Caray, Caray!

Lado

I'll try to do the recap tonight.

 

"LADO":

Looking forward to seeing the recap.
 

Lado 32 1/2

Ernesto is back home from the hospital and he wants Paula to spill, she limps along that it wasn't Sofia, he wants all of it, they were just checking her out, he wants to be there next time they meet.

Pastrana has found Sofia's neighborhood, and asks around, Joel sees him and reports back, they decide not to arrest Pastrana for now.

Jen gets the DNA results, it's a match, but wait, there are more tests needed, when can we do them, hmm, Jen meets with Rod, says you can help Charlie, what? me give mr. Vamp my blood, Rod jokes, yes, but it's our secret.

Carmen tells Eliza Charlie's problems are not your fight.

Eliza arrives to pick up Rod, sees Jen slithering away, what's up, Rod doesn't give, and Eliza senses this.

Max picks up Charlie and takes him to see Rod, the kids run off, Eliza wants to talk about Jen, away from kids, they go outside, 66 launches ninja Bennie, who stabs Max, Andres comes to the rescue, pounds Ben, and recognizes him under his mask, Ben runs for it.

Joel tries to call Lore, no answer, because she is at his door, they smooch, he tries to explain he is busy with Richard's case, she is in her undies, and...

Richard and Sofia chat, Ernesto is here because his son is involved in a girl's death, (shows pic of her splattered on sidewalk) and there seems to be some evidence missing, and there are some powerful people behind Ernesto that want him to run for president, Sofia thinks that would be disastrous, Richard warns about how dangerous the situation is (did Sofia show any indication they were talking about her son)

Sofia/Miranda calls Paula to reset the date, Paula says it was just an anxiety attack, can we meet tonight?

(did an ambulance come for Max? or did he have to walk like in "Sangre") Eliza and Andres are back inside, she wonders why the gang is doing this, Andres will find out, Tomas arrives and hears.

Eliza and Andres go to the hospital, she sends Andres off to have the cut on his arm looked at, the doc appears with news of Max for his wife, the knife missed any vital organs, as Jen appears, I am his wife, the doc wants to keep him overnight.

Ben is a devil now, they celebrate, Tequila, angry Tomas busts in, 66 lets his pistol do the between words, Tomas swears if he messes with his mother or siblings, he will kill 66, looks like 66 has heard that line before, yawn.

Frida has a new mini dress for tonight's meet with Johnny, she doesn't want an old pervert for a producer, he's not old, Mark says, sends her to the salon for nails, facial, etc., but come straight home afterwards.

some agent pillow talk, Lore asks about the Cummings case, confidential, suggests they team up to get his sister's murderer, (I think Joel has a closet in his head he crawls into) he gets a call, he has to go, Lorena bee-lines to his laptop, but he has changed the password.

Jen talks about Eliza's dangerous neighborhood, hopes the government makes well on their promise to get rid of all of the illegals, Eliza wants to know why Jen was with Rod, Jen thinks Rod can help Charlie, you know, be friends since all the kids at school make fun of him, Eliza wants to be included in any further conversations, Jen lets Eliza go to Max, since he would be expecting her, Max expresses his dying/undying love, Eliza says she loves him too (I think).

 

Lado 32 2/2

Frida meets with Tomas the dealer, he spills on his situation, she gets it, she's going home (not that she gets along with her mother) but she has no talent, her number one fan just doesn't buy it, she asks if he'll support her, of course he will, they kiss, and... ahh... make love to me, Fri asks, I want you to be the first.

at home, Karina is worried she'll lose her dad after finding him again, Carmen doesn't have a lot of sympathy here, as Alo blows by with almost losing her dad too, Karina leaves to check on the kids (she wants to be a scientist ?? she spends every minute helping/worrying about others)

Carmen zeros in on Alo and her dad, I saw him, Alo says, it was a pre heart attack, he doesn't seem to be so bad, oh, are Carmen's eyes squinting, you know he sent people to burn down our house/bakery and kill Eliza.

Sofia meets with Paula (is this the same bar always) Sofia rants about being mistaken for that criminal, Paula moves her up to the future, she wants an exhibit at the consulate, hmm, next Saturday, on her work with migrants, hmm, so soon Sofia ponders, but bites, Joel listens through his bug from afar, oops, Sofia spills/breaks her glass, Paula asks for her email, Sofia and Joel slide out in different directions, Pastrana slides in, well, no DNA from her glass but check the prints on her email address note, Paula says.

Steve is at the hospital hallway with Jen, she claims Eliza almost got Max killed, why didn't they stab her, (are we worried Eliza will see Steve and Jen together) seems she had already left and took Andes home but runs to see the kids, yep Charlie is staying till Max gets out.

helpless Lore swings by the security desk, tells of a rat in Joel's apt., then checks the building security videos of Sofia.

Joel and Sofia are back at her place, Sofia needs a drink (not quite like Jose in that other show), Joel has a question, why did you plead guilty, ah, Sofia spills, Paula came to the prison and threatened to prostitute Alondra, but I would have never let that happen Joel says (I also remember Paula threatened to kill Joel), but you hated me, Sofia says, and I didn't trust anyone, help me with the exhibit pics tonight? ah no, Joel mumbles from his head closet, Lore is here, my fiancé.

family dinner at Ernesto's house, he's whining about his new diet, Paula is always playing with that darn phone, I'm sure Julian is wondering how he can get her alone, and in bursts Alo, you are a murderer she yells at Ernesto. (if I remember this was a Paula thingy for pIrv Cummings that he doesn't know about)

 

"LADO":

Deb: You've really outdone yourself in this recap!

