Caray, Caray!

Loli

Hello Loli Patio followers! I am back online after taking a few much needed days off, away from the TV and computer. Thank you so much novelera and dondi356 for the recaps at the end of last week. I enjoyed reading everyone's comments!

I will recap tonight's episode #50, the Half-Way point to the end of this novela! Recap will be up late morning West Coast time.
 

Loli
Monday: Episode #50
Part 1 (some scenes combined for clarity or ignored for my sanity) 😊

Paulina and Jessica are having breakfast. Jess is over the moon after seeing Billie Eillish in concert the night before. Paulina is fake in asking if they should do something nice for Karen and maybe have her and Rafa over for dinner? Jess is quick to call out her mother’s hypocrisy but agrees to try and get along with Chente and gives the green light for forced family fun.

Selma, Art and Mati are having breakfast, Mati needs to rush off to work. Selma continues to think Art is her late husband and when Jack, the nurse, arrives she insists that Mati and Jack kiss goodbye since they are married. Mati tells Jack to go with it, gives a quick kiss to Jack to Selma’s delight and Art’s concern.

At Chisme HQ the gossip girls are talking about the fight in the hallway at the hospital between Don Rogelio and Salvador. (Is it me or is Lupe more annoying every episode?). Melissa arrives with more cupcakes baked in the non-horny, regular oven. She tries to get the goods on Terrible’s condition while trying to cheer up Rox, who doesn’t take a cupcake because they are Terrible’s favorites and now he can’t even eat one. Mel gets the idea to visit Terrible in the hospital and take him cupcakes.

In several ridiculous scenes, Mel finds the first patient all wrapped up like a mummy and assumes he is Terrible, feeds him cupcakes and declares herself “hired” as his personal nurse. (The Loli patio knows that I work at a hospital so I am sure you all felt my huge eyeroll over this poor attempt at humor).

Cousin Carol makes sure she is a biotch again with Sam, jealous over the concert photos uploaded by Jessica and Sam. Joaquin (Kino, because I can’t figure out the correct spelling of his name) tells them he is back in theater and doesn’t care what his dad thinks.

In a terrific display of compassionate parenting, Norita and Loli comfort Nicky and work well together to keep him calm after he fell during dance practice. Looks like things are going better now that Norita has calmed down and Loli is getting the hang of being a mom.

In some office dramatics, we find out that Don Rogelio really doesn’t run the company and thanks to Karen and her passive-aggressive movidas, the board of directors has decided to hire Salvador, despite he and Rafa’s recommendations against it. Loli has a bit of a melt down when she finds out, Rafa to Karen’s disgust, leaves the meeting to comfort Loli. Loli of course has diarrhea of the mouth and won’t let Rafa explain anything. (How these two will ever end up together is a complete mystery to me, the patio and probably the writers).


 

Loli #50
Part 2
Karen the traitor, calls to tattle on what is going on at Global Radio to her handler, Chente. Later, Salvador is very clear with her that the only reason he returned was to get Loli back and that way Karen has a clear pathway to Rafa. (At least Salvador has her pegged).

Octavio and Sam have sprung Gabriel out of the orphanage for the weekend and are at Octavio’s. Sam’s excuses herself to the restroom and Gabriel ask Octavio for a few minutes of privacy with his “girlfriend” (awwww). After giving him a lecture on respecting Sam, Octavio leaves. Gabriel offers Sam a snack and juice and they kiss. Unfortunately, the kiss brings Sam back to the bad memories of being drugged by Gus and Pete and she runs out of the apartment.

Later, Octavio and Gabriel have a great father/son discussion. Gabe assumes Sam wants nothing to do with him because he is homeless. Octavio sets him straight about the situation and respecting women. Octavio tells Gabriel that Sam went through some heavy stuff with another guy, to give her space and support. He is sure Sam will tell Gabo everything. (I think both Gabe and Octavio and getting more handsome each episode).

Paulina and Angie are unpacking the gourmet food purchased for dinner that night. Paulina tries to ask how things are going with Rafa, Karen and Loli. Angie tells her to stop already and focus on her upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Pau admits that she cares about Chente, but is marrying him in an effort to clean up her reputation.

Rox allows Cesar back in to her apartment and he tells the very heartfelt story about why he married this woman for his “papers.” He confesses that he never thought any woman would truly love him and he fell in love with Rox the first time he heard her on the radio. (If we had to suffer through some of the Rox and TC conversations, at least Cesar might finally have a happy ending).

