Caray, Caray!

Eva. I wonder if they're doing some paring of Eva episodes, since it would appear that unlike the others, it doesn't get a 2- or 3-hour finale.
 

Thank you, Juanita. I'm looking forward to giving Silvana sin Lana a try. If anyone will be recapping this, please know How much I will appreciate you!!! ! I'll be out of town until August 1, so will have to catch up when I return. ��
 

Span Prof: My bold prediction on "Esclava": I do NOT see a happy ending at all!


 

Eva. In fact, I notice that the telemundo site for Eva hasn't posted an Avance exclusivo for episode 114 yet. I wonder if that's because everyone involved with showing this novela is frantically editing to squeeze all the rest into 5 days. Hmmm.... :)
 

General

Telemundo has been pretty bad at updating their website with the correct program guide and avance videos, but at least for Esclava Blanca, they've been actively updating Facebook and Twitter.
 

I'll be DVR'ing "Esclava" on Friday night!
 

Eva

I'm back. I'll have a recap up in an hour or so.
 

General. Welcome back, novelera! I reust you enjoyed the wedding!
 

trust
 

General

The wedding was a blast. I was apparently a hit with the 20-something guests and was voted "Cool Grandma". I danced with all of them!
 

EVA – LUNES – Parte 1 de 2

That lovely couple, Robert and Cinthia Monteverde have a charming marital encounter in the police station. Robert is volcanic when he finds out Cinthia is testifying against him. She tells him there’s no way out; she already told them everything: stealing Luis from his mother, trying to rob Pancho and then arranging his murder. He calls her an ugly hyena, but actually admits what he did by saying she was on board for all of it.

At the new Casa Furias a celebration is underway after the simple wedding of Enrique and Virginia. Eva shows up angry because she realizes they drugged her. They apparently got her out of the house by saying rats were spotted. Eva, of course, is not afraid of rats but Fabiola is.

As they are taking Robert away, he curses Soraya. She gives him a resounding slap.

[Looks like they’re cutting something, as the next scene shows Eva half in the know about what happened.] She is astonished there was gunfire in her house with Marlene and Rebeca. Virginia tells her that The Scorpion herself and Rebeca acribillaron la cama (riddled the bed with bullets) thinking Eva was in it. Eva asks how they knew they’d come. Evencio replies that it was Pablo’s police nose that knew what would happen. Eva pretends to be sad that she wasn’t invited to the wedding but then gives a big smile and hugs. The champagne cork pops!

Pablo calls Virginia to ask about Eva and finds out she’s gone to the hospital to see the now suicidal Armando.

Said Armando is drowning in self-pity. He tells Eva he only wants them to be a family agin. He tries laying a big guilt trip on her. Pablo watches from the doorway while he tries to work on her. He tellsher he lost his business, his money, his children and, worst of all, her. Eva tells him he’ll always be the father of her children and that they had 20 years together, many of them good ones. But he’s told her too many lies, deceived her too many times, and done terrible damage. She tells him not to expect anything from her but solidarity.

Pablo apparently suffers from early-onset deafness because outside his room he tells Eva she looked comfortable in Armando’s arms. He tells her that he saw a scene of reconciliation. Yikes, these two!

We get to see the satisfying sight of Robert Monteverde arriving at the state prison. He has to be forced behind the fence while 4 or 5 orange jumpsuited guys look on.

Pablo then tells Eva she’ll have to be guarded 24 hours a day. He suggests using Armando as bait for Marlene, but Eva doesn’t like this idea.

In Armando’s room Fajardo ticks off a list of crimes, and Armando denies everything. Eva has come to look on and he swears to her that he didn’t do any of those things. [What’s up with his eye patch? He got shot in the stomach.] Ourside his room Fajardo, frustrated, tells Pablo that they have absolutely no proof he was involved in what Marlene did.
 

EVA – LUNES – Parte 2 de 2

Pablo gets a bright idea. He says that probably the letter left at the police station by Elsa would incriminate Armando. [But the Jerk Captain has it.]

Marisol is studying her calendar. We know what that means, don’t we, boys and girls? When she tells JJ, he doesn’t look immediately pleased. But this is probably a red herring.

Ana comes into the hospital waiting room and Pablo notices something different about her. He can tell she’s in love.

Enrique feels badly having moved Virginia from the mansion to his humble home. Of course she tells him she’s happy to be there.

Armando has his operation, but his legs still don’t work.

Soraya grills Eva about being so solicitous of Armando. She asks if Eva is still in love with him. Soraya gets her back up and lists all of the things Armando did to Eva. Eva walks off after saying Soraya has no right to meddle in her life.

Eva goes to the chapel and the pop-up priest comes to see her. When Eva tells him that her best friend made her angry, he says that that is what our friends do – tell us those uncomfortable truths. She tells him she doesn’t want to forgive a man who did so many bad things to her, but seeing him so defenseless and sad, she can’t hate him any more. The priest: “Then you already have forgiven him and are furious with yourself for having done so.” He tells her: El corazón tiene razones que la razón desconoce. He tells her to trust her heart.

Armando has a meltdown after not feeling the doctor’s pinpricks. He scares Fabiola. Later Adriana gets her mother to agree to bring Armando home to the mansion. When he is told this, Armando’s smile is full of hope.
 

Eva

Quite a few typos in there, but I'm tired!
 

Eva

welcome back novelera, I've missed your wonderful recaps!

no one's talking on the eye patch, I went back and rewatched the episode, when he was shot he slowly turned and came down on an end table, then on the floor with a gash on his forehead above that eye, (hope he didn't hurt it for real).

I think when Fajardo ticked off the crimes he mentioned Elsa and Javier as missing, what?, they didn't have a shovel so they just covered Elsa up with sticks and leaves and no one has found her body yet?

I thought I heard Adri's plan as Armando would stay with Eva only until Luis/Adri's house is ready, still a bad idea, Eva should move in with Soraya while he's there.

 

Deb: The good guys winning lately.

 

Eva

Welcome back, novelera! You were much missed. The wedding sounds like great fun, Cool Grandma.

And what a great recap to mark your return! It helped me understand a couple of things I missed (e.g., what they told Eva to get her to move), and I much appreciated the Spanish, esp. acribillaron la cama.

And, of course, I loved your great tongue-in-cheek descriptions, esp. Pablo's "early-onset deafness" and the appearance of the "pop-up priest." Perfect! Like you, I was puzzled/surprised that Pablo thought the scene between Eva and Armando was a reconciliation. He was certainly close enough to hear what they said to each other. So your medical diagnosis seems very much on target. I might also add that as soon as I saw Eva give Armando an embrace, I was absolutely certain that Pablo would appear. He pops up even more often than the priest. Indeed, many of the characters seem afflicted with the pop-up malady.

I'm puzzled again by the justice system we see. As far as I know, Robert has not yet even had a trial, but he's nonetheless carted off to the State Prison rather than just held in the local jail. Of course, I loved the scene, but still.... Oh well, the novela has its reasons, which reason does not know.
 

Eva. Cool Grandma! How wonderful! Again, welcome back, novelera. I missed your sly verbal humor and your sense of irony. Wonderful recap, as expected! Deb has it right on about Armando's eye injury, and I think it possibly could be real. I notice that the dressing has been changed to the slightly smaller "getting better but not quite there yet" stage. Loved your "charming marital encounter," and like Juanita "early-onset deafness," "pop-up priest," as well as "But the Jerk Captain has it," and "We know what that means, boys and girls." Yep, it means diapers for JJ. :) I too thought that there had probably been some cutting--maybe they initially thought that there'd be one more episode.
 

Esclava

just a reminder, I have a meeting tonight and won't be doing the recap, in case anyone wishes to fill in, thanks.

 

I'll be watching "Esclava" tonight, but won't be able to do the recap!

