Caray, Caray!

¡Gracias Juanita! Glad to see the transition went smoothly; looking forward to a great week!
 

GENERAL

Piece of cake, right?

Thanks so much, Juanita. I know you and LXV will do a fabulous job!
 

GENERAL

1. NovelaMaven & Jean, Thanks once again for all of those five fabulous years.
I am curious to know whether or not you are bowing out completely or will you still be commenting from time to time. You gave us a good long run. I appreciate your dedication to this unusual pastime that continues to bring enjoyment to many.

2. Thanks, Juanita and LXV for taking over and for Juanita to be the very first
to put this new phase in action. I have no idea how this is done, but you seemed to catch on really fast. Thanks so much.

3. At the suggestion Of NovelaMaven, I contacted 5FtLatina about updating the sidebar. She emailed me back and said that it is on her TO DO list.

All the best to all,
 

GENERAL

Floridia, thanks so much. Yes, I plan to hang around and comment and occasionally recap. It's just that we felt it was time to let someone else play mother and pour the tea. :)
 

GENERAL

I want to join the chorus of praise for NovelaMaven and Jean for so many years of dedicated work in setting us up for both recapping and commenting space for our Telemundo favorites.

And, Juanita and LXV, thanks so very much for taking this on. Telemundo fans all over are grateful for your offer to keep us going!
 

Bajo

I'll recap tonight's show, maybe shorter than some Mondays as I also have a Warriors game to watch!
 

Let me join in that chorus of praise. Juanita and I owe much to Jean & NovelaMaven. We have a lot to live up to but also a very fine model. And also thanks everyone else on this blog for making it such an engaging, welcoming & satisfying environment. CarayCaray is exemplary. Kudos to novelera for offering to recap tonight.
 

It's so great that Juanita and LXV are taking the reins of Telemundo y más. It couldn't be in better hands and thanks for the nice words. It has really been fun working with NovelaMaven on this. I won't be around much until I start watching a novela again. I'm not currently watching any of the current offerings but I'm sure that I'll be back.

Luego...
 

GENERAL

Jean, I agree completely. With Juanita and LXV, the page could not be in better hands. And I couldn't have had a better partner in crime than you! ¡Hasta siempre!

Thanks, Novelera and LXV!
 

GENERAL

Wow! Thanks to everyone for your wonderfully supportive comments.
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO – LUNES – Parte 1 de 2

Lo del Viernes:

Adela tells Jacob she’s resigning from the magazine and he accepts.
Juana catches Allan digging her grave. This appears to be because her debt is just about paid.
Felicia spits out that she never wants to see Gracie again.
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Adela) says that she’s going to fly because Carlos gave her wings.
Erick pleads Adela’s case with Jacob.
Rodrigo has come to Adela for comfort.

We get some excellent scenes with Rodrigo and Adela. He tells her he received the baby’s body and buried her alone. Adela tells him he shouldn’t have suffered this alone. His father and his brother, even Gracie, should have been there. He tells her he needed to be alone to be able to cry. He couldn’t let his sorrow show, to open up with the others. He tells her that, with her, he feels comfort.

He goes on to say that he went into the ocean to die but wasn’t strong enough. She tells him he’ll recover in time, as she did about her mother and brother. He tells her that maybe this happened because he deserves it. She moves next to him and puts her arms around him.

Rod pours out his heart. He says the baby was beautiful and looked like him. Always generous, Adela lets him desahogarse (let out all his pain). He tells her that the child of Felicia and his father was born. He notices that this pains her. He asks her if his daughter’s death was an accident or a punishment.

We see Carlos in the baby’s room at Felicia’s house. He’s tired. Apparently the little one took a long time to go to sleep. He thinks he’s a bit past it for this, not to even mention when she’s 15! [Yikes! Not only is this newborn about 4 months old, but she smiles and has studs in her ears!]

María has come to visit, and Felicia overhears that her baby was already buried by Rodrigo.

Rod begs Adela to stay the night because he can’t bear to go home. The gang would find him there and, seeing him like he is, would not respect him.

At Carlos’ house Luis, like everyone else, wonders why Gracie isn’t destroyed by the supposed death of her child. She shines it on saying she prefers to cry alone. He leaves there to go to see Susy. Gracie calls her mother saying she’s separated from Rodrigo and very soon will be bringing her baby with her to México.

Rodolfo has found the restaurant agreement Jacob drew up and is interrogating María about it. He tells her he’s reviewed it, and the gringo is putting in lots of money, but they could get some more out of him. She is furious and tears up the agreement. She tells him that “the gringo” offered to be HER partner but not his.
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO – LUNES – Parte 2 de 2

There’s a knock on the door at Adela’s. Rod hides in the other room. It’s Erick. He tells her that he didn’t behave well when she told him about her past. He goes on to say that they want her back at the magazine. He says everyone loved the event she organized and everyone missed her. (except for Paulina, of course). He blurts out te quiero…(and Rod’s glares) but he goes on to say de regreso en la revista.

At Casa Sanders the jerk Bryan has come, along with Susy's blonde friend, to see how Susy is doing. Bryan embraces Susy and we expect Luis to be furious when he comes in the back way, but he’s grown up a lot and takes it well when he and Susy talk.

After Erick leaves, Rod tells Adela that of course she’s not going back to that magazine. He tells her that guy wants her. She loses it and tells him he’s the last person to ask her if she’s involved with Erick. She reminds him that she gave up his father because of him. He mutters darkly about guys like Erick, taking advantage of women like her. Adela flares up: “I know how to defend himself. I defended myself from La Colonia, and even against you!” She wags her finger at him telling him she doesn’t want to hear that he’s threatened Erick.

Later he apologizes outside her door, saying it was jealousy. She replies that he has no right to be jealous. He tells her that he can’t help it. His heart is in charge and it won’t stop loving her even though he orders it otherwise.

Felicia agrees to call the baby Ana, after Carlos’ mother. [I get the impression she wouldn’t care if they called her Witchhazel.] Carlos is holding the baby, and Gracie watches the shadow of this from outside. She says the baby is well with her grandfather, but she needs her more.

Adela gets a phone call: ¿Tú?

The one who called was Gracie. [Sorry, I just can’t stand Gracie and never have been able to stand her, since the prison.] Adela has shown up at Carlos’ house since everyone else is gone. Gracie: “Give me one single reason why I don’t right now tell Don Carlos that you left him for his son.”
 

BAJO
Muchas gracias, novelera that was so quick! "Witchhazel", hah! And yes, that baby had pierced ears in the hospital. I think it's just sloppy scenic direction, even though many Mexican mothers pierce their baby girls' ears as soon as possible. Rod is creeping me out more and more with his needy crazies.

 

Bajo

thank you so much novelera !!!

it doesn't take Rod long to put on his Colonia face, gun in hand.

and thanks so much to Juanita and LXV for keeping such a wonderful page going, (I know very little about the main Caray,Caray since I've only seen Telemundo)

 

BAJO

Thanks, Novelera,

Quick recap and cleverly written, and you cleared up some questions for me.
I hope you had a lovely time with your transported turkey and your son's family for Thanksgiving.

