Caray, Caray!

Good Morning! Okay. There you have it. There seemed to be a lot in this episode about people knowing their place in life but some are encouraged to accept and deal with it while others are encouraged to challenge and change it. I guess that's an ongoing theme. Once again I seem to have gotten an episode where Cande is lining up her little dollies in the Mendoza play house and she's teaching Vale to do the same.

I have to say Vale seemed uncomfortably sincere in this episode AND (as the old folks used to say) she certainly has got Cris's nose WIDE open! (aka, whipped) He was mesmerized by her kisses to the point that I wonder what they are going to have to do to show his deep, undying passion for Aldonza once they get back together. Sheesh!

Anywho, look forward to the spirited, witty, deep, insightful, funny comments y'all always provide. See ya in the . . .later in the morning!
 

Thank you Lila for your way with words.

"Sev goes ballistic as the whole room shrinks down to contain only he and Cris"

"Lola draws the line at serving that heffa"

"We are swept away immediately to the house where the door was closed in Love’s face decades ago"

Emmanuel - a straight talking cowboy

Renato - double date with daddy

Roberta - I know how to pick um

Cande - an independent man is an illusion

Val - naw, the way to a man's heart is through his p......ants

Humberto - throw me a bone

Aldonza - what do you get when you fall in love? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzQBOBoPg04

Cris - Reminiscing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_3G4xqSDQ

 

Thanks, Lila!

I was really partial to the "Sev has plotting face" line.

I also loved Pru's outfit. In fact, I love all her costuming.

Here's my thought (and I really hope the deeper thinkers and the better informed help me): I am somewhat bothered by Adelina encouraging Aldonza to date and get involved in a relationship. To my knowledge, Aldonza has received no therapy or counseling for the rape. Have a missed that information?

That was an incredibly awkward meet the parents.
 

Lila- I'm glad Tofie and Sara already went and pulled out some of my favorite lines from your wonderful recap, because I can just say, ditto. :)

That was one of the most embarrassing meet the parents, but at least the embarrassment was shared between Renato and Aldonza. Yikes!

Which one of you brilliant folk suggested that Adelina open a dress shop? You guys are good. We just learned last night that is her profession. She told Aldonza she would do her house chores and send her emails before going to work at the costurera (dress maker shop). So I'm assuming the dress she gave to Aldonza is one she made.

Sara- No we don't know if in these years Aldonza has had therapy. But most tns don't show the rape survivor seeking therapy (another reason why Amor Bravio was unique), so this isn't unusual. In tns, faith, strength character, and love is all that's needed to get past this kind of trauma. And I suspect that's actually how most people in the world HAVE to deal with it. It would be nice if the writers eventually show Aldonza seeking therapy, because the way she has closed herself off certainly isn't healthy.
 

Ok. I am just going to tell myself that Aldonza DID get therapy offscreen and Adelina was suggesting that she take what she learned in therapy and start opening herself up to people.
 

Aaaand another thing...I didn't see AB, but I've seen the comments about how well the rape was dealt with. If TNs are going to continue to use rape as a plot device, I wish they would use recovery as a plot device, too.

Judging from the avances and the fact that Roberta is still coughing, I suspect she is not long for this world.
 

It's too late now for Roberta to be acting jealous of the mother-daughter relationship between Adelina and Aldonza. She's the one who willingly gave over the care of her daughter to her sister since Aldonza was a baby. But it was nice to see in her private moment how proud she was that Aldonza had received her title with honors.

Aldonza is right though, that being under the same roof with Roberta isn't healthy for her, or for her continued relationship with her mother.

I thought it was interesting how Adelina described herself as having closed herself off to love, and not wanting the same for Aldonza. Between a mother who throws herself headlong into passions (and now gets paid for it), and an aunt who has closed herself off to any male attention, Aldonza does not have the best role models for how to have a relationship with a man. She has to find a middle ground between the two.
 

Had to miss watching last night, so need to catch it later today, but loved reading your very detailed recap Lila. Really enlightening!

Since I didn't actually see her, I get the vibe from reading that Roberta is descending down even further into her own private hell. I see that she feels she actually doesn't deserve her own daughter's love, but she's wrong to lash out to Adelina. She should be lucky she was there for Allie all this time. But with Roberta, it always seems she wants what she herself sabotaged and then resents anyone else who has it. Classic.

And she coughs...considering the cigarette smoking, is that our TN clue that there is a serious illness
soon to come calling?

I think Emmanuel needs a hug. I would be happy to supply that any time. This boy needs a happy ending, and hopefully it won't be pining after Val.

So we have two months to have havoc wreaked on everyone's plans. Should be interesting.

Daisynjay
 

Good morning everyone!

Great recap Lila! Everyone here has already quoted my fave lines, but I'd like to add one to the list: Time for Valeria to attend a tune up session with Cande to sharpen her manipulation/control freak skill set.

I must say, I agree with you that Vale seems totally decent. She's def not the nicest person in the world (her attitude around Emmanuel is likely to get her kicked, esp if Lola sees her at it), but she seems like she's being led astray by the two must influential women in her life. Her mom raised her to treat E like a second class citizen and while she can Cande see like they're cut from the same cloth, Vale could be a lighter shade of whacked if Cande didn't keep bringing her over to the dark side.

Sara - I also love Pru's flowy look. I actually thought she looked much nicer than Cande, whose pearls, imo, did not go with her dress. Cynthia Klitbo looks great in this TN!

No, from the avances it looks like Rob has an anvil coming to her soon...

Sara + Vivi - yes, while Aldonza seems like she's carried on well, I do hope she gets treatment at some point. Also, nostalgic sigh b/c man, AB was good!
 

*Correction: while she AND Cande seeM like they're cut from the same cloth,
 

Oh, how can I not mention how much I cracked up at (and TOTALLY got) Lola's little fantasy where she swapped herself out for the horse. The fact that she made Emmanuel shirtless is her fantasy version of events, was even better. :)
 

I am not going to explain myself well, but I'll try.

I don't think I see resentment with Roberta. I see projection. She hates herself and her behavior is calculated to push people away. So she uses anger and selfishness to keep people away from her. Yes, she has some resentments and she is really the reason for them...but I think when she lashes out at people she's really lashing out at herself and since she feels she doesn't deserve anything good, it serves the double purpose of alienating herself.
 

Oh yes, Vivi!! That was the perfect comedic/light touch!!!

I *really* like the Lola actress and I want to see her in more. I'm about to google her.
 

OOO!! Sachi Tamashiro. Her dad is Japanese and her mom is Mexican! (Wikipedia source.)
 

LOL. But I guess that's old news to those of you who watched Refugio.

She was supposedly in PSMA, but I can't remember her. Gloria?
 

Sara - I think you're right about Roberta. There's a mess of self-loathing that you can practically see through the haze of cig smoke.

Vivi - I thought the Lola dream was funny and cute too, but I thought it was a tad on the cheesy side. I think that's just me not digging the two handed spinning.

You know, I really like Humberto right now. Though he made some mistakes early in his career, and is under Sev's (missing?) thumb, he doesn't seem to be suffering from his copadres ailments: Pru with her melodrama, Sev with his extreme arrogance and Cande with her control issues. He wants the kids to be happy in their own rights, he points out the hyprocrisy of them running Aldie's out of town over a couple of missed hours while Cris and Val have been together for years now. He actually could have Sev over a barrel for a 3rd time, but doesn't seem to have any intention of using this info to his own advantage. His character is refreshing in a TN. Well, so far anyway.

Ooh! I think Dolores (Lola!) was the maid in Cuando Me Enamoro.
 

hellashelle- I thought the cheesy two-handed spinning was so in character though!! ;-)

Humberto is a weird bird. He's done some loathsome things, but he just seems to want to have a normal drama-free life! I like him too....which makes me feel a little guilty.
 

Yep. VERY in character. It was meant to be cheesy. :)

Yeah, Sachi has popped up in a lot of tns always playing someone a bit off center/crazy. Fun fact, Sachi and Flaco who are playing granddaughter and grandfather here, played lovers in Mujer del Vendaval: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlQn8bDVNaA

Another fun fact, Sandra Kai is also in this tn (she's the girl we saw befriend Aldonza at the university and in the group of friends with Renato) also has a Mexican mother and Japanese father.
 

Hey, Lila, you just presented a wonderful, witty, insightful treatment of this episode. Thank you so much.

Hellashelle, I think it was you who suggested that there might have been issues in Roberta's and Adelina's formative years. I agree wholeheartedly. Both haven't played out their sexual selves very healthily to this point.

Awkward meeting of Aldonza and her date (can't remember his name) and the two parents. I have to say that Roberta has always approached sex with a really pained expression, but actually smiles when she's with this guy.

Vale was likeable in this episode. I didn't see anything that was offputting. She was Little Peggy March singing "I will follow him."

Roberta consulting her lover/doctor while ominous music plays, and chest films are displayed in the background on the X-Ray view box? (Gulp)

I hated how Vale smirked at Emmanuel. She may not have been portrayed as a manipulative bitch in this episode, but the instinct is still there.

