Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Lo Que La Vida Me Robó, #96, 3-26-2014: Pedro keeps up the reign of terror, though now even his minions are starting to say ¡Ya Basta!

“The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy and drive him before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him shrouded in tears, and to gather to your bosom his wives and daughters.”
― pmedina@aamuncipal/presidente.campeche.mx#I LUV Genghis Khan




Oh, Pedro, Pedro.  Before I begin tonight's recap, I am going to pay a grudging homage to your tremendous and terrible ambition.  No doubt, you have studied many historical models of tyranny and abuse of power and have your list of personal favorites:

Vlad the Impaler, perhaps?
(You share same tendency to sadism and love of the stache)


Maybe Kaiser Wilhelm II?
(You share the need to overcompensate for physical deformity and also love of the stache)

Or Kim Jong-il?
(Share somewhat similar tastes in over-sized optical fashion)

I have to admit that things have been looking pretty good for you lately, and that in episode #96 you have sunk to new lows that must be very pleasing to you.  No doubt, you would be even more proud of yourself if you followed our forum here at Caray Caray! and knew that, through your loathsome actions, we on the Patio have managed to feel genuine pity tonight for a previously nearly universally despised female character on this show; HOWEVER...




Pedro, we also know that you are, fundamentally, just an overcompensating poco hombre and small-time politician currently riding roughshod over the lives of a collection of local, albeit EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL, people in your pretty, provincial Mexican town.  Watching you have your era of tainted glory is difficult for us all, but we remain confident that you will meet your doom by episode 190.

In fact, Pedro, you have made so many enemies and are currently alienating so many natural allies in your sphere of influence that I am predicting your end may come Murder on the Orient Express style, where every soul you have injured gathers just for the chance to STAB your black heart repeatedly:

You've been warned, Pedro!


Now to the recap.

Lo Refrito, Beach House Almonte, Agua Azul:  An emotional Nadia tells Montserrat about her pregnancy and the deal she made with evil Pedro.  They know Victor won't allow Nadia to leave him when he finds out she's pregnant with his child.  Nadia feels a sense of dread that Pedro is capable of doing anything to keep her from being Victor.

Interrogation Room, Prison, Agua Azul:  José-Luis has come at last to talk to Alejandro and apologizes for not coming sooner.   He had to go to Joaquín's funeral and, also, Angélica has been upset and sad, and J-L didn't want to leave her.  Alejandro says he heard that Angélica is very sick now and doesn't have long to live, and he tells J-L he is very sorry.  J-L says that he feels like this is the second time half his life is being taken from him.  Alejandro says he would offer him a drink as some to comfort him, but jokes he doesn't have a bottle handy.  J-L comments that this was what Alejandro did at the hacienda, when J-L was pretending to be Antonio Olivares and working at the capataz, and Ale comments wistfully that, yes, "Antonio was a good friend."

J-L then tells Ale to go ahead and ask him what he's been eager to ask.  Ale wants to know what J-L is going to do when Angélica dies.  J-L says he doesn't know but tells Ale not to worry--he (J-L) has no intention of trying to get close to Montserrat again.  Ale wants to know if J-L thinks he could take Montse away, and J-L says to give it a break, that there's no doubt that Montse loves Ale, though J-L is convinced that Montse still feels SOMETHING for him.

Ale gets a little peeved at this and remarks that ANTONIO was a good friend but JOSÉ-LUIS, not so much.  J-L says he's not interested in friendship with Ale and imagines Ale isn't, either.  The only thing that both Ale and J-L have in common is that they want Montse's happiness.  This is the reason J-L is working to try to get Alejandro out of prison.  Finally, J-L asks about the suicide note that DIM told him that Joaquín left and wants to know if it implicates Pedro.  Ale says it does and that he had to give the note to someone he trusted since the guards were getting suspicious and searching his cell.  He tells J-L to go find Father Anselmo.

Victor and Nadia's Love Shack:  A curious Victor notices that Nadia has been crying wants to know why.  She dismisses as nothing says she's emotional lately--probably it's just hormones.  He doesn't suspect her real meaning and laughs, and I think says something about "Inés"  (is this the equivalent of getting 'Aunt Flo" in Spanish?) and then changes the subject to say (yet again) that he is worried about Alejandro and about the fact that María took Joaquín's suicide note from Father Anselmo.  Victor hopes DIM can find the note not only to free Alejandro but also to implicate Pedro and to give him his due and send him to prison.  This would allow Nadia to be able to be free of Pedro at last and then she could marry Victor and they could be together.

Little do they know that Pedro himself has been privy to this entire conversation via his extensive network of video surveillance--though knowing the obliviousness of Nadia and Victor, Pedro's network is probably just several large humming, blinking camcorders mounted to the walls in the rental house.

The giant hands on the left might be a cast of Kim Jong-il's from the photo above


Stunned at this new information about Joaquín's note since Pedro has been obsessed with finding it for some time, Pedro doesn't even wait for the chance to watch another Nadia-Victor nookie session.

He turns off the live feed from the camera, pulls a gun from his desk, and attaches what looks like a silencer on the end--(any weapons experts out there confirm, por favor.)

Study, Beach House Almonte.  Fabiola comes in to pester Montserrat yet again to see the Benajmin Almonte's wills.  She claims it's only because her lawyer, Sandro, is pressing her, but Montse seems to be suspicious or just fed-up and tells Fab that Alejandro wants to wait until he's out of prison and can show Fabiola himself.  Montse wants to know why Fabiola wants to see the wills so much and Fabiola responds that Montse must know why:  Fabiola was the original heir.  Does Montse really think it's fair that Fabiola lost everything?  Montse says of course not, and she doubts Ale thinks it's fair either and will come to an agreement with her, but that, for now, there's nothing to be done.  Like it or not Fabiola needs to accept that her uncle recognized Alejandro at the last moment.  Fabiola wonders if the will naming Ale as heir is even authentic and Montse gets a angry and says of course, it is.  Alejandro isn't a thief.  

Here Fabiola back pedals a little and blames Sandro again, saying that he's filling her with doubts.  He thinks that the reason they're not showing her the will is because they've got something to hide.  She wonders how Benajmin died since he seemed well, and Montse says she doesn't know.  Finally, Fabiola insists that money isn't important to her--it's finding a family that she really cares about !  Montse seems dubious of this claim as she goes out, even as Fabiola thanks Montse for inviting Fabiola to stay with Montse and Ale and welcoming her.  Fabiola has been alone for years but now isn't and this is a relief.

Living Room, Beach House Almonte:  J-L enters, asking for Padre Anselmo, though Macario is laying into him for showing up at all.  Montse barges in at this and ask J-L how dare he come to their house given all that he's doing to try to ruin Alejandro.  J-L reminds them that, no matter what they think of him, HE is in charge of the investigation and only doing his duty.  He needs to talk to Father Anselmo about a note that Alejandro gave to him that J-L needs to see.

A dejected Father Anselmo now enters the fray himself.  He tells J-L that it's true, that Alejandro gave him a note and asked Padre Anselmo to give it to J-L but that HE LOST IT!  J-L, shocked, asks how did it happen?   In a low and emotional voice, Father Anselmo admits that María tricked him and took it from him, and he didn't realize until too late! 

Adolfo's House, Agua Azul:  Maria is sitting inside when she hears shots being fired at the front door and then in the next instant Pedro barges in.  He demands to know where Joaquín's note is.   Pedro says that they're going to talk calmly and that he won't ask the same questions twice.  He hits María hard, and she falls on the floor crying.  Pedro says that the conversation is over and he wants her to give him the note now.  María says she doesn't have it that Alejandro told her to destroy it, and she is begging him, please, please, as he just gives her a another series of big whacks in the face.  The force is so great that she falls backwards over the sofa.  Pedro pulls his gun out and says once again that he wants the note now.  He knows Alejandro gave it to the priest and that María took it from him.

Almonte Beach House:  At the same time as María is given her beat-down by Pedro, Montse and Father Anselmo are also talking about Joaquín's suicide note.  Montse wants to know why Father A. told J-L about what happened, and Father A. asks for Montse to put herself in his place.  Ale put into Father A's hands the only proof of Ale's innocence and told Father A. specifically to give it to José-Luis.  Father A. can't believe he was tricked by María and lost the note and feels overwhelmed with shame and doesn't know what he's going to tell Alejandro.

Montse takes pity on poor Father A. and tells him not to worry that all will be resolved.  She hopes that DIM and Adolfo will be able to get Joaquín's note back from María.  Here, Fabiola chimes in to stand up for José-Luis, commenting that he looked afraid for Alejandro as he left, but Macario reminds them all that J-L and María are working together and Montse is convinced that J-L went to look for her.  Montse is tired of doing nothing, and she decides she is going to go to try to get the note from María herself.  

