Caray, Caray!

Gracias, Jardinera.

Good move on Susanna's part, saying that Gerry was Ivana's novio. It would be good if this takes the wind out of the Santibanez sails.

I hope Pablo Perroni keeps turning up in novelas. Fine dude. Ivana, take notice!

While I understand why Isela would try to pretend nobody's told her I think in the long term that wouldn't work. It's too hard on her and there are too many others who know now. Besides, if Hosefa ever thinks she got what she wanted in terms of destroying the Bustamantes, she wouldn't stop there. She would try to pimp Isela out to the next rich dude to try to get herself into a mansion. She wouldn't even belong in one as a scullery maid.

Better to have a nasty confrontation and get it over with. If Claudio feels guilty enough he can give Isela enough cash to start over elsewhere.

I did look up "blasphemy" in Wiki and Hosefa's non-confession definitely qualifies.
 

I got to admit I liked the way Mal maneuvered with that news that Gerry was Ivana's intended. Calling him a definite novice and dallying at a new challenge or game. She was on the mark and it was true Mal-eny.
 

Great recap Jardinera thank you so much.

You cleared up what is stage one of the plan for me.

It makes me sick, knowing what we know about Isela, when MD is all huggy and weepy and giving a pass. Now would be a great time for Isela to come clean. Oh, you guys the revenge thing took a back seat when I fell in love with Claudio and I would do absolutely anything to be with him so I went along with Maleny, Usurla and Daniel to take your child away MD. Sorry

Not lost on Alma is Espy's appreciation and respect for Max. Max is a good man, it is unfortunate Espy appreciates him much more than her daughter does. I know that MD never asked anything from Max, certainly not to be a father to Dan's child, Max has done all the offering, but Max is way down on MD's priority list. MD won't even take his calls and it was Espy that had to confirm what Max had assumed. I wonder if she will even fill him in on "The Plan" or allow him to thump along ignorant?

 

Thanks so much, Jardinera!

I really wonder how Isela plans to navigate this whole Josefa-Claudio-Alma situation, as she pretends to still be ignorant of the truth about Josefa. Will she try to secretly dig for info about her bio mother and Josefa's husband/her father? Will she go back to the Bustamante home, and if so, will she go back to Claudio's bed? If she does this, will it finally push MD to tell Max about the affair and now also about Isela's real motives, now that MD knows about the revenge scheme? There are so many ways this could go, but none of them seem like good options.

I think Maleny was very impressed by Gerry's physique, although confused as heck about what was going on, knowing/assuming Gerry's sexual orientation, but also hearing him declare he's having a baby with Ivana and Susana declaring they're engaged. Definitely a WTF moment for her.

So Ivana DID manage to get Medina to give her the proof that he has about Hector. What does she plan on doing with this info? Again, her story about saving the baby from Ursula's clutches doesn't wash, because it seems she could easily send Ursula to jail, or at least ruin her reputation. She has enough leverage on so many different levels to destroy the Santibanez and to protect MD and her baby. She just chooses not to.

Have to disagree with you on Doris and Orly. Love them.

 

I love Doris and Orlando too and why it's heartbreaking to watch this unfold. While horrible the abuse Isela suffered she betrayed Orlando first for revenge and then for love and Orlando still wants to save her. It makes me a bit angry that Doris is looked at as the irrational, jealous voice, when her protest are valid.
 

Thanks, Jardinera. Terrific title and recap. that Sow of Sorrows -- too funny

I had sympathy for Isela for a long time because of Josefa's abuse, but I had no feelings for her at all last night. If she were straight, she'd tell MD the whole truth. But nope, she's got to continue playing the best angles for herself.

Squeee, Gerry looked smashing in that towel.

So it's okay for the priest to tell MD about Josefa's confession? I'm glad he did, but it seems to me even mentioning to a third party that person came for confession is a no-no.
 