My personal thoughts:

1.) Jennifer Trump wants to have all of the immigrants out of the United States by any means necessary.

2.) Lorena is going to figure out Miranda is Sofia & blow her out of the water because I don't think this Miranda thing will be successful.

3.) Carmen giving Alondra the cold reality check on Daddy Dearest Ernesto. I wonder if Pastrana will see Carmen & call Paula.

4.) Rodrigo is a pawn in a sick sinister game as Jennifer is using him to get to Eliza.

5.) Karina wants to be a scientist ? Good luck! Try to become a US citizen first.

6.) Joel changed the password was a good thing. But what if Lorena gets a hacker to open up the laptop ?
 

Lado

Great recap, deb. Loved your comment about Joel having a closet in his head to crawl into.

Where did Tomas and Frida go for their rendezvous?

Carmen's my fav, but noooo, you can't just tell Alondra the painful truth without some kind of pact. The bad guys are still a threat. Hate how Carmen is doing nothing but bumping heads and causing trouble. All her wisdom gone to waste.

Oh yeah, You're right, deb, i forgot Eliza doesn't know who Steve really is. And what made Jen leave Charlie where his dad was just stabbed, and with the family she blames for everything.

Lorena's sneakiness, makes it hard to empathize with whatever is about to happen to her.

Wonder if Ernesto and Paula will split and she ends up working with Pervy Sen Cummings. They're clashing a lot these days.

Spanish Student

 

LADO

I hope today's comments aren't as polarizing as yesterday. I, for one, think every recapper deserves our heartfelt gratitude.

Any kind of recap -- short, medium, or long -- is great. I love this blog.

So Lorena will end up being the spy! Who would have thought it?
 

Deb, thank you for the fantastic recap and your dedication for writing it and posting in the middle of the night. I especially loved your "Jen slithering away" and "Max expresses his dying/undying love".

I can't believe they keep torturing us with that ridiculous romance between Eliza the woman without dignity and Max, the man who couldn't handle a chicken in a mask. Ya basta, they are nauseating together. How can she be with Max when she could have Andres is beyond me.

I cheered when Andres whooped Benny's ass, even after being stabbed.

Benny, who thought that it's a good idea to rob from a gang lead by a guy with numbers tattooed on his face and followed up his intelligent decision by asking to join said gang, and then put in danger both the lives of his best friend's father and father figure, is probably the dumbest character in this telenovela, although Joel still comes close second. How could he not follow up with Lorena about what she saw during the skype chat is beyond my comprehension.

I keep getting more and more disappointed in Thomas with every passing episode. In this episode he told Frida his sob story and said that he is not a criminal. I beg to differ.

If it was only dealing drugs for the gang, then yes, maybe I could understand him and even sympathize, but I said it yesterday and will repeat, because it bothers me so much: to provide Rohypnol to criminals knowing full well that it is going to be used to rape several young (and probably under aged) girls is despicable and he is a criminal for going along with it and not reporting it. He knew very well that the girls are going to be drugged by Rohypnol, he knew they will be raped (he told Frida to not to drink anything and hung around to see that nothing happens to her) and he did absolutely nothing to save the other girls. Frida was almost raped, we don't know how many other girls were raped, but I would speculate that every single one of them was. So in a way Thomas is an accomplice in their rapes. Also, Rohypnol is a very dangerous drug, which can have terrible side-effects and that could have happened to one of the girls.
Thomas is going around preoccupied by what Frida will think of him and explaining himself to her, when what he should be doing is suffering tremendously from a guilty conscience.

In addition, he must also realize that he actually is a criminal now, and saying that he is not a criminal doesn't make it happen.

I already posted it on previous thread of discussion, but will post it again: a person convicted of possession of Rohypnol with intent to distribute can face a prison term of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison. If the distribution of Rohypnol resulted in the death or severe bodily harm of the recipient, the prison sentence is increased to not less than 20 years and up to life in prison and intent to distribute can be deemed even if the person gives the drug to only one person.


Irene





 

Lado:

I don't know what Jennifer's plan is regarding Rodrigo. Does she intend to secretly smuggle him into hospital and then to somehow make doctors perform on a minor a procedure that carries certain risks without parental consent? Does she plan to hide from Max the fact that Charlie was operated on and is now cured ? And how does she plan to do this?

Irene



 

"LADO":

Victoria: I NEVER warmed up to Lorena from the get-go. I wouldn't be shocked if we find out she's a spy for Cummings, Ernesto, Paula & the massive Syndicate.

Irene: Tomas will go to prison in all likelihood. Whatever happens to the girls & more victims is all on him!

Benny is a bad influence, some "friend"!
 

"LADO":

Spanish Student: I don't trust Steven either. It's about time Eliza sees him for who he really is...
 

Lado

thanks all!

I forgot Charlie's bucket list,
kiss a girl
go to the beach
go camping
skydiving ??, never happen Rod says.

also Lore's talk with Joel, I didn't really get all this, the captions zoomed, but it may be she was talking about Richard being the partner to his sister's murderer, yep, Joel has a ton of thoughts spinning in his head but he still needs his Sofia fix, he's addicted.

 

Lado

No time to comment right now on what I'm certain is another terrific deb recap! Just saying that I'll do a recap tonight.
 

