Caray, Caray!

Jarifa - Thank you for another great issue of Notes from the Couch. You got the important stuff!

I am convinced Sara is really Dante's daughter, too, based on his reaction to the attack on her.

"If he is violent with one woman, he is capable of being violent with any woman. (BEST PSA of the novela so far)"
Run, Paloma, Ruuuuunnnnn!!!!!

"Pedro .... tells her he never wanted Henry to do this to her"
- Pedro's comment to an unconscious Sara was interesting. The CCs were spotty but it definitely sounded to me like he didn't want (quería) Henry to be quite that brutal in his attack. Sara definitely go the worst of it. I am sick to my stomach that Pedro would have ordered this. I believe he is rotten to the core, but could not have imagined quite that rotten. Especially because he was trying to convince her, minutes before the attack, 'how much he loves her' or STTE.

Did the thugs steal their car, too? Why? There was no car when Juan & Dante found them.

I really wanted to see Juan beat the cr@p out of Simón and felt cheated.

Julieta definitely shows all Telenovela Rules symptoms of pregnancy. I thought she was going to barf into the potted plant, too. LOL It is probably Jaun's. Was that his back tattoo in the flashback? And I thought Sara had been in town longer than that. Time flies when you're having fun.
 

doris, yes, the thugs stole the SUV, too, so they were left without wheels! I am keeping my fingers crossed for your potential BINGO. They could easily announce that Sara is in a COMA in her current condition. I also agree with you on Pedro's referral to what Henry had done to Sara. It was hard to see who exactly it was but it did look more like Juan than Mateo.
 

Jarifa, not “just” notes, but another exceptional recap. What a Saturday morning treat.

As Sara’s life hangs in the balance, Juan and Pedro comfort each other as they always have. Cain and Abel. In the hospital corridor, Pedro’s guilt was palpable, the looks and side eye aimed in Juan’s direction. I’m thinking he may not have known Sara’s beating would be so brutal but it’s hard to tell as Pedro acts perpetually suspicious.

Dante was utterly devastated. He would never have reacted that way unless he is Sara’s father (as some have speculated).

With everything she is coping with, Paloma is fed another cup of bitter bile realizing “If he is violent with one woman, he is capable of being violent with any woman”. (BEST PSA of the novela so far) was exactly right Jarifa. Simon is a belligerent SOB. If Modesto wasn’t there, Juan would have beaten him to a pulp. Shame.

Sev had terrible taste in women (Catalina aside). Irma should concentrate on trying to mend fences with Paloma rather than her vengeance quest against Rosa. Rosa may have told Irma’s truth, but she didn’t make her do it. Further I just cannot envision Rosa and Sev together .– at all. Berta certainly got an earful.

So Juli is feeling ill. Jarifa and doris, when we saw the flashback of her, the man she was in bed with certainly looked like Juan – not Mateo. Doris, I was confused because I didn’t see the tattoo (I thought Juan also had something on his back?). But what really made my head spin a la Linda Blair was remembering Deb urging her to sleep with Juan but didn’t think she had. In fact, I didn’t think Juan and Juli had ever been together!

Doris, you always notice the details. I didn’t even notice Pedro’s and Sara’s car was missing but you certainly did.

When Juan phoned the bros with the news of the attack, saying Sara was gravely injured, Mateo and Simon repeated her name but as though he had to clarify further, Lucas cried “my SISTER Sara?”. Despite the gravity of the situation, I had to smile.

Why does Rosa’s doorbell sound like it should be on a ship?

Jarifa, thank you for translating everything so marvelously. A fascinating read.

Diana
 

Jarifa: I'm NOT shocked Psycho Pedro ordered the attack on Goldie Locks Sara.

Juan went beast-mode on Crazy Simon.

Steve Boudreaux
 

Thanks, Jarifa, that was excellent.

I didn’t think Juli had slept with Juan. I was thinking it was Mateo just because of the way he acts towards her, like they had been lovers. But did Juan say he was going to end it with Sara because of the danger he put her in? My Spanish is sketchy so I wasn’t sure. But my thought was he’ll go back to Juli. If the baby isn’t his she might try to pass it off as his. I’ve been thinking for a while that they will break up. Just because it’s a telenovela and they can’t be together the entire run!

