Monday, April 22, 2019

TELEMUNDO Y MÁS (#1): Betty en NY, La Reina del Sur 2, y más: Week of April 22, 2019

Welcome to Page 1 (Monday edition) of the Telemundo y Más page, issued twice a week:  Mondays and Thursdays at 8:00 PM.

Here are the current evening telenovelas (all times are Eastern Standard Time):
  • 9-10PM - Betty en NY
  • 10-11PM - La Reina del Sur 2
The wait is over! The sequel to the groundbreaking telenovela, La Reina del Sur, begins Monday, April 22. Kate del Castillo will repeat her role as Teresa Mendoza.  Some of the original cast will also be appearing.

Everyone is welcome to join in the conversation.  Since discussions of all the Telemundo novelas share the same page, please remember to put the name of the telenovela you're referring to at the top of your post so readers can easily find the conversation they're looking for.

By common agreement, this group DOES NOT discuss previews, trailers, or any other plot information not found in a current or past episode of the current production.  Spoilers WILL be removed by the admin.  This includes references to earlier productions of the story, and even the original novel.  Thanks for your cooperation!

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Comments:
I will put up a recap tonight, probably close to midnight EDT.
 

Thanks, novelera!
 

Novelera

I hope you mean for LRDS. You are so great to do this for us. I'm really looking forward to seeing RDS but remember I had a hard time during Season 1 with the slang in RDS. So whatever anyone posts will be a godsend.
 

Next comment gets a header....
I'll try hard to follow the rules...
I believe strong in rules...
 

reina-sur

Yikes, why didn't I say it was for La Reina! Yes, that's the one I'll recap in a while'.

 

Reina-sur2

LA REINA DEL SUR 2, LUNES, PARTE 1 DE 4

Teresa Mendoza has been living in Massa Marittima, in southern Tuscany for 9 years. I love that her name in Italy is María Dantés. Those who saw Reina Uno will recall that Patty O’Farrell, while she and Teresa were in prison together, gave her a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, whose protagonist is named Edmond Dantès.

Málaga, España We see the grave (in a crypt) of Teo Aljarafe Segovia. He was the man who betrayed Teresa in Reina Uno and who is also the father of her child. The woman who is there with Teo’s two daughters is his mother, Cayetana Aljarafe. She tells Teo’s daughters that this would have been his birthday celebration if that Sudaca hadn't crossed his path 9 years ago. (This is a disparaging way for some Spaniards to refer to South Americans. You might remember that Teresa snarled at one of the prostitutes at Yamila bar that Mexico is in North America!)

The younger of the two girls says that her father wasn’t a saint. He was a drug trafficker. His mother isn’t hearing that; she says Teresa deceived him. When the younger girl stalks off, Cayetana tells the more docile one that she’s been searching for La Mexicana for 9 years and, at last, she’s found her.

We then segue to a corrido about Teresa sung by, I think, the same group who sang one in Reina Uno.

And this novela begins sort of the same way. We see Teresa pour a shot of tequila, while the same bolero plays that played in the beginning of the first novela. Teresa is beside a pool watching her daughter, Sofía, paint. Someone snatches the girl and takes her onto a speedboat. Teresa chases in her own speedboat. Just as she catches up, she wakes up. It’s a nightmare. Sofía comforts her.

Teresa’s boyfriend, Pedro, arrives. He’s brought some mermeladas (containers of jam), that she’d asked for Francesco. The boyfriend is a photographer. He gives her a picture in a frame, of Sofía, and tells her that he’s borrado (deleted or erased) the original from el ordenador (computer).

Pedro mentions that the Neopolitan Francesco saved Sofía from an accident. She again asks Pedro to erase any photos of her daughter that he might take today. He looks at her quizzically, and says he doesn’t even know her sometimes.

Sofía has on a costume for the event that is to take place today. She has some artwork on a wall in her room and draws half a star, saying she’ll finish the star if her team wins. Teresa notices that Sofía has on a silver chain that belongs to her mother. She wants to wear it for luck. They take off in a scooter with Sofía in a sidecar. They sing along with an Italian pop song as they go.
 

LA REINA DEL SUR 2, LUNES, PARTE 2 DE 4

When they arrive in town Teresa aka María gives a woman called Stella the jam. We can see one of those medieval spectacles in the plaza. There are children in costumes doing fancy moves with flags. Pedro is seen taking pictures.

Francesco Belmondo asks “María” about the plan to open a factory. He says they’d make big bucks. Teresa is refusing this business venture when Pedro arrives. He thanks Francesco for saving Sofía from being hit. Teresa chats with Francesco in Italian. [Sadly, the Italian I studied in the 80’s is just about gone.]

