Caray, Caray!

Minas

(Copy-pasting from the previous page)

Thank you everyone for your comments and kind words!

Diana, " I’m starting to think someone will need to pound a stake into her heart to kill her." LOL so true! I don't think she's going to die, I'm firmly of the opinion that she'll end up crazy. We'll see...

"Just because you wear a turtleneck and a beautiful blazer does not a James Bond make" made me laugh! So true. I was legit screaming at him to leave the place. He put everyone in danger.

Thank you for your hard effort all these months too, Diana. I really like us being co-recappers :)

Susan, thanks for adding the kiss scene. I fear that was cut from my recording. Ugh.

"These storylines seem to have invaded my dreams." Yeah, that happens. I have had several dreams of telenovela characters. My brain makes its own plot lines in my dreams. They're usually quite interesting.

Susan and Urban, thanks for adding that Aleida grabbed the gun from Fidel. Now it makes more sense, but why would Fidel drop the gun to hit Orlando??

Urban, "Watching Fidel prepare to kill Orlando was easily the most disturbing thing in this episode" was so true. He has lost it as well. That's what you get when you hang out with Roberta too much... Lol

I, too, am confused as to why would Jo believe Rob. The writers aren't doing a good job, that's for sure.

Liz, I wonder the same thing about Leo! Reckless.

"Not sure why Gigi was so upset at hearing Addled was dead. She should be relieved!" IKR? I was shocked at her reaction. He had mistreated her so many times, crying wasn't appropriate.

Waterlily, LOL about Míriam the babysitter.

"Even after watching the whole thing, the word I'd use for this telenovela is bizarre because it was so strange and kept getting stranger" Invencible 2.0...
 

MINAS #107 Part 1

At the jail, Orlando kisses Aleida’s hand, thanking her. Smiling, maternal love emanating from her eyes, she tells her adored son that she loves him with all of her heart. He returns the sentiment and they embrace.

This sweet scene is interrupted by Leo and Joaquina’s arrival, Joaquina declaring she is turning herself in; she killed Roberta!

Sebas is on the phone with Orlando and learns Addled is dead; he expresses sympathy for Gigi and her daughters. Orlando urges Sebas to be careful. Sebas walks into Emilia’s room and wakes Tigre up who is fast asleep in a chair, urging Tigre to go home. Is Nico OK Tigre asks worriedly? Yes he is with Marijo Sebas answers. Viewerville shake our collective heads in unison saying sadly little do they know how much danger she is in! Tigre kisses Emilia’s forehead (the first of many Emilia will receive). Sebas urges Tigre to do what he once advised him to – go after the love of his life. Tigre finally seems to listen, shaking his head gravely as he leaves.

Sebas stares at sleeping Emilia and kisses her forehead as she sleeps.

Marat greets Zaira in the hospital hall as they catch up; Sara is all right and Fidel is locked up. As they discuss Roberta, Marat takes her hands in his as Tigre walks up. Tigre is all fired up warning him off declaring Zaira is the love of his life. Marat is not going quietly, not capitulating in the least. Zaira stares and tells them both is not the time for such talk in view of everything going on, especially with Emilia!

Orlando is leading several police to the place where Roberta was held. He descends the stairs, looking around cautiously, gun drawn. When they get to the spot Roberta was knocked out, there is blood but no body. Joaquina and Leo follow close behind and as she views the scene in shock and disbelief, she is beside herself. Leo assures Joaquina she is not alone and leads her out.

Emilia is awake, frantically trying to reach Nico. When she has no success, she starts pulling out her tubes and IV. Sebas talks her down from the ledge saying he will take care of things. As he leaves, Emilia looks sick with worry. And how intuitive she is. At that very moment, she receives a call from Roberta, who mocks her, threatening her hijo. But dear patio, shockingly, rather than looking battered and bruised, Robertta looks the picture of health! There is no blood or disfigurement, only one tiny butterfly Band-Aid!? That seemingly huge hit in the face Roberta suffered seemed to morph into little more than a scratch!!

