Caray, Caray!

I can't wait for tonight's episode!


 

Miguel in SD--Would you copy your last comment from Week of Sep 15 here. You missed Jean's "deadline" and it's a pretty astute comment.

 

"The Rocky Horror Suture Show"

LOL! :)
 

Jean--Could you go back and edit your front page post to add, Page One? We always end up needing it and it will be easier to distinguish in the future.

I'm always looking out for folks around the world who read these blogs long after the novela is finished.
 

Tee hee, Vivi. Glad you liked that one.

Sara, me too!

Anita, I decided not to call this PAGE ONE until I see how the comments go. I can change the title if I decide to post a later PAGE TWO. It's nice that you're looking out for the interests of posterity here.
 

"The Rocky Horror Suture Show" --- excellent!
 

Thanks, Doris! I figured we needed a tasteful groaner of a pun to kick off the week. :-)
 

Oh jeez! I didn't even notice the substitution of "suture" for "picture" .

I've got to work on my reading skills.
 

And I need to work on my proofreading skills, Sara. I meant to say "tasteLESS," of course. :D
 

Anita,

Wow that was difficult -- my phone wouldn't work correctly and then I had to wait for my friend's laptop to download about 23,000 updates. But here was my comment on the other page...

Miguel en SD said...
Just wanted to comment that the message Rocky left for Javier (I guess that's what he is going by now) might be a red herring. Rocky might have been forced (say at gun point) to leave that message. So it might mean little.

Okay, I've got my beanie hat securely fastened and I'm ready for take off Captain. Here we go for another Reinamaniacs' week!

Mon Sep 22, 06:27:00 PM EDT

 

NovelaMaven,

The Rocky Horror Suture Show is brilliant. I'm laughing and crying.

Rocky we miss you. We hardly knew you, but we really, really wanted to know you better. (Drats to you Reina writers!!).

Maybe your identical twin brother will show up later?
 

Miguel in SD -- Anita was right. Your comment was definitely worth repeating over on this page. Excellent point that Rocky's message might have been a red herring.(Sorry it was such a hassle for you.)

I'm glad you liked my silly pun. And Rocky 2.0? I wouldn't complain. :-)
 

NM--Didn't realize you were stage-managing this week's posting. Perdon.

Can't wait for the recap. It'll be a doozy, I'm sure.
 

Ok here is the recap. Sorry for the typos. Feel free to add or correct. I was distracted between the football game, my stepdaughter's birthday and some work that I brought with me!

Lunes Part 1

Navier is kissing Reina but she resists and starts hitting him the face. “Relax -I know you would love for me to jump into the bath with you!“ “You are a cynic, pervert, psychopath! “ Reina yells. Victor is heard calling Reina’s name and telling her that he hasn’t taken a bath yet so they should take one like they always do! “Wait, I’ll be there in a moment my love,” she calls out. He smiles to himself.

Navier sarcastically apologizes about ruining her moment of passion! Don’t worry , Reina says as she gets out of the tub all in her glory. She’ll have plenty of opportunities to take a bath with her husband. Plenty! Navier intently stares at her. (This is the time in the novela that drives me nuts! Navier knows she is upset for him leaving her. He knows she was being held a virtual prisoner. Stop acting like a jealous idiot!)

Reina comes out into the bedroom. What happened? Victor says that someone left an envelope for her without postage or return address. Very strange. More secrets? Reina doesn’t know what it is.

Esmith pulls away from kissing FELS. She is very upset-they shouldn’t be carrying on like this when their colleague was just murdered. FELS goes into a long speech of how death and danger are all around them but that won’t stop him being a man who is interested in a woman! (Real nice FELS!)
Victor opens the envelope but doesn’t understand what it is. Reina doesn’t understand either. It’s a photograph from one of her birthday parties. Victor questions her as to who could have had this picture. Navier overhears them from the bathroom. Reina doesn’t know and wants to be alone. As Victor is leaving, he tells her that he loves her and doesn’t want anything to happen to her.

She runs to the bathroom. She shows the picture to Navier. Explain this to me- Why do you have this picture and why did they send me the other half? Are you still trying to drive me crazy? She puts the picture together-it is a perfect fit. That was one of her favorite birthday parties! And that clown illuminated her life. He was my dad!

FELS ex is asking Esmith and FELS about the picture. It is forensic evidence. This is going against protocol. Esmith says its Navier’s fault. FELS will speak to him. The Dr wants to finish the autopsy. What she can say for now is that the mouth was sewn with the same thread that was used on Rocky and in the same way. Cause of death was also asphyxiation and the bruises were inflicted post mortem-after he died.

Back to Reina’s bathroom. This is your dad, Navier asks. Reina wonders what does this mean. I can’t tell you and I can’t tell you why I have the other half of this picture but you have to tell me what you remember of this party, everything even the absurd. Absurd is that you are here after all you did to me. Absurd is that you are worried about me. Let’s not be hypocrites. You hate me. I hate you. Let’s stop this and be honest. I am going to distract Victor so you can finally leave. How are you going to distract him? Kissing him? Caressing him? Or making love to him. Oh yes, Reina says, that’s not a bad idea-I know how to distract him for a very long time! Oh I have no doubt if you are with him like you were with me. Oh no I am better-he is my husband, you were just my lover. And I can be again if you want. No thank you. You were right-we are destined not to be anything.! Reina leaves and Navier is sad dragon :(


 

Thanks NovelaMaven!

Count me in to those who loved "The Rocky Horror Suture Show". :)

Looking forward to another week of Reina.
 

Lunes Part 2

Reina is in the study with Victor. You finally decided to bathe with me! She fixes her robe uncomfortably. Oh I see that it’s a no. But I had to try right? Victor we have to stop with this war. No but we can reach a truce-raise the white flag. You are allowed out of the house-guarded. You are closer to Clara. You can go back to work. You gained a lot of territory Reina. But with my brother living here I have my doubts. I hope you don’t lose your dignity and think with your head and not with your other body parts. Reina is disgusted and can’t hear anymore.

Ok I know you don’t want to hear me but you are going to have to. My brother tricked you, he played with you. He sentenced you to my hatred. He was the one who took your liberty away and also took away your daughter. I hope you won’t sleep with him. But if I find out that this happened-you are going to lose your daughter’s love permanently. But if you are good with me, this would all be much easier. (Victor grabs and kisses her-she pushes him away). I see you want to do this the hard way. Watch your self with this killer-He left you half of a picture, and left a corpse with their lips sewn. Take care of yourself. He is much worse than me.

Juanco is speaking to Navier telling him that he has installed surveillance 24 hours a day. FELS calls and yells at him telling him he needs to return the picture. Stop yelling! Reina got the other half of the picture and I think this is the key to everything! Clarita enters and speaks to him about what else but dragons!

Izzy arrives to Connie’s house. Izzy wonders if she has returned to Cristian. No but that shouldn’t be his concern. He wants to her boyfriend, her lover, and her MAN! Doesn’t she want him? She thinks about it but resists and wants him to leave. She is heartbroken.

Navier interprets one of Clarita’s drawing and relates it to what Reina has been going through. The female dragon was imprisoned and she couldn’t break out. You are talking about my mom right? Baby dragon is so perceptive. She loves you, Navier says. She abandoned me! Sometimes not everything is what it seems. Think of all the good times. She is suffering very much. They have more dragon moments. Then Rains enters still in the robe now with a ridiculous towel on her head. She asks to speak to Clarita. After Clarita leaves, Navier asks if she was able to distract Victor. Did she have fun? It was delicious.

Estefy enters her room and goes to her safe. She talks to the 2 red diamonds-only those who know how to wait know how to play. So wait little diamonds.

Esmith is back in the Little Shop of Horrors! There is someone else there. He hits Esmith and she falls to the ground. The scene than cuts to FELS and his ex. Rocky was not killed at the bridal shop. He was killed somewhere else. However the shop owner was killed at his business, a few minutes before Smith and the agents arrived. The killer probably was still there. Then the ex asks, “Patricio tell me the truth-did you fall in love with Esmith?” “You lost the right a long time ago to question me about my personal life” Oh that’s a yes! (Did we know his name was Patricio? Or have I not been paying attention? )

Laz is showing some love to Roman in front of Greta and Estefy. You are the best dad in the world, Greta says. Where is Navier, Laz asks. I don’t know -obviously he had something more important to do. Are you 100% sure that you want to marry him? Greta asks Estefy. Yes she does. Laz gets a cryptic call-I told you not to call me. I’ll be there in a bit. He tells Greta that he has to go to Connie’s but it’s obvious that he is lying to her. (Uh oh problems for our happy couple!)

Reina shows Clarita 2 dresses that she made for her. Do you like them? I was talking to the dragon about you. Rena thinks he spoke badly about her. But Clarita tell her that he wants Clarita to forgive her-but she doesn’t want to!
 

Lunes Part 3

Back to the Horror Shop. Navier is now there. He finds Esmith lying on the floor-she has a knife in her back. Mama, wake up. I don’t want you to die! Don’t do this to me!

He finds a note on her body-“ Don’t try to find out. Don’t investigate. The person who learns everything will die with their lips sewn shut.” Navier calls FELS telling him that Esmith was attacked and asks for an ambulance. He then begs her not to abandon him again (Aww I smell reconciliation)

Reina comes into kitchen. Asuncion is there. She offers her tea. Victor comes in-“Oh a witch convention!” He needs to take a pill to go to sleep. There are other things that can cause him to be sleepy-a roll in bed, massages, kisses. Reina leaves- leaving her tea. Victor approaches the tea and drops in his sleeping pill. She then goes back to get it.

