Caray, Caray!

Will be recapping Bajo tonight. Probably up in 2-3 hours.
 

Bajo. Thanks, Novelera! OMG! Adela saved Greicy's life and possibly the baby. Even when he learns her true identity, how can Rodrigo possibly kill her? And boy, is Carlos ever mad at him now that he knows Rodrigo's still in the gang and, not only that, its leader after El Colmillo--who should be getting impatient that Rodrigo hasn't found Adela.
 

Bajo. What's a gang leader to do?
 

BAJO – LUNES – Parte 1

Can I just start out by saying that our boy Rodrigo is definitely going down. He’s just despicable in this episode.

We open with another despicable character, Deborah, burning Ramona with a steam iron for not having told her about Susy and Luis kissing. Adela shows up and is shocked. She says they have to take Ramona to the hospital. Deborah tells her to go pack Ramona’s things; she’s leaving. Adela: “You’re firing her? You just burned her and now you’re throwing her out in the street like a dog?” Susy shows up. Deborah talks over Adela saying she was the one who screamed because Adela wasn’t showing her respect. She tries to fire Adela, but Adela says she’s not going until Mr. Jacob arrives. And, right on cue, he does.

Maria and Gracie are doing some cleaning and home decoration for Gracie’s apartment when Felicia storms in saying that Mati told Carlos that she sent those men to kill her. She tells them they have to stick together.

Susy tells Adela she wants HER to explain what happened. Ramona comes in and Jacob asks what happened to her arm. Adela starts to tell him; but, Ramona, as always, lies and says she did it to herself. At this point Deborah doesn’t dare fire Adela. She says the argument was about her wanting to leave early and she agrees that she can go.

Gracie sends Maria to get some tranquilizers or something for Felicia. She asks Gracie to help her keep Carlos away from Mati. Gracie says, and Maria overhears, that it was just a coincidence that those guys came to kill Mati just after she had told her where Mati lived. [Gracie, you really are dumb. Maybe the baby will get Rodrigo’s brains.] Feli tells Gracie not to tell anyone about her asking where Mati lived.

Ramona thanks Adela for helping her and begs her pardon for all the mean things she did before.

Carlos remembers Adela telling him she followed Rod to the hideout of La Colonia. Earlier he had called Rod and asked to see him. Somehow he knows where the gang hangout is. He climbs a fence and peers in. He sees the gang buying expensive automatic weapons. At first we think Rod isn’t there. But Carlos calls him, hears the cell ring inside the place and then sees his son there.

Jacob tells Deborah that sometimes she lets herself get carried away because of the trauma in her past. She doesn’t want to talk about that. She wants to tell him Susy is involved with the son of the gardener.

Rod comes to his mother’s grave, says he misses her, that he’s well, but the one who’s going the wrong way is el cachorro (the cub). He promises his mother he’ll do whatever it takes to see that no one messes with his family.

Carlos: “Which family do you refer to, us or La Colonia?”
 

BAJO – LUNES – Parte 2

When Adela comes home Maria quizzes her outside about where she got the idea that Felicia wanted her killed. Of course Felicia interrupts this conversation before Adela can say much, although she does say she told Carlos everything. When Feli gets nasty, Adela tells her that she doesn’t have to lift a finger. God or her destiny will take care of Felicia.

Rodrigo gets incensed at his father: “Are you following me?” Carlos goes on: “Or should I call you El Fire?” Even angrier, Rod says he wants to be alone with his mother so buzz off. Carlos punches him out and he falls on the grave. Carlos: “You came here to speak to a tomb, but I’m alive. I’m your father and I’m here to straighten you out (enderezarte). Rod: “Who do you think you are?” Carlos: “To hit El Fire, no one. But I’m the father of Rodrigo. If what you like is violence, go ahead [and hit him back]. Rod says he won’t hit him in front of his mother but don’t ever put a hand on him again. Carlos: “Look me in the eye! Why do you stay in the gang?” Rod: “You live your life and I’ll live mine, like two strangers.” Carlos: “No. You have my blood, even though you don’t want it. Don’t you understand? I don’t want to lose you again.” Rod: Who’s putting tanta roña en la cabeza? (dirt in your head) Is it Mati?

Carlos: ¡No metas Mati en esto! “No one is putting ideas in my head. I got suspicious when you dragged Willy and his compinches off. I followed you today and saw you with those gangbangers. You’re still in La Colonia, and your poor mother is turning over in her grave and crying!.” At this Rod gets furious, saying his mother has nothing to do with this. Carlos tells him that then he should make her happy. Does he want to be a bad example for his child? Rod says he’s doing it for the good of his child. “Buying guns is for the good of your child?” Rod: “I know what I’m doing! If the only way for you to understand is for me to disappear and never see you again, well then so be it.” Carlos: “Do whatever you want. Go away if you wish. But you’re not going to take my grandchild away in your paws! I’m going to save him from you!”

Willy has come to ask Luis to take part in a home invasion robbery. Luis gives him the money Rod gave him to pay for the missing merchandise. Luis says don’t count on him for this. Maybe another time. Willy comes out and tells Rod over the phone that Luis passed the test.

Susy is confronted by her parents about Luis. Deborah is predictably nasty. But Susy looks sadly at her father and says that, judging by his face, the sentiments of equality in his magazine are nothing but lies in his own home.

Carlos comes home and gratefully hugs his remaining child. He tells him to stay away from Willy. He tried to kill both he and Adela.

Felicia comes to her office, brushes off what her assistant is trying to tell her, and finds Rodrigo with his feet up on her desk, addressing her as socia (partner) and asking why she arranged for all those extra cameras. He sends the installers away after breaking one of them. She tells him his father ended things with her and maybe she’s changed her mind. He tells her he’s the only one who can keep her and her brother the cop out of the tomb.
 

BAJO – LUNES – Parte 3

And speaking of Cristóbal, his subordinates tell him they can’t find a trace of Laura Morales. He finally remembers the calls to said Laura from the phone stolen from his sister.

Jacob and Susy show up at Carlos’ house. Jacob tells Carlos he’s angry about his lying to him after he’d said he’d not do that again. He says they need to talk about their children being attracted to each other. Luis speaks up. He’s not attracted to Susy. He loves her. And not because she’s pretty or has money. He says she’s smart, sweet, and he loves her in a good way, like his father loved his mother. It ends up with Jacob saying they can see each other but only at his house. Carlos hastens to agree that their neighborhood, while they’re used to it, isn’t right for a girl like Susy.

Deborah tells the woman that I think has a thing for Carlos that she’s planning on calling immigration about Carlos. Surely the boy will follow his father to Mexico.

Rod comes home and is very brusque and short with Gracie. He doesn’t have any interest in the home decorating she’s done. She starts in on his father’s having left poor Felicia, only to be interrupted rudely by his saying he has no interest in his father’s fights with his women. He gives her a big wad of money, and she asks where he got it. Today is his first day of work. Is he working with La Colonia? He doesn’t answer her, just throws down the money.

Santiago comes to ask Juana to have dinner with him. He has some work in that area. He’s about to declare himself, like he tried to once before, when Juana’s boss comes out and asks her to stay late. He has a big business breakfast in the morning, and he’d like her to get things ready. At first she says she has a commitment, but then agrees. Just before he goes back inside, I thought he gave Santi a hostile look.

Gracie runs after him and gets one of those fateful stomach cramps nearly all pregnant women get in telenovelas. Few women have uneventful pregnancies! Adela runs up, seeing her upset. She’s bleeding. But she runs out after Rod anyway, almost getting hit by a taxi.

Cristóbal has another nosy conversation with Carlos after Jacob and Susy leave. He asks why Carlos didn’t tell him Laura had a gangbanger son who was killed. He brings up the stolen cell phone and the calls to Laura. He asks what his sister has to do with all this. Carlos handles it well, just saying the important thing is finding Laura.

At the bar, Rod is supervising the filling of empty rum bottles with little balls of some kind of drug, while Felicia looks on.

