Caray, Caray!

Great work Hellashelle, thank you.

"The tiny house is filled with well-meaning, hopeful people who just want to share the love"

“That, Ivana, is personal”

Is this really a TN? Or, perhaps I should ask is this a TN and all the others cartoons? I was right there, in Espy's home, then in the courtyard and in front of Orlando's shop and back. I was even captivated with the break away of MD, then Claudio with the Priest following.

I just know all hell is about to break loose

 

Good work, Hellashelle.

The scene of Claudio entering the courtyard seeing Alma with the pinata was the pinnacle of this episode. The guilt is hitting him hard and his back is against the wall. It's time to take responsibility. This is Claudio's anvil.

Leo will be devastated.

I have known several alcoholics in my life. Some can handle being around alcohol in social situations and others can't. One has relapsed several times. Fermin isn't strong enough and probably never will be.

Now was not the time but it's time Honoria gave Hosefa what she deserves. The whole neighborhood has already put up with her more than most would have.
 

Fantastic recap, Hellashelle.

I really enjoyed this episode. Loved seeing this very real looking Christmas tradition, and Claudio's reaction to the news about Alma. He has some major soul searching to do. I'm glad he was able to pull it together enough to be the loving husband Alma needed that night. She looked so happy taking part in the Posadas, and finally.She has some good memories of the vecinidad.

What's Ursula's next move, I wonder?

Loved all the soloists; Orly blowing a kiss to Doris as he sang; and how happy and in love Doris and Orly looked while dancing.

I felt bad for Fermin, but on the scale of how far Jo could have gone to ruin the festivities, this wasn't too bad.
 

I'm sure Mama Bear will try to crash the Bustamantes' holidays to do the Big Nasty Reveal. I hope at least that Max finds out about this in advance so he can run interference. Claudio should take a leave of absence from the bench and take Alma to Europe for a while if he's still too chicken to tell her. Since Arango is involved I hope Max threatens to have his disbarred over this.

BTW, didn't the other lawyers back out of trying to spring Danny-Boy or did I hear that incorrectlly?
 

Urban- Yeah. Ivana's lawyers basically said they quit the case, because they refuse to bend their ethics any further for Ursula. Of course, they work for Ivana, so she might be able to twist their arms and put them back to work on the Dan case.
 

Thank you Hellashelle. I laughed at your (non-sexual) comfort in parentheses. We do need that distinction because it has always been sexual until now.

That was a difficult song to sing. Not sure I think that Orlando has the best voice, but everyone else sounded good.

I'm thinking that Ursula will take the step to reveal the affair, she's just too desperate at this point.

Tofie, I agree about this TN. It is so over and above the quality of all the other TNs. And I thought Amor Bravio was the best, and it was terrific, but this has even surpassed that one. I noticed that you're watching Pasion y Poder, and I can already see that that one is going to be the typical TN fare. It will be a serious let down after seeing this one.
 

In real life, the voices wouldn't be all that great, so I appreciated the heartfelt but flawed singing! I kind of want to move to the Vecindad and dance at the posada party.
 

Thanks, Hellashelle. Fine recap.

At last, Claudio gets his heart back. Very moving scene of him watching Alma blind-folded with the piñata.

I don't know if Orlando is a good singer, but seeing him do a solo was a surprise treat.

Loved Gerry "keeping it professional" with Ivana. Take that.

Now that Claudio has dug in his heels, Ursula revealing the affair to Alma would just be cruelty without a purpose. No way would Claudio lift a finger to help Ursula after that.
 

Cathyx, knowing I be gushing over Yo No to anyone that will listen, I cannot help myself. I've been searching for the director and come up empty. See little things like imperfect pitch and the blend of all the voices while singing was real, the lighting, the glances and smiles from the inside out. Little details like the two guys trying to grab a cupcake and Clara shooing them away are so natural. You could feel Alma immersing herself totally and I was glad for her to have this experience.

Pasion y Poder is a bad cardboard cutout of a multidimensional world, all it lacks to complete the farce is some pyrotechnics.
 

