Caray, Caray!

reina3

Not really planning on doing two recaps a week. We'd hoped for some volunteers.

Abel believes Oleg is legit after Jonathan did magic with Oleg's phone. A big party ensues. Abel gets $250K advance on the "tin deal". They manage to get a tracker in his cane. I was wondering if any of those long and boring rituals were based in reality.

Danielo helps Bebita make a call. Says he's on her side.

Fedor is with this Jeff, who turns out to be a COMPLETE scumbag and sells him out to the loan sharks looking for him.

Oleg tries to rob Pablo for the money to save his son, but they get in a big fight. Teresa reasons with Pablo and he's convinced to let them both go to London.

Ernie shows Mateo videos of Teresa and one of Sofia getting the best of that bully. Looks like Mateo has agreed to help the DEA grab up Sofia and her family. Of course the priest is telling him he needs to do this for Sofia's own good.

Fedor sees the bad guys coming for him and gets out a window into another apartment. Looks like he's getting away and they grab him.

Teresa and Oleg, in their disguises, renew their bond on the plane.
 

reina3

MANY thanks, novelera, for getting us started with this short, fine recap. I too am disappointed that we don't have more volunteers.

Here are some of my thoughts about last night's episode. For starters, I was quite surprised and a bit puzzled that, after Abel has decided to do business with them, Teresa, Pablo, and Oleg (at least two of them, perhaps all three) talk about him when he was standing just a few feet away. Unless he's hard of hearing (and there's no indication he is), he should have been able to overhear at least some of what they were saying.

I LOVED Bebita's question to Vanessa about how old her father and grandfather are (49 and 70), and then Bebita's follow-up: "I was wondering what it's like to sleep with a man almost as old as your grandfather."

I guess Pablo's martial skills come in handy when one of Abel's followers comes into the cave and demands to know what they're doing there. (They were there to put the tracker in Abel's cane.) Pablo knocks him out--permanently. Teresa says they should throw him into the deep hole she almost got tossed into, and that's what they do. I wonder how long it will be before someone spots his body.

IIRC, at one point, a jealous Oleg says to Teresa "He (Pablo) likes you." I enjoyed her reply: "Maybe he likes you." She adds, "He's been asking a lot of questions about you."

Teresa accompanies Oleg on his trip to London to save his son. I was impressed at how good their disguises are, and how the false passports they have match the disguises.

Looks like Oleg has badly misjudged Jeff. As you say, novelera, Jeff turns out to be a complete scumbag. He sells out Fedor to the scumbags who are looking for him.
 

reina3

Gracias, Novelera and Juanita.

That both Gonzalo and Mateo are falling into Ernie's plan to snag Sofia is unbelievable.

I almost didn't recognize Teresa in wig and makeup.
 

Reina3

A big thank you to novelera and Juanita for providing recaps twice a week. I had hoped for more volunteers, too. Not many commenters either. Unfortunately, there were some days I’ve been too busy to post anything.

I did some research. The Pachamama (Mother Earth) rituals are real among the Quechua. Articles also popped up involving Pope Francis and Pachamama. Google if you’re interested.

I feel sorry for Mateo. It’s probably too much to ask that he lets Sofia know about Ernie.

And I also loved Bebita’s question to Vanessa.

I lol’d when Teresa told Oleg that maybe Pablo liked him. Teresa said she always wanted to go to London. Be careful what you wish for Tesa.

I expect I will get an exciting episode to recap tonight.

 

Unfortunately, I am only able to binge watch the week’s episodes on the weekend. I am starting with #10 today. The recap is for #13?

So far, I am enjoying this season but am disappointed that either Teresa and company seem to have lost their edge or the “bad” guys have suddenly gotten so much smarter. I can’t believe how comfy the crew is in Colombia with Faustino and with him not being aware that they are being surveilled and that he was about to be picked off.

It is truly the year if the fedora!

Thanks for the recaps!
 

reina3 #14 part 1

The British baddie has Fedor. It’s time for your last payment, he tells the kid, and since you don’t have my money, guess how much I’m going to charge you. Fedor pleads, come on, man. What’s killing me going to do for you? The Brit explains it sets and example. When word gets out, no one will ever think about missing a payment.

A Brit henchie holds his gun against Fedor’s head. Fedor manages to put off his execution by asking for time to explain. He played cards with the money and won, but he was robbed. That’s why he couldn’t pay his debt. Fedor claims he has a fool proof technique to win and can prove it here and now.

