Thursday, May 07, 2015

La Sombra del Pasado #58 5/7/15 Descent into Stupid

I hope I can be forgiven. I was already dozing off before the episode even started, so I'm just going to give you guys a quick, out-of-order rundown of the action and hit the sack. We can all fill in details in the comments. Honestly, I kind of wanted to RPC the whole damn thing.

I felt ambivalent
Silvia came to see Cris and told him exactly where Aldonza was and where she was sleeping. Which Cris took to mean "sleeping with Renato"...not "she was tired and needed some rest so she took Renato's room while he slept in the guest room." She practically begs Cris to go to the DF and cause a scene so Aldonza will get out of Renato's life. Cris figures out that Silvia loves Renato.

Dominga and Irma discuss their idiot children. Lola is still wanting Emanuel, but she's with that Pato/Ganso/Whatever guy. Mari wants E-man too, but can't seem to see he wants Lola.

Joaquin and Eman have hangovers. They barely remember the night before. They decide Eman can stay with Joaquin. Good. Housing taken care of.

The police go to Las Animas looking for Abelardo. Cande tells them to come back in a few days when her husband is back. She alerts Sev to their visit.

Lardo gets permission from Tomas's parents to stay with them. He catches Pru and Tomas snogging.

I probably shouldn't be ambivalent about this, but Aldonza tells Renata about the wedding plans that didn't pan out because she caught Cris kissing his ex.

Eman does go visit Hum at the office. Hum at least knows he's safe.

I felt like cheering
Humberto goes to see Cande and tells her that Eman is a treasure that she and Sev never valued. She doesn't listen (that part didn't make me cheer. BTW, Padre was HAWT in his younger days. Oh yeah. I went there. I don't blame you Cande girl.)

Lola goes to the Zapata residence and slaps the shit out of Val.

I felt chills
Sev gets proactive. He asks his police buddy to locate a certain detective. Yup, the one investigating the arson. He tells the detective that Abelardo has nothing to do with the fire. He gave Abelardo some time off and that may be why he's incommunicado. Sev also says that Aldonza has been accusing him of all kinds evil...she even accused him of trying to kill her uncle. (So like Diva has been saying: Sev sounds reasonable. Aldonza sounds like a fruitcake.) Sev assures the detective he will let him know when Abelardo shows up.

When Sev gets back to his hotel room, Simoneta is waiting. I want to say she's a pretty stupid mistress. Sev is a loose cannon and could have killed her or beaten her. But she seems to know how to handle him. She nuzzles him and says she knows he doesn't want to spend the evening alone.

Just pissed me off
Val goes running to Cande and wants her to throw Lola off Las Animas (this is what pissed me off.) Cande refuses to give into her request. Throwing Lola out would just piss off Cris and Val ends up looking like the bad guy (This part actually made me cackle with glee because Val was not getting her way.) Dominga interrupts their plotting and has the pleasure of informing Cande that Cris has run off to the DF (again, cackling with glee.)

Lola finally runs into Eman. They seem to be making headway and actually talking to each other...and maybe about to kiss when both Pato AND Mari happen to show up. Pato gets all "what are you doing with my girlfriend?" (Not a good look on him) and Mari went after Lola for going after E-man. And I don't even know how it happened but suddenly Lola was all "No, I don't feel anything for Eman" and Eman was all "Nope, I'm not interested in Lola at all."

The two couples decide to continue in the "lets make the other jealous plan" (WTF? Please tell me I did not understand that correctly.)

Meanwhile, in the DF: Renato is convincing Aldonza to let him invest his money in her "Mis Planes" (Um, yeah. That sounded dirtier than it should have.) They hug and Cris is BAM! right there in the car window like some kind of crappy horror movie. He shows his ass. He yells. He goes after Renato. Aldonza breaks them up and she drags Renato back into the house.

Cris continues to stand outside and do his best Marlon Brando impression. Aldonzaaaa! Renato decides now is the time to discuss where he stands with Aldonza and then seems angry that she doesn't love him with all her heart. Dude. She *just* told you at dinner she almost married Cris. Anyhoo. Renato goes out and yells at Cris. Cris still doesn't leave.

Aldonza calls Adelina and yells at her for giving Cris her location. Aldonza talks into her phone like an antagonist. I almost expected her to Sergio Sendel the damn thing. You do NOT talk to Adelina that way.

Aldonza gnashes her teeth for a bit and finally decides to go out and talk to Cris...right as he pulls away in his car.  Damn. Damn. Damn.

Previous: Episode 57
Next: Episode 59

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Comments:
Does anyone happen to know the name of the tune that has been playing during the Lola/Em/Pato/Ganso scenes lately?
 

No, Sara, but I hope it turns up in the credits.

Sylvia is playing a Valeria game and I hope she gets caught.

I was almost hoping Tomas would have more data to compare with Lardo, but the embarrassment on Pru's face was priceless.

If I were advising Aldonza I'd suggest she fake her death and make Severiano look like a murderer. However, that kind of a plan requires a much cooler head than she has.
 

LOL! Great recap, Sara. No need to expand. You may have been cranky, but I don't think you realized just how many scenes you had in your cheer section.

I for one loved seeing Pru get busted by Lardo, who she just slapped a few episodes ago. I think Lardo now has a source of ready cash. Pru= ATM

The Lola E-man scene was funny and sweet, until Pato and Mari showed up and ruined it. I'm not sure what Lola and Pato's plan is. I can't really remember. I thought they were actually trying to make a go at this relationship thing. Maybe that's the deal they were talking about. Mari and E-man, on the other hand, are for sure trying to make Lola jealous. Loved E-man blocking Mari's kiss. He's finally learned a thing or two.

It seems that Silvia's "dormiendo con" really was just saying Al is sleeping at Renato's, although it could be interpreted the other way too (with).

I laughed at the whole Cris stalker scene, and Renato losing his cool. Especially since during the scene in the living room, you could see one of the gnomes peeking out of the waterfall fountain in the back yard. :)
 

Dammit! I keep missing the friggin' gnome!