LADO

OK,so does Joel STILL think Sofia killed Irene?
 

Lado

deb, I'm coming a bit late to the party, so in part I'll have to echo what others have already said, starting with Steve's saying you've outdone yourself with this recap. It's superb, combining your winning style (Jen slithering away, Joel's closet in his head, 66 launchiing ninja Benny) with lots of helpful detail about the episode. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

No, Sofía never showed any sign that Julian was her son. Actually, though, he's her step-son, as he frequently told people. I think he never really accepted her as a mother, though I don't think Sofía shared his animosity.

I was actually surprised to see that Joel had changed his computer password. Somewhere in his head (next to the closet?) there's the beginning of a brain.

I loved the scene where the doctor has news he wants to deliver to Max's wife. Oops, wives.

Jennifer continues to be the major character for whom I have the least sympathy. Her step-brother Steve is right when he says she's hate-filled (and apparently always has been).

I've known a few professional photographers, and I can't imagine any of them agreeing to put up an exhibit of their work on the absurdly short notice that Paula demanded of Alejandra. I wonder what would have happened had Alejandra stuck to her guns and said "I'm sorry, but exhibits take weeks and often months to prepare."

Uh oh, if Alo didn't already have a bullseye on her back, she surely has one now that she's accused Ernesto of being an assassin. I wonder whether tonight's episode will leave us with a cliffhanger over the weekend.
 

Lado

thanks Juanita!

I was still up when the late night rerun was on and rewatched the Richard/Sofia talk, she did go, "poor Julian", just before they slid into Ernesto on the road to becoming President.

Alo accusing Ernesto of things he didn't know he did is an interesting mix, Paula will have to work overtime to come up for a plausible reason for making Alo be gone.

 

LADO

THANKS FOR RECAP MS. DEB:

!!!! MAGIC FIGERS!!DEEP!! JOEL BRAIN CLOSET.! LOL !!!

TOMAS.. has diminished responsibility ..CULPABILITY... he is being forced to participate in crimes, the dope and the intent is not his.. get off his jock!!!

TEAM TOMAS...and cut him some slack'' this is a kid that is being threaten with slaughter of his SYBLINGS/ MOTHER .. death of his loved ones..., he is being coerced/forced/ COMPELLED against his will!!

TOMAS, is under RIDICULOUS PRESSURE..!!!..he is functioning like PRISONER OF WAR, in JAIL. WHILE IN PRISON YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO protect your family...!!

HOPE THE WRITERS... WILL GIVE THE KID A BREAK!!

I see TOMAS AS THE HERO!!, this kid never got a break!! HE NEEDS HELP..!!.MAYBE mAX CAN WAKE UP AND HELP THIS CHILD!!

 

Lado

Let me echo the admiration for your recap, deb. You are so funny! And you definitely captured the whole thing so well.

I thought I remembered either a facial expression or the words "poor Julián" when Richard told Sofía about the reason Ernesto was parked in LA until things cooled off.

Johnny was the one who sent the sexy dress to Frida. Let me express my deep and serious contempt for Mark. I guess pimping out young women with stars in their eyes is how he affords that nice house in Beverly Hills. He doesn't seem to ever work.

They've made Frida's plans very ambivalent, at least to me. When she met with Tomás, at first, it seemed she was looking for confirmation that it's OK to do whatever awful thing to get to where you want to be; i.e., him being a drug dealer to get money for ????? She also talked about leaving town. She never told Tomás about Johnny coming back soon. And, when she spoke about Tomás being her "first", it seemed to hint that she was going to have sex with Johnny to get the producer she wants.

I really lost respect for Lorena last night. The second he was out of the apartment she started to snoop. Of course, as I should know by now, telenovela characters NEVER do the logical thing. She should have told Joel she saw Sofía on the facetime thing and asked him what was going on. Her behavior pretty much guarantees, at least to me, that Joel will dump her.

I don't know who is dumber, Carmen or Alondra. Carmen, rightly, tells Alondra what a ghastly person her father is. But she doesn't warn her that Eliza is at risk because of what she knows about his involvement with the child trafficking. Even if the disc is gone, she knows things. And Alondra has heard that her father was behind the bombing of a bakery. And goes to rag on him without thinking that there's another bakery to be bombed, this one in LA.

I can't figure out Jennifer's plan either, but it could be possible to pull it off without Eliza knowing:

From a Google post: Only thirty percent of donations involve actual bone marrow. (The ones that do are mostly for children, who seem to do better with traditional bone marrow transplantation.) Seventy percent of the time, being a "bone marrow donor" is only a tad more complicated than donating blood. Seven out of ten donors go through a procedure called Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation, or PBSC. This is so doctors can harvest hematopoietic stem cells, which generally reside in the bone marrow itself, giving rise to red and white blood cells. But stem cells don't always stay put, and can escape into the blood stream.

These days, donors get brief shots of filgrastim, which encourages the stem cells out of the marrow and into the blood. The donor then goes through apheresis, which is a bit like donating blood except the blood gets returned to the body after it goes through a machine that harvests the stem cells. Yes, this does involve two needles to the arm, one to suck the blood out and one to put the blood back, but it's not a surgical procedure. It's just a few hours of lying around, watching movies.

