Caray, Caray!

Here are the comments that followed this minicap posted with the comments to the previous episode, starting with this one by JudyB:

This was a miserable, sad episode to watch. I hated the interrogation of poor Rosario; hated Pedro's gloating, and hated Alejandro's blithe (though understandable) assumption that the true wills were in his safe. Didn't like the gory close-up of Victor's face either.

On the plus side, found the actor playing Adolfo very effective with his jittery leg and hand trembles. A bundle of nerves indeed.

And did enjoy seeing Dimitrio definitively reject his mother's machinations and attempted guilt trips. The best part was when he challenged her to tear up the check.

I find the wearing of white at funerals very peaceful and right-seeming. Wasn't it Diane de Poitiers or somebody like that who changed the traditional white at velorios to black because SHE looked gorgeous in black? Anyway, I wish we would all go back to white. The dark, somber colors people wear only add to the sadness and gloom. In our church, people sometimes wear bright red to symbolize the resurrection but white seems best to me, somehow. That was a beautiful effect during the episode.
Permalink posted by Blogger JudyB : Sat Apr 12, 05:38:00 PM EDT
 

AuntyAnn wrote:

Thanks for the summary NovelaMaven.

I really hated Pedo last night. I wanted to wipe that stupid joker smile off his face. I hope his anvil is slow and painful. The Rosario interrogation was intimidating. It felt like she was on the witness stand being questioned by a couple of high-priced, cruel, and ruthless lawyers. Which is essentially what happened. She should have had a lawyer of her own, but she probably wasn't aware of her rights. I am really getting sick and tired of Pedo's ability to get away with everything. His anvil can't come soon enough.

Faby is on my last nerve too. Did anyone catch what she said at the end of Thursday's epi? When she asked why Montse was with Angie (RIP), JL told Faby that Montse cared about Angie. Then Faby said out loud in front of everyone that she had seen a different Montse at the Almonte house, and that Montse did not care for Angie. I am guessing that Faby is trying to dirty up Montse's reputation, especially in front of JL. And then last night promising to make JL fall in love with her and make him forget Montse. I know she hasn't killed anyone, but she still rubs me the wrong way.

FINALLY! Dimi has left his mothers house. I was so relieved that Gracie got caught receiving that check from Tomas. Little by little Gracie is pushing people out of her life. Eventually she will be alone.

BTW, did I mention how much I hate Pedro!

Thanks again NovelaMaven!
Back to work...hasta pronto!!!
Permalink posted by Blogger AuntyAnn : Sat Apr 12, 05:39:00 PM EDT
 

NovelaMaven wrote:

JudyB, I also loved seeing everyone in white at the velorio. And of course it made Fabiola's appearance in black that much more loathsome. I don't really know the history of funeral colors, only that they vary from one culture to another.

As hard as it was to watch Pedro's gloating, evil smugness, I did like seeing the circles of rebellion and betrayal all around him. Is there anyone not planning to stab him in the back?

AuntyAnn, yes, I heard how Fabiola tried to plant the seeds of "Montse isn't who you think" on Thursday. It's going to be hard to watch if everyone does the usual telenovela thing and believes the lies that an obviously resentful and ax-grinding character tells about another.

And yes, I was THRILLED to see Dimitrio finally leave his mother's house. I do have high hopes for him.

Let's hope that Adolfo doesn't let anything happen to the original will. At this point, he isn't planning to use it to help Alejandro. He says it is his "insurance" against Pedro. But at some point helping Alejandro might be in Adolfo's own interest (and against Pedro's).
Permalink posted by Blogger NovelaMaven : Sat Apr 12, 06:00:00 PM EDT
 

Carlos wrote:

Thanks NovelaMaven.

Pedro either isn't very bright or he's even more certain of that judge than I realized... or maybe the writers are just sloppy. Earlier the judge asked him if he had seen the wills and he said yes of course, Fabiola had gotten hold of them and showed them to him. That will certainly come as a surprise to Alejandro when he finds that out. He would certainly have a legitimate complaint and can allege that what actually happened... happened. He never gave the wills to her.

And about the DNA testing of samples taken from Fabs and Ale... what will they be compared to? Will don Bennie be dug up to get a sample to compare to? And what about that original DNA testing? Might those results come in to play at some point?

Carlos
Permalink posted by Blogger Carlos : Sat Apr 12, 07:38:00 PM EDT
 

NovelaMaven wrote:

Carlos,

I agree. The "Pedro and the pilfered documents" plot is messy, and the DNA plot is even messier:

No one has said anything about digging up Ben's body, but unless his DNA is in some official lab, they would have to begin there, no?

If they compare the samples they already have, will they find that Fabiola matches Fake Dimitrio, proving that Fabs is Gracie's daughter and Alejandro's sister? That still wouldn't prove either of them is a child of Ben's.

Fabiola and Sandro believe that she is NOT Ben's blood relative, so they are going to protest any demands for testing her DNA against Ben's or Alejandro's.

