Caray, Caray!

Our JuJu Princess Prognosticator was right! Franco and Alba don’t leave the series—yet. However, it could have been possible to have something go awry, cause some damage, maybe even require hospitalization. Instead, we get some aftermath canoodling in the NoTell Café, where everybody knows your name business, especially when you don’t hide it. 

Let’s Begin at the End (of Yesterday)
Franco and Alba are in the bomb-armed car (confirmed by Franco by using his cell phone as a selfie mirror—very clever). They are clutching each other for dear life, like maybe it’s the last time they’ll ever feel something. Neither wants to leave the other. They just wait, terrified, for the explosion. Mystery man calls again and says, in essence, “Fooled ya. But I’m your worst enemy and be on guard, because I’m gonna eat you little fishy.” (Well, actually that was Cat in Red Dwarf—see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMlDlu-MTRo). Franco and Alba are celebrating their near miss. He tries to explain there are lots of folks out there who might be provoked by hatred and revenge, but never taken to this level. Alba is horrified. Franco entreats her into more macking and canoodling. He tells her, “All I need is you and a couple of whiskies.” Since they never got to Gabe’s to give him the news, Alba will text him to come by later. Meanwhile, the hugging goes on and Franco’s brilliant white teeth practically light up the place.

When Gabe does drop by, he’s proud he was the one who achieved what his mother’s attorney couldn’t. For Alba, the next step is to live together again. (In that little back room? Nah. Check back later on, we think there’s a solution, maybe they get the Aqua House back for themselves.) Gabe is afraid of losing her if she has to go back to prison. One step at a time, she counsels.

Dante and Manuel stand outside the bathroom and discuss Pao, while crybaby is still shivering (we suppose) fully dressed in the tub. (And I might say it was a mighty small tub for such a big guy.) Manny slips and almost tells Dante that Nat was the one who did the H&R, but saves himself.

At opposite ends of the Urzúa formal dining table, Franco and Natalia are having a rather somber meal. Nat picks at her food. There are flowers on the table, and a big green salad in the center, but what they are eating looks pretty bland. Franco can tell something is not right with his daughter and urges her to be Frank-o (couldn’t resist) with him. He desperately wants her to be ok. (Does she even know about the Danger-UXB—hey did any of you watch that series? Anthony Andrews PRE-Brideshead Revisited; did he ever file a report with the police and have the device taken in for forensic tests?)

Nat claims their divorce has affected her, but she understands. She just needs some time to assimilate it all. Franco asks if that is all. Nat answers that it’s almost all. The skinny is that Pao left her, but she’s not ready to talk about it. Daddy gives her some fatherly comfort.

Tizzy Tostito Pops Up and Scares the Beejeezus Out of Alba and He’s Not Even a Ghost
He shows up after the Café is closed and tells Alba he’s starving and not to turn him away. His granny always said that a glass of water is never denied anyone. Please, be a dear and fix him something to eat. He’s so persuasive, Alba relents, but resents it and tells him it’ll be take-out only. There must be a reason for this late night visit, of course. Read on, Patio, it’ll all be clear later on.

(I meant to mention this in my comments for #33.) Franco bumps into Bertie as he comes to get a pillow for spending the night elsewhere in the house. She’d like him to spend the night in their bed, sort of a marriage farewell. When he turns her down, she turns on the waterworks. It doesn’t work. He tells her the only reason he’s still in the house is in order not to make the divorce proceedings more complicated. Bertie accuses him of getting it on with *her.* He denies it. He informs her that he and Alba are adults and have made the decision not to have “relations” until he is free. (All that canoodling, kissing, hugging and cuddling doesn’t count? Give me a break.)

It is clear now why Tizzy played his little late night starving game on Alba. He can boast to the assembled ears at their morning staff meeting how Alba reopened the Café, just for him. She was his savior. But first, we get a lovely put down of Julián by Mauro, making him personally go make some copies rather than allowing him to call Olga to do it. Gael stifles a chuckle with a non-COVID-19 cough. Jules notices, nevertheless. He leaves and Alba enters with coffee. After Tizzy’s remarks, Franco is definitely displeased, while Alba shakes her head imperceptibly at Franco. Mauro on the other hand, compliments Alba on her graciousness. She’s a great person, he crows (knowing he’s just guessing at her paternity).

