Caray, Caray!

OR: "Mujer honrada, la pierna quebrada y en casa" (An honorable woman is at home with a broken leg.) This classic Spanish proverb is alive and well in the misogynist world of "La candidata".

Alonso accuses Cecilia of lying to him. He never told her to do that. Cecilia thinks back on it all. Mauro told her and she thought they were Alonso's orders. That is why she got close to Hernán; to control him. She asked him to withdraw the information he was going to publish. Alonso wants to know if Mauro also asked her to sleep with Hernán. Cecilia just looks at the floor.

A very upset Emiliano, in the middle of Hugo's medical emergency, calls Regina. He says he is at Hugo's house and Hugo is dead from pills he took. Hugo's mother is blaming him for it all. Regina calls an ambulance. Emiliano needs to stay put, Regina is on her way.

Gerardo gets home and Ximena is there in tears. She comes clean about lying to him the night before. Her mother was not home when he called and she ended up going out herself. She informs Gerardo that Teresa is up to her old tricks: she is asking her for money again. Furthermore, she said that Teresa wanted to make a pact not to tell him about it. Teresa also hit her. Then she started taking everything out of the house saying she was going to sell it all. She cannot/does not want to live with her. Gerardo discovers that Teresa followed Ximena back to his place and that Teresa stole his father's watch. He shakes his head in exasperation.

Natalia informs Omar that she does not want to/cannot get back together with him. Omar says it is her choice. If she chooses to leave him, he will kill her. He will not allow her to expose him in front of everybody. It is bad enough that she came to stay at their son's house. How much more is she planning on humiliating him? Natalia thinks he should be in prison for killing Javier. No, he will be in prison for killing her, the damned ingrate she is. Natalia threatens to scream. Omar doesn't care because nobody will come to her aid. The time has come for her to end her tantrum. Come home with him or he will kill her on the spot. He proves his point when he takes out a gun.


Casino time! Teresa is acting like a jackass at the roulette table.

Gerardo is even more angry because it is clear that Teresa cleaned him out all of his money. She told Ximena she was only coming by to collect her things. He tells Ximena to call her mother. Surprise: there is nobody answering. Gerardo knows where she is. He is going to the casino. Ximena is to wait for him.

Cecilia is still explaining to Alonso that she did it to protect him. She was keeping Hernán under control. He says she should have told him. She insists that she never would do anything to hurt him. Alonso apologizes. He behaved badly. She knows he likes her. She nods. Alonso is okay with Cecilia being friends with Hernán to keep him under control BUT he does not want her sleeping with him. He dismisses her.

Regina arrives at Hugo's house just as the paramedics are taking Hugo to the hospital. He is not dead. Hugo's mother lashes out at Regina screaming that she will see that murderer Emiliano in jail. She climbs in the ambulance with her son.

Natalia is still trying to wrap her brain around Omar saying that he loves her and how he wants to be with her yet he is threatening her with a gun????? Omar knows she does not understand him. Natalia does not get how he could kill her: his wife and the mother of his son. He will only let this nonsense go if she returns to him. She doesn't get it: he NEEDS her. He raises the gun again: either go with him or she is a goner. She finally agrees to go home with him to calm him down. He makes her swear that she will go back with him. He reluctantly lets her go to her room to pack her bag. She better not tell anybody about this.

Casino time! Gerardo confronts Teresa about the money she stole from him. She's not going anywhere. She is on a winning streak. He then asks the casino owner why he allowed Teresa back in. The casino owner thought when Ignacio made the deal with him that her banishment was over. The owner then tries to convince Teresa to go while she is winning because her luck could change just as quickly.

Outside of Hugo's house, Emiliano is still upset and is reiterating to Regina how Hugo called him to say goodbye and also to tell him how he was in love with him. Emiliano now sees himself as a piece of garbage now that he has managed to destroy Florencia and Hugo. Regina consoles him the best she can. He wants to go to the hospital to see how Hugo is doing. He feels like if Hugo dies, he will die, too. Regina is taking him home to avoid any scandal knowing they would not be welcome at the hospital.

Gerardo drags Teresa out of the casino accusing her of stealing from him and extorting her own daughter. She needs help. She fights back accusing him of just wanting to shut her away so he does not have to pay attention to her. If she is "crazy",like he says, he bears the responsibility for leaving her abandoned at home all those times. Thanks to that she found the casino! Gerardo agrees to take responsibility for it all and he will put her into a treatment center. She reminds him that it is voluntary on her part, she is not going, and that he will never be rid of her.

