fill up those added episodes.

I agree that Gracie's little secret is a baby and that what she HAD TO DO to marry Lauro was go to a convent and emerge baby less. As many have noted, back in the day , unwed pregnancies were not treated so nonchalantly . The singer Bobby Darren grew up with a "sister" who was actually his mother and a "mother" who was actually his grandmother. I have a good friend who got pregnant out of wedlock at 20 and raised the baby herself until she married two years later..not the father. That was very unusual at the time. I also went to high school with several girls who got pregnant at 15 or 16 and got married and kept the baby. So is Maria that secret baby ? She and Gracie certainly have similar personalities...greedy, lazy, nasty, entitled, and not too smart. Uuuffff. if Ben was Mariam's dad...well, there you have it..nature wins out over nurture in this case. Yikes
 

She was in a convent.

There is an excellent book about this sort of stuff in the US called The Girls Who Went Away. Most seem to have gone to relatives in distant cities or states, but it was all for the same reason: To hide a pregnancy and protect the family's reputation.

Since we won't meet Graceless' parents (except maybe in a flashback in a future episode) we won't understand this completely. For the moment the simplest explanation is that Aguazul is a small town with a typically conservative small-town mentality. If Graceless' parents were Italian-born or only first-generation Mexican they would have been under more intense scrutiny for any behavior that this little Peyton Place wouldn't approve of.

I'm also guessing that she may have tried to trap Benjamin into marriage and he put the kibosh on that. This would not have been mutually exclusive with her parents' plans for her.
 

Carlos "I thought María handled the grand revelation with grace and style... she stood up straight and uttered a simple heartfelt (some may dispute her sincerity) "Perdón.""

Ai! Por favor!"

Fatima
 

Fatima,

Opinions vary.

Carlos
 

Hi NM and Patio Peeps:

Another masterpiece, Maven, though I would expect nothing less! Particularly liked "Outsourcing" and "Operation KnockHerUp"! And your intuitive translating of just the right lines was spot on.

Not sure what is more embarrassing for Pedro; being busted in a compromising position or the fact HE PUT BUBBLE BATH IN HIS OUTDOOR JACUZZI!!! Omg I was dying!!! And the bubbles kept growing higher and higher--in about 5 more minutes both actors would have been buried in bubbles.

Did anyone notice Graceless gave herself the finger face poke last night?

Lastly, EJ and others, I was soooooooo discouraged by the ridiculous eavesdropping scene the writers threw at us last night. I have never been more discouraged with this show than when Ale opened and closed that hospital door at precisely the wrong moments.

Along with the rest of my friends on The Patio, I will soldier on.

Thank you, thank you, NM. I knew if anyone could turn this lemon into lemonade it would be you!
 

Susanlynn, I agree: we're probably getting too tied up in filler. Ah yes, who of a certain age doesn't remember the girls sent "down South" or wherever away was and the "Sister Mommies". . In the 60s there was a school in my town for girls who were with child called "Continuation School". By the time I got to junior, senior year in high school the stigma had declined (and/or budget for the special preggie school?) to the point that girls stayed in regular high school. There were quite a few "tubbie" girls waddling around my high school.

Re her being so devastated just to think of her secret: Gracie is such a good actress it's hard to tell when she's really moved or just moving a load of bull! Ah well, flow with the filler!

Lila
 

Carlos..I did not think that Maria was offering Rosario an apology. I thought she meant.."Pardon me ????, as in " What did you just say to me ?"
 

Lila..HA.."really moved or just moving a load of bull". Good one !!! The way Gracie shovels that stuff, there must be a pony in there somewhere. DC is really going over the top to make this character crazy bad and wild, good fun to watch. The villains add the spice and crunch to our beloved novelas.
 

Hola Katy!

Nice to see you here this evening. I appreciate the kind words. And I must say you're on a bit of a roll yourself tonight:

"Not sure what is more embarrassing for Pedro; being busted in a compromising position or the fact HE PUT BUBBLE BATH IN HIS OUTDOOR JACUZZI!!!"