I also thought Pedro looked guilty. Plus he really wasn’t really hurt and Sara is at death’s door. And we know he has plans with Henry.

So is Rosa one of Sev’s conquests too? I wasn’t sure if she just told on others or was one of them. But there’s so many of them it’s comical!

Liz
 

Diana - whoever was on top of Juli I that flashback had a tattoo, maybe 6 - 8 inches wide, in the center of his back, just below the neck/collar line. The dark lighting made it difficult to see, but it was there.
We haven't seen Mateo shirtless, IIRC, so who knows? If it was Juan, they just have "done it" five minutes before Sara appeared on the scene.

Liz - "I’ve been thinking for a while that they will break up. Just because it’s a telenovela and they can’t be together the entire run!"
You are correct. It is one of the Telenovela Rules that rarely gets broken. ;-)
 

Gracias, Jarifa. You missed nothing important except...

...when Deborah got Dante's call about Sara being in hospital her reaction looked fake. Remember that she is a narcissist and narcissists are incapable of love. She has tried to create Sara in her own image, especially in her attempt at brainwashing her into seeing men as bank accounts with genitalia. She has no real regard for her feelings.

Her threats against Juan and his brothers in the hospital were over the top.

Dante's reaction definitely supports the theory that he is Sara's sperm donor and that he knows it. Even a dishonest man can love his child and he was probably in her company a lot more than Severiano was. Where does he live, anyway? We've never seen his digs.

What I think we will eventually find out is that Severiano was sterile and never knew it and that the DNA test shown by Deborah was falsified. Many men shrink at the idea of being tested for this out of fear of discovery that they can't make a woman pregnant and would therefore regard themselves as less than men if such is the case. That is probably common in the machismo culture of Mexico.

Henry must be responsible for the attack. He had his thugs go easy on Pedro deliberately so that he would also get the emotional impact of what they did to Sara. I'm sure he knows that Pedro has the hots for her. Although it looked like Sara's phone lost its charge shortly before Juan and Dante arrived at the crime scene, the thugs were careless to have left it there after taking Pedro's car. That could mean they will be equally careless next time.

More in a few.
 

Amazing recap, Jarifa! I really enjoy your Notes from the Couch and I think they qualify as full recaps.

"If he is violent with one woman, he is capable of being violent with any woman. (BEST PSA of the novela so far)" ITA, this was the best PSA.

Oh no, Juli is pregnant? This will definitely make Sara and Juan break up. Is it Juan's? I can see Juli saying that the baby is Juan's even if it isn't. Rosa would be so happy she'd start doing back-flips if Juli managed to make Juan marry her this way. Rosa is so obsessed with her children marrying del Monte's that she doesn't care if it's done with unethical ways. She's the worst.

Pedro sucks, ordering the attack on Sara. He sucks at being: a father, a (potential) boyfriend, a brother, a compañero de trabajo and a mentally healthy person. Such a waste of space on Earth!

Thanks again, Jarifa. Great recap.
 

Weirdo, you are right. Julieta will do what it takes now to convince everyone that Juan knocked her up. However, I think it is Mateo's because they did have sex at least once since the story began. We have not seen his naked back so we don't know whether he has a similar tattoo to Juan's.

Or Julieta is sufficiently divorced from reality to believe that she had vo-dee-oh-doe-doed with Juan. In all their scenes together I have the impression that this never happened. He never seemed hot to trot with her. This could be her brain figuring out what she will tell everyone when she has to say anything. Rosa will have a field day and Prospero will insist that Juan marry his pwecious widdle girl. BTW, as far as I can recall Juli knows nothing of the affair between Prospero and Deborah.

Since nobody seems to be aware that a paternity DNA test can be done during pregnancy -- this test costs around $600 in the US -- this could mean weeks of episodes over this development.

The bartender at Salvador's is Amado. We have not yet met his parents but he is Lucas' brother. Nobody else seems to know that yet.

Finally, Simon... Definitely the best PSA of this series. I wish Juan had pulverized him. Modesto will definitely have his hands full from this point on and good for Paloma to walk out on him. She can do better.

Since it's likely that Sara will spend at least a half dozen episodes in hospital I wonder whether Simon will try to kill her.
 

Urban, thanks for “Amado”. I will have to add it to my list.
 

