Wednesday, October 02, 2019

La Usurpadora - Capitulo 13 - A secret revealed!

We start with a sibling (or so they still claim they are) fight, where Manuel, who used his noodle to put two and two together, realized that Terry must have erased Paola’s information right after Paola’s supposed demise, which Terry orchestrated. Manuel is still intent on seeing the body, and Terry does her best to dissuade him. Instead she wants to get outta dodge as soon as possible, but sobbing Manuel is not on board with that plan at all. 
Our friend Molina, in the meantime, has located the famous businessman Fangul (of the blackmail fame). Molina would like to get on his permanent payroll, seeing as his first job turned out to be such a success. To sweeten the deal, Molina gives Fangul a freebie bit of info: Gema left Carlos’s service. Next time Molina is expecting much more $$ in return. 

Back at the (apparently unsupervised with Molina out and about) Presidential Office, Carlos is trying to convince his cabinet to get behind his approval of Fangul’s projects. He meets with very limited success and everyone wants to know where Gema is (they must be as worried, as we are, for the state of the country if it is left to Carlos alone…) 

Soon after his meetings are over, Carlos places a call to Paola’s doctor, who – it appears – is ready to let Paulina return home, on account of her being much improved. He would, though, like to speak to the family and has some conditions to impose. Having chatted with Carlos, the doctor heads over to the ranch and relays this information to Paulina. (While they walk they pass by some fully clothed riders leading their horses, so we find out for sure naked chest is not a riding uniform over there…) From here the busy doctor heads over to see Carlos and the fam, and gives them all instructions on treating Paola normally and providing support. (Phew. I hope this dude gets mileage reimbursement…) 

After the doctor leaves the ranch, Paulina runs into Nava, who comes running with some flowers and kisses (They are trying to be careful, but how they weren’t noticed yet out in the open, with all of that love in the air, is unclear!). They talk about her impending return to the mansion and are sad to separate. Before she leaves, Paulina asks to call home (so with free unmonitored access to a phone at this ranch, wouldn’t you think she would do so sooner?). When she dials though, she is in for a shock - Paola picks up on the other end! Paulina is flabbergasted, hangs up and is in panic. She and Facundo try to strategize, as they aren’t sure what Paola is doing in Colombia. Facundo advises Paulina goes back to the mansion and tries to get some information from Arcadia on whether or not Paola was adopted. He claims that if Paola wanted to hurt Olga, she would have already done that. (We wonder how he knows she did not!). 

With that everyone leaves the ranch and resumes their pre-mental institution life. Paulina is back at the house and is greeted warmly. Even Arcadia is there, who laments having been thrown out of the house and hits Paulina up for some money. Paulina points out that Arcadia has a problem, but doesn’t say no to the money. Paulina also asks Carlos to bring Monse back. 

Nava is back in the city too and heads over to Pedro’s to give him the scoop. He asks Pedro to go to the hospital and try to figure out what Paola’s blood type is, as that could confirm whether or not Paola and Paulina are twins. Nava looks all smitten when he talks about Paulina, so Pedro teases him about being in love. They get into a friendly wrestling match, when Pedro’s partner Oswaldo comes home. With the misunderstanding explained, they all talk a bit more. Pedro is very self-conscious of any terms of endearment, and he and Oswaldo are cute together. Nava leaves and Pedro continues to nag Oswaldo about calling him “his teddy bear”. (So far Pedro (and the actor really)  is on my favorites list! Very well written character.) 

Nava leaves Pedro’s to go see the famous general Pascual and give him all the files from his investigation (who would have thought that Nava was the kind to keep such detailed written records!). Pascual, or a political alpinist as Nava calls him, is positively giddy with this new assignment of digging up dirt on Nava, and also requests all the videos Nava used from Molina. 

Lis takes a walk with Diego and they make up, but when Diego goes for a kiss, she says that she forgave him, but they will stay friends. (Good for Lis!) A bit later Lis keeps Arcadia company, while the latter has her manicure done, and Arcadia advises Lis to drop Diego and get a makeover to look her part. It looks like a makeover is indeed going to happen, so maybe that little self-confidence boost has resulted in a bit of an overshoot and needs some correction.  

Gema gets a call from someone who knows she left Carlos’s service, and she gets a job offer. She says she will think on it and then call back to discuss. Carlos finally gets her to meet with him and asks her to come back, but gets a firm negative. She does tell him though that it was a mistake to give in to blackmail. Carlos thinks it is now his turn to protect his friends. 

Very soon Emilio finds out that Gema left and blames Carlos. He calls Gema and finds out she has indeed resigned due to an “error” she made. Emilio tells her he now attends AA and asks to meet up. To her credit, Gema says no to the meeting, though she is happy he is in AA.  

