Caray, Caray!

HIJAS #53 MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

Part 1

That's right folks. We actually did have Something! happen-- some vital piece of news does get out that might make for a plot turn. It wasn't much, but hey, we get our jollies where we can. At any rate, it's about the Spanish!

We start off slow though. Margarita is lying around on Xavier's floor cushions listening to one of his classical CD's. He comes shuffling in wearing his sandals and Nehru shirt and frankly, looking rather creepy. But they smile cozily at each other as he sits down and touches her hand.

Are we witnessing the birth of an AARP Romance? Middle-aged madness? Fortyish Folly? Stay tuned. (Me, I could care less.)

Vicky and Teresa are having a conversation. Wonder what it was about? Check any of the last few episodes. It's the same old same old.

Speaking of tedious romance, Raymundo is talking about his confusion concerning Barb. She's blowing him off and yet he heard from a very good "fuente" [source] that she likes him. The guys say "In that case, go for it!" Very junior high. Same scenario being repeated with the girls. Barb is wondering why Ray is acting so weird lately. Inés pleads total ignorance.

These people need jobs.

Suddenly Soledad is in another world. She's seeing a vision of the Angel of Abundancia. Wow. Wonder what this means? My heart's beating so fast I can hardly breathe.

Okay. Thank goodness. A Leo-Petunia number. The only couple in this story that I really like. They're both having a good ol' chowdown, but Petunia's being a bit greedy. "Con educación"! [watch your manners] grouses Leo. She's also venting about the total boredom of being shut up in her room, isolated like a leper, just so she can carry on the charade of being depressed. Juana Victoria, listening through the open door, has her mouth hanging open in amazement. (not a good look, Vicky)

Onwards. Estefania arrives to give the news about la Dolorosa being re-opened. And then grills Juana Victoria about who "la Bonita" might be. Vick suddenly develops urgency elsewhere and hightails it out. That leaves the rest of the crew sweeping up the place and Steff asks for a "recojedor" [dust pan]. Seriously folks I'm trying to give you lots of vocabulary. Because the plot of this baby is so wretchedly ho-hum. Mau figures Steff got him re-instated and the embargo lifted and he's right, even though Steff denies it.

Final scene, dear old Juan waltzes into Leonora's room with a comedy DVD to cheer her up. She excoriates him for thinking a few laughs could make a dent in her serious, life-threatening depression. But after he leaves, she shoves it in the TV and has a blast watching it. Such a great comedienne, our Cynthia...wish she were in a better show. She probably does too.
 

HIJAS #53 MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

Part 2

While Leo chortles away, Juana Victoria is once again listening outside the door with her mouth hanging open in amazement. (not a good look Vicky) Finally she barges in and starts talking, which is preferable to staring at her tonsils.

"You're a heartless mother, making Sebastian miserable worrying about your mental and physical health when you're happily laughing at a video, sneaking extra food in the laundry room and tormenting your husband who adores you by pretending to be on the brink of death."

Yep, Vicky said a mouthful.

But Leo is unfazed. "Steffi and I are just working together to achieve Sebastian's happiness."

"Steffi is in this too!!!???"

"Don't twist my words and get out of my room!"

After Vicky exits, Leo looks panicky. Very much an Ooops I Screwed the Pooch Look on her face.

Hmmm. Another plot turn in the making? We shall see. But try not to get too anxious and excited, okay?

 

HIJAS #53 MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

Part 3

Leo calls Estefania in a swivet, warning her that Juana Victoria knows she and Leo are in cahoots.

And Vicky and Teresa are having another conversation--but this one has some meat to it. When Vicky waxes indignant over Leo and Steffi's subterfuge, Teresa points out that Juana Victoria has been pulling a similar scam. "You're all manipulating Sebastian to marry Estefania even though he doesn't love her. And you want to slap Leo? Well, sometimes I want to slap you! What's worse?--making sure a guy sees you kissing another, or making your son think you're dying?"

Vicky pleads moral superiority because she's "sacrificing her love for the good of others."

Teresa calls B.S. And then adds "What you're both forgetting is Sebastian has the right to make his own decisions."

Bravo Tere! Well said. Not that I think it made a dent in Vicky's thick head.

Teresa goes on to say that something must have changed to make Steffi so desperate to get Sebastian back. She would never have resorted to such trickery before. But Life changes people.

And now Steff and Leo are talking-- Steff crazy worried that now Sebastian will find out she's plotting with his mom. If he does, she's lost him forever!!!! Leo defending her slip of the tongue. Steff than vowing to interrogate all the "Ilegitimas" until she finds out who "la Bonita" is.