Pru's embarrassment was smeared all over her face! Lol.

Pru=ATM... Ha!
 

Thanks, Sara. Things are getting frustrating with the inevitable s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g that the writers have to do. Everyone gets stupid.

It was fun watching Sev sling it in that detective's office. He thinks that he is so clever, but for some reason , this detective looks like a guy who can detect BS when he hears it. I think this guy will be on to Sev unlike almost everyone else .

Lola and Eman are destined to be together because E needs an abuelo and Mel likes E.

Sim is pathetic putting up with the way Sec treats her.

Gee..was that a photo of padre back in the day?...long, blonde hair . I thought for a minute it was a photo of Bobby , my Memory Lane prom date...or June Allison.
 

Sara..I missed the gnome, too. I was too focused on Renato ruffling his hair in frustration. I thought for a minute that he was going to bang his head against the door.

Loved seeing that guilty look on Pru's face. Lardo loved catching her cougaring...like mother, like daughter..just saying. Hahaha
 

Alfredo Adame (Padre J) looked like a 70s surfer dude in that picture. Like he had spent his whole summer in the sun. Cande's got it bad. Girl needs a hobby...that doesn't include running Cris' life.
 

Gracias, Sara!

Cris sure is showing his ass. And quite a lot of it. I had no idea he had so much ass to show. And how annoyingly OOC...here's the guy who finds parties and big public scenes awkward, and there he is screaming outside somebody's house. The hell, dude? I did get a laugh out of "Cris continues to stand outside and do his best Marlon Brando impression." :D

I agree with Susanlynn...the cop was asking really good questions and seemed far too cranky and suspicious for someone who had bought Sev's BS. If he totally bought Sev's lies, I would think he would look happier, like "Ok, then. Mystery solved! On to the next."

I think that at least Pato is reconsidering "the plan" and whether he wants to continue. He is one of the two people who is saving this show from my wanting to nuke it from orbit. Padre J being the other one. I just really felt like kicking a lot of people in the shins tonight. Anyway, at least even though Pato likes Lola, he's not sure he wants to sacrifice his self-respect for her and that makes me like him more.


 

Urban Anthropologist, I like your plan! Can she follow that up by moving to a tropical island and finally having Adelina set up that dress shop?

Vivi, I missed the gnome :( I'll have to go back and look for it.
 

Thank you Sara! Great recap, especially for such a qth worthy episode.

Seriously, what is with these two idiot couples in SL. I get Pato cuz he and Lola did agree to make a go of it. But wth is Mari so pissed about? She knew it was a farce from jump. And qth with Eman too. Lola's been looking for you all day, slapped a b**** for you and without any context you cut her out over "I'm not at all interested in him anymore"? Really dude? Why are you even surprised? You've known her all her life, she sometimes says things impulsively and she WAS very pissed at you for obvious reasons. Ugh! Rme...smh...I need more acronyms of frustration!

Aldonza...I might be Al-Done-za. PJ is right: don't play big girl games if u don't have the pantalones to face ur problems. U are SO not ready for marriage.
 

Sara, you made a silk purse out of a lot of sow's ear scenes last night. Descent into stupid is right. Where did this take such a turn on the writing?

After a really lousy work day and headache to go with it, so wanted to enjoy this episode and instead I was yelling at the screen with my usual OSUP!!!

What the **** was Cris trying to prove. Frankly, that doesn't work for me as showing undying love and anguish. That would be a total turn off, but I think the writers were definitely going for the Streetcar vibe. Wrong of me to actually wish the cops HAD shown up just to see how that would play out.

Now, I admit, I can be very shallow at times....and I went there last night with Ren's Cris reaction in the house. I was not paying attention to one word he said because when he was running his hands thru his hair and had that "look"...yeah, I went to a happy place. Little bummed to hear the writers for some ongodly reason thought that was the time for him to get all over Allie on how he feels...gee thanks writers. Again, not in character to the guy we have grown to know. I'm sure he was hurt she almost married Cris, but I don't picture him going nuts as Cris is yelling outside...but I did enjoy the view :)

And I thought it sort of interesting that Padre J in his youth harkens back to our Renato. Gees, if we didn't know better I would think they were working them to be father and son in the show. No wonder Cande had it bad.

Boy, Allie sure likes to jump to conclusions and then always seems to dump on Ade. Still don't think Sylvia had to go there spilling to Cris.

Speaking of whom...E-man is so cute when he smiles, so I enjoyed that back and forth with Lola. But have to say, I get more a Best Friend vibe from these two, and when they leaned in for the kiss, it seemed odd. They work as friends, but I guess we will still somehow get them as end game. So glad he has a "home" now. New bromance.

I don't think that detective bought all the baloney Sev was selling. And can we just park the Sev/Sim scenes. We get it.

Any bets that Cris goes running back to the waiting arms of our favorite dart board character as a revenge to Allie? Jerk move that he doesn't have to do, but I bet he does it.

Daisynjay
 

I don't know, Daisy, I kind of dug proactive Cris. Yeah, I'd probably be pissed IRL, but from the outside looking in I'm glad he got off his duff and went to find her. To me, it said here's a guy that won't just let his relationship die becuase of some stupid misunderstanding that doesn't get cleared up in time. Here's a guy that will go after Cinderella when she runs, even if it's to another Prince's castle. Here's someone who won't see something he doesn't like - his amor with someone else - and write her off and leave town without even talking it out. I'm down with that.

Not sure he'll go running back exactly so much as she'll be there when he wakes up and Aldie won't.


On the flip, while I think Renato is a beautiful speciman of a man and I want to rub...eh hmm...nvm...his hair's a little much for me. I feel like it gets poufy. And it didn't seem so OOC to me that he reacted as he did since Cris came into his space to go Brando and he's been turning the other cheek since the beginning. I'm not surprised he got loud and shovey. Especially since I'm sure he felt he was/is on the cusp of something with Aldie.

