Caray, Caray!

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Hey, guys! I miss y'all! How dare work and other escapades with three dimensional people cut in on my patio time! Oh well, it's all good! Anyhoo, here it is. I don't mind that it was kind of a blah episode since I'm able to get it up quickly. I could really just strangle Pru and Val AND Mari. These "ladies" bring out something Dark and Ugly in me!

Please, as usual, make any corrections, expansions, etc. I'll do clean up later. Got to tie on the feed bag! Later!
 

Gracias, Lila for an enjoyable recap of a QTF episode.

That song...they keep playing it...I do not think it means what they think it means! Every time I hear "Porque te prometiiiiii...." I mentally add "and you lied."

"The contempt I feel for these two is as vast and deep as their hypocrisy." Dude. That's deep. Right there with you.

Lola's little trick was juvenile and stupid and yet I can't entirely blame her for what happened because Mari shouldn't have left her post. I don't care if she won a cruise.

I think you got the thing with Tere. Her son is sick, they don't have the money to pay for treatment, the bank won't lend it to them and they can't mortgage the house. Humberto doesn't have the money, but he might be able to get a friend to treat the kid for free.

So now everyone's prints but Sev's are all over that rifle. Me lleva!
 

Thanks, Diva! Wait! You said that Mari thought she won a cruise? I thought I heard big screen tv? What's a pantalla de 80 pulgadas? Back in a minute!

That song...they keep playing it...I do not think it means what they think it means! Every time I hear "Porque te prometiiiiii...." I mentally add "and you lied."

Amen, sister!

:D
 

Lila, no you were right she did "win" a big screen. I'm saying, I don't care if someone called and said "You won a cruise" or "You won a million dollars" or "You won a date with Cristian de la Fuente," she has no business leaving work in the middle of the day without telling anyone where she was going and leaving all the doors wide open so that anyone could access personal information that should be kept confidential.

And that goes for Renato, too, leaving his office door open and his computer unlocked.
 

Lila- You did great with an episode you didn't enjoy. Thanks, amiga.

I must have an inner 12 year old mean girl, because I laughed at Mari being punked and then scolded by Silvia. Serves her right for what she pulled earlier waltzing Val into Ren's office like that. I also was glad to see Lola really kissing Pato with gusto and showing him some love.

Eman also looked happy, getting suited up, and getting lucky with Vero.

Summit, Tere! There's nothing that says she can't take the money, AND testify against Pru, is there? I mean, no contracts were signed.

Glad Ray made his way back home. I went off on my own like that when I was 4. Got tired waiting for my aunt to pick me up from school, and walked through the busy streets of Kingston, Jamaica all the way to my mom's office. My aunt had just called my mom and told her I was missing, so she had the same look on face Joaquin had when Ray popped up- anguish, relief, tears. It does make me wonder how often Flavia had taken him to Adriano's house for him to know the way there and back so easily.
 

That's dammit, not summit. LOL! Tablet is such a prude.
 

Oh, hee hee! Thanks, Diva. I sure wanted to see Mari get fired. She looked like she was struggling at the computer. I can't see her lasting out the week.

Vivi! Thanks, amiga. I hope I don't prejudice people against the episode. Maybe I'm just tired. Yes, let Eman get a little lovin', he deserves it! As long as Vero doesn't pull any mean or manipulative novela girl tricks on him!

Summit? Is your tablet acting up again, Vivi! Hee hee! Lordy, Vivi, a 4-year old you walking to your mom's office. I can't say I know you but somehow, I'm not surprised! Kids. Stuff makes sense to them and it scares the bejeezus out of parents!

:D


 

Thank you Lila! Just watching this episode made me tired, so thank you for actually recapping it (and posting so quickly!) Absolute fave line: "They realize Aldonza’s head is made of solid granite."

You guys, is anyone else feeling TN fatigue with these people? I'm so tired of everyone on this show right now. I'm not even mad at Lola. Like Diva, I think Mari should've known better than to abandon her post, with doors wide open, without telling anyone. If she had just popped her head into Pato's office and said she had an emergency, I don't think there would've been any problem. But Lola's clearly not ready for villain status, telling the little girl at the end to rub Mari's face in it and giving her her name. That's probably going to come back and bite her in the butt.

Meanwhile, how far is Vero going to get payment? I thought it would just be a kiss, but she looked ready to stripped Eman's new duds all the way off and inspect the package under the wrapping.

Val is so committed to her delusions that I don't even know what to make of her at this point. The levels of entitlement that she has to have to say and do what she does are unbelievable. She doesn't seem crazy, not in the unbalanced way of many TN villains, just so completely full of herself that she thinks she's above all reproach. It's nuts. Cande has fangs, but even she draws a line at murder.

Pru, shockingly, has reached a new level of gross.

The Aldonza/Ren conversation made me sad. It was a perfect example of how tofie's always saying Renato's her real love. These are the types of conversations she and Cris should have been having if the show wants us to believe they were trying to be a couple. Ren overrode her protests and went over there, but then he got a chance to say his piece. He was concerned, yes, a bit possessive too, but there was no yelling and screaming and "get out! leave me alone!" moments. And Aldonza respected his wishes immediately and told Cris that he can't hang around her property. With only 2 months left, I can't see the mishandling of this love story getting fixed by fin. It's just going to be a tight beanie ride into the sunset, imo.

PS: I thought it was odd that Cris hasn't pulled the "she's still my wife" card. I was expecting him to use it when Adelina told him to leave the hospital before he could see Aldi and today when fighting with Ren.


 

Vivi, I hadn't even thought about this: It does make me wonder how often Flavia had taken him to Adriano's house for him to know the way there and back so easily. That's a good point.

HellaShelle, I'm nodding along to what you're saying, especially the second paragraph and With only 2 months left, I can't see the mishandling of this love story getting fixed by fin. I thought for so long "Well, they wouldn't screw it up this bad if they didn't have a completely brilliant way to fix it, right?" and every day I believe that less and less. There's a tiny bit of hope. Tiny. Only because it isn't over yet.
 

Thank you, dear Hella Yes, I have some novela fatigue and you summarized excellently the major point of MY fatigue, the mishandling of the love story. You are right, Tofie is right, Renato IS her true love and SHE needs to stop jerking Cris around and admit to herself that she cannot separate Cris from the vile assault by his father and stop playing with Cris who is at a disadvantage for a reason that he could never imagine. She should stop playing with Renato as well because she knows she doesn't love him. As Diva said, the promise has not been fulfilled. Cris DID fight, and he DID protect her and take care of her but every time she swore not to let anything separate them, she broke the vow before the sun set. Aldonza broke her promises to Cris and the hawkers of this novela broke their promise to us for a love story. Yes, Hella, it IS sad and if I weren't tired, I would be angry.

I don't see how this "love story" can be saved either. The only true love in this story is Padre Jeronimo's love of Aldonza and of God. As long as Padre survives and the baddies eat anvils, I'm afraid I don't care what happens in the Cris/Aldonza/Renato obsession triangle or the middle school entanglement of Lola/Pato/Emanuel.