Gigi is at the morgue to identify Addled’s body. We see only a pair of feet sticking out from the too short sheet. When the coroner pulls the cover back, Gigi’s face reflects her torment. Yes, it is Alberto Quintana, the father of my children she states emotionally. She asks for a few moments of privacy as her face contorts in pain.

Diana
 

VENCER LA CULPA #67 Part 1


Well, here we are with only 11 episodes to go and we have some surprising revelations tonight.

1. Irineo is filling Leandro in on what he witnessed between Manuela and the man (Heliberto). She gave him an envelope. Irineo thinks it must contain money because she was very nervous and Lehman was running the show. Leandro concludes that he is blackmailing her. The fact that the man was so bold as to approach Irineo and mention him, makes Leandro think that he must have been investigating Manuela for a long time. Maybe it all has something to do with her past. Yes, Irineo has a photo of the man. Leandro tells him to send it to his contact in Matamoros to see if the man is from there.

2. Yaneli is struggling with Edgardo. She picks up a knife and tries to keep him at bay. After losing his job due to her, Edgardo thinks he has nothing to lose. (she should have proved him wrong and then made him right by stabbing him below the belt)

3. Paloma is her overly happy perky self at the dinner with Franco, Joel and Cecilia. Cecilia says Franco was a witness to their love story. She clarifies that she is talking about Joel and her love story not her and "Franquito's." Everyone laughs except for Franco. Joel always thought that Franco would end up with Ceciiia. Ceciiia tries to play footsie with Franco under the table. Joel always valued his friendship with Franco so much that he would have stepped aside if he had been interested in Cecilia. Franco says he is lucky he was not the chosen one. Everyone but Franco laughs and toasts to the comment.

4. Due to the fall, Enrique now has a fracture in his forearm and a large bruise on his back. While their were treating him, they found a mole on his back. It is being tested. It s nothing to get alarmed about.

5. Yaneli demands to know what he did to Axel. Edgardo has no respect for his nephew who lets women run his life. Edgardo wants to show Yanelli what a real man is like. . He knocks the knife away and wrestles Yaneli tooth ground. She grabs a ceramic pot and slams him in the head with it. She breaks free, leaves the house and locks him inside.

6. It turns out that Julieta is going back to school on Monday and Manuela is going to make sure she has her protection for several days more. She explains it is Leandro's job as her father to protect her. She is worried about Julieta who is evidently bothered by something but isn't talking about it. Talking about things makes them easier to deal with. Julieta is sick of being stuck in the house but is afraid to go back to school where she might be bullied. She is also bothered by the fact that she doesn't know her family background since Manuela was adopted. Manuela tells her that she knows where she is from and that she will tell her all about their family background soon. She gives Julieta her phone back for ten minutes.

7. Joel is so happy to renew his friendship with Franco and to work on their project together. It seems like destiny. Cecilia suggests that the four of them go out form time to time. Paloma agrees. Everyone is smiling except for Franco but he agrees. Joel teases him about his lack of a smile. He asks where the old Franco is who was always happy and fun? Franco apologizes and explains that he doesn't feel very well. He asks Paloma if they can leave. She agrees.
 

MINAS #107 Part 2 of 3

At Roberta’s, Ezequiel, Velos, and another thug are standing in the back of the room with their prisoners, Marijo, Cayetana and Nico. Velos, sick pervert that he is, is practically licking Marijo’s face. Roberta calls Nico over and takes a picture, her arm proprietarily around him. Roberta sends Emilia the picture as they speak. Seeing it, Emilia stands up in fright and worry. Emilia wants her to come there. Alone. Nico just wants his mother!

At Emilia’s, Aleida is so proud of her son; te amos and huge hugs ensure. Miriam comes down the stairs and they regard her seriously. We have something important to tell you Aleida affirms; