Monday, July 22, 2019
TELEMUNDO Y MÁS (#1): Un Poquito Tuyo, Betty en NY, La Reina del Sur 2, y más: Week of July 22, 2019
Here are the current evening telenovelas (all times are Eastern Daylight Time):
• 8-9PM—Un Poquito Tuyo
• 9-10PM—Betty en NY
• 10-11PM—La Reina del Sur 2
Only six more episodes of La Reina del Sur 2! Preso No. 1 begins July 30. Telemundo modestly describes Preso as "the political drama that will change the history of television."
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 conversations 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 reference to earlier productions of the story, and even the original novel. Thanks for your cooperation!
Labels: betty, poquito, reina-sur2, telemundo
Batman Güemes is being helped by two cemetery employees to remove his daughter's tomb. Inside, there’s a manila envelope which he takes out. He tells her he promised her he’d bury Epifanio alive beside his son El Ratas, and he’s keeping his promise.
In Málaga Charo greets Sofía and Cayetana as they return from shopping. When Sofía tells Charo Cayetana bought some new clothes, Charo says it’s about time. She hasn’t bought anything since those gypsies came. Cayetana tells her to shut it.
Hablando del rey de Roma we see Triana at Joselito’s grave. She’s telling Drago, the guy who organized the raid on Cayetana’s mansion before, that she saw Cayetana with her granddaughter, happy. Sobbing she tells him that her son is not resting in peace. The little granddaughter has to pay for the other granddaughter’s crime! We don’t find out if Drago is on board with this or not.
In Culiacán Batman and Oleg talk. Oleg, ever the suspicious Russian, wonders why Batman helped him. And what happened to the rest of the group. Batman says that Zurdo didn’t die and Sánchez-Godoy is in jail with Anton. Oleg: ¿Tesa está con Sofía? Batman tells him that Teresa was going to rescue her daughter, but they tricked her. They blew up the plane with the child inside. Oleg sinks back in despair.
Batman then shows Oleg what he took from the grave. He has tons of evidence on Epifanio, photos with narcos, bank accounts, evidence of money laundering. With all this Epifanio will spend the rest of his life in prison. Oleg says he heard that Batman gave the order to kill Teresa in Spain. Batman admits it, saying he did the dirty work so Epifanio could be in the newspapers. Batman knows that Ratas killed his family, but the order came from Epifanio. Oleg: "Then why work for him?" Batman: "Keep your enemies close. If you sit on the bank of the river, you’ll eventually see the corpse of your enemy float by."
Epifanio is visiting his stable, petting the horses when Teresa arrives. She tells him to cierra el pico y escuche. [Shut up and listen.] Lupo comes out of the shadows and tells Epifanio that listening to what they have to say is the only way to save his life.
Teresa tells Epifanio that No hay más patético que una gallina que se siente águila. And that Epifanio is the chicken and Alejandro the eagle who wants to cut off her head and who has very powerful allies.
Epifanio asks what she meant about Ale being president, when he has no intention of quitting the campaign. Teresa tells him he’s a dead man walking. The order has already been given to eliminate him in a public place.
Michele says that he knows Alejandro very well. Teresa says that both Alejandro and Lupo work for the DEA. Alejandro is Lupo’s boss. The plan was to find Teresa in Italy, kidnap Sofía, and that he, Epifanio, would be released from prison, become the candidate, and then disappear. The whole plan originated in Washington, D.C.
Teresa: “I can’t understand why you don’t believe it. The same thing happened before when they had El Güero Dávila infiltrate your cartel." Teresa jogs his memory about whose idea it was to look for Teresa in Italy. We get a flashback. Batman tells Epi that Mariano Bravo is up 30 points. Just then Ale brings up Teresa, that she could help. Epifanio and Batman roar with laughter at the thought Teresa would ever help them. Ale says she disappeared pregnant, and kids are a weakness.
Michele tells Epi that the detective Emilio that was hired by Cayetana was he, Lupo. Teresa and the DEA were the only ones who knew where she had gone. Alejandro gave him Teresa’s address so that he could give it to Cayetana. That way Epifanio would never suspect Alejandro.
The Mexican General discovers that el reo (the prisoner) is gone. He calls the President.
Teresa goes on. "Who got you out of prison?" Michele: "The DEA doesn’t leave loose ends. This was all planned by the new gringo government. They arranged for Alejandro to approach you in prison, to become your friend, even to introduce you to his sister."
Epifanio still keeps arguing. Teresa tells him that a powerful government is interfering in the election. "You are to become president and they'd have an employee—one about whom they already know all the secrets. They’d have a president by the huevos working for them in secret."
Epifanio finally believes them. He says he’s surrounded by traitors. Teresa says they’re as good as Hollywood actors. They trained Alejandro so he’d enter your life, and now he’s your brother-in-law. Epifanio remembers money arriving and realizes it came from the USA.
Teresa asks if he knew that Alejandro gave the order to kill Sofía. Stunned, Epifanio insists that he gave orders for her to be treated well. Teresa: “You’re a puppet, and puppets don’t give orders. They never intended to return my child alive.” Epifanio has an “Aha” moment and realizes that this is why Alejandro didn’t want him to speak to Teresa on the phone. Looking pretty scary he says: Ese cabrón ya le rascó los huevos al león y le voy a arrancar la cabeza al hijo de su puta madre!