Susana is at the office. Juanco arrives. He is going to be friends with Laz and they are going to be seeing each other. She knows-they agree to a truce. Juancho agrees not to mention to Greta that they were together. But Juanco then goes on about how Susana would have never acknowledged him as the father of her baby especially to Greta.

Greta is talking to Estefy about how much she loves Laz. As she is ringing his praises of how honest he is and what a good brother he is because he left to be by Connie’s side, in comes Connie! She is there to speak to Laz.

Laz is then seen at the motorcycle races! Uh oh he is back to his old ways!

Esmith is rushed into the CIA office. FELS tells Navier that she is not going to die. Of course not, el Dragon roars, because he can’t take one more death! He runs off.

Reina is sleeping in her bed while Victor comes in with champagne. He talks to her about how she used to be a classless insignificant seamstress.

FLASHBACK: Reina is trying on heels while Asuncion helps her. She is shown stumbling a lot. There is also a scene of her being made up.

Esmith is lying in a hospital bed and wakes up! What happened, she asks Navier. You were attacked-a knife was plunged in your back. Fortunately it didn’t hit an organ. So I'm not going to die. Well we all die but you won’t be dying right now. I don’t remember much but I remember you taking me into your arms and calling me momma! That hit was too hard because that didn’t happen. (Back to being cold dragon!) FELS enters the room. Are you ok? Yes I'm ok. Thanks for saving my life, son. Navier leaves.

Connie goes on and on to Greta and Estefy about finding Rocky. Greta asks if she called Laz. Oh maybe we missed each other. Huh? (I didn’t really get that)



 

Lunes Part 4

Izzy is drinking with a “lady friend”. He is very drunk and mumbles that he can’t replace her with only one. He then asks for two or three. But laments that even with 100 women, he can’t replace her. Well, his lady friend says, with money you can get as many as you want! A bunch of woman surround him and starts kissing Izzy.

Back to Victor and Reina. He is still talking to her even though she is unconscious. “I converted you into the precious jewel that you are.” He takes out a negligee. He reminisces about their first party.

FLASHBACK. Reina is in a black dress but still wearing her glasses. He can’t believe that all this is his. She is very serious –he tells her to smile. He can’t wait-this is going to be the night that she is finally his. He then tells her to take off the cross. She grabs her neck-No! It’s not a question-it’s an order. Take it off. She takes it off and he places a diamond necklace on her. He then takes off her gasses and tells her that he loves her. But he love her more when she obeys and listens to him. He starts kissing her neck and she is definitely not feeling it!

FLASHBACK OVER. He is holding 2 full champagne glasses. Let’s toast to that night. He clinks the two glasses together and then kisses her back. She is knocked out cold! He loves her when she listens but he loves her more when she don’t! He takes off his robe, He loves her when she rebels and when she hates her. He kisses her back again (Ugh I hate when novelas take this route!!)

Cut to Laz at the races. It seems like he won. He is counting his money. He looks at his phone and notices 10 missed calls from Connie.

Laz is back at the De Rosas mansion. So Connie didn’t call you, Greta asks. No I never said it was her-it was Juanco who called me. Greta doesn’t seem convinced and tells him that she will not permit him to lie to her. Estfey calls over Lopez 2.0 and tells him to follow Laz. She wants to know what is going on. Laz tells Greta to trust him-he is not being unfaithful!

Navier passes by Reina’s bedroom and sees the bucket of champagne outside. He goes into the room and sees Victor and Reina in bed together. Navier tries to leave but Victor calls out to him. Calm down brother. I’m sorry but in this bed there is no more room for you!



 

Great recap, Caroline! Thanks!

"FLASHBACK OVER. He is holding 2 full champagne glasses. Let’s toast to that night. He clinks the two glasses together and then kisses her back. She is knocked out cold! He loves her when she listens but he loves her more when she don’t! He takes off his robe, He loves her when she rebels and when she hates her. He kisses her back again (Ugh I hate when novelas take this route!!)"

Ugh!! I agree - I hate when novelas go that route.

I hate how Navier will now most likely believe that Reina and Victor slept together.

"Juanco is speaking to Navier telling him that he has installed surveillance 24 hours a day."

Please let this surveillance be at the De Rosas mansion.

"Laz is then seen at the motorcycle races! Uh oh he is back to his old ways!"

Ugh! Why Lazaro? Why?

I'm glad Esmeeth survived. I knew they couldn't kill her off. I loved how Navier called her Mama. It was a touching scene. Too bad he went back to being a cold Dragon (thanks Caroline!) later on. :(

 

Caroline – Thank you for the recap! (and yes, we knew FELS’ name was Patricio Picaso)

Poor Connie. She still loves Izzy but does not want to be a ‘muñeca de la mafia’.

Why is Laz racing motorcycles? For money? Plot device? QTH?

“(Ugh I hate when novelas take this route!!)" - - - Me, too!!!
 

NovelaMaven, I too loved "The Rocky Horror Suture Show," even when, like Sara, I read it as "Picture," not "Suture." "Suture" is even better.

Caroline, many thanks for the excellent recap. I felt pretty disgusted just watching Victor slobbering over the unconscious Reina. Yeech.

The biggest disappointment of the episode for me was Lazaro's escapade on the motorcycle and his lying to Greta. I knew the happy couple's bliss couldn't last, but still.... I wonder whether Lazaro will have a near-death motorcycle accident. I'd like to think the writers won't resort to such a hackneyed bit of plot, but I don't really trust them.

Did we actually see Reina's father in the photo? All I recall seeing were kids.
 

Excellent recap, Caroline.

I share the same reactions as the rest of you. Totally creeped out by Vic slobbering all over naked, unconscious Reina. And totally disappointed in Laz lying to Greta and the troubles that will cause. I'm guessing that he's back to the racing specifically because he wants to make money enough to: buy a ring for Greta; afford their own apartment; save up for the two of them-- take your pick, but something that has to do with Greta.

Glad Smith ended up being ok, but not happy Javier went back to being cold dragon. Ironic after he made a big deal to Clara about forgiving her mom.
 

Juanita--The photo was faded and the camera didn't linger on it very long for our benefit, but there was indeed an adult in a clown costume in the half that Reina got.
 

Thanks, Caroline, for a great recap. I'm impressed by your ability to focus on the important stuff (feeding the needs of Reinamaniacs everywhere) despite competing demands of little things like family and livelihood. Way to go!

Yeah, the "knock her out and pose her naked" stuff is nasty. Personally, I think nothing happened beyond what we saw -- that's not Victor's style -- but it will be enough to keep Reina's self-loathing alive and the Dragon's jealous flames simmering.

Anita, I'm glad you mentioned the CLOWN. I was beginning to think I had hallucinated it. Reina's father was a damn PAYASO -- no wonder he married Carmen! He must have loved her taste in clothes! Still, what a weird detail... Could it be connected to the aerial circus that Greta worked for?

Thanks, Mauricio and Juanita. I guess puns do have legs. I still remember one of Jean's gems from way back in Fez:

Send in the Clons
 

Caroline--Yes, it was a doozy of an episode. Thanks for the recap.

I *knew* Smeeth was going to pull back from that office kiss. FELS is getting very very close to sexual harassment and hostile work environment charges (should she so choose). She was right to pull back, but she didn't resist Tall Mysterious Patricio right away.....

So, we have the old trope of the bad guy setting up a sexy scene with a woman who has resisted him and then crowing that he had sex with her to make a rival galan jealous. The twist is these two are married. Victor knew Javier would be curious to see the champagne outside the door (where is this, some hotel???? Asuncion is supposed to check for laundry and Do Not Disturb signs before changing the sheets?) and left the door unlocked intentionally. Can't wait to see how that turns out. Victor can certainly turn on the sarcasm with a great smile.

I didn't catch the 24-hr. surveillance bit. It makes sense it would be the De Rosas' mansion, but Javier messed up the first time and Victor had microphone sensing devices put it (but maybe not cameras).

It could also be at the Little Shop of Horrors. A weird crime has been committed there (and now another), so there is something about that shop that needs surveillance. It could also be at the Bridal Shop.

Shame on Lazaro. Does he know he's playing with the daughter of the QofD?
 

So who do we think attacked Esmeeth?

Do we think it was EL Costurero? Or someone else?

We saw black shoes and pants, a dark hoodie, an eye...

For some reason, I got the impression that the attacker was a woman.

The very next scene showed Dra. Montoya at HQ. We have no idea of the time lapse between the scenes, but I DON"T TRUST HER. She knows her anatomy so she could easily stab Esmeeth nonfatally. (Is she jealous of FELS-PELS's feelings for Esmeeth?)

About the attack on Old Nimoy's unlucky heir:
He died the same way Rocky did but he had multiple stab wounds inflicted POSTMORTEM. What was that about?
 

thanks so much Caroline,
excellent recap!

so Victor took off Reina's nightie and slithered into bed naked beside her, are we guessing he did nothing? (and there is the hint of an earlier time) hmm, and the empty champagne outside the door, (what no shoes to be shined as well), and how creepy is it that Javier takes a peek, well I guess it is Reina's (only) room.

and so Laz and Roman live in the Estefi white house, it was odd that Laz jumped up to go and Roman just kind of disappeared, and what mischief could he get into, but even stranger was the motorcycle race that wasn't, did either moto even move?

are clowns in a novela ever nice? (ah yes NovelaMaven, "no wonder he married Carmen! He must have loved her taste in clothes!") and what about the other girls in the picture, were Connie and Delfina there? and no Asuncion (does her name refer to the ascension of the virgin Mary into heaven)

and the Jackie/Patricio story has yet to be told, (did they have an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas?), there is a lot hidden behind the eyes of the never-miss-a-thing doctora.

