Caray, Caray!

It Looks Like Jose Luis  Will Allow Montserrat To Leave—Maybe
Jose Luis wants to know if Montserrat would forgive a betrayal from Alejandro. Whatever happens, he will be there waiting. Montserrat goes to pack her bags. Tomorrow she will leave the house.

I’ll Just Take The Houses and Lands; Thanks
Over at the judge’s chambers, Father Anselmo, the judge and Alejandro meet. The judge tells Padre that he trusts him completely but his declaration is too late. Father Anselmo emphatically retorts that it is never late to correct an injustice. But the judge clarifies that the tests run on the document prove forever and anon that Alejandro is the only true heir of Benjamin Almonte. Padre’s declaration does not clear Alejandro because he is already proven to be the rightful Almonte heir. As of this moment he has recovered his name, Alejandro Almonte Dominguez and all that goes with it. Congratulations!

Father Anselmo praises God for being very just. Despite all that has happened nothing has dimmed his faith. Padre encourages Alejandro and hopes he has learned from his previous errors.

Alejandro tells the Father that he is very fortunate. Not only is he recovering his name, but he is also recovering his family.

The Judge tells them that his decision is absolutely irrevocable but that it might take a while for Alejandro to recover everything. But Alejandro is way ahead of everyone else. He says that Fabiola has transferred ALL of the money to another person. He doesn’t want a penny of the money anyway. Anselmo is appalled by yet another miscarriage of justice, and he asks,

“Who ended up with the money?”
“Graciela Mendoza,” answers Alejandro.

The Judge recognizes her name as the woman who formerly perjured herself in the matter of Don Benjamin’s will. Padre Anselmo wants to know – How did that happen?

Esmeralda Filler
Esmeralda welcomes Poor Blind Nadia and Vapid Victor to her home. They catch up on good times they have shared. Oh, they didn’t really share any old good times? Nadia used to hate Esme and thought she was Pedro’s lover until she discovered that Pedro had beaten Esme, nearly to death. They only became allies when Nadia discovered the truth about Pedro. Well, who cares about such details when we are wrapping up a too-long telenovela?

Esme still thinks she is fat. It will take her six months to lose the baby fat. Ever gallant, Vapid Victor Victor tells Esme that she has never looked more beautiful. He needs to give lessons in ‘romantic phrases’ to dull Refugio.

Poor Blind Nadia tells Esme that she will surely gain her figure back. Soon.

So, just why should Esme believe Poor Blind Nadia? She’s blind and anorexic. Check on the fit on those white jeggings she is wearing. What the hay does she know about getting fat?

Esme tells everyone that she is on the move. Aguazul had better get ready because she is headed back to the very visible La Escondida. Where better for a new Mom to bring her darling little infant Angel, than a modified strip club? How heavenly that the baby’s name is Angel. He should raise the tone of the place. Esme opines in English that there is nothing better than the ‘pole dance’ to help a girl get her figure back.

Drat! If only I had known that in 1981 when my last child was born!

Amalia is there already and brings in the new baby. She completes the handoff to Poor Blind Nadia with the baby intact. The actress who plays Nadia smiles a real smile when she takes the baby. Wow! When she smiles like that I see just why my cat has a serious crush on her!

It’s OK Father; I Was Going To Give It To Her Anyway
In the judge’s office Padre Anselmo is OUTRAGED, OUTRAGED I tell you, that Graciela could pull off her latest fraud. She cannot get away with it. Ale breaks up all the righteous indignation in the room with a (for him) rare noble sentiment. HE says, “Calm down, Padre. It’s OK; I was going to give it to her anyway to just to leave Montserrat and I in peace.”

He recounts the story of his ‘deal’ with Graciela.

Father Anselmo Makes Another Command Appearance
At the Sweet Shoppe, Dominga spots Ale and Father Anselmo approaching. She teases Macario—this time it is she that has a secret. He must close his eyes. Now, Turn around! He sees his old pal Father Anselmo. Macario cries with joy.