Meanwhile, Pedro seems confident that the objective truth about the DNA won't matter because he'll be able to pay the lab (any lab?) to produce the results most harmful to Alejandro.

It's going to be a challenge to keep this story coherent. It could be kind of fun though, if the writers can pull it off.
Permalink posted by Blogger NovelaMaven : Sat Apr 12, 08:16:00 PM EDT
 

Carlos wrote:

NovelaMaven,

You've nicely summarized my thoughts and the facts of the matter exactly. I think Fabs (although I think until she was recently otherwise informed, she believed that she was the natural daughter of Ben's sister) and Sandro are relying on Pedro to take care of the DNA results in their favor.

Carlos
Permalink posted by Blogger Carlos : Sat Apr 12, 08:25:00 PM EDT
 

Susanlynn wrote:

Thanks, NM. I was wondering why everyone was wearing white to the funeral except Fabulush . There's some symbolism for you. I am sure that some cultures wear white to funerals. I think in Vietnam people wear white.

If Pedro is going to look for a new studmuffin for Nadia, I guess she will have to tell him that she is already pregnant unless she and VIk can escape, and I don't think that they will get away from CrazyPed..
Permalink posted by Anonymous Susanlynn : Sat Apr 12, 08:35:00 PM EDT
 

Niecie in MD wrote:

NovelaMaven - Fine mini-recap. Thanks.

Scratching my head on how Pedro got the jump to beat Victor to a pulp. Victor landed the first punch and never came back.

Fab pretty much doomed herself when she said she would do what Angie couldn't and make JL forget Monse. Angie was her own woman and didn't consider herself in competition with Monse. That's how they could be friends. Fab's got misplaced anger at Monse and Ale. They didn't take anything away from her. Her parents did. It'll be a great day when Fab finds out they're each her half-sibling.

Glad Dim left home but hated him grabbing his mother by the neck. I know Graciela is the mother from hell, but Dim's physical agression with his mom made me glad he and Fina are taking a break.

Madelaine - As a new recruit, shouldn't Dim be living in the quarters at the Navy anyway?
Permalink posted by Blogger Niecie in MD : Sat Apr 12, 08:35:00 PM EDT
 

NovelaMaven wrote:

Carlos,

Ultimately, it really doesn't matter what the DNA test shows about Fabs because both Sandro and Pedro are likely to cut her out of the deal anyway. (And of course, Sandro and Pedro will doublecross each other.)

Susanlynn,

I'm hoping that now Victor and Nadia will stay away from their bugged playhouse. Maybe they WILL get away while Pedro is obsessively screwing over Alejandro.

Niecie,

I think I may have fallen into the trap that Karen has warned us about. I'm so desensitized to violence that I didn't mind Dimitrio's roughness with his mother one bit. In fact, I admired his self-control. Thank you for reminding me that it's not nice to choke your mother, even if she is a harpy from hell. :)
Permalink posted by Blogger NovelaMaven : Sat Apr 12, 08:50:00 PM EDT
 

Karen wrote:

NovelaMaven, thanks so much for the recap and yes it was just to easy for me to not be horrified about Dim's interaction w/his mom. In real life, that would not be OK for me but in the world of this tn w/Graceless as the "harpy from hell" its supposed to be part of her comeuppance. By Monday, she's back to spewing more venom and hurt to others. The fact that we know toxic people like her can increase a possible fantasy of those type of people being put in their place through violent anvils.

And the violence can be a slippery slope b/c then other acts of physical violence for other bad guys become OK or expected. After all the beatings Pedro has handed out and to women, its easy to hope for a beat down as part of his anvil.
Permalink posted by Blogger Karen : Sat Apr 12, 11:09:00 PM EDT
 

Fatima wrote:

Dear NovelaMaven,

Thank you so much for this brief summary.

I am finding it very difficult right now to find "good" in Fabiola. I am still wondering if her "love" for Angelica is/was real. She is a con artist and a grifter. There is nothing that seems sincere about her.

It looks like the writers are going to use this "dry spell" to bring Pedro, Sandro, and Fabulush to center stage.

Somehow, I find that to be so very disappointing.

Fatima
Permalink posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Sat Apr 12, 11:34:00 PM EDT
 

Thank you, NovelaMaven, this summary has everything that mattered in it.
I loved about Pedro, "his hormone supplements must be working, huh?". He was more horrible than usual in this episode.
Also, "Black-clad Fabiola enters and is annoyed that no one sent her the memo." She looks gross, I don't see how she can win JL's heart.
Yes, it is odd that no one misses Padre Anselmo. ??
With a funeral, wouldn't it be expected he would pay a curtesy call even if Angelica were not of his own flock? He does know them.

 

Novela Maven, thanks for the excellent recap.

Carlos, you asked a good question about Ben Almonte's DNA. If they don't exhume him, where would it come from?