The miner’s body is taken from the pit. Someone says he must have fallen because he was drunk. Abel shakes his head. A miner doesn’t fall because he’s drunk, he falls because he’s an idiot. Abel wants to compensate his wife or mother but the guy had no family. Abel’s woman [I can’t remember her name] says let’s give him a proper burial. Abel agrees to that—make sure he gets a cross.

That local cop [I still don’t know his name, but he’s a captain] gets word that the mole they planted with Abel is dead. He had an accident in the mine. This is a big blow to their investigation. It happened during a party to celebrate a deal with two Mexicans and a Russian. The other cop, Sierra, wonders if the documentarians were involved somehow. Sierra then asks, if that guy was the only insider, how did you find out? The Captain doesn’t answer that.

Teresa and Oleg arrive in London, change out of their disguises, and head off to Jeff’s place in the East End.

Ernie and Charlie talk about their plan to use Father G and Mateo to catch Teresa. Charlie has doubts about this working. He is sure that Mateo loves Sofia. Ernie thinks this is the best chance they have. Father G witnessed a phone call between Sofia and her mom. If we can listen to those calls, he says, this case is closed. First call of business is to get everyone out of the finca.

Anton and Pablo talk. Anton is not sure the guy in the picture they used for the search is Abel. They talk about the tracker planted in Abel’s cane. Pablo says, we will know where he goes, who he meets with and his relationship to the missing girls. If anyone can tell us who the Black Horseman is, it’s them.

Batman and Sheila have a disagreement over Pablo. Sheila is changing her opinion about him. She doesn’t approve of conducting the secret search on him. Besides he’s helping Teresa and Oleg. Batman still doesn’t trust him because he works for Epifanio. Sheila reminds Batman that he once worked for Epi.

Jon interrupts their argument to say there’s communication going on between Tejada and Abel. They talk about the new mining deal with Teresa and Co. Tejada is suspicious how this came about so suddenly. He’s surprised to hear that Maita contacted them and sure that he did not contact them.

Tejada starts to warn Abel, saying, I think….. Then the recording drops out for a few seconds, so we don’t hear the rest of that. When it comes back, the convo switches to the new girls. Tejada will take them on Monday, and they’ll talk about the new buyer.

Now we see the convo from Abel’s side as he and his woman arrive home. He tells her they are getting new girls as they walk to the house. Abel wants the girls prepared right away. What if we give them more time, so they can adapt, she asks? Abel scoffs at that. It’s not like what they are doing is hard, he replies, every day they adapt, we lose money. They pass the entrance, and we see a battered girl there. Abel shoots her a look says, just make sure they are not rebellious like certain people. His wife looks a bit uncomfortable.

 

reina3 #14 part 2

I’m not 100% sure, but I’ll guess this is the same missing girl on the flyer Anton is holding, a “Se Busca” for Marina Vargas Condori. Anton asks Pablo if he searched all the brothels. He hit a lot of them. He suggests they split up so the search will go faster and they might have more luck. Pablo talks to Jon and finds out about the next shipment of girls.

Rocio doesn’t want to go to the bazaar. She has a bad feeling and doesn’t trust the priest. He asks too many questions. Faustino talks her into it, but she can’t shake the bad feelings. They head off and we see Ernie and the Interpol officer watching from the bush. They move towards the house.

Oleg talks about his relationship with his son. When Yulia died, Fedor and I were practically strangers. I saw him from time to time but we never fostered a real relationship. Teresa notes that Yulia practically raised him alone. Oleg says Yulia was a great mother. She and Fedor were very close. He tells Teresa, when we ended up alone, I didn’t know what to do. Fedor was a teen and I didn’t know how to be a father.

Teresa tries to cut Oleg some slack. She (Yulia) just died, you were in mourning. Oleg says that’s no excuse and he sips from his flask. Don’t torture yourself, Teresa says, he’s fine, we’re here, you’ll see him and talk to him soon. Oleg says not to expect a warm welcome. Teresa wonders about that. She says last time she saw Fedor he was about 3. He won’t remember her. Oleg replies, he might not remember you but he’s heard a lot about you. Good or bad, Teresa asks? Oleg smiles, I could never speak badly about you. They walk arm in arm.

Fedor gives an exhibition of his card skills. A couple of decks are shuffled and spread out before him. He memorizes the decks in seconds. Fedor tells the Brit, pick a card from the deck and I’ll tell you what it is. The Brit pulls out a knife and says, one mistake, one finger. The Brit says, first deck, card three. [commercial break placed here to heighten suspense.]

Fedor calls it correctly—six of spades. Next the Brit calls, second deck, sixteenth card. Two of diamonds… correct! The Brit makes it harder—deck one, back to front, thirteenth card. Fedor says it’s the ace of hearts… uh oh… seven of diamonds. The Brit is ready to take Fedor’s finger. Wait! The cards were stuck together! Fedor was right! The Brit is finally impressed but wonders how this will get his money back.

Bebita tells Susana to clear her schedule because she’s going to Lina’s.

Epi and his henchie [don’t know his name] discuss the Nacho dossier. He has two children, ages 10 and 9. They attend the same school. The mother takes them every morning and a driver picks them up in the afternoon. Their father takes them to a nearby park. Epi mocks, he sounds like father of the year. Should we give him an award? Henchie says yes because he has the kids on the weekends and takes them out to restaurants.

Susana comes in and tells Epi that Bebita asked her to clear her schedule so she could spend the day with Lina. She spies a pic of Nacho and his kids on the desk. Epi sends his guy out to follow Bebita.

Ernie and Interpol check out the finca. They easily disarm the security. Meanwhile, Charlie is staking out the bazaar at the church. Ernie calls Charlie and asks to let him know when Sofia’s phone is tapped.

Sofia has volunteered to paint faces and she paints Ray’s face while Mateo watches. Sofia notices that Mateo looks nervous and asks if something is wrong. He deflects with some sweet talk. [We know he’s feeling guilty about what he’s going to do.] He tells Sofia he will watch her bag while she works. She hands it over to him. Father G watches this.

 

reina3 #14 part 3

Faustino tells Father G he can sell food. The padre laughs, I didn’t know restauranteur was another of your many titles. Faustino explains his mother owned a restaurant and he would help out but when he started his own business, his mom didn’t have to work anymore. Father G laughs again and replies that Faustino is hardworking and generous and full of surprises. Rocio looks uneasy and perhaps Father G takes notice of it.

Teresa and Oleg arrive at Jeff’s door. Oleg tells her that Jeff worked at one of his nightclubs. He did Oleg some favors when the DEA started investigating. Oleg always repaid those favors. Jeff is shocked to see Oleg at his door. Didn’t Fedor tell you I was coming, Oleg asks? Maybe, Jeff answers. Oleg asks for Fedor. Jeff nervously says he’s not there. He left and he didn’t say where he went.

Jeff makes an excuse he’s got something on the stove and tries to get rid of Oleg and Teresa. Oleg says they will wait inside and they barge in. There’s nothing on the stove, Teresa notes. Oleg continues questioning Jeff, who continues to claim he knows nothing of Fedor’s whereabouts. Oleg sees that Jeff is wearing Fedor’s watch. Jeff bolts. The chase is on. Teresa takes Jeff down with a flying leap off a balcony! Oleg catches up to them and points a gun in Jeff’s face. Tell me where the hell is my son, you SOB!

Fedor explains how he won money at the casino. The shuffler is an old man who has worked the same job at the casino for years. He shuffles the cards and puts each deck in a box. Then he takes the cards to each table. He always takes two boxes out and leaves two inside. That’s when Fedor sneaks into the room, looks at the decks and memorizes the cards. The next time the shuffler comes out, Fedor notes the table he goes to with the memorized decks. Fedor has an accomplice sit at the table with that deck and he signals him.

Bloody genius, the Brit says. It works, Fedor answers. The Brit asks, out of the 55,000, how much did you win? The one who robbed me left with double the amount, Fedor replies. And that’s how much you’re gonna help me win, the Brit says, not a penny less. Fedor tells him he has to wait until they give him a shift to work. The Brit doesn’t care what Fedor has to do but he’s got to get that shift asap!

Paloma asks Sofia for Ray’s stuffed animal. It’s in the bag that Mateo took inside and she tells Paloma to get it. Paloma and Rocio see Father G taking Sofia’s phone from her bag.

Epi and Delio talk politics. Delio says that there’s not one representative from Alcala’s party willing to vote in favor. And even if everyone in our party votes in favor, we still don’t have the two thirds necessary to amend the constitution. Delio says that reps were threatened with sanctions if they supported Epi’s reelection. Epi thinks his FIL is building his own Day of the Dead altar.

Epi asks about a third party leader, Cardenas. Delio says he’s not on anyone’s side. He’s a slippery fish. Well then, let’s toss the bait, Epi suggests, and hope he bites.

Epi gets a call from the henchie following Bebita. Nacho’s car was located in the area. He’s probably in the apartment. Epi tells the henchie he will be well rewarded if this works out. Delio looks like he’s trying to listen in.

 

reina3 #14 part 4

Bebita’s car pulls up and it’s time to get to work. The henchie is staked out on nearby rooftop with a clear view into Lina’s apartment. And of course, Nacho is waiting right there and warmly greets Bebita.

Father G gives the phone to Charlie with Paloma and Rocio watching. Paloma recognizes Charlie and Charlie spots her. Uh, oh. Rocio shouts, run! Charlie gets out of his car and draws his gun. Rocio runs over to Faustino, we have to go, now! They’re chasing us!

Bloodthirsty Charlie starts shooting into the crowd at the bazaar. Panic ensues. People scream and duck for cover. Charlie’s aiming for Faustino and family but hits a bunch of innocent people. As the family run to the car, Rocio is hit in the back. Sofia turns to look back. We see Father G looking on in horror. Faustino and Charlie trade shots as the others get in the car.

Mateo rushes Charlie and stops him. Charlie shouts, what the hell are you doing! And he holds the gun on Mateo. Sofia sees. This gives the family time to get away but not before Charlie shoots out windows in the car. Mateo stands in shock.

Charlie calls for backup and takes off in pursuit. Rocio is bleeding heavily. Don’t let them catch us! Faustino manages to evade Charlie, who gets stuck in crossing traffic.

And we are out!

 

REINA

Teresa’s eyebrows are too dark. They are a distraction.
 

reina3

Thanks VERY much, dondi356, for another superb recap. It points out a number of things I missed as I was watching.

One thing you mentioned that I did notice was Sierra's asking the police Captain, "If that guy was the only insider, how di you find out?" I remember wondering the same thing, and I was both frustrated and intrigued when the Captain doesn't answer.

Thanks for identifying the photo that Susana saw on Epi's desk. I saw that she noticed it, but it went by too fast for me to recognize who was in the photo. I'm still fearing that Epi's orders are for his minion (whose name I don't recall) should kill Nacho.

Like novelera, I'm somewhat skeptical about Ernie's ability as a DEA agent to be able to get a large contingent of heavily armed police/soldiers/?? to accompany him on the raid of Faustino's house, especially since he expected that Faustino et al. would not be at home.

I was surprised that when Oleg and Teresa finally catch Jeff, Oleg calls him a "bitch." I think that's not a word one would normally use with a hetero male. You say he called in an SOB, which seems much more likely, and the Spanish caption says maldito, but the conversation is in English, and Oleg clearly calls Jeff a bitch. Then again, I suppose it reflects Oleg's less-than-idiomatic command of English, or perhaps it's a British usage? Anyway, it seemed odd to me.

Wow, Paloma and Rocio not only see Padre Gonzo take Sofia's phone, they see him give it to Charlie. Rocio's suspicions about Padre G. are confirmed.

And yes, Paloma recognizes Charlie, and I think she says he's the one who killed her friend in her house in Málaga!

Mateo does manage to slow Charlie down, and I then sees him shooting at Faustino's car with the wounded Rocio and, I think, Sofia inside. I strongly doubt this wins Mateo over to the side of the DEA.

Again, MANY MANY thanks, dondi!
 

reina3

Gracias, Dondi. Everything I needed to know.

Poor Sofia. Her head must be spinning. Glad in the end Mateo blocked Charlie.

Even though she despises Epi, Bebita (and Nacho) doesn't seem to get that he's as ruthless and dirty as all the charges against him before he was magically exonerated. Juanita, ITA it doesn't look good for Nacho.

If Rocio doesn't survive, there will be lots of guilt to go around.
 

REINA


Thanks, Dondi, I just caught up and your very fine recap helped me keep some of the names straight.

Juanita, in about the last five years the word “bitch” has been used more and more for males as well as females here in the USA. It still makes me stop and think, though.

Niecie, ITA that Bebita continues to underestimate how ruthless her hubby can be. She isn’t stupid but isn’t being very cateful. I keep wondering if and when Epifanio is going to kill Nacho. Nacho also has kids which makes me think of what happened to Batman.

Teresa has to end up with Oleg, right? Probably not. Bummer!
 

reina3

Jarifa, thanks for the update on the use of "bitch." I've never heard it except when used for women or gay males. Then again, I don't move in the most current circles, to put it mildly. :-)

Arrgh, I had forgotten about Batman's kids. I think I'll try to forget, again.
 

reina3

Wonderful recap, dondi! When I read your recaps I become aware of how much I missed. Yes, they do love to insert a commercial leaving someone (metaphorically speaking) clinging to the edge of a cliff by their fingertips.

I saw Fedor's amazing memory in action, but the fact that he sneaks in to memorize a second set of decks went right by me. Excellent description of how Fedor won all that money. And, of course, being robbed was a lesson for him in the old adage: Lie down with dogs and get up with fleas.

I hope they don't kill off Nacho. After all she's been through Bebita deserves a HEA.

We saw Sofia looking back at Mateo with Charlie. By the look on her face I thought she figured it out...that he was somehow involved. Maybe not. I'm ready for the Sofia and Mateo courtship to be over. And I'm looking forward to Mateo telling Father G about how disgusting his "moral rectitude" turned out for people at the bazaar. Please, please, don't let Teresa call and be traced by Sofia's phone. OTOH, if she calls from London, that's a trail that will dry up soon. And, if Sofia doesn't answer, Teresa will figure it out. And stop calling her phone from every location.

They are taking FOREVER to get any movement on the Black Horseman plot. The premise for all this was Epi saying that this guy had dirt on the DEA and the Ice Princess Senator. I can't see how Abel would have that. His activities don't seem to involve drugs at all. He's selling young girls to someone and somehow mining tin. That newspaper article about illegal mining causing cancer seems to connect him to that.

Wishing Charlie plantar fasciitis, being bitten by a mosquito with West Nile Virus, chronic diarrhea, and maybe all three. For Ernie I'd wish all of those plus a brain tumor.
 

Reina3

Thank you everyone. Great comments.

There are still a couple of character names I’m unsure of and it’s driving me crazy. I did some research. Epi’s henchman might be Montaño. The Bolivian police captain is Fredy Rojas according to IMDb. I think Abel’s woman might have introduced herself to Teresa, but I don’t remember.

I’ll also add my thanks to Jarifa for the “bitch” update. We learn all sorts of interesting things at Caray. My thoughts were exactly like Juanita’s and I ended up adding a “sonofa” to the word because that’s what my ear is used to hearing.

ITA, Jarifa, I’ve been distracted by Teresa’s eyebrows, too. Lol.

Sofia did see Mateo confront Charlie, but it was hard to read what she was thinking. I think both Mateo and Father G never expected the DEA operation end that way. They looked horrified at the violence.

Yes, Niecie, Bebita was stupid in season 2 and still is in season 3. Nacho is handsome but not very smart. Maybe his man bun is too tight. These two think they can outwit Epifanio?

Good point about Sofia’s phone, novelera. If Teresa calls from London, that will be a dead end. That’s if they return right away. Pablo gave them 48 hours to return. And yes, the Black Horseman plot seems to have stalled. Could human trafficking and not drug trafficking turn out to be the real blackmail?

Will Fedor go to Bolivia? I wonder how Fedor’s skills could be used by Teresa and Co. Would Fedor take an interest in Sofia? Love triangle for Sofia? All I hope is that they don’t have a 14 year old become pregnant.

Time to plug in the crockpot to cook up some theories.

I don’t like Ernie at all, but Charlie deserves a special place in Hell. He is a soulless creature.

 

Thanks for all the recaps. I wish I could help but I’m having a heck of a time keeping up and still can’t remember people’s names. Not sure I can stick with this one. I wish they had done an abbreviated version of series 2 before running this, like they did with season 1 before season 2. It’s been way too long to remember anything, for me anyway. For now, I’m mainly I’m watching for Batman and Sheila. :)

Kelly
 

reina3

Thanks for stopping by, Kelly. Yep, we're all pretty much struggling to remember characters from Season 2. I did NOT remember Epifanio being in prison and Bebita having met him through an interview. Wiki is helpful, at least it was to me when I recapped the first episode. And more characters and actors portraying them tend to be added as time goes on.

And, yes, Batman and Sheila are always delightful. It's odd, but I preferred Batman when he had more meat on his bones. He's probably healthier having lost the weight. But, like all of us, a bit of weight smooths out the wrinkles! He sometimes looks gaunt. But I love that blue collar Mexican accent he has and his witty putdowns.