Whoa! Just as the squadron in which Sofía is performing begins, we see some pointy Mexican boots and… Batman Güemes…watching the show! He was Epifanio Vargas’ right-hand man in Reina Uno. Just a minute or so later we see him grab her, saying the usual crap about her mother having sent him to fetch her.

Teresa sees that her daughter is gone. She steals some person’s motorcycle and races off. Batman and some other thugs tie up Sofía and put her in the trunk.

Sofía is yelling and thrashing. And then she remembers what her mother told her. “People drown because they panic. You must remain calm.” She gets her hands free. We see a flashback of Teresa showing Sofía how to escape from the trunk of a car. After the lesson, she tells her: ”Las mujeres, tenemos que aprender a defendernos como gata panza arriba” [We women have to learn to defend ourselves like a cat with it’s belly exposed.]

Sofía manipulates things in the trunk, collapses the back seat, moves into the drivers seat and drives off. We get a long scene of her driving through narrow, Medieval streets with a car chasing her. Francesco finds her in the street. She is very relieved. She wants to call her mother on his cell. She leaves a voice mail message, but it’s a fake voice message. Sofía realizes that he isn’t taking her home. He looks at her coldly and tells her to call him Lupo.

Pedro looks through photos on his computer and wonders who this guy is (Batman).

Lupo calls someone and says he’ll meet them in the Vineyard of the Olives. Sofía, when he’s distracted, bashes him in the head with a jar of jam, but isn’t able to get away.

Teresa starts stopping cars leaving the town center, pretending to be Interpol. She opens trunks for a while. When Pedro calls, she tells him not to call the police. She knows these cabrones que pueden darle mordida a quien sea [SOBs that can bribe just about anyone].

At the vineyard Francesco tells Batman not to treat Sofía like a normal child. Her mother trained her. When Batman introduces himself, Sofía tells him he looks like un murciélago [bat], but he’s not Batman! Batman chuckles: ¡Igual de atrancada que la mamá que te parió! [as stubborn as the mother who gave birth to you]

Batman calls his boss to tell him they have the morilla [girl].
 

LA REINA DEL SUR 2, LUNES, PARTE 3 DE 4

At the outskirts of town two of Batman’s thugs approach Teresa's improvised roadblock. One tells the other to relax; she doesn’t know them. When the trunk is opened, like the others, Teresa finds the silver chain. She then walks briskly to the drivers side and yanks the gun he’s hiding near his thigh from him. They peel off and she goes after them. One thug calls Lupo, who tells him they can’t let her follow them to where they have Sofía.

Teresa takes a turn onto another road. She manages to wind around that road and end up riding right toward their car. She pulls her gun and shoots, hitting the passenger in the shoulder. She then rides right over the top of the car, causing the car to crash. As so often happens in movies and telenovelas, the thugs’ car bursts into flame almost immediately. Teresa is banged up and sort of stunned. She limps over to her ringing cell.

Mexico ”Soy tu padrino, Epifanio. Hasta que te encontré, condenada” [It’s your godfather, Epifanio. I finally found you, you wretch!] He tells her that her daughter will be going to Mexico. ¡Metiste en camisa de once varas, mija! [You stuck your nose where you shouldn’t have or bit off more than you could chew.] He tells her to come to Mexico if she wants to see Sofía again. And she should get on a plane and then call the number he called her from. Then he’ll give her instructions.

We see Vargas doing some sort of public service announcement in front of a Mayan pyramid. He’s reciting from a script. Then he stops, furious about the words he’s been given. He rails at some young guy. [Wow, it’s Paulino from Sin tu Mirada!] A guy named Alejandro walks up and Vargas snarls at him: ¡No ves que me parezco el lago de Chapala! [Can’t you see I look like Lake Chapala?…he’s sweating so much.]

Incredible! It seems he’s running for President of Mexico again. He tells this Alejandro, who appears to be his campaign manager, that Mariano is ahead of him by 20 points. He then tells him that he was a narco, the owner of a fleet of planes, a deputy in the Mexican Congress, and then got 5 years in el bote (prison). Now he’s presidential material again.

He goes on to tell Alejandro that he wants to make Teresa suffer. Also, she must be angry; and angry people make mistakes.

Tuscany Pedro shows Teresa the picture he took, and she recognizes Batman.

At the vineyard Sofía has been put in a cage. Lupo tells him they’ll have to take turns watching her. After he leaves a young man approaches the cage. She immediately recognizes him. We see a flashback of Teresa greeting Francesco (Lupo) with Sofía at her side. The young guy starts kicking a soccer ball, which attracts Sofía into the street. A vehicle comes toward her while her back is turned. Francesco pushes her out of the way.