Both procedures, bone marrow donation and PBSC, do essentially the same thing: harvest stem cells. The only difference is the degree of complication. So if you're interested in being a donor, but scared of the pain or complication of a traditional bone marrow transplant, things have changed. Odds are the whole procedure doesn't involve anything more complicated than sitting in a chair waving goodbye to your extra stem cells.
 

LADO

Novelera
Wow, what a detailed explanation you gave about bone marrow donation. It will be interesting to see how the additional testing plays out.

Jennifer and Max deserve each other.

It's about time that Steve steps back into the picture.

How / when did Eliza/Sofia lose the CD????


 

"LADO":

Victoria: Pastrana drive by the mailbox & took the CD.


 

Novelera,

Apparently, the shots can cause side effects, such as bone pain, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. The peripheral donation itself rarely causes side effects, but complications that can occur include air trapped between your lungs and your chest wall (pneumothorax), bleeding, and infection (as per Mayo clinic).

I suppose Jennifer could bribe some unscrupulous doctor to waive parental consent(which is obligatory in this case), but the doctor would be risking it big time. It is hard to believe a legit doctor would do this and Jennifer loves/ values the usefulness of her son too much to risk it with a back alley quack that would take a bribe.

I don't know why she is not going directly to Eliza to ask her permission for Rodrigo to save his brother's life. I am sure Eliza would accept. But maybe she is that crazy and wants to keep pretending the child is sick to retain Max.

Irene

Irene

 

Lado

Victoria, we saw Eliza put the disc Sofía gave her before they both left Mexico in some mailbox. They never explained if it was a person she knew or she was just trusting a random person to look at the data and make it public. Pastrana was following her and immediately took it. We still don't know the whereabouts of the thumb drive Sofía took from Cummings' house. She was arrested, so I don't know where it could be. They would have taken her stuff.
 

"LADO":

Juanita: Did you just say Julian is NOT Sofia's kid ? WTH ?


 

Lado

Halimacandy, I'm glad you made the case for Tomás as victim rather than criminal. Yes, his failure to warn all the girls makes him somewhat culpable, but the circumstances that led to his having to deliver the drugs and his attempt at least to warn Frida would probably make me vote "not guilty" if he came to trial.

novelera, I share your contempt for scumbag Mark. He's nothing but a financially successful pimp who doesn't give a damn for the wellbeing of Frida or any of the other young women he has prostituted. And I very much appreciated your account of what is involved in modern bone-marrow donations.

One place where I disagree is your criticism of Lorena. I'm not a fan of hers, but if I were left alone in my problematic fiancé's apartment, I'd probably do just as she did, go immediately to the computer to see what I could learn. I also don't fault her for not immediately raising the issue of the Skype session. It would make good sense to wait and see whether Joel brings the matter up himself. If he doesn't, that should tell her something important about how much she can/should trust him.
 

Lado

Eliza put the disc in a mailbox in LA. [Definitely should re-read before posting!]
 

LADO
You guys have great recall about happenings in previous episodes.

The CD and thumb drive whereabouts reminds me so much of LQLVMR and Don Benjamín Almontes' watch/(maybe a ring) that Juventino stole when he killed Don Benjamín. We kept waiting for the watch/ring to reappear and sink Juventino. The writers either forgot to follow through with its whereabouts or perhaps they just didn't have enough airtime to develop this sideline.
 

Lado

Steve, yes, IIRC early in the novela we learn that Julián is Ernesto's son by his first wife (who I think died). Some time later, Ernesto marries Sofía. Alondra is the child of that second marriage. Julián apparently resented Sofía and made it clear that he was not her son.
 

Lado

giving up the CD was part of Sofia's deal with Paula along with pleading guilty.

 

Juanita and Halimacandy, Thomas is indeed a victim of his circumstances. However had he been caught trying to distribute Rohypnol, he would certainly have been found guilty. He has only one available defense, which is duress(any unlawful threat or coercion used... to induce another to act [or not act] in a manner [they] otherwise would not) . However, for duress to qualify as a defense, the following requirements must be met :the threat must be of serious bodily harm or death,the threatened harm must be greater than the harm caused by the crime,the threat must be immediate and inescapable, the defendant must have become involved in the situation through no fault of his own.
In our case, the threat was very vague, but most importantly it was neither immediate nor inescapable, since Thomas certainly had time to go to the police and alert them, thus nullifying the threat.
Only if 66 were to stand behind Thomas with a weapon saying: distribute this drug now or I will kill you could Thomas claim that he acted under duress.

Irene
 

Lado

hmm, I guess neither Joel nor Patrick ever new about the CD or the evidence Sofia had on Ernesto or why Irene was killed.

 

Lado

I'd like to post a valentine to Gabriel Porras. He's doing a terrific job in this role. Ten years ago he looked dapper and sharp. He seemed even a bit ambivalent about the child trafficking. He certainly did not want to sexually abuse any of the girls. There was a distinct sense, at least to me, that Ernesto felt painted into a corner by Don Chente and The Texan (who we now know to be Cummings). [Feel free to vehemently disagree with my sense of this.] He seemed like an up and comer, brisk.

Now, through one of those magic things good actors do, he appears puffy and sort of lost. His dream of being President of Mexico almost seems like he wants it because he used to want it. He looks a LOT older. He's definitely suffering from alcoholism. The supposed death of Sofía has taken a toll on him. He's both guilty about what happened to her and realizing how much he loved her when he had her. He's drowning in self-pity and vaguely aware that he's done a bad job raising the only child he has really had near him. Maybe part of his desire to have Alondra around is to make amends.

