Caray, Caray!

la reina del sur

deb, belated thanks for your posting last week about the cast for the sequel to La Reina del Sur. I loved that novela! Though I don't have a lot of confidence in Telemundo's ability to create a sequal worthy of it, I do plan to watch, at least at the start. However, I was quite disappointed to read that in the sequel, the character Oleg Yasikov will be played by Antonio Gil. I'm not familiar with Gil, but I LOVED Alberto Jiménez's portrayal of Yasikov in the original.
 

FALSA IDENTIDAD – LUNES – Parte 1 de 3

I’m not enjoying the novela as much as I was before. I know it’s routine that the two love interests are separated for periods of time. But not seeing Diego and Isa loving each other takes a lot of the pleasure away. Also, will Telemundo ever do a novela again that doesn’t have drug trafficking as a key element? I know, La Sultana. But that’s not a novela made by Telemundo, just dubbed by Telemundo.

Friday: Diego tells his mother he doesn’t want the money Marlene returned to her. Apparently Ramona was an early conquest of Mateo, as he tries to get her to jump in bed with him again. Deivid tells Diego over the phone that he has to come back from his luna de miel with Circe because of Margot bothering Isabel. Mateo tells Augusto that he needs to somehow convince the court that Gavino didn’t kill Eliseo.

Diego plans to take all the blame for the fake identities. Salas tells him he’ll spend the rest of his life in jail. When Diego replies that it won’t be very many years, Salas asks him how he could prove that he didn’t kill the Guevaras. Salas insists that Diego give him time to work on the problem, and that Diego has to convince Isabel to get out of town with her children.

At the hospital Isa tells Mateo how bad Porfirio is, and that she wanted Porfirio to see his father in case… Mateo replies that this is what she wanted…to get rid of Porfirio.

Circe has some of her guys look for Margot and let her know when they’ve found her. She has un negociocito to offer her.

Ramona is upset when Felipa tells her that Circe plans to leave the business behind and go off with Diego. Felipa tells her that Circe plans for the two of them to run it.

Zoraida and Fernanda are walking down some street talking about Salas. Zoraida tells Fernanda to look at her life; she was a widow longer than she ever was a wife. And it’s lonely. Zoraida tells Fer that Salas is a good person, and she should give him a chance. At the end of the scene, it looks like Fernanda is convinced.

Diego approaches Zoraida and Fernanda and is sweet to both of them. He wants to know where Isabel can be found.

Mateo visits Porfirio. This is a very touching father-son scene. Porfirio appears to be developing a small, nearly visible halo. He corrects Mateo when he tries to blame Isabel of his ill health. Porfi says he’s más pa’ allá que pa’ aca and his father is still regañandole (scolding him).
 

FALSA IDENTIDAD – LUNES – Parte 2 de 3

Diego snarks to Fernanda about Isa returning to work at Babel, but Fernanda shuts him up by saying she has no choice and needs money for Porfi’s transplant.

Marlene has come to the apartment bringing some money for Diana, who refuses. Marlene tells her it’s not Augusto’s money; she gave all that back to Fernanda. It’s her own money that she earned. Diana says she’ll stay in school and also work. But when Marlene again makes a remark about Chucho not being at Diana’s level, Diana refuses the money.

Blondie (aka Joselito) is in a hot tub in Costa Rica with a couple of women alongside. He’s on the phone with Topo, who tells him that Gavino has blamed him for everything the cartel did. Joselito, who is wrong at least 75% of the time, tells Topo that Gavino will rot in jail.

Diego comes to see Isa and tells her that Margot has them in a pickle. She says it’s not her problem. He suggests that she leave town, and she refuses. He offers to pay Porfi’s medical bills and she refuses this, doubtless because…drug money. Of course Circe calls when he’s speaking with Isa and, of course, he picks up. “Where are you?” When he replies that he’s in the hospital: “Are you with her?” Circe, Circe, this behavior doesn’t go over well with Diego.

Back at Porfi’s bedside Mateo is in tears. He tells his son that he is the only good thing in his life, and he cannot die.

Diego tells Isa that she’s as proud as she is beautiful.