Back to Pedro and María:  A trembling María, holds out a folded piece of paper to Pedro which he takes from her quickly, telling her to sit down and not to move.  He reads Joaquin's suicide note, which not only states that Alejandro is completely innocent of drug-trafficking but also that Joaquin's real associate for all these years was PEDRO HIMSELF.  As he finishes reading, Pedro curses Joaquín for his treason and mumbles that he hopes Joaquín is in hell.  

No doubt inspired by a vision of Joaquín in flames, Pedro takes out a lighter and burns Joaquín's suicide note.  

Pedro asks María if there are any copies of the note.  She says not that she knows of.  He says she better hope so because if Alejandro gets out of prison, the first person Pedro will coming looking for is María, damned rat that she is!  Pedro points the gun at her again and María decides quickly that there are no more copies.  Pedro says he wants María to be perfectly clear that the only reason she is still alive is because Pedro still needs her to be.  The next time she tries to hide anything or do something behind is back will be the last--does she understand?!?!  To make sure she gets it, he forcer her to repeat, "I'm trash and completely worthless!" loudly several times before he leaves.

After he's gone, María screams "Maldito! Mil veces, Maldito!" which is something close to the English equivalent of, "You Bastard!  You TOTAL Bastard!" and cries with pain, anger, and shame.

Mansion Mendoza.  Another evil character is also engrossed in unsavory memories of an even more evil Pedro:    Basurto remembers how Pedro has shamed and humiliated him again and again--first telling Basurto that he's a nobody and unworthy of such a lofty position as President of the Municipality, and then, forcing Basurto to put a gun to his head and pull the trigger to test his loyalty and obedience.  

Returning to reality from his awful memories, Basurto mutters to himself, "Very well, Licenciado.  If my life isn't worth anything to you, then your life isn't worth anything to me, either."  

Carlotta enters, followed by a maid bringing coffee.  After the maid leaves, Carlotta comments that Basurto looks tense and wonders what's wrong.  Basurto confesses that's he's in a very difficult position with Pedro and that Pedro is not the man Basurto thought he was.  He used to admire Pedro and want to follow his example, but he know realizes that Pedro is a man without scruples (And Basurto has them?)  Basurto wants investigate Pedro but he knows the minute that Pedro suspects, he's capable of doing anything.  Carlotta insists that Basurto needs to do something to stop Pedro, especially since Alejandro is innocent, and Basurto says Pedro has proof against Ale, and Basurto has to be careful and keep playing the game for awhile.  Medina is capable of killing Basurto.

At this, Carlotta becomes upset, proclaiming that she doesn't want anything to happen to Basurto.  Basurto says that, before he knew Carlotta, he didn't have anything, but now he has happiness with Carlotta he doesn't want to lose it.  He declares with considerable feeling that he loves Carlotta and wants to be with her.  Even knowing all the stuff we know about Basurto and how awful he is himself, he sounds incredibly convincing.  Is he changing like DIM because of his love for a good woman and her influence?  Or is he just playing it up to trick Carlotta and for greater ambition?  We on the Patio are dubious and doubtful, but Carlotta herself sure isn't.

Overcome with emotion and her enthusiasm in the moment, she impulsively says to Basurto, "Marry me!"

Some bar in Agua Azul:  DIM and Adolfo have a little pow wow about Joaquin's note that María took from Padre Anselmo.  DIM wants to know where it is and how much money Adolfo wants, but Adolfo says that they have to proceed with caution because of crazy Pedro.  DIM says to hand over the note--Adolfo should not only do it for not only to free Nadia from a terrible situation but also for himself.  DIM can tell the Adolfo isn't happy working for Pedro.  But Adolfo insists the only thing he's interested in is money.  That's what we're talking about says DIM.

"How much?"  he wants to know.
"One millions in dollars," says Adolfo.
"Done!" declares DIM without hesitation.  

Back in Mansion Mendoza, Carlotta is embarrassed about her inappropriate outburst and proposal to Basurto.   He tells her not to be, but she is worried she now just looks desperate.  Neither of them are young, after all--she makes a joke about arriving at the church with an oxygen tank.  But Basurto again tells her not to worry.  He reaches into his pocket and takes out a box and tells her that, believe it or not, ever since they've started going out, he's been carrying this around waiting for the right moment.  He opens the box to show her a ring and admits that he never said anything because he was afraid she wouldn't accept.  She says the ring is beautiful and wonders why he ever thought she would reject him.  He tells her it's because he's a nobody compared to her and that she deserves better, but she insists he's wrong:  he has ideals and ambitions. 

Unlike Pedro, Carlotta does not think it's ridiculous that Basurto wants to be President of Agua Azul, and she vows she will help him.  He tells her he needs her by his side not to lose his way.  He wants her to help make him a better human being every day.  He then takes the ring out of the box, puts in on her finger, and now asks officially if she will marry him.  She says, "Yes!" and he then proceeds to jump her bones, and they start a serious make-out session right in the living room of Mansion Mendoza.  Normally I'd say "Get you some!" and tell them to go for it, since (being middle-aged myself) I applaud all displays of middle-aged passion, but I have to remind myself that Basurto is evil and that this can't be a good thing for Carlotta, as happy as she seems.  Still, as a viewer and recapper, I find that I am very conflicted about this scene and not sure what to think of Basurto's intentions now.  I hope the rest of you will weigh in.

Anyway, the killer of all joy, Graciela, arrives at precisely the moment things are getting exciting.  She watches Barsurto and Carlotta rolling around on each other and from Gracie's expression, it's clear that she is not happy for our newest set of promitidos.  

Adolfo's House:   José-Luis enters the house carefully, his gun drawn, expecting danger.  He surprises María who wants to know why he's there, and he tells her sorry, and wants to know if she's alone.  He then notices María's battered face and body and wants to know who did this to her, but before she can respond, he pre-empts her and says, "It was Pedro Medina, yes?"  He comes over to her to check her wounds, seemingly to help her, but she isn't having any of it and tells him to leave.  

On her mission to get Joaquín's suicide note from María, Montse walks in at exactly that moment and sees J-L standing close to María.  María notices Montse before J-L does, and María quickly starts screaming for J-L not to hurt her, trying to deceive Montse now by pretending that it was really J-L who roughed María up.   No lover of María, an indignant Montse is nevertheless still outraged and tells J-L to leave María alone.  Montse can't believe he would beat María--how could he?  What has he become?  José-Luis swears he didn't do anything and reminds Montse that she should know what kind of person María is, but María keeps howling away, and Montse won't believe J-L.   

Taking further advantage of the misunderstanding she has created, María then proclaims that J-L took Joaquín's suicide note from her and burned it!  Montse sees it in ashes on the table and is horrified, wondering how much more J-L will destroy to get his vengeance on and cause her pain.  Fed-up with Montse's unfair accusations, J-L gets angry and screams at Montse to go ahead.  "Please think the worst of me!"

Montse is more than willing to think the worst of him now and keeps on about how she can't believe J-L would burn the only proof of Alejandro's innocence.  She gives J-L a big smack in the face to emphasize her point and look like she's ready to give him another, when he stays her hand and tells her bitterly that one day soon all the will come and she will know the TRUTH.  María starts to say something more, but he tells her to shut it.    Proud that her trick has worked, María even seems to be smiling a little to herself as she calls out one more time, "Don't hurt me!" and José-Luis finally leaves.  Montse looks at María in shock and dismay, not suspecting that María has tricked her, too, into believing the worst of J-L.

Back at Mansion Mendoza, Gracie is determined to ruin Carlotta's happy mood, commenting, "So you're going to marry that dead-beat policeman, eh?"  Carlotta asserts that Basurto is not a dead-beat, that's he's got an important position as the police chief of Agua Azul, and, what's more, he adores Carlotta.   Carlotta insists that Gracie is not going to ruin this for her.   Gracie ignores this and tells Carlotta her that Basurto is only with her to use her because of her family name and to advance his career.  Carlotta wants to know why Gracie can't stand the thought that she (Carlotta) would be happy.  Gracie says that she just wants Carlotta to open her eyes to the truth that she's making the worst mistake of her life.  Carlotta says her brother is dead and her niece and nephew have gone, and she has no desire to spend the rest of her life with Gracie.  She's going to marry Basuto.  Gracie says go ahead then, but that when things go badly don't coming knocking back on her door since it will be closed to her forever.  Carlotta is beyond caring about and gazes happily at her new engagement ring as Gracie walks away. 

