Monday, July 14, 2014

Qué Pobres, Lunes 7/14/14 (#135): The Perils of Post-Liberation Stress

I feel badly about not including an earworm on Thursday's recap as Madelaine usually does, so here is one for this episode: Dizzy, in honor of Mati, Perla, and Lupe.

The Great Escape
Grandma Mati is cheery and alert in Tomas's spare room. She thanks Tom and Chuy for finding her when she was "this close" to being lost. She was dizzy and confused and couldn't remember anything, but Chuy says it was actually her bad memory that saved her, because...

Flashback! At the beach, just before Ahole took Mati away, Chuy gave her a slip of paper with his phone number on it. He told her to memorize it.

First chance she got - this is brilliant - Mati, knowing that she wouldn't remember the number no matter what she did, copied it and Chuy's name ONTO THE TAG SEWN INTO THE SEAM INSIDE HER PURSE!! And flushed that slip of paper down the toilet where that nosy nurse would never find it.

And here's a little something we didn't get to see before, either - when she snuck that phone call, all dazed and confused, it was to Chuy. She told him she was at Ahole's house with a mean nurse and she was scared and wanted Don Aurelio (her dead husband) to pick her up.

Chuy was alone at home at the time, so he called Tomas for help. The two of them drove out to Ahole's place and waited for a break. To their surprise, Mati, Ahole, and the rest of the gang came out in a big Cadillac. Chuy and Tom followed at a discreet distance and watched Ahole abandon the frightened old woman on the side of the road. Tom and Chuy approached; Mati recognized the famous wrestler, and Tom volunteered to let Mati convalesce at his house since Ahole would never think to look for her there, plus Tom's visiting mother could take care of her.


Carmelita asks Mati why she doesn't want the rest of the RPs and Menchacas to know she's here. Mati says the time isn't right. She wants to finish recuperating first, and she doesn't want to endanger the families.

The Zombies and the Vultures
The corporate Board of Zombies, or do I mean the Zombie Board of DIrectors, ask Ahole what house is MA talking about? Ahole explains that there's a piece of property that is in the company's name because his dear missing grandmother was declared incompetent to make decisions on the company's behalf. Ahole feigns surprise that the zombies never heard this before. Ahole assures MA and the zombies that he'll make sure this family doesn't get kicked out, especially since his very own son has been growing up in that house. MA mutters that they'd better not get kicked out, and leaves.

Eavesdropping Mini and Isela gloat about the fry cook getting evicted. Later, Mini is excited to think that MA may recover his fortune. Isela can't believe Mini is still stuck on MA; she must be sick in the head. Mini says she just can't tolerate rejection, ever since she was a little girl in school and some boy refused to be her boyfriend. (Hmm... if she feels like being obsessive, maybe she ought to try tracking him down and stalking him for a while.)

The zombies ask Ahole about MA's other accusations. Ahole says MA is probably giddy from post-liberation stress disorder. Ahole sounds pretty giddy himself as his voice gets louder and louder as he frantically tries to explain it all away. He promises to leave no stone unturned in his search for dear Grandma.

After the meeting, Ahole and Dinorah the Nasty Nurse compare notes over the phone. Dinorah quit that nursing home shortly after they got rid of Mati; the people there were supposed to give her a heads-up if anyone came looking for Mati, but obviously they didn't. Ahole worries that now they'll go looking for the real Mati; Dinorah reminds him that they knew from the beginning that something like this could happen. I think he threatens not to pay her...

Ahole calls Yvonne in and tells her to arrange a birthday party for his kid this weekend. Yvonne expresses surprise that Ahole has a kid. He tells her, "Spare no expense! Get all the things that little brats like." Yvonne excitedly asks if MA is coming back to work for the company. Anyone want to guess how long till she's fired?

At the Menchacas'
Tom reviews the visitation agreement with Lupe (I thought she signed this on Thursday, but perhaps not). He says it appears to be in order and it looks like all of her requests were accommodated. Lupe asks if Ahole could get sole custody of Emi. Tom says that would only happen if she abused or neglected him. For kids under 12, the law prefers that they stay with his mom. (NOTE: This will be Emi's 11th birthday. Lupe's pregnancy test was in December 2002, so he was born in 2003.)

Tom concedes sure, it's possible that Ahole could launch some accusation against her, but even then the judge would probably ask Emi which parent he prefers to live with, and surely the boy would prefer Lupe. Hmm... Lupe asks him to keep this and the possible eviction from Chuy. (I keep forgetting, the guy has a heart condition!)

Perla comes home and kisses Tomas hello! Lupe beats a hasty retreat.