Aldonza's phone call made me straight up want to slap her across the face. I'm beyond sick of the way she treats Adelina. I don't want Ade to leave town or anything, but I am at the table that wants her to leave Aldonza so that Aldie can get a taste of what she's abusing.

Silvia's move makes sense to me to, especially because she's a lawyer. She's trying to get an ally for her fight. She's tried going at it alone, and she's losing. Not she's trying another angle: making Aldie unavailable.


I was shocked by the almost kiss too, but only because Lola had said she and Pato were gonna make a go of it.

I don't think the detective fell for Sev completely either. Unfortunately, if he asks SLPD to verify, they will and it won't even smell of corruption because it's true. I was so hoping he'd ask for Sev's phone, use it to call Lardo and Lardo would slip up thinking Sev sold him out or got caught or something. Sigh.
 

Hellashelle- I agree with your whole comment. I too was glad to see Cris being so proactive, and I don't have as little faith in him as others do that he'll just fall back to Val right away. Cris has always gone into single-minded pursuit mode when it comes to Aldonza, and only her dropping off the face of the earth gets him to even look at another woman.
 

Thank you, Sara! Girl, you nailed it. Some episodes don't deserve flowers and flourishes! The fam had me distracted last night as well as my final recap of QA so I appreciate your marvelous rundown!

I'd also like to thank Hellashelle, who somehow got in my head and expressed my take on the episode exactly!

I do want to go back and see Lardo bust the self-righteous hypocrite Pru sucking face! A bitch!

Renato HAS been cool, calm and collected as Hella said and I would have freaked out more than he did if some idiot was outside my door yelling, banging on my door and laying non-stop on my doorbell! He shoulda beat the slop out of Cris or at least called the police.

I also like what Hella said yesterday about the magic between Cris and Renato but I know they're not going to walk down the aisle at the end and I just don't want to be more frustrated than I am at our stupid lead couple.

I coulda beat Aldonza's ass when she ran out as Cris was pulling off tearfully yelling, "CREESTOBAHL!" Stupid heffa! If I were Renato I'd say, "hey, girlfriend, you need to find you a motel 6."

Descent into stupid, indeed.

Diva, thank you for yesterday's stellar recap. I was tied up but read and enjoyed every word as well as the most entertaining and insightful analyses of our coo coo SL residents.
 

Valeria needs a bloody good hiding, something I'm sure she never got growing up. What a sense of entitlement she has that she thinks she can demand that Candela throw Lola off Las Animas.

Renato's dad must have drawn the overnight shift for the occasion; lucky him.

More later.
 

Ooops! NOT the magic between Cris and Renato, though that would be quite a surprising twist, wouldn't it?

The magic between Renato and Aldonza!

Also got to go back and check Addie's hair from two days ago and young, hot Jeronomito--I didn't even recognize him!
 

Don't get me wrong, Cris standing up to all and wanting Allie back is ok, I just couldn't get behind the Brando imitation. Little too macho for me. Regroup, come back the next day or try a calmer approach after the first confrontation didn't work.

LOL at your "I want to rub..." on Ren. Have to admit, I may be bordering on a senior citizen, but I'm like Cande in that I really liked the guys with the longer hair back in the day and still am ok with that thick mane. My dad, lord love him, had the most glorious thick hair right up until he passed at 78. Maybe that's where I learned to love it. Messy or not, my fingers were itching last night :)

Can I ask the patio--I may have missed this early on because there were a few episodes at the start I didn't get in full. But does Sev actually know that E-man is his son? Or did Hum, while doing what Sev told him and took the baby, lie to EVERYONE that Rob's baby was a girl to protect it. Then took it as an orphan to raise himself and leave Sev none the wiser.

I ask because I found it interesting how quick Sev was to fire E-man and go ballistic when he protected Allie. He seems to have no care what happened to him. If he does know, than that was especially cold.

Daisynjay
 

Good morning everyone!

I have to apologize again because I had every intention of getting up this morning, watching a few more scenes and adding some more details... but migraine (and I still had to finish watching QA and the AcT cat fight.)

Soooo... my apologies.

Daisynjay - I am of the opinion that Sev does know E-man is his son and just doesn't care. Sev is just that big a bastard.

While I like that Cris is not giving up, he tends to do so in a way that interferes with other people's sleep. That is a big no no in my book.

I cannot decide if Ren or young Padre is hotter. I lean toward young Padre.
 

Sara - as I am in desperate need of coffee myself this morning, your comment did give me new perspective on Cris' approach. It would've been funny if a neighbor had come out and said "hey kid, I gotta get up at 4 in the morning. Can you give it a rest?"

I'm not against long hair (Fernando Colunga in Alborada, Mario Cimarro in PdG...Mmmm....so nice), it's just too much volume for my taste.

Sev totally knows. He literally took the baby from the room while Hum was still trying to finish up with Rob.
 

Sara, no apologies, please! It's cool the way it is.

Yah. Young Padre is hotter. I'm partial to the dudes back in the day: they were the originals!

:D
 

I thought it was interesting that in the conversation between E-man and Hum, E got very real about his feelings and how he's always felt like moocher and outsider in that house. When Hum tried to say that E is like a son to him, E pointed out how he has to use the Usted form with Hum (Hum said that was an order from Pru), and the most affectionate thing he was allowed to call him was Doc. Not padre, tio, padrino, etc. In other words, NOT family as Hum claims.
 

Thanks hellashelle for clarifying on E-Man. Ok, so my anvil for Sev has grown again. That's just cold...and he has the nerve to wax poetic and think "fondly" of Rob. Yeah, not so much, jerk.

Vivi, I missed that scene dialog wise with E-man and Hum for a quick text from my son. Heartbreaking. Thanks for the info. E-man is definitely our tragic hero in this tale. I hate to see what else he has to go through before he has his "happy ending", if he even gets one :(

Daisynjay
 

Hi, Sara. You may be only hitting on 6 out of 8 cylinders, but you did the episode proud. I especially liked your observation comparing Cris to Marlon Brando. I never liked Brando very much, and I didn't like Cris's actions at Ren's house.

