Caray, Caray!

HIJAS

Whaaat? No episode again today? Will they be showing “Como Dice El Dicho” on Thursdays from now on?
 

HIJAS

I think it's because of the soccer games that Hijas got re-scheduled. Anyway, all good. Now I can catch up on the Ringo episodes and figure out what's going on. Have to admit, I can't blame Gloria for being all aflame during the art class posing. Thank You Mother Nature!
 

HIJAS

What? No scenes today of Leo bonding with Petunia the goat? The highlight of yesterday, for sure.
 

"HIJAS":

RGV Chick: I see that Vanessa Guzman is amazing in this Telenovela. I last saw her in "Infames".
 

MAÑANA [12/05/2019]

Where's the puppy?

[If you search it carefully, you should find that this minicap bears some occasional resemblance to the actual episode as aired]

Actually, an excellent, fun episode! Sillier than a puppy chasing his own tail, but fun.
Speaking of puppies, where is Camilito? There is one mention of him, but I never saw him.

Sorry, but more heating problems here at chez Andy and this is an abbreviated microcap and probably quite jumbled


There is a loud knock on Monica's door, and when she opens it Camilo barges in so fast he knocks Monica onto the couch and lands on top of her. Iñaki sees this and is not pleased. Camilo is annoying and insistent that he wants to see Cristóbal. They tell him that he's sleeping, Rafa brought him but had to leave to go back to MediaLink for something important. Did something happen?
Camilo is surprised that the thief hasn't called Iñaki yet for help.
Iñaki is muy upset. What do you mean calling my son a thief?!
They get into a big argument. Camilo tells the story of Rafa stealing from the business, Iñaki says no, Rafa would never do that. Camilo says they have proof. Iñaki says proof or no proof, I have confidence in my son.
Cristóbal appears and prefers to stay with Monica, and he also believes in Rafa's innocence. Camilo reluctantly leaves.
Iñaki asks Monica's help in uncovering whatever it is that Malicio is up to, she knows the people and the business of MediaLink.

Malicio meets with his evil techie to pay him and discuss his evil plans. The money that Rafa supposedly stole, Malicio stole himself. Now he wants to use that money to invest in MediaLink, replacing Iñaki's investment. He plans to eventually own the company.

Cristóbal sleeps in Monica's bed, and Monica and Ximena sleep together in Ximena's bed after arguing about who snores the loudest and Monica's dreaming of Camilo and murmuring his name a lot in her sleep.
In the morning Cristóbal tells Monica that both she and Ximena snore, etc. Miss Manners he ain't.


This rest is mostly by memory and extremely abbreviated. Hopefully I will be able to do some backfilling tomorrow and following.

Camilo thinks he can't be friendly with Almudena because of what Rafa did, Almudena is not so sure, but supports Rafa.
Rafa seeks some comfort with the supportive, and lithe, Paloma.
Cristóbal finds some booze at Monica's and goes to drink some of it; Monica stops him and pours it into the sink; Cristóbal decides he can't reform outside, he needs to go to a special rehab hospital.
Luis, Armando, and Pablo are looking into the computers at MediaLink trying to find proof of Rafa's innocence or Malicio's guilt, whichever comes first.
Luis finds Malicio's proposal to invest in MediaLink and become a partner.
Iñaki says Malicio must have an accomplice outside MediaLink and they need to find him.
This crack team has essentially figured out Malicio's plan and found some evidence, but not enough and they don't yet know who the accomplice is.

Regina learns that "Killer" is back in town and inquiring about her.
Upset, she decides that maybe her grandmother, Mercedes, who gave up Diana for adoption might be able to understand and advise her.

andy
 

MANANA

Andy, I’m glad this was “Sillier than a puppy chasing his own tail, but fun”.
“In the morning Cristóbal tells Monica that both she and Ximena snore, etc. Miss Manners he ain't” made me laugh out loud. Thank you.

Was a bit dismayed to hear Monica is still dreaming of Camilo but it takes some time to purge a virus, doesn’t it?

“evil techie” and “evil plans” sound ominous.

You made this sound so good, it is sort of sounding like “must see TV” (quoting one of our former commenters, Gringo).

Well done andy, and a lot of fun.

Diana
 

HIJAS

Judy, I am happy you caught a well deserved break due to Hijas being preempted.

I hope you were able to watch Ringo - I'm dying to see your take on it.

Diana
 

MAÑANA

ANDY...So sorry to hear about your heating woes. Why is it the furnaces fail in the coldest days of Winter and the air conditioners come a-cropper when it's 100 degrees in the shade. But thank goodness for those guys who know how to fix things, even if the charge for just "showing up" seems outrageous.

Sounds like we had a bit of slapstick going on with Camilo barging in and landing on top of Monica. I'm not a big fan of slapstick so happy to have missed it, as well as the snoring jokes. But I loved this:

Malicio meets with his evil techie to pay him and discuss his evil plans. You could have thrown in a couple of more "evils" and pleased me even more. Mauricio is certainly perfect as the guy one loves to hate!

Thanks Señor Andy. I picture you with those wool gloves with the fingers cut out, typing miserably on your computer, as you shiver by the light of a guttering candle. Very Charles Dickens and all. Hope your apartment was not quite that wretchedly cold.

Muchas gracias amigo and may all your coming days and nights be warm ones.
 