Physical violence is sure ever present in this novela: everyone was getting choked last night from Graciela to Nadia. I'm so sick of Pedro. Besides out -scheming and out -powering everyone, he is now physically stronger, too? I was so glad Dimitrio learned the truth about his mother and finally left. The best was when he gave her a choice but she couldn't rip up the check. Rather than going for her throat he just should have thumped her on her head a few times. It was so approriate that Fabiola arrived in black when they were all in white. Sort of like the black/white hat
In the old westerns.

Jarifa
 

Excellent work, NovelaMaven. This episode was disturbing but had one important satisfying event: Dimitrio finally has rejected Graceless. That is part of his redemption and he showed great restraint in his physical handling of her. She deserves far worse than what he did.

As for the issue of Benjamin Alamonte's DNA, we were never shown what happened after his death. There was no funeral shown or discussed, so we don't know whether he was buried or cremated (the latter of which seems to be more the norm these days). We also don't know whether he was ever hospitalized, but nobody would have thought to keep a DNA sample prior to the last 20 years.

Before 1994 blood typing was sometimes used in these cases, but it's not exact enough. It can exclude, but is not a guarantee of evidence of relationship.
 

I am at a disadvantage here as I was unable to see the episode. However, thank you NovelaMaven for once again relating the events with sensitivity, wisdom and insight. As always, thoughtful and intriguing.

"Pedro and the bent judge finish their brutal questioning of Rosario" and "Amelia tends to her daughter's feelings, even in death. She gently applies a bit of make-up to her precious girl's face because she knows how much the stigmata of her illness bothered her" were hauntingly lovely. I must also join the chorus that "But somehow Pedro overpowers him (his hormone supplements must be working, huh?)" was wonderful.

A little surprised Adolfo was proactive, managing to overhear a critical piece of information. How I wish he had anyone other than Pedro as a confidante!

Niecie, I thought your "Angie was her own woman and didn't consider herself in competition with Monse. That's how they could be friends" was spot on. Fatima, I believe (perhaps mistakenly) that Fabiola did care for Angelica, but in her own, somewhat twisted way. She cared as much as her heart's limited capability will allow her.

Karen, your "And the violence can be a slippery slope b/c then other acts of physical violence for other bad guys become OK or expected" really resonated. Your comments never fail to make me think.

I still see many shades of gray here with Fabiola and Adolfo. Hope is dimming for their redemption yet some heroic, unselfish act or true contrition may yet occur.

Of course "No one has yet noticed that Padre Anselmo is missing" is just disturbing on so many levels.

Thank you Novela Maven for relating all of the events so splendidly.

I look forward to watching this.

Diana
 

Dear NovelaMaven:

Thanks so much for this awesome summary. You rock!

I too am not liking Peddy. He just think he can control everyone and everything! I am really hoping that EZ and Addled come up with something to foil Peddy's plans. Addled, for once, has done something to the good. I am wondering too, as someone mentioned the other day, if EZ really is an uncover Federale. That would make this story very interesting.

Carlos:

I too agree with you about digging up Don Benny for that DNA. I am really thinking Peddy knows a guy to take care of that testing at a lab, just as he found this crooked judge.

I am happy that Dimi is free of his Graceless Mama. I didn't like him slinging her around, but he is free finally. I did however like Dimi's reaction to Tomas, about time he really told him off and Tomas is another one that thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. He treats Dimi like he is five years old and not a man that is trying to make something of himself.

Neice:

Yes, Dimi would be living in the barracks, or if he had enough money he could live out in town. Once he is done with his training he could live anywhere he wanted to.

I also didn't like Rosie's interrogation. If the judge had a brain in his head, he would have seen how distressed poor Rosie was. When she said she'd been raped by Benny, he didn't even bat an eyelash. Peddy chose him well. I hope this judge loses his job.

Now about the funerary colors. In the Far East they wear white to funerals because they are celebrating the person's life and not their death. This custom, I think, is wonderful. Although you never forget the pain and sorrow of losing your loved one, this custom helps you to remember their lives and what they did/accomplished and the love they gave.

Thanks again NovelaMaven for this wonderful summary.
 

I can't let this one pass without commenting on the brutal interrogation of Rosario, as though she has committed a crime. In fact, it would not be above Pedro to imprison her again for perjury specifically to strip away Alejandro's support system one person at a time.

Pedro thinks Padre Anselmo is dead. Jose Luis is about to inherit Angelica's money, meaning that Graceless will try to manipulate a reunion between him and Monserrat so she can get her claws on his money. That means that arresting Rosario would be just the thing to do to distract Alejandro even more while Pedro does his evil work to dispossess him of his money and property, which -- from Alejandro's own perspective -- are actually his least important things. I think he would give all that up if he could have peace and his family.

Of course, that wouldn't be enough to stop Pedro whose plans (I think) go beyond stripping him of his a$$et$.


 

"She cared as much as her heart's limited capability will allow her."

