Caray, Caray!

Just finished. I'm eager to hear what "the regulars" have to say about the Fin.
 

Well, I got the visual, but I did not get the conversations except Este yelling at Cris that he had killed Alonso. Ale was a beautiful bride.Goodbye hacienda. I feel cheated because of all scenes that were cut out. Que lastima. Looking forward to the tag team recap by Vivi and gloria.
 

I cannot wait to read your recap Vivi and Gloria.

I have so many mixed emotions.

Happiness for Ale and German, admiration mixed with sympathy for Cris, affection and appreciation for Hector, surprise and respect for Norberto's apologies and found redemption are but a few.

While I wanted to revel in Ale and German's wedding, having those lovely scenes interspersed with Danilo's were completely disheartening and disturbing. This was worst editing I've ever seen and the fact it was in the finale was a disgrace.

The fast and furious chopping did not help my understanding of much of the dialog. Do we know what happened to Rubio in the end? The Acacia visit to the jail stunned me. Why did she go there?

The happiness I wanted to feel at (some) of the events just did not materialize as there was too much bitter mixed with the sweet.

I will need to digest all of this more and reading the sure to be marvelous recap will surely help.

Diana
 

Susanlynn, you just cleared up my major question that in the haze I'm in, forgot to mention.

I thought he said something to that effect, but wasn't sure.

Thank you.

Diana
 

Also, Cris directed some sweet smiles toward Hector but was there any hint of the possibility of a future relationship for them???

Diana
 

Diana- I had the exact same thought about the beautiful wedding being mashed up with those disturbing scenes.
 

Thanks Sara.

I'm glad I wasn't alone. We'd all been hoping for the happy ending Ale and German so deserved. Not only was it cut to shreds, but switching these longed for scenes back and forth with Dailo's gruesome end took all of the joy from those moments.

Diana
 

Heck gave Chris a plane ticket that has no time limit to come see him. I think. Don't know what happened yo Rubio. Apparently a free man. Norb sure as hell traded U P.
 

Danilo was evil and arrogant swearing to get revenge right to his firey end. Evil Evil Evil he unnerves me.
 

Thanks Kirby. I didn't know Hector was even leaving.

So, a plane ticket. That leaves things wide open and uncertain. Not at all what I'd hoped for.

Drat.

Diana
 

I'm not really sure how it all ended so I'm looking forward to the recap.

Vivi and Gloria, I know between you both I know we'll get the best yet.

There was too much Danilo mixed in with the happy parts.

Ann-NYC





 

Diana...I agree. I wish that they had first just dealt with the devils' anvils, and then devoted the rest of the finale to the happiness for the good folks. It was upsetting seeing the wedding scenes alternated with Dan in jail. I,too, have no idea what happened to Rubio. When he was drunk in the bar,he seemed to be missing his money. I guess money was all he ended up with. Did someone take his I'll gotten cash ?

At first, I thought that both Este and Ack were both dead. Then, I thought Este was dead, and Ack was in the hospital , but they were trying to make it seem that she might not survive. They also seemed to be teasing us about whether she and Uli would be together. Did they end up together? I don't think so. The scene with Rubio giving Este the photo of Ack in jail(hey, Este is alive) was odd. However, not as odd as Ack going to see Esteoutofit in jail. Why would she do that ?
 

Just finished watching it about 25 minutes ago. I'm mad Uni still cut stuff out! But otherwise I like the finale. I didn't think it was as insane as Robo's finale.

I think Rubio ended up broke but I'm not sure how he lost or never got the money Norb was going to pay him. I guess all of us will have to go watch the full finale. Hopefully Vivi and Gloria will fill that in in the recap. I'll be back tomorrow to say more.
 

Susanlynn, I guess Acacia needed closure. I wouldn't have gone to see him but whatever.
 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhAV_IY220 1st Alternate End
 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0RTbS2btfZ8
2nd Alternate End

(My favorite one for 2 reasons. I like that Rubio mentions that Danilo actually died and we aren't left assuming he's just stowed away extra crispy in solitary confinement. The second one is obvious.)
 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IPr15HObsyg
3rd and last Alternate End

Well I am in complete agreement that this was the little novela that could and did. As of now, Jose Alberto Castro has two options for his next novela.

Rubi 2 or another Jacinto Benavente adaptacion; La Noche del Sabado.

LNdS- Imperia is a ballerina who took the low road and a prostitute in love with the Prince Miguel. She is in love with him and he helps her make her dreams come true.
 

What a hack job! Read this from the Univision entry in Wikipedia:

In June 2005, Grupo Televisa filed a lawsuit against Univision in a U.S. federal court accusing the network of several actions, including "unauthorized editing" of Televisa programming.[27] Since 2013, Univision has edited various telenovelas in its primetime slots. If a telenovela does not garner sufficient ratings, the network cuts scenes and airs anywhere between 1.5 to 3 episodes a night all combined into one hour. Examples of telenovelas that have received this edit include Qué bonito amor, La Tempestad, De que te quiero, te quiero, and La Malquerida

Well, at least Televisa tried…

I’ll comment in a little bit. I can’t wait for the recap! The background music was so loud, and the captions, what there were of them, didn’t help. And don’t get me started on the machete they took to this final night, which made the details of the story hard to follow. Arggghh!
 

Thank you Gloria, Vivi. No way, particularly this last week, would I have totally understood what in the world was happening with out you.

With everyone in my disappointment Univision chopped this thing up, particularly the out of cadence editing, ruining emotional scenes and corresponding dialog.

I didn't like this ending, especially Acacia's visit to Esteban. To me it seemed forced in order to wrap a bow around it, with too much nuance.

I watched the alternative endings (thankfully minus the edits) and though she didn't deserve it, the one in which Cris dies.

Of course, I'm glad German & Ale married, and she especially looked beautiful, but my favorite scene from the chop job last night was the one between Cris & Hector after Cris found out about Acacia's betrayal. He arguing for the fault to be more Esteban's and she Acacia's. Good illustration of how complex a color grey.

I love the Norberto character (mainly because of GG Cantu) but he did a lot of bad stuff. Yes, he lost one son, but he gave the order to kidnap Ulis which almost ended his life and had to have known about Ale. Not buying he did not.

 

I did not really keep up with this one, but the fin felt very rushed. I can only imagine how you all felt.
 

Vivi and Gloria, you gifted us with this marvelous summary, brimming with eloquence, heart and soul. The fiery events so perfectly captured by your words and excellent screen shots evoked a gamut of so many emotions, it will take some time to process everything that occurred.

Masterfully crafted and beautifully stated. Thanks to both of you for bringing a consistently high standard of excellence. Your superb attention to detail was evident with every word you wrote. The finale was your tribute to Madelaine. And, it could not have been sweeter.

Vivi and Gloria, the pleasure was all mine. It was an honor to recap alongside both of you. Thank you for encouraging me Vivi and giving me the courage to try something I never thought I would be able to. Recapping, even in my limited fashion, has brought me much happiness. Perhaps I might be able to fill in on an established TN at some point in the future.

"A: No one. What happened was unfortunate, terrible. Something only God could have put a stop to. Cris doesn’t look like she’s buying this no one is to blame theory", "Looks like Juliana got traded in for a better model" and "H e says he's waited 20 years and doesn't mind waiting a few more. Damn he's hot" were among an array of my favorites.

Acacia's conversation with Cris as to how Esteban had always viewed her was riveting. "But he never behaved that way. He lavished the kind of attention on me that a man only gives to a woman. And I also couldn’t look at him as a father. I NEVER did! And when you got married, although I begged you not to, I hated him more than ever".

I'd thought that there was lingering resentment that Cris sent her to live at her grandparents. But there did not seem resentment relating that at all in her words. No resentment just a chilling feeling something was wrong.

I do believe that Acacia did see the events that way. She never saw him as a father and intuitively knew at that early age, something was amiss. Looking back on those early scenes, I do think Esteban only cared about her as a child, and in fairness, it was not until later that his feelings changed. Perhaps the seed was germinated in both during that time. Cruel fate? A point to mull.

I did not think JC and Elena were told what really happened. Thank you for clarifying that.

Also, did anyone else think it odd that Acacia did not mention Alonso's murder when she visited Esteban? I'm still not sure why she felt she needed to go there?

Ale looked beautiful and while this was hoped for ending for all of us, it was all too brief.

Luisa looked particularly lovely at the wedding, didn't she?

And who would have thought we would be rooting for Norberto to confess and atone. Which he did. And it seems some huge concessions were made in the forgiveness department from Uli and Luisa.

Much more left to ponder.

Diana
 

I meant to say thank you for noting that JC and Elena were told what happened with Este and Acacia.

Diana
 

I also did not keep up with this novela but it seemed quite good,i especially liked how everything had a light/dark mix in it since all of our characters except Danny were heavily confused and morally questioned making the show unpredictable . I especially liked how Norbie became a good guy in the end because he actually overcame his darkness and obsession,something that Esteban was never capable off showing,Este essentially became the same level of dirtbag as Danny was.He already began his obsession with Cristina when he killed Alonso so he could take her for his own,then a decade later ,he falls in "love" with his stepdaughter and also becomes obsessed with her. In the end it costed him everything,his soul,money,power and what he felt for his lost "family"

Also since La Sombra Del Pasado is coming soon ,who will be recapping it? I would love to ,since i already watched around a quarter of the novela online..
 

I look forward to seeing the alternative endings, thank you for providing them Vivi. But that will need to wait until later as I'm still trying to absorb what aired.

tofie, Cantu was wonderful. And I have to say, C. Meier was excellent in the jail scene when he met with Acacia (looking years younger, minus the gray hair :))

I can't think of one part that was not perfectly cast here. All amazing performances.

Susanlynn, maybe others can tell us why Aca went to see Esteban. I just can't fathom why...

Diana
 

Morning all!

I'm still thinking about the fates of these characters. I think it was interesting the different viewpoints on Acacia's culpability in the situation, and on forgiveness. Cris, JC, and Uli were the harshest judges of Acacia's actions. They clearly believed that she should have known better and shunning was justified. Hector, Elena, and Ale thought Este was more to blame and Acacia's youth, immaturity, and weak character (thank you Hector) were to blame. In the end, I don't think either side changed their stance, but Acacia's near death forced a forgiveness process that otherwise would have taken years or never for Cris, Uli, and JC.
 

Norbert knows how lucky he was to have a second chance and that he doesn't deserve it. But I do believe he will try to do what he told German-- become a person he can be proud to have as a father. The act of throwing out all his booze, prompted by no one, was a small sign of that. Uli certainly gave him a free pass, and German did too by telling him they are wiping the slate clean. But I think they both understood that for the good of the new family they are all forming, they needed to let it go and accept Norb into the fold. Luisa and Art also felt the same. It's best for their child.
 

Loved, loved, loved Ale's wedding look. Sweet, classic, a flower instead of a veil. She and German looked so happy. And of course it was fitting that they spent their last days Mexico trying to help their family and friends, including Lizzy and her family. It was so them to give Lizzy that money for her mother's treatment.

I too was disturbed by Dan's scenes being interspersed between the wedding scenes. I would have preceded the wedding as one continuous scene. But I understand why the writers/editors might have wanted to show Dan's ultimate downfall (at the hands of the narcos he worked with and betrayed), while Ale was realizing one of her dreams. He certainly had a fitting end. I didn't detail it, but it was made clear that the big fella wanted Dan as his prison novia. He also called him chiquito in that annoying cloying way he used to call Ale chiquita. Lots of poetic justice.