Yet, I'll forge on with my Dream Recap Team members and all of you on The Patio to see the anvils deployed and the resolutions of the key issues Vivi outlined the other day. We promise and we will deliver quality recaps until fin! I may be tired but I enjoy this communal review of this novela, love your humor and brilliant insights and enjoy the group therapeutic nature of every discussion even if I get to The Patio too late to comment. We'll hang in together!
 

Great work, Lila.

Others have pointed out some great stuff, especially about Pru's descent. Love the "tipped off her bitch switch" comment but... Vile's Bitch Switch is stuck on "on" all the time!

While Humberto hasn't been a saint I'm going to feel really bad for him when he finds out what a moral bankrupt his daughter is. Not that their conversation in this episode didn't show that but that she has now sunk to murder. Maybe when the divorce finally happens he will join the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders at the end and find a lady doctor with values.

More later.
 

I hope Mari gets fired for leaving the office door and the gate wide open. Silvia should be able to recognize her for what she is.

Candela's remark about Aldonza's "many lovers" was disgusting. Her anvil will be well-earned.

Adelina is going all Mama Bear and her behavior is now almost comparable to Candela's. This is logical, but not good. More and more I see her as wanting Aldonza to end up a spinster like herself.

The padre has his work cut out for him. Makes me wonder whether Vile will also commit Confessional Abuse. Sev is about due for another round of that.
 

Thanks so much Lila! I had to sneak onto my tablet and read the recap before I head out of town. I only half watched the episode. I feel your burnout. It's hard to recap when you've lost love for the show. But you handled it beautifully as you always do. You are an asset to Caray. We are lucky to have you.

I loved your commentary about the nutcracker. Omigosh it is a detail that didn't register until you said something. Now I'm laughing my ass off.
 

It didn't read like you're apathetic, Lila. You give us much, much more than I can say for TN writers. On this and almost every one of these soaps.

"to butter and kiss him up"

"wiping her slime off his face as he goes"

"These two heffas from hell make me wanna chew steel I-beams and spit nails!"

Lordy Vivi, I can see that 4 year old fearless determination.

Glad I got all weekend cause there is so much wrong here. Cande is ok with Aldonza dying but wants to be far enough removed so she gets no stink on her, Val is over confident and more like Severiano everyday (great character assessment of her Hellashelle), Cris is pathetic and needs to spit his mamma teat out of his mouth, Lola is 10, ridiculous pairing of Tomas & Silvia (for friggin what), a hamstrung priest, a handpuppet Aldonza, a small child will lose his mother so a worthless spinster can get laid....damn, take a breath tofie.

I think Aldonza is in love with Renato, her actions and words are consistent. If it weren't for the brief periods of mania, when she runs off with the guy on the horse, the romance portion of this TN soup would be tasty enough for a meal.

 

Hey, thanks, y'all! Back after I feed and water the boys!
 

Hey, Lila, thank you for this! You may be temporarily disappointed in the plot, but your recapping skills shine through every time you are up to bat.

I think these episodes alternate between setting up dominoes, and knocking them down. We all like the episodes where the dominoes are knocked down, but this depends on having first set the dominoes up.

Last night, for example, Cande retrieved the rifle from Val and brought it home, putting it in its proper place in the office. WHAT?? Now we can get a ballistics test done! And Cande accused Val of being dumb!

Okay, so now we know how low Cande is willing to stoop. She had her chance to find facts and come clean, and she blew it.

Boozy Pru and Val are really just in a league of their own. Attempted murder, suborning perjury and. . .well it just never ends, does it?

Tomas just makes me laugh. PJ's influence on him is beginning to take hold. Not too long ago he would have gladly continued the affair with Pru as well as take her money for his testimony.

And Aldonza. What a mess. I think Sev will have to pass on to his just reward before she can ever be right with the world.

Thanks again, Lila. You did great.

David
 

What a great Saturday read Lila! Boy, you hit the nail on the head with your observations and comments today. Gracias!

And hellashelle--right there with you. I was especially annoyed at the Lola/Mari high school high jinks. Though the goodbye with Cris was somewhat predictable, I actually had the thought of "lord, I wish that was the end of them" as he walked out the door. They almost played it that way. Having that following the calm, caring, somewhat man in charge talk with Ren ( honestly this young woman screams that she needs someone to calm her and ask to not have her make decisions on her own anymore), seeing her shy school-girl smile and their genuine chemistry, made me wish the whole show just ended there. Couldn't agree more that this love story has been mangled, I'm not seeing any REAL true TN love between these two leads, and so much of what would needed to come out and be resolved before any pink bows just isn't being done. Firmly at my Frustration Table...

While shooting darts at Pru, Val, Cande and Sev. They all need to go twist in the wind. Cande had her chance, and now she's firmly on the Anvil checklist. I don't even enjoy scenes with them anymore. Their "evil" is getting tiresome and same old same old.

I cheered Tomas for his reaction to Pru, but if they even try to make something with him and Silvia, I may strangle something. (Think I know why the cats leave when the music starts now. )

And the only scene I REALLY was wanting to see more of last night was E-man and V, and it gets chopped. Gee, thanks at least for the token 60 seconds their director.

Daisynjay
 

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention Eman getting jumped by Vero. That didn't look like a PSA for safe sex. Practically had to wipe the steam off of the TV screen.

David
 

Hey, Urban, thanks and come on back! Urban, Val is drop-jawed amoral. . psychotically so! She actually does not understand why Hum treated Aldonza. Renato called her out on her ignorance about ethics when she marched into his office thinking he would form an alliance with her to get Cris back! After his meltdown in the hotel room the other day when the realization of what a farce his marriage was, what indeed will he do when he finds out how depraved his daughter is! Sheesh!

Hey, Sweet Baby C! Thanks, hon! Awww, you make me blush! Hope you can come back and hang out, Sara. I miss you! The weekends are the only time I can do extended Patio hangin' out! See you later!

Tofie! Child, you have called these people on this novela out so perfectly so many times! I'm glad you've got all weekend, too.

Cris is pathetic and needs to spit his mamma teat out of his mouth, Lola is 10, ridiculous pairing of Tomas & Silvia (for friggin what), a hamstrung priest, a handpuppet Aldonza, a small child will lose his mother so a worthless spinster can get laid....damn, take a breath tofie. Do take a breath but please have at 'em, Tofie! Too bad they probably won't have balls enough to let Aldonza go with the man she is really showing love for and actually the one with whom she could make a healthy relationship. It will NEVER be healthy to marry and try to form a family with a man whose father raped you, who is a murderer and all the evil things that Sev is. Who wants to bestow that genetic endowment on their offspring! Just let Cris FLEE to Spain away from all the nuts in this piece!
 

David! Thank you, sir! Oh, David, these people are working my nerves. I know I said I would forget this as a love story, but every episode Mijares reminds me that it is supposed to be! You know what? What if Tomas is NOT coming to tell Silvia he loves her but that Prudencia is trying to buy a hit to silence her! He was truly shocked and disgusted by Pru's suggesting it and her low, low image of him that he would actually carry it out. He did, afterall, tell Silvia about his affair with Prudencia so he may be trying to do something decent and save Tere's life. He DID say that it was "a matter of life and death." That way his spiritual metamorphosis continues, we don't get a nonsensical Tomas-Silvia pairing, the Putrid Pru gets her comeuppance and Tere's son STILL gets life-saving medical treatment!

I am actually excited again with this thought! It's going to carry me through the weekend! YAAAY!
 

Mornin' and thank you, dear Daisy! Re Cris's slo mo goodbye walk of shame: . . "lord, I wish that was the end of them" as he walked out the door. Amen again, sister!

Daisy, what do you think about my hopeful take on Pru and Tomas?

David, just that look as she surveyed the territory she was about to explore was SMOKIN' HOT! We have been soooo deprived in that area and then they cut it!! I think we need not only a Frustration Table but a Frustration Section! DOH!


 

Good morning all!

Lila, I'm going to vote for "Tomas & Silvia" = never gonna happen. I don't think she even sees him as a grown man. Given what came before, your theory that he's looking for legal advice on what to do when your ex-lover asks you to kill someone seems more likely than "Hey, wanna go out?" He's done a lot of stupid stuff, but having murder-for-hire seriously proposed to him is probably freaking him out.
 

The Cris & Aldonza show's issue isn't only the rape or his parents nonsensical opposition to the pairing (Adelina also ain't down with it though PJ is), but they just don't have chemistry nor anything resembling an adult interaction between lovers. Couple times they cutely flirted, lustfully kissed (different than passionately) and capriciously married because of an ultimatum, that's all. I'm not a big fan of Renato, never was, but he and Aldonza belong together. For whatever reason, together, they compliment each other.

Aldonza is a fool if she doesn't get a restraining order against Cris. It is not love nor lovely to have an ex just hover around. All his surprise appearances do is depress the hell outta her and piss her bf off. I've given up on Cris having any self respect, (Cande got his balls) but dude, it isn't you being noble, giving her permission to move on with her life, if she doesn't want you in the first place.

 

tofie, I love this: it isn't you being noble, giving her permission to move on with her life, if she doesn't want you in the first place. It's as high-handed as the "Hey, I can't have her, so here, you take her," conversation he had with Renato. Once again, ignoring what Aldonza wants.

I will grant him that it must be frustrating to have her one day say "Let's not let anything ever separate us again!" and the next it's "This won't work. I never want to see you again." He's not much better, going from "Fine, I'll sign the divorce papers, if that's what you want" to "I'm going to fight for you."

I think I lost track of my point. That's what trying to think logically about this "relationship" does to my brain. It's just a bad, bad dynamic all around and it does not in any way meet my criteria for "romance."
 

Trying to get my head around it too. I imagine, off camera, Aldonza telling Renato, honey, I gotta go kiss on this Cris character and make believe we are in love but please remember this, it is only an act and my job, I love you.
 

She's not much better to Renato with the back and forth, he just waits patiently and always says it's up to her, which seems nice, and who wouldn't want that kind of unconditional support, but at what point does that become abusive? Is it only ok because what he really truly wants is "whatever you say, dear"? It comes off to me as no less a lack of self-respect than the lack of self-respect of Cris, who keeps living with parents he no longer trusts, who don't respect his decisions or his privacy.

I swear I'm starting to contradict myself without even realizing it. I'm that confused.
 

Hey again, Diva! Yeah, I got to thinking about that weird little scene and I hope we're right cause I don't want them to take Silvia down that many pegs by thinking Tomas is a worthy mate!

Tofie. . . I've given up on Cris having any self respect, (Cande got his balls Yea. Shame, ain't it? What happened to the young man who said meet me at the waterfall at noon or I'm out of your life forever. His stalking the headstrong and emotionally damaged Aldonza is what some writer thinks is love. It's not, it's obsession. The romance genre has been hijacked by people who don't understand it or don't care.
 

Lila--oh that would be so fun to see Tomas so aghast and being asked to commit a crime again, he DOES ask Silvia for advice. That would make me more excited over a plot than I've been in days.

I also forgot to say that I was wanting to high-five Ren for putting Mari in her place on how to handle being in an office and the responsibility. I would love for them to really start making her do something besides phone answering and see how inept she really is. That whiney, batting eyes routine didn't work, HAH!

Also, as much as it is taking valuable E-man time from my screens, I think we're getting the Flavia illness as her "punishment" for taking off with Adriano. Once she comes out the other side of the illness, guesses she and Jocq reconcile because of the little guy? Think?

Daisynjay
 

Lila, The romance genre has been hijacked by people who don't understand it or don't care. It's relying on cliches that don't ring true anymore. Whether they don't ring true to just me or anyone at all, I don't know.
 

Daisynjay, between doing that to Renato and Silvia having to answer the office phone and take a message, I'm not sure why Mari is still employed.

I don't see Flavia and Joaquin getting back together. Neither one of them has any feelings for the other anymore. I think if she lives they have good potential to be co-parents who actually get along. Which would be pretty cool to see.
 

I want Aldonza, Ad, and PJ to complain so much that the shooter had to be Sev that Cris, on his own, takes the rifle in to the cops to "prove" it couldn't have been his father.

David
 

David, that would be hilarious. Back when they had Sev's pistol, were they able to do the testing to determine that it was used to kill Lardo? At this point, the rifle has Cande's and Cris' fingerprints, for sure. And while Val wore gloves to fire it, I don't know if she wore them when she handed it over to Cande.
 

5ft, my recollection is that the pistol did have a ballistic test done on it, and that is how they determined that that pistol killed Lardo.

David
 

David, good! No excuses for the SLPD, then, if they've done it before.
 

Hi, Daisy! Yep! That's where I think they're with this! No, he's not perfect and he's still in the larval stage of his metamorphosis but I think he has begun a change with his "near death" experience and when Pru asked him to off Tere he came to see how depraved she is: something that Hum himself doesn't even realize and that Tere's life is really in danger! Daisy, let's beseech the tn gods to let it be so!

Mari - BAH - I'm shocked at such hot shot lawyers as our Tres Ab-Fab-bogados to hire such a shallow, stupid, useless twerp!

And re Flavia, I'm afraid Tofie is right: a young child has to lose his mother so a "so a worthless spinster can get laid." Flavia is history!

Diva, no, the cliches don't ring true to me and a lot of us. Sigh. I hope there is a story out there brewing that can take changing social mores and technology into account yet honor the timeless appeal of true love, honestly and HOTLY expressed! I also hope they lose a LOT of the violence, sexual and otherwise!
 

Lila, larval stage of his metamorphosis is so poetic :D How funny that we're seeing a transformation with Tomas, of all people. That's not something I would have predicted when he first got Pru's motor running.
 

Thanks, girl. Who was it that said the other day they were infinitely more interested in what happens with Tomas than Al and Cris? I'm with them!
 