MAÑANA

Thank you for your andycapito, Andy! Short and succinct; my favorite type along with bullet point recaps. Why haven't I figured out how to do that? My keyboard won't cooperate. 😳

I tried to watch this yesterday, but whichever scene I caught just did not hook me, but I tried. :-). 😊

"Cristóbal decides he can't reform outside, he needs to go to a special rehab hospital."
Let's hope he is truly a "high bottom" drunk and treatment will work. Otherwise he will relapse.

"Where's the puppy? ". Gosh, in the original Betty la Fea, Armando had a dog (malamute or husky looking breed) that we got brief glimpses of, from time to time. It was weird. Writers' whims?

"Rafa seeks some comfort with the supportive, and lithe, Paloma."
Lithe, indeed.
 

MAÑANA

Andy, I do hope your heating problems get resolved quickly. You, however, still warm up this patio with your wit and humor. Thank you!! Luved "Sillier than a puppy chasing his own tail, but fun" (especially since I have a 13 year old dog who still manages to whirl at top speed.)

I managed to see the last few minutes of this so I'll try to help out--

Regi did try to go see Meche, but the CNR didn't allow her in. On her way out, Regi bumps into a nice old lady who has come to visit a relative; and Regi slyly talks her into helping her in by saying that Regi is accompanying her. Persistence and Regis "pity me please" face paid off!

Monica had one of her lame-brained ideas. She whizzed over to Ximena and asked her to take Malicio to a hotel and try to find out who his accomplice is. They went into chachalaca mode as they argued about it. Ximena can't believe Moni would ask her to do such a thing, but then she remembers that when she spent Malicio's wedding night with him, she took a glance at his phone and saw a message from some "Damian or something like that" saying that he had the evidence they needed.

The episode ended when Moni and Xi deduce that the message was about evidence against Rafa.
 

MANANA

Sorry andy, I hadn't caught your real life heating problem until I read the comments. Hoping for warmth for you very soon!

Diana
 

Andy, thank you for your tenacity on this long and winding road of a telenovela. So sorry about your heating problem. Hub and I once came home from a November trip to Canada to a cold house. We have a reliable person who maintains our furnace , but I went to bed in my coat with the hood up until he could get here. I hope things are fixed quickly. Today is a cold, damp day where I am.
 

HIJAS #37 THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH

Part 1

Well, as seasoned Veterans of Life, we don't need Shakespeare to tell us that. Nor do we need this silly telenovela to drum in the message. But we're getting it nonetheless. And turns out that Love can also turn you Cray-Cray Crazy! Right now we've got Barbara acting nuts in an attempt to seduce Mauricio; Inés sticking to Sebastian like an overheated barnacle; Estefania suffering panic attacks of Sebastian Withdrawal; Margarita coming on to Xavier whenever he does or says something noble (which is often); Dario offering scads of dinero to his worst enemy in an attempt to make his lovelorn daughter happy; and Soledad, vomiting for real after faking a wild-in-love pregnancy for a couple of days.

And what can I say about Juana Victoria? I just wish she'd close her mouth a little so I wouldn't find myself overwhelmed by her gums and huge teeth every whipstitch. I feel like a dental hygienist every time she appears on screen and starts braying excitedly. Definitely not a career I would not choose for realz.

So how did the episode begin? Very dramatically. Dario staggers out of the roiling waves, clutching his seemingly suicidal daughter. They both collapse on the sand. Hysteria and lots of emoting ensues.

The Equal Opportunity Doc shows up, diagnoses a panic attack, notes that it can feel like a heart attack, and prescribes sedatives short-term, and antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication long-term.

Yep. Love hurts. And it can make you darned sick too.

Well, Dario is an action man. Not prone to sitting about wringing his hands. He goes right to Juan and offers him a freakin' gob of money--enough to rebuild the hotel and pay off Sebastian's debts. Only one condition. That Sebastian marry Estefania. And the sooner the better.

Of course Juan refuses. As tempting as is the financial rescue offer, he can't barter his son's happiness that way. The answer is Thanks, but no.

What about our annoying little nun? Well, sure 'nough, she's come out of her coma, but guess what? she has POST-TRAUMATIC AMNESIA. Wow. Another Telenovela Staple. Anybody still crossing off their Bingo cards? If so, go crazy. Er no, forget I said that.

The Juanas and Sebastian are all a-twitter, wondering what to do. Doc advises letting Sor Inés recover her memory slowly. Confronting her with her current reality too abruptly might cause her further damage.

And there's trouble right away. Lovestruck Mauricio comes in with a bouquet and a besito, right on her cheek. Inés reacts like it was an assault and screeches "Help me Jesus! There's a man in my room going to do something to me!!!!!"

Not exactly the reaction Mau was hoping for.
 

HIJAS #37 THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH

Part 2

Mauricio scoots out, but Inés remains alarmed and cries piteously for her Mother Superior. WHERE IS SHE? Well, the good Madre does not appear, but Sebastian does, and suddenly Inés starts to recover a very sweet memory indeed-- Seb saving her life after she fled to the top of the church spire to save her virtue (she's been having sinful thoughts about the fellow in the market).

Yes, indeed, it's Sebastian, her Savior, and she pulls him down firmly for a kiss. But Inés still has her eye on the ball- Where, where, where is the good Mother? Carefully, and very slowly, Sebastian eases her into the present reality. Inés is no longer in Puebla. But rather in Mazatlán. But he'll see what he can do to get Madre Superior to come here and comfort her.