Jardinera654, snazzy recap girl. These folk
Are as crazy as ever. How many epys left 34?
Its gettin kinda nuttier than usual. It would be
Good if ivaca had a baby with gerry. That
Kid would be all kinds of loved up. And then
Ivy could be out of that circus.
MD need to start actin like she's really in love
With this man, and actually talk to him. If it
Were me, I'd tell him everything, but thats
Just me. I feel kinda sorry for clod, hes about
To loose his best friend, and he looks scared.
Everything he does from here on better be on the up & up. Cuz he got a lot to loose as far as his family goes. Forget his rep, his family
Would be devastated. When you play in the Cesspool you get dood up.
 

I agree it's now time for MD to sit down with Max and tell him everything. Let him decide how he wants to deal with it. She keeps learning worse and worse stuff that affects Max's family. It's just adding to her personal stress level, and these things aren't even her problems. She needs to save the stress for her own drama-- like Corina, Dan and the Santibanez.
 

I don't think MD will tell Max everything. Now if this did not concern Max and his family (revenge included hurting Max) I may see how MD would justify not telling him every sordid detail but it does and directly. How hard would it have been to have a 2 minute conversation (common courtesy actually) and tell him something is really up and she'll fill him in this evening. Instead she avoided him all day because it did concern him.
 

Niece in MD at 12:16 said:"So it's okay for the priest to tell MD about Josefa's confession? I'm glad he did, but it seems to me even mentioning to a third party that person came for confession is a no-no."

You raise many interesting questions even though it was not a true confession (no remorse, no absolution). To what extent does the seal of confession protect disclosure of anything including that a person confessed. You really would have to pose the question to an expert in such issues. There have been discussions about what is not protected under the seal, eg., a person who tells a confessor they they intend to murder someone. Without telling authorities who the person was that made the statement under the "seal of confession" it's permissible for the priest to alert competent civil authorities that a crime may be committed against a certain individual if known.
 

I'lll give MD a frown and a pass on not taking Max's call. Yellow card at most. Because in such a tense emotional moment I think most people would give their friend the priority and call the beau back later. It definitely makes me wonder WTH with the writing team though because it seems to me that it would be just as easy for her to answer, tell him she's having a talk with Isela and ask if it's really important or can she call him back later. Simple.

I'm worried about MD and Max. Moving forward, the waters are murkier than ever in terms of MD telling Max what happened between Claudio and Isela. They've promised to stop and now she knows that the plan was a pressure point pushed on Isela for over a decade by the woman she thought was her mother. While before it would've been a matter of sharing some rumors/suspicions, now she knows the whole story about this and telling Max would kind of just hurt everyone. The only way it's not messy from her side is if Claudio and Isela start up again. Also worried about them because in Max's beautiful explanation to his mom, he didn't say that what MD did hurt him to the core, but he's forgiven her and, most importantly, he loves her. Instead he pointed out that he was willing to do it before, and now she's been raped and the baby's a total innocent in all of this. Not ideal, imo.

Tofie - I don't think people are looking at Doris as an irrationally jealous shrew. I thought her reactions were very natural, even if her pushing Isela in the middle was a teeny bit harsh, it wasn't much or for very long. Even she was glassy eyed after Isela's flashback speech.

Was Julian sure the doc told him he couldn't have sex, or did he assume that after the doc said with some similar injuries, many people can't?

Ok, I'm still very confused about a few things, so I need some clarification:
-I thought Gerry said that if Ursula did somehow get the baby from MD and gave it to Ivana, he'd respect that outcome and be there for them both BUT if Ursula failed, then Ivana had to promise to leave it be, baby with natural mom, and try to have a kid with Gerry?
-In the scene with Doris, Orly and Chelo, I thought Orlando was specifically asking Doris not to freak out because he was trying to be supportive of Isela. He's sympathetic because he saw her relatioship with her mom up close and personal. She said she wasn't jumping for joy about it, but she's not a meanie, she gets that it's a tough moment for Isela. Did I miss where they discussed him feeling more than sympathy for Isela or still being interested in her romantically. I confess, I'm very pro Dorly, so I might have blocked it out.

My big question is why did MD tell Josefa Orlando and Isela did run off together and how's she going to explain it to Claudio, Leo and Max?



