Caray, Caray!

Fans of Urban Anthropologist – fear not! She and I have just switched days this week. Look for her usual wonderful recap on Thursday.
 

Gracias, NovelaMaven, and great job.

Daniela is out of her mind. How could she not realize that fooling around with Assmore is going to lead to a thousand kinds of trouble? Notice that she's not even confiding in Nina.

Julia's freakout against Caridad is only partly justified. She can fault her for not revealing the truth but not for the rest of it if Caridad was in any fear of her life. Maybe Julia will cool off and listen to her.

Did Eladio make a threat against Caridad? There was a line I didn't hear clearly.

Consuelo is going to regret this, but at least she won't be in Nina's lair.

More tomorrow; I'm turning in.
 

Great recap NovelaMaven! Gracias.

I was so happy that Connie resisted and will go home to her apartment. Nina would have too much control if Connie were at the mansion.

I don't know why Caridad is beginning to annoy me. It's probably because she only thinks of what's best for Franco when he doesn't deserve it. But I do admit that Franco made me chuckle when he rolled Hummy over to the edge of the stairway. I wonder what Gaby was thinking when she saw that.

Hasta Pronto
 

Thank you so much, Novelamaven. So nice to have your wit and wisdom on this cold, dark winter morning. Brrrrr.

"I can't even"... well, that subheading says it all for me. These folks just keep dipping deeper and deeper into the crazy.

Dani is a spoiled child who is going to get burned eventually. Hmmmm...that shining example Ashmore...disco king... as godfather?...For real?...Why?

I am glad that passive Connie is trying to resist NanaNina's control over the bebe.

Finally, Justino rounds first base. Later, gators.
 

AuntyAnn, thanks for mentioning the staircase incident. WTH was Franco thinking doing that in front of Gabriela?

Caridad annoys you (and me, too) because her manner is pathetic. She has no dignity. She hasn't stopped to realize that Franco is not whom she wanted to raise him to be. Not that he would have been any better off with Gisela, either. But I see her as a future casualty because of her current insistence that Eladio acknowledge him and give him his name. If this is no longer a scandal in Mexico, I don't see what the issue really is.

Someone yesterday made a comment about the afterlife line and I still say that Eladio doomed himself in the opening episode when he yelled at Julia that they are married until death.
 

Not OT, but after reading this article I think Daniela should read Valley of the Dolls.
 

Franco is such a lying liar who lies . He tells gullible Gaby that "he was writing her a poem." Yeah...because when you think FraNco, you immediately think....poet.
 

Caridad Herrera....I used to do a chapter in speaking class about names. Some names came from places...Hill, River. Some came from occupations...Cook, Miller, Cooper, etc. Smith is a common name in English because every toen needed a blacksmith. Likewise, other languages have a lot of people named Smith..in Spanish it is Herrera, in Italian Ferrero, in German Schmidt, in Arabic Haddad.
 

Thank you for an exquisite recap, NovelaMaven! Te felicito! Every turn of phrase was a delight, as always! :)

SG se llevó el capítulo de ayer! As far as I'm concerned, she was incontestably the star of yesterday's episode! Loved how she woke Eladio up, though for a second there I thought she might hit him with the Cognac (?) glass! The meanie in me relished that mental image of Eladio getting glassed on the forehead as payback for 20-odd years of lying. "Glassing" is one of the stereotypical ways to get jumped during a pub brawl in Scotland; another privileged method is the romantically dubbed "Glasgow Kiss", i.e. the headbutt. However, I don't think Julia's pretty head can handle delivering an efficient "Glasgow Kiss" to her lying marido.
P.S. I still maintain that Eladio and Caridad did their nookie during a time where the marriage to Julia existed only on paper and the guy is not a monk. His wife wanted nothing to do with him so he looked for affection and physical contact elsewhere. Had Julia slept with someone else during that estrangement, I would not have faulted her. I do not condone infidelity, I would rather they left each other at that point, but I understand why their circumstances led them to cheat on each other: him physically and her emotionally. Eladio deserves to be in the doghouse for the magnitude of the lie he weaved for over two decades to make Julia unwittingly raise his kid with another woman, not for an affair he had 24 years ago when he was rejected by his wife and (mistakenly) thought she was expecting another man's child.

Anyhoo, great episode last night with Amazonian Julia manhandling Petite Caridad, Baby drama for the Montenegros and Baby Mamas' drama for Eladio! The brief scene where Humberto, with his best Mr. Smithers expression, rolls onto the landing to observe the magnitude of the mayhem he caused was a LOL moment for me. Gracias otra vez, NM! I look forward to one of UA's trademark recaps on Thursday!
 

Thank You Novela Maven. Hey, maybe Daniela actually likes AssMore. It happens. There have been many bow ornaments young enough to be my daughter.

I'm just worried about AssMore.
 

Just a joy NovelaMaven.

"Slugabed Daniela", "At least they can agree on how to browbeat Consuelo" and "At least they weren't part of my father's lie," says David. [A heartsick sigh is heard echoing over The Patio] were marvelous. "Humberto looks shaken (though perhaps not stirred)" was my favorite.

Last night's actions and events were rapidly flowing, unchecked with surging power. Emotions were swirling - passion, anger, bewilderment, surprise and suspicion.

Now, Eladio is rather shrewd. He surely must realize that the truth is out there and he needs to deal. He must recognize Franco, whatever happens be damned. I fear that will be far easier than ever being able to recapture Julia's love. She will forgive but I'm not sure she will ever be able to accept the deceit. Her relationship with Franco was always precarious at best, her distaste was more than evident on her face. David was never even the first choice when he was the "only" son. He was never in the running for his father's affections and I fear he will again be shunted the background which sadly is nothing new for him.

I'm sorry Gaby will have to live with her guilt for the deception. I feel sorrier she has to deal with the murderous, cunning Franco who will stop at nothing to achieve what he desires.

Susanna was magnificent last night. Every emotion, hurt and fury was evident in her beautiful, expressive face. I was a bit dismayed at the disproportionate height difference between Julia and Cardidad. Nandicta, your "Amazonian Julia manhandling Petite Caridad" was spot on!

I'm rubbing my hands with glee in anticipation of Humberto's downfall. The cruelest villain here. By far...

Thank you for another excellent recap NovelaMaven.

Looking forward to reading your later UA!

Diana
 

-- UA: Eladio did not threaten Caridad in his office. Everything of importance in that scene was reported by NM. Perhaps you thought so when he snapped at her to shush? He did look threatening but he was exasperated and told her he wasn't in the mood for her scenes.

I was the one who talked about the possibility that Eladio might not make it to the finish line. Ever since that episode where he revealed the meaning of his tattoo, I've had this nagging feeling that he'll be killed off and the more he talks about Julia being his life and about not being able to live without her, the more I feel his calling out to death so much might come true. Glad you got the same vibe too! And thanks for bringing up that scene from the very beginning of the TN. Now that you mention it, I remember the intense overly secure way in which Eladio proclaimed that he and his ball-and-chain were chained for life. That's why every time Luis Miguel's "Encadenados" (Chained together) comes on my playlist, I think of these crazy kids!

-- AuntyAnn: The first time Gabi witnessed Franco get rough and threatening with her abuelo, she gave him a big smooch and thanked him for defending their love! I was like: WTF? Humberto is a vile vermin with virtually no redeeming qualities but he is a disabled old man. I felt very uncomfortable with the scenes of Franco punching his chair or punching his shoulder but the worst of all was the scene where Eladio choked him! I think people should pick on people their own size. Humberto deserves to be strangled with his oxygen tube and thrown off the stairs but this should be left off to karma not to his relatives.