Perla is bummed out. She's still not getting any work. Tom hints that maybe she was meant to marry a great guy and have lots of babies. (Gag me!) Perla laughs, then stumbles... she's dizzy.

Tom hangs out with Perla in her bedroom while she recovers. He thinks she's been dieting too much. She thanks him and he leaves. Chuy catches him coming out of Perla's room. Tom explains that she felt faint from dieting. Chuy worries and says this has happened before (at Leo's wedding). Chuy prepares to knock at Perla's door, then turns away.

The Poor RPs
Now that MA's been found innocent and can get his money back, Tato and his crew are willing to hang out with Frida again! They invite her to go clubbing with them, but she's offended that they have the nerve to "forgive" HER. Also, she says, they're still poor and she's getting to be pretty good at that street talk. Then she says something about a hen and eggs that may have been partially censored (I couldn't tell), adding, "damned bourgeois."

Later at the prepa, Frida hears Tizoc's Cellular song on the radio and all the fresas enjoying it. One of them says, "It's by this guy named Tay. I think he's from Argentina."

Leo returns to teaching his class. The students already know he was out because his mother was in the hospital. They offer all the help and support he needs. (Not just vague offers, either, but real offers to help take care of her and keep her company. Obviously they've never met her.) Touched, Leo turns his head to stifle tears. He thanks them and they share a group hug!

AS tells Lupe and Carmelita that working in the kitchen isn't the only hard work she's ever done. It's hard to compete in a dog show, too! You have to walk the dog around and everything! Lupe gives AS her first paycheck. "This wasn't worth all my work," AS complains. "It was practically an act of charity!" In that case, Carmelita is willing to take the money, but of course AS isn't THAT ungrateful.

On schedule as always, Don Salomon shows up for AS's loan payment. Her pay isn't enough to cover it, so the interest will continue to accrue (or actually I think he raises the rate too if you don't pay). He offers to discharge the debt by buying her stuff. She calls him a usurer and a naco. "A naco with money," Don S agrees cheerfully.

After Leo's class, Diego wants to finish that conversation with Leo, but Leo has to take his mother to an AA meeting.

AS doesn't like the looks of the community counseling center. Leo says it's for people with addictions, and some people are addicted to bad taste. She tries to turn away. She's not ready. She should be going to a special AA for VIPs. She cries and tries to guilt Leo into taking her home. After a very tiny hesitation, Leo firmly tells his mother she can cry and walk at the same time!

The Banana King and His Court
At the market, Trofeo suggests that Nepo apologize to MA for turning him in, and thank him for the idea to create the juice stand. They should be paying him a share. Nepo grumbles, "Mike's family doesn't need any of our juice money." "Yes they do," says Diego, who just now showed up. "They've lost everything."

Nepo stares at Diego. "I just came by to say hi," says the Banana Prince. "Okay, well now you've done that," Nepo says. Diego leaves. Trofeo scolds Nepo for treating his son that way. Finally Nepo says, "You're right - we have to pay Mike." ARGH!!

The Mission(s) of Miguel Angel
MA and Saul met with Agent Chavez, who agrees with them that Vilma couldn't have committed all these crimes; but she confessed to everything, and they don't have proof that Ahole did anything. They do have a photo of Vilma with Adolfo in her apartment, and the gun they found at her place was the one that killed Adolfo. MA says Vilma may be obnoxious, but she's not a killer.

Next, MA visits Vilma and tells her she's only hurting herself by covering for Ahole. Vilma says no, she did it all, and she's so sorry for all she's put MA through. MA asks, if you did all these things, what was your motive? Vilma doesn't have a good answer. He presses her: if all she'd wanted was his family's money, she could have taken it and run off. Instead, she stayed at Ahole's side. Could it be that she's in love with him? "How dare you!" she replies. "He's using you," MA advises. "Think about it."

Then MA hires a private investigator to look for Mati. The PI assures him that, while the police and private detectives often use similar methods, they won't get in each others' way.

MA hops a bus to La Nopalera (he seems to have a car, so I don't know why unless it's just for old time's sake) to meet with his family at the Menchacas'. They, or at least AS, are keen to move out. MA says he's looking for a job. Leo enthusiastically talks about his own job; AS complains about the pittance she received for cooking at the fonda. She reminds MA that he can still fulfill the Grandfather Clause. Or at least share the presidency with Ahole until the clause is fulfilled. MA says NO.

MA's ungrateful family worries that Ahole might still marry Lupe. MA says no way. "You never know," Frida says. "Why don't you just sell your stuff to Don Salomon," MA suggests helpfully. "Until you learn to live without your loot, you'll never learn anything."