David
 

Renato - double date with daddy
Cande - an independent man is an illusion

Val - naw, the way to a man's heart is through his p......ants

Tofie! Amiga! Thank you! I got a tofie list. . .I got a tofie list! Hee hee! Well, we all did. These 3 gems above kinda summarize a large part of the action, tofie! Sheesh! Well, we knew Val has been around the blocks a few times and has been honing her skills with her dark-haired boodie buddie. Shoulda known Cris would be a goner.

With them emphasizing how bright Aldonza is, how she killed her professional exam while Vale got an incomplete after majoring in nothing, will the draw to Aldonza be primarily her mind and yes, her principals? Hunh? Hunh?

The moral of the story may end up being another nugget of mother wit from the old folks: "Good girls got the same thing bad girls have." I would add a good girl can learn how to use it just as well. And, "It's better to have a good mind than a cute behind."

Thanks for your kind words, tofie! This is going to be a fun weekend!

 

Interesting, Vivi!

daisynjay-I want to thank you for inspiring the title of my recap. I meant to thank you in the comments yesterday and got distracted. I wanted to thank you in the recap, but I didn't know how you would feel with your name up in lights. Lol b
 

Lila- I hope they remember Aldonza has a brain and a degree. It drives me bonkers when they make a prota smart, determined and sassy in episodes 1-20 and then drop it.
 

Thanks, Sara! Glad to hear someone else liked Pru's outfit. I'm partial to blue and the flowing lines were graceful. I think she looked way better than the Ice Queen!

Agree and a little surprised by Adelina, too. She was coming off like, yeah, it's rough to fall in love and then been raped by the guy's father, but you've got to give love another try! Adelina is a sweetheart but I think we have the novela rule against police and therapists messing up the plot! Maybe I haven't seen enough novelas but I remember one therapist being a nut case and wreaking havoc in the family, and then there's the cowboy therapist in tstsnbn.
 

I kind of wondered if there was a TN rule about casting people as family in one TN and lovers in another because despite seeing actors repeatedly, that doesn't seem to happen much. That clip was funny, Vivi. Also, thank you for the clip of Thelma Madrigal from a couple of recaps ago. It made me curious about that whole TN. Also, I liked her dark curly hair. It makes me more accepting of her blonde version too.

Just found this random clip of Sandra Kai in a magic act. I am so bad at figuring out how they do those! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmlSu4p29u0

 

Hey, tofie and all, here's a song for Sev and Cande:

Rose Royce, Love Don't Live Here Anymore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5gFAiPJhvI
 

David- Roberta really does seem happy when she is with Renato's dad. I may have misread their relationship and he may be more than a client.

We know that whatever befalls Roberta it is her anvil, but I hope she can and Aldonza can make some sort of amends before she goes. I don't want something like that hanging over Aldonza. It doesn't matter how bad a parent is, when they are gone you start to think of the woulda, shoulda, coulda. Aldonza doesn't know her mom killed her dad. All she thinks is her mom didn't care about her. That's an awful thing to have hanging over you after a parent is gone. I hope Roberta can at least make it clear to Aldonza that in her own way she did love her.
 

I get Adelina's point - that the rape shouldn't mean Aldonza deprives herself of any hope of a healthy loving romantic relationship forever, but yeah, there should've been some mention of getting help to move past it since she doesn't appear to have done so herself. Now that she's decided to try dating, I really wonder if she'll just have a prob being around Sev and Cris, or if they'll treat it as affecting her whole stance on romantic love.
 

Good morning, Vivi! Wow! Thank you for that bit on Adelina being a dressmaker! How did I miss that? Okay. . .need to finish reading the comment before I respond! I am so glad Adelina is productively occupied!

Thank you also for that description of the credentialing process yesterday!

:D
 

If TNs are going to continue to use rape as a plot device, I wish they would use recovery as a plot device, too.

Thank you, Sara!
 

I have some thoughts on Cris. Dude is still pining for Aldonza, but does seem genuinely into Val (or at least getting in Val.)

Has la Sombra of Aldonza not been an issue? I guess it's just being home has drug it up.
 

Oh hellashelle! I can't wait for the first time Sev and Aldonza see each other.

Wait. If Roberta is as ill as we think, does that nullify the threat to kill Aldonza?
 

I didn't get the impression that Roberta usually brings her johns home (just her hungover self), so perhaps Renato's dad is different and special in some way.

Lila- I just picked up on costurero as she said it really quickly after quickly going through what she needed to do before going there.
 

Thank you, Daisynjay! You know, Daisy, somehow I almost feel like there might be a little depth to whatever's going on with Renato's dad. Has she ever brought any of her johns to her house. Of course, if he ends up to be still with his wife and Robbie just screwed up really badly then I'm with you on the descent in a private hell thing. I'm sure this is the last straw that Adelina was talking about and Aldonza is going to book after this! I think we all feel cancer is going to come a-callin'!

Emanuel does need a hug! I hope he eventually opens his eyes to see Lola but she needs to grow up. . .a LOT!


 

Renato's dad does seem different. If so, is he's a boyfriend, then, while awkward and little embarressing, a make out session on her couch is not that bad. She's a grown women (darn it, now I have Beyonce stuck in my head). If she wasn't "Dating for Dollars" to use Diva's phrase, I would like to think she wouldn't be burned for that moment.

Really curious about Renato's dad though. He also seemed immediately pissed rather than just surprised. He better not be married...

Sara - Yes, Cris has gotten on the Val train willingly and seems to be enjoying the ride. He definitely has "the one that got away" on his mind, but he also seems very happy with the one he's with, which makes it hard to just hate Vale outright for me.
 

Lila...thanks so much for a great recap. Wow and wow..I cannot believe how quickly this show is moving along..never a dull moment.

And..gahhhh...when the two opened the door to discover mom and dad snogging on the sofa..well. I have had some bad dates, but.....

As for Al's bad role models, I think that sometimes parents and other relatives and adults in our lives can actually teach us what we DO NOT want to be or do.


Did anyone else get a vibe of Can sitting on her throne when she was sitting in that fancy armchair in her throne room..eh ..living room ?
 

Thank you, hellashelle! Maybe with Vale they're moving away from the rival being such a bitch on wheels and just another woman with strengths, weaknesses and sometimes bad counsel by their elders! There's enough to hate. We'll see how they develop this.


 

AB friends. Me and Sara didn't see it and I'm sure she regrets it as much as I! Don't y'all give away anymore in case it comes on again. Thanks!

:D
 

Oops! Sorry Lila and Sara!
 

Vivi:

Between a mother who throws herself headlong into passions (and now gets paid for it), and an aunt who has closed herself off to any male attention, Aldonza does not have the best role models for how to have a relationship with a man. She has to find a middle ground between the two

You said it, sister!
 

Sorry, amigas.

Vale seems like she has played her role of the perfect girlfriend, brilliantly. It is no surprise that Cris is ready to walk down the aisle with her. Will she be able to convince him to stay in Santa Lucia? She makes a good point about being close to family and being there to take over the family lands/business. Cris being an only child (as far as he knows) makes that an even stronger argument.
 

hellashelle- Thanks for the cool clip of Sandra.
 

Thank you, David! Thanks so much! So you also picked up on Val's more human vibe with just a hint of bitch: I hated how Vale smirked at Emmanuel. She may not have been portrayed as a manipulative bitch in this episode, but the instinct is still there.

It is more realistic, isn't it? More human, less caricature!
 

Sara re dropping the prota's brain. You are so right! Let it not be!
 

Gracias, tanto, Lila for this excellent recap! Went great with my morning coffee :)

OK, haven't read the comments yet, so just from the recap, here are my thoughts:

Is Adelina working in a dress shop or designing dresses? I thought we got a hint of that, but it was very fast.

So, just to clarify...in Pru-land poor girls who even so much as look at a guy are sluts, but rich girls are...protecting their investments?

I liked Prudencia's outfit, too. I like the floaty-ness of the fabric. I just wish she'd quit trying to impress Candela.

I'm suspicious of Humberto and his intentions with the land. I feel like he has some reason for wanting to keep it besides just wanting some land of his own. And what can Severiano really do? Humberto knows his secrets and knows where the literal bodies are buried...and not buried.

Severiano keeps acting like he's never seen this show before. I guess every time Cristobal said he had no intention of going into the family business, all Severiano heard was "blah, blah, blah."

"Lola draws the line at serving that heffa: she might end up dumping a bowl of hot soup on her head!" Cracked me up, but I agree that this was the wisest choice!

"This sends her into the mist of dreamland where she imagines herself wearing a little white lace dress dancing with a shirtless Emanuel." That little detail of him suddenly being shirtless was priceless!

"Unable to bear the truth of the image of herself Adelina has presented she blows cigarette smoke in Adelina’s face and retreats with a curse putting her cigarette out in Adelina’s tea." So frustrating! I get that Roberta's behavior is terrible, but they were ALL kidding themselves that making her promise to be better and then nagging her every time she screws up was ever going to get her to change. It makes me sad to see that because it didn't have to be like this.