Despite all her little troubles (you know, your regular run of the mill stuff - having been blackmailed into usurping the place of the First Lady, a couple assassination attempts, a stint at the mental institution, and now finding out the her evil twin is at her mother’s, who she threatened to kill by the way), Paulina has the calm and the presence of mind to be researching ways to help Arcadia with her gambling problem by reading a psychology book, which is what Carlos walks in on her doing. Even he is surprised. We are too, but for an entirely different reason, which is Paulina’s apparent ability to compartmentalize like a champ. She behaves as if all is normal, and even asks Carlos if he is okay. When he confesses that Gema resigned, she seems very concerned and tells him she is there to support him. Then she giddily asks him if she can continue working with the children to keep herself occupied. (Granted that work would have brought her back to Colombia, but the perky spirit with which she asks this question, almost suggests she really just doesn’t want to be bored.) Carlos’s attention span, however, has exhausted itself ten minutes ago (busy day for his batteries), so he is not in the mood to discuss this right then. 

Paulina moves on and chats with Monse about Emilio and the trouble he’s been getting into lately (again, she is fully on topic, no distraction. Not like her mother is with a psycho or anything…). She tells her about Nava and their romance, and that she needs to go to Colombia to figure out this Paola thing. They laugh away when Emilio walks in, so they take a break for Paulina to have a very nice and touching moment with Emilio, complete with hugs. 

All this giddiness is about to come to an end though. Turns out Pedro did go directly to the hospital and tried his best to charm the nurse he was chatting up before. He waited a few hours to get her to finish her shift and go out with him for some ice cream, and after some small talk, dove right in for the blood type request. Nurse was upset that Pedro wasn’t in it for her charms, but looks like she did give in off camera, as she later called Pedro with this information, right when Nava was ready to proclaim defeat of Pedro’s self-advertised powers of enchantment. The blood types do match, and Nava immediately calls Paulina, who is distraught hearing that. (I am just really relieved we finally got an appropriate reaction…) 

Now let’s talk about our Colombian neighbors. Paola invites the corrupt doctor back and the latter brings her the pills she requested. She tells him, rather graphically, that Manuel is dead, but she will continue paying in exchange for some services. The first one is that he needs to convince everyone she is suffering from PTSD, which explains any strange behavior. Fake doctor tries to do just that, but Wilson and Olga are not buying it and want to invite a psychiatrist, but are finally convinced to wait a while before deciding. She later flirts with Wilson and wants him to take her to Mexico, but Wilson has no money. Paola uses her charms to convince him to borrow some money for that. 

Later Paola goes on a walk with Olga and is not paying much attention, as Olga notices all kinds of inconsistencies in (supposedly) Paulina’s memories. Paola also asks Olga about her dad, which upsets Olga and she has an attack of sorts. She is brought home, and the neighbor and Wilson are there trying to help. They ask Paola what tests Olga usually undergoes at the hospital, and Paola again doesn’t know. They all leave and Olga asks Paola for help with various items, such as food, sweater, finding her medicine, which Paola does very ineptly, and by the end of it, Olga knows the truth. She first tells Paola she loves her very much and then tells her she knows that she is Paola, her other daughter. The duo hug and are in tears at this reunion. And there we have it…until tomorrow!

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Comments:
Simply superb Ria!

I drank in every single intoxicating word. A masterful recap.

"While they walk they pass by some fully clothed riders leading their horses, so we find out for sure naked chest is not a riding uniform over there" had me laughing away.

"resumes their pre-mental institution life" and the very astute "maybe that little self-confidence boost has resulted in a bit of an overshoot and needs some correction" were only a few of so many favorites.

I love Pedro. Truly. But I’m sorry – as soon as I saw Oswaldo, I knew my heart was with his “better half”. I was wondering when Pierre Louis would show up, and here he is! I had conjured all sorts of scenarios in my mind as to what part he would play, but this was not among them. What a wonderful surprise! I loved his little kisses to an unresponsive Pedro. Sorry Lis. My new favorite couple.

"(they must be as worried, as we are, for the state of the country if it is left to Carlos alone…)". Yes. Gema was right - Carlos should not have given in to his blackmailer. Carlos is ineffectual - in every facet of his life.

When Emilio realizes his "crush" was having an affair with his father, he will be devastated. Is his sobriety strong enough to withstand the many truths that have yet to bubble to the surface?

Manuel is a dead man walking. It's just that no one has told him yet.

Are we positive Arcadia is not Paola's mother? I'm not seeing anything redeemable about that shrew.

I agree that the perils of Paulina have not gotten her down in the slightest. "Perky" is the perfect word to describe her. While she is very likeable, I find my attention focused elsewhere.