The blonde prostitute Susana has just bathed and who pays her a visit while she is still wrapped in her towel? Mario. He has just stopped by to go over the plan for Omar with her. She is so beautiful that she will have Omar at her feet. She wants to go just rest since she didn't get a chance to yesterday. Mario says she liked it, right? As he removes her towel, he says it can be even better. . .

Alonso is still fixed on Cecilia sleeping with Hernán. He asks Mauro if he told Cecilia to keep Hernan under control. Mauro admits he did but he never said for her to sleep with the guy. Mauro suggests that maybe it is her way of manipulating men. Is Mauro sure they slept together. Well, he went into her apartment at night and they both came out in the morning. Surely they weren't discussing politics all night. Mauro will fix things.

Cecilia, who is visibly shaken is back at her desk. A laughing Pacheco takes one look at her and states that the mistreatment has begun. He welcomes her to the real world where they are mere members of the disposable workforce. Mauro calls her to his office. Pacheco laughs and rubs his hands in glee.

Regina is in the car still on the way home with Emiliano who still wants to go to the hospital because he feels responsible for what Hugo did. Trying to comfort him, Regina says he should not feel responsible which cues a bratty comment from Emiliano. He has to mention just how different he is from her. How can he be responsible and not her? She does not understand. Well, his dad says she was responsible for Florencia's death. She tries to convince him she would never do that. He starts bawling again and she does her best to comfort him.

Natalia arrives at home with Omar. What does he want from her? He wants her to be his wife. He wants to touch her; touch her skin. . She will never sleep with him again. She reminds him she only came because he threatened her with a gun. Omar informs her she will never leave the house again unless it is as a corpse.

At home, Regina is explaining the whole Hugo situation to Alonso. Hugo the friend he was torturing tried to commit suicide but not before he told Emiliano he was in love with him. Hugo is in a coma in the hospital. Hugo's mother does not want them there. She also wants to file charges against Emiliano for what he did to her son. To Alonso, it is one more scandal that has to be stopped ASAP. Regina wants him to talk to Emiliano because he needs him but it is clear that Alonso is more concerned about the political implications of Hugo being in a coma. He asks where his own mother Natalia is. She went home with Omar. He calls Mauro to find out all he can about Hugo's condition and his family. Mauro calls a guy named Ochoa to do the investigation. Later, Regina expresses to Daniela her disappointment in Alonso not having at least seen or talked to Hugo. They are both concerned about Hugo's parents and the information they might have. Regina doesn't know how she is going to speak at the shelter. She is just overwhelmed by it all: Emiliano, Hugo, Natalia . . .

Mauro levels with Cecilia. Her being under the watchful eye of the gov comes with the territory especially when their relationship went beyond just work. He knows she is no innocent. It all comes down to the fact that she controlled Hernán too well. Cecilia insists she only did what she was asked to do. Hernán is now on their side. She does not like being watched, monitored. Mauro says she will have to take that up with Alonso. He just follows orders. He does have one bit of advice for her though: be careful!

Gerardo has an announcement for Ximena: Teresa is there to stay a while at his place with them so they can solve her problem as a family. Ximena is not happy. Teresa blames Gerardo for poisoning Ximena's mind against her. Teresa announces that she is going to sleep in Gerardo's bedroom. He can sleep with her or on the couch. Ximena tells Gerardo she cannot live like this.

Back at Natalia and Omar's, Omar is turning their home into a prison for Natalia. He tells his goons that under no circumstances is she to leave the house and that they need to find a companion for Natalia that can be with her 24/7. Larreta, the head of the party, comes by to see Omar and to tell him there is a problem: Regina's poll numbers are right on the heels of Alonso's; only a couple of points apart. She has progressive ideas that can make enemies of the businessmen. Larreta says that the plan is to lower her profile but what they really need is a statement from her rejecting any interest in the candidacy for president. He knows he is putting Omar in a difficult position but this is the only way to clear the way for Alonso to the candidacy. Omar will take care of it. BTW, where is his charming wife Natalia? She is in bed with the flu.

Regina is at the women's shelter inauguration talking about the Universal Child Welfare Law and how that could help all of the women sheltered there achieve a dignified life. They are all excited and supportive. Susana, the blonde prostitute, is also there watching from the doorway.

