Caray, Caray!

Roberta might be the Crazy Lady of the month, but I believe her when she talks to Mauro about her childhood. Her delivery did not seem to be the rantings of a madwoman. This is her inner child, hurting, scarred, wanting recognition and admission of the abuse she suffered.

I don't trust Mauro, at all. It is likely his mental, emotional, and physical abuse of her likely brought about her own mental illness. Daniela did an awesome job with this scene. As did the actor who is Mauro, playing the calm, smooth adult yet it seems there is something slimy about him. Just like real life abusers.
 

Doris this show has been action packed
For the three days my cable has been off. Insults, murder, threats and the dreaded psycho ward, screaming and yelling, all kinds of craziness. Good
Job keepin up with all the insanity.

That Julian is a coward. And what kind of law firm is Mauro running anyways?
Nobody works. Julian shows up in all that bad lookin Couture while all the time thinking he's Gods gift to the world.
And when is Nat gonna stop being a wuss?. It'll be awhile I suppose. Well
Atlsast moma berti is in the nut hut.

Ok is he or isn't he gay? Or is he a Fluid kind of a guy? I just think he's confussed and hormonal. In shoes. And
No wonder, look who's been takin care of him for how many years? Or months?

So the envetro fertalzation did not take? Guess not. O well Franco dodged a bullet. Sorta.

Maybe when he gets his legs back the one in the middle will work.(Paolo).

(What did she put in that food and how long had this been going on?) I hope she didn't give her brother something
To make him sick. Why would ya put green stuff in a skillet and call it breakfast? Boy you better run. If gabe
Don't want to go back to his moma he would be safer with Mrs Robinson.

Thanks Doris. This show is really mind boggling, but you and all the other recappers make it bearable.

 

I agree Doris, I don't think that is stuff thats just all In her head. He
Probly did abuse her. I still don't like the way she treats people.
 

NINA and Patio --- If Ingrid added this herb to Javier's food and it caused his terminal illness, and if she is doing the same thing to Gabriel, could this be some weird sort of Münchausen syndrome? So that those people NEED her? And she gets to be the martyr in helping with "caring" for them?
 

Okay, I "Boogled" it, and Ingrid might have Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy. The last line in the article at this link
https://www.medicinenet.com/munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy/article.htm#what_should_you_know_about_factitious_disorders_munchausen_syndrome
Mentions borderline personality. Didn't someone think Ingrid had this? Or was it Roberta? Ack.
 

Gracias, Doris for this one. I'm the one who mentioned BPD with regard to both crazy women. However, I think schizophrenia might be right in Roberta's case and I think that is heritable.

We learned a few things in this episode. Now we know:

1. How Javier became ill, leading to his inevitable death. Ingrid poisoned his food with the same stuff she put in Gabriel's breakfast. How long did that take to make Javier ill and how long has it been going on with Gabriel?
2. That Roberta's mother committed suicide, but we didn't get the details. How did she do it? Did Roberta witness it? How old was Roberta? Where was Mauro when this happened?
3. That – thankfully – Roberta is not pregnant. This was highly unlikely, as they needed IVF to have Natalia.

Good grief, so many families with so much mental illness. Julieta's parents, Gabriel's paternal aunt, Roberta and her mother. And we still don't know about Julian's parents. Speaking of that Snake in the Grass...

I never yell at a video but when he took her cell phone out of her hand I did. As far as he is concerned she is just a vagina with legs. I'm glad Natalia told him off and tried to call his bluff, but considering that this was at the end of the episode my bet is that this will go nowhere tomorrow. Either Franco or Mauro will show up and anything that could happen will stop cold.

I've figured Ingrid out: She poisoned Javier with the specific intent to frame Alba because “She stole his love away from me. If I can't have him no one can.” She is just as dangerously delusional as Roberta, but I'm hoping for at least a catfight between them. Roberta should really go overboard at the news that her father could be boinking Ingrid.

Mauro is still something of a mystery. Roberta accuses him of abusing her and locking her up when she was a child. Even given Enrique Rocha's track record playing toxic fathers I'm not sure of this accusation. Roberta is seriously delusional about recent events, but what about the past? Was her mother dangerous in the same way she is now? Could Mauro have locked her in the basement to protect her from her mother during a homicidal meltdown? Or was this a delusion of abuse that her mother gaslight her with? His facial expressions could mean that he is lying or that he is fed up, but I can't decide which.

That white room again. Don't the writers know about White Torture? This room is on the brink. It could cause Roberta to get worse.
 

"Good grief, so many families with so much mental illness. ". Thing is, telenovelas often mirror real life. This past year, I read Tara Westover's memoirs, EDUCATED, and was horrified at the rampant mental illness in her family.
 

Fabulous recap Doris. Sensitive but also funny as hell. Your opening paragraph was excellent because it made the reader want to know more:

No snark, this was a down-to-business episode with a lot of meat in it. And backstory. No fluff. Enjoy. Daniela Castro rocked her role today. What an actress! She deserves an Emmy.