Sofía figures it out. She tells the guy she knows the whole thing was planned to gain her mother’s trust. Snotty guy turns his back after comparing himself to Lionel Messi. Sofía pushes a huge wooden wine holder over on him and grabs a piece of broken glass to use.
 

LA REINA DEL SUR 2, LUNES, PARTE 4 DE 4

Mexico Epifanio gets out of the back of a car. His cell rings. He looks at the screen. ¡Otra vez La Gachupín esa! [That Spanish woman again!] He hands the phone to Alejandro, who does pick up. She’s not happy that Vargas isn’t answering her calls. She’s the one who found Teresa. He tells her politely that Vargas has decided not to act against Teresa.

As they put Sofía inside her cage into the back of a van, Lupo tells her she sent a guy to the hospital and broke thousands of euros of wine. Just then Teresa calls Lupo/Francesco and asks if she can fly to Mexico with him. He tells her yes.

Lupo doesn’t pick up the second call. It’s Cayetana Aljarafe calling; however, she calls him Emilio in the voice mail she leaves. She tells him that the people she put in charge of La Mexicana welched on her. She wants to hire him again to finish the work. Teo’s younger daughter is eavesdropping in the background.

Pedro wants to come to Mexico with Teresa. She refuses, telling him he won’t be safe and that the only law there is bullets. She takes a small bag and puts in her passport, lots of $$$, and a gun.

When the guards aren’t looking Sofía spits out the sleeping pill they gave her.

Teresa is talking to herself. Adios, María. Teresa Mendoza, better known as La Reina del Sur, is back.

Teresa gets on the fancy jet. Lupo/Francesco tells her that he knows she doesn’t drink, but he can offer juice or water. She asks for tequila.

The camera moves and we see that Sofía is in a lower part of the plane in her cage. Some guys meant to be watching her are playing cards.
 

Thank you, novelera, for your detailed spot-on recap. I could picture the episode again reading your work this morning. It was a delight.

Wow! What a start to the second season! How creepy that the usual suspects had found Teresa!

Teresa sure taught Sofía well.

I loved all of the Italian.

Epifanio is showing his age.

I knew Teresa had morphed into her former self and was back for business when her hairstyle changed: the bangs were gone and suddenly her hair was parted on the side and off her face; just like in season one. 😊
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

La Reina del Sur

Sorry! I will try to remember to include the show name on future posts.
 

Reina Sur2

Very nice write up, Novelera, I'm in awe. I didn't watch the episode except for the first few minutes, but I feel like I saw the whole thing with your detailed recap. Thank you!
 

Reina 2

wow, novelera, your recaps are always so wonderful, I miss them.

ha!, google translated Sudaca as Greaser.

I was really impressed with Sofia, and I guess Teresa has had that nightmare before as Sofia quizzed her, was it a guy on a moto this time, or a...

loved her escaping the car trunk.

and she fingered Francesco/Lupo pretty quickly, and the young guy guarding her, pegged him as the boy who rolled out the soccer ball putting her in harms way so Francesco could save her, loved her bombing him with a rack of wine.

and thanks so much for the spanish, btw I found some stuff on "Metiste en camisa de once varas" (shirt of 11 rods) "a colloquial expression to indicate the inconvenience of complicating life unnecessarily."

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meterse_en_camisa_de_once_varas

I can see why Epifanio is up to even the score with Teresa, as dying isn't good enough, but bringing her to Mexico while he is running for President, surely a disaster in the making, or is he planning on using her to refute the testimony she gave in Season 1 that sent him to jail.

yep, Teo's mom gets around on a broomstick.

 

Reina 2

oh and Pedro did say Sofia's group did win the competition in the square, Teresa completed her gold star on the blue wall.

 

Reina 2

Well they didn't waste any time, did they? I hope we get to go back to Italy again. I'd like to see more of that part of Tuscany and practice hearing Italian. Abuela is a piece of work, isn't she? It'll be interesting when (if? nah, when) the daughters meet Teresa and Sofia. They seem reasonable about the situation, although if they're going to be angry at her for anything, it should be the suicide of their mother. She wasn't in the drug trade that I remember (I missed a lot of the recent shows). Haven't been watching those or anything recently because I needed a break from the narcos, but I'm all in for this one!

Kelly
 

reina-sur2

¡Muchísimas gracias, novelera, for this magnificent recap! I watched last night, por supuesto, and you captured just about everything I saw and MORE. Including some useful Spanish words and phrases. I confess the writers had me fooled with the opening sequence--it didn't occur to me that it was a dream until Teresa woke up. I recall that Reina1 also opened with a very exciting sequence, which of course was not a dream, and which fueled the rest of the novela.

I was a little surprised that Batman was back working for Epifanio Vargas. At the end of Reina1, he was delighted when Vargas was led off in handcuffs, since it was Vargas who sanctioned the cruel deaths of Vargas' wife and sons. So why should Batman go back to him? Of course, even before I knew it was Batman wearing the pointy shoes, I knew the person had to be a baddie. I don't understand how he can even get his feet into them.

And speaking of shoes, I was amused to see that in Teresa's dream, she has finally abandoned the absurdly high spiked heels that she wore in Reina1 for some sensible shoes that would enable her to run much more rapidly and comfortably. I'm wondering whether she'll regress once she's back in Mexico. :-)

I loved the actress who was playing Sophia. And the very active, capable role she's been given. Just as El Güero and Santiago trained Teresa in all kinds of useful life skills, so Teresa has trained Sophia.

One thing I found a bit unbelievable (what? just one??) was Pedro's spotting a partial shot of Batman in one of Pedro's photos and wondering who he is. Heck, there are lots of tourists in town for the festival, so why does Pedro focus on a partial shot of Batman? The answer, of course, is "for the plot, dummy!" But still, one of the things I liked about Reina1 was that most of the events were a bit more plausible. (I did say "a bit!")
 

Reina 2

ah yes, by leaking the first 5 minutes of they show they led us astray by showing Teo as the one who kidnaps Sophia, so he is still dead, but wait, didn't they do a flashback where if Sofia had 3 wishes she only wanted one, to meet her father, hmm, does the mom know Sophia is his daughter?

Juanita, iirc, I think Pedro was zooming in on Sophia just before she disappeared when he got a glimpse of Batman near her, then pulled up better pics of him, of course he is totally out of his league and will just stay in Italy, right?

so are we drinking Kate's own Tequila Honor?

 

reina-sur2

Thanks for the kind comments, all! I carefully avoided any previews or leaks in the time leading up to the premiere, so everything I saw was a surprise. I also fell for the dream sequence and thought it odd that the girl would be kidnapped so abruptly without showing how their lives in Italy were being lived.

That actor playing Cayetana Aljarafe is excellent. She's the very picture of a European matriarch, very entitled, and completely ruthless.

I found it interesting that Francesco/Lupo has three different names he's using.

Thanks, deb, for the link to en camisa de doce varas. Needless to say I'd never heard that one before. It was late, and I didn't really do more than a cursory translation search. But Epifanio has always been a source of fabulous Mexican dichos. I remember an interview with him where he discussed working on perfecting that Northern Mexican/Sinaloan accent. I vaguely remember someone he modeled it on, but can't remember the details.

And, Juanita, I had completely forgotten about Vargas' complicity in the deaths of Batman's family. Well, we just have to suspend disbelief that he'd work for him again.
 

Reina

Juanita- Funny that you should mention her shoes. When she packed up the old passport and wads of cash to go take on Vargas in Mexico, they showed her walking out of the house in HIGH HEELS! They were thick heels, but still. You'd think she'd know by now that she's going to do a lot of running and needs more practical footwear.

And why did she not pack extra clothes? Does she expect she'll get Sofia back before she needs new chones?

Kelly
 

reina-sur2

Kelly, she could probably buy new duds with all those wads of cash she put in the bag.
 

Reina-sur

LA REINA DEL SUR, CAPITULO 2, MARTES

This will be brief.

Epifanio meets with Alejandro, the campaign guy/fixer and his sister Genoveva (Kiki Edgar). Epifanio thinks Cayetana is only interested in her money and position.

How wrong he is! She has contacted a bitter enemy of Teresa, Siso Pernas, a Galician. She says she sent him letters and he didn’t respond. I think his brother doesn’t want to go after revenge.

On the plane I get excited when T (gotta use some shorter words!) seems suspicious of Lupo, but later she tells him about the kidnapping.

Sofía uses a glass piece she hid to escape from the cage. There’s a very exciting scene where she almost gets into the main cabin, but no…it’s too early for this development.

At the White House Eric Roberts plays Willy Rangel’s boss at the DEA. Willy was the one who got T to safety in Italy. Looks like Willy’s boss is a jerk, sucking up to the president. I’d say more, but I know politics is verboten here!.

T calls Willy from the plane. Willy’s young partner has a girlfriend, Manuela, whom Willy doesn’t want to know T is back. If anyone remembers why Manuela is connected to T, chime in. I have no clue.

After T leaves the plane Epi’s thugs beat up Lupo to put on a show.

And…then…Teresa Mendoza and Epifanio Vargas cara a cara. It’s a strong scene. He tells her Sofía is his card to get into Los Pinos (the Mexican version of the White House).