Now Lupe's here. She doesn't want to talk to MA. While Carmelita eavesdrops, MA chases Lupe up the stairs and tries to tell her what he's pieced together: Mini must have drugged him. He asks, how did Lupe end up at the country house? Ahole brought her there. "You see! Mini and Alejo are conspiring to split us up." She calls MA a shameless liar and says these things only happen in wacky comedies.

Chuy arrives and, seeing MA, says "I'm not gonna throw you out, but maybe you'd better leave." MA doesn't even ask to feel his calor this time.

Chuy tells Lupe that he never was in favor of her relationship with MA, but he didn't want to see her get hurt like this. He says he knows she's keeping a lot of her troubles to herself so as not to worry him. Lupe asks him for a hug. "Don't let me go!"

On the street, Carmelita stops MA and tells him she believes everything he said. "Even though you're a son of... that... ugh, I know you're sincere." She explains that Lupe's only prior experience with men is Ahole (MA and Carm both agree that Nepo doesn't count) and that's why she's distrustful. Carm tells MA to be patient, and she'll help him get Lupita back.

Apparently Carmelita wants to start right away. She runs back to the house, looking for Lupe. Perla says Lupe's in her room. Knock knock, no answer. Carm opens the door, and Lupe is unconscious on the floor!

Next Time: Ahole throws a big party for Emi in hopes of making all the other kids and their parents eat their own hearts out.

Labels:


Comments:
I taped the episode because I instead wanted to watch Jaime's movie "Pulling Strings". I loved the film and especially the mariachi music. Omar Chaparro is also in the movie and he is very, very funny. Has anyone seen this movie?
 

I think I'll adopt Leo's counsel to his mama when she balked at the low-rent AA building--"Cry, but keep walking."
 

Leo was cracking me up as he tried to encourage his mother to go into the AA meeting, "Oh, look, at the pretty building, with it's tin door and the nice graffiti ... " LOL
 

Yes! Leo has come a long way.

It's so humid this morning that the pages on which I took my notes last night are actually floppy and wilted. I shall type like the very dickens to get this recap done before my paper dissolves into a gooey mess of pulp.
 

Gobluefan, I saw the movie last fall. It was actually in the movie theaters around here for about a month. I enjoyed it. The music was great. Too bad they did not put out a soundtrack album of some sort.

Jarifa
 

It's still humid as hell, but it's all done!

I apologize for the length. I was doing shorter recaps for a while, but this one got away from me!
 

Julie, there was so much that went on in this episode. The recap was perfect. Thanks.

Doña Mati writing don Chuy's number on her purse label was the best.

I can't help but think that Lupe is making a huge mistake in not telling don Chuy about the lawsuit that has been filed against him by Alejo. He only has certain amount of days to respond heart condition or not. Not smart on her part.

I liked MA accomplishing things and Leonardo really getting into his class he is teaching.

There still was plenty of funny:

Isela reminiscing about the "obsessions" of her dear dead husband. From the smile on her face, they must have involved her.

AS reminiscing about DaVinci winning the "Best of Breed" in the dog shows.

AS not wanting her cooking labeled as "work", so it became "charity" until she discovered she wouldn't be paid for that, so it now is "collaboration".

AS looking like DaVinci when she curled her lip and almost growled at don Salomón when he took her pay.

Jarifa


 

Thanks so much Julie!!
i loved these two scenes: A-hole saying to the Board of zombies that MA was suffering from
post-liberation stress disorder (and saying it loudly as if they were short of hearing because of their age...LOL!)

and Leo trying to get AS to go in the center talking about the graffitti and seeing an old couple walk in and telling his mom 'look! they are going in there because they have an addiction to bad taste!' (made me crack up laughing.)
tender moments:
Lupe and CHuy hug, Chuy tells her he will let her go when she wants... at first she nodded she was ready to let go and then she hugged him harder and said no! don't let me go!

and MA doing similar with Carmelita... swearing to her that Lupe is the love of his life. and Carm asking him to be patient, that Lupe was going through a hard time and he needed to give her time, but she would help...
 

I liked both Pulling Strings and El Cielo en tu mirada. I think Jaime had good performances but the characters did not allow him to show his chops (except his singing chops in ECETM just briefly). The bulk of the singing is done by Mane. In PS the ending was so sweet... and of course i loved the mariachi music.
But I have a DVD copy of Regresa, which he did with Blanca Soto. he is the lead in that one... i hope that one is good too.