Brief scene of one of Dario's men following Sebastian and taking photos. Very Hawaii 5-0. Brief scene of Mau being called into Daddy Dario's office, to grovel. Barb suggests she go punch out Dad. Inés snips that nothing is solved by Violence. And it is by Prayer? sneers Barb. Oh you two, just stop it!

Final scene: Steffi trying out her cover story on Vicky. "Gosh, it was only because Leo was sooo depressed, that I went along with her plot. You understand, don't you?"

"All to well" intones Vicky.
 

HIJAS #53 MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

Part 4

Estefania has decided a dinner for 4 is just what the occasion calls for. Steff and Sebastian, Vicky and Fernando. Gosh, what could possibly go wrong?

Meanwhile Mauricio is in the office with Dad getting rather snarky. "Shall I bow, ask forgiveness for being born, lick your boots?". "Nope, I want you to work for the company again." -"Fine, I'll go to my office." -"No, it's time for you to know who calls the shots around here. And it's not you or your buddies. You're going to do manual labor."

Turns out Mauricio will be doing back-breaking work loading huge boxes of frozen shrimp on top of other huge boxes. And ending up smelling like...shrimp. But we know it's true love because when his pals at la Dolorosa turn away in horror at the aroma, Inés gives him a great big smooch and says it doesn't matter at all. True love.

Vicky and Seb are squabbling and she's letting him know that Estefania has found out about "la Bonita".

Soledad finds money in the cash register--confirmation of her vision of Angel de la Abundancia! And also enough scratch to pay for necessities for the bar.

Estefania is grilling the girls about who Bonita might be. Inés suggests Amelia, a friend of Seb's from high school who was at the hotel recently.

Fernando arrives with a Zinnia on Steroids (seriously, it's a monster0 to give to his beautiful Vicky. She tells him about the dinner plans.

Juan and Margarita are walking in the park and she's sharing that she's "in love like a teenager" with his brother Xavier. Juan is thrilled and gives her a great big ol' Juan hug. Dario, with his magic camera, snaps the picture and chortles "Te tengo Juan" [Gotcha, Juan}. All part of his plot to disillusion Leonora and win her dubious love.
 

HIJAS #53 MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

Part 5

The Dinner-for-Four evening is about as stilted and uncomfortable as a divorce hearing. But Steff is doing her best. "You two look sooo good together" she coos to Fernando and Vicky. And actually Vicky's hair is looking halfway attractive for a change. Whassup?

Meanwhile, Sebastian is slumped over his knees like he's recovering from a norovirus.

Steffi blunders on--you two seem to have a solid, stable relationship?....

"The problem isn't Fernando," snaps Seb, "it's that my sister...." Fernando jumps up and challenges him for bad-mouthing Vicky. They're ready to come to blows. The girls calm them down and Seb apologizes for being stressed about financial problems.

The uncomfortable cocktails end and the miserable dinner begins.


In the meantime, though, Fernando's brain is slowly waking up as he remembers Juana Victoria talking about Dario offering money to Sebastian to marry Estefania.

Vicky's freaking out about the little black balls in the middle of the dish. Caviar? Fish eggs? She runs off to vomit. Some enchanted evening this is not.

Juan, meanwhile, is rapturous that Margarita and Xavier are an item. Finally you've found "la horma de tu zapato" [lit. the shoe tree of your shoe; fig. your better half]

The exquisite dinner of a "fritatta" of eggs, lobster and caviar comes to an end. A luxurious dish for a fabulous couple. Vicky allows as how it might have been better without the caviar. She's more of a "frijoles" girl herself. Fernando gallantly adds that this is why they calls beans "Aztec caviar". What a prince.

Those two leave and Sebastian is right behind them, begging off staying longer as he has an early work day at la Casa de Cristal tomorrow. Steff looks at him tenderly, touches his manly jaw, and whispers "te amo".

He smiles. And remains utterly silent.

Sigh sigh sigh. Lots of people hooked up with the wrong partners right now. What can you do? You'll just have to tune in tomorrow and find out if anything has happened. I mean, eventually something has to--right?
 

HIJAS

Judy, your ability to weave sense out of nonsense and then elevate it to an enjoyable, fun level is amazing.

"Con educación"! [watch your manners"; "recojedor" [dust pan)" and the marvelous "swivet" (how DO you manage to use these wonderful words?) were all excellent.

"Are we witnessing the birth of an AARP Romance? Middle-aged madness? Fortyish Folly?" had me laughing out loud! Indeed!