 

La Esclava Blanca – Monday, July 11 – Capítulo 57, part 1/2

Lorenza can sense that something bad is happening. Miguel knows it’s Victoria and tries to go running off to El Eden, but Trinidad stops him since the soldiers would certainly kill him. Lorenza tells him to trust in Victoria’s strength the way she trusts in her. They continue on their way. Later, Lorenza recognizes a path she and Tomas used to take between El Eden and the palenque.

The General and Adela drink and talk. He reveals that he had to put Gabriel in jail for helping with the escape; essentially Gabriel is dead like his brothers.

Manuela visits Gabriel in jail, still with Jesus’ blood on her hands. He apologizes for coming into her life and not being able to tell her how he feels. She’s just relieved that he’s still alive. They kiss through the bars. Isabel is standing in the background smiling and shedding a few tears and then she leaves.

The General informs Nicolas and Adela that his men will block the tunnels and search for the escaped slaves in the hills.

Eugenia is still at the General’s when he returns home. She heard about Alonso and Gabriel and will help him get through it the way he helped her with Bunme’s death.

The real Marquesa and Sor Alicia arrive in Santa Marta. They go straight to the church. Upon entering, the Padre tells them la caridad para los mendigos la hacemos por la mañana (we do charity for beggars in the morning). The Marquesa is offended of course. She tells him she is la única y verdadera Marquesa de Bracamonte.

Adela asks Victoria to take care of Nicolas because she’s exhausted. She puts on her fake sweet voice and says of course. Remedios doesn’t like what Victoria could be planning – yo no voy a permitir que te manches tus manos (I’m not going to let you get your hands dirty) - so she says they are both going to spend the night in Nicolas’ room.

The real Marquesa explains to the Padre what happened and that she wants Victoria to pay for what she’s done. She wants to talk to Nicolas right away. The Padre thinks she should rest first and get something to eat, besides it’s too dangerous to travel at night. She agrees to stay the night at the church.

The next morning, Enith follows Miguel while he’s collecting firewood. She wants to know more about Victoria. She thinks she’s only interested in saving Miguel, but he sets her straight and tells her to stop being so ungrateful.

Isabel serves breakfast to Manuela, who doesn’t want to eat. The doctor watches as Isabel convinces her to try it. He seems impressed.

A soldier reports to the General that the two soldiers sent to find the slaves failed and the slaves kept their guns.

Victoria feeds Nicolas in bed. He thinks they are más unidos que nunca (more united than ever) in spite of everything that’s happened. They are made for each other and she has shown him that she is with him in both good times and bad. He knows that she loves him. Adela gets annoyed listening to this so she interrupts saying she needs to talk to Nicolas.

Adela’s worried about how they’re going to keep their lifestyle with no one to serve them in the house or work in the fields. He has a plan. Qué te parecería ser la madre del nuevo gobernador (how would you like to be the mother of the new governor)? It’s a well-paid job with prebendas (privileges) and I would have el poder suficiente para acabar con todos los que me fallaron (enough power to finish off everyone who’s failed me). Adela thinks he’s a little crazy; he knows the General is the governor. Well, Nicolas continues, we’ll just have to take advantage of his ineptitude lately...

The General tells Eugenia he has to go sacar a esos animales de donde esten metidos (get those animals out from where they put themselves) by himself. She wonders if he wants to sacarlos o matarlos (get them out or kill them). He seems full of rage. She’s upset about the way he’s talking; she thought he was different from everyone else. He thought he was too, but they were both wrong. He needs to uphold the law even if it’s through blood and fire.
 

La Esclava Blanca – Monday, July 11 – Capítulo 57, part 2/2

Lorenza and Miguel find a safe place for everyone to stay. They’ll rest up and start on their plan. Miguel explains they will go after the landowners now they are weak without their slaves. Los perseguidores ahora son perseguidos (the hunters are now the hunted).

The Padre stalls again after the Marquesa says she’s ready to go to El Eden. He claims he’s afraid that Victoria will escape because she’s very intelligent and they shouldn’t create a scandal. They need to talk to someone else first.

Victoria doesn’t know how to get Tomas out of El Eden. Remedios reminds her to take advantage of being the Marquesa. Adela interrupts to ask if they want to go to church with her. Victoria declines; her priority is Nicolas.

The Padre catches Adela before she leaves the church and takes her to meet the real Marquesa with the ridiculously long name.

The doctor asks Isabel how she learned her medical knowledge. Reading books, she replies, and paying close attention when Dr. Lopez attended to her when she was supposedly sick. He offers her a job as his assistant. She happily accepts.

Adela’s about to have a heart attack. She always knew something was off with Victoria. How did this happen? Who is the woman in my house? The real Marquesa explains about the second letter, canceling the wedding. Your son married a simple servant, she informs Adela.

Victoria worries about Tomas. Remedios wonders what will happen if he... well, she saw him; he lost an eye and he’s very weak. Victoria can only hope that he gets better. There are too many soldiers around the house to do anything, but they will think of something.

Victoria asks Nicolas to get rid of the guards. They could be helping the General find the escaped slaves. Besides they need to get back to normal and they can’t do that with guards everywhere. He agrees but the soldiers are his mother’s thing; she’s nervous. She says together they will build El Eden back up and they can’t be afraid. Nicolas is grateful that she’s so strong. Without her, he’d be dead. Even his daughter abandoned him. But she will always be with him, won’t she? Yes, she replies.

Adela does not want to denounce Victoria right away. She wants her son to decide what to do and how to punish her, in public of course. Sor Alicia thinks they should let Victoria explain why she did it. Maybe she had other motives besides wanting money or jewels like the real Marquesa had assumed. The real Marquesa will tell everyone about the farsante (fraud) if Nicolas doesn’t do something about it very soon. Adela promises he will.

In the jungle, everyone is busy building shelters. Miguel reminds them they have to keep moving so the soldiers won’t catch on to where they are. Trinidad announces that there are several soldiers in the hills and how are they going to defend themselves with only two guns?

Remedios gives Tomas something to drink. She leaves so Milagros can talk to her father. He wants to give up. He can’t take the pain anymore. He wants her and Victoria to run away and leave him behind.

The slaves are able to ambush the soldiers and the General. They grab all of their guns and lead them away.

Julian is surprised to see Milagros. She tells him what happened.

The General is tied up. He thinks they want to exchange him for slaves. Miguel just wants him to deliver a message to the landowners. They want their freedom and to be paid for their work. The landowners are nothing without them, after all. They need to negotiate with the slaves or there will never be peace in the region, Miguel threatens.

Adela tries to get Victoria to talk about her family in Spain. She says they should invite them to come visit. Victoria responds that her mother is not well and her sister doesn’t like to travel. She changes the subject. She doesn’t think they need as many soldiers. Adela agrees, ya pasó el peligro (the danger has passed). Victoria, Remedios, and Milagros still all exchange worried looks.
 

ESCLAVA:

Thank you so much, J. This was another nail biter. I don't know if I can watch what Nicolas will do when he finds out that Victoria is a fraud and who she really is. I know he won't like the real Marquesa at all. Not at all like his young, beautiful current wife.

I thought Isabel handled seeing how deeply Manuela and Gabriel feel for each other very maturely, and then being so caring with Manuela. Very glad the doctor has taken her on as an apprentice.

Victoria, Rem and Milagros definitely picked up on Adela's smug attitude. She was like the cat who ate the canary, she could barely suppress a smile. She's just waiting to pounce on Victoria.

The General getting all huffy with the escapees and calling them ingrates and traitors is just too much. Dude, you've enslaved them against their will and tried to break their spirits and bodies! What loyalty do they owe?!
 

Esclava

Many thanks, J, for yet another extraordinary recap. I watched last night's episode, but I think I enjoyed it more reading your account.
 

Esclava

wonderful recap J!

interesting twist that Nicolas wants to be Governor, and he'll take down the General to do it.

the Padre seems to have a plan, not sure what it is, I'm guessing he doesn't want to be exposed for saving Victoria, he also knows Nicolas will kill him if it comes out he was the one that had Victoria's parents killed and thought Victoria had been too.

