Friday, December 18, 2015

Pasión y Poder, Episode 31, Thursday, December 17, 2015: In which Gaby finally puts on her big-girl pants. And so does Julia.

Pasi
Before we get into tonight's story, let's take a moment to give thanks for the absence of the exceedingly unpleasant Joshua, whose invisible parents had the grace to send him to some equally invisible location, thus rendering him, in effect, invisible.  And now, on with the show!

Outside Julia's room in the ICU
David is pleading with Arturo – if he feels any love for Julia, he'll leave before Eladio gets there.  It looks as if Arturo finally gets it.  He tells David to call on him if there's anything he can do.  This offer seems to make David drop his guard.  "My mom's going to be okay..." he says, his voice almost breaking, turning the statement into a question or a prayer.  Arturo pats him on the shoulder and, touching his cheek in a tender, paternal gesture – which, had Eladio witnessed it, would have trumped any DNA test known to science – assures him that yes, she's going to be fine.

In the Montenegro home, Regina and Miguel compare notes.
They realize that Julia wasn't just an old flame of Arturo's – she was the love of his life, the love he gave up when he married Miguel's mother.  Miguel says it's sad to think that he's the cause of his father's unhappiness, though Regina is quick to tell him that is not the case.  The siblings muse on what might have been, and then return to reality: Arturo is married to that insufferable... um... to Regina's mother and Julia to David's father.  Miguel just hopes the past romance doesn't affect Regina and David's love.  So does Regina.


Outside the ICU – Tell me what's going on here, cousin!
David storms out of the unit, throws his disposable blue gown into the bin, and begs Gaby – who is Julia's confidante – to tell him what she knows about his mother and Arturo Montenegro.  How is it that someone she hasn't seen in years shows up now and says he has never stopped loving her?  Both of them are married.  It's very strange for him to turn up there by chance...

No, it wasn't by chance, Gaby tells him.  They saw each other not so long ago at a fundraiser for Julia's foundation.  Yes, Gaby was there too.  David wants to know the details of the encounter, but the conversation is cut short by Eladio's arrival.

At the Casa Montenegro, the women sit and wait.
Consuelo is downstairs, sitting alone, waiting for Arturo to come home.  She calls out to him when he arrives.  There's something she wants to tell him.  He says he's in a great hurry, but if it's urgent, he can have the pilot hold his flight.  Consuelo says she can tell him another time.

Arturo takes the stairs at a run, but he doesn't get very far   because Nina has also been waiting for him.  Now she comes clomping down the stairs, cuts him off at the first landing, grabs his hand and leads him down again.  She points a scarlet talon at him:  "You're not going anywhere until you explain to me why you hid the fact that you were Julia Gomez Luna's boyfriend!"

Hospital waiting area
The doctor explains to Eladio, as David, Gaby and Humberto look on, that Julia gets agitated (se altera) every time someone enters her room and her blood pressure soars.  He suggests that only Eladio and David be allowed to visit.  [Though the Patio knows that it was during Eladio's visit that Julia's BP shot up through the roof.]  Humberto protests, but Eladio quickly silences him.  The doctor adds that Julia's reaction to her surroundings is actually a promising sign.  "So there's hope that she'll regain consciousness?" Eladio asks.  The doctor thinks there is.  Eladio assures him that he and his son will be her only visitors.

The doctor leaves to attend other patients, Gaby goes to get them some coffee, and David goes to see his mother, after promising he won't upset her.  Alone with Humberto, Eladio asks that odious little man what he said to Julia that put her in a state. (¿Qué le dijo a Julia para que se pusiera mal?)  Nothing, says Humberto, all injured innocence.  Eladio leans down and speaks very softly right in the old man's face.  "Julia is the woman I love, and you know I'm capable of anything – so be very, very careful."

Montenegro foyer – How dare you call me a drama queen!
"I'm not going to argue with you," Arturo tells Nina.  He tries to walk away – he has urgent business to attend to – but Nina grabs his arm again.  [And make no mistake – she's a big girl with a strong grip.] "You're not going anywhere until you give me an explanation!"  She's sure this urgent trip to Tabasco is just an excuse so he doesn't have to tell her that he and that... that Julia person were sweethearts.

"Who told you that?" Arturo asks.  "Your favorite child, Regina," Nina says, and then corrects herself: Nobody told her – she heard Regina talking to the fool.   Arturo scolds Nina for referring to Miguel that way.  Then Regina rushes downstairs and apologizes to Arturo.  She didn't want to make problems for him.  He assures her there is no problem – her mother is making a drama out of nothing.

Now Arturo faces Nina again.  He tells her he and Julia were together many years ago.  Should he apologize to her for every girlfriend in his past?

"No. You know what makes me angry?  That everyone knew except me, Arturo.  You deceived me!"

"No, I didn't deceive you – I just didn't tell you."

Arturo insists that Julia is part of his past.  But Nina is unsatisfied.  All those times they talked about Eladio Gómez Luna – why didn't he tell her?  Why did he stay silent for 25 years?  It was old news, he says, and there was no reason to tell her.

Nina concedes that point.  "But why did you tell me you didn't know her that day we saw her at the fashion show?"

"Because I knew how you would react," he says.  He speaks softly but his words are harsh.  "I'm fed up with you getting jealous for no reason."

Tears are streaming down Nina's cheeks now.  "You're cheating on me with her, aren't you?"