I'm NOT praising Ernesto! I'm praising Gabriel Porras.
 

Lado

novelera, you do a terrific job of describing the changes--both physical and emotional--that Ernesto undergoes in the ten years since the novela began. And yes, much of that impressive and at times nuanced transformation succeeds thanks to Gabriel Porras' talent. I'm not sure, though, that when we saw him at the start Ernesto was admirable. In one of the earliest episodes Irene plays the recording of Ernesto and Juan Estevez chuckling over the arrival of another shipment of botellitas. It's that recording, coupled with the message Sofía sees on Ernesto's phone, that convinces her that he's involved in the trafficking of young girls. He may not take as much pleasure in all this as Senator Slimy does, but IMHO Ernesto is already someone who deserves to be in jail, not in the governor's mansion.
 

"LADO":

Juanita: I don't think the 1st wife of Ernesto died a natural death. I mean, Paula & Pastrana likely had her whacked.

As for Julian: I hope he goes to prison for being complicit to his father's crimes.

 

"LADO":

Deb: We still do NOT know who the Baby Daddy of Irene's unborn baby is either. I mean, it could've been anyone (Patrick, Richard, Cummings, Ernesto, etc.,)


 

Steve, I don't see how she could be pregnant by any of those men, but especially not Cummings or Ernesto.

Irene
 

Lado

Juanita, I did not mean admirable. I only meant not as evil as the guys he was complicit with.
 

Lado

Thanks, novelera, for the clarification. I agree that Ernesto was (and probably still is) less evil than the slimebags he was/is complicit with. Frankly, though, any knowing involvement with human trafficking is pretty damn awful.
 

TELEMUNDO...

Luis Miguel la serie... premiere of the highly anticipated original production, Luis Miguel Series, is set to air every Sunday starting April 22 at 9pm/8c.

 

"LADO":

HALIMACANDY: Tomas is a criminal!
 

LADO, CAP. 33, VIERNES, Parte 1 de 3

We again see Alondra call her father a murderer in his own house. She calls him Ernesto and tells him she knows he sent people to burn down the bakery in Mexico. Paula, for once, looks stunned. Alo: “You sent your guys to hit a woman who had nothing to do with your cochinadas (filthy business).” Paula jumps up to defend him and Alo throws a glass of water on her and tells her to shut up! [Loved it!]

Now is when Alo goes too far. She tells him he burned down Eliza’s house, the only woman who has cared for her, has been like a mother to her. [I wish she hadn’t said Eliza!] Alo: ”¡Eres un asco de persona! No me acerques nunca. (You’re a disgusting person; don’t ever come near me again.

To Paula: "¡Y tú, zorra, más vale que no te vuelvo a ver porque si no, no respondo!" (And you, b*tch, you better hope I don’t see you again because I won’t hold back.) Before she leaves she tells Julián that for a minute she thought he was a good guy, but he’s just like the rest of them.

Paula doesn’t miss a beat. She tells Julián that the family that has been caring for Alo has filled her head with hatred.

Carmen, a bit defensive for a change, tries to justify her having told Alo what her father did to them in Mexico. She even tells Eliza she should have done so. Eliza tells her that she shouldn’t have put them in the sights of such a dangerous person. Carmen tells her she needed to tell Alo the truth because what if they get her on their side and nos pueden venir a dar cuello a lo que quiera. (They could come and kill any one of us.)

Eliza tells Carment that Alo is impulsive. Carmen: ”¡Ya! Lo hecho, pecho.” (What can’t be undone, take it to your bosom or no use to cry over spilt milk.) Carmen: ”¿El inútil se nos muere, o no?” Changing the subject quickly and flippantly; is Max going to die?

J-Low is at Max’s bedside going on and on about how she’s going to get along with Eliza for Max’s sake. And, by the way, could he not sign the divorce papers until Charlie…..; i.e., hold off on the divorce because she plans to harvest some of his other kid to save hers and maybe she can talk him back into her bed.

Tomás admits to Frida that he’s a virgin as well. [So where is this lovely bedroom they’re in?] Anyway, they have a lovely time their first time.

Andrés approaches Benny and plays him like a fiddle. He starts off showing his bandaged arm and saying how dangerous the neighborhood is becoming. He said Max had to go to the hospital because of un pandillero estupido (dumb gangbanger). Andrés goes on to pour salt in Benny’s wounds reminding him of how honest and upright his parents are. His father didn’t deserve to be deported. He asks Benny to make them proud. When he turns away, we see Benny almost burst into tears.

Richard sings his same song. He’s upset she went to meet Paula and figures out that Joel helped her.

As Ernesto sucks on a drink Paula tells him she got Alejandra Miranda’s fingerprints. Switching subjects she tells him his daughter is out of control. Ernesto: “The problem isn’t Alo; it’s Eliza.” Paula offers to have Eliza killed. Ernesto is horrified and tells her to leave it to him. [He probably figures out Alo would immediately pin it on him.]
 

LADO, CAP. 33, VIERNES, Parte 2 de 3

Pastrana calls Paula to say the prints were only partials and no identification could be made. Later Sofía tells Richard that Joel gave her some latex fingerprints [?] to use so they couldn’t get hers. She even broke the wine glass so they couldn’t get DNA. Richard has another jealous hissy fit. She looks him dead in the eye and reminds him he’s only a fake husband. Then she tells him Joel only wants to marry his fiancée; and, furthermore, he’s with her as they speak.