Felipa tells Circe that the cards say that Isa is tied to Diego forever. Circe replies that SHE’S writing Diego’s destiny. And she doesn’t care if she ________ the huevo sin sal or her husband or Margot. And that Felipa herself won’t be in good favor if she doesn’t go along with Circe’s plans. [I think she may have actually alluded to killing Isabel, using a common vulgar Spanish curse word.]

Mateo castigates himself for not believing Porfirio when he spoke with him the first time. Saint Porfirio tells his father that he forgives him. He doesn’t want to carry a heavy burden to the other side. He even forgives him for the murder of his mother.

We are at a dance rehearsal at Babel. Paloma gets dizzy on stage and almost falls down. Nuria’s mother blurts out that she’s pregnant. When everyone talks at once, Paloma finally yells that she’s NOT. Later she tells Jim the truth and that she was just enjoying his warmth and protectiveness. He tells her to forgive him because he was putting pressure on her.

Salas has somehow bugged Margot’s room and finds out that he has two hours before the guy who sold the house to Eliseo shows up for his payoff.
 

FALSA IDENTIDAD – LUNES – Parte 3 de 3

The doctor tells Mateo he’s happy someone else is there to relieve Isa who’s been there constantly, hardly ever resting. Mateo asks if he can donate since he seems to know they share a blood type. The doctor says they’ll have to do an x-ray to see if his liver is the right size [?]. Mateo confirms that, if he offers his liver, Porfi won’t be on the list any more.

We see the prosecutor and Gavino’s lawyer make, I think, closing statements. Gavino stands and says that Joselito killed Eliseo.

Isa tells Mateo she’s surprised he’s going to donate to Porfi. He has a good response to this: what would she not do for Amanda or Ricas? He leans forward: "Si su madre no fuera capaz de quitármelo, menos voy a permitir que la muerte me lo arrebate." (If her mother couldn’t take him from me, there’s even less chance I’ll let death yank him away.)

Diego has paid Porfirio Corona’s hospital bill in cash, in US dollars, borrowing part of it from Deivid. It was cute to see how his eyes bugged out at the total.

They haven’t yet said if Mateo is a compatible donor. But he’s shocked to hear they’ll take up to 60% of his liver. But he signs anyway.

Dr. Nava tells Isabel that, even though Mateo is donating, the cost of the surgeries could be double. [It sounded like she thought there would be a price for the liver; I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to pay someone for organs in the US. Maybe Mexico is different.] He suggests she talk to the Admin Dept...something about social services.

Diego and Deivid return to the apartment in D.F. and find Circe waiting. “Why didn’t you want me with you when you went to the hospital?” [Diego, the appropriate response to this is: Duh!] She tells him he should have nothing to do with Isabel’s fate. He replies that he put her in this position, and he has to get her out of it. Just then Salas arrives saying that Margot is at the point of getting the proof that they stole the identities of her relatives.
 

identidad

novelera, this is a terrific recap! For some reason, I didn't see it until now, though you apparently posted it last night. Oh well...

Wow, watching and listening to Mateo was like watching a tennis match, with the ball going back and forth. First, he's being his usual obnoxious self and is blaming Isa for all Porfirio's problems. Then, suddenly, he's the caring father who's willing to donate part of his liver to save his son, whom he loves.

I also had a problem with Saint Porfirio forgiving Mateo for the lifetime of bad things he has done to his son, including killing his mother.

Thanks for your explanation of how Salas came to hear the conversation between Margo and Sr. Acevedo. I was quite mystified.

Thanks too for your inclusion of some helpful Spanish.

And yes, "Duh!" is the best response to Circe's question about why Diego didn't want her with him at the hospital.
 

Falsa Identidad - Capítulo 58 - Parte 1 de 3

Salas warns Diego that Margot Guevara is about to get the documents proving that Diego and Isabel were using a false identity. The only thing they can do is try to stop the guy who was going to sell them the documents, so off they go.

Marlene and the other dancers express their dismay at finding out about Paloma's false pregnancy. Marlene asks Nuria why she kept this information from them. Nuria explains that she regarded it as something personal. (Ya think?) Paloma is very depressed. She feels that the dream she had of a life and family with Jim is down the tubes.