Hi all. This TN is so over the top, yet real that I feel all the tummy ache after the sugar rush, which is its strength, imo. With most TNs, it's all about the euphoric highs and angry, ulcer-inducing lows. While we've had a few of those, these episodes, in which people have to live with the consequences of their actions, are the truly realistic to me.

MD fell off of Max's pedestal and while they still love each other, I definitely feel that his love has come off of the crazy high it was on, while MD's has risen. Their love story has always kind of been a back burner deal, while ALL of the other relationships - family, friends, enemies, etc. - have been fleshed out. It's a little saddening to me, because I love a good love story, but at the same time, those other stories have been absolutely fascinating to see. The way they develop and unfold is incredible.

I think Ursula realized during Claudio's exit that the affair trump card will completely convert him to an enemy. It's an interesting card because if she uses it, Claudio might go all out to see Dan imprisoned for the rest of his life, but he might lose a lot of his influence to do that at the same time.

I am very worried that Corina's going to come out of jail as a big bad ready to ally herself with Maleny or Ivana. I do hope that knowing that MD carefully considered the affair news and brought it to Claudio and Isela in good faith, rather than as blackmail material, means that he has or will reconsider his opinion of her. He knows that Dan raped her, he knows that Mal cheated on Max, he knows the slime he's dealing with with that family. At this point, if she hadn't have made The Big Lie, I think Alma and Claudio would be actively trying to mend fences and Max would still be over the moon for her. As a viewer, I've forgiven her for it, but not forgotten. It was a low and hard blow and definitely sucks some of the happy-go-lucky out of the TN for me.
 

Hellashelle- Was there ever a happy-go-lucky feel about this tn?

I actually like MD and Max much better as a couple now. They feel more real to me now that they know each other's weaknesses and strengths. I like seeing MD being there for Max as his rock as he deals with his mother's illness, and him not making his life 100% about MD, but focusing on his family as well. It's a nice balance.

In these last days, I've also seen Alma's appreciation for MD and her family grow, and I think Claudio will get there too. I've only seen progress with the two families. I think when Claudio finally admitted to MD last night that he was indeed having an affair with Isela, there was a change in dynamic between them. I definitely felt like he was speaking to her with respect for the first time since he met her.
 

Hellashelle, I assume the "big lie" is that Julian was the father and how that disemboweled Max and if it is, I agree, and it is forever in the back of my mind. I've just busied myself with other folks and unhappily ignore MD's tepid interaction with Max (of course except for her emotional support for him and his dying mother but she would do that for anyone hurting). It still feels like to me everybody else likes and respects Max more as a partner for her than MD does.

It also still bothers me she is making deals with Isela and Claudio behind Max's back, yet using telling Max, as a hammer.
 

I definitely like that we actually get to see this relationship grow and develop, but I do miss the feeling of unbridled, unbruised love. I really felt that their love story was at its highest point when Max got arrested and then released. That being said, it's uber refreshing to actually get to see a couple fall/be in love and love each other in the regular times. I've lamented it before: a good love story deserves a good foundation. Love at first sight is great and all, but when we stick around for 6-9 months, we want to see the build up.

Totally agree on Alma and Claudio, I just think a lot of that growth has been personal and somewhat internal. Alma has reached out, but it would be nice to see some one-on-one interaction with them. In real life, it would be incredibly awkward to know that your MIL tolerated you, but never really liked you. I wonder if that plays any role in MD hesitating to tell Alma about Isela and Claudio (along with her friendship with Isela, Alma's health, etc).
 

I don't think we are out of the woods yet with Claudio and Isela. Just cannot see her losing all this and slithering from whence she came. We'll see what happens should Isela bump up against "it" after a few days away.
 

Hellashelle, thanks for the link to the Posada song. I really enjoyed hearing it as I'm still only reading these wonderful recaps...in another week I'll be back in viewerland.
Marcia
 

The whole thing of MD/Isela/Max/Alma/Claudio would have to be rough waters to navigate in because MD knew Isela for so long as a nice girl. She is no longer that and MD still doesn't know the worst of it. I'm still not yet sold on the idea of Isela suddenly growing a conscience.