In Washington, D.C., Danilo, looking amazed and rather timid, walks into a very flamboyant gay bar. Ray immediately approaches him, takes him to the bar and starts buying him tequila shots. Ray pours on the charm, coming on to Danilo.
Alejandro talks to the new campaign manager. [Sorry, the name is not in my brain.] He tells the guy that he was recruited by the DEA in college, he’s 38 years old, etc. Ale tells him it’s like looking in a mirror. This cold as ice guy says that with his cuñado assassinated and his sister crying for justice, he’ll get more votes than any candidate ever has. Ale says he doesn’t know if he’s prepared for this job that his father always wanted for him.
New Guy tells him he has to have a First Lady and suggests Ale’s ex-wife. Ale is appalled. But New Guy tells him the country is conservative and, if he’s single, they’ll start investigating. And this isn’t convenient for anyone. [He doesn’t come right out and say the DEA knows, but I’m pretty sure they do.]
Epifanio asks why Lupo changes sides. He replies that he fell in love with Teresa. And, caring for Sofía, he came to understand that only a special woman could have raised this child. He goes on to say that, when they asked him to kill Teresa and Sofía, and he refused, then they sent Manuela. Epi: “Where’s she?”
Teresa says she’s dead, the same fate that awaits Alejandro.
Epifanio: “So when will the attempt be made?” They don’t know. But with the election so close, Alejandro must be working on this right now.
Just then Bebita has come to the stable, and Teresa and Michele melt away. Epifanio pretends to be practicing a campaign speech. He gives her a cold look and asks if he can trust her. He goes so far as to put one hand around her throat. She looks completely innocent.
Epifanio goes inside and tears his bedroom apart. Not sure what he’s looking for. He tells Bebita that he’s going to the hotel to speak with Alejandro. And, if he doesn’t come back, ask Alejandro for an explanation.
Danilo is getting very drunk. He tells Ray he has a boyfriend of 3 years, someone well known. He says that he loves Alejandro and Alejandro loves him, but Alejandro is secretive. Ray suddenly kisses Danilo. Danilo is shocked for a moment and suddenly lunges forth and returns the kiss. Ray: “Let’s go! I’m going to kidnap you!”
Teresa comes to the new hideout and tells her “gang” that she lied to them. Sofía is alive and with Cayetana in Spain. She warns them they can’t tell anyone.
Batman calls Teresa, but we don’t get to hear what he says.
New Guy and Alejandro are hunched over a map, planning the location of the assassination. We see Epifanio arrive, looking grim, and walking down the hotel hallway. He listens at the door, but we can’t tell if he can hear what they say. Alejandro sees him through the peephole, and he and New Guy hide the map. Alejandro lets Epifanio in, saying he’s surprised to see him since he thought he was relaxing with his wife.
novelera, thanks VERY much for this superb recap! You captured everything, inclluding some helpful Spanish.
One small point--I think the tomb that Batman has buried evidence in is his wife's, not his daughter's. I think he had a wife and two sons, all of whom were killed by Ratas, apparently on orders from Epifanio. Finally, for Batman, it's payback time.
It's interesting that Drago tells Triana to put her wish for vengeance behind her and move on with her life. As you say, we don't know whether she will succeed in getting his support, but my fear is that she'll go ahead with her attempt at revenge whether or not he supports her.
At Ray's urging, Danilo is downing tequila shot after tequila shot. At one point, we see Ray secretly pour his own shot onto the floor and then pretend to drink. I suspect it wasn't just this one that he poured out.
Did we know that Alejandro had been married and divorced? I was surprised when they mentioned his ex-wife as a possible First Lady. The guy whose name I also can't remember (Ale's new campaign manager) tells Ale that he's got a month to find a First Lady, otherwise it will be his ex-wife. [I wonder whether they've consulted her about this.]
The new guy is Cristián Núñez. I had to look back in my recap because I had forgotten his name, too. Whoopsie!
By the way, Michele has such a weird Spanish accent because the actor Raoul Bova is Italian himself. Now I know! Very funny.
I do hope that Batman gets his revenge on Epifanio because he has known all along he was responsible for his family’s killing. He has been such a tortured soul. The exhumation of the grave scene was surprising and looking all too real but storing the evidence there was genius.
Big surprise for Alejandro! He now needs a wife! Lots of luck! His luck is running out.
Juanita, good question if anyone has consulted Alejandro’s wife. I think your are right about Triana.
Ray is a “smooth operator” . I was impressed by his manipulation of poor Danilo.
Looks like the ball is in Epifanio’s court but going to chat with Alejando at this time doesn’t seem like a smart move.
excellent recap novelera!
I think that was a bony hand laying under the packet in Batman's wife's casket, I was wondering when we would get to see what he put in there.
the new campaign manager also has no parents or connections like Alex, recruited by the DEA, a mirror of him, this was an eerie scene, the always in control Alex looking at his new puppet master.
always interesting, that Alex brought his sister into the game.