Epi’s fixer pays Lupo, his second payment. Lupo gets a call from someone who speaks English to him, saying just to leave her there. (????)

Batman takes Sofía to stay with a horrible woman who first tries to pose as a nun. Locked in a room, Sofia finally cries. But then she starts trying to escape.

Epi explains his plan. His rival for the presidency is being financed by one Zurdo Villa, a narco. The plan is for T to infiltrate, likely get Zurdo to fall for her, and take over his business, thus cutting off the funds to the rival.

T threatens Epi to never tell Sofía her real name or about her past.

T sends Lupo on his way after she memorizes three cell phone numbers.

After Epi and the thugs leave, Willy and his handsome partner arrive. T goes after him with a gun. She believes he was bribed to say where she was. Willy basically says that after all he went through to get Vargas, why would he do that? Willy asks what Vargas wants in exchange for her daughter. She tells him, and she says she’ll do it. Vargas is a genius; he took the only thing that matters to her in her life.

Siso Pernas leaves Galicia for Italy in a small plane, while some interesting Galician folk music plays. Galicia has music that is very similar to Irish music. Think there’s a Celtic connection somehow.

I can't recap this every night. Juanita has promised to do a bare bones, sort of like mine tonight, for tomorrow - Wednesday. We'd surely appreciate some help. The recaps don't have to be extensive, just an outline of what happened to stimulate others to comment.
 

reina-sur2

Many thanks, novelera, for a fine recap. I think you captured everything important.
I'm continuing to enjoy Sofia and her role. I loved it when she saw the "nun" who was going to take charge of her. One look and she tells the woman, "You're not a nun. Nuns don't wear high heels." Yup.

I too scratched my head over Manuela's connection to all this. I think Willy said that Manuela would never believe that Teresa was not responsible for Manuela's sister's death. My wild guess is that Veronica may have been Manuela's sister. I have absolutely no reason to say that except that 1) Veronica was Mexican, 2) Veronica died, and 3) Teresa wasn't responsible for her death (Patty was). Also, Willy was working with Veronica, so he might well have known her sister, or at least might have had to say something to her when Veronica died. So Willy would be in a position to know that Manuela thinks Teresa was to blame.

We also know from Reina1 that Willy doesn't want scumbag Epifanio to become president of Mexico, so I suspect he's not going to be happy at Teresa's telling him she has no choice but to do what Epifanio asks of her to help him achieve his goal of Los Pinos.

One thing I wonder about is how Teo's mother knew about Siso Pernas' hatred of Teresa. She and he seem to inhabit two very separate worlds.
 

reina-sur2

As novelera mentioned, I'll be doing a short recap of Wednesday's episode. Since I'm on the West Coast, a 10 PM start time means 1 AM Eastern time. So my recap will appear quite late.

We really need other people to join us in recapping. Novelera and I can commit to recapping one day a week, which means we need people to volunteer for the three days we don't cover. This week, we need people for Thursday and Friday. You don't have to be fluent in Spanish, nor do you have to write a multi-part recap. Recaps lie at the heart of CarayCaray. If you enjoy the recaps, give it a try.
 

Reina del sur2

Novelera, thanks for another great recap. Very enjoyable as was the episode.

I couldn't believe it but Telemundo had the 2nd episode OnDemand when I got up early this AM. Since I was out last night, it was very convenient. I hope they keep it up.

The title of the episode was “Cuando es mala es mucho mejor.” (When she is bad she is so much better) exactly what Teresa told Epifanio about herself and so very appropriate. They could have used that for the title of this second season.

Yes, novelera, there appears to be some sort of Celtic connection between Galicia and Ireland.

“Lupo” is Italian for wolf.

Willie’s bosses were so useless and callous about what happened to Teresa. Poor Willie! His red hair has gone grey.

Juanita, good guess about Manuela having been Verónica’s sister. That very well could be the case. I had totally forgotten about Verónica from season 1 already.

So, now we know why Teresa was “summoned” and is being blackmailed with the kidnapping.

Sofía is a girl on a mission just like her mother.

Teresa has a magical memory it seems.

I enjoyed “the behind the scenes” they gave us with the first two episodes.

The colorful language makes me smile.


Novelera and Juanita, I just came off of a 3x a week recapping commitment to MMTMF which ended last week so I am taking a recapping break. We simply need more recappers. I would also encourage others to give it a try. As you said, Juanita, it doesn’t have to be complicated or long. Believe it or not, it can be fun. Also, people say nice things to you. 😊

 

Reina 2

thanks so much novelera, it is so nice of you to do this, I'm still struggling with characters and names.

yes, they said something about blaming Teresa for the death of a sister, good guess Juanita about Veronica. (the cast list says Manuela is being played by Paola Núñez, from Reina de corazones, but I need to see more)

and yes Juanita, Teo's mom seems to be very connected, first with Epifanio then with the Pernas, and of course with Francesco who found Teresa when no one else could, but does she know that Teo had another daughter?