 

Marta, I have seen "Regresa". The plot is unique and I enjoyed a lot.. Let me know what you think once you have seen it.

Jarifa
 

I totally loved Mati's story!!It really got to me how Mister Chuy and Tomas were there for her when she needed some one the most. Mati is not alone, like Alejo the Hun would think. She has people that care for her and her life's actions has resulted in a great love for her.

She will be triumphant and now I see that she is getting ready to make a powerful return to stomp out the bugs in the Editorial RP.

"GENTLEMEN... MIGUEL... ANGEL... IS... SUFFERING... FROM... THE... STOCKHOLM... SYNDROME... no wait, what was that again?" :-)
 

Julie thanks for your recap. No need to apologize for it being long as there were a lot of things happening that hopefully will pay off later when Alejo gets taken down.


 

I ran to my purse to look at the tag inside. The tag in my old purse was black polyester fabric, so it would be difficult to use Mati's trick there. But in my new purse, the tag is some kind of coated paper that takes a ballpoint pen really well.

Only thing I wasn't sure about was how Mati, in her drugged and forgetful state, remembered to look at the tag in her purse - unless this is a trick she's been using (or thinking about) for a long time.
 

Thanks Julie, terrific job recapping. I loved that Chuy gave Mati a phone. I never would have thought of that.

I think the reason that MA parked the car and took the bus is that the car was either Saul's car and he was returning it, or he doesn't want them to know that he has money to buy a car.

Leo is trying to avoid Diego because he wants his mother to go to AA and he's fulfilling his part of the bribe. Just another reason to despise AS. I'm with everyone who said yesterday that she's ridiculous to expect payment for all they've done for her. And that's another reason to despise AS.

After hearing that AS was adopted from a poor neighborhood, I wonder if it will come out that She and Chuy are siblings.

What is wrong with Perla!?! Tomas is clearly smitten with her, he's cute, smart, has a well paying job and really likes her.


 

Cathyx- I would hope not, since that would make Lupe and MA cousins.

Julie- Thanks for the recap. I saw the last half, so I missed Mati. I must go back and watch my recording.
 

I forgot to say earlier that I think the same... MA skipped taking his car to the Nopalera so noone there realizes he does have money, esp his siblings and mom. I agree that Leo keeps rejecting DA because he wants to meet her request of him staying away from DA until she gets help for her vice...
And yes, let it not be that CHuy and AS are related...
 

I don't think Chuy gave Mati a phone. He gave her his phone number. The phone she used was the house phone that was in her room at Alejo's house.
 

Haha Vivi, cousins, true. I didn't work that one out at all.
 

I'd like to know what Macarena's been up to lately.
 

Thanks, Julie. Way fun recap.

I also would like to know what Macarena is up to! I want her tied in to more people on the show! A telenovela can't end until the relationships are a Gordian knot! Perhaps she could be Diego's secret half-sister? Where is his mother and why hasn't she appeared yet?!

Loved the flashbacks of how Chuy and Tomas rescued Mati. That was clever of her to write the number in her purse. I assume she's been spitting out whatever pills they give her. The shots are probably just a sedative. Her memory has been getting better, so probably when she did wake up, she was able to remember that she had written down the phone number, even if she could never remember the number itself (nor could I, for that matter!).

Also loved Leo coaching AS into the Aaaaaa meeting, and Leo telling Diego he had to take his mom to Aaaaa. Well, don't like him dodging Diego, but I loved the explanation of where he was going. "Aaaaaa." "Aaaaaa?!" "Aaaaaa. A. A." "Aah."

Also got a kick out of Frida snickering at the snottle sheeple raving about Tizoc's song, and also proud of her for calling them out on only accepting her when they think she's rich. Glad she knows now who her friends AREN'T.

I love Tomas, but I was glad for Perla's AS IF reaction when he suggested that her purpose in life might be to only get married and have babies. Nothing against that being a part of life, but a woman needs to have more going on! She should at least develop some sort of marketable skills!
 

I don't understand what Tomas sees in Perla. She is pretty, but she is also immature and not very bright (or let's just say that her practical skills have yet to be revealed). So far, all of their conversations have been about her. How long could this relationship possibly last?

And what is Ahole's "revenge" plan for Emi's classmates? Is he really going to do something mean to them, or just throw a bash so extravagant that they and their parents will cry themselves to sleep with envy?
 

I don't understand what Tomas sees in Perla, either, and I also don't understand why he doesn't have all the ladies after him. He's too smart and has too much going on; I think he would lose interest in her very fast if she actually did agree to date him. Even a super hormonal young dude who is so full of energy he bobs like a quail can only be entertained so long watching a vapid airhead preen and pose.