The three outstanding actors in this episode: Adela, Carlos, and Rodrigo.
I'd like Rod to receive the award for best actor or best villainous actor when award
time comes along. Without question, he hit it out of the park last night. Incredible!

Carlos is terrific also--such a range of emotions he portrays. Loved hearing him talk to the baby, and when he woke up after his short nap, he truly looked as if he were coming out of a deep sleep.

One thing not mentioned was how Santiago put in his bid to be the godfather.Carlos thought that Felicia would want to ask her brother, but she said he was too busy with his work, etc., so she got out of that. Carlos also thought Felicia would want to choose a name for the baby from her family and give it much thought. She just came up with Ana, his mother's name to get it over with.

I continue to stand by Greicy. Aside from her original sin of falling for Rodrigo,
which was a very bad decision, she has managed to keep on going in spite of much emotional and physical abuse Rod has heaped on her. She was quick thinking after the birth of the 2 babies in making the switch. As you can see, selfish Rod would have taken over completely. Everything would be his way--from the 15th birthday party to the baby's eventual wedding...not to mention that the baby would be the daughter of the murderous Godfather. As has been said before, everything is about him; the baby even looked like him.

Now she is still fighting for her baby with a fierce mother's instinct -- which I would do as well -- altho I don't know how she can take that baby and run.
I am sure that Rod would find out and double down with more force than ever.

No word of El Colmillo. Is he getting stronger?

A word about "Ana's" earrings. They are way too big!

My babies had very tiny earrings.


Thanks again, Novelera, for a speedy delivery of this most dramatic episode.


 

Bajo. I echo the thanks to NovelaMaven and Jean for 5 years of excellent running of the Telenovela site (though until this last year I just dipped in and out from time to time). Once again, thanks to LXV and Juanita for taking it over! And another excellent recap, novelera! I was surprised to see that Rodrigo was capable of feeling guilt. At least Adela wasn't sympathetic to the point of letting him do anything more than spend the night on her couch! Wonder what will happen when Greicy kidnaps the baby and tries to take her to Mexico. Will people realize that the baby was hers or will they think it's the act of a desperate and bereaved mother who has just lost her own child? Oh, dna, where are you? I'm very glad that Jacob came to his senses and gave in to Erick's pleas to re-hire Adela. After all, doesn't he remember that Adela was one of the people who converged on San Diego to find Susy and Luis and that in this case, even the gang played a more positive role than usual?
 

Bajo & General
Tks so much for keeping this going!!!

Telemundo has much better TNs than Uni & deserves attention. Bajo is one of the best.
I like that Greicy has grown a pair, a big pair.
 

GENERAL:

Just dropping in to say congratulations to Juanita and LXV, who will do an excellent job stewarding the Telemundo post!

Variopinta- If you haven't been watching Yo No Creo en los Hombres, you are missing one of the best telenovelas. Both Uni (Televisa) and Telemundo have winners and turkeys.

PRECIOSA PERLA and QUE CULPA TIENE FATMAGUL:

I watched the last few weeks of Preciosa Perla (which ended last Wednesday), and recorded and watched the first episode of Fatmagul yesterday.

Perla- The early 1900s setting was fantastic. The Buddhist monk/mystical theme was a bit bizarre, but interesting. I have never seen so many characters be pregnant all at once at the end of a tn before, and for the most part everyone got a happy ending (even many of the bad guys). I enjoy Brazilian tns, but tend to find they have too many characters (lots of side characters) that don't really add to the main story. But I did enjoy this tn and thought it was very well done.

Fatmagul- I am hesitant to watch another tn with a rape story at the center. But I am fascinated by the cultural aspects (Turkey and Islam), and the coastal/Mediterranean setting is gorgeous. Not sure if I'll keep watching it, but I might drop in on it from time to time.
 

Bajo. Interesting that pierced ears and earrings have exact opposite cultural meanings in anglo and latino society. In Mexican society it's a sign of inclusion, and even subjugation of women (I believe there's even a famous poem about it), while in anglo society it has traditionally been a sign of rebellion. My mother, who was otherwise a very enlightened person, sincerely believed that only gypsies and prostitutes pierced their ears. I was never tempted after my older first cousin had her ears pierced at a slumber party, they got severely infected and she almost lost her ear lobes. Ugh! I told my daughters that they could have their ears pierced when they were old enough to pay for it themselves. One did. One didn't. Their own choice.
 

General:

Thanks to all for keeping this blog going. Although I rarely comment, I have always appreciated reading this site over the years.

Hi Vivi:

I read what you said about Fatmagul and I would really like to encourage you and anyone else to stick with it. You won't regret it. I first heard about this novela over on the todotnv blog, they were absolutely obsessed with it. This has the most realistic treatment of rape and its consequences that I've ever seen in a novela. It chronicles the victim's treatment and gradual recovery and her fight for justice. Yes, unlike all the other novelas I've seen (ex: La Sombra Del Pasado} she actually gets medical treatment and eventually psychological treatment as well to help her recover from this horrible crime. I know it sounds like a real downer but its really not. It's an excellent drama, very well written and wonderfully acted with a beautiful love story to boot. It's ultimately very touching and uplifting.
 

BAJO

Thanks so much, Novelera, for yet another excellent recap. You make it look so easy to be accurate, graceful, and witty. I don't know how you do it, but I'm happy and thankful that you do. (I burst out laughing at your "witchhazel" line!)

I too noticed the baby's earring/stud. Isn't the baby in this telenovela supposed to be only a few days old? [Yes, I agree, she looks older than that.] I know almost nothing about customs concerning piercing babies' ears. (I didn't get mine pierced until I was 40 :-) ). Do some babies get their ears pierced shortly after birth?

I enjoyed Erick's quick continuation of Te quiero (back at the revista), and again as he was leaving, when he said he couldn't live without her (back on the revista staff). Rodrigo, of course, knew exactly what Erick meant, and not, I think, just because Rod was jealous.

I was amused at Rodrigo's saying that the baby who died looked like him. I wonder whether he'd notice any resemblance when/if he looks at "Felicia's" baby.

Although Gracie has told her mother she's coming to Mexico with her baby, I wonder what circumstances could make that happen. Would Carlos ever leave the baby unattended? Hmmm....I suppose he's trusting enough to leave Felicia alone with the baby, and Felicia could either go to sleep or just leave the baby alone and go out.

And have we heard the last of Willy's claim to be the father of "Feli's" baby? I'd be surprised if that plot line were just dropped.
 

Bajo

Thanks for the kind words, all. I am suspecting (not a spoiler at all - just a theory) that Willy will somehow manage to get the baby's DNA and be downcast when the DNA is Carlos' (really Rodrigo). I don't know that much about DNA, but maybe telenovela writers will assume Rod and Carlos have a strong similarity. But maybe they'll have Gracie bolt soon and all will be revealed.

I think that the deceased baby is really Willy's and that he actually felt some of that llamada de la sangre that they love so much in telenovelas.
 