-- Susanlynn: "Franco is such a lying liar who lies" :D and Gabi is such a gullible galoot who gobbles it all up! She deserves the Marintia & mini-Mouthbreather anvil that's coming her way for being such a numpty!
You're right about the "Smith" last names, I used to go to school with two (unrelated) "Haddad" kids and one of my old uni pals is a "Herrera" :)
 

Ah NovelaMaven..you're a boon to us short attention span folks (and every year it gets shorter) by breaking up the recap into little bits with snazzy bold headings for each chunk. Really helps, especially in early morning after a sleepless night (whoever said old folks need less sleep is WRONG. We need MORE but we just aren't getting it).

Read with delight that Franco squeezed Humberto's shoulder till he winced, as well as pushing him to the brink of the Staircase of Doom. Nevertheless, must say, have a smidgen of admiration for Humberto's feistiness. It would be so easy to hurt him and yet he plows on sowing dread and destruction willy-nilly.

What a great tribute to our previous recapper (whose name escapes me at the moment) who loved the "shaken but not stirred" quip and managed to insert it into her resumens almost every week.

And my favorite heading was Caridad ups the Aggressive and lowers the Passive.
Right on. And very funny.

Will watch this later on today. In the meantime, thanks so much m'dear for the recap and for reassuring us that UA is fine.

And UA, thanks for the chili recipe. I would have to make it without the meat, but sounds like the perfect dish for a frigid, snowy day in Ohio. Bring on the onions and garlic!
 

What is maddening, among other things, is that Gabi has still not figured out the colossal mistake her marriage is. She saw first hand the Marintia encounters minutes before the vows. She sees him lie lie lie, and still has not run away as fast as she can. She is articulate, smart (sort of) pretty (sort of) and surely somebody besides Augustin has shown interest in her. The reason I say that is she acts like Franco is the only man on earth. She lives in Mexico City, right? She purportedly goes/went to college, right? Franco just could not possibly be in first place in a world where the Davids are plentiful if not quite commonplace.
 

OT.....Nandicta .So that's what a Glasgow kiss is. I have heard the phrase and that Glasgow has a rowdy reputation. My daughters !over Scotland. They stayed at the University of Edinburgh and liked to hike in the surrounding hills. I be!lueve they mentioned King Arthur's seat. I think they went to Glasgow, too.

I have had many people named Haddad in my classes . It is a verra common name in this area.
 

Thanks so much, NovelaMaven! Another stellar recap from you, and I loved the section headings.

Refresh my memory-- Gabi in fact did not know Caridad was Franco's mom, correct? When she spoke to Franco in the bedroom, she was telling him that David went looking for his mom Julia, not that Julia went looking for Franco's mom. Maybe I'm confused. Someone please clarify this for me. And if Gabi did not know, how will Franco explain keeping this from her?

Hopefully Julia will calm down enough to listen to the whole story from Caridad, both the good and the bad.

I was proud of Connie for standing her ground about moving back to her own apartment. Wish she would also do the same about the godparent issue. Assmore?! Come on!
 

-- Kirbo: During their scene at the restaurant, I also got the impression that Dani and Ashmorrrre are a great match! They could either form a great couple or they could become each others' anvils. Either way, we will be greatly entertained!

-- Diana: "I'm rubbing my hands with glee in anticipation of Humberto's downfall. The cruelest villain here. By far..." Same here, the anvil possibilities are endless and I hope the writers get creative with them. However, I would like for Mr. Plague-On-Wheels to stay with us until the end. Luis Bayardo is doing a fantabulous job with this despicable character!

Gotta skidaddle! Que tengan un lindo día!
 

My Queen SG is 5 9. Maybe she had on 8 inch heels and Caridad sneakers. Or Caridad is 4 feet tall. :-)
 

Gaby seems a bit dim to me. She is always just kind of "there." However, Auggie seems uninterested in her IQ or wit and will most assuredly be there to save the day when karma pays a visit to the poet Franco and the anvil starts to drop.p.s. I am still hoping that Aug rethinks that hairdo that soneone at Shortcuts talked him into .
 

Oh, and forgot to mention how much I loved the title, NovelaMaven. And it made me think of that marvelous scene in What Women Want where Mel Gibson tries that sort of thing on his marvelously muscular hairy leg. (hmmm...now where was I?)

Oh and Nandicta, while I'm giving thanks, mil gracias for mentioning the Scissor Sisters Take Your Mama song. Very catchy. Just downloaded it on iTunes. Yay!
 

Yesterday I thought about the casting of Humberto and it occurred to me that Julia's height had to have come from a rogue gene. Had they cast Enrique Rocha or Otto Sirgo as Humberto the look would have been more believable.

However, Luis Bayardo is short as well as older and therefore looks more physically vulnerable. He's also cast against type; I remember seeing him as priests, judges, and a circus clown in Preciosa, where he was the loving abuelo of the title character.

Brilliant move by the casting director.
 

Nandicta...I agree with you . For twenty years, nothing was happening between Julia and Eladio. How did she think Eladio was dealing with that?

By the way, what is up with Laddie rubbing the tattoo and saying that it is about his neverending luvvve for Julia ? Why the Maori themed tattoo? Couldn't he have just had her name tattooed ? That would have hurt a lot less. J..U..L..I..A...on!y five letters, dude. Laddie always seems to have trouble with the concept of simplifying .
 

You're welcome, JudyB. Cooking is no fun without onions or garlic!

Gaby might have a light bulb moment because when she was trying to help Franco research his birth parents it occurred to her that it was odd when Caridad turned up with the same last name as his. She hadn't yet connected the dots. Now it's Franco who has to pretend not to know. This additional lie is going to make things so much worse.
 

OT...Judyb, in my chili recipe , I use either ground turkey or chicken because I do not eat red meat. I also add dark red kidney beans undrained, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mild chili seasoning , lots of sauteed onions, and corn.

Hmmm..who used to say " shaken not stirred"..besides 007? Was it Sylvia?
 

OT..maybe that is why the writers gave her the name Herrera. It is a popular name in Spanish like Smith in English.
 

No, not Sylvia. I can remember that the recapper was from Iowa. I think Schoolmarm met her once, back when she was head of the state Deaf School there. The actual name will float up in my brain probably about 3 am. Should I call you? LOL
 

Absolutely love your recaps NovelaMaven. What wit!

"A tiny old man in a grey cardigan wheels down the hall, unobserved and unheard"

Ok, so Julia lost face big time and pissed but I wanted Caridad to punch her in the gut. I didn't see an amazon but a headless chicken and laughed at her over the top flapping about. Set my stopwatch for how long it takes her to run to Art. How is it this woman can sink ships?

Vile as Humberto is I am glad we have him. Something admirable in someone that will ride that chair with no brakes.

If Art is successful in disposing of his wife it won't be long before he sees the error. While they approach a challenge from different perspectives they are one hell of a team.

Clara is way too pretty for Justino. Yuck.

After watching in amazement Fabiola Guajardo in Yo No, what a disappointment here as a cabbagehead in a tight skirt.

 

Ah, Susanlynn...researched it. It was Jody Kolmen. She had an infinite number of ways to work in that phrase.
 

OT...Judyb...wow..Jody was one of the first recappers for Melinama. I always wonder about people who are here and then disappear. Do you ever hear from Sylvia or ElnaJune?
 

Sylvia posts about her ocean travels on Google Friends. At least she used to in the past. And heard from ElnaJune last year but nothing since. It gets harder and harder for me to keep up with old internet acquaintances, but Schoolmarm is on Facebook and now that my son-in-law has put me back on (I'm hopeless at these internet deals) I do see regular posts from her.
 

As see NanaNina as the warrior Princess. I think that she could do some major damage . Julia is more refined. Caridad is small but mighty. She could hurt you.
 

