Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Imperio de mentiras #3 Wednesday 09/23/20 The bad guys mulptiply, the good guys seem lost

Previously on…

Majo, the youngest Cantu sister has been kidnapped in broad daylight, on a busy highway.

Renata, the oldest sister, has an undisclosed mental illness, which makes it impossible for her to have the baby she obsessively desires.

Elisa, the middle sister, is being confronted by the ruggedly halfway handsome special detective Leonardo – he suspects things and demands some answers.

Some scenes are combined, others are condensed, these people talk too much, and it’s hard to keep up.

Elisa and Leonardo get to know one another

Elisa is weeping.

Leonardo would like to help, if only she could trust him. She needs to tell him everything, she can’t do it all on her own.

Elisa is unsure, it’s too early in the game to open up to him; her phone rings, so she takes advantage of the distraction to try to evade Leo’s questions. He believes that Augusto was involved in the stolen artifacts debacle (expect for me to repeat this phrase A LOT – new drinking game?) and Julia was an innocent victim.

This makes Elisa react strongly, what if Julia was involved? After all, she thought she knew her father, too, and look how well that turned out. Why were they together in the middle of nowhere, if not because they were secret lovers (is there any other kind?). Elisa’s phone rings again. Leo insists that he only wants to help, but Elisa is sure that he can’t. And off she goes.

 

But not too far away, because right after the credits we see Leo in his car, brooding, while Elisa looks on. She goes to his window, says she’s sorry and asks him not to go with that pouty face that Angelique B. does so well. He wants to know who she’s afraid of. She gets into the car and begs him to drive, they can’t talk here. She seems scared of her own shadow, if Leo doesn’t get it by now that she’s afraid that someone is following her, than he’s not much of a special agent.

They end up in a nice restaurant, sipping coffee and reminiscing about their lost loved ones.

Elisa talks about Augusto, her hero and how her image of him has changed with his death. Now her family is a mess, the company is in ruin, she found out that Augusto had all kid of shady business going on. It is all very painful. To think she was only in Mexico to celebrate her birthday.

She mentions her Manhattan gallery, Leo is impressed, and Elisa admits that she has had a sheltered life. She thinks she’s talking a lot, but Leo doesn’t mind, he wants to know everything there is to know about her. Elisa wonders if she is being investigated, would like to know more about Julia.

As expected, Julia was great – school teacher who loved children, was a sweet, loving person, as perfect as perfect can get. The night of her death they had gotten engaged, Leo had come from Monterey especially to propose (he sometimes has to travel for his undercover work as a special agent). And he knows Julia loved him, too, he doesn’t understand why she was with Augusto that night.

He mentions the missing artifacts again, but that’s the one thing Elisa won’t talk about. She wants to go, so he leaves her his phone number, asking her to trust him and to come to him for help because he needs her, too.

Majo and her various kidnappers

Majo is not feeling well, the two goons that are watching her find her asleep, and they think she has a fever. So they call their boss, El Cobra, our dear Eugenio Serrano, trusted family friend of the Cantus. He’s in a cemetery with Dario, talking about how they have Elisa cornered. When Eugenio finds out that Majo is probably sick, he orders his underlings to take good care of her- she is not to be harmed in any way (aside from being kidnapped and scared out of her mind).

At some  point he has a phone call with the police chief - they're in cahoots!! Maybe that's why Majo's kidnapping was never reported by one of the other drivers on the highway. The big boss himself is keeping things on the down-low. 

Marcelo is really not a good husband (shocker)

We find him in bed with Eugenio’s lady friend, Sonia. He realizes that his father in law was in a bad shape financially and wants Sonia to snoop around Eugenio, who was Augusto’s best friend. But Sonia won’t do it, she says she has no power over Eugenio (more on that later). Why can’t he ask Renata for help?

Seeing that Sonia is of no use to him anymore, Marcelo asks her to get dressed and go, it’s getting late (talk about galan material).

Sonia wonders if Marcelo’s plan was to get his hands on the Cantu fortune all along. Could he be the one who killed Augusto?