Sor Alicia also knows about Victoria and was almost her friend, can we say, and knew why she wanted to return to America, yes we need to hear Victoria's side.

I also liked Miguel's stance, to stand and fight, it really took the General by surprise, as well as his proposition to abolish slavery, like is being done elsewhere.

 

Esclava

Thanks so much, J. Excellent recap! You got every detail.

I’m wondering what punishment the writers have in store for Adela. She’s never liked Victoria and is gloating about her downfall. I think she would have preferred the real Marquesa for a daughter-in-law because she’s too jealous of her son having strong feelings for anyone except her. I don’t think she really sensed Victoria hiding something as much as jealousy and realizing that Victoria wasn’t going to be dominated by her.

It looks like they’re going with Tomás dying. I didn’t get much hope for his survival from last night’s episode. What a noble character he has been!

I’m also pleased that Isabel has found work. She firmly said she didn’t want a penny of her father’s tainted money. And the writers came up with a neat way for her to be self-sufficient.

This didn’t happen last night, but I’ll mention it now. I was on vacation last week and binge watched the two novelas over the weekend. I have never been so happy to see someone choked to death as Francisco the evil wife-beater.

Vivi, I was thinking the exact same thing! How blind can that General be to think slaves should be grateful for their servitude? And calling them traitors…please.

I agree that Nicolás is not going to like his new wife. I don’t know how it would go, but he likely can get an annulment from the church because Victoria lied about who she is. But I can’t see him eager to bed the real Lucía!

I can't tell. Is Enith interested in Miguel and thus jealous of Victoria or is she like Trinidad, very suspicious of any white person?
 

Esclava Blanca

I should be able to do the recap for tonight's episode.

I am really annoyed at how the General is acting/talking now. Such a disappointment.

I also can't tell if Enith is jealous of Victoria or just angry like Trinidad.

I really hope Tomas doesn't die! I'm still holding out for a happy ending.
 

Esclava

nice to hear your comments on this one novelera,

and thanks for tonight J.

I'm hoping Tomas lives (I haven't seen any promos) if only for Lorenza, who I think can cook up so mighty big mojo, plus he has been the 'rock', and he so deserves his freedom, which he has already paid for, many times over.

(I am so glad Nicolas didn't go after Milagros to get him to talk)

I'm all for Tomas and Lorenza reining over Eden!

I think that Enith is jealous, but that bomb has already been dropped, now I think she doesn't understand where Victoria is coming from, and why is everyone trusting that white woman and not her (Enith).

 

Esclava: Nicolas & his mother need to BURN IN H**** for what they did tonight.

I'm not spoiling the surprise!
 

Eva

I'll have the recap of tonight's episode up tomorrow morning.
 

Esclava: The evil never ends with Nicolas & his mother.

Sor. Alicia being brutally murdered by Nicolas INSIDE THE CHURCH: Ugh!
 

EVA LA TRAILERA - MARTES - Parte 1 de 3

Armando is delighted that Eva has agreed to bring him home to her house. Eva tries to make it very clear to him that it wasn't her idea, it was her daughters'. Armando points out that she agreed to it.

Marisol keeps asking JJ to forgive her for becoming pregnant. She doesn't know whether her birth control pills failed or something else was to blame, but she didn't do it on purpose. She tells him that if he doesn't want her to have it....JJ interrupts, asking why she thinks he doesn't want the baby. He tells her that he's thrilled to be a father, and proposes that they open the champagne and celebrate.

Martin breaks the news to Pablo that Armando is going to be living in Eva's house. Pablo is not pleased. [I nominate this sentence for understatement of the month.]

The next day, Armando comes home to Eva's. Apparently the move cured whatever problem he had with his eye. He's no longer wearing an eye patch. He asks Eva to forgive him for all the stupidities (disparates) that he has committed. She points out to him that they weren't just stupidities, some were very serious matters.

Pablo comes to see Eva. "Are you crazy?" he asks her. "Montes is an assassin." Eva points out that he brought Betty to live with him when she was pregnant. Their ensuing argument about whether the two cases are similar is interrupted by a phone call from an unknown number. The number may be unknown, but the voice is unmistakeable. It's Marlene, telling Eva she knows that Armando is living with her, and no matter what, she's going to kill Eva and Armando. Eva puts the phone on speaker, so Pablo hears it as well. Eva comments that Marlene is stark raving mad (está loca de remate). Pablo and Viewerville agree.

The Monteverdes' trial has begun. When asked how they plead, Cinthia responds "Guilty" while Robert claims to be "Innocent." The judge finds this perplexing, since both are charged in the case. The defense lawyer says that under the circumstances she would prefer to defend just one client. The judge calls for the trial to be postponed (aplazada) so that a new lawyer can be found for Cinthia.

Fabi is very happy that Armando is now living with them, and that they're all together, like before. He's lying in bed, and she asks him why he doesn't move his legs. He tells her he can't feel them. She decides to tickle his feet. He tells her to stop, and when she doesn't, he becomes enraged. His anger scares her, and she leaves to find her mother. He calls after her, clearly unhappy that he has frightened her.

This episode has only one brief SweetFace sighting. The doctora is in the hospital holding a newborn baby and looking lovingly at it. Rey comes to the window of the neonatal section, and they wave to each other. [It seems a bit strange to have included just this tiny scene. My guess is that we might find more on the cutting room floor.]

Pablo, JJ, and Fajardo come to Eva's to report that Marlene's phone call came from Mexico. "Since she's in Mexico, you don't have to worry," Fajardo assures Eva. Pablo, however, is certain that the Palacios won't stay in Mexico for long. Not finding a better moment, JJ announces that he and Marisol are expecting a baby. He's very proud and excited, and everyone congratulates him. Suddenly they hear Armando call for help. He has fallen out of bed. The three guys help lift him back onto the bed. When he sees Pablo, Armando is furious and orders him out of the house. [I guess he's forgotten that he's no longer the owner.] Armando phones Evencio and tells him it's urgent that they talk tonight. Evencio agrees to come by.
 

EVA LA TRAILERA - MARTES - Parte 2 de 3

Pablo tries again to get the police jefe to restore his permission to carry a gun. He tells the jefe that Marlene has called Eva and has threatened to kill both her and Armando. He adds, "I will kill her with or without permission to carry a gun." The discussion becomes more tense, with the jefe telling Pablo that he could detain him. At that point, Martin pleads with the jefe, calling him by his first name and reminding him that the two of them have been very close for years, "almost brothers." The jefe finally caves and gives Pablo formal permission to carry a gun.

At Eva's, Virginia points out that they need to get Soler y Hijas better organized if they're going to be able to handle all their new clients. She then fears that this may not have been a very diplomatic thing to say in front of Armando. Armando tells her not to worry, he's not annoyed, and what she said is right. Moreover, he suggests they think about moving Soler y Hijas to Mon-Sol's no-longer-used offices. Eva clearly has reservations, but Virginia, Camila, and the others convince her that Armando's idea is a good one.

Evencio comes to see Armando. Armando asks for his help. At this point, we don't know what Armando has asked of Evencio, but Evencio tells him he doesn't want to do it. He tells Armando that he's going to have to learn to live with his disability and to learn to be humble. Armando then lets him in on a secret. He demonstrates that he can move his toes. The operation was a success! Armando tells Evencio that Eva and the girls don't know this, although Fabi almost discovered it when she was trying to tickle him. [No wonder he was so upset with her.] He doesn't want anyone to know, because if they knew, they'd throw him out on the street, and the police would put him in jail. "I have to protect my family from Marlene," he tells Evencio. "Can I count on you?"

Cinthia must have a new lawyer, because the trial has resumed. Pablo testifies about how Marisol, JJ, Fajardo, and Soraya put together the evidence identifying the red truck, the drivers, and the ties to the Palacios.