Adela accompanies Gracie to the hospital as she shrieks the usual: “Save my baby!” She asks Adela to call Rodrigo. Adela calls Carlos who says he’s on his way. He then calls Rod, who of course refuses to pick up his father’s call. Adela says she’ll stay with her.

Jacob tells Deborah that Susy and Luis are going to see each other in their house. We see her reach for her phone after he leaves the room.
 

Bajo

terrific recap novelera !!!

love the way Adela stands her ground.

Carlos sure was proud of Luis confronting mr. Jacob, that was his original plan before it got derailed, Susi looked disappointed she couldn't have sleep overs.

Rodrigo stands his ground as well, except he didn't swing back at his father, but he sure can't keep his gang life from spilling over at home, I'm thinking it will all come down to choosing between the two, the gang or his family.

it looked like Willy got his big C tattoo on his chest after he passed his initiation, but he always has this look, like he's looking for a way out.

so I guess Rod figured out Willy was the bad guy in Luis' life.

Jacob originally saw something in Deborah, like he always sees the good in Carlos no matter what the craziness around him says, so maybe her evil can be exorcised.

you could justify what Rod does in that he is dealing with other evil people, like moving into Felicia's bar came about because she put out a hit on Mati, rather than the disease gangs are, that affect so many innocent people.

say, can anyone place the actress who plays Ximena, the waitress in Felicia's bar?

 

Bajo. Excellent recap, novelera! I think Jacob is right that in the Susy-Luis relationship, Luis is the one most likely to get hurt. He's truly in love, while Susy may or may not be--for her it might be rebellion as much as anything. Technically speaking, Carlos didn't so much lie to Mr. Jacob about Luis and Susy as keep his mouth shut while Susy and Adela lied. Impressive how Carlos was climbing over the walls and roof of La Colonia's headquarters! And evil Deborah now has a plan to get Carlos deported. Along with seriously burning an elderly woman, that kind of move is getting her into the first rank of tn villains.
 

Preciosa Perla... 21 hour

this is getting way to complicated for a reasonable recap but here is some stuff on Buddhism.

with Amelia's ok, and everyone looking on, the monks gave Perla the test which was composed of the personal things of Ananda, mixed together with similar items, one by one, she was to choose the ones she liked, but she went a step further, this is mine she says of the 'dorje', and later chose the right prayer wheel, watch, bell, and 'relicarios'.

then they asked when Perla was born, and did the math, nine months after lama Sonan had his vision of the arcs de lapa (the aqueduct looking bridge for the tranvia) that led them to Brasil.

of course Franz isn't buying any of this but being polite, and Amelia is worrying about where this is going, but she remembers her dream when Perla was conceived, with Perla and the elephant.

and Perla says, since I am the teacher of these monks, do I still have to go to school?

and later the monks present Perla with an illustrated book on the life of Siddhartha, who was raised in the lap of luxury, shielded from the world around him but being curious he ventured out, only to be taken by human suffering...

and Ernest when he hears thinks it's all nonsense, and forbids Perla to leave Brasil as the monks plan is for her to return to Tibet.

so how will this all work out?

and of course it's all in the midst of the usual thrilling novela story.

 

BAJO

Novelera,


Thanks again for a recap chocked full of details. This time, even with recaps,
I missed something. Now, if I were inclined to go rob millionaires, I would most definitely not include Bloody Willy in my team of experts--especially being hopeful of a fast getaway. He could barely walk as the result of his branding.

Adela is now ubiquitous and like a Super Hero who saves the day for all persons involved.

Juana's boss continues to be an enigma. What is he up to? Could he be a top-level criminal mastermind pulling strings for Comillo and the like?

El Fire showed not a bit of tenderness to Gracie. She thinks she loves him and is such an innocent gal, but she is gradually piecing together a few things.

I am wondering if in his INFINITE WISDOM AND ARROGANCE, El Fire thinks he can pull everything off in the end and outsmart Comillo. Perhaps if he makes a huge amount
of money via the bar, Comillo will be pleased to some extent.


Thanks again.

Chat later
 

BAJO

Sorry, I fogot to put in my alias. Don't know if you can change it. If not, it's okay.

Floridia
 

Bajo

I can't put every single thought I have in a recap, or I'd be doing it when the sun comes up and you all would die of boredom!

I thought a lot of things during the graveside conversation between Carlos and his errant son. I thought that these two have had a personality conflict since forever. Rod blames his father for being such a poor provider that his mother died of cancer. Said mother told her eldest child (in a flashback) that she herself had concealed her illness from her husband because she didn't want him to work so hard as to pay for it. Doesn't matter. Rod irrationally blames his good father for everything. So his cheerful return from Mexico was really a big lie about wanting a family.

I also thought that maybe, just maybe, you could give Rod some credit. He told his father that he's doing this for the sake of his child. Carlos thought money. But maybe Rod was thinking to save his very life from El Colmillo. And he also thinks he's saving Carlos, Maria and Luis.

Floridia, you may very well be right in that Rodrigo thinks he can pull a fast one and do away with El Colmillo somehow, thus saving his family and rising to the top of the food chain in La Colonia.
 

Bajo. Yep, novelera, getting rid of El Colmillo would solve his whole problem of having to take out Adela and trying to protect Carlos, Luis, Greicy and the unborn child (I'm assuming Greicy isn't actually going to miscarry). Despite what he said in Willy's "orientation" about the importance of looking up to El Colmillo as head of the gang--and I thought there were almost religious connotations there--it would be the logical thing to do. Maybe he'll luck out and someone else will take care of El Colmillo.
 

Bajo. Novelera: It isn't that it would be boring if you put your every thought into your recaps, but there wouldn't be anything left for the rest of us to say--and that's half the fun! :)
 

BAJO

Magnificent recap, novelera! It was immensely useful for me. Over and over again as I read it, I kept thinking, "Oh, so that's what this was all about!" I've found this novela difficult to understand from the start, but last night's episode was even more difficult than most, so I'm especially grateful to you for clearing up so much that I missed.

As always, I loved your asides, such as "[Gracie, you really are dumb. Maybe the baby will get Rodrigo’s brains.]"

Rodrigo continues to intrigue me. In some ways, he hit a new low last night, but at the same time he goes to his mother's grave and speaks movingly to her, and he's clearly very concerned about Luis not following his example. Interestingly, Willy's first assignment as a gang member is to put Luis to the test. Nonetheless, I don't think Rodrigo will survive to the end of the telenovela. Greicy is likely to wind up with Cristóbal, who if I remember correctly was interested in her when he met her. If her baby survives, Cristóbal would be a great father, judging from his interactions with Chabela's son (Alex?).

I was a little surprised that Carlos talked so disparagingly about his neighborhood to Jacob. Carlos' house seems quite respectable. And what does he know about neighborhoods? This is a guy who often fails to lock his truck, even in very iffy neighborhoods.

Carlos did a rather skillful job of climbing walls/fences in this episode. I wonder whether they used a double or whether Gabriel Porras did it himself.

Now I guess we know why Debora's friend was shown several episodes ago as being interested in Carlos. That perhaps sets things up for her to spoil Debora's plan to get Carlos deported. I love the way the plot thickens.
 

Bajo. I think it would be interesting if Juana's boss turned out to be the head of the Alacranes and does in El Colmillo, but I think if he is a criminal he's more likely to be the head of some international crime syndicate--or perhaps a venture capitalist or a hedge fund manager, same difference. :)
 

I think jaunas boss is a human trafficker. Thats the only subject matter this telenovela hasnt addressed and the writers are touching on all issues latino immigrants face.
 

Bajo. Well, tonight it turns out that Juana's boss is a voyeur/peeping tom and possibly a stalker. We don't know yet whether he does all that professionally as well.
 

Bajo

Yes, as SpanProf has noted, Juana's boss is apparently some kind of voyeur/peeping tom and perhaps a stalker. I was a bit surprised that he just looked, touched briefly, perhaps sniffed, but otherwise left Juana alone. During the night, she awoke and felt as if someone were there in the room, but she found no one and went back to sleep. She returned to the apartment early the next day and seemed very happy with her job and her boss, who had given her the rest of the day off after she dealt with his breakfast meeting. Since she was happy, I assume that he did nothing more than what we saw, though clearly even that is a problem. It's also possible that that's just the prelude to something more ominous.