Memo is just trying to sleep his head down, do his time, and get out of there in one piece. Pray Memo, pray.
 

Typos: I would have preferred and uninterrupted wedding scene. Memo is keeping his head down.

My sister called me last night after the show ended, and one of the things she raved about was Memo's bedroom eyes. She was quite taken. :) Of course, she also loved German too.
 

Maybe Acacia went to see Este to see him for the final time,to set her own obsession free and to refresh herself because she knows that she will never want to see him again,after all ,in the young he was her father figure ,before he decided that his role was too inferior and that he would never have gotten Cristina by caring.His dark obsession already conquered him at that time.
 

One of her father figures *
 

I'm sure we'll get lots of great theories about why Acacia felt the need to go see Este one last time. I'm still pondering it. People go through different closure rituals, and I'm not sure if there is always a rhyme or reason for what people feel they need to do to get closure and move on. It's different for everyone.
 

Vivi, I loved your analysis and comment on the central characters resolving their feelings on Acacia's betrayal: "... but Acacia's near death forced a forgiveness process that otherwise would have taken years or never for Cris, Uli, and JC".

Very true. But I thought it interesting that the three who were the hardest on her (and rightfully so) were the ones who loved her most.

JC, (whose fierce love for his family and his daughter has always been apparent), may (in my mind) have had the hardest time.

Diana
 

Vivi, your sister has excellent taste.

The trio of Arturo, German and "Hunky Hector" were my crushes. Memo was a close fourth. Those piercing blue eyes are amazing.

Diana
 

tofie, you noted you didn't like Acacia's visit to Esteban either.

I believe you have stated that you thought Acacia did love Esteban, is that correct? I did briefly wonder if Acacia was trying to exorcise the demons which may be remnants of feelings for Esteban?

Diana
 

Diana- I was happy to see that Elena and JC were actually split on their judgement of Acacia and forgiving her. Too bad Uni cut those scenes. Yes, JC has always been fiercely protective of his daughter, granddaughter and family. But he has also always had a very strict moral code (hence his protest of married Cris spending time with Hector), and Acacia broke that moral code in the worst way with her actions.
 

I've just been hiding get in the background these past two weeks and reading all the recaps.

Would someone tell me why this Novela was cut and chopped to pieces so much by Univision? It seems as if the entire storyline suffered in the irresponsible editing.

I must admit that I am so very grateful that I didn't sign on to watch this Novela due to the plotline of the stepfather going after the stepdaughter, so to speak.

I just started to watch "Doña Bárbara" with somewhat the same incestuous plotline, and I must admit defeat !!!

I had to give up watching after only 15 episodes. This is the first time I haven't watched a Novela from beginning to end.

I admire all of you who stood in there and made it through this novela. The recaps I read were so well done, and the recap team should be congratulated for doing such a fine job with recapping a botched novela.
 

And i am also writing a post of La Sombra Del Pasado which includes quick synopsis and character introductions .I will post it on my Blogger after i am done.
 

Countx:
I read that LSdP will be ~260 episodes long. I admire anyone with the fortitude to watch a novela that long! FELS was the longest Novela I've ever seen, and I don't think I could watch another 150+ episode telenovela, especially one that is a remake of a great novela "El Manantial".
Good luck to you.
 

How in the world did Norberto turned good all of a sudden?

Anti-hero?
 

It is the next day and I am still reeling from the finale. Most disturbing was Acacia visiting Esteban in jail. WHY? Did she really at one time love him? Does she still? Her talk about his having left an Indelible mark on her life seemed bittersweet. It just left me with a knot in my stomach. A lot of loose ends to me with her and Este and Uli. And Chris and Heck. The hacienda and Rubio..Shit I couldn't go to sleep last night. What a show and what recappers. Thanks all.
 

Thank you Gloria and Vivi for all your hard work recapping this TN.

Like I said last night, overall the finale was okay and I did kinda like it.

First, the conversation between Acacia and Cristina was intense. Cristina definitelu held her own when she told Acacia she could leave if she wanted to. Although I'm glad Cris overheard Acacia refusing to leave with Esteban etc. The way Esteban revealed he killed Alonso was just like the way he told Uli he was in love with Acacia like "yeah so what?". I guess Acacia needed closure or something when she went to go visit him.

On a happy note, I'm happy that Ale and German finally got married. I wish Uni had filmed more of the wedding like more dialogue especially: the vows etc but I thought Ale looked radiant and German no doubt looked very dapper. I was glad to see his two fathers, Norbie and Andres, get along. And it was nice to see Luisa and Art tell Norbie they want him to be close to his grandchild. Acacia's grand entrance was nice too. I'm glad she survived.

I think Juliana took a few steps down from Norbie with her new gentleman caller. Kinda gross if you ask me.

I think Dan deserved what he got. He betrayed a lot of people. It was definitely intense watching him burn and scream. It was nice to see "beautiful eyes" Memo though and seeing him and Perla together.

Finally, it was nice to see how Cris and Acacia got the opportunity for a new beginning possibly with Hector and Ulises respectively. I wish every TN had an epilogue-10 years later or something.
 

Vicky thank you !I am mostly watching it because it has a great cast and good acting.And i do not believe it will be that long .It was said last year that Lo Que La Vida Me Robo would have 300 episodes but in the end it had only 196 or something like that so i really doubt these rumors.
 

I'm fine that they left things open with Hector and Cris. It was too soon, and Cris doesn't need a man. But the smile on her face when he handed her that open ended ticket said a lot. There is definitely hope for them. I foresee a romantic meeting in Italy for those two in the future.

I would have preferred that Acacia and Uli ended the way they did in the alt ending where Cris dies. As good friends going their separate ways. I don't, however, believe that their declaration of love at the end of this finale means that either of them are changing their plans. Their original long-term plans always included him establishing himself as an architect/developer, and her getting an education and traveling. So I didn't come away feeling that he was abandoning his project for the poor in Chile, or that she was going to throw aside her Italy plans.
 

Countx:
I've missed you on "Mi Corazón es Tuyo"!

“La sombra del pasado” constará de 260 capítulos y se estrenará en noviembre, ocupando el lugar de “La malquerida”, historia de José Alberto “El güero” Castro.

On this website:

http://rotativo.com.mx/entretenimiento/tv/328573-pablo-lyle-y-michelle-renaud-protagonizaran-la-sombra-del-pasado/

Patience my friend for ~260 episodes.
 

The first thought that came to me when I woke this morning was that I can't believe that La Malquerida is over. This one had really grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I love modern day rancho themes but thought twice about watching it for two reasons. Number one. With the show on from 10-11PM each night and me being more of a morning person than a night person well??? Number two was Victoria Ruffo. While I believe her to be a great actress, I can't stand her crying,
it really grates on me. However early on Madelaine encouraged us all by telling us that we wouldn't be disappointed. THANK YOU, THANK YOU Mads. And THANK YOU VIVI, Gloria and Diana for helping to bring joy and happiness through your hard work.
Great, SUPER GREAT recaps all.

Saturday is here and the start of a busy weekend. 8:30AM and over forty comments following what looks to be a SUPER, SUPER recap along with screen shots. WOW! I cant wait but somehow I will have to at least until late afternoon or early evening. I hope that everything hasn't already been said by then.
the gringo

 

Well yeah Victoria thank you but i can last 260 episodes but as i said i really doubt it will have so many but in the end time shall tell.I got goofed on Robo and since then i do not trust the rumours much.

Anyway here is my synopsis for LSP:
http://countxlasombradelpasado.blogspot.com/2015/01/la-sombra-del-pasado-synopsis.html

Enjoy!
 

Diana, I still think Acacia loves Esteban. After thinking about it, part of Acacia's struggle with this all along is she does despite everything, including the murders. Her conversations with Ale and this one with Esteban, her attempt to convince herself she is not. I imagine future visits to Esteban with other semi rational reasons for not loving him, hoping one will stick. She never looked upon him as a father because she always saw him as a man first. A crush, the man that replaced the position of husband to her mother, the man her mother loved enough to shuffle her to her grand parents, the man that had no idea how to be a father and would do things initially for her which she upon reflection misinterpreted. Both, I believe, surprised and anguished when they admitted to themselves an ache in their heart and a yearning in their loins. Problem for her, is for most of her life she viewed her mother as a woman/rival first and mother second and succumbed. I give her credit for realizing this was a dead end and breaking things off the first time, only for jealously to rear it's head when Esteban was back in her rivals bed.

Vivi, I too liked how Uli & Acacia left it, with the ending in which Cris dies. I think separate ways but an acknowledgement for both they did have a pure, young romance, to the extent both were capable.
 

Gringo- Looking forward to your comments when you come back.

I'd like to take a moment to thank these writers for ignoring some standard telenovela tropes:
No fake pregnancies.
No babies or small children.
No crazy exes.
No women driven mad and murderous by jealousy.
Acacia, Ale, Luisa, and Cris all had multiple men interested in/obsessed with them. All the men weren't sucked into panting after the young female protagonist for no reason.
The portrayal of real friendships between women and women, men and men, men and women, young and older.

There are many others, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.

I also enjoyed the interaction between the generations. I felt the portrayal of JC and Elena as patriarch and matriarch was a good one. They were involved, gave advice, but had their own lives and weren't overly intrusive. They were also adorable together.
 

I don't think a novela has touched me in so many ways as this one did.

I will always and forever look upon this novela as a remembrance of our beloved Madelaine.

Vivi in DC, Gloria, and Diana went above and beyond to bring this moving story to life. Ladies, your final recap was absolute perfection. We KNOW the hours and effort that you put into writing these recaps. Viewerville will be forever indebted to you!


Maggie, I am glad that you confirmed the loudness of the music. There were times that I could not hear key dialogue. I checked my setting on the tv (a new fangled one with too many fancy apps), but things looked good. Actually, there were quite a number of times that I did not hear dialogue, so thank you so much Vivi and Gloria for filling in those huge blanks.

The strangest editing for me came when Cris was going to have her "waiting to exhale" (PERFECT, VIVI!!!!) bonfire. In the background, we see Rubio walking away, so there had to have been an encounter and one wonders if that encounter was about Rubio telling Cris the whole truth and nothing, but the truth.

I found myself wondering how it all ended with Tin Lizzie. There was no mention; no nothing. Thank you both for that clarification.

I am now used to seeing the word "FIN" at the end. Was it there? I don't remember seeing it.

I think it was appropriate that Cris and Hector didn't have an immediate hook up. How absolutely refreshing for a person, especially a woman, to tell a man the truth about how she felt. How refreshing to be direct in telling that truth so that there was no ambiguity. How equally more refreshing it was to see Hector react in a mature and adult way to Cris' response to him. The smile she gave him was enough for him to know that with time...things could happen.

I woke up this morning thinking about our story ending. I didn't feel sadness when Robo ended. I have to confess that after starting, leaving, and then returning to that TN, I still have not watched the Gran Fin!

However, there is a sadness to this one ending. I love the beautiful haciendas and the goings on, but this cast was stellar. This was the perfect role for Ruffo and showed that she can do so much more than just cry.