"Time for Valeria to attend a tune up session with Cande to sharpen her manipulation/control freak skill set." No kidding! The level of control those two are exerting is scary. Valeria, especially, because she has to be so much more subtle than Candela. I'm hoping for some major fireworks when Cristobal finally wises up.

"Emanuel tells him, come on, they never had a sincere friendship: he is just a stray that the Doc brought home out of compassion and Cris is the son of the most powerful man in Santa Lucia." Pobre Emanuel. I think he's right. Cristobal knew that Emanuel has had a thing for Valeria FOREVER and it was never an issue because Cristobal didn't like her that way. Then he comes back from Spain after however many years and he lets Emanuel find out _from someone else_ that he's getting married to Valeria. Nice. They don't have phones in Spain? Email? He didn't contradict Emanuel about "nobody" wanting him at dinner. This is not how you treat a friend. Mr. 5ft has declared Cristobal an ass. I'm inclined to agree. I know he's surrounded by a bunch of fakes and liars, and I have hopes that he'll break free at some point, but right now...he's an ass. I'm more pissed at the way he's carelessly treated Emanuel than I am with him being engaged to Valeria.

"Renato totally understands as this is his Papa." Well, knock me over with a feather! Mr. 5ft hopes Papa's not married. Yikes!
 

The thing about Vale is that she's not evil (yet). She slept with other guys, but as far as we know she hasn't cheated on Cris. She's been mean girl esque to Aldonza, who snipped right back, but aside from the lie about Regina and her kick-worthy attitude with Emmanuel, I don't recall her doing anything unforgiveable.

She and Cris have been together for years. I don't know that she could fake being someone he at least liked for that long. As Vivi points out, she has reasonable arguments about why he should consider his dad's wishes and she's said to both Cris and Cande that she wants to support him and is willing to go wherever he wants to do that.

Is it wrong that I want her to do something awful so I can just hate her?
 

Ah, thanks Sara. I read through the recap quickly this morning and got a chuckle at the title. Glad you could use my weird humor as inspiration. Normally it just gets a " Really mom?" on my end :) Yesterday wasn't a good day for me and didn't get to do a Caray check-in but thanks for mentioning today!! Fun.

I guess from the dartboard comment, you can take I didn't warm to Val much. Seems last night, maybe now that she's snagged her man ( though I hated her eye-roll the other day when he hugged her), maybe we are to take her more as a "Mean Girl" than someone evil or willing to go real dark to get her way. Thus, possibly redeemable. Frankly, Emmanuel has been around her a long time, so I would hate to think he was that horrid a judge of character if he fell for her that hard. But she's not coming off the dart board until I see how she reacts if and when Allie comes back to town, which we know has to happen at some point.

Side note: had to verify myself and I got food pictures pop up and had to "pick the avocados". Too funny, but now I have an insatiable desire for guacamole.

Daisynjay
 

It is interesting how many of the characters aren't what they appear to be at first. Here we were thinking Val was the typical villain/rival and she's not quite that.

5ft/Diva/Kat- Cris really is doing some assy things.

daisynjay-you're a hoot. Don't let the youngins tell you otherwise!
 

More happened last night in one show than in the entire run TSTSNBN. Love the fast pace and twists of La Sambra. Am finally warming up to Lola and Emmanual. Loved Pru's caftan, even though she is a bitch, love her look. Lila, I was delighted with your recap, thank you and Vivi, I continue to appreciate your comments, as I don't always pick up a lot of the details.

Roberta, am afraid you have done yourself in. In more ways than one. Here's hoping for a turn around in your behavior and health. Time for another cup of coffee and to read more comments.

 

OOOOPS, make that La Sombra.
 

Lila, thank you for the big recap! Enjoyed catching up on all the details, big and small, that I miss during the show.

Helleshelle and Sara: ITA that Humberto is not an evil character, just weak. He bends to the will of his cousin-in-law, Sev, and he did botch the delivery of the "dead baby". However, he undertook to raise Emmanuel and try to shield him from the contempt of Val and Pru.

Sara, good point about Roberta's death nullifying Sev's threat. He loses his bargaining chip. But he could always use the same threat against Adelina.

Do we have a fashion complaint line on this show? Because I want to report that Adelina's scraped-back hairdo has gotta GO!

J in Oregon
 

I'm agreeing with so much of what everyone is saying about Aldonza and Roberta. They both just struggle on their own to push aside their issues instead of dealing with them (pro tip: that doesn't work forever!). I wish so much that they would both get some therapy, or that all three of them get some family therapy. I feel sad watching them all keep doing the same thing and getting the same results and getting increasingly frustrated with each other. And I do mean all three of them, because Adelina putting her own needs and wants SO far down on the list that she'd probably tell you she doesn't actually have any wants or needs isn't healthy either.

I find myself liking Humberto in spite of what I know he's done. I have the feeling that if/when he gets busted, he's really just going to nod and sigh sadly and not even try to save himself. I don't even know if I could picture him ratting out Severiano. Maybe what I like is that he's not behaving like the typical henchman/accomplice. He doesn't seem to have any evil ambitions of his own. That's just different.

Darn it, I only have a million more things to say, but rehearsal time approacheth, so I'll have to catch up with everybody later in the day!
 

J in O: and I hated her plain tan dress with the flower pin and her sensible shoes
 

I agree J. Adelina's hair has driven me nuts since the beginning and after reading Kat's observations on Val's hair I paid closer attention. Why does everyone else seem to have better hair?
 

Whatever the reasons (and frankly don't care), Roberta is a selfish alcoholic and she ain't gonna change. How dare she pull the biomom card, she's no more a mom to Aldonza than I am. Adelina, bless her heart, is Aldonza's mother and everybody knows it, including Roberta. Unfortunately Adelina is also an enabler for her alcoholic sister but did it for Aldonza. She knew, when she returned to the house after Roberta humiliated her in front of Ray, the only way that child had a chance was if she stayed. I also give her props, though she was deeply in love with Ray, she hasn't uttered a peep to Aldonza. Hope both Adelina and Aldonza now leave and give Roberta no forwarding address.

Val is good, really good, and if the writers allow, she the most dangerous, and could eat Cande for lunch. I think she is a bad egg, but is cute, really smart, makes quick adjustments under pressure, covers her tracks and very patient. Humberto knows and why he is not overjoyed.

If I look at Emmanuel, Renato and Cris, I'm most impressed with Emmanuel (when he and Cris side by side there is no contest and too bad he and Aldonza share the same mom), then Renato with Cris in the rear. Not that I dislike Cris, but he's spoiled rotten with meddling parents, yet he thinks he's in control of his own destiny. He needs to wake up.


 

Adelina's attire is the polar opposite of her sister's.
 

Adelina might suppress her own style, but the dress she made for Aldonza was cute.
 

tofie- I love you and I hate when I disagree with people I respect. Roberta is an addict. At first it may be selfishness but after all these years, I don't think Roberta is making a conscious choices anymore.
 

oops. Forgot... I am 100% in agreement with your lineup for the guys, tofie.

I think it's sweet justice that the son Sev acknowledges doesn't want anything to do with the hacienda and the son he denies has a talent for it.
 

Yes, Vivi it was a cute dress.

Lila- I forgot to tell you that I also thought that was a gorgeous color blue that Pru had on.
 

Emmanuel is definitely more physically beautiful, and Renato is a cutie too. But Cris, in addition to being cute, has a certain swagger that makes him muy attractive. That has dimmed a bit since he's fallen for Val, but Emmanuel is also gaga for her, so the brothers seem to share the same taste in women.
 

Sara, we don't disagree really and if we do no apology or disclosure necessary, I respect all you guys. She is an addict and the alcohol/drug changes the brain chemistry and at a point irreversible but the damage done to those around, with the change in personality and the fact the alchol/drug becomes the priority, can also reach a point of no return.
 

Thank you tofie! I'm sure we all agree Roberta is a hot mess.
 

tofie, a lot of what we see in Roberta is an addicts behavior who will not come to that light bulb moment of taking ownership of their illness. Instead, they continue to look to others for the blame, or their life stinks, or for whatever reason they can find to continue the destructive behavior. In Roberta, she has those glimmer moments, and then goes right back to wallowing. She's never been a "happy" person, always resented others, so as she sinks further I don't think she has a past or time she can look back on to grab unto and say "I won't to be that person again."

That said, haven't watched yet, but did we get a feeling with Renato's dad that Roberta maybe knew of Renato and knew this was his dad or this is a random bad luck chance? Sometimes it seems Roberta actually seems to subconsciously try to sabotage her relationship with Allie, so wonder if this was her again doing that. If she never brought anyone home before, why this guy?

Off to the groceries and get me some of those avocados!

Daisynjay
 

Lila, delightful and insightful. You struck the perfect tone, relating the action with wisdom and reflection. Your witty and astute comments are always a joy to read.