I continue to feel bad for E-man. What a way to grow up! I am glad he has moved out, and I hope it will be permanent. I hope he can move forward with his life and let Pru and Val stew in their own self-absorbed juices. Sev firing him may prove to be the great break he needs to forge ahead with his life, and may lead to Sev's undoing.

With all the people Sev is threatening with firing, or has actually fired, I wonder if they will all wind up at Aldonza's, leaving Sev with a bunch of unskilled, ignorant workers?

I was stunned when Hum burst into Cande's room unannounced. Who goes into a woman's bedroom like that?

David


 

I agree, that scene was just so...sad. Sad and true. I always thought the "Doc" was a cute nickname they came up with the navigate the weirdness of not knowing where E came from, but now its just sad. E's stance on it was admirable. I think Hum only just realized it when he said that Pru demanded those things and he went along with it to avoid problems. when he said it, it sounded like he was realizing again that it's another, far more important example of him copping out, and one that he actually regretted and never actively thought about before. I felt sad for both of them: E having to get used to that distance and Hum now realizing how much he hurt and used E and how they could've been closer.
 

I am also worried about Emmanuel. I believe he is the fruit of the poisonous mating of Sev and Roberta and I fear he will end the way she did, especially when he finds out the truth. It would be better for him not to know but that would run contrary to Televisa Law.

Lola will be able to handle the truth that's waiting for her because she was raised by loving grandparents. She'll be angry with them for an episode or two but she will get over it and understand they may have been misguided but had good motives.

Prudencia clearly is a genetic narcissist to not have felt even a microgram of empathy for a baby whose mother died in childbirth. I can imagine the knock-down drag-out fight she would have had with Humberto when he brought Emmanuel home with him.

There should have been a nanny in that house because E wouldn't have been more than a year older than Valeria. You'd think that a nanny would have been a loving influence unless por supuesto Prudencia would have ordered her to never address him by name, praise him, or show any affection at all. Most nannies worth their pay would find that difficult, bizarre, and sick.

What I am wondering now is how much Candela knows about this. Unless I imagined it she told Sev early on that she didn't want to know any details, but she isn't stupid. I can't see her not putting the pieces together to get the picture.
 

Aldonza is being abrupt and slightly mean to Adelina, but I think she views her more as a mother than an aunt and there can be some harsh palabras between mothers and daughters at times. That doesn’t excuse her, it just helps me make more sense of it.

I’m Ok with Chris’ “Brando” act in Mexico. I’m glad he “got off his duff” (hellashella) and became “proactive,” (Vivi) even if he was a little noisy! The Chris character is a puppet in the hands of the writers, but despite that, he comes across as a good guy with values. At least there is chemistry between the leads for a change!!

I’m extremely annoyed with Pru, glad Lardo caught her. UA I agree with everything you just said about her!

Sara, I’ve always been a big fan of your short, sassy recaps. They are a joy.

Sandy in TN
 

Thanks everyone!

E-man is such a pitiable character!

Sandy in TN!!! I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you!!
 

Hellashelle..I am with you on the appreciation of longhaired dudes even though Hub has always had short hair because he has always played sports and my dad always had a very short crewcut because he worked with a lot of machinery as a farmer and tool and die maker. Fernando as Luis won my heart in Alborada. I am also a big fan of longhaired Sully in Doctor Quinn (Joe Lando)and Adrian Paul in Highlander, the TV series.When my older daughter was in college, her boyfriend had long, black shoulder length hair. Her friends asked her what my reaction would be when I met him, and she said, ''Mom will love his hair''...her father and grandmother..not do much. So..I am on board the Renato hair train. And hey, I am picturing Chris with long hair now..nice..very nice.
 

There is a new country song out now, “I Got the Boy,” by Jana Kramer. It is about a woman who sees the wedding announcement of her high school boyfriend to some one else. The lyrics say in part, “I got the boy, she got the man, I got the long hair, hot head, she got the cool and steady hand.” Chris is his long hair, hot head phase, he’ll have the cool and steady hand eventually, Renato as well, in my opinion. (Speaking with a little experience here, he he)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNJwu-YkQlc
 

David: like the idea of all the skilled workers ending up at Donnie's. That'll really piss off the one-armed bandit. I also could not believe Hum bursting into Cande's bedroom. With what right? Cause your cousins! Would he have gone into her bathroom if she was there? That was weird.

Urban, I long ago noted the sickness of Pru's hatred of Emanuel. How do you hate a baby? Surely Hum must have noted the contempt? What venom that poor baby. . .toddler....little boy had to consume along with every meal. It's a wonder he didn't die as an infant from failure to thrive! Pru has a comedic edge but for this alone she has my quietly seething contempt and I hope she suffers mightily! That's why I want to see Lardo bust her with Tomas and I hope she goes all the way with Tomas and Lardo spreads it all over town. No. Let him snap a pick and post it on fb or tweet it or something. I want that hypocritical wench and her daughter to go down, hard!

>:/ Lila
 

Thank you very big Sara. No chance to watch this week so the caps gold.

Thanks too Kat for yesterdays

Hellashelle, ditto

They are trying to run this thing in a ditch and unfortunately the young actors cannot contribute enough nuance to keep it from being laughable.

More disappointed in the Aldonza character and if she cannot help but RUN, again this time from Cris, no way I believe she can stand toe to toe with Severiano for 12 rounds. She's spoiled, coddled, skittish as a colt and has the crazy gene from her mother.

I applaud Cris for trying but think his initial tactic of relaxing in his room instead of getting worked up and running after the nut, the best. Don't run after a runner. If Cris were smart he'd thank Renato for taking her off his hands.

What a life Renato has, no cares and his mother bestowed on him enough cash to buy his dream girl.

Oh, speaking of long blond hair. Mr. tofie, despite the stuffed shirt wheeler dealer nowdays, when we met at university, had long blond hair to the middle of his back, earrings (yes plural and in 1974) and rode a motorcycle. My poor conservative asian parents.

