Caray, Caray!

Btw, I thought I'd just leave a thought that has been crossing my mind here.
In my experience as a TN watcher, one of the guys from the opposite side ALMOST ALWAYS joins the protagonists. So far we haven't seen one, but my gut tells me it will be CHARLIE!!
This comes after last night's convo between the Ernie and the Senator. I've come to realise that Ernie has him in the dark in most cases, and isn't telling him things as they are. He's just giving him instructions, that Charlie blindly follows.
I don't know why, but I have a feeling that Ernie and Kozar will make a mistake sooner or later, and they're gonna need a sacrificial lamb to take the blame. They'll choose Charlie, and this is where he'll get really disappointed and decide to join our guys, who are actually criminals, but are our preferred group.
This began to cross my mind when Ernie killed Jonathan in cold blood, even if he was wounded, and Charlie was left wondering....
Anyway, I wouldn't want our guys to forgive Charlie, but does he have salvation?
In most cases, the sacrificial lamb dies in the end anyway.
 

reina3

Interesting thought, mwendwaE. It may well be that someone from the opposite side may join Our Team, but I'm thinking it won't be Charlie. He has always struck me as a maniac who loves to shoot people. But perhaps an even more compelling reason I think it won't be Charlie is that Oleg and Fedor regard him as the person responsible for Oleg's wife's death. I can't imagine Oleg or Fedor accepting him.

I should note that most of my guesses about telenovelas turn out to be wrong, so....
 

Reina3 #30
Parte 1

One month is not enough time, but they'll try find the ginetes. Sofia suggests dividing themselves into 2 groups, for the two countries. Pablo & Teresa already made a decision for Faustino's group to stay, without consulting them first. Of course Oleg doesn't like that they didn't ask them, so he says he'll go to one country with Sofia's team, and Tesa and Landero can go to the other without him. Teresa looks disappointed.

Danilo calls El General Garrido, he wants to know if the info Vanessa was passing to Alcala was about Teresa Mendoza. He says that yes, but at least not from the beginning. The general wants to meet Bebita. Soon.
Epifanio is in a terrible mood. He takes photos with his son, tells him to smile, not to be like his mum. That ends almost immediately, Dalio says the person he was waiting for has arrived. Danilo says he'll be the nanny while Epi is in his meeting. Danilo says they'll call his mum, but makes him promise to not tell anyone, or he'll ruin the game.
I don't see this ending too well.

Faustino & Batman talk about babies>>>> Batman says he's still looking to make Epifanio pay for his kids deaths.

Epifanio's meeting is with 2 men. One says he's there because the money Epifanio asked Lic Fabrizio for is huge amount. His clients are willing to give Epi the money, in exchange they want Epi to do something about some generals who are bothering his clients. Epi says he'll do it. But he needs the money delivered in Buenos Aires. And his people care of. He leaves the with Delio, so he can call some girls for them.
 

Reina3 #30
Parte 2

Charlie & Ernie are talking about Kozar. She wants them to go through all the cases Higgins was in charge of, for 10yrs. Cases, informants, trips... All of it. They're to find someone with the same profile as Karen. Ernie says that Teresa won't beat her to the punch this time.

Mateo and Teresa clear the air>>> Or at least try to.

Danilo calls Beba through Susana's phone. She doesn't look so good. Epifanio almost catches the boy on the phone, he's back to continue with the photo session>>>>
Beba is wondering why Susana has suddenly decided to change sides. Susana admits that she was wrong at first. She had no idea what was going on. Beba gives thanks her, and gives her a hug.

Teresa & Co are organising themselves for their trip(s)
Those with no chips get them, then exercise, training, passports, guns>>>>
Faustino's team is going to Peru. Teresa and Landero and the rest are going to Argentina, they'll find the money and Epifanio's contact there. Then we see Batman and Pablo in a bar collecting the money and a few other things they're gonna need. Step 2 is;
Batman will be in charge of security. Sheila will be Teresa's personal assistant. Fedor will be Teresa's son, from her first marriage. Landero will be her fiance, a millionaire. And Teresa, she will be Elena Vocanegra. A millionaire, hairess to a grand Mexican consortium. She even bleached her hair, or is it a wig?
Their meeting in the warehouse is combined with scenes of their arrival in Buenos Aires.
They come out of a limo, Sheila books a suite with a view, and 3 rooms next to the suite. They'll pay everything in cash, for security reasons. The best place to hide is in plain sight. Batman piles cash all over the hotel's reception desk. Well, that's because Teresa said that if they are going to succeed in Argentina, they need to attract all the attention.
I've seen the receptionist in a telenovela before. Is he going to be just a receptionist in this one, or something more? Anyway, back to the recap.
 