I guess it's still possible that the boss is a human trafficker, as Anonymous has suggested, but there was no sign of that last night.
 

BAJO

HOLA, TODOS


The voyeur part was creepy, but .......

I like the way Gracie is trying to learn the truth about Rodrigo.
In spite of her weakened and sedated condition, she tells Carlos her fears that Mati is trying to take Rod from her because Mati gets nervous whenever she sees Rod, and she doesn't like the way she looks at him.

I like the way Carlos used another one of his expressions in trying to reassure Gracie, "You are seeing fish where there is no water." Then he explains that
Mati looks at Rod with fear because she knows he was part of the Colonia gang and that she doesn't want that spilling over to him and to Luis.

I like the way Gracie keeps trying to figure out where Rod is getting his money and to find out if he rejoined the gang. He gets her so upset that the doctor has to come in again to calm things down.

I like the way Rod spoke lovingly to Gracie when she was sleeping, but to my knowledge, he has never told her he loves her. I like his tender side and detest his contrasting brutality.

I am wondering why Rod cares so much about being a father. Many men like him -- and others -- want nothing to do with fatherhood and would run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

I love the way Carlos told Mati that he was on her side no matter what. To me, he was drawing a line in the sand here. She does not want to come between him and his son, but I got the impression last night, that Rod will choose her over his son if push comes to shove....especially now that he knows about Rod's renewed gang activities. We'll see how that goes.

Gracie may have things backwards. It seems that Rod definitely has eyes for Mati;
he likes the way she tells him off, and now that she has saved his child, he is
drawn to her even more.

Willy and Felicia are pathetically helpless at this point. Feel sorry for Maria.

Riveting story!
 

BAJO

One more thing....I wonder if Adela follows her own advice about using protection.
 

Bajo. I'm sure she uses protection--whether it will work or not is something else. I liked the way she told Carlos that he should have a "man-to-man" talk with Luis about using protection and thought it was funny when he came back with "But don't the schools teach that?" Ojalá, as they say. Rodrigo seems to have absorbed some kind of very Hispanic concern for family and children--probably from his childhood before he became a gang member.
 

Bajo. I also like the way Luis is now studying harder to make himself worthy of Susy. I though that was very sweet.
 

Bajo

This novela continues to really be “must see” TV for me. I’ll say first that, although I have done some Wednesday recaps, my forever Advanced Spanish class starts up again tonight, so I won’t be able to recap on Wednesdays – unless it doesn’t happen. My fingers and toes are crossed. But the place where I take it requires at least a dozen students for the class to happen. Beginning and intermediate are always well attended, but those of us who love the advanced class where we read fabulous novels in Spanish and discuss them, plus spend an hour in general conversation, seem to be fewer and fewer. So I won’t know until tonight whether or not we can keep going. I’ve been in this class for 15 years and have loved every minute. We read Doña Bárbara, Pedro Páramo, Eva Luna, Cuentos de Eva Luna, Cuentos de Julio Cortázar, Las Buenas Consciencias de Carlos Fuentes, La Casa de Bernarda Alba de Lorca and many, many more.

I actually felt sorry for Felicia last night. Her pleasant bar has been repopulated by rough looking customers there to score drugs. Her regulars will likely stop coming. And, to give her credit, she didn’t seem that on board when Rod told her how much money she’d make.

Rod still is very angry with his father. He told the nursing staff to get that güey out of there so he could see Gracie.

I’m really thinking they must be going with Felicia being pregnant. Although this novela doesn’t resort to clichés that often, how else are they going to split up Carlos and Adela for a long time? Their relationship is looking too smooth right now.

Boy were we right about Juana’s boss! It reminded me of Mi Corazón Insiste in which a pervy guy had cameras set up in Carmen Villalobos bedroom (and bathroom!) to watch her undress.

Gabriel Porras is such a loving guy in this. I haven’t seen him in a role like this in a very long time.

I’m also pretty sure Adela is using protection. It would be completely out of character for her to risk getting pregnant with all the danger she faces and the need she has to find her mother.

Well, we see that Mr. Jacob is moving toward his wife’s opinion. And they mentioned sending Susy to Paris.
 

Bajo. Novelera. Fingers crossed that your class makes it, though I will very much miss your Wednesday reviews. Sounds as if your instructor has great taste in modern literature.
 

I thought Juana's jefe was a little questionable about sth, but didn't expect him to be a pervert, just lonely.

I think the narcos & older gang members DO want to breed, it adds to their macho persona + they can raise more little gang members or narcos.

This novela seems very realistic, even the music.
 

BAJO

Well, I have a feeling that what several of us predicted is likely to happen. Felicia's dizzyness seems likely to be a sign that she's pregnant. True, she didn't show the surefire telenovela symptom of nausea and vomiting, and true too that in the real world dizzyness could have any number of trivial causes, but dizzyness in a telenovela would most likely signal either a brain tumor or a pregnancy. My money would be on a pregnancy. Arrgh.

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving on a short trip, and I probably won't be able to watch Bajo while I'm away. CarayCaray will be my lifeline.
 

Preciosa Perla... update

Manfred sabotaged the foundry, many workers were hurt, Franz was devastated, and later fired by Ernest, thinking it was caused by his lack of experience, and Manfred was put back in charge, (which meant Franz couldn't investigate the cause)

so Franz decides to make the trip to the Himalayas with Perla and Amelia with the monks, and confides in Manfred who goes straight to Ernest.

Manfred is going nuts over the fact that Franz can be happy, he vows to separate Franz and Amelia, while Silvia who is coaching Hilda and Viktor on choosing their own future by rebelling against their dad, is pretty much against anyone being happy.

Ernest drops by to see Perla and protest the trip, and Perla lets him have it between the eyes, I don't want you fighting with my mother anymore, it is not correct, and leaves refusing to talk to him, Ernest is deeply hurt, but moves up the hearing on his gaining custody of Perla to stop them from going.

Yolanda's horrible life is hanging by a thread to Mundo, but Mundo is seeing Dalia, (and Laura is covering for her).

Aurora's snobbish ways is taken aside as we see a warm side with the crippled David, Dalia's brother, I think she is getting a rise out of him.

Hilda (calling herself Celia) and Toni are being drawn together, she asks him to kiss her, she has never been kissed before.

and we see the hearing over the custody of Perla, the bad guys on one side of the room (snickering and scoffing), Franz and Amelia on the other (looking worried).

and as the judge is about to rule in favor of Ernest, Perla busts in with the three monks to plead her case, sorry but this is for adults only, you'll have to leave the judge says, but wait, Sonan is an adult, can you hear him, Perla pleads, well, ok.

and Sonan lays it all out, about Buddhism, about their teacher, and reincarnation, what brought them to Brasil, and about their trip to the Himalayas, the judge looks interested.

and other testimony is heard, Mundo talks on how Amelia is not a communist, Silvia (the devil's incarnate) sprays her poison, how she raised Perla for ten years and now they are taking her away from her, and then Manfred (who is this guy) takes the stand, he says nothing but good things about Franz and Amelia, what? as Ernest asks him when they are alone, I need to stay in the confidence of Franz, Manfred says.

ok, this doesn't look good for the good guys, the judge clears the courtroom, he wants to speak with Perla, (and yes, Mel Maia is stealing the show) she says she loves her abuelo, tia Silvia was just helping her dad out when her mother was away, and do you believe you are the reincarnation of Ananda the judge asks, I don't know, Perla responds, and she gets up and goes up to the bench and leans in close to the judge, I want to go on the trip to the Himalayas with my mother and father, because it might bring them together again.

the judge rules in Perla's favor.