 

Thanks, Sandy in TN! That's a great song: love the feelings in the lyrics of that song, no bitterness, just treasuring what she got of her old beau during their time in the sun. Real nice!

Cris does have the hot head now but I could just slap Aldonza though. I hate when people won't talk.

E-man may have gotten the brooding and drinking thing from Roberta but Aldonza sure has the impulsive, brainless, passion-driven decision thing down to a science. Adelina certainly kept her alive, but Roberta's behavioral stamp is all over her.
 

Ok, I'm trying to imagine the situation and I can see how Pru might be pissed to start. I think I'd be pisse if my significant other brought home a child out of the blue "because he promised a dying patient" Um, this isn't something you wanted to discuss with me first? And you promised to bring him into our house? Not make sure he was adopted by loving parents, not be a diligent godfather, but bring him into our house? After you told me I was dumb to be thinking of having kids only a few months ago?

I get that initiatl reaction. It's the follow up that's hugely disturbing. How do you hold onto that for 20+ years? When the child is just as blameless as you? And is trying so hard to please you (because, doubtless, Eman tried very hard to earn that affection before he just tried to fly under the radar).
 

E-man may have gotten the brooding and drinking thing from Roberta but Aldonza sure has the impulsive, brainless, passion-driven decision thing down to a science.

Ooh yeah! And it's especially ironic and ridiculous because she was so aware and critical of way her mother lived her life. Oh I so wish Adelina would point that out to her. I wish she would make the comparison so Aldonza could stop in her tracks and look at where she'd leading everyone in her thoughtlessness.
 

OK, so, Cris takes Silvia's advice and shows up to "do something." First clue something was going to go wrong, he asked her WHAT to do and she said she didn't know, but SOMETHING. So right away, I'm thinking "Way to show once again how clueless he is!" And then he shows up, like I said, this guy who doesn't like drama and doesn't like causing scenes, and his idea of what to do is stand outside in the street screaming her name and insist he won't go away until she talks to him, but instead of sticking to that, driving away when he's finally had enough. This was his prime opportunity, if he was going to do the "big gesture" to finally give me a frickin' serenata...but noooooooooo!

Yeah, I'm bitter.

HellaShelle...rub...his shoulders, right? 'Cause he looks really tense...and maybe he could use a scalp massage, 'cause we want to keep those hair follicles happy....

Lol, Lila, "Some episodes don't deserve flowers and flourishes!" Word! This one deserves afternoon detention while it re-writes itself!

Thanks, tofie :) That's a priceless mental image!

HellaShelle, they've been a little vague with the timeline, but at one point Pru had gone back to Los Olivos without Humberto. If she was telling him it was over and hadn't come back yet when Roberta gave birth, then I say it's fair game for Humberto to have made a unilateral decision. In which case, if she hated it so much that he'd adopted a child, why move back in? I wonder if she knows about the child support payments and was perfectly content to have him around because it meant extra cash. Or maybe he did tell her that he was going to find a family for Emmanuel, but it was going to take some time and that "time" just kept getting stretched out to forever. Humberto's not very good at confrontation, so I doubt he put his foot down as much as tried to sneak under the radar.
 

Diva!? I so thought this was Sara writing this comment when I saw what you wrote about this episode!

This one deserves afternoon detention while it re-writes itself!

Hee Hee! ^o^
 

Ha! We have achieved oneness...we are The Recapper Collective :p

For some reason I was thinking of handing out grades when I watched this episode. Like Cris--he gets a D. He just barely did enough to satisfy the homework requirements, but his work wasn't thought through at all and showed no understanding of the material.
 

Diva - oh right! I had completely forgotten that she left him for a while. Did she actually leave, or just threaten to leave? Because since that was right aroung the time that he became keeper of Sev's biggest secrets, maybe the payout of his new job and right hand...left hand?...man made her change her mind? I'd believe it if Hum said she could leave if she wanted, but the child was staying and she could leave it or lump it. Their relationship seems very much one of habit at this point to me and I think the routine of being married roommates with benefits has taken it's toll. That marriage is like a termite infected house.
 

"termite infested house" Ha! Tent that sucker or nuke it from orbit!

When Pru was leaving, they were still living at Las Animas and Cande had basically thrown her out or just been rude, I don't remember which. So Pru started packing her bags and said she was going to Los Olivos and Humberto was kind of rolling his eyes at her, and he for sure wasn't going to go back because there was nothing there for him. Jump forward a few months to Roberta giving birth and that's all they showed us--the birth, the trip to the clinic. Then ff>> to twentyish years later and Humberto is living in a house in town with his wife, daughter, and some kid that his wife and daughter turn their noses up at. It was all very vague and nobody ever talked about when or why Pru came back. Or, did she really leave? It was so ambigious, I guess she could have packed her bags and he convinced her to stay at the hotel and found the house a couple of days later and moved them both into it.
 

his work wasn't thought through at all and showed no understanding of the material. LOLOLOLOLOL!!! Could this be any more accurate?

At the end of the day, they just don't know each other that well. I'm not even sure what he should be doing and we've gotten to see Aldonza at so many other moments. All I can think, we he should've been quieter. Just there the whole night, camped out, waiting and texting her explanations and declarations of love. I really like the serenata idea from before, which is kind of what I thought he was going to do when he first broke it off with Val. I LOVE the tradition of the serenata. It's right in their with my princess and fairy tale, childhood feel good memories of love.

I'm curious now: what do you guys think would have worked?
 

Lila, glad you liked the song, I like it too! It could have been a tear jerker, but it isn’t somehow.

Diva, “This was his prime opportunity, if he was going to do the "big gesture" to finally give me a frickin' serenata...but noooooooooo!” I was thinking that myself, why doesn’t he just get some Mariachis, they would have been so much more effective. Chris needs to get with the program and watch the novelas like we do!

Aldonza is very strong willed. I thought this was best personified when she insisted on going to the burned apartment (Lucky none of the other apartments were harmed, that was quite a fire?!?!?!) immediately after Renato met her at the bus station and offered a quiet dinner.....she insisted on going NOW. I’m not sure what to think yet, still just mulling her character over.
 