GENERAL

I forgot to say that the links on the sidebar to Telemundo novelas don't work for me. This happened once before and had something to do with how Internet Explorer works with the site. I was able to get to the telemundo area by paging down through the posts for the Univisión novelas until I reached the main post for the week. The last time this happened, Cat aka La Diva del Desierto fixed this. Don't know if it's the same problem as before.

But, as the week goes on, it will become difficult to get to our page without the link on the sidebar.
 

GENERAL

Novelera, Kat may be able to fix the sidebar. But I just thought I'd mention a workaround. The URL http://caraycaray.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/telemundo?max-results=300 takes you to the overall Telemundo y Más page, where you'll find links to each week's page, with the current one (i.e., this week) on top. You can probably bookmark this link. When I tested whether the link worked in Internet Explorer 11 (since it's not my usual browser), it took me to the page AND offered to put it in a "feed" where you could access it. It's a long URL, so you probably don't want to have to write it out more than once. But an alternative to bookmarking or having it in a feed is to write it out somewhere on your computer and simply copy and paste it into IE whenever you want to go to this page.

I might note that I do something a bit different. I have a page of useful links that I use as my start page for all my browsers, and one of the links is the Telemundo y Más page. Whenever I want to access this page, I just click on the link.

It may be easier simply to wait until the sidebar is fixed, but I thought I'd offer the above in case that takes a while.
 

Thank you all for your dedication to this page.
Bajo: In my country babies girls ears are pierced as soon as possible after birth. Every girl ears are pierced. It should be noted as soon as someone sees a girl with no earrings the question is" Are you a seven day Adventist? Or Jehovah's Witness? Those religions do not wear jewelry. So I had to adjust a bit before I understood the Anglo cultural meanings of it. I pierced my daughter's ears(USA born) after her first vaccination at 2 months.
Romy
 

Bajo
my thoughts on ear piercing. I know its an early Latino thing, but if I were a mama, I would leave that up to my child, hoping she would choose that instead of a tattoo (UGH) and sth I could agree to. I was probably about 17 when I got mine pierced.
 

BAJO Thanks all for the input on ear piercing. It was my understanding that Mexican mothers pierced their daughters ears as early as possible. I had mine done at age 13 after begging and begging and finally one day we were at our friends' farm and they were doing the newest baby and my mom just gave in. So I had it done with a needle and thread and an ice cube. This was about 1963 or so. We were more Irish Catholic and so earrings just weren't a thing. But it was the '60s and I needed desperately to get my ears pierced. Especially since I had finally started going to public school where such a thing wouldn't be noticed. The nuns would have kicked me out for good, I'm sure. So it all worked out, except that it took about a week to heal and I had to keep pulling that thread through a couple times a day to keep it all from closing up.
 

BAJO


LXV and SpanProf,

I am Irish Catholic too -- from Boston. I never studied Spanish until about 9 years ago, and now it is my passion. I knew nothing about Latin culture. Many years ago, I had several college classmates from Latin America, and they all had their ears pierced from the time they were infants. They told me that one can determine if a baby is a boy or girl by the earrings .. not by wearing pink or blue, for example.

I was married and had a baby girl soon after graduating, and I decided that I would follow suit after my Latino friends.... and be somewhat "rebellious, in the eyes of my Irish friends and relatives. My husband was against it, but nevertheless when my daughter was 14 months old, I took her to a doctor who pierced ears as a sideline. I then had my ears pierced as well. I did the same with my other daughter later. They both liked being a little different from their classmates, and they never had any trauma because it was done quickly and painlessly. My older daughter had extremely tiny pearl earrings, and the younger one had tiny,tiny gold balls. I was surprised at seeing Ana wearing much larger ones.

This TN will be even more riveting when the big Baby Reveal occurs. I just remembered that El Comillo has a great interest in Felicia's baby. He wants to be the Baby Daddy...health permitting, that is.
 

Bajo

I was over 40 when I had my ears pierced. Brought up as Ohio protestant, and, yes, in our culture it was considered a lower class sort of thing to do. When I finally did it, I was thrilled to find out how less painful pierced earrings are than the clip-ons.
 

GENERAL

OK, the sidebar link for Telemundo is back!
 

FATMAGUL:

Victoria- Thanks for the recommendation. I do have to admit that since I loved the time I travelled through Turkey so much, I'm very drawn to watching this tn, despite the rape theme. I did watch my recording of episodes 3-4 today, and was impressed that Fatmagul was taken to a hospital, seen by a gynecologist, and by a psychologist, AND the police were called and investigated. Of course, Karim's very forward thinking mother was pushing all this along. And it was quite interesting to see how everyone else thinks this rape has ruined her life, ruined her family, will prevent her from having a husband, and that it has brought disgrace upon her fiance, who they believe will surely dump her. Hearing people go on and on about her poor fiance, and not give HER second thought was quite jarring and showed this is a different culture we're observing. So in the same episodes, very forward thinking, and almost medieval thinking about rape. Very interesting.
 

Bajo. Oh oh! Not only is El Colmillo's recovery coming right along, but he is also still in love with Felicia and wants to be a father to her child, who he does not know is dead! I'd say that nurse's days are numbered and Greicy isn't the only one who is likely to be trying to kidnap Felicia's supposed child. And Ramona has finally decided to do the right thing and try to rescue Juana. Let's hope she's not too late! Has everyone noticed how Ramona is becoming stronger every episode?
 

TELEMUNDO...

"Telemundo Studios announced the kickoff of production of “Eva La Trailera” marking the return to TELEMUNDO screen of acclaimed Mexican actress Edith González. Set to premiere in the first quarter of 2016, the Miami-based production also stars Jorge Luis Pila and Arap Bethke."

"Eva Soler (Edith González), a woman of imposing beauty who has worked hard to support her family as a truck driver, a trade she learned early on the road with her father, who made his living the same way. Through ambition and perseverance, she rises through the ranks to become the owner of the “Mon-sol” trucking empire. Despite her newfound wealth, Eva remains a humble person who understands that life is like an endless road that asks us to make constant decisions about the right direction to take."

"Jorge Luis Pila co-stars as Armando Montes, Eva Soler’s husband, whose friendly façade hides a selfish and vain man with a violent nature who ends up causing great harm to his family. He finds a rival for Eva’s love in Pablo Contreras (Arap Bethke), a responsible young detective with strong moral values who brings a new sense of hope to Eva’s life."

also: "Erika de la Rosa, Vanessa Bauche, Javier Díaz Dueñas, Henry Zakka, Roberto Mateos, Alfredo Huereca, Karen Sentíes, Mónica Sánchez Navarro, María Raquenel, Sofía Lama, Antonio Gaona, Minnie West, Martha Mijares, Paloma Márquez, Ana Osorio, Jonathan Freudman, Jorge Eduardo García, Nicolle Apollonio, Michelle Vargas, Adrián Carvajal, Tony Vela and Gustavo Pedraza."