That is an excellent observation, Diana! I would say Fabiola's heart is very limited, indeed. Which makes me wonder how the generous and big hearted Angelica found good in Fabiola. Maybe Fabiola was at a different stage in her life when Angelica saw her and found comfort in their friendship, but it still is surprising to me that the friendship existed.

There is one violent act in this show that is still bothering me and that is Joaquin's suicide. It makes me despise Pedro even more.

So, who are the remaining "strong" women in this TN? Fina? Yes! Amelia? I think so. Amelia has surprised me on a number of levels. Tia Pru? Absolutely! We need more Tia Pru, in my view.

Nadia and Montserrat are disappointing on so many levels. I wish they could be more than Barbie Dolls for Life.

There is just such a HUGE hole right now with Fina and Angelica gone. It feels quite sad.

Fatima
 

Does anyone think that Adolfo will ever tell anyone about Maria's attempt on Montserrat's life?

Fatima
 

Fatima, that is an ace in the hole against the possibility that Maria would try to hurt him somehow. I hate to think that the writers forgot about something that important.
 

Ay, Karen, what are these things doing to our brains? I find myself daydreaming about the return of The Avenging Padre, now wielding a menacing hook in place of one hand... oops. Gotta stop that NOW.

Fatima, I have hopes that the writers will be able to spin a good story out of all this. Oh my, yes, Fabiola is very hard to like. I'm inclined to believe that her affection for Angélica was real even if, to put it as generously as Elna June did on Thursday, her social skills are, ahem, limited.

I just saw your assessment of the strong women left -- Fina, Amelia, Pru, yes. I would add Esmeralda to the list too. Maybe Montserrat will get there too.

Emarie, I'm glad you are not disappointed in this abbreviated recap. I have a feeling that Padre Anselmo's absence will only be noticed when someone is sent to bring him into court as a witness for Alejandro. (Or maybe someone in the country will notice that his chickens have died because no one has been around to feed them.)

Jarifa, when I read your comment, I remembered how Pedro was prepared to take a comparison of Dimitrio's DNA against Alejandro's as proof that Dimitrio was Ben's child. I wonder how -- or if -- he (or the writers) will explain the fact that Graciela's daughter had the same father as Alejandro. Is he going to say that Gracie and Jacinto were lovers? Sheesh.

Urban, we did see a hasty waking in the parlor after Ben's death followed by a quick country burial before his body could start to turn in the heat and rain of Campeche. He should still be in the ground just waiting to give up his DNA.

Diana, thanks for being so gracious. Personally, I think Adolfo is much further along the road to perdition than Fabiola is, even if he has better social skills and better eyelashes than she does.

Mads, so you're saying that Dimitrio could, in fact, live off base if his budget permitted?

Thanks for the extra information on the use of white in the Far East. Around here, the custom of wearing black to funerals is fading. In fact, these days when I see a group of people all in black, I figure it's a meeting of the university art department, or a bunch of goth kids hanging out.
 

Fatima:

Lo que esta novela nos robó:
(What this novela stole from us:)

1) The magical ring that passed from Ben to Juventino to Loreto and then disappeared from the story (though perhaps it is echoed in Padre Anselmo's gold ring)

2) Montserrat's letter to Alejandro (burned by María and never again mentioned)

3) Adolfo's discovery of María lurking in the shadows, wielding a butcher knife and apparently poised to strike the ripely pregnant Montserrat. (I don't see how Adolfo can use this now. The time to speak up was when it happened and Montse was still in danger.)

I'm sure there are other dropped stitches in this tapestry full of stops and starts. What else have the writers walked away from, hoping we wouldn't notice?
 

NM, thank you for the recap and being so diligent as to bring over the comments. Above and beyond as always.

My crazy busy weekend is over as the kiddies who were visiting have flown the coop. Have to say the quiet is a bit welcoming, but it was wonderful fun. Grabbed a coffee and ran through the episode. All things Pedro, I just FF. I'm finding that I really can't take his antics and endless smirking much anymore. What was once interesting to watch is now just vile and needs to end.

But Dim, what can I say? I'm over the moon that he discovered the conspiracy between his mother and Tomas. Knowing his life was barter for money had to be the rock bottom he needed to hit as far as Graceless was concerned. I feel much better that he will not regress to a negative character or fall for her machinations again. He has more in common with Monse now than he knew.

Add me to those who love the lighter colors for funerals. I've always disliked the idea of mourning in black. It has nothing about the person who died and everything about the people who remained, which is not what it should be. For centuries, it was mainly worn by the women of the deceased in western society (yes, Buddhist and Hindu use white for purity of the soul passing. It was a pick up from the Romans who wore it briefly to honor someone in passing, though women didn't wear it. It was then picked up by the early church as the opposite of the eastern religions. Mourning the dark soul who everyone prays for and hopes their time in purgatory is brief. Especially for widows, it took on extra meaning that it marked her as still unavailable for courtship or remarriage until the "mourning" period was over. Queen Victoria took it to the limit after the death of Albert, and though the practice had been on the wane, it was renewed again. She wore her "widow weeds" for ten years as a badge of honor. History lesson over.