Reina3 #30
Parte 3

The hotel isn't just any hotel. It's owned by Lorenzo Mortati. He hangs around the crème de la crème of Argentina. We see Lorenzo giving orders, of course. The actor played Eduardo Sanclemente, Lucia's father, in Café con Aroma de Mujer 2021.

Pablo says they heard from Karen that there's a clandestine casino in the hotel. Is this where Fedor's skills come in? One of the ginetes(not Ginete Rojo, the other) goes to that casino. The ginete also has a tattoo on his forearm.
To enter the casino, they need an invitation that comes directly from Mortati, that's why they need to get his attention.
We see Lorenzo telling his assistant to investigate Teresa.

Olegs team will go to Cuzco. They'll drive there. These ones will keep a very low profile. They'll rent a house in town. The town has tourists, so hiding will not be hard. Their objective is the Inti Gallery. El Ginete Rojo, and a certain Ruben have something to do with that gallery.

Sweet moment btwn Teresa and Sofia>>>>

Epifanio and Dalio are discussing Teresa's new look. Dalio tells Epi to delete the photo from his phone. Is there a chance that he might forget?
Dalio says the people want Epi to do his part, now that the team got part of the money. Epifanio wants him to gather some leaders of the army tomorrow.

Oleg and Sofi are planning on the steps to take. Sofi has memorised everything she needs to know. Oleg gets a call from Faustino, he tells him and Anton to wait 3 minutes then go in. They're just going to check the gallery out, and find the weak points.

Teresa and her people get to the suite... Oh, it's a wig, it's itching her head. Teresa says to ask for whatever they want, to keep up appearances.

The others get to the gallery. The lady who welcomes them looks like Karen's sister, at least to me. She says the sale of originals is forbidden. They distract the lady while Faustino and Anton looka around and take photos.
Paloma and Mateo are also looking from the outside. They also take some photos. Paloma wants to talk to some tourists and find out if they have some info.
Faustino is almost caught, but charms the guards, like he does the patio. Faustino and Anton are in an office, They find some keys.
 

Amor-trai

Thank you, novelera, for the recap on the previous page.

The plot of this series reminds me of "La hija del embajador." Attempted sexual assault, stabbing, fleeing the scene, running into the old boyfriend, Cemal, father of her children. In the role of Sancar is Akin Akinözü aka Miran (compare and contrast.) There is also a version of Gediz, a guy called Mahir.

Cemal abandoned Asiye when she gave birth to their second child Ugur. He then married Helin from a wealthy family and they had a child almost the same age as Ugur. Now they all ended up living in the same house. I think the first few episodes set up a rather entangled situation and I am interested to see where it leads.
 

reina3

MANY THANKS, mwendwaE, for this superb recap! You cover everything important, and you raise some terrific points.

I could be mistaken, but I thought that when the two men met with Epifanio, they mentioned that there was ONE general who was making some of their clients unhappy. I immediately feared it was General Garrido. The good guys need someone reasonably powerful like him on their side. I hope he survives.

I found the back-and-forth scenes of Teresa's team preparing and arriving in Buenos Aires somewhat perplexing, especially at first. I'm not sure what's accomplished here by using that kind of narrative.

Apparently the horseman in Argentina has a tattoo on his forearm. That should prove helpful to Our Team. However, I saw that "Elena Bocanegra" also has a tattoo, quite visible on her upper arm. Was that tattoo added, or was that also a tattoo Teresa had? I'm not sure, but I think I recall (perhaps from an earlier season) Teresa having one or more tattoos. If Teresa did have such a tattoo, it would be a big mistake not to get rid of it before she tries to take on a different identity.

I really like your question/suggestion that perhaps Fedor's skills will be used at the clandestine casino. That hadn't occurred to me, but I bet you're right. I also liked your asking whether perhaps Epi might forget to delete the photos of Teresa on his camera. Another intriguing possibility!