"“Eva La Trailera” is an original Telemundo Studios production written by Valentina Párraga (“La Patrona” and “Los Miserables”), directed by Leonardo Galavis (“Donde Esta Elisa?”) and Nicolás Di Blasi (“Bajo El Mismo Cielo”), and produced by Martha Godoy (“La Patrona”, “El Señor de los Cielos”), with Joshua Mintz supervising."

http://www.nbcumv.com/news/telemundo-studios-kicks-production-“eva-la-trailera”-set-premiere-2016?network=33144

 

TELEMUNDO

Thanks for the news about Eva la Trailera. Wow, another story about a strong woman played by a prota with chops. I love Edith González. Most of the rest of the cast is unfamiliar to me, except for José Luis. Are we to assume this will go in the 9PM slot to replace Bajo?
 

Bajo

I loved Adela's reaction to Gracie's rant. She was cool as a cucumber and then asked why she was so much more worried about Adela than about her dead baby.

Gracie is still not over Rodrigo. She says she hates him, but she's beside herself at the thought he might be in bed with Adela, especially since Adela is about three times as good looking! And that visit to where the neighborhood people were paying respects was ridiculous.

Yep, Ramona is going to somehow save Juana. I'd like to see her saved, a big article about sexual abuse of domestic staff in Jacob's magazine, and, as I've said before, a long stretch in prison for that scum Allan.

Rats, I'm sure the poor nurse is going to be killed by Colmillo.

The scene with María and Felicia was a good one. Both actors did a very good job. This whole novela María has been the voice of reason. She did somewhat get through by inferring that, to hang on to Carlos, she better start showing some tenderness for the baby.

And Rodolfo, what an ass! Jacob didn't fall for his BS about the "business" being for machos while María is just a cook. When she finds out what he did, I hope she kicks him out.
 

La Trailera

I'm really looking forward to this one. I LOVED Edith González in Doña Bárbara!
 

BAJO
I'm loving Ramona's transition from subservient to empowered. Suzy & Jacob have encouraged her, but really what kind of a transition is this? I get the feeling if Ramona really took her rightful place, they might be a bit nonplussed. A lifelong relationship doesn't change overnight on either side; all the old habits and what about resentment?. Anyway, she's dressing better and standing straighter, less of the hand-wringing apologetic figure. I loved the look in her eye when she arrived at her decision to act. And we all hope she's not too late.

ViviThanks for the heads-up about FATMAGUL. I only wish there were more hours in the day. I may have to binge watch that separately some other time. Looks too good to miss.


 

Bajo Hi, novelera! Excellent observations as usual. Adela could hardly make it more clear to Greicy that there is no romantic feeling on her side toward Rodrigo. I hope María either kicks Rudolfo out or makes his life hell. Either would be very satisfying and well-deserved. I loved how all 3 of the remaining at-home members of Jacob's household where aghast that he could be María's husband. Sooner or later it seems to me that either María or Adela, both of whom are very astute, is going to figure out what really happened to Felicia's baby. If Alan turns out to actually be a serial killer and not just targeting Juana he may end up going away for good!
 

Bajo

I'll put up another recap tonight, probably not lengthy.
 

Bajo

I too am enjoying Ramona's transformation. It's almost as if the better she dresses, the taller she stands and the more assertive she feels able to be. I loved the look on her face when Rodolfo was making an ass of himself. And she's definitely got him correctly pegged: confianzudo. That wasn't a word I'd heard before, but it perfectly captures Rodolfo's oily, slimy, excessively familiar manner when presenting himself to Jacob and Susy. With any luck, when Maria finds out what he's done behind her back (taping together the proposal she tore up, forging her signature, and trying to pass himself off as the one in charge of business arrangements) she'll kick him out for good. I hope so. How else can she and Jacob become a couple? I can't see her having a relationship with him as long as Rodolfo is still around.

Of course, Jacob has his own domestic difficulties. His lawyer has told him that he can't divorce Débora as long as she's in a mental hospital/sanitarium, even though he separated from her long before that happened. I can't imagine her being willing to let Jacob go. But I also think it's highly likely that he and Maria will be together at the end (this is, after all, a telenovela).

Wow! As SpanProf has observed, Greicy isn't TOKILA (The Only Kidnapper in Los Angeles), even if both Greicy and Colmillo were for a time in TOHIKA (The Only Hospital in Los Angeles). Colmillo's attempt to get away from his guarded hospital room shows he is understandably very weak after all that time bedridden in a coma, but telenovela medicine often ignores the Real World. Will he and Greicy confront each other in a few days as they both converge on Felicia's house?

Tonight's episode should be interesting.
 

Bajo

Thanks so much, Novelera, for offering to post another recap tonight. I love your recaps, and they help me to see so much that I missed.
 

Bajo
I found it interesting that Comillo had on underwear under his hospital gown, WTF?
 

Bajo

Variopinta, Telemundo is not HBO. We're unlikely to see any accidental "parts" through a flap in a hospital gown! And I seem to remember a Uni novela with some guys jumping into a lake and they had that blurry thing to disguise the nalgitas we might have liked to see.
 

Bajo. Omg! Alan is a serial killer! I knew it! (Or at any rate, the writers weren't messing with us. :))
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO – MIÉRCOLES – Parte 1 de 2

The nurse lives another day. Colmillo gets back into bed before the cop sees him on the floor. The nurse again mutters about Fire in EC’s presence. Later we see EC doing some leg exercises.

How in the world does Adela keep from slapping Paulina upside the head? She rags on Adela for being late and doesn’t want her to see Erick.

Bryan is hanging out at Casa Sanders flirting with some girls. He calls Luis first jardinerito and later a peon. Luis doesn’t fall into the trap. He tells him to go back to tanning while the real men get to work.

Ramona tries to talk Juana into leaving, but it doesn’t work. She does tell her once more about the friend who disappeared. Juana does say she’ll look for some proof. She brushes up against Alan’s keyboard and sees videos, not only of his rape of her, but of him sexually abusing and hitting two other women.

Adela tells Erick she can’t have anything but a friendly working relationship with him. Wow! Unlike 99.9% of the unwanted swains in telenovelas, Erick takes it well. He says he tried and failed and won’t let this ruin things. He even smiles at her.

Jacob comes to see María at Felicia’s house. She certainly looks fetching with Gracie’s baby in her arms. He wants to hold the baby and coos at her, definitely winning me over.

Felicia has gone to her baby’s grave with Carlos. It's next to Rodrigo’s mother. She sends him for a vase and sobs that she didn’t even get to name her baby.

María is mortified when Jacob tells her what Rodolfo did. Later Cristóbal comes to see his niece and watches the baby so María and Jacob can talk things over at a beautiful park. She keeps insisting she can’t be his partner, and he has figured it out correctly…that she has feelings for him and she’s a married woman. [María reminds me of several latinas I know who are so self-effacing, always putting themselves last after their husbands and children.] Jacob declares himself, but María resists.

Ramona comes to the magazine and tells Erick and Adela that Juana is being sexually abused.

