Caray, Caray!

100 días

Many thanks, novelera. Alas, your great comments went on the earlier TyM page, but now the later one is up, so I guess I'll respond here.

I didn't take Luis' criticisms of Jimena as genuinely felt. I assumed he'd say the same kinds of things to Jimena about Aurora if it served his purposes. So I think that, at least for now, it's just Viewerville who is/are driven up the wall by Jimena.

I too thought that for the most part Plutarco was great with Connie, but there was one point where I applauded Connie's criticizing him. He says something about being willing to help out with Martín. "Help out?" Connie says, somewhat miffed at his seeming to think his offer to "help out" showed what a generous guy he was. "He's your son, too" she reminds him.

And yes, I loved Jimena's spraying the room to get rid of bad odors. But she didn't leave it at that. She also said outright that Max should consider bathing more often, or something to that effect. Subtlety is not Jimena's strong point.
 

OT:

Wake me up when "Enemigo" debuts on June 22nd.
 

100 dias. So now we've learned that Ale is transgender, not lesbian. That makes her life even more difficult. Will Emiliano pay for the very lengthy and difficult medical transformation process? And man, I did not see the outcome of the bigot with a gun episode. It's Benito, the diner's manager, who is only mildly injured thanks to Emiliano's intervention. Its resolution took up less than the 1st 5 minutes of the episode.
 

100 días

SpanProf, I think the transgender possibility became clear when we saw that Ale hated her breasts and tried as best she could to minimize them with that huge cloth/bandage she put over them. Even the rash it caused and Emiliano's warning that it could be depriving her of oxygen didn't stop her, IIRC. Good question about how she would pay for the costly medical transformation some F-to-M transgender folks undergo. It's interesting (perhaps "strange" is a better word?) that Telemundo uses a basically light-hearted comedy to deal with this issue.

Good to see Benjamin on the losing end in the classroom scene. However, it sounds as if he's going to retaliate by making serious trouble for Fernando, or at least trying to. It would be great if the school board and/or whoever else makes such decisions backs Fernando. However, homophobia is still alive and well among all too many decision makers.

One thing seemed to me somewhat improbable. I can easily believe that Reme wanted to read Ale's diary, but having decided not to, why didn't she simply copy the therapist's info onto a piece of paper and put the card back in with the diary? Her leaving it out on her desk was especially foolish, more foolish than I thought she'd be.

I can't wait for Jimena to find out the truth about Luis and their being the "perfect couple," something she's continually boasting about.
 

100 días

Yes, all of us can't wait for Jimena's rude awakening. She did it again last night, hectoring Connie about her 100 days and how awful it was. Holding herself up as an example of what a wife should be.

I was yelling at my screen last night: "Reme, don't open that diary!" I was relieved when she put it back the first time but, of course, she went back.

Fernando handled Benjamin's awful behavior in class VERY well. But, Juanita, you're probably right that this is not the end of his nastiness. I can easily see Marlene in the front lines of torch bearing bigoted parents.

Interesting comment, SpanProf about how difficult it would be for Ale to pay for treatment. But, as Emiliano is a doctor, he may be able to afford it for her.
 

100 dias

Thank you so much, Juanita and novelera for continuing to recap. It’s been very helpful for me. The way the show jumps around from one scene to another and the way everyone talks over one another is confusing at times.

A few episodes back (don’t know if I heard this correctly), Jimena admitted in front of Aurora and Nico that she was pregnant when she married Luis. Susy said her mom told her the only reason to get married is if there was a bun in the oven. If so, this sheds some light on that marriage. However any way you look at it, Luis is a lying SOB. I don’t know why either woman would want to stay with him after the truth is fully revealed.

Now even Max is telling Luis to come clean. Oh boy, all the ladies are going to be furious with all the guys for keeping this secret for so long.