"I've never cheated on you, Nina.  I'm getting sick of your controlling behavior – if you keep it up, we really will separate."

Nina is shaken.  She watches wordlessly as Arturo heads upstairs.  This time, she makes no attempt to stop him.

Julia's bedside – The Awakening
David strokes his mother's brow as he tells her how much he needs her and how much remains unsaid between them.  Can she hear him?  And then Julia squeezes his hand.  Yes!  David excitedly runs out looking for a doctor.  Alone, Julia's eyelids flutter open, her mascara perfectly intact.

The study, Casa Montenegro
Consuelo tells Miguel she was going to tell Arturo everything, but she didn't have the chance.  Now she's afraid Erick will get a chance to tell him first – his way.  Miguel tells her not to worry – his father knows what Erick is like.  He'll listen to her story when he comes back.

Regina joins them now, distraught because David isn't answering his phone, even though she knows perfectly well he is in the ICU with his comatose mother.

Hospital waiting room
David rushes in and breathlessly announces that Julia seems to be reacting – she squeezed his hand!  David runs off to find a doctor and Eladio heads for Julia's room.  

Montenegro study – Consuelo's confession will have to wait.  Again.
Regina has filled Consuelo in on the Julia-Arturo connection and how it seemed to hit David very hard and has obviously upset Nina.  Consuelo listens politely and sympathetically.  Then, judging that it is finally her turn, she begins: "Regina, I also have something very important to tell you..."  

But before she can get any further, Nina swoops in like a giant raptor and pulls Regina away, stopping first to waggle her finger in Consuelo's face for ... what?  Talking to her sibs-in-law?

Julia's hospital room – Eladio's Rude Awakening
Eladio rushes in and sits down at her bedside.  Julia's eyes are wide open and fixed on him.   It's so good that she's awake now – what would he have done without her?

Julia lifts a slender, elegant hand and turns her face slightly in his direction.  "You'll have to think about what to do without me.  After what happened, I don't want anything more to do with you." (No quiero saber nada más de ti.)

Eladio flinches.  No!  But Julia is serious.  She's here because of him.  He's the one who provoked the accident.  He protests: he would never hurt her – he loves her and she knows that.  But she is unswayed: there will always be something that enrages him, and she knows he is never going to change.

Casa Montenegro – The Interrogation
Nina hauls Regina into a sitting room, pushes her down roughly onto a settee, and demands that she tell her all she knows about her Arturo and 'that woman.'  Regina says she knows nothing more.  Nina orders her to find out everything about the past and, most importantly, if they are still seeing each other.  Regina looks horrified and refuses to do it.  Nina grabs her arms hard enough to leave bruises.  "You'll do it!  Find out everything from Eladio Gómez Luna's son!"

Regina manages to pull free.  Once again, she refuses – and she's certainly not going to involve David.  If Nina wants to know more, she should ask Arturo, not her.

Nina tries to arouse her daughter's sympathy by reminding her of how she reacted when Joshua kissed Daniela.  How would she have felt if they had actually been a couple?  [Whoa.  Right church, wrong pew, Nina.]  Regina doesn't want to talk about that.  Besides, Arturo and Julia's thing is ancient history.

But Nina isn't letting this go.  She knew something was going on and now so many things make sense.  Arturo should have told her every detail!

Julia's bedside – The more things change...
Eladio says he can be different.  The accident made him reflect...  Julia shakes her head sadly.  "No, Eladio, I can't believe in you anymore."  He begs for another chance.  But he has exhausted his chances with her.  They can continue to live together in the same house, but she will not be his wife:  

"I'll be like a shadow, I'll put up with your suspicions, I'll let my father control me and watch me..."

"No, no, no..."

"Let me finish.  I'll obey your orders as I've done all these years, but you won't have anything else from me."

Eladio says that's not what he wants.  He only wants to be worthy of her.  She wonders how many days he will keep up the effort – she knows it won't be long before he starts saying that David is not his son.  And the saddest thing of all is that:

Si yo me muriera en este momento aquí, no te haría aceptar que David es tu hijo.
(If I died right here, right now, it wouldn't make you accept the fact that David is your son.)

Nina's interrogation proceeds apace
"Don't tell me you're worried about what Gómez Luna's son might think," says Nina nastily.  Regina hastily denies this, saying she just doesn't want to be caught in the middle of her parents' quarrel.  "You should support me because I'm your mother," Nina tells her.  "But maybe," says Nina shrewdly, "this has something to do with the son – you act as if he were your friend... or something more."

"Now you're being paranoid, mom."

"Paranoid?  I was right about Arturo's interest in another woman.  And I'm warning you not to forget that David Gómez Luna is the son of your father's enemy... and of that whore he dated."

"Stop talking about my father and Julia as if they were lovers!"

"How do you know they're not?"

Hospital waiting area
The doctor tells David that the fact that Julia has regained consciousness is a very good sign.  [Well duh.  Are we sure this guy is the best neurologist in Mexico?  Did he even go to med school?]  He hurries off to examine her.  David texts Regina with the good news.

Julia's bedside – The Road to Apoplexy.
Julia sobs that Eladio has tormented her for years by saying that David isn't his son.  Eladio replies that things between him and David have started to change; they're working together, they're getting along better, they're getting closer all the time.  "I told him we have problems because you and Arturo had a relationship."