Again, ¡muchísimas gracias! for your excellent recap! I hope you'll consider doing more of them.
 

Amor-trai


Thanks Novelra. Always appreciate you and your recaps.

Not sure about this one now. Assuming Assuming Cemal is suppose to return to his first wife...no clue how the writers are going to spin this one.

Interesting to see the actress that played Mukkadas in Fatmagul in this. I couldn't stand that character...hope she's a better person in this...tho so far she's way more subdued than in Fatmagul.


Nett
 

Reina3.

Juanita, I heard them say Generals. But I have no doubt that the general we know and love will be one of the guys on that list.

Thank you. Whenever I can put up a recap I'll let you know a day in advance like I did yesterday.
 

reina3

Thanks SO much, mwendwaE, for your terrific recap. You really have that veteran's eye for predicting plot points. I had never thought about Fedor being useful in the casino, but I'm sure you're right.

I got a kick out of Sheila putting on a Mexican accent to sign in at the hotel and Teresa telling her to drop it after they were in Teresa's room.

I was certain the blonde hair had to be a wig. No way is Kate del Castillo going to put bleach on that gorgeous, shiny black hair.

I think some of the reason things seem so packed in each episode is that we've learned it will be 60 episodes. And, rather than have Viewerville hear everything that Karen told Teresa, some things are added later to the plot, such as the clandestine casino.

Yes, Faustino has definitely charmed the patio, as always. I am quite confused about what the art gallery has to do with finding a horseman, but I'll roll with it.

I appreciated the "caper" quality of last night's episode. I'm never pleased with 10 minutes of gunfire and lots of characters with no lines being shot down.

I assume this whole "rich Mexican woman" was designed by Teresa.

I also noticed Oleg doing some running and preparing for Cuzco. He seems to have decided to stop focusing on Teresa and Pablo, quit sipping liquor all day, and be laser focused on the mission. He also seems to enjoy Sofia's company.
 

Reina3

I finally caught up but I don’t have much time to comment. Thanks, deb! I really missed your recaps. They are so much fun to read. And much thanks to mwendwaE for a fine Thursday recap. You have a great eye for detail and a keen memory.

So, Sofia and Fedor laugh about starting a support group for children of…. Sofia has more in common with Fedor than with Mateo.

Teresa was shocked when Oleg split to the other team. Good. Does she expect him to be her perro faldero while she kisses on Pablo? I can’t stand watching her with him. I don’t feel the heat.

I have tonight’s recap but I must give a heads up. I can’t watch live tonight and tomorrow is a big sports day. I’m not sure when I’ll have it posted. WC: US plays Netherlands at 10a and Argentina v Australia is at 2p. I should have it ready before Michigan v Purdue at 8p.

 

amor-trai

Thanks for your comments about Amor y Traición, Lucio and Nett. So far I'm interested. But I really only have the stamina for regular recaps of one novela, and it's been La Reina 3.

I did not see La Hija del Embajador, Lucio, so I can't compare the plots. For some years now I've only watched novelas on Telemundo. This is not a knock on Univisión novelas. They certainly have more fans here on Caray. There are only so many hours you can spend watching telenovelas, especially if you also like to watch sports!

I sort of like the challenge of recapping a first episode. In this case it wasn't up to my usual standards. I really didn't expect that most of our regulars on the Telemundo pages would be watching it, so I didn't put everything in nor look up the names of all the characters.

I will probably have time to watch it, especially since my company takes a whole week off at the holidays.

There are three characters I have seen before. Yes, Nett, Mukkades from Fatmagul is in this one. She looks different to me, mostly because she's gained about 50 pounds! I had to google her name in the Fatmagul cast and then find it in the promos for AyT. She's still nasty. To date she's mostly sneered and giggled when someone else says something nasty. But last night she was cracking wise in the kitchen about Harun's illegitimate child.

The actor portraying Harun was Rifat in Amor Valiente, which we recapped here. Rifat was Cesur's friend who helped him in every way.

And, of course, Cemal is portrayed by Akin, the actor who was in Hercai, also recapped here. We don't love him so much as an actor. I have noticed that he appeals to me the most when he's around children. He doesn't seem to overact.

They mentioned that Ugur is one year older than Ahmet, so I don't think he was having an affair with Helin when he left his taxi with the door open and, incidentally, his family. But he got busy pretty quickly. They recently mentioned that he was a chauffeur for the family and that's how he met Helin.
 

reina3

Thanks, mwendwaE. Great job.

I laughed when at first the proposal was to leave the younguns with Faustino and he objected with something like "Am I running a nursery?"

I've no idea what the two groups plan to do to get whatever out of the other horseman, but I'm sure everyone will put some special skill to work.

Danilo and Bebita's assistant/watcher (forgot her name) are not the most stealthy folks. I fear Epi will notice they're hanging around Bebita more.

Batman looked debonair in his dark suit as a bodyguard. I do not like that right after Batman affirmed to Faustino that he still intended to avenge the murder of his children the next scene was of Epifanio's son.
 

reina3

Dondi, not to worry. I'll also be tuning in to the USA/Netherlands world cup match. Not to worry. We'll be happy to see your recap whenever you have time for it.
 

Reina3 #31 part 1

Buenos Aires. Pablo reads from a magazine and gives us the rundown on Mortati. A refined man with exquisite tastes, a lover of fine dining, music and art. Attentive to every last detail in his hotel. He considers himself the last of the sybarites. He maintains everything said against him is unsubstantiated gossip. Teresa notes he’s been involved in scandals with jet setters. He loves being around celebrities and throwing parties.

A casino is the perfect place for a guy like this, Batman opines. Pablo says it’s unfortunate that Epi’s contact didn’t give them info on a casino. Fedor wonders if the casino is located outside of the hotel. Teresa replies, no, Karen was very sure about that information.

Pablo hands out a gadget that messes with the security cameras. Fedor is familiar with it from London. They will need them when exploring service areas of the hotel.

Teresa is off to the side looking at something from an envelope. She says, if Mortati doesn’t know who Elena Bocanegra is, this will be his introduction. She flashes what looks like an invitation. It’s our ticket into Argentinian high society, she announces.

Cusco, at the museum. While Sofia occupies the museum worker, Oleg checks a text message and excuses himself to use rest room. He goes off to meet Faustino and Anton. Faustino shows the keys and says he wants to go off to make copies. Oleg says there’s not enough time for that. He takes the keys to try something.

Sheila rides in an elevator with a hotel employee. Suddenly she has a dizzy spell and the employee helps to steady her. She apologizes and thanks him. And when the elevator opens, Batman and Fedor are standing there. She passes off the keys she lifted from the employee.

Batman and Fedor make their way through door and into an employee area. They use one of the gadgets to disrupt the camera transmission. We see someone monitoring and after a brief blip, he’s satisfied everything is fine. Batman and Fedor look around and change into janitor uniforms.

Pablo looks over a plan of the hotel layout and notes it doesn’t have many entrances or exits. He thinks that the people who play at the casino are guests invited from the outside. They should be noticed. Teresa thinks it will be hard to tell who’s going where with so much foot traffic coming through the lobby. As they get ready for the big event, Teresa needs help with her zipper. And of course, Pablo helps her right out of her dress. [glad we didn’t see much more than that]

Oleg makes a mold of the key using a bar of soap. Faustino says Sofia still has the worker occupied, and she’s about to buy the whole store. Time is running short—the worker is concerned about Oleg, who is taking too long to return from the rest room. Sofia explains she’s sure her dad is okay. He just checks out when she shops too long. Meanwhile Oleg slips the keys back in their place and returns. He purchases a small painting and gives an ‘all is well’ nod Sofia.

Batman and Fedor split up to case the lower level of the hotel. A real employee calls to Fedor and asks him to help him load cases full of gambling chips into an elevator! Fedor plays it cool and manages to snag a chip from a case. But he doesn’t get to take the ride with the chips, and he doesn’t see what button is pushed on the elevator. Fedor gets in an elevator and starts pushing buttons, trying out different floors with no success.

Teresa and Pablo have some pillow talk. Pablo says, to think I didn’t want to come back to Buenos Aires. He’s got many memories from many years ago. He lived in BA with his dad for one year while he was on special assignment. After Pablo’s mother died, his father was worried about him and took him along everywhere.

