Caray, Caray!

Thanks, Ezra.
I had to pause to comment before even reading the recap because the title is so perfect.

It's not that I don't feel for how confused the kid must be, but there's one thing that isn't confusing at all: he has never expressed any true affection for Ahole at all, probably because he doesn't feel any affection FROM him.

And he doesn't even realize that the warm feelings are missing. Obviously he enjoys being with Ahole because the focus is on gifts and privileges and envy, and for the time being that's so novel and overwhelming that he doesn't miss the real feelings from his family that he takes for granted.

Of course, it doesn't help that their every transaction ends up making Lupe look like a mean old grouch.
 

I know it would be super difficult and she would never do it, but as someone mentioned some time ago, I wish Lupe would call Alejo's bluff and say, "Fine, Emiliano can live with you, he seems to need his father right now anyway. But I'm still not going to marry you." Then step back and see what they both do (Emiliano and Alejo). Ahole will drop his "loving father" act once he has "el esquincle" with him 24/7 and the ungrateful brat will realize that material things can't replace a loving family, not to mention he will have also lost all his friends.
 

Ezra, I loved the tone of your recap. You sure hit it on the head with the title, too.

I was unhappy with the fact that Lupe told Emiliano he was going to have to apologize for what he said but never followed through. She only went so far as calling him on his tone and vocab. This was at least the second time she did this because I remember being annoyed by the same situation. She allowed herself to be manipulated as Emiliano talked on and on just being bratty. He then escaped to his room to be grounded but never apologized. Big mistake. It should have been first an apology, then the grounding. She later admitted she had not been hard enough on him which did little good after the fact.

Poor MA could not do anything right with AS discovering the truth about the family fortune and Lupe overhearing how he had lied to his FAMILY. So he is now the biggest liar she has ever known.

Practically speaking, if Alejo could end up with ALL of the family fortune then they all should all be out spending fast and furious and collecting a lot of cash.

I liked AS telling Aleji he was " maledetto" (damned) even as a kid.

Don Chuy made a bad move with punching out Alejo because all he did was increase the pressure on Lupita who is still not feeling very well. Lupe did a good job telling Perla and Tizoc that they had been bought by Alejo just like Emiliano.

My heart went out to Frida because she has a good idea she is pregnant and jerky Tizoc cannot be bothered with talking about anything other than
himself and what is good for him. It looked like Perla and Carmelita have suspicions about her being pregnant, too.

Now that they have their family fortune back will Leonardo and Frida continue with their work?

Jarifa


 

This also bothered me. I know doña Mati wanted don Chuy to go into her old office to get the contact info on her old doctor but she seemed to know his name. With the name he could have easily looked in a phone book or on line and if it was not retrievable, then make a trip to the Editorial. But he did not do that. He went straight to the Editorial. Pretty weak plot device to get him into the Editorial and then Alejo's office so he could punch him out.

Jarifa
 

I too thought Lupe let the brat get off too easily. I'm also starting to questioning her parenting skills. She tends to do a lot of talking and not a lot of follow up. Letting that brat get away with first dissing his aunt and then those awful comments to his grandfather crossed a lot of lines. It made me a little sick to see Emihole talking to his father and being praised for his behavior.

Felt for Chuy who has never done anything to earn the scorn heaped on him by Emihole. As much as I knew it would be a mistake in the long run I was please to see him beat the crap out of Ahole.

AS may be a gin/pulque soaked pretentious snob but she has some first class investigative skills to find out that MA had gotten their fortune back. Too bad she hadn't been on the case when they lost their fortune in the first place.

Alas it looks like we have two unplanned pregnancies. Felt so sorry for Frieda trying to talk to the full of himself moron Tizoc. He is in for a couple of almighty shocks, her pregnancy and the fact that he is being made a fool out of by the producer and his cronies. Lupe was right to rip into him for signing a contract without reading it.

Not [leased with Lupe for getting herself knocked up again. Did she learn nothing years ago. It makes her look a little stupid and careless which I'm sure is not what we are suposed to believe.

Laughed at the Saul Gwendy scene. I would have sworn she was going to take him to see some male strippers.
 

Thank you Ezra, as I missed some parts.
The recap seems to be missing how things ended last night, with Tizoc being a class A jerk to Frida telling her their relationship shouldn't get too serious and basically dumping her now that he thinks he's going to be famous.

I am so frustrated with AS finding out the truth! I get what Lupe said about lying to basically screw your family over, but has she met his family? It's MA's money and he can do as he pleases with it, but of course he won't because AS will just pull stunts like last night's and get her way again. I am sick of her getting her way. I'm sick of her. I'm close to not watching I'm just so annoyed by her being awful to everyone and getting far better treatment than she deserves.
 

Ezra, I can't say I enjoyed the show, since so many people did stupid stuff, but I enjoyed your recap.

Ana Sofi can be amusing, but she's the most thoroughly selfish person. She can quit claiming credit for birthing her children, 'cause good mothers look after the welfare of their families. She's all for No. 1.

Frida looked completely devastated, realizing what she's facing with a pregnancy and no awareness, let alone support, from "Tay". I'm sure there's a clause in his contract about no girlfriends/babies.

Emi/Ahole Jr. did tell Ahole Sr. that it felt bad to have everyone upset with him. I'm sure Sr. will keep the pressure on him to ignore his family and their teachings.

As a character, Alejo is disgusting and annoying; as an actor, Mark Tacher is doing a super job. For me, all the actors are doing a great job--one of the things I enjoy on this TN.
 

It's funny that AS was so quick to take Ahole's word for it that the RPs recovered their fortune. He is quite the accomplished liar; AS is lucky he wasn't lying this time.

It also says a lot about her desperation to have money that she would risk getting arrested. If MA is so intent on teaching his family a lesson, he should start by calling his mother's bluffs. (I know he really doesn't have the right to deny her access to the money, but she DID steal 300,000 pesos from the Menchacas, and she once arranged to have Frida arrested, so I'm okay with letting AS spend the night in the cooler.)

"Vegetarian" Frida eating chicken soup? Isn't she afraid her baby will be born with a beak?

The only things you missed that I can think of are:

- Frida tried to tell Tizoc she might be pregnant, but got jealous when she noticed some lipstick on his shirt (from a fan). He lost his temper and broke up with her before she had a chance to tell him about her mutant chicken-baby.

- At the end, on the phone, Ahole assured Emi that it's GREAT that he doesn't want to be like the Menchacas, and asked if he'd be willing to live with him even if his mother didn't agree.

- Lupe overheard MA admitting to his family that he had lied about the money, which only convinced her further that his word isn't worth a plug nickel.
 

Best part of the episode: Ahole getting a beat down from Chuy.

Rob
 

"Isn't she afraid her baby will be born with a beak?"

You had me laughing with that one, Julie


Jarifa
 

Thank you for the recap Ezra.

I definitely felt for Frida this episode. First she was so supportive of Miguel Angel at the begining during their conversation about Lupita in the juice stand and then found out his lie later. I never liked the lie but AS's indignation doesn't bother me, I can understand Frida and Leo's better, especially when MA later told them they hadn't learned a thing. I agree that they haven't matured completely yet but they have changed and it is unfair of him to not recognize that. Frida, especially, has always supported him, in his choices and through his tougher times, even at the begining when they had just arrived at the Menchacas.

Then later the way Tizoc dumped her was terrible. He acted like he couldn't be bothered to deal with her anymore, that was the worst. Not that he ended things with her but that he didn't seem to care in the least abut her or her feelings.

And her scene in the bathroom was heartbreaking, yep she knows she's pregnant.

Jarocha
 

Also Güendy and Saul were the bright spot for me. Saul seems to really dig her, not just trying to get into her pants.
I know she's set up to be with Nepo, but it's a shame, because I love her with Saul.
 