I for one wouldn't mind a week on the stomping horsey circuit, see how Veronica and Emanuel plays out, not a juvenile trick and hush money to save a child cancer patient.

Don't understand Cris acting all badass around Renato, he did ask him to take the Aldonza baton. Hey Cris, we're laughing at you behind your back, little wienie.
 

thanks so much , Lila for an excellent recap of an increasingly frustrating show.

My absolutely favorite part of the show was Mari nimbly jogging up those long flights of stairs in heels as if to say "See , I am just a young, ponytailed girl." But I say "mmmm..trying too hard to make that point."

I also liked E's outfit. That's about it.

I love to read all of the insightful comments. Too bad none of the clever patio peeps are on the writing team. Lila, I agree with you that the romance in this supposedly romantic tale is long gone.

Vile and Boozy Pru (thanks , David...Pruzy ???) Are now headed down a slippery slope and beyond redemption. Apple ---tree.
 

Yes, please, can we see this horse competition! With Em in his new duds. And I have no idea what Vero's wearing, but I'm sure it's going to be something cool.
 

Hee hee! Tofie! Yah, it's sad what they did to Cris!

Susanlynn, thank you! I think many of us have watched in open-mouthed and silent horror as this central love story has gone off the rails and headed off through the field about to crash into some houses.

My absolutely favorite part of the show was Mari nimbly jogging up those long flights of stairs in heels as if to say "See , I am just a young, ponytailed girl." This CRACKS me UP!




 

Just popping in to add my voice to the throng demanding that the badass horse competition happen soon.

And Lila (if I've interpreted one of your comments correctly): K-drama has the lock on fabulous love story telling. It will RUIN TNs forever.
 

Lila - Thank you for the recap, so that I don't have to watch! Well, I will probably FFWD--> to Tomas' scenes.

"is anyone else feeling TN fatigue with these people? . Yesss!!! I am SO over them, summit! (Nod to Vivi's tablet-lol).

How does one say "Caray! Caray!" In Korean? I might have to switch languages.
 

Hey, Sweet Baby C! K-drama, hunh? Hmmm. Does it have subtitles or a Karay Karay! blog? I need to get my fix from somewhere!
 

Thank you Lila, I feel your TN fatigue too. For a while now. I need fresh stuff to stay interested.

I was surprised, and yet not surprised, that Cande brushed off Val's admission of intent to murder. Oh that's despicable, where's the rifle? I'll put it back. Maybe she'll react the same way when she hears of Sev's murders and rape.


 

Maybe it's different to Cande because Val only tried and didn't succeed.
 

Thanks, Cathyx! I think you're absolutely right about Cande having a lukewarm reaction to Sev's murders and rapes. Attempts to make her complex fell flat, too, all she does is blare her eyes, then narrow them to slits, screech and strut around pompously. She is probably a murderer at heart, just never had the opportunity. She probably admires Val who would put her lights out in a heartbeat if it fit her purposes.

Diva, Cande calling her stupid could have at it's core a disdain for Val's inability to finish the job.
 

The only problem I have with seeing Cande as a wannabe murderer is that she had her chance when it came to Emmanuel. She could have ordered Sev to kill him, but she just wanted him taken away from Roberta. Unless she's changed since then, I still don't think she has it in her to end another human being's life in a non self-defense situation. She's not as callous and evil as she wishes she was.
 

Lila, just checking in to say thank you for the great recap! You hit all the points, high and low. But I must say, the last week or so, the plot feels like "different frosting, same ol' cake". It's like the mix-master is just re-beating the same batter.

New and Refreshing: E-man's change of fortune; Silvia and Tomas' comedy line, Hum's divorce demand.

Same old same old: the abogados and their dueling damas; Aldonza holding off two jealous beaux with one arm. (Yawn). Plus I get whiplash watching Pru going from comic relief... to stone-throwing matron... to comic relief... and now she's seriously trying to hire Tomas to put Tere out of commission? Make up my mind!

I want phantom pain to return, but this time, how about Cande's hair starts hurting? :o)

J in Oregon




 

Cande would never kill, but she's ok with someone else doing it if it benefits her.
 

Diva, I don't give her that much credit. A newborn is not a worthy opponent. Worthy of contempt, yes, but she'd probably find her murdering legs for someone really getting in her way, like Aldonza. Her over the top, daily expressions of loathing for Aldonza could easily fuel murder. It ain't over yet, Cande hasn't reached her bottom.

Hey, J! Thank you so much. Yep, It's like the mix-master is just re-beating the same batter. You wrapped it up real nice, J. That would make a great scene, Cande and Sev rolling around on the ground united in simultaneous orgasms of excruciating phantom limb and killer braid pain!
 

I don't think Cande's loathing is any less than Val's, but Val was willing to cross the line. In all of Cande's angry ranting, she's never come close to the kind of things Val has said about Aldonza, Tomas, or the baby. Val just has a certain disregard for life that Cande lacks. Even Pru was willing to seriously ask Tomas to kill Tere for her.
 

Thanks lila its a lovely recap. I love the way
You describe things and people, especially the ones you don't like, like this one:
"Cesspool Of cynicism and mendacious manipulation". Hahahahaha, LOL. Did you braid your hair really tight in order to get that so perfect? Candela Mendoza would have been so proud of you. Bravo!!!!!!:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D.
I don't much care for Renato. I know he loooooooves ally. But she loooooooves cris, and that is not going away anytime soon. And his nasty snarkiness, blameing cris for shooting ally. Deep down he knows he ain't got a chance in hell of having a life with ally.
But the boy is puttin up a good fight, in his jacked up protecters pants.
 

Hey, Nina! Thank you, girl! Hope this is just your first stop by. You know, I don't mind Renato, both he and Cris have the patience of saints, or, they're idiots and they need the check out the scene beyond Santa Lucia. The both act as if Aldonza is the last woman on earth! Aldonza has encouraged Renato every step of the way and he has more reason to feel hopeful about a chance with Aldonza than Cris does. All she's done is crap all over him from day one!

Diva, Val DOES have a shocking disregard for life. She actually doesn't seem to understand the ethics of saving a life and believes that Hum's doing so is evidence of his being on Aldonza's side or even that they're sexually involved! She is sick and twisted but I still wouldn't put anything against the poisonous Cande.
 

I think the only way to settle this is to lock Val and Cande in a room together and see which one comes out alive. That's not likely, is it? Darn!
 

Diva, what a set up! They'd probably do each other in but if I had to bet on only one surviving, I'd say it'd be Vile!
 

Diva - maybe, if they end up in the same cell...

The only thing I'm really mad at Cris about is not moving out. The writer's could've easily fixed the beanie tightening of this issue and given him more character and complexity by having him actually look for clues as to his parents' culpability (or lack there of since they are his parents) this whole time. Other than that, I appreciate that he's been solid in his weary pursuit of his lady love. I'm not even mad about his signng the papers and then riding up on the black horse. He had a moment of complete doubt? Yeah, I would too if my wife kept bailing on me and then told me she wanted a divorce to get with her lawyer friend. Then Melesio verbally slapped him and hold him to get back in the ring, so he did. I'm not hating that.