I don't remember them saying if the DEA had contacted Alex's ex-wife, but they had researched her, never remarried, no kids.
hmm, the campaign money they showed us came from Teresa's stash.
I'm curious about Epi, so far he has been pictured as being alone, no contacts, no money, no power, he doesn't even have a gun, does he?
Lupo is just a shadow of himself, following Teresa around, I wonder how this will play out.
I hope Charo tells Sofia about the gypsies.
Thank you for the fine recap, novelera. I enjoyed the colorful Spanish vocab, too.
Found it interesting that Batman just wants to send Epi back to the slammer. I guess he considers it a fate worse than death.
Agree with Juanita and Jarifa about Tiana. She won't give up so easily.
Surprised, but not surprised that Ale has an ex-wife. It makes sense he would marry a woman even if he knew it wouldn't work. How soon can we meet her? I bet she could add something to the story.
Poor Danilo is being played on all sides. Ale cares for him but what a crappy relationship it is. What will Danilo do when the truth is revealed? Ray was pouring out his shots but he downed one right before he left the bar.
Lupo continues to annoy Teresa (and me) with his declarations and explanations of love. Yes, we know, the plans changed. Teresa referred to him as Michele with Epi. Until now she has only used his vero nome in private or to Sofia.
I think Raoul Bova had to learn Spanish for this role. I saw him interviewed about Reina on Telemundo and when he fumbled for words he switched to English. I knew him before from Italian productions. Don't know if anyone here mentioned this already but he was in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.
Only five more to go.
dondi356
Thanks, Novelera.
Catching up just before showtime. I am impressed with Ray's versatility, but they need to realize Danilo knows nothing and back off. The poor man will have trust issues for ages.
Yep, Lupo's love sickness for Teresa is making him quite sappy.
"slated to premiere Monday, August 19 at 7pm/6c."
https://www.nbcumv.com/news/exatlon-back-and-reloaded?network=33144
La Reina del Sur 2 - Martes - Parte 1 de 3
Lencho and another person carry the wounded Zurdo Villa to wherever it is he can hide. Zurdo isn't pleased. Gratitude isn't his strong point. "What is this place? Couldn't you do better?" he asks. Lencho makes it clear that the military are searching everywhere for him. Zurdo looks around. "Are these the only people we have left?" Lencho tells him there are about 20 more. He also tells him that the military took all the money that was at the ranch. Zurdo's anger is focused mostly on Teresa. "That bitch betrayed me twice. She's going to pay triply."
Meanwhile, in Culiacán, Alejandro introduces the unexpected Epifanio to Christian Nuñez, who Alejandro claims he hired as an advisor to the campaign. His focus will be propaganda and political strategy. Epifanio announces that he has decided to take a short vacation with Bebita, to relax and recharge his batteries. Ale strongly objects, finally saying "I forbid you to go." He claims he says this for Epifanio's own good and the good of the campaign. Perhaps sensing that things are getting out of hand, Nuñez says he think Epifanio is right. It would be good for him to rest and get his energy back. Ale then agrees. Epifanio remembers what he was told by Teresa about Alejandro replacing him as the presidential candidate and that they plan to get rid of Epifanio via a public execution.
Epifanio then asks whether, if he takes a vacation, the press will say that he's too old to be president. Alejandro says not to worry, he'll take care of this. Epifanio then accuses Alejandro of not being truthful with him about Teresa. When Epi tried to call her, he could never get through, and when he tried talking about Teresa and her daughter, Ale changed the topic. Alejandro, a very smooth operator, then admits that he hasn't been transparent with Epi. He kept Teresa's calls from Epi, but he did so to spare Epi needless stress. He tells Epifanio that Teresa is a very manipulative woman. [Ha! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.] Epifanio then asks where Batman and Lupo are. Ale simply says that Lupo was paid and he left, and as for Batman, who knows? He comes back to Teresa, claiming that she will do everything in her power to get rid of Epifanio and Alejandro. "However," Alejandro assures him, "she won't be successful: we're family. If I had to give my life for you, I would. It would be an honor." [Amazingly, Ale's nose does not grow longer.] Epifanio then tells Alejandro not to cancel anything, that it may not be the right time for a vacation. "Let me sleep on it," he says to Ale.
We then see Teresa, Lupo, and Sheila arrive at Batman's house. Teresa asks why he invited them, and says she really doesn't have time for this. A voice says "No time even for an old friend?" It's Oleg, who enters the room. A stunned Teresa goes to him, and they have a long embrace. Teresa is feeling guilty about having left the badly wounded Oleg. Oleg assures her, "You did what you had to. You left because I asked you to. It's called survival. There was no other option." He also tells her that he thinks she's in more danger than ever before. Teresa tells him that Lupo was the person who kidnapped Sofía. Oleg feels he was right to be suspicious of Lupo/Francesco. "Because of him, Sofía is dead." No, says Teresa, Sofía is alive, thanks to Lupo. BM says that he too had grown fond of Sofía. Teresa tells him that if Epifanio or Alejandro learn what she just said about Sofía, she'll put a bullet where it will hurt Batman most.