Evencio brings Armando what he apparently asked for: a nasty-looking rifle and a pistol. "Did you also bring the crutches?" (muletas), Armando asks. Evencio goes to get them from the car. He returns, walking normally and carrying them. Noemi asks what's with the crutches. Oops. Evencio quickly starts to use them, telling Noemi that he twisted his ankle and the crutches help him walk more easily. [I'm not sure whether Noemi sees through this and will then mention it to Eva. Hard to say, since there are only two days left.]

Fajardo, testifying for the prosecution, describes four links between the Mogollons and the Monteverdes: 1) the Mogollon house was covered (sembrada) with hidden cameras, and they had Andy's fingerprints on them; 2) Robert's attempt to commit fraud against Pancho; 3) the sabotage of PanchoPan; 4) the fact that the Mogollons were suing the Monteverdes for all the above and for stealing the Mogollons' new-born son years earlier. The Monteverdes were determined to stop the suit.

A young woman jogging in an out-of-the-way location notices an unpleasant smell. She looks around and sees a woman's shoe on the ground. She looks further, and apparently sees more. The camera showed what she saw; I couldn't make out any body parts or other strange items, but it's clear that she saw something worth reporting.

Armando tries to use the crutches and is ecstatic with the limited but encouraging results. "I'm a complete man!" he announces to Evencio. Evencio tells him he should rest, but Armando says he has no time to rest.
 

EVA LA TRAILERA - MARTES - Parte 3 de 3

At the trial, the prosecution calls Cinthia as a witness. She relates that she couldn't be a mother, but she longed for a baby. Robert bought the baby to please her. "He told me the mother was selling the baby. We went to Mexico, and it was when they put the baby into the car that I realized that Arnulfo was snatching (arrebatando) the baby." Looking at Soraya in the courtroom, Cinthia says, "I heard you screaming, I saw you crying. But I longed so much for that baby that I let them take him from your arms. Perdóname, Soraya, perdóname." Robert interrupts, angrily shouting out that Cinthia is lying and that she was fully complicit in what they did. The judge strongly cautions him to be silent. His lawyer, too, tries to quiet him down. The prosecutor asks Cinthia what happened when, years later, the Mogollons showed up as neighbors and she learned that they were the baby's true parents. Cinthia said that she wanted to take the baby and flee, but Robert convinced her that the Mogollons were imbeciles, naive nacos, and that we could defraud them. "But the imbeciles turned out to be us." The defense attorney objects that what Cinthia has said isn't relevant to the case, but the judge denies her objection.

As Cinthia is testifying, Fajardo gets a phone call and leaves the courtroom. The call informed him that the body of a woman had been found by a jogger in a remote area. The body had several bullet holes. [Elsa, at last!]

A bit later, Pablo has joined Fajardo at the police station. Fajardo has what looks like a Skype call with the chief of the homicide department in Mexico City. The two of them are on a first-name basis. The Mexican reports that the Palacios have left the hotel where they were staying and headed off toward the airport, where they presumably took a domestic flight. Pablo tells Fajardo that the Palacios are going to cross the border by land.

We then see the Palacios. It's not clear where they're staying, but Andy is about to go out, and he tells Marlene that under no circumstances should she leave. She accuses him of going out to buy drugs (tus porquerías). He admits that that's true, but he's also going to try to find a coyote to help them cross the border. "Well," she says, "make sure he's good, because I don't want to cross the border with people who smell bad (maloliente) and with nacos." Andy informs the irrepressibly snobbish Marlene that they can't travel in first class. She tells him to pay well, so that the only people with the coyote will be the two of them.

The scene shifts back to a bedroom in Eva's house. Armando is lying in bed. There's a knock at the door. Eva enters carrying a large box. Armando admits that he's in an excellent mood. She asks him how come. "Well, I'm looking at you, and I am in my house, with my family, and I'm alive." [He of course says nothing about his legs.] Eva tells him she has brought this large box of photos and other objects from Mon-Sol so he can decide which to keep and which to get rid of. He looks at one, showing Eva and him and perhaps one other person [perhaps Adri?]. "Ah, la familia Montes Soler," he says. " Those were good times. We were happy, weren't we?" "Yes," Eva says with a sad sigh. She gets up to leave and let him rest. He asks her not to leave, just stay a little while...please?
 

La Esclava Blanca - Tuesday, July 12 - Capítulo 58, part 1/3

Instead of waiting for Telemundo to upload the episode, I decided to watch the original version which has NO subtitles at all, so please correct anything I misunderstood!

Remedios notes that Adela was being too nice. Victoria doesn’t like it. She prefers when she’s una arpía (witch/hag/shrew). Speaking of the devil, she comes into the room to ask Victoria if she will take some things to Isabel the following day. Adela will take Nicolas to Santa Marta at the same time so he and Isabel can “accidentally” run into each other. Adela thanks Victoria for helping Nicolas lately. After she leaves, Remedios wonders if Adela changed after all the tragedy and was speaking sincerely. Victoria doesn’t buy it. Someone like her will never change, so they need to be attentive because something is going on.

Adela convinces Nicolas to go with her to the church in Santa Marta, but without Victoria since she’ll be with Isabel trying to repair the father/daughter relationship.

In her room, Adela asks Milagros what the girls were doing while the slaves were escaping and why Tomas didn’t tell her about it. They were at the church and then visiting Isabel. the raid on the palenque was very hard on her and her baby comes first. Adela understands what mothers do for their children. She calls Milagros different and intelligent.

Miguel tells the General they will let him go soon so he can deliver the message. Enith and Trinidad lead him away with his face covered. Lorenza wonders if the message will be delivered. Miguels says they will try other methods to show how serious they are.

Adela helps Nicolas get dressed to go to the church. He notes that she’s acting odd. She was afraid to tell him because she didn’t know how he’d react, but he did not marry a real Marquesa. The real Marquesa de Bracamonte is waiting for them in the church.

Enith asks Miguel if he’s thinking about her. Yes, and everyone still at El Eden. He walks over to Lorenza, who questions if he realizes that Enith likes him. No. In any case, he only has eyes for Victoria.

The General arrives home and starts yelling at the soldiers to go find the slaves in the hills. He receives a letter and looks scared/shocked reading it.

Isabel tells Victoria and Remedios about treating the victims of the massacre at the inn. She got a job too, which she can’t be really excited about since it happened thanks to a tragedy. Victoria is proud of her. Manuela interrupts; something is happening with Gabriel and she needs Isabel to go with her.

Fifteen years. Gabriel was sentenced to 15 years in jail, but it could have been worse. It could have been the death penalty. Isabel tries to find a positive; at least he’ll be in Santa Marta, right? No, they’re taking him to Santa Fe. Manuela can’t believe it. She holds on to him through the bars.

Remedios and Isabel try to get the General to help Gabriel, but he can’t do anything. He’s following the law. Isabel gets angry and accuses him of not wanting to help. Now the General is ticked off. He stands up and starts yelling back at her. He should have turned Gabriel in a long time ago for deserting the army but he didn’t. It was his soldiers who found out that Gabriel helped with the escape. The decisions we take in life have consequences, he screams before his coughing prevents him from saying more.

Gabriel is lead out. Manuela says she will wait for him. He doesn’t want her to waste her life. He wants her to be happy, fall in love, have a family. They kiss goodbye. Isabel, Remedios, and Victoria see him off as well. Gabriel tells the General he knows that he did what he could for him and thanks him.
 

La Esclava Blanca - Tuesday, July 12 - Capítulo 58, part 2/3

Eugenia packs her things. The General asks why. She has nothing and wants to go far away. Fate has shown here that this is not her place. He stops her at the gate. Everything has been hell lately. Alonso is dead and Gabriel is in jail. She is the only thing he has left. He needs her to stay with him. As his wife. She bursts into tears and hugs him. They kiss. I think that’s a yes.

Nicolas meets the real Marquesa. She is happy to hear that he wants to punish the fake one and denounce her for fraud. Nicolas needs to know who he married. The Marquesa tells him she’s just an orphan servant. Nicolas needs some air and walks out. He angrily hits a stone column and remembers when Victoria first arrived.