Pauline, Slimeball and Jess are having force family fun dinner. Jess askes Chente what his daughters think of him remarrying and where is he planning on living? Chente evades the question and drops the bomb perhaps they could all leave LA and live in another city or even country. None of this goes over well with Jess who says she want to stay close to her dad. Jess leaves the table with a call from Sam who needs her. In frustration later Pauline tells Chente not to make decisions without consulting her first. (Adan is just a call away Paulina).

 

Loli - #50
Part 3
Loli is having a conversation with Mariana’s picture next to her while lying on the bed contemplating why Salvador was brought back into her life. She tells the picture that maybe it is Mariana, trying to guide her life, like the picture with Octavio in Las Vegas (ah ha!!).

In an interesting discussion, Loli finds an interactive Mariana phone video entitled emergency use in case of despecho. Mariana explains that she has only fallen in love once in her life and it broke her heart so singing karaoke songs of despecho will help both Loli and Sam one day when their love lives go astray. Loli plays the part of the announcer to the very bad singer Mariana. Both sing together as Loli tries to make sense out of everything, all the while missing her very best friend.

Rafa and Karen are having a drink at his apartment. Rafa is annoying Karen with his continued Loli/Salvador comments. She instead wants to focus on what they are going to do that weekend. She wants to get up early and go running, he prefers breakfast in bed. Karen does want to invite her best friend over for dinner one of the nights. They kiss, but Rafa is only thinking about the times he has kissed Loli. He says, after that beso, I will say yes to anything you ask. Karen, not missing an opportunity say “how about you marry me?” Rafa says, well maybe not everything you ask.








 

Loli

This recap seems very light on details as my CC’s on Telemundo are still not working correctly so I think I missed a lot of key things especially with the Loli/Mariana picture and video discussion. I refused to watch or recap the Bruno/Mel stuff. I was also VERY distracted once I saw the commercial for the new novela with William Levy, hubba, hubba! Can’t wait for that one! 😊

 

loli

VVS, please remember your pathetic salary as a Caray, Caray recapper and NEVER apologize for your recaps. And I LOVED your recap. It was Snarktastic. So many, many great asides: "At least Salvador has her pegged", and especially "Adan is just a call away", "Chisme HQ".

Yes, indeedy, the Paulina/Vicente relationship is SO doomed. Jessica can't stand him and has no intention of leaving her father.

I was confused about the scene with Rox and Cesar. I replayed it and still didn't understand. So the woman he married was a neighbor in their hometown. But one of them would have had to have legal status, perhaps even citizenship to legalize the status of the person they married. At first I thought he was saying she was in the US first and married him for his ability to legally stay. And then later I thought the reverse...that he married her when he was already legal to do her a favor. He did say he never thought he'd have true love so he might as well do the sham marriage. But I know he told Rox after she overheard him on the phone that he did it for papeles.

Really, really tired of Karen. She keeps trying harder and harder to land Rafa and she's different from most other women in novelas in being consistently sweet.

The hospital scene was more than eyerolling..it was ghastly. Now we know why they had Terrible bandaged up to the max. Melissa was shoving cupcakes into the poor guy's mouth and babbling on. And she was practically falling out of the top of that sundress she wore for her "job interview". And the sexy nurse costume. And Bruno insisting on no enemas. Melissa keeps showing up at Global Radio as if she hadn't been fired. That just does not happen.
 

Loli

Thank you novelera, I appreciate your continued words of encouragement! I really couldn’t follow the Rox/Cesar conversation either and without the CC, I don’t know who married who first for the papers.

I keep hoping Karen is a double agent working for Don Rogelio because I do like her (not her outfits).
Bruno and Mel are ridiculous and tiresome.

 

Loli

Thanks so much, VVS, for this fine recap. I second noverlera’s words. Your recap was better written and much more entertaining than the actual episode.

Can this get any worse? Don’t answer….

I wondered about Cesar’s timeline, too, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back and look.

“Loli of course has diarrhea of the mouth” It’s become a chronic condition.

Watching Lupe is worse than getting an enema.

Octavio, Gabe and the William Levy promo were the highlights of the hour.

Hoping they restore some sanity to this show soon.

VVS, I’m sorry you had to recap this. Thanks for taking the hit for the patio.

dondi356

 

loli

Thanks very much, VVS, for this fine recap. I found myself drifting off while watching the episode (yes, I was tired, but that was NOT the only reason). As a result, there was a lot I learned about from your recap--including, believe it or not, the very end.

Like novelera, I loved your asides and overall snark, as in "her handler, Chente," "force family fun dinner," and "(How these two will ever end up together is a complete mystery to me, the patio and probably the writers)."