I've always liked Batman for some reason, miss the bat family, the more trouble Sofia gives him the better, I'm thinking he may turn and go with the good guys (but never give up his boots).

Teresa is really chewing nails this season, I could almost see Epifanio starting to quiver, but like she said, he is a genius, and didn't Alejandro ask him if he loves her like a sister or a lover, and didn't he respond that you will love her too after you get to know her, (and it looks like Francesco is already under the spell, and who was that caller that told him to drop her off and walk away)

yep Jarifa, loved it when Teresa told Epifanio, “Cuando es mala es mucho mejor”.

didn't Teresa shoot Willie's partner when he pulled a gun, interesting plot that she is to infiltrate Zurdo Villa's cartel and wreck it, I suppose Willy will get behind this, hmm, and on her own, will she sneak in her old team to save Sofia, interesting that her phone is high tech encrypted so Francesco couldn't listen in on the plane.

(btw, I read earlier that Kate's problems with Mexico meant that any actual filming in Mexico they used a double)

no show Thursday, right?

 

reina-sur2

Great comments, Jarifa. Yes, Teresa does seem to have an amazing memory. I'd have had to write those phone numbers down, and then I'd forget where I put the paper I'd written them on! Actually, Sofia too seems to have an impressive memory. She remembers all the instructions and warnings her mother gave her, and she also recognized the boy with the soccer ball.

And yes, we now know why Teresa was summoned back to Mexico rather than simply assassinated in Italy. But, of course, although Epifanio wants to keep her alive (at least for now) in order to use her, Teo's mother wants her dead. As does Siso Pernas. So the plot thickens: we've got two sets of baddies with conflicting motives. Yum!

Thanks for mentioning that when you do recaps, you often get all kinds of gratifying responses. I stumbled into trying my hand at a recap several years ago (after many years of enjoying the recaps of others but being sure I could never do one). I remember how astonished and delighted I was at the wonderfully encouraging response that recap received. It certainly played a part in my deciding to continue. I also felt good about finally giving back a bit to the Caray community. It sure sounds as if you deserve a break after a 3x a week recap commitment. I'm hoping that other folks will give it a try now.
 

reina-sur2

Hi deb. Loved your comments, especially re Batman: "I'm thinking he may turn and go with the good guys (but never give up his boots)." Actually, I too am thinking that Batman may turn. I was very surprised that he was working with/for Epifanio again after Batman's wife and sons were murdered.

When you say about Teo's mother "does she know that Teo had another daughter?" am I right in assuming that you're referring to Sofia? I was a little confused at first, but then I realized that Señora Aljarafe probably doesn't know that Sofia is Teo's child. Hmmm...interesting point.

Thanks for the info about Telemundo's having to use a double when they filmed in Mexico since Kate is persona non grata (because of El Chapo?).

Wow, I think you're right about there being no Reina2 tomorrow (Thursday). Telemundo kept saying that the Premios program started at 7 PM, so I thought it would be over by 10, but apparently not, at least not according to Zap2It. I haven't yet checked Telemundo's web site, but Zap2It is usually reliable. Thanks for this heads up!

I know you said you're still sorting out the characters, but once you do (you already seem well on your way--probably more so than I am), I'd love to see you give us your inimitable recaps.
 

"REINA-SUR 2"

Juanita: Kate del Castillo is persona non grata in Mexico ?
 

reina-sur2

Steve, yes, she has had a lot of trouble due in part to her connection with the drug lord El Chapo. There's an interesting article in the LA Times that talks about Reina2 and mentions the business with El Chapo. It also contains links to other stories dealing with all this that may be of interest. The URL:
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cam-kate-del-castillo-la-reina-del-sur-20190419-story.html
 

Thanks for the link, Juanita. It filled in a lot of blanks.
 

Yes! that was for Reina del Sur 2
 

reina-sur2

Just a reminder that I'll be doing a short recap of tonight's episode. Since the episode won't end until 11PM, which is 2AM on the East Coast, the recap won't get posted until the wee hours of the morning.