Meanwhile, Juana Barbara is doing her best to distract Mauricio from his rejection. She gleefully takes over the bouquet, then does her best to appear saintly and caring as she massages "poor, pregnant Juana Soledad's" tootsies. There are a lot of googly eyes as well. Doesn't seem to be cutting any ice with Mauricio. His thoughts are elsewhere. But Sol definitely picks up on it.

How about the trials and tribulations of a more mature couple? Magarita is helping Xavier in the office but he's testy and impatient with her. It's all because he's worried about the financial ruin they're facing. He's going to have to mortgage his house to pay off the debts. She's inspired by his nobility and caresses his wrist to prove it. Okay then. And he has a few notable lines which I should mention. To defend his decision he says:

"Los bienes son para remediar los malos" and also:

When Margarita protests that he can't risk all he has for his family, he corrects her and says:

The Family is All I have.

Very noble. And Margarita seems smitten for sure. Can't argue with her. He's pretty good-looking too.

Moving on to another mature couple--Dario and Leonora. She's all dolled up in a black sheath designed to showcase not just a pearl necklace but some impressive cleavage. And even more sparkle sparkle and googly-eyed than Barbara, once she learns that Dario is back on board with bringing Sebastian to heel and to the altar with his daughter.
Great! Let's strategize together and make this happen, partner!

Now, how's our lovelorn Estefania doing? Well, not terrific. She's dizzy from the sedative and has no explanation for her mad dash into the sea. She doesn't want to talk about it. But Daddy Dario does. And he knows he can't watch over her 24 hours a day, so he's hired a nurse to do that. Steffi nixes the nurse and insists on having Juana Victoria take care of her instead.

Gosh. What can possibly go wrong?
 

HIJAS #37 THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH

Part 3

Dario, Man of Action and Desperate Dad then hies himself over to the Blue House to insist that Juana Victoria take over the daily care of his daughter. Of course Vicky will do that. But she refuses a salary, since she believes in care coming strictly from the heart. He reminds her she doesn't have a peso to her name and insists on paying her. She finally acquiesces. And trots upstairs to pack her bags.

Leonora is home also. And appalled, absolutely appalled! to see husband Juan sitting on HER bed.

She orders him off.

He stays right where he is.

So then she asks why he isn't at the hotel supervising repairs and getting the business running again. He fibs a bit, saying that he's waiting for the insurance money to come through--and you know, how long that always takes.

Leonora's not fooled. I also heard through the grapevine that you, Javier and our son were up and down the coast looking for work!

Well, yeah, you know us...we like to be productive and helpful if we possibly can.

And frankly Juan continues, a more important question is WHAT WERE YOU...A MARRIED WOMAN...DOING OFF IN A PRIVATE PLANE AND PRIVATE APARTMENT WITH A WIDOWER?

And storms out.

Leonora looks positively chuffed. Aha! my husband is jealous. Vaya vaya! And she smiles like a cat licking cream.
 

HIJAS #37 THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH

Part 3

The rest of the Juana Pack plus swains have arrived at the hospital. Barb is talking to Inés in pidgin Spanish.

"Me Barb, you Inés" etc.

Sol reminds her that Inés has amnesia, not brain damage, and recommends normal speech. But Inés freaks when she spots Mauricio, her "assailant". Sebastian tries to reassure her that all these people are just his friends, and Mauricio was only trying to be kind. Furthermore, Seb brought her to Mazatlán so his own doctor, in whom he has great confidence, could treat her. Inés is somewhat calmer but still clings to her heartthrob like he's her only hope. And still keeps asking for the Mother Superior.

Seb disengages her clutching fingers one by one and goes off to call the good Mother. Apologizing for not being able to pay for her trip, he begs her to come. And she promises, if God helps her, that she will get there.

Next stop for Sebastian is the doctor's office where he also begs--this time for Inés to be released to home care as quickly as possible. The hospital costs are astronomical and his family is completely broke.

Mientras tanto, Juana Victoria is tenderly brushing wan, listless Estefania's hair. It reminds Steffi of her mother, now long gone. And she begins to confide a little about the terror and crushing weight on her chest that she felt during the panic attack. She wasn't really trying to commit suicide when she ran into the sea--she was just trying to escape that Terror! Perpetually cheery Vicky promises that the next time those Terrors show up, why she'll just kick 'em to the curb!

Our other storyline--the fake pregnancy--is rolling along with a couple of hitches. Teresa is insisting on Sol seeing an ob-gyn. And she'll come along. Oh noes. Sol would rather go with her Octavio. Okay. But Papi Juan wants to come along so he can see his nieto on the ultrasound. Whether it's all this pressure or something else, Sol suddenly bolts from the kitchen to throw up. Gosh, could this pretend pregnancy actually be for real? Stay tuned.

There's other excitement a-foot. While the Juana Pack Plus is thinking about rebuilding la Dolorosa (never mind that they have no money for building supplies) someone announces the happy news that Espinoza Paz (a famous Mexican norteño, mariachi singer) is coming to Mazatlán. Troubles forgotten, the group prattles on, deliriously happy (Clearly Inés is not the only one with short term memory issues)

The good Mother Superior arrives, with Sebastian in tow. Seb wants to bow out discreetly but Inés clings for a moment, and gives him a besito good-bye. After he slips out, she smiles radiantly at the Mother Superior and announces:

You were right, Mother. I don't have the vocation to be a nun. I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH SEBASTIAN.