Isabel goes to pay Porfirio's hospital bill and finds that it has been paid in full by Diego. She is furious. "I didn't authorize payment!" she says to the woman at the desk. Isabel demands that the woman give back the money. She accuses the woman of not doing her job correctly. The doctor comes by and tries to calm Isabel down. Isabel angrily explains that she doesn't want Diego in her life and doesn't want his money. The doctor tries to reason with her. In her current circumstances, she needs all the help she can get. She should be thankful for a guardian angel. His words fall on deaf ears.

Salas and Diego are waiting for Negrete, the man who has arranged to sell the documents to Margot Guevara for $6000. When Negrete arrives, they try to persuade him to sell the documents to them. They offer him $6000 plus a little extra. He refuses. Salas reminds Negrete that he (Salas) has lots of contacts. Deivid arrives with an envelope containing a bit more than $6000, and Negrete finally agrees to sell the documents to them. Diego tells him he should thank them for saving his skin. How? Diego tells Negrete that selling property to a dead person is a crime punishable by years in prison. Negrete says he hadn't known that, and he leaves. Salas then bursts out laughing, saying with admiration that Diego's threat would never have occurred to him. Diego admits that it was a piece of crap, but it worked. (Actually, WordReference.com translates the word Diego used, mamada, as a blow job, but I think in English piece of crap works better here.)

While Diego and Salas are trying to convince Negrete to sell the documents to them, Circe is taking a different approach to the problem. She and another young woman enter the hotel where Margot Guevara is staying, change into white uniforms used by the staff, and knock on Margot's door, announcing themselves as room service. As soon as they're in, Circe grabs Margot from behind and tells her that she must return to the United States and forget about finding Emiliano Guevara. Circe then pushes Margot and the other woman starts in. Unfortunately, she has a knife in her hand, and the next thing she knows, the knife is in Margot's neck. She may not have intended to kill her, but.... Circe is upset. "This wasn't in the plan," she says, and she recalls saying something similar when she and Eliseo struggled for the gun, which went off, killing him.

Circe asks the other woman to help her, and together they drag Margot's body into the bathroom shower. Circe places Margot in a sitting position, puts the knife in her hand, and turns on the shower. She and her accomplice clean up the room, the accomplice changes her clothes, and they leave.

As Circe and her accomplice are positioning Margot's dead body and cleaning up, Señor Acevedo comes to the hotel and goes up in the elevator to Margot's room. There's a bit of suspense, but he passes the women in the hall as they're leaving and he's arriving. He goes to the door of Margot's room, sees that it's open, enters, and sees her seated corpse in the shower, holding the knife.
 

Falsa Identidad - Cap. 58 - 2 de 3

Marlene comes to see Jim. She is there to support him, she says, just as he helped her when she was in a quandary about Augusto. Gradually the conversation shifts to Marlene's issues. She tells Jim that she is going to the hospital to see Augusto. Jim accompanies her to the door of Augusto's hospital room. Marlene goes in by herself. Augusto greets her with a sarcastic "Finally you appear." Marlene tells him that she has come to let him know she doesn't want to have anything more to do with him. She then lays out what she now knows about him, the lies he has told her, his involvement for years with the Gaona cartel, etc. He of course claims that none of what she has said is true. Finally, though, he takes a different stance: "You knew I was married, and yet you lived with me. You're no saint. You're as guilty as I am." He then tells her smugly that if she leaves him, she'll have nothing. Marlene replies, "You also have nothing. I gave the money you put in my account to Fernanda. And you put the apartment in my name. You robbed me, and I robbed you.A thief who robs a thief (Un ladrón que roba un ladrón). You've left yourself with nothing and no one."

Chucho and Diana are talking. Chucho asks what her sister had to say about him. Diana says it doesn't matter that Marlene says that Chucho and his mother are "different," what matters is that she and Chucho are together. Chucho gets upset at Marlene's feeling that he and his mother are different because they're from the pueblo. He tells her, "I'm not going to let anyone look down on (menospreciar) my family. I don't want your sister to see my mother again."