Tofie, I would love to see one of your famous lists for this show.
 

OT...Ah, yes..Schoolmarm was great fun. I am not on Facebook. My friends harrass me about it including folks I met through the Highlander forum years ago .
 

Thank you Novela Maven for the recap!

1.) I was pulling for Franco to kill Old Goat Humberto.

2.) Counselo held her own & will be staying in her apartment.

3.) Did anyone find it strange when Purple Lips referred Clara as "That Girl" ?

4.) Gaby won't be among the living since she's sold her soul to the devil by deceiving Julia!

5.) Caridad getting chewed out by both Julia & Eladio was awesome!

6.) Eladio was right: Franco will NEVER accept Caridad as his mother anytime soon!

7.) I'm NOT going to be shocked if Caridad gets whacked!
 

NovelaMaven, I love your headings as well, “I was afraid to leave – she's a full head taller than I am, you know, and I'm pretty sure she works out,” “Let's ask Ashmore – he's as unscrupulous as we are!” and “Caridad ups the Aggressive and lowers the Passive.” So glad I was able to fully enjoy your recap worthy of submission to the best of Hollywood/New York comedy script writers. Fallon? Seinfeld? David? You’d fit right in! Thanks so much.

I agree that death might be looming for Eladio. He has told multiple people that he will love Julia to the death. I seldom respect the journey of a novela character, but Eladio, and perhaps Fernando C’s performance, has convinced me of his incredible love of Julia and his willingness to change, hope we don’t have to watch his death. (Come on gente of Mexico, help me with this! )

Susanlynn, I agree on the tattoo. I almost think that Eladio’s oversized, almost solid black tattoo, shouldn’t be in the story. If it were that important, shouldn’t it have been featured more? It is almost an afterthought. The size of the ink doesn’t fit the ink in the story, or something like that!

Tofie, “Clara is way too pretty for Justino. Yuck.” I agree, don’t like this paring.

Judy, we have more snow too! Drats!
 

Judy- I don't know which recapper coined the term shaken and stirred, but I shamelessly use it all the time. That phrase and plays on it have become part of the Caray Caray lexicon.
 

It's not so much the looks of Justino, it's this weak storyline they've foisted on Clara that bugs me. She could have had a much more interesting love life and the writers just copped out for something easy. When she accepted Justino this episode, it sounded a lot like the same kind of yearning her fellow orphan Consuelo had for a ready-made family-- the thing that kept her tied to Erick so long. Is Justino really the man that will bring out the best in Clara? Seems like he'll just hold her back and keep her stagnant. I kind of liked her with Miguel. But I guess the writers didn't agree. Oh, well!
 

Thanks for the wonderful recap!

I was surprised Julia woke up with so much energy. After what she went through the night before, I would have been physically and emotionally exhausted. I can understand why she didn't give Caridad a moment to speak but I think as she calms down, maybe she will listen.

I was amazed at how restrained Eladio was. That therapy is definitely paying off. I hadn't thought about Eladio not making it to the end but it makes a lot of sense. These shows never end with two galans. I just hope Arturo doesn't end up with Julia.

Gaby is sooo blind and boring when it comes to Franco. She has no problem telling off Hummy though. I don't know what Augie sees in her.

Loved Franco pushing Hummy to the end of the stairs.

I don't understand why Arturo would want smarmy businessman Ashmore as the godfather. Glad Connie was able to keep Nina and Arturo at bay but she is going to have to up the beyotch factor to maintain control of her child.
 

Firstly, NM, brilliant recap and much appreciated.

Secondly, good lord, these two male leads are absolutely clueless and self-centered aren't they. I think I mentioned once at the end of the credits when they show both these guys and everyone blows up, it would be appropriate to have both of them be taken down.

Eladio has had that flashing neon anvil over his head as many of you noted, but after that absolutely lame interchange with Consuelo lats night, Arturo needs to be put out of his misery too. So in one breathe he's telling Nina, we are done, contract will be cancelled, and in the next he's trying to get agree to the stupidity of Assman as a godather "to make Nina happy". What about the MOTHER OF THE CHILD being happy?? He should escort Consuelo personally to her apartment and let her be. And then, if she was smart, she'd leave town. But we know she won't because these people are nuts.

Still don't get this whole Clara relationship time spent. She has to turn out to be someone's child or something because otherwise, I got nothing.

Wrong of me to wish Franco had slipped at the top of those stairs and Hummy would be in that senior home in the sky now?

David should tell his father, thanks but no thanks, let Franco have the name, the empire and everything. He has a career and degree and he and Gina can go and live happy ever after. Again, he won't because...maybe there's something in the water.

Julia-same. She has a job, can earn her living, and start the divorce proceedings...and don't take a dime. She'd win hands down with the facts as they are.

Dani - drug overdose coming soon think?

These people give me a headache.

Daisynjay


 

Vivi and Judyb..Becky brought us the term "asshat" and then there was "BSC" from ElnaJune", I think. I am not sure who started the "DAM" adjectives for Damian (the lovely William Levy) in LM. I especially enjoyed all our pirate names while watching Pasion and Pirate Rick.
 

Vivi, "It's not so much the looks of Justino, it's this weak storyline they've foisted on Clara that bugs me." I agree. There wasn't enough of a build up, she had resisted his timid advances before and then all of a sudden she is all in! I even thought their kiss looked strangely staged. Her career storyline has been great, leaving Gomez-Luna after being harassed by Franco, finding other employment seamlessly. Her quick conversion wasn't convincing. They have a different look as well, his is more an unsophisticated street vibe, hers is more young career woman. Of course, there are plenty of couples who don't look like they belong together.
 

I don't know anyone who grew up in an orphanage but it shouldn't be a surprise that someone who did in a culture where faaaaaaaaamily is shouted from the rafters as Nirvana would want a ready-made one. Clara is in that position now. Marrying a friend's widower and becoming a loving stepmother to his child is nothing unusual (My paternal aunt did that, although her stepsons were high-school age at the time).

Consuelo married someone with three siblings and two parents and they all live in a mansion with servants. That must have looked like heaven to her until she had to start butting heads with Nina and her Mini-Me, which I guess started as soon as she put her suitcase down on the foyer floor. She was desperate to have a baby, then desperate to keep her marriage until the night the Orkin Man called at the Rat's penthouse. She has since learned that it's better to be on one's own than to live with a dysfunctional family.

As to Nina referring to Clara as "that girl", this is about her class-insecurity. We've also had the door cracked open on finding out about Nina's past in the episode where Arturo referenced that there was something she wouldn't talk about. It would be incredibly karmic for Augustin or Arturo to dig up that Nina gave a baby up for adoption and for that baby to now be Clara.
 

Daisynjay..I do not usually laugh out loud as I am reading the comments, but for some reason "Assman" just tickled my funny bone.He looks a little like Kato Kalin.Surfs up, dude. I would have expected to see him at the disco wearing a shirt opened down to the fourth button and a big gold chain. He looked so happy to be with that young thing. " I'm cool. See, I know how to move it, move it, and I love drugs." I guess we can all agree..perfect godfather candidate. Not related. Smarmy. Risky businessman. Likes to date girls who could be his daughter. I'm sold.
 

Sandy, I agree with you. The only way the Clara/Justino romance could work is if it inspires him to become a little more ambitious so that he goes from coveralls to a suit. He's not a bad-looking fellow and he is already the kind of father that the rest of his age-peers in this story should become.
 

I don't know. I kind of like guys in overall, but then I grew up with the future farmers of America.
 

OK, well.... I'm a city girl. And while he may be baaaaad, Franco was hot in his dark suit and blue tie the other day.
 