Father Anselmo teases Macario and Dominga that they finally got married. Dominga says Macario is very good to her. Her only complaint is that he keeps so many secrets from her. Father A cannot believe that a complete gossip like Macario could kept any secrets—and out comes the news about Alejandro’s half sister, Fabiola.

Thaaaaaaat’s Graciela!
Fabiola Guillen is in her jail cell, sobbing. Dimitrio goes to visit his half sister in the jail. He is supposed to escort her tomorrow.

Fabiola asks if Dim has talked to Montserrat? No, Dim replies. Fabiola complains bitterly to Dimitrio about their mother tricking her out of all of her money. It’s not fair. She stole it fair and square from Alejandro. All Fabiola REALLY wanted was her Mother’s love.

Dimitrio looks at her with an expression somewhat devoid of compassion.

"Well," he says, "That is what my sister and I have been dealing with our whole lives. She lies, she cheats, she disappoints—That’s Our Graciela."

Bur Fabiola has a “Gotcha!” for her brother.

Graciela Giacinti Mendoza is not really Graciela at all, says Fabiola. That is not her real name. Their mother’s actual name is Guadencia Jimenez and she grew up dirt-poor, child of a single Mother in a tin shack in the country.

JL Is Watching
Montserrat packs her bags. He is still whinging about how much he loves her, blah, blah, blah. He wishes she would give him a final kiss. Really, Man? After all the stunts you have pulled?

Her kiss would keep him until the “next time”. Montserrat sets him straight on his use of the phrase “next time”.

“There will be no next time. Do not be confused. I am not coming back. Never.”

Nevah, nevah, nevah!

Jose Luis goes all CheezeWhiz on us as he tells Montserrat;

“My heart and soul are in one of those bags. You are taking them with you.”

Guffaw. Chuckle. LOL! I cannot believe he really said that.

Well, he did say it, and now he goes out to the garden to (manipulate) say goodbye to his Godson Laurito.  Jose Luis tells Laurito that he understands that he and his Mom won’t sleep there anymore, they will live somewhere else, but he hopes to see little Lauro sometimes. Lauro replies that it would be his pleasure. The kid is a real charmer.

They exchange “Te Quiero Muchos” and say goodbye. Jose Luis asks Lauro to promise to not forget him and that he is there for Lauro and Montserrat if they ever needs anything.

“Te lo prometo,” promises the little boy.

EZ Comes, EZ Goes, EZ Lies Like A Dog
EZ Basurto is, as opined two days ago by Novela Maven, a lucky bastard. Tonight he is being served langostinos for dinner in his gorgeous home by his beautiful, generous and vacuous wife Carlota. She wants to thank him for all that he did to save Father Anselmo.

Ahhhh. What a guy, that ‘Zeke. Too bad Ezekiel has blackmailed the Good Father into a deal where he is under the seal of the (fake) confessional thus preventing him from telling the real story of his seven-year absence. Hrrumpf.

As she is serving him, Carlota tells Ezekiel to save room for dessert. He replies to his wife,

“ All the nights of my life, you are my best dessert.”

Ahhhh, again. Ahhhh, yuk. I might not find his words mawkish if I believed that lucky bastard EZ Basurto; if, for example he wasn’t such a mendacious, double-dealing, two-faced phony. Sadly, he has completely hoodwinked Carlota. Her attitude toward EZ reminds me of Othello’s comment about Iago, when he promoted him to his right-hand-guy— “A man he is of honesty and trust”.

EZ notes that Graciela is gone and he hopes she never comes back. As Carlota enthusiastically enjoys her dinner, she gossips to her husband about Graciela’s latest shenanigans. This time, she relates, her victim was Fabiola.

Graciela discovered that Fabiola was her daughter, pretended to be her friend, promised to take a trip to recover their lost time together—then Fabiola gave her all of her money. What did Graciela do? She took off without Fabs and left her to rot in jail. Sooner or later, Graciela will pay for all she has done.