I think Lupe should be held accountable for some of Emi's behavior. She should have been honest with him from the time he was old enough to understand. I would not have bad mouthed Ahole, but explained that his father had no interest in being a family and the Manchaca's were his family. I can understand how he fell for Ahole, just like most of the family, they are labeled naive, but Emi should be given the same break, although he is becoming a real brat. If the adults fell for Ahole and his line of bull, can Emi be blamed after all the teasing and exclusion he has felt from his "friends"? Ahole sure knows the power of a few bucks, no one would tolerate him otherwise.
 

Ezra, loved the title and this...
I've got Mike, Tizoc, your son, your sister, practically everybody by the balls. How romantic!... now he's got Chuy by the balls, too.

Julie, ITA with It's not that I don't feel for how confused the kid must be, but there's one thing that isn't confusing at all: he has never expressed any true affection for Ahole at all, probably because he doesn't feel any affection FROM him.. and that is why Emiliano's infatuation with his father is very thin and weak, and as soon as he starts hearing about the 'not so good' things Alejo has done like leaving Mati out on the street, getting MA in jail and killing Adolfo it will break that ice and Emiliano will see Alejo's true self. I hope.
 

Thanks for the recap Ezra.

It seems that Lupe suddenly cannot discipline her child and its sad. It also seems Alejo has backed into a corner about forcing the marriage. If this does happen, I hope Don Chuy let's his family and the RPs know.

AS is horrible. I wish MA had let her go to jail.
 

Thank you, Ezra! I haven't seen it yet, but enjoyed the recap. Title is spot on.

I feel sorry for Lupita. She knows her brat spawn is on a downward path, but she's also trying to keep his affection so Ahole can't turn him completely against her, and she also has Ahole and Chuy undermining all her parenting efforts. With Ahole it's more a direct attack, but Chuy is supposedly on her side and yet trying to tell her not to do what she wants to do and eroding her confidence. It's harder to disregard or fight the undermining when it's coming from her father, whom she loves and respects.

Sounds like Tizoc is also embracing his jerky side. I think Frida should take this chance to move on, baby or no baby.

I'm also curious about what Leo and Frida will do now that they know they aren't still poor.

I need to watch if only to enjoy Saul's and Guendy's date. I hope she sticks with him and doesn't remain hung up on Nepo. It would be a good message to send to the people watching, to get over the original meanie you fell in love with who only offers you insults and grief and strained relationships with other family members.
 

Thanks Ezra. I seldom watch this show but when Mark T. is on the screen he makes me laugh. Every time he is in a board meeting with the "elders" his slow and loud conversations have me rolling with laughter. I was never a big fan of Mark T., but he does comedy so well that I do not want a bad ending for him. Minerva and her mother are also quite funny.
Yola
 

It's time to get Mati out of her red silk pajamas and back onto the battlefield with a home-free card from a doctor. It is time for Emiliano to go live with his father and discover what that's like. I don't (really) blame him because kids often adore absent fathers more than they adore fathers who are actually present and will do desperate things to get their approval. Ana Sofia is so ghastly, yet the actress is so charming and comical that I can't hate the character. She is the greatest. I have felt for most of this TN that Jaime is phoning it in.
 

Jaime's performance is definitely more subdued than we've seen from him previously. I don't know if that means he's bored, and/or that he decided (or was directed) to let the other actors do more of the comedic heavy lifting.
 

I'm wondering how Emihole will react to being a brother. Even without Ahole lavishing things on him he is rather spoiled and used to getting all the attention of his aunt, uncle and Lupe. Should be interesting to see.

As for JC phoning it it maybe so but I also don't see any real chemistry between him and Zuria. Maybe it is the age difference.
 

I have to agree with Decie. Zuria had more chemistry with Gabriel Soto in Refugio than here. I would not say its the age difference, though... maybe JC is getting to the point he wants to finish this tn to get back to making movies in US. OR like you all said, maybe he was told to take the comedy down a notch. Not sure age has anything to do with it.
 