There are two attractions going for Assman and Dani. One is the obvious, old guy, young babe. My guess the biggest attraction is their mutual drug addicted personalities. I noticed at their lunch, they were drinking copious amounts of wine. Alcoholics and drug addicts like to party together and they tend to create very strange friendships and "bedfellows."

I must admit, I admire Assmore for his command of Spanglish, I think I would be lost going from business meetings to clubs to private parties and back. Throw in kickbacks and fake bidding, I'd still be thumbing through my dictionary. He has me beat in speaking the language and I have been working on this for years. Hope he learns the Spanish for "felony."
 

NovelaMaven, thanks so much for this little masterpiece of beautiful writing. There is such sinister power in this single sentence:

"A tiny old man in a grey cardigan wheels down the hall, unobserved and unheard."

Simple elegance. No embellishment needed.

Today I'm appalled at Nina. Ashmore as godfather? What can she possibly be thinking? Has a critical scene been cut? Where is the predicate for such nonsensical thinking? And Arturo knows better than anyone what a snake this guy is. I wouldn't want to be Ashmore when the Nina I know finds out what he's doing with Dani.

Carlos
 

Wow, you guys have been chatty this morning! Thanks to everyone for stopping by. As always, I am very grateful for the kind words, though a little abashed because I got lazy last night and left out the Spanish lesson. :)

I was going to mention that I was struck by Nina and Regina talking about the (rightfully) jealous Nina's celos and how I love it that in Spanish, "jealousy" is plural because it is so culturally appropriate.

I was also going to remark on Humberto's use of the idiom tomar (algo) a pecho in his conversation with Eladio and how in Spanish, one takes something "to chest/breast" while in English, one takes something "to heart."

But I won't.

AuntyAnn,
"I don't know why Caridad is beginning to annoy me."
Me too. Big time. The thing is, I think the writers made a decision for this episode to show us how much she resembles Marintia. (And you know how much we love Marintia.) We forget that Caridad never intended Franco to grow up with Eladio. It was Gisela who engineered that, who basically SOLD the kid to his biological father and then blackmailed Eladio for over twenty years. If Gisela were still alive, more than one person would want to kill her right now.

Urban,
The only actual threat I heard from Eladio last night was against the unknown person who had told Julia that Franco was his son. Even so, the threat was vague. Right now, his main suspects are Franco himself and Caridad. Of course, when he finds out it was actually Arturo who delivered the message, anything could happen.

Susanlynn and JudyB,
I loved the discussion of "shaken but not stirred." A single phrase can be so evocative, can't it? At first I was going to say that Jody K was before my time (which I get to say less and less these days, both here and in real life), but I seem to remember Jody writing a few recaps for the Telemundo page very soon as Jean and I set it up. And now it turns out that Vivi is also fond of the quip! Who knows what we'd find in a search of the CarayCaray corpus.

(BTW, I totally stake a claim on the Dam(n)Proliferation of adjectives to describe sweet William's character, Damián Fabré. And I associate the "total liar who lies" phrase with Julia Nold and her fabulous recaps of Lo que la vida me robó.)

Nandicta,
I haven't discussed it here, but I've always seen Eladio's death as a given. Having that looming in the background adds a certain poignancy or even a frisson to the story.
 

Susanlynn, I grew up with the FFA too, but Justino isn't rocking that look!
 

The English captions last night were as bad as I have ever seen them. They were very delayed, and much spoken dialog was plainly skipped. My primitive knowledge of Spanish enabled me to fill in some of the gaps and many thanks to the incomparable skills of Novela Maven for filling in the details.

At several points, the caption writer rewrote erroneous and incomplete captions, and there was many references to a character called "Hilaria" (I think this should have been Eladio). The captions were HILARIOUS.

I find it strange that Univision spends so much time and expense to make an entertaining show, yet skimps on the closed captioning feature which they publicize at several points during each of their telenovelas.
 

I have often wondered whether those subtitles are translated by a computer. I've seen some that automatically default to the most common translation of a word when the 2nd or 3rd most common is the correct one. Good thing I don't use them although they would have been helpful sometimes during YNCLH when actors mumbled.

Carlos, no scene was cut that I know of. Nina's suggestion of Assmore as godfather came originally from Daniela, who did not confide her hijinks to Nina this time.

Nina could be thinking that this could be useful against future business, but in objective reality it's highly inappropriate in terms of personal boundaries. Augustin is a far more appropriate choice because he is Arturo's best friend. Nina is doing this to lock out Augustin and Miguel in one fell swoop. Augustin because he is also Arturo's divorce lawyer and Miguel because he is Arturo's first-born.

I don't think Nina will be any happier about the hanky-panky between Assmore and Daniela than Arturo will.
 

Carlos, I was disappointed in our Nina as well. They seemed to be thinking that they needed a business type person for a godfather because they wanted Augustin as well. My family doesn't use godparents, but I always thought that the position was more for moral and spiritual support. Our culture uses business friends as executors on wills, etc.
 

Isn't it also more commonplace to have godparents who are the parents' age or even a little younger? My cousin became a godmother when she was in high school.
 

Gobluefan...Since you have a "primitive knowledge of Spanish" why not opt for the Spanish closed captions instead? Yes, sometimes they are delayed and incomplete as well, but usually they are fine.

NovelaMaven..I think the last Univsion telenovela Jody recapped was Pasión but I could be wrong. Anyway, that's where my creaky brain thought to look her up.

I do miss all the old recappers and their old pictures. Especially Sylvia striking a Fea Más Bella pose. Ah well, we seniors struggle with change. I guess because we know the Big Change is on its way.
 

Great recap NM, gracias

!Maldita sea! I thought we were finally going to be rid of Humey!

Nandicta
"Ever since that episode where he revealed the meaning of his tattoo, "
I missed that, would you explain por favor?
 

Carlos..I am always a fan of your adjective\verb combinations..."sinister power". "Simple elegance"

Sandy..yeah, I have to agree that some of those FFA guys rocked the overalls better than others......having a moment.

UA..yes, I do appreciate a fine looking man in a suit , crisp white dress shirt, and tie, but I had to stand up for all the blue collar guys I know who look mighty fine in those jeans, a white tee, and a baseball hat. Justino is a little wimpy with or without the suit.
 

Judyb..yikes..The Big Change. I have never heard it put exactly like that. Yikes again.
 

UA..I think that godparents are usually brothers, sisters,cousins, or friends of the parents . If you are Catholic, I think that the godparents have to be Catholic.
 

Sandy, yes, our friend and local banker was the executor of our wills when our girls were minors. My sister and her hub are our older daughter's godparents, and hub's sister and her hub and my college roommate are our younger daughter's godparents . I think that godparents are often relatives or close friends of the parents.
 

OT Susanlynn, do you remember those FFA jackets? They were a royal blue with big gold writing or wings on them. I thought they were so cool at the time. Of course, you could only be a male and be in the FFA then, I bet that's changed.
 

Kirbo, if Dani and Ashmore were strangers, their "flirtation" wouldn't be especially surprising for all the reasons everyone has listed. But in these circumstances, I see it as a way for her to thumb her nose at her parents and for him to show us that he has absolutely no boundaries. None.

Tofie,
"I didn't see an amazon but a headless chicken and laughed at her over the top flapping about."
Hah! What a great image! So... not a big Julia fan, huh?

Vivi, good question. If I have a moment later, I'll listen again. I assumed Gaby was talking about Julia because Franco had just claimed he was in her room looking for her. Gaby said "I didn't want to say this in front of the abuelo but..."

Daisynjay,
"David should tell his father, thanks but no thanks, let Franco have the name, the empire and everything. He has a career and degree and he and Gina can go and live happy ever after. Again, he won't because...maybe there's something in the water. "
I wasn't liking David very much last night. And yeah, maybe it IS in the water.