Julia gasps.  "What?  Why did you tell him that?  What did you say?  Did you tell him that Arturo is his father?  You had no right!"

The doctor walks in now and, with barely a glance at his patient, busies himself with the monitors.  [This guy is a hotshot?  I think not.]  Eladio says he wants to finish his conversation with his wife, who is now so furious the veins and cords are popping out on her neck.  Eladio insists he said nothing that would have upset her.

Montenegro study – Now is it my turn?
Regina has managed to escape from Nina in one piece, and now she reports back to Miguel and Consuelo.  She confesses she almost told her mother about her and David. 

Finally Consuelo has a chance to tell her story.  Miguel already knows, and he was very understanding.  She's not sure how Regina is going to take it...  

Julia's room – The doctor emerges from his stupor
"Leave or I'll have you removed," the doctor orders Eladio.  "You're making her very agitated."  Eladio backs out obediently, all the while urging Julia to calm down.

Julia begs the doctor to keep Eladio away from her.  She only wants to see her son and her niece.

Montenegro study – The 'Rat did it! 
I guess Regina took it well.  She gives Consuelo a hug and tells her she's sorry she had to live through all that.  It's painful for Consuelo to remember that time: "everything I saw in the place, how scared I was every day that they'd force me to do something I didn't want to do." 

And how did her past come to light?  Montserrat!  Yes, that Montserrat.  Regina is irate to hear that 'Rat is still in the picture and that Erick's supposed change of heart was just a show for Arturo.   

Hospital waiting area – What did you say to her, Dad?
David and Gaby are puzzling over their grandfather's presence in the house (It's not like they ever got along with him), when Eladio joins them and says Julia has had another bad patch.  The doctor appears a moment later.  He has managed to get Julia's blood pressure under control, he says, but he had to give her a sedative.  She'd like to see her son now.

David is concerned.  "A sedative?"  He turns to Eladio.  "Did something happen when you went in to see her?"

Obvio, no, relies Eladio.

Tabasco – Arturo joins his Idiot Child in the trashed Montenegro offices
"Before you lace into me and call me an incompetent, take a look at the union demands," Erick tells Arturo.  But Arturo has already read them and agrees they are absurd.  Even so, Erick should have played for time and tried to negotiate.  They have an obligation to Santiago, their ally in the last go-round with Eladio.  Where is Erick's report?  What did he find out about his opponent?

But sheepish Erick has nothing to show his father – not even a name.

Hospital waiting area – Are you nuts?
Gaby offers to help David suit up for the ICU and the two walk away, tactfully leaving the doctor alone with Eladio.   The doctor says it's obvious that Eladio's presence disturbs his wife so he is going to prohibit him from visiting her.   Eladio smiles scornfully.  "You're crazy.  You can't prohibit me from seeing my wife."  But the doctor stands his ground.  "When her health is at stake, yes I can."  Eladio threatens to have Julia transferred to another hospital.  He can certainly do that, the doctor tells him, but it would be against medical advice and he'd have to sign a form acknowledging all the risks and releasing the hospital of liability.  "It's one thing to come out of a coma and another to be out of danger."

Tabasco – May I please be excused?
Arturo can't believe that his idiot son has accomplished absolutely nothing.  He delivers a little lecture on the fine points of negotiating.  Erick starts to blather that he tried, but that guy... [And let's be fair: Erick the Idiot Child never had a chance since the other guys were already in Eladio's pocket.]

Erick is now ready to go back home and leave Arturo with the whole mess.  But Arturo tells him he has to stay and man up.  If they lose the deal, Erick loses his job.  "Now clean up this office, son – get your hands dirty!"

Julia's bedside
Julia tells David not to believe what Eladio tells him.  She'll tell him what really happened with Arturo...

Tabasco – Regina is part of the solution
Arturo calls home.  Regina answers.  He tells her about the disaster he's dealing with: the strike, negotiation with the union leader broken off – in short, he has no workers.  Regina knows of some workers in Querétaro.  Of course it would be expensive to bring them in, but at least the company would be able to comply with its obligations.  Arturo likes the idea. [Scabs!  Why didn't he think of that?]  He'll run some numbers and check back with her.  But he asks her to think about a future with Grupo Montenegro – she could be very useful to them.

Erick listens to the conversation and sulks.

Julia's bedside – Sleepytime
David doesn't understand.  "I'm sure my father adores you," he says.  Then he realizes that the sedative has done its job and Julia has fallen asleep.

The vecindad – Hard times
Justino has obviously left his child alone for the evening.  Now he comes home and finds the apartment empty.  Where is Luisita?  Clara arrives at that moment, carrying the girl in her arms.  Justino explodes at her – she had no right! – but Luisa defends her, saying she went looking for Clara.  Clara begs Justino to allow her to continue seeing his daughter. 

Tabasco – But Franco is part of the problem
The union leader is uncomfortable about meeting Franco in public.  "You and I shouldn't be seen together."  But Franco has come with a message from his godfather: the strike has to be a long one so Arturo Montenegro will give up on building the stores and Santiago ends up losing his shirt.  The union guy is trying to squeeze a little more out of Franco when Erick happens to walk into the place.  He sees these two together and makes the connection.  "Nice.  I knew Gómez Luna was behind this."