Urban, "vo-dee-oh-doe-doed" had me laughing. This is gold.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's safer for the baby to do a paternity test after its birth, so maybe that's why the don't usually do it when the woman is pregnant. Or they just don't know that a paternity test can be done when a woman is pregnant, which is highly believable considering that the avocado trees in the del Monte company probably know more about these things than the telenovela characters.
 

This test has been around at least 20 years; it was used to get evidence in a case on a Law & Order SVU episode in 2002, so anyone who does medical research at Televisa should know about it. It is a test requiring a maternal blood sample and results are available in 3 days.
 

"vo-dee-oh-doe-doed" - Thank you for the Laverne & Shirley flashback. ;-)

If Mateo is the father of Juli's baby, then he and Juli were still going at it while she was engaged to marry Juan. Hmmm.....


I had no clue a paternity test could be done before a baby is born. The things I learn here on the Patio!


I don't think Deb is a narcissist; I believe she is a sociopath. Sociopaths(psychopaths) can be very good actors, convincing people their feelings are real.

There is a book, The Sociopath Next Door, that is a very educational read. A friend's daughter had been married to one and the family counselor suggested the book, she told me about it, I read it, and ... wow.
 

Jarifa, thanks a bunch. Riveting recap. I'm looking forward to watching, and I can skip the hospital stuff.

Enjoying everybody's comments. This TN doesn't lack for action and revelations. I hope they keep it up.

Surprise!!! Juli is feeling weak and nauseous.

Yuck, old girlfriend turning up pregnant is my least favorite storyline, along with amnesia. I can't forget that big rocket-like thing on Juan's back. I'll check if I can spot it in Julia's flashback when I watch the episode.

After last night, I do believe Dante "thinks" Sara is his hija, but I still doubt that she really is. Deb is a master manipulator.

At first, I assumed Pedro was not in on the attack, but now I don't know. I do know he never expected her to get badly hurt. Pedro, sorry (not sorry) but you are not as smart as you think you are.

Irma is visited by Deb who wants her to talk her daughter into marrying Simón. He is such a great prize! In exchange, she will help her get closer to her daughter. Irma says she isn't interested but then asks where she can find Simón.

Is Deb hoping to set up Irma to get thrown in the mud too?

Yay!, Paloma sees Simon's dark side, tries to reason with him, and is out of there when he refuses. Good going. I see redemption in his future though.

Yay!, Lucas spilled the beans and Juan went after Simon (though in real life not a good idea to leave the hospital at that time). After walloping Simon, It would've been great if Juan carried him out the door and dumped him in the dirt. I take it the wedding and Juan as best man are off.
 

About Deb, I'm not sure if she actually is some sort of psychopath. Maybe she's just evil. Or a "simple" psychopath. I don't think she's a narcissist, she's not really pretending to be kindhearted and loving. I don't think she's a sociopath either, usually sociopaths are introverted. Since she's more of an extrovert, she may be a psychopath. Or just evil.

As for the paternity tests, I think the writers won't do it to make more episodes of screaming, breaking up and having action. Most telenovelas need some logic, but if they had it, everything would be resolved faster and the episodes would drop to half.
 

Niecie - I am curious to read your take on the tattoo ID. I went back and re-watched both segments and the Juli flashback had bad lighting. The tat looked like it could be the one Juan has with that Buddha head type thing. IOW, I'm not putting money on either one. Director or film editors did that on purpose to mess with us.
 

Jarifa, thank you so Much for those notes from your couch that were actually a terrific detailed recap.

I am supposed to be doing household chores but made the mistake of dropping by the patio while I was having lunch. So how I am on my couch instead of taking out the recycling and cleaning out closets. Wow, a lot of cans full of worms have been opened.

I haven't watched the recording of this episode yet. I was watching the finale of " Amor Valient" last night which had another leading lady in a coma. She was pregnant . I decided to fast forward to the " almost barfing " scene so that I could get a look at the tattoo on the guy's back . It was very dark which made the guys hair look dark, but the tattoo was between the shoulder blades just below his neck . I deleted the recording of the episode In which Sara and Juan first bunnyhopped , but everyone when I watched it , I noticed that Juan had a lot of dark tattoos , but I didn't notice one up high between his shoulder blades. . He did have them on his arms , shoulders , chest, and in the front at the sides. I think it was Mateo , but we know that wacky, petulant , entitled Juli will insist it is Juan's , and Rosa will be ecstatic and help push a marriage to Juan to make an honest woman of her..yuck. We guessed that Juan and Juli had never slept together , but for her lie to work , they must have .