I wonder if we've seen the last of the effect of A-hole's order to the receptionist to let ANY Menchaca in without announcing them... i wonder if Chuy will try again or any other Menchaca like Perla or Tizoc will try to get that doctor's phone... even though I agree, anyone could look up a Miranda doctor online or in yellow pages and find him by trial and error.
 

Can I assume there was an awards show for everyone instead of the next episode?
 

I have no problem with JC. I just have not liked the way the character MA was written. He went from a very competent, intelligent although arrogant businessman to a total schmuck when he fell in love, was a fugitive and in jail. Now that he is back out he seems to have a brain again.

Jarifa
 

Yes, Cathyx - no episode last night.

I agree with Jarifa that Miguel Angel is not the most consistently-written character. I know TN characters sometimes get weird or inconsistent, but when that happens to a main character, it's usually the result of a disruption in the production - a casting change, an extension, etc.

At one point MA was actually plotting to cheat the Menchacas of the million dollar bonus for the house. That's villain behavior, but he wasn't a villain at the very beginning of the story, so it seems as though he got much worse before he got better.

Trying to keep the RP fortune away from his family this past week was almost villainous too (though sort of funny). He can say that his intentions were good, but from a legal standpoint it looks a lot like fraud.

I guess it's not unprecedented for TN characters to get worse before they get better, but usually the protagonist doesn't sink quite so low as to consider defrauding poor people.
 

I hate that AS now knows that the RP's have money again. She's learned nothing from the past and she's destined to go back to live the life and have the same attitude that she always had before.
 

"Defrauding poor people" removes the context of his actions, though, which is important.
I have no problem with what he did and I have plenty of issue with that fact that he's completely incapable of letting his mother get dragged to jail for stunts like the one she pulled at the store.
 

Been thinking about poor Frieda, probably pregnant by Tizoc, dumped by him and now she is going to have to tell AS. Lord help the poor girl. She'll get more support from the Menchacas while AS will probably try t ship he off to Switzerland to have and get rid of the baby.
 

I watched Wednesday's episode last night and I agree with y'all. I hate that MA enabled his mother's childish tantrum. He should have let her get hauled off to jail. Then he could have paid the store for the damage she did, behind her back, but arrange with them to let her stew in the brig for awhile before dropping the charges.

Tizoc was SUCH a jerk. It was abundantly clear when he came upstairs to see Frida that she had been crying and was very upset, and then she said she needed to talk to him about something, but he could not be bothered to care, because obviously mentioning that he got a fancy dinner with champagne was more important. Also, I don't think there's any way he's that famous/popular yet...how would those squealy girls even have recognized him, if he's only done that one appearance as Tay all greased up in heavy makeup? I think they were planted by the producer to puff up his ego so it takes him longer to realize he has a crappy contract.

It's definitely fraudulent for MA to have tried to keep money they were entitled to from the rest of the family, but I think they kinda deserve it for being morons. They are all adults. They shouldn't be letting MA have control all the money. They should have individual accounts and stash something for a rainy day in accounts in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands or something! They are terrible at being rich!
 

Anon @ 11:29 am - ITA w/you MA and AS. She has been an arrogant and condescending from the beginning and hasn't really changed at all. Frida and Leo have at least advanced.

Decie Girl - yes, poor Frida indeed. Thankfully, the Menchacas will help her even if sorry Tizoc does not.
 

We had a problem with JC here in the house while we were watching, but not because he was too subdued, it was because we thought he was too over the top and it wasn't funny. I like this telenovela better than other comedies and I love most of the characters but I agree that there's something about MA that I can't quite connect with at times.

I do have to say that, in terms of galanes, MA is far from the worse. His actions may not have always been good but he hasn't sunk as low as other galanes in many dramatic novelas.

About his chemistry with Zuria, I don't think they have hot chemistry but I do think they have a nice rapport with each other which made their scenes likeable. The problem is that the lack of passion hurts the characters when they are fighting, because that's when you most notice it.