I also liked the way Fernando handled the class and yes, novelera, I could picture Marlene leading the charge. What will she do when she finds out Lucia is Ale’s novia?

dondi356

 

100 días

I'll do a mini-cap tonight.
 

100 días

Viernes

Ale is sobbing while she tells Remedios that she has felt wrong forever.

Marlene comes to the principal’s office to stick her nose in about “poor Benjamin” having been humiliated in Fernando’s class.

Also at school. While Pablo and Fernando are talking, seemingly having made up, Dani approaches and Pablo gives him a lesson in how to greet a pretty girl when you approach her. Fer tells Pablo that Frida really likes him and wants to see him again.

Benjamin approaches Fer and Pablo, making comments about their being a lovely couple. When Fer said people have the right to choose who they live with, Benjamin just says “So it’s true you bat for the other team? And that’s why you have us read so many autores maricones.”

Both Luis and Jimena are absolutely unbearable throughout this whole episode. They deserve each other, and Aurora needs to run for the hills.

First Luis tries to interrupt Emiliano during his office hours whining about being given 48 hours to tell Jimena the truth.

Connie and Marcelo (Plu) text back and forth FF>>> I don’t even bother to read these ridiculous exchanges.

Luis shows up at the law office to tell Jimena he wants 100 days. [He couldn’t do this somewhere else?] Well, this goes over like the proverbial “you know what” in the punchbowl. She makes a good point: “What does this have to do with our renewing our vows?” The jerk has no answer for this.

In the hallway at school Dani tells Ale she can be his amiga, his amigo, or whatever. It won’t change their friendship.

Remedios is telling Connie about Ale being trans-gender and getting, of course, support from her best friend when Jimena roars in spitting fire. She blames the two of them for Luis’ 100 days request.

Luis now shows up at Emi’s apartment and is trying to get Plu to convince Jimena that the 100 days is a good idea. He says he has nowhere to go and looks suggestively at the two of them. Emi tells him flat no. he’s not moving in with them.

It appears that only Spanish is taught at this high school, or at least this is the only instruction we see. Fernando is talking about Bruno Traven (a pseudonym). [We read Macario by Traven in my Spanish class and a local theater company, Teatro Visión, has done a dramatic version. It was very well done.]

When is Connie EVER going to tell Jimena to shut it? If someone raved at me in my office that way, they might find themselves shoved out and the door closed behind them.

When the faculty meets about what happened in Fer’s class with Benjamin, it doesn’t appear that Fer is in big trouble. Fernando remarks that everyone in school knows Benjamin is a bully. But, of course, the coach sticks up for the star athlete. And Isabel, who I had forgotten is the school psychiatrist, sticks up for Fer.

Ale, Reme, and Emiliano meet up with the psychologist. Ale bears her soul. The woman explains the difference between sexuality and gender. She’s going to refer Ale to another someone who can help her. Afterword Ale says she feels as if a huge weight has lifted off her.

Plu and Connie are about to go out as “friends” when Jerk Luis shows up, drunk. Plu is trying to get him to leave outside the door. Of course, Connie overhears the part about two families. And, of course, she blames Plu for covering it up.

Jimena is crying on Aurora’s shoulder, saying she is her only friend. She says that Luis threw her out like old clothes. We can guess that Aurora is thinking her plan has worked when Jimena blubbers out the part about 100 days!
 

Ale wants to be a full woman ?
 

100 dias. Another excellent recap, novelera! Thank you for doing it. I thought the scene between Dani and Ale was very touching. Besties, no matter what! Fernando seems to have moved on to Latin American literature in his advanced Spanish class. Though you have read the book and I haven't, that exercise on discrimination seems to be related to its theme, as well as a "lesson" for Benjamin. Everyone has something they can be picked on for. The reaction of the faculty and principal to Marlene's complaint was better than I had expected. Ale is in Phase 1 of her transformation--psychological counseling. No wonder she feels better! Granted, my knowledge of such things is based on watching Law and Order SVU and a Late Show interview with Chaz Bono, but it seems as if she has a long road ahead of her. I hope she can handle it along with the last year of high school + college. Wonderful that she has the support of both Emiliano and Reme! If there's an organization of transgender people that gives out awards, this show should get one!
 