Val absolutely has no conscience. She simply believes that she should always get what she wants. It's almost weird since she doesn't have the millions backing her up that most TN villainesses seem to, but I suppose we should all be grateful that her sights haven't gone further than Cris and maybe amazon.com.

I don't think Adelina wants Aldonza to be a spinster. I think she wants everything having to do with Sev to be completely and totally removed from their lives, including Cris. She terrifed of him. Sure, she might confront him occasionally, if she's mad enough, but without anger fueling her, she's terrified of basically everything. Even when she broke up with Joaquin, she seemed weirdly furious, which makes me she was motivated by self-directed anger for that one.

The weirdest thing about Cande right now for me is her view of Val. They're both controlling monsters, but in almost every single conversation they have, Cande asks Val to get on board with the one thing that most defines Cande: control. Val has little to none of it, yet we know it's the mainrule by which Cande lives her life. Nonetheless, Cande acts like Val's the only woman in the world? Why? Dom might be the only person in her life that she doesn't treat like a square peg she's trying to put into a circular hole.
 

PadreJ seems rather calm. Calm before the storm is always dangerous. I wonder whats comin next week. I hope its something to pick up the momentum, that shooting scene was kinda boring. They made it look like It was a life threatening thing. It know could have been. Now cris' Injury was more exciting. Shooting tinds to be life threatening, but they didn't play it up much. It's good they both came out of it find. Their hearts are just broken. Now thats a big deal.
It's 12:33 am, I'll read some more tomorrow, later on today.
 

Thank you Lila.

"Renato hangs up and asks how can he help her instead of what the f*** are you doing bustin’ you a**  in my office."

"Renato stands up and tells the vacuous, morally bankrupt twit that although he doubts she can understand, he operates under a strict ethical code and he is in no way interested in entering into a trampa to win the woman he loves!"

These zingers are bae, man.

I blame almost everyone in this show's molasses-speed intelligence on the 40-capitulo extension.

-Encaje Rojo
 

Doris: "How does one say 'Caray Caray' in Korean?"

Using English pronunciation, you would say, "Eye-goo."

David
 

Lila, you can find bunches of K-drama on hulu and many shows do provide English caps. I get my own fix from time to time but I like the period dramas.

I think Cande has crossed a line now, verbally expressing, she is ok with Aldonza's death but I agree with ya'll that think she wouldn't do it herself. Cande's hard shell is brittle and thin, her hardassness a put on. The over the top histrionics her interpretation of Donna Corleone.

As an actress Michelle Renaud needs some work, she sells her angst & love for Cris bout as well as Fernanda López does a late teen/early 20's girl.
 

Lila- look up dramabeans. It's kind of a Caray for K-drama.
 

-Encaje Rojo! Welcome to The Patio and thank you so much for your kind words! I don't know if you watched TSTSNBN but those dunderheads were so maddening that I know I, for one, dropped a lot of four-letter words in my recap. I tried to clean my act up this time around and the best thing I can say for what Aldonza and Cris et. al. are doing now is inspiring me to explore less "colorful" ways to express my frustration and ire! Keep hanging with us, -Encaje Rojo!

Thanks Tofie and Sweet Baby C for the info on K dramas. I will definitely check them out! Ooooh, goody, I see a delicisouly long comment from Hella! I'll catch y'all as I can this afternoon. We may not hit 200 this weekend but let the discussion continue for catharsis and fun!

:D
 

Ooh, so I'm not the only one that's dipped into K-drama on here! I've only watched one the whole way through, but they are also super cool. Didn't really learn any Korean though :( Bummer.

Right now I'm cheating on Sombra/TNs with ::gasp:: and English-language family show that Im watching binge-style on Netflix. Less desire to throw things that way.

How's everyone's weekend going?
 

There's a good show on ABC Family called Chasing Life about a young journalist diagnosed with cancer, which runs her family, love life, and life in general upside down. Season 2 Just started and for the first time I noticed in the credits the Televisa logo. Turns out ABC bought the rights to a Televisa series (never shown in the US) and turned it into and American/English language version. Apparently there are plenty of original series being shown in Mexico, Uni just doesn't purchase them. In any case, I recommend Chasing Life, or you can look for the Mex version, Terminales.
 

Off topic --- anyone else watching Poldark on PBS Masterpiece on Sunday nights? Nice summer entertainment with a horse that is TDF and beauty in motion when he runs.
 

Doris- Watched the original Poldark on Netflix and watching this new one too.
 

Sombra thankfully has not sunk to TSTSNBN levels but the two young leads are not convincing enough to hold up their end. I like Pablo but he comes off as a supporting actor and Michelle appears more concerned with her hair, makeup & outfit and disconnected to everyone but Horacio Pancheri. Now if they had cast someone in the Aldonza part, as good as Thelma rocks Val, we'd have a different experience.


 

HellaShelle, hey, that's right, Val is/was on her little tablet quite a lot. I wonder what she's doing on it all the time. I also agree with you that it's odd for Cande to keep overlooking all of Val's impulsive behavior. If stealing Sev's rifle and taking a shot at Aldonza didn't shock her, what will? Finding out it's Lardo's baby? Will that finally get her to look for a new prospective daughter-in-law?

Encaje Rojo, aha, so there was an extension! It felt like things were starting to get wrapped up at one point and then...delay, delay, delay.

tofie, I agree, we're nowhere near TSTSNBN. For which I'm incredibly grateful! I'm just sad that it has dropped out of "Wow, this is the best show I've seen in a long time!" territory.
 

Good point and I know when this one lost me. When Val set up the kiss in the courtyard at Cris's house for Aldonza to see.
 

Tofie, for me it was when Cande said they were siblings and everything that happened related to that afterwards.
 

La Diva, the TN Mentir Para Vivir started out so great. I thought that it was going to be as good as Amor Bravio. But by about the halfway mark it was like they got different writers because it became ridiculous. So sad.
 

Since the end is getting a little closer maybe this will pick up some momentum. I don't like it when the bad guys looks like they're getting on top all the time. They can get very tiresome and depressing to the point of changing the channel. Aldanza is very exhausting to watch and so is Chris, he always believes what his parents say. they are such liars. He tells Aldonza "my father didn't do this." really? I'd like to slap the blinders off.
 

Lila- I have seen and would catch TSTSNBN online and on TV. At various points, I'd scratch my head and ask what the plot was and my sister/conscience would say, "Lartrilleux quiso constructar A Walk to Remember pero no tuvo o tiene el cerebro y mujercita para hacerlo."

5FT- I meant extension in the aspect that this show was a copy/paste at the start and the original was 95 caps. so one would hope that they'd weigh the same in the end but unnecessary fat has been added. I mean, EM was agile, the length it was and shall always be remembered fondly while this show is currently dumbed down.