Will Simon and Mateo be more compassionate towards Sara now that she is injured and in a coma ?

Well, I really must try to get off the couch and get some chores accomplished , so I will reward myself later by watching the whole episode and reading any new comments . The pot is bubbling now. I

What does Deb gain by pushing Irma to push Pal to marry Simon ? I don't get Deb's strategies .





 

Indeed. But I have been watching these for almost 3 decades and I know their tricks.

Deborah can also be a sociopath. If Simon could learn objectivity he would remember that this dos not mean that Sara is one.
 

doris, thank you for noting that Juli's seductor had the tattoo. I was so surprised, I kept staring at the man's hair which definitely looked like Juan's. But again, I am shocked as I thought they hadn't slept together. I thought that she had made that amission to someone??

Well, if Juli tells Juan he is the father and he doesn't flinch, we'll know I am wrong.

Weirdo, thoroughly enjoyed your spot on assessment: "Pedro sucks, ordering the attack on Sara. He sucks at being: a father, a (potential) boyfriend, a brother, a compañero de trabajo and a mentally healthy person. Such a waste of space on Earth!" Exactly!!!

"After walloping Simon, It would've been great if Juan carried him out the door and dumped him in the dirt". Ohhh, that would have been something Niecie. And I laughed out loud at "I take it the wedding and Juan as best man are off". Too funny!

Diana
 

I am wondering whether Deborah was the one who heard that.

She tried to tell Juli that sex is the best weapon and Juli dismissed that advice. Could it have been in that conversation?
 

Thank you Jarifa for the notes from the couch! Awesome as always!

I can't comment on the tattoo cuz I don't remember seeing it either time, lol I must have gotten distracted - I tend to play games on my phone and watch at the same time.

Berta fainting was funny! I wonder what she'll do/say now that she knows the dirty details of Rosa's past?? Berta is so upright and so clearly horrified by Rosa! Maybe she should move to Casa Del Monte!! Be closer to Modesto.

I agree Niece that Simon is still headed for redemption. He insisted to both Juan and Paloma that Sara deserved it and he wasn't sorry but the look on his face right before he admitted what he did to Paloma said something different. I think he regrets his actions he just isn't ready to admit it yet. Still, he deserved that beatdown from Juan which was cut too short by Modesto. I also agree though that it was a very odd for Juan to chose to rush out of the hospital while Sara's life hung in the balance just to confront Simon. I mean he knows where he lives, right?
 

I know everyone hates Pedro, and he has been bitter, nasty, dangerous, and unscrupulous. However, I am watching the scene where he wakes up next to Sara after the attack. He seems truly upset as he talks to her and kisses her forehead. I think he has fallen in love with her. I also think that he didn't know that Henry planned this attack. The attack may wake him up to the dangerous people he has been plotting with.

Like others here, I wonder if Dante is Sara's bio dad because he was very upset when he heard she was attacked . I guess Dante is not connected to Henry, and Pedro has been working on separate Schemes with them . Will Sara being at death's door change Pedro ?

If Juli does try to get Juan by telling him that she is carrying his bebe, Pedro would seehis chance to try to win over Sara .
 

Urban, I recall Deb advising Juli to sleep with Juan (to keep him away from Sara of course). But yes, Juli did seem to pay Deb's questionable advice no mind. I thought she said something to the effect she didn't need to or along those lines. Perhaps I just assumed she hadn't?? My memory is so bad.

"I mean he knows where he lives, right?" had me nodding in agreement Darcy. He could have waited to confront Simon. But all of this is a revelation as we're learning that Juan is quite the hothead. I'm glad Juan has fire in his blood. I didn't think he had - initially.

Diana
 

Dante was very upset when he called Deb to tell her that Sara was attacked . It seemed like a conversation between the parents of an injuried child. Dante was crying and very upset.

I watcbed that flashback Juli had when she felt dizzy and barfy and paused it. That tattoo is delicate ..maybe a butterfly or flower, and it is between his shoulder blades just believe the nape of the neck. The side view of the face could be Juan or Mateo. Hmmm?? Who knows .