I guess the writers wanted more drama. Instead of running away after seeing the videos, Juana goes into the back yard and digs up a skeleton.

Cristóbal wants Felicia to say that Rodrigo brought the drug dealing into her bar, but she won’t. Both Carlos and Cris think it’s because he’s Carlos’ son. But I think she might also be afraid of him. Carlos lies and doesn’t tell Cris that he told Rodrigo about EC being alive.

Erick won’t let Adela come along when he goes to check on Juana. He says that Alan knows her.
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO – MIÉRCOLES – Parte 2 de 2

Of course Alan comes home and catches Juana beside the open grave. She yells that he killed them and he bashes her with the shovel. He says to himself that he can’t kill her in the yard; the neighbors would see. He takes her inside and begins to choke her when the doorbell rings.

Carlos tells Santiago that he thinks Erick is taking Adela away from him.

Erick is, of course, at Alan’s front door. He asks for Juana and scoffs when Alan says she left a couple of days ago. He says someone, a friend, was just there. Erick tells him that he’s an influential reporter, and Alan had better not touch a hair of Juana’s head. He threatens to come back with the cops and a search warrant.

Rodolfo has no shame. María confronts him and he just grins. He has the cojones to tell her this deal would be good for their children. [He’s thinking it will be an income for him!] He tells her he was doing her a favor. She says something I love. ¡No te eches tanta crema a tus tacos, porque yo conosco perfectamente! (Not sure of the perfect translation. Don’t toot your own horn isn’t exactly right.)

Erick and Adela go to see Cristóbal, who isn’t much help.

Jacob comes to see Felicia. He tells her that María won’t be his partner, but he wants to close the deal for the bar today.

Bryan brings Susy a LOT of roses. He’s following through on what he told Luis, being competitive. But Luis shows up bringing her 3 daisies; he’s remembered that these are her favorites.

At the police station Erick is willing to wait for the search warrant, but Adela isn’t going for that. She says she has an idea and tells him not to even think of telling her no!

Alan puts the proverbial chloroform cloth over Juana’s face. He monologues again that he won’t kill her here. He doesn’t want any evidence of it. He then says he has to go bury those bones before the reporter shows up with the cops.
 

Bajo

Thanks so much, Novelera, for another great recap. I was on the edge of my seat as Juana was watching the videos of Alan abusing her and two earlier women. And he even smiles and waves at the camera! I feared he would return while she was watching the videos. I'm having a hard time imagining a punishment horrible enough for him.

Good for Susy! She makes it very clear that she values Luis's meaningful daisies far more than Bryan's ostentatious bouquet of roses.

I don't like Felicia, but I do feel sorry for her. Several times I thought she was going to tell the truth about the babies, but so far it hasn't happened, not even when she was talking with the priest. Will it be an attempt by Greicy to kidnap the baby that will finally bring out the truth? Or will Comillo's actions bring this about? All kinds of crazy scenarios are running through my head.
 

Bajo. Excellent recap as usual, novelera! I thought the scene between Jacob and María was very sweet. They are both such decent, sympathetic people, and so compatible! Each seems to understand exactly where the other is coming from and to know what to say to make the other person feel better. Interesting that a certain type of plant in Alan's back yard seems to be a marker for a buried murdered victim. I wonder if it's soething like deadly nightshade or something. Macabre! Very suspenseful about whether Erick and Adela will be able to save Juana! I too noticed that El Colmillo seemed to be doing his own physical therapy. Nice legs for an old guy! I think I saw something online yesterday that could explain why Bajo isn't playing up the possibility of a community college education for Luis, Nick, Adela, etc. Evidently Telemundo has started showing the tn in Perú and will be showing it in other Spanish-speaking countries, whereas the community college is a uniquely US institution, and they may think a PSA about it would just require too much explanation.
 

BAJO
Gracias novelera. Another great recap! Your generosity does not go unnoticed. And thanks also for the dicho about putting so much cream on his tacos. That about sums up the obnoxious braggart, Rodolfo. Maria has a long memory and knows him through and through. And then what about that bratty Bryan? Loved how his expensive & showy bouquet was trumped by Luis' three simple but perfect little margaritas.

Juanita digging up skeletons, Colmillo rising from the dead, Feli on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This show has me on the edge of my seat.

 

Bajo. Btw, does anyone know if that kind of lugubrious looking shrub that seems to cover each one of the buried victims of Alan is something that is associated with death or funerals? It would be a nice touch!
 

Bajo

Every episode I hope for two things: Alan in handcuffs and for Rodolfo to have another affair, thus finishing his marriage with María.
 

Bajo. Hi, novelera! It's looking as if Alan may not be that far from handcuffs now, since Adela, Erick and Ramona are all on to him. Whether or not Juana survives to testify against him is another matter.
 

BAJO

Thanks, Novelera, true to form, another terrific recap!

I agree that Greicy still feels for Rodrigo, but I think that it was good that she had the courage to go see him in action, demonstrating all too clearly the huge hypocrite that he is. All of these incidents will help her continue to grow in confidence and determination to shield her child from him.

Loved the idyllic setting where Jacob and Maria had their little chat.
I look forward to their wholesome, romantic union.


Did any one of you see Lo que la vida me robó?

The character played by S. Rulli was in a coma for several years.
When he awakened, he did a few knee bends on his own beside the hospital bed. He quickly left and then began running through the streets fit as a fiddle, a great role model for El Colmillo.

I am still upset with Ramona for not speaking up much earlier. She allowed Juana to experience continued sexual abuse--something far worse than she had suffered at the
hands of Deborah.

I am hoping that Alan will kill himself when he is caught red handed.

There is a stong comparison between Ramona and the character of S. Rulli's mother
in Lo Que. When her true identity was revealed, she too underwent a transition:
new clothes, new hair style, more confidence, increased family responsibility, etc.

SpanProf, interesting about the community college concept not being pushed. It would be the natural thing to do in this situation. Are you Hispanic? Other than teaching
the subject, do you hang out with Spanish speaking friends or colleagues, giving you
much oppotunity to practice speaking the language? Do you read Hispanic literature?

Enjoying all the comments.

Thanks again, Novelera ....... and to Juanita and LXV for keeping the page alive.
 

Bajo. Hi, Floridia! No, I'm not Hispanic. My parents both had huguenot surnames, but my father was mostly English and Welsh and my mother English, Scottish and Scots-Irish (My maternal grandmother was from a very old northwestern Missouri family). My maternal grandparents were both Presbyterians, and my paternal grandparents Methodists. Thanks to the influenza epidemic of 1918, my father was raised Catholic by a paternal uncle and the uncle's Irish-American wife. I grew up in California, in a mixed anglo and hispanic neighborhood and was always fascinated by foreign languages, and by the Hispanic background of California. One of our neighbors was descended from an original Mexican settler who came to San Francisco with DeAnza.I remember being thrilled after studying Spanish for a little over a year when I heard another neighbor, Mrs. García, yell to Mr. García to get in the house and eat dinner, and I could understand her! I started studying Spanish in high school after having studied Latin and French for a year. I have spent time in both Spain and Mexico, and do have Spanish-speaking colleagues with whom I sometimes speak Spanish. I both read and teach Hispanic literature. One of the reasons I watch telenovelas is to hear a variety of everyday Spanish in more varied circumstances than just having a chat with a colleague could provide. That's also why I recommend them to my students.
 