Gavino confers with his lawyer. The lawyer assures him that even if the judge doesn't buy Gavino's alibi (coartada), it won't matter. The judge will be more convinced by the large amount of money Gavino is giving him.

Isabel returns home from the hospital to find that both children are adamantly opposed to returning to their new school. As she is trying to deal with them, there's a loud knock at the door. She opens it to find Mateo, who announces, "If I'm going to be the liver donor, you don't want me to stay in a hotel, do you?" Isabel informs him that she doesn't want him in her house or near her children. They do a bit of verbal fencing, and finally Mateo says, "OK, if you don't want me, I'll go back to Sonoma. But who is going to explain to my grandchildren that their father died because you wouldn't let me save his life?" Isabel persists in saying that she knows what kind of horrible person Mateo is and how he treats women. The real Mateo then comes out. He says that the women "found what they were looking for." When Isabel says she doesn't want him near her children, especially not Amanda, Mateo is furious. Amanda isn't like those woman, she's intelligent, she's "normal." Isabel tells Mateo that he disgusts her. He says that Porfirio may have threatened her, but he, Mateo, doesn't threaten. "If someone bothers me, I get them out of the way."

In spite of her repeated insistence that she doesn't want Mateo in her house, Isabel apparently gives in. She tells the children that Mateo will be staying with them for a few days, but they should steer clear of him, he's a dangerous person. Amanda protests that Isabel is exaggerating, but finally both kids agree to keep their distance from Mateo.
 

Falsa Identidad - Cap. 58 - 3 de 3

After Marlene returns from seeing Augusto, she and Jim talk again. She confesses to him that she's afraid of being alone. Jim assures her that she's a marvellous woman. Someone else will come along, someone who cares for her. (I'm wondering whether that someone will be Jim.)

A policeman is questioning Señor Acevedo in Margot Guevara's hotel room. Acevedo explains that Margot came to Mexico to find a relative who had disappeared, and she contacted him to help her. He saw her two hours ago, and everything seemed fine. The police are assuming that Margot committed suicide. However, the policeman who questioned Acevedo tells one of his colleagues not to let Acevedo out of his sight.

Isabel goes to see Diego. She shows him the paid hospital bill and tells him, "Thanks, but I don't need your money. You're not going to control me with your stinking money" (apestoso dinero). Diego replies that she's jealous of Circe; moreover, she (Isabel) has gone back to her husband. Isabel accuses him of always seeing himself as the victim, first of his mother, then of Isabel, and then of Augusto. They continue this verbal sparring for quite a while. Isabel finally asks him, "Who am I?" Diego replies, "You're the love of my life, and I continue to love you. And I know that you feel that way, too." As he moves in for a kiss, Circe of course appears. She sees the kiss, but she doesn't hear Isabel say to him, "I hate you." Circe approaches her and asks, "Didn't you and I have an agreement?" (trato). Isabel explains that she was simply thanking Diego for paying for her husband's hospital bill, but she intends to pay back every cent.

When Diego and Circe are alone again, Diego tells her, "We have a relation, but you're not my owner and I'm not yours. He then shows Circe the papers that he and Salas had bought from Negrete. They continue to talk. At one point, Diego says something I don't understand: "Ya le bajamos dos rayitas al estéreo." Circe says, well, one (one rayita rather than two): But don't use this as a pretext to keep seeing her (Isabel).
 

Thank you, Juanita.

"dos rayitas" is a metaphor coming from the volume indicator on stereo systems, where the number of bars shows the volume. So, lowering by two bars means lowering the intensity of the argument, calm down, take it easy. I think Circe replied "Nunca."

It did not look convincing when Isa was telling Diego "No te amo. Te odio."
 

idendidad

Wow! Thanks so much for the wonderfully detailed and well written recap. I also got a kick out of the inadvertent California reference: Mateo threatens to return to Sonoma, perhaps for a wine tasting.

That Circe sure gets around doesn't she. Like every other woman in novelas, she always sees the kiss between her desired man and her rival.