Daisynjay
 

I'll add that every now and then my brain remembers fun facts I learned through all my history studies. I guess that degree is useful once in awhile after all.

Daisynjay
 

NM, and Jarifa, and Carlos, Re: "how Pedro was prepared to take a comparison of Dimitrio's DNA against Alejandro's as proof that Dimitrio was Ben's child. I wonder how -- or if -- he (or the writers) will explain the fact that Graciela's daughter had the same father as Alejandro. Is he going to say that Gracie and Jacinto were lovers? Sheesh."
I have been thinking about this too and am hoping that this will be an interesting development and NOT a case of TN writer amnesia, something we have all seen. As in Maria's attempt to murder Monse, as well as the baby.
 

Ah, my dear NovelaMaven, thank you for that list!

I,too, hope the writers can give us a good story in this new etapa without our wonderful Angelica.

I am disappointed that the "magikal" ring has not continued to make the rounds. I wanted to see that thread continue.

Daisynjay, glad you had such a wonderful weekend. You are right. Queen Victoria took the widow's weeds to the limit, but she loved Albert so much, didn't she? I can only imagine the sadness she felt.

Fatima
 

Daisynjay, that was a DamFab history lesson on colors associated with mourning. I just love it when one of our (many) resident experts steps up, speaks out and educates us all. Thank you!

It sounds like you had a wonderful time with the kids -- yay! -- but I know exactly what you mean when you say that for all the pleasure of the visit, the quiet time is not unwelcome.

Back in the realm of fantasy...
I'm hoping that Pedro will be abruptly and shockingly eliminated well before the end of this thing. You are so right -- his vileness is monotonous and cliché-ridden. ¡ya basta!
 

The fact that Pedro's empty tool box has been referenced a couple of times in recent episodes is a red flag to me that this secret is hitting its expiration date. We have too many episodes left until the end and there will likely be endless jerking of our chains about this because Pedro will fall as soon as someone else knows all about it.

Someone has to read that file aloud and reveal the extent of the "victim's" injuries. We would then have to hope that this file is found by Victor and that he will be smart enough to subtract two from two (if you get my drift) and figure out why Pedro wanted him to knock up Nadia.

Simultaneously, Nadia should snoop in Pedro's bathroom and find a bottle of liquid testosterone and the needle (I know of no other way this stuff is administered).

This could make for a very delicious political scandal as well as revealing his motive for wanting to ruin Alejandro's life.

 

Fatima:

What you said about Monse and Nadia really struck me. For the longest time, I too, have been wondering what the hey they are doing. They are totally clueless and have no spine it seems, although, not to totally diss Nadia, she has made Peddy make some exceptions, but now they are out the window.

Monse really bothers me. She knew JL in every sense of the word, yet she still believes he is evil and will do anything to get back at Ale, "for taking Monse away from him". How does she reconcile the obvious love that was between JL and Angie?

Too bad Nadia doesn't have a stronger backbone to notify her parents exactly what is up with Peddy and what he is doing. These people have money and I am sure they know someone more powerful than Peddy, or better yet, why doesn't she go to El Capitan and tell him what has been going on? Although she doesn't know that El Capitan knows Peddy is dirty, she could at least test the waters. I guess the writers of this TN like the speculating we are doing.

I guess we will be speculating about everything until this TN is over. This is the first TN I've seen that has so very many twists and turns, what you expect to happen doesn't and the very unexpected does happen. I am also keeping count ,as some of you are, exactly how long it's been since the Padre disappeared. It's been three days already. At some point, Mac or Rosario will be wondering what happened to him. He was always visiting. Let's see how long it takes!
 

Thanks so much, Novel Maven for giving us this short and snappy recap. There is certainly a lot for us to discuss this weekend, isn't there? What a week on the show!

Two major characters are down in one week! Yikes. Just who is going to fill in the blank spaces in our story tapestry? I dread the introduction of a bunch of new characters.

Alejandro is so unlikeable. What an insensitive dolt. Why hasn't he noticed the absence of his beloved Anselmo? Wouldn't it have been natural for Padre Anselmo to attend Angelica's memorial? He knew Angelica.

I hope we get to see Josefina's journey of transformation at the Puerto Vallarta Institute for Mental Health, Spiritual Reflection and Amazing Makeovers (PV-IMHSRAM).

Sometimes I would like to go to just such a spot. Perhaps our friend Silvia may have made her journey down the Pacific coast of mainland Mexico and she can join us there for a little R&R and a tune up.

I would love to come out of PV-IMHSRAM;
-Having lost a few pounds
-With some cog behavioral therapy to deal with some lingering 'issues',
-Having had plenty of time to myself for meditation and reflection
-Having laughed and shared with congenial company
-and with a new hair do and outfits that respect my aging and annoying body.

Anyone care to join me?