 

Thank you Jardinera. I had a difficult figuring out what Chelita was saying towards the end. So what kind of gameplan could work. I don't understand what telling Josefa that Orlando took Isela away will accomplish. I think Isela could go back to Bustamontes and stay there. Right now Claudio doesn't want to have sex with her anyway, so there's that. And, didn't Isela admit that she actually doesn't love Claudio? I thought I heard her tell them that when she was divulging the revenge plot.
 

Hellashelle, I thought the same as you on those accounts, but I could be wrong too.

As for Julian, maybe he just knows that he isn't able to get an erection anymore on his own, so he thinks that he won't be able to do that either if he were with a woman.
 

Hellashelle- You heard the conversation exactly right between Orly and Doris. It was not about Orly still having feelings for Isela.

Cathyx- Isela said she fell in love with Claudio, despite the revenge scheme.
 

My bad, Jardinera, I got all caught up in the comment and forgot to thank you for the recap! Muchas gracias!

Cathyx- I was confused about Isela and Claudio too, but I think she ended up saying she does really love Claudio now and she doesn't want to hurt him.

I think Chelito was agreeing with her about not telling Josefa she knows. While MD needed to confront her problem head-on, Isela needs to gather more intel and try to navigate this around Alma so she doesn't get hurt (fat chance, but yeah, she should at least try).
 

I don't think we know yet what Isela is planning. It's clear that she's the one who asked MD to call Josefa and tell her Isela was running off with Orlando.
 

Thanks guys. I'm glad that I heard that incorrectly then. Isela loving Claudio will help Orlando be with Doris.

I still think that the best way to keep Josefa quiet is for Isela to go back to the mansion and live there, and tell Josefa that she and Claudio are still getting it on, in other words, still going with the revenge plan. Maybe hold her off until Alma dies.

The sweetest conversation was between Max and Alma about wanting the baby, even though it wasn't his. I would be so proud of him too if he were my son.
 

I was surprised by the sex talk between Fermin and Julian. Never saw that before.

As to the confessional questions, a priest told me once upon a time that no disclosure is allowed. There is no reporting the planning of a crime (which is required of psychiatric professionals and social workers) or the commission of a past one. A priest is a sin eater of the living. He can in a veiled way talk to a superior if he has questions on a situation but cannot reveal the identity of the "penitent."

The fact that Hosefa was not repenting is what makes us wonder. I seem to recall a past novela in which the villain boasted of his crimes during confession (conducted in a hospital room) and when the priest asked "And do you repent?" the response was something like "No. And I would do it all again." The priest then said "Then this is not a confession."

If I could remember the episode number I'd check what followed that, but I don't recall the priest repeating any of this to anyone else.

In FELS Fernando was repeatedly taunting Padre Tadeo with how he couldn't reveal what he knew. After the middle episode the padre refused to listen to him anymore. However he ended up doing so within three weeks of the end and struggled with the threat of excommunication over revealing the threats he heard.
 

It seems like the confession should be a contract between the priest and the person who confesses. The priest is supposed to keep the secret, but the person is actually supposed to be repentant. If one side of the equation is missing, seems like the contract should be null and void to me. Josefa wasn't repentant, cursed God, and mocked the priest. I feel like the priest should be free to share. But I'm not Catholic and not a theologian.
 

The talk between Fermin and Julian (and even Honoria) was very frank. Refreshingly so. Hellashelle, yes Julian said that the doctor told him that some people in his condition can have sexual function, but he is NOT one of them. Loved Fermin explaining that a man can please a woman sexually with more than just penile penetration, and that women are sensual beings who respond to so much more than that. I have never heard talk like that in a tn. I didn’t watch La Que No Podia Perdonar to know if they had conversations like that about Rogelio.

I did think it was sweet that in discussing Jenny having a child (regardless of whether it’s with Julian because they were teasing her about Adrian), both Jenny and Fermin were considering her future children Fermin’s grandchild. I think it’s wonderful that Fermin and Jenny have formed this kind of bond. I know it made Julian sad, as he realized that he can’t give his parents a grandchild (at least not in the conventional way), but I don’t think Jenny of Fermin meant any harm.