And there we end. But I predict a very rough ride for True Love in the future.
 

HIJAS

Hmmm...seems I have two "Part 3's". Figure it out, folks. The second part 3 is really the Final Part.
 

HIJAS

Oh, Judy, your recap is definitely better than was this capítulo de tontería. Thank you!

I love "the Juana Pack".

I am seriously regretting not playing Telenovela Bingo with this show. Today we got a two-fer: amnesia and (unconfirmed, but you know it's real) nausea/embarazada!

It was so nice to see JuanO question Leo's trip to San Diego with Dario.

Oh Inés . . . gah.

Sol running to barf is definitely a telenovela symptom of embarazada.

True beanie hat moment was Stefi telling Vic she is her only friend. Does perfect St. Stefi not have any friends? QTH is wrong with her? (rhetoric question of course)
 

HIJAS

Judy, another outstanding recap.

"Leonora looks positively chuffed. Aha! my husband is jealous. Vaya vaya! And she smiles like a cat licking cream" was my favorite. I could see that scene very clearly in my mind's eye.

"Love can also turn you Cray-Cray Crazy!" Yes, all the time. Especially in this particular TN it seems! :)

"Steffi nixes the nurse and insists on having Juana Victoria take care of her instead.Gosh. What can possibly go wrong?" Oh my. What could possibly go right?

Sebas' vocation seems to be adored by many. Nice work if you can find it...

Gracias amiga.

Diana
 

Judy, I just started reading your recap and had to stop and an do a double take.

“Right now we have Barbara going nuts trying to seduce Mauricio...” This really threw me off. I was shocked that you were doing a recap for “Mañana.” Until I realized that “no dummy” there is also a Barbara and Mau in Hijas. LOL I guess I better stop here and go to sleep, rest my mixed up neurons :-/
 

MAÑANA & OT

Thank you everyone for your kind comments re Mañana and the lack of heat here. We were actually lucky, it could have been a much colder day. Anyway, fixed and heating again (knock wood).

Diana, thanks, tastes certainly differ, and I am an outlier with this show, but I have come to enjoy it. Monica and Ximena work really well together and can be quite a hoot. Ximena's imitating Monica's murmuring sweet nothings to Camilo in her sleep was hilarious. Lots of their interactions are.

Judy, thanks, and my apartment was not that bad. I found an old electric oil-filled radiator in a closet and wheeled it out and I was in business. In fact, I had to turn it down to the lowest setting when I went to bed. (I like it chilly and then I burrow in.)

Doris, thank you. "I tried to watch this yesterday, but whichever scene I caught just did not hook me..." I think this show is an acquired taste. Considering how busy all of us are, I wouldn't bother trying to watch something that doesn't appeal. The puppy made his return Friday night; he might have been in Thursday's show, but I didn't see him.

Rgv Chickie, you must treat your animalitos right if a 13 year old dog is still whirling at top speed. And thank you for the fills but it took a trip to Wikipedia for me to understand "chachalaca mode" :-)
And I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees a character's name and thinks of another telenovela character. And Barbara (Barbi) & Mau are a couple in Mañana.
With Hijas I will sometimes read "Leo" and for a split second think "There's a guy named Leo in this TN?"

Susanlynn, thank you. I will admit that I won't be broken-hearted to see this show end. That said, I do enjoy it. The heating problem did get fixed quickly enough and I didn't need to wear a coat to bed, thanks :-)


Serious goings-on in Hotel tonight.

andy
 

HIJAS

Judy, thank you for another excellent JudyB production.

I don't watch this TN seriously, but I find it is growing on me slightly, silly as it is. But I still prefer your recaps.

"Troubles forgotten, the group prattles on, deliriously happy (Clearly Inés is not the only one with short term memory issues)"
Youth will sometimes do that to you.

andy
 

MAÑANA [12/05/2019] (part 1 of 2)

Crazy women and fun stuff!

[I disclaim! (everything)]


Ximena and Monica are talking excitedly (in chachalaca mode, according to Rgv Chickie; Wiki tells me chachalacas are a species of noisy bird native to Mexico and further south).
Ximena is remembering what she saw on Malicio's cell phone and Monica is making funny faces. Eventually Monica talks Ximena into luring Malicio into a hotel room trap.

Regina finds Mercedes and manages to talk with her. She asks, What would you do if a granddaughter told you she was pregnant?
Nobody understands why I want to give up the baby for adoption, but I'm afraid. I don't feel capable of raising a child, I'm afraid the child will judge me harshly for not giving him the home he deserves. I want my baby to have a real home, a real family, which I can't give him. But nobody understands this.

I understand you, says Mercedes. I had a daughter and I was such a bad mother that one day my vice overcame me and I gave the baby away for a bottle of alcohol.

Closed Captioning can be funny sometimes, and according to CC they both say, "¡Salud!"

But it's not them, it's the first line of a change of scene to Malicio and Barbi having lunch together and toasting each other :-)
CC has a rough sense of humor sometimes.
Anyway, Malicio tells her of his plans to invest savings and "an inheritance from a distant relative" in MediaLink. Barbi is thrilled, but still wants him to get his little problem fixed.