La Reina del Sur 2 - Martes - Parte 2 de 3
In Washington DC, Ray and Danilo are on some rooftop lounge. Ray tries to get Danilo to have one more drink. Danilo says, "I'm drunk but I'm not stupid." [Oops, I think, he's on to Ray. But no.] He continues, "You brought me here to have sex. And we can have sex, but just this one time." Danilo then passes out. Jonathan arrives and goes through Danilo's pockets, looking for information that might be contained in his wallet, his camera, etc. Ray thinks that Danilo seems like a good guy who has no idea what his partner is really like. Jonathan leaves, saying he'll be back in an hour, As soon as he leaves. Ray calls Jimena and tells her he needs to see her.
Oleg and Batman learn that Zurdo Villa has escaped from the hospital. When Batman hears this, he says that if Zurdo escaped, he must have had help from Epifanio, who wants Zurdo to confess that he has financed Mariano Bravo. Batman also reveals that he has a "bomb" that they can use against Epifanio (presumably all the information he hid in his wife's tomb). Teresa says that she's as eager as he is to bring down Epifanio, but the most important thing right now is to stop Alejandro. Batman thinks Alejandro is just a lackey, but Teresa says that they all thought so, but it turns out that lackey has turned out to be the chess master. "If we don't checkmate him, Sofía and I will always be in danger." Lupo reports that the US government has decided that it no longer wants Epifanio to be president. Instead, the next president will be Alejandro. Teresa adds, "unless we kill him first." She continues, "I hate to say this, but we have to support Epifanio." Hearing this, an enraged Batman hits the roof. "My family will have no rest! You have your daughter back, but who is going to bring my family back?" Teresa tells him that supporting Epifanio is only a step to deal with the gringos and asks that he be patient. She tells him, "I swear we will make Epifanio pay for his crimes, I swear on my life."
Zurdo meets with the tech guy who identified the chip by which they can track Teresa. Zurdo makes it clear that it's vital that Teresa not know we've located her.
In Málaga, Sofía tells Cayetana she looks so pretty in her new dress. Charo adds, "You always liked wearing colorful, fashionable clothes." Cayetana responds, "But that was before." The unstoppable Sofía tells her grandmother than all she needs now is a new hairdo. With a new hairdo, she'll get a novio!
We then see Sofía as master of ceremonies introducing the new Cayetana in a red dress and a new hairdo.
Teresa, Lupo, Sheila, and Oleg return (to Teresa's house?? - didn't Villa's men already try to attack there?). Everyone is thrilled to see that Oleg is alive. Teresa says to Oleg, "I can't believe you're still alive." To which Oleg responds, "I can't believe that you're still with the Italian." Teresa admits that she screwed up big time. Oleg tells her that the Russian writer Boris Pasternak has said that he didn't like people who had never failed, because life had never shown them its true beauty. Teresa insists that she believes Lupo, he saved Sofía when he had no reason to do so. He cares for her. Oleg says he hopes Lupo will continue to help them, because they have to deal with Zurdo. He continues, "The war against Zurdo has to be taqctical. We have to cut off his resources." Teresa says that that operation has to be quick and a surprise. "We have to catch him with his pants down." Oleg adds, "Zurdo is a wounded animal. They're the most dangerous."
La Reina del Sur 2 - Martes - Parte 3 de 3
We now see Zurdo, who claims to be feeling better. He's totally focused on dealing with Teresa. Lencho tells him that "our guys have been watching her house all night." Zurdo doesn't want them to attack. He wants to see her face to face.
Ale calls Danilo and leaves a message saying that he can't make it back to Washington right now. He'll call later to explain. Bebita asks why he was talking so softly and why there are always so many secrets. Epifanio comes into the breakfast room. Bebita wants to come with them to the rally. Alejandro says no. Epifanio informs Ale that he (Epi) invited her, and he asks, "Do you think she's all dressed up to serve you breakfast?" Ale is clearly worried. This may be the rally where they've arranged for Epi to be shot.
Danilo wakes up and finds himself handcuffed to a chair. He's afraid he has been kidnapped for ransom and tells Jonathan and Teresa that his family is very poor, they won't be able to pay anything. Teresa apologizes to him for what they've done, but "this is war." Suddenly Ray rushes in. Danilo sees that "Andrew" too is involved. Ray tells them, "We have visitors. Someone has followed you."
It's Zurdo and his men who have arrived outside. Zurdo says "I want to see her face to face for the last time." Jonathan and Ray are looking at the monitor and see that it's Zurdo. "How did he find you?" they ask Teresa. She replies, "I have no idea."
Thank you, Juanita, for the fabulous recap of yet another action packed episode and your welcome commentary.
My heart really went out to Batman, once again, his revenge being shoved on the back burner. I hope he gets it and lives to enjoy it. I love the actor playing the part. As a matter of fact, I think both parts of La Reina del Sur were really well cast. (Surprise: I saw Luisa Galvasa (Cayetana) in a “Para Elisa” a Spanish horror movie on Amazon. She really did a good version of crazy in that one. )
So how long before Teresa and company realize that her tracker has been hacked and dig it out?
They don’t have to worry about cutting Zurdo off. It isn’t that complicated. They just need to kill him. Get rid of that loose end.