 

Muchisimas Gracias, Jar. This tn is so complicated for my poor aging brain that I miss a lot of the plot while watching. However, rather than rewind 5 times to see if I understand, I just wait for the excellent recap you provide.

Gerry--Unless contradicted otherwise by viewerville, I'm firmly in the camp that he is a non-practicing gay man with a BFF who happens to be a "safe" girlfriend. (OK, I was impressed with his physique, too, and he has the looks I would be attracted to.)

As Gerry himself said, many men [gays included] have a strong desire to have and raise children, whether they express it or not. It's sad to think that men like Gerry have an almost impossible uphill battle arranging to have a child, while so many unstable, irresponsible men (I'm looking at Josefa's husband right now) manage to reproduce at an amazing rate. (I'm sad for a gay couple, friends of mine, who are passed the age where they could adopt, have, raise a child, but happy we are heading into a future where loosening those strictures in the law and society's opinions are on the horizon.)

Isela--I fully agree with the comments today and yesterday as to why Isela and Claudio cannot end up together. They are mismatched in every way. How many of us remember that Isela was originally employed at VD as a dress designer with MD? She is perfectly capable of ending this toxic relationship with her non-mother and support herself. But to me, she has *always* come across as weak, dependent on others to enable her victimhood and needs someone to care for her. (Not saying this is her fault.)

As much as we all talk about this or that character in a tn needing therapy, this young woman is desperately in need of it--and not the folksy opinions and advice from the denizens of the neighborhood.

MD & Max--I hadn't really noticed or thought about the fact they've had very little alone time. There is so much drama swirling around them and intense storylines from other characters, that I didn't miss it. We had only one loving coupling between the two where we saw more skin than from the neck up.

We in viewerville have constantly complained that the young leads fall in love at first sight and then some misfortune leads them to be separated for most of the run, including being angry and/or disillusioned by their supposed love-of-their-lives. We should be happy that despite some untruthtelling, Max and MD continue to be together, working things out without throwing things at each other or walking away from each other. I hope I have not spoken too soon. (Of course, outside forces to the contrary--who was it swore MD would never marry Max? Was it Hosefa, Maleny or Ursula? I just remember it was a woman.)

I loved how Max explained his love for MD's baby to his mother, when she questioned how he would feel about raising a child resulting from rape by someone he knew. He explained that when MD thought she was pregnant the first time around, he was ready to raise that child with her then, so why would he act differently this time.
 

Max had tried all day to speak to MD and she brushed the calls off and why he and Leo were still at the house on Christmas, Leo was gonna ride with Max. They were waiting for MD to call him back and say it's ok to come over.

Doris strong point and one which Orlando began to stop her was she understood Isela was abused but she (Doris) had left home as a teen for abuse much less and Isela didn't and there had to be a reason. That was when Orlando chimed in and pressured Isela to disclose the revenge plot.

I think Orlando an absolute fool over anything Isela, and the brief reprieve has been well, brief. Way, way too much concern for her after all she has done to him and I'm sympathetic to Doris and would counsel her wait till that guy ends all his ex drama before even thinking of starting a family. The nerve of Orlando to drag her to Doris's own home. I get what the TN is doing and allowing for abuse as a child to excuse horrible behavior as as adult. I've been involved in court cases and it used as a defense. Rarely worked, sometimes mitigated the length of a sentence though.

Isela is in this for herself. She has used accusations of rape against Orlando, Alma's cancer to keep MD quiet and now Josefa's revenge to keep the affair quiet. How does she get much lower?

 

I think it's cruel that Julian can't have sex. Given what we know of his romantic life, it seems he would die a virgin. I love that Jenny took this info in stride and was just like "there are other options for becoming a father. I'll look into it." THAT is beautiful. That's the kind of relationship I want to see in love stories. Unswerving support. I'm not sad about her telling Julian they just want to be friends because I still fully believe they're end game material; that convo was so clearly her trying to make sure she could still be in his life. I hope their situation gets resolved sooner rather than later; it'd be nice to see SOMEONE on this show be happy with their media naranja.
 