I love subtlety and nuance and this cast of actors brought it in spades.

It's taken me this long this morning to formulate my thoughts, but I know I will have more later and probably some questions, too.

Susanlynn, I'm currently following MCET only for the actors and not the story so much.

Unless one of our seasoned regulars tells me that watching the Goyri TN is worthwhile, trying to stay up that late is just not worth it. We already got a taste of the rape scene, etc. I think I'll just pass on it.

I love our little group. I hope we can chat still a few more days before we all start anew.



Fatima
 

They did leave things very open didnt they, kinda with acacia and ulises as well. Okey, so even now that ulises has forgiven acacia in the end I don't think the future is going to be that happy for those two. In my opinion there is going to be a very rocky way ahead of them, because ulises has every right to have all the power and control in their relationship, because he can just pull out the esteban card. There has been a lot of controversy in acacia's redemption and I think that this is the way things would go in real life as a payment for this kind of treason. But since its television then of course things had to work out in the end.
 

I also agree with tofie that Acacia loves Esteban. She could never answer Cris or anyone who would ask her that question.

I am still trying to put my head around why in the world Acacia had to go visit Esteban.

I also didn't like it that we had no closure with Rubio. He had his hand in WAY too many things for there not to have been closure there. I wonder if he gave Cris the money back in that poorly edited scene at the bonfire?

Fatima
 

It's a shame that such a well done novela didn't get the huge ratings networks prefer. The chance of more shows like this getting made is slim. There may be others, but I doubt it will become a regular occurrence. That's really too bad.
 

Anon- You has never shown himself to be the kind of person who would throw past wrong in someone's face. Acacia would do that, and did many times when she and Liu broke up and made up (and he wasn't even guilty of those things). Frankly, with the two of them going on to do vastly different things in the next few years, their romantic relationship might just die a natural death, with no rancor or a animosity.
 

Yes, Sara, it is a shame. They are going to give more of La Gata type shenanigans. Is that show really doing that well?!

Fatima
 

Uli not You.

As for Rubio, how interesting that they left his fate open. We know he's now wanted by the police. He has no job and no ties. His last payday score was stolen. Where does he go and what does he do? Will he land on his feet somewhere else and continue to scam and scheme? Or does he end up an alcoholic bum, sleeping on the streets somewhere and singing his little ditties for a few pesos, for booze?
 

Was it hard watching the gorgeous Christian Meier play a bad guy? I have trouble when great protagonist actor switches to an antigonistic role (i.e., David Zepeda makes a great bad guy but only a so-so good guy.)
 

Anon at 12:28, for me, it was not difficult watching Meier in this role. As we know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :))

I found it very believable that an attractive (he's not handsome in my personal book)man could be a bad seed a la Ted Bundy.

Vivi in DC, it was perplexing for me how Rubio, who was involved in SO many little schemes, could disappear so suddenly at the end with no idea as to his fate, but I suspect you are correct in that he will end up on the streets with nothing. Cris didn't want him to go with her. JC didn't think anything of Rubio. Who really wanted him except Esteban?

Honestly, it is that waiting to exhale bonfire scene is STILL bugging me. I wish you could go back and see it Vivi and tell me what you think of Rubio there in the background. Something happened in that scene, but what was it?

Fatima
 

tofie and Fatima, thank you for sharing that you believe Acacia does love Esteban. I cannot wrap my head around that...

I can think of that being the only reason she visited him. There was really no closure to be had.

Fatima, the FIN was there but not as prominent as it usually is. I am holding onto your lovely assessment of Hector and Cris' "The smile she gave him was enough for him to know that with time...things could happen". Let us hope.

Vivi, I know Rubio was bad to the bone, but I smile faintly when I think of him going onto the next grifting opportunity. Not the brightest bulb, he has an innate sense of survival and his manipulation skills are to notch. I sort of like his fate is up to our imaginations.

Diana
 

Vivi, yes, no cliches to be had here whatsoever, This TN was so unique and special, it already has us mulling over what happened and what might have been.

gringo, looking forward to hearing what you think about all of this.

Diana
 

I loved CM in this. For the better part of this TN he acted, sounded and looked a respectable, though subjected to human frailties, man but I had no problem believing the beast and marvel at his manipulation, facilitated by the domesticated persona.
 

Question: Did Esteban ever truly love Cris?

Fatima
 

My sincerest thanks to all the recappers for their herculean efforts on Malquerida.

Actually, I was kind of glad to see the flashes of Danilo being torched as German and Ale are tying the knot. That made the poetic justice even more poignant. And by the way, I hate when novela characters are set on fire and just stand there. Rule number one: Get on the ground and roll!!

In terms of modern novelas being good PSA's and serving to educate Viewerville, I think Malquerida succeeded fabulously. It tackled the topic of incest head-on, demonstrated the devastations of it, and in this particular version, championed women in the culture. Dani gets trashed by the hookers, Cris doesn't ride off into the sunset with Hector but says essentially, "I don't want to be with anyone right now," Luisa stands her ground, and Acacia, for all her crap seems to have grown up a lot and developed real integrity. I loved the final "Fin scene" which is not a couple riding off into the sunset, but mother and daughter walking together.

And finally, although the story of Malquerida has probably been adapted seven ways from Sunday, thank you Jacinto Benevente, a gay man from Spain living in the late 19th century, for writing it.
 

Excellent shout out Dona Gringuita. What a masterful play by Jacinto Benevente.

Fatima, I do believe Esteban loved and respected Cris until a younger adoring version arrived
 

I want to spotlight a character that didn't get too much attention, Rosa. I thought it was amazing that she let Luisa go off to start her life with Art without her. She acknowledged how strict she had been with Luisa, and that it was best for Luisa to start her married life (and motherhood, and business owner) without Rosa hovering. I also thought it brave how she committed to following Cris on her new adventures wherever she ends up. This is a woman who was proud to work in the same hacienda her patents and grandparents worked, and said she would die there. Can you imagine her now assisting Cris with her art shows around the country or even going to Italy with her?!
 

Another departure from the norm- usually when good tn characters fight hard for a piece of land or a business, at the end they've managed to hold on to it. This is the first time I've seen the protagonists say f-it. Let's sell up and get the heck out of this place.
 

Dona Gringuita, yes, absolutely needed that shout out to Benavente! Thank you for reminding us of that very important point!! I did a Google search on him a while ago. I am going to search for his writings. My local B and N has many books in Spanish including all of Isabel Allende's books.

Here is a link to his Nobel prize page: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1922/benavente-facts.html

tofie, thank you for your thoughts. Esteban certainly looked believably in love in the early days. What has bothered me though is that the love was tainted with the murder of Alonso.

QUESTION: Do you believe that true love can exist in the face of murdering the man who was deeply in love with the woman the murderer coveted?

Fatima
 

Well,I just made a long comment and lost it.
First, thanks so much to Viv and Gloria for the excellent finale recap, filling in the missing pieces, and giving us the alternate endings.A big thanks to Diana for jumping in to recap.

My biggest complaint is that so little was made of the fact that Este KILLED ALONSO...a fact that started the whole chain of events in this novela. Other than Cris and Ack's shocked expressions after Este blurted out this news, there were no conversations about it with any other characters. To me, the betrayal took a backseat to the murder of Cris's husband and Ack's father. Que the hell?
 

Vivi, I think this is one of the strengths of Cris' character...that she could give up what was a pivotal place in her life. I loved it! I applauded it and was SO happy that there was NOT a ride off into the sunset for Cris.

I also agree with the point about Rosa. If Rosa were to go to Italy with Cris and get involved in Cris' artistic interests, this could be an entirely new life for Rosa. It took a lot for Rosa to go against the cultural grain and the grain that had been instilled in her since childhood.

More reasons why it will be so hard to leave this TN and then look at the dreck that we have in La Gata.

Fatima...who wishes she could tell the actors in person how much their acting meant to her.
 

Susanlynn, I am in TOTAL agreement with your point!

Fatima
 

Vivi...Yes, Cris giving up the hacienda surprised me, especially since Alonso's tomb is there. My sister and I still own the farm my dad bought and we grew up on, and it will be emotionally difficult to give it up even though we just break even between the taxes and costs and the money that we receive from renting the land and the produce stand. Our dad loved the farm and worked so hard to keep it. However, I guess that hacienda holds too many unhappy memories and feelings of betrayal for Cris to stay. I wonder if Alonso's remains will be relocated. His tomb always had a lot of traffic.

P.s, Do we know what happened to that backpack of money Este took with him when he left the hotel room to get Ack? How about Dan's buried stash ? Did someone steal Rubio's illgotten gains ? He could not have already drunk it away.
 

Vivi,

Excellent post at 12:07. I totally agree with everything you said. I definitely loved the fact that there were no crazy exes nor fake pregnancies. And I loved the all the friendships especially with the young male and female characters.

Anonymous 12:28: I agree about DZ. I like him better as a villain. It's interesting to see him take on the personality of PF's character in Hasta El Fin currently.
 

Susanlynn,

I was wondering what would happen to Al's tomb when Cris decided to sell the hacienda. Would the new owners leave it there?
 

Susanlynn- The backpack of cash was found by the cops an returned to Cris.

I wondered if Rogelio wasn't the one who stole the cash off of drunk Rubio.

I also wondered about them relocating the tomb. It's not impossible to do.
 

I would assume the cops would confiscate whatever money they found in Dan's accounts and land, like any other loot found from trafficking. It would be nice if the money was used to set up a fund for his ex-girls, but I don't think that's very realistic.
 

They will probably move the tomb somewhere else or leave him at the towns church.Just imagine leaving him at the mercy of the new owners,they would think that the house is haunted !
 

If we look back to the beginning, there were three young girlfriends and two sets of brothers. I guess we should have suspected that with three girls and four boys , one of the guys was going to end up without a girl. As it turned out, the three fine young men all were rewarded with lovely young loves, but the grasshopper who preferred to drink and play and have his way ....was killed. Yikes Morality play ?

I remember that a few days ago, tofie made a comment about Cris being the person who took Este out of poverty and made him into a man of power and substance through her love and devotion to him....and not knowing that he killed her husband to have his life and his wife. I thought this was a very important point. Had Ack not returned to the hacienda as a young, naive hottie and caught Este's middle aged...eye...he could have ended his days in that fine hacienda as a man of power and influence. Some people are their own worst enemies. Este had that fatal flaw of coveting someone he should not have. There is a lesson to be learned there. He revealed a secret that he had successfully hidden for many years...all for the desire of a sweet young thing....an such is the price of an unwise obsession.
 

Susanlynn--I so agree. Poor Manuel. I think with Esteban he was a peon who "supposedly" loved La Benavente and its lands, but did he really? Who knows what could have happened had Acacia not returned. What could Este have been capable of? Would his crime of killing Alonso have even come to light at all?
 

Vivi

Don't forget there was nary a priest in sight until the end. No over wrought hospital scenes.

Any as to the end. I thought the end fell flat. Crds and Ack wandering hand and hand into the sunset. All is forgiven. Would have liked version 2 just because it would be so shocking.

The wedding/Dani burning scenes might have been edited that way to show us the triumph of good over evil and then like novelas always do bashing us over th head with it.