Sorry Diva, should've said your serenata idea from before. My bad.
 

omg ugh on the strong will of Aldonza Alcocer! When she said "entiendame" to Renato last night, I actually said out loud "if you "entiendame" one more time!" Why doesn't she enitende a anyone else? Everyone needs to get her POV, but she doesn't have to consider anyone else's? You don't want to listen to Adelina's reasons, you don't want to hear Cris out, you don't want to consider how your Sev accusations are coming off. Ay! Pues vayate tu con tus locuras niña porque ya me estas hartando!
 

It's a special moment when the characters frustrate you so much that it can only be expressed in Spanish :)

What would have worked...you know, I'm not sure anything really would have. It's not up to him. Has it ever been? He's gone chasing after her after she's said they're through, I don't know how many times now. She's never felt the need to chase after him when he said he wasn't interested. I think it's less about what he does or doing anything specific than about catching her at the right moment.

He could have brought mariachis and she could have listened and cried and gone outside and snogged him to within an inch of his life...and still said "I'm sorry, this is never going to work." But at least it would have made for a more entertaining episode.
 

Thank you Sara, what a frustrating episode. This whole argument between our main couple is idiotic and it's hard to make sense of it in a rational way.

The absolute best scene was hands down, the scene where Abelardo catches Pru all over Tomas and they both have lipstick smeared all over their mouthes. The actor playing Abelardo had the best facial expressions, in fact, I'm liking this actor more and more as I see him here. He's quite good.

Anyway, I was thinking who would have been better to catch them doing that, and there really is no one better. Any of the "good" characters would have been pleaded to not say anything by Pru. She would have told them a sob story about how it would hurt everyone involved and she would never do anything with Tomas again. But with Abelardo, he's going to make her pay over and over again for his silence. Perfect torture for someone who deserves everything he'll do to her.
 

I hate to say it, but this time of year I am so exhausted that I just sort of squint at whatever they hand me. If it looks kinda like Spanish I cut the students A LOT of slack.

So....I will squint at what our younger characters did. Looks pretty TN to me. C+ for everyone!

hellashelle-I am getting a good giggle out of "If you 'entiendame' one more time..."

I understand your anger. Last night when Aldonza pulled that phone away from her ear and yelled directly into it...I wanted to smack her.
 

Hella and Sandy, I love the idea of a serenade, too but I'm sure these young whippersnappers would think that was corny -- and viewerville probably would, too.

Insistent and romantic texts? I'm sure Donnie would just delete them!

I think camping out and cooling off in the car and seeking to talk to her in the morning might have helped. The problem is, Donnie is a drama queen like her mother was. She likes to be in the center of tornadoes of emotion where Cris is involved. Remember, y'all, their "love" was forged in a surge of adrenalin: attempted rape, fire, cheating at the engagement party. When she didn't hear the banging, ringing and yelling anymore she was like, "what the fudge. . .where's the racket?" and then she ran out to see him driving away.

I see why many think Renato is the better choice: he and Donnie can just be with each other. They can talk about other things, they can actually make decisions which don't involve love or lust or fighting the evil momma and daddy. All this is cool but at the end of the day, our Donnie is addicted to the passion and drama, so she's going to keep playing these childish games with Cris til they walk down the aisle.

And ahma keep chastising 'em, too!
 

Kat- We know Pru did leave SL for a while, because she was not around the day of the severed arm/Ray's murder. She would have been asking ALL kinds of questions too if she were.
 

I don't know. I just can't hate on Aldonza and Cris. I like those two chamacos locos. :)
 

Humberto told Prudencia that the newborn belonged to a patient who had just died and that he had promised on her deathbed to "see about him" and somehow Pru must have agreed to let the esquincle stay, but she didn't (and wasn't, and hasn't) like it. But what if she agreed to it just so she wouldn't lose Humberto and her cushy life of leisure? And what if she never fully believed the dying patient story and really thinks Emmanuel is Humberto's son from a dead lover? I believe she's the type that would gleefully make her husband's lover's child's life a living hell.
 

Diva - lol yes that's also how my nephew knew I was especially angry with him when he was a toddler. ¡Ya basta! Y ¡Daejeme en paz! Just have so much more weight than Enough! Leave me alone! Especially to a 4 year old who’s never heard Spanish before.

Anon 12:15 -THAT would make some sense, but Val brought that up when she came back from Spain and Pru said she'd never considered it. Honestly, I don't know why, that would be my first suspicion.
 

Aldonza has snakes in her head.......her mother, her land, her rape, her “mis planes” and the family lying to her about the past. I’m reserving judgement because I’ve never had to cope with so much and don’t know what I’d do, go away (pushover?) or stay and fight (stubborn!) She’s won’t be fit for love or peace until she works through everything. I wish this weren’t a novela, because as a fictional story, handled well, it would be very good......starring Diva of course!!!
 

Vivi, oh yes! Dominga and Mel were desperately trying not to connect all the dots and Pru would have painted a frickin' wall mural! I agree, she must not have been there.

Ha, Sandy! They never go for leading ladies my age...I'd be in the Tia Adelina role :)
 

Sandy in TN - Aldonza has picked option #3: Go away (stubborn!)

I like it as a novela, but if this is the way they were going to take it, I wish they would do more to emphasize those issues so that they really feel like issues. They've glossed over the rape so much it's like it made no impact other than to be a reason for her hate. I feel like if she knew about his role in her dad's death or her baby sibling's life, this could play out the same way. I've never been assaulted before, so I don't know how I would handle any of that either, but seeing her build the confidence with which she faces Sev would've been goof tv, imo. I was really impressed by the Sev/Cris nightmare because that was a remake call, and a good one. I'm still waiting to see if/how that plays out when Cris and Aldie get to the seriously together forever stage.
 

I'm of the mind that Pru is all about the ability to be a doctor's wife, the standing it gives her and the ability to not have to work a day in her life. Easy to run away, but that might have meant effort on her part to work, clean, etc. Not her style.