It's certainly true that if Mama Bear follows through on her threat Claudio will not only never help her he will do whatever it takes to keep her rabid little cub in the big house. That's where that rat belongs. Ursula would have no leverage over anyone if she opens her mouth and sinks the fangs in.

We also still need confirmation about who killed Hector.
 

I actually cried watching Claudio's scenes. I think he finally felt the weight of his immoral actions. I think Corina is Josefa's not so dead daughter. She faked it to escape the crazy train. Could be complete off but what other purpose does she have? Maybe a love for Julian? Jenny and I forgot his name lawyer helping Maleny and Issla could make a love connection
 

Corina is too young. Isela's half sister was older than she by at least 10 years if not more.

If Ursula bribed someone to keep her out of Max's reach the writers were very careless to not let us know.
 

Well the TN's been big on letting us be surprised. Unlike other TNs, where big secrets (esp about paternity) are hugely obvious from the beginning and the surprise is just when the other person finds out, No Creo's been really good about dropping crumbs not entire slices of bread.

Tofie - Yup, that's "The Big Lie" imo. Forgiven (?), but not forgotten. Definitely gave enough credence to every big bad's assertation that MD's would't-hurt-a-fly face can hide some whoppers (not that she's a very good liar).

Well, since Isela called Claudio "mi amor," I think her feelings are stronger than she thinks and she'll have a tough time. Claudio has stood up for her and protected her. She admires/d him, despite what happened with her sister because he started this as a stand-up (to the point of rigidity) guy.

I'm more concerned about how this will play out with Alma. Isela really does see in Alma the mother she wishes she'd had. It's written all over her face. When Josefa knocked her over, Alma did all of the things a mother would do while Josefa stood by, probably more concerned with the fact that they were suspicious of her than the fact that Isela hit her head.
 

This whole Isela plot is so complicated. She's acting in revenge, but she's in love and she's torn about Alma because she really likes her too. This story line is more interesting than the love story.
I wish that Julian would give Jenny a chance, but it just doesn't look like it's going there.
Now I'm quite convinced that Hellashelle was right about Jerry being gay. It's kind of like the writers were assuming we would just assume it too.
I can't see what Ursula will do next. Revealing that Claudio and Isela are lovers to Alma still won't free Dan, and it may make Dan stay in jail a lot longer.

 

Cathyx- Actually, I think the writers were purposely vague about Gerry's sexuality, until they had a character speak about his sexuality out loud. The relationship between Ivana and Gerry certainly mirrors a romantic relationship, except for the sex. But I think it's wonderful that they are showing that there are more "love stories" than the simple one between two people who fall in love with each other.
 

I still think that the writers are assuming that we know he's gay, because such closeness between them and not have it ever be sexual ever, can only mean that he is. They had a sleepover and slept in the same bed, for goodness sakes. Not that I have a problem with that, I like it and it's refreshing, but on the other hand, I'm sad for Ivana to not have a lover like Jerry, or show anyone that Jerry would have a relationship with. He's truly a secondary character.
 

Well, yeah. By the time we got to them sleeping in the same bed, it was obvious. :) It would have been nice to have more Gerry story, but really, our tn is already filled to the brim with characters whose lives we are digging deep into. There are people who will remain side characters. But I appreciate that these side characters aren't throw away characters. Each one contributes significantly to the story (Gerry, Susana, Medina, Adrian, even the two barrio boys).
 

Hellashelle, good recap. The epy wasn't so
Bad either.
Its true that it takes a tragedy to sometimes bring people together and to think clearly.
That ivana is a piece of work. MD is nothing
Like her aunt, and MD did not hurt her, she
Did that to herself. that's why she don't need to be nobodys mama shes blaming>>>>>>> everybody else for her problems. Any child that she got her hands on would just be a victim of abuse. jerry is Right to leave her alone when she fall on her butt she wont have nobody to blame but herself.