Sandy, I have a feeling the writers are suffering from Tattoo Remorse, but they had to do something with the stupid thing since they had already given it so much prominence earlier on in the story. Just a thought...

Steve, I certainly hope Gaby survives the story and has a relatively happy ending. Unlike some on The Patio, I like the actress and her bruised, vulnerable look. I also think she's making the character quite sympathetic, a perfect foil to Marintia, she of the predatory, hungry dog look.

Carvivlie,
"That therapy is definitely paying off."
Hahahahahahaha! Too bad we can't send the matrimonio Montenegro for a few sessions.

Carlos, Nina has fixed on Ashmore not because of who he is, but because of who he is not: he is not a friend or ally of Consuelo's. Of course the fact that 'padrino' is an spiritual honor makes the calculus that much more despicable.

Gobluefan, I'm glad the recap helped. The recaps were indeed ridiculously bad last night. There were some interesting inconsistencies. For example, when Franco lied to Gaby that he was writing a 'pensamiento' for her, the captions said 'poema,' which is what the word meant in the context, of course, but not what the actor had said.

Variopinta, In a recent episode after Julia and Eladio had reconciled, he told her the tattoo was a symbol of his love for her (or something like that). That would explain why earlier, he wouldn't allow the Ratt to touch it.

Diana,
"I'm rubbing my hands with glee in anticipation of Humberto's downfall."
No!!! That defenseless little old man? (hee hee)
 

Novelamaven...so it was you who started that whole "dam" business. We certainly had fun with that one. I forgot who coined "lying liar who lies" because we repeated it so often . Julia wrote great recaps. I think that someone had us doing haiku for LM, but I forget whose idea that was. That was fun.

Novelamaven ....You think that Eladio will be getting judyb's "Big Change" ..oh noes ...(That was Julie's contribution to the Caray )
 

Novelamaven..."defenseless little old man "..it's the cardigan.It just screams " Push me down a flight of stairs." By the way, what is up with almost every novela having that staircase of doom? We always make bets on who is going to tumble down them Scarletstyle and when and at whose hand . Then again, that look that Gaby always has on her face is also shouting "victim over here."
 

Susanlynn, I can't remember who came up with the idea of writing haiku, but I know it was on one of Sylvia's teams; and I know we had a passel of poets back then, including Bllue Lass and Elna June. (Okay, not quite a passel, but I'm a sucker for cheap alliteration.)
 

Doris' "Abismo de Tonterías" helped viewerville endure "Abismo de Pasión" a few novelas ago!
 

Jody also recapped CS (2009). I remember she made lovely wooden ornaments with pictures of the leads and sent them to those of us who asked. As it features Eduardo Yanez, I still have it and admit to ogling...errr, I mean looking at it from time to time.

We exchanged Christmas cards for several years thereafter. I haven't heard from her recently but am going to see if I still have her address.

Diana
 

Diana..So Big Ed is hanging on your tree every Christmas. Nice.

I think that Emily actually knit a few beanies when someone coined that term.


A few years ago, I met some of the women whom I had been talking to online about Highlander the TV series. My daughters were upset about me going too meet strangers. They were all lovely and funny. It is quite unusual to see people whom you have on!y known through the Internet.
 

I got one of those beanies from Emilia, and it's one of my fave winter hats. I've also met a few of our Caraymates in real life-- Anita, Karen, Katy, and almost met Emilia and Mike, but a train delay messed up our meeting (had a great talk on the phone with them though). All are so far have been lovely people!
 

Doris is a friend of mine! We talk by email constantly and have lunch from time to time. I went to dinner with the (Internet stranger) Schoolmarm when she came to a meeting here and we had a delightful time. We had Mexican food with a shot of tequila!
 

Oh, and how can I forget that I spent time with Jarocha, when she was here one summer from Mexico, doing a part of her Masters program. That was lots of fun.
 

Dear NM--Ah the good old days, but the just as good-if-not-better DamDays with a NovelaMaven PyP recap. Thank you for a brilliant execution, but bemoaning the non-execution of The Hummer Hovering over the Staircase of Death. He decided to take the elevator. I thought that was funny. It would even have been funnier if Franco had slipped and taken a tumble and left Hummy at the top grinning.

OT--And thank you all for the other trips down memory lane. I think La Temp was one of the most brilliantly critiqued novelas of all time. It was also the era of The Patio of Lowered Expectations, WWP (Wet White Pants) and the saucy Haiku it engendered.

As for DamIsms--Here are a few from the middle of the run of La Temp. They appear in a comment (Part 1 and Part 2) somewhere down the column of comments.

http://caraycaray.blogspot.com/2013/10/la-tempestad-65-102513-dazed-and.html
This translates to the October 25, 2013 recap by Madelaine--after they started cutting it to shreds (posted on l0/26).

I have nothing to add regarding last night's performances. All top drawer. I would have gone with a Jorge type blue collar guy for Clara. Not all people (women included) are in the trades because they can't or won't get the skills to move into the white collar world (Clara being an exception here). A lot choose manual or artisanal labor because they get a certain amount of satisfaction out of it. I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid well, but plumbers, electricians, etc. usually can buy yachts or RV's before secretaries do.

I'll come back with the date of the Haiku poetry we did for La Temp, if interested.
 

Consuelo should sneak away, ask Clara, Regina, David, and Justino to meet her at the church and get that little baby baptized tuit suite ... like, NOW!! Then when the Monstronegros try to foist Assmore on her, she can give them the patented Altair smirk and sweetly say, "Sorry, not sorry ... it's done!"
 

OT-La Temp Haiku and Limericks--Here's a teaser

Vivi’s Ode to the Pants

WET, clinging to your rippling strong thighs
WHITE, transparent and dazzling to my eyes
PANTS, and heaves you inspire, and sighs
Oh captain, my captain, never let those pants dry!

For the rest of the entries, see the end of La Temp Extra:

http://caraycaray.blogspot.com/2013/10/la-tempestad-extra-confidencial-issue-1.html
That translates to the posting on October 6, 2013
 

Anita- Ah! Good memories of those pants...

Anon 2:11- That is an EXCELLENT plan, and exactly what Connie should do. She can also sweetly tell them, that at least Miguel isn't one of the godfathers (he'll be the stepfather, of course). :)
 

Last OT on Temp--This one from Julia--2013!

Walker? Not for me! I'm getting one of those motorized scooter things so I can run people down!

Was this a prediction of things to come?

 

Anita..Thanks for the blast from the past. Oh my, the wet, white pants. I wonder who originally coined that phrase.

Vivi..I had no memory of you being quite so saucy about those pants. Sweet William, you wore them well.

I think haiku has three lines ..5 words, 7 words, 5 words I believe
 

Anita, thank you so much! (I miss your journalistic skills!)

Susanlynn, I'm pretty sure it was Mauricio who coined WWP. For a while, each recapper was writing a steamy little Harlequin Romance. Now THAT was fun.
 

sandy...Fun fact that you and Doris are buds in real life. My real pals think that I am daft watching telenovelas..even my Spanish teacher friend . They laugh and shake their heads when I start to talk about Fernando. However, three of us are now reading the Outlander series and two of us are watching the TV series, so we can discuss Red Jamie Fraser, the Highland warrior at lunch .

Correction..haiku is 3 lines with five ✴syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third line.
 

Haiku is actually 17 syllables ... in three lines ... five, seven, five

Which is why I would never have the nerve to tackle one and really LOVE that Carayites honor us with their versions... mega like (as Braulio from Lichita would say)!
 

