Friday, March 08, 2019

Amar a Muerte, 3/7/19, Episode 85: Watch Out Kiddies—Daddy’s Back

To bring you up to date with our main transmigrated souls, here is a quick overview of Leon Carvajal and Macario, El Chino, Valdes, followed by Thursday night's highlights.

León Carvajal/Macario El Chino Valdés/Jacobo Reyes/Leónchi/LCJ/León
At the top of his game, León Carvajal, this scion of a successful media conglomerate, with a beautiful young trophy wife, two adult children and one nearly ready to fledge, is stabbed to death on his wedding day. End of story.

No, as prepared as he was to manage a large and diverse company with foreign business ties, meetings, daily reports, ratings, fiscal bottom lines, board of directors to head and a very public face, he finds himself in a world he merely reported on from the comfort of an executive suite. A handsome new and younger body is the least of this transmigrant’s problems.

He is dirty, smelly, in the hands of not so nice prison personnel. He’s being turned loose as his execution was not successful. He’s not even in his own country. Two women he does not know, claim him. He struggles to understand the unknowable. Before he can extricate himself from them and the poverty they live in, narco assassins come after him for some stash of money stolen from them and a hurricane destroys everything. He’s separated from these two who assured him his role is hired killer, suspected philanderer, husband and father, in that order.


Unfortunately, the cartel members know exactly who they are looking for and what he looks like and are hunting him down. He heads for home and hopefully, a joyful reunion. Home is not the haven he expected. With the help of his old BFF, Dr. Camilo Guerra, who actually believes in the different forms of life after death, he is able to infiltrate his old household as a family chofer.

As he comes to realize he wasn’t the ideal father and his minutes-old wife was bedding his protégé behind his back, the thin strands of El Chino’s personality take hold of him. He sets out on a mission to discover his own murderers and seek retribution. His protégé presents no problem for him. His wife does. With his new found virility, he seduces Lucia. He can’t deny that making love is better than it has been in decades. Therein lies his dilemma. He realizes he’s still in love with her, but represses those feelings in favor of revenge, especially as more of Lucia and Johny’s treachery comes to light.

All the while, he, like Beltrán, is being manipulated by forces outside his own body and his own will, made manifest by the bleeding butterfly tattoos and pain where they suffered their final breaths. Once León learns that Lucia, in Johny’s words, was complicit in his murder, the gloves come off. BUT, problems in his dysfunctional family overtake his desire for revenge. He must help his progeny, but can’t as the lowly chofer. He is ready to reveal himself as their father. As he does so, Guille the Gullible swallows his tale, based on handwriting samples. Vale the Valle Gal just wants a father figure back in her life and this guy has been nothing but gentle, supportive and sincere with her from the beginning. His eldest daughter is a horse of a different color (and here it means draft horse and not a Lipizzaner). She has been publicly exposed as a money launderer for a feared drug cartel using her father’s properties. She steadfastly maintains it is all a lie, as is his story of reincarnation, or whatever. León corrects her. It is transmigration.

For León, taking back the reins of his newly reformed family will take courage and patience, but his priority is Eva, well, Eva because she is the public face of the business empire he built from nothing. Eva resists him and his story as long as she can—her logic intact. For her the dead stay dead. Guille can’t convince her otherwise.

León offers proof. For Valentina, he reminds her of her 6th birthday party, while her mother was dying. He went out and rented a clown, not knowing she hated clowns. She ran off to her room and locked herself in. He followed and he sat by her door and there they were for hours. For Guille he reminds him of a youthful prank, taking his father’s prized 1976 Mustang to Acapulco and ruining it because he didn’t know how to drive. He realized too late he could have been killed. For Eva he reminds her of something only he and she could have known: that famous chat where he dashed her hopes and dreams of studying art in Europe, in order to groom her to take over his empire.