 

Bajo. I don't know, I thought that near riot outside Carlos's car was a little contrived. Would other day laborers really protest that much if Carlos hired Santiago instead of one of them? And it looks as if he's planning to make Santiago a permanent employee and train him to be a professional gardener. Débora was exceptionally cruel in inviting Luis to lunch at the country club, no less, just to show Susy that he was a peasant and didn't really fit into "their world." Again, it kind of reminds me of a 1930s movie. It was especially poignant when Débora said that Susy had applied to Princeton and her friend to UCLA, when Luis will be lucky to go to a community college. Dare one hope that neither Susy nor her friend get into their first-choice school? Both those colleges are very merit-based. And that some teacher at a community college recognizes Luis's artistic gifts and by the end of the telenovela he's on his way to becoming an important artist?
 

Bajo. Of course, with both Greicy and Felicia now pregnant, it's possibly less likely that Susy will be too. 3 pregnancies at the same time in one tn might just be 1 too many.
 

BAJO


As you said, SpanProf, those colleges are merit based. If Luis had been an outstanding student before he applied, he could be accepted at an Ivy League school. They have huge endowments and want people like Luis if he has the right credentials. It seems, however, that he has not applied himself to his studies up until now, and his little foray into crime would derail any plans of that nature should that venture come to light.

Carlos stayed too long at the fair. He should have just quickly put Santiago in his car and driven off. It does make sense though that S. will be an excellent assistant to Carlos. He is portrayed as a gentle soul as opposed to more hardened types.

I like the way Cristobal is taking charge of the LM investigation.

Yes, it seems the old pregnancy thing will once again play a prominent role in the TN. Say it isn't so.

I am very bored with Chabela and her antics. Maria deserves so much better than
that unattractive, unfaithful creep.

Rodgrigo looked like a real punk next to Cristobal.. a lying lowlife ...


Looking forward to next episode.

Chat later..

 

BAJO

Novelera, meant to tell you that I love the idea of your everlasting Spanish class, and hope there will be enough people who show up to allow you to take it once again.

I had an intermediate class that I took for years at the community college because there was nothing else to take, but we did not read much.

Later I joined a book club at the public library that specializes in Hispanic literature. We read one book per month and then discuss it.

I am thinking that Carlos and Rod are attracted to Mati not only for her looks but for noble qualities that remind them of first wife/mother/ AKA JEFA.

Probably, Rod will die nobly saving Adela.

Does anyone know if it is customary to call parents Jefe and Jefa?

All the best
 

Bajo. Rodrigo said so confidently that Cristóbal would never find Laura Morales that it makes me wonder if she is dead, and her body parts scattered somewhere, or her body buried someplace very remote.
 

Bajo

More ambiguous behavior from Rodrigo. I can’t tell if he was genuinely grateful to Adela for saving his wife and child from being pancaked by a taxi or if he’s starting to have a thing for her. The writers didn’t help by having her dressed sexily and with more makeup than usual. But he never actually leered at her, so maybe his only motive was gratitude.

I agree, Span Prof, that the “Attack of the Jornaleros” was a silly way to give us a PSA about how desperate people are to make a living after they cross the border. I did like Carlos hiring Santiago. It works for two reasons: Luis is now determined to focus on his studies to “deserve” Susy, so he won’t be helping out after school. And it makes Santiago a more credible character as a match for Juana. His sad-sack persona up to the time Carlos takes him on was actually rather boring.

Of course Felicia is pregnant. I don’t think telenovela writers are evolved enough to put that in there to fake us out. And the novela has a long way to go. And Carlos and Adela are unlikely to move in together and roses and violins for the rest of the show.

I liked it that Rod at least had enough self-respect to talk back to El Colmillo for having him watched all the time.

It sure does seem that Laura has been killed or died because of their treatment based on what Rod said. But it’s kind of odd they never showed it.

Susy was onto her mother’s efforts to make Luis look like a bumpkin. But then it seemed like her mother talked her out of it. At least Brian got punched out. I hadn’t thought that Deborah put him up to what he did, but Susy seemed to think so.

My Spanish class is a go. We even had four newbies show up, all of them much younger. One of them is the child of Salvadoran immigrant parents. His Spanish pronunciation, of course, is perfect. He says he’s there to increase his vocabulary. He has an interesting job. He works for a school system nearby as an interpreter for children’s non-English speaking parents. He also translates documents.
 

Bajo

I'll put something up tonight by way of a recap. I'm kind of tired from watching last night's show AFTER I came back from class, so it will probably be brief.
 

@Floridia, yes it is in Mexico. Thanks for recap. I think I'll give up on LI and watch this one.
Romy
 

Bajo. Novelera, very good news about your class! Should be interesting talking to the son of Salvadoran immigrants as well. He may even have some insights about Bajo, and how authentic it is on the immigrant experience. :) Some of our graduates get his kind of job when they finish their degree; I just finished directing an MA thesis for a student who worked as a translator/interpreter for a school district before coming back to school, getting her certification and going to work as a high school Spanish teacher. Looking forward to your recap!
 

Bajo

ok, I'm catching up,

did Willy say earlier that Felicia bought the bar with the insurance money from her dead husband, and now he is going vampire on us sucking Felecia's blood.

and blind Jay hanging out with the dark glasses and scarred eyes, is this our comedy for the week, will he start humming Stevie Wonder tunes?

it's interesting that not showing us what happened to Laura, puts us in the same boat as Adela.

if I got the gang thing right, that branding Adela got means anyone that helps her gets killed as well, so Rodrigo is obligated to not only kill her, but Luis and Carlos as well, right?

 

Bajo

Floridia, jefe, jefa y jefacita appear to be one of those Mexicanismos. I also have a sense that it's a bit of a class thing, in that less educated people use it.
 

Bajo

Deb, wow! I don't remember the part about anyone who helped her being killed! I thought the branding was just a very cruel punishment.
 

Bajo

I may have this wrong, but it seems like back when Adela got branded it was mentioned that it was a death sentence for anyone that helped her, and all along she has been keeping people away from her, but Juana wouldn't go, and neither will Carlos.

oh and last night she told Cristobal her name was Adela.



 

BAJO – JUEVES – EN BREVE

Adela tells Cristóbal her real name and that La Colonia is after her. He knows about El Colmillo, but asks her who is the leader on the outside who’s after her! She clams up.

After Carlos brings her home and is speaking with Gracie outside, Adela sneaks out the window to go to the gang hangout.

Chabela cries on Cristóbal’s shoulder about the situation with Rodolfo. He tells her she needs to believe she can do things for herself.

At the gang hangout Adela breaks a beer bottle and puts it to Jay’s throat trying to get him to tell her where her mother is.

Carlos doesn’t buy Juana’s lies about Adela being asleep. She has to admit to him she can’t read. He says he’ll teach her and gets the address from her (the one Adela gave her after Juana insisted she had to be able to tell someone if she didn’t return).

Adela is doing pretty well until she gets too close to Jay. He encircles her legs with his own, brings her down, and is choking her when, of course, Carlos arrives and saves her.

At La Frontera Rod forces Felicia to tell Rodolfo that the band can’t play there any more. He’s very rude to Feli, saying he told her he didn’t want any more bollos en el horno (buns in the oven).

We get a scene right out of a romance novel. Carlos goes into the bedroom at Adela’s apartment and starts packing her clothes. When she protests, he tells her he doesn’t mind sharing his chanclas (flip-flops) and even his toothbrush with her, but he thinks she’ll want her stuff. He won’t take no for an answer. She was this close to dying earlier, and he won’t let that happen. Seeing such a protective man, women across Novelaland sigh in unison.

Felicia’s assistant (can’t remember her name) can add. Fainting + nausea = bollo en el horno. Felicia is surprised. Assistant says this means Carlos will come back. Feli remembers the time Carlos wasn’t in the mood. She then remembers the time with Willy. I think the dates don’t add up. A pregnancy test proves positive.

Carlos calls a family meeting about Adela. Jerk Rodolfo is opposed. He’s the biggest traitor in LA and calls Carlos one for leaving Felicia!

Carlos makes Rod promise that whatever he does with the gang, it won’t mean harm to Adela or Luis. Rod agrees.

Maria warms up to Adela a lot, especially having heard she jumped in front of that taxi.

Rodolfo spirits Chabela out of Cristóbal’s apartment in her lingerie. Cris is having a fantasy about her when Alex wakes up saying he’s afraid to be alone.

Luis is just volunteering to drive Maria home when Feli arrives and finds out that “Mati” has moved in. She says she came to tell him something important. But she goes on to say she won’t be alone. From now on she’ll always be accompanied. And she says she doesn’t care who he’s with! [I don’t expect this to last long!]
 

Bajo

Many thanks, novelera, for your very helpful recap. I am away and not able to see Bajo until I return, so I am especially grateful for your recap.
 

Bajo

wonderful recap novelera, thank you very much!

Ximena is Felecia's assistant, I recognize her from somewhere but she is not in the cast list.

and so the blind Jay is the night watchman at the clubhouse, (why do I find myself laughing during this show), at least Rodrigo didn't give him a gun this time.

and when Carlos made his great announcement about Mati, there was not one happy face, well, they didn't show Flag.

wow, Rodrigo vowed to protect Mati, and I think he is a man of his word like his father (even though most of his promises are to do bad things) this guy is really going to be doing some mind twisting when he finds out who Mati is.

and at the very end, Rodrigo says to himself, "you picked a warrior dad, and there aren't any of those around anymore", (ahha, that is the thing Rodrigo has for Mati, 'respect')

 

Bajo. I agree, great recap, novelera! I think that death threat for people who help Adela may apply mostly to gang members. If the gang started knocking off "civilians" just because of contact with Adela, they would probably be inviting a police crackdown. Talk about ironic! Rodrigo has sworn to El Colmillo that he will kill Adela Morales and to Carlos that he will protect Mati with his life, because she saved Greicy and the baby. And they're the same person! I think there's some kind of philosophical term for that type of dilemma.
 

Bajo

I left out the part about Santiago locking the apartment door so he could finally declare his love for Juana without being interrupted. They get somewhat passionate but Juana pulls away saying the last time she let herself go she ended up with a baby and the guy was long gone. And she can't even live with her child because she left her in Mexico to try to earn a living in the US.

The thing with Jay is kind of confusing. When Adela came there the first time looking for her mother after the Willy and the Stooges incident, they showed Jay being able to see cloudy outlines of things. But now they seem to just call him blind. Adela warned Carlos to not say a word. She doesn't want the gang after him.

I don't think I adequately described my deep loathing of Rodolfo. Maria wasn't prepared to go along with his nasty attitude about Carlos' announcement. He was equally nasty with her and left her there. Then he goes right to Chabela and tells her he's ready to leave Maria and make a life with her.

I had one of those moments last night where I confuse words in Spanish. When Carlos told Adela he was willing to share his chanclas with her, I thought at first that he meant chones and I was trying to envision a guy willing to share his underwear with a woman!
 

Bajo

I can't stand Rodolfo either. I don't hate him as much as I hate Deborah but he's on the way there. I think he used his fight with Maria as an excuse to pay Chabela a booty call. To me, it was looking like Cristobal may get with her. Especially since he seems to be getting attached to Alex, but I'd really rather see him with Maria. I think they would make a good couple.

Did anyone else notice how Carlos' wounds seemed to heal and return and then disappear again? Earlier in the episode his face didn't look that bad. Then when he was in Luis' room talking about Teresa, his face looked like he had been in a fight. Then when he was telling Maria that Rodolfo had better not mess with him, his face was almost healed again.
 

Bajo. Since María was stranded at Carlos's for a while, and Rudolfo was with Chabela, I kind of wondered who was with their kids. I also liked the advice Cristóbal gave Chabela. She should stop trying to always depend on men and should start standing on her own 2 feet. And there's no excuse for a child as old as Alex not to know how to eat with a fork. The best thing about that advice was that Chabela listened and admitted that he was right.
 

BAJO

Thanks again, Novelera, for am enlightening and entertaining recap. I must revisit that last line of Rodrigo about Adela being a warrior.

Gracie miraculously survived a near death incident, and now she is back home and like an afterthought with Rodrigo.

I am wondering if Mati will go back to wearing bangs. She does resemble the old photo more without them.

Chabela is very pretty and well endowed, and she certainly knows how to flaunt her assets. Cristobal is only human to dream about them.. and more.

Apparently, she thought that she would be the girl singer in Rodolfo's band, but her voice would not allow her to make the grade. She could not cut the mustard. Now
she is racking her brain to see how she can amount to something other than just a pretty face. It will be interesting to see what her new respectable talent will be.

Fascinating family dynamics. We're in for more excitement tonight.

All the best to all ....

 

Bajo

I'll try and do the recap tonight.

 

Bajo. Thanks, Deb. In the meantime, Rodrigo finished sewing up his own wound? Geez! Ugh! And how incredibly macho! And he seems awfully lively after all that amateurish treatment of his wound, getting up to pick the bathroom lock and check on Mati's scar. The flashbacks show him having second thoughts. Wonder if he'll go through with it.
 

Bajo. Why didn't Rodrigo call that mob doctor who treated Yei's eyes?
 

Bajo el mismo cielo... friday, epi 37
part 1

Adela settles in, Carlos tells her his plans on adding on to the house, she says the only thing she is good at is fixing cars, we could open a garage Carlos says, have a double income, then we could start a family, kids? Adela looks surprised, only 8 or 9 he says, and the honeymoon is on.

Willy and Sharon talk, he never wanted to be in a gang, now he is and it's worse than jail, and what makes it bad is this Adela thing, do you know any Adelas he asks, nope, people from Lancaster, nope, the only new girl around here is Mati, and who knew Willy had a brain as he connects the dots, then calls Rodrigo over the next morning for a chat, tells him what he knows about Mati, are you saying Mati is Adela, Rodrigo asks, but Jay is the only one that can ID her, and while Willy's brain is still working, he throws in, we can look for her scar.

Rudolfo and Chabela get a room, where else could I take you dressed like that, they sleep late, and go at it again, as Cristobal takes Alex to work, and Maria calls and calls but only gets Rudi's voice mail.

Felicia digs through a box of baby things and her memories of losing her baby, she doesn't seem to sure who the father of this new baby is.

next morning,

Rodrigo stops by to see Mati, as she walks out with Luis on his way to school, Carlos returns with Juana and Santiago to pick up a mower he forgot, and a car load of Alacranes that have been following Rodrigo lock and load,, (remember the Alacran that Jay shot and they dumped his body somewhere with a note on him) bullets fly everywhere, Juana and Santiago duck down in the truck, Mati throws Luis to the ground and covers him as Carlos does the same to Rod, who was hit in the side, and after the smoke clears he carries Rod into the house, Rod pleading no hospital/cops, they'll put me back in jail, and Carlos does the frontier doctor thing (something about the old days when people would drive by and shoot their cows)... and out comes the bullet like a new born baby, but someone has called the police, Cristobal swings by, Carlos cleans up to meet him, leaving Mati holding pressure on the wound, yep, there was a shootout, you know how these gangs are, and we get to duck the bullets, and so it's off to the station to fill out a report, ut oh, and Mati is left in charge with a promise of a doctor friend showing up, and Adela has been in serious turmoil about whether to help or let him die.

 

Bajo el mismo cielo... friday, epi 37
part 2

Felicia stops by to see the Padre, tells of her pregnancy under the privacy of confession, and what does Carlos think, he asks, aaa... I haven't told him, and the conversation continues down hill as the baby might be Willy's, (I think the Padre is going to start locking the church doors when he sees her coming) and the Padre asks about a connection with Willy trying to kill Carlos, oh no, no, I think she said she was helping him with a broken heart, but she doesn't want anyone associating her with that delinquent, and I think she also decided right there that the baby was definitely Carlos'.