I think you're right about the relationship between Pau and Chente being doomed. She's apparently not even in love with him, and he's in love only with himself. I enjoyed your aside "(Adan is just a call away Paulina)." Though he does look to be almost young enough to be her son. Perhaps she and Rafa will get back together. That might make Jess happy, and she deserves to be happy. And then Loli and Octavio....
Well, yes, I'm still hoping.

Only birdbrain Melissa could mistake the moderately thin guy all bandaged up for Terrible. And her treatment of him was horrendous, from simply taking him away in his wheelchair with no one noticing to force-feeding him cupcakes to reaching under the bandages to get some of his hair (at least I think that's what she was doing).

And no wonder Melissa and Bruno have no money. She must have several outfits for each day of the week. And that totally ludicrous nurse's outfit matches the ludicrousness of her thinking she can train herself to be a nurse by looking at the pictures in a book. As for the "injection" she gave Bruno....

I'm totally confused about the "board of directors" that hired Salvador. Who is on the board? Why does Rafa have a vote but not Loli? And if Rafa and Don R voted against hiring Salvador, who voted for it? Who was the man who spoke who was not one of the usual suspects? I kept thinking I should recognize him, but I didn't.

Those videos that Mariana made for Loli also are beginning to bug me. She presumably made them because she knew she was dying and wanted to help Loli as much as she could. But if she was dying, where did she get the high spirits and abundant energy she shows in many of the videos--e.g., the one last night? (And the singing was dreadful, both her's and Loli's.)

Yikes, I'm supposed to do tonight's recap. I hope the episode holds my attention better than this one did. I'm very grateful to you, VVS, for bringing me up to speed with your recap.
 

Loli

Hi Juanita, yes last night was a bit of a snoozer, I had to play back many scenes just to get in a decent recap. Glad it helped you.

I also hope that Rafa and Pauline get together again. I think it was Chente always lurking in the shadows playing best friend who pulled Paulina away. I know it takes two to tango, but…
I got the impression that the board of directors are the same ones who fired Chente in the first place. I don’t think they have ever done a close up or had one talk until last night. I don’t think Rafa is on the board and Loli was late (or was pulled out of) to the meeting because Nicky injured himself at dance practice. I just don’t understand why Don Rogelio has to follow their decisions. They didn’t seem to be around when he rehired Loli.

I have wondered why Mariana just didn’t tell Loli when she was alive all these important things? Part of the dialogue I had to re-watch several times was between Loli and Mariana both saying that neither one could sing but they did it anyway.

Mel and Bruno, you know my feelings there. 😊 I too hope for a Loli/Octavio pairing. This Salvador is just a ringer for more Chisme for the gossip girls.

Your recaps are always incredible Juanita! I look forward to your take on everything tonight!


 

OT

I also enjoyed the Wm. Levy preview. I never saw the original Cafe con Aroma de Mujer nor the Uni remake, Destinando Amor with Yáñez and Angélica Rivera. So the plot would be new to me. Levy doesn't make my heart go pitty-pat as much as some galanes. I like them with dark hair and eyes, like Colunga and our current hottie, Octavio.
 

More OT

Do we think the new novela with Levy will be shown at 9PM or 10PM? Since I'm not watching Frida I have no idea whether it will be longer or shorter than Loli. And Telemundo did their usual crap by starting both on the same night, plus the earlier Exatlón. I hate when they do that.
 

loli, frida

novelera, I think it's more likely that Cafe con Aroma de Mujer will be shown at 10, replacing Buscando a Frida. I say this primarily because, according to the Telenovela Database Wikia, Buscando a Frida has 80 episodes, while La Suerte de Loli has 100 (sigh). Since both novelas started on the same date, it's likely that Frida is closer to the end than Loli.
 

La Suerte de Loli - #51 - p 1 de 4

It's Saturday morning. Loli is in bed. There's a progam on the radio to wake everyone up. Loli turns the radio off. She wants to hear nothing from Global Radio. She just wants to sleep. But she doesn't sleep. She goes downstairs. Nicky and Domingo are already up. Loli asks about Nicky's knee and takes a look. It's almost all better. Loli announces that she's planning to go visit Terrible (CT) in the hospital. Domingo asks whether he can go with her--he's never met anyone famous. She tells him CT will be bandaged head to toe, but if Domingo wants to come, he can. Octavio and Gabe arrive. Gabe wants to see Sam. Loli greets Octavio at the door with a hug, giving her a chance to whisper to him not to say anything about her being arrested. No one there knows. Octavio enters and hugs Nicky.