Mercedes' friend, to whom she gave the baby, took the baby to an orphanage to be adopted. All her life Mercedes hoped to see her daughter again and to know something about her. And her wish was granted. Her daughter somehow found her and visited her recently, and had a life so much better than she would have had with Mercedes.
But, continued Mercedes, she herself had suffered for 40 years not knowing if her daughter was having a decent life.

Ximena calls Malicio and entices him to make a date for that evening in a hotel with some very funny and racy entreaties (to which Monica makes aghast, funny faces). I couldn't do the dialog justice and won't try to.

Regina leaves and gives Pablo a call, she would like to talk to him. Just then Really, Really, Really Crazy Maggie honks her horn and pretends this is a chance meeting. She offers Regina a lift and convinces her to go home with her to talk.

Camilito returns! And Cristóbal plays with him. Hmmm... maybe there was a short contract dispute between Camilito and Televisa, but it looks to be settled now.
Camilo the Elder arrives to support Cristóbal and his decision to go to a rehab hospital. Luis arrives to discuss things. (Luis is now a much more serious, less goofy character. Now he looks to be executive material, and acts quite familiar with Camilo.)
 

MAÑANA [12/05/2019] (part 2 of 2)

Regina and RRRC Maggie arrive at Maggie's home. Maggie shows Regina all the things she bought for the baby and, when Regina is not looking, takes her cell phone. She then leaves the room and locks Regina in.

In the war room Iñaki, Rafa, and Armando want to know what Monica is up to. She hesitates to tell them and asks for just a little more time.

At a hotel Malicio has a little love nest all arranged for Ximena. She and Monica get together in the lobby, then Ximena goes up and Monica puts on a funny disguise, just in case somebody might recognize her.
Ximena finally arrives at the room and anxious Malicio is hot to trot, but Ximena slows him down a bit and asks for something to drink. Malicio has the wine she so likes, just for her. She has some and then asks him to join her and have some wine. She sneaks a few drops of something into the glass she has him drink from and in a few minutes he is fast asleep.

Regina tries several times to escape but RRRC Maggie has the house totally locked down and always catches up with her. Regina does eventually manage to distract Maggie and she makes a phone call on Maggie's phone. Diana realizes that it was Reggie and that RRRC Maggie has her. Camilo organizes a little band of men to go to Regina's rescue.
Regina locks herself in another room and RRR Crazy Maggie lights a cigarette lighter and tells Regina she must come out or she will drive her out like fumigators do. (I never like to see crazy people playing with matches or combustibles. I even hide them from myself.)

Camilo and company arrive at Maggie's house and are joined by Manuel, but can't get in because Maggie changed the locks on the gate. Pablo and Manuel go to scale the back fence and Adrian goes for tools to break the locks on the front gate. I'm not sure what happened next but it looks like Manuel came back to the front fence and entered with Adrian and Camilo.
Maggie is about to start a fire with her lighter when she is alerted that there is someone else in the house. Camilo got a cell phone call from Almudena and the ring tone sounded until he managed to silence it. But the damage was done, and Maggie is on the alert now.

Meanwhile, back at the love nest, Ximena calls her and then lets Monica into the room. Monica is still in disguise and gives a happy shriek that their plan is working. Ximena hushes her. These two were very funny together the whole time they were working on this little plan of theirs. Monica is great at making funny faces.

The drops Ximena had put in Malicio's wine were drops she uses when she has insomnia, the drops work in less than a minute (and probably only available at telenovela pharmacies).
They now have what they wanted, Malicio's cell phone. They don't have his password but they have his fingers and Monica opens the phone by swiping his finger across the fingerprint pad. They find lots of incriminating evidence in the phone and they take pictures of all of it.
They don't want Malicio to know what they have found out so they can't forward the documents from his phone, he could see that they were sent.
Ximena decides to never leave anything incriminating on her own phone. (That should probably keep her busy for a while, erasing all that good stuff :)

Pablo is in the house, quietly searching for Regina. He finds the room where Regina has barricaded herself, and that has lots of wadded paper ready to burn, up against the door. He softly calls for Regina and she answers. He is here.
And Maggie? asks Regina.
"I'm here, mi amor, I haven't left." She had just quietly returned to put a gun at the back of Pablo's head.

== and here the episode ends ==

Ooh, a cliffhanger!

andy
 

MAÑANA

Andy - What a relief to learn the heat is repaired and back on in Andyland!!! Typing up a recap with frozen fingers is definitely taking one for the team.

Thank you for yet another entertaining andycap. This started my morning in a very happy manner. Well, the strong cup of tea helped, too.

Your recap title cracked me up, as did " [I disclaim! (everything)]
"In the war room. . ." is great, as is
"That should probably keep her busy for a while, erasing all that good stuff :)"

Looks like Regina didn't really answer the question of ---"What would you do if a granddaughter told you she was pregnant?" She gave reasons, but didn't answer what she would do if.....
And it looks like Cristóbal inherited Mercedes' gene for alcoholism. One sort-of-mystery solved.

Oooooh, a cliff-hanger, indeed!!!
This show is perfect for telenovela Bingo. But you must be present to win. ;-)

Now I'm off to Costco to fill up the car with gas. The lines are not a mile long at 7:30 am,
 

Hola Microscopic Patio...