Jules is not bothered by the label Bertie greets him with outside his office/photocopy room because he fully intends to get his old office back along with all its privileges. Bertie is the one who has to pull the strings with Mau. After all, he has enough on her....he proposes, that with her collaboration, he’ll see to it that all her Nennie’s problems go away. He tells Bertie that he’s sure Nat is on the verge of spilling her guts to Franco and/or Pao and they have to stop her. He has a way, but in order to fix things with Mauro, he needs information. He couldn’t help but notice how upset she was when he and Nat arrived back at their house the day before. Bertie always seems to be cowering or angry at Mau. He reminds her of the little pre-heart attack scene. Bertie blows him off. It was nothing, as if Jules was going to believe that. He’s sure all her emotional problems stem from some secret she’s been holding regarding her mother. She blows him off again, saying she made it up, as if Jules was going to believe that, too. Bertie states that her father is above reproach and she’s merely a bad daughter. Jules keeps pushing. Doesn’t she think it’s payback time for all the harm Mau caused her and her mother?

During an office break, Franco admits to Alba of being jealous of her ministrations to Tizzy. (Do any of these men actually handle cases, investigate, go to court and work in the office? And, BTW, why are there no women associates in this bufete? Just askin’.) Alba is tickled that he’s jealous, but he needn’t be. She only has eyes, lips and hugs for him. Besides, TT sort of forced her to make him a sandwich. She finds him insufferable. That said, they go back on Full PDA. When they come up for air, they discuss Mauro’s change of attitude towards her, seemingly overnight. This leads to more kisses, though Alba claims she’s working and he claims he’s working on her case.

With TT listening and watching in plain view (of Alba at least, but she only has eyes for Franco, remember?), Franco proposes a weekend getaway just for the two of them at the beach. (Will the Patio actually believe they aren’t going to give in to their very human natures? Give me a break. OTOH, they probably aren’t even going to leave the neighborhood, if TT has anything to do with it.)

(Apologies to The Passionate Shepherd)…and we will all the pleasures prove (probably not—see end of scenes between Ingrid and Mauro). Ingrid, waving her big honkin’ diamond ring around, serves Mauro a cup of  Café Abuelita from the corner Minimart.
(see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___38lDHvgE )

He begins to flatter her and she’s loving it, until Javier appears behind Mau. Mau is inviting her to live with him in his big honkin’ mansion. Javi doesn’t like that one bit. Mau invites her to take a tour of the place. Ingrid is more than happy to leave. Ingrid is dazzled by the big honkin’ rooms. She’s even more bedazzled when the old geezer introduces her to his two servants as the future mistress (señora dueña—and a play on Ingrid’s last name) of the house. He says he’ll be so much happier in his house away from Bertie’s clutches and along side Ingrid. He offers to let her redecorate the master bedroom to her liking. It was left just as his dear departed wife Isabel did it. Ingrid is flattered. (Are you sure of this, Mau? You may end up trying to sleep in a deep turquoise abode.)

Mau tries to get frisky with Ingrid. He certainly doesn’t act as though he needs any performance enhancing booster pill. Ingrid suddenly gets a conscience. Not now, not like this, she’s a decent woman. After they get married and she moves in, ok. Ah, that’s what Mau likes about her—her decency. He apologizes for getting carried away. He desires her so much. He admires all her good qualities. He’ll put the world at her feet, but…yes, there’s a big but coming. He’ll take it all away if she cheats on him even once and he'll make sure she regrets it for the rest of her life. He now has her by the neck and starts to squeeze. Ingrid panics. He lets go and continues his “life” lesson. She’s intelligent and ought to be able to figure out the hows of what she can have and what she could lose. (Man, but he scares me. No wonder Bertie trembles when he roars and why she tried to choke the old lion. Careful, Ingrid, what you only dreamed of having may turn into your worst nightmare.)