"These people need jobs". Yes, even a seasoned non-viewer such as myself recognizes this! :)

"A Leo-Petunia number. The only couple in this story that I really like" makes perfect sense.

So Steffi isn't perfect. But I no longer have any sympathy for her as she's supporting Leo's subterfuge. I say tell Sebas to dump both Steffi and Vicky. I think he can do better.

You are a miracle worker with these summaries Judy. Thank you, thank you.

Diana
 

HIJAS

Thank you, Judy, for your recrap. Instead of six lines, this recap was five parts. Impressive! And the snark...you were in top form today.
My #1 favorite line---
"Such a great comedienne, our Cynthia...wish she were in a better show. She probably does too."

Oh, and It's not just about the Spanish. I also had to look up excoriate and swivet. 😎

Clearly I have watched too much football & hockey lately when the 'onion volcano' Dr Pepper commercial always cracks me up. This could be a clue as to why I continue to watch this silly telenovela 🤪 and Highlights' Hidden Pictures book (activity with mi nieta) is my current favorite thing to do, while wondering if there is a grownups version. LOL My brain is fried.

I'll see y'all tomorrow with my recrap. I'm sure it will be more than six lines but the Juana Pack will have to earn it.
 

HIJAS

"Oh, and It's not just about the Spanish. I also had to look up excoriate and swivet. 😎" was excellent doris. And oh, so true!

Looking forward to your "recrap" (which always brings a smile to my face).

Diana
 

HIJAS

Good morning DIANA and DORIS. Good to hear from you on this cold, frosty morning. Actually it's raining here at the moment. We seem to specialize in gray skies and depressing weather.

You two gals are so encouraging. And I DO wish Diana could have the chance to see some of the Leonora and Petunia numbers because they are amusing. The rest...not so much. Although I have been trying to figure out the pattern in Dario's outfits. (yes, I'm reduced to this...) Most days he's wearing something truly awful, but then suddenly he'll appear in a perfectly tasteful écru sports jacket and shirt-tie combination and I'm thrown for a loop. Maybe his wardrobe people are also bored and just messing with us.

Estefania's halo has indeed slipped just a bit as she went in league with Leonora, but she's nothing like the wicked gals we've seen later redeemed. I'm sure Carlos would have still been totally on her side.

Wishing you both a good day and DORIS, thanks again for taking on Friday for me. Hope you and granddaughter had a great time the last few days with the Highlights hidden pictures. Their main office used to be here in Columbus and I knew one of the original owners, plus one of my students used to work for them. Lots of connections.
 

Good Morning, Petite Patio :-)

Ahh, Judy, you are ALWAYS in TOP form! Thank you for such an amazingly snarktastic recrap. I missed a few scenes due to multitasking so I am especially appreciative for your detailed summary.

"And Vicky and Teresa are having another conversation--but this one has some meat to it." I too was pleasantly surprised by Teresa's little sermon to Juana Victoria and it hit J-Vic right in the face!

""A Leo-Petunia number. The only couple in this story that I really like" High five on that!

Well, I was expecting Steffi's halo to slip. She is totally obsessed with marrying Seb at any cost, so how far will she go?

ITA agree with Doris, "Oh, and It's not just about the Spanish. I also had to look up excoriate and swivet." Judy, I marvel at your vocabulary and I'm learning new words just about every day , thank you!!
 

HIJAS

Judy, thank you very much for another fun read. I'm sure it is much better than the show, but there was too much busyness here at chez Andy to watch.

But today I can take a gander and waste 10 or 15 minutes of my life. And then give it up, probably.

:-)

andy
 

HIJAS

Hi there Rgv Chick and Andy. Good to hear from you. It's a very small group indeed around the Hijas campfire. And heck, it's on the beach too! However I more than understand, and just hope that Univsion is willing to be draconian with their scissors and then serve us up something better.

Andy, you made me laugh with "chez Andy". Good one amigo.

And Patio, if you have time, check out Ringo at 8 pm. It's got Cesar Evora with his marvelous rumbling voice and also that wretched man who plays the bad guy on El Hotel de los Secretos. Diana and Rgv Chick are recapping it and doing a marvelous job.
 

HIJAS--
JudyB, don't count me out. I'm here trying to keep warm around your beach campfire--not in a bikini, of course. Thanks for a most entertaining episode. Truly, Leo and Petunia are the real stars.

When Tere and JVic were hanging up the laundry in the...wait for it...laundry patio, I wondered where Petunia was and sure enough, she made an appearance. I would have loved to see her trying to eat someone's trousers. (BTW--I didn't catch why the two started to take down the wet laundry they'd just hung up. If anyone knows, please share.)