Frida would be a way better match for him. She has actual interests like social justice and whatnot that would jive with his own, and despite her lapses into materialism, she has a good heart and is adaptable and generous. They could be happy together for a long long time.
 

Julie and Julia, I also am confounded by Tomas's crush on Perla. Even as he was proposing being married and having children to her, I kept thinking Tomas, she's not smart enough to raise herself let alone your kids. You would think that his interactions with her would clue him into her vapidness.
 

I was hoping that as he said it, he would hear what a bad idea it was. THIS is the woman you want raising your children? Surely not.

He seems to only be interested in her because he has no other prospects. Why does he have no other prospects? Where's Maca? She at least has a good dose of sass and smarts. Tommy should at least go for a fun fling with her, to get over the idea that Perla is the only one out there.
 

Forget Perla, anyone think Tomas would be interested in a reserved late-30-something engineer from Seattle? ;) I'm not too exciting but I'm sure I'm more interesting than Perla Ivette. And I hardly ever faint.
 

Well, I'm beginning to wonder. You'd think he would have met plenty of interesting, smart women in law school. Maybe his work is so absorbing that he really does prefer a woman whose empty chatter he can safely ignore without worrying that he's missing something important.
 

Lol, Julia. Sometimes our perfect matches are just a little too young and a little too far away.
 

And a little too fictional.
 

That's what came between me and Han Solo.
 

You guys are so funny! And, thank you, Julie. It definitely wasn't too long - the more, the better from you.
 

Julie, apologizing for the length of the recap makes about as much sense as Herman Melville apologizing for the length of Moby Dick or Leo Tolstoy apologizing for the length of War and Peace. What if Shakespeare had decided to shorten Hamlet by eliminating that monologue? We would never have heard of “To be or not to be…”

MA left his car in that lot and took the “shuttle” so that his family would not see him in a car and thinking that they had recovered the money.

Totally awesome:

The Lupita-Mister Chuy hug. I felt the warmth all the way to where I am!

The Leo-students relationship. This is just moving. I think Leo really got something out of it.

The Carmela – MA bond. She believes him. MA is distraught at how Lupita is treating him and not knowing what happened. As others have mentioned he is putting the pieces together and now he has Carmelita who believes him. Go team MA-Carmelita!

As I mentioned in my other post, the Mati story. I can’t wait till she finishes her Rocky training and makes her appearance.

Honorable mention: Ivonne asking Alejo about MA not even suspecting that Alejo loves MA about as much as Voldemort loves Harry.

The totally anti-awesome:

Everyone fainting. What is up with that?

The Perla “eating disorder” subplot. I can’t even say it is bad because it is almost non-existent. We have not seen her abuse pills or under eat. There is no story behind her to indicate this sort of problem. All we get from her is how great she is and that she is going to be a top model. Plus the way she flirts with Tomas while allegedly not interested in him.

Tomas’ remark suggesting that she could be happy marrying and having kids (ugh). That really blindsided me when the clear message of this novella is diversity and tolerance. Nepo, who represents the antithesis of this is given the evil-guy treatment. He is stubborn, set in his ways and not open to the reality. On the other hand, Tomas has always been shown to be humble, honesty and with integrity. Now he says that? Where did that come from? And her reaction, just shrugging it off. It almost seemed as though she did not understand the implications of that remark. Perhaps she is too dense.

Lupita fainting: Is she pregnant? That is usually the case in novella land. Although in this case it does not make sense, but hey, a novella is a novella. I’ll just have to wait and see where this story goes. If she were pregnant then at least that is one more step towards MA complying with the grandfather’s santa clausula. But Lupita already lived through one unexpected pregnancy. I would think that she would be more cautious this time around. I just don’t see her being this naïve (as Perla or Frida could be).

Alejo the Hun’s Schmuck and Awe campaign against Lupita. It is beginning to work.

Emi’s party. This is a calamity waiting to happen. I can only suspect that it will be a cringe worthy episode. From what I understand this is nothing more than a setup for Emi’s schoolmates s that he can get revenge for making fun of him. What a thoughtful Dad to show his son these life critical skills! (finger in mouth)



 

Just reading all the new comments....
Julia, loved your "late-30-something engineer" post!

Please count me as another who also asks "Where in the World is Maca Larrea, faux Condesa de Valladolid". Although she was a con artist I can't deny that I liked her.
 

Julie, coming back late (gone all day & evening) to read the finished recap and thank you for another wonderful, funny summation.
 

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