 

reina3 #31 part 2

Teresa gives Pablo a kiss and promises they will rescue his dad. When I set my mind to something, she says, you know me. She wishes she had something like that. She laments, my father was Spaniard I never met, and my mother is not even worth mentioning. That’s why it hurts so much to be apart from Sofia.

Pablo gets it and he was kind of surprised that Teresa gave in [about splitting up.] She tells him it would be no use, Sofia can’t be forced. She’s been that way since she was small. Suddenly Teresa remembers they are here to work.

Batman gets lucky and overhears a convo between Mortati and an employee who is begging for an advance. Mortati blows us up on the poor guy and then he yells at Batman to get back to work. Batman proceeds to eavesdrop on the employee as he vents to another. He desperately needed the money for his mom who needs surgery. He’s very bitter and says he’s covered for Mortati so many times. There were some shady things. Batman thinks maybe this can be used to their advantage.

Teresa, Pablo and Sheila head to the event, an auction. Teresa worries everyone is looking and someone might recognize her. Pablo says it’s only because they have never seen a woman like her. She smiles. She likes it. He tells her he’s acting the part.
Mortati takes the podium to say a few words before the auction starts. [He really is pompous ass, isn’t he?] While he speaks, Pablo decides to walk around and talk to some hotel guests.

Back to CDMX, Danilo and Susana conspire again. He needs to see Bebita. Susana’s afraid of being caught. Not to worry, Epi will be stuck in a meeting for at least three hours. Danilo tells Susana to drop the formalities with him and when they are alone, there’s no need to refer to Epi as the president. He doesn’t deserve it.

Danilo sees Beba. She’s doing a bit better and she’s grateful to Danilo for letting her visit with Guicho. He wishes he could bring Guicho to her. Getting down to business, Beba assumes he’s there to talk about General Garrido.

Pablo wanders over to the bar and tells the lone woman standing there, if I knew who I had to sleep with to get a whiskey, I wouldn’t think twice. She laughs and says alcohol is prohibited until the auction is over. She knows because she is Julieta Brito, the hotel manager. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Señor Larrea, she says and they shake hands.

How do you know my name, Pablo asks. I know your name and the name of every guest at this hotel, she replies. It’s my job. Don’t you like auctions, she asks, your wife seems enthusiastic. Fiancée, Pablo corrects, and auctions bore me. I prefer to wager—Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Macao. The only thing I can think of like that is the Buenos Aires Casino, Julieta says, it’s the only legal one there is. It’s on the river. I’ve never been there, but I can help you.

Meanwhile, Teresa gets on Shelia about bringing up Oleg. Sheila wants to lay all the cards out before Teresa makes a decision. What decision, Teresa fires back, I’m not making a decision. What cards? The Russian is in love with you, Sheila says. Teresa accuses Sheila of making it up. I didn’t say so, Sheila retorts, he did. He confessed it before we parted. Teresa is uneasy. It can’t be. Oleg and I are friends, she tells Sheila. Sheila counters, he left his family, followed you halfway around the world, and risked his life several times for you. No man does that for just a friend. Teresa is disconcerted.

Teresa makes a huge bid on coat that Eva Peron wore while giving a speech. The crowd gasps and looks at her. Mortati is shocked and intrigued. Teresa wins. Everyone, including Mortati, applauds. Pablo goes to congratulate Teresa. Yes, Mortati is watching them. Mortati asks Julieta to find out everything about that woman (Teresa), there’s something he doesn’t like.

 

reina3 #31 part 3

Danilo and Beba talk about meeting Garrido. She’s reluctant. What if they get caught? She questions Danilo, why did you change your mind? Where is the loyalty you had to your president? I’m not stupid, he replies, my job has made me realize things, and my opinion has changed.

Beba still needs more convincing because one small mistake and she will never see her son again. Danilo makes his case. You can’t continue to be manipulated this way. You’re stronger than you believe. Many of us admired that reporter, that empowered woman you used to be. Do it for your father, Danilo tells her. He apologizes for perhaps overstepping. Beba says, it’s okay. The last time I saw my father said exactly the same thing. She’s ready to plan. Danilo wants to leave Susana out of any plan. [good thinking. I think she is a weak link]

Oleg tries making a key with the soap mold. Sofia asks, what do you think of Landero? Oleg answers, why do you ask? I don’t like him, she replies, he hasn’t done anything, but don’t trust him. Oleg says he felt that way at first. And he adds, but you could say I got used to him. Sofia worries her mom is making a mistake with Landero. Oleg says, I’m sure your mom knows what she’s doing. Just like another young lady who says she knows what she’s doing with her relationship.