 

ah, Asunción also refers to assumption = something taken for granted.

 

NM--FELS-PELS, the image can't get any better than that. I wouldn't discount La Doctora for stabbing Smeeth, but I didn't get the feeling that she's still carrying a torch for FELS-PELS.

Agree with Deb, we need more back story than the conversations they've had to make her a number one suspect in Smeeth's attack. She knows Particio and warned Smeeth about his gadfly ways and untrustworthiness. She was hurt by him but if vengeance is in her heart, it would be towards him, not Smeeth.
 

Okay, my head feels like a pretzel after watching that episode. I'll have to read the recap later.

I don't believe this falls into the no preview spoiler rule, but I'll be glad to see the dragon tatoo again next episode. It seems like it has been forever, and I would expect that Eugenio has it in his contract that he must be shirtless at least once a week. :)

Ciao for now.
 

Miguel- Yes, the Dragon has been fully clothed for FAR too long!
 

Seems like the right time to post another edition of:

THE WISDOM OF THE DRAGON
Subtitled: I Disavow Making This Up

WEEK ELEVEN – Mon Sep 15

A Dragon must use conventional flying machines if he wants to take a friend along on an overseas mission.

A Dragon can best any number of bodyguards wearing dark glasses.

A Dragon is always invincible.

A Dragon can easily be boastful, if he has a boatload of money to back him up.

A Dragon does not have diamonds in his blood (but it is convenient to let Belgian Wafflers think so).

A Dragon isn’t into sickeningly sweet sugar mamma talk.

If a dragon has to ask if he can retire, he isn’t ready.

A Dragon has magnetic properties (you read it right; not: a magnetic personality).

A Dragon can remove an unremovable, QVC BraceletSpyingDevice-2000™ and deactivate it in a nanosecond (don’t ask, it requires magic fingers).

A Dragon remembers EVERYTHING that happened over six months ago.

A Dragon can live in an inferno for eight years, although he doesn’t really like it (too much heat).

A Dragon has no pockets to carry spare change in for tips.

A Dragon identifies himself as ‘Soy Yo’ whenever he pops up unexpectedly to his damsel.

A Dragon remembers the earlier lesson “When face to face with a screaming woman, kiss her.” With a potentially screaming woman, a pre-emptive strike is prudent.

 

Thank you for this detailed recap, Caroline! I didn't pay close attention last night, and you helped fill in gaps.

Reina's dad=clown=joker=wild card.
 

Ooh! Brilliant, Sara!
 

Thanks for the great recap, Caroline!!
Who said that Laz and Greta were too happy too early in the novela? I knew there would have to be something that spoiled their bliss but it really makes no sense that Laz would go motorcycle racing and lie to Greta. Maybe he needed money for something.

As for Victor's little trick of pretending to sleep with Reina, this usually would play out where Reina actually has sex with Navier, gets pregnant and then Navier will believe that the baby is Vic's. I hope it turns out to be something more interesting.
 

Sort of OT
I don't know if any of you are watching La Malquerida, but I think Christian Meyer is out of his shirt more than El Dragon is!
 

Jean- I doubt they would would do the pregnancy thing since Javier already thinks his child (Clara) is Vic's child. Twice would just be overkill!
 

Is someone also keeping tabs on the attempted murders as well as the successes? That could be a fun list: trapped in freezer, trapped in hole, guillotine. I'm impressed at how much you can all keeps tabs on everything. I can't even figure out the commercials. Did those Kia rats go to college and become scientists? Are they responsible for the injecto-death poison? And why the heck does Reina not lock her door at night?

Kelly
 

Thanks so much, Caroline, for the very fine recap.

And NovelaMaven: Rocky Horror Suture Show was just incredibly perfect. Actually it reminded me of attending a local "Rocky Horror" midnight showing when my son was in high school. He actually asked me to come! If they have these events where you live, people dress up like the cast members. When the scene on the screen says "A toast, a toast!" people in the audience throw pieces of toast toward the screen. Anyway, it was such fun and I felt very flattered my son invited me and introduced me to his friends, some of whom had a distinct marijuana odor about them!

Whoops, big digression.

I was totally sickened by what Victor did. The interesting thing was that it seemed to be completely impromptu. He couldn't have known Reina would show up for a cup of tea into which he could conveniently drop a sleeping pill.

I guess it's too much to hope for that Reina won't believe she had sex with him. Whenever they do one of these "fake sex" with a passed out person, they never deal with the reality that there are "signs" of sex having happened!

I don't see what's so bad about Laz motorcycle racing. Oh, I guess it's not exactly legal with the police. But it's not really criminal. Why couldn't he have just told Greta the truth?

It's beginning to appear Navier is going to maintain his resentment against his mother until the very end. I am the mother of a son and this bothers the crap out of me! Every time he's coldly cruel to her I resent him for it.
 

I was remiss in not recognizing Novelera's excellent pun work in The Rocky Horror Suture Show. That was really good!! Thanks for remembering Send in the Clons from a novela about as slow-moving as En Otra Piel!
 

Anita,

Thanks for your eagle-eyed spotting of the clown in that photo. And, of course, thanks too for the latest installment of the Wisdom of the Dragon.
 

Hola todos! Newbie here. Love love love that I found this site. My Spanish is not all that great, I'm still learning and they speak so fast on this show!
I agree, Laz's moto racing is extremely tame compared to what goes on around him. Traffickers, serial killers and spies, oh my!
 

Jean, the excellent pun was NovelaMaven's, not mine.

I was wondering about the clown in the childhood birthday party. Many of you seem to think this indicated that Reina's father was a circus clown or some such. My first reaction was that he was a kind father who dressed as a clown to entertain his daughter and her friends. Maybe my inclination toward Crockpot Theories™ is somewhat undeveloped.
 

I have some kind of mental block and I ALWAYS write Novelera when I mean NovelaMaven. Sometimes I catch it; sometimes not. Apologies to NovelaMaven. I know what I meant.
 

I just came upon a short discussion about telenovelas. The participants included Aron Diaz (from Santa Diabla), Rafael Amaya (from El Señor de los Cielos), and Eugenio Siller (better known to us as Javier Bolivar or El Dragon). He doesn't take his shirt off, alas, but it was still fun to watch and listen (all three galans spoke in English). If anyone is curious, the short discussion can be found at http://tinyurl.com/o29eeed.
 

Tuesday, Part 1

Sleeping Beauty

Victor smiles triumphantly over Reina's sedated form. (He reminds me of one of those guys in the local paper posing with an eight-point buck on the roof of his pick-up.) He and Javier butt antlers almost playfully. Then Victor dismisses his little brother with a wave and a perfunctory adiós.

FELS-PELS Takes the Night Shift

FELS-PELS doesn't get it. What made Esmeeth go to the Little Shop of Horrors even though she was disobeying orders and was putting herself in danger? "Intuition," answers Esmeeth. "A feeling in the pit of my stomach." "You were hungry." (For his paella, maybe?) No, she insists, it was a sixth sense. "It almost got you killed." Esmeeth says she has to find the truth before the murderer kills them all. FELS-PELS is on the job! He's going to bring all the reports to her bedside and study them with her. He's her only nurse tonight.

Surprise!

Un clavo saca otro clavo.

Javier opens his bedroom door and is surprised to find Estefi sprawled on his bed in a pose from one of her tamer films. She is surprised by his enthusiasm.

Esmeeth opens her eyes the next morning and is surprised to see that FELS-PELS kept his word about spending the night. FP says Javier called to ask how she was. Jackie comes in to check on her. Esmeeth jokes that the doctora won't be able to do an autopsy on her just yet. Dra Jackie is surprised that Esmeeth hasn't lost her sense of humor. (Reinamaniacs are surprised that Esmeeth has found her sense of humor.) FP confirms that they are investigating the mysterious photo and all the people in it. Esmeeth's eyes are closing. She seems to doze off.

Reina is surprised by how heavily she slept the night before. "It was hard to wake up," she tells Victor. She is further surprised by JavierandEstefi's entrance, entwined in each other's arms.

Victor is surprised by a phone call asking him to pick up Izzy from the drunk tank. He goes to sort things out.

JavierandEstefi rub Reina's nose in their intimacy (this surprises no one) until Javier gets a call: "You have to come. Alone. It's urgent."

Somehow Javier breaks free and joins his caller, Juanjo. The surveillance cameras in Estefi's house have picked up something juicy: Surprise! The image on the computer screen shows Estefi opening the door to a secret chamber. Juanjo has jotted down the entry code. Javier stares at the letters. Using his giant Dragon brain, he decodes it in seconds: Dios salve a la reina. God save the queen. Cara de how the hell did he do that? on Juanjo's surprised face.

Esmeeth wakes up from her snooze and is surprised that FELS-PELS is still hovering at her bedside. She's getting antsy and wants to go home. Alone. Has Javier come to see her? No.

Are you surprised the surveillance cameras got past López 2.0? This is how it was done:

Juanjo was visiting Laz when Javier called. Juanjo was able to plant the cameras in Estefi's house as asked without anyone seeing him.

Flashback: He hurried upstairs the back way. While placing a camera in Estefi's bedroom, he stumbled on the remote controlling the door to the vault. He opened the door and placed another camera in that space, in front of the vault. Just then, Lázaro came looking for Juanjo. Juanjo said he got lost -- he was looking for the bathroom.

Juanjo told Laz he was curious about the bedroom and wandered in. Did Laz believed him? Who knows. But he won't say anything.

Javier tells Juanjo to keep spying and call him if anything else happens.
 

Part 2

FELS-PELS brings Esmeeth the news that the doctor has discharged her. She was leaving anyway, she says. Jackie Montoya enters with a surprising update: Rocky's clothes were covered with a type of powder not found in the Atelier; the same powdery substance was found in a rug in the Little Shop of Horrors. That means he was probably killed there and then his body was planted in the Atelier.

Esmeeth still doesn't understand why SHE wasn't killed.

Reina and Connie on the Couch

Reina is venting to her friend about her problems with Estefi (she'd like to go for that woman's jugular!) and Clara (she's so cold to her!) Both women look up in surprise as Victor escorts the bedraggled hung-over hound-dog Izzy into the house and puts on a show of scolding him: "You had to pay for THREE women -- you couldn't even get it for free!" Connie excuses herself: "I have to go kill someone -- what were you saying about the jugular?"

Victor gloats. Reina tells him she wants to move out. Victor gloats some more. Is she upset about Javier's two-faced behavior? What did she expect from a diamond trafficker?

Nobody Lies to the Queen of Diamonds

Yolanda escorts Javier to Estefi's room. Left alone, he quickly enters the code to the secret chamber. The door opens. He is in the diamond vault. But someone besides Juanjo is monitoring his activity...someone in the Doll Room. "How sad, Agent Bolívar! You found me out!" says Estefi to her computer. ¡Guau! says Javier as he looks around him in amazement. Estefi picks up a remote control and presses a button. The door to the vault shuts. White mist pours out of the vents and begins to fill the space. Javier starts to cough. He tears off his shirt and uses it to cover his mouth and nose. (Drink. But does this count? It's hard to see his amazing torso in all that steam.)

It's looking grim for Javier. He gropes blindly for a way out. He is choking on the gas.

Estefi watches on her screen. She's in control now. She's the one who gets to decide if he lives or dies.

Javier collapses on the floor of the vault. By now the steam has cleared a little so we get a nice view of the dragon tattoo and environs.

"Nobody lies to or betrays the Queen of Diamonds. Not even you."

But People Lie to the Queen of Hearts All the Time

"A diamond trafficker?" Reina is surprised and troubled by what Victor has said. Yes, just like Big O. And OBD died because she was in cahoots with him. Reina rejects what Victor is saying: Javier isn't like him and Big O. Victor says she is naive. Javier was in Belgium learning all about the diamond business. It's not about money -- of course he inherited a fortune -- it's about power.

Meanwhile poor Juanjo leaves a frantic message on Javier's phone: the cameras aren't working! Something is very wrong!

López 2.0 joins Estefi in the Doll Room. Greta and Lázaro are safely out of the house. He knows what he has to do. How long has the señora known that Javier is a double agent? For a long time...

Flashback: The wedding of Victor and Reina. Estefanía's heart stopped when she saw him in the church. "You're not dead!" She knew there was something hinky about his new identity so she investigated. And soon she knew the truth.

"So why did you stay with him?" asks Lopez. "Because I love him -- and because you have to keep your enemies close." Estefi knows about Javier's deal with the CIA to hunt down the traffickers of gold and jewels. "He's the love of my life, and I'm just one more medal on his chest." She accepted his false love because she couldn't live without him.
 

Part 3

Lopez 2.0 enters the vault wearing a gas mask and holding a detecting device aloft. Javier is still sprawled bare-chested on the floor. The haze has cleared and considerable improved the view (Drink). Lopez removes his mask and calls out to his boss that it is safe to come in.

Estefi crouches next to Javier. " I'm sorry, but you forced me to do this!" She tells Lopez to do what he has to do. There's not much time.

Connie Gives Izzy a Piece of Her Mind

Victor enters the kitchen and hears Connie telling off Izzy for his wild and crazy night. When Connie storms off, Victor tells Izzy to leave Connie alone -- he doesn't want to have to... er... cut her wings. Izzy understands.

Connie and Reina pick up their conversation on the couch. Connie has been trying to pump Juanjo for information about the European trip but so far he's been very evasive. Reina thinks maybe she can get something out of him. Where is he living? She is surprised to learn that he's camped out in her old house.

FELS-PELS, Montoya and Esmeeth are still in that dull CIA hospital room. FELS-PELS thinks the murderer is playing a game, leaving clues -- like the photo -- that are sometimes true and sometimes false. There is one person who can give them information about the birthday party photo: Reina's mother Asunción.

Asunción Breaks a Cup

Victor forced Reina to sell the old house a few months ago, she tells Connie. How could Juanjo be living in it now? Maybe Javier bought it... Speaking of surprising things, how about that photo turning up? Reina says it was her happiest birthday ever. And of course Connie was there. Does she remember when her dad dressed up as a clown? Connie remembers! And Reina's dad fixed it so Connie would win all the prizes and end up with the candies! (chucherías) Reina misses her dad so much -- he was the best dad in the world.

The two friends are surprised by a sudden clatter of dishes. Asunción, who has appeared out of nowhere, apologizes profusely for breaking a cup and scurries back to the kitchen.

Victor Comes Calling on Greta

Yolanda tells him that his daughter is at the doctor's office. And Estefi? She's in her room. No need to call her -- he only came to see Greta. But how about a cup of coffee?

As soon as Yolanda leaves Victor alone, he hurries off...

So THIS is what López did?

Javier comes to. His shirt is on (more's the pity) and he is still coughing. He looks around him in amazement. He is surrounded by a surprising assortment of clocks. He is disconcerted by Estefanía's entrance. "It's you!" she says. The alarm sounded and she came to check it out. What is Javier doing with Artemio's antique clock collection?

Javier is having trouble breathing. Estefi offers to help him...
 

Part 4

Victor strides down the hallway. "Looking for something, Mr. de Rosas?" asks López 2.0. He's looking for the señora. The señora is with el señor, says Lopez. "El Señor is in heaven," cracks Victor. Lopez clarifies. He means el Sr Bolívar. He and the señora are in the bedroom and have asked not to be disturbed.

While back in the Clock/Diamond Vault Where Dragons Lie

Javier says the door was ajar and he was curious. Impossible, says Estefi. She never leaves the door open. He must have used a code to get in. How did he know the code? Javier tells her he doesn't feel well. He feels ill, she explains, because his entry set off an alarm system. When the door closed, he failed to enter a second code. That triggered the release of a "sleeping gas" and sounded an alarm. Good thing, says Javier coolly. That meant Estefi was able to rescue him.

He looks around at the collection. "The clocks are antique, special, unique...but they weren't here when I came in. You know I don't lie (although every Dragon word so far has been a lie). You know I'm not going to betray you." She doesn't know that. "Everyone always betrays me." "Not me," insists Javier. He would never bite the hand that has only given him love.

Asunción Begins to Break the Silence

Asunción admits she overheard Reina and Connie talking about the photo. Reina really loved her dad, didn't she? "With all my heart," says Reina. She thinks a little of her died with him when he died.

"He died young," remarks Asunción. "Was he sick or ...?" "No, my dad was healthy. He committed suicide. It was my mother's fault -- she killed him." Asunción has a cara de oy vey.

Bottleneck in the front room of the Perez-Hidalgo mansion.

Victor tells López 2.0 that he's going to wait for his daughter. Then Yolanda opens the front door to a worried Juanjo (wearing a hat a bit like the one Enrique has on in the video). He's looking for Javier -- he'll just head upstairs... Lopez tries to stop him.

Now Greta and Laz come in. Victor says he has a proposal for Greta. Juanjo and Laz leave them alone to talk. Juanjo whispers to his friend that they have to find the Dragon.

The Dragon, meanwhile, is snuggled in bed with Estefi. He hasn't forgotten everything she's done for him, he tells her. She made him feel that someone loved him. Does she really think he would turn her in? "Do you still want to marry me?" The Dragon looks around uncomfortably. If Dragons squirmed -- but they don't -- he would be squirming.

Reina Won't Give Asunción a Break

"My father killed himself on his wedding anniversary. He loved my mother all his life even though she abandoned us and didn't care about us..."

Asunción surprises us by interrupting Reina's recital, her voice breaking: "That's not true! She was a victim!"

Reina doesn't understand. What does Asunción know about her life? More than Reina herself does -- "because I'm your mother!"

Reina stares as Asunción continues, unable to hold back her tears. "I didn't want to abandon you, but I couldn't do anything else. I wasn't allowed to."

Reina raises her voice. "What are you talking about? You're not my mother!"

"It's a long story -- but I swear that I'm your mother and I swear I didn't want to leave you. If I did it, it was your father's fault."

"You're not my mother and you're not going to mention my father again!" Reina storms out of the kitchen without a backward glance at Asunción, who is bent over with misery.
 

Part 5

Javier and Estefi Lie in Bed Together

What Estefi most desires in life is to marry Javier and make a family with him. "But you don't trust me." "I love you," says Estefi, "and I'd do anything." "Even tell me about those two red diamonds?"

We'll never know what Estefi would have answered because at that precise moment, Juanjo pounds on the bedroom door and calls for his friend. Estefi scurries out of sight. Javier opens the door to Laz and Juanjo. Juanjo blurts out that "the image disappeared all of a sudden." Javier tells them he's with his future wife Estefi and will talk to them later.