Joel comes home. Lorena lies, saying she’s looking at pictures to prepare for their wedding when she’s actually watching the lobby camera video over and over. She shows him a picture of he and Irene and, dropping sweet, smiling poison into his ear, reminds him of all the years with his sister he lost. And all the damage Sofía Villavicencio did to him shooting his sister and also marking him for life.

Tomás and Frida cuddle and they each say there is and never will be another for them.

Joel and Lorena get it on while Sofía is thinking about Joel. Lorena asks him to tell her he loves her during their lovemaking [rookie move, Lore]. Afterwards, Lorena asleep, the ghost of Irene comes to tell him of all they lost because of la asesina.

Eliza tells Max she’s fine with Charlie being around Rodrigo, but she doesn’t like the way Jennifer is doing it.

Speaking of J-Low, at the hospital she tells Steve something that could be a clue for the future. She hints maybe Rodrigo could come to live with Charlie. She wants Steve to give her some legal justification for this, something about Max “recognizing” Rodrigo. Steve reminds her that Rod is a citizen and doesn’t need that kind of help. Steve hurries out when he hears that Eliza is in with Max [doesn’t want to be seen with J-Low].

All the kids, plus Charlie, are having breakfast prepared by Carmen. Rodrigo is such a good person. He tells Tomás that Charlie admired his trofeos de natación (swimming trophies). Tomas smiles at Charlie, offers him any of them he’d like, and ruffles his little brother’s hair. [Of course Tomás is in a pretty good mood.]

Andrés tells Raquel, whom he calls his nuerita (little daughter-in-law) that he’s pretty sure Benny stabbed Max. He makes the case that, because his father was deported, Benny needs money. Raquel: “But why attack Max without robbing him?” Andrés tells her that the gangs often insist on a test of loyalty.

Julián tries to convince Alo that their father, while not a prince, is not capable of what she said. “And besides, why would your familia postiza (sometimes fake; but in this case I think it means foster) put something like that in your head?” She tells him that the familia postiza is the only one she has now and walks away. Julián: “¿Y Karina? And backs away when he sees her face.

Rodrigo has a plan. Karina has brought him to the soccer field and wonders why the coach isn’t there. They convince her to let them wait alone. And, as soon as her back is turned, the two rascals pool their money and rush off (leaving Charlie’s prescription medicine that had fallen out on the ground).

Julián WAS seeking out Alo for his father. He’s on the phone giving explanations when he spies Karina. After a few texts he finally reveals himself as her secret admirer. He puts some verbal moves on her, but she just criticizes his spelling in the texts. But Viewerville can tell she’s a bit charmed by him.

Alo and Tomás are walking companionably when they each part ways for two interesting conversations.

Julián is there to ask Alo what in blazes last night was about.
 

LADO, CAP. 33, VIERNES, Parte 3 de 3

Tomás approaches Benny, who tries to play dumb, saying he’s just selling a little dope. He then has the gall to say, basically, what’s the big deal; Tommy is also selling. Tomás has fire in his eye. He asks Benny if he forgot how this all started. He tells Benny he got mixed up in this because of him. And because of helping Benny his father is in the hospital; 66 ordered it.

Tomás asks Benny if he’s proud of being in the gang. Suddenly the penny drops: “It was you, maldito! Benny tries to deny, but eventually whines that they threatened him. Tomás: “If it hadn’t been for Andrés I’d be burying my own father.”

Rodrigo has brought Charlie to the beach. [It does sort of look like California; sometimes they use the Atlantic in Miami instead and I can tell!] The beach scene with the two boys is great. They play in the waves and, later, Rod buries his brother up to his neck in the sand.

Sofía is with Paula and is putting on a good front about the exhibition of her photographs. Paula takes an obviously planned call from Rodrigo, telling Sofía it’s the Consul. She puts him on speaker and Sofía says some platitudes. Then…evil Paula asks him if he’s going to see his daughter, while she watches Sofía for a reaction. Ernesto says that, after her visit last night, it’s better if he goes to see her and see how she’s doing.

At Sofía’s building Pastrana shows Lorena a photo of Sofía asking if she’s seen her. But Lorena plays it cool and says she doesn’t recognize the picture.

At the Beverly Hills House of Prostitution, er, Mark’s place, said Mark grins at Johnny, saying he’s got Frida convinced. [What a punchable face Mark has!] Frida comes out looking lovely. Smirking, Mark leaves, saying he has a lot of work to do.

Charlie asks Rod the time and realizes he should have taken a pill. When Rod asks him if something bad will happen if he misses one, Charlie says he doesn’t know; it’s the first time he’s taken them. Rod then whispers a plan to Charlie about getting a girl to kiss him (something on his sad little list).

Johnny is all over Frida [both of them mercifully still clothed] when Tomás calls her from school. After she hangs up she asks Johnny if he desires her. Practically drooling, he tells her she has no idea. Frida: “If you want me to treat you like you want to be treated, sign a contract. [That was the Spanish, but I think in English it means sign a contract with me.]

Andrés is questioning some random gang guy when 66 gets in his face, although he does call him Señor Andy.

Eliza and J-Low both come to the soccer field. Eliza is about as miffed as she ever gets. She reminds J that they discussed Eliza picking them up.

Ernesto comes to Corazón de Pan bakery and is calling Alondra’s name while banging on the door. Sofía, in a car, [where’d she get a car] is watching this happen.