Sofia smiles and asks, why is it easier to talk to you than her? Oleg gives a simple answer—because I’m not your dad. Just ask Fedor how many times he and I have spoken. Sofia says that makes sense. She turns the convo back to Landero and wonders how much he likes her mom. Oleg just smiles.

Teresa calls Oleg to find out how things are going over there. [she seems nervous, is she trying to hide her call from Pablo? Or is she just nervous talking to Oleg?] Oleg tells her things are not going as quickly as Sofia would like, but they are making progress. If everything goes as planned, he says, we will have full surveillance of the entire gallery in 24 hours.

You don’t know how relieved I am to know Sofia is with you, Teresa says. Oleg answers, on the other hand, it worries me that Fedor is with you. Your life could be in danger. Teresa tells Oleg his son is just as clever as he is. If it wasn’t for him, she says as she holds a gambling chip, we wouldn’t know the casino exists. You should be very proud of him. I am, he replies.

Teresa wants to ask Oleg a question. How could he say no? She asks, you and I will always be friends, right? [I think these words are like nail to Oleg’s heart each time she says them.] He pauses then answers, I don’t know why we wouldn’t. You also know I love you a lot, she tells him. [another nail]

Oleg asks, why are you saying this? I don’t know she replies, I think it’s the distance. I think I know why, he says, but don’t worry about it. I’m clear on everything from my end. Very clear. Teresa says she didn’t want to make Oleg uncomfortable. Never, Oleg answers, and I promise I’ll never stop being your friend. Teresa says she feels much better. He ends the call, it’s time to get some sleep.

Washington, DC. Ernie boinked Kozar [or likely she boinked him] and thank goodness we saw none of it. The convo immediately turns to pending business. He can’t eat or sleep he says. He’s got people working 24/7 but he can’t find a clue about the two new horsemen.

Kozar rips into him on his ineffectiveness. She threatens him with DEA director job. He wants some help with General Garrido and wants her to move on Epifanio. She practically orders Ernie to get back to work and she tells him to lock the door on his way out. Ernie gets a calls from Charlie, something’s up. He tells Charlie, just pay the man and I’m coming right away.

 

reina3 #31 part 4

Mortati watches while Teresa and Pablo meet with the Mexican ambassador over dinner. He comments to his employee… high level contacts, pays in cash, has a bodyguard and assistant, and puts down a deposit to stay a month. The employee says they are still not sure if she’s here on business or vacation. Mortati sends him to talk with Julieta.

The ambassador leaves, Mortati makes his way to Teresa’s table and introduces himself. Pablo introduces himself as Larrea and presents Elena Bocanegro. She invites Mortati to join them.

Batman and Sheila show up at the restaurant. He points out the kid that Mortati did not want to help. He’s serving Teresa’s table. The table talk is about investments. Teresa says the most important part is having good advisors. Mortati asks Pablo if he is one of her advisors. Pablo replies, we keep our financial interests separate.

Teresa asks Mortati if he is this curious about all his guests. No, he answers, only those who book the best suite, pay in cash, and spend a fortune on a coat without flinching. My thing is relationships, Mortati says, I have amazing contacts. If someone wants to meet someone I can facilitate.

Sheila makes her way to Teresa’s table and knocks into the kid serving Teresa more wine and he spills it all over her blouse. Mortati is mortified and angry at the kid. Teresa is angry and storms away to change. Mortati begs Pablo for forgiveness and says he will personally see to it that the blouse will look like new or he will buy a new one. Pablo says he will let Teresa know and he leaves Mortati reeling.

Dario is worried about using the ambassador in their plan. Epi is not. He’s known him a long time and trusts him. Worry about more important things, Epi says and asks, did you tell the generals we are meeting tonight? Dario calls them annoying because they want to know too many things. They are going to ask lots of questions. Don’t jinx me, Epi says with annoyance, go have a whiskey or something.