Jay gets the word on the shooting, no one knows what happened to Rod, he sends his guys out to get even, but whines about how Rod is letting his family life get in the way, and it's off to the prison to talk to the top guy, Colmillo. (so how does this work Jay, you go into a high security prison and ask to see a guy but you don't know his name, only that some people call him Fang)

Rudi arrives home to the waiting Maria, she says you have never done this before, where did you spend the night, and shows him some apartment rental stuff she found in his jacket, and nails him, you spent the night with your girlfriend, wow, but she gives him an out, tell me the truth and maybe we can work this out, but Rudi looks her in the eyes and lies through his teeth, there is no girlfriend.

Chabela shows up at the station looking for Alex, but has to wait for Cristobal, who arrives later with a worried Carlos, have a seat as he deals with Chabela, if you ever do this again I'm turning Alex over to child services until you and my cousin get it right.

and then to Carlos, Christobal knows the shooters were Alacranes, was it about Mati, and the other guy there, was it Rodrigo, Carlos sticks with Rod being deported, but Cris knows he's back (hmm, I wonder how long before he looks at a mug shot of Rod)

meanwhile back at the house, Rod is getting back on track and starts prodding Mati as to who she really is, but he is losing blood and needs to be sewn up, and I think Mati is backing off on that so he sews himself up, (I guess with the fishing line and hook Carlos was going to use), while they are having their intimate talk getting to know each other, Rod asks about her family, no family, like me Rod says, and we get insights into them as kids joining the gang who will feed them, up through the part where you can never quit, Rod always looking for a sign that will give her away, Mati finally leaves, takes a shower to wash away the pain, please forgive me Matias for letting him live, but I love Carlos too much, as Rodrigo has gotten up and unlocked the bathroom door, peering in at the naked Mati looking for the scar...

 

Bajo

Wow! Thanks very much, deb, for a rivetting recap of what sounds like an especially exciting episode. I'm still away and not able to watch, but your recap made me feel the excitement.
 

BAJO,

Deb, thanks more than ever for this recap. For some reason the show did not appear on COMCAST last nite. I watched part of it on youtube and then Gabriel came on asking for subscriptions.

What an episode to miss....much action and intrigue.


Carlos is smart, strong, and sweet. I liked what he did with his wife's photos etc.
My friend married a widower and he did something similar.

That was funny about the preferred sleeping side of bed. Love the idea that he is
going to create a special room for Mati. I hope he doesn't keep his money under the mattress.


Have a good weekend..

All the best
 

Bajo. Excellent and very complete recap, Deb! I had missed Carlos's joke about only having 8 or 9 kids with Mati. :)
 

Bajo

Thanks so much Deb. You sure got a humdinger to recap and you nailed it! I especially liked: "Who knew Willy had a brain?". One more reason to thoroughly hate Willy. And I liked "and out comes the bullet like a new born baby".

I also thought Rod was pretty frisky after the loss of blood and pain. But I'll hand it to the actor, he was fabulous in the scenes in the bedroom. He started calling his father papá again, begging him not to take him to the hospital, begging him not to let him be incarcerated again. I thought there might have been a double fear there. The obvious thing was fear of losing his freedom. But he may also have been realizing that, if he were locked up, El Colmillo would follow through on his threat if he failed: kill his entire family, including his unborn child.

I thought Felicia was sure the baby was Willy's when they showed a flashback of Carlos not wanting to have sex with her. But last night she expressed that she didn't know whose baby it is. Deb, I loved: " (I think the Padre is going to start locking the church doors when he sees her coming)"

Gah! Rodolfo is SUCH a scumbag. Britishcomedyfan, you were SO right when you said Rodolfo was telling Chabela he was leaving his wife to get a booty call. And then he's back home swearing there's no other woman. It looked like Maria was buying it, but I hope not.

Some cliffhanger, eh? They could go with him seeing the scar and remembering his promise to his father to protect Mati. But I think they'll go with him not getting a good look.
 

Bajo. I think you're right about Rodrigo not getting a good look at the scar, novelera. Either he won't be able to bring himself to look, he'll faint (he really ought to, given all that loss of blood), or Adela will have wrapped herself in a towel before he can barge in to the bathroom.
 

Bajo

Another thing about the cliffhanger. If Adela sees him peering at her, this could be tough for her to keep her mouth shut about to Carlos. She might think of his looking for the "brand"; she's smart as a whip. But she could also think he was a plain old voyeur. I think they're going with he can't manage to tell if there's a mark or not, and she never knows he's peeking.
 

Preciosa perla... update

the judge awards Amelia custody of Perla, and the trip to the Himalayas is back on.

Ernest is not a good loser, but Manfred has a plan, Silvia goes along on the trip, what? is the look on Silvia's face, but she finally says she will think about it, what's there to think about Ernest says, I'm ordering you to go.

Perla pleads with her mom to take her to see abuelo Ernest, whom she loves and wants to spend some time with before they leave, ah but Silvia's tears have gotten Franz to move back into the mansion, and as it's decided for Perla to spend the night there, Amelia quietly leaves, and Perla's night with Ernest ends with him reading her asleep, but after he is gone, she is up, and sneaks to tio Viktor's room, please, please can you help me keep Silvia from going with us (what?, how does she know this and how does she know Viktor loves Silvia, and will help just to prevent her from reconciling her marriage to Franz)

and so the boat leaves with Franz, Amelia, Perla, lama Sonan, and one of the monks, the other monk was to come along with Silvia, who is looking for her passport that has gotten into Viktor's pocket.

but alas, there is another boat in a couple of days, so Silvia still has to go.

the Cabaret has reopened, highlighting Aurora who dazzles the crowd, and ended with a song by the new owner, who has completed her lifelong dream, and dies happily.

a run-in with Aurora has left Lola with an injured foot, and she can't perform, losing her place in the spotlight, losing her fans, and maybe losing Manfred who leaves with Aurora, but she is comforted by Fabrício.

Yolanda and Mundo have made plans to run away, but Gert has seen her packed suitcase and follows her to Mundo's and alerts Ernest, who has Mundo severely beaten and locks Yolanda in her room.

Yolanda's dad has slipped an expensive necklace under his coat at the Hauser shop, gives it to Volpina who says you're speaking my language and goes out with him to the club, after the date Wenceslau wants the necklace back, what? she holds on to it, Ernest discovers the theft and threatens putting him in jail as a new way to control Yolanda, and Volpina hearing the trouble he is in gives it back.

the good guys arrive in the Himalayas, (filmed on site) and Perla is like a kid in a candy store, she can't get enough, running here and there, losing her parents, but later found, and when they arrive at the monastery, she is introduced as the reincarnated Ananda, with the worried parents, Franz and Amelia, looking on, and later we see Perla saying a prayer in Tibetan, how did she do that Franz wonders.

 

PERLA--
Dear Deb, thank you for keeping Perla going on the TeleM thread. I'm almost caught up, with only Friday's episode to watch. Some of what you recapped must belong to Friday because it's not familiar.

Franz and Perla are ready to go pick up Amelia (none too happy that Silvia is going to go with them). Perla is secretly delighted when Silvia can't find her passport. She is in a tear (not crying, but mad) because she knows where it should have been and goes back into the Hauser mansion to look for it. Father and daughter leave, anticipating it is only a delay and she will find it, and go to pick up Amelia.

Viktor was almost successful in getting Silvia to accept missing the boat because he had her passport. He practically convinced her she didn't love Franz, never did, and that she loves him, as much as he loves her.

In an earlier scene, Manfred warned Silvia NOT to fall in love with Viktor, because that would ruin the simple beauty of their vengeance plan--which is to drive a wedge between the brothers. Silvia is to seduce Franz back to the marriage bed and fix their marriage. So, of course she must go to the Himalayas and stick close to Franz--does she want him to be alone with that woman?

This is going through her mind as Viktor presses his case, by pressing himself against her and kissing her over and over. She begins to yield to him, just as Manfred walks in on them. Viktor is certain she will admit her feelings for him in front of Manfred, but is shocked when not only she doesn't, but accuses him of coming on to her and trying to force himself on her.