EJ
 

Urban: there is also Androgel, topical.

Yes, when Victor's post assault headache is better, his grey cells should start wondering why a man would want another man to knock up his wife.

But in a world where that is the only way to do it and there is no private and discreet artificial insemination clinics, there is likely no Androgel, also.

Why aren't those two mental giants just getting on that plane and flying to Venezuela now?? Why is Nadia sitting there playing the freaking piano and wasting time?
 

While I don't doubt that Pedro may be using some form of testosterone replacement therapy, I think that fact will unlikely play any significant role in propelling the plot nor do I think that Nadia's discovery of this will play a part. As I recall, he displayed to her in all its glory the extent of his mutilation. For some reason she has not disclosed this to anyone, which I think is mildly surprising.

Injection, while probably the most reliable form of testosterone replacement, is not the only method. There have long been oral forms available which are not as safe because of their liver toxicity. A very popular form these days is topical in the form of creams or gels and especially popular is a product that is applied to armpits.

As far as dealing with the evil that is Pedro, I'm convinced that Zeke has come up with by far the simplest and best solution as NM reported is this snappy recap:

"EZ thinks there's only one way to do it -- kill Pedro!"

So what is he waiting for? ¡Andele!

Carlos
 

It looks like Dimwattage already had his bags packed, as he was out of that witch’s house in a New York minute. But where was he going to go to crash?


Hey Victor, how does it feel to get the crap beat out of you by a eunuch?

 

My dear Elna June:

As intriguing as the PV-IMHSRAM experience sounds, I think I will let you and Sylvia try it out first and then let me know what it's like. I confess I am a bit reluctant -- can't I make my 'issues' go away without, you know, working on them? It might be just the thing for Josefina, though.

I'm not sure that Padre Anselmo's absence is surprising. He has no phone so someone would have had to drive out to the country to notify him of Angie's death and bring him back. It hasn't occurred to anyone to do that because even though the padre knew her, he wasn't the family's priest.

So who are you rooting for these days? Anyone?

Oxnard Huero:

One of the requirements for telenovela characters is the ability to Bug Out quickly. They must be prepared to load all their worldly possessions in one or two impossibly small suitcases and be ready to roll at the drop of a sombrero. So I'm not surprised at how quickly Dim was able to pack. I bet he even remembered to take his special Cuauhtemoc Blanco autographed jersey with him.

Carlos:

"As I recall, he displayed to her in all its glory the extent of his mutilation. For some reason she has not disclosed this to anyone, which I think is mildly surprising."

Not so surprising when you remember that he promised he would kill her if she ever told another living soul his secret.
 

That's for sure.

EZ's solution to kill Pedro is elegant in its simplicity, but there would be repercussions even if he committed The Perfect Crime (which has yet to happen in any novela). Has he thought yet about what the drug cartel Pedro's involved with would do? He may be benefitting right now from Pedro's involvement, but can he do it without getting its taint on him?

I have doubts about that, so he might have to bring them down first. He doesn't have much help, either, since Adolfo is not the sharpest knife in the drawer nor is he particularly courageous.
 

Urban you are do right about Adolfo and because of his cowardice he has proved he cannot be trusted.

Jarifa
 

NovelaMaven:


"Not so surprising when you remember that he promised he would kill her if she ever told another living soul his secret."

Well yes, but good judgment has not been one of Nadia's strong suits so far. I would have thought she would by now have shared that information with Montse... after swearing her to secrecy of course.

I wonder why Victor wasn't even the least bit curious why Pedro suddenly became so generous and indulgent toward him and Nadia?

Carlos
 

Missed the show Friday and Saturday I was too busy executing my 7 year old's birthday party to watch so I just finished watching this episode and reading your excellent recap Novela Maven.

Laughed out loud at your "But somehow Pedro overpowers him (his hormone supplements must be working, huh?)." Although hated to watch Vic get so beat up, I was glad Nadia didn't end up on Pedro's growing list of battered women.

Can't wait for his anvil to finally get him. I too am tired of how he manipulates everyone's life. I also worry for Ale's life. If Pedro killed the doctor who operated on him, I'm pretty sure making Ale lose his fortune will only be the beginning of his revenge, since he thinks Ale was behind the wheel of the car that hit him.

Bright spot was seeing Dimitrio breaking away from his mom!

Maricruz
 

Now, Novela Maven:

I never said anything about being willing to WORK on my issues. Really?

No I want the telenovela magical reality version of psychology to be practiced at our little retreat. You go in, lay out the problem for the cog-beh shrink, they tell you to suck it up—no more hand holding for you, weakling!—do some juju with your eye movement or other esoteric practice, and 'wham bam thank you ma'am' you are all better.

Who wants to WORK to lose weight, gain awareness or get a new LUUK? Magic is the trick, I am telling you.

On a slightly off-topic note on the subject of Mexican makeovers, my daughter and her bridesmaids had their makeup done for her wedding in Mexico by two talented professional make up artists, one of whom had once worked for Televisa. The women all looked drop dead gorgeous—like movie stars in fact.