Gómez Luna Associates
Clara gives Francisco a bracelet from Luisita, a thank-you gift for Acapulco.  Francisco offers to talk to Justino about letting Clara see Luisita.  She thanks him but says she has taken care of that herself.  We can see that Clara is being polite, but guarded.  Francisco notices.  "Why are you still acting funny with me?" he asks, oblivious to her feelings for him.  "No reason, Francisco," answers Clara, walking away.

Tabasco – You can't kid a kidder
Franco denies any involvement in the strike.  He tells Erick that Gómez Luna has number of projects in the region.  But Erick doesn't believe a word of it.

Casa Gómez Luna – surrounded by morons
Eladio chats with Humberto about the Julia problem.  Then Eladio gets a call and finds out he now has a Franco problem.

Montenegro study
At her insistence, Miguel shows Consuelo the Erick Files.

A cafeteria in Mexico
David thinks Regina's idea to bring in scabs from Querétaro to break the strike in Tabasco is great, and he offers to help.  [This can't possibly go wrong, right?]

Montenegro study – Consuelo proves resistant to aversion therapy.
Consuelo tortures herself by listening to Montserrat's come-hither voicemails and looking at Erick-'Rat selfies.  She had to see it for herself, she tells Miguel.  And in the next breath, she dashes his hopes when she says that after Erick, she doesn't think she'll have the courage to fall in love again.  "I never loved anyone as much as I loved Erick.  Why did he stop loving me?  What happened?"  If only she knew what to do to get him back so everything could be the way it before...

Tabasco – Quick!  Call the Orkin Man!
MontserRat just couldn't stay away.  Erick takes her into the inner office.  Meanwhile, Arturo arrives.  He seems to be headed for the inner office where a very nasty sight awaits him, but he stops to take a call on his cell.  It's Julia!  She tells him she needs to see him.  She has something very important to ask of him. 

Labels:


Comments:
NovelaMaven- LOL! Great title. Gabi was very well covered this episode. No cleavage, bare back, or legs on display.

And yes, let's hope Josh never comes back, although his name was mentioned.

I felt bad for Nina during her argument with Art, because in general her instincts are right about his feelings for Julia. Although from the sound of it, she's always had a major jealous streak and was always unfounded in the past. But then any sympathy I had for her flew away when she began to manhandle her daughter to force info out of her.

Yeah, David working with Gina to help get Art workers is going to cause huge problems when Eladio finds out.
 

Wow, NovelaMaven, this is excellent as usual. I especially liked the stylish word repetition in your opening sentence. My favorite zinger:

"The doctor tells David that the fact that Julia has regained consciousness is a very good sign. [Well duh...]"

In fairness, however, good physicians often over simplify and emphasize the obvious in order to be certain that there is understanding.

The term "gaslighting" is often used here and I think I understand what it implies... isn't that exactly what Arturo (with Regina's help) doing to poor Nina?

Speaking of Nina, she seems to always make every effort to look presentable around the house. Full makeup,no hair-rollers, pear robe, or fuzzy slippers for her... sort of a skanky June Cleaver if you will.

Carlos
 

NovelaMaven..so nice to have one of your snappy recaps with my cereal. Momtaz (excellent) . Love you..hate these people.

I am glad that Gaby was fully covered so that we did not get a flash of those big girl pants.

Carlos..."sort of a skanky June Cleaver if you will."....and..yes...I will. Would that make Art The Beav?
 

Yes, let's talk about Nina! On Wednesday, as I watched her scene with Daniela, it struck me that she was a Mexican Mrs. Bennet. Yes, THAT Mrs. Bennet, the silly, gossipy mother of sensible Elizabeth and sensiitve Jane in the other P & P (Pride and Prejudice), the mother who judges the worth of her daughters by their appearance and the partners and fortunes they can attract, the mother whose frivolity ends up destroying her most vulnerable daughter. Can it be that our writers read Jane? Ooh, I hope so.

"A skanky June Cleaver." hah.

Vivi, I felt bad for Nina earlier in the episode too. She was clearly stung by what she had heard (and with good reason). But as you say, her later behavior was pretty effective in wiping out (or certainly diminishing) any earlier sympathy I felt. In fact, as soon as she referred to Miguel as the "tonto," she was back on my Not Very Nice List.
 

Gaby was fully covered but Regina took up the slack with that "dress" that barely covered her bottom.

Nina is going to be turnt up when she finds out Arturo wants Regina to join Grupo Montenegro.
 

NM....yeah..there are a lot of folks on this show who are not verra nice. #naughtylist
 

You never disappoint NovelaMaven, thank you

"Nothing, says Humberto, all injured innocence"

Erick even spun Ratt around and backed her into the office. That woman needs a rearview mirror she spends so much time pointing the wrong way.

"sort of a skanky June Cleaver if you will" Heck yeah, now her happy home is falling apart and hysteria prompted too heavy a hand with Regina but what she is most guilty of is roping her children into the relationship between parents. You know, like Art, Julia and Eladio has done. The kids are adults but boundaries please.
 

Regina's dress was on the short side, but I didn't think it was that short. It balanced out the high, closed collar and long sleeves. I thought it looked good on her, and she has the legs to pull it off.
 

Thanks for the great recap NM. Didn't watch, too talking to the kiddo who walked in for the holidays 15 minutes before the start.

Would have like to see Julia tell off Eladio. But honestly, why stay in the blasted house? That's just going back to the last 20 years and she expects him to leave her alone. Twitching.