The tension at Amelia's place grows after Franz and Perla arrive without Silvia. Manfred arrives to let them know about the glitch. They will wait for her until the last possible minute. While Manfred and Amelia are momentarily alone in her bedroom, he declares himself to her. He is there for her. It's obvious now, he tells her, that with Franz and Silvia reconciling, she is free--for him. You can tell she is recoiling at the thought and trying not to show it.

Finally, time has run out and one of the monks (I think it is Tenpa) volunteers to do the waiting and goes to the Hauser mansion. Once the drama is over re the passport, Silvia has no choice but to have someone pick up her bags and they go straight to the passenger liner's office. The others have been waiting there, but the final boarding call is made and they leave for the ship. Silvia arrives too late to catch the ship.
 

PERLA--
Hilda and Toni
They have been running into each other accidentally on purpose. After that first, very sweet and gentle kiss Hilda asked for, they try to see each other oftener. Toni finally gets up the courage to ask her out. (Remember, she is passing herself off as an employee of the cabaret as a dresser by the name of Celia.)

Meanwhile, Ernest and Valter have come to terms on marrying off their two offsprings, Decio and Hilda, disregarding any feelings they might have about it. Ernest claims it would get these wild ideas of becoming a singer out of her head and he knows what's best for her. Valter figures it's a way to get Decio out of his house and out of his bank account.

Somewhere in here, Aurora Lincoln and her sidekick arrive with a great flourish, There is a confrontation with Decio about the money he owes her. He laughs that he can't pay. I can't remember if she or Decio clue daddy in, but that's unimportant right now.

Anyway, on Toni and Hilda's date to the movies, who should they run into on the street but Decio. At first she avoids looking at him, then denies she's someone he knows. He must be mistaken. The gears turn in Decio's head and Eureka--they engage! He apologizes and smiles and turns away. The rest of the date goes smoothly.

In the aftermath, Decio and Hilda have a meet in a restaurant. She thanks him for not "outing" her. Decio says it works for him. He's not ready to settle down to be a married man, it would crimp his style and reputation--and he knows Hilda still wants to be a singer. Why don't they make a pact and pretend they are real novios and stretch the engagement out over a long period, to get their fathers off their backs.

They agree and shake on it.
 

PERLA--
Aurora and David
(P.S. Does anyone know who David is played by? He moved my tapete quite a bit.)

Dalia, David's sister, is worried about him since she got him home from the hospital. He is paralyzed from the waist down. He doesn't want to eat, get up, see anyone, stays in his room (which Dona C. made for him on the first floor). Aurora hears about him and decides to go visit him. She's sure she'll be able to cheer him up. No doubt about it. She does. He grudgingly accepts her attention and ends up talking animatedly and laughing. She wants him to eat, get cleaned up and then they are going out for a paseo. He tells her about his novia, Teresa. Aurora is surprised she hasn't been to see him, but he tells her he didn't want her to come. He's afraid that after she sees him, with useless legs, she'd leave him and he wants to perpetuate the illusion. Aurora volunteers to call her and talk to her. David gives Aurora her phone number.

Aurora has another plan in mind. She calls Teresa and asks her to meet her at a restaurant (I think she included David, not sure). Next she invites David out to meet her at the same restaurant. We all know where this is going. Aurora and her Sidekick (anyone know his name?) hide upstairs while Dalia brings David in. (My goodness he's handsome.) He waits there, wondering where Aurora is. Aurora is about to go down to him, but Sidekick holds her back. Just then Teresa approaches and sees David, sitting at the table. What, she says to him, aren't you even going to get up and give me a hug?

He tells her about being paralyzed from a bullet to the spine and the likelihood of his ever walking again are slim. He's getting physical therapy, though. Teresa is truly affected by the news. In the end she tells him honestly that she can't see herself taking care of him, being with him (sounds a bit the same as Vanessa telling Rogelio in LQNPA she wasn't ready for a paralyzed man). She's oh, so sorry, but she walks away.

David is heartbroken, then furious when he finds out this little event was all staged by Aurora. He won't let her take him away. I think it's Sidekick who finally wheels him away. He goes back to the pension and unburdens himself on Dalia.
 

PERLA--
Mundo, Yolanda and Dalia

Here's an unlikely threesome. Mundo loves Yolanda. Yolanda loves Mundo but is married to Ernest. She hates him, but won't leave him. She can only see Mundo on the sly, whenever she can get away from Ernest legitimately. She does this right under Ernest, Manfred's and Benito's noses by accompanying Laura (Valter's unhappy wife) on her hospital rounds. She covers for Yola while she and Mundo go somewhere to satisfy their physical desire for each other. They declare their undying love for each other and then have to separate.

Into the picture comes Dalia. They meet first (although I think they know each other casually) in the hospital after the explosion (I think) when he comes to see Toni, who apparently was hurt the most. Probably nothing would have come of it, except Yolanda saw them together on several occasions, once while giving each other a hug. Yes, Yola is jealous that he can be free with his attentions, but nevertheless accepts his rationale and gives in to their longing for each other. He tells her he hates the thought of Ernest, of all people, putting his hands on her. She hates the thought of Dalia in his arms. She blames their situation on HIM, for long ago not marrying her. He half-heartedly agrees, but didn't want to expose her to what happened to Amelia--in prison for being accused of being a Communist.

Mundo is clearly conflicted. Yolanda is off limits to him. Dalia is live and in the flesh, but he doesn't love her the way he loves Yolanda. The conflict escalates when Yolanda asks him to run away together. (Yeah, let's see how that works out.) Even Mundo says Ernest will not leave a rock unturned to find them and he has way more resources than Mundo does. And Mundo is suspect anyway. As a proclaimed Communist, standing for election, where could he hide?
 

PERLA--
Lola and Fabricio
Although I personally think Lola is a bit long in the tooth for Fabricio, he's certainly attracted to her. He's been pursuing her, wooing her and finally she accepts coming home to dinner with him. Mama fixes a great Italian meal. She conveniently leaves them alone (or do they go somewhere else after). He finally gets her in bed and they spend the night together. The next morning, she tells him this was a mistake, it can't happen again. The reason is she already has a boyfriend and is stuck on him. (Remember this "boyfriend" is none other than Mr. Asexual Manfred, who only used her to get information on Amelia and Franz.) Fabricio tries to change her mind, but she is firm. He is heartbroken
 

PERLA--
Odilon and Pezquito and Benito
They two song-and-dance duo continue to earn bread money. Pez would like to belong to a real family, like what Laura offered him (but Valter wouldn't have him), go to school, have friends. Odi listens and then they separate for awhile. Odi has second thoughts and goes looking for him. They find each other, but he makes Pez promise not to be at the front of the street show. They earn even less when Pez isn't part of the show.

At some point he runs into the kids in Perla's vecindad. They are all in the patio playing futbol. It turns out he's a whizz at it. His footwork impresses Perla.
 

PERLA--
Otavio and Laura
Laura is playing mother and father to Otavio--and trying to run interference with the bullies at school and, of all people, his own "brother" Decio. Decio doesn't want him playing with HIS stuff and growls at Mama for letting him play with his ball, his train (and this is a guy who spent his early adult years in Paris????).

Otavio realizes he's very much the outsider in everything. He sadly tells his mother that all the kids at school brag about the things they do with their fathers, but he has nothing to tell. He never does anything with his father.

Both of these are such sympathetic characters. I hope Otavio meets Perla. I earnestly wish Toni would be united with him. (Remember, Gaia had him while he was in prison and she -- we don't exactly know, except he was told she was exiled and either they both died in a concentration camp in Lithuania or the baby was put up for adoption before she left. The timing was too much of a coincidence for me to believe otherwise--that the baby Ernest pushed into Valter's arms a few days after birth is Toni's.)

I'd like Laura to find some way to find happiness besides her social activities and her hospital rounds.
 

PERLA--
Benito--I forgot. He's still doing Manfred's dirty work. (Remember, he's the one who actually shot at -- and missed -- Ernest in the workers' confrontation.) He's been in the interior, assisted by Ernest and Manfred to work in their mines. I'm not sure why he was chasing Pez but there certainly is some fear Pez will spill something (maybe working conditions) and Manfred is VERY aware Benito knows a lot of stuff that could be dangerous to him if known.
 