Adela tries to calm him down. She knows Victoria is at the inn with Isabel. They can get the General to arrest her and throw her in jail. Nicolas wants to know who she is and why she did this to him. The Marquesa’s explanation isn’t good enough because it doesn’t explain why Victoria behaves towards the slaves, and especially Tomas, in the way that she does.

Victoria feels awful that everything turned out badly and everything is her fault. Alonso, Jesus, Gabriel, everyone else who tried to help them with the escape. Remedios tries to be supportive. Things will still turn out fine. Victoria wants to go talk to Felipe. He’s the only one who can help now.

The Marquesa is getting impatient that no one wants to denounce the imposter. Nicolas needs to know more about her; her name, where she’s from. Sor Alicia finally starts talking. Her name is Victoria but she doesn’t remember anything else. Mentirosa (liar)! the Marquesa butts in, you told me she grew up here and was sent to Spain as a child. Nicolas looks terrified and remembers Morales telling him he never killed the girl. Sor Alicia reveals that the Padre sent her to the convent, but he pretends not to remember.

The Marquesa decides she’s going to denounce Victoria since no one else is doing it fast enough for her liking. Nicolas runs off to follow her and stop her. She doesn’t understand why; then she realizes that he must have fallen in love with the servant girl. She comments that she should have expected that from an ignorant American who couldn’t even tell the difference between a servant and duchess. Nicolas loses it and grabs her by the neck. The Padre sees this and runs out scared, but Nicolas doesn’t see him because he is too busy choking the Marquesa to death.

The Padre goes straight out of the church without saying anything. Paca sees him leave. Nicolas leaves the Marquesa’s body where it is, and returns to Adela and Sor Alicia looking for the Padre. Adela convinces him to talk to Sor Alicia, who tells them all about Victoria and her family in Colombia, Remedios being her best friend at the convent, and how she loved a boy that she wanted to save. Nicolas grabs her and demands to know who the boy was. His name was Miguel.

Victoria asks if they should go to the church to pray. Remedios reminds her they are waiting for Adela and Nicolas. Isabel is a bit angry they are coming there to take her back to El Eden. Victoria says Adela just wants her to reconcile with her father, that’s it. Isabel tells them the real reason she left: she saw her father kill Candela. She takes Victoria’s hand. I care for you and I don’t like you being with someone that you don’t really know.
 

La Esclava Blanca - Tuesday, July 12 - Capítulo 58, part 3/3

Nicolas is now grabbing Sor Alicia’s neck. No one else can find out about this. He lets her go and she tries to walk away but he grabs her again. Adela gets worried and tries to stop him, but he keeps going on about how no one can ever know the truth. No one can find out what his own son and his wife have done. He stabs Sor Alicia twice and drops her body to the ground as Adela stands behind him horrified.

Victoria gets impatient waiting for Adela and Nicolas. They decided to just leave. Isabel needs to go help the doctor anyway. She says goodbye to Victoria and Remedios, who comments that maybe someday she’ll become a doctora, if that word even exists.

Adela rocks back and forth. Qué has hecho (what have you done), Nicolas?? Nicolas keeps looking around for the Padre in the church. Adela follows him and sees the Marquesa’s body too. Nicolas almost calmly explains that he couldn’t have her reveal the truth to everyone. Adela is even more horrified and starts hitting him. He covers her mouth and explains that it’s Victoria Quintero; the Padre knew all about it; they have to find him.

The Padre finds an altar boy, Julio, in the town and asks him for a favor.

Remedios wants to go to the church to pray because she has seen so much death lately. Victoria says they don’t have time for that, but in the end she tells Remedios to go to the church while she goes off to talk to Felipe.

Still sitting next to the Marquesa’s body, Adela has calmed down. She wants to know what they’re going to do. Nicolas, in his abusive mood, says he had no option. The Marquesa made him do it. Victoria and Miguel can’t find out about any of this. Now he gets super creepy and holds his mother’s face. He needs her help; it’s just the two of them. If Victoria discovers he killed her parents and if there’s any proof, they are finished. He kisses her cheek and she holds him.

Felipe tells Victoria that he hasn’t heard from Miguel or anyone else. Paca comes in to tell them that there’s no mass because the Padre left suddenly.

Nicolas and Adela visit the General to tell him that they found two bodies in the church and the Padre has gone missing.
 

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Esclava

Wow, J, what a marvellous recap of a very gruesome episode. I'm in awe of your ability to write so well, and of your ability to understand so much without the captions. Even with the captions, I miss a lot.

One question: I'm surprised that the General is proposing to marry Eugenia. I know that this novela takes place in Colombia rather than in the US, but I'm surprised that interracial marriage might have been legal back then in a country like Colombia whose attitudes toward slaves seem to be just as cruel and prejudiced as in the US, where there were laws against interracial marriage (indeed, some states had them well into the 20th century).
 

Juanita: I had a bad feeling that Sor Alicia was going to get whacked.

What ticked me off was she was murdered in the church of all places.

Disgusting!


 

Eva. Excellent and very complete recap as usual, Juanita. I especially liked "I nominate this statement for understatement of the month." But really, Pablo isn't being fair. Where else could Armando go? I think you are right about the cutting room floor. Dang you, Martres! But I suppose that miércotres or juetres don't quite have the same ring to them. I also liked your exclamation "Elsa at last!" I actually felt a bit happy for Armando despite all the bad things he's done. JJ's reaction to Marisol's pregnancy is so sweet! I'll bet that man will adjust to changing diapers. (His fear of that should have alerted Viewerville that fatherhood was not far off.) I also thought that after he suggested champagne, he hesitated, probably because of the pregnancy, which is also sweet. I don't understand why Cinthia would be on trial. Didn't she already confess to a lesser offense? Shouldn't she have made her deal with the prosecution and be sentenced by now and only show up to testify against Robert? I noticed that the tough fiscal was the same actress who played the sweet aunt/housekeeper in Bajo el mismo cielo. And yes, it's about time someone found Elsa's body!
 

Eva

Many thanks, SpanProf, for your interesting and insightful remarks. Good point about Cinthia. Perhaps she's had so little experience dealing with the Real World that she doesn't know that she can negotiate with the police. Seems unlikely, but I can't think of any other explanation.

And yes, I too suspected a pregnancy as soon as JJ chose danger rather than change diapers. (We've probably watched too many novelas :-) )

What is the name of the actress who played the tough fiscal and the sweet aunt/housekeeper in Bajo? I looked at a cast list but couldn't find either character listed.
 

Eva. Juanita: I believe she is Eunice Nevares.
 

SpanProf: Wait a minute, Elsa was murdered ?


 

Eva. Yep, by Rebeca and Andy. But Andy forgot to bring a shovel, so they had to leave the body out under piles of leaves and dead grass. You may be thinking of a character in La esclava blanca.
 

Eva

Thanks very much, SpanProf for Eunice Nevares. It's weird: I've kept a listing of the casts of many of the telenovelas I've seen. After I saw your message, I searched that listing for "Eunice Nevares" and came up with no hits, even though both Bajo and Eva are on my listing. So then I went to IMDB, found that she has also spelled her name Navares, but that didn't produce any hits. What's even stranger is that IMDB lists five novelas that I've seen in which she has had a part. The part may have been greater in Bajo and Eva than in the other three-- Santa Diabla, En Otra Piel, and Marido En Alquiler --but still, the cast listings I have for all five novelas make no mention of her.

Anyway, your eagle eye is right, she played Ramona Campos in Bajo and the tough fiscal in Eva.
 

Cielos: President Omar Tarem flaunting his arrogance while sleeping with his mistress, Ritulia in Los Pinos.

How long before Aurelio puts a similar puppet as POTUS ?
 

ESCLAVA:

J- Amazing job, as usual. I'm still picking my jaw off the floor from Nicolas' brutal murder of those two women in the church. Wow! I'm very worried for Victoria.
 

Eva

Terrific recap, Juanita! I also loved the “Understatement of the month” aside.