My daughter was staying with me and had never paid attention to novelas but I told her we weren't going to miss this. She speaks no Spanish so I'd give her running commentary and before long she could hardly wait for the end. I think that is a tribute to the writing and acting that made it easy for her to get some sense out of what was going on.

Gonna miss this one and don't know about the new one. Certainly not falling into the pit of dreck that is La Gata, hate what they did to Hasta, too many kids on MCET.LOL
 

I forgot to mention that there was more to the wedding ceremony that wasn't shown by Uni. Carmen and Andres giving the rings, Art and Luisa putting the lassos on, Acacia and Uli giving the coins. I've added a couple of more shots from the wedding.
 

Decie- Padre Roque decided to save his own hide and move to another parish, instead of dying at Dan's hands. I'm pretty disappointed in him, but fine with us not getting the typical metiche priest.

Also missing: corrupt cops; corrupt doctors; corrupt lawyers; etc.
 

At the end of the play by Benavente, Este shoots Cris, while Acacia is confessing that Este is the only man she's ever loved.
Also, in the play, Cris's eyes are opened to the Este/Acacia betrayal when the Uli character tells her the words of the song Rubio was singing in the cantina. Then Cris starts to put it together.
ITA susanlynn about short shrift to Alonso's murder.
Thanks everybody, especially Vivi for providing the cut scenes.


 

Recappers, I bestow a Master’s in Recapping on you. This brilliantly detailed recap, with all the missing scenes AND with photos is an amazing accomplishment. And for us, the bewildered, it’s a huge gift.

Love love love all the comments too.

I was unhappy with the gran final for a lot of reasons

When Acacia and Estaban were lying there, shot, head-to-head I was blown away. What a brave ending for the writers to have them die that way! What poetic justice! But no, it turned out they both lived.

Chris is strong, but nobody – I mean nobody – can take those kinds of emotional blows. So why did the director have her cry and throw things and then be able to walk around just looking sad? How could she still be on her feet right after all these discoveries? It seemed odd to me to see her strolling the halls of the hacienda.

As mentioned by Susanlynn and others – why was the weensy matter of Esteban’s having KILLED the husband/father a lesser issue than the incest?

I thought Acacia’s visit to the jail cell (why are visitors alone in a tiny room with inmates? Somebody could get hurt. Weapons, money and notes could get passed) was simply a way to show Esteban being crushed, and then for us to see his desperate face behind the grill, calling out to her as she walked away. I can’t imagine why Acacia would want to visit him. And again, why her daddy’s death was not the main issue.

I really didn’t go for Acacia’s argument that if her mother hadn’t brought a man into the house, this wouldn’t have happened. What’s the message here? Widows shouldn’t remarry if they have daughters? Acacia seemed to be spreading blame around and taking very little for herself.

Everybody’s forgiveness was waaaay too fast. And here’s Acacia telling her mother everything and right away begging to be forgiven, like it’s her right, and like just saying “I’m sorry” over and over fixes things. The only person whose quick forgiveness I understood was Hector’s because he gets the big picture about Esteban’s role.

I didn’t like that at the end, Acacia was beaming at the wedding. After our excellent storyline, she should have a sadder-but-wiser air about her.

More in a bit, because there were things I loved about the final, too! But I had to get all this off my chest..
 

I think that I will record the new novela because it is on late. Hub saw the previews and said ''There's Miguel (meaning Manuel..from LM) Sergio knows how to bring the BSC and is easy to despise. I am not crazy about the galan. Iran looks so different than she looked in the first novels I saw her in...Alborada..in which she played Lucero's half sister. I will give it a try since I am watching none of the current novelas. What I am watching are reruns of Hart to Hart and shows on the Food Channel and HGTV.I need a good novela de epoca.
 

Maggie...yes, when Este and ACk were lying head to head on the ground , I also thought that they were both goners..united in death.It seemed a little harsh for Ack to get hit by that anvil hanging over Este's little head, and Este seemed to happy about it judging from what he was muttering to her.
 

Yeah, Este would have been happy for them to go out like Bonnie and Clyde. So good, that he has to spend the rest of his days in a dark cell, wondering who Acacia is dating now and where she is.
 

Maggie...I so agree with your comments.I was especially ticked when Ack was rattling off the ''reasons'' for why she fell for stepdaddy . It sounded to me like a huge, steaming pile of rationalization to me. ''YOU brought another man into MY house.'' Say what , little girl. I thought that she seemed to be throwing the blame on mama rather than admitting her role in what happened between her and stepdaddy. How about those false eyelashes and skintight clothes ??? Did mama buy those for you and tell you to prance around the hacienda in them ? Now look what YOU made me do. I do think that in her frustration and anger she was surprisingly truthful about how she felt about Este. I fooled around and fell in love...more correctly stated lust...with my mama's hubby and my daddy's killer. I am so ticked that Alonso's murder got such shirt notice. Que the hell....incest is worse than murder ?
 

Susalynn,i will be giving the show a chance as well,i might as well be one of the recappers although since i watch episodes online,the recaps will not be on as early as they would if i was watching it on the actual TV,on time.

I am a fan of Sergio Goyri but i cannot bring myself to like Mark Tacher,perhaps Mrs Medina will help me change that view since i didnt watch MPMR ..Also it is quite interesting that Alejandra Garcia potrays Young Mousierr in the storyline,i cannot wait to see Evil Nadia ,even for a short time! Adolfito aka Count Alacran ( Ferdinando Valencia) also strikes back ,i cannot wait to see him either!! I havent seen Iran in anything and i also dont remember seeing Zuria either although i know she starred somewhere i cannot remember,it was with some blonde actor who played the lame Camilo in Fuerza Del Destino,.
 

Fatima, though who knows the mind of a murderer, even one out of passion, I'll take a stab based on what I've observed about Esteban. I do believe Esteban deeply loved and respected Cris. Partly because Cris loved him back unconditionally, and he'd never experienced that; partly from desire, and that desire came to fruition; and partly because Cris was an anchor for an otherwise untethered boat. His ability to compartmentalize the murder of Alonso as a means to an end and the fact it was a perfect murder, allowed him otherwise to carry on with as close an approximation of a normal life as he could have ever imagined. I also think, had he not been tempted by a younger hotter version of Cris he needed to win over, he and Cris would be married still. The guy never had a wandering eye till Acacia.

 

Anon 2:25 – thank you SO MUCH for telling us the original ending of the play. I was trolling the web to find out what it was, with no luck. The original ending is brilliant, and makes all the earlier pieces fall into place, much better than our ending which was telenoveled-up with justice for evil doers and all kinds of redemptions and reconciliations.

Also, I just got it! The hacienda is la Buenavente (sp?) and the writer is Jacinto Benevente. And San Jacinto is nearby in our show. Probably this was discussed earlier when I wasn’t reading the recaps.

I’m going to be checking out the 10 o’clock show as I love a lot of the actors in it. I hope somebody posts a discussion link. I used to recap, but I don’t recall anymore how to post a link.
 

Vivi and Gloria, you closed out this TN with fantastic style. Thanks so much for taking time and great care to cover crucial conversations in detail. I watched the unedited version online but couldn’t catch everything.

Vivi, Gloria, and Diana – Recappers Extraordinaire! You made this so much fun. I will miss reading your writing, but I’m glad you’ll have some rest time before you decide to recap the next great TN, wherever it is.

Enjoying all the comments, especially on Acacia. She never said she didn’t love Esteban when Cris asked, so I’m assuming that she did love him or thought she loved him at the time. I see Acacia visiting Esteban as a way to get closure. Maybe her psychologist advised the visit. She wanted to see if she still felt something for him, and I don’t think she did. Before, she thought he was a great man. Now she could confirm that he’s just a weasel and egotist. ITA that it’s strange that she didn’t bring up his killing her dad.

Funniest moments: (1) Danilo telling the detective that he wanted the women who attacked him to be arrested. (2) Juliana putting up with her very gross date because he’s got money. (3) German pointing out to whining Juliana that nope she hadn’t been a housewife because her hired housekeepers did all that work.

I was so satisfied with Danilo’s takedown by the ladies Thursday night that his getting torched in prison threw me. Too horrible, I had to look away. But at least now Memo will have peace as he serves his time in prison. I’ve forgiven Memo. His love for Perla is true and it seems he’s found religion in prison.

Norberto and Juana, good luck to them. She likes to flirt with good-looking young guys (German, Uli, and Manuel could attest to that), but I guess she’ll tone that down now that she’s marrying Norb. Maybe they'll have matching bling.

I wish they had given us a bigger time leap, so we could see Cris visiting Hector in Italy. I’m glad Uli forgave Acacia for both their sakes. Like many, I’m not sure if they’ll be together in the long run but after the horrible mistake Acacia made, she’s a stronger person and maybe is worthy of Uli.

This was a fine TN. I stayed interested in all the storylines throughout the whole run.
 

Niecie, I also would have loved a glimpse into the future to see Hector and Cris together. How wonderful that would have been.

How interesting that Esteban and Danilo, who pursued and hungered over the youth and beauty of Acacia and Ale had the objects of their obsession reject them, yet Norberto, who ended up yearning for companionship and love was the one who ended up with the young, loving Juana.

Diana
 

I know I should probably disapprove of the Norb-Juana relationship, but it just makes the both so darned happy, I say more power to them. I thought it was funny when she was so delighted to become a young grandma when Luisa said Norb could be part of the baby's life. We already know she doesn't want any kids of her own when she expressed her feelings of being burned out on kids after taking care of her many younger siblings.
 

Agreed Vivi!

Norberto and Juana in theory are just so wrong but somehow, they seems to work. I think they will be good for each other.

I also enjoyed that Norberto seemed to welcome Perla into the fold. His class conscious snobbery seems to be well behind him. He has changed and evolved more than any other character here.

Diana
 

Okay now, things I loved about the ending:

The German/Ale wedding. I wish we’d gotten to see more so we could really luxuriate in it.
Uli and Acacia not ending up together
The hacienda being sold (unusual choice for a telenovela)
Chris and Hector with a future down the road
Memo and Perla waiting for each other
Ale’s brother getting a proper burial

What I loved about the whole telenovela:

Complex characters, particularly Rubio
Challenging subject matter
Strong women
The beautiful hacienda
The beautiful title song
Stupendous acting. I particularly loved these performances (yes, I know the names of the actors, but just in case people reading the comments don’t have the names down pat, I’ll use the character names)
Danilo – deserves an award. Brilliant
Rubio
Norberto
Manuel
Ale
Perla
Louisa

I also enjoyed Christina – I admired her beauty, and I was very grateful for her clear diction so I was able to get every word she said without need of captions, no matter how fast she talked, no matter how loud the music was.

The German actor has tremendous warmth and appeal, not to mention amazing looks. He does need to add a little middle ground to his acting (less is sometimes more) but he’s young and I’m sure will grow as he gets more parts, which I’m sure he will.
 

Haven't read all the comments and I'm watching the unedited version on line now -- what a difference!

Anywho -- I'm good with the finale and will definitely watch alternate endings -- those are always fun. Glad they opted not to have all the fairy tale endings. Even though there is still an opening for Acacia and Ulises to end up together in the future, I'm so glad they didn't do so now. ugh.

So upset they interspersed the wedding with Dan's anvil scenes - stooopid.

I really liked this one, it's just too bad they went with the unfortunate decision to edit the hell out of it.
 