The homey interludes with Sofía and Cayetana were cute and a nice counterpoint to the rest of the story but again, for how long? It seems like a setup for more mayhem.
Thank you so much for that wonderful recap, Juanita. Your sidebar comments were right in tune with my own when I watched.
Interesting callback (or maybe only to me) when they first showed Zurdo in his hiding place. They showed candles and one of those statues of Jesús Malverde, the narco saint. We saw Malverde on an altar long ago when Teresa met Epifanio in that church and turned over el Güero's notebook.
You know, I find that I don't miss the prior actor who played Oleg in Reina 1. This actor is terrific in the part.
The reason I thought Batman was mourning a daughter was the very small coffin and, I'm pretty sure, he addressed the body within as mija. But then I've heard men in TNs call their wives that so it must be that it was her coffin. I didn't remember the sexes of Batman's children. And, yes, Jarifa, I have also always enjoyed the actor playing Batman. He always had a human side.
I'm not sure what money Teresa will be getting to cut off Zurdo's resources. I thought the government soldiers got that hard drive and would have seized his money by now.
Also, I'm not sure if Epifanio needs to help Zurdo. He already signed that letter admitting to helping Mariano Bravo. I can't remember whether or not the TV announcers said it. Probably not, since Bravo wanted to kill him before he could talk.
I notice that, like lots of bad guys, Zurdo groans and cries out a lot from his injuries, whereas Lupo, on his way to full redemption, barely makes a sound when Sofía took out the bullet.
thanks so much Juanita for the recap, your weaved in commentary is great!
I was surprised Teresa spilled on Sofia being alive with Batman there, and pretty much saying where she is.
Batman is a unique character, I think a lot of it comes from the actor, being on the heavy side with a slower, non-cocaine hyper, personality he has a different style for a narco.
yep, Sofia has Cayetana all prettied up, and they are talking about going out, ut oh.
I think the gang is at their new house, nice view, after Lencho raided the old one, hmm, do they have any guards?
the new technology that Ray swore no one can trace, the tracker was made in Israel, and Zurdo's hacker guy is a Jew.
yep the General got all of Zurdo's money, I think they were talking about cutting off his sources.
did Teresa just spend the night with Lupo?
I'm not sure if Epi is sold, seems like he is testing the waters.
the real secret here is how come these guys never have hangovers.
Great recap of an interesting episode, Juanita. Thank you.
It's the calm before the storm.
At the Batcave: Those were the best scenes for me. Justice for Batman. Alejandro Calva was great. Batman was surprised, not surprised to see Lupo. Thankfully, I was spared another explanation. Very touching reunion of Tesa and Oleg. Oleg has said their friendship is better than a thousand loves. It's essential to the show.
Jonathan got a lot of mileage from Ray's mission. Ray called Jimena from DC--I need to see you. Did that happen off camera?
Reunited and it feels so good: Back at the ranch, everyone is happy to see Oleg. Lupo says it's time for him to go. Teresa says, wait they're looking for you at least stay the night. Where did he sleep?
Epi is drinkin, thinkin and plannin. He's going ahead with the rally. Does Bebita know anything?
Why do I find the Zurdo and Lencho exchanges mildly amusing?
Telenovela magic? It amazes me how dozens of men and secret hideout buildings are immediately at everyone's disposal.
Where's the telenovela magic when you need it? Too bad you can't deactivate a microchip. It must be physically removed.
dondi356
novelera & deb, saw your posts after I posted.
novelera, new Oleg was one of my doubts about part 2 but not anymore. I think he's terrific, too. Bad guy v. good guy pain tolerance, good one. What about the minor medical miracles that have occurred in the last week, Oleg, Lupo, Zurdo.
deb, lol, if you drink shots of a good quality silver tequila (like Kate's?), your chances are better for avoiding a bad hangover. The writers must know this, too.
Other than the 20 men, I'm not sure what resources Zurdo still has at hand. Oleg and Teresa spoke about finances and funds. I thought Lencho said the military confiscated all the money. Sanchez Godoy is in jail. What other resources/connections does Zurdo have available?
dondi356
I think the writers are trying to keep us guessing. Teresa had Epifanio completely convinced. Then, when he met with Alejandro in the hotel room, it was hard to tell if he might be believing the "I'd die for you" line from Ale, or just playing along so Ale can't tell he's onto the plot.
Taking Bebita to the rally was a master stroke. Although I suppose the type of sharpshooter the DEA would employ would be able to hit Epi and miss Bebita. But it sure shook up Alejandro. That scene made me think Epi is still believing Teresa. Or else he's hedging his bets either way.
Giving it an extra day to ask. I have book club Thursday night. I won't be able to do a recap. Any volunteers?
novelera, I have to be up early Friday morning, so I probably couldn't do a normal recap Thursday night. I probably could do a quick and dirty "here's some of what happened" and then hope others will add and correct. However, if someone else wants to do Thursday, that would be fine with me.
Many thanks Jarifa, novelera, deb, and dondi356, for your great comments.