I think the whole expression is:ladrón que roba ladrón tiene cien años de perdón. When Marlene said what she said, I mentally inserted ...

I found Isabel's angry interchange with the person who keeps the hospital's accounts a bit over the top. And she should be a bit grateful for having some of that monkey off her back about Porfirio's hospital bills.

I was wondering. I thought Diego said something about a presupuesto to
Deivid. This means budget. So I was wondering if Diego somehow also paid for the surgeries. Or if he only paid charges to date and Isa is still on the hook for the rest of it. And Mateo hasn't offered to pay anything, only giving a part of his liver.
 

identidad

Lucio, Muchísimas gracias for your help with that Spanish phrase! And yes, I too didn't think Isa really felt the odio she claimed. Fury, hurt pride, jealously, but not hate.

novelera, thanks very much for your appreciative and insightful comments. I strongly agree with what you've said about Isabel's interchange with the woman at the accounts desk. It was definitely over the top. I scrawled CRAZY! in my notes.

Yes, you're right about the full ladrón expression. I first came upon it about ten years ago when I saw the delightful heist movie, Ladrón que roba a ladrón. I don't remember much about the film except that it starred Fernando Colunga, was easier to understand than most films in Spanish, and (in part because of these two factors), I enjoyed it immensely.
 

Juanita, thank you for another great detailed recap. I still have had no luck with English captions on tv,
but I have been getting partial episodes with English on Youtube. With them and the wonderful recaps on Caray Caray
along with some common sense, I’m able to follow the story fairly well. I really do think that the problem is with Telemundo
in this area since all other channels at least have captions for the hearing impaired, and I’m not even receiving those
from Telemundo. I agree with what was said about too many narco themed novelas and would love to see more like
Ramona, etc. Thank you again. AnonGringa
 

identidad

Yes, Juanita, I also saw the heist movie with Colunga. My friend from Spanish Class Susana and I went to see it at the theater when it first came out. We both had a major crush on Colunga. There were other fairly famous TN actors in it: Miguel Varoni, Saúl Lisazo, Gabriel Soto, Sonya Smith (in an English speaking role as Saúl's wife).

I have multiple Spanish language channels on my DirecTV lineup because I went with the Latino version, mostly so I could get Telemundo East and thus watch novelas earlier. In fact, they send me emails in Spanish from time to time. Anyway, some of these channels will show Ladrón from time to time, and I'll happily select that channel and watch parts of the movie from whatever part is on at that moment.

I also enjoy Cine Nostalgia, which runs classic Mexican movies from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. They definitely spoke more slowly and with less slang, so it's fun to tune in in the middle of a movie and be able to completely understand what's going in within 5 or 10 minutes.
 

Identidad

Thanks, Novelera and Juanita. All caught up.

Wondering if Porfirio's deathbed forgiveness of Mateo will hold. Will Mateo's nasty treatment of Isa change Porf's mind?

Whoa, Circe sure is accidental murder prone.
 

identidad

Some random things I remember from last night:

Gavino Gaona's lawyer comes to see Augusto in the hospital about his testifying to clear Gavino from the murder of Eliseo. The Augusto actor has spent a LOT of time in bed! He seems reluctant, not sure why. He needs money for sure.

Diego, seeing on the news about the death of Margot, had a memory of Circe standing right there while Salas described the urgent time frame of two hours before Diego and Isa would be in big trouble. When he confronted her, she told the truth, sort of. She really didn't kill Margot, but was in the process of roughing her up to scare her. Diego was too wily for this story; he came right back with: maybe she just had someone kill her.

Nuria's mother (forgot her name) overheard Nuria saying she felt crowded by having her mother around at Babel and at home. The mother's feelings were really hurt and she went on a food binge. She told Nuria she's going back to Monterrey and plans to divorce Nuria's father.

Mateo is playing good grandpa with Ricas. I suspect Big Ed was enjoying being a good guy for a few minutes. My memory is fuzzy on this, but he was somehow connecting the dots about Margot and the child named Max. But Amanda was sticking to her mother's orders and managed to get Mateo off grilling Ricas about "the game", at least for now.