As he hugs Vale, he looks at Eva, who tearfully recognizes not only who he is, but what revelations are coming next. She says she’s confused. It’s all too hard to assimilate. He says to the others he needs to talk to Eva alone. Her strategy continues to be deny, deny, deny all. He doesn’t buy it. Then he confronts her with her transgressions, which he overheard, that of taking a criminal as her lover and not knowing who her baby daddy is. He asks what she plans to do. He admits to not being a good pater familias the first time, and given a second chance pledges this time he will. He admits to his success as a breadwinner, thinking that the business enterprise as his legacy to his children was being a good provider, but a failure as a father and a moral guide.

Eva still won’t take responsibility for her actions. She notes that while he claims to be her father, he is one of the most sought-after criminals in all of Mexico and the U.S. He asks, sincerely, how she could sink so low as to get involved with such trash. Eva blames him. She pleads that all she ever wanted was his love and approbation. All he did was stifle her. [“It is NOT León's fault that she chose to launder money and take a narco for a lover. That was HER decision.” Quoted from JudyB.] She continues, when he recognized that Vale and Guille weren’t going to follow in his footsteps, he forced her without taking into account what she wanted in life. He says he will take all she has said under advisement, but now that he’s been given that second chance, he’s ready to do the right thing and that is to start with her. He will turn her in to the police.

León has come full circle. He has become once again, master of his house (with Silvina assuredly behind him). He is reintegrating himself in his children’s lives, this time with hopes to make a positive difference. He’s going to face down “Johny, the Thorn in Our Backsides.” What will he do about Lucia? We have to wait and see. Will he fire Fabricio? We certainly hope so.


Beltrán/Belchino/Beltino/Beltrino
His metamorphosis is as varied as the name we have given him. He’s trying to become more Beltrino than Belchino, but El Chino’s volatile temper and dogged killer instincts still come through.
 
It scares Alicia. It scares her even more now that she knows who is living inside her rumpled, asthmatic, dear profe’s body. The revelation that he not only had, but still has a wife and daughter from a former life—and—has been with them, makes her wonder if life with this changeling is worth it.
 
Alicia lets Beltie know of the fate of the shaman Micaela wanted to consult. She notes how much her Beltrán would have loved to have observed and studied this fine line between life and death. Beltie looks at her. He, not so much. He’s living it and it’s a nightmare. Alicia, though, has been thinking. She wants to find the body Beltrán Camacho is occupying.

A frustrated Beltie, he tries to make her see what an impossible job that would be. He and his body met by coincidence. Alicia doesn’t think so. She begs him to help. Beltie asks what is he, then, chopped liver? Alicia tries to make it sound like a scientific investigation but really she misses her educated, intellectual man to whom she was married for some 20 years. He’s sorry she has to settle for him. [For some reason, not explained, his tattoo starts to bleed. What has he done wrong now?]
 
Alicia apologizes and asks he put himself in her shoes for a moment. He asks the same of her. He lost his body, he lost his life and now she’s asking that he lose her too? It’s not that, she replies. The more she hears of this, the more she tries to understand, the more frightened she gets. It was not logical—his dying and coming back to life as a stranger to her. It’s not something she could automatically conclude—oh, it’s transmigration.
 
Beltie asks her if she hadn’t thought why Beltrán’s soul didn’t come back to her in his new body? He doesn’t say it in anger. He certainly saw it in León, he saw it in himself. He needed to find his family. For Alicia, this is the first time she’s not only heard he has a wife and daughter, but he has reconnected with them. Alicia reacts as one would expect—pissed. When was he going to tell her? Beltie says he’d hoped it would never be necessary. Maybe “her” Beltrán didn’t want to come back to his former life. Alicia is left pondering the possibility. We leave them there until next time.

Highlights of Thursday’s Episode—
Judge Johny has declared Eva guilty of all charges and dictates a tract to a very uncomfortable Magda. He wants the news spread around everywhere, especially that Eva is the most likely suspect to have engineered Leon Carvajal's murder.

León has revealed himself to his adult children (Guille earlier). He has to work at getting his other two adult children to believe he is really their father, a nearly 70 year-old man in a taller, younger man’s body with gorgeous icy blue eyes. Vale caves first and hugs him and he hugs her back in one of the most tender reunions so far.