As soon as they leave, Estefi joins Javier again. "How many secrets do you have?" she asks. "Which ones will you reveal and who will have the luck to hear them?" Javier silences her questions with a kiss. Smooth, Dragon, smooth.

Does the word "internado" ring a bell, Reina Ortiz?

Asunción follows Reina to her room and begs her to listen. Her father wasn't what she thought he was. He destroyed her life and he kept her and Reina apart. "That's a lie," says Reina. "Nobody separates a mother from a daughter."

"Look who's talking! You spent six desperate months suffering because you were separated from Clara."

Does Reina finally get it? Tune in tomorrow...
 

NovelaMaven – Thank you for the recap and the snark.
”Bottleneck in the front room of the Perez-Hidalgo mansion.” LOL and oh so snarky.

Wow, the writers are ramping up the suspense, etc., this week.

I keep vacillating over whether PELS and/or his ex are baddies. Even the music is sometimes telling me they are somewhat sinister. Perhaps the writers are tossing another red herring at us.

Those cameras that Juanjo installed in Estefi’s bedroom were SO noticeable. Gah. Spies’R’Us need to repeat that course in covert observation.

I am disgusted with Javier for doing the mattress dance with Estefania. Que horndog de Dragon.

Reina’s father surely must be a key in this big mystery, but how? why? It has to have had some connection to the diamond trafficking, The Little Shop of Horrors.

Back when I was a telenovela novice watching mid-day Limavelas on Looneyvision, we T-W foristas talked about being on a ‘telenovela bus ride.’ Prime time Telerisavelas and we Caray-mates talk about sitting on ‘the patio (of lowered expectations)’. En todo caso, watching Reina is a roller coaster ride for us Reinamaniacs.

Anita – Thanks for your latest installment of Wisdom of the Dragon!
 

Wonderful recap, NovelaMaven, but that is no surprise. Also no surprise is the double standard where male novela heroes get to boink females other than their true loves but female one don't. But we know that Navier is just doing his job.

Loved the snark especially,


"Nobody lies to or betrays the Queen of Diamonds. Not even you."

But People Lie to the Queen of Hearts All the Time

and


While back in the Clock/Diamond Vault Where Dragons Lie
very Tolkien-esque.

It will be interesting to see how much of what happened at Estefi's mansion, Navier tells FELS/PELS.
 

Thank you NovelaMaven!! I wish I knew your secret of snark and headings. I don't know how you just knock these things out so easily!!

Wow what a night!

Juanita-Thank you so much for that link!! I'm going to share it with my classes!
 

Juanita - Thanks for the Today Show link. I missed that earlier but Sara's mention brought me back to it. Wow, Siller has almost no accent while speaking English. I wonder if the Dragon has lived in the U.S. for a time.
 

I had a thought while brushing my teeth this morning (but I can stop anytime (watching RdC that is, not brushing my teeth)) that we didn't have a scene of Reina waking up naked in bed with Victor. In fact, we see her come downstairs later and say that she slept profoundly and had trouble waking up. So I guess the purpose of this whole charade was to make Navier think that Vic is having sex with Reina. I suppose Vic can tell her about it later but that wouldn't have the same impact as waking up in bed with your husband.
 

Jean - I had the same thought last night, and presumed Victor left before Reina woke up. Finding him in bed with her would have really p*ssed her off, and I think he wasn't willing to cross that line. It was all done to irritate Javier.
 

Buenas, Reinamaniacs!

Tuesday Anon 7:59 -- Welcome to our world!

"Traffickers, serial killers and spies, oh my!"

Wizard of Oz references are particularly valued here. I hope you choose a screen name and comment again. (Yes, Laz is a real innocent compared to his familia política).
 

Anita -- Thanks for the latest installment of The Wisdom of the Dragon. As always, very funny. I'm still waiting for the one where he finally gets a heart. Poor Esmeeth. Poor Reina. Poor Dragon. (See my comment to Anon above.)

Juanita -- I just now caught up and looked at that video link. I was kind of expecting our boys to speak English without an accent and was delighted to be wrong. They all have a slight but charming Spanish accent that I would think would be very marketable in the Anglo world. I was aware that NBC and Telemundo were doing a joint promotion (A owns B or something like that) but missed out on the specifics. Thanks for the link!
 

Jean -- All I can say is that it's about time you got my name right!
[snort]

I had the same thought as you and Doris about Victor's bed stunt. It was purely for Javier's benefit. And to take it a step further, it was to push him into Estefi's waiting arms. In this episode, the Dragon was manipulated left and right, don't you think?

Doris:
"I keep vacillating over whether PELS and/or his ex are baddies."

So what if PELS stayed all night to PROTECT Esmeeth from the enemy within the CIA (like, say, Montoya)?

Or what if Montoya kept checking on Esmeeth because she was worried about leaving her along with big bad FELS-PELS?
 

Sara -- I'm afraid if I offered to share my Secret of Snark, someone would overhear us and I'd end up like Old Nimoy.

"Reina's dad=clown=joker=wild card."

Wait! You already KNOW the secret!

Okay, a Crockpot Theory™: The photo shows Reina's dad made up as a clown because otherwise someone would have recognized him (not Reina, someone else).

He faked his death to get away from Carmen even though it meant leaving Reina at the mercy of the OBC/OBD combo.

Who do WE know that Reina does not?

Or could it be someone who hasn't yet appeared on the scene?
 

"He faked his death to get away from Carmen even though it meant leaving Reina at the mercy of the OBC/OBD combo."

Oooooh, I like your Crockpot™ theory of the faked death.


"Or could it be someone who hasn't yet appeared on the scene?"
That's my best guess, too.
The writers have killed off enough people that the payroll has room for some new characters.
The RdC/T'mundo HR office must look like a turnstile at the metro.

(and we still have not seen Andres Hidalgo's ex-wife, so there's time for her to still surface)
 

Unless I'm having a memory lapse (certainly possible), the only two people on the novela old enough to be Reina's father are/were: Big O and Old Nimoy. We know it can't be Big O, that would make Reina Navier's half sister. Reina never met Old Nimoy that we know of. Of course, it could be someone we haven't met yet. Be on the lookout for mysterious older guys who suddenly show up.
 

Doris,

"The RdC/T'mundo HR office must look like a turnstile at the metro."

hahahaha!

Jean,

"Be on the lookout for mysterious older guys who suddenly show up."

Always on red alert, Jean. Always. (BTW, age is a rather elastic concept in our little fantasy world. In real life, Susana should be a woman in her mid to late 40's and Juanjo at least 15 years her junior. In fact, Wanda d'Isidro is only 36 or 37, barely old enough to be Greta's mom and certainly not old enough to have been Camila's; OTOH Pablo Azar at 32 is just 4 years younger than Wanda.)
 

Holy Moley, NM, you sure know how to keep us hanging on for dear life clattering along on this roller coaster of a ride (thanks, Doris for the visual).

Brilliant recap; Over the top section headings; Insightful deductions; and Poser of new Crockpot Theories™.

My fav heading--Javier and Estefi Lie in Bed Together

From your new theory about Reina's dad--Could he be the REAL puppet master, pulling both CIA and Victor's now also Javier's rival "Diamond Trafficking Organizations" strings? Could he somehow be FELS-PELS' dad? FP must come from some brilliant background--too bad, he's probably older than Reina, so that doesn't work. Oh well, back to the story board.

I just hate Stefi's monomaniacal view of herself as chief dispenser of punishment for betrayals. Who is the biggest betrayer of them all? Stefi.

The diamonds for clocks switch was brilliant, though. I have to hand it to her. I'm sure I saw my beautiful, chrome, 1930s big kitchen wall clock in her collection!

Who do we know that Reina does not--does he have to be alive? If not, my bet is on Old Nimoy. Suicide is easy to fake in telenovelas.

He was probably able to keep an eye on Reina all that time. Keeping her poor and hard-working kept her out of harms way. Except she met Nicolas. That would have been OK except that Victor and Stefi stepped in to turn her world upside down.
 

Jean--Are we sharing beanies??
 

Newbie at 7:59
Yes, absolutely welcome. We collect Reinamaniacs here. It's not a club, but an assembly who meet EVERY day to rehash last night's high-jinks and low-jinks.
 

Ooooh, I just thought of another part to our newest Crockpot Theory ™.

Clown-Dad is in the Witness Protection Program. They can make those criminal and informants disappear with new identities, etc.

OR--Better yet:

Another guy we forgot to mention who is the right age to be Reina's dad is Artemio Hidalgo.

Why would Reina have been interested enough in his death to have gone to see Andres in Paris just before her wedding to Victor? (Ha Ha, writers, you thought we'd forget about Reina in her red beret and red lipstick having café al fresco with Andres, huh?)

At the same time she was also supposed to have visited Big O for a passionate, We'll Always Have Paris fling--but was it? Remember--Artemio and Big O knew each other and probably had business dealings going on.

(It's a good thing we have the recaps all in one place and Lists of Everything.)

Kelly: If you want compile a list of all the missed attacks, assassination attempts, be our guest. I have enough trouble keeping track of the ones that result in a death.
 

Anita, you are very kind. And you have a very fertile imagination, a wonderful trait in a Reinamaniac.

I like your idea that Reina's dad could be the ÜberBaddie. There would be a nice symmetry: Javier and Reina both products of an evil sire and a long-suffering, saintly mother.

I don't see Old Nimoy as a real villain though. He was a scoundrel, probably a thief and a fence, but not a murderer. He dates back to Victor's Age of Innocence, before Big O poisoned his love for Estefanía and blighted his life forever.

Good point about Artemio Hidalgo. Why would Reina care about the circumstances of his death? Still, I hope Mr. Ortiz turns out to be an interesting NEW GUY.

I know it's just a name, but I've always thought that there was a hint of grandiosity implicit in naming one's daughter REINA. (Or for that matter, naming one's son VICTOR.)
 

Thanks, Juanita, for the link to the video of 3 of our hotties discussing telenovelas.

I had forgotten Artemio. Interesting idea but Reina was at his wedding to Estefi. Surely she would have recognized him.

I know that age can be very elastic on novelas but who have we got in the next generation- FELS, Vic, Christián, Rocky maybe - all of whom are known to Reina. Unless her dear old dad has plastic surgery (witness protection program??), Reina would probably recognize him 10 or 15 years later - she looks to have been 9 or 10 in the picture.

 

Oooooh, good one Jean. Artemio is out, unless plastic surgery was involved.
 

Yes, NM - REINA and VICTOR.

Vivi was always great at name associations in the past, wonder if she can come up with something for the others (LAZARO got up and walked; but PATRICIO, SARA, OCTAVIO? ASUNCION has been hinted at.)

Reina's CIA office has been particularly creative at constructing new names, so is Patricio Picasso his real name, or just one Dr. Montoya knows him by.

Now. I just have to get some other work done.
 

Wow, NovelaMaven, another delightful recap, complete with snark, puns, and, you should pardon the expression, facts. My cara broke out in a big grin over "cara de how the hell did he do that?" and "cara de oy vey." And I loved the heading "Javier and Estefi Lie in Bed Together."

I don't have anything to add to all the marvellously inventive theories already advanced by my fellow Reinamaniacs. So I'll just say Thanks to all who contributed to making my head spin.
 

Thanks so much for the kind words, Juanita. I have to admit that the morning after, I always wince at the inevitable howlers in my recap (misplaced modifiers, sentences that should have been cut out, typos, etc) and wish I could polish what is really a first draft. So I appreciate the reassurance. It keeps my itchy trigger finger off the DELETE button.
:D
 

" I have to admit that the morning after, I always wince at the inevitable howlers in my recap (misplaced modifiers, sentences that should have been cut out, typos, etc) "
Eh, this particular Local 375 of the grammar police has never noticed any such 'horrores' in any recap when I read them, so early in the morning. Gratitude is at the forefront, the backend, and the middle...midmost....betwixt and between........oh well you get the idea. ;-)
 

Whew! Thanks, Doris -- you never know!
 

NovelaMaven- thanks so much for Tuesday's recap,
it was perfect!

tonight's show, Clara's smile, wow...
(when Reina pushed Estefi aside and Clara heard that the Dragon was her father),

oh wait, that didn't happen.

 

Telemundo messed with our heads BAD last night. *grumblegrumble*
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Here you go folks - I was not very inspired with titles tonight.

Miércoles – Parte Uno

CIA Headquarters
Dr. Montoya seems to be the new Rocky. She is in the CIA room of many screens. In comes FELS and asks for news. Doc says that the info is in on Reina's dad, Pedro Ortiz. He was a good guy, no enemies, nothing unusual except he had a bank account in Panama with $2 million. [Is this what the Doctor does when there are no corpses to examine?]

In comes Esmeeth. The doctors have told her that she is ok so here she is ready to work. FELS tells her that she has to go home and she can't be alone so he will go with her.

Estefi's Mansion
Greta tells Laz that Victor wants to buy her a house. Laz replies that he will get a house for Greta. “You do know that houses cost money?” asks Victor. He wants to know where Laz will get that kind of money. [That's a lot of motorcycle racing unless that pays more than I imagine.] Laz says that he will get the money for what Greta needs.

Esmeeth's apartment- Other Related Duties?
Esmeeth protests to FELS that she doesn't need him to take care of her, she isn't a little girl. FELS replies that he loves taking care of Esmeeth and he knows that she likes it, too. Knock on the door, it's Navier, the prodigal son. He says that he has news for them. Navier tells FELS and Esmeeth that he finally got into Estefi's secret vault and found – a collection of antique clocks. [The Dragon is lying – to protect Estefi?] FELS doesn't believe it. “Sorry,” replies Nav, “that's what I saw.” Nav tells Esmeeth that she looks well and seems to be well cared for. Esmeeth replies that she can't stop thinking about the fact that he called her “mama.” It's what she wanted to hear him say for her whole life. “Sometimes things happen too late,” says Navier. Since neither Esmeeth nor FELS is interested in what he came to tell them, he's leaving. At the door, FELS advises Navier to reconsider and then come and talk to him. He needs one piece of information to put Estefi behind bars and then Nav won't have to marry her.

Motorcycle Racing Place- Motorcycle Racing is more fun than autopsies
No one wants to race Laz, he's too good. But a new contender shows up – a woman. It's Dr. Montoya. [Is she on assignment or does she really like racing motorcycles in back alleys? The only person interested in what Laz was up to was Victor. ] She has to shame Laz by calling him a coward before he will race her. A new babe in hot pants has taken over for Miriam in hankie dropping duty. The race is pretty tame. Laz wins. [No wonder the doctor lost – she has her purse flapping along next to her.] Laz is gracious in victory – he says that she is good. Dr. Montoya [ok – we need a shorter name for her] replies that she only lost because her motor stalled. She hasn't raced in a month. Laz says that excuses aren't necessary. Dr. Montoya tells Laz she will be back. She wants to be the best.

Estefi's Mansion – a bachlorette party
Estefi comes into her bedroom and finds Vic in her bed naked at least from the waist up and probably from the waist down as well. She asks him what he is doing there. He replies that he appears and disappears as if by magic. Estefi says that she hates magicians. She tells him to get dressed and get lost. “And deprive you of an unforgettable bachlorette party? (ISBIS - “despedida de soltera,” “goodbye to singleness).
 

Miércoles – Parte Dos

DeRosas Mansion
Reina is on the couch. Nav comes downstairs and asks sarcastically if she isn't sleeping with her husband tonight. Reina asks him if he bought the house that she lived in with Carmen and Delfina. Nav admits that he did buy it. Reina asks him why. Navier replies that he doesn't know. Maybe he is a romantic. He tells Reina that he is going to ask Asunción to make him some coffee. “Asunción is my mother,” announces Reina. Navier, in one of his least attractive traits [except for being nasty to his mother], can't resist letting Reina know that he already knew that. “How do you know everything about me?” she asks him. He replies, “Ojalá supiera todo de ti y tu supieras todo de mi porque entonces nuestra historia seria muy differente.” “If only I had known everything about you and you had known everything about me, our story would have been very different.” He tells her that the wedding is in one week and leaves.

Estefi's Mansion
Estefi tells Vic that she is sure that he can give her an unforgettable farewell to being single. She goes under the black [natch – villain] sheets at the foot of the bed and slithers up next to Vic. They start to kiss passionately but Estefi stops. Why, asks Victor, your body wants it. Estefi replies that she is in love with another man, Vic's brother, he is her future. Vic is her past – dead and buried. She leaves.

Susana has come to say hi to Estefi but Yolanda informs her that Estefi is resting. In comes Juanjo. He calls Yolanda, “Yoli” and compliments her on the dinner she prepared. Naturally, Susana rises to the bait. Juanjo says that he like stronger, fiercer women. Susana reminds him that they agreed to be “politically correct.” He says that it's hard to be cold to her when his body is burning with desire.

Esmeeth's Apartment – My next apartment will definitely have a guest room
FELS makes Esmeeth take her pills. She says that she wants to sleep. He then he takes off her slippers and lifts her legs onto the bed, get undressed and gets into bed beside her! Esmeeth protests but to no avail. Then FELS wants a goodnight kiss.

DeRosas Mansion
Reina is rummaging around in a box of pictures looking for images of her mother. Vic comes in and tells her that there is something interesting she should know. She replies that she is only interested in Asunción – whom she just found out was her mother. We can't really see Vic's face so we don't know if he is surprised or not. Izzy comes in and says that Asunción has left the house. Reina asks Vic to please find Asunción. He is surprised that Reina is actually asking him to please do something. Reina acknowlodges that she has never asked him for anything and has always rejected him and slammed the door in his face but this time she need his help. She says that even if it hurts, she needs to understand her past. Vic tells her that what is really going to hurt her is the knowledge that Navier and Estefi are getting married in one week. “Why the rush?” wonders Victor, “maybe she's pregnant.”

Reina scoots right over to Navier's room and finds him hanging out, as it were, in his bathrobe. She asks him first to cover up and then asks if he is marrying Estefi because she is pregnant. “No,” replies Navier, “at least not that I know of.” “Then why are you getting married so soon?” asks Reina. Navier replies that Vegas is the city of quickie weddings and here today gone tomorrow loves. It is not a place where people love each other until their dying day.

ONE WEEK LATER

DeRosas Mansion
It's the day of the wedding. Clarita tells Navier that she is sad because Asunción is gone and he is getting married. Nav replies that he will never abandon her – word of the Dragon. Vic comes up with Reina on his arm and tells his “hermanito” that he hopes he will be as happy with Estefi as he Vic is with Reina.
 