PERLA--
The Explosion
This was a bit complicated, but I think I figured it out. The foundry buys metal from dealers. The metal which is purchased is graded. It gets melted down in a big furnace to fill new orders. (I saw teapots, candlesticks, trays, etc. dumped together in a large bin--but I really don't know if this was the old metal to be melted down or whether they were new pieces. I would guess it was the metal they were going to melt).

Franz has discovered that Manfred has been paying top Cruzeiros from a buyer. Manfred explains he's been purchasing metal from this distributor for years. Franz insists that it is not good business. There are many other dealers who sell for less. He MAKES Manfred choose a dealer with a lower price. This does not sit well with Manfred.

Manfred has thought of an ingenious way to get Ernest to get rid of Franz from the foundry so he, Silvia and Venceslau can carry on with their defrauding the company.

He goes forward with Franz' order to buy ore from a second-tier seller. Then he meets with Benito. He instructs him to seed the bin with the metal from this particular seller with dynamite. He proceeds to describe to Silvia what will happen when the metal with the dynamite is fed into the furnace--BOOM! Cold, cold man--and woman. They do not care what the human consequences are, as long as their objective is reached.

Benito waits until the shift change. He places the dynamite in a bin and disappears. He assures Manfred later that no one saw him. Sure enough, the workers push the bins into the furnace and--BOOM! Toni is thrown by the blast. Chaos follows. Injured workers are removed. The place looks like it was destroyed.

Franz is accused of using a second-tier dealer who gave them bad metal. He accepts the responsibility and promises the workers to take care of all medical expenses, time off and compensation for families while the plant is shut down for repairs. Ernest is not too happy with his largesse with HIS money. Nevertheless, he goes along with it, but YEP, he dismisses Franz. The glee is almost visible on Manfred's face.

I thought this would all be forgotten with Perla being recognized as the reincarnation of Ananda Rinpoche and the trip to the Himalayas, but maybe not quite.

The dealer of the metals is having a meeting with Ernest and Manfred. He says he would never sell inferior metal. He's been selling ore for years without any complaints. He smells a rat here. This has an impact on his reputation. He's going to have the incident investigated.




 

PERLA--
Toni and Fabricio
Sorry, I got them mixed up. It's Toni's mamma that makes the Italian dinner for him and Hilda. Fabricio takes Lola back to his rooms.
 

PERLA--
Nuno
Just a short note on Nuno (who looks a lot like Decio with his thin pencil like mustache). Nuno was the office assistant who originally brought the "inconsistencies" in the books to Wencelslau's and Manfred's attention and got sacked for it. He finally did get Ernest's attention, but Ernest really didn't believe him.

But, when he put Franz in charge of the investigation, Franz got Nuno back. After the explosion and Franz was dismissed, Nuno was sacked again, for no reason. Well, no reason he could detect. It was that Wence and Manf didn't want him around poking into things.

Nuno goes out looking for a new job and can't find one. He is last seen applying to Arlindo at the cabaret to be their accountant. There is a lot of hoopla and goings on. Arlindo says no, impresario-lady says yes and he's hired.
 

PERLA--
Last word of the day - The judge's ruling.
It looked bad for Team Franz/Amalia during most of the hearing. After Manfred's testimony and the judge's ruling in favor of Amelia's custody, Ernest is furious with Manfred. He's sure it was Manfred's testimony that swayed the judge.

During the hearing, the judge listens to Amelia--that, contrary to what Silvia said, she did NOT abandon Perla. She gave her up to her father so she would not grow up in prison. She missed her daily. She doted on the visits. It was all she could think of and keep her going in prison. Silvia and Manfred are rolling their eyes (figuratively, I guess). Mundo testifies that Amelia was NOT and NEVER had been a Communist. They were trumped up charges to separate her and Franz. Ernest does not look guilty....... Furthermore, they are not taking Perla away from Brazil, her abuelos, school, her religion forever. It is just for a trip during her long school holiday.

He does listen to Lama Sonan, a little skeptically. Then he clears the room and has that little talk with Perla. She insists that she will learn much on this trip and what is the harm in learning more about living in peace and harmony.

The judge tells the open court he is intimately aware of what it feels like for a parent to be separated from his child, regardless of the reason. He had a son that went into the military and served overseas during the war. He was killed.

In the end, that seems to have been the swaying point for his decision.
 

Perla,

wow Anita- what a bunch of great postings, character descriptions and a story summary all in one.

I'm really amazed that all the good guys (Perla, Franz, Amelia, and lama Sonan) are now in the Himalayas, and all the bad guys are half way around the world in Brazil!

I think David Hérnandez is being played by Leandro Lima, I found a better cast list here,
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preciosa_perla

oh and thanks for explaining the explosion, there were a couple of words they kept using that I just couldn't figure out.

 

TELEMUNDO...

it looks like Tuesday prime time is going to be all "Señora Acero" related stuff, plus the show.

 

Perla
Thank you for Perla. I meant to catch up but I am behind. So thank you.
Romy
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

PERLA--
Romy--I'm just glad someone else is watching this wonderful production besides me and deb and let's us know. Whatever happened to weePerla are you still in? Sara, are you still with us? Anyone else?????
 

PERLA--
I see our TeleM page for this week isn't up yet. I was going to do a little update on Franz and Amelia, so I guess I'll do it here.

Franz, of course was pleased with the judge's ruling and looking forward to being close to Amelia without Silvia. Those fantasies were crushed when Manfred obligated Silvia to go with them to the Monastery in the Himalayas.

Franz and Amelia seem to grow closer since then. They talk about all sorts of things related to the trip. They are standing together by his car and he leans in closer. He tells her he loves only her. There may be a kiss between them, but she backs away and says no, this is wrong, you are married. Go home to your wife. (I can't remember if Franz already moved back in with Silvia or not.)

For their trip, Silvia chooses stylish runway fashions, totally inappropriate for the Himalayas, while Amelia chooses her plain, modest, lower class work dresses. Too bad Franz didn't spring for at least one nice dress for her to wear on the ship. She looked gorgeous for her wedding to him. Luckily for Perla and Franz, Silvia misses the boat.

Regrettably, we don't see them on the trip, but it seems clear they are together spiritually and emotionally, but not physically--until they get to Tibet. Perla, as deb described her, is running around, in and out of buildings and rooms and leaves her parents behind. They, meanwhile are taking in all the sights and sounds of the busy marketplace and all the hustle and bustle. They and the monks panic when they can't locate Perla and they start running around, in and out of buildings and rooms shouting for her. When they finally find her, she's been giving water to a sick old lady, food to a beggar, a jacket to a little boy who doesn't even have a shirt. It's pretty clear to the monks now, who she is and they start bowing in obeisance. Franz and Amelia look on incredulously. They don't want their child to be anything else than their little girl.

The monks show Perla to her own suite in the monastery. It was Ananda Rinpoche's room. Then they are ready to take Franz to his room--his old room where he recovered after the avalanche. It is special. He tells Amelia that it was up there on that mountain that he first heard of her (then we get his flashback of the 4 guys just before the "accident" and avalanche and seeing Eurico's photo of Amelia). Amelia is allowed to sleep with Perla, at her insistence. The monks can't deny her that.

Later--and the end of the episode--Amelia and Franz are taking a walk by themselves. She takes his hand. They are affected by the location and its magical qualities. Amelia leans against a wall. They are quite alone. Franz is leaning toward her. Amelia is still dubious about Perla being a reincarnation of the lama and having this life chosen for her.

Franz then remembers something Ananda Rinpoche said to him. Every child has his/her own path to choose in life. It may not be the one you would choose for your child. Franz reminds her how his father chose his life for him. He tried hard to do everything Ernest asked of him, but in the end it was not the path in life he chose. He chose Amelia and their family. He is about to kiss her when the episode ends.