Maggie- Loved all your loves. ITA with your acting picks, but I really thought this whole cast did a great job and worked well together.

For those who stayed away because you thought this would be a typical Victoria Ruffo crying mother role, you missed out. She played Cris as strong, dignified, and lovely.
 

You couldn'tve said it better Vivi.

This role TOTALLY redeems her for that role she played in Corona de Lagrimas. Even the theme song said it; her alma is a manantial. More like her tear ducts are Niagara Falls.

I will remember this novela fondly.
 

Countx---the actor you're talking about who was Camilo in LFdD is Gabriel Soto. And Zuria was just in Que Pobres Tan Ricos with Jaime Camil.
 

Vivi –

I thought the whole cast was tremendous, which is excellent for a telenovela. Usually there are a number of weak links, but not this in this one. I just listed my tip-top faves, the ones that had me thinking “wow” when I watched them go at it.

My only gripe is the Esteban actor, and I’ve already ragged enough on that poor guy.
 

Countx – I loved Zuria in Que Pobres, and she’s one of the reasons I’m going to check out the new show.
 

I just had a HUGE post just disappear! I've had probs with reCAPTCHA all morning and now this evening.

Is anyone having this problem?

Fatima
 

Fatima- Here is your disappeared post. I haven't seen any other post disappear today.

Fatima said:

Vivi in DC, loved this: "but fine with us not getting the typical metiche priest." AMEN to that! Plus, they are usually of NO help. Also NONE of the lies that are protected behind the doors of the confessional. We didn't get that!! Glory Hallelujah!!

tofie, absolutely agree with your points.

Maggie, I am in total agreement with your list.

Anon up there who gave us the ending of the play: thank you. I have to go read this play.

I think Vivi should lead a book club sort of group where we read the books/plays that are inspiration for some of the TN.

Do all of you think this has been one of Victoria Ruffo's best roles? She handled it so well. I loved her in this; absolutely loved her.

Susanlynn, I remain bothered by the fact that Alonso's death got such short shrift. That was probably the only unsatisfying point for me. It was too close to the end and we didn't see Cris and/or Acacia truly get to take in this fact.

How I wish that we could see all of the actors on some TV show where they would discuss their feelings about their parts, etc.

I especially liked the fat that G Garcia-Cantu was not given some over the top villain part. His acting was superb and the fact that the character was allowed to evolve and mature was icing on the cake!

In the midst of all that I have done today, I am STILL thinking about this TN. This one really made me feel like the characters were people I wanted to continue getting to know.

Fatima


Posted by Anonymous to Caray, Caray! at Sat Jan 17, 07:43:00 PM EST
 

Let me see if I can try this again:

Vivi: loved this: "but fine with us not getting the typical metiche priest" AMEN to that! Plus, no stories or lies hiding behind the security of the confessional!!! Glory Hallelujah!

tofie: totally agree with your points above.

Maggie: In total agreement with your list.

Anon up there who provided us with the ending of the play. Thank you for that! I want to read this play and will be on my "to do" list.

Vivi in DC should lead a book club for books that are used as the basis for some of these TN.

Susanlynn, it still bothers me that Alonso's death was given such short shrift. Cris and Acacia both needed to take in the magnitude of this.

After a busy day, I am STILL thinking about this TN. I wish we could see a gathering of the cast and hear their takes on this TN. It would be Absolutely Fabulous!

Fatima...who does not want this to come to an end.

 

Oh my gosh, Vivi! Thank you! I just double posted, but had to get all of those "feelings" out.

I don't trust this CAPTCHA thing today.

Fatima
 

No worries Fatima. I made sure to select to receive all the comments in email today since I didn't want to miss a thing, or see anyone's comments go to waste.
 

Added a few more screen shots.
 

My comment disappeared! But I just really want to thank all of you guys. I enjoyed reading your recaps and comments. Kudos! Hugs and kisses!!!. I enjoyed all the actors and actresses too. They did good job. Well worth watching this grim novella. Love all the endings last night and the three others. Happy about the tn justice that went with this story. Anne
 

The recaping of Que Te Perdone Dios begins on Tuesday right?I planned to recap La Sombra Del Pasado but since it did not air yet in the United States,its kind of purposless.. This is like one of the first time for that a telenovela airs first here and not in Mexico or were there any other novelas like that?
 

Im on for the first episode CountxAlacran. I volunteered way back when recappers were being requested.
 

Ah okay thats nice,I too would love to recap but since i watch episodes online,the recaps would always be delayed since from what i recall,Episode 1 hits on online websites on Late Monday/Tuesday so if i would have to recap the Tuesday episode,i would have to wait 1 day for it to air so i can watch it.That would kind of sound ridiciulous for me but since i do not have these channels at home my only hope is to watch on the websites .

Coupled with the ridiclous time slot,it does not help much,i even wonder who is going to watch the episodes at such late hours? I wish you the best of luck CorazonSalvaje!
 

Off Topic-

Corazon- Did you get in touch with and correspond with Jane about the new tn? She's the only one who can set up a label for it and put it on the sidebar. If I recall correctly, you are the only one who volunteered to recap it, so it might not be worth it for you to make the effort.
 

Anne- I just tried to find your disappeared comment but didn't see it. It must have gone to some unknown Blogger vortex. Thank you for your kind comment.
 

Vivi, thanks for more screenshots. That last pic of German and Ale is perfect.

Maggie, ITA with your list of sensational performances.

My 2 cents on Cris and Este. I do believe he loved Cris for those first 10 years. He was content with their life together and at first did feel bad when his feelings moved to her daughter. It's sad that Cris now feels those 10 years of her life were all a lie. But then if she realized her husband's killer did love her that wouldn't be a comfort either. Cris is a good, strong women with close friends and family (I'm including Acacia now) and she will get through this.
 

Vivi,i also volunteered and talked to Jane. I guess Wendsday episodes would be good for me because on Thursday i have time to spare .To recap the Tuesday episodes would be impossible for me,i always end up ending School late. In the end ,even if i dont get selected ,i will keep an eye on the novela because the cast selection seems nice although i was a bit dissapointed with how Robo turned out and hopefully Ms Medina does not mess up with this new novela which includes such a Massive cast..
 

I am a very greedy individual.

The bitter truth?

For months I've been yammering that all I wanted was for Ale and German to be together, complete with the fairy tale ever after.

When that happened, I was delighted. But, the happiness that should have occurred was obliterated by seeing Danilo intermittently lit up like a torch.

In mulling everything over the past 12 hours, I realized that having Cris and Hector share a similar happy fate was almost as important. A one way ticket was not my vision for the ending.

I realize of course that the way everything was revealed - in typical TN fashion, occurring at the 11th hour, this could not have ended another way.

There is still a lingering sadness today that selfishly, I did not get everything I wanted.

Greedy Diana
 

OFF TOPIC- Perdone Dios:

Corazon and Countx- You might want to contact Jane again to make sure you're all set up to post for the new tn, and exchange email addresses with each other, since it seems like you two will be the only ones on the team. Countx- If you volunteered, you're selected. The process isn't more complicated than that. :)
 

LOL, Diana! Just think about that smile on Cris' lips when Hector gave her that ticket, and believe it WILL happen. I would have actually lost respect for Cris if she had immediately jumped into a relationship with Hector after going through all of that with her husband-- her first husband's murderer. Girlfriend needs some time to be by herself and decompress.
 

And Vivi, the shot of Luisa and Ale was my favorite, although the Norberto/Andres shot was a close second.

The picture of Juliana and her expression was priceless

Diana
 

"Girlfriend needs some time to be by herself and decompress".

Of course you are right Vivi, but I am going to cling to the vision n my mind's eye that theirs is an equally happy ending. I agree, that smile she gave him said it all!

Diana
 

Diana- I also like that shot of Luisa and Ale. Luisa hugging Ale with her head on her shoulder, happy for her friend, but sad she's leaving. Friends and sisters.
 

Susanlynn - I meant to say earlier that I am also flabbergasted that the revelation that Esteban killed Alonso was just a throw away line.

And the fact that Esteban killed Alonso makes me think that he never genuinely loved Cris.
 

"Greedy" Diana - Thanks, Diana. That's my lol for the morning!

Sara - In an earlier episode, at the tomb of Alonso, Esteban is talking to himself about how he killed Alonso because Cris deserved better. To Esteban, Alonso was too stupid to know Norberto was screwing him over and he (Esteban) who would take much better care of Cris. So Viewerville is to believe he killed Alonso because the wanted Cris and Benavente.
 

Ah! I missed that. Still sounds a little creepy. Lol
 

Just by the very fact that it was the last big reveal meant that we were never going to see a lot of mulling over the fact that Este killed Al. When he revealed it to Cris and Acacia, you could see the look of revulsion and horror on their faces, and Acacia clutched her stomach like she was going to vomit, then attacked Esteban in a rage. That's when he grabbed her, Norb showed, and the standoff began. Not a lot of time to stand around discussing Al's murder. When Acacia goes to see Este, she told him he would rot there for the lives (Al and Manuel) he's taken.
 

Sara- He said that at Al's tomb and this episode when he reveals the truth to Cris. He didn't think Al deserved Cris and was obsessed with Cris, just like he is now obsessed with Acacia and killed her unworthy husband.

Can a murderous madman love? I don't know. But if he can, then yes, I believe he loved Cris, or the closest thing to it that he's capable of.
 

Sara, I woke up this morning thinking about this TN (yes, can you believe it?!).

The revelation that Esteban killed Alonso should not have been an afterthought at the 11th hour. This bombshell should have really put the whole picture here in a much better light. This bombshell deserved the nuance it did not receive.

Yes, I pick over and over again on nuance, but it is nuance that makes for an interesting story and makes us think. I suppose that is why I am such a fan of Henry James.

Cris should have received this news about Esteban being Alonso's killer another way. Just think of the impact on both Acacia and Cris.

I will grant that those 10 years seemed happy years, but I think that a love that is attached to murder and a love that is attached to something that is coveted is not love.

For all of his crying at the end for Acacia in that jailbird scene, Esteban, in my view, does not comprehend love. He understands desire and the desire to covet what is not or should not be his, but he does not know love.

Esteban was not a blood relative of Acacia. He was her step-father. So, I'm not clear why this is incest in the truest sense. What is morally wrong? Yes, absolutely, but if I had been Cris, I think the knowledge that I had lived with and loved a man who had murdered the man I truly loved, that would have been the bigger bombshell for me. I could also have much better understood the events leading up to the Acacia misadventure especially given Acacia's weak character.

I so hope that my message is not lost.

Fatima
 

Fatima- ITA with all you said. But think of it like this, was it more important that the audience see Cris work through a murder from the past committed by a man she would have no future dealings with, or that the time be spent seeing how she would come to terms with the daughter who will be in her life for the rest of her life? The mother- daughter relationship was and would always be the most important one here and the relationship the writers chose to focus on in the finale.
 

Vivi, give our 11th hour time constraints, I would agree that the mother/daughter relationship would have taken much more importance. Like Diana, I am GREEDY and wanted the murder revelation to come much sooner.

Also like Diana, the burning of Danilo forced me to look away from the TV and then made it a wee bit difficult to fully enjoy the wedding we all wanted to see.