Adolfo's House:  Montse wants to take María to the hospital to have her injuries treated.  María tells Montse not to pretend--she knows Montse has to be enjoying seeing María hurt.  Montse says, of course not, and what J-L did was unforgivable.  María is surprised that Montse is defending her, and Montse informs María that she (Montse) is not going to forgive María, either, for what she did.  How could María steal Joaquín's note from Padre Anselmo?  It was the only proof of Alejandro's innocence.  María claims she was just trying to keep Padre A. from giving the note to J-L.  Does Montse think that María really wants to harm Ale?  María doesn't want Ale and Montse to be together, but does Montse really think the María wants the man she loves to stay in prison?

They wonder how J-L knew that María had the note.  Montse tells her how J-L came to the house looking for Padre Anselmo.  María says she's not in the mood to talk to Monte and asks her to leave, though Montse says again that she wants to take María to the hospital and also that María should file a complaint.  María says she doesn't want to do that--is Montse crazy?  She doesn't want to end up dead.  Montse looks confused and suspicious at María's protests but says nothing.  She offers to stay with María until Adolfo comes home, but María tells Montse not to be a hypocrite.  María says she'll be okay and tells Montse to go.

Prison Cell, Agua Azul:  Alejandro is asleep on the cot in his prison cell.  He tosses and turns, but hears something suddenly and gets up.  A man stands before him in front of the prison bars, head bowed, so that we can only see the crown of his straw hat.  The man raises his gaze to meet Alejandro's.

He's back!

God, it's Juventino!

It it a visitation?  A resurrection?  A dream?  We don't know, but whatever his form, Juventino's come back from hell to torment Alejandro with self-doubt and me with his incomprehensible accent.  (The only good thing about this scene for me is that I can tell my Spanish has improved since I last saw Juventino since I can understand a lot more of what he says now.)  Juventino asks Alejandro what good did it serve him to be the son of Benjamin Almonte and to get all the money?  It was all for nothing.  He's going to hell and he's just like Juventino, after all.  

Alejandro protests, saying that he's not--he's that he's innocent, not a killer like Juventino.  Juventino laughs at this and works a piece of straw in his mouth.  "Yes you are," he insists.  First, Alejandro tried to kill the capataz, and, second, he did kill his own father-in-law, Lauro Mendoza.  Lauro died, and it was Ale's fault--and what's more Lauro died knowing his wife and cheated on him all his life AND believing his beloved daughter was cheating and pregnant by another man, not Ale.  Ale can't deny that he did all this.

"You killed him, You killed him," Juventino taunts Alejandro, laughing at him and mocking him.

Alone in his cell, a distraught and desperate Alejandro wakes up from his latest guilt-ridden nightmare.

Adolfo's House, Agua Azul:  Adolfo comes in and sees the damaged front door and asks María what happened. She informs him that Adolfo's brother-in-law, Pedro, did it and, what's more, nearly beat María to death, too.  Adolfo, suddenly concerned, asks if she's okay.   But she just tells Alfie that, of course, she's not, calls Adolfo an idiot, and also vows that Pedro will pay for what he did.   Adolfo wants María to tell him that she's still got Joaquín's suicide note.  She informs him that it's on the table--but burned to ashes.  Upset Adolfo mourns all the money that they've lost.

María gets angry and wants to know why Adolfo told Pedro that she had the note to try to get money off him.  He was playing with fire.  Adolfo tells her he didn't--that it was Alejandro who was going to pay for the Joaquín's letter.  Again, she wants to know how Pedro found out that she had the note and speculates that J-L told him and is working against Alejandro.  Adolfo wants to know what J-L said, and María says Montse came in at that moment, but that María was able to fool Montse into thinking that J-L was behind everything.  

Unfortunately for María, this time the tables are turned and it's Montse who has been privy to a useful conversations while lurking outside the door.  Now understanding that it was Pedro who beat up María and not José-Luis, Maris comes in declaring she can't believe that María tricked her.  María calls her stupid as Montse hurries off.  

José-Luis' Office, Naval Base, Agua Azul:  José-Luis opens his office door to find Montse wanting to speak to him.  He wants to know why she's there, and she says she's come to apologize.  She now realizes that she was  tricked and was wrong to suspect him of harming María.  Montse says that what she saw looked bad and that she didn't think and acted impulsively.  Still angry, José-Luis tells her to leave.  She insists she's not finished telling him what she has to say, but he insists that he's finished listening.  Undeterred, Montse thinks they need to clear things up, but once again he just tell her to leave.

Montse presses her point, though, and says that before she goes, she just wants J-L to tell her one thing:  Why did Alejandro want Padre Anselmo to give Joaquín's note to J-L?  J-L tells her sarcastically that it must be because Ale is an idiot, but Montse doesn't buy this and says that if Alejandro still believes in J-L it must mean that she's been wrong.  

J-L wants to know why she cares.  She says because it's not fair, and then he insists it must be because she still feels something for him.  She tells him she stopped loving him some time ago.  He says it's better if she hates him, but she maintains that she doesn't want to believe that J-L is capable of destroying her life.  He gets really fed up with this and wants to know what she thinks she's talking about:  SHE destroyed his life.  She broke his heart into a pieces;  she married a man who basically bought her.  And when J-L came looking for her at the hacienda, Montse told him it was too late.  It's better she thinks everything is J-L's fault because he's not going to lift a finger to help Alejandro.  Why, why? she wants to know.  J-L says because Alejandro took everything from him--and and above all of Montse herself. 

I'm going, Montse says.  

Now that J-L has gotten her to do what he said he wanted when she first appeared, he seems to change his mind and tells Montse don't go.  He throws his weight against the door as she tries to open it and tells her there's one thing he's been wanting to do since he saw her at the hacienda.  Nervous about his intentions, she tells him no, but he chases her down and throws her back across the desk, telling her she can't deny him now, seemingly stealing a Tú vas a ser mio assault move from one of Alejandro's old abusive play books during his early days of marriage to Montse back at the hacienda.

She tries to fight J-L off, but he manages to kiss her.  She struggles and knees him in the balls and gets up and runs again to the door but again J-L traps her and tells her to hate him if she wants, but for the right reasons.  He wants her to accept that she feels something for him.  He comes close to her a second time, repeating please, please accept it, please accept it, in his old desperate, whiny voice, as Montse looks around anxiously and fearfully.

End of Episode

Avances:  Looks like Montse escapes from the J-L's office and J-L is peeved;  J-L confesses to Ale that he kissed Montse and Ale starts tossing the prison furniture and vowing to kill J-L again;  María is tracked down by Basurto and Adolfo and things don't look good for her.

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Comments:
HOLY COW, JULIA!!!! What a marvelously, incredibly, deliciously written recap! YOU ROCK!!!

Who would have EVER known that Pervy Pedo was related to Vlad the Impaler! Just look at the resemblance and YOU, Julia, were the one to see it first!! HOLY COW!!!

What in the world were those sickening hands on that desk?!..and Victor and Nadia, totally oblivious to what is happening. Ay!

...and Carlota. Stupid, stupid, stupid woman. STUPID. Seriously. Basura is changing his ways?! NOT!. He killed a man for NO REASON. NO REASON! T here is no way in he^^ that Basura has any good up his sleeve other than to USE the STUPID Carlota.

I have never seen so many stupid people in my whole life! Don't even get me started on JL. HOLY COW!

One thing is for certain. The concept of normal life simply does not exist in Agua Azul.

Fantastic, recap, Julia!!

Fatima
 

What a great way to preface your fabulous recap with your illustrated homage to Pedro Medina! You chose such appropriate historical examples of cruel /evil characters to compare him with. Very well done!

Eventhough I cannot stand BM, I was not happy to see her suffer through Pedro's most vicious beating to date. Just when you thought it was over it wasn't. I am not a fan of excessive violence in tv shows/movies and this one was way too graphic and excessive for my taste. I cannot wait to see Pedro's fall in the end.

Another disgusting scene was Carlota putting up with Graciela poking her in the head one more time after Graciela tells her that once she leaves not to try to come back when it all falls apart with Basurto. When is some recipient of the poke just going to haul off and hit Graciela up side her head? I sure hope the writers give us the satisfaction of seeing that happen when her anvil falls.

Poor Montse is/has been so far out of the loop of the on again/off again /trust/don't trust JL -Ale relationship , she is like a dog chasing her tail. Way too many misunderstandings and now having Fabiola to deal with. At least she got to knee JL when he first tried to kiss her. If only she had left when he told her he was done listening to her . . .