Jarifa, I too had the feeling that the lighthearted scene between Sofía and her grandmother was just setting us up for more scary stuff, probably from the gypsy woman, Juanito's mother. And I'm not confident that all this will end well. I recall the way several of us, including me, rationalized Sofía's apparent death as necessary for the plot if there was a Reina 3 in the works. I hope I'm wrong. Indeed, I hope Telemundo will quit while they're ahead and not have a Reina 3. Alas, Telemundo's track record on quitting while they're ahead isn't very good.
novelera, you've got an amazing memory. Yes, now that you mention it, I too recall the Malverde statue in that very tense scene in the church where Teresa hands over el Güero's notebook in Reina 1. Also, I agree that the actor playing Oleg in Reina2 is doing an excellent job. I hadn't expected to like or believe in him, but I do. However, I still do miss Oleg1.
deb, I too noticed that twice, now, the hacker who discovered the signal Teresa was sending was referred to as "the Jew." Not sure whether there's any particular significance attached to the double mention, but I found it a bit disconcerting.
dondi356, good point about "telenovela magic." In a similar vein, I found myself wondering how Teresa wound up with a very impressive second house.
Hard to believe there are only four more episodes.
El Zurdo and his men are hot on Teresa’s track via her chip. Zurdo and his men arrive where they have tracked her to but see her leaving with “the Italian”. Zurdo and his crew proceed to follow them. Ray calls Teresa to tell her it worked and that Zurdo and company are following her. She is still wondering how they found her. Michele says Zurdo has eyes all over the city and somebody must have seen her go into the dry cleaner. Teresa disagrees saying they were snuck in through the back. That is another reason all of her people are foreigners with no connections in Mexico. She needs to talk to El Zurdo. Michele thinks she will have bullet in her head before she opens her mouth. She insists she has faced worse and is still alive.
Epifanio’s campaign rally is in full swing as he arrives and walks through the crowd. Alejandro is very uncomfortable as he surveys the crowd supposedly wondering where the assassin is. Epifanio is also uneasy as he remembers Teresa telling him he is a dead man walking. Epifanio makes his way up to the podium with Vevita. and is introduced as the next president of Mexico. Barman makes his way though the crowd. As Epifanio speaks, Batman takes out a pistol, aims and fires hitting Epifanio in the chest. Batman runs and ditches his black hat for a red Epifanio campaign hat. He ends up exchanging gunfire on the street and finally escapes into a motorcycle shop where he puts on an Epifanio campaign shirt to go with his red Epifanio hat. In the meantime, Bebita calls for Alejandro to get Epifanio some help. Alejandro tells Cristián that he doesn’t know why they didn’t shoot Epifanio in the head. Suddenly they are carrying Epifanio out to the ambulance. A very upset Vevita insists on riding with him. In the ambulance, she finds out that Epifanio is basically okay because he had a bullet proof vest on which he wore because he knew there would be an attempt on his life. He tells her that Alejandro was behind the assassination attempt so he could replace him as the candidate. Epifanio planned for paramedics and an ambulance to be at the rally. He has more to tell but has to be sure she had nothing to do with this. She swears she loves him and is with him. He tells her he really had good luck because everyone was watching TV and now all of Mexico is praying for him. Their baby will be born at Los Pinos.
Teresa leads Zurdo and company to one of his own warehouses where he hides his money. Zurdo admits to Lencho that Teresa knows all of his secrets.
Zurdo and his gang arrive at the warehouse and see a hug pile of his money. ( soaked in in gasoline). Teresa and Michele watch from a hiding place. Zurdo wonders what is going on. Teresa and Michele come out. She has a molotov cocktail lit in her hand and asks Zurdo how they found her. He can tell her or he will be losing a lot of money; somewhere between 150-200 million. She tells him to tell his men to leave. She asks him again how he found her and also how he escaped from the army. Zurdo isn’t talking. Who is protecting him? He answers God is and Malverde (narco saint.) She reminds him he is free so he should go and leave her in peace. Zurdo is raving how he wants his revenge. He opened his life to her and she tried to kill him. She explains it was his life or theirs with the helicopter. She reminds him she has all of the addresses of all of the locations of his warehouses where he keeps his money. If she makes a simple phone call, all of his money will be gone in less than an hour. That calms Zurdo down but he asks how could she do this to him? What was her “price”? She explains the price was her daughter and that he should understand since he has a daughter of his own. He gets it to a certain point but starts to go off again. He fell in love with her. She made him believe she loved him and then she betrayed him. Teresa tells him they are cut from the same cloth. They did the same thing: they used each other and benefited from each other. That’s life. Zurdo complains that he has lost almost everything because of her. Teresa tells him she lost her LIFE. She warns him she can bring him down some more. He taunts her. She asks him if he wants to bet on that. He tells her she doesn’t Have the nerve. She throws the lit bottle on the pile of money and it goes up in flames. El Zurdo runs to the pile to save some money and his leg catches on fire. He threatens to kill that bitch. Teresa and Michele leave.