Clara and Leo are happy together.
 

Lol that's true! Thank God for Clara and Leo!
 

Urban--Another instance of someone abusing the confessional was Roselena in Un Refugio (with Gabriel Soto playing her son Rodrigo). She constantly plied him with her "sins" and received absolution. Most of the time she didn't feel it was sinning, but wrapped up in her piousness, she felt she always deserved absolution. He finally told her he couldn't give her absolution for one of her most egregious sins, if she couldn't repent. She wouldn't and was offended he wouldn't.
 

Sorry--The "him" I referred to was Padre Honesto in Un Refugio.
 

What, really? His name was "Honesto."
 

Isela / Orlando / Doris:

Orlando has loved Isela all of his life & it's going to take time for him to completely get over her. Orlando, Doris & Isela all know that so if Doris is uncomfortable with that she needs to say Peace Out and take herself out of the equation until Orlando is truly free. Orlando isn't trying to hide anything from Doris & has been quite frank with her. The Doris/Orlando relationship is not going to be like the Isela/Orlando relationship because Doris & Orlando have a different type of relationship than Isela & Orlando. Isela & Orlando are childhood, childish loves while Doris & Orlando are more of a mature love. If Doris decides to get super jealous, throw tantrums, distrust Orlando etc. she will drive him right back into Isela's arms.


Maria Dolores & Max sex:

Maria Dolores was just raped not too long ago by Daniel. She may not want to have sexual intimacy right now.


Julian sex:

Julian probably wouldn't have had sexual intimacy with anyone whether he was disabled or not because the woman he wants to have sex with is Maria Dolores and she is not trying to have sex with him.


Alma / Claudio / Isela / Josefa

Josefa needs Alma to be alive for her plan to destroy Claudio to work. If Alma is dead, the revelation of a Claudio/Isela affair is worthless. Part of the Angelina / Brad / Jen situation was the gossipmongers got to laugh at and/or feel sorry for Jennifer Aniston for losing her husband to an affair with Angelina. Now that Jennifer is no longer in the mix because of her remarriage, all this Team Jenn & Team Angie & Poor Jennifer stories have no value.

Same with Alma / Claudio / Isela...Alma needs to be alive to learn about Claudio's betrayal so Claudio can feel bad about destroying his wife in her final days. The revelation of his affair with Isela after Alma's death doesn't have the same impact. Sure, it would drive Max & Leo away but they were moving away from Claudio anyway.
 

Good points Anon207. There is only one solution that I can see. Josefa needs to die before she does more damage.
 

Julian is probably a Christ figure in this story. Note how his mother's name is Honoria (and the actress looks like a Medieval saint), the woman he loves is Maria Dolores, and his look. He ventured into the Santibanez lair to defend MD's honor despite the obvious risks and does not curse the fate that resulted from this (the wheelchair). He is at peace with the idea of dying before he's 40.

I agree about the assessment of the affair being revealed while Alma is still alive. If only Hosefa had done something she could be imprisoned for that might shut her up.
 

Typo: I meant for that last comment to end with a question mark.

Why are people hating on Doris? She's not actually freaking out. Yeah, she's wary and jealous of Isela - history has given her reason to be. But she's not throwing tantrums about it. She had one hissed convo with Orlando because, let's be real, coming to your new go's house with your old gf and her stuff in tow on Christmas is weird, especially when your old gf's done you very wrong, and is currently doing a family you care about very wrong. She had a right to ask for and explanation and be annoyed. And I think it would be a little difficult for anyone in a new relationship to see their significant other's ex in his/her arms. She didn't fly off the handle about it: she got a little teary, Orlando asked her for some understanding, she gave it. Why are people acting like she's the typical TN crazy-faced gf?