As good as the episode was, it paled in comparison to the ending. Olga "first tells Paola she loves her very much and then tells her she knows that she is Paola, her other daughter. The duo hug and are in tears at this reunion". So was I...And we finally see a tiny bit of softness in the heart that thus far has been impervious to love.

I know we can't discuss previews but it looks like this is going to be heating up. I cannot wait.

Ria, this was amazing. Gracias!

Diana
 

Ria, thank you so much for the entertainment this a.m. Your side commentary was the best. I agree about the Pedro character. The role and the actor are a perfect match. My favorite scene was Pedro and Nava wrestling like two brothers. A second was Pedro trying to play up to the nurse trying to get the info.

Diana, funny comment about Paola being so like Arcadia that they could be daughter and mother. So true. ITA about the ending. That was a shocker.

Now I want to know how the twins got separated and why.
 

Thanks, Ria. Absolutely fabulous. "While they walk they pass by some fully clothed riders ..." was my favorite too. Don't know why the writers decided Nava should be a shirtless horse rider, but I enjoy the banter here about it. Your commentary on Paulina's calmness despite loca Paola being in Colombia with her mother was spot-on. Paulina should have shown nervousness/worry at least when alone or with Monse. I like the actors, so I blame the writers.

I assumed all along that the two sisters were twins. Since Olga is such a good woman, I thought one of the twins was snatched right away at birth and she didn't even know she had a second daughter, or that poverty led her to give up one of her babies for a better life. I guess we'll see...

Pierre showing up as Pedro's novio was quite a surprise for me. That was a cute entrance with Nava and Pedro wrestling on the floor.

Yep, Gema should've been president. So right when she told Carlos he shouldn't have given in to blackmail. Carlos seems to think he did the noble thing by protecting his two friends.
 

Always enjoy your recaps RIA and especially loved the nice, big font. I'm definitely at the Large Print Stage of Life. Not going to snark about the shirted or shirtless riders, I enjoyed the previous Nava vista too much. But loved this commentary of yours:

Even he is surprised. We are too, but for an entirely different reason, which is Paulina’s apparent ability to compartmentalize like a champ. She behaves as if all is normal, and even asks Carlos if he is okay. When he confesses that Gema resigned, she seems very concerned and tells him she is there to support him. Then she giddily asks him if she can continue working with the children to keep herself occupied. (Granted that work would have brought her back to Colombia, but the perky spirit with which she asks this question, almost suggests she really just doesn’t want to be bored.) Carlos’s attention span, however, has exhausted itself ten minutes ago (busy day for his batteries), so he is not in the mood to discuss this right then.

Right on the money. And of course "attention span exhausted after 10 minutes" was perfect.

I was intrigued to learn that AA in español is Doble A. And super delighted to see Pierre Louis as Pedro's partner. Agree with everyone else that this was a cute scene. I've loved Pierre Louis in any role he's played. Something about that lad is absolutely charming.

Thanks Ria. Well written. Intelligent. Witty. And fun to read.
 

Diana - oh yes!!! I really like Pedro and Oswaldo together. I have never seen either of the actors previously, but have loved Pedro's character so far and will really enjoy Oswaldo I think. "Manuel is a dead man walking. It's just that no one has told him yet." is amusing and too true! Agree that it was a very powerful scene between Paola and Olga. Let's see what tonight brings!!

Jarifa - yes, count me in for being curious on twins separation. Hope it is explained today!

Niecie - yes, Paulina's calmness was just a little bit out of place, especially as she settled in with that book to catch up on modern methods of addiction recovery. Agree, writing should have been a bit more careful. The actors are doing a great job with their roles. Even with these inconsistencies, this is a great fast paced and engaging show so far!

JudyB - oh, I too enjoyed the sight of shirtless Nava, so forgive me for some quips at his expense. It was just too entertaining that writers chose this path (or this set of clothes as the case may be, heh) not to comment on it :) It was interesting to me too that AA is called Doble A. Did you notice in one of the previous episodes when Emilio was chatting with Demetrio, and the latter was suggesting he could be his sponsor, "sponsor" was translated as "padrino"? That was curious to me too, as I previously associated that word with "Godfather" only and did not know it had that meaning.

Also, you guys - we are officially more than half way in! How quickly this moves!
 

Ria, I am truly enjoying your recaps and the sides. Diana has pointed out all my favs so DITTO to her entire comment.

Diana I especially liked "Manuel is a dead man walking. It's just that no one has told him yet." Good one! He is a sorry excuse of a man, isn't he? I have never seen this actor in such a pitiful role.

Jarifa, I too, am waiting to find out how the twins got separated. I was a little surprised at Paola's reaction to Olga telling her that she knew who she was. From what we have seen of Paola, I thought she would be colder...but let's see what happens tonight...must see TV.