Omar goes to talk to Alonso. Alonso asks about his mom and Omar says they are giving their marriage a second chance. The real news Omar has is that Larreta stopped by to inform him about the problem of Regina's growing popularity with the public. Alonso cannot be living with the opposition in his home. Omar wants Alonso to have Regina make a public statement that she is not interested in running for president.By the way, Mario is also in agreement. Alonso Is not too sure. He already neutralized the laborers union threat and capitalized on a law that had been nothing more than a proposal for Regina. Omar is going to see she is removed from the senate. Alonso expresses a certain reluctance with that not wanting to see his home life turned into a living hell. He wants Regina to stay in the senate. Magda interrupts and announces a visit from Dr. Contreras which breaks up the meeting. The doctor has good news for Alonso. He is cured but suggests Alonso uses a condom.

Another political meeting is happening at Gerardo's office. There is good news for Gerardo: his poll numbers are up since the approval of the Child Welfare Law. The problem is that the members of his party want him to stop the law. They want him to vote against it. Gerardo tells them that would be political suicide. How can they go against a law that they all support? Ignacio says it is going to destroy them. The party guys explain. The answer is very simple: it is the gov's law. He has ownership of it. They are mere participants. That is why they need to stop the legislative process or delay it so that they do not lose the election.

Cecilia runs into Hernán outside of the government building. She tells Hernán that the gov knows about everything even that he spent the night at her place. Hernán tries to be flip about it but Regina reminds him that the gov he has spies all over the place. Now she has to win his trust again. So, she does not want Hernán to publish anything at all about the gov or his marriage. Hernán makes the point that he lives off of the articles he writes. She asks him to help her out and just for once write something that helps Alonso. He says he is not into writing science fiction. They start to quarrel but he decides that since he likes her so much, he will help her out. Now she owes him one. He goes to kiss her when Mauro shouts her name and says he wants to see her in his office.

Ochoa gives Alonso the info on Hugo and his family. Hugo is out of his coma. They pumped his stomach. Hugo's mother has a gift boutique with a partner where she sells "brand name" clothes at low prices. Alonso says"contraband"! She has no money in checking and a half a million peso loan for her business. The interest is eating up all the money. Alonso tells Ochoa to send out a financial inspector and to close her down.

Alonso calls Emiliano to tell him that Hugo is out of his coma and is okay. When Emiliano starts blaming himself, Alonso reminds of the recording Hugo made of him and Florencia and that Hugo wanted to ruin his life. According to Alonso, Hugo can rot. Alonso will take care of it all. Emiliano needs to value his name and do "something" like study.

Emiliano calls Regina at her office with the good new about Hugo. Regina is worried about the possible, legal/political ramifications if his mother comes after them. Daniela tells her not to worry because Alonso would never let that happen. Gerardo drops on by say he saw her photos from the inauguration of the women's shelter. He updates her on Teresa. He now has a lawyer. He also gives her the news that his party wants to put the brakes on the Universal Child Welfare Law legislation because her husband the gov appropriated it. It is his baby now. The party wants Gerardo to make objections to certain articles in the law. They don't want the law to benefit any of the candidates. Regina is angry because they had an agreement. He really doesn't want to do it. He feels guilty. He would be incapable of ever hurting her. He grabs her hands. She lets him.

Cecilia follows Mauro to his office expecting to be chastised about Hernán. Instead he has a new assignment for her: character assassination! He needs her to damage Regina's public image. She does not get it. Mauro explains that they have to get Regina out of the game. Her poll numbers are too high. Mauro wants her to be shown as a competitive woman that is using her husband to get ahead and who would be nothing and nobody without him. It should be easy for her. Hernán can go ahead and publish what he has.She is shocked.

Regina is still in her office when she has an unexpected visitor: the blonde prostitute Susana from the shelter. Susana needs her assistance. As she talks, she starts to cry. She needs to get out of the country. She is working for a high class call girl ring. At first everything was great. They pay good money. You have to be with politicians and please them but suddenly they want you to do drugs with them. Her boss wants her to pump the clients for information. The job has turned into hell. Her boss abuses her. He forces her to take drugs or to have sex with groups of men. He is a sadist. Regina tries to get her to calm down and says she will help her. Regina needs some information. Unfortunately, that never happens because Mario literally darkens the door. He has come by to talk to Regina. Susana sees him. He sees her. Her face is full of terror.

Labels: candidata