When she gets home later that evening, Sonia gets a dose of Eugenio love. She lies that she had been to the gym, he checks her bag and sees that her towel is dry (beginner’s mistake, Sonia!). He has the crazy eyes and, sure enough, he ends up almost chocking her, threatening to kill her if she ever dares to cheat.

What a wonderful triangle this is… and Renata is supposed to be the crazy one.

Questions

Leo is visiting with Julia’s mom. She’s happy to see him, wants him to stay in contact, he’s still part of the family. She mentions wanting to make a credit to build a nice chapel for Julia, Leo offers to pay for it.

Julia’s sister wonders how come Julia left the house without being seen that night. Her mother gives her the stink eye. What is she hiding, did she believe that Julia was involved with Augusto Cantu?

Elisa finally answers Dario’s call, he’s mad that she wouldn’t pick up sooner, maybe she doesn’t care if her sister is dead or alive. Elisa apologizes, she wants to hear Majo, make sure that she’s OK. But of course Dario can’t do that, since Majo is still in a very bad shape. Later on we see her sleeping while Dario caresses her face. Creepy? He does look a tiny bit troubled. The doctor who checked on Majo told him that he needs to make sure that she eats and drinks, if not they’ll have to take her to the hospital.

Will Dario somehow let his guard down with Majo?

Back home Elisa is drawing, looking at Leo’s business card, when her mom, Victoria comes to her room. Elisa begins to cry, she misses her dad. Victoria tries to encourage her, she’s worried about Majo all alone in NY (you don’t even know the half of it). What if she gets into trouble, what if she needs her family?

Elisa wants Victoria to calm down, Majo needs time alone to accept everything that has happened. Victoria agrees, but thinks that Majo might have to come back regardless, since the police want to question the whole family again.

Elisa is scared, could Eugenio help them get rid of the police?

The next day she calls Leo, tries to get him to intervene to get the police off their backs. But Leo won’t interfere, this is just the normal procedure and besides, this is not his case. And why is she so afraid, anyway?

Elisa mentions her scared mother, one of her sisters is not well, and the other one is out of the country. Leo insists that he can’t help.

In the meantime the crime unit sees that Augusto’s car was being followed by another car. Who could that be?

Everybody wants a piece of the family business

Elisa goes to the office, she reassures Fernanda and Alfonso, another employee, that they have some money now, since she’s sold stock to Eugenio. She is to be named CEO of the company, all the other managers are aware and are happy with the decision. Elisa wants to move forward with all of her father’s projects. She also wants to set up a meeting with all the employees, assure them that things will be OK, as long as they all work together to save the company. She hopes that she’ll be able to deal with all the problems her father left behind.

After Alfonso leaves, she asks Fernanda who was the woman found with him and were they having an affair?

Flashback to Fernanda and Augusto sharing a yucky moment together. He promises her he is going to leave Victoria to be with her… soon.

Back to the present, Fernanda assures Elisa that her father couldn’t have had a lover behind her back, because she knew everything there was to know about him. And he would have never cheated on Victoria, especially not with such a young woman.

She says all of this with a straight face.

In case someone forgot, Renata still thinks she deserves the big boss position, because she’s the older daughter. She barges in the office, closely followed by Marcelo, who she names her consultant in all things business. Elisa doesn’t think it’s a good idea to make such a big change while the company is going through a crisis. Renata wants Elisa to go away, take care of her galleries and eat dirt.

Her doctor said the other day that she’s doing fine, but I haven’t seen anything fine about her so far. If this is Renata doing OK, I dread to see her in a manic state.

Marcelo tries to intervene, to help his wife’s cause while stopping her from going totally crazy on Elisa. But that’s not an easy task with Renata screaming that she’s not an idiot and she’s in charge from now on.

Elisa cuts the fight short, when she gets another call from Dario, who wants to meet right away. Seeing Elisa leave, Renata thinks that she drove her away. Marcelo manipulates her into naming him her second in command. He wants to speed up the process before Elisa’s naming as CEO becomes official in the afternoon.