I had hoped Danilo would have just ended up in solitary confinement so that we didn't have to see the usual brutal prison murder scene.

German and Ale's wedding was so beautiful and I feel ripped off that I didn't get to see it all! I so loved that her dress was not some over the top wacko number. It was an Ale dress and the couple was just beautiful together.

Fatima
 

I think the eleventh hour also goes against my TN "training." That's the sort of confession that gets all kinds of time and lines. It's what I'm used to. This off hand confession is just another example of the originality of this TN.

The blurted confession was not typical, but it did fit. It only seemed weird to me because it's not the typical drawn out reveal and in the context of the mother daughter story it really isn't that important how Alonso died.
 

That should be eleventh hour confession.
 

Fatima, as usual, you make excellent points.

Indeed, the Alonso murder should have been brought out sooner. But the only way that would have occurred was for Rubio to be pressured into divulging that revelation but his incarceration was brief so there would have been no reason for him to tell. The only other way that this would ever have been revealed was by Esteban himself under the dire circumstances that did occur.

The fact this key information came so late was a shame.

The quick and almost intolerable fast and furious sequence of events was enough to break anyone. Cris was trying to deal with Manuel's murder and on the heels of this tragic event, received the stunning admittance of Acacia's betrayal. The third blow was trying to digest the fact Esteban murdered Manuel!

Processing this will be difficult for both Cris and Acacia. I suspect Acacia's guilt will be almost impossible to deal with. she betrayed her mother with her father's killer. It appeared though she will survive. Thankfully, Cris is strong and will survive after she comes to terms with this terrible truth.

I feel a bit differently about Esteban and Acacia's father/daughter relationship. Esteban may not have been Acacia's biological father, but he was her father in every other sense other than blood relation. There is an implicit trust that a child in any home will be loved and protected in the proper manner. I believe that in the moral and ethical sense, Este did engage in incestuous behavior.

I agree with you amiga that Esteban did not know how to love. He fed on Cris' love and support and may have had some genuine feelings toward her, but not love in the sense as most of us denote the word to mean.

Diana
 

Yeah, I would have preferred that the prison murder came before the wedding scenes. But as someone mentioned before, they were actually happy with it, driving home the poetic justice theme. But I am happy that Dan was killed by his drug dealer buddies. It was no surprise, since we knew from the beginning he was ticking off a lot of powerful people in the trade. Plus, with him still spewing threats in prison, I would worry that he would eventually be able to engineer some sort of revenge plot. I did not feel bad for his gruesome death at all.
 

Unlike most of you I did not like this novela not at all. I had never seen CM before and I did not take to him.that said, I read the recaps religiously. I want to thank Vivi, Diana, who made that possible. I miss Madelaine. Thank you so much.
Romy
 

Diana, amiga, your point is well taken re the incestuous relationship between Esteban and Acacia. I was seeing it only in the definition of the word, but you are correct, he failed Acacia on the points you mention above.

I also agree with you that the one who will be able to move forward more quickly will be Cris. She is a rational and thinking woman. Acacia...well...hard to say, but I think we could write a book on Acacia and how her actions affected so many.

Rubio. Fabian Robles played him well. Today, my mind is STILL stuck on that image of him walking away from Cris before her bonfire starts. I'm telling you, something happened there.

Fatima
 

Romy- Thanks for dropping in and joining the discussion many times, despite not liking this tn. It was always great to see you here.
 

Offtopic:
Here is my synopsis of QPD if anyone wishes to see.I will also try to get the synopsis on this website as well by contacting Jane .
http://countxqueteperdonedios.blogspot.com/2015/01/que-te-perdone-dios.html

Ontopic: I do believe Este loved Cristina but if Acacia never arrived,his secret would have been revealed.He never treated her bad or gave her harm until his new obsession arrived to shift things to the wrong direction.Of course that does not justify the murder since he destroyed the life of Cristina and took away Acacias father just to have both of them for himself.
 

Wouldnt have been revealed*
 

Fatima, I also loved Fabian Robles. He's been memorable in every role I've seen him in.

If you have never seen Guapos and have the chance to do so, please keep an eye out for him! He had all too brief a role, playing the ex-husband of Acacia there, and was blood chilling.

Diana
 

Romy, your comments and presence are appreciated, especially as you did not care for this TN.

Hopefully, we can all talk more elsewhere. And soon.

Diana
 

Well, here it is Sunday, and we are still dissecting this ferric novela.

I figured that Este would be revealed as Alonso's killer late in the game either by cornered Rubio or by Este himself. What I cannot understand is that there were no conversations about this shocking bit of news . We never got to see recations from JC, Helena, or Hector. Really ? Wouldn't Cris and Ack be going over and over this horrible news with everyone they loved who knew Alonso?
Cris is one of those women who has been through so much but remains on her feet....the death of her young husband, financial trouble, miscarriage, the death of her godson, betrayed by her second husband and daughter. I have friends who have and are dealing with so many hard situations..divorce, illness, illness of parents, siblings, children, spouses, in-laws, children with drug and alcohol problems.Cris is a role model for anyone trying to cope with life's problems.
 

Terrific...not ferric
 

Let's face it, este is a sick guy with severe mental problemd....narcisstic? A sociopath? obsessive? He was obsessed first with Cris and then the newer model Ack. Obsession is not love. For ten years, he managed to live a ''normal'' life after getting Cris...then everything started to unravel when Ack showed up and his obsessiveness emerged once again. sometimes people with emotional problems can mask those problems for awhile until something or someone sets their problems off again.
 

He was a character that was constantly devolving which started when he decided that getting rid of Alonso was the only way to obtain Cristina,the love of his life.He was a master manipulator but he was not over the top with his wife and was not abusive.He was a obsessive,sociopathic and manipulative indvindidual but he was not on the level of Danilo .
 

Dear Diana...Let's make our own happy ending...
It is one year after the finale. Ale and German have traveled to Italy to join Cris and Hector at a new exposition in Florence to showcase German's paintings , many featuring Ale as his muse, and Cris's photographs which have a new richness and power. JC and Helena have traveled from Mexico to attend. This loving group enjoys delicious meals and wonderful adventures together. Cris and Hector act like young lovers as they serve as guides to all the beautiful locales in and around Tuscany....fine art, music, good wine. LIfe is good, these folks feel blessed and hopeful.
 

Susanlynn- Love that one year later scenario. :)
 

Vivi...I love Italy. One of my fondest memories is when hub, older daughter, and I spent a week in Florence while younger daughter was studying there for a semester. One night, the girls went to a concert with friends and hub and I were on our own. After a delicious dinner and a little wine in a tiny tratorria, we walked to the Arno River and sat on a bench outside the Uffizi museum as a guy played the violin...the warm night sky was full of stars . I cried..it was such a perfect moment. That is one of my most precious memories. Life is sometimes painful and hard, but it is also beautiful, and Cris seems to be a strong, confident, loving woman who believes this. That is why I picture Cris and Hector reliving their youthful romance in Florence.
 

Susanlynn- Florence is also one of my favorite cities. I went with my best friend from college years ago, and we just loved being surrounded by so much history, art, and beauty.
 

Vivi...Yes, the whole city is like a museum. I like to picture Hector and Cris there and also traveling to visit Ale and German in Spain and going to a place I have always dreamed of going...Paris. I like to think of these characters who have all been through so much trouble and pain, especially Ale and Cris, going on with their lives and enjoying the good and beautiful things of life. Cris burned her box of memories of her life with Este and called her life ashes, but I like to think of her rising like the phoenix out of those ashes and going on with a new lease on life with her photography, family, and friends..new experiences and adventures.and ideally as the beau of her youth Hector as more than a friend. Hector obviously has never stopped loving Cris and carrying a torch for her all these years. Forgiving her daughter is necessary because Ack is also a victim of Este just as she, Alonso, and Manuel are victims. Forgiveness is hard but necessary for people to move on. Therefore, Ack should be there with the happy group celebrating German and Cris's work in Florence.
 

OH MY GOSH! The weekend is more than half gone and I haven't finished all 141 comments yet. I'm not a speed reader but will read every comment. Everyone's opinions matter.

As most of you guys out on the patio know, the gringo is pretty easy going. After all, I held on to support of CI when most everyone berated it. So---You won't get any controversial comments from me. Besides I loved La Malquerida as did all of you.

How can I add anything new to all of the comments ahead of me?
Anyway I have almost two pages of thoughts written down so I will share a few of them now.

I'm pretty much in agreement with
the ending with the possible exception that it seemed to me the writers were trying to get us to believe that Ulises and Acacia would at some point probably marry. I love you, I have always loved you---I sorry that I didn't believe in you, please forgive me. Hugs and kisses. I will have to look at it again but it seemed to me that a future marriage is where they were going. I'm not sure that I would have gone along with that. Friends yes but a future marriage?

I have not seen the alternate endings but read them from the recap---I guess that I would have left the ending the way that it was presented to us.

With every book or show, there is bound to be differences of opinions. That's fine, everyone does not think alike. While reading the comments(I still have about forty to go) several have said---Why did Acacia go to the jail to talk with Esteban? It seems so obvious to me. Now lets see---Manuel Acacia's childhood friend and husband was murdered, Ulises was almost killed while in jail, Acacia herself was shot and could have died. On top of all that, because of Esteban's lust for her, (he led her on and she reciprocated) she almost lost the
love of her mother and the rest of her family. On top of all that, Esteban in a moment of desperation, admits to killing Alonso Acacia's beloved father. Some have said (Tofie, Fatima) that deep down she probably still loved or at least cared for him. Others have used the word closure. I'm not sure that is the right word. So what does the gringo think? I think that with all of the time she was lying in the hospital bed after being shot, she had plenty of time to think. Probably after thinking of all that had transpired, she, Acacia was mad as hell and wanted to tell him off, give him all of the vehemence that she had built up inside of her. It was the perfect time and place. Acacia knew that while in jail Esteban would not be able to grab her and force unwanted kisses onto her. He was in jail paying for his crimes, all the evil that he had done and that little short jail visit was her way of making him pay even more. Still loved him? Closure, I don't think so. Acacia was sticking the knife into him with her words, it was her way of getting back at him for nearly ruining her life.
What love or possible love that she had for him had now turned to hate. Suffer you bastard, I never want to see you again.
the gringo

 

Yay! Gringo is here! Keep sharing, Gringo. I live your take on why Acacia went to see Este.
 

That's love.
 

Greetings to All, I wanted to stop in and see how the story ended. Many thanks to the terrific recappers who make this possible. I know the amount of time this takes and you all did such a good job I could follow and recall most of the characters. I started watching the story a long time ago, but quite honestly, the actor that played Esteban was soooo bad, my teeth were on edge. It seemed fitting he turned out to be a bad guy, I suppose, because as a romantic lead, no way. The guy who played Hector has been on other novelas with Victoria R. Nice to see him as a good guy this time. I
was impressed that J Castro managed to do a good job at pulling the story together. The comments indicate it was a decent novela after all. A grand salud to the recappers and an extra special salad to the wonderful Madeline who moved on far too soon. SALUD!!
 

Gringo..very good points about the reasons for Ack's visit to Este. Did she mention his murder of her dad while she was telling him off ? I would think that would be high on the list of things to confront him with.
 