Mauricio..Step up and take a bow. #classiccaray
 

It was more like a mix of haikus, poems, and odes to the pants. It brought out the sauciness in all of us.
 

Anonymous..I noticed my error as soon as I posted it.

The Caray folk are haiku devotees.

Oh Eladio
You love struck tattooed guru
Now give truth a chance
 

Vivi...I think the limericks especially brought out the sauciness. I can remember being at our favorite B &B in Cape May down the shore and jotting down lines on a notepad now and then. LT really gotbour creativity flowing....probably the wet, white pants were the prompt.
 

By 9:00AM there were over 60 comments. This novela is sure bringing them.

NovelaMaven---Your superb recaps bring in a lot of comments all buy themselves. Your section titles today were great in themselves. Several have already been mentioned but I liked, You're Fired, Julia Get's Physical and With Maribel's Blessing. Also as many has already mentioned--A tiny old man in a grey cardigan wheels down the hall unobserved and unheard. That a classic NM.

Some of NM's great lines today---He's writing her a poem-he lies like a rug.
Nina however gets upset that Consuelo would choose "that girl" over her family.

The patio peeps were also on fire today---LOL-When you think Franco, you think poet.
Amazonian Julia
Franco is such lying liar who lies and Gabi is such a gullible galoot who babbles it up.
Hope he (Ashmore)learns Spanish for felony.

So the nightclubbing and drugs didn't hurt Daniela. Well this time anyway.
Herrera=Smith interesting fact

Justin Seals The Deal---Justin and Clara, Yes! Ok, no one else likes them as a couple but I do--so there!

David said that forgiveness is always possible and then a couple of minutes later, he tells Eladio, that's unforgiveable. Que? That was a quick turnaround.

Nina gets upset, offended? that Consuelo would rather go and live with that girl over her family. Oh really bruja Nina? When have you ever treated Consuelo decently
other than when Erick was around? I wouldn't go back to that witches house either.
Sorry Carlos. I know that it must be hard for you but it's true.

The aftermath---must see tv
the gringo




 

NovelaMaven, thank you for recappin this....
Episode filled with liars anonymous. Eladio has done nothing wrong, he's handed out the
Rules of how to lie and keep it going properly
In his twisted mind. He is just full of himself..
..... and other stuff. Use your imagination. He's worried about david and julia gettin hurt
What the hell he thought would happen when
A spouse finds out that her husband/ his wife has cheated? And had a child from that
Affair, and then he lies about It for over 20+ yrs.

And whats also crazy stupid is he's now giving his grown stupid son that same bad
Advice. Now it didn't work for him, what the hell Make him think its gonna for that stupid child That he made in his own stupidity. No, name Callin don't help, but there it is. Stupid is what stupid does.
Nina, I understand her pain, she stuck with this man through all his crap,dumped his child on her to raise that he had with another woman who he cheated with on his first fiance and now he wants to go back to his first fiance and dumb her(nina). I don't blame her for being pissed off. But she need to stop lookin down her nose at Consuela. Im glad
She standin up to her and not letting her tell her How to act towards her cheatin hubby in a Coma that he brought on himself. Which go
Back to how he was/wasn't raised (mother &
Father).

That is a very dramatic staircase. It looks like
The one that carol bernet walked down on her show wearing that curtain and rod.
Ok. The madness continues tonite. Who do yall think is the best liar in this tn?, not the biggest, but the best? As just so ya know lying is baaaaaaad!!!! Eladio doesn't know that.

 

I truly hope Eladio is trying to change. Cuz he
Really seems at times like he hates how things have turned out. I guess he can't stop
The collision he started.
 

NovelaMaven, another masterpiece!

Nandicta, thank you for welcoming me back to the patio, I can't always comment but I read the recaps everyday and as much of the comments as I can, I don't have any one in person to discuss with so I love being part of the patio!

I may be one of the few to sit at Hummy's table, he is nasty but he is smart, funny and keeps the plot moving.

I don't understand why Caridad would shout at Julia that she fell in love. Really?! Isn't that the worst thing she could say to her? Caridad deserved everything she got from Julia, as UA said, Caridad has no dignity. If she did, she would have stayed away from Julia and Eladio and tried to get close to Franco a different way. I don't know if I would compare her to Marintia but we don't know what evil things she may have taken part in back in the day.

I also welcome any comments as to what Franco plans to do with the letters he found, my only thought is he plans to give them to Eladio but for what reason other than to suck up to him, I don't know.
 

UA,

Thank you for the trip to the sixties with the reference to "Valley of the Dolls". Yes, Dani could benefit from reading the book or watching the movie. For those who are not familiar, "dolls" is a reference to pills as UA mentioned before. In addition to being a classic 60s era melodrama (a la Peyton Place), this movie has a great classic theme song IMO (and tragic backstory as well).

RE: the gentlemen in this TN. The legends, Salinas and Colunga are polished and handsome as always. But I also find the young actors who play Franco and David really handsome young men! Don't know anything about them, but if this show steams along successfully, will we see more roles in future TNs?

RE: tattoos, what should the wardrobe and makeup people do? Keep them? Cover them? Do they confuse the character's image? I can think of many young actors with distinct tattoos - Carlos Ponce, Christian de la Fuente, Colunga .... Weekend discussion?

Mena


 

Thanks, NovelaMavern. Superb title and recap.

Late to the party. I find myself nodding in agreement with all the comments.

Ashmore has no respect for Arturo. Boinking a business partner's daughter half your age would've led to a duel back in the day. But the good news is Dani's too preoccupied with her new squeeze to bug David and Regina.

I can't figure out if Franco loves Gaby or if he just wants the high status he thinks she brings him. I use to think he cared for her, but now he seems thrilled (not pained) to put one over on her. My dream is for Gaby to somehow see that picture of pregnant Marintia.
 

Miguel should pack up Connie and the baby and leave town.

Gaby should be horrified at what Franco did to Humberto. Like him or not, he IS your grandfather!

Gaby is being willfully blind to Franco's misdeeds. There was NO reason Franco should've been in Julia's bedroom.

Eladio will find out Arturo is the one who told Julia because either David or Regina will mention Arturo telling them in the hospital that Eladio was hiding the truth.

Caridad is very impulsive & this is what's gotten her in trouble over the years. I think Julia will listen to Caridad's story but it won't be any time soon.

Gaby's time for feeling betrayed will come when she finds out about Marintia & Franco Jr.
 

Mena- Thing is that Colunga doesn't have a tattoo. The writers gave him one, then seemed really uncertain about what to do with it. They also gave Caridad a prominent tattoo (it's not the actress's) and did nothing with it. I feel like they had some kind of tattoo story in mind, then dropped it.

As for the actors who really do have tattoos, I guess it depends on the role. Period piece, and they would need to be covered up. Otherwise, the makeup people seem to let them show (at least on the men-- Ponce, de la Fuente, Jose Ron). When a character is supposed to be a straight-laced, Type A type, it always makes me wonder why they would have tattoos-- like Jose Ron's current character on Muchacha Italiana. But for the most part, it doesn't bug me.
 

Vivi DC - Really?!! I am surprised that they added that - how unusual and how much work that adds to maintain it with no clear purpose! It is HUGE and the tattoo theme seems disconnected. I would maybe expect this tattoo on Levy as a ship captain. Haven't seen Caridad's tattoo ..

I always say the tattoo depends on the person.

How interesting.
Mena
 

Caridad's looks like a dream catcher, and it's on the inner arm of her left arm. They haven't given any reason why she has it yet.
 