Reading the comments on dresses and looks, the costume designer on this TN must really be looking at the fashion catalog for spandex this year. Those aren't dresses, they are shapewear in disguise. Sorry, noone dresses like that for work, I go to NY on businesses and NO ONE dresses like that even walking down the street. Even in the summer. Rather tiring if they are putting everyone still in tight dress after tight dress. But then direction is repetitive too.

Daisynjay
 

Haven't seen this yet, but figured I needed a NovelaMaven treat after battling hordes of anxious people in the grocery store and impossible traffic on the streets. Christmas is crazy in Columbus, believe me.

Lots of little gems:

tell that to the insufferable...um...to Regina's mother
points a scarlet talon at him
odious little man [Humberto]
Julia's eyes flutter open, her mascara perfectly intact

If Nina were a more sympathetic character, I would certainly feel sorry for her. Arturo is unfaithful, if only in thought. But he'd certainly like to be completely.
For most women, a husband being in love with another woman is as hurtful, or more hurtful than infidelity itself (if it's just a careless one night stand type). To know your husband VALUES and CHERISHES someone more than you, and is treating you with indifference and impatience for your very justified suspicions is dirty pool. But that's how it goes in these matters. Usually everybody's worst and most selfish behavior comes out...not perhaps to Chris Rock extremes...but it's never pretty.

If only Nina knew that our good Dr. Carlos is totally on her side!

Thanks NovelaMaven...always a delight to read.
 

Good work, NovelaMaven.

I was hoping that Erick and MonsterRat would get busted as the cliffhanger, but Arturo thinking that Regina would be a good replacement for him is almost better. Now that Consuelo has the evidence she needs to file for divorce (which she will have to do ultimately) she can cut him off at the pass about any accusations he would make about her childhood, which was not within her control.

Vivi, that dress should have been two inches longer. It was the necklace I didn't like. Such a thing looks good in a fashion shoot (on a longer dress) but is awkward as hell to wear.

Nina's reaction is close to insane. She has always been a jealous shrew about Arturo, which doesn't surprise me at all. The first thing narcissists will protect is their own egos. Since that was a closed and painful chapter in Arturo's life he didn't have to tell her anything (most relationship advice specialists advise against total disclosure). Had he told her anything in the past she would have been much worse over the years.

But calling Miguel a fool, manhandling Regina, and subjecting her to the Spanish Inquisition is beyond the pale. This is an issue between her and Arturo and has nothing to do with her children. This also looked like after all those years of constant criticism of Regina she was actually delusional enough to think she could turn Regina against the father she loves and who appreciates her. Not in this lifetime.

As for Erick, he was an idiot for stomping out of the negotiations. He has to have been working (or pretending to) at his father's company long enough to know that this is not how to do things. He had to have been present for other negotiations, even if they were easier than this would have been under better conditions. However, he was lucky enough to spot Franco so he might be able to pull his ass out of the fire one more time.

Arturo had backed off when David requested it. He is not "gaslighting" Nina, who is guilty in the past of gaslighting Regina (and we're all grateful that Joshua is gone).

Now for the Gomez-Lunas...

Eladio and Humberto stupidly regard Julia as their property. They do not have the right to endanger her life or her sanity for the sake of their own insecurities. Her refusal to see Eladio is a good first step, but we all know by all the story dynamics we've watched for ages that there will be two steps back before the next round of progress.

Franco is going to catch all kinds of hell when Eladio finds out that Erick busted him.

And where is Caridad already? It's time Franco found out about her.
 

Daisynjay....impossibly tight clothes, applied bandage-wise, have long been a staple in these stories. I remember in Cuidado con el Angel, Recapper Maggie noting that there wasn't even room for a chapstick in the heroine's tight pedal pushers. Feel sorry for these actresses, frankly!
 

NovelaMaven, you are such a talented writer. Reading this was pure pleasure.

Your vivid descriptions were on fire: "scarlet talon" and "odious little man all injured innocence" were but a few excellent examples.

"No, I didn't deceive you – I just didn't tell you." Guilt by omission? Yes. And as much as I loathe Nina, she should have been told. A scorned wife is one thing. A wife being the last to find out this scandalous morsel is quite another. "I've never cheated on you, Nina. I'm getting sick of your controlling behavior – if you keep it up, we really will separate." Shock. Silence.

But there is no pity for Nina after she roughhoused her least favorite child. I’m not a parent but I can’t even begin to fathom how a mother could be so coddling and indulgent to some of her children and so evil and tyrannical to others.

I took pleasure in seeing the newly awakened Julia rage at Eladio. It is about time that he felt some pang of guilt, some tiny shred of remorse.

That said, "I'll be like a shadow, I'll put up with your suspicions, I'll let my father control me and watch me..." Umm, really? Where is the fire and passion and a plain and simple "I'm leaving you"? She will punish no one more than herself.

NovelaMaven, thank you for another wonderful recap.

Diana
 

Julia ain't going anywhere until she firms up a place at Art's to land. Meantime she should shut up cause it might take Art a bit to completely convince Nina she's the crazy one. I've watched from the start but did I miss something? Am I really to want Art and Julia together? Unless they can solve global warming they're just two middleagers acting like teenagers with ants in their pants.
 

UA,

"He is not "gaslighting" Nina..."

Really? Then I must not understand what the term means. I guess I need to be enlightened.