From the avances it looks like Basurto has been charged to kill Maria. The big question is will he?

Jarifa
 

Jarifa, I am with you on that poke in the head business. I could scream every time I see Graciela do it. It bothers me that the "victims" ALLOW her to do it. It just fries me.

Fatima
 

Julia R:

Thanks so much for this sparkling gem of a detailed recap!

I was confused by Basurto too this epi. Does he really want to change? I couldn't believe Carlotta just came out with, will he marry her? I don't think it is possible for EZ to change, he has been infected by Peddy's evilness too long. I think for once Graceless is right.

Ay, yi, yi, Addled!!!!! Anything for money. Although I think if he had gotten that money he would have left town, far, far away from Peddy.

Leave it to BM to con Monse. I couldn't believe Monse believed her, but I'm glad Monse stayed behind that door and heard the truth! I also can't believe BM really thought she could get one over on Peddy. BM really thinks too much of herself. I too think it is EZ with BM in the avances when Addled comes upon them. Peddy always gets EZ to do his dirty work.

Ale is still haunted by Lauro's death. But seeing Juvie again, ewwww.....

JL now, what the hell!!!!!!! I wish he hadn't done what he did, but I think really it has to do with getting Monse to hate him so bad, she'll never contact him again. I know he was whiny, and when hasn't he been around Monse, but I still think it's to keep her away from him. I was really surprised when she kneed him in the avocados, but well he deserved it! Good for her!

I loved all the models of tyranny pictures, and Vlad the Impaler, O.M.Gee the worst of the worst, that guy was! Loved all your screen caps too. Thanks again Julia R for this most sparkling recap and all the details : )
 

Julia R,

What a splendid recap you have given us. It was AWESOME! And the screen caps were a delightful treat. Thank You!

I have to admit that I felt bad for BM when she was being hit by Pedo. I thought she might fight back, but maybe she's saving it for later. BM and Basurto can lead the charge to bring Pedo down for good. That's if Pedo's doesn't kill them first.

I fear for my Ale. How the heck is he going to get out of jail? Let's hope Cap. Robledo shows up soon to save the day. He should have a stronger presence against Pedo and his minions.

OMG! It's Juvie! What a nightmare! Ale is truly feeling guilty over Don Lauro's death. I would imagine that seeing Juvie in a dream is really frightening.

I am a bit confused about EZ. I know he wants to marry Carlota to advance his career and political aspirations, but sometimes he almost convinces me. He's a really good talker. Poor Carlota. She doesn't know that she's engaged to a killer. The only thing that somewhat comforts me is that I know EZ is going to help in Pedo's anvil.

I don't even want to get started with JL. Even if he's doing it to get Montse to hate him, it still wasn't right. Thank goodness Montse was able to get that kick in.

Once again, I DO NOT like the avances. But I loved your recap Julia! Thanks again.

Off to bed...hasta pronto!
 

Boy, did you ever get a juicy episode last night Julia. This was superb and your homage to all the insane dictators, only too true and funny.

I'm not entirely trusting of Bazurko. Can't see Maria being offed this early in the TN, but I don't think he has moved away from the dark side entirely. He may just channel his brand of ethics and behavior to take Pedro down. Dirty against dirty and Carlotta will be caught in the middle. Maybe he does feel something for her, but I don't see a Dim-like redemption here. I keep seeing that cold-blooded murder in my head.

Pedro was beyond the pale again, coward that he is that gets off playing macho man by beating women instead of making love to them. Nice one. Would have been nice to see Maria begin to realize she needs to clean up her act and stop the lies, but even bruised and bloody she still plays the games.

Of course she knows a clueless pawn when she sees one, and why the hell Monse could even remotely think He-Who-Lost-Me last night would beat up Maria like that is beyond me. Let's see, just had a conversation with the Padre on how Maria can dupe people and lie, right?

Now as to our Cap-I-tan. Sorry-- there is nothing about what he pulled that is acceptable to me. What would have happened if she hadn't groined him (good one!). And the creepy end scene? All I kept seeing in that scene was a dying Angie sitting and mourning her father at home and this cretin is pawing the ex, who plainly didn't want him to. Don't care if he was trying to "prove a point" or was frustrated with how Monse had accused him, it was disgustingly done and wrong. So help me we get a scene with him lovingly kissing Angie at home...well I better remove any throwable objects as I watch so I don't destroy the TV.

Daisynjay
 

Love your introduction, the pictures of past monsters (separated with Pedro at birth some of them, perhaps?) very clever.
I know he'll meet his doom in episode 190, but can't we have a little justice here in episode 96? Not sorry to see Maria knocked around.
Thanks for clearing up why Adolfo was so broken up about the loss of the note, I missed that little scene and later was worried Adolfo's version of it was true, but now I see Dim was still in hero-mode.
OK, Julia, I want to weigh in about Baserto and Carlotta. He's totally faking being a hero for her. But, I kind of hope she can have the fun of an engagement and being the center of attention for awhile. Sigh, isn't just about time for Galan #2 to show up with courtly manners for Carlotta?
Is Monse missing a few gray cells lately?? What a ding-a-ling.
In the advances Basurto was holding the gun over Maria this time-so I guess it is too much to hope for that he is really reformed. I think this may mean his days are numbered.
 

I took a second look at all the comments and have to chuckle at all the different ways we are spelling Basturdo's name.
 

Egad, Julia, you did a great job on this difficult episode.

Maria most likely never made copies of that note. Not that a copy would stand up legally, though. What this likely means is that Barajas has to stay alive long enough for Captain Robledo to hear his confession. He will not be pleased with how the rest of this is playing out.

One would think that Nadia and Victor would have been highly suspicious of Pedro funding their love nest. They are going to freak when they find out that they've been under surveillance every time they've been there.

Frankly, Pedro's beating of Maria wasn't even close to the beatings he gave Esmeralda. Too bad.

Can a prisoner refuse to see a visitor?

Fabiola is more than a skank; she's a vulture.
 

Julia- Excellent recap as always.

I see Uni continues to enjoy showing every little detail of a man brutally beating a woman, but gets squeamish and must edit when a man tenderly makes love to a woman. Huh?

I think these guilty dreams Ale has been having about Lauro is a result of audience uproar about how he/the writers swept it under the rug initially. I'm glad were finally seeing him really think about this. Now, how about he start having guilty feelings about raping Monse, especially now that he knows how he was conceived.

That last scene was baffling to me. It made no sense that JL would become so physically aggressive with Monse. That's more Ale's style. I think the writers are being inconsistent to manipulate the story to head a certain way. I guess we'll have to see.

As for Basurto, he has no intention of changing from the murderous, ambitious toad that he is. But I think his feelings for Carlota might be genuine. We've not yet seen him turn away from her with disgust or contempt or make fun of her behind her back. Until we see that, I can believe that he really believes Carlota is a catch and he's lucky to have her love. Unfortunately for her, he's also a murderer who is using her to get ahead.
 

I agree, Vivi; Basurto isn't changing. He just wants to get Pedro out of the way. It's entirely possible he might even treat Carlota decently, but it's unlikely he would be any less cruel, arbitrary, greedy, and power-hungry than Pedro with regard to everything else.

At this stage, though, it would be fun if he were the one to discover Pedro's big secret. However, it's way to early in this series for anyone to find that out.
 

The more I think about it, I wonder why the writers made such a big point of having Pedo berating Maria about possible copies of the note. Possible twist here? I mean honestly, how are we going to get He-Man out of jail?

Oh, and those weird hands on Ped's desk? I saw those in a catalog once. They serve as a holder - you can put whatever on them, pens, remotes, openers, etc. The way the hands splay, it allows an object to be cradled in them. Of course, for him, that's a little creepy to want delicate women's hands holding something on his desk. Or he does it for show to have people THINK he's all sentimental and loving of women. Jerk.

Daisynjay
 

JuliaR...thank you so much that excellent recap of a disturbing episode. Ugh. ....all the evil and angst is getting me down. We need some sunshine.

I have had enough of the beating, grabbing, finger pushing, yelling, and intimidating. I need some uplifting moments to balance the darkness and keep me watching.

Nadia,,,,ESTUPIDA...you were supposed to just PRETEND to working on getting pregnant. Now, your honey is in danger from the Big Bad.
 

Nadia was actually the one who told Victor that she's on her period ("mis dias"). This is a good thing since Pedro was listening in. He has no reason to suspect she's pregnant.
 

It's also a good thing she isn't telling Victor. However, she can't keep this secret for very long.

I wonder if their activities are being recorded for later viewing if Pedro is unavailable. That would be a good way for Nadia to ultimately find out about this.
 