Amen, sister.

EZ gives his wife the good news that Pedro Medina’s body had been recovered. Hmm, E.Z. We will see about that.

A Delightful Houseguest
Padre Anselmo comes home with Macario and Dominga. He is going to be their houseguest. Anselmo says he is worried about the people he used to care for in the remote country villages. Good-hearted Macario puts Anselmo’s mind to rest by saying that, in Father Anselmo’s name, he and Montserrat continued the good work with the campesinos, visiting and bringing medicines. Anselmo is delighted by this news, but it does not distract him from picking a bone with Macario.

Padre A. is very upset with Macario for keeping the big secret—for ALL these years—Graciela’s baby did not die. Macario protests that he was just following Don Benjamin’s orders—you know how he was! But Padre A. tells Macario he should ‘fessed up long before now.

JL's House and Sometime Gaol
As Montse is finishing her packing, Laurito runs in to give his mom a note. Some man gave it to him, for his Mom.

“What man?” Asks a perturbed Montserrat. Lauro doesn’t know. Montse opens the note and scans it. “If you want to find Alejandro “on his back”, come to this address.” She tells Lauro that she has a very bad feeling (taste) about the note.

Meanwhile, Alejandro is driving a vehicle that must surely be his Faithful Steed, Tundra. (This is for our friend Oxnard Huero. He was the first of us BLOGGERS to recognize Tundra as an important continuing character in the show). Ale receives a call and answers with hands-free. It is Maria. He won’t believe who is at her house. He has to come, right now. She implies that it is Montserrat. She rings off before Ale can say no.

He looks grim as he calls Montserrat. Her cell is busy. Ale is worried. He tells Montserrat to call him and tell him how she and Laurito are doing. It’s urgent.

Montserrat is on the phone with Ale’s mom, Rosario. Rosario doesn’t like that JL will be a continuing part of their lives but Montse assures her that she and Lauro will return first thing in the morning to be with Alejandro —and Rosario and Victor and Victoria and Josefina. It’s a good thing Josefina didn’t just buy herself a little Pied a Terre when she returned to Aguazul. There is nothing like having a mansion in the middle of town to keep one in the thick of things.

Jose Luis Visits His Bro
JL visits Refugio in his nice room. For many years and on many occasions Refu has been witness to the destructiveness of JL’s obsession with Montserrat. Now JL rants to his friend.

He doesn’t want to be at home while Montse and Lauro are packing. When Alejandro recovered his name, Jose Luis and Montserrat’s marriage was automatically annulled. Refu warns his friend about the dangers associated with his extreme hatred but JL says he cannot help himself. Now he feels like Alejandro is also taking away his unborn child.

But Jose Luis has hope. Very soon now, Montserrat will discover just who Alejandro really is and she will come back to him. Cut to Maria’s Little House Of Horrors…

The Oldest Telenovela Trick In The Book
Alejandro arrives at Maria’s and finds her in the blonde wig with her back to him (pretend) gagged and (pretend) tied up next to her bed. When he comes in close to save “Montserrat”, Maria pops up like a Whack-a-mole and  conks Alejandro on the head with a conveniently placed large white vase. Naturally her aim was perfectly placed to knock him into an unconscious state.

I’ll not linger on the details of this scene because the sight of an obsessed Maria undressing, caressing and kissing unconscious Alejandro was not pleasant to watch. Once she got Alejandro completely naked and under the sheets, Montserrat walks in on cue. The note she received earlier sent her to Maria’s.

But Maria has pulled this trick once too often. Remember the mad shower scene, ages ago, with Ale kissing the wrong nude woman in the shower? Yeah, yeah; I know he had suds in his eyes.

Anyway, this time it didn’t work at all. Maria was just bringing Ale to consciousness as Montse walks in. Montse recognizes this as a set up. She tells Maria to get her hands off of HER husband! Maria tells Montse that here she has the proof with her own eyes of Alejandros perfidy! But Montse tells Maria that she is COMPLETELY sure that Alejandro would never betray her with Maria. Montse and Ale leave together, solid as a couple, united in trust.