JudyB...and JVic and her jaw-drop facial feature..."not a good look Vicky" was well deserved.

For the life of me I no longer see what an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous hunka hunka like Seb sees in JVic for him to call her Bonita. When you line up the 4 ilegitimas, I would actually put JInez at the top, followed by JSol mainly because I like her character and acting skills. JBarb only looks good when she's dolled up to be someone she feels she isn't. That leaves JVic. Oh well, better luck next telenovela, Seb.

I did get a big guffaw, right off the bat with your, "Are we witnessing the birth of an AARP Romance? Middle-aged madness? Fortyish Folly? Stay tuned. (Me, I could care less.)" Neither do I. Poor Marga, she just seems to be earnestly desperate.

Sorry that I can't join you for Ringo, RGV and Diana. I just can't watch any kind of boxing, even if it's only a story. I quadruple FF>> JBarb's rounds with the Russian and could hardly look at her face afterwards. It's one among many barbaric sports, but for some reason, boxing has now been featured in THREE tightly spaced stories: Hijas, Manana and Ringo. Is this what we can expect instead of narco drug-themed stories on Uni?

Yeah, what happened to Me Declaro Culpable?
 

Oh, JudyB--That wretched man in Hotel was Diego Montejo, who we are now finding out is not using the name his mother gave him. He's played by Jorge Poza, who also showed up briefly in PASLII as someone we truly believed was not innocent--just because of the way he looks. He makes a great villain.
 

Judy! Judy! Judy!Judy!(Thank caray grant or Goober,gomer's cousin, lol).
That's how funny this is Judy. Girl U
Can really put fun into the mundane
Of stories. Thank you my dear.

The little black balls in the middle of the plate describes it perfectly.
I for one can't see myself eating such
A delicacy, yuck. Little baby fishies
Being eaten, "Oh the humanity"! Theres
No humanity in it tho. Isn't it called
Roe also? My mom used to eat that, she
Grew up around fish eating people. My grandm was raised around the river.
That lady could find meat in the fish head. I didng know there was meat in the fish-Head. Still don't. But I do love fish. When it's cooked right. Ok back to the little black balls in the middle of the plate. Yuck!

So Leo done dressed petunia up in a hat and Bow. That woman need some very serious therapy. But like you say Judy
They get along better than two humans.
What praytell is she feeding that poor
Goat?
That look on her face did look very troublesome. I mean she really looked worried. Or was it lack of makeup?

Dario and his Lame plots to secure leo's Heart of ice creme and overly sweet cake. "Gotcha Jaun". He aint got notta Thing but a picture of two AARP people hugging. How is he gonna spin that to poor stupid leo. And her four folded galgoatpal?

That thingy between seb, steff, vicky
And get my not that interesting.

Ok thanks JudyB. Lovely recap darling.
I hope youre feeling better and better
Everyday.♡

 

HIJAS #54 - FELIZ DÍA DE LOS REYES, Y’ALL - Part 1 of 2

Well, this will be more than a six line recrap, considering I took six pages of notes. I worked hard. Not as hard as our fearless leader Judy B, but it was an effort. Mostly trying to stay awake. But I digress . . . ;-)

Honestly, I had trouble staying awake watching this. “How can that happen while watching HIJAS?” you say. Well, in the interest of transparency as thin as the HIJAS plot, some of that is on me, due to a lack of sleep. But good news!!! The plot did advance! Somewhat. Hooray!!! So the usual disclaimers apply: Scenes condensed or lumped together to avoid Mental Pinball Syndrome, some scenes omitted because I just did not care or rehashes of prior conversations, etc. etc. etc. So, ready? On to the show!

Ines and Barbara are still sniping at each other. Sol has had enough and locks the two of them into the “bodega” (storage closet/pantry). While in there, they do some bonding over Ines’ V-card issues. Ines, assuming that Barbi is still a virgin (or maybe I misunderstood), points out to Barbi that she (Barbi) did not grow up in a convent, you keep making fun of me about this, so what’s your story? Barbi’s emotional pain from her childhood is all over her face, but she does not share. Well, she does not reveal anything to Ines. There’s more, but it’s still boring, so I’ll pass.

Later on, The girls are let out of the closet (lame reason….they heard noises), Mau is standing there and since the girls have not resolved their differences, he explains to Barbi that he has never had any feelings for her. To show her appreciation, Barbi sucker punches Mau in the stomach. Well, that’s one way to win friends and influence people. (not!)
Much, much later in the episode, Ines and Barbi both apologize to each other. Awww, just like in kindergarten. Closure. Yay.