Drinking in telenovelas always interests me. Everyone ALWAYS has a bottle of chilled champagne ready for any festive occasion. And the villains usually pour themselves a glass when celebrating a victory over the good guys. And, men and women having a romantic dinner usually drink red wine, I believe because it looks better on camera. And heroes and villains alike, when suffering from unrequited love, usually have tequila shots in a dive bar.

I also got a kick out of the brief SweetFace sighting. Another telenovela cliché is that every man melts at the sight of a woman with a baby in her arms.

That whole crap with the police captain drove me nuts. It made no sense that he was such a stickler for rules that he was willing to have Pablo risk his life unarmed. And the way the actor portrayed him, it seemed as if he had a grudge against Pablo.
 

Eva

I'd like to volunteer for the finale on Friday. But I'd rather not do tonight as well. Any volunteers?
 

Eva

tonight's my night, Wednesday.

thanks for the wonderful recap Juanita!

 

Vivi: I'm afraid that the bad guys will win in the end here.
 

Eva. I'm starting to worry that there won't be enough time left in this novela to work in the final mass wedding and fast forward 5 years to when nearly all the good guys are happy and successful. :)
 

Esclava

Thanks so much, J, for the fine recap. If you did it without subtitles, you are VERY fluent. I need them with this novela because of the pronounced accents of many of the cast members. [By this I mean their accents are not the usual Mexican and/or neutral Spanish accents we usually hear.]

Yep, Nicolás killing both La Marquesa and the nun IN THE CHURCH was amazing. And it exemplified Adela’s twisted moral compass. Perfectly fine with her to burn up some people to get control of more land, but offing someone in the church is a sin!

This novela has the most suspense of any I’ve seen. Also, I’d like to mention that I LOVE the way each episode just begins without the tiresome repetition of key scenes from the night before, as if viewers were brain damaged.

Victoria had to keep sort of a neutral face when Isabel told her about her father having killed Candela. She knows all too well what a monster Nicolás is, but can’t reveal to the girl how much she really knows.

I can’t stand them taking Gabriel away for 15 years. I hope somehow he’ll be freed in the end. He’s a very noble character, taking the side of humble people and not wanting to be like his father. Speaking of his father, I was having a fantasy that Eugenia would refuse to marry him because of his rant about killing the escaped slaves. No such luck.

Back to the suspense. I’m wondering if they are going to postpone the confrontation between Nicolás and Victoria until Friday. She managed to get away to visit Felipe so he didn’t grab her up last night. And what about Remedios? He’s perfectly capable of torturing her.

Anyway this has been a magnificent novela. I got behind two weeks stored on the DVR early on but once I got caught up in it, I was hooked. ALL of the acting has been tremendous. As much as I dislike her, the Adela actor has been terrific. Miguel and Milagros are also fine. Siervo broke my heart over and over. I disliked Hilaria for her subservience, but she redeemed herself in the end by refusing to rat out those involved in La Causa. The guy playing Tomás is the epitome of nobility. And Miguel de Miguel is waaaaay more awful in this one than in La Reina del Sur.
 

Eva

Whoops! Sorry, deb. Give me a week off from work and I can't remember what day it is any more. I meant to say that I often do Thursday, but I'd rather skip that and do Friday.
 

Eva

Novelera, thanks muchly for your kind remarks. If you'd like to recap Friday's episode, I can do Thursday's.
 

Eva

Thanks, Juanita, that's perfect. I kind of like recapping finales.
 

La Esclava Blanca

Thanks everyone. I was surprised how much I could understand with no subtitles. The slaves' accent is still a bit difficult for me though so I don't catch everything they say. I'm definitely only used to Mexican accents.

I was also wondering how Eugenia passes for "white" when Manuela/Jesus/Julian are treated as inferiors since they are also biracial. Maybe it's because she was married to a rich white guy? Adela has certainly made comments about her being mulato, but no one else has treated her differently because of it.

I'm almost done with the recap for tonight's episode. I feel like I understood less in this episode than the one before, so please feel free to fill in any important conversations/details I missed.
 

La Esclava Blanca - Wednesday, July 13 - Capítulo 59, part 1/3

Julio wasn’t able to get into the church or get money for the Padre because the General and his soldiers are there. The Padre won’t tell him what’s going or why he’s wanted because it could put Julio in danger. He just needs Julio’s help to get out of Santa Marta.

At the church, Adela isn’t sure she can continue with the lies. Nicolas says of course she can. Remedios enters the church, followed by Felipe, Victoria, and Ana. Nicolas explains how they found two bodies and the Padre ran away. There was no one else around. He calls Victoria querida and has his arm around her when the General brings the bodies out. They don’t know who they are or what happened. Ana doesn’t think the Padre did it, but the General doesn’t know what to think anymore with all the deaths lately. He orders his soldiers to find the Padre.

Julio leads the Padre to the road to Cartagena, but he has to go alone since the soldiers are after him.

Eugenia asks the General about the dead women. They didn’t have any ID on them, no one recognized them, and they didn’t arrive by ship. She asks about the Padre and who will marry them if he’s gone, but then she feels bad for being another problem for the General. He assures her that she is not. He mentions the message he’s supposed to deliver on behalf of the slaves. She’s more worried/distrustful of something else: Nicolas’ versions of events at the church. The General sees no reason to doubt him.

Back at El Eden, Nicolas continues to pretend to be a devoted husband and asks Victoria to accompany him to his room. She obliges, but he needs to rest because he looks pale. Remedios notices that Adela looks ill and she’s been very quiet. Upstairs, Victoria offers to fetch a slave to help Nicolas get undressed so he can sleep, but he wants her to do it instead. He wonders what he did to deserve a woman like her and kisses her. She keeps trying to push him away, saying he’s still not healed, but he won’t relent. He wants her all to himself. They’ve waited long enough to have a child. She continues to pretend to be the devoted wife and keeps undressing him.

Alone in her room, Adela falls to the floor crying. She begs God to forgive her and her son for what he’s done. It’s not who he really is. He’s just confused. She asks what they need to do now. She feels lost and asks God not to abandon her.

Nicolas’ wound is bleeding through the bandage. Victoria pretends to be afraid of hurting him. He doesn’t care. He loves her and wants her. He won’t stop kissing her. Tell me you love me too. Forever. She says it softly, looking away from him as he continues to kiss her on the bed. Luckily this scene fades to black so we don’t have to see anything.

The next morning, Miguel and Trinidad find the Padre in the woods. He claims to be on a pastoral mission and he just got lost. Would they be so kind to show him the way to Cartagena? Of course, come with us…

Nicolas is as creepy as ever, watching Victoria sleep next to him. She wakes up. He wants them to make up for lost time. She tries to hide her disgust as he touches her.
 

La Esclava Blanca - Wednesday, July 13 - Capítulo 59, part 2/3

Remedios tells Adela that Victoria must be with Nicolas because she never came back to their room. Milagros comes running in with bad news. The three of them barge in on Nicolas and Victoria in bed.

Now in the office, a slave brings Nicolas some crops that have been destroyed. Langostas (locusts). They attacked last night. Adela panics; she thinks God is punishing them. Nicolas wants her to go rest. He asks where Julian is. Remedios replies that he’s still recuperating form his wounds. Nicolas gets even more angry. Does he think this is a hospital?

Miguel and Trinidad bring the Padre to their camp. Miguel tells him to sit down. They’ll give him some food and figure out what he’s really doing there.

Nicolas gets on Julian’s case for taking so long to recover. He fires him and orders him off the property. Milagros tries to help but Nicolas hits her. Julian asks for his last pay; Nicolas counters that he owes him money for living there and doing nothing. Julian leaves in disgust.

Enith cuts off a leg of a rat (?) to give to the Padre with some rice. He gags when he sees it. Well then starve to death, she says, as she drops it to the ground.