Also, there will be no episode tomorrow (Thursday). The entire evening will be given over to Premios Billboard 2019.
 

reina-sur

I'll miss reading your recap, Juanita, and commenting. I had Spanish class tonight and then a whole Warriors basketball game that was recorded while I was in class to watch. I don't ever look at Caray until I've seen the episode.
 

reina-sur2

La Reina del Sur2 - Capítulo 3 - Parte 1 de 2

The episode opens with Sofia's remembering her mother bathing her. Sofia remembers asking her mother whether she believes something bad will happen to them. Teresa tells her that if she's ever kidnapped, she should stay calm and keep in mind that there's always a chance to escape. Sofia's memory is probably triggered by the fact that she is currently taking a bath in the house where Morgana, the mean woman (the fake nun), watches her. Morgana comes into the bathroom and Sofia, in the tub, yells at her to leave.

Willy asks Teresa what Epifanio Vargas really wants from her. She tells him that Epifanio's competitor for the presidency of Mexico gets his funding from Zurdo Villa, a major drug dealer. Epifanio wants her to infiltrate Villa's operation and bring him down, thus ending the other candidate's funding. And since Vargas has Sofia, Teresa feels she has no choice.

Willy tells Teresa he didn't betray her. "I put you in danger when I asked you to testify against Epifanio 9 years ago." He feels a responsibility to protetct her and make things right.

Epifanio tells Morgana and the others that he promised Teresa that he'd take care of her daughter. "If anything happens to her, I'll kill all of you." Francisco tells Epifanio how clever and wild Sofia is. "I'll continue with Teresa, but not with the girl." Epifanio asks him how much money he wants. "I'm not a babysitter," he replies. Sofia has managed to overhear much of the conversation.

Willy's sidekick (Jonathan?) wants to examine Teresa's room. He assures her that he and Willy are on her side and want to protect her. She won't let him in. In the hallway, she starts unbuttoning his shirt. It's clear to me at once and to him eventually that she's looking for a wire or other listening device. Not finding one, she closes up his shirt and then, oops, she spots a transmitter on his collar. She tells him not to come near her again.

The scene shifts to Italy. Siso Pernas and two other Galician thugs come to the house where Teresa lived. Pedro is there. They ask where Teresa Mendoza is. Pedro is confused--he doesn't know anyone by that name. They start cutting his face, but he still claims not to know. Siso then calls Teresa, and when she won't tell him where she is, he tells her that she won't be able to return to Italy because she has just murdered her boyfriend. He then shoots Pedro in the head and calls the police to report seeing a woman shoot a man and run away. The three men then drive off, leaving the dead Pedro with a cloth in his mouth. [I'm not sure how that will fit with the story Siso gave over the phone.]

Francisco gently puts a cover over the sleeping Sofia. Hmmm...will he switch sides?

Teresa calls to speak to Oleg Yasikov in Marbella, Spain. She leaves a message saying that Teresa Mendoza is looking for him and it's urgent. The guy she speaks with says that she can only speak with Oleg in person. She says OK, tell him I'll meet him at Jadranka tomorrow morning. [Um...I think we're about to see telenovela airlines--no problem getting tickets at the last moment, no delays, no security lines. I wish I could use them.]

Cayetana Aljarafe, the late Teo's mother, calls someone named Emilio and wants him to kill Teresa. She describes in detail the gruesome way she wants her killed. She'll pay whatever he wants. He responds that she should be grateful he doesn't report her. He's an investigator, not an assassin.
 

reina-sur2
La Reina del Sur2 - Capítulo 3 - Parte 2 de 2

After arranging to meet Oleg Yasikov, Teresa packs a few items and leaves the building. She warns Jonathan not to follow her or she'll have to use her gun. She starts walking through the town. For a while, Batman follows her, but I think she loses him. However, a woman then walks up to her, presses a gun against her body, and tells her to keep walking. Teresa finally asks her who she is. The woman says, "9 years ago I sentenced you to death. You killed my sister." The woman is Manuela, Jonathan's girlfriend and the sister of Veronica, who worked with Willy, infiltrated Teresa's organization, and died when Patty O'Farrell's car went down an embankment (in Reina1). Teresa tries to tell her that she had nothing to do with Veronica's death. Mostly, Teresa and Manuela fight. To my surprise, the two of them are pretty evenly matched. It takes a while, but Teresa finally defeats her and leaves. Manuela finds Teresa's gun on the ground.

There follows a great scene between Sofia and Morgana. Morgana yells at her to get up, she's sleeping too much. Sofia remembers the conversation she overheard between Epifanio and Morgana, in which Morgana assured him that she knows how to deal with brats, and that she isn't afraid of the living, just of the dead. So Sofia gets up and starts talking to her father. Morgana asks whether she's gone crazy. Sofia replies that she's talking to her father. "He's dead," she adds. Morgana crosses herself and quickly leaves the room. Sofia smiles.