* * * NEWS ALERT!!! ---> Juana Victoria is having A. Good. Hair. Day. Really, Patio, it looks like she used a good conditioner on that stuff. She is still smooching it up with Fernando, too. Meh.

Stefi tells Dario that she approves of him pursuing a relationship with Leo. The irony of her being a married woman is noted later on in the episode, when Dario finds out this Amelia person Seb is supposed to be in love with is a married woman. Juarever. I’m seeing more of Dario and his “morals” or “character” in Stefi while watching this episode. Ugh.

Juan-O has a convo with Seb about marrying Stefi without loving her will be a disaster. Seb says at least her money will save them all from financial ruin.

Juan-O has a convo with JuanaVic about Seb marrying Stefi without loving her. Vic points out that Dario’s money will help out a lot around here. Juan-O says Seb won’t take the money. He’ll marry her for his mother’s health.
J-O talks about dignity.
Vic says can’t live on tacos de dignidad.
J-O says he can’t see marrying anyone without loving them.
Vic says STTE ‘then why did I sacrifice …. oops’
J-O picks up on that , Vic evades answering him, says pay her no attention, she is half asleep, and skedaddles immediately. Vamoose. Outta there.
 

HIJAS - #54 - HAPPY EPIPHANY Y'ALL --- Part 2 of 2

Javier and Margarita are listening to Vivaldo (The Four Seasons….this guy has good taste in classical music) and he kisses her!!! Some guy (probs one of Dario’s henchies) is hiding in the bushes and snaps a photo of this. There will be a test later on this.

Still more nonsense about the Juan-Family going without while Leo takes cooking classes and now hires an Italian Designer to re-do their home interior, or something like that. Same-old, same-old. Leo sold a sofa and she has some walking around money. Whee.

Sebastian and Barbara have a conversation about Mauricio. Barbi says she hates to lose any competition. Seb points out the sooner she gets over him, the happier she will be, because girl, that ship has sailed. They do a sibling hub and same photographer guy now hiding in different bushes takes a picture of them. He later gives it to Dario, who is not a happy camper. . Dario tells his henchman to put a stop to this.
Oh noes, Patio! What on earth will Dastardly Dario inflict on Sebastian for this display of brotherly love? We don’t know, but the Mexican Greek Chorus chanting in the background assures us it will not be nice

Some guy from New York comes to check on Fernando’s progress re: his upcoming art show. Yikes, Patio! Fernando has nothing to show. Well Michael Coleman has brought a painting that Fernando did of some of the Juanas running on the beach. He seemed upset that Fernando sold this instead of keeping it for the show. Juana Vic explains to him about the hurricane, their financial situation, and that the paintings Fernando has sold were to keep them afloat (pun intended). Mr. Coleman explains that he has people above him he has to report to, and there is nothing to show in his “progress report.”

Oh, wait! Juana Victoria to the rescue! Yayyy!! She runs upstairs and brings back Fer's latest painting of Barbara in boxing pose. She saves the day! Three cheers for Juana Victoria! (yawn)

Really stupid scene of Mauricio working in the fish/shrimp processing plant and looking at the camera Dario is using to spy on him. Mau shrugs his shoulders at the camera, as if to say "happy now, dad?" We can just hear Dario thought-bubbling "MwaHahahahaaaaa" a la Snidely Whiplash. How is this young adult his slave and putting up with this? More important, where is my telenovela beanie hat???

Remember the emotional childhood pain on Barbara’s face in the pantry closet? Oooooh, that nasty Alberto is going to make reappearance. We got a brief shot of him sitting in his jail cell. That’s all. But it’s enough to clue us in that he will be on the scene, and soon.

So, remember that photographer who snapped the pic of Javier and Margarita kissing? (this is the pop test….did you pass or fail?) Well, mucho drama with this piccie. A large manila envelope was delivered to the house. Teresa, being part of the household staff, does her job and hands it to Leo. Leo opens the mystery envelope, sees the picture of Javier and Margarita besando, and is muy, muy shaken by it. Upset, Patio. There HAS to be a story behind this reaction, no?

VOCABULARIO (It’s why we watch, right?)
“tapadura” = cover, hide something, as in Stefi hypothesizes that when Vic went with Seb to Mexico City, she was his tapadura to see said “Amelia” his married lover.
 

HIJAS -
And that's all amigos. I forgot to say that at El Fin of Part 2 of 2. Oops, my bad.