"It certainly is not surprise, must be the pleasure of fait accompli", "mocking face/plotting face" and "Val, who has vowed with Cande never to let him have a private moment or thought suddenly appears" were excellent. But my eyes misted up when I read "We are swept away immediately to the house where the door was closed in Love’s face decades ago". Beautiful.

Your title and resounding comments certainly reflected where our character's stations are in life, whether ingrained or denied. It is heartbreaking that our most tortured characters are all family - Roberta, Aldonza and Emmanuel (if he is indeed Roberta's son). All of their lives ruined by Sev, lover or father. He and Cande are indeed the perfect couple, Sev's heart molted into pure hatred and Cande's encased in ice.

"Roberta silently mouths the phrase to herself as the tension drains from her face and she smiles tearfully: "good, my child, how great, how great!" was a beautifully acted scene. A woman who continues to punish herself for some heinous event buried in her sole. How can we hate her? She loathes herself more than we ever could.

Wonderful comments from everyone today.

Lila, thank you, thank you.

Diana
 

I acually like Adelina's hair. I think it's amazingly glossy and beautiful (all the actresses have gorgeous shiny hair) and I don't mind the style either.

I will burn those shoes though.
 

hellashelle---You had asked me a question as to why so much venom or anti feelings toward Valeria? late on last Thursday's blog--episode #13. I tried to answer your question but it was way down the page of 117 comments and I don't know if you got my response to you and so I will try again. As
I said in my first answer to you, I don't like Valeria. Yes she is young, nice looking, very well educated. She has many of the qualities that many men would look for. She does sleep around but as I said in my first response to you, I don't think that is a good thing but I must add that if men do it, well women ought to be able to have "fun" so to speak, also---(I can't see Aldonza doing that) However, this isn't my main complaint. All in all, I don't think that Val is a very nice person. I don't see her going to church on Sunday or having compassion for the poor. I see a spoiled rich girl that cares for no one but herself and her shellfish desires. I don't believe that Valeria loves Cris. I feel that she is just out to conquer, to win the trophy prize for self gratification but would soon grow tired or unhappy of her winnings. Diana over in Perdone Dios is a similar type of person.
You want to run away from these types--young and pretty on the outside but not so pretty on the inside. So yes, I will take my turn with darts at the Valeria mannequin out on the patio.

Another thought---The handsome guy that has been chasing Aldonza at the university seems like a nice well mannered guy that is out looking for a soul mate. What's wrong with that? Nothing, but I don't want to see Aldonza with him either. I will not be throwing darts at him though, as so far he seems like a nice decent young man. However---I can
only see Cris and Aldonza together
They have destiny written all over them and besides, who else, boy or girl could equal that waterfall passion? These two are just meant to be, no one else.
the gringo

 

OT- AWARDS SHOW

Hi everyone! I'm not quite sure where to post this, but am aware that La Sombra del Pasado is very popular with a lot of people here, so I thought I'd post it here and, if somebody in charge would like to make a posting of it separately for everybody else, then they can do that.

The 'Favoritos del Publico' of this years 'Premios TvyNovelas' were announced yesterday and, surprisingly (to me, at least... even though it is a VERY good novela), it was almost a clean sweep for 'Yo no creo en los hombres'- of the 8 awards, they won 6 of them!

The winners were as follows:

Beso Favorito: Adriana Louvier & Gabriel Soto
(Yo no creo en los hombres)

El Mas Guapo: Gabriel Soto
(Yo no creo en los hombres)

La Mas Guapa: Zuria Vega
(Que pobres tan ricos)

Villano Favorito: Flavio Medina
(Yo no creo en los hombres)

Villana Favorita: Azela Robinson
(Yo no creo en los hombres)

Pareja Favorita: Adriana Louvier & Gabriel Soto
(Yo no creo en los hombres)

Final Favorito: Mi corazon es tuyo

Mejor Guion o Adapcion: Yo no creo en los hombres

Mejor Director de Escena: Yo no creo en los hombres

How about that???

Now, the actual awards show itself is tomorrow, Sunday night. I plan on watching and will for sure post the results here on CarayCaray as soon as I can.

Best wishes to everyone!! :-)
 

Wow! I'm way behind on comments and reviewing earlier ones I think some of mine crossed youze guys so we're saying a lot of the same things -- great minds on the Patio!
*****
You're welcome, Susanlynn! Hee hee about Candela sitting on her throne. Now that you mention it... ;D
*****
Div's in the HOUSE! Thank you, Diva! Thanks for your detao;ed review of my recap and your kind words!

So, just to clarify...in Pru-land poor girls who even so much as look at a guy are sluts, but rich girls are...protecting their investments? Yep. Those are the rules!

Mr. 5ft has declared Cristobal an ass. Whoa! We've got our first declarations of assidity of the galan! Ding! Ding! Ding! Yah. I think it was my ep last Friday that he assured Emanuel he would NEVER set eyes on a girl he was interested in. Uh. Oooops!

 

Hey, emeraldrose (LOVE your handle, by the way!), thank you so much!!
*****
J! Whussup! Thank you, girl! J, When I was teenagery I got my hair french braided into a spiral that started at the top of my head and wound around. It was labor intensive for my cousin and ended up getting it as kind of a sleep over whim of the moment thing. Honey! That damned thing was so tight, I couldn't think, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. . NOTHING was funny, it took the joy right out of my life. As soon as I got in the car to go home (I was not driving), I took that sucker down quick, fast, and in a hurry and have NEVER done it again.

Braids can be a bitch and they can make you a bitch! That doesn't excuse Cande, but it doesn't help!
 

tofie at 11:13 on Val, I think you're right. That's why I said Val seemed uncomfortably sincere in this episode. During the tune up session I got the feeling that she might be assessing Cande as much as Cande is her but she doesn't have to: she's about to get the goose and the golden egg handed to her on a silver platter! We just have to watch that girl!
 

Lila- Guurrrllll! I have had a few braids too tight stories myself. Ay! It hurts just to remember. I have thought about poor Alejandra B. who has to sit in the makeup/hair chair each day and let them pull her long hair into that tight braid around her head. I bet she envies Cynthia K's loose and free short bob.
 

On the cuteness lineup:

eMANuel is ruggedly handsome and I agree with Lola: experiencing that raw animal energy with a hunk like that. . .lordy!

Renato is cute, a bit of an unknown but he just found out he and Aldonza have a lot in common. I like him and I hope they have a positive relationship in which neither of them gets hurt.

Cris, well Cris. It's starting to look like, unbelieveable as it is, he was a tad inexperienced and may never have had a hormone-driven kiss like he shared with Aldonza. PLUS, the kiss was revved up by the excitement and danger of the fire AND he was still high on his rescuing the damzel in distress vibe from when he first met Aldonza formally.

But, he was still inexperienced and Val got a hold of him and (to use some old slang) "turned him out." He is whipped, y'all, and here is his message to all of us who criticize him about it:

"I want to spread the news that if it feels this good getting used, you just keep on using me, til you use me up!"

Bill Withers. Use Me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ROGOHNSEBs

There is something very sexy about a man that unabashedly shows that he is all the way drunk with a woman's charms. Look at him when he's with Val! That's why I'm like, how are they going to show he's soooo taken with Aldonza!?

 

Oh my God, Diana! YOU are making ME mist up! Oh, my goodness! Your comment on this recap is so touching. Thank you, honey! You are so sweet and smart and talented. And I am not saying this because you like my recap. I love how you appreciate EVERYONE'S recaps and your insightful and sensitive comments. You represent the kind of warm and wonderful people that keep pulling me back to this blog.

I hope this isn't embarrassing to you but you and SO MANY other friends on this board are just amazing and have helped me find a hobby I hope to keep for many years.

Loved this from you, Diana:

It is heartbreaking that our most tortured characters are all family - Roberta, Aldonza and Emmanuel (if he is indeed Roberta's son). All of their lives ruined by Sev, lover or father. He and Cande are indeed the perfect couple, Sev's heart molted into pure hatred and Cande's encased in ice.

And this: A woman who continues to punish herself for some heinous event buried in her sole. How can we hate her? She loathes herself more than we ever could.

Thank YOU!
 

Cris has definitely NOT been getting a raw deal with Val these last few years. We saw that she knows how to put together a delicious spread and pick good wine (you saw his face when she fed him). We know she's got to have mad skills in the bedroom too. She's totally agreeable and encouraging to him. She even listens to him talk about the girl who got away, Aldonza! What's not to love if you were Cris/a guy?
 

Wow, brother gringo! Love your passionate defense of our main couple and critique of their rivals! It's so good to be on the patio with you on a show worthy of your passionate loyalty, gringo! Yaaay!
 

You are so sweet Lila.

You and all of the other wonderful recappers and bloggers helped me to find my voice. Not a small feat as I am extremely reserved in "real" life.

I consider Caray,Caray an extension of my family. Truly.

Thank you for making my day Lila. Sometimes we need some kind words and you have provided them to me today. Gracias amiga.

Diana
 

To Diva: I was thinking you for your detailed, not detao;ed review of my recap and your kind words!

Looks like I had a brain fart or something!

;p

 

Vivi! It is SO funny because I know that must enhance her portrayal of the literally uptight Ice Queen, Cande. So different from her role in QA, isn't it?
 

Hi again, everyone!

Wonderful (as always) to read everybody's comments...

I wanted to bring this to everyone's attention. Someone has drawn up a YouTube video, contrasting the personajes from 'La sombra del pasado' with their counterparts from 'El Manantial'. Check it out, if you're interested... it contains no spoilers- just shows the character from one novela beside their counterpart from the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGppKdfHNZU

Best wishes to all for a great weekend! :-)
 

Why thanks, Stevey! Very interesting. It seems the parallel actors had the same "look" in their eyes. I don't know how to say it, each projected the characteristics I've come to associate with the role they portray. Or. . .like the blue/black beige/white dress thing, that's what I WANT to see? No. They all say to me they are who they are in the story. Fascinating.

I recognize pretty much all the actors in the older version. Nothing like a well told story and good folk to enjoy it with.

You have a good weekend as well, Stevey!
 

Lila, I love that Bill Withers song, my brother had that 45 and played it over and over and over.
 

Hey, tofie! Great old song, man. It came to mind immediately when I saw Cris kissing and inhaling the bouquet of his beloved.
 

Diane.....II loved your comment about the Caray Caray community being like extended family. I like to think of all of you as friends. I know I will never meet you or even know your names. It is so good after the occasional day that is the sh*ts to sit down with my3378 iPad or computer and enjoy your company.

A round of Midori drinks for all tonight at the Naughty Melon. CHEERS
 

Loop. Where did 3378 come from?
 

QTH"...........Loop? And I have not had a Midori yet!
 

Hee hee! I thought 3378 was like the latest, super cool iPad or something!

;D
 

Thanks for that link, Stevey! I like those comparison videos! It's interesting to see how alike or different the looks of the characters are.
 

Gringo - Thanks for the repost. I didn't actually mean to direct my question to you only, sorry about that.

But your explanation makes total sense. I don't see Vale as a nice person either, but she's not quite a villain yet to me either. She hasn't quite demonstrated the malicious intent of a real villain in my eyes...but we all know it's coming. She's sly, very sly, and surprisingly subtle when compared to her mom.

I haven't been around long enough to be family, but be sure you guys are the friends I wish I had in real life. No one else understands this TN love and believe me, no one makes me laugh like you guys do. You're all so funny and insightful.

Sigh. Now that I think about it, can I bundle you all up and make you a galan? :D
 

Val thinks her rival is out of the picture. I can't wait to see what happens when Aldonza is back in town. The claws will come out I'm sure. Any woman would fight for her man. To me, how she fights will determine her level of villainy.
 

And I hear you, hellashelle! My poor husband listens, but I'm sure he's tired of my TN ramblings.
 

Any of you guys ever root for the non protagonista to get the guy? I mean, do they generally make the rival such a bitch that nobody wants them together or have there been any instances when the rival is not that bad and maybe the leading lady falls off her pedestal such that you don't mind if the rival keeps the leading man?
 

Lila- I don't think I've seen a tn where I like the second string girl more than the protagonist. I have seen one's where I like the second string girl and feel bad for her that she'll lose the guy, but too bad. Amor Bravio comes to mind where the galan's first wife (Lisett) was really nice, but I still rooted the the heroine. I also thought the Lizzy in La Malquerida was nice, but still wanted German to be with Ale. We did wish that the young protagonista in La Malquerida ended up alone, so that might be the closest, but there was no second string girl trying to get her galan.
 

If I had to put the guys in order of cuteitude , for me, it would be Cris without the everpresent scarf, Renato, and Emmanuel.To each his/her own since beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 

How about wishing for the galan to stay with second string girl because we think they deserve each other and the protagonista deserves better? I think that happens more often.
 

Well in order of cuteness, yes... Cris would be first. But in order of likeability I would have Emmanuel first. Cris is great, but he did go a little drama queen when Aldonza left.

And I have to say, it doesn't seem right that he's pining for Aldonza and announcing his engagement in the same episode.
 

So true, Vivi... especially lately. They have not done very well writing the galans in the last couple of TNs I've seen.

Despite what I said about Cris above, he's better than most have been.
 

Okay, thanks for the insights. Back to the building of the love between Aldonza and Cris. I was accepting that it's one of those soul mates instantly recognizing each other things but like others have said, they spent quite a bit of time building the relationship between Vale and Cris; even though it was contrived, Vale seems sincere. I kinda doubt she'll cheat, so like you all have said, the bitch factor will kick in when Aldonza comes back in the picture. I just don't think a deep french kissing by a waterfall is enough of a connection to a guy with all the baggage his family has.

This whole galan's father raping the leading lady things is still sooo hard to stomach for me. That alone makes me lean toward wanting Aldonza to do better than marry into such a toxic, vicious family. She's had enough toxicity in her life and she doesn't even know the HALF of it. AND who knows what kind of issues Renato might have!

I know, I know. It's already written, over and done with. I'll just have to wait and see how they portray a love so great it can overcome the trauma of your alcoholic mother killing your father to scare him away from her lover who is also the father of the love of your life and who raped you to keep you away from him.
 

Lila, really, really excellent recap!

Question for you (Lila): How can something contrived and slyly manipulated be sincere?

Fatima
 

Well...I think she sincerely likes him and sincerely believes she deserves him so...she contrived and manipulated to have him ;-)


 

Got it.

Fatima
 

Maybe Lila has a different opinion though.

I was they had put as much effort into showing us how Cris fell for Aldonza, but I guess we are supposed to just go with the love at first sight. Unfortunately Val's wooing, no matter how manipulative, was sweet and I can totally see why Cris is smitten.
 

I wish. Not I was.
 

For me, manipulative and sweet are mutually exclusive. I like gringo's observations of Valeria.

Fatima
 

Viewerville sees Val for what she is-manipulative. Cris just sees a sweet girl who started out as a good friend who was there for him when he needed her.

So as a viwer-she's bad news.

Seeing it from Cris's point of view, she's sweet and he loves her.

When Aldonza is back we'll have to see what face she shows Cris.
 

Yes, Sara. I agree. You know how it goes sometimes. Some of us are just a wee bit slow in catching on to things.

Fatima
 

Oh I'm the slowest. If it weren't for Vivi I would always be confused.
 

Good morning! I hope everyone's clock and DVR situations are as they should be this morning! I don't have to worry about my clock, but some TV channels will shift their times and I always have to check to make sure I don't get any schedule conflicts!

Lila, I thought "detao;ed" was Portugese :p Damn, I had forgotten that he said that to Emanuel. That only makes me find him more assy. I can excuse a lot of it because of what he doesn't know, but there's no way to excuse that.

I feel like they're setting Emanuel up to go down the "bitter and angry" road towards Evildom. Here he's been working his ass off and he's good at his job, but that stupid spoiled rich kid is going to be handed the company when he doesn't even WANT it. And also, that guy stole "his" girl. Wait until he finds out about all that was legitimately stolen from him and everything he missed out on. He's at least going to go through a phase where he wants revenge on Severiano and to take something, anything, away from Cristobal. I just hope he gets through it quickly and with a minimum of damage to any innocent bystanders.

We need some new category of evil for people like Humberto and Valeria...they're like Evil Lite. Half the destruction and zero intent to cause harm.
 

5FT: In total agreement with your last sentence.

Fatima
 

I could easily see Valeria saying to Candela: "I'll see you and I'll raise you".

Valeria is a very good student. Most of it is innate, but she had a good teacher. I wonder how Teacher will take it when Student outshines her?

Fatima
 

Diva...Hum seems to travel the path of least resistance joylessly. He has caused evil due to his apathy and laziness. He just wants to protect his own rear and move along with no concern for the damage he does to others. I don't think that I have ever seen him smile. Pru, on the other hand, is a merry lush enjoying being in Can's circle of power and influence, wearing pretty clothes, sitting at her vanity, sipping good booze, sharing tidbits of gossip. Can and Severed are aggressive in their evil as they whatever is necessary to control everyone and everything around them. They are the proactive Type A evildoers. They get the job done no matter what .
 

Thank you for the recap Lila and also to the Sombra team because I've been reading them too. I can't access the comment section at work for some reason and that's where I'm spending all my time since September.

I want to chime in on the who's more attractive from the males. It would be Alex Sirvent for me in real life but he looks so slim and young here as Emanuel so I'll pick Renato, then Emanuel and then Cristobal. Cristobal is cute too though, all three are quite good looking.

In fact, Emanuel here reminds me of the time when AS was going through puberty and joined La Onda Vaselina when they were singing banda pop songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6GFtDE6s_Q

That was in 1993 and he looks just a few years older than that even if more than 20 years have passed.

Stevey I saw the "Favoritos del Público" awards and I don't get why they don't do the actual premios like that. It was so much more fun watching the cast and crews sit together, cheer for their teams, take pictures, mix and dance the night off than what's usually done having them sit in an auditorium waiting until they get to their category. The unbridled joy of the YNCELH table as they kept winning was awesome.