Niecie, "Pierre showing up as Pedro's novio was quite a surprise for me. " For me too, but I enjoy this actor and am looking forward to this couple.

JudyB, "I enjoyed the previous Nava vista too much." I must admit that another viewing of the shirtless Nava was quite welcoming. I don't quite care for his personality, but he does have some good assets :-)
 

Gracias, Ria. Recapping a whole novela by oneself is a tough joband you're doing it well.

It has been a long time since social workers in the USA allowed an adoption situation like this. I can't even imagine this happening anywhere in 1980, which looks to be the year these sisters were born. Note that neither of the two sisters feels the llamada de la sangre that was such a novela cliche for so long.

Olga behaves like her husband was no prize, but we still don't know when or how he ended up out of her life and since this has only a dozen episodes to go we probably won't find out. We don't know about Arcadia's husband either. I'm not sure that doing only 25 episodes is a good idea.

Manuel is delusional so he won't realize that he is a Dead Man Walking. It would not surprises me if Teresa does him in at the end. She has a very unhealthy obsession with him. He doesn't realize it yet and there will be blood when he does.

Does anyone else think that Pedro has the hots for Nava? That "fight" looked like he did.
 

Hi again anyone.

Urban, I do not think Pedro feels anything for Nava other than friendship. I thought they were totally having spur-of-the-moment fun.

I agree with Rgv Chick that while Nava does have some "good assets" but compared to Oswaldo? No temptation. No contest. Whatsoever. :) (IMHO)

Diana


 

Everyone, not anyone. Ack.

Diana
 

Ria: Good Morning from San Antonio, TX. I loved your recap. It was AWESOME.

I wonder what does Pascual have against Nava ?
 

URGENT:

Ria, I can not recap tonight. I live in Los Angeles and after this summers earthquakes the owners of my apartment building decided to retro fit the building- unfortunately the crew that is working on my building accidentally cut some cables and left everyone who has AT&T without service, I'm on the phone now with At&T to see how quickly they can fix the issue but first they have to find a technician and then figure out how serious the issue is.
 

Enjoying all the comments. I've been a fan of Arap Bethke (Nava) since he was a villain (with some heart) in La Piloto. I don't remember him showing all that skin in that one, but I'm guessing he's having fun with this star turn on the horse. I totally buy the chemistry between Nava and Paulina.

I'm thinking Pedro is happy to have a boss who accepts his sexuality (Pedro's) and has become a buddy. He probably has checked out Nava's assets - I know I would - but he's always teased Nava about being into Paulina. I see Nava as the best man at Pedro's wedding. Kidding, TNs don't end with weddings anymore do they?
 

Rgv Chick - yes, the actor who plays Manuel is doing an amazing job!!

Urban, thanks! It helps it is moving fast and is in general captivating storyline, and an unusual one. The downside is I am already behind on El Dragon, but I will catch up with both the show and the recaps! :)

Steve - thanks! And I wonder about Pascual too - he seems intent on finding something on Nava!

Niecie - I buy the chemistry between them as well. My wishlist for his character would contain less of a 'bad boy' vibe, but I guess still better than Carlos and you can't have perfection :)


 

Princess Juju - no worries! And ack, that's a terrible inconvenience! I can totally cover today and thanks for letting me know. Fingers crossed this gets resolved for you soon!
 

Ria- Thank you for understanding! I just wish my apartment manager had told me everyone in my building was having the same issue, I spent over an hour on the phone with tech support last night and another hour today and I get to wake up to the constant drilling and god awful noise at 8:00 in the morning.
 

Princess Juju, sorry for the tech issues you're going through. Hoping the techies get it fixed for you promptly.
 

Oh no, Princess Juju, that sounds like it could have definitely been handled much better by the management. Rereading my comment above, just wanted to clarify the inconvenience comment was related to your issue, not the recap! :) Hoping you get some relief soon and no worries about us. If you get a chance please pop in and let us know how you are doing with everything!
 

So sorry to hear about your issues Princess Juju. I used to panic when I was having computer problems on my recapping night. Crossing my fingers that it will be resolved soon with no more gawdawful noise at 8 in the morning.
 

Judy, Ria and Niecie, thank you for your kind words, the work in my building will take over a month to complete, and I'm scared that this will continue to be an issue with all the underground digging, I don't even know if the tech that's coming out today will be able to fix any of the damage done, and to add to the misey, we can't use our car port or the laundry room :(
 

Hi Princess.

I will join the chorus in hoping things get fixed quickly. And not being able to park or do your laundry is just adding to the misery.

Thinking of you - please keep us posted as to how you are making out.

Diana
 

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