They ask Alfonso to give them details about the company financial status, but neither Alfonso, nor Fernanda want to cooperate. They only recognize Elisa as a boss and won’t do anything that she doesn’t sanction first. Renata wants Fernanda to send a memo to all the employees, naming her as the CEO, when Fernanda refuses, she’s fired.

Later on, when Marcelo asks Fernanda if she obeyed his wife’s orders, Fernanda reminds him that she was fired, so she won’t do a thing. Does he actually believe that he’s going to get everything? Marcelo is no fool, though, isn’t this what she was after, too, with Augusto?

Interesting dynamic with these two. I’m putting Fernanda in the naughty corner, for now.

The Cantu women are having a very bad day

Renata is definitely not OK, because when she is left alone with Marcelo and he’s trying to calm her by giving her some pills, she rejects the pills, says she wants a baby instead. And she wants them to make love right here, in her dead father’s office. Marcelo looks everything but turned on by the prospect.

Fernanda calls Elisa to let her know what is going on at the office, Elisa promises to take care of it, but she has bigger worries for now. 

When she left the office earlier she met Dario, who ordered her into his car and showed her a video of her sister screaming and asking for help. Elisa wants to see Majo, Dario wants the artifacts. He gives her one more day, suggests she find out who was Augusto’s accomplice, mentions the woman who was found dead at the same time. Elisa wants to know what is it that he knows about Julia, but he throws her out of his car.

When Fernanda calls, Elisa is walking around the city, in a daze. She asks Fer to get her Julia’s home address.

Dario gets back to the hiding place, threatens Majo with a gun, and says that her sister didn’t seem interested in saving her life. Majo doesn’t believe him. 

Later on she’s asleep when the older guy comes in, removes the blanket she’s covered in, wakes her up and starts kissing her while Majo screams her heart out.

I’m thinking that maybe Dario comes back and blows his brains out?

Jose Luis comes to the Cantu house to escort Victoria to the police station for another round of questioning. This is not a courtesy demand, they have proof that she was involved in her husband’s murder – her car was seen following him the night he died.  

Elisa arrives at Julia’s house, lies to her mother that she’s a teacher from Julia’s school and needs some files that are probably in Julia’s room. Reluctant at first, the older woman allows Elisa in, because she’s busy with her husband.

Elisa starts looking through Julia’s things just in time for Leo to come for a visit. Julia’s mom tells him she’s busy with her husband’s dialysis, could he be a dear and go help Julia’s work colleague, who’s in her room looking for some documents?

Leo knocks on the closed door, Elisa manages to hide Julia’s journal in her bag before she has to come out. Leo is impactado when he sees her.

What is Elisa Cantu doing in his fiancée’s house??

 

 

Labels:


Comments:
Thank you for this fantastic recap! Very clever, clear, and engaging!

I actually watched the whole episode this time.

More comments later. Thanks so much again. What a great recap!
 

Adriana, thank you, for the excellent recap.

That was some surprise about Fernanda and Augusto.
Yikes! Renata is going to be a force to deal with.
 

Jarifa: Renata is going to become a problem. I hope to see pictures of upcoming episodes this week & in the future.
 

Adriana Noel - Superb. You conveyed all the action splendidly.

Your wry humor was on full display particularly with "What a wonderful triangle this is… and Renata is supposed to be the crazy one". I'm enjoying seeing Susana taking full advantage of playing bsc. A fine actress who can play character roles as easily as leading ladies (women).

"She seems scared of her own shadow, if Leo doesn’t get it by now that she’s afraid that someone is following her, than he’s not much of a special agent" is decidedly true! Elisa and Leo's paths are more than crossing. They are traversing the same space.

"Later on we see her sleeping while Dario caresses her face. Creepy? He does look a tiny bit troubled". Absolutely. I fear this is the beginning of an attraction that may well blossom into an obsession. I do hope Dario is able to rescue Majo in time.

Jarifa, I agree with you about Fernanda and Augusto.

I am still trying to sort exactly who everyone is and their motives.

Three outstanding recaps all.

Thank you - this was marvelous.