Bajo

I agree, Juanita. I'm also feeling very sorry for Felicia. She did a kind thing trying to help Gracie get out of the country and lost the baby she'd been yearning for for years and years.

SpanProf, thanks for the interesting story of your heritage and how you developed your interest in Spanish!

I studied Latin and French in high school. I didn't study any other languages until I was past 40. I studied Italian because I loved opera and it was very useful indeed while traveling in Italy. Some years after that I acquired a Brazilian boyfriend and studied Portuguese for a year, also useful when traveling to Brazil. Last but not least I decided to study the most useful language in California, Spanish.

When I had gotten to the low intermediate stage at the nearest high school to where I live (evening adult ed.) a class member recommended telenovelas for sharpening up my comprehension. The first one I watched was El Privilegio de Amar and was hooked immediately. I didn't have subtitles on my then TV. I recorded on VCR cassettes and backed them up a LOT until I grasped what they'd said.

So I then spent a couple of years in what they call high intermediate with intensive grammar study. Our teacher loved stressing the subjunctive. His mother was born in Mexico and she taught the Advanced Spanish and Literature class. I was scared stiff to move out of intermediate but I took the plunge. At first everyone in the class was better at comprehension and conversation than me. But I persevered. What was nice about Advanced was no more grammar drills! We talked about things that interested us for the first hour and then discussed a novel in the second. We read some fabulous books and plays. My wonderful teacher retired, and her son now teaches both intermediate and advanced.
 

Bajo. It sounds as if your language background is at least as varied as mine, novelera. congratulations on persisting. I hope my students, even those who don't major, keep up with Spanish after they graduate! My daughters (an economist and an engineer) complain that their Spanish is rusty, even though they live in Texas.

 

BAJO

SpanProf and Novelera,

Thank you for sharing your stories. Mine is more akin to Novelera's.
I plan to take classes for the rest of my life. I also learn by songs,
especially those of José José who sings and speaks so distinctly. I also learn
from news programs.
 

Bajo

Alan

" I'm having a hard time imagining a punishment horrible enough for him."

I would start by disassociating him from his private parts.
 

Bajo

I'll try to put together a recap of sorts for tonight's episode.
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO - Jueves - Parte 1

A visibly angry Carlos comes to see Rodrigo at La Colonia. He's furious about Rodrigo's treatment of Greicy, keeping her prisoner inside the house for months, treating her like an animal. How could you do such things? he asks. Rodrigo tells him that Greicy wanted to take the baby away from him. "With good reason," Carlos replies. He's clearly very upset with Rodrigo's behavior and finally says to him, "I don't know which is worse--you alive, or if you were dead." Carlos leaves, telling him he still hopes that someday he will decide to be a good person.

The scene shifts to Felicia, who is alone with her baby and at a loss as to what to do when the baby cries. I think the normal thing would be to pick the baby up, but Felicia has not even wanted to touch the baby, never mind pick her up and hold her. She keeps saying, What should I do, I don't know what to do. She tries calling Maria and Carlos, but gets no answer. At last, she remembers Carlos telling her at the hospital that breastfeeding is very important for the baby, and urging her to try. In the hospital, she had rejected the idea, telling him that she'll pump breast milk, but she won't breast feed the baby. But now she's desperate to stop the baby's crying, and she decides to give breastfeeding a try. And guess what--the baby stops crying and Felicia begins to feel more warmly about the baby. "You need a mother and I need a daughter. Perhaps it's the will of God."

Perhaps the major thread of tonight's episode concerns The Rescue of Juana. I think Erick and/or Adela had tried to get Crisóbal's help in the last episode after hearing Ramona's alarming account of Alan's abuse of Juana. But Cristóbal wasn't willing to act immediately...I don't remember whether he needed more evidence or official approval or something else. At any rate, at the end of last night's episode, Adela said she had a plan. We weren't told what it is, but we see tonight that the plan apparently involves Erick trying to distract Alan while Adela goes into the house to help Juana escape. Erick comes upon Alan in the garden as he's digging up the bones of the women he has killed. He wants to remove any evidence of his crimes. Erick asks him what's in the bag (the bag containing the bones). Alan doesn't like Erick's questions and tells him to leave. Erick tries to continue the conversation, but he looks around once too often, and Alan realizes that Erick is simply trying to distract him. He points a pistol at Erick and orders him to go with him to the house where he expects to find Erick's accomplice.

Meanwhile, Adela has entered the house and has come upon Juana lying the bed. Adela tries to get Juana to react, telling her that she (Adela) has come to rescue her and that it's important that they leave right away before they're discovered. Juana, however, has been drugged and is unresponsive. Adela tries frantically to bring Juana around, and gradually Juana regains enough consciousness to mutter about bones in the garden and videos in the office. Somehow, Adela manages to get Juana into the office. She then calls Cristóbal, who tells her that what she is doing is illegal. While still on the phone, she hears Alan's voice, indicating that he's in the house and about to find Juana and her. Thinking quickly, she tells Cristóbal not to hang up and puts the cell phone out of sight under some papers.
 

BAJO EL MISMO CIELO - Jueves - Parte 2

Alan comes into the office with his pistol pointed at Erick and says "Now I'm going to have to finish off all three of you." Of course, Cristóbal hears this and the rest of the conversation. Alan orders the three of them to come with him. At one point, he expresses his contempt for the undocumented trash (referring to Juana and Adela). This prompts Juana to attack him, and his gun goes off, hitting Erick in the shoulder. Soon afterward, police sirens are heard, whereupon Alan for some reason grabs Adela and retreats further into the house. I'm not sure why he did this, nor why he apparently let the other two go. There's a threatening scene where Alan points his gun at Adela, who is cowering on a couch. He looks as if he may be about to shoot her when--TA DA--Carlos comes up behind him and wrests his gun from him. (Carlos had heard from Ramona that Adela had gone to Alan's to rescue Juana.) The police then enter, and Alan is led off in handcuffs, with Juana screaming at him and telling him that she hopes he'll be treated in prison the way he treated her.

Although Juana has been rescued and Alan is now in jail, the telenovela makes it clear that this is not yet a happy ending for Juana. She has been traumatized by her experience. She pleads with Carlos not to tell Santiago about what has happened. She doesn't know what to say to Santiago and doesn't feel able to face him. She even feels somewhat guilty about what has happened to her.

The scene shifts to Felicia and her new feelings toward the baby. We first see Willy and Sharon come to see her. Willy is very eager to see "my daughter, our daughter." Felicia tells him that she can assure him that the baby does not have his blood (carefully not saying anything about the baby being hers).. Willy wants a DNA test. Felicia takes a Q-tip and gently gets a bit of saliva from the baby's mouth, puts it into a plastic bag, and gives it to Sharon to have it tested. She tells him that if the test is negative, she wants him out of her life forever.