Jarocha




 

I wish there was a book - "The Telenovela Field Guide to Villains and Makers of Mayhem."

Susanlynn your line about proactive type A Evildoers made me wish for such a book.
 

Dropping in here to thank everyone for your recaps and comments. Life has been busy, I'm a few days behind in watching, and hope to get caught up this week.

Even though LaSombra/ElManantial are based on Romeo and Juliet, the telenovela version seems to be written and acted/interpreted just like a Shakespearean tragedy.

Years ago, I read Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres. Halfway into it, I decided it felt eerily like a Shakespeare tragedy. Later, I learned it was based on King Lear, which I had never even read. LSdP has that same feel, IMHO.
 

Hi Jarocha! I'm so happy you stopped by!

Thank you for that link. I can't wait to see it.
 

As for Val,we have seen that she enjoys the boys and seems to enjoy variety. I do not think that Val has suddenly changed into a one man girl, so it will only be a matter of time before someone else will catch her fancy. I think that will be her Achilles heel in her campaign to rope and hogtie the ultimate eligible bachelor in town.
 

Val almost strikes me as a female Severiano. Part of her desire for Cris is the money and power of the hacienda. I'm sure that was part of Sev's attraction to Cande.

So she'll marry Cris, but will soon be on the lookout for other lovers.
 

"As for Val,we have seen that she enjoys the boys and seems to enjoy variety." Good point, Susanlynn. Val has needs! As soon as Cristobal says "not tonight, honey, I've got a headache" too many nights in a row, she's going to go elsewhere to get those needs met.
 

Fatima, Candy's gotten lucky that so far Val wants what she wants, but the fur is going to fly the day that's not the case. And I do think that Candela has lost whatever power she used to have over Cristobal. She handed it all over to Valeria and assumed Valeria would always back her up.

In a parallel, I think that's what's happening with Humberto as well. He was always totally under Severiano's thumb before, but now he's talking about wanting the property for himself. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out and what his real intentions are. As much as Prudencia says that Valeria takes after her, I'm seeing more of a father-daughter resemblance. They both know how to keep their mouths shut, they're both patient, and they both know how to keep their real emtions and intentions hidden.

Sara, I would read that field guide :D
 

"They both know how to keep their mouths shut, they're both patient, and they both know how to keep their mouths shut."

So. Um. Yeah. That's actually kind of scary.
 

Sorry for the misquote. I'm not very good at copy and paste on my phone.
 

As for Cris,he strikes me as a bit apathetic and direction less. First, he is crazy in love with a girl he just saw swimming in the woods. Then, when she tells him that they cannot be together, he gives up trying to find her after sitting in front of his laptop a couple times.Then he runs back to Spain to....I don't know...sulk ? Clever Val brings him a lamp, opens a bottle of wine, feeds him something tasty, gives him some good loving ,and makes the competition disappear . It did not take much to turn Cris's attention away from his onetruelove...just saying. I like galans who are a little more steadfast and sure of their feelings and a little less easily distracted by something new and shiny when someone steps in to take care of all their little needs. I could almost hear Cris thinking ''Hey, this is comfy. I'll go with this.''
 

Thank you Fatima! Jarocha!!! Hope you continue to hang with us on the patio (I'm ditching the fireside, spring is almost here) and Doris! Yaaay!

Sara, I like your response to can contrived be sincere! What I'm thinking, Fatima, is that her whole "happening" to be in Spain was contrived. . it was an outright lie. We all know she was majoring in Cristobal and she has almost graduated with mención honorífica! But when she was talking to Cris about thinking he should give in to his parents and consider them as well as their future children, etc., etc. I didn't get the "muwah ha ha ha ha! I'm playing this sucker" vibe from her. Cris IS a catch and she may well be fancying being half of THE power couple of Santa Lucia and looking forward to a bright future with Cris. So, in this I think she's sincere. Like many have said, she hasn't really done anything dastardly yet, just a couple of smart and mean girl tricks aided and abetted by the master manipulatress, Cande.

So, two things will remove Cris's rose colored (p-whipped) glasses: when her claws come out on Aldonza and as Susanlynn so masterfully put it: As for Val, we have seen that she enjoys the boys and seems to enjoy variety. I do not think that Val has suddenly changed into a one man girl, so it will only be a matter of time before someone else will catch her fancy.
 

It is sad that Candy has put all her emotional eggs in one basket..her one and only child...her only raison d'etre. Children grow up and go out into the world to build their own lives. Parents have to let them go as they continue to love and support them as best they can. Candy needs to get a hobby.
 

Lila...The sun is finally shining and the temperature is up this afternoon, so I, too, am hopeful that we may someday have spring. Please. This coming week is spring break for me ..let that not be a misnomer.
 

I hope so too, Susanlynn! I think you guys took a harder hit than we did. It's supposed to get close to 60 later in the week: seems like a dream!

:D
 

About Cristobal moving on too quickly, I don't think we were shown how much time passed before Valeria and him became friends and started dating in Spain. Aldonza's major is usually done on a 9 or 10 semester plan here, even if she graduated early it couldn't have been less than 8 months. Add the semester she had to wait before enrolling to do the administrative arrangements and probably four and a half years have passed.

Jarocha
 

I meant that it couldn't have been less than 8 *semesters*.

Jarocha
 

Four to five years passing sounds right to me. Roberta all of a sudden has that bad cough, etc. It makes good sense too, about Chris moving on from Aldonza. Too bad we never gotdespuesed, to give us a better sense of the time that has passed.
 

Doris, I like that! "Got despuesed" :) I was grasping for anything that would hint at how much time had passed. At one point someone said "You haven't talked to me for three days" (I think it was Lola?) but that was the only number anyone mentioned.

Before, we finally figured out the year from Raymundo's tombstone. Maybe this time it will be from the wedding invitations.
 

Oh! Or how about "the first Saturday in May" being the 3rd? Does that narrow down the year any?
 

WOW, WOW & WOW! You rock Lila and so does this tn. You had so many great things to say, how do I choose? Here are but a few good ones---Val who has vowed with Cande never to let Cris have a private moment of thought,

Val kisses Cris on the mouth for Emmanuel's benefit. Gringo yells BRUJA!!

Time for Valeria to attend a tune up session with Cande to sharpen her manipulation control freak skill set.

Cande is lining up her little dollies in the Mendoza play house
Sad that she's teaching Val to do the same.

There are so many genius filled comments over the last two days, this is one smart patio bunch.

Tofie---You're so bad. Roberta---I
know how to pick um. ---Renato--- Double date with daddy. --- Cande
An independent man is an allusion.

Gringo says that Lola is a nice young lady. I hope that she finds happiness.

Sara---Right on. Sat.9:01AM

I CAN"T WAIT for Aldonza to show up and come in contact with Cris.
Aldonza and Val are going to have a battle royal and I don't necessarily mean physical, although I can honestly see Valeria going that route. As far as we know, Aldonza will have no one in her corner whereas Valeria
will have a host of bad/evil characters backing her. As I said, this is going to be a real battle. Be strong Aldonza, you're going to have to be as this will be long and bitter.

Of course "sweet Val" (I'm not fooled) smirked at Emmanuel. She may pot on the nicey-nice mask to Cris but deep down, she still a nose in the air stuck up rich b---
Hand me some darts please.

Tofie---I love your assessment of Val. Sat. 11:13AM

Everyone is talking about Roberta's alcoholic addiction and analyzing her train wreck behavior. I say that although Roberta/Susana had but a small part last Friday, she played her part magnificently.

Let's all enjoy Susana while we can because the x-ray's at the end of Friday's episode wasn't a good sign. No father and no mother. How can we not be in Aldonza's corner. I suggest a special Aldonza table on the patio where we can all gather to cheer her on.

Fatima---I could easily see Valeria saying to Candela "I'll" see you and "I'll" raise you. Gringo can see that too'

Lila---I agree with you that Val has not suddenly become a one man gal. Gringo adds that after marriage she won't be a one man gal either.

So much interest in this show, it's a runaway hit.

Thanks again for a great recap Lila.
the gringo



 

gringo-I am also EAGERLY awaiting the return of Aldonza in Cristobal's life. And like you, I can totally see Val getting physical. BUT I think Aldonza can take her and beat her!!
 

Years since 1989 where the first Saturday of May was the 3rd:

1997
2003
2008
2014

So if they weren't just being random about the date, and the first time jump couldn't have been any earlier than 2010 given the technology, I think we're left with "now" being 2014.

If Aldonza's degree typically takes 8 semesters/4 years and she accelerated her program, what's the minimum amount of time it could have taken her to finish? 2 years? 3? Putting the first time jump at 2011-2012.
 

Wow, Diva! Cool how you analyzed the calendar!

Thanks, brother gringo, for your glowing compliments and though many of us have speculated on Vale's healthy sexual appetite, I was quoting Susanlynn in my latest post about Val not being a one guy kinda gal.

Hey y'all! If Val does cheat on Cande's precious bon bon son, she will rip Vale a new one and maybe banish her from Santa Lucia! Cande don't play 'bout no cheatin'!