-Encaje Rojo
 

tofie, and cathyx, I'd have to think about when it really went off the rails for me, but those are both good points where, if someone had just kept a cool head and asked some intelligent questions, it wouldn't have been an issue at all. Alas, we have few cool heads on this show.

cathyx, I remember feeling that way about MPV as well. I liked so many things about it, and then when it started just sliding off into "QTH?" territory that made it even more disappointing.

Encaje Rojo, thanks for the explanation. I don't always believe that "less is more" but when it comes to TNs it certainly feels that way. Or, rather, less of the "fat" would be "more." Instead they cut way back on the important or interesting stories in favor of adding fluff or trying to create "suspense" when they're really just stalling.
 

Thanks, -Encaje Rojo! and great discussion, all of you. I haven't watched American tv in years, maybe I'll look for some K-drama and I've got an "old" Brazilian novela to watch online. . .but 3-D life is real busy lately with flashes of real life family drama.

Re this show, Al falling for the staged kiss WAS very dumb and out of character with her cool head and handling of Val up to that point. To compound it Cris got smashed after she kicked him to the curb after the staged kiss and THAT was the night Val virtually kidnapped him and set up the fake shagging that has supposedly left her pregnant and then Al fell for that too! The look of contempt she shot Cris at the bus station after shutting him down - A-GAIN - just really did it for me. Talking about the character only, not critiquing the acting, I don't like Aldonza, I'm not interested in empathizing with her over her trauma, I don't respect her. She's obsessed with Severiano and seems to want him to kill her to put her out of her misery.

Cris? He needs a man to man with Padre who should counsel him as he counseled Silvia: leave SL, leave Aldonza, find and learn to love and respect yourself and stop looking at your future through the rose-colored glasses of sharing it with some unobtainable love. BE the love of your own life and a love to share will find you.
 

DORIS--Watcing Poldark on PBS, love the horse! Watching him gallop back and forth, back and forth along those cliffs....oooh. Plus who wouldn't want to watch scything?

J in ORegon
 

Loved the original Poldark. This one is OK, but Robin Ellis had more charisma.
 

Good point Lila. "She's obsessed with Severiano and seems to want him to kill her to put her out of her misery"

Yep she is like a deer that purposefully jumps in front of the headlights
 

I don't know about that. Her plans and feelings toward Sev have always seemed a bit conflicted to me. I get the sense that she wants to punish him, but can't quite conceive of something she could do to him that would be bad enough to make her feel better, but still would be within legal boundaries. Getting El Sant would be great and is probably the closest thing either of them can imagine. The problem with calling him out is that she would have to deal with the feelings of shame and embarassment that she's been trying to ignore for all these years, especailly since, without proof, she'll probably have to deal with even more "maybe you seduced him" comments than any other rape victim in that town.

Than again, maybe she does. Maybe she thinks that's the only way he would get caught.
 

That would be a novel ending. However, we know that won't happen.

I'd actually love to see Cristobal kill him while defending Aldonza, but that won't happen either. That's too big a taboo yet.

If Sev manages to boink Vile I'd love for Candela to catch them. That would cause the snakes to spring out of the braids and spit poison. She might kill both of them. I'd even let her get away with it.
 

My reply was meant for Tofie, so Hellashelle and I posted really close together.

It always blows my mind that the real sluts manage to smear their own dirt on the virtuous females in these tales and get away with it for so long. Vile and her mother will deserve their Karmageddons when the time comes.
 

Even if Cris wanted to or intended to kill Sev, Cande would never let him. She'd make sure she did it first; she'd never want Cris' immortal sould put in jeopardy like that.
 

Actually, I could actually see the Cris killing Sev scenario played out. Sev is about to rape Aldonza again, or he's got a gun to her head and he cocks it, ready to shoot, and out of seemingly nowhere, Sev is shot and falls down. Cris with the smoking gun in hand.
 

Actually is my word for the day, actually, lol.
 

That's if Cande is anywhere near the scene. And I doubt Cristobal could go to hell for sending the devil where he belongs when he endangers anyone else.
 

Who needs Cris to protect Aldonza when you the The Phantom Pain, lurking. She would be dead right now.
 

hellashelle, this "I get the sense that she wants to punish him, but can't quite conceive of something she could do to him that would be bad enough to make her feel better, but still would be within legal boundaries." is about the way I'm feeling as well. Nothing can undo what he's done, and nothing can make it "right" again. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Aldonza is struggling with this as well. Even if I take away the "legal boundaries" part, there's just not anything that's ever going to be good enough.
 

Mornin' guys! You know, I got that feeling about Aldonza and the death wish when Sev went back to the scene of the crime at Simonetta's house and here pops up Aldonza out of nowhere, on a dark night, alone, with Sev, to sneer and taunt him! That was the stoopidest thing ever and so absolutely unbelieveable that she'd do such a thing! If not for the phantom arm pain, which she knows nothing about, he could have raped and killed her and had her a** shipped off in coffee table as well! That was one bloody, stupid move!

Weeks aga I said, and I believe it and it is TOTAL speculation, that "they" would allow Renato to kill Sev either when he finds out about the rape, or after finding out about the rape and during an attempt to repeat it or kill Aldonza. This could be the means of getting Renato out of the way as well. That would be sick and sad but about what I would expect from a story where the leading lady is raped by the father of the "love of her life."
 

Good evening yall. LILA, that makes good good sense, cause Renato acts like a loose cannon when it comes to ally. I could see him losing it and going after sev. That makes perfect sense. of course I would hate to see somebody as decent as he is go down for takein out a piece of slime, maybe they could give him a brain tumor that could be the reason for all the erratic behavior he looks like he's about to go into you when it comes to aldonza and cris being together. Just a thought.
 

Lila, so late and have yet to read the comments but must say that your recap was just extraordinary.

There were far too many exceptional lines to quote but "Val and Pru bond over how each has used her total lack of morals and nauseating narcissism to try to subdue their enemies and protect their own malignant interests" was my favorite.

I see Cris and Aldonza drifting further apart. Until she confesses the rape, there can be no alleviating the burden of Aldonza's terrible secret. She must tell the man she loves his father is a rapist. He must be able to see if he can deal with and accept his anger and torment. Aldonza must endure an excruciating process in which intense therapy will be a huge part. Can she forgive the sins of the father enough to love the son?? I'm not really sure at this point.

Diana
 

Nina, it WOULD be a shame if Renato died while taking down Sev but he is an important rival for Aldonza's love, some have said he has already won her love. I could see them sacrificing Renato to avenge the rape and perhaps save her life as well. In the sick logic of this melodrama, that sacrifice will somehow be the healing balm for her heart and she'll trot off, without therapy, with Cris, the ruddy glow of the setting sun glinting eerily on the wreckage of this tragic love affair.

Sorry, got carried away.

My Dear Diana! So glad to see you! I could just quote your whole second paragraph! This grabs my attention:

She must tell the man she loves his father is a rapist. He must be able to see if he can deal with and accept his anger and torment. Aldonza must endure an excruciating process in which intense therapy will be a huge part. Can she forgive the sins of the father enough to love the son??