As soon as Willy and Sharon leave, Greicy appears (she's been watching from a distance). She wants to see the baby. Felicia doesn't want to let her see the baby, nor of course to take the baby. Greicy is dismayed. She says she gave Felicia the baby out of desperation, wanting to protect the baby from Rodrigo. She doesn't understand why Felicia won't let her see her. After all, in the hospital, Felicia rejected the baby and wanted nothing to do with it. Felicia said that she began to feel differently when she saw how much pleasure Carlos took in the baby he believed to be his daughter. Greicy accuses her of using her (Greicy's) daughter to hold on to Carlos. Greicy says she will demand a DNA test. Felicia asks what good that will accomplish? It will simply let Rodrigo know what Greicy has done, and he will never forgive her. He's the leader of La Colonia, he will order her to be killed and he'll get to keep his daughter.

Rodrigo arrives as Greicy and Felicia are arguing about the baby. He has come with a gift for his carnalita (little sister). Can I see her? he asks, as the episode ends.

I've said nothing about Luis. There was a continuation of the scene from the previous night's episode with Luis, Susy, and Bryan. Luis shows himself to have matured immensely in his behavior toward Bryan. There's more that can be said, but I'm about to fall asleep, so....
 

Bajo. A very exciting episode! And finally, Alan was led away in handcuffs and (we hope) will get what is coming to him!
 

Bajo. And of course Felicia bonds with the baby just as Greicy seems determined to take little Ana away!
 

BAJO
Thank you Juanita! That was a terrific summary or an action-packed episode. Thanks for the reminder about Felicia pumping because I was starting to wonder how she would have gotten any milk to flow so promptly for the baby. She's still a bit crazed, well both she and Gracie, are not thinking clearly. Postpartum is a confusing enough time without the added stresses they are under. I'm wondering how they can pull a happy ending out of this.

The scenes at Alan's house were thrilling. Wasn't sure Juana was going to make it through alive. But now that she is the proven victim of rape, won't she be eligible for legal residency? I though there was some kind of asylum in cases like hers.

By the way, all that conversation about how you all learned Spanish makes me want to run out and sign up at the local junior college and take a course.


 

Bajo. Excellent recap, Juanita! I think Cristóbal was saying that he can't go to Alan's until he gets a warrent, and there may not be enough evidence yet to get one. I hope nothing that Erick and Adela did tainted the evidence! Of course, all it will take is Juana's testimony for Alan to be toast.
 

BAJO
SpanProfI was thinking the same thing about tainting the evidence, especially when Adela picked up the chloroform bottle with bare hands. However, once Cris heard the threats and gunshots over the phone, I think he had justifiable grounds to act. Also, anything Adela did could for Juana be construed as a life-saving measure by a friend. I'm a little worried that Erick's trespassing could possible mitigate the charges against Alan. I don't want to see any legal shenanigans about false arrest.

 

Bajo

Juanita, your recap was terrific! Thanks so much.

Yep, Alan in handcuffs. Sweet! And I loved Juana screaming at him in the backseat of the cop car. She said everything she'd been bottling up. I know she's traumatized, but maybe not wanting to see Santiago is more about shame for unceremoniously dumping him and lying to him rather than having had forced sex with a serial killer.

I had a feeling, as soon as Ramona spoke to Carlos, that he'd be the one to save the day. I never really thought Juana would die. I don't thing the writers could be so cruel. And, of course, as the protagonist Adela has to live for the happy ending.

I think I've realized some of the reason for my antipathy toward Gracie. It's the actress. She portrays hysteria in every scene. I don't know if it's overacting or how you'd describe it. But, in the scene with Felicia, I just kept noticing the different skill level of the two. The Felicia actress is so good. She's beautifully portrayed her grief over the loss of her baby. And she showed a beginning tenderness toward Gracie's baby. And, cool as a cucumber, she informed Gracie of the fact that she is completely to blame for the baby switching. She let Ana be legally named child of Felicia and Carlos in the hospital. The actress playing Gracie has no nuance in her acting. She just annoys me.

I'm wondering if they're going to go with la llamada de la sangre when Rodrigo sees and/or holds the baby. Apparently she looks like him. It's kind of odd that Carlos said the baby (supposedly his baby) looked like Rodrigo, since Rod looks like his mother.

Actually, I don't think Alan was so much digging up bones as putting the bones that Juana already dug up into a plastic bag when Erick showed up. He probably thought he didn't have enough time to put the dirt back in the hole and just wanted to get the visible evidence out of there.
 

Thank you for the recap. My electricity conked out no TV so I missed it. Yes, Juana is eligible for a green card as a victim of rape and abuse. Here is what it said" You may be eligible for a U nonimmigrant visa if: You are the victim of qualifying criminal activity. See below

Abusive Sexual Contact
False Imprisonment
Involuntary Servitude
Rape
Blackmail
Sexual Exploitation. There is a whole list but I chose those Juana suffered
Romy

 

BAJO


JUANITA,


Thanks for writing all of the above. I see that you stayed up really late to have the recap ready for us early today. Many, many thanks!

Greicy is in quite a dilemma.


LXV, I think you should act on your instinct. You could start second semester. You will love it!
 

Bajo. Yep, novelera, Erika de la Rosa, the actress playing Felicia, is superb. I believe she has a role as well in the new telenovela Eva la trailera.
 

Bajo. And back to my usual obsession with community colleges: Most community colleges have both adult literacy programs and esl. Juana could learn to read and learn English!
 

Bajo. I'm thinking that now that Ramona is the tía abuela respetada at Jacob's, she could hire Juana to be her replacement as maid--at a decent wage of course.
 

BAJO


SPANPROF, Agree with all of your last 3 comments:

Erika is indeed fantastic in this role. Although she is la autora intelectual in the death of her husband and in the intended death of Mati, she has a very sweet, tender side as does Raging Rod. What an about face she made after picking up and breast feeding Ana.

I began my study of Spanish at the local community college, and I took the same class for years. Since I had a full time job, I could not take daytime advanced classes at the university level until after I retired....not that I was that advanced, but it was not possible to move up if I had been. Did you major in Spanish in college?

What a great idea for Juana's new job. You are so smart and quick! I am certain that you are right. It will be perfect. It will tie everyone together.

Now I have a crazy idea. What about Greicy and Erik? They both need someone, and now that he has had an epiphany of sorts, he could bring up the daughter of a gang leader.. oh,oh, someone else who loved Mati..now, I AM NOT So sure, but he will need to move on. Perhaps she could tend to his wounded shoulder for a diversion.

All the best to all,
 

Bajo

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and for your interesting and insightful comments about the novela. I'm really looking forward to tonight's episode, and I'm hoping that it, too, will give rise to good discussion.
 