Jarocha

 

I think part of the reason I'm not into the character of MA is that his "humor" seems tacked on as a desperate attempt for levity, and not a natural part of the scenes or the character. Like when he was always sliding out of chairs. There didn't seem to be any reason he would do that. It's like the director decided his character wasn't funny enough, so quick! Do something wacky! Anything! But he doesn't otherwise have the sort of energy he has previously shown in comic roles. It's like he's just sort of sleepwalking through the scenes, and then out of nowhere someone pushes the button for physical comedy and he spastically does something klutzy or jumpy. It comes off artificial.
 

Julia:

Tizoc was so awful that I wondered if the writers are wanting to do a parallel between his actions and Alejo's. Since he is exhibiting a simmilar egotistic behavior.

And speaking of Mark Tacher, I wanted so badly for him to be casted in the only remake I'm interested about at the moment: Yo No Creo En Los Hombres. Unfortunately, Gabriel Soto was cast in the lead male role. I don't get his appeal but hopefully his performance will be more like the one he did in La Verdad Oculta than in Querida Enemiga, since the character is very smart and the romance takes a backseat to the plot for the first half of the story. But I wanted Tacher there, ugh.

Jarocha
 

Julia I think you hit the nail on the head about MA. Because all we (my mom, sister and I) kept thinking when he'd fall or say something stupid or talk "naco" was that it made no sense for him to do those things. So it was irritating to us. I've never been too into Camil's comedy so him irritating me wasn't surprising, there's always a point when I can't stand him, but him irritating my mother was new.

I'm gonna dare and say that Camil was probably misscast. Since it seems MA would have worked better as a straight man and nobody would expect that from him so maybe they feel pressured to add this clownish behavior. Although, from interviews I've seen, he was the one who brought this story to Rosy Ocampo in the first place.

Jarocha
 

Neither Jaime Camil nor Mark Tacher have ever appealed to me whatsoever. I have always thought they both try too hard and I don't like the results. I have never liked MT as a galan (tries too hard) but I like him here as the villain in a comedy. He's pretty funny. And JC is just plain annoying, whether he's trying to be a serious galan or a comedic one, I don't like him. I'm watching this tn solely because I like to see Zuria act and, of course, these awesome recaps and comments.
 

Leo has definitely stolen the show here as far as comedy goes.
 

I love Leo, he's not just funny, he's a good actor. He and Ana Sofia are a wonderful pair.
 

The only time I've seen Mark Tacher as a galán was in La Hija del Mariachi, where I loved him. In televisa he always plays the second choice so his characters are purposely written to be less attractive than the main galán but I liked him in Abismo before his character started being a jerk. In Triunfo I honestly would have been happy if a bomb killed all the characters to be honest.

Jarocha
 

I really like Jaime Camil and tuned into this show because of him. I really liked him in Las Tontas no van al cielo. My only problem with some of the characters he plays are that they are wimpyish. He's a tall and imposing figure and it doesn't go with him acting wimpy. Slapstick isn't my type of humor either, but he has a natural kind of humor that appeals to me, he has great timing and great facial expressions.
 

I liked Jaime Camil in Tontas also. That was a good role. The leading lady was irritatingly self-absorbed, but I liked a lot of the other characters and there were some really funny bits.
 

A little something about Sylvia Pasquel (Ana Sofía):

Her real name is Silvia Banquells Pinal. She is the daughter of two legends: Rafael Banquells (RIP) and Silvia Pinal (I'm sorry you probably only know her for her terrible role of the tía in Soy Tu Dueña). Her stage name is a mix between letters from both of her parents' last names.

She is half sister to Rocío Banquells (Fina in Cuando Me Enamoro) on her father's side and also Alejandra Guzmán on her mother's side. She had a younger half-sister called Viridiana (named after the title role of Silvia Pinal in a film by Luis Buñuel that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes) but she died in a car accident when she was 19, she was leading her first telenovela at the time.

Sylvia had two daughters: Stephanie and Viridiana (named after her sister) but little Viridiana died at the age of four in a pool accident.