 

HIJAS

ANITA and NINA...Thanks for joining us around the campfire. Anita, as I understood it, Teresa was so upset by the things Juana Victoria was saying that she just started taking the laundry back down "for something to do". And "earnestly desperate" is a very good description of Margarita. She was much more endearing and likable in the Eugenio Derbez film. And thanks for supplying the name of Jorge Poza. Can't ever imagine him playing the part of a good guy. Just something so off-putting about the man.

Nina, I don't know if shad roe and caviar is the same. I guess I should "google" it. But we used to get the cheaper kind of caviar and put little of it on a dollop of sour cream which in turn was on top of black bean soup. That's how my mom served it at home. And I loved the stuff because it was soooo salty. When it comes to brine of any sort, I'm a fan. And I do think Leonora made herself even paler by removing all make-up and putting on some pasty white stuff. And it worked. It brought Sebastian to heel very quickly.

Anyway, glad both you gals are sticking with it. Patio first! Telenovela Second! But sure hope we get a better story next time.
 

HIJAS

DORIS, thoroughly enjoyed your recap. And actually enjoyed somewhat the episode. Was it because I didn't have to recap it? Maybe. But there did seem to be some further plot development this time. Estefania is slowly inching her way to the dark side. Guess those genes were bound to play out sometime. And Lordy! Dario was back to a truly sad plaid jacket and depressing shirt and tie combo. Just UGH. He's not going to win Leonora with that combination.

Loved this:

"Oh noes, Patio! What on earth will Dastardly Dario inflict on Sebastian for this display of brotherly love? We don’t know, but the Mexican Greek Chorus chanting in the background assures us it will not be nice"

Yep, lots of foreboding this time around. And did you notice that Fernando's visitor was the same old rich guy that our villainess in Sin tu Mirada was trying to hook? Naturally I can't remember any of the names now. "Gone with the wind." But I will try and remember "tapadera". BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SPANISH!

Thanks Ms. Doris, you're a great story teller and a fab language teacher.
 

Hijas

Doris, thank you very much for a funny and saucy recap.

"Ines and Barbara... do some bonding over Ines’ V-card issues." Doris, have you been hanging out with the Urban Dictionary crowd again?   :-)

I watched a little of this episode, and it wasn't bad, just not very interesting.

'Juarever. I’m seeing more of Dario and his “morals” or “character” in Stefi while watching this episode.' I have to agree, sorry to say. I'm also, and not for the first time, somewhat perplexed by the relationship between Dario and Stefi. Dario seemed a lot like a little boy hoping for his mother's approval in that scene. Then there is his so very different treatment of Mauricio. It seems like Dario is very warped and I'm not sure such weirdness is a good thing in a TN like this.

Doris, thanks also for saying that J.Vic was having a good hair day. I thought it looked, um, not bad and wondered if she really had done something or if I simply misremembered how bad her hair had been.

But I am still bummed out that a TN that features at least six good-looking women can be so boring.

andy
 

HIJAS

doris, "in the interest of transparency as thin as the HIJAS plot, some of that is on me, due to a lack of sleep" had me smiling away.

I always enjoy your recaps!

Thank you for “bodega” (storage closet/pantry). I always thought it was a small grocery store so thank you for pointing out it has a broader meaning.

"Same-old, same-old. Leo sold a sofa and she has some walking around money. Whee" was another great line.

Well, Vick seems to be improving her appearance although I do not sense any growing affection for her here on the patio, verdad? :)

Glad you are back Anita. Sorry you can't tune in for Ringo but I completely understand and respect your viewpoint. It would be nice to be watching something "together" soon.

doris, just great. Thank you!

Diana
 

HIJAS

Oh dear patio friends, I have made the blooper off the decade. I cannot stop laughing. And you are all too polite to call me out in it. ������

Today is not the dia de Los Reyes, not epiphany, and this is how social media ( looking at you Facebook) is not to be trusted. LOL
"Me cayó el veinte" on the way to dinner tonight, when I looked at today's date on my watch. OHMyGaaah!!! Hysterical laughing ensued and hubby was glad I was not the one driving the car!!! Well, I am going to blame this on a telenovela beanie hat that might be just a little too tight (oxygen deprived brain) in order to survive HIJAS. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 

HIJAS

Not to worry Doris. Most of the time I don't even know the exact date...although I do know what "day" it is.
 

HIJAS

I'm another one who doesn't, or didn't, know the exact date.

I'll try now to remember that the Feast of the Epiphany, dia de los reyes, and Little Christmas all fall on 6 January.
And I'll probably not remember by next year :-(

When I was a kid an aunt and uncle who lived a bit distant would come by, with more presents!, on Little Christmas.