Adela finishes praying and is too exhausted to get up. Nicolas comes into her room and admonishes her for saying stupid things before. Victoria might get suspicious. Adela seems scared; is he going to kill his own mother too? He already killed two innocent women sin parpadear (without batting an eye). She doesn’t know who he is anymore. He tells her not to be afraid; she is his only family and the only person he trusts. So what is he going to do? Matarlos (kill them) - both Victoria and Miguel.

Julian and Milagros say goodbye for now.

Victoria is starting to cry. She tells Remedios how Nicolas forced her to stay with him last night. She hasn’t heard anything from Miguel. She was not prepared for this. Remedios realizes she’s afraid she’ll end up pregnant with Nicolas’ (crazy devil) child.

Adela gets a small bottle of some liquid out of a drawer.

Lorenza serves the Padre some better food. She asks what he’s doing in the jungle. All he will say is that he hasn’t hurt anyone. She doesn’t understand why he says that. He doesn’t want to say anything else; that’s how he got in this mess in the first place. Lorenza says they can help him. He says the only way to help him is to let him leave.

Julian arrives at the inn, but since he must pay beforehand and has no money, Manuela can’t give him a room. Isabel sees him as he’s about to leave. He tells her that he no longer works at El Eden. She pays for his room, but as soon as he heads to it, Manuela gives her the money back.

Lorenza knows the Padre is conflicted. Miguel says they will discover his secret. They’ll also wait one more day to hear from the landowners (from the message the General was supposed to deliver) and then they’ll start putting pressure on them.

The General still feels humiliated about being captured by the slaves and being a messenger. Eugenia points out that if he doesn’t deliver the message, a worse tragedy is yet to occur.

Victoria asks Milagros to prepare her the drink she had made when she wanted to lose her baby. She was with Nicolas and the thought of being pregnant by him makes her sick. Milagros tries to explain that it doesn’t work like that; she needs to be certain that she’s pregnant first. Remedios comes in to tell Victoria that Nicolas is looking for her. She wonders what they were talking about. Victoria pretends that Milagros was sad about Julian.
 

La Esclava Blanca - Wednesday, July 13 - Capítulo 59, part 3/3

Victoria and Nicolas both play their fake devoted spouse roles at dinner. Afterwards, Adela wonders if he isn’t exerting himself too much. With torturing Victoria? Maybe, he says, but that traitor deserves it. Adela can’t understand why Nicolas hasn’t killed her yet. The longer she stays alive, the more danger the truth will come out and they will lose everything. She is on his side; they are in this together. She gives him the bottle. It only makes you sick in small doses but could be fatal in a large dose. She almost used it on his father. She wants him to use it on Victoria and be done with her.

In her room, Victoria remarks that Nicolas and Adela have been talking privately a lot lately. Remedios says other strange things have been going on, like the two dead women in the church. Victoria says they have more important things to worry about. Remedios gets defensive and calls her out on trying to lose the baby even when she doesn’t even know if she’s pregnant yet. Victoria starts yelling that it’s her life and she doesn’t need to tell Remedios everything. Doesn’t she realize how horrible it is to think of being pregnant by that man? Remedios doesn’t soften: You came here pretending to be a duchess to marry a man you hated! What did you think was going to happen? At least I accept the consequences of my actions. Remedios reminds her that she can’t ever have children, and it hurts her to know that Victoria can and would willingly end an innocent life. Milagros begs them to be quiet so Adela and Nicolas don’t hear them.

Nicolas refuses to kill Victoria now. Adela is disappointed. She can see that he is débil cuando se trata de esa maldita mujer (weak when it comes to that damn woman). She keeps antagonizing him and the way he always defended Victoria. She can tell that he’s still in love with her like an idiot despite knowing who she really is. Nicolas denies it and grabs her by the throat but slowly releases her. She sees the same obsession in his eyes for Victoria that he had for Sara. He repeats that he’ll kill them both (Victoria and Miguel).

In the hallway, he asks Victoria to accompany him to his room again. She tries to get out of it but fails.

In the kitchen, Remedios asks Milagros not to make the drink for Victoria. It would be a sin; think of Miguel. Milagros will do what Victoria wants. She reveals to Remedios that Miguel’s mother was Nicolas’ lover, she made him fall in love with her so she was able to escape to the palenque where she had Miguel. Remedios cuts in, but she had the baby. A child is still a child. Oh please, Milagros responds, life isn’t so simple.

In the bedroom, Victoria is worried about having to sleep with Nicolas again, but is relieved when he says they’ll go to sleep. He agrees that he needs rest and he also tells her that he’s sending the soldiers away. They call each other good spouses, both doing a good job of pretending and hiding their anger from each other.
 

Eva la trailera... epi 116, Wednesday
part 1

Armando is getting all comfy back home looking though scrap books of their past with Eva, wonders how he could be so stupid as to lose his family, is that Eva's cue to leave, but Armando asks her to stay, but Adri brings food and relieves her, they have a warm time together and when she leaves to let him sleep, Armando is back up trying to walk.

Virginia and Enrique get ready for bed in their home, Virginia wonders if Eva is still hurt by her marriage falling apart.

Adri talks to Eva about Armando, how happy he is, Eva thinks he's hiding something, and has low expectations of him, Adri leaves rather than argue, as Pablo shows up, he lets her know they think the Palacios have crossed the border, so the police will be watching the house 24/7, Eva worries for her daughters, and knows Pablo will be there for her, they kiss, well almost, as Armando shouts for her from his back room, and Pablo says, he's still here, and controlling you... they go back and forth, till Pablo follows Adri's lead, he'll leave rather than argue.

Eva goes to Armando, he wants to know who was there, Pablo, he came to tell me Marlene is on the way and the police will be watching the house, Armando mumbles you are mine Eva, no one else's, after she leaves.

Pablo has a drink with JJ and Marisol, celebrating her pregnancy, names? JJ says he will be called JJ Juarez jr., Marisol says no, Fajardo shows up, says they found 2 coyotes dead by the border, did their water bottles have the Palacios prints?

Armando is improving, as Evencio watches, he says he has to get better before Marlene shows up, but Adri shows up with some food, and they get him into a chair and the crutches hidden, Adri wonders if he's alright, because he is all sweaty, she mentions this later to Cami and Fabi, Cami thinks it's either a fever or exercise, Fabi knows his secret, his toes move, but no one believes her.

Pardo and Fajardo are still tring to ID the body of the women found in the park, when all of sudden the tv comes alive with a news flash on the Palacios.

Andy and Marlene have a room in LA but the clerk ID's them from a news paper picture and calls the police as soon as they go to there room, Andy thinks something is fishy and sees the same paper in his room, they start packing.

at the courthouse the the judge is giving the jury instructions before the deliberate, they leave but are back in half an hour, is this good or bad Federica wonders, verdict? Guilty, sentence, Robert gets life, Cinthia gets, 30 years, Robert attacks Cinthia, but is drug away.

the cops rush to the motel, Fajardo telling Pablo to let them handle it, Andy spots the police cars and they duck out, the cops break into an empty room, Pablo thinks they are still close, as we see a guy with his big sunglasses and and a lady with wig, floppy hat and heels, slinking around, could this be them, as they climb over a fence and rush to their car.

Pablo traces their path to the fence, Fajardo thinks they are gone, but Pablo sends everyone to the main entrance to head them off, and they meet on opposite sides of the street, gunfire erupts.

after Robert is gone Luis says goodbye to Cinthia, she says she thought he hated her, he doesn't, assures her she won't be alone, they hug and cry.

Andy jumps in the car to drive but takes a bullet in the side, Marlene gets in the other side and they are gone, police in hot pursuit.

 

Eva la trailera... epi 116, Wednesday
part 2

back at Eva's house the furias drink a toast to Soraya, who thinks Pancho will now be at peace, as Cami remembers what Bertha would say, "it takes time,,, but justice is always done", one by one they have gotten their justice, only Eva's is left, as Armando rolls into the conversation in his electric wheel chair, quieting the celebration, he just wanted to congratulate Soraya, but back in his room he says to himself, those broads will never let Eva forgive me.

the furias know Armando's time is coming, but Adri sticks up for him, Marlene made him do it, but no one is buying it, Adri leaves.