Alicia has decided she wants to find her dear beloved Beltran’s soul, wherever it might be. She tells Beltino it’s only fair. Beltino thinks he’s plenty enough for her. To Be Continued.

Panchito proposes to Lupita. We are kept in suspense for a few scene changes and he has to get down on his knees again before she says yes, sweeps into his arms and smiles.

Eva continues to lie about her involvement with narcos, assured that her lies will be believed. When she’s caught in her lies by León (who was listening in from the Bat Cave earlier), she blames it all on Daddy (well, she does have a point there) for forcing her into the Carvajal empire when she really wanted to study art in Europe. He tells her he’s going to do the right thing and turn her in. To Be Continued.

Lucia is terrified the real León will come after her and Johny. She calls him in desperation. He tells her to call the police, he’ll be right over. She begs him not to come. Luci hides in her room. Silvina tries to reassure Luci that León really does love her. She could tell by the way he would ask about her and his eyes light up when he saw her. Luci is not nearly so convinced. To Be Continued.

Montilla discharges his responsibility for Mateo’s safety as Gancho and Goony watch in a car nearby. Mateo drives away. He’s followed and when he realizes it, calls Montilla for back-up. Game on. Montilla is late picking up the message and late arriving to help Mateo. Mateo ditches the car and runs into a large park and hides in plain sight. Gancho finds him first, then Goony. He may live thanks to Gancho or he may die thanks to Goony. To Be Continued.

The results of the fingerprint tests Montilla asked for lie on his desk. Surely they will match Johny Corona de Lagrimas'. To Be Continued.

It’s nighttime and Johny has arrived at the Carvajal mansion in his red mustang. He drives right up to the door. (Oh, that’s right, he claims he owns the place, so if Fabricio isn’t available, he lets himself in.) The front door, though is locked. He bangs on the door. León, looking quite young and dapper greets him at the door. (The Patio is sure Johny needs his Depends. It's now or never.) León invites him in to HIS house to have a talk. To Be Continued.

Labels:


Comments:
Thank You RGnita. Yessss I was waiting waiting waiting, for Val and LCJ. Sweet.
Eva, not so much. She and Johny are cut from the same cloth. Never give an inch, never give up, never admit anything, never your fault.

And Johny dick-tating his "Throw Eva Under The Bus" memo to Maggie. Ugh! The rat is cornered with no way out, and he is still planning, lying, schemeing. Like wallpapering the kitchen while the house is on fire. Really enjoyed the scene where LEON met him at HIS front door. He should have made him move his little trinket car before he let him in.

Pancho....is the English equivalent name STUPID? I hopeo in the throes of passion she calls him CHINO on their wedding night. DOH !

Has Alicia ever for a second considered that Beltrino could be still dead and rotting away in that river they wrecked in, and Javier could be dying without his transplant and she could soon be all alone in the world? As much as I have tried to like her, she just stops me all the time.
 

Thanks Anita. You covered it all in a snappy fashion. No need to do more really. Loved the title.

Eva bothers me even more than Johny somehow. And Johny is pure excrement. But Eva with her petulant lies and "it's not my fault, it's yours" just infuriates me. It is NOT Leon's fault that she chose to launder money and take a narco for a lover. That was HER decision. Not saying Leon was a great dad, but she could have always quit...like Guille did. She chose to stay and to commit crimes and betray her husband.

Recognizing your choices and taking responsibility for them is the gold standard. Eva is just cheap brass. Her beautiful exterior is wrapped around a shabby, ragged soul. Looks like she is a prime candidate for transmigration.

Sorry to see that Beltrino's attempt to form a better bond with Alicia is not going well. But I understand her longing to find her husband's spirit rather than continue living with a stranger, albeit an awesome bedmate. I guess this means our Beltrino has completed his mission (providing the money to pay for Javier's transplant) and now is ready to be re-processed. I will miss him.

Don't know if I'm in an impatient mood, but this episode dragged for me, in spite of the Mateo chase. But as always, the writers ended the episode with a great cliffhanger.

Anita, thanks for providing this crisp synopsis and for helping maintain the CarayCaray website as well. I would miss the Patio even more than Beltrino, so truly indebted to you and your partners.

Onward, muchachos! Have a great day. Babysitting this morning so will check in again much later.
 

Yeah, I have no idea what they can do with Mateo. Their car is parked directly behind his where they swerved in to catch him as he bailed out on foot.

So the three are on foot with Montillo there at the cars. They could always just shoot him there in the park and get a cab, but Alacran probably wants him brought back alive.

I thought he had a better chance of losing them in the park than in rush hour traffic but I was quickly proven wrong. For a split second I thought Gancho was letting him go, but then his sidekick Dingleberry showed up and all bets were off.

Eva is pretty rotten, and she can not blame it all on Leon. "Oh poo, I wanted to study Art History all over Europe but you wanted me to work for a living, you ole meanie." Boy, she's the poster bitch for spoiled rotten, but that still does not explain all of her evilness. Sometimes there are just evil humans for no explainable reason.
 

I think Mateo is slated to be a "burnt offering" Kirby. Only his death will convince Eva, finally! that she has made terrible, fatal decisions in life and is truly guilty of great harm. But we shall see. No prior knowledge, believe me. Just a guess.
 

Mateo just reinforces my nagging suspicion for decades that nice guys truly DO finish last.
 

Gracias, Anita. Looking forward to the rest.

Eva is as rotten as it gets. She should have just socked away as much money as she could earn at the company and quit a year or two later. Of course, then we would not have a story.

Johny is a childish idiot. No matter how badly someone screws up or does something illegal like this, you don't draw any unnecessary attention to it. The company isn't publicly traded but its image is still important.

More later.
 

UA: Everybody here is dreading what is in store for Matteo.

If he does get whacked, it'll be another murder Teflon Eva is COMPLICIT.
 

JudyB--Thank you for saying that the highlights are sufficient. Somehow, it just didn't feel finished. I'm half taking your suggestion by just covering Beltran and Leon. For you, JudyB, I begin with Beltran.
 

Greetings, Patio Peeps!

Anita, You touched on all the important details, thank you!

Well we all pretty much knew that Val would take long to believe and welcome her daddy with a big hug. Eva took longer, but I was surprised that she believed as soon as she did. LOVED that LCJ is going to turn her in, but Leon, being the righteous man he is, didn't surprise me. Anyone surprised that Eva found someone else to blame for all the crap she got herself into? Not me!

Mat worries me. Why does Alacran want him alive? To kill him himself...oh, maybe he's going to torture him into telling him who his informant was. Gancho better watch out!

Pancho-Loopy Lup FFW (yawn)

I really don't blame Alicia for wondering about her husband's soul; after all, El Chino was a sicario and now she knows he has a family. She has a lot to be ambivalent about-- living with a stranger who is used to violence, losing Beltrino to his former family, and what if someday Beltran's soul knocks at her door after she has accepted Beltrino...

 

RGV Chick: That's why I called her Teflon Eva: she's untouchable, I wouldn't be shocked if she found a Fall Guy.
 

The only thing that would teach Eva her life lessons is to lose everything. She has lived a life of total privilege and has no clue how to live without it. Money laundering should carry a hefty sentence; in the US it can be as long as 30 years.
 

Anita thanks for all that extra work and love you poured into the expanded recap. On Beltrino's bleeding, I thought it was because he lashed out in anger at Alicia rather than understanding her need to reconnect with her real husband's spirit. But hoping that my favorite scoundrel will continue to evolve and complete his mission with flying colors.


 

This Sunday, March 10, the Premios TVyNovela awards will take place. Does anyone know how I can watch the program here in the US? Amy suggestions would be appreciated.
 

You guys are so great. I'm loving my Saturday morning read and coffee. I admit, I'm a telenovela addict.


Just wait. You'll peeeeeeee in your pants as the best is yet to come
 

Premios will air here in a couple of weeks. Televisa doesn't allow S access to its videos or live streams.
 

UA Wow! Bummer... I was hoping Univision would carry the awards as in the past. But maybe they didn't broadcast it live. Thanks for the info.
 





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