Rafa comes by. He tells Loli that he tried to prevent Salvador's being hired. [Did Rafa come by just to tell her this?] She's somewhat cold to him. She tells him to enjoy Saturday with his novia. He leaves.

Domingo and Octavio are alone for a few moments. Domingo tells him "I get the feeling you like Loli." Octavio predictably replies, "What are you talking about?"

At Mati and Art's, Art tells Selma that Mati is his husband. She doesn't believe him. Art and Mati talk about Lorenzo, the wedding planner. Art feels that Lorenzo doesn't want to work with them. For some reason I don't understand, Mati insists that "If we can't have him, we won't do it."

Gabe and Sam talk. Both apologize to each other for the way they acted the last time they saw each other. Gabe says he shouldn't have kissed her without her consent. Sam first says that Gabe caught her off guard, and she assures him he did nothing wrong. She's worried that Gabe may think badly of her. He tells her she's the coolest girl he knows. She then opens up and tells him she had a bad experience. Gabe understands, and he tells her he'll proceed slowly and be more careful. [The scene was really a lot better than I'm presenting it, but I don't have time to go back and try to capture exactly what they said and did. I actually found it quite moving.]

Karen has come to see Vicente. He tells her, "You must be thrilled that Salvador is working at Global Radio." Karen replies, "I came here to thank you. I don't know how you convinced the board, but you did." Vicente smugly tells her that he still has some influence. Karen lets him know that when his radio station is up and running, she'll be happy to help. Vicente then remarks, "Good luck with Salvador. You'll need it." Karen replies, "I know how to deal with people who can't be tamed." "That's why I want you on my team," Vicente tells her. He continues, "Wouldn't it be great if we were best man and maid of honor at a Loli-Salvador wedding?"

Domingo and Loli arrive at the hospital. Domingo doesn't like hospitals. "In that case, why did you come?" asks Loli. He tells her, "I wanted to spend time with you, and I want to tell you something important,something that will change your life." Before he can continue, Salvador appears. He too was coming to see Terrible. By the time he leaves them, Domingo has either forgotten what he wanted to tell her or has lost his nerve. He does tell Loli that he thinks Octavio is a good person and is in love with her. Loli is enraged. "Do you know the mess Octavio has got me in? I'm going to have to tell Nicky, and it will change his life.
 

La Suerte de Loli - #51 - p 2 de 4

Melissa has also come to the hospital and is visiting again with the bandaged man she mistakenly thinks is Terrible. He has fewer bandages, but his head is still almost completely covered. Melissa pushes him into a chair, not realizing how much pain she is causing him. She talks about charging people to come to see him! The guy keeps moaning and growling and trying to protest.

Juaquín is at Jess's house to rehearse. Paulina comes into the room and introduces herself to Juaquín. He's visibly charmed. After Pau leaves, Juaquín tells her he thinks her mother is cool. Jess replies, "When she's not drunk."

Mati and Art have called Lorenzo. He tells them, "I can't deal with indecisive people like you unless you're rich or famous." [Why Mati has any wish to deal with this guy is beyond me.] Mati tells Art he will do the shopping while Art stays with his mother. Mati asks Jack to come with him. Of course, Art is worried.

The scene shifts to Rafa's place. Karen is there with her friend Bere, who has been eager to meet him. Bere comments to Rafa that yes,"Karen has always been very organized. Did she tell you she has her wedding all planned out? She did that at age 12. At age 14, she had names picked out for her kids, one for a boy, one for a girl." Karen tells Rafa to relax, "I don't spend all my time thinking about that." Bere pipes up: "No, only 23 hours out of 24." Rafa goes into the kitchen to get away from the wedding talk and to see about the drinks. When he's gone, Bere comments, "He's perfect! There must be something wrong. His feet smell? He has only 9 fingers?" Karen says that yes, he does have something wrong, "and she has a name and a surname."

Rox surprises Cesar by coming to his restaurant during the day. Rox notices that he seems very nervous. He tells her, "I thought we were going out tonight." Rox is probably not fooled, and Viewerville certainly isn't when another woman comes up to Cesar and tells Rox, "I am Cesar's wife, and I want you to leave him alone." In just as warm and friendly a voice, Rox tells her, "Cesar isn't your jusband and never was." "I have a document that says it's so," replies the wife. Turning to Cesar, she asks, "Did you explain how bad it would be for you if I reported you? You'd lose your ability to stay here." Rox doesn't back down: "It's a crime called fraud if you married him just so he could get his papers." The wife replies, "I don't care what happens to me. If I lose Cesar, I'll make him suffer."