DORIS..."Capitulo de tonterias" is right! Sometimes I worry that my anti-dementia strategy of working on a new language might actually be rotting my brain, watching all this silliness. But no matter--I love the CarayCaray blog spot and as long as it keeps going, I'll keep watching and recapping and playing Russian Roulette with my brain cells.

DIANA...Boy, you've figured out this story without ever having seen but a few minutes--Yes, "Sebastian's vocation seems to be adored by many." Indeed. And it's not like there aren't some other attractive fellas, but they all want Seb (except for our happy Soledad-Octavio pairing)

Rgv CHICK...By all means, rest those mixed-up, weary neurons. You were recapping into the late hours last night, and we all know those dear animals wake up early and want to be fed.

ANDY...Yes, the blessing of both the very young and the very senile is to always "live in the now". At times, I would certainly like to join them! I suppose one day I will. Sounds like your Mañana though is becoming very exciting. And so glad your central heat has been restored. A portable oil heater sounds a bit alarming.
 

MAÑANA

Such a funny recap ANDY. Enjoyed every word, starting with the title and the explanation for "chachalaca" mode. I may have to watch the episode in order to hear Ximena's "very racy and funny entreaties". Always good to know how to say that in Spanish, just in case....

Also loved your explanation for puppy Camilo's brief absence--"short contract dispute between Camilo and Televisa". Perfect!

and this observation:

[knockout drops] "only available at telenovela pharmacies"

Yes, there are many convenient medications that work in unusually fast ways, I've noticed, but so much the better. Let's get Barbi's eyes opened to her scoundrel of a husband so that she can move on to that good-looking young therapist. Much more promising. And with the crazy family she has...also good to have a loved one in "the business".

Glad that you are once again cozy warm in the daytime, and can retreat to a pleasantly glacial bedroom at night. I agree, there's nothing better for sleeping than an icy bedroom and lots and lots of warm comforters and blankets. (especially if you don't have access to Ximena's magic insomnia drops)
 

OT - oil-filled electric space heaters

Judy, those portable oil heaters are wonderful. They are sealed so no refilling needed, no flame, and are electric. Quiet, no blower, they look like old-fashioned steam radiators for those of us who are nostalgic. We had a DeLonghi model for a cold room, thirty years ago, in a different house. It was heavenly. And very safe. I cannot remember what we did with it, though. Copy and paste so you can see what they're all about:
https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EW7707CM-ComforTemp-Portable-Oil-Filled/dp/B000TGDGLU
 

Manana et Hijas

I watched MANANA first and couldn't wait for Andy's recap (which put on a little weight since Thursday's). This was the most exciting episode of the whole series. Why did they wait so long to roll out the kidnapping, RRRCWitches, sleuthing, diguises, telenovela knock-out drops, and last but not least, relief to know Camilito was not fired.

HIJAS - Meh, but JudyB's recap was great. Loved seeing Inez's long pony tail still attached to her head. And why was her head bandaged so tightly? She didn't have brain surgery.

Must run. I'm on duty at our Museum's display table of items for purchase at the Community's Festival of Lights. It's a tradition.

I had a DeLonghi roll-around heater that was great, until we had a serious black-out in the middle of winter (in D.C.) that lasted a couple of days. Thankfully, we had plenty of newspapers to burn in the fireplace (we never used it so we didn't have any wood lying around).
 

MANANA

Andy, you are hilarious from start to finish. I looked up chachalaca in wiki just to see what you had read. It does mention that they are noisy, but you just can't imagine how noisy they can get especially when there are a few. Listen to this and multiply it by 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0H8ZwFc8EU

JudyB, Mañana does seem to be getting more exciting so I've sorta started watching it again when I get a chance. I'm now waiting to see how Malicio will be caught and how Pablo will (hopefully) be saved from RRRCMaggie.

HIJAS

JudyB, I can never say it enough; I just LUV your snark-filled recaps. They are the bright spot in my day (or night) along with the Andycaps. ""Love can also turn you Cray-Cray Crazy!" I have to laugh everytime I see "Cray-Cray;" has anyone noticed that it is only one letter short of Caray! Caray! LOL

Doris, your "capitulo de tonterias" cracked me up. What a perfect description for not just this episode but the entire TN.

Thank you, Judy! And yes, my animalitos are up quite early waiting to be fed and mama has them spoiled :-)
 

MAÑANA & OT

Doris, thank you for your kind comments. I think this TN is definitely playing up the old "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" theory.
Mercedes was a writer of children's books, as is Diana; she was a single mother who gave up her child, as Regina is considering doing; and she was alcoholic, as is Cristóbal. (It's a good thing Camilo doesn't know about this. I could see him telling Diana, "This all comes from your side of the family!" :)

Thank you also for explaining the oil-filled radiators. They are safe, and very convenient occasionally. Most (all?) have casters and can be rolled around to wherever needed or works best.


Judy, thank you. This is very much a "Microscopic Patio" these days. But we'll think quality, not quantity.
Like, for instance, "I may have to watch the episode in order to hear Ximena's "very racy and funny entreaties". Always good to know how to say that in Spanish, just in case...." Tsk, tsk, you naughty girl, you.

:-)

Anita, thank you, and I'm glad someone else is still watching this TN. I agree that it was nerve wracking worrying about whether Camilito had been dropped from the show.

Rgv Chickie, thank you, and thanks for adding "chachalaca" to my vocabulary. I know a couple of women who... No, nevermind.

:-)

andy
 

MANANA

So sorry to be late today but andy, I so agree with the patio that this was great.