I can see her ultimate comeuppance would be to have Hum leave her, have the truth of her little tryst seep out and she become a social pariah in town who just might have to break a nail and work. Same goes for Val. She' is her mother's clone so they can both scrub some floors and wear crummy clothes for the rest of their lives.

I'm starting to think a lot of Allie's anger and head strong behavior is because she has never dealt with the most traumatic event in her life. She seems to never want to talk through an issue, wants everything to just happen and be dealt with and no one knows as much as she....because noone knows what she really went through but her. She never has talked it through.

I feel like I'm watching a powder keg ready to explode with her and it could take out a lot of people when it does. She always acts like she's handling things but she really isn't.


Daisynjay
 

I don't hate 'em Vivi, they're just getting on my nerves, mainly Donnie. Like several said yesterday, it was so refreshing when she was foiling all of Val's mean girl tricks but she just fell right into that one? Why didn't she shout at VAL, "hey, Lardo's sp*** dump, get away from my man!" and then watch Val explain that!

Ok, she's been through a lot of deep shit, I'll cut her a little slack but lets see how they handle the next crisis.
 

Sp*nk dump? damn Lila, you out did yourself, I'm laughing so hard it hurts,lol.
 

The problem is, all she knows is that Val and Lardo were kissing and Val already told Cris that. For her to confront Val and tell her to stay away from Cris, she'd have to care whether she does or not. And at that moment--nope, didn't care, just wanted out.
 

Al was definitely not looking to fight for Cris in that moment. At any moment really. She has never fought for him the way she is fighting to get back her land. We know that when she wants to, she is perfectly capable of sparring with, and beating, Val.

Cris is the only one of the two who has been fighting to have a relationship. (Al goes along with it when she's in the mood.) He's the one who every day has to hear his parents and ex (who has access to his house)spewing all the reasons why he and Al can't and shouldn't be together. And he hears it from Al herself too. But he keeps persisting.
 

He's fighting for something, I just don't know what it is! To me, a relationship isn't "Hey, we hardly know each other, but let's get married!" and then following that up with a conversation about the whens and hows of the ceremony rather than all of the "what happens after."
 

That, dear Diva, is because you are a rational, sane human being.

I don't mind the love at first sight angle most TNs seem to take, but I really prefer when they're backed before declarations of love in the rain.

On Al's reaction, even if she's not admitting it to herself, I would've appreciated some more moments of doubt to support her not telling Val to back the H up. It's nothing new for the characters to say one thing (Yes, I love you, let's get married!) but mean another (I know I said I'd marry you, and then, completely unpressured, told my family, but I'm having a LOT of doubts), but usually they let US know what's going on, or at least that something is going on under the surface.
 

Hellashelle- Aldonza doesn't let ANYONE know what she's thinking. Not even the audience. We, like dear Tia Adelina, are just along for (her) crazy ride.
 

It's not that I'm not a romantic person, but some things are way too big for "romance." Surprises are fine for dinner or theater tickets...not so fine for marriage proposals or new cars. I'm funny that way.
 

Vivi - what do you mean? I feel like she's pretty clear about a lot of things. And when she's not (like when she noticed Ren and Silvia holding hands at the funeral), there's a hint to let us know something's up. I sometimes like it when they don't tell us certain things characters are doing, because the obviousness of TNs is sometimes just too much, and I like it when they actually surprise us (and maybe fill in the gaps with falshbacks). But if they mean for characters to have certain reactions, they should make sense. Unless there's a huge surprise later that explains why the character is acting OOC, it just comes off as irrational or contrived or just plain dumb to me.
 

En fin, Donnie's gonna keep breakin' 'em off in Cris AND Renato and they'll have to try to understand because her deepest wound (the rape) and her motivations are known only to herself. She's gonna flop like a fish between Renato and Cris and treat Adelina like an annoying mosquito!

I just hope Renato doesn't go dark on her one day when he realizes all the investment of his time, money, and heart will not be able to hold a candle to Cris's. . . .what?
 

I mainly mean her "mis planes" that we don't find out about until she initiates each next step. But I also don't think they've really let us into her thoughts about Cris and what she really wants from him. I do however understand why she's all mixed up when it comes to Cris. If Cris were a singular package, without the baggage of his harpy mother, and rapist psycho daddy, I think Aldonza would be all over that. But considering all the negative feelings she has about his family (feelings she hasn't dealt with or is dealing with badly), I think she will continue to run hot and cold with him.
 

I have not seen Aldonza going back and forth between Cris and Renato. She has not once told Ren that he has a chance with her. She calls him up and continues to plan and plot with him, regardless of whether she and Cris are on or off. Ren is the one who gets his hopes up.
 

A great recap Sara. An expansion isn't necessary.

Mariachis??? BALONEY!!!
If you find out that the one you love is spending the night in you're rivals house, you go Marlon Brando. It's as simple as that. Stay all night in the driveway and wait for the morning would be a possibility but emotions were running hot. The woman he loves is spending the night with Renato. Time for action
even if it didn't succeed.

Cris in a hospital tonight? Will Aldonza be there beside him?

Yes---Lola did tell Pato that they would give it a try but her heart belongs to E-man even if she did find him kissing Mari. So what's a poor girl to do? She melts every time she sees E-man. She just can't stay mad at him. It's just that simple.
the gringo
 

Thank you, Gringo, for the male point of view. I think we are expecting Cris to think like us. :)
 

Mariachis??? Does Cris have a group just sitting and waiting for his emergency come right now call or were they busy doing an emergency call for someone else last night and just weren't available?
the gringo
 

Yah, Renato is getting his hopes up but she could be more emphatic with her, "you don't have a chance" because her words say one thing and her actions another. Like she should sooo get out of Renato's house and check into a hotel while she's in D.F. and be just as firm with that as she is with Cris and the "it's all over" thing. She can fool herself that staying in a man's house, in his bedroom and and sleeping in his bed doesn't mean anything, but if Aldonza has her meanings, Renato has his as well and she is definitely a partner in his rising hopes.
 