Susanlynn- If any of these tn characters were capable of using birth control, then Nadia would have been on the pill secretly (hidden from Pedro). But tn writers like to pretend that birth control doesn't exist. It's apparently the stuff of make-believe and fairy tales.
 

Thanks so much, Julia Rold! Your clever rogue's gallery was the perfect device to lighten what was otherwise a heavy and dark episode. Beautiful work!

Some random grumpy reflections:

As Vivi said, it is upsetting that Univision doesn't mind showing us a woman being brutally beaten by a man, but feels the need to protect our delicate gringo sensibilities from love scenes or too much skin.

The most disturbing thing about Graciela's buzz-kill comments to Carlota last night is that everything she said was true! EZ is just using her to climb the social ladder and legitimize his ambitions.

Even if EZ is growing fond of Carlota (because let's face it, his fan club is vanishingly small and who doesn't like a personal cheerleader?), he is still a vicious, murderous, perfidious toad. Nothing -- not even the love of a good, if silly, woman -- is going to change that.

His lies are convincing because 1) he is a good liar; and 2) they always have a kernel of truth. (He IS ambitious. His boss IS a criminal. He WOULD BE in danger if he spoke out openly. He DOES want to marry Carlota.)

So now Montserrat falls for the same ploy María used a few episodes ago on Padre Anselmo?

And José Luis jumps Montserrat as if he were, I don't know, Juventino?

Elna June, it looks like you are being set up to recap a doozy tonight!
 

NovelaMaven, you said this: "His lies are convincing because 1) he is a good liar; and 2) they always have a kernel of truth. (He IS ambitious. His boss IS a criminal. He WOULD BE in danger if he spoke out openly. He DOES want to marry Carlota.)"

This is precisely what makes Basura so dangerous. Carlota is out of her league here. She has been portrayed as silly and naive, but now she is behaving like a very stupid woman (you know how I feel about women behaving stupidly)and she is going to pay dearly for this. How this will happen, I don't know, but it will happen.

Sadly, Graciela IS right in terms of what she told Carlota. I'm glad you said it first because I HATE giving Graciela ANY credit! :))

Vivi in DC, this is one thing that continues to stump me about these TN and the way either Televisa or Univision chooses to show them in the US: why is it acceptable to show horrible physical violence against women, but not a beautiful love scene? What kind of thinking is this?

Urban, you are also correct in noting that Maria didn't get half the beating the Esmeralda received. I wonder if that sicko Pedro thinks he will come back and give Maria a "little reminder".

I still see the bad people winning a heck of a lot more on this TN than the good guys AND if Maria long ago lost my interest because o her boring, broken record predictability, Montserrat is rapidly losing my interest as well. She is close to receiving Air Head status. You can only purse your tiny little lips and swing your blond hair around so much sweetie Montserrat before you come a parody of yourself.

As Urban also pointed out, Fabulush is a vulture. If she and Maria team up, they will become a fighting force fearful to behold.

Fatima

 

I too think that Jl was trying to get Montse to hate him, but l am disappointed that the writers used the usual disgusting ploy of physically and sexually abusing a woman. A little creativity is in order please.
I also think that JL is over Montse but he is bitter about suffering another loss and is directing his pain at Alex and Montse. He needs counselling to help him face or cope with Angies illness.
Thanks for a great recap!!
Yola
 

Julia, you continue to wow me with your marvelous polished clever recaps embellished with amazing photos. Simply... Wow!

UA,

"Frankly, Pedro's beating of Maria wasn't even close to the beatings he gave Esmeralda."

Perhaps, although I don't recall him pulling a gun on Esmeralda or forcing her to repeatedly say such horrible things about herself.

"Too bad."

Seriously?

JL's treatment of Montserrat seemed almost like brutal foreplay for a rape. Good for that well-placed knee. And now he's going to tell Alejandro about it? That should be fun.

As for the suicide note... looks like another job requiring Dimitrio's forgery skills. Next!

I agree that Zeke is, as NM put it, a vicious, murderous, perfidious toad, but I do think that he genuinely adores and worships Carlota. It cracked me up that he just happened to be prepared with an engagement ring. Was he a Boy Scout?

I'm fearful that Angelica may end up surviving longer than María after seeing the avances.

Carlos
 

The problem with Dimitrio trying to forge that note is that his fingerprints would be all over it. A signature is one thing, but a whole note is another.

I think EZ prepared for this long ago after Pedro made the suggestion about him pursuing Carlota.

Maria deserves much worse for what she's done and for what her actions in taking the note will result in. Being forced to swallow those pills was not only humiliating it could have killed her on top of all the alcohol she consumed in that scene. As to Pedro forcing her to say she was a worthless piece of garbage, that was only forcing her to face the truth (although he was actually shooting in the dark on that).
 

Julia your dictator homage to Pedro was awesome as well as your recap. And am 100% in agreement with your:

"In fact, Pedro, you have made so many enemies and are currently alienating so many natural allies in your sphere of influence that I am predicting your end may come Murder on the Orient Express style" Although he seems to be highly intelligent, he is not thinking far ahead that demeaning, beating, threatening to kill and ordering them to shoot themselves will leave him with no allies. Basurto and Maria will be the first in line to off him!

Also I agreed with Fatima, Vivi, EJ and everyone else who thinks Basurto is not changing. He has killed in cold blood and has from the start been looking for his chance to move up the ladder. Carlotta is a lovely and sweet woman. No doubt he can come to love her but not over his desires to be mayor.

Maricruz
 

Carlos,

ITA about Ezequiel and Carlota. Maybe he is just good at compartmentalizing his life. Maybe she will be good at turning a blind eye to his "business" dealings.

Jarifa
 

UA,

"Maria deserves much worse for what she's done and for what her actions in taking the note will result in."

Indeed? So do Nadia and Victor have no culpability in Pedro knowing that there was a note after all and exactly where to find it? Whether it was María or whoever, Pedro was bound to learn that there was a note and who had it.

Carlos
 

Pedro doesnt even deserve to have a cup of tea with Hitler in hell,what a despicable creature.Whats more dishartening is people like him DO exist in this world ,his evil is something from an another world.
 

I agree with you damas: they are showing far too much gratuitous violence. We already fully well know Pedro’s depravity; they don’t have to keep showing us the physical act.

The women in this soap trouble me because they fully expect to get abused. That's difficult to accept in this day and age.

Padre Anselmo inexplicably has gone to pieces over losing that note. He’s been keeping secrets for 30 years so why this breakdown now? No sympathy points from me, no matter how many times he goes a rodillas. He’s losing face.

Has to be more here than meets the eye.
 

Oxnard HueroThank you, thank you for your excellent comments.

Fatima
 

Oh and i absolutely LOVED seeing Juvie today,totally unexpected! He would make a great hallooween gift!
 

It seems as though Ale and Jose Luis both feel the urge to sexually attack Monse. But then again she can be incredibly provocative, and indeed outright annoying, around the men she cares for. There's a violence she provokes and a weakness in the men who give into the urge.
 

What I particularly dislike is setting up an unpopular character for abuse and then inviting the viewer to enjoy the sadistic spectacle.

It takes us a step past desensitization to violence (bad enough) onto the minefield of audience participation ("She deserved it, the bitch!").

As for EZ's feelings for Carlota--
Lots of us have wondered how Nadia ever agreed to marry Pedro in the first place. I suspect their courtship went something like the one playing out right now.
 

NovelaMaven,

Thank you. Everything you just said is smack on target.

Carlos
 

Pedro married Nadia by probably faking himself ,oh how he is so sweet,lovey dovey,honorable and after the marriage comes ,they show their true face. And Nadia is very naive,making her an easy target to Pedros lovey dovey antics back before the marriage
 

Hello all.

Coming out of lurkdom to say...

What I particularly dislike is setting up an unpopular character for abuse and then inviting the viewer to enjoy the sadistic spectacle.

It takes us a step past desensitization to violence (bad enough) onto the minefield of audience participation ("She deserved it, the bitch!").


Novelamaven, thank you for that comment. I like they way you said that.

Maria is a character I truly disdain but I really had no pleasure in seeing her beat down last night. The only thing I felt was even more disgust (I can't think of a stronger word at the moment) toward Pedro. His end can't come soon enough for me.

Caryn
 

Meanwhile...

Who's in charge back at the ranch? Does the useless Macario have a back up? Are the animals being cared for? Are the oranges being picked?