The Mexicans REALLY get make up in a way that, I admit, is an art, but that I never can replicate.

I guess you are right about Anselmo's absence not being noticed since he is a country priest.Sigh.

I just have my knickers in a twist wanting to know if he is yet among the living, at some small chapel somewhere, offering the host to parishioners from a hooked hand.

EJ


 

Elna June, if Padre A is not somewhere among the living with this hooked hand, would love to see him coming back from the great beyond to haunt Pedro!
Maricruz
 

NovelaMaven and Elna June,

If by chance Padre Anselmo is stashed at La Escondida helping María scrub the bathrooms, let's hope that hook doesn't mar Esme's toilet bowels.

Carlos
 

Carlos:

If Padre Anselmo's hook goes anywhere near Esme's bowels, I'm OUTTA HERE!
 

NovelaMaven,

Yikes! Sorry about that. Where the devil did that e come from?

Carlos
 

I still don't get how Victor could get got beat up so easily by that "smaller" man, Pedro. Maybe the vest he always wears was on too tight and acted more like a straightjacket.

Now, he and Nadie(a) cannot name the baby Victoria (if it's a girl).

Because of that ass kicking he got Victor will inherit it when word gets around.
 

Just back from lunch with a friend, and I enjoyed reading the new comments...instead of correcting the snack of test papers on pronouns that I should be doing.

NM ...I love "what this telenovela stole from us."

EJ...I would LOVE to join you at a retreat. I painted my toenails blue today (spring is officially here now), so I am ready after I throw my free Clinque cosmetic bag in my overnight. I am sure that would be a lovely time for me. I could use your wisdom , and perhaps, you could teach me to meditate. Lately, I have been trying to focus on mindfulness, but meditation alludes me.

As for the colors worn for funerals, I remember asking my Syrian students how long women would wear black after a death. They told me that if she has lost her son, she might wear black the rest of her life.


well, I had better correct I those papers,
 

Snack...stack. I will not be eating the test papers,
 

Carlos, those e's will get you every time!

Elna June, I love the sound of cog-beh. It sounds like something found in Marrakesh.

I would do some eye-training as long as it isn't too too onerous.

I admit to a bit of skepticism where Televisa make-up artists are concerned. I would be afraid of ending up looking like René Casados in "La Madrastra." (Obviously though, the canvas the artist works on makes all the difference. I'm sure you, your daughter and her attendants looked amazing.)

Maricruz, 7-year-olds and their birthday parties always come first. Sounds like you had fun. It's nice to have you back on The Patio. And I think there is not nearly enough haunting in novelas these days. Having said that, I still have hope that the good padre is among the living, and thus not in a position to haunt anyone.

Yum, Susanlynn. Those pronouns sure are tasty, especially the personal ones.
 

Padre Anselmo is probably fine and having a good rest at a monastery while thinking about how he can help save the day. I strongly doubt that he will turn missing a hand because a man of that age is unlikely to survive such a sacrifice.

EZ -- however he presents himself -- is a man who can think on his feet (and behind the wheel of a car). It would not surprise me if he were a federale masquerading as a villain (Would that be a TN first?). Not sure whether that is redemptive or not but if he is I hope Adolfo survives to see a shrink about this.
 

NovelaMaven- Thanks for presenting us with another great recap. I'm about to check out my recording, but think I will fast forward until Dim's dis of his despicable mama.

Many African and Caribbean cultures were white for death. It is the absence of color and therefor the absence of life, and also represents purity-- it makes much more sense than black, I think. (Black is all colors together.)
 

Vivi,

I hesitate to challenge your assertion:

"... white... is the absence of color... (Black is all colors together.)"

but if I recall my physics, black is actually the total absence of color (light) and white is the combination of all colors (light).

Carlos
 

Vivi is mixing paint.

Carlos is mixing light.

Me, I'm over in the corner of the sandbox quietly mixing metaphors.
 

NovelaMaven,

As I've often said, opinions vary.

Carlos
 

Urban: A federale disguised as a bad guy-not a first. I just can't remember the character-was it in La Tempestad? Not sure you were with us in that one.
 

Yes. I was talking about pigments, not light.
 

Emarie, I dropped out of that one because William Levy does nothing for me.
 

Vivi,

I pretty much knew that you were, but if we were to look at what you said from the perspective of light, one might argue that black "...represents purity..." since it is uncontaminated by light.

Carlos
 

True, Carlos. But I don't think most of these cultures had a firm grip on those concepts about light when they decided what these colors represent. But I'm all for black representing purity and anything else good! :)
 

Novela Maven, I so enjoyed the snap/cap (short recap) and all the comments! I've been watching but not adding comments lately (hijacked by other life drama).

I'm afraid Pedro's evil has stolen my Sergio Sendel love. I was sickened by the ruthless interrogation of Rosario. So cruel and unfair.