Diana
 

Thank you Adrianna, especially for this: 'Some scenes are combined, others are condensed, these people talk too much, and it’s hard to keep up. ' Egads, do THEY even hear it all?

Wow, the dirt just keeps piling up. Like I said, the only one without something to hide is going to be the family dog. So Mop Top is topping Uncle Rugs much more attractive poke. OK, all well and good, Uncle Rug is, well...and Mop Top's Loopy is cray cray. A woman has needs, yada yada. Fine. Later at the office, Ruh Roh, Loopy is in the middle of a corporate acquisition when BOOM! she has a need to breed.
Whoa, right here in your dead Daddy's office? Yep. Right here on his desk? Yep. “Um, hon I think my printer is out of paper. (I wrote some things for Rug's chick a few minutes ago.) And by the way, Loopy, my luuuurve, why are you wearing the drapes from of your cousin's house trailer?

I don't much blame Elisa for not even trusting her shadow at this point. Who CAN she trust? Days ago she trusted her Dad unconditionally, I'm sure. How'd that go? You can't blame her for testing the waters before jumping in.

Boy I smelled a rat long ago on Victoria, when she did not welcome the popo investigating her hubba's murder. Then...when she was casually discarding his clothing almost before the funeral was another. Maybe she just knew him far better than Elisa.

It was funny Elisa, unwittingly asking Fern if Augusto and Julia were lovers and Fernanda prob thinking, “Noooo I was his only one.” Gulp Yeah 'She says all this with a straight face' Good One Adrianna.

These Jackals like the one attacking Majo, they usually get caught and shot. I'm thinking, wouldn't it be better, say as a training for them, to remove the offending part(s) with a dull knife? A bullet, their punishment last seconds at most, a surgical procedure is forever.

Elisa getting BUSTED rummaging dead Julia's room was priceless. Will she be able to kiss her way out of this one?


 

Good work, Adriana. You didn't miss a thing.

Which causes me to also say that Univision had better not mess with the scissors on this series.

Victoria made it clear in the opening episode that she suspected Augusto of cheating on her. My gut says that this isn't anything new.

How long is Renata married and why did Marcelo marry her? His only motive could possibly be corporate advancement because Renata's crazy doesn't stop. She has probably tossed out her meds for that along with the contraceptive pills, which could only end in disaster. Marcelo is obviously not on board with this nor does he want to be caught flagrante delicto in the office (which could be inevitable, as Desk Desecration has become a stock plot point lately).

There is no way in hell Renata will run this company and she will make Elisa pay for that if she can.

Isn't Sonia Eugenio's wife? This triangle will end badly whether she is or not.
 

Terrific and great snark, Adrianna! Thanks!

"expect for me to repeat this phrase A LOT – new drinking game?" Chug a lug!! LOL!

Marcelo = nice bod but a masterfully bad haircut, dude.

"(beginner’s mistake, Sonia!)" Sheesh! O.K., Sonia's got to be a few fries short of a Happy Meal, especially if she thinks Marcelo is anything special and has allowed herself to be pimped out to Geño for the likes of him. As for Geño, I wonder how he found Dario and if Dario was a sort of recogido along the way. Personality traits seem so similar, it begs the question.

Two Cats/Elvira: Glad you were finally able to watch this all the way through. I hate it when I fall asleep or miss the first few minutes, myself.

Diana/Adrianna: I think I will chug each time Leo repeats to Elisa that he only wants to help her.

Kirby:
"the only one without something to hide is going to be the family dog." LOL! I wouldn't be too sure.

Urban: "There is no way in hell Renata will run this company and she will make Elisa pay for that if she can." Jarifa, Steve, Urban: ITA and it is going to be great theater! SG is playing her role to perfection. Shall we consider her disease as possibly Schizophrenia? The shower scene gave me that idea.

 

From yesterday: Talking about the comparative age of actors in their roles, there is an article about that very phenomenon in The Daily Mail
today.
 