So true. But of course the best part is that Pedro isn't embarrassed at all. By any of it.

And really, I didn't think this episode was a lemon. I thought it was one of those Mexican 'limones' -- you know those little pale green guys that are a lot sweeter than the banana yellow citrus we call a lemon. So it made a very nice limonada.
 

Susanlynn,

Heh heh. But in any case, you have to admit that she managed to look gorgeous as she said it.

Carlos
 

Weighing In On 'The Great Secret' Speculation Exercise:

It seems that we have only been speaking as though Gracie's SECRET could have been that she had a girl child she gave up for adoption; perhaps Maria.

BUT - The character of Graciela is written as such a male-identified female...hmmm. What if she is really broken up about her experience because she gave up a niño?

She doesn't seem to value Montserrat, her daughter, except as a commodity. But she loves Dimitrio, her boy 'Bebe'.

Is there a convenient male around who could be Gracie's man-child or would they have to introduce a new character altogether? Just musing...

Thoughts?

EJ
 

Well, neither Refugio nor JL seem to have any family. But since JL and Montse have taken a tumble in the waterfall, incest, ew, can't be him. Refugio?
 

NovelaMaven, loved the title (especially), the headings, the quote, and the entire sparkling and erudite recap.

Pedro in the hot tub was one thing, but WHY bubbles? Mystifying and hilarious. EZ was also hilarious, as was Nadia's reaction.

Katy, I did see Graci finger poke her own forehead and applauded that one. Carlos, liked your self-satisfied Mr. Toad image.

The writers may be putting these characters in stupid situations, but not nearly as bad as CI.
 

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Whoa....the thought of Refugio as Gracie's son gives me a headache. I am afraid that she would be a little disappointed. He is not the sharpest pencil in the case , and she couldn't boss him around.
 

Refugio is too honest. He's more likely to be a son of Lauro...

Egad.

What I see as a possibility is that Graceless hoped for a boy because that might have made Benjamin get her out of the convent and marry her, but a girl? No way.
 

Or... she may not even know. What if she were knocked out for the delivery and was later told some lie, like the baby was stillborn or something?
 

Susanlynn and Julia-

I am so tickled at the idea of Refu as Gracie's Bebe. Imagine the number of finger pokes she will have to use on Refu's pointy little head!

She would just die...

Oh, I am laughing outloud.

EJ
 

OMG:

Esme could end up being Gracie's daughter in law. Hee hee hee. That might be anvil enough for the snob Queen. So much more interesting than sending her to a manicomio...

Great suggestion, Julia.

Still grinning. I like it.

EJ
 

La Paloma,
Thank you very much!

Why bubbles? I'm guessing that most actors only show their bodies if they've been on a strict diet and spending a few hours a day working out with weights. If an actor starts to subside into normalcy and has a scene in a tub, the solution is BUBBLES. Lots and lots of BUBBLES.

EJ: Maybe Juventino was Gracie's love child.
 

Or her daughter. We don't know anything about Esme's family.

That actually would be a bigger punishment than Maria being her daughter; Esme is a nice person!
 

How old is Adolfito? Is he sure of his parentage. . .are we sure of anyone's?

Lila






 

Adolfo is Nadia's brother, so I would count him out.
 

Maybe they adopted him. . .his parents are MIA in this show, the writers could do anything with them.

Lila
 

Carlos, Yes. Opinions vary. :)), but I see I'm not the only one throwing in a few "por favors" or "por Dios" your way! LOL!!

Fatima
 

What are the writers thinking? Or should I say monkey writers. First they have Ale begging Montse for forgiveness, then the all too common and telenovela favorite, listenening at the precise moment to hear the exact thing you should not be hearing. I really hate that. What are they doing to my poor Ale. Then to have him in the streets all by himself? I think it was a good idea that Ale went home to talk to his mama. She would help him make sense if things.

Carlos,
Even though I dispise Maria, I applaud you in your defense if her.

Pedro is weird.

Back to work...hasta pronto