Ah, well.

andy
 

HIJAS

Doris, you were on a roll with this one! Thanks for making my day :-) As usual I missed some scenes especially the last few minutes so I appreciate you keeping me up to date with all the crazy.

Andy, "It seems like Dario is very warped and I'm not sure such weirdness is a good thing in a TN like this." I have no idea what the writers are trying to convey with this character, but it can't be good. And it seems that several of the TNs now have these "warped" characters and storylines "que no me cuadran" (they just don't "fit" or sit right). Bah-Humbug!

 

HIJAS--
Doris--Great fun. Thankful that you watched this so I wouldn't have to (but I did take a peek at the better parts, which I now can no longer remember). Thank you also for "tapadura." Tapar is a perfectly good verb--put a lid on it, cover it--but this is the first time I've seen it used for the actions of a person providing an alibi. Makes perfect sense.

And, you are perfectly in your right to wish someone a Happy Reyes Day BEFORE the actual day. Where would we be if we all waited until December 25th to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Do not flog yourself over this.


 

MAÑANA REDUX (for all who disliked the premise of Manana, but delighted in the anycaps) [Rejected by HTML, this had to be severed into 2 parts.]

Andy’s Recapping Essence is captured perfectly in the opening salvos for each episode. This doesn’t do justice to his andycaps, but here are some of the best openings to reminisce over.

Andy - thank you for watching so that I don't have to. For realz. (Doris said it and a lot of us felt the same way.)

Andy Replies:
To put it much more succinctly, I'm just commenting, not recapletting. :-)

Various scenes combined, wantonly misrepresented, ignored, misunderstood, etc.

Some scenes combined, the rest mostly just mooshed together.

The usual mish-mash, but with questions for the (tiny) audience. Not test questions, but stuff I didn't understand and am hoping you can 'splain me. Busy day today. It was even election day here.

Today's episode is sponsored by the semicolon [;], a much under-appreciated punctuation mark.

There were lots of scenes that mostly killed time. Some were fairly interesting to watch, but otherwise did not much advance the story. Some things combined, but wanton misrepresentation kept to a minimum.

Busy, BUSY episode, and mostly a fun episode. But as usual this summary bears, at most, a passing resemblance to the actual episode as aired. Monica gets to make lots and lots of funny faces. Camilo too.

Busy day and I ran out of time, so things massaged and contorted more than usual. Some really boring stuff just ignored.

Today's hash of MAÑANA will be brief, probably incomplete (what else is new, eh?), and much delayed, maybe forever. :-)

Some scenes combined; others chopped, diced, or julienned.

Some scenes combined; others chopped or diced, but no julienning today. Quite seriously, some scenes not crucial to the main story were wantonly ignored for now; if they turn out to amount to something they will be covered later.

Some scenes combined, ignored, fudged, etc.

A lot of scene combining; the interspersing is fine to watch but it's rough to write up.

You know by now: everything went through the food processor.

Need I tell you scenes are out of order, combined, fabricated, and/or deleted? Of course not; so I won't.

You know about the combined scenes, right?

All the usual disclaimers.

The silly people who make this TN are not paying attention to what they are doing. They let some scenes run on way too boringly long; they get scenes mixed up and keep jumping back and forth from one to another and back again; and they generally just messed things up. I fixed their mistakes for them :-}

Not only the usual slicing and dicing, but a good bit of ignoring stuff I couldn't understand even with the help of our other friend, Srta Closed Captioning.

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

MAÑANA REDUX, part 2

I disclaim! (everything)

Some scenes condensed, others evaporated.

Final week! There may be a little slicing and dicing this week as there are supposed to be five episodes left but only four remaining days after today because a new show starts Monday.

This episode was pretty good, but it had the feel of wrapping things up. Of course, there are a few days left and the villain(s) usually make a final appearance before they are ultimately vanquished. And there are a few loose ends like Pablo and Regis. We'll see.

Scenes combined both willy nilly and sometimes when it actually helps

I had the various scenes play musical chairs and where they wound up, well...I hope anybody who has an interest in this TN managed to see today's show, it was excellent

Some scenes mutilated or moved around to wherever I felt like putting them. Uh,oh. I think the power is going to my head.

I'm sure we had some slicing and dicing, but it was a good show today, mostly all happy and romantic. I hope this mini-cap covers most of it, but the visuals, the visuals lately have been very great fun, especially Monica's silly funny faces, but flighty Ximena's nonsense too. It has been well worth watching. I even liked the music. Too bad they so screwed up the early episodes.