Andy says he can't breath, but manages to maneuver around a car that stalls the police, (love the closeup scenes in the cop car when Pablo, Fajardo, and Pardo all all throw there hands in disgust), but Andy can't go much further, he's getting dizzy, so he and Marlene switch places, she pulls off out of the way, Andy says he's dying, Marlene says she'll work something out and leaves the car, (will we ever see her again)

Marlene sweet talks a ride before she pulls her gun, tells him to drive, they arrive back at their car, shoots the guy and drags him out and gets Andy into the new car, don't forget the money.

the cops go back to the office, Fajardo gets the info on Marlene and the rented car, Pablo says it won't help, (Pablo is always one step ahead).

we get to see Robert in prison, the local jefe decides Robert is to old and ugly to be his bitch, ah but he can be his maid, slams him in the stomach to the ground and has him mop the floor.

Pablo shows as the furias finish off their night, he wants to congratulate Soraya, sorry he couldn't be at the trial but something came up, tells of finding the Palacios in LA, but they escaped, Eva is worried, Pablo risks it and asks if he can spend the night, Eva is grateful.

Armando is getting pretty good at walking, now with no crutches, Fabi comes to see him, sees him all sweaty, says, he has been exercising his toes, Armando has come a long way from the start of the show in appreciating what a smart girl she is, and they share a warm father/daughter time together.

Marlene has shown up at a doctors office, she tells the other patients this is an emergency, when no one moves she chases them out with her gun, of course the first thing the doc says is Andy needs to go to a hospital, nope, and so checks him out, the bullet has penetrated his lung, the doc takes x-rays and contemplates what to do, Andy really does look like he is dying.

Luis visits Robert in prison who begs to get him out of there, or at least a different cell, these men are going to kill me, Luis says his money can't do that.

as Fabi paints, she says she wants to dance and have a big farm, Armando says he will get that for her and you know why, Fabi says because you love me, as Armando's phone rings, it's Marlene...

 

Esclava: The General's troops will likely capture fugitive slaves.

Since we've seen villains win in TN Gran Finals before, it's very possible Nicolas & Adela win in the end.

Cielos: I KNEW Ignacio was the one, who pulled the trigger & killed Leonor. But will law enforcement agencies find the letter he put in the Express mailbox ?

 

Eva. Excellent recap, deb! I liked your astute observations on the inside of the cop car and of Pablo always being ahead of the police in figuring out what's going on. Armando is very sly, but Eva really knows him. Of course he's up to something! I loved Pablo's statement when JJ and Marisol were discussing naming their baby that they were putting him in a diabetic coma. Very funny! I think Viewerville would agree with him, and it's a way to defuse all the saccharine sweetness. I would think Elsa's dentist would be the first place the police would look to identify the corpse. It's kind of artificial that they don't, especially as it's probably part of her employment records. The verdict in the Monteverde case seems about right, but as I've said before, Cinthia should have been able to work out a better deal for herself than she did. Of course Marlene and Andy escape from the motel--even though the police are right there!
 

Esclava

thank you so much J, your joining in on this novela and doing recaps has made this story so much more wonderful for every one, and thanks for filling in for me Tuesday night.

some little things I got from the captions,

I loved the interaction between the Padre and Lorenza, she takes away the rat and gives him some rice calling him sir (senor), he says call me father (padre) I am a priest, she says my father is Elegua, my mother is this land.

Isabel continues to fascinate me, and so interesting her relationship with Manuela since they both love the same guy.

and interesting the locust plague at Eden, one that occurred in the bible in Egypt as Adela notes, were those locust Nicolas was looking at in his office, and later Miguel mentions that they were responsible for that, putting pressure on the landowners, and I think Nicolas mentioned consulting the natives for a solution although he has never really trusted them.

and Nicolas revealed his reason for not killing Victoria, he wants her to watch him kill Miguel.

 

Thank you for the recapps, I had to binge watch to get up to par, this week,
Watching slimey serial- psychopath murderer and sadist[ all of which is/was legally sanctioned by the slave state] Nicolas, climb on top of Victoria is deep .But, my girlfriend, Remmedios ,was on point, he had to hit it ,sooner or later! Of course, she is already knocked up,by Miquel. Thank you, for the write up on incredible and awesome, Goddess, Sister-woman ,warrior -woman ,Lorenza as a moral compass and the voice of the African Liberation spirit. I am so sad to see the recaptures and soon to be, martyrdom of Tomas, these are sacrifices that were repeated for over,500 years of resistance to bondage and subjugation. The killing of the munher/sister and Marquisessa, was on point ,esp. in regard, to Mr. Man's, M.O!! Why that viper of a mother is surprised,tickled me,the woman is a demon ,but true to the mindset of the time and we can still find the deadly residuals of this power structure ,today!! I find it all ironic and sad as well, they are excellent role models/character portrayals in demonstrating still active racist behaviors , these supremist racist narratives are sadly, still in effect.This show was excellent in its great portrayal that the Transatlantic slave trade and plantation slave system created legally sanctioned monsters .This series will have a life after the ending. I will be using this in my American history classes and I will recommend this show for other educators and academics to get some personification of African Latinos during the Pre-Abolition period. the comments have been wonderful in clarifying some /lots of the nuances, that I missed as I was cussing out old'nick the devil and his devil momma!!! you have great followers feedback! keep up the great work!!
 

Eva

Thanks, deb. Another outstanding recap with your usual wit included!

Where they’re going with Armando is starting to remind me of how the writers set us up with Rodrigo in Bajo el Mismo Cielo. He started off as a bad guy and got progressively nicer as the novela went along, only to die tragically.

Adriana occasionally reverts to being the brat she was earlier in the novela. How does she expect her mother and the women who were in prison with her to forget that Eva was falsely imprisoned largely thanks to Armando’s perjury in her trial?

Wow, remember when Marlene didn’t want to get blood on her hands and had all the underlings kill people. Now her pulse rate doesn’t even go up when killing an innocent motorist.

Kind of a continuity error, but I thought all the bedrooms at Casa Soler were upstairs. But they show Armando rolling away to his room from the Living Room. [an elevator?]

I guess they’re going with Marlene’s getting crazier. Otherwise, why does she call up people and threaten to kill them instead of just sneaking up and trying to do it?
 

Eva. I'm guessing elevator.
 

Esclava

J, you are doing a fabulous job with these recaps! It’s like watching the novela all over again.

I WISH they hadn’t gone with Victoria forced into sex by Nicolás. Miguel de Miguel is just amazing in this role. Adela is right that he loves Victoria, but is enraged by the thought that she came back from Spain in large part because of her love for a black man. I’m sure Miguel is going to find out about this somehow, and I’m not sure how he’ll take it.

I’m not big on organized religion. And one of the things I’ve liked about this novela is how it’s shown how priests and mother superiors can be far from saintly people. So I wasn’t happy with Remedios toeing the party line about not preventing Victoria from bearing a possible child sired by the devil himself.

Isabel just gets sweeter and sweeter. She was SO nice paying for Julián’s room. And, yes, I’ve also enjoyed how Manuela and Isabel are becoming friends despite loving the same guy.

Adela really, really hates Victoria and always has. Just like Nicolás’ motives are sometimes not obvious, Adela’s saying that poisoning Victoria will make sure she never asserts herself as the rightful owner of El Eden doesn’t really encompass her desires. She’s jealous of her son loving someone else. He obviously cared nothing about his first wife and that suited Adela just fine.
 

Esclava

One more thing. I think they showed a bit of why Nicolás turned into such a rotten guy. His father apparently beat his mother and whipped him when he was a child.
 

Novelera: Unless Miguel & the good guys pull off a miracle, I'm afraid that the Villains (Nicolas, Adela, the General, etc.,) will win in the end!

I hope I'm wrong about that!
 

Esclava

Thanks deb and novelera for filling in the details!