Jonathan and Manuela talk (via Skype or something similar?) while Manuela is on a treadmill. She makes it seem as if she's in a gym in wherever they live (the USA?) and he tells her he's about to return from Mexico and will tell her all about it. In bed.

Jonathan and Willy then get into their car. They hear a noise. Willy finds a yellow wire and then a timebomb under Jonathan's seat. They're uncertain how to disarm it, and they're frantic. Just then, the phone rings. It's Teresa. She wants to know how many people knew she was in Mexico, and who told the sister of Veronica. Under pressure, Willy informs her that Manuela works with them at the DEA. Teresa gives Willy partial instructions for disarming the bomb, and with about 1 second to go, Willy cuts a second wire and the ticking stops. Teresa then informs him that it was a fake bomb, she just had to get the truth. [I never believed the bomb was real, but I did have a hard time believing that Teresa had time to shop for the things she'd need to build it, put it together, and place it in the car before they were in it. Now where did I put my beanie?]

Teresa calls Epifanio and tells him she knows that Cayetana Aljarafe gave him Teresa's address. She also says that she's going to send Sofia a nice video, and she wants Sofia to send her a nice one in return. Today. Not tomorrow or the next day.

We see Cayetana at a bull ring. Some young torero-in-training is practicing with a bull. Siso calls her and tells her that Teresa is about to return to Spain, but Siso knows where to find her. Cayetana then tells the would-be torero "be careful, the bull will fight to the bitter end, and it would be a shame if it's your blood spattered on the sand." [Hmm...is Cayetana suggesting that Teresa is the bull? We'll have to wait until Friday to find out. There's no episode this Thursday.]
 

Reina Sur 2

Thank you, Juanita. If only we had access to what you so aptly described as “telenovela airlines”. . . . Anyway, it was another good fast-moving episode. It looks like Teresa will not be getting a break for a good long time with at least three active adversaries. I was happy that even though Sofía is a prisoner, Epifanio is making sure she won’t be mistreated—for now at least.

Evidently there will be a new actor playing Oleg, somebody might have mentioned that already, due to the actor Alberto Jiménez having had an accident and not being fully recovered to have reprised his role. I really liked him and his chemistry with Teresa so I am anxious to see the new actor. Also, according to the website “Programming Insider”, Monday night in its debut, “La Reina del Sur 2” beat Univision, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in its time slot “among key adult demos” with something like 2.62 million viewers. Telemundo has to be pleased.
 

reina-sur2

Thanks very much, Jarifa, for your comments. I'm glad you mentioned Alberto Jiménez. I too thought he was amazing as Oleg in Reina1, and I was devastated when I first learned that someone else would play the role in Reina2. The extraordinary relationship between Kate and Oleg was one of the best aspects of the spectacular season 1. I realize that a serious motorcycle accident made it impossible for Jiménez to reprise the role in season 2. How very sad for him, of course, but also for us.

I first became aware of telenovela airlines years ago while watching El Clon. Characters could apparently fly between Florida and Morocco in the blink of an eye. :-)
 

Ah, the legendary “Clon” . . . Anyway, I like your term.
 

Reina 2

thanks so much Juanita! wonderful recap!

good bye Pedro, he seemed a little soft to be Teresa's novio, I was wondering how that would play out, so what is a person's life expectancy after becoming Teresa's boyfriend.

Jonathan was a little casual in letting Teresa go out, then telling Willy she escaped, neither of them knew about the transmitter on his shirt, but they were showing Manuela in the shadows at the time.

say, was that Pote's gun Teresa left behind?

I may be wrong but I think Willy called Teresa about the bomb after running through a short list of who knew they were there, there seems to be a lot of cloak and dagger subtleties weaved into the story.

like the guy in the bar Teresa called looking for Oleg, that's how Siso knows how to find her.

not sure how Teresa pegged Cayetana as being in the mix, was it Siso showing up?

also I'm not sure if Sofia heard what was being said as she kept fiddling with the cup mumbling about why is no one talking, she sure is a trooper, wait till she puts her team together, Reina del Sur juniorita.

yep, no jet lag in these stories.

 

reina-sur2

Many thanks, deb. You're right--Willy called Teresa about the bomb, not the other way around.

I too wondered about how Teresa knew that Cayetana was involved. You suggest that perhaps it was Siso showing up, but is there a tie that we know of between Cayetana and Siso?

I think Sofia heard some of what was being said, since when we see her dealing with Morgana's insistence that she get up out of bed, I think we see her flash back to Morgana's saying something about knowing how to handle brats and--the key statement--her saying she doesn't fear the living, only the dead.

I love your calling Sofia Reina del Sur juniorita.
 

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