Stephanie grew up to be an actress and singer, although she separated herself from mainstream media in the mid 90's. She had a daughter with singer Luis Miguel in her late teens which he did not recognize until said daughter was over 20. Needless to say, Sylvia Pasquel doesn't have a great opinion of Luis Miguel.

Mrs. Pasquel's family is one of the most powerful in the entertainment business in Mexico. So she has met many ladies with simmilar behavior to Ana Sofía and she says there are certain real persons she has used to base her performance.

Jarocha
 

Anon 1:41
How weird! I agree with you about Camil and Tacher. Just like I have my telenovios (Colunga, Yanez, Cordoba, Rulli, Levy, Salinas), I have my Tele-noNOs (Camil, Tacher, Pedro Fernandez, Gabriel Soto and most definitely, David Zepeda as a galan). But all our different tastes are what make these convos so enjoyable, in my opinion!
 

Thanks Jarocha for that little history of Ana Sofia. She is just marvellous.
 

Sylvia is really talented as is the rest of her family. I think she also bears a striking resemblance to Alejandra and her speaking voice is often similar. I wonder if she can sing since she certainly can do everything else. Hate the AS character but love her portrayal. She never hits a wrong note and her scenes with Leo are simply brilliant.
 

I like Camil, but I'll agree that this is not the role of his lifetime. However, the other casting on this TN is stellar, both for the over-the-top stuff (Mini, Isela, AS) and the more subtle humor (Vilma, etc.) and everyone in between.

And most of the actors, including Camil, look like they're into it, and enjoying themselves, and don't have to get poked with a stick to wake them up for their cue.

There is also a lot of humor in the set dressing (like all the crazy decor at Nepo's place and in Gwendy's salon) and props (Alejo's corn dog). When things are getting ugly at Nepo's house, you can always look at a plastic banana or a cheesy-looking horse.

And, I think this comedy has been better than most comedies (including previous Ocampo/Camil efforts) at balancing/pacing the bad stuff. We've had some depressing eps lately, but somehow the comical stuff usually cuts in before everything gets totally dark and morose or maudlin.

And the comical stuff is usually just enough, and not too much nor the wrong kind to counterbalance the bad stuff.

I also believe there has been considerably less lecturing in this one than in other comedies I've seen. We've heard all the speeches about how important family is, blah blah blah, but usually just in small easy pieces. Not the long, awkward, sermon-like PSAs in PEAM and PESE and UFCS.

So, while it hasn't been perfect and there are certainly things I wish were a little different about Pobres, I have been enjoying it an awful lot overall.
 

My biggest problem with telenovela comedies is that there aren't enough of them. Too many dramas for my taste.

Jarifa
 

Jarifa

It is hard to do comedies well. Not all actors can even do comedy. Colunga was a case in point, giving it the old college try and not being able to bring it off. I'm going to be very interested to see if Salinas can pull it off.

My problem with a lot of comedies is that they are too slap sticky or the humor just doesn't translate from one language to another. That said sometime I too need a break from the often over wrought dramas which I must say are sometimes laughably bad.
 

I think Sylvia could have gone for a music career if she wanted. Her daughter Stephanie's singing voice is very simmilar to Alejandra. Her mother also sang at one point but her voice was smoother than her daughters'.

About PQEAM, I think Colunga was playing the character as the straight man but I think that was one instance where a comedian would have been better. Jorge Sainas will play the straight man in his novela but I don't think comedies are Juan Osorio's strong suit. For comedies I prefer Rosy Ocampo and Angelli Nesma's productions better, even Mapat.

You need a special rhythm for comedies and a good cast is great but not enough.

Jarocha



 

Okay, sliding off the chairs was kind of awkward comedy, but I'm still laughing about MA rolling off of the bed in that scene with Mini.
I'm hooked on this novela.
Denise
 

Hey y'all, this is totally off topic, but back in June I saw some ads regarding LA GATA and then I forgot. Did it start on June 23rd as Univisión said and nobody here is watching it, or due to the World cup, hasn't started yet? I am curious because I saw today ads for MI CORAZON ES TUYO, because is about to start... Thanks!