BUT, let us not forget that mysterious other man in her life. Maybe she didn't cheat but stuck Sev with the baby (Cris). I know that's not part of the main action. Just throwing it out there.
 

Would she care about the actual cheating, I wonder, or only about it calling the paternity of any grandchildren into question?
 

I think she would care about the actual cheating as well. Remember, for her, Cris pees ginger ale and she wouldn't want anybody hurting him and yes, there's a large part of "how dare you humiliate MY son" in that as well as the paternity piece.
 

Hmmm. She is pretty clear about him being HER son, but I always assumed it was because she didn't like to recall that Sev was the daddy.

If Cris isn't Sev's that's going to make the Sev/Emanuel dynamic interesting.

Because I totally can see Emanuel going rogue like Diva suggested. Yet I somehow see Sev taking him under his wing. Though I guess that couldn't happen because Emanuel would be pretty pissed about being abandoned.
 

to clarify, he would make the dynamic interesting because then a manual would be Sev's only son.
 

Lol, and of course she doesn't think what she's doing is hurting him. She's just...looking out for his best interests and making sure he picks a partner worthy of the Prince of Santa Lucia.

It's always the same thing with these overbearing mothers.
 

Ok. My post was confusing. When I say "how dare you humiliate MY son" I mean it in the sense of her being extra offended because it's her son in the sense of a part of her, not that it's NOT Sev's son. Whether Cris is or not, I think she would be hyper vengefully pissed if Val cheated on her precious Cris.

I mentioned that about the other man in her life that Dominga mentioned to refer to her possible hypocrisy about cheating. But I'm thinking rather than cheating per se, that she might have married pregnant and let Sev take credit. (Which is dishonest in itself)

NOW. I meant to go "Oh Wow!" earlier about Diva's scenario of Emanuel going to the dark side when/if he finds out all that stuff she said so eloquently about his being cheated out of his birthright, etc. etc. Diva, that is brilliant! He was pretty (understandably) cold to Cris as he rode away on Solitario (nice touch). I would want him to direct his ire at Sev, not Cris, but THAT could be deadly!

Oh, the juicy possibilities!
 

5FT, I am in ABSOLUTE agreement with your comments at 0304 pm

Susanlynn, your commentt at 0316 pm is right on the money. You've said what I have been feeling about Cris.

Lila, totally understand your comments at 0321. Valeria is one smart cookie, but I now know what it is about her that bothers me the most: She is a phony.

Once Aldonza returns, the gloves will come off and Valeria will come out punching first. She will be egged on by Candela. It might take awhile for Aldonza to get her bearings when she returns as I think Candela and Valeria will have a "shock and awe" type of approach.

Candela is too quick to go into panic mode and doesn't know how to bide her time.

Fatima
 

Well, if Cristobal isn't Sev's biological son and Sev finds out before Emanuel comes looking for revenge, Sev can totally take advantage of that. A little "Candy made me do it!" to shift the blame and then an "All of this is really yours and I'll help you take it back" to tempt him over to the dark side.
 

Well, I just meant that your post did remind me about her always saying that. Sev has even had to remind her of his paternity.

But in all likelihood Cris is who he is. It's been said many times that Cande is just to uptight for cheating and even if there is another guy, I doubt there was any premarital hanky panky.
 

Ooo. I like that idea, Kat!
 

Yep on all points, Fatima! It's going to be good. I think Aldonza is going to do everything in her power to distance herself from Cris and HE will be sniffing after her but I agree, this won't stop Valeria from taking the first punch nor Cande and Sev from trying to destroy her.

Gringo made a good point about all the people behind Val. Who does Aldonza have? Let's see. Adelina, Padre, Lola. . .? How effective are they? She's going to need a lot of strength of character! Renato and whatever human baggage he brings is a question mark and the writing seems to be on the wall for Roberta!
 

Me too, Diva! Oooooo! Emanuel going rogue looks more and more possible! Yikes!
 

It would mean that Candela spawned with someone other than Sev, which is hard to imagine, but this show keeps surprising me, so...I'm hesitant to discard any possibilities just yet. It's refreshing, not to know exactly where they're going, even though we still get some of the typical cliches.
 

...and Lila, I also think there is MUCH more to Padre than meets the eye.

I am hoping that he is takes a much more important role in her life.

I think he could thwart a number of things that we know will come Aldonza's way!

Fatima
 

If Aldonza smart, she'd never set foot in that podunk town ever again. She doesn't have to, with her grades she could go anywhere. Girl has outgrown Cris, hell, he's still wearing the same hat. Let them run about and smell each others armpits and continue to marry their cousins.
 

That's why I think it's going to come down to her accepting a fabulous job that pays well and then showing up to work on her first day and being told, "We're going to put you on this really important project," and THEN they tell her that she needs to go to Santa Lucia and interview farmers about their planting practices or whatever. She'd have a hard time saying "no" on the first day of work and she'd worry that it would reflect badly on her mentor.
 

Fatima, I hope so!!: I also think there is MUCH more to Padre than meets the eye.

Tofie: Dang, sting 'em girl!
Girl has outgrown Cris, hell, he's still wearing the same hat. Let them run about and smell each others armpits and continue to marry their cousins.

Diva, I think you are sooo right! Oh my gosh! What if the work involves her former home, the melon farm, the "old" Alcocera place?!!!

Oh no! That's too horrible to contemplate!
 

The only good part would be if it's something like choosing certain farmers in the area to receive a grant to implement new methods of blah, blah, blah, and then they'd all be kissing her ass.
 

5ft that actually happened in a telenovela called Huracán, the lead (played by Angélica Rivera) left her hometown after being humiliated and returned years later when she got assigned a big case with the marine life from the town's part of the sea (she was a marine biologist). The villain was played by Alexis Ayala and the galán was the late Eduardo Palomo.

Jarocha
 

Wow! Jarocha, that's very interesting! Sounds very plausible! Emanuel told Cris that "Doc" (Humberto) owned the land and would be renting it to Sev to pasture animals. It doesn't have to be the Alcocera place though, anywhere in Santa Lucia would put her right in the middle of Sev's little fiefdom!

Tofie. I like what you said more and more about Aldonza out growing Cris.

You know what, guys? I hadn't even noticed that danged scarf til y'all mentioned it! :p
 

Whoa, Jarocha! Thanks for mentioning Huracán! I LOVED Eduardo Palomo in Corazón Salvaje and never saw him in anything else! Alexis Ayala looks so different . . .oh time! Interesting, he was the villian on that one as well.


 

Wow..Lila...I will never again drink a glass of ginger ale without thinking about Cris.

I do not think Dominga would have mentioned Candy's old love for no reason. I think that Cris is someone else's son..hopefully someone who is not a rapist and a bully.

Now to prove that I am not a robot by identifying avocados.
 

5Ft, I LOVE those thoughts! All VERY plausible. :))

tofie, NONE of us could have said it better!

Jarocha, we ALWAYS love hearing your point of view and other wonderful things that you tell us. :))

Fatima
 

Perhaps AL minored in melons and will be sent back to reestablish the melon crop.
 

Gracias for the info, Jarocha. I'm sure I didn't see that one, but it's nice to know I'm not coming up with anything totally implausible.

Lila, I hope that even if she's in his "fiefdom" that she's still somehow out of his reach. Sure, he's got his buddy at the police academy and he's a big shot in Santa Lucia. But like Candela said to Val, "In the DF you'll be nobodies, but here you'll rule the town." He's may be a king in his rural village, but Aldonza's a big city girl now and I hope she's coming back with some kind of power or authority that makes him think twice about so much as looking at her the wrong way.
 

"minored in melons"! Hee hee!
 

I hope so, Diva! Just the thought of her being back in Santa Lucia traumatizes ME!
 

Well, melons are the family business :)
 

I know, Lila! I want her to go with a bodyguard. Or a squad of them. 24/7 coverage.
 

Now, AL has a lawyer friend...Renato. He must have been introduced to serve a purpose. Maybe he will be working for the same company on the same project. Maybe they will be working for the government. I know that we just had to fill out a twelvepage survey about our farm.
 

I like the "working for the government" idea. Even if it's just that their company is working for the government as a contractor. That would definitely put her in a position of authority.
 

I'm getting caught up and in Thursday's episode, when Sev visited Ray's grave, he mentioned that Ray "quitó" his lands. Was there speculation on the patio as to exactly what Sev meant by Ray taking his land?
 

Not really. Personally, I was too busy being shocked that this walking piece of mierda was talking smack about Roberta and Aldonza. If I had to speculate...

-Somebody lost a bet at cards?
-Ray is some sort of distant relative of Sev's who Sev didn't think deserved the land?
-Sev's daddy gave/sold the land to Ray's daddy for some totally legit reason, but Sev doesn't care, he still thinks it should have been his?
 

Doris- Yep. We noted it, but there are so many possible explanations, as Kat listed, we all just figured we'll wait and see what the writers choose to reveal after dropping that little nugget.
 