Ernesto goes inside, calls Carmen madrecita and says he’s looking for La Señorita Eliza Romero. Carmen: ¡Madrecita la que te parió, pendejo! Ernesto: ¿Perdón? [The little mama is the one who gave birth to you, dummy! Pendejo was bleeped out, but novelera can read lips.]

We see Rodrigo drag a curvy young woman back to Charlie. He’s face down in the sand. She turns him over to give him mouth-to-mouth, while Rod looks on grinning. [We can now see their plan.] But it doesn’t look like Charlie is faking it.
 

Lado

Wow! Many, many thanks, novelera, for this wonderful recap. It's just amazing: clear, complete, full of detail, lots of useful Spanish, and a healthy supply of snark. I love your calling Jennifer J-Low. Though I might change that to J-Lowest.

I loved it when Frida asked Johnny "do you really want me?" and when he panted yes, yes, I do, she told him to sign her to a contract.

I enjoyed the scenes between Rod and Charlie, though it's increasingly hard to believe that Rod is just 10 years old. He has the poise and manner of someone considerably older. Anyway, it's clear that Rod is determined to help Charlie have some of the experiences on his bucket list: see the ocean, kiss a girl. But I fear you're right, Charlie doesn't seem to be responding when the girl applies mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (the closest thing to a kiss Rod could arrange). I wonder whether Charlie will wind up in the same hospital where Max is. I guess we'll find out on Monday.
 

"LADO":

Novelera: I KNEW I couldn't trust Lorena. Seems to me she's part of the Syndicate & conspiracy with Paula, Pastrana, Cummings, Ernesto, etc.,

Juanita: Karina is falling for Evil Julian. Red Flag #2! I'm really getting worried for her.

Who was the young curvy woman kissing Charles ?

 

Lado

love your recaps novelera, so professional, yet filled with charm (and snark)!

does Mark supply his girls with birth control?

nice (not) to see Ernesto and Julian bonding over playing Alo, Julian always in it for some gain.

love the way Karina and Julian parted, he diving in for... her offering him a handshake. (hmm, I wonder if he would go so far as to drug her)

Eliza arriving to pick up the kids only to find Jen also appearing behind her, was so strange and stalking.

Eliza's setup was throwing me for a while but way back when, she got a place near a bakery, which she now also has, so Ernesto was beating on where they live, and when there was no answer, he walked around to the bakery.

with Johnny/Frida, the english caps were, she wanted a signed contract, first.

(I thought Mark once was tempting Frida with the thought that if she learns how to play these guys she could go far, of course he was probably just suggesting giving into the sex).

Andres is a big guy, I was surprised that 66 was maybe a bit bigger.

yep, I noticed Charlie had blue lips, I'm thinking the young girl, w/ float and red suit, is the life guard.

 

LADO

Boring, boring, boring.

Steve, do you want me to tally votes on whether or not Lorena is a Cummings, Ernesto spy??
 

Enemigo:

I sure am glad I don't live in the world of this novela. Things aren't going too well for anyone, and there's danger around every corner. The human rights lady (forgot her name) tries to interview some low-lives to get dirt on Alex, and she and her assistant are just about to get raped when Pedro the reporter saves them by shooting some bullets in the air. He later tries to convince her to stop hassling Alex, that Alex is a force for good, but she won't listen, and later goes to Priamo for support. As for Priamo, it looks as if Nemesio isn't too happy with him. Nemesio also wants Mendiola to hurry up and get Roxana out. Mendiola sees Marimar consoling Alex, and wants Buitre to investigate Marimar to use against Alex.

Meanwhile, Angel Cordero started out tough, but when Madre threatens his family, he caves, and will have to do whatever Madre wants (I still say they should transfer Madre, but of course that's not happening). Zoraida almost kills Mamba for dissing her. Roxana and Tilapia are viewed by Pookie kissing, which can't be good for Tilapia. The other day Roxie accused Tilapia of being a snitch (chivato), passing info to the cops, at least for now she doesn't think he IS a copy. He, on the other hand, believes she's inocente (ah, young love)..... Luis continues to drink and do coke, Nemesio says HE'll make all the decisions for now, Luis should just follow orders, but I doubt Luis got the message.

Puenzo continues to get all the info he wants, to pass on to the Oscuros, and none of the cops dream he's dirty. The only bright side is that MAYBE Sylvia is on to the hacker. She says she knows what he's doing, he knows what she's doing, so they sort of have a hacker/nerd challenge. Who can out geek the other? COOL!
 

Enemigo:

Meant to says Rox doesn't think Tilapia is a cop, not a "copy". But could that have been a Freudian slip?
 

"LADO":

Deb: I see Julian drugging & killing Karina.
 

I just do NOT trust the woman. Her body language said it all.
 

ENEMIGO #130

THE NEW WARDEN HAS GOT OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT BY OFFENDING MADRE..that is , by his not paying enough difference.. to Madres' status??!!

New warden, was place there by Nesemio, Roxy's adopted dad.??!!.Luis is her step brother..yuck!!

Luis 's dead body[ poor Brasilia ] is found by house keeping, that poor woman, but she recalls Luis the jerk ,coming out of the room as clear as a bell.. his image is made!!

Alex is torturing a flunky.. meanwhile...

the cops show up at the hotel and so does the pimp ,who is hot as a hornet. because he is losing pimping $$ money... poor girl.. you were nothing but, so much meat..