MD/Max: I agree. I want them to have alone time, not necessarily sex. Though I'm a little disappointed we haven't gotten to see that conversation yet. I commented a few weeks ago about that: that they should have some time alone to figure out what they want and how they're going to get there. I thought that after she told Max about the rape, we'd get to see the conversation where she explained why she didn't tell him sooner and he would have a chance to demonstrate his love and patience. They've done that, true, but it would be nice to see them interact one-on-one. They have a very interesting premise, romantically, and I just wish we'd get to see some of that development without other characters' situations taking center stage.

Julian: well, my hope (and I imagine I'm not alone in this) is that he falls for someone else.
 

Hellashelle- Who's hating on Doris? I think we and the other characters understand she's been put in a very awkward situation. And she's handled it well. I think Orlando's been getting all the hate (on this blog), and questions (every character was shocked he would take Isela to Doris' house).
 

Sorry I should've widened by comment to include Orlando, taken out the "everyone" and quoted:

"It makes me a bit angry that Doris is looked at as the irrational, jealous voice, when her protest are valid."

if Doris is uncomfortable with that she needs to say Peace Out and take herself out of the equation until Orlando is truly free...If Doris decides to get super jealous, throw tantrums, distrust Orlando etc. she will drive him right back into Isela's arms.

I don't think she's being irrational. And I think that while Orlando could ignore Isela entirely, it speaks highly of him that he's willing to think beyond her betrayal of their love to try to still be a friend to her. It's also speaks to a well-crafted backstory because I think it makes sense that he would react this way. He's a good guy and he's known Isela since he was a kid. He's seen the psychological and physical abuses she's suffered. I think it makes sense that he'd want to see that come to an end.


 

I think Doris should access the relationship with Orlando because of the drama surrounding his ex, drama which he has no intention of removing himself from and up to his elbows. Doris shouldn't tiptoe around this and be fearful of sending him back to Isela's arms. Well she cannot avoid the Isela drama though Doris has been wise to her the whole time, Orlando brought it right to her door and Doris was asked to leave her own home so MD could gingerly disclose to Isela her origins. Guess there are no boundaries.
 

I think this is a unique situation. There are lives and reputations at stake. Chelito was the perfect person to set the pace for this meeting because she is someone Doris loves and trusts.

Frankly, what truly floors me is that MD's neighbors hadn't come up long ago with a plan to run Hosefa out. She had been hurting people with her lies and poison for years. How can anyone live with knowledge that they could be the next victim, particularly when Hosefa made a victim of MD, whom she would have known almost since birth? How much sicker does it get?
 

I'm just astounded Orlando, Isela and MD conveniently forgot that Orlando was nearly beaten to death by Claudio's goons because Isela falsely accused him of rape and he took refuge from the law at Doris's house. The irony, it was the only safe place Orlando could come up with to hide poor pitiful Isela.
 

Hellashelle--Indeed his name was Padre Honesto and he was just about 100% so. He was honest to Roselena and told her not to come back until she felt some remorse. That's when she felt she had free reign to unleash all her malevolent evil against Luciana.

Ditto great points Anon207.
UA--your last comment was on the money. She also held Honoria hostage until she and Fermin came clean with Julian. That turned out pretty well. Maybe if they would actually stand up to her and throw a bucket of water on her, she would start to shrivel up like our favorite Wicked Witch of the North.
 

Tofie - I think I'm too Team Doris/Orlando to wish them apart. I like the way she's handling the whole situation. I really like that she's not flying off the handle, and even more than that I like that she talked about her jealousy with Orlando in an earlier episode and now we see the demonstration of her actually working on it (not that she was a jealous nut of TN proportions before. The opposite actually - I mean, she totally put up with Ari.)

I'm with Doris on this. It's not a thrill to watch Isela throw herself into Orlando's arms, but I appreciate the fact that he's thinking beyond his personal relationship with Isela and just focusing on the justice of the situation as someone who's seen it unfold for over a decade. He knows it's not about him and Isela because there is no him and Isela. It's about getting a young woman that he once considered a friend away from an obsessed and twisted human being who's influencing her to ruin a family that he likes.

Thanks for the reminder - I actually did forget about Claudio's goons.