He tells her that if they’re going to sink Franco, it has to be all the way to the bottom. She’s ready to listen. TT tells her she is to become a domestically abused wife. When asked, she is to say her husband has not stopped beating her yet and that’s why she’s separating from him. Bertie reminds him that they will need proof. TT says he’ll work that out. (Careful, Bertie, what he may have in mind as proof is to rearrange your pretty face. Are you sure you are up to it?) She accepts and leaves it all in his hands.

TT comes to the Café to present Alba with a plant—for a beautiful lady. She rebuffs his seemingly genuine gift of appreciation. He pitches a little woo and she shoots him down with an unkindly look. (Now what is he up to?)

Jules has his inept henchie take him to a guy who needs money. Jules explains to him what’s at stake. Needy Money Guy (NMG) isn’t sure it’s in his line of work. When Jules throws down a wad of cash, more than NMG has ever seen in one place AND that it is less than half, he’s in. He tries to get a promise out of Jules that he’ll get him out of this situation in two weeks. (Hey, NMG, you obviously don’t know any lawyers. They can lie just like the rest of humanity—if it’s in their interests.) There’s only a verbal contract. Not even a handshake as Jules and Henchie take their leave.

Bertie, Meet Your Almost New MIL
Ingrid and Bertie meet on the office rooftop terrace. Ingy wants to know if they could see each other more frequently, now that they are practically friends. Instead of being pleased or angry that Ingy is wearing that big honkin’ diamond, Bertie warns her to be very wary of Mauro. Is she ready to know the real Mau? Does she want to know how her mother really died? Who commits suicide over an infidelity? Nobody. Bertie says Mauro wanted his wife out of the way, as in deader than a doornail. Ingy has heard enough and refuses to believe Bertie.

Pao has dried up all his tears and comes to see Franco to hand in his resignation. Franco guesses the personal reason has to do with Natalia. On cue, Nat, dressed as the Chile Pepper Festival Queen, enters to talk to papá. Seeing Pao there, she wants to talk to both at once. The Pepper Queen is several hesitant sentences into her confession to H&R when Jules bursts in with NMG in tow and he does the confessing instead. Everyone is cara de impactada, including Nat, who knows it is Bo-o-o-Gus (thanks Car Talk Guys, miss you). Pao’s reaction is just as expected. He turns purple with rage and lunges at the guy as Nat looks on. Gael is there to grab ahold of NMG and they go out in the hall with Pao right behind him and Franco trying to hold him back. They are still yelling. NMG has a name—Rodrigo Santos. Franco assures Pao that he will make the guy pay for what he did and asks Gael to take him to the police station to give his statement. (After more than two weeks in the slammer, Santos will probably change his story.)

Back in the office, Nat is furious with Jules. He tries to show her that had she confessed, that is exactly how Pao would have reacted to her. He wants to save her from herself. He promises to make it all better. Better for whom, she retorts. He doesn’t know how. All he does is complicate matters. She was ready to face the consequences. Jules wonders what good that would have done. Nat says it would have eased her conscience, that’s what. Why did he have to interfere just then. Jules answers because sometimes the truth is not the right way to go, sometimes the truth hurts or even kills. Bertie has now heard what went on in the hall and slips in to see how Nat is holding up. She gets a piece of Nat’s fury for her part in this cover-up. She wants to know how they got this guy to take the blame. Jules answers—money, what else? Nat’s not having it. She’s not going to let this guy take the blame. Bertie has heard enough and lays hands on Nat, grabs her by the hair and gives her a good shaking. Jules looks a bit nervous, but doesn’t interfere. Instead of saving her, Nat says, they are drowning her and she can’t stand it. It’s killing her. Bertie says to suck it up. This is the best solution for everyone. Franco comes back in. Nat wants to know how Pao is. Franco asks if she wants to see him. Bertie says this is not the right time.

Nat overruled her because she is now up on the rooftop with Pao. She gets a taste of the hatred, resentment and pain he has for the Santos guy. Nat has gotten ahold of herself and tries to be as uplifting as possible. Nopis, oops, here come the tears, again. Pao is never going to forget or forgive.
Gulp.

Labels: culpable