Carlos
 

Another wonderful recap, Julia :)

I too do not trust EZ. And I feel like Carlota is going to get hurt really bad in the end. And I didn't like the way Graciela talked and treated her about her relationship with EZ. As right as she is about EZ, still I think her problem is she is JEALOUS, sheis such a witch. Your husband is gone, your children are happy with their respective spouses and now Carlota is finding love. While you poor Graciela, sit there and wallow in loneliness. I know Sandro has been lurking about her, but still. The way she acted last night reeks of jealously. And it is disgusting, sad and pathetic.

Jarifa and Fatima:
And I too wish she would stop with the poking. One of these days someone is going to poke her back with a smack. :/

And Fatima
I said it before, I'LL say it again, I hate stupid heroines, MONTSERRAT! I am looking at you..

As for Maria, I am sorry, but I didn't feel very sorry for her. I in NO WAY condone the violent way Pedo acted BUT still, Maria is getting what she asked for. Play with fire and you will get burned....just like the letter :(

JL is an idiot and jerk. And I once more felt so bad for poor Angelica, sick at home while her husband accosting his ex. -__- WRITERS!! I want to see JL and Angie end up together for crying out loud. :(
Although I guess JL did what he cuz he wants Montse to hate him and stay away or he had a moment of weakness?

As for what may happen tonight with Maria, I think she WILL NOT get killed and EZ will use her and Adolfo against Pedo, to get revenge and sink him for good. That is what I would do. If your gonna overthrown someone, get all the help you can get, enemy of my enemy and all that.

Also this act of sending EZ to kill Maria instead of doing it HIMSELF, shows Pedo is an overcompensating ass wipe. Since you're such a big badass, your the president, handle things yourself. ugh he is a jackass creep with his head UP his ass.
See the amt of crap he has done maybe he is related to Vlad the Impaler after all....

Veronica


 

Veronica,

You sound ambivalent,

"I in NO WAY condone the violent way Pedo acted BUT still, Maria is getting what she asked for."

And I must have missed her request to be beaten like that.

Carlos
 

Veronica "poke her back with a smack" . I like that! It rhymes!

Jarifa
 

"I am predicting your end may come Murder on the Orient Express style, where every soul you have injured gathers just for the chance to STAB your black heart repeatedly:"

Just had to throw in that quote from your excellent and captivating preamble (with pictures to boot!) Julia.

But my second favorite passage was this:

"Juventino's come back from hell to torment Alejandro with self-doubt and me with his incomprehensible accent."

Ah yes, this telenovela has been quite challenging, between Pedro's clenched teeth and Joventino's mush mouth. But we soldier on, with or without closed captions!

Ah, the Carlotta/Basurto romance. No, I don't think he loves her at all. But the actor is fabulous and he's playing the part to perfection. Of course he's totally believable. And let's face it, it's always easier to believe what we WANT to believe, and it's normal and natural that Carlotta wants to be desired and loved. Who doesn't? I pray that there will be someone to comfort her when the mask is lifted. Or perhaps Basurto will die nobly after all, and she can mourn him like a fallen hero.

Julie, this recap was just perfect...and perfectly delightful to read and enjoy. Thanks for a great Thursday treat to make up for the mostly ugly and disturbing episode that it was Wednesday night. Kudos to you for turning dross into gold.
 

t takes us a step past desensitization to violence (bad enough) onto the minefield of audience participation ("She deserved it, the bitch!").

That was an astute comment, NovelaMaven, and frankly I was uncomfortable with my own reactions. I did NOT look away in horror from Maria's assault (as I did with Esmerelda's beat-downs). I watched quite calmly. There's an ugly part of the old limbic brain at work here, sure as shootin'.
 

Veronica, thank you for the shout out! Appreciate your points and your comments. :)

Our wonderful NovelaMaven asked us yesterday about the messages the writers were sending re Barajas, in particular.

As I am getting ready to go out the door, I really have to wonder about a)what the writers are thinking re women in general and b) has the Mexican public condoned/accepted the violent scenes towards the women in this TN?

I have not seen as many TN as my fellow Caraymates, but in the few that I have seen (or tried to see, but couldn't i.e, LQNPA), there seems to be some not so sutble acceptance of this violence towards women even by the so called heroes of the story.

In "Amor Bravio", the female villain (holy cow, I am forgetting her name!) was an evil horrible woman. However,the violence perpetrated upon her by one of the villains was over the top. She was so violently raped, she could hardly walk. It was horribly hard to watch. In fact, I had to turn away (no surprise there, I'm sure).

I have to ponder my own questions because just maybe, it is not clear in my own mind as to why I am watching the TN if I can barely make it through some of the programs in the US that are considered top notch (Breaking Bad, etc).

Yes, I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Look, Fatima, if you can't handle it, then why watch?" I've already asked myself that. I do know that there is a part of the TN that can be so "comforting". Does that make sense?

It's the other part that I don't understand and which I will ponder as I hit the road for another long day.

Yours truly,

Fatima
 

Dear Friends, I am working all day today and can't respond in detail, but just wanted to say thanks so much for reading and for your generous and thoughtful comments. Best wishes to all and looking forward to tonight! Julia R.
 

Fatima- There were two women raped in AB, by the same culprit-- one survivor was a young innocent, the most innocent character in the tn, and the other was the murderous villain Isadora. In neither case did the director/writers actually show the attack, just the horrible emotional and physical aftermath. But that was enough. We didn't need to see the actual attack when we could see the horrific results.

I think a few times during Urban's weekend discussions we've spoken about how horrible the female villains' ends are compared to the male villains. Rape and disfigurement seem to be common for the female villains. Why? I'm sure some of our Caraymates who make their living in the field of psychology could probably explain why female villains seem to get a bigger/more violent anvil than their male counterpoints (or is this just our perception), and why rape is so often a part of that anvil.
 

In this TN in particular, the women seem to be the accessories to a rather male-dominated story. Their characters are there to be bedecked, admired, manipulated and abused as the males see fit, some perhaps not bad as others, but each of them, evil or not, has used that macho-man attitude with his significant other one time too many. This may be the writers attempt to show the seedy side of the drug world, but I think we get the message and lord help me, give us some plots away from the dark side.

For the women, what has started to bother me is that there seems no effort to overtly change that expectation, except for perhaps Fina, and looked where that got her with her own brother. I hold out hope, if we ever get decent screen time back for her and DIM, we will see her kicking this overall portrayal of female submissiveness to the curb and maybe the others will follow suit. Get jobs, stop sitting drinking tea and hand wringing and just show some smarts.

Is it horrible that the only person who may have "gotten it" and saw what they needed to play the same game as the guys in this world of theirs is Graceless? How sad is that. The others really need to get a clue and start waving the I Am Woman flag for some positive change before their children fall into this same trap ( as if this was real life--Yish!)

Frankly, and I qualify by saying I'm still enjoying this TN for the most part, but with so many episodes to go, if this is what we continue to see in the characters, I may not be able to stop feeling more and more frustrated and just give it up.

Daisynjay
 

Julia thanks so much for your recap. I enjoyed Pedo linked to historical figures and agree he will alienate his allies, who may kill him.

Basura is evil but he does care for Carlota.

NM thank you for eloquently stating how the writers tried to set up Maria's beating as deserved. While she has been horrible, we do go to another level when men beat up women. Thankfully I've missed all the beat downs of women though saw the dismissed martial rape.

Fatima on violence against women, I understand your concerns and ask myself the same questions when tv shows continue to normalize things I would not tolerate in the real world. When it become to hard to watch our tns, I read the recaps b/c I love our community but don't want to have to endure actual viewing of disturbing material.
 

Excellent assessment Daisynjay and to make matters worse regarding the female characters, the one who could play hard ball and not be evil, Tia Pru, was like a magical character that showed up once. At this point I am concerned if the writers brought her back, she would be killed for being too smart.
 

Did the writers forget that Fina wanted to use her college degree to get a job? Or are they/she satisfied that she'll rely on her husband's small naval salary?
 

Julia Rold, this was an excellent recap: articulate, witty, and flowing from your fascinating and funny introduction. You took Pedro to task on behalf of all of us. If he had any shame, he’d be as beat down as Maria was. I also liked your label for Graciela-- the killer of all joy.

Novela Maven, your comment about our reaction to Maria’s beating gave us something to ponder. (And I didn’t thank you for your well done recap of Wednesday’s episode.) I was probably too satisfied to see Maria suffer at Pedro’s hands and twisted mind.

I am feeling a little weary: the long punishing winter and the evil running rampant in Aguazul and environs is getting to me. Not only the evil, but the stupidity as well, is tiresome. How about a few comic breaks—Grannie Graci being forced to baby sit for one afternoon? With assistance from Padre Anselmo who just drops in? Josefina decides to cut her hair? Fabiola decides to visit a resort for a few weeks? Or something, anything, a little sunnier. (No, not Montse's blond hair. Or Carlota's new diamond.)