Circe actually went off in a huff, saying it was over between them because of Diego doubting her, but later she told Felipa, with a twinkle in her eye, that she had a plan in the works.

Can't remember much more. When I actually recap, I take notes.
 

Identidad

I'm catching up,

monday
thanks so much novelera for Monday's recap!

that was an interesting discussion on the liver, I think Isa was hoping for a price break because they were supplying the liver, only to find out it was more because there would be 2 surgeries, Porfi and Mateos. I don't really know much about donations, free yes, for the donor maybe, but I'm sure everyone one else tacks on charges from the recovery of the organ to shipping and handling, hmm,

"For patients not covered by health insurance, a liver transplant typically costs up to $575,000 or more for the procedure, including follow-up care and medications for the first six months after the procedure."

"According to Vimo.com, a health care cost comparison website, the average list price for a liver transplant is about $330,000, while the average negotiated price, through an insurance company, is $100,400."

tuesday
and thank you, Juanita!

the trouble I have with narco stuff is that everyone loses, and with Telemundo, is that all there is? I'm totally sold on "Mi Sultana", which has reminded me of all the good things novela's have to offer, love it when each show builds upon the one before.

(btw, I watched monday's Sultana and Identidad at Telemundo's site, both shows all segments with english caps)

(also it's never too late to watch "La Sultana", and Kat is doing wonderful highly detailed recaps, there are so many characters you kind of have to watch to keep them all straight.)

but I must say I'm intrigued with Circe, I think she has a heart, and maybe good intentions, but growing up in a dysfunctional narco family she doesn't have a clue how normal people do things, and crashes right on to the scene ruining lives around her, doesn't help that Felipa is using her for revenge, Joselito is obsessed with her, and Ramona is such a poor excuse for a human being.

wednesday
thanks for getting things started novelera!

yep Big Ed sure makes for the elephant in the middle of the room, and why isn't he paying for anything, he did mention a while back that Gavino was using all the money he made to get out of jail.

I'm not sure if Mateo has connected the dots yet, but he remembers that lady from before and has called the home office to get briefed.

the falsa identidad really isn't working for me, they should have burned the passports and started using their real names a long time ago, Diego is so in under his head as a criminal who cares what his name is.

and the PI is on the hook for killing Margot.

 

identidad

Thanks for chiming in, deb. I missed you and hoped you weren't having another computer problem.

And thanks for mentioning that the private eye is now being accused of killing Margot. IIRC the peritos (experts) had concluded it was not suicide. Sure looks like Circe is completely in the clear. The PI would only remember seeing two hotel maids passing him and probably not figure out they'd had anything to do with it.

I agree that Circe has a heart; and she's demonstrated it in the way she cares about the women she saved from being sex slaves. And you could at times see the sweet girl she was when she and Diego spent time in Sonora. But, like countless other TN "other women" she's ruthless about getting the man she wants.

I don't know if Gavino hasn't shared any profits from the penitentiary contraband with Mateo. I do know he gave the lawyer all HIS money. You may be right in that Gavino wasn't forking anything over for Mateo. Piochas surely seemed to be living large with hot and cold running hookers and alcohol when Mateo called him from D.F. Not sure where he'd get the money for this.
 

identidad

Many thanks, novelera and deb, for getting the conversation rolling about last night's episode. novelera, you said you wondered why Augusto was reluctant to testify on behalf of Gavino. I think Augusto expressed fear to Gavino's lawyer (or at least in his presence) that Joselito would come after him. And if I remember correctly, Nuria's father has asked for a divorce from Nuria's mother.

Not much to add. There was still more talk between Jim and Marlene. They sure seem to like and admire each other.

Diana was really bothered by Chucho's telling her what his "work" involves. I can understand her being upset, but I was stunned when she told Chucho he had to sleep somewhere else. Huh? Isn't she the guest? She understandably doesn't want to go back to live with Marlene, but since when does the guest tell the host to find somewhere else to sleep?

Circe's parting words to Diego as she left with her suitcase were scary: "Look out. For you, I could kill anyone." (Ah, such loving devotion.) If Diego is worried about Isabel, he now has even more reason.