I like your ending better but the writers shot themselves in the foot in the first week and I don't think they can pull it off. Whether or not Renato dies, she and Cris will marry, she will never get therapy and the mere fact of Sev dying (however that happens) and this "epic" love between them will bind and shelter them!

I know. It sounds corny even as I write it.

Ok. Sorry. I'm being Debbie Downer Recapper! Let's get ready today for Tomas to seek Silvia's help in stopping the EEEEvil Prudencia from permanently silencing poor Teresa! We will all rejoice in his redemption and sing Hallelujah!!!!

For real. It could happen. :D

(This silliness brought to you by the fact that I'm off work due to an ophty exam today and my vision is still fuzzed up after dilation 4 hours ago!)
 

Hi, all. I am in the afterglow of a successful class reunion followed by a Dion concert yesterday..so amazing and surreal to be around guys and girls I started first grade with.

I loved all of your insightful comments, especially Lila's idea that Al is pushing Sev to put her out of her misery. ...What an interesting theory. She does go out of her way to confront him and taunt him when she could just distance herself from him and be more cautious if she does remain in SL. I would be as far away from this demon as possible.I agree that Thelma is doing a superb job as Vile, but Michelle's performance is ..meh. I like the way Vile waggles her head as she leans forward to address whoever has flipped that bitch switch..heheh...she has that spoiled teenager act down pat. Good job, Thelma.

Doris...I am watching Poldark on Carlos's recommendation. I never saw the original . I like the dark and brooding Poldark and his servant girl...shades of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Carlos suggested a drinking game...we lift our glasses every time we see the shot of Poldark riding past the sea.

I have never seen a Korean novela , but I will have to ask my Korean students about them. However, let me do one more commercial for my new obsession..and it is an obsession ...for Outlander. The first season DVDs is available on Amazon.com and will be available all over in September. If you want a taste, goggle Outlander . The cast , author, and producer were just at ComiCon and did a presentation. You can see it on youtube. I just finished the first novel that the TV showvbon Starz is based on and have begun the second. The author Diana Gabaldon is fascinating . She was a professor at Arizona State when she decided to try to write a novel twenty years ago. She is now writing the ninth book in this very successful series. Her background is actually (cathyx..heheh) in the sciences. Her BS is in zoology.The chemistry between the two leads..time traveler Claire and 18th century Scottish Highlander Jamie is unbelievable, so if you are missing romance in these recent the, you will find plenty of romance and steam in Outlander.
 

Lila, it's hard not to be down on this one, but I will attempt to join in the enthusiasm for, uh...Tomas and Silvia teaming up to take down Pru. Yeah, that's it. Go Silvia and sidekick!
 

Considering the drama/tragedy inherent in a rape, without it even involving the son of the man she loves, I really can't understand why the production has decided to take the route it has. Is this just a sad glimpse into the cultural acceptability of the facetime we give rape as a horror vs. the unwillingness to deal with the pain it causes on an emotional level? I just can't wrap my mind around this plot treatment. Is this, ironically the problem? The producers could understand including a rape, but couldn't wrap their minds around actually dealing with the aftermath on anything deeper than a superficial level?
 

Not crazy about Renato but he is not the bad guy and for him to die so Cris wins by default, stupid.

Now that Aldonza has sworn off Cris, she has nothing but the farm to poke Severiano with and if, big if, Humberto has a change of heart and sells to her, his reversal was not caused by anything Aldonza did but pure chance, a fractured relationship between Humberto and Severiano. Surely Severiano will send her a thank you note because he will not have to waste time and energy trying to keep them apart and can focus on regaining his property.

Aldonza has been ineffective against Severiano so guess she figured she'd punch the next best thing, Cris. Easier, soft target, win. She ran to Renato before, had him deliver the divorce papers unannounced and now tells Cris it's so she can be with Renato. Is she using Renato as her lance or was she playing with Cris all along?

 

They are notoriously crappy at dealing with recovery. Luz in Amor Bravio was shown dealing with flashbacks that caused her to attack her husband, finally starting therapy, deciding she couldn't be with her husband and moving away...and then her husband showed up with the news that her rapist had [if I remember correctly] died and somehow that made her willing to try to resume their relationship.

I have a feeling that's the direction we're going here minus the therapy. At the end there will be some big event that miraculously resolves everything.

At first, I was hopeful because Adelina and Roberta immediately believed her and tried to do what was right for her. I could even understand not going to the incompetent SLPD. They moved away to try to support her...ok. And then the minute they got to the DF it was all about how this was a "new start" and it was downhill from there.

It seems really really crappy that they think it's ok to include rape in something that's supposed to be for entertainment, but heaven forbid we include a realistic recovery process. I guess that's just too much realism.
 

Hellashelle, I think you are on to something as they continue to dismiss the rape's aftermath. They have a couple, come hell or high water, that will be together and there is nothing a church wedding can't fix.
 

Hey, Susanlynn! Glad your reunion was a success and a rockin' concert on top of that! Wow! I just may have to check out this Outlander thing. Several of you have mentioned it. I'll see if it's on hulu+.

Diva Yes! Put on the Pointer Sisters, "I'm so excited!" and we'll shake it til we make it to the end of this thing!

The producers could understand including a rape, but couldn't wrap their minds around actually dealing with the aftermath on anything deeper than a superficial level? I'm afraid you're right, Hella Sadly, I think it's even worse: Rape has been used for shock value, even auto-erotic fuel. The scene where he slimed her on her own property and the one where she confronted and taunted him and he dragged her into Sim's house and slimed and felt her up again, reinforce this view of it being used as sick titillation. The people writing and directing this certainly aren't thinking of setting aflutter the hearts of a predominantly female audience but providing some sick jollies for a splinter audience.

Lord, I'm fussing agin! I'm supposed to The Happy Recapper! One last thing! Who told these people it was good to disgust, frustrate, infuriate and disappoint the audience?!

Susanlynn and other Outlander and K-drama fans, do those genres make you fuss, cuss, berate yourself for watching and swear to give the series up?

Ok, ok, I'm done! Oh, I know what's wrong! Where is Brother Gringo? I hope you're all right out there, man! I miss you!
 

We've discussed the gender composition of the writing teams before and normally I don't think about it a whole lot, but looking at the 6 writers listed for Sombra on IMDB, I can't help but feel like it really is playing a factor in this TN. The only women on this show that are admirable or attractive on a personality level are Dominga, Lulu, Irma and maybe Tomas's mom. All of the main character women, good or evil, are hella annoying. They come of as stereotypes of the most degraded qualities of women. Is that really how they perceive women or do the inflating personality traits to scale the drama of TNs? Or do they honestly think the ridiculous qualities are necessary to further the plot i.e. (obstinance to create misunderstanding to create anger/jealousy/drama)?
 

Lila..I always like to read your insightful comments about the characters and plotlines of these crazy novelas.