If Juli does try to get Juan by telling him that she is carrying his bebe, Pedro would see it as a chance to try to win over Sara .
 

Thank you for this awesome recap, Jarifa! The episode was a bit crazy, many things coming to light. I loved Irma's confrontation with Rosa, finally someone who knows all her dirty secrets and isn't afraid to spill them.

I think that Deb's only redeeming quality is her daughter's love. And Dante has to be her father, why else would he be so uspet after the attack.

I watched Julieta's flashback several times and I'm positive it was Mateo. Juan has many more tattoos on his back (he's almost completely covered) and the one time we did see Mateo bare chested we could only see him from the front (when Deb ran into him in the house).
I do wonder about the timeline, though. We haven't see Mateo and Julieta sleep together, only kiss and both times it was initiated by him. Could this have happened off screen or shortly before the show started?
It hasn't been made clear if Juli and Juan ever slept together, they might have before Severiano died, but not since then, as part of Juli's reproach when she started to become jealous was that he was becoming distant, no calling or asking her to dinner.

Paloma gets line of the day in her confrontation with Simon. I like her more every day.
 

Adriana, I rewatched that scene, too. I only saw one faint, delicate tattoo of perhaps a butterfly , flower, if just an intricate design between the shoulder blades Just below the neck. The hair was dark , but the lighting was dark. The brief profile looked like Juan to me , but it could have been Mateo. The writers want us to be questioning and confused .

We are learning more and more about Rosa , and it isn't a pretty picture . She seems to be in everybody's business .
 

Thanks, all, for your fascinating comments. So much to consider.

So, Severiano was married to Catalina and was into extracurricular activities with Adela, Irma, Rosa, Deb and who knows who else. Will more former lovers appear? I would love it if they did. Up to now, it sounds like all of the women knew each other. Tacky, tacky.

They definitely wanted to confuse us with who Juli was having sex with in that scene. I am presuming she was already having sex with Juan and her dalliance with Mateo might have been a lot longer and more involved than we know since she is a liar amd a conniver.

Adriana, I agree about the timeline. It is sort of shady.
 

Jarifa, I guess some things are vague on purpose, so we keep guessing.

I don't think Sev slept with Adela, she was the cornuda because Lorenzo cheated on her with Rosa. Who basically cheated on Prospi with every man she could grand.

With so many lovers, Sev should have had à lot more bio Kids... Sure, most of these women were married and à child would have been easier to hide than it was for Deb.

ADRIANA Noël.
 

Ariana, Yes, you are right about Adela. I got carried away! ;)
 

OFF TOPIC

Did you guys like "Los ricos también lloran"?

I love Sebastián Rulli (except in comedies) but don't really like Claudia Martin

I'm running out of novelas to rewatch and haha Johnny Depp and Amber Heard stuff is just about over.

Please advise fellow telenovela fans!
 

OT

Victoria, the latest Rulli /Martín version doesn’t start here until next week on Tues., I think.
 

OT - Victoria

La Madrastra just started, I checked the first episode and found it maddening (the bad guys are despicable from the first minute). It has Aracely Arambula which I don't really like, but she's doing a good job, I think, so as soon as it starts on Uni, I'm going to start watching it. This to say that some actor/ actress might surprise you if you give them a chance.

I personally like Claudia Martin and I did check Los Ricos, I thought she and Rulli were OK together, but he's been on non-stop and for a guy pushing 50 and still playing early 30 is a bit much (even if he looks fiiine).

Adriana Noel

 

OT

I have watched the first episodes of La Madrastra and I really liked them. When this starts on Uni, I'll be on the recapping team.
 

OT

Adriana,

Yes, fiiine is a great descriptor.
 

I finally caught Friday's episode -- and then remembered that Mateo had a topless towel scene (Episode 4, about 38 minutes in) when he exits the bathroom after showering and teases Deb in the hallway. Mateo has no tattoos, back or front. So it seems the hombre in Julieta's flashback is Juan.
 

Niecie.....uh oh.
 

Niecie - Thank you for the Mateo no-tattoo info.
 

Niecie, thanks so much for the info!!

The plot thickens!!

Diana
 

Thanks, Niecie, for doing the research and taking the time to find out who was who! ; )