Miércoles – Parte Tres

Former Carmen's House – I guess we can conclude that neither Carmen nor Delfina did a lot of cleaning
Juanjo is having a cup of coffee before leaving for the wedding. He spills it. He lifts the cushion of the chair he was sitting in and there are some notebooks and stuff. In comes Connie, who didn't know Juanjo was living in the house. Connie recognizes the stuff as Reina's personal diaries.

DeRosas Mansion
Esmeeth arrives for the ceremony – Estefi invited her. In come Juanjo and Connie. Connie takes Reina upstairs. Estefi arrives. She takes Navier's arm. He kisses her hand while Connie and Reina watch from the stairs. Up in Reina's room, Connie tells Reina that the diary begins the day of Estefi's previous marriage – the day she met NN.

CIA Headquarters
Finally, the CIA has done something better than Victor. FELS found Asunción. He wants her to tell him what she is hiding.

DeRosas Mansion
Reina reads from the diary and we see flashbacks of their first meetings and romance. Reina wrote in her diary that when she saw NN, she knew immediately that this was the love of her life. She reads about his first deception – that he was a millionaire. They made love. She loves him madly. Their mutual lies are revealed and it's a relief. He proposes and gives her the cross. Her life could not be more perfect. Laz interrupts – the wedding is about to start. Reina sends him and Connie downstairs. Reina continues to read - about her first tragic wedding day with Estefi and Navier taking their vows downstairs. She reads that Nicolás left her pregnant. If it was a boy, she would name him Nicolás after his father, if a girl, Clara after her grandmother. Split screen: Reina lets the diary fall to the floor – she is overcome with joy while Navier signs the marriage register. Reina does some calculations on her fingers - “¡Clara es hija de Javier!” she cries joyfully.

The groom can kiss the bride, says the judge. “No!”, screams, Reina running down the stairs. She tells Navier that she didn't betray him. They loved each other. She shows him the diary. Estefi pushes it away. Reina continues, she says that she and Navier loved each other so much they conceived a child – “Clara is your daughter!” Cara de impactado de Navier. Upstairs, the listening Clara smiles BUT it's just a fantasy. Reina is still upstairs in her bedroom. In comes Victor. He asks where she is going. Does she want to stop Nav and Estefi's wedding? Too late. They are married.

Downstairs, Navier is kissing Estefi. Susana takes Estefi away and Esmeeth comes up to Navier. She says that she is very sorry. Navier asks if she can't even be affectionate at a time like this. She replies that she knows the whole thing is a farce and she won't have any part of it. A photographer takes a picture of the two of them looking grim. Navier says that isn't Esmeeth's whole life a farce? She leaves.
JJ and Laz don't know what to say to Navier. Navier can see that something is going on with Connie and Reina but Estefi drags him off for more pictures before they can tell him anything.

CIA Headquarters
FELS wants more information from Asunción. She feels no obligation to cooperate but when FELS tells her that the information she has is key to saving Reina's life, she agrees to talk. “Good, Asunción,” says FELS, “or should I call you Maruja Torres?”

DeRosas Mansion
Once again, Reina makes the terrible mistake of treating Victor like a normal human being instead of a the ruthless psychopath that he is. She says that she is free – he has no power over her anymore. Vic asks if she has lost her memory – they are married and have a child together. “Clarita isn't your daughter,” says Reina. She tells him that she knows everything – she always loved NN with all her soul, she never betrayed him, she didn't care if he was poor, all she wanted was to experience the love that she still feels for him and that Clara is his daughter.


 

Miércoles – Parte Cuatro

Downstairs at the wedding, a magician has arrived. A magician at a wedding? Did he get lost going to an 8-year old's birthday party? While he performs, Navier manages to get the information that Reina found her diaries out of Juanjo and Connie.

Reina exults to Vic and asks if he realizes that there is absolutely nothing tying her to Vic. She is free! She will tell Navier. Maybe she can't stop the wedding but it's not too late for Javier to know the truth and for him and Clara to be father and daughter. She says that no one is going to silence her again. “¿Estás segura?” asks Vic, “Are you sure?” If she tells Navier about being Clara's father, he will kill Clarita.

Clara is drawing again. In her drawing, the Dragon didn't marry another dragon but a beautiful woman with empty eyes. She isn't a dragon. Will they have little dragoncitos? Clara hopes not. She says that the Dragon is sad - “su fuego está apagado,” “his fire has been put out.” The Dragon is hiding a secret – he doesn't love her.

Navier is trying to get details on what is going on with Reina from Connie but she-who-never-shuts-up isn't going to betray her friend. Estefi drags Navier off.

Reina tells Vic that he wouldn't do that. He has known Clara since before she was born, he raised her. He couldn't be such a monster. You don't know the slightest thing about me, says Vic. She says that he won't convice her to be silent. Ok says Vic, you will put Clarita's life in danger. Reina says that Navier will find out right now that Clarita is his daughter. She leaves. Vic says with much truth that Reina never learns.

CIA Headquarters
Asunción says that the love between her and her husband lasted until Reina was born and then he worked longer hours and went out a lot. Asunción got a job in a mansion of a man who lived alone. He was surrounded by employees but no family. He was mysterious and didn't talk much. People came and went at his house. He traveled a lot. Asunción says that she was weak. She fell in love with the man. It was an unforgettable romance that almost cost her her life. It was a turning point in her life. She paid for that romance in blood.

DeRosas Mansion
Reina has come downstairs and asks if Navier has a minute, just one minute...
 

Jean – Thank you for the recap and the snark. ”Esmeeth's Apartment – My next apartment will definitely have a guest room” was my favorite section title. :-)

” [Is this what the Doctor does when there are no corpses to examine?]”
I had the same thought. Shall we remove a few vowels and call the CSI/ex-Mrs.PELS/motorcycle racer Dr. Moto? (it’s all about the abbrevs., you know)

My CrockpotTheory™ is that Dragon lied about those clocks because he does not trust F/PELS

PFELS looked mighty nice in his little black boxer briefs. Just sayin’ .

Stefi tells Vic that she hates magicians, and then there is one at her wedding? QTH???

Now that Javier is married to Stefi, looks like telenovela rules require her to die in the end so that he will be free to marry Reina.
 

I have missed something crucial. When did Javier turn into such a jerk? Why is he horrible to Reina? Was it because he inherited all that money?
 

I've tried to post this using a username but it only lets me do it as Anonymous. Sorry! Not trying to be all mysterious like.
 

Another beautifully written recap, Jean! You always manage to tie all the lunacy together so nicely and point out connections I missed. Gracias!

"My next apartment will definitely have a guest room"
Hahahaha!

"Dr. Montoya seems to be the new Rocky."
Yikes! That doesn't bode well for Dr. Moto (perfect, Doris!)

"Navier, in one of his least attractive traits [except for being nasty to his mother], can't resist letting Reina know that he already knew that."
So true! Oh well. I think I've gone on record saying that I like my heroes flawed (though I wasn't necessarily thinking of snotty know-it-alls).

So I had the impression that Victor was actually surprised to hear that Asunción (or should we say Maruja?) was Reina's mother. I'll have to take another look... And it turns out that Carmen was right about Reina's ma cheating on her special dad!

What a let-down! The confrontation we were all waiting for -- Reina reveals the TRUTH and stops the farcical wedding -- turns out to be a fantasy. The actual confrontation takes place with psycho Victor behind closed doors; and instead of setting her free, the truth makes her newly vulnerable! Aaaarrrrgh!
 

"Now that Javier is married to Stefi, looks like telenovela rules require her to die in the end so that he will be free to marry Reina."

Doris, maybe not. After all, they weren't married por la iglesia -- although I can't see Stefi making it out of here alive. I feel sure that at the end, she and Victor will head to perdition hand in hand.
 

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said "I think I've gone on record saying that I like my heroes flawed (though I wasn't necessarily thinking of snotty know-it-alls)."

I like my heroes flawed, too. I doubt there is much chance that Navier will recognize this tendency as a character flaw, however.

I also thought that Victor was surprised to find out that Asunción is Reina's mom.

Doris I LOVE Dr. Moto! it's perfect. Thanks.
 

NovelaMaven "What a let-down! The confrontation we were all waiting for ... turns out to be a fantasy.."

True but I like the parallelism of this novela. Navier arrives too late to stop Reina from marrying someone she doesn't love. Reina finds out the truth too late to stop Navier from marrying someone he doesn't love. Navier is tricked into believing that Reina never really loved him. Navier is forced to trick Reina and tell her that he never really loved her. Plus, of course, without deception and misunderstanding, novelas have no plot.

Estefi is going to have some depressing wedding album. I don't think Navier smiled once.

 

Oh Jean, I LOVE the parallels and the symmetry too. It's just that I get so carried away by the story!
 

That is to say, I get carried away in the MOMENT of the story. I tend to lose perspective because I'm so engaged in the action while I'm watching.

I love the way you see and feel different things in this novela depending on whether you are looking at it up close or from a distance. It's similar to looking at a painting. [Too pretentious? Nah. This is a forgiving crowd.]
 

Another great recap, Jean. Many thanks--for the snark, the Spanish, and all the useful detail. I'm really embarrassed to admit that I didn't recognize the motorcyclist as Dr. Montoya. I already thought this moto thread with Laz was strange, and I didn't at all like the fact that an attractive female was added to the mix to further complicate the relationship of Laz and Greta. And now that I realize she is Dr. Moto (thanks, Doris!), I'm even more perplexed. So I guess it fits in perfectly with the rest of the novela's, um, plot.

Jean, I totally agree with your "Once again, Reina makes the terrible mistake of treating Victor like a normal human being instead of a the ruthless psychopath that he is." When I watched that scene near the end between Reina and Victor, all I could think was "Girl, do you NEVER learn?"