Jess and Juaquín are still at Jess's house. Jess is worried about Juaquín's father. Juaquín tells her, "I'll take the risk to do what I like. And I'm not talking just about the play." He kisses her. [Somewhat to my surprise and relief, she doesn't freak out as Sam had done. She simply looks very happy.

Gabe is back at Octavio's. He tells Octavio that he took Octavio's advice about Sam, and things went well. Suddenly, Roberto (aka Divina) appears. He looks at Gabe and observes, "You're so good-looking!" Octavio advises Roberto to get along better with Romeo. Roberto leaves, and Apolo comes to see Octavio. Apolo is worried that Octavio will get into trouble because of Roberto. Octavio tells Apolo that he has applied to be a foster parent for Gabe and Christie.

Melissa brings to her house the person she assumes is Terrible (let's call him MM for Mystery Man). She is planning to have MM stay with them. Bruno doesn't think this is a good idea. Melissa explains that MM doesn't get along with his family and needs a place to stay. Bruno finds it strange that a guy with so much money would need to stay with them.
 

La Suerte de Loli - #51 - p 3 de 4

Loli asks Salvador what he has in mind for his podcast. Something new or the same old same old? Salvador tells her he's thinking of something new: he wants Loli to participate on the podcast. She is emphatically not interested.

Vicente is sitting on the couch working with his laptop. Paulina wonders what he is doing. He accuses her of being inquisitive, but then he tells her he was looking for honeymoon locales. He wanted it to be a surprise. Pau is more concerned with getting her career back on track. The book she spent a year on won't be published, her blog has no new entries, and her conferences have been cancelled. Vicente tells her she'll be the superstar of his radio station. Pau asks, "The station you no longer plan to base in Los Angeles, right?" Vicente tells her, "I just want to get away from everything and everyone. It's what's best for both of us, right?" He returns to the idea of a honeymoon. Paulina mentions a number of honeymoon-type places that don't turn her on.

Jess tells Juaquín she's glad he has stayed in the drama group. She likes rehearsing with him. He kisses her. Vicente and Pau watch them at a distance. Vicente says, "She's in love." Paulina doesn't think so. [Hmm...I would have expected Pau to be more sensitive to Jess's feelings than Vicente.]

Octavio and Gabe are talking, though Octavio is also looking at his computer. Suddenly his face falls. He has received word that his request to be a foster parent has been turned down. Gabe asks whether something is the matter. Octavio says no, it's just that a supplier isn't going to be able to get them what they need.

In spite of her lack of enthusiasm for Salvador's idea for the podcast, Loli finds herself taking part in the podcast rehearsal. She tells Salvador that he can't say just anything in front of the microphone. Salvador claims you can't be afraid of the mic. Fear kills creativity. Loli maintains that some people use "creativiity" for other purposes, such as cancelling a wedding on the air. "So you're against free expression," he says. They argue about "free expression," and then Salvador weasels out with, "I'm all in favor of controversy and debate. Let's have some music, and then we'll be back."

Romeo complains to Octavio that Divina is driving him crazy. Octavio goes down to the bar to deal with the situation. As soon as he's gone, Gabe goes over to the computer and sees the rejection letter Octavio had received. "What will happen to Christie and me?" he wonders.

The Mystery Man is eating a lot of Melissa's food. He can now make himself somewhat understood, and he explains, "It's hard to eat when you're out on the street." Bruno is unhappy that MM is eating all their food. Melissa asks MM how much he's going to pay her. MM says "I've already told you, I have no money." Bruno and Melissa laugh in disbelief. Melissa says something about the bed in the guestroom, and MM asks, "I'm going to sleep in a real bed?" He's clearly nobody's fool. It doesn't take him long before he asks, "How much would you like to make?"

Sam contacts Loli. "They've turned Octavio down. Please help me with Gabe."

Mel feeds MM, whom she now fondly calls "Teri." Carol asks, "Isn't it a bit surprising that a millionaire has nowhere to live?" Her parents note that he hasn't paid a cent. Couldn't he pay a little in advance? "Juice," he says. "I want juice!"
 

La Suerte de Loli - #51 - p 4 de 4

Salvador does his podcast. He talks about how nostalgic he feels to be back. He tells his listeners, "I want to do something different. But necessary. I want to apologize to Global Radio for how things happened ten years ago. I want to apologize to the listeners for leaving as I did. But above all, I want to apologize to a woman, a woman I was going to marry who I publicly hurt, and for which I am very sorry. Loli, forgive me. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry. Can we start over?" A stunned Loli stares at him and finally says "Cut" as the episode ends.
 