As for Outlander, there is a very terrible villain who makes me cringe and stew, but mostly I smile and swoon at the two beautiful lead characters who are burning up screen with there chemistry. In interviews , they seem like genuinely nice, funny people, so that helps me believe in their true and eternal love. I have not enjoyed a story this much since I fell into my first telenovela Alborada .
 

Luz' pervy uncle didn't die; he went to prison. He escaped once to do more evil and was finally caught and put away for good.

"Therapy is less interesting than the crime" must be the theory behind this failure to present a realistic continuation. Which makes me wonder how many victims actually get treatment.
 

HellaShelle, I'm going to have to pick "all of the above." Sadly. I will also add another factor...how many years have some of them been doing TNs? How many days/weeks/months have they been eating, sleeping, and breathing this show. When the pressure of getting the job done on time looms, it's difficult to break out of old patterns and difficult to see that the project one has been pouring one's every waking moment into isn't quite as wonderful as one might think. I mean that as an explanation, not an excuse.
 

hellashelle- But, but, Silvia lol.

-Encaje Rojo
 

So the big thing that suddenly made it all ok for her to go back was "He's back in prison...not like the last time when he got out, this time it's for good"? That's worse than I remembered!

You mean IRL victims? Probably an appallingly low percentage. Because of the propensity for people to blame the victim. Why would someone trust a complete stranger to help them through trauma when their own family and friends are asking "Are you sure?...Well, were you drinking?...What were you wearing?" and any number of other disconfirming questions.
 

I do mean real-life victims.

And the under-reported nature of the crime. According to this organization about 68% of cases are not reported to the police in the US. If that's the case I'm going to guess that 90% of victims never see a mental health professional.

I have to think it's worse elsewhere.
 

Thanks, Susanlynn, that's a great recommendation!

Thanks, Encaje Rojo, I was going to mention Silvia! Now, please don't let them make her lose cool points via a pairing with Tomas. Let his "life and death" message be about Pru's threat to Tere, not that he's got the hots for her. . .or, if it is, let her leave him smarting from an unmistakable smack down!
 

Encaje Rojo - whoops! I forgot Silvia!

This is so ridiculous. It can be done. Despite the rushed outcome on AB, I appreciated the treatment. Way more options and advice was offered to the victim than I've seen on other TNs. If they are twisting themselves up into knots over this, I don't know why. The whole point of actually dealing with it, is that dealing with it is very dramatic. Not dealing with it is nonsensical and results in repeatitive, foolish actions that only deepen our views of them as foolish and weakly developed characters. I was really looking forward to seeing a couple attempt to work through this trauma together. If your task is to write a believable love story and your background is this rape, then what's more obvious than A and C dealing with this together?

Think of this: we could've been seeing them come to the realization that this is bigger than the both of them, Cris taking the difficult decision to tell Aldi that he can't help her alone. Her taking that the wrong way and deciding it's better for both of them to cut ties - in that context, that makes sense and genuinely correlates to her own trauma. Instead we get the same cliched "you kissed her"/drunk sexcapdes that we deal with in every TN. They made Cris seem like a rock solid guy, firmly in love with Aldi. We could've seen than translated into the gentle lover who's building intimacy along with trust. Instead beat your head against a brick wall lip service. UGH!!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!!
 

You are SO RIGHT, Hella, and instead of what you masterfully outlined we get a glutton for punishment galan who seems to have taken a liking to being dissed and pissed on by his mother and so-called love of his life. Cris is so beaten down by Cande, Val and Aldonza that the true trajectory of finding out his own father raped Aldonza should be the kind of murder-suicide story I hear too often on our local news:

Prominent Santa Lucia man holds his ex-fiance hostage in a 10-hour standoff at Las Animas! Story on 5 o'clock action news!

Breaking News Alert! The Santa Lucia standoff was ended by a Swat Team from the D.F. early this morning. The bodies of Severiano, Candela and Cristobal Mendoza were found inside along with two females, Aldonza Alcocer and one identified as Malaria Zapata. Apparently the younger Mendoza kidnapped Alcocer from her home, took her to his parents home and attacked his parents and Zapata during dinner, also fatally wounding Alcocer before turning the gun on himself.

Ok. If I've gone to far I'll delete it. I keep saying I'm going to calm down.
 

You know the Santa Lucia police would never manage to make that much sense of it. They'd probably say it was an intruder.

Think of Silvia and Carry On? And come on, you know we've got to meet Lulu's two or three or four boyfriends eventually.
 

Right. That's the conclusion of the D.F. Police!

;) Okay. I'm better. Thanks, Diva!
 

I think the other thing that helped Luzma in Amor Bravio heal, in addition to her loving and understanding husband, loving and understanding friends and mother, regular therapy with a psychologist, regular talks with her understanding priest, going up against her rapist in a COURT OF LAW (never happens in tns), and having said rapist be returned to jail for good, was the alternative emotional therapy she received when she went away. The fact that a tn showed ALL of that and showed a rape survivor going through this entire process-- from attempted suicide, to shame/withdrawal, to breakdown, to confession, to confrontation, to therapy (traditional and alternative), and ultimately to healing-- was remarkable. Wish we had even a small portion of that with Aldonza.
 

Four rapes and one brutal near rape happened in Perdone and not one single one was reported to the police or dealt with in any way. They were barely acknowledged by the writers. Now, that was frustrating!
 

That's just sadistic!
 

I wish they would either do rape stories well (therapy, having a court case etc) or just not do them at all. Figure out some other way to show someone is "the bad guy."
 

Clearly, this is all just "fantasy" and "entertainment" so they take a pass on making it 100% realistic...well, fine, then how about leaving the realism of violence against women the hell out of it, then? 'Cause I can see enough of that IRL.

Instead they choose to leave out the realism of women being independent, sex being healthy, cell phones existing and being used to share information...the list goes on and on.
 

You speak Truth, Sweet Baby C and Diva!
 

I just realized too that we had a rape in QA that kind of went unpunished and not really acknowledged. Odd since QA is from the same producer as AB.
 

PS OT to Susanlynn - I'm glad you had fun at the reunion! Were your blue toes the talk of the party?
 

Sara- In QA the protagonist did go get a rape kit done (it was spoken about, not shown), and that was used to add to the charges of the villain. Of course, we know he went on the run and died before being brought to justice. But she did not have any last psychological effects from the rape and didn't struggle with it the same way other characters are shown to. I wish it hadn't happens at all. Didn't serve the plot, IMO.
 

Yes! You took the Vivi bait! Because even as I was writing I was thinking I actually couldn't remember. Thanks for the refresher. And I agree there was not other purpose for the rape except for shock value. Not cool.

OK. Off to an office thing with hubs. Also not cool.
 

Have fun, Sara!
 

Can she forgive sins of the father and love the son?
Or maybe the question should be "will the father continue to breathe after the son finds out that the father raped the love of his son's life?
 

We can only hope the father's respiration ceases.
 

Sev has done more than enough to merit capital punishment from the writers. I don't think he will be getting any less than that, considering that Mexico doesn't execute.