Dark Templars knights meet up with dirty cop-of-the-year, Fed's -mole and his dark knight cuz meet but are observe...they kill the spy and kill an American Journalist...they are worried, because they don't know if they were lived streamed..!!maybe the dirty fed has been made, but its in the USA..who knows when that revelation will come out

Back at the 5star hotel,the cops call the Feds abt the dead girl and give them the sketch of Luis..!! yea!!

Alex heads to the hospital to check on exlady warden's condition... its bad.. but not dead!! yet???!!

 

ENEMIGO

HOMBRE

THANK YOU MUCHO...the names are killing me

Deep cover Federales mole, dirty cop = Puenzo... he is gonna be a new dad soon, what's up with that story line.. do you think his poor wife is gonna pay for his sins!?

I plan to go back and watch from the beginning so when it returns in 2019??!! I will be ready..


CARAY:

SO LUIS MIGUEL TO REPLACE WHO ?? REALLY??!!.... LADO..??!!? REALLY???

....FAMILIA-PERFECT AT 8:00 TOMORROW...GOT IT!!


Enemigo done and WTF!!!....SENOR IS BACK..?!

.... AND YOU CAN HAVE him..enough for me...I cant stomach that socio / psycho path again....he should have been killed ..but slowly.. over a slow roasting flame/grill pit.... he deserves torture... who ever thought this demon in man form deserves a super series?!

 

Enemigo

Hombre, love you weekly updates, I've always admired the magic you put into your recaps.

some strange writing going on in this story, Madre (pretty much) knows Tilapia is a cop/snitch, (and what was it they do to snitches, cut their fingers off and feed them to them till they choke to death, right?), so Madre tells Nemesio who tells Roxy who says, he probably is, but we can use him, (or is it the loving she has no complaints about) and so it goes back to Madre, the fish is untouchable, does he care, Madre at least will listen to the professor, but wasn't the deal that las Dunas was his?

I'm glad Silvia pegged Pharisees for what he is, was it when he blocked her way to his command center?

hmm, Pharisees, complicated word,

"A religious party among the Jews. The name denotes separatists. They prided themselves on their strict observance of the law and on the care with which they avoided contact with things gentile. "

"They were a major obstacle to the reception of Christ and the gospel by the Jewish people."

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/pharisees?lang=eng

nerd challenge indeed!


Halimacandy, I think it is the court service director, Gibran Mendiola, who is Nemesio's guy, who is in the shadows while the warden, Ángel Cordero, will get the full wrath of Madre.

yes, Luis girl's pimp, I think the top cop on the spot, told his guys to arrest him on the way out.

 

Lado

I don't know about Frida, her rant to drug dealer Tommy about doing whatever it takes to get what you want, looks like it was more of a pep talk to herself, how far will she go, is Johnny even a record producer?

and that was quite a cliff hanger, the bubbly Ernesto walking into the tiger's den, nope, I think it was Paula's ploy to flush Sofia, and there she is, parked outside in her car.

 

Mi Familia Perfecta

10 reasons to watch,

1) Laura Chimaras, who played Serena in "Sangre de mi tierra", is in a completely different role here as Rosa, the older bleach blond sibling ??.

2) ok help me out here...

 

"LADO":

HALIMACANDY: Looks like Frida is NOT long for this world.
 

LADO

OBSERVATION
As a Mom, I noticed that Lorena has terrible table manners.

She is going to screw Joel and Sofia's relationship, or chance thereof, royally.

Where is everybody???
 

JOSE Jose
He made a wonderful presentation epilogue at the begin,middle and end...''I had to admire his honesty and truthfulness..

Pepe was a really simple soul, he was basically guileless and super sensitive.....

I was happy to watch his recovery as well as the hiccups to true sobriety..

He thanked the Lord.. Higher power in a very beautiful manner and scene at the closing of this series...

I really enjoyed this bio,,,the MUSIC WAS EXCELLENT!!

 

LADO

STEVE :
forget about it!!

FRIDA/TOMAS are the love storyline for the young'n.... they have to have an age relatable younger pair-off...for the tweenie set.. Gen-X group...

They want to IDENT.. with teen angst and they are gonna get it ,cause these kids are going through it..on a lot of different levels..

.... this is the D.A.C.A. age group and it their unique story as well....these are more of an American I.D. population..with All-American centred problems... approaches and expectations..

Sorry....save the deathwish list for that bastard SENOR.. [Lord- love- and -save- us ]..!!
 

Enemigo

I watched the first week of this one and Lado. I just don't like prison dramas. I have to name the exception, though: Teresa Mendoza's getting to know Patty O'Farrell in La Reina del Sur was terrific! And that was a fairly brief arc of the story taking place in prison.

From the promos I see while watching Lado, it appears this whole novela takes place in prison. Yikes! Are any of the characters ever going to get out?
 

Enemigo:

Novelera, about half of the characters are in the jail, the other half are out, but because so many of the main ones are there, I don't think much is going to change - although if they have a Season Two, it could be different.
 

Enemigo

Thanks, Hombre. I liked the beginning premise: the man and woman not knowing they were siblings who had been separated by circumstances many years ago. But, as I said, the cruelty shown in most of the prison scene parts of telenovelas just turns me off.
 

"ENEMIGO":

Novelera: Roxana stil has no idea that Nemesio likely ordered the death of her own parents.


 

I doubt half of the cast will be alive when Season 2 starts.