Several have said that they didn't
like the wedding between German and Alejandra, the wedding that ALL, yes we ALL were anxiously waiting for being interrupted by DevilDan being torched while serving time in jail. I immediately agreed. I wanted to see more of their wedding. Thanks for cheating us Univision! Shouts of bad editing rose up from the patio. I joined shouting my displeasure of Univision. Then some suggested that Uni may have been trying to show us that the love between Alejandra and German that Danilo tried so hard to stop
couldn't be stopped and that the love between Ale and German would go on while Danilo's evil would not. Different points of view. If Univision had not chopped LM to pieces toward the end, we could have seen more of the beautiful wedding. It would have been better if we had been shown the wedding first and then the demise of DevilDan instead of interspersing the two very different scenes.

You guys all know that Luisa was the gringo's favorite. Anti bangs comments were sometimes posted but the gringo loved Luisa's country girl look. She was cute and just adorable in her simple country style. But---did Luisa
ROCK the bangs in her new uptown look at the wedding? WOW!!! You go girl. Your uptown bangs looked fantastic. You rocked those bangs like they had never been rocked before.

I'm glad that Acacia was there. Bridesmaid?
the gringo
 

I am actually liking how they punished Danilo and that it was between the wedding,for the same reasons Gringo has told us,the happiness goes on while Dany is receiving Judgment at the same time.And it was a fitting punishment,much more than Pedro Medina who is one of the most evil villians in history of novelas only received a small beating in the end although the beatings might have lasted forever,until his death who knows,maybe it was a small portion of what we seen.
 

Vivi, TF, Niece Diana, Susanlynn & to the CarayCaray community, thank you for your thoughts, prayers and condolences. You don't know how much I appreciate it. You all have helped me through my grieving process.

Hasta pronto!

P.s. I will comment once I have finished reading the comments.
 

Romy
Even though you didn't like Christian Meier in this Novela, I would highly recommend that you watch him in "Zorro, la Espada y la Rosa". GREAT ENTERTAINING, FUN NOVELA

He was fantastic in that Novela which is why I didn't watch LM to see him turned into an incestuous SOB.
 

I'm going to try and ramble a bit with one eye on the football game and one eye on the computer. I often make mistakes when I write but if I do this time, well it's because of the football. It's not my fault ok?

Recappers---Your high standards of
excellence (thanks Diana) was better than Univision's standards
which are definitely not high standards. I sent a comment to them for what they chopped on Thursday and they will also get one for Friday's chop job.

Maggie--- Thanks for giving us info on a Televisa lawsuit against Univision. I wonder why Televisa still sells their novelas to Univision?

Some comments that I liked---Vivi,
I agree with you about the interaction of the patriarch and the matriarch. Well said.

Vivi again---you liked the real portrayal of real friendships between women and women, men and men, men and women, young and older. Yes these were great portrayal's of friendships that the writers gave us. Not much phony baloney in this one. Just a great story with great writing and superb acting all around. The
actors brought this story to reality. Big as life reality.

And yes Fatima---This one showed that Ruffo can do more than cry.
Thank God there wasn't much of her crying in this story.

Fatima---You said "I don't think a
novela has touched me in so many ways as this one did." The gringo says how could it not? Such a great story, complex but also so real with true to life situations. I think that La Malquerida has touched us all.



 

Oh Susanlynn, your ending would have been heaven!

"Cris and Hector at a new exposition in Florence to showcase German's paintings , many featuring Ale as his muse, and Cris's photographs which have a new richness and power".

Just lovely! Thank you - your words made me smile and believe.

Diana
 

Susanlynn, my eyes misted over when I read "After a delicious dinner and a little wine in a tiny tratorria, we walked to the Arno River and sat on a bench outside the Uffizi museum as a guy played the violin...the warm night sky was full of stars . I cried..it was such a perfect moment. That is one of my most precious memories".

What a wonderful adventure and it seems the trip of a lifetime!

We must savor the special things in life as we are able. Such opportunities may never come again.

Diana
 

gringo, you continue to add such interesting, rich comments.

You presented a point of view that had not occurred to me: "Acacia was sticking the knife into him with her words, it was her way of getting back at him for nearly ruining her life. What love or possible love that she had for him had now turned to hate".

Very powerful, fully fleshed out words, offering a perspective I had not considered.

I am still not sure what on earth motivated Acacia to go there but I will mull your words over carefully as I ponder the reasons.

Diana
 

I don't think that I have ever seen a novela that didn't end with at least one or two loose strings left hanging. So what happened to Rubio has been asked?
I think that the writers have left Rubio up to our imaginations.
Or maybe Rubio was in one of Univision's cut scenes. Anyway---
I think that Vivi said it well. He
will end up an alcoholic bum, sleeping on the streets somewhere and singing his little ditties for a few pesos, for booze? Vivi also suggested that he could land on his feet somewhere else and continue to scam and scheme. I think that this is the most likely. Think about it. Rubio was the foreman on the biggest and best rancho in the area. He wouldn't have any trouble finding work on another ranch, however his character most likely will not change. He is not all that nice of a guy. He most likely would continue to do what he does best, size up a situation, gather up information and sell it for whatever price he can get for it.
that's my guess anyway.

 

Vivi & Gloria,
I have no words to express how wonderfully delightful your final recap is. Thank you for dedication to this community. I know Madelaine would agree that you went above and beyond expectations. I also want to include Diana, who stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. Thank you, Diana for your hard work.

I can live with ths finale. I watched the alternate endings, except the one where Ack dies, I can't find it on YouTube. Even though Uli forgave Ack, they didn't ride off together, so it was ok. Although I would have preferred Ack to stay totally alone.

I could not believe how Ack was trying to justify her relationship with Este to her mother. She has some nerve. She tried to be the victim. She forgot to tell her mom how she often instigated the makeout sessions, and met Este in his hotel room, or the barn. She forgot about those longing stares she and Este shared. How she couldn't resist Este's caresses. How she told Este that she would take the risk and be with him. During Ack's confession she said she was not competing with her mother, but I think it kind of was. Remember how jealous she got when Este got back together with Cris. Ack was so envious. She had to prove to herself that Este still wanted her and not her mother. And when she did she was proud of herself.

More on Ack later.

I loved Ale's dress and the ceremony. I watched the unedited version online. The part that kind of irked me was when Ack strolled in. Did she really need to make a big entrance? Seriously? This was Ale and German's moment. She could have just walked in and sat down. Or here's a thought, how about making it on time! Sorry, rant over. But I did love Ale and German. My favorite couple.

The only thing known about Rubio was that he left town. He told Este on his last visit that he was high tailing it out of there.

More later, gotta run to the store.
 

Gringo- The only flaw in that plan for Rubio getting a job with another big hacienda is that he's a wanted man. Not easy to get recommendations or use your real name when your former employers hate you and the police want you.
 

Vivi...I missed the fact that Rubio is wanted by the police. I thought he was left out of jail.

AuntyAnn..Love your comments on Ack's true feelings and actions regarding Este. I, too, did not like the way she was yelling at her mother and spinning the whole mess to put herself as the victim.She should have been contrite and not tried to push some of the blame on the true victim ...her mother.
 

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to recap this novela. I loved the cast and the story. I will miss this fine group. Thanks to Vivi and Diana.
 

Vivi---I guess that I missed that.
Rubio a wanted man? That must have gone over my head. I would guess that the police would want to talk to him to learn all that they could about the past events but I didn't know that there were actually charges filed against him. What did the police want him for, aiding and abetting? As I said, I must have been concentrating on other parts of the show. I know that JC didn't like him or think highly of Rubio as a foreman but what did Cris have against him?

Susanlynn---You asked if Acacia mentioned Alonso during her jailhouse rant to Esteban? I don't remember. There was so much going on Friday noche. I will have to go back and read the recap again to be able to take everything in, but not now. Will have to save that for a later time.

I'm not sure but I believe that Acacia's redemption with her mother Cris started when Eatebad came back to Benavente to get Acacia to run away with him. As we all remember Acacia strongly resisted and an argument royal started with Cristina standing behind the big Aloe Vera plant listening to what was being said.
I think that was a changing point between mother and daughter. I'll
have to re-read the recap but as I was watching Friday night it seemed to me to be a turning point.
the gringo

 

Vivi and Gloria, a masterpiece!!
Loved it so very much.

However, I hope that with Uli going to Chile and Aca going to Italy, they never get together. I'm hoping for "out of sight, out of mind" happens to Uli and he meets a lovely young lady worthy of him. I really don't care what happens to Aca...of course, not die. Meet someone else perhaps and give him the business. Maybe the writers want us to hope that what we want best happens.

Ann-NYC

 

AuntyAnn: "She forgot to tell her mom how she often instigated the makeout sessions, and met Este in his hotel room, or the barn. She forgot about those longing stares she and Este shared. How she couldn't resist Este's caresses. How she told Este that she would take the risk and be with him".

Your words painted the true, painful picture. Very well said. I think Acacia's words left much to the imagination. Seeing what actually transpired was startling. Perhaps it was best Acacia was vague.

On a personal note, I continue to wish you and your family solace and comfort.

So glad you were part of our community here.

Diana
 

Just finished the finale, and even though it was edited, woah! still so intense.

Since I heard they were making this novela back in March 2014 I was obsessed with watching it. When it started on Univison, I was so excited and thankfully I made the right decision in watching it.

Never did it let me down, it was always exciting, moving, intense, tragic, dark, true to life, and the best thing about it were the friendships as many of you have said.

I loved that these characters talked to each other, that men and women could be friends without romantic feelings and that women weren't trying to backstab each other under the disguise of friendship.

I liked that it dealt with a harsh topic that many never dare touch and it's one of the few that got more intense in the final episodes as opposed to losing steam into nonsense (the fact that it was only 5 months helped).

The acting and characterizations were always on point and surprising especially Norberto and Manuel (still so sad he was hacked away as he finally started to be a better person)

I especially enjoyed Danilo's ending and the fact that while Alejandra married a man who loved her and walked off into the sunset, he (metaphorically and literally) burned in his own person hell.

Cristina and Hector (hope for the future), the same with Acacia and Ulises and Perla finally being loyal to a man who's worth it and will treat her like a queen when he gets out.

La Malquerida was truly a masterpiece.
 

One final thing: seeing mother and daughter walking hand in hand as FIN flashed across the screen was so great. One of the most original I've seen.
 

Superalfie- So glad to see you here for the finale, and that you enjoyed this tn so much. ITA about the last shot of mother and daughter hand and hand. That was more evidence to me that this was the "couple" the writers were most invested in the finale. I was happy for both of their sakes, that they could be at peace with each other.
 

Vivi:

They truly were. The writer Ximena Suarez always works with Jose Alberto Castro (and they work the best together when they're novelas are 5-6 months)

Despite all the tragedy in this finale (and the whole novela in general) I've never felt warmer inside during a finale. Maybe because the good guys ended happy without it being overly cheesy and the bad guys got massive karma anvils.

I'm am extremely satisfied right now.
 

gringo! I've just arrived home and where is the first place I go check on my computer?! yes, our little slice of heaven on the web!

You know, gringo, you bring up such a well thought out idea as to why Acacia went to visit Esteban. I think you have a very valid point there which I will ponder...and, yes, Luisa did rock her uptown bangs. :)

Susanlynn, your ending for what happens with our special couples one year from now is absolutely perfect. In fact, I think the writers would write it this way as well.