Adriana, you haven't lost your touch for writing such outstanding recaps filled with your humorous sides; THANK YOU

First of all, Sonia is Eugenio's wife and Renata is indeed schizo which, ITA, she is really playing the part well. One of my favorite scenes was Renata's "need to breed" (thanks, Kirby) right there in the office. I can imagine her in a stockholder meeting and telling everyone, "Wait! I gotta a need!" and jumping on the table pulling at Marcelo! Boy, would they get an eyeful and something to take notes about LOL

Victoria is sure to be hiding something; and Kirby, I also noticed that she was getting rid of Aug's clothes too soon. I don't, however, think that she would kill Aug and Julia. If Leo's theory is right that Julia was killed elsewhere and moved to Aug's car, would she be strong enough to drag Julia's body?

I almost choked on an animal cracker when Fer told Elisa that "he (Aug) would have never cheated on Victoria, especially not with such a young woman." So does she consider herself an old fogie?



 

CATS, looking forward to your comments, I'm glad you watched the whole show last night.

DIANA, I'm sure Suzana Gonzales is having a lot of fun, too. I bet there are a lot of bloopers, too bad novelas never show them.

URBAN, I wondered if Renata threw away all of her meds, too, not only the birth control. Why else would she act so crazy so suddenly?
Desk desecration - I will never forget this expression, I love it.

JARDINERA, for now Sonia doesn't seem to be too smart. Married to a despicable man, who is also much older - and going for Marcelo, who I find rather good looking (the actor, not the character, but it rubs off), who is such a looser. If we were to start a casualties list, I wouldput her at the top.

RGV, thanks for confirming that Sonia is married to Eugenio, I wasn't sure.
Victoria could have an accomplice, I'm sure that she wouldn't dirty her pretty hands with actually doing any of the dirty work... or who knows, time will tell.

More later, teh kids are screaming for me! Aye, aye...
 

Adriana Noel, Merci for the snappy recap. C'estmagnifique, cher.

Wow, we have certainly been plunged into a nest of vipers.

Elisa 's constant expression of fear and panic must leave Angie exhausted at the end of the day. However, The actor playing Leo seems to always have a deer caught in the headlights expression. He seems to stand very still and stares in most scenes. ..very laid back . Maybe I focus on facial expressions and movement because I don't understand the dialogue and have to rely on visual clues to know what is happening . Good galans tend to be more animated and dynamic .

I agree that Susana can definite!y bring both the BSC and the sweet depending on her part. She always adds to the drama whether for good or evil . Speaking of evil, I have to have a new septic system installed . Yikes .

The writers are making Victoria look guilty , so maybe that is a red herring and she isnt.

In a recent show, we used the euphemism " moving the sofa' when two characters leaped off the sofa when the woman's beau entered the room while they were entangled . Maybe for this show , we need to use " moving the desk or something. Let's work on tbat.

I really can not take Uncle Rug seriously because he looks so ridiculous . ..not scary.

This show is filled with despicable folks. Here we go...
 

Great recap, Adriana. Thanks!

Can’t say I’m shocked by Marcelo’s AND Fernanda’s true colors. And Sonia....if you’re gonna cheat, try not to make it so obvious.

Renata doesn’t have the faintest idea of what she’s doing. There’s no way she can just take over the company like that. Surely Victoria would have a say being Augusto’s wife and all. Isn’t there a will somewhere that needs reading?

I wonder what Victoria will say about her car being seen on the surveillance footage.

I certainly don’t like seeing Majo being used as bait and I hope she’s freed soon.
 

TF, great point about the will! Nobody mentioned it and this should be a huge plot point. Victoria did mention the other day that who runs the business next should be her decision, I think she's part-owner, and that's why Elisa is in charge.

The fact that Victoria has been "discovered" so early maybe means that she was only following Augusto out of jealousy. I don't think she killed him, it has to be more complicated than that.

Susanlynn, Elisa seems to have forgotten completely about her NY life. No friends calling her to ask when she'll be back from her birthday celebration, no employees wondering about their next paycheck? Better yet, no bland boyfriend who turns out bad, then turns out creepy, then goes psycho on half the cast? Or maybe, as you said, she's in such a constant state of fear and panic, that NY is the last thing on her mind right now.
 

