Caray, Caray!

What a jam-packed episode! It was so long I've used up all the time I have and refuse to proofread this. Also, I was handicapped by my profound lack of interest in the organizational hierarchy of Ikonika. There are layers of bosses but I just can't bring myself to care.

Augusto to Beto: "Somebody has offered to invest a lot in Ikonika USA, I should take advantage of it and move quickly." "I can't be Pres of API and also Director General and Elias is uninterested and has disappeared." "Ask anybody, have Nestor help."

Mateo calls Roberto, who bolts from Augusto's office but not before Augusto hears the name. Mateo is being held captive by his mother, who angrily reminds him: she only agreed to let him hear his father's voice. They are living in the house of "your new dad who decides what does and doesn't happen" so no seeing Roberto.


Beto lies to Aug, saying the phone call was from "Nemesia Mateos" and was about API biz, but I don't think Aug believed it. He puts Roberto to work discouraging Bea from the divorce, which would be deleterious to the family image.

Elsa invites Valeria to work at the cafe and is accepted. Beto offers her the use of his old apartment (I thought Gumaro was still living there?) and she accepts that too. She is quite cheerful.

Fatima refuses to apologize to Augusto for letting the truth out of the bag - "I won't allow you to tarnish Alicia's name further." She offers to quit but he points out rightly that she (almost alone) is good at her job and does it so he forgives her. Then, an important "AS YOU KNOW" moment - we discover that back in the day Fatima was best buds with Augusto's mother, who was a secretary of the Toledo y Mondragon family! So Augusto is a bastard and that must be why the brother Rafael got the whole inheritance. Aug narrows his eyes to slits and says "you don't have to bring up that old story." She says "the secret is safe with me" which makes me whisper, "watch your back, sister."

A guy in a Naugahyde jacket, maybe a cop, tells Beto the call from Mateo was from nearby. "I've been after Sheila for various crimes over the years but have never nabbed her. When you came to me about this abduction and also had juicy stuff about Augusto, how nice!" Beto feels used. The guy says, if you dig up more dirt on Augusto I'll try harder to find Mateo.

Augusto, on his knees crooning to Bea's private parts: Bea honey I beg you, give me another chance. She is fainting with desire but says "I can't be under this roof with you." He says he'll leave but doesn't go any further than the guest room.

At a garage, Gumaro tells a joke to Draco. Draco!? It goes like this: a little chicken goes to the White House and knocks on the big door and a big guy with a "cara de tabla" "Like you, Draco, no offense" [table face - deadpan expression, often also unscrupulous or uncaring] - asks what the pollito wants. "Is the President home?" "No he's in Ohio." The spanish subtitles say he is "enojaio" (angry) and the chicken says, "With me?!" Draco is silent and then says, "I know a better one." Draco!? One chicken says to the other, "who is the sexiest chicken?" "Po' yo." (me) Gumaro gives a manic laugh, says "you're really a good joke teller," and then Draco's "domador" (boss) shows up. "We'll tell more jokes later." Beto joins Gum in the garage, whispering he's letting Valeria live at the show apartment. I guess Gumaro's been given the task of warming Draco up and despite all odds is perhaps succeeding.

Santiago shows up at Alicia's goodbye party to ask her to head the publicity campaign for Peoples' Cafe (she accepts of course). He had something else to say but just as he and Alicia were clasping hands, sealing that business deal, Roberto shows up and gets googly eyes at the sight. Santi politely says, "Oh, colleagues who meet outside of work. It must mean you get along." Both pull ugly faces and say, not really. Santi says he'll see Alicia in Los Angeles, "more often than you think," and gives her a sweet lingering cheek-kiss. He and Roberto have one of those bonecrushing angry rival handshakes. Alicia asks Beto, who invited you to the party? He says he was just passing. She passes by him to kiss Fatima.

Time to close up! Magos and her friends beg to stay, Elsa (ever the softy) says ok. One of Mags' delinquents goes out to get beer. They are expecting a band a couple hours later!