Bajo. Hi, Floridia! Yes, I majored in Spanish and International Relations in college, then got a Masters in Spanish and a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures. I really am a Spanish professor. I admire your persistence in sticking with Spanish for so long and not giving up even though you had to wait to take advanced classes! I see Felicia is up to her old tricks of manipulating people and circumstances. I can't quite decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing for baby Anita. I'm starting to think that things might not work out all that well for Greicy--but who knows? Something will have to happen either to her or to Felicia to resolve the baby situation. King Solomon, anyone?
 

Bajo

I'm really bad when it comes to predicting. If I buy a stock, it's almost a sure sign that a wise investor should sell it short. However, I doubt that both Greicy and Felicia will make it through to the end of the novela. Since Rodrigo is almost surely going to die, perhaps in some heroic act, and since Carlos and Adela will almost surely live Happily Ever After (rule #1 in telenovela land), my guess is that Greicy will survive to care for her baby, and Felicia will die. If Felicia were to live, she'd be continually making moves/demands on Carlos, and that would spoil the Happily Ever After ending. Thus spake Juanitathustra.
 

Bajo. Juanita: :) Sounds pretty probable. And maybe Carlos and Adela will get started on those 6 children he said he wanted to have with her.
 

Bajo

Gracias a Dios, Juana is free!

Probably Collimo will kill Rod.
 

Bajo. Jacob made a major mistake when he went ahead and bought Felicia's bar and announced plans to turn it into a restaurant, even though Maria had asked him not to. It would have been a better idea to buy the bar, tell Maria she could keep managing it as a bar, and that he'd only check in every month or so to look at the receipts.
 

Bajo

I hate to think of Rodrigo dying. The actor and the guy have grown on me. We see his bad side, but he's way better than Colmillo as a leader. He demonstrated his compassion for the folks in the neighborhood. Some of it was presented as calculation; i.e. having the neighbors more or less on his side. But I think there's enough of his parents in him that he really wished to help.

I thought it was sad when Felicia wouldn't let him see the baby. He knows his path in life has taken family from him, but he wanted to see the child he thought was his sister. I suspect Felicia was afraid he'd somehow realize it was his daughter.

Colmillo killing Rod is a possibility, but I don't think it's going to go that way. It might be his trying to save Adela from Jay and getting shot in the process. Jay is definitely obsessed in a bad way with Adela.

The scene with Juana giving her declaration was heart wrenching. Sometimes Cris can be a bit of a prig, at first saying she had to give it alone with him, but, as always, he gave in. I hope they don't wait until the last one or two episodes for her reunion with Santiago.

My memory isn't doing me any favors about exactly what he said. But I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) Rodrigo told Gacho that his father's casting him out of the family gave him the emotional green light to go after Adela 100%.

Carlos isn't doing Felicia any favors. He seems to be giving her false hope. He's trying to be tender and helpful in her supposed postpartum depression. But she's interpreting this as he's coming back to her.

I kept expecting María to come home just in time to see Rodolfo force kissing Chabela.
 

BAJO,

Just checking in now. Researching and Haggling to buy a new car. What an annoyance.

SpanProf, You have the highest of credentials. Very impressive! Congratulations for your achievements and for having what sounds like a rewarding career. Do you use the captions at all? If so, why?

I am hoping that Juanita is right. That is how I would like to see it. Greicy has gotten a raw deal all along. She deserves some happiness. Felicia can be a sympathetic character, but she has murderous ways. She will probably expire to free up Carlos. I do like the way she shut down Rodrigo.

Carlos is so trying to do the right thing in this hodge podge of problems. His expressions are priceless.

Wondering what Willy's next move will be. The actor is doing an excellent job with this role.

SpanProf, I have a question for you on the use of the word "clavado" which Rod used a few episodes back in his private conversation with Adela. I'll find it and tell you exactly how it was used. I see that there are several meanings.

Have a good weekend one and all.
The weeks go by so fast!


 

Bajo. Floridia: I do use Spanish captions but only because we always have them on our tv because my husband is hard of hearing. However, I do find them helpful both on Telemundo and on English-language channels whenever there is background noise on the soundtrack or anything else that keeps the sound from being completely clear--and I have to admit that my hearing isn't getting any younger either! Novelera: Yep, Rodrigo did say that Carlos' rejection gave him carte blanche to go after Adela--any excuse! Floridia again: Clavado means nailed--I think more or less with the same range of meanings as nailed in English, though it can mean with the attention fixed very intently on something or someone. Btw, Juana's case is a bit extreme, because how often does one encounter a serial killer? (and possibly useful to now know that in Spanish it's asesino en serie.:) However, Bajo is also calling attention to the danger undocumented women face with sexual predators.
 

BAJO
Wow! am I lucky to be in this group of smart, interesting people who share so much! You guys all rock!

@novelera "I suspect Felicia was afraid he'd somehow realize it was his daughter." Yes, I felt the same way. What a talented actriz. She has so much nuance, she even conveys that raw, tender, "new mother" quality all the while conniving to cover her ass. She is a new mother, but tragically she has to be an imposter in her role with baby Ana. Desperation is at work here and you can't trust her as far as you can throw her. Gracie, on the other hand, is in her own "new mother" turmoil. Unfortunately, her acting is not at the same level as she resorts to what amounts to knee-jerk tics. (I have to suspend judgement of this actress constantly as I try to figure out where the character is going.) They have her cast as the "crazy" when her reactions are really more natural than Felicia's. Nobody trusts her and as much as I don't like the actress, I feel she's the good guy here, abused by everybody and even mistrusted by the all-generous Carlos.

Meanwhile could the plot get any thicker? Colmillo is surreptitiously doing leg exercises so he can walk outta there and reclaim his rightful place.

And as much as I exult in Juana's release from hell, it's still a terrible thing for her to live with. I don't blame her fear of telling the adorable Santiago. How could he ever really understand?

SpanProf yes, about Jacob's mistake. He definitely overstepped, but who could blame him? Unfortunately, it would be better if he cooled his jets until the thing with Debora works itself through the courts. Fraternizing with Maria won't help his divorce case. (oh, and I'm glad you're on board here for all of us who are less than proficient in Spanish. I bow to your expert knowledge.)

Floridia good luck with the new car. I don't envy you that chore. I also like Willy (but I can't abide the "man-bun" they've given him).

When I mentioned the Pendletons buttoned at the neck to my husband, who grew up in LA in the 40-50's, he asked if they also wore their chinos with a crease. And also immaculate white T-shirts. It's the code. Very clean, very neat.

So, Juanita, mi compañera did a terrific job on her first time out. Monday, I will try to do the same with mine. ¡Hasta luego!
 

LXV

Thanks for responding to all in a most dynamic way.

Best of luck with your new job on Monday and thanks again for taking it on.
 

Bajo. Yep, the actor playing Willy is very good looking and Willy is quite simpatico--but remember that he's murdered at least a couple of people now, Felicia's husband and as I recall a La Colonia member or two who had messed up somehow. If he survives, I expect it will be as some sort of loose end because the writers couldn't decide what to do with him.
 

Bajo. Not to mention killing the guys who raped Sharon, but I think most people could forgive him for that.