We have been seeing 'New' style bad guys and good guys a bit too, where, unlike old TN bad guys who were satanic evil through and through, some of the new bad guys are bad, but they have one shining redeeming good quality which is always a head scratcher. And regrettably some of the new good guys are more like real people, with scads of good, and one glaring bad.

So I am hopeoing that Dario is a new style bad guy who has a heart down in that pit of darkness and develops some even trivial affection for Majo and saves her from his coworkers. When Majo was sick he seemed to be actually concerned about her a teensy bit, aside from her value as a business investment to his group of henchmen.

TF: " And Sonia....if you’re gonna cheat, try not to make it so obvious." yeah she ain't too good at the hiding, but she looks to excell in the actual cheating part.

Can't really blame Mop Top for turning Loopy's generous deskapade offer down, there could be lipstick where there shouldn't be lipstick.
 

Kirby: I KNEW Victoria was a snake a long time ago based on her Body Language & actions including her mannerisms.

 

Adrianna, yep, Elisa had a thriving life, career and business which screeches to a halt and is in suspended animation. TNs do that to us all the time and we go along like the Bunraku puppeteers in plain sight on stage, who are 'invisible'.
 

ADRIANA...So good to see you back in the Recapper's Saddle. Most impressive when you have two little ones at home screaming for your attention. Like Kirby, my favorite quote was this:

Some scenes are combined, others are condensed, these people talk too much, and it’s hard to keep up.

Definitely a lot of chatter in this show. Punctuated by long silences where people look distraught or puzzled. Oh well. Won't be able to keep up with this on a regular basis, we're expecting the arrival of a new baby momentarily, but did want to welcome you back, my friend, and tell you how much I appreciated your recap.
 

KIRBY, I'm keeping a close eye on Dario, too, there is something about him that makes me think he's not all bad. You put it very well when describing the new good guys and bad guys - they've all turned into different shades of grey, which is closer to real-life people. Gone are the days of the abnegada protagnista and the gulible galan, which is not too bad.
 

OT..oh, judyb, a new baby ..how wonderful. what number is this ?
 

Not a HUGE number SUSANLYNN...only No. 4 and undoubtedly the last one. But still, not complaining. Very happy to have had these blessings.
 

Adriana noel, simply funny filled
Recap.

Somebody actually married tio rug. I wonder how he would look with his rug...I mean his hair back Off his face? probly not much of an
Improvement. Maybe sonia loved him
For his technique, whatever the hell that was. When he grabbed her
Around the neck she should have grabbed him in the family jewels and sweezed til he sounded like an opera singer on helium, Ouch!!!

Ranata- Sometimes I say some folk should not be a parent. She one of
Them folk. No way love had anything
To do with that union. And that ovary should say, "No Im not going to meet that sperm and this woman is stark raving mad, she aint gonna
Be my momma." This brings the silly out of us at times. But really she should not be a mother.

Im really hoping that dario comes to majo's rescue cuz ol geezer guy
Is overly horny. Somebody needs to
Come to her rescue.Now!!!

So papa augusto was planning on leaving vicky for the secretary.
Who's friends with elisa. Wow havin your dad doin the deed with your bff. Now thats a lifetime movie.
And yes she tells her bff a lie with a straight face.(is she her best friend?) Some people Have lying down to an art form. This tn is full of characters like that.

Yeah vicky is getting rid of her hubby's clothes so fast. Some wives
Want to hold on til they turn to rags not the vic, "git them rags out of my house". The girls didn't
Notice momma packin up dad's things to go to the goodwill in the ghetto
Mall on The southside of town?

How is elisa gonna talk her way out of getting caught coming out of dead fiance's bedroom. Kissing doesnt come to mind.

Ok back to work.

Adriana Noel thank you. Lovely recap darling. Simply lovely.


 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Kirby, you just coined a great new word: >deskapade.

We need to use this one for couplings that don't quite qualify as desecrations.
 

Yes, kirby, deskapade is a good one for office bunnyhoping .
 

:-) :-)
 

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