Great to see Dimi claim his power over Gracie. Sad, yet hopeful, about Fina's journey to herself. Surely they'll get back together!

I like the idea of a vengeful Padre Anselmo wielding a hook. Pedro's neck and jugular vein would make a perfect target. (Carlos will tell us if this isn't feasible, medically.)

Fabiola was like a crow dressed in black for the funeral.
 

I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but the carotid artery would make a more colourful target.

The interrogation of Rosario made me think back to the 70s when rape victims were still being treated like criminals for being women.
 

Padre Hook??? let's hope not.

I watched the second episode of the new season of Game of Thrones last night. talk about brutal and savage. It is beyond YIKES. I will have to use. GACK !

Well, as you move into your week, let me share with you the message on the shopping bag from yesterday's visit to a children's clothing store:
hop, laugh, run,skip, twirl, jump, spin, swing, dance, play, ...HAVE FUN. I am going to try to do as many of those verbs as possible today. Well, off to teach modals and the imporrtance a grandmothers.
---Susanlynn, skipping off to work ...77 today before temps drop into the 50s and 60s again....I am twirling and spinning now,,,,,,,
 

Dearest NovelaMaven,

Thanks so much for the great recap. I had to miss most of Friday's episode, so it was wonderful to read your fantastic summary.

Looking forward to reading more NovelaMaven after Tuesday's episode!

Best,
Julia R
 

Good morning amigos!

I thought I would check in with you and thank you all for your funny and thoughtful comments this weekend. I'm feeling very vindicated today after reading this news article:

http://tinyurl.com/qgckpaf

...and realizing that my tendency to daydream is not a character flaw but a real and serious disorder, namely SLUGGISH COGNITIVE TEMPO. Believe me, it explains a lot. I am SO looking forward to a magic pill.

Julia R and Paloma, so nice that you stopped by this morning. Julia, I confess that I deliberately left out the many iterations of sorrow that the episode included. (I didn't think any of us needed them.)

Susanlynn, you always make me smile...

Nevertheless, I've been thinking about killing Pedro. Wait. That came out wrong. I mean about how difficult or easy it might be, in the context of the story, to kill Pedro. Urban has suggested that the narco bosses might retaliate against his killers. I'm not so sure:

--Samuel Barajas was/is identified as a 'known narcotraficante.' He had never even heard of Pedro. The only one he had ever dealt with with Joaquín Arechiga.

--Arechiga had exposure in the narco world. He was the face of Pedro, but he protected him until the final betrayal.

--Pedro is the one who should be running scared. In the real world, word would reach the contacts of Barajas about Pedro's dirty dealing and they would be gunning for him.

--Pedro's right arm, EZ, and his other right arm, Fofito, are both trying to take him down.

--Navy Captain Robledo is on to Pedro and is trying to build a case against him.

--Even Judge Gonzalo always looks as if he just ate a bad tamal when he's with Pedro and would rather be anywhere than in his pocket.

[Julia R, weren't you imagining an Orient Express kind of end for this guy? Not at all far-fetched, I'd say!]
 

Thank you for the recap! My dvr froze and I missed the part about Adolfo getting the original will. Glad it is at least out of Pedro's hands. Anyone else wondering if Adolfo is going to become the new Godfather once Pedro is dealt with? Something about him reminds me of a young Michael Corleone coming into his own!
 

ooh Carvivlie, you could be onto something. Fofito as the Michael Corleone of Aguazul? The thought might make the Patio folks sitting at his table squirm, but consider the bad bad things he's already done:

-He shot María, unaware that his gun was loaded with blanks.

-He agreed to kill Padre Anselmo. When he was unable to do so, instead of letting the old man go, he called on a more experienced murderer for help.

-He was a key part in driving Joaquín to suicide: he lured Virginia to his house, drugged her, tied her up, and sent the photo to Pedro so Joaquín would believe his daughter's life was in jeopardy.

-He colluded with Graciela to drive Dimitrio and Josefina apart, even though these two seem to have been the only friends he ever had.

(And that's not even counting all the scams and schemes to bilk money out of Josefina, Dimitrio, Alejandro and Maria.)

Yup. I could see EZ, for all his cunning and evil, outplayed by Adolfo. Hmmm. We'll have to watch what happens.
 

Though I'm not fond of this TN, I give kudos to the actors. They are bringing it. I'm particularly impressed with the woman playing Amelia. She had me sobbing along with her during her final scene with Angie.

Nanette
 

Adolfo doesn't have the stomach for being a Mafia don or anything similar. He didn't have the stones to kill Padre Anselmo (and for those of us who remember Leoncerdo in AB, even he cringed at the idea of killing a priest), and he only shot at Maria under threat of the loss of his own life.

Did he even know that Pedro was forcing Joaquin to commit suicide before it happened?

It could be that his ineptitude will be Pedro's downfall.
 

OT for JudyB, "The Goldfinch" won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction today!!

Fatima