Carlos
 

Yes, Art has evidently been lusting in his heart while seeking comfort in Nina's loving, leopard covered embrace all these many years . Please. Not cool. Now, Julie says "Shut up and dance with me" , and.....it's on.

I hate these people.
 

Art is lying to Nina when he says nothing is going on and he hasn't cheated. He's sniffing around Julia, punching out her husband, bringing her flowers, kissing her in her office, declaring his love. So yeah, he is cheating on Nina with Julia.


 

Are the writers doing a poor job of portraying Arturo and Julia, or is our negative reaction just highlighting the cultural differences? I find myself wondering how this is playing with Mexican audiences.

No matter how bad...or how shallow your spouse is....emotional and/or physical infidelity is dishonorable behavior. And unworthy of "hero/heroine" status.

On the other hand, it goes on all the time. In all cultures. In fact, the rate of infidelity is as high among the clergy as it is among the congregation, according to some polls. When the clerics say we're living in a fallen world, they know whereof they speak.


 

Carlos, I don't want to argue. Nina was gaslighting Regina by trying to tell her she didn't see what she saw when she busted Daniela and Joshua. This is what narcissists do when they can't deal with their own issues. She has accused Regina of being a drama queen when it is Nina herself who is the drama queen. She's been doing this for years while coddling her little Mini-me (who may be getting ready to rebel) and her lazy son who sold out his own father's company. She hasn't called him out on that for its short-term and possible long-term consequences and doesn't think this is any big deal. She should know better by now. She also never called him to task for trying to pin that betrayal on Regina.

Arturo did not owe Nina that information about his past with Julia. He had no reason to at the time. Over time he came to realize that Nina was dangerously jealous so this was the best decision in his mind. In fact, he probably should have told her, dealt with her jealous rants when they were not warranted, and divorced her greedy butt. Don't know if you saw the foundation gala scenes but every time any woman -- even married ones -- tried to say hello to him she steered him away. Any man will realize after a while what this means.

Of course, we will have to assume that both Eladio and Julia probably worked at avoiding each other in public events all this time. That is the biggest suspension of disbelief we need to buy the rest of this story.
 

Yes i completely agree with Tofie!!!
I might be in the minority here but i kinda of don't want Julia with Arturo either. I might be bias but i Colunga over Salinas anyday. Now in the Story, i know Eladio is a baddie but i honestly think he could have redemption. Is marriage not sacred to these people anymore. I mean Arturo, c'mon you not only married Nina, but you have three children with her. At least Julia only has one and that was at the early stages of her marriage and i'm guessing before she got to see Eladio for what he was. Arturo to me seems just horny and desperate and i find that annoying. At least Julia was trying to keep her distance at first but Arturo is always making things worse. I'm not buying what the novela is saying.

 

*Prefer Colunga over Salinas
Sorry for the typo
 

Art wants Julia as a possession just like Eladio and no less obsessed. While Julia is willing to forget Arts humiliating betrayal (wonder if she made the calls to the guest list letting them know the wedding was off and everyone would know why), as he humiliates his wife, for a way out.
 

Ana- Since David was conceived from rape on their wedding night, I'm pretty sure Julia saw the worst of Eladio from day one of their marriage.
 

UA...these are fictional characters so the writers are rigging certain situations. But in real life, at least in my experience, people serious enough to get married, have also talked thoroughly about any past serious relationships. That is a normal thing to do with someone you presumably love and trust enough to marry. So to me, it is a serious issue that Arturo never mentioned to Nina his previous engagement to Julia.

As I've often said, I don't like Nina. I don't think the audience is supposed to like her. But to fail to mention a previous fiancée is, to me, "un engaño"
 

Yeah, I think Art should have discussed with his wife long ago all the possible causes of strife between he and Eladio. Like Eladio married the woman he almost married to start. Pretty big omission and cause for inquiry
 

Agreed. He should have told her as it relates to his fued with Eladio.
 

If the children (Miguel, Regina, David) have sense enough to know that the feud between Grupo Montenegro vs Gomez Luna Associates was PERSONAL and not just about business, Art should've told Nina about it, too.

If Art dated Sally for a few months, no he doesn't need to tell Nina. Being engaged to the woman that is the cause of the present on-going feud between you and that woman's husband? Nina needs to know that information.
 

Ana, marriage can't be sacred when it is founded on deception and held together by fear. Eladio raped Julia and unlike Manuel in Amor Real he doesn't have drunkenness as the excuse. Ever since he has been dragging her down in her own eyes for 25 years. He is finishing a job Humberto started and couldn't complete. I don't want to start a religious debate, but only the most misguided or perverse priest would tell her that she has to stay married to him "until death do you part." What good would that do if it destroys the spirit of either partner?

On the other hand, Arturo indulged Nina. They had a good sex life and I have no doubt she doesn't cringe from bedding him. But there is only lust (on his part), greed and status (on her part) and not love. Easy to miss that when one is depressed. Easy also to miss stuff with small kids but much harder to ignore the faults and pecadilloes of young adult ones.

Their marriage would fall apart within a year or two without Julia as a factor.
 

UA...Manuel in Amor Real was certain!y a flawed hero, but we knew his background. He was a bastard who worked on his father's hacienda and was rejected and abused by him. He went on to become a doctor and a supposedly good person. However, when be found out that his bride was planning to run away with her novio on their wedding day, he went BSC. Things got better , and they had a loving relationship. Then things got much worse, and Manuel slid down a slippery slope. He was redeemed in the end. I wonder if we know too much about Eladio to redeem him. I am still confused . He raped Julia on the niche de boda , and then....no sex...Nada for twenty years. QTH?
 