And El Gran Final
I let the various scenes decide for themselves where they belonged for this final minicap. So don't blame me. The nicest final episode I have seen yet... with an oddity or two.
 

MAÑANA

ANITA - Thank you for this wonderful walk down memory lane. Andy has a true talent for recaplets, minicaps, and andycaps. Every one he wrote was a treat. Priceless. (Thank you again, Andy Banda!!!)
 

MAÑANA REDUX

ANITA, I too thank you for that marvelous compilation. Wish we could make those permanently available like the archive of side bar comments. Each and every one of those is a gem. Just like Andy himself!
 

MAÑANA

Anita, thank you very, very much, though I don't know why you went to so much trouble.

Wow, I sure did try many different ways to preemptively excuse my errors and omissions.


Since Anita revived discussion of Mañana (heh, heh) let me mention that I did find out what the yucky stuff was that Iñaki tried to feed the reluctant Monica.
They were small immature eels, "angulas" in Spanish.

From the English Wikipedia article on "Eel": "The Spanish cuisine delicacy angulas consists of elver (young eels) sautéed in olive oil with garlic; elvers usually reach prices of up to 1000 euro per kg."

There is also a Spanish Wikipedia article titled "Angula" that goes into more yucky detail complete with yucky pictures. I don't blame Monica in the least.

andy
 

EELS a/k/a Angula

Well, Andy, I just had to go look ate Español Wikipedia page after you told us there were pictures. All in the name of cultural education and not to get grossed out....right? ;-) The bottom photo at least looks like a weird spaghetti.

It is always interesting to learn what people eat in various cultures. While in Scotland, I've eaten blood sausage and blood pudding. You can Googlear that if you want to get grossed out. LOL.

Years ago, when teaching the adult conversational English class, I mentioned how my Spanish teacher from Colombia told us they eat hormigas culonas. Well, the Mexican ladies giggled like junior high kids because I had said "culonas". Some days you just can't win. :-)

 

Mañana
Oh, Andy—I haven’t had lunch yet. I was planning on making a vegan spaghetti dish (and I’m not even vegan), but I’m afraid all those wiggly pieces of pasta will remind me of angulas. Maybe tomorrow. It wasn’t any trouble, it was fun. You were an inspiration (or too much time on my hands). Either way, I hope you will continue to delight your readers.

 

OT..Doris the Pa. Dutch around here eat something called scrapple made from the scraps during butchering. It looks like a big ,rectangular, gray block of solid pudding. They slice it and fry it in a pan. Some people eat it with ketchup and others with syrup. My best friend loves it, but it looks disgusting before it is fried to a crispy brown. And who knows what is in it. ...
 

SUSANLYNN - I have not heard about scrapple in 40+ years, and cannot remember how or why I even know about it. 🤷🏼‍♀️
 

HIJAS

Teammates...I need help on Tuesday. I have an afternoon commitment and would really like a sub to do that day if anyone's schedule allows.
 

HIJAS

Judy, I came here to ask which day you might need me.. Alas, Tuesday is the one day I can NOT help out.

I am able to do any other day this week.
 

HIJAS
JudyB--I have no longer a lingering interest in HIJAS, but I cannot let you fret. Tuesday is free for an afternoon Hijas recaplito. Just don't anybody expect a JudyB or Doris AA+++ recap.
 

Doris--
Here in the Mid-Atlantic, our grocery stores carry scrapple. I avoided it for years, just because of the color (grey). Then my friend and I went to a restaurant in Lewes, DE and had their Fisherman's Breakfast. Scrapple came with it. She already liked it, so I had to try it. It tasted like a cross between bacon and fried cornmeal mush (already a family favorite). Scrapple is now on the menu about twice a year (and that's enough--it's very rich). I don't think about the contents any longer.
 

HIJAS

DORIS AND ANITA...BLESS YOU BOTH.

ANITA, I don't think any of us have a lingering interest in Hijas, but somehow I think I must see it through to the end (early Presbyterian training) so I GRATEFULLY ACCEPT YOUR OFFER TO DO TUESDAY.
And I love your recaps and so does everyone else on this patio.

DORIS...Either a Wednesday or Friday sub day would be wonderful. Do you have a preference?
 

OT

PS I too have eaten scrapple. It's like many other mistakes I have made in my life...something I prefer now to gloss over or forget.
 

HIJAS Judy - makes no difference to me this week, whether it is Friday or Wednesday. Your call.
 

HIJAS

Wednesday would be super DORIS. THANK YOU!
 

Wednesday it is!