Loli
Thank you, Juanita, for the terrific recap to enjoy with a cup of coffee during a break at work. I thought you covered everything with great detail. The interaction with Gabe and Sam was very positive. I think Gabe is a nice young man and Octavio coached him well.
Maybe Mati is just star-struck by the clients Lorenzo has and wants to be part of the show? For the first time, I agree with Art on this one.

Did you get the impression, for just a second, that Vicente was asking for payback from Karen (in getting the board to hire Salvador) in a more lecherous way then her just joining his non-existent radio station? Why is he always wearing a turtleneck in the heat?

I do think Rafa just came by the house to see Loli in person and was surprised by the nice family gathering that included Octavio. I don’t know what he expected, he made it clear he is with Karen. Karen’s friend was definitely making Rafa uncomfortable.

I am glad Rox stood her ground with the “wife” of Cesar. As novelera mentioned yesterday, I am not sure how that whole situation happened, this wife must be a US citizen to think she has so much power.

I think it is funny that Divina/Roberto is getting under Romeo skin. Octavio is good at drawing boundaries because Roberto is certainly one to push them.

Is it possible that Loli and Octavio will team up to foster Gabe and Christe? Loli does have her other apartment sitting there unused.

Poor Loli gets humiliated once again on air by Salvador. I would “cut” him too!

Got to get back to work. Thanks again Juanita!


 

loli

Thanks very much, VVS, for these great comments. And special thanks for doing this on your work break!

I confess that it occurred to me that Vicente might be wanting more from Karen, but I'm not yet sure. Vicente's motives are usually made pretty apparent, at least to Viewerville, so perhaps we'll soon get some clearer evidence.

Speaking of Karen, I wonder about her friend Bere. As you say, she made Rafa uncomfortable, and it's hard to believe she didn't realize that. Indeed, I find it hard to believe she didn't somehow intend that. And when Karen tries to downplay what Bere had said, Bere just compounds it. I don't know where the writers are going with Bere.

Like you and novelera, I'm confused about the Cesar/Dulce situation.

I've disliked Salvador from the start, and I'm hoping that his embarrassing podcast last night is his last. Though somehow I doubt that it will be.

I really like your suggestion that perhaps Loli and Octavio will team up to foster Gabe and his sister. And I'm still holding out hope that Octavio will turn out to be the bio dad of Nicky and/or Sam, giving the team an even bigger family.
 

loli

Wonderful recap, Juanita. You got it all and with excellent descriptions!

I also thought Rafa saw Octavio when he came to Loli's house. Didn't Rafa mention going dancing to Loli after he saw the competition sitting there in Loli's living room? I was hoping for a salsa dancing scene. I love salsa and can do well providing the guy is a good lead. It was funny the way Rafa told Karen that he dances like an uncle at a wedding.

I think Vicente wants Jess to be in love so she'll be less interested in putting him on the spot the way she's done in nearly every conversation.

Melissa/Bruno/Homeless guy/Carol. Yikes! How in the hell could she just spirit that guy out of the hospital like that? With their luck, they'll end up responsible for his unpaid bill. Watching that family is like repeated slow car crashes.

I also loved Octavio's advice to Gabe and how well it worked out with Sam. If not a parent, Octavio can certainly be a big brother. I was surprised they denied his request. Viewerville sees him as a good influence on both Gabriel and Christie. I suppose the bureaucrats only see him as a single man owning a male stripper bar.

Someone better at math than I am could do a formula. How many episodes does it take, on average, for a big secret to finally be revealed to the person most affected? We had, IIRC, at least a week between Octavio finding out he wasn't the bio dad and Loli also finding out. Back in the day with the older Uni novelas, a secret could last until the last week, right before the wedding.
 

loli

Thanks very much, novelera, for your terrific comments. Yes, I think Rafa saw Octavio when he came to Loli's house, which is probably why he didn't try to stay. And I think he did mention going dancing. Like you, I was hoping for a salsa dancing scene. Had there been one, I'd definitely have included it. I'm embarrassed to admit that my only experience with salsa dancing was a few years ago, when my husband and I visited Cuba. We took advantage of the offer of a salsa dance lesson. If you're going to make a fool of yourself, it's best done in a country where no one knows you :-).

I really like your explanation for Vicente's saying that Jess is in love. That fits perfectly with his personality!

You have a wonderful way with words. You nailed it with "Watching that family is like repeated slow car crashes."

And yes, I've continually been impressed with how quickly Telemundo novelas tend to resolve problems/reveal secrets, etc. Like you, I was struck by the difference between Telemundo and the Univision novelas I recall from back in the day. I have no idea whether current Uni novelas are different. I just know that I really like the speed in Telemundo's.
 