 

JuliaR -- Bravissima! Really great. I would add some Yago and a touch of Richard III. I had never seen Sendel before watching this show and once he came on screen I was like, Santa Maria!, WHO is this guy? He's absolutely gorgeous, among other things. Love the blue peepers behind the Trotsky glasses and the little ducktail flourishes at his nape.

Looking him up, I read weeks ago that at one point he was voted Number I TV villain in Mexico. Easy to see why -- the most delicious ham fest every time he's on. Complete with sometimes, to my ears, impossible to comprehend Spanish. He's a perfect huffing and twitching machine of malicia and betrayal. And, oddly for AguaAzul, up with some of the more recent technologies.

Love the Mexican credits too with their designations -- The Main Antagonist and other categories. They seem to take their novela traditions seriously and we love them for it, no?

I would SO love to see Juventino return -- but, alas, probably not ...

I am convinced that Carlota will only find true happiness once she takes her hair back to its original, beautiful form and puts down the little girly curling iron. Also, a return to her original wardrobe looks, por favor. It seems as though her fauxmance with EZ has led her to devolve into adolescence across the board, pobrezinha, and it just doesn't suit her. She should be with Victor!

Gracie head stabs must result in frequent CUTS on set. I can't imagine the actors not laughing about the gesture which has become her signature, along with the horrendo outfits and feathered booties. A whole coffee table book could be created out of her bizarre get-ups. I would definitely buy it.
 

Thanks for the awesome recap!

Not much to add as I agree with most of what has been said. I am worried about the advances. The fact that Adolfo, who doesn't carry a gun, interrupts EZ and Maria makes me fearful that we lose Adolfo tonight. As I see him the more expendable character as opposed to Maria or EZ.
 

PS -- Forgot to add that Gracie has been stabbing HERSELF in the head repeatedly for some weeks now which always makes me chuckle. She tends to do this with two hands. She misses poking and being poked, no doubt. Her "bebes" are also priceless.
 

Julia--Everything was just perfectly in order to capture our imaginations--including the eyewear and 'staches--from the start. Great recap.

With all the violence being spread around, I'm trying to concentrate on a particular puzzlement. Victor and Nadia and their love nest. Surely Victor, at least, would suspect this undeserved gift, and have it swept for bugs and cameras. C'mon now, even the maid could have found something while dusting, unless like in "Lives of Others" movie (great film, btw), the Stasi put the wires in the walls. It also reminds me of Entre el Amor y el Odio, where Marcial (played by our Juventino), rigged up a camera and microphone in a big toy teddy bear's eye to spy on the object of his obsession.

Ok, for his poor victim, she had no idea how perverse he was, but in this case, V & N should know better.
 

Urban--Just saw your comment on the love nest. Our brain waves must have been running parallel.
 

As to a EZ-Carlota hook up. I think he picked her out initially for her social position, but has come to care for her.

ITA that he hasn't or won't change how he does what he does for a living. However, stop to think that the most hardened Mafioso who have been caught and exposed have had families--mothers, dads, wives, children, nieces, nephews, etc. etc. who have learned to adapt, if not in the business themselves (at least after reading the Godfather series and a few true crime books....)
 

Anita -- I too LOVE "The Lives of Others" -- I gather that V and N are too busy being insipid to think about sweeping for bugs. Their recent prison caper was a high point of their relationship and fun to watch. Nothing against the two actors at all but they have ZERO chemistry and could just as easily have played brother and sister. I would imagine that as soon as Pedro is inteirado (sic) of Nadia pregnancy Victor's life will be in danger. It will take V and N an eternity to figure that one out.
 

I must disagree about EZ caring for Carlotta. I don't think he cares about her one bit. But I think he likes that she cares about him, because she is the only one.
 

The writers are not doing a good job with the JL character. The character as written is very inconsistent. In Amor Real , this character was consistent. He was a good and honorable man who ended up doing some dishonorable things due to his obsession with the leading lady. Towards the end, he was so frustrated that he did try to rape the heroine, but he stopped. This novela has been strung out too much. It is going in circles at this point.

Novelamaven...interesting comment about Ez's words always containing a grain of truth..
 

Dear Julia Rold:

Your opening paragraphs and images set up a recap that is FAR better than last night's episode. I particularly loved the image of Vlad the Impaler and the folks on the Orient Express.

This was a really good recap and oh, so thorough, amiga.

I can only shake my head in dismay at the stupidity affecting our friends in Aguazul.

I know that Carlota is a silly goose of a woman, but should she be married off to a stone killer and sadist? That seems a bit excessive a fate for a woman whose worst qualities are her propensity to gossip and to harshly judge anyone who is not a member of her direct family.

Remember the cruel pleasure EZ took at seeing Maria imprisoned and then tortured with the fake suicide plot? Remember him stroking her exposed neck when she was unconscious? Ack!

I hate the device of Pedo watching Nadia and victor in their love shack. I guess that was the only way the writers could figure to get Pedo the info that there was indeed a suicide note and that Maria had taken it.

NM: you are so right. I am NOT looking forward to recapping tonight's epi with more violence and abuse to women. Ack, again.

Vivi, you raise very important questions about the abuse of women in TNs. Why? Why are there no strong, educated, powerful women—even among the wealthy—in the show? Why are women punished in more horrible ways than men at the end of the TNs?

Although characters have cell phones, automobiles and remote viewing technology used to spy on Nadia and Victor, attitudes toward women in this TN seem stuck in the 19th century—the timeframe used to set up the original story.

I can only speculate on the reasons for the story being written this way, but I think it would be fair to say that an underlying religious culture in which women are most definitely NOT the equals of men leaves a taint on the story.

I would guess that you and others would agree with me, Amiga. Are we not just harkening back to some very old archetypes for women? It seems that the only roles for those with XX chromosomes in Aguazul are virgin, victim, martyr, mother and whore.

EJ

 

Carlos:

I just want to go the record as saying that I hated the scenes of Pedro, once again, violently beating a woman. The fact that this violence was done on the person of an unsympathetic character like Maria makes no difference to me.

Maria may have earned punishment for her bad behavior, but she certainly didn't deserve a vicious beating at the hand of her emotional pimp.

Like you, I find that whole storyline repellent.

EJ
 

Carlos, Nadia and Victor are not guilty because they are clueless about being watched.

They're going to freak when they find out and I don't think that will take much longer.

As to female Karmageddons being worse than male ones, I think that most Karmageddons are proportionate to the crimes committed to earn them. In the case of toxic parents, the mothers do substantially more psychological damage than the fathers do because they can start at cradle stage. They have more weapons at their disposal as well.

I don't think there is much gender difference among peer villain Karmageddons. Femme fatales are often disfigured and male rapists either die or end up getting raped in prison.

It would be a unique and historic ending if the authors pulled an Agatha Christie on Pedro. Maybe that would provoke my proposed Televisa version of that very film.
 

Regarding Pedro and Ez pursuing Nadia and Carlotta, let's face it, some people are very talented at putting on a mask to get what they want. Love is blind. Flattery will get you everywhere. Wolves in sheep's clothing.
 

I'm only halfway through the commente, but I can see everyone on the Patio sees Basurto for what he really is--Basura, dangerous, but still basura.
 

I am with , EJ . Maria did not deserve to be beaten like that..no one does. There is a special section in hell for guys who abuse and intimidate women.


 

Julia, thanks so much. Fantastic recap. Great comparison to the tyrants whose ranks Pedo would love to join.

I think it's all Ale's fault that the note is gone. HE is the one who told Maria it existed and where it went, and he should know better than to trust Maria with anything, let alone important information, by now. So if he has to rot in jail for years, it's kind of his own fault. He should have told Montse and Rosario and Padre all to tell JL to come to visit him at the jail immediately, himself! Even if JL got searched, surely he could have come up with a good method of hiding the note, and at least he would have seen it first.

Ale needs to sponsor Nadia and Victor on a trip to somewhere far, far away and incommunicado so they can't cause any more problems through their naive blunderings.
 

It is interesting to me that in some novelas, one character seems to get more than his or her share of woe. In the 8 pm novela, a character named Andrea was married to the lead villain. He abused her and married someone else while still married to her. Recently, her younger son was kidnapped, her older son went to jail, and her mother was killed by her ex's henchman. Yikes The one bit of good fortune that the writers gave her is her second husband who is a very sweet , loyal, solid , good guy. My question is..why do the novela writers often like to heap a lot of awful on one particular person instead of spreading around the bad luck and angst a bit. Then again...in real life , some folks seem to get more than their fair share of misery, verdad?
 