Epifanio is at the emergency room where he has been checked out and has no internal injuries from the bullet that was stopped by his vest. The doctor discharges him and wishes him good luck in the elections. As Vevita and he kiss, a “jubilant” Alejandro comes in “oh so pleased” that Epifanio’s life was saved by the bucket proof vest he has suggested that he use for so long. Epifanio and Vevita do not share the same joy. Epifanio says he was wearing it because he knew he was going to be attacked today.. Epifanio tells Alejandro that he and Vevita know all about Alejandro’s plan to do him in, become the candidate himself. He accuses him as being a DEA agent. .Alejandro denies it all, of course, and shows Epifanio a video with the culprit. It is Batman. Epifanio assures Vevita that Batman has no reason to kill him.She asks him if he is sure Alejandro is behind this all. He tells her Alejandro is capable of selling her and her father out. Alejandro thinks he is crazy. Epifanio accuses him of trying to divide him and Vevita and get them off track. Alejandro realizes it must have been Teresa who told him all this. He sarcastically encourages Epifanio to tell Vevita about all of the plans they made with Teresa (the woman who put him in jail) and about kidnapping her daughter. Vevita is hysterical as she starts to make sense of why Teresa would be back in Mexico. She doesn’t know who to believe. Epifanio asks her what Alejandro was doing in the USA if he didn’t work for the DEA.
Alejandro decides he has had enough and he quits his job as campaign manager. As he opens the door to leave, he is met by the army general who announces that the President of Nexivo has put him in charge of Epifanio’s security. Epifanio asks what they know about the guy that tried to kill him. The General assures him they are on his trail. Epifanio makes a point of telling the general that when they catch the guy they need to question him very well because he must have an accomplice who is really close to him. Alejandro controls himself and leaves.
Batman sees his house surrounded by soldiers as he rides up on it on a motorcycle. He calls someone to meet him somewhere.
Teresa thinks that her tracking chip is the problem and Michele removes it with his handy dandy pocket knife. He says he has removed hundreds of these in the past. Teresa is now going to see if she is right about Zurdo being able to track her through the chip. Zurdo and his crew are following the signal from the tracker.
Out on a highway, Sheila meets Batman in his campaign get up. She first thinks that he is really into her but it becomes clear quickly that he has a big problem. When it became clear that Teresa wasn’t going to help him get revenge on Epifanio, he took matters into his own hands and shot him. He didn’t kill him though. He needs Sheila to get Teresa’s help for “their” sake.
From across a road and field, Teresa and Michele, watch Zurdo and his entourage arrive at yet another warehouse. As Zurdo is stumbling in, all he can do is mumble about wanting Teresa to just die. It is clear they have been following her tracker. When they finally find it and not her, Zurdo has a note from Teresa telling him “Adiós and hasta nunca”. At that point, Zurdo has to admit, they have lost her forever.
Teresa tells Michele now they have to put all their attention on Alejandro. He is the last loose end. Michele thinks he will be the hardest to tie up. She agrees but everyone has their weaknesses. She tells Michele that she just wants this to be over and to disappear. She has no other options. She only wants to see her daughter.
Alejandro is upset as he leaves the hospital but manages to tell the waiting press that Epifanio is just fine. After that, he keeps walking.to where Cristián is waiting for him. He tells Cristián they have to find Batman, get him to confess on video and then shoot him in the head.
He fills Cristián in on how Epifanio turned his sister against him. Cristián tells him to calm down. Washington has decided that a public assassination of Epifanio won’t work. Cristián knows that only a small group of people will have access to Epifanio from now on, so Alejandro will have to be the one in charge of getting rid of him.
It is nighttime in Spain and Triana is crossing a field on her way to Cayetana’s house.. . .
FIN
I love your recaps, Jarifa. Many thanks for yet another excellent job!
I was struck by Epifanio's going on in his rally speech about how important family is, and that families should be cared for and protected. As he's saying this, we see Batman in the crowd getting more and more enraged. Remembering his own family who were killed, presumably on Epifanio's orders, Batman takes out his gun and fires.
I must confess, I found myself gaining a certain grudging admiration for Epifanio after seeing how skillfully he prepared for the assassination attempt. He wore the bulletproof vest, he arranged for the ambulance to be right there, he gave orders that only Bebita could accompany him in the ambulance, and perhaps he also arranged for the military to take over responsibility for his security. And he tells Bebita that he realized the assassination attempt would have to be very soon, since the election was approaching and Alejandro "would need time to mourn me and then replace me." Epifanio seems to have almost as many lives as Teresa.
Michele sure dug out the tracker easily. At least Teresa was thinking,
Alejandro has to feel the walls closing in on him more and more now that he is being ordered to kill Epifanio. He must be asking himself if he is expendable, too. I think poor Danilo is going to be Alejandro’s weakness that Teresa is looking for.
Juanita, I agree that Epifanio has sort of grown on me, too. In his own way, I think he cares for Teresa and at this time sees her maybe as an equal. That kind of complex character development is definitely a strong point of this novela.
Can at least Batman and Sheila have a happy ending somewhere? They are cute together.
That is all for now. Time to make some café.
One more thing now that I am caffeinated. I was impressed that Teresa realized that she and Zurdo were basically the same. I would say she was one step ahead because she knew it was “only business” when dealing with him.
thanks so much Jarifa, what a wonderful recap!