Laughed about your quipe that Alba may have been swooning over Franco's Argentinian accent or his hot looks--and the shoutout to those old romantic Nescafé commercial. Ah, those ad writers, who knew you could use sex to sell coffee?

And loved these:

soggy Paolo has another crying scene

striking set design -- Good grief, if you weren't crazy already, shutting you up in that kind of setting would put you over the edge. I get the drama effect intended, but hope the actual manicomio is not like that. Maybe we're supposed to see that as Roberta's perception of her sterile, cold surroundings, away from her "perfect" family.

Mr. Hormones in Shoes

Broken Hearts Café

Well our "neni" Natalia is finally growing a spine and some boundaries

[Julian] his law career will go down the toilet faster than you can say "flush it".

Like you, Doris, I believe that Roberta's accusations of her father are real. There IS something slimy about him, and there IS something pathetic about her fear of being abandoned by those she needs. I was in a parent support group years ago, and a perfectly "normal" gal with a difficult adopted son confessed privately to a friend that she shut him up in the locked basement when she couldn't take anymore of his behavioral issues. The horrors we read about in the paper happen in lovely upper middle class suburbs just like they do in rough neighborhoods.

As much as I admired Daniela Castro's acting, for me the scene continued on too long, just as Alba's microphone scene. But that too was realistic, as was the irritated patience of both Franco and Mauro. Neurotics wear us out. And we just want them "gone". Sad but true.

Great recap my friend. Hope your sweet doggie had a lovely grooming session and that your husband is in fine fettle, or at least not seriously ill.

Oh and I too read EDUCATED. And remember being truly amazed that her loony father could survive his burn injuries with no treatment other than "herbal salves". Yikes.
 

Judy - thnx. Hubby tested negative for flu, screened for corona and not sent for testing on that. Likely it is bad case of seasonal allergies after playing golf in strong wind and very high tree pollen counts here. Every time he plays, all clothing, including outerwear, get washed. I'm so allergic to tree pollen that I stay indoors until early May, and wear a surgical mask for hard work. Once I started doing that, my annual April sinus infection stopped happening. Duh. So all the doc recommended is steroid nasal spray. And we are telling wedding guests on our side that if the have any qualms about attending the wedding next weekend, we will not be offended if they stay home. Better safe than sorry. Our nephew is at LSU, where students were recently encouraged to stay there for spring break and not travel.
 

...yard work....I don't do hard work ... anymore.😉😷
 

Roberta's symptoms and behavior sound like schizoaffective disorder. Heritable, but not guaranteed to be passed on to the child. Treatment is exactly what she is refusing: medication and psychotherapy.

Could Mauro be experiencing guilt? If so, that could be why he was unwilling to allow her to be committed. Also, is there a serious stigma to getting committed? Is he afraid of the image of his firm? If that's the case, he shouldn't have allowed Julian to slither his way back in and he should be telling him to stay away from Nat.
 

Thanks Doris! Great recap for a crazy episode.

What if...just what it... we get flashbacks and see that Mauro really was abusive and pushed his wife to choose to take her own life and poor Roberta witnessed it all and even suffered abuse at his hands? They could really make this a rise-up story with Roberta coming out the heroine. Somehow I doubt that will happen.

I couldn't figure out what that glowing mound was when the phone was ringing. It ended up being Alba's boob right before she answered her middle of the night call from Franco. What an odd focal point lighting gave us.

I wish I'd been in on the Fina conversation from yesterday. Still my favorite villain. She and Blanca got to do anything they wanted at the manicomio. They even got to go out on leave! In fact, wasn't she still a patient of theirs when she ended up as a singing nun at her ex-husband's wedding?




 

THANK you,Doris, I totally agree with you about Alba and Franco, cry baby Paolo (not a good look for a galan).

Mental illness is a reccuring thème in the show. We're only on week 3, let's see who else ends up loco by the end.
That manicomio room was bigger than some houses. Roberta does even crazy in style.

I'm having serious doubts about Mauro, but that's because of the actor who portrays him. The guy has to be a villan, right?
 

Enrique Rocha has a long resume of villain characters because of that basso profundo voice, but has occasionally deviated with a sympathetic supporting character. I am on the fence at the moment because I need more evidence to support the nature of his character here.

BTW, if you do a Google image search on him you will see that he looked a lot like Johnny Depp when he was young and his hair was dark.

There have been actors and actresses who occasionally deviated from how they had been typecast and did it successfully. The late Edith Gonzales was a good example.
 

Urban, Edith Gonzales was a great villain. I still can't believe she's no longer with us.
Daniela Castro and Leticia Calderon I believe are perfect examples of leading ladies who in later years decided to plunge into baddy roles and did it so wonderfully.
Just the other day I stumbled upon some Amor Bravio episodes on tv (of course I was glued to my screen for the better part of the after-noon, Cristian de la Fuente is still my number one telenovio) and seeing LC and the guy playing Leoncio (his name), gave me the creeps. They both do bad so good.
Enrique Rocha is in a league of his own - the voice, his height - maybe he turns out to be a tragic character, after all.