100 días, telemundo

Another terrific recap, novelera! Many thanks.

So a couple of times in this episode, the cat comes out of the bag. First, when Jimena barges into Connie's office and Reme leaves, Reme says something about Ale seeing a psychologist. Jimena instantly seizes on this--why is Ale seeing a psychologist? She doesn't get an answer, but she's never one to leave such things alone.

Then, later, as you've said, Connie overhears Luis say to Plutarco that he has two women and he loves them both. It will be interesting to see how fast these two "secrets" become known by everyone.

Needless to say, novelera, I totally agree with your being fed up with Jimena. I find myself wondering why she was hired by Connie and Plutarco and why she was kept on. She's clearly been the same obnoxious person for a long time.

I was somewhat surprised that the "specialist" psychologist Emiliano recommended refers Ale to a different psychologist. Is it because Emiliano didn't recognize that transgender issues were involved (in spite of his discussion with Ale after seeing the desperate way she tries to hide her breasts)?

I have a question about the way Telemundo ends this telenovela. The episode seems to end, then sometimes we get behind the scenes stuff, and then we get the credits, with various plot pieces interspersed. And only after that do we get "Mañana" previews. So do the little plot pieces that we see after the seeming end of the episode and before the Mañana previews count as part of the current episode or part of the previews? I ask because I'm never sure whether we can mention them in a recap or comment (yes, if they're part of the present episode, no if they're a preview). They seem to be neither. :-( I've been leaving them out, since the episode is over, but....
 

100 días

Thanks for the kind remarks. First: Ale bares her soul; she does not have a grizzly soul, nor does she carry it on her shoulders.

Yes, those bits they show at the very end are previews of the next episode. This is the first novela where I've ever watched them. And I suppose it's because it's a comic one and I don't mind spoilers. But the policy is still not to put them in a recap nor mention them in a comment. They are interesting in that, instead of one scene from the next episode, they show around three short ones.

I am pasting here a summary from the internet about B. Traven's book.

Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. After his wife cooks a turkey for him, he meets three apparitions, the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks him to share his turkey, but he refuses all except Death. In return, Death gives him a bottle of water which will heal any illness. Soon, Macario is more wealthy than the village doctor, which draws the attention of the feared Inquisition.

Fernando's lesson was more about the author than his novella. B. Traven was a very mysterious man who wrote under pseudonyms. I didn't write what he was saying in my recap, but Fer was talking about hiding who you really are.

I also wondered why the supposed expert on gender dysphoria then recommended another person for Ale to see.
 

100 días

Thanks, novelera, for the info about Macario and B. Traven. I was previously unfamiliar with both the author and the book.

I'd like to clarify my question about the stuff at the end. Most telenovelas I've seen offer previews. They'll often say, "Mañana," followed by a brief scene or two from what's to come. Sometimes they use these to inform us, sometimes to fool us. But they always make it explicit that we'll see this "mañana." 100 días does this too. But it also does something else I don't recall seeing before. While they're showing some of the credits, and BEFORE the "Mañana" previews, they show even briefer bits that are related to what we've already seen. I think I'd call these "previews" as well, but I've never been sure whether we were supposed to regard these as part of the episode we've just seen (since they were shown before the "Mañana" previews) or whether they're just a different form of preview.

After reading what you said and thinking about it some more, I guess that the simplest and perhaps most accurate way to think of them is to regard them all as previews, so we should continue not to mention them in comments and recaps.
 

100 dias. I second Juanita's thanks for the information about Macario and B. Traven. Also, the fact that you read that book for a Spanish class shows that it is the kind of respectable literary work that a good Spanish teacher like Fernando might assign to his advanced students.