I was wondering if the police car passing by as Teresa and Michele left the dry cleaners was part of her plan.
but I must say that a couple little details gave me a different take on the assassination attempt, yes Batman shot Epi, or did he, because we don't see the gun firing, instead he turns and looks at a rooftop porch behind him, loved Epi spilling to Vevita, but then accusing Alex, do you argue with a guy that tried to kill you, but doesn't Alex say it was his suggestion that Epi wear the bullet proof vest that morning, but then Epi was supposed to be shot in the head and there has been no explanation for that, I'm still waiting to hear Batman's side of the story.
so Cristián is getting the orders from Washington, and passing them on to Alex, Alex should run for his life.
I'm not sure about Sheila, she was lovey dovey with Batman, like she is supposed to be, but when he explained the fix he was in, she backed off.
we know what a tough guy Michele is, but around Teresa, it's clear the story is about her.
can't help but like Zurdo, now having a jealous fit about seeing Teresa with that italian guy he saw her having dinner with in Europe.
Terrific recap, as always, Jarifa! Have you considered a career as a screenwriter?
Watching Zurdo last night reminded me of the quote, normally attributed to women: Hell hath no fury like a narco spurned. There was a spark of jealous rage in his eyes when he saw Teresa leave with Michele and called him the blankety-blank italiano. I well remember how jealous he was of him earlier on, following her to a dinner with Lupo's "family".
I had a couple of moments when I doubted that Batman really hit him. Alejandro said something about why did they not hit him in the head, which I interpreted as his thinking the DEA sharpshooter didn't go for the head shot. And, then, I thought Batman said something to Sheila about not actually shooting him. Or was I imagining that? At any rate, when the show ended I thought that either Batman beat the planned-upon shooter to the punch or he missed Epifanio. We did see his gun go off.
I was NOT expecting Epifanio to confront Alejandro so soon. And now he's in the soup with Bebita over Alejandro's mentioning a plot with Teresa.
Awful, awful scary moment with Triana walking through that field of wheat (or weeds) toward Cayetana's house. If she's that rich, why didn't she get some security guards after their previous takeover of her house?
Juanita, I had the same reluctant admiration for Epifanio. Teresa now knows he had no part in the attempt on Sofía and on she herself. So he isn't her immediate target. But she has said he cannot be president of Mexico.
Yep, Teresa has a big surprise in store for Alejandro when her capture of Danilo is revealed. I'm not sure if she plans to straight-up say she'll kill Danilo if Alejandro doesn't do...something. Or whether she would just tell Danilo and/or somehow prove to him what a snake he's loved for 3 years.
deb, we were thinking along the same lines, but you beat me to the punch with your doubts about Batman. However, I don't think Alejandro told Epi to wear the vest that morning. In trying to bolster his attempt to really care about Epi, he said something along the lines of being so glad Epi had finally listened to him asking Epi to wear one. As in...he'd asked him in the past. Obviously, in the past, Ale would have wanted him not to be shot since the DEA plan then was for him to become the puppet president.
I went back and watched a couple of scenes,
they don't actually show who shot Epi, but right then Batman looks around behind him.
the English caps have Alex saying, "especially because you wore the vest I told you to wear", so it's not really dated, and could very well have been an earlier time.
I'm guessing we'll get some new flashbacks and explanations.
Thanks for the great recap, Jarifa.
I agree with deb's take on the assassination attempt. Batman raised his gun but looked awfully surprised at the sound of the shot. He looked around to see. Conveniently, Ale noticed Batman in the crowd right before it happened and, quick thinking on his part, gave the order to go after Batman. I'm glad he got away. I want Batman to make it to the end. Later when Sheila questioned him, he said he didn't shoot but was being blamed for it. Only Teresa can help him now.
Bad, bad breakup between Zurdo and Teresa. He's been obsessed with her for years--is he going to give up so easily? Teresa left a very big loose end here.
novelera, I, too was surprised at Epi putting his cards on the table so soon. I thought Bebita was a hard-hitting investigative journalist. She looks so foolish now.
Come to think of it, there's a whole bunch of characters in this story that are fools for love.
Cayetana, pride goes before a fall. Hoping she is the only one who falls. Odds are Sofia survives but I don't want anything to happen to Charo.
Ale is such a creep and a coward. He always had Kira or Lupo to do his dirty work. Now what's he going do?
Perhaps, Epi's life will be spared and he will just spend the rest of it in jail.
The Triana moment at the end looked like a trailer for a horror movie.
dondi356
Agree deb, with so little time left I think we're going to get lots of off camera stuff that will be explained later. And maybe a time jump near the end?
dondi356
I suppose Batman could have shot Epi, knocking him away from the headshot bullet, the odd part is that he had no escape plan, but all of a sudden needed to get away.
Well, thanks to novelera and others who questioned whether Batman actually shot Epifanio, I'm now pretty much convinced that he was beaten to the punch by one of the hired assassins, plural. As has been pointed out, Alejandro asks why THEY didn't shoot Epi in the head (¿por que no le pegaron en la cabeza?). And then he tells his men to go after that idiot, Batman. I had originally been sure that Batman had shot Epi, and I had not paid much attention to Ale's "they", but after reading the discussion here and looking at the episode again, I've changed my mind.
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