Doris beat me to it, but I too was thinking that it was strange/significant that Estefi says she hates magicians and then one appears at her wedding. Also, like Doris, I thought PFELS looked pretty hot in his boxers. But his overall looks and actions are too smarmy to turn me on.

Speaking of sexy men, one of the things that somewhat disappoints me about this telenovela is that I don't find Navier attractive. Like PFELS, he has a gorgeous body [DRINK!], but I don't find his face at all attractive. Probably the man in the novela I like looking at most is Victor (at least when he's dressed).

OK, enough embarrassing confessions for one comment.


 

OT Drive by comment
Juanita--My students LOVED the interview!!!! We've watched novelas that Aaron and Eugenio were in and the loved hearing them speaking English. Thank you again for sharing!!
 

Former Carmen's House – I guess we can conclude that neither Carmen nor Delfina did a lot of cleaning

hahahahah!!!

Thanks for the recap, Jean!
 

My DVR went on the fritz, so I poked around in Caray and found you guys so I could find out what I missed.

What a treat! The recaps and comments in this feed are brilliant.

I’m loving this show. I love how it’s so stylized, how the characters are unreal but in a fun, action-comic sort of way. I love the wild plotting. I think Eugenio Siller is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on, plus he can project a lovely tenderness at times. The actress portraying Reina (I ought to look up her name) is doing a terrific job, plus she’s stunning.

Over in the Malquerida feed, Vivi mentioned that this show is being cut. I was astonished to hear it – I actually hadn’t noticed. People have time to give lingering looks, to walk out a door and close it behind them, to approach down a hall, etc. I hadn’t noticed any puzzling gaps in the plotting. Meantime Malquerida is a complete hack-job. People get cut off even in mid-sentence, and plot points are missing.

Anybody know what percent is being cut from this show?
 

NovelaMaven - It's easy to forget the wedding is in Las Vegas, where one ceremony does it all. No iglesia needed unless they want the tradition of the old country.



 

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Welcome to the Reinamanicas, Maggie. I am with you on Eugenio. I also like his hair.

TMundo was cutting this novela for a while. It doesn't sound like it was as bad as you are describing but the editing was choppy. Also, they stopped showing the credit and scenes from previous episodes. Some of us are able to watch what was broadcast in Mexico where they are way ahead and over the last couple of weeks, there have not been any cuts. Fingers crossed that will continue.
 

Sara, many thanks for your feedback. I'm delighted that you shared the video with your class, and that they enjoyed it. For me the biggest surprises of the video were Eugenio Siller's almost accent-less English and, especially, seeing Rafael Amaya (El Güero from La Reina del Sur and Aurelio Casillas from El Señor de los Cielos) in a jacket and tie. After those earlier novelas, seeing him so formally dressed took me aback.

Thanks too to all others who have let me know that you've watched the video.
 

Now that Reina knows that Clarita is Navier's daughter, we shouldn't forget that CIA also knows this, i.e., Navier's mom and presumably PFELS. At some point Navier is going to find this out and there will be hell to pay for keeping it from him.
 

terrific recap Jean!

so why isn't Lopez 2 at the race keeping an eye on Laz?

ah yes, the prodigal son, tells Reina, "If only I had known everything about you and you had known everything about me, our story would have been very different.", ah, and then she gets her diary and figures out Clara is his son, (which frees her from her ties to Victor, well for a little while anyway)

Victor seems to be getting bested by Javier with all of his women.

hmm, so Javier didn't even invite his mother to his wedding, Estefi did.

wow, no one out dresses Estefi!

loved Clarita's drawing of Estefi,
with the vacant eyes!

 

Tip Top recap, Jean. I love your no-nonsense retelling and then manage to make it humorous (or should I say snarky) and spellbinding at the same time.

Ay de mi, Reina. Your euphoria will only last until the first few minutes of tonight. Javier will probably not listen or not believe you.

So, humble Pedro Ortiz married even more humble Maruja Torres and ended up with a $2 million account in Panama. Loved the take on Dr. Moto...Is this what the Doctor does when there are no corpses to examine? Nor background information on persons of interest to find.

Who could possibly be the man in a mansion she went to work for and fell hopelessly in love with? How many guess it describes Big O, raise your hands. This opens up a whole new box of mysteries. What did she have to pay for in blood?

Jean and Sara--about Carmen and Delfina's housekeeping skills. As I recall, they did NOTHING around the house except complain. Luckily for us. Victor should have called Maids-Я-Us than depend on those two.
 

Deb -- Thanks for reminding us of Clara's perception of Estefanía as a beautiful woman with empty eyes. Wow.

Doris -- I'm not forgetting we're in Las Vegas. It's just that a civil ceremony (which I'm assuming this was) can be undone with a divorce y ya! But if you get married by a priest, to undo the marriage you need a divorce AND a church annulment.

Maggie -- So you found the secret passage to The Telemundo side of CarayCaray! Yay! You'll find plenty of kindred spirits here!

Everyone
Since we've got over 100 comments already, I will put up a PAGE TWO this evening in time for Mauricio's Thursday recap.
 

LIES VICTOR HAS TOLD REINA SINCE HER MEMORY LOSS

1. He gave her the cross pendant. [It was Javier. Javier tells her when he reveals he is Nicolás Nuñez.]
2. It was Reina who planted the drugs in Nicolás’ car and ordered the hit on him that killed him. [It was Victor. Reina learns she never betrayed Nicolás in Week 12.]
3. Victor and Reina have lived a passionate intimate married life. [They have never slept together. She only knows she’s avoided sex with him since recovering from her accident.]
4. Clara is his. [Clara is Nicolas’ and Victor knows it. So does Smeeth. Reina learns it in Week 12.]
5. That Reina killed a man and Victor helped her bury it in his garden. [Reina learns through official investigation, it was Susana and Victor, not Reina.]
6. That Reina was always avaricious and ambitious and loved luxuries. [The opposite was true. Reina learns this in Week 12.]
7. Javier is a diamond trafficker, big time. [C’mon, we devoted fans know he’s not.]
8. Javier and Delfina were in cahoots and that is why she was killed. [Victor, even that is a stretch for you. Try again.]

Anything else anyone can think of to add?
 

Anita How many guess it describes Big O, raise your hands.

I thought that too at first but upon reflection, Big O was living in Victor's house with Asunción for a while and I don't recall the slightest reaction or recognition between the two of them. Maybe there was some interaction between them and we'll see it on a flashback but...
 

Thank you so much for the welcoming comments. I can see this is a wonderful group.

Thank you Jean for your excellent information about the cutting. I wish the Malquerida editors would forgo the title sequences so we could get more plot points filled in.

Juanita – I’d love to see that video! Do you still have the link? Or does somebody else?

Many thanks!
 

Maggie,

The link is http://tinyurl.com/o29eeed

Enjoy!
 

Jean--I think Asuncion's revelation to FELS-PELS is from a long time ago when her marriage disintegrated (we still don't know why) she was separated from Reina and she went to work.

I don't think it was recent history when Big O came back and barged into "HIS" half of the house.
 

Oh, Jean, now I get you. You are probably right.

Next up for "suspects" is Artemio. Hehe, that brings up all kinds of questions that need answers. Who was Andres' mother (and do we really need to know) Aaack, this requires Multi-Beanies, stacked on the head.
 

NovelaMaven - you're right and I forgot about the Catholic church's rules! And since telenovela characters are always. Catholic,,, which begs the question 'why aren't they other denominations?' The others certainly exist in. LATAM.
 

Gah. My iPad has has taken control of punctuation today
 

Jean, fantastic recap!

Yep, the good guys do what good guys do. They tell the baddies any secrets they've discovered immediately and before telling anyone else. And then they are quickly thwarted so the secret can remain hidden for another four months or so.

Jean, loved "finally the CIA has done something better than Victor!" Amen.

Does Estefi know that Esmeeth is Navier's mother?
 

Novelera I believe that Estefi does know that Esmeeth is Navier's mother. I don't remember exactly when she found out though. I don't think she knew before Navier.
 

Are my comments appearing at all? I keep typing but never see them in the feed.
 

Hey all! Checking in from my South Carolina hotel room. No Telemundo or Univision for me. :( I can't wait to see this episode when I'm back home this weekend. Thanks so much for the reap, Jean. Sounds like a great episode.

Maggie- Welcome to the Reinamaniacs! Please check in more often. They've actually stopped cutting Reina AND La Malquerida (for now). Which makes me happy.
 

Anonymous 5:22
this comment appeared but none others recently anyway-

Are my comments appearing at all? I keep typing but never see them in the feed.
 

Anonymous - are you sure they are posting? Checking at the bottom to make sure the comment box is empty?
 

Thanks, all. May just be a glitch with my tablet.
I'm trying to give myself the username Clara's Pencilcase but it'll only post as Anonymous. I'm not trying to be mysterioso, I promise!
 

I just posted Page Two:

http://caraycaray.blogspot.com/2014/09/telemundo-y-mas-reina-de-corazones-page.html

Reinamaniacs need their space!

Hey Vivi -- we missed your voice! No Univision or Telemundo in the hotel? What kind of joint are you staying in anyway?
:-)

Anon, I see your 5:22 post.

If you want your username to appear at the top of your comment, you have to have a Google Account and sign into it on your laptop, tablet or phone. Some longtime users prefer not to do this and just sign their username at the end of the comment.

NovelaMaven