Whoops..noche de boda! ..note to self: proofread
 

Yeah, I hate that we can't edit our comments.

Eladio has been getting his rocks off with other women. MonsterRat is not the first.
 

WOW! WOW! WOW! What an episode last night. I'm thankful to you NovelaMaven that you were on it with your usual snark and great writing.

She points a scarlet talon on him. I couldn't have thought of a eye catching line like that in a hundred years. It practically jumped off the page.

Julia's eyelids flutter open, her mascara perfectly in tact. Another line that I wouldn't ever be able to think of.

Right church, wrong pew. Creative writing to the max.

anon207---I agree with you. Art was/is cheating on Nina and for a moment I really did feel her pain, felt sorry for her. And then--and then---she went right back into
her bruja mode attacking Connie, Regina and Miguel. I had to back peddle and ask myself, how can you feel sorry for a bruja like that? Too bad Erick and Dani weren't
there to get a "BIG" hug and loads of accolades from mommy for being such wonderful
children.

I couldn't believe what I had just read---Julia awakens and reads Eladio the riot act. Good! And then she says that she will return to the mansion and let Humberto control her. QUE!!! She will stay there as before but in another room and still put up with Eladio's ranting and raving. QUE again!!!

Tofie---Two middle agers with ants in their pants. LOL

Urban--I so enjoy your analysis commentaries.

Can't wait to see what will happen to little piss-ant boy for meeting right out in the open with the union leader and getting caught.

If I didn't know better I would have thought that I had stumbled onto a fashion blog
today. I couldn't believe some of the fashion statements. Dresses too short, spandex
low cut. Good grief! this is 2015 isn't it? I mean it's not the 30's or 40's. I haven't seen anything that isn't 100% normal in this novela. In a late post a couple or maybe three days ago I had mentioned walking past a fashionable boutique and seeing some very stylish, very pretty and yes---very short fashions. No they weren't made of spandex but they were very high above the knee. Hey, this is California not the burka Middle East. Women out here are proud of their beautiful legs and love to show them off. Tight pants? I can't even remember when I have seen any loose fitting pants. I think that if the patio ever moved out here to sunny California, there would have to be one or maybe two heart specialists standing buy ready to treat heart attack victims.

must see tv
the gringo
 

NovelaMaven--Stellar as always. It is such a pleasure to read your essays. We are fortunate that you keep this B-grade show up to A-list standards, regardless of the stars (IMHO).

As to the comparison of Nina to Mrs. Bennett, brilliant. Mrs. B. would never have dressed like Nina, though! Skanky June Cleaver--much closer, but with a mean streak in her. I think we're seeing just the beginning of Nina's meanness, especially after her *smack down* of Regina. Is it really only about jealousy, fear of scandal and loss of shopping opportunities that drives her?

Those tight barely-cover-your-ass dresses (if they can be called that) really bug me. What happens if the lady in question can't find a convenient throw pillow to put on her lap when she sits to cover the view between her legs? I thought it was only in telenovelaland, but I saw a line-up of some of the Miss Universe contestants--and they were all wearing Regina's, Nina's, Marintia's, Gaby's, and Dani's outfits. I guess I'm just too old to want to see so much exposed (top and bottom). OK, beachwear, I can tolerate.

More later, I think.
 

Gringo- I gave Gina's dress a like. She's wasn't in an office and just went to see her boyfriend. I'm sure he was appreciative. I remember being a California teen when short shorts came back in style, and loving every minute wearing them. Also had some great spandex like skirts back then. Teens and early 20s is the time to enjoy that kind of thing, although there is a time and place for everything.
 

Regarding Art not telling Nina about his past engagement...aren't all four of them contemporaries? Wasn't Eladio working in the Montenegro business before Arturo got engaged?

Where were the society page reporters? Wouldn't Julia and Arturo's engagement have been a big story--maybe even gotten on Sal y Pimienta--and the juicy dis-engagement as well?

I agree, this is the weakest link in the whole "enemies" storyline--Nina didn't KNOW? She would have been the first, in those days, to crack open the paper to the society pages to soak up the latest scandal, we know she's like that--as long as it's someone else's scandal. Also, we can be sure Arturo was as handsome as a younger man as he is now, he surely would have been on the 25 Most Eligible Bachelors' list. I concede--Beanie Time. I'm willing to suspend belief, but I still can't swallow Nina's overarching anger at finding out.

Well, this argument is moot if Nina was a nobody, a washed up actress at age 20, didn't read the society pages and didn't live in the D.F.

P.S. Arturo's excuse for not telling Nina he knew who Julia was at the gala was typical trope. At least this time I heard a character actually say that it wasn't a betrayal, he just didn't tell her.
 

Looks like we'll be needed another Crimes of Fashion shortly. I have 30 photos in that folder already....
 

Hmm..I am still giggling about Mrs. Cleaver. I was thinking that good old, Sneaky Eddie Haskell would have been hanging around the Cleaver household much more often if June had , indeed, dressed like Nini.
 