Dafne communes with her online community, in her tent, about feeling alienated and invisible. She instantly gets 20 "likes."

Alicia says goodbye to her family Monday morning and is about to leave for Los Angeles when Fatima calls and says Bea is convening an urgent meeting.

On stage, Bea says this is the meeting that was interrupted by unfortunate revelations last time. Well, "I own 50% of the company and am going to be keeping an eye on things. Also, there's a new branch of Ikonika in the US and I own half of that too. Alex will be in charge there and my brother the lawyer will be keeping an eye on it. (Maybe the brother's the one who made the investment we heard about at the top of the hour.) Also, we are getting divorced."

Luciana struts in throwing her weight around as Daddy's girl and asking what amazing powerful role she will now play. Later, Chuchette and Nestor, resisting her imperious ways, remind her she's a bastard; it doesn't slow her down.

One of the upshots is that Alicia is staying in D.F.

This same morning, at El Cafecito, Valeria is learning the drill. She spots an empty beer bottle in a cupboard - Magos sneaks it into a trash bag and hopes it's forgotten. Nacho opens the mail and discovers that for a few months Alicia and Elsa have been paying the mortgage. He gets all indignant "I'm the man of the house." He says, "I feel -- I feel" and Valeria helpfully suggests: "Emasculated?" He quickly says it doesn't go that far. Magos asks what the word means and Valeria happily starts explaining. Dramatically, instead of just saying thank you Nacho rips off his apron and leaves. Blegh!!!

Well, infantile behavior is rewarded: his insurance money has come through. He waltzes back to the cafe joyfully. Luchita says "you should invest it so it grows." He says he already has an idea. Uh-oh is what I say to that.

Augusto is very angry: Bea humiliated him and she'll have to pay. If he can't seduce her I guess he'll murder her.

Beto and Augusto each separately tell Luci she's not really interested in the ad business, she could go home and play with her bonsai and start a family. She goes out in the greenhouse and calls for Gumaro. They do googly eyes. "Gumaro, do you think I'm a useless fool?" "Everybody has secret talents, you just have to find yours." "Oh, philosophy from Nacolandia." Let the flirting commence.

Beto oddly suggests to Augusto: "Since you are now going to be tainted by divorce, let's show those old API codgers there is distance between us, not like before. You should still support me secretly."

Braulio resists being given a Brisa makeover. She says she likes him just the way he is and will even learn how to use a computer to share in his interests. He opens a twitter account for her. "Why should I tweet when I have no followers?" "You have one, me." "But I could just tell you!"

Luciana first wants them to turn down the Peoples' Cafe account and then wants to be in charge of it. She tells Beto "You must agree with me even when I'm wrong."

Alex is angry at Bea for announcing he's moving to L.A. without even asking him first. "But you're the only person I trust, besides my confessor of course." Alex: I'll have to ask Kenny about it, we're thinking of getting married. Bea of course says that's a sin and that she thought his homosexuality was just a fad, that he'd get over it and marry a nice woman. He says, no, I'm gay and I love Kenny.

Santi shows up at Ikonika after the meeting, says he's glad Alicia's staying in town, gives her another kiss, says he wants her for his campaign but also wants her wants her. She says, I've been hurt, let's just keep it professional. Still, that night she first thinks about whether it would be better for her to leave the nest and live on her own and then googles Santi. Elsa sees and says "that's some sexy guy." When Alicia finds an online photo of Santi arm in arm with a sexy hotel heiress, she notices she feels jealous and admits to herself that she likes him a lot.

In their conjugal bedroom, Bea is sighing when Augusto suddenly appears "to get clean pajamas." Soon he is clutching at her and even backs her up against the door with his butt and offers a second honeymoon. I was so admiring of her self control, she says "no kisses, no caresses, go live in one of our many other properties." Even though she worries that the impending divorce is making Dafne even worse, she holds steady.

Labels: lichita