Whatever it is, I definitely think that Raymundo being at fault is ONLY in Sev's head.
 

And, recall that the lands that Sev and Cande currenly live on, as she reminded him recently, belong to HER. And Sev retorted that the property is such good shape financially because of HIS hard work. (Perdonez-moi if someone else already mentioned.)

J in Oregon

 

Hm...makes me wonder what she needed him for in the first place.
 

Before the Roberta affair/love child reveal Cande was happy with Sever, and happy to leave all business in his hands. We would not have even known that the land belonged to her if she hadn't started mentioning it after the Roberta baby bomb. That's when she started marking her territory with Sever- MY house, MY son, MY rules! I don't think Cris is anyone else's son. Cande seemed totally happy and enamored of Sever, even in the bedroom, before the fallout.
 

Vivi...Why did Dominga bring up Candy's old love ? I guess Severed married Candy for land and money, and Candy keeps him because he is a good (and unscruluous) manager and for appearances. Candy wants to avoid a scandal.
 

Perhaps her old love will show up and remind Cande of the good person she used to be. But the time Dominga mentioned the old love made it sound like it was someone way in the past. Not someone who was around just a year or two ago and could have impregnated her. (Remember this convo happened when Cris was a little baby.)
 

Ooh I left and the conversation heating way back up!

I'd like to throw another point in the mix: Cande's the very opposite of Roberta's passionate, impulsiveness and before the fire, it didn't seem like she had closed off some previously unknown part of herself. I"m not sure she's one to give into passion, consequences (i.e. bpregnancies) be damned. And she didn't seem the least bit guilty when she found out about Roberta, just betrayed, so for now I think Cris is really Sev's.

Also, Sev married her for money and position, but he also seemed happy with her as a wife. I think he liked her and respected her. She's smart, beautiful rich, educated, polished, refined. She makes an excellent wife. Since he obviously can't love b/c he's a monster, I think that's as high as it gets on his scale. He went to Roberta because she's passion and danger. She's sin and he can be as base as he wants with her.
 

hellashelle- Sever really had it all (except Santuario) before the Roberta affair. An awesome wife, who gave him total control of her vast hacienda, a beautiful son, two arms... He messed that all up.

Cande, in trying to punish Sever, and trying to keep up appearances in public, has just hurt and punished herself more. What a miserable existence.
 

Vivi - "Sever really had it all (except Santuario) before the Roberta affair. An awesome wife, who gave him total control of her vast hacienda, a beautiful son, two arms..."

LOL! For real though, that actually made me laugh out loud. Glad I already finished my coffee.

Yeah, poor Cande. She, like Adelina and Roberta, seems to have denied herself the chance to love again. How ironic. Poor thing can't deal with public failure though. She can't see past everyone else thinking that she failed as a wife to seeing that maybe that public knowledge would be worth future happiness.

 

Sever gambled and lost. He may think he recovered everything as he proclaimed to Raimundo's grave, but we know at some point he's going to lose it all.

His biggest gamble was he was going to kill Roberta and rid himself of that problem. As far as he knew, Padre Sixto was the only one who knew about the affair and we know what happened to him. He figured once he got rid of Roberta he was home free to enjoy his awesome wife, who gave him total control of her vast hacienda, a beautiful son, two arms...

Roberta's murder would have been blamed on one of her random johns: Nobody would have even cared to investigate much and certainly would not have been encouraged to do so by Sever.

He didn't count on Ray finding out and all that ensued.

Hell-born bastard.
 

Lila..gee, I completely forgot about Severed killing the padre. This guy will do anything to preserve his reputation. He is sure to get squashed by an enormous anvil eventually, but I can see him doing more mayhem and damage before he gets what he deserves. Nasty piece of business. Who is going to stop him ? Only Rob and Hum know all the evil that he has done. Rob seems to not be long for this world, and Hum is a spineless, passive wimp who does Severed's bidding.
 

Hi everyone!!

Well, the 33rd annual Premios TvyNovelas awards show came and went last night, and I thought I'd share the results with you all. If it's okay, I'll post this on more than one page, so that it can hopefully reach the eyes of all who are interested...

Basically, in total 'Yo no creo en los hombres' led the awards with 7 wins (out of a total of 14 nominations), followed by 'Lo que la vida me robo' with 5 (out of 13), then 'Mi corazon es tuyo' with 4 (out of 10), and 'Que pobres tan ricos' with 2 (out of 8).

Interestingly, 'El color de la pasion' was shut out, despite its 12 nominations and, though 'Mi corazon es tuyo' (which, personally, makes my stomach churn) only won 4 awards, it did take home 'Best Telenovela'. ('La Gata' sufferers will also happily note that it was shut out of all 4 of its nominations... :-)

All of the winners are as follows:

Mejor Telenovela: Mi Corazón Es Tuyo (Juan Osorio)

Mejor Actriz Protagónica: Adriana Louvier (Yo No Creo En Los Hombres)

Mejor Actor Protagónico: Sebastián Rulli (Lo Que La Vida Me Robó)

Mejor Villana: Daniela Castro (Lo Que La Vida Me Robó)

Mejor Villano: Flavio Medina (Yo No Creo En Los Hombres)

Mejor Primera Actriz: Rosa María Bianchi (Yo No Creo En Los Hombres)

Mejor Primer Actor: Manuel “El Flaco” Ibáñez (Que Pobres Tan Ricos)

Mejor Actriz Co-Estelar: Fabiola Guajardo (Yo No Creo En Los Hombres)

Mejor Actor Co-Estelar: Luis Roberto Guzmán (Lo Que La Vida Me Robó)

Mejor Actriz Juvenil: Paulina Goto (Mi Corazón Es Tuyo)

Mejor Actor Juvenil: José Eduardo Derbez (Que Pobres Tan Ricos)

Mejor Actriz De Reparto: Cecilia Toussaint (Yo No Creo En Los Hombres)

Mejor Actor De Reparto: Osvaldo Benavides (Lo Que La Vida Me Robó)

Mejor Tema Musical: “Mi Corazón Es Tuyo” (Mi Corazón Es Tuyo)

Mejor Guión o Adaptación: Lo Que La Vida Me Robó

Mejor Director De Escena: Yo No Creo En Los Hombres

Mejor Telenovela Multi-Plataforma: Mi Corazón Es Tuyo

Mejor Reparto: Yo No Creo En Los Hombres

Mejor Programa De Variedades: Hoy

Mejor Programa Unitario: Como Dice El Dicho

Mejor Programa De Concursos: La Voz México

Mejor Programa De Entretenimiento: Me Caigo De Risa

Mejor Programa De Televisión De Paga: Está Cañón

Mejor Programa Especial: Grandes Temas De Telenovelas
 

Just wanted everyone to know that I AM going to watch this tn. I'll have to play catch-up, though. Right now I'm on Epi #4 (a long time ago for you folks).

So, if this is all old moldy news, forgive. I have to get it off my chest.

Did any one notice that Roberta, in two scenes, wears stockings held up by garters. I guess this was ok in 1950, but in 2000? Give me a break. Also (sorry about concentrating on Roberta here), if she is so interested in being acceptable to the pueblerinos, has she taken the time to look in the mirror lately? And I don't mean just when she got back from "accidentally" shooting Raymundo to death. Her hair is a mess. Ok, I know, I know, we're supposed to see her as a ditzy female, but with Adelina in her life, with a slightly normal hairdo, you'd think she'd at least look around and see how other people are coiffed and dressed. OTOH, maybe that's what attracted Severino.

I like the two play on names, Prudencia - who is anything but Prudent, and Severino, whose arm has now been severed.

 

Lol, Anita, are you checking the recaps, too? Because we had a LOT to say about those thigh-highs :) And about Roberta. You're in good company.

Maybe we're overestimating Severiano's competence about anything but running the horse business? Has he really been such a stellar planner and good with follow-through, or has he gotten lucky? What if Humberto hadn't been around to help with the death certificate? Or to convince his stupid, stubborn ass to go to the hospital before he died from infection? And Candela was the one who came up with the plan to steal Roberta's baby so she couldn't use that against him/them and ruin their reputations.

Like Vivi said...he had it all. I think Candela married him, he acquired all this wealth and prestige, and it went to his head. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just enjoyed what he had instead of wanting more. But nooooo...he thought he could have an affair with the most gossiped-about woman in town and nobody would notice. News flash, Sev: when you have to start killing people to keep them quiet, that's a sure sign things have gotten out of hand.
 

Welcome, Anita! Yep, like Diva said if you could even skim the recaps and comments you'll see we chew these episodes over pretty good! AND, this is a VERY active group, like 4 X the QA board: no criticisms of either, just a heads up! So glad to have you!
 

I just finished the comments on the bloody & explosive aftermath. Yes, I got it! Will reduce my enthusiasm till I get a little further along.

Diva--that was a succinct recapitulation of Severed Sever's motivation for beginning a killing spree.

Now back to a more refined and cerebrally/emotionally driven telenovela, Quiero Amarte (it does have its killing moments, though).