Thanks indeed, Gringo. Appreciate a male member of the patio who really watches the show and reads the recaps giving his perspective on the characters and action. Keep hanging with us, Gringo!


 

If Allie is not serious about Ren, then she needs to stop leaning on him for EVERYTHING that happens in her life. It's one thing to be a friend or her lawyer, but he's her crutch and stabilizing force more than even Ade or PJ are. That's hard for a guy who has laid it on the line to you that he's over the moon. At some point, when is it taking advantage of someone's feelings for you or do you wake up, like it was said, and realize....hmmmm, this is the guy that actually knows me, my dreams, has been there for me in tough times, supports me and drops whatever when things go wrong and we share a lot of with education, friends, etc. And there is the guy I snogged a couple times, said I would marry after we hit the magic "24 total time spent together" moment ( or has it even been that much) who hasn't a clue who you are as a thinking person.

This is one time it's getting silly these two spend almost no time with each other before the next big break up.

Daisynjay
 

As the mother of two daughters, AL is definitely treating Ade the way a daughter interacts with her mother..especially when the daughter is a teen or young adult. Mothers of daughters need thick skins and forgiving hearts as daughters tug at those apron strings. And an attitude of ''no matter what you say to me, I will love you forever..no matter what.''When daughters become mother's, they have epiphanies.
 

should have said 24 hours....I should be working....I really should. Put down the tablet.

Daisynjay
 

daisynjay..I completely agree with you about the way AL leans on Renato. It is unfair to him.
 

I agree Susanlynn, except I would just say some daughters act that way with their mothers. Thank goodness I didn't have that kind of relationship with my (only) daughter but I have three sisters and one of those sisters and my mother had a hellish relationship which only mellowed after my mother got dementia and now that sister carries on the hellish tradition with HER daughter. It does happen!

:/
 


Diva, if Fernanda Lopez can play Mari, YOU can play Aldoza, no problem!

I like what Daisy said, “I'm starting to think a lot of Allie's anger and head strong behavior is because she has never dealt with the most traumatic event (events) in her life. She seems to never want to talk through an issue, wants everything to just happen and be dealt with and no one knows as much as she....because noone knows what she really went through but her. She never has talked it through.” Aldonza hasn’t really dealt with anything yet. She has either been given much more than most people could handle with in their youth, A LOT, or she’s basically flawed, and will always go into a closed minded, non-listening mode even when life is slightly tough, because that is the way she is wired. I don’t think we know yet. Temporarily she is overwhelmed and really “running on empty” emotionally, I’m not sure how she would handle ordinary problems in normal times. Keeping her rape a secret must be very debilitating. The actress is playing her in a frazzled, over emotional way, we haven’t seen a lot of “normal” yet. To several who have posted about Alsonza’s mixed messages, yes, I agree, she is a giant kettle of mixed message soup.

I think it was a couple of episodes back, but the maddest I got at Pru is when Humberto was price gouged on his car serviced by Tomas’ peeps, now that’s grounds for divorce!

Gringo, in real life, please don’t bang on someone’s door in the middle of the night, or lurk in your car, the next day you will be trying to post from a jail cell....

susanlynn, my son has two sons....waiting for the “epiphanies.” ha ha
 

Vivi - ah, gotcha! yes, the mis planes were kept secret from the audience. I liked that part. I think I'm just having a hard time without my hints: the significant looks or fading smile or obvious avoidance. With my TNs, even if I don't know what they're thinking about a thing or person, I like to know that they are thinking about that thing or person.

Gringo - lol! Love it!

Lila - Aldonza needs to put herself in someone else's shoes. Unfortunately for Cris, he doesn't have any female friends who are seperate from past drama and the drama of friends. Silvia's the closest we get and if he was sleeping over at her house, in her bed, hugging her in her car, Aldonza may have left the whole country.

Susanlynn - that's true, there's often that teen, young adult period of foolish levels of self-importance. I suppose that's not been helped by the fact that Ade was at home for college, so she didn't have a chance to miss, and therefore value more greatly, the awesomeness that is Adelina.

But as the daughter of a mother and the niece of several very involved aunts, I'd have been slapped into ultimas semanas or shunned by the village for some of those tones, even if not for the actual content.
 

AL is definitely both Renato and Chris's raison d'etre , but the family farm is Al's..not Chris..or Renato. It somehow seems to me that Al's obsession with the family farm is her idea of a way to get over the rape. It's like ''You took so much from me...and so I want to get something back..the farm."
 

Diva..Are you using a rubric to grade our characters ?

Sara..I am feeling you, girl, regarding the end of the year. I give a reading and a speaking final next week, and then the semester is over. One of the fulltime faculty took the two courses that I usually teach in May and June, so it looks like I will not be teaching until the fall semester except for tutoring a businesswoman from Brazil. Time to rest my brain.


 

Aldonza doesn't talk about the rape because she knows how it would go down: She knows that nobody will believe her.

Santa Lucia itself is living in a past with attitudes like in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Severiano is the richest man in the area and he can very easily buy any lie into truth. Even Simoneta is in denial about how evil he is and half the time we wonder about where Humberto's intentions are at. Nobody in the modern world would hold Roberta's rep against Aldonza without proof that she is a clone of her.... except this nasty little town. If she talked about the rape they would all laugh at her and strap her straight into the giggle jacket.

Probably (other than Adelina, who knows) only Padre Jeronimo would believe her and that's because he's her uncle.
 

Kat, thank you for the recap yesterday. I just got around to reading it.

Sara, thank you for today's recap. I wish the writers would get off stupid and move this thing along.

UA, I totally agreed with you about Aldonza and the rape. SL is a town without pity.

Rosemary Primera
 

And that movie's trial would be repeated word for word in Santa Lucia.
 

That place reminds me of paytons place. You, know that little town where everyone gossiped about everyone else. And it was always a lie that went through the town, and everyone believed the lie with no proof at all.

Santa lucia is aldonza's paytons place. Poor girl.

Nina
 

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