Re the violence, if you look at the images, and they are disturbing because they are meant to be for ANY audience,they are clearly in the ExVoto Retablo style that permeates Mexican culture. Think Frieda K and her appropriation of those images. They go static on the tableau and go nuts on the blood. No one is supposed to feel good about it and so we don't.

What bothers me more is the novela is now in plateau mode and getting it through to the next peak might be good without beat-ups of this nature. Everyone seems exhausted and the story too.

Univision isn't trying to say any of this is okay. They are referencing the culture and trying to make a point and, to their credit, our American soap operas when they do showcase domestic violence anymore are a lot tamer, safer and full of BS in terms of visuals. We tend to get the black-eye -- They are going for broke.

Good for Mexico, I say, if the intent is to create disgust and outrage.

I don't know if anyone here is old enough to remember seeing "The Burning Bed" with Farrah Fawcett when it came out on American -- pre-cable -- TV. That turned the tide. Perhaps Mexican TV is helping to turn their own tides.
 

Maria A.- It seems just the opposite. Uni never shies away from showing extreme violence against women, like last night's scene. But they are scared to death of sex, love scenes and women's bodies, and hack apart any scene showing them. THAT'S what's so disturbing. They are more accepting of showing violence against women, than showing adults having sensual, consensual sex. There is no balance.

I'm guessing US soaps keep things PG because they are shown during the day. But these are nighttime shows.
 

Hmmm...EZ seems to be channeling Jerry McGuire .."You make me want to be a better man.".....except that jerry McGuire didn't kill anyone. EZ might really be falling in love with our gentle Carlotta, but he killed someone in cold blood , so I do not think he us eligible for telenovela redemption.
 

Vivi in DC -- Of course you are right -- Much more faux beatings than hot sex. Easier to do a faux beating which would rely on the make-up department and the sturdiness of the actors than a full on sex scene. The sex scenes are equally unrealistic --gauzy, music driven events that rely on a kind of sex that can only make one smile. What passes for passion is cream of rice and nothing wrong with that -- It's just not ever real or hot. Nor should it should it be. The build-up is the thing.

This is Catholic Latin America -- to expect consistency or parity is an exercise in frustration and I am with you all the way. Make love not war. Look at the Escondida scenes for the real problem -- They simply can't do any of it -- sex, violence, real sleaziness on TV. So they go for the violence because, again, America Catolica. I got into this some months ago and ended up some riled up, brought up so much turbulence, that I ended up meio bebada and stayed away for some weeks.

Here's what I want -- Ale out of jail -- so boring to have him in there forever. Josefina and Demetrio front and center!! Adolfo back. Carlota back to her sexy self in her sleek hair and great size plus outfits -- she is so beautiful and I hate what they have done to her. More Gracie. More Padre Anselmo and Rosario and Macario. More vistas!

It goes without saying that sex is better than violence.
 

I've said this many times: Univision is scared witless of US censors and the moral watchdogs who want to "protect" innocent children and impressionable teens from sex which is "evil." This is totally misguided when they could use their ratings advantage to help turn that tide.
 

UA,

"Nadia and Victor are not guilty because they are clueless about being watched."

Thanks, I know, I watch the show, but you said:

"Maria deserves much worse for what she's done and for what her actions in taking the note will result in."

I contend that Maria had no intention for Pedro to end up with the note as he did. She was clueless that Pedro was evesdropping on the adulterous couple or she certainly would have acted differently. As I said:

"Whether it was María or whoever, Pedro was bound to learn that there was a note and who had it."

And you can bet he would have pursued whoever had it.

Carlos

 

What I've been meaning to say and couldn't it because I wouldn't have known it without the recapper -- sublime writers -- and posters here is this --

They can't show real sex because no one does, anywhere, unless we are talking sex tapes. And they don't show real violence either -- just an approximation of the aftermath of a beatdown.

I don't blame Univision for this. I do kinda blame myself for getting so into it that I start to lose myself. Maybe why I so relate to Alejandro. Any small gain that man can make in understanding himself and the demons that drive him is like a hurrah even though my Rulli crush has abated.

I must confess that I am now all about Dimitrio who never shows up enough and imagining my life with the wonderful actor who plays Padre Anselmo.

Great scene his coming to terms with the fact that he had messed up and let Maria rob him. Talk about being violated. Dom Eric del Castillo -- meet you at the beach gazebo.

And Oscar and Veronica need to return soonest.
 

I'm pretty sure whatever sex/love scenes that Televisa filmed can't be considered porn, so there really shouldn't be any reason why Uni feels the need to cut them. Either they should think we are all 5 year olds and cut the sex AND the violence, or leave it all in.

Maria- I am sure Eric would love to hang with you on that lovely beach, under all that gauze. :)
 

You have to admit that Maria is a soecial piece of feisty work. JL, Monty, and Addled all show concern for her , and she sneers at them and calls them idiots. What a charmer this gal is. Hospital ??? I don't need no stinking hospital.
 

Julia R - Fabulous recap. I missed a lot of it last night, but your vivid recap makes me feel I was right there.

So help me we get a scene with him lovingly kissing Angie at home...well I better remove any throwable objects as I watch so I don't destroy the TV. Daisynjay, ISTA!

That was so out of character for JL. And Monse, who let Ale toss her around like a rag, suddenly pulls out the knee combat move? Doesn’t ring true. Maybe the writers are ticked off about the extension and just let it rip.

EZ is in love with ambition, but I do think he likes and appreciates Carlota. I like the way he is preparing to throw Pedro under the bus. But I fear he'd throw Carlota under the bus too if she somehow got in his way.
 

The vast majority of the women on this TN don’t have a sense of self-worth. Either they rely on family wealth or their mens' wealth/position to define them. They are not accomplished on their own.

The only women I have respect for on this TN are madrina Prudencia, Amelia (because she has displayed courage in difficult situations) and Angelica.

The others are punching bags, mere pretty objects, or both.

I don’t buy the theory that the writers are showing the absurdity of violence toward women by displaying it so often. That’s too much of a reach.
 

Maria deserves her punishment, but not what she got and not by Pedro.
 

The absurdity of violence isn't the matter. With all due respect, violence isn't absurd ... It just is.

The absurdity of one's heightened reactions to this particular soap opera is more to the point and for sure has to do with my over reactions.
 

Great recapp....thanks for all the good points.....I feel Maria deserves the beat down.....Not all women deserve it and it should never happen to any women...dogs should not get kicked either....But Maria has been awful since the beginning and the way she lies and turn tales around and had everyones head messed up....maybe just this once she needs a little whack....I am at the frustrating point now with this novela that i too feel we need some good things to start happening....seems the bad guys are getting all the points....COME ON GOOD GUYS....BNinCA
 

One of the reasons I'm having such a hard time with this TN is the unrelenting darkness. The good guys haven't won in a long awhile--OK, you could count the letter, but that only lasted a split second. I dread a long continuation of this darkness since this TN has been extended for an obscene amount of eps. Please more balance!!

Thank you so much for the recap JuliaR. After having read it and the comments, I believe I can skip this one.
 

I too have noticed that the women in this novela are idiots and it is depressing :( This why I loved Amor Bravio, the women there esp Camila was a lot smarter than the average novela heroine. If only the writers would continue that trend...

Carlos:
I know I seemed ambivalent on what happened to Maria. I wanted to feel sympathy cuz what Pedo did I hate to see that. It pisses me off to no end to see women in novelas get that treatment. Despite my dislike for Maria lets hope we don't see anymore beatings. -__-
But seeing how sadistic Pedo was, I am afraid this may not be over.

And I too notice how female villains tend to get more than usual amt of punishment in novelas, but there was one novela where I saw a male villain get quite the overkill in terms of final punishment, I forgot the character's name but he was in Apuesta Por Un Amor. I think he had played as Julia's brother?

Veronica
 

Veronica,

That was Fabián Robles as Alvaro, Julia's brother and I think he almost makes Pedro look tame by comparison. One of the best and craziest villains ever. I thought he was wasted in MPV. I don't recall how he ended up but I remember that it was brutal.

Carlos
 

Awesome Julia! This novela is getting too dark and turning me off fast. The beatings and wicked winning all the time is getting old. I am sorry about Maria's payback, but she was willing to help keep an innocent man in jail to keep him from his family. What's with all the obsession? JL has a fantastic wife in Angelica and he is still lusting after Monts. Where are the boundaries in this show? Is there no respecting marriages anymore? It's just a show but it's getting too much.
 

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