Ernie presents pics to Kozar. See that guy in front of the sports car? His name is Aguilar. He’s a lawyer and we’ve been following him. We suspect he’s a go between for some cartels in Northern Mexico. We still can’t prove it. He tells Kozar to look at the next pic. Ernie continues, he has ties to the [Mexican] president. The guy he’s greeting is the [Mexican] president’s secretary (suppose that’s Dario).

And you’re sure Vargas was inside, Kozar asks? Ernie is sure. Vargas got there a half hour early. Kozar follows up, when were these photos taken? A couple of weeks ago, Ernie answers. Well done, Kozar approves. Ernie asks how she plans to use the pics. We don’t get an answer, but we can be sure she’ll think of something.

And we are out.

 

reina3

Wow! MANY thanks, dondi356, for yet another superlative recap! I have nothing to add, but I do want to offer some comments.

When Teresa asks Pablo for his help with the zipper, I assumed she wanted him to zip it up, not down. I just can't seem to warm up to Pablo. I was delighted when you wrote about this scene, "[glad we didn’t see much more than that]." Amen to that, and to your later comments about Ernie in bed with Jane Kozar.

I'm embarrassed to confess that I didn't recognize that the cases the guy asks Fedor to help carry were filled with gambling chips. I'm glad Fedor took one, and I liked his attempt to find the floor where the chips were going.

Pablo may assure Teresa that people are looking at her simply because they've never seen a woman like her, but she's right to worry. Mortati is VERY curious about her and orders a full investigation. And even though Epifanio has come through with more money, Teresa's bidding $800K (more than twice the previous bid) seemed for that jacket seemed a bit foolish.

I'm glad Sheila has told Teresa what Oleg said about his feelings. And given what Sheila told her, Teresa's phone call to Oleg seemed to me insensitive, even (deliberately??) hurtful.

One of my favorite parts of this episode were the remarks about parent-child relationships: Sofia's asking Oleg why it was easier for her to talk to him than to her mother, and his response.

I wonder what Charley's phone call to Ernie was all about. Who should he simply pay off and why? I guess perhaps we'll find out on Monday.

I think the photos that Ernie shows to Jane were from the meeting that Epifanio said he'd go to with Delio and Delio warning him that it was too dangerous. Looks like Delio may have been right. Epi didn't think anyone would know about his presence. Oops.

Twice this week, an episode has ended with an unanswered question about what Jane Kozar is going to do. I especially enjoyed the first time, when the episode ended with just her evil grin.

Again, many, many thanks, dondi, for this excellent recap!
 

Reina3

Thanks so much, Juanita.

Oh yes, Teresa wanted her dress zipped up. Pablo can’t follow directions.

My heart breaks for Oleg. He’s just not the same guy we’ve seen in seasons 1 and 2. It does seem that Teresa is a bit insensitive to his feelings. Or maybe she’s afraid of her own feelings for him? I can understand she doesn't want to ruin the great relationship they have. I don’t want it to be ruined either.

The convo between Oleg and Sofia was wonderful. ITA, it was one of the best parts of the ep.

I could be wrong, but I think that Charlie was letting Ernie know about the photos. He was telling Charlie to pay the guy to get those pics. And I think you are right that this was the dangerous meeting that Delio warned Epi about.

How about this for a crockpot theory: could Mortati be a Horseman?

 

reina3

Thanks, Dondi. Super job. I loved your commentary.

Ernie and Kozar. I didn't see that coming. Yes, so glad we were spared.

Ernie and Kozar have zero chemistry, but I admit Teresa and Pablo have something although I do expect them to split and Teresa to be intact with Oleg by el fin. Seeing Oleg heartsick over Teresa is tough, but I guess losing his wife so horribly has softened him.

A face recognition photo search could easily show that Elena Bocanegra is Teresa Mendoza. I'm wondering if this will come up.
 

Reina3.

I think Epifanio has been making a lot of mistakes lately... And Dalio has been warning him that he is, but every time Dalio speak, Epifanio just blows him off. That's why I was wondering if he may forget to delete the photo. He just told Dalio, "You don't have to tell me what I gotta do, I know"

About Mortati being a Horseman, I can't tell just yet. When Karen was speaking to Teresa's team, she talked about El Ginete Blanco giving the keys to 'ellas' as in women.
And also, when Ernie had Charlie go through Higgins files, he said to look at cases with women with the same profile as Karen. That's why I thought the lady at the gallery looks like Karen's sister...
I, of course could be wrong. We just have to wait and see...