I'll repeat "Crazy women and fun stuff! (I disclaim! (everything)]" simply cause it was my favorite.

"the drops work in less than a minute (and probably only available at telenovela pharmacies) - :)

"(I never like to see crazy people playing with matches or combustibles. I even hide them from myself.)" Combustibles terrify me, period.

"I had a daughter and I was such a bad mother that one day my vice overcame me and I gave the baby away for a bottle of alcohol". One of the saddest things I've ever read. I can't imagine anything more painful than having to give up a child or having one abducted. Would you ever have a moment of peace knowing where they were or whtat was happening to them?

I hope Regina gets out of there quickly and that Diana and Mercedes can reconcile.

andy, thank you..

Diana
 

HIJAS

Judy your recaps are so freakin funny.
I didnt see all of this yesterday but
I did see stephi try to go for a swim
With with the fish, but daddy darias
Rescued his princess. And now willing
To give her the moon. Even if Sebastia
n is on it. But that comes with a big pricetag and a bigO stipulation. Papa
Jaun ain't Havin it.
What a Hot mess this is turning out to be.
Is Inez pretending or what? I hope she
Never puts on those horrible boghram
Nunny shoes. Along with that frumpy nun Dress. Just! Nooooooo!

Why is stefy having panic attacks?
Hey here's a thought, maybe seb was her hope of getting away from her dad and his smothering ways. She wanted to get away from daddy warbucks. That's just a thought. But it could be true. Which Would Splain her panicky attacks Do Not think she likes her daddy. He's a Pain in the patooty.<<<<<dont know if thats spelled right, but yall get it. Ok I need to rest. Im multi taskin
Watchin hallmark and typing some. Ok
Done.
Thank you JudyB

 

Hangin’ with JudyB. Such a fun read! Thank you!

I am wondering if part of the reason this novela isn’t grabbing a patio is just the overabundance of young not too talented actors? JuanaVic seems to miss her marks consistently. She is annoying, not funny. Sebastián is easier to take, but I would think so, wouldn’t I? The rest of the gang just seems to be forcing their portrayals. I can feel the effort and tension. The viejos are much more natural and relaxed in their roles. They are also much more fun to watch

Mely



 

HIJAS

Good morning Patio...Happy to see NINA and MELY with us lending their juicy thoughts.

NINA...Why is stefy having panic attacks?
Hey here's a thought, maybe seb was her hope of getting away from her dad and his smothering ways. She wanted to get away from daddy warbucks.

Very interesting perspective. Dario's concern and affection must indeed feel smothering. And of course she is also very aware of his unfair treatment of Mauricio. A divided family like that is never good for one's mental health. And I'm sure she also misses her mother, who was probably the "normal" one in the family.

MELY...You've put your finger on the overall problem.

JuanaVic seems to miss her marks consistently. She is annoying, not funny.

and

The rest of the gang just seems to be forcing their portrayals.

That's it exactly. This whole show feels like "forced fun" and it's not working. At least not for us.

Hoping for a mid-course miracle like Mañana seems to have achieved. If not, it's going to be a loooong ride indeed to the Gran Final.

Anyway, funny ladies, always love hearing from you. Happy Sunday to you both.
 

HIJAS


"Forced fun" says it all. I think that the real problem is the writing. The actors can only work with the lines given to them. They used to say that the Jerry Seinfeld show was a show about nothing. Well, this show has storylines about nothing. The premise...a guy impregnates 4 women and discovers 20 years after the fact That he has 4 daughters...his wife is angry...Then his son ( who has 3 women in lives with him) is not his son . No real storylines to follow. No true character development. No story arcs to follow.
 

HIJAS

Good points, everyone, on this story. It is obvio why this telenovela was flung upon daytime viewers and not prime time. (It's all about the Spanish. It's all about the Spanish...). Too bad Looneyvision doesn't just show us the originals. Telerisa remake versions of South Americans telenovelas like YSBLF, La Hija Del Mariachi, Pura Sangre, Los Exitosos Gomez, and more, just don't compare.

Watching Juana Vic reminds me of the type acting in those Thalía telenovelas from 25 years ago. But really, what are the writers thinking???
Could Juana Vic character be wearing larger teeth over the actor's normal teeth? That hair style is channeling Garth from Wayne's World.

Oh well, no drug lords, no rapes or murders....it has that going for it. If only they would speak clearly and a bit slower, like the older Televisa telenovelas, so I could understand them. 🙏🏻


~OT~

JUDY - we watched that OSU game last night. It was exciting.
 

HIJAS

SUSANLYNN...Alas, we are all disappointed so far in this story. Just a jumbled set of silly skits for the most part. We still need to see where the Jerome angle leads, and when it will come to light. But in the meantime, circling the drain....

OT

DORIS...I was so distraught after the first half, I went to bed (though I knew I was recording the game.) Checked on my phone about 2:30 am to reassure myself we had pulled it out. But our poor first half performance jinxed any hope of a No. 2 placement. So now we'll have to face the Clemson juggernaut. The last time we played them was a nightmare.
 

Hijas--
Ah, JudyB--Circling the Drain. That brings back some old Caray memories, but not from whence they came.

The other thing that this "forced fun" reminded me of, was giving up-and-coming young actors a chance to try themselves out, after graduating from Rosa de Guadalupe and Como Dice el Dicho. It's a shame it was on this type of story.

I wonder if Michelle would have signed on had she known how her character was going to devolve over time. Her first few episodes were rather good, lack of fast-talking slang and more reminiscent of her portrayal of Aldonza in Sombra. OR, maybe she just gave in and got with the slapstick. Danilo and Jade come off a lot better, for seasoned actors.
 

HIJAS

Anita - more likely, Michelle has a mortgage to pay and she needed the paycheck. Then she probably surrendered to the slapstick.
 

HIJAS

Hola Anita and Doris....Any chance one of you could sub for me tomorrow? I have visiting hours at the funeral home for a former colleague, a good 10 years younger than I, dear dear friend, gone too soon.

If not, recap will simply be quite late.
 

Judy - I had to delete my comment above, where I previously said I could fill I for you tomorrow. When I saw my calendar, alas, I can't promise anything. I will try, if Anita cannot, but it will be a very brief recap, which might be all an episode needs right now given the content. LOL

I am so sorry you have lost your friend. (((Hugs)))
 

Thanks Doris. This is a tough time in life when one seems to have as many friends on the other side as here.

I will not worry too much about my recap being late, as I don't have the feeling anyone is wringing their hands in anguish over this storyline.
 

My very dear((( judy))) , please know that I am thinking about you and sending out love and prayers your way. Losing loved ones is always hard, and the holidays are often sad times for those of us who grieve those loved ones. Yesterday my dear friend Carol went with me to buy evergreens, and then we decorated them with red ribbons and took them to our church cemetery. Her parents are there and my son, parents, inlaws, and now the love of my life. Courage. Love you.
 

JUDY -

" I will not worry too much about my recap being late,".
Now I'm confused (does not take much, some days)... do you want me to do a recap, or are you planning to recap?

"...as I don't have the feeling anyone is wringing their hands in anguish over this storyline."
More like rolling of eyes than wringing if hands.


 

OT
JudyB, my sincere condolences over the loss of your friend. It's always hard to concentrate an anything, but that person who brought so much to our lives. (((HUGS)))
 

Hi Doris...I thought, from your second note, that it would be difficult for you to recap today, given your schedule. So I just figured I would do it later. But if you're willing to blast out a shortie, that's great. Always appreciated.

Susanlynn and Rgv Chick, thanks for those sweet thoughts. We all carry empty spaces in our hearts, and as time goes on, those spaces start to hollow us out. My friend Molly was in many ways anxious and worried, but when the music started, she was all joy. So she was a terrific aerobics teacher for as long as she had her memory. But the Alzheimer's struck in her late 50's and progressed very quickly. A terrible disease.

Still, my favorite memory of her, although I did not see it, was when she danced on top of a table at a party. She was married to a very serious, rather grumpy guy. So I'm not sure he ever got over it, but she had a blast. And I'm sure everybody else did too because she was a terrific dancer. And a beautiful blonde to boot.
 

JUDYB- I'll blast out a quickie and a longer one, if I'm well inside my deadline. At 5pm CST I've got food prep in the kitchen -appetizers - for a xmas party tonight.

Sounds like your friend had early onset Alzheimer's. That happened to a member of our Sunday school class, diagnosed in her fifties. Doctors outlined and walked her husband through each stage of the timeline, which he said his wife"s progression followed closely. The disease finally ended her life at 63 yrs old.

(((more hugs)))


 

Judyb, the one thing i am grateful for is that the love of my life did not suffer through a long, debilitating illness . He was here, happy,positive, beautiful in every way, and then gone. Since then, many of his friends have been dealing with various health issues and gradually declining, and I realize that hub was spared that sad journey to the en . He was beautiful, wonderful, loving...then gone. Now those of us who loved him are suffering. Judy, I remember you once writing here " There are no happy endings, " but hub and I had a wonderful life before the ending . The holidays are not happy now.
 

HIJAS

Judy, I just saw this.

I am so very sorry about Molly. It sounds as though you have wonderful memories of her and that at least for a time she was happy. I will keep her in my prayers.

Diana
 

OT

Thanks DIANA. She had the kindest heart imaginable. And her last years were a nightmare. Just doesn't seem fair.

SUSANLYNN...I always loved your stories of Hub and the happy marriage you do had--still full of fun and romance, in addition to being a true partnership. I am so glad that you had such a long, happy "middle", and so sorry that it had to come to an end. We never stop missing our dear ones--but we never stop feeling grateful to have had them in our lives.

DORIS...Thanks for the empathy, the help and those extra ((((()))))hugs. One can never have too many! Today has been incredibly gloomy, gray, endless rain. Even Mother Nature seems to be in mourning.
 

HIJAS
JudyB & Doris - I just now got around to Caray. If I had seen it earlier, I probably (but reluctantly) could have banged something out. I've also been dealing with the loss of a friend. Her family lives in our court (of 10 houses). She was the oldest continuing resident having been here since before I moved in 50 years ago. Now the dubious honor passes to me. She was a good person and friend to all of us, her family and her extended family. We're trying to see what we can do to help.
 

Anita, I add my condolences to you for the loss of your friend.

To you and to Judy, the loss of someone we treasure is always difficult, but no time more so than at Christmas. The time that we share with our families and friends is precious. May you both have wonderful, lingering memories of those you've lost.

We here on the patio support you both with our love, empathy and sympathy.

God bless you both.

Diana