Adriana Noel
 

DORIS...So glad it was just seasonal allergies and not something worse. I am getting tired of singing Happy Birthday twice as I'm scrubbing my hands like a surgeon, and also sick of the frightening news on TV. But it's better to be informed than misled. Very glad your situation turned out okay.
 

Doris, thanks for the great recap!

I have to agree that Bertie does sound convincing when she accuses Mauro of abuse, BUT what if it was actually her mother that abused her and would blame Mauro for it...thus, in Bertie's mind, it was her father who abused her??? I just can't see Mauro abusing her; so I'm thinking WAY out of the box.

OT-Adriana Noel, I just noticed your avatar...QUE CUTE!!
 

Doris--I agree with everything you wrote and thank you for the scoop and only a veiled skimpy recap. It was much more refreshing to READ about Roberta than have to watch her over again (though not taking anything away from Daniela's performance). Thank you.

My fave? Also [Julian's] law career will go down the toilet faster than you can say “flush it”. What an image!

He does ooze into scenes, doesn't he? Well except when he POPS up.

I thought Roberta's "infusion" with some unknown donor's sperm was only a few days ago. Even Luciana scoffed at the idea that she could already feel pregnant. It was a perfect set up for Franco & Mauro to believe she just added another "x" to her Loca score card. I'm going to bet she is. Then that will be another jam Franco gets in so he can't be with Alba until it disappears (I don't mean that cruelly, she might miscarry or it's just not viable.)

Roberta vs. Mauro at truthiness. Up to yesterday, I believed Mauro. People's imaginations, even people who don't suffer from mental disabilities, don't always remember facts correctly. That has been proven over and over in studies involving eye witnesses misidentifying suspects or remembering sequences or other details incorrectly.

As of last night, I've reversed course. She remembers too many details that can't be ignored. We don't know WHEN Bertie's mother actually died, but at least at age 12, Mauro was locking her in the basement. That's pretty scarry, no matter what the age. She remembers that clearly. Why would she make it up?

Doris's analysis really rings true, "This is her inner child, hurting, scarred, wanting recognition and admission of the abuse she suffered."

Did anyone notice that for one brief scene, Paolo had let his hair down? I worry about his hairline. I've been told that if you wear your hair pulled back tightly, your hairline begins to recede (anectodal info only; these were African American colleagues from work and it was visible).

Julian--Does he make the phone call to Paolo? My CrockPot Theory is that he won't, but will continue to harrass Paolo (maybe even do him physical harm) and Natalia (smother her with his ooze). It's a pity she can't go to Franco for help.

Ingrid is another sorry story. However, I don't much like Javier either. Ever since he made her abort her child (not that she would have been a great mother, but still) and the way he talks to her, belittling her, he's not on my good guy list.

Ah, Juan Soler. Give me another Argentinian to listen to (Michel Brown) and I'm in heaven! For some reason I detect the hard "y" and "ll" in Katia once in awhile, but she doesn't interest me at all.

Adriana--Leoncio is played by Jose Elias Moreno (b. 1956), who fortunately turned into a lovable teddy bear in Quiero Amarte (another Cristian venue, but not as good as Amor Bravio). As you can see, it is still my favorite romance (see my avatar--it has shrunk a bit and that image no longer exists for me to re-do it....boohoo).
 

Doris, thanks for the pithy recap! I just love the title. (I think I feel a meme coming on...Me declaro mal vestido! Me declaro confundido! Me declaro...casi calvo!)

If it weren't for you and R la O pointing out the appearance and disappearance of Bertie's facial nicks, I never would have noticed -- I've been so fixated on her dry little red nose. I think the Televisa makeup department must be the funnest place to work ever.

ITA on the Argentinian accent. Whenever Soler or Rulli get overexcited, they start zhuzhing -- gets me every time.

I sooooo hope you're wrong about the Summer of '42 scenario. Because, YUCK.
 

P.S. Yard work IS hard work!
 

Question about Soggy Paolo: All of a sudden he "will never function as a man again"? Did he know that before, or hadn't it crossed his mind until Katia popped the hood? I mean, you'd think it would have occurred to him that someday Nat might want some.
 

Blue Lass...ha !!!
 

Doris, thank you. I forgot that this show is now on at 2.00 instead of 3.00.
 

"Did he know that before, or hadn't it crossed his mind until Katia popped the hood? "

Well it has crossed my mind several times already. LOL I think he's just not all that into Katia, anymore.
 

I still can't figure out why she's so into HIM. I mean, I can buy the premise that she suddenly realized she was still in love with him, but if their connection is so deep shouldn't she have more to say than "remember when you kissed me by the taco stand" and "look, I'm out of the shower!"?
 

Yard work is hard work. But its fun work!
Cut down the need to go to the gym.
Today was a beautiful day to do yard work. But I had to go to work. Come on
Spring. Yall stay safe and sanitized.