Re:The mini , tight Spandex belts..I mean dresses...I got in trouble for commenting on them in LM. However, I see photos of myself wearing very short dresses when I was first teaching, and I wonder what I was thinking, especially since I taught in a senior high and the seniors were only four years younger than I was . Well, I was broke and had to wear the dresses that I wore in high school and college. Sitting down in those dresses was an art ,and they were not skintight. You have to be verra, verra careful. Anyhow, whatever.
 

See! We all wore our version of risque at that age. Nina, however, has no excuse.
 

Tabasco – Quick! Call the Orkin Man! ...and I agree that the doctor is dumb!

So funny! Thanks for the recap!


OK, I might get hate mail. Although, I detest Art, I like that the characters in this TN are flawed. I do stuff that I know ain't right too. In real life husbands/wives cheat everyday...just because it's there. The spouse doesn't necessarily have to do something wrong.

Some people are ruthless in their businesses practices. That's how they got to the top.

I know abused women and couldn't figure out why they stayed with the husband. I know men who beat their wives.

I knew party tramps like Dani. I know siblings that slept with the same woman and the woman got preggers. I know sisters that fought at a church over a guy that both were sleeping with.

People have these types of lives. That's why I like this one. No one in this TN is perfect. They all suck. Some suck less than others.

One of my relatives lied to her daughter about who her father was. She had sex with the real father once in her teens. Married another guy and lied to him and the daughter. When my cousin was 11, the real grandmother was visiting my grandmother from another city and noticed that my cousin is the spitting image of her son. She told my grandmother and my grandmother asked my aunt. My aunt admitted it. She'd kept that secret...even after she was divorced married to another man.
 

Gaslight is an old movie, 1940's, with Chas Boyer & Ingrid Bergman. He is trying to make his wife think she is going insane (can't remember why)

thus the term

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gaslighting
 

Hey, Cyn...Time for you to write a telenovela. It. Would. Rock. They say that writers take storylines from their own lives and the lives of others. Truth is stranger and often randier than fiction No capris. On!Y skirts and dresses. Lots of prepositions and propositions .

I am currently reading a novel in which the son grows up to look the spitting image of the biological father who was a groom on the family estate. The son just found out who his real daddy and is not happy.
 

Susanlynn, I could probably write one. I'd need the screen writer. I'm going to be brief, because this day is for Novela Maven. I attended a church here in California for 17 years. Six months ago, my pastor was profiled on American Greed. And speaking of churches...right church, wrong pew was hysterical. I'm stealing it.
 

Thank you NovelaMaven for a fantastic recap. Great title- loved it.

If Julia wants NOTHING to do with Eladio, then she should move out. It doesn't make sense that she said that she would still live with him.

Artie teaching Erick to get his hands dirty- he should have taught him that back when he was a kid, not when he's a grown adult. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or in this case a rat.

I didn't notice Regina's dress, until they did that closeup of it, when she went to answer the phone.

Loved when Regina was talking to Artie and solving the GM problems, and Erick was in the background listening on, and fuming on the inside.
 

We have no information yet on when Erick stepped into the corporate offices for the first time. I think it's a safe assumption that he was encouraged to study business and that he graduated (although with average grades at best). Even Nina would have wanted him to do this because of her certainty that he would inherit everything.

Outdated though it is, there actually are a few people who still believe that.

The big however is that when the chips are down Erick has no game. This is his first real test and he's failing.
 

Julia likely has no money of her own (although David would support her). She can't exactly run to her dad's house either, since Eladio is supporting him (and Gaby), too.

It's plausible Nina never knew of Julia's existence:

1) Eladio has kept Julia locked up for 25 years. He only lets her out for limited periods of time.

2) Julia doesn't seem to have any friends besides Gaby & Simona the maid. Humberto likely kept Julia & Amanda locked up, too. Who would've been gossiping about them? When nobody ever saw them?

3) There likely was no splashy Montenegro/Vallado wedding because Julia's family was broke and Humberto wouldn't have paid for a splashy wedding for Julia anyway.

Any depression Arturo had over losing Julia would've been attributed to losing Susana by Nina.

And Art/Julia's contemporaries probably wouldn't be gossiping to Nina because Nina is an outsider. The other ladies who lunch don't like Nina and they don't know Julia (see #2)
 

Thank you everyone for the interesting conversation today. And as always, I appreciate the kind words.

I'm finding these flawed characters interesting and kind of fun to watch. My reactions to them fluctuate as they show their flattering and not flattering sides to the camera. Last night, I found myself pitying Eladio. Yes, I know he is not a nice man and he has done horrible things. But he also seems incredibly lonely with no real friend, lover or confidante.

Arturo, for all his failings, comes across as charismatic, likeable, charming. He has a talent for making friends and for being loved.

I like the way the actors have settled into their roles and are playing their parts with conviction.

P.S. Anita, I'm delighted you liked my Jane Austen reference. I am seriously convinced that the writers were thinking of Mrs. Bennet when they wrote Nina's part.
 

Humberto had no money; he gambled most of it away and whatever he didn't lose gambling he smoked, drank, and whored. They haven't said what disease he has that requires the oxygen tank but my money is on emphysema. If there was a fancy wedding Eladio would have paid for it. He might have to keep up appearances.

He only let her out of her cage for select occasions.

It's Nina and Arturo who weren't likely to have had a fancy wedding, but I doubt Nina cared at that moment. She got the mansion, expensive (though tasteless) clothes, servants to abuse, and all the money necessary to take care of those things. When Regina was buying the bridal gown Nina was trying for the dress and wedding she never had.
 

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