I hope Franco's fall will be precipitated by one of the women in his life:
His mother ... who remains stubbornly blind to his faults, will finally open her eyes and see him for what he is. Maybe she finds out through inadvertent eavesdropping that he is responsible for Erick's accident and while arguing with him about whether he should turn himself in ('cause he's such a good person, dontcha know), one of the Montenegros will hear THAT (Daniela? Since she's a GLA employee and may be around) and really turn him in.
His Wife ... who truly believes he's a good guy (Really, though?) ... will overhear him on the phone with the skank baby momma and put two and two together and finally come up with ... three and-a-half! But she'll START to get suspicious and kick him to the curb again, at which point he'll do something beyond stupid that will put his neck in a noose.
OR ....
His amante and baby mama ... who, tired of hiding with her little package, will proudly and triumphantly glide into a board meeting (which now includes Julia, David and Gabriela as accionistas - Gabriela through her marriage to Franco) with her precious surprise and declare, "I'm baaaaack!"
 

-- Anita et al.: Thank you so much for the chuckles! Now I want to see La Tempestad! I hate to admit it but I could use some Mejía nonsense in my TN viewing right now. I've watched many good productions of late that got me more emotionally involved than I should! A good old Mejía unintentional comedy will make me snap right out of it. I copied and saved Vivi's effusive homage to the wet white pants (Bravo!) for when a hunk in wet white pants situation presents itself! Always have your seduction instruments ready, I say! :D

-- JudyB: You're welcome, dear! I danced quite a bit to that one, as well as to "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H5I6y1Qvz0) and "Laura" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-0d3cjgfLg), also by the Scissor Sisters. Very catchy little ditties! :)


 

-- Variopinta: When Eladio explained the significance of his tattoo to Julia about 15 episodes ago (it was either MX #69 or #70), I got an ominous vibe that Eladio might turn out to be the tragic anti-hero of this sad tale of love, loss, betrayal and shattered hopes. During that scene, Julia told him that she's attracted to all these new facets she's discovering in him, including his tattoo which she used to dislike. That's when he revealed to her that his tattoo was actually dedicated to her. It was a sacred promise to love her forever, a way for him to mark himself as hers so he can find her in the afterlife. It was a moving scene and it explained why Eladio wouldn't let Montserrat touch his tattoo; all he would tell her was that the tattoo was sacred and that its meaning was none of her business. This also explains why during the first love scene of Julia and Eladio in the study (way at the beginning, before Episode 10), he instinctively stopped her hand before Julia could touch his tattoo. It was a reflex he developped with his mistresses and/or the ladies who used to sell him their favors: they could have his body but that tattoed area marked his heart as Julia's property. That's my understanding of this whole tattoo business anyway.

Basically, going back to the scene where the meaning of the tattoo was explained, Eladio's talk about eternal love, about loving Julia in this life or the next one and about locating each other in the afterlife gave me this sensation that Eladio might not be with us all the way through the Gran Final! There has been other instances where Eladio said he can't live without Julia, that she's life to him, that he would die without her, etc. but I didn't start paying close attention to these statements until after the tattoo significance scene. I may be way off in my assessment but I can't shake this morbid vibe I get about this character.
 

Judy,

"...the Big Change is on its way."

My reaction was was exactly the same as Susanlynn's... Yikes!

You have such a way of putting things.

UA,

"Nina's suggestion of Assmore as godfather came originally from Daniela..."

Are you sure about that? When Nina brought the prospect of him being the godfather, she told her that it had occurred to her that he might be a good choice and Dani seemed surprised and asked , "Ashmore?" I actually hope that you are right because I can't imagine why she would even think of him as viable choice. That's why I thought a scene setting it up must have been cut. It's a sad commentary on their circle of friends if he's the best she could come up with. Besides, I don't think that Coni has even met him.

Carlos
 

Carlos,
The closest thing to a setup for the scene came on Friday. After Nina and Dani admire the internet scandal that Dani has planted, they discuss the baby's godparents:

"Daniela has to be the godmother, of course, even if she ends up sharing the honor with Regina. But under no circumstances will Miguel or David be his godfather. They'll have to pick someone else..."

So the main thing is that Ashmore is NOT Miguel and NOT David. Apparently Agustín can't be relied upon as a puppet. And I don't recall anyone mentioning Ashmore as a possible godfather until Nina herself suggested it to Dani in Tuesday's episode.
 

Better yet, not Assman, but AssHole!!!!!
 

-- Lily: Just like you, I got nobody in my life to discuss TNs with, so the Patio is a great place to hang out, play and learn. :)
I've no idea what Franco plans to do with that letter. To be honest, I was more surprised with the fact that Julia would still be keeping letters from Arturo. This protagonista is so tonta, she should be the proTONTAnista!

-- Mena: That shifting tattoo is a fake. It's the reason we haven't gotten a single shower scene of Eladio. #DamnYouJuliaAndYourLoveTattoo

-- Niecie: What truly puzzles me is that Arturo would keep Ashmore this close to his family. Didn't Arturo betray Ashmore after they both cheated Eladio out of the deal of the hidroeléctricas? Arturo screws Ashmore so Ashmore screws Arturo's daughter. That's fair enough.

-- Anon207: "Gaby should be horrified at what Franco did to Humberto. Like him or not, he IS your grandfather!" and he IS an old disabled man! I couldn't agree more! I feel uncomfortable when they get physical with him. Like Chris Rock said in one of his stand-ups: "There's a reason to hit everybody. Just don't do it.(...) there's a reason to kick an old man down a flight of stairs. Just don't do it. Ain't nobody above an ass-whoopin'!" Ever since we got introduced to Humberto, I think he's the old man Chris was talking about! :D

-- Susanlynn: I forgot to mention that one of my favorite Carayisms is a creation of yours: Bunnyhopping! Thank you :)
 

Arturo is an idiot, he wont think of allowing David to be Godfather, but he knows better than everyone what a con artist Ass_ole is. How COULD he go along with that? Does he really want him to be his nieto's role model or even raise him if something happens to Connie? Remember you cant count on anybody in family being around or alive. I can see Ass stealing the baby's inheritance IF he could.
 

Dear gringo, nina, Lily, Mena, Niecie and Anon207,

Thank you very much for your comments!

gringo, you're right! This one is really inspiring people to come forward with some great comments. It does liven up the joint.

Lily, it's especially nice to see you around again. (I particularly notice because you have my favorite name in the world, one that my daughter shares.)

I would speculate that Franco plans to egg on Eladio by showing him Arturo's letter to Julia. grrrrrrr.

Niecie,
"But the good news is Dani's too preoccupied with her new squeeze to bug David and Regina."
Good. I like that kind of glass-half-full thinking.

I think we haven't been given any reason to believe that Franco "loves" Gaby except for they symmetry between his situation and Eladio's earlier one with Julia.
 

NovelaMaven,

"I don't recall anyone mentioning Ashmore as a possible godfather until Nina herself suggested it to Dani in Tuesday's episode."

That's how I remember it. Usually Nina is more level-headed.

Carlos
 

-- Nina: "Stupid is what stupid does." Love this expression. Learnt it first here on Caray Caray! :)

Early day tomorrow so I'd better turn in. Good night, everyone. Thanks for the recap, the discussion and the laughs! You're the best! :)
 

Since we've been discussing tattoos, I feel compelled to share what I feel are the best couple's tattoos ever (in my opinion) in a TN. Rolu & Ximena in Un Gancho al Corazón. Judy and Vivi will remember.

Carlos
 

Godparents? Does the baby have to have godparents? I never had them and have never known anyone that has them. The baby will do just fine without two more names on an official document? Is this a mandatory thing in Mexico?

the gringo
 

One last thing,

-- Vivi and Mena: Regarding Caridad's tattoo, it looks to me like a religious one because it has a prominent cross. I have a Coptic friend who has a smaller tattoo with a cross in the same place as Caridad. He told me that in Egypt a significant proportion of Copts get that tattoo as a proclamation of faith. Maybe Caridad got a closer to God during her prison term and her tattoo was a sign of redemption for the sins of adultery and murder that she committed prior to being jailed?

Buenas noches!
 

Besides Eladio & Caridad getting tattoos, who else has one ?
 

Anon: You & I maybe onto something regarding Dani suffering a possible fatal drug overdose!

She's already on a downward spiral from the get-go!
 

About Caridad's tattoo:

http://uvideos.com/novelas/pasion-y-poder/conoce-el-significado-del-tatuaje-de-caridad

In this little video, the actress talks about her character's tattoo. She says the cross represents the faith she maintained while she was in prison; and the dreamcatcher "captures nightmares and demons – all those things that I imagine happen in prison."

I took a screen shot of the tattoo from this video and put it at the end of the recap. It's a little blurry, but I think you can make it out.
 

Nandicta..Thanks for the background info on the big tattoo . Yikes..It is so that Julia can locate Eladio in the Great Beyond after The Big Change. Gee. Does that mean that there will be sooo many hot guys that look just like E.that Julia will not be able to find him unless she spies that tattoo ? Who knew.?

Judyb...If that is true, The Big Change might not be something to dread afterall.
 

Nandicta..Oh...bunnyhopping...I am not sure if I coined that or stole it. I do remember it as an alternative to the term "horizontal mambo."I think that our blogmom Melinama\Jane introduced me to the term " boink."

Novelamaven..We have a Lily in our family, too. I shared with her that the name Susan means "a lily."
 

NovelaMaven- Well, who knew Uni had actually bothered to post something about Caridad's tattoos! Thanks for sleuthing. All that significance, and yet not a peep from any of our characters about it. Huh!
 

Ah, the Big Change leading to a lot of hunky men. Sure beats the other version of a thousand virgins (or is it a hundred?) Well, no matter.

And Carlos, watching our adorable Ximena and Rolu in action makes me want to see Gancho all over again. What a great comedy that was.
 

Carlos- Ximena and Rolu were the best tn tattoo storyline by far. One of my favorite tn couples. :)
 

Carlos...I know how much you loved that show and Ximena is one of your favorite telenovias.

Hey, Judyb...Think positively...maybe after The Big Change, The Great Beyond will be filled with a lot of hunky men ...who are virgins. ...the good die young, no? #glasshalffull
 

#itcouldhappen
 

Hmmmm...do you want virgins or highly skilled, sensitive, romantic, experienced hunky men, Susanlynn? Inquiring minds want to know.
 

Daniela had six months of David and Regina not being in DF and she finally has a job she has to take somewhat seriously but now that they're back I think we can count on her causing the usual trouble.

Fooling around with Assmore will cause so many problems that it boggles the mind:

-- Conflict of interest because she's working for the enemy
-- Complications between Assmore and Arturo that could hurt GM and/or lead to violence
-- Scandal potential
-- Danger if either she or Assmore has a bad substance experience.
 

-- Susanlynn & Judy: Definitely highly skilled! They need to know their way around the horizontal dance floor!
 

Thank you so much for the laughs! Vivi with that excellent haiku and Nandicta you just made me snort with your 72 versions of Cristian de la Fuente! I love it and couldn't agree more! When Amor Bravio was on I would dream about Cristian! LOL And yes "proTONTAnista!" indeed, I didn't even think about how stupid it is for Julia to have Arturo's letters in her nightstand!


Thank you NovelaMaven for the sweet words, I've been around since at least AB and I can't stay away too long so you'll continue to see me here every so often :)
 

-- Lily: Aaaaah Amor Bravío! What a novela! I'm gonna go watch that scene where Daniel is swimming in his boxers and playing with that adorable dog. We need to write haikus and odes to the Wet Blue Boxers...

Ahora sí me tengo que retirar! Nighty night! (Hopefully, Cris de la Fuente will visit my dreams tonight.)
 

Splendid recap NM, Muchísimas gracias!

So am I to infer that Assmore slept w/Dani? Did I miss something? Admittedly my DVR cut off the last 3 mins of the previous nights ep. If so, what is that girl thinking? I find the two completely entertaining, but oh my..Arturo is going to lose his effing mind over this!

My SG *snap-snap* owned last nights episode, front to back. What a scene; I loved Julia reading Caridad for filth. I think it was unreasonable for Julia to expect that Eladio could live without any sort of physical relationship if she wasn't interested. Caridad didn't take the vows, Eladio did but I fault Caridad for creating this horrible situation. Eladio didn't want a kid with her, she knew the score but she thought a baby would be her ace. Notice she didn't deny it. She needs to cool it with her pressuring of Eladio. Franco may not have gotten the Gomez-Luna name but he got a hell of a lot better than David while growing up. Caridad needs to shut her nagging pie hole. She's wearing my nerves.

Franco is one slimy punk. At some point all his scheming is going to blow up in his face; but before he does I just have one request: Franco please throw Hummy down the stairs! I won't be mad at you ;-)

I'm glad Consuelo is standing up a bit to Arturo/Nina. They are seriously overstepping. Naming the baby and picking padrinos. WTF? Girl needs some space....and can she get out of that bed already? One baby...Consuelo..you delivered one baby and he already looks like he's going to be rolling over by the time you get your hiney up out of that bed. *sigh*


 

I don't think they've boinked yet. This novela doesn't shy away from that and this would be too important a plot point to leave out.

Nina won't like this either. It has too much potential for trouble. Arturo only caved about the godparent thing to not start another argument with Nina knowing she is going to try to take him to the cleaners.

Which Julia should do to Eladio. She said before his alleged change that she didn't care if he fooled around as long as he was discreet. A bastard child kind of violates that, especially if she is tricked into raising him. Any divorce attorney would salivate over a case like this.
 

I agree that Julia has a strong case for a divorce and to wipe Eladio out. Still I have hope in my favorite couple that they will work this out. What Eladio did was so wrong, and it's huge and for many unforgivable. I see Julia as someone who will take some time to sort it out, see the Eladio in front of her now, the one who is going to therapy, making great strides. I'm hoping she will look at what he is doing right instead of all he has done wrong.

Ultimately I want her wrath put squarely on Arturo. Arturo didn't stop to think at all about how this would hurt her, he also didn't think about using her father in something that would destroy Julia. Imagine her pain when she realizes it was her father who set all this in motion, with Arturo all to happy to use it and reward her father with money.
 

Judyb.... Well, virgins can be romantic and sensitive...and verra, verra eager to please I might add. Skills can be learned . Besides, you could stop bad habits before they start. In addition, they we are talking virgins, not monks, aye. I am just saying that I never read or heard that those promised virgins in The Great Beyond are..female, right? Girl power, judyb.
 

Arturo & Augie better start digging up dirt on Purple Lips because she's got multiple layers of secrets!

Starting to think Clara could be Purple Lips' daughter!
 

Nandicta, that phrase "Stupid is what stupid does" is something forest gump said in the
Movie "Forest gump", Tom Hanks played that character. I don't know what the reason was for him saying it in the movie but he was talking to someone or his mother was talking to him. Anyway it was a phrase that caught on for a while here in the US.
 

Steve, it's been suggested by others on here that indeed Clara could be related to someone and Nina was at the top of the list. I would love for them to flesh out Nina's background more and for Clara to decide she wants to look for her mother. What a delicious turn of events if the two are mother/daughter.
 

Vivi,
From Wednesday's episode, it's clear that you are right about what Gaby told Franco: she still doesn't know that Caridad is his mother; she told him that Eladio told David the "truth" and left to look for his mother. Thank you!

And delayed thanks to Novella Lover and Delilah for your comments!