Maria screams that Alejandro is hers, all hers.

Jose Luis Is Unhappy With His Co-Conspirator
JL walks into Maria’s house. She is still in her nighties and, while there are PLENTY of men out there who would not kick her out of bed, Jose Luis is not one of them.

She followed the plan, Montserrat walked in on a naked Alejandro in her with Maria, but Montserrat DID NOT CARE. Jl cannot believe it. It cannot be!

She is mad that her plot failed. He is mad that her plot failed.  They yell at one another and Maria cries. At this, JL gets in Maria’s face and takes her by the throat with one hand. He yells and calls her a liar for making him believe that she and Alejandro were lovers. He chokes her as he screams that she confirm that she and Al have never been lovers.  JL calls her an idiot but finally releases her.

I have to say, Maria is a right COW but she sure has endured much abuse in this telenovela. She has no reason to love men in general. I hate that Jose Luis abused her.

The Happy Couple Reunites—Almost
Ale and Montserrat return home and talk about their latest adventure. Ale tells Montse how Maria lured him to her house—he thought that Maria was threatening either her or his son. When he got to the house and saw the blonde wig, he thought it was Montserrat.

Montserrat reminds him of the words of Padre Anselmo, “Circumstances are not what matter. What matters is that you believe in each other.” Ale agrees.

She tells Ale that she has good news. Lauro finally convinced Jose Luis to let them go. She will leave Jose Luis’ house in the morning. And he has good news. He has his name and inheritance back, it’s official and she is now looking at her legitimate husband.

The two actors lean into one another in a way that reminds you that these two characters are doing a dance that ends in bed.  Wow! Their story is pretty lame but these two have great chemistry!

“Te amo, Montserrat. Te amo.”

Happy, happy, happy.

Next Morning
Alejandro is up bright and early, loading Trusty Tundra like he is a mule. He has loaded the vehicle with Montse and Laurito’s bags. Things are looking good for a Montse and Ale reunion, but WAIT. We are not even into official Ultimas Semanas yet.
 
Jose Luis happens along. He follows Alejandro inside. He is still wearing the same clothes he had on last night. Things are not looking so good after all.

Montserrat and Ale meet and greet one another with great joy as official husband and wife.

Over at Macario and Dominga’s place, Padre Anselmo greets the new day and chews up some more scenery. Macario and Domi share their sadness at not having a child.

Back at JL’s house, I am distracted by the question of which is tighter—Montserrat’s sprayed on spandex jeans or Ale’s two-sizes too small tee shirt. It’s a close call, but I think Montse takes him by a hair.

Jose Luis sees the two of them together and cannot take it. He has changed his mind. Montserrat cannot leave the house. He raises a gun and points it at the happy couple. Now he rants and raves. He orders Alejandro to get out. Montserrat is not going with him. Ale points out that they are legitimately husband and wife, but Jose Luis reminds them that she lives there, with him, and she is expecting his child.

It’s official, my friends, Jose Luis Alvarez has had a psychotic break. The guy is ‘round the bend, bat shit crazy, nuttier that a squirrel, and dangerous to boot. He waves the gun around like an orchestra conductor’s baton. I find myself hoping that the gun has a safety.

He splits the happy husband and wife apart again, making Montserrat his prisoner (again) and running Alejandro off the property. Thud. Montserrat runs into her room and closes the heavy oak door in Jose Luis’ face. He rants and demands that she open the door. She locks herself in for protection.

Adolfo and Ezekiel Get Non-Verbal Messages
In his home, Adolfo discovers a beautifully wrapped gold-colored box. When he takes the lid off he finds a GIANT living scorpion inside.

And in his office, in City Hall, EZ Basurto also discovers that he has an unwelcome and portentous visitor. As he opens his desk drawer, a live scorpion lies in wait.

We are all left to ponder the identity and location of the REAL Alacran.

Elna June

Labels: robo