Loli

Thanks for a great recap, Juanita. I enjoyed reading. It was very helpful as I find my mind wandering at time.

I thought this was a slight improvement over the past few eps. Still too much of the family that won’t be named. "Watching that family is like repeated slow car crashes.", was very good, novelera. And why do they need to put Lupe in every episode?

Sam and Gabe were nice to watch.

Bere is a headscratcher. No idea why she’s here.

Vicente still has influence with a board that fired him? And Rogelio owns the company but has none? Ok.

Vicente wished Karen good luck with Sal. Will they end up as a couple? That would be ok with me.

When Vicente was “working” on his laptop he was looking at info on Sal.

Is Mati trying to stall the vow renewal?

As for Cesar, Rox and his “marriage”, I went back to the episode where he explained. He told her they were neighbors before she came to the US. He also decided to cross the border and she offered to marry him to get him papers and make him legal. I just assumed she came much earlier and legally and became a citizen. He’s such a sweet and trusting guy and had no idea that she would turn into a viper.

So sad that Octavio got rejected. With Sam’s encouragement, I think Loli will help him out somehow.

The faster pace and less secret reveal time is one of the reasons I prefer Telemundo’s offerings to Uni’s.

Thanks again, Juanita!

dondi356

 

loli

Many thanks, dondi356, for your very helpful and interesting comments. I especially appreciated your account of the Cesar/Dulce timeline, and the likely explanation. And yes, Cesar is a sweet and trusting guy who never could have imagined his wife's turning into a shrew (or worse).

As for Bere, "headscratcher" is a good word. I can't believe that she has Karen's best interests at heart. Then again, they've apparently been friends since childhood. The pieces just don't fit together.

I hadn't thought about the possibility that Mati was trying to stall the vow renewal, but that makes good sense. Especially with Mati's having asked Jack to come with him to do the shopping. Art certainly noticed, and he may be right to worry. I confess, I'm not a big Mati fan. He has some fine qualities, but he's too much the busybody.

Yes, there was a lot of "the family that won't be named," but for some reason, I didn't mind it as over-the-top comedy. At least the stupidities are somewhat varied. Lupe, on the other hand, has a one-note role, and by now it's boring, Boring, BORING!
 

Loli

I never did pick up on why Karen is working with Vicente? Was she really that upset at Loli, who the guy she's been dating for 2 minutes might still be interested in? You're an adult, Karen! And attractive and successful to boot. Act like that instead of like a teenager. But to be fair to the teenagers, they are all handling life better than most of the adults.

So many other people have been hit/almost been hit by a car. Can we aim one at Salvador? I really don't like this "I did bad things a long time ago and haven't been in contact since but now I'm sorry so you should sleep with me" thing. Just kill him now. Or at least put HIM in a cast and make him live with Mel and Bruno.

What if Salvador is Sam's father? Maybe he got Mariana drunk and seduced/raped her- because she would never otherwise- and that's why she would never tell who's Sam's dad is. Too hurtful to Loli. Or something. There is such a problem with fathers on this show, it's plausible. Salvador is Sam's dad, Rodrigo is Loli's father, and Nicky's father is, dunno, Divina?

The best men on this show are strippers. And Cesar.

Kelly
 

loli

Hi Kelly. Glad to see you're following the novela and commenting. I loved your suggestion for how to deal with Salvador: Have him hit by a car and then "put HIM in a cast and make him live with Mel and Bruno." Yes!

I agree that fathers are a problem in this novela. It makes me wonder about the writers' backgrounds. However, I don't see much evidence for slimey Salvador as Sam's father. My guess is that it's Octavio. Why else have that photo of him in Las Vegas and within a few feet of Mariana and Loli? In fact, I'm still clinging to the crazy notion that the DNA test was wrong and Octavio is (also) Nicky's father. I may eventually have to give up on both of these notions, but for now, I'm sticking with them.
 

loli

Just a few lines:

Vicente talks Paulina into some sort of video. I think it’s video because of the ring light which wouldn’t be necessary if it were only audio.

Bruno steals some food from Loli’s house after he tells Nora he needs some yoghurt.

Melissa sells selfies with the bandaged guy. [Lunacy…the guy’s face is covered.]

When Rafa and Loli are chewing out Salvador for his on-air remarks about making things up to Loli, he kisses her when she gets closer to better chew him out. Slap!

Sam comes to Hunky Bar to talk to Octavio about his not getting the rights to be a foster parent.

There’s a scene I love. Rafa is the sound engineer for Salvador’s show and cuts him off with music every time he opens his mouth. Rafa’s parting shot: “Want to resign again?”