I think Vivi said this (I've gone back to try to find out for sure, but I cannot find the comments), but I don't think Uli and Acacia will get together in the future. I think it will be one of those "first love" kind of things and they won't go back to each other. They both need so much time and space to recover from their separate ordeals. When they are both finally whole again, I think the intensity of their initial feelings will have past and they will find new people.

In real life, I would hope that both Cris and Acacia would get counseling just so that they can talk openly about their feelings in a safe and protected way. Aunty Ann brings up such a huge point re Acacia and her actions. Acacia needs to take a closer look at her motivations here.

I also have to say that when I saw Acacia walking in on JC's arm at the wedding, it almost felt that she was taking away a good chunk of attention away from Ale; our dear sweet and long suffering Ale who deserved to have her day as her own. Another good point, there Aunty Ann.

We are so glad that you have found comfort and solace in our group, Aunty Ann. We have been thinking of you and are so glad that you are here with us today.

Gosh, I just hate for us to end this and end our conversations. There is no other TN playing right now that has me on the edge of my seat like LM.

What are we going to do?!

Vivi in DC, what else are you watching? What do you think about what is coming up?

Fatima


 

Yay! Fatima's back.

Fatima- I'm watching Quiero Amarte which is on during the day. Now that my marathon watching and recapping of double episodes of LM are over, I can catch up on my QA episodes.

I will check out the new 10pm just because, but not planning to be a regular watcher. It will be nice to take a bit of a tn break, but I will really miss being a regular here.

Since tomorrow is a holiday for most of us, I hope we can keep this discussion going another day. :)
 

Yes, Vivi, please let's keep our discussion going for a bit longer. I can't bear to say goodbye just yet.

Do you think I could catch Quiero Amarte on Hulu Plus? I don't have DVR, but I do have Hulu Plus.

If you see anything out there that is something we should give a try, please, please let us know.

MCET is OK, but not that great. I watch only for Silvia Navarro and Jorge Salinas. :)

Fatima...who will still be checking in this evening!!
 

Anon @10:05

Quiero Amarte is on YouTube.
 

Danilo in jail while Alejandra got married reminded me of Querida Enemiga with Sara in jail while Lorena got married.
 

Thank you, Anon @1031.

Fatima
 

Wow! I've spent almost a whole day on this novela and I'm still learning. Vivi Jan 18 10:35AM
So Esteban killed Alonso because he thought that Christina deserved better--him. He killed Manuel because he thought that Acacia deserved better --him again
Este though very highly of himself
didn't he?

Others don't agree but I thought that the unplanned blurted out confession of Alonso's murder was perfection by the writers. It couldn't have come earlier in the story. If it had, Este would have been marched off to jail and there
wouldn't have been any Acacia Esteban suspense to keep us guessing which direction this illicit affair would go.

I LOVE the ranchos and beautiful haciendas that we see in the novelas. I was sad to see all of the furniture covered up and Cristina shutting it down and moving out. Yes it's true that most people will fight to their last breath to hold onto their land but for Cris there were too many bad memories there for her.

I'm wondering---Norberto had coveted Rancho Benavente all through this story. Would it have been possible that when Cristina put it up for sale, was Norberto given first bid? Did he end up with what was the cause for so much unhappiness for so long? Can you imagine Juli's reaction if Norberto ended up with the lands and all that came with them. Oh, and frosting on the cake, a much younger Juli Jr. to keep him happy.

Susanlynn---I did like this ending. It would have been better without the cuts but your self written ending would have been good also.

You are so right AuntyAnn---Ack was a big, very big part of the problem. She egged him on, gave him hope, helped to increase his ego as well as their passion. But I think all along or at least closer toward the end she wanted to end it, but just wasn't strong enough to do it on her own. She didn't want to hurt her mother by telling her of Este and her sin, thus the marriage to Manuel. She thought that was her way out of the mess that she had gotten herself into. We all know what happened next. You are right in that Acacia shouldn't have tried
to put some of the blame on Cris
but we also know that Acacia was spoiled and weak in character. It was natural for her to try to shift some of the blame off of herself. Yes, even to her mother.

Superalfie---LOVED--LOVED--LOVED
your comments.

What were the police after Rubio for other than aiding and abetting

Can't wait to read more comments tomorrow, I know there will be some new ones.
the gringo







 

gringo, you bring up another good point which I have been wondering about and also wonder if I missed this, but did Cris ever have any idea or did she ever find out the things Norberto did to sabotage her and Alonso? Was she aware how much Norb and Juli were plotting to get their hands on the Benevente lands?

I still think about Manuel's death and the way in which he died. Acacia saw him dead. I would think that image would be with her for the rest of her life. Manuel was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die and especially not in that manner. How frightening to have to defend oneself against a machete.

Fatima
 

Gringo- Aiding and abetting was all they had on Rubio, but as Hector and the cops told him when they first gave him the opportunity to fess up, it meant years in prison. He'd probably get to keep his cousin Memo company-- although he never did find out that Memo was still alive.
 

Oh my gosh, Vivi! Another good point and one which I had forgotten! Rubio never found out Memo was alive!

Fatima
 

Gringo- Yes, Esteban thought very highly of himself.
 

I just have to pitch in again, cuz I saw DA GRINGO!!!!!!I saw your comment regarding Corazon Indomable. I really liked that one despite everyone's dislike of it. I really liked Ana Brenda and her generous character. The one I think is really bad is "La Gata". What a dumb, stupid, irrational character reminiscent of Cuidado con Angel. Same actress, Maite. Maite is ok though but not her roles.
To go back to this novella, I could understand the visit of Acacia. Isn't it she said that she thought it all while she was recuperating and you are right, she came back with the dagger of words to kill him off, .....I never loved you, rot here all your life for the 2 lives you've taken, HASTA NUNCA!!!(SOB!..mine)And the egotistic psycho-sociopath is shown yelling after her. I wish that Chris was with her to hear her utter all these.
Well thanks again everyone. This tn ended up to be well worth watching. Until the next good one...Anne
 

Rubio had a sad existence...a watcher trying to wheel and deal a couple of bad hombres to his own advantage..in love with a young girl who had no interest in him...no friends..only primo Memo who he thought was dead.
 

Still digesting all of this but now have 2 additional points to ponder - thanks gringo and Vivi.

"I'm wondering---Norberto had coveted Rancho Benavente all through this story. Would it have been possible that when Cristina put it up for sale, was Norberto given first bid? Did he end up with what was the cause for so much unhappiness for so long? Can you imagine Juli's reaction if Norberto ended up with the lands and all that came with them".

gringo, I hadn't thought of that either. Wow. I'm not sure in the end, he still wanted the ranch and think in the end, hopefully, he had learned his lesson and is ready to move up and on.

And Vivi, yes, Rubio never found out Memo was alive.

Diana
 

Fatima, yes, Manuel died a horrible death, didn't he? I can't imagine a more gruesome ending.

Acacia has many emotional scars to deal with and much to atone for. I hope she spends the next few months trying to heal the hurt she caused with her mother.

The more insightful comments I read here, I'm no longer convinced she and Uli do end up together.

Diana
 

Susanlynn, "a watcher trying to wheel and deal a couple of bad hombres to his own advantage..in love with a young girl who had no interest in him...no friends..only primo Memo who he thought was dead".

What a perfect description of Rubio.

Diana


 

I'm so excited at the fresh comments and perspectives that are continuing into today.

I meant to mention right after the finale that I had read (in a not too reliable a source) that audiences had been upset that Este and Acacia did not end up together. I found that shocking and dismissed it as ridiculous.

Even though some of us are still a bit unsettled as to whether or not Acacia did indeed harbor feelings of some sort of love for Esteban, I can't fathom people would want her with a murderer.

Had anyone else heard this?

Diana
 

Diana- Yes. I had heard that many in the audience wanted Cris out of the way so that Este and Acacia could be together, because they loved their hot chemistry. I think these must be the same people who like La Gata. :)

FYI- Once comments hit 200 they go to a second page. When you are on the comments page you will see something that says next page at the top or the bottom of the page. You click on it to see comment 200 and above.
 

Norb was light on cash by the time the tn ended, but I also don't think he wants that land anymore. If you had seen the scene between him and Juana, you'd see he blames his ambition to get Benavente for Manuel's death. It would be very ironic that now that Cris is willing to sell it, he has no interest in it because it also represents so much pain for him, just like for Cris.
 

Norberto couldn't buy Benavente right now, he was almost broke.

In TN land I view the romantic pairing at the end as some sort of reward, in real life it is not necessarily so. It becomes a sick struggle between broken people and therefore think Esteban & Acacia an appropriate couple. Had one or two things happened differently, they would have left town together.

Had Dan's drug shipment not been busted, leaving Esteban broke, he would not have been so desperate and more patient with Acacia.

 

Is there hot chemistry on La Gata?

I cannot fathom anyone wanting Ack and Este together. I can't get over the father/daughter dynamic. Maybe not bio-dad, but still. Ew.
 

LOL! Sara- I guess Gata doesn't even have that. I can't explain it then. :)


 

I didnt watch La Gata much but i heard it has an evil father in law that is obsessed with MP's mom, an unsopportable mother in law that hates the poor,an lazy and stupid brother,a crazy bookworm ex and some baby kidnapper that is straight for the me(n)tal) .What is there not to like?
 

Thanks Vivi.

Thankfully, the writers did not appear to consider Este and Aca ending up together as that was not part of the alternate endings (I make that assumption as I haven't watched them yet).

tofie, I thought Norberto seemed to be going broke for quite some time now but he never really hit rock bottom. It seems he has a little left to start his life.

I'm still ticked we didn't get to see Juli's scene with her new, rich, rather hideous new beau.

Along with many other deleted scenes.

Diana
 

Diana- Nope. That was not one of the alternate endings. The writers didn't consider it for one minute.

Countx- You will have to read the comments over on the La Gata feed to see what the folks watching it hate about it. There are MANY reasons.
 

I'm sure going to miss the theme song as well as the opening credits, they were so good.

As some of you have mentioned, if Danilo's shipment wouldn't have been busted, Esteban would've been more patient with Acacia. Also, if Ulises had never disappeared, Acacia would've never turned to Esteban and Manuel would still be alive.

That's another thing this novela got right: consequences. Every time someone made a decision, there was a consequence (whether it ended up being good or bad for the person).

Even the most minute details ended up escalating into full blown problems for everyone involved.

One thing that really bothered about Acacia as well was the fact that everyone seemed to shelter her and coddle her when she was the least deserving.

One scene toward the end that got me was Alejandra discussing her troubles about German and the possibility that Danilo would ruin her happiness. Suddenly, she stopped herself and said why is she boring Acacia with her problems when she had bigger problems (Manuel had just been murdered, Esteban was going bonkers).

It still bothers me she said that because when Alejandra's problem were much bigger and more complicated, Acacia would always say things like "thats horrible, btw Ulises dumped me. Hug me."

I don't know, until Esteban Acacia didn't have life threatening problems but everyone always treated her like she did.
 

LOL! Superalfie- Hilarious but true. "That's horrible, btw Ulises dumped me..." Ha!

Yes, Acacia was spoiled and coddled. Not good for a person who already has the tendency to be self- centered.