Muchas Gracias Dondi, for the recap. To me, it doesn't matter whether you post the recap late or not, You don't miss. Like Novelera said, we're always happy to see your recap.
 

reina3

Wonderful, wonderful recap, dondi! Every time I read one of yours I recognize some failings in my Spanish. Lots of things Our Team is doing are baffling me lately, but your details help a lot.

I still don't understand what an art gallery and/or a casino have to do with finding the two Horsemen.

Juanita, the boxes containing chips went right by me as well.

mwendwaE, excellent catch on "ellas", Since Karen was female, perhaps the Jinete Blanco (Higgins) chose women to hold the keys. It would kind of make sense. Karen certainly managed to not reveal that role for a long, long time.

Teresa Mendoza aka Kate del Castillo is doing a fine job of acting like an entitled, rich b%$@h. Her behavior reminds me of all she learned from Patty O'Farrell. In the first season Teresa was a fairly uneducated young woman, albeit one who could do large sums in her head. With all she learned during her years in Spain, she has no problem coming off as Elena Bocanegra.

ITA about two sex scenes I was glad to miss. Wow! Ernie really is an ambitious lapdog. He seems more than all right with being her warm-blooded sex toy to help with career advancement.

Again, thanks SO much, dondi. You cleared up a lot of things for me.

At least the US scored one goal. I didn't have much hope for a victory against the Dutch. They are predicted to at least end up in the quarter final. And the way FIFA sets up the knockout rounds, a team likely to pass through on their first game is usually opposed by a team with fewer points and less likelihood to go through.
 

reina3

excellent recap Dondi! you really have a knack for laying it all out, nice and simple.

and thanks so much mwendwaE for fillimg in, love your take on the story.

yes, Teresa and her lovers, always the bad boy, is it Oleg's love for his wife and family, the line they never crossed?

when it comes to Sofia and Fedor I still chuckle about Niecie's comment about bring your kids to work day.

interesting pairing for these new capers, Paloma/Mateo, Sofia/Oleg, Faustino/Anton, and I guess Fedor just doesn't pair well so why not Batman, and Sheila sure has a bagfull of tricks.

interesting that there is a legal casino, so why this one.

good point Niecie about facial recognition, I read up a bit on it, wow, what an eye opener, I took a screenshot of Elena Bocanegro, did a simple image search on Bing, bingo, "looks like Kate del Castillo".

 

reina3

deb, as I recall about Season One, Oleg was more than willing to "cross the line" and may have openly expressed that he was in love with her. It was Teresa who relegated him to the "friend zone". As Juanita and I have both said here, we loved Alberto Jimenez who played Oleg in Season 1. He was unavailable for subsequent seasons. The fantastic way he was shown accepting that Teresa would probably never love him "in that way" but continuing as her friend and ally was SO well played.

So I think Oleg would have left his wife for Teresa; and, in a sense, he actually did by leaving her side for long periods of time in Season 2, helping Teresa.
 

Reina3

Thank you every one.

Yes, Niecie, face recognition would “out” Teresa and leave it to deb to try it out!

mwendwaE, ITA, Epifanio has made mistakes due to his arrogance. I didn’t pick up on Karen mentioning “ellas” either, so thanks for that.

Maybe my memory is faulty, but It seems Teresa is mentioning stuff Karen said that I don’t remember hearing directly from Karen.

Nice analysis of Teresa channeling Patty O’Farrell, novelera. Lol “ambitious lapdog Ernie”—for a change we see a man sleeping his way to the top.

deb, I also thought Oleg was holding back from an affair with Teresa because of his wife and son. I don’t think he spent much time with them though, as he was worried about their safety. Once he knew he could trust Teresa, she met them in season 1. She was surprised and she respected he had a family. I vaguely recall him telling her if we had met at another time, things could be different. Timing is everything.

 

OT - sports talk for novelera

novelera, I didn’t expect the US to get past Netherlands. The US has a lot of work to do before they can beat these true football nations. I’ve been waiting most of my life for the US to put enough effort into it. Anyway, there are some great matches coming up in the quarterfinals.

OSU could get another crack at Michigan in the final of the CFP! In that case, I don’t think lightning will strike twice for the Wolverines.