Cesar tells Rox he has a lawyer and is getting a divorce.

While Loli is in her office with Salvador, he talks her into having dinner with him.

The bandaged guy tells Melissa he’s NOT going to pay her anything. He describes dumpster diving for food when he was hit by a truck. Bruno takes off the bandages and we see Felipe’s face.

Adán comes to see Pau with flowers. Angie is there, and they try to hustle him out. Vicente comes in; and they lie that Adán is Angie’s boyfriend.

Melissa gets nasty with Felipe. He tells her he’s NOT an opportunist because he tried over and over to say he was not that Terrible, but she insisted he’d lost his memory. When she tries to throw him out, he hints that what she did was kidnapping and you go to prison for that.

Mati suggests that he and Art adopt Gabriel and Christie. Art doesn’t look thrilled.

Apolo once again rags on Octavio for worrying about Gabriel, Christie and Nicky. He goads Octavio into getting up on the stage and stripping once again, starting out with the Zorro costume we saw when Loli first came to Hunky Bar long ago.

After their dinner, Lol and Salvador talk in her Living Room. She ends up kissing him and then throwing him out.

Adán tells Vicente he’s a stripper, when Pau tries to delicately say he’s in entertainment.

Salvador suggests to Rafa, Loli, Rogelio and board member guy whose name we don’t know that they have a Latin Music festival. Something is said that I don’t understand. Board Member guy says they’ll have to ir a la segura. My dictionary says go to the safe (a place where you keep money) or they will need to be safe (as in secure). Didn’t understand.
 

Loli
What a nice surprise to find these terrific “few lines” novelera! I know your Wednesdays are super busy, so thank you for sacrificing some sleep for the rest of us!

I also enjoyed Rafa cutting off Salvador during his attempt to do his show. Loli has a good right hook slap!

I totally didn’t understand the last scene with the board guy and the plan to move forward with the Latin music project. So Rafa jumps in to take over the project so Loli doesn’t have to interact with Salvador, but I couldn’t interpret the words of her response.

I was glad to hear the potential option of Mati and Arturo adopting Gabe and Christe. Maybe they really just want to be foster parents, but I liked the idea as Selma seemed better and the teens might be a good distraction for her as well.

I agree with you Kelly that Salvador should be the one hit by a car and forced to live with Mel and Bruno. Gosh I sure hope he isn’t Sam’s dad. Mariana did talk about being in love once and it broke her heart, it better not have been with Salvador! I am in the Juanita camp that some how Octavio and Mari did hook up in Vegas and he is Sam’s dad.

Now Adan has some avocados to show up at Paulina’s house with flowers! I am glad he sort of stayed true to himself announcing that he worked as a stripper and even inviting Vicente and Pau to a night out at Hunky Bar. Chente commenting on how much older Angie was for him made me laugh.

The BEST scene was Octavio stripping off that shirt and doing the Zorro dance! I think it is the same dance he taught Nicky! 😊

Thanks again novelera! Great way to start the day.

 

loli

Wow, novelera. Muchísimas gracias for these "few lines"! I think you hit upon everything worth hitting. But to cut to the chase, I agree with VVS that the best part of the episode was Octavio's King of the Night performance at Hunky Bar. Yum!

I was happy that poor Felipe finally got the upper hand with Melissa and Bruno. They're now terrified that he could go to the police and accuse them of kidnapping and holding him against his will. As a result, he's not only sleeping in the guest room but also has M and B at his beck and call.

I winced when Loli kissed Salvador. That undid all her protestations and claims that she feels nothing for him. Arrgh, when is she going to stop acting like an immature teenager? She could at least try to be a mature teenager! Perhaps Sam can give her lessons.

The final scene puzzled me. Glad to see I'm not the only one.
 

loli

Thanks, all.

I'm pretty sure Felipe is sleeping in Melissa and Bruno's bed. That's where he was the first night, and Bruno complained of his back hurting from the guest room bed.
 

Loli

Thanks, so much, novelera. Appreciate your “few lines” that were much more than that.

Did they refer to Octavio as "The King of the Night"?

Really frustrated with Loli. Why did she kiss Sal?

I'm with you Juanita, still holding out hope Octavio is really someone's bio dad.

According to Google, “ir a la segura” = “play it safe” Does that make more sense?

dondi356

 

loli

Thanks, dondi, for the definition. I'm sure tonight's episode will clear up what "playing it safe" means with regard to a music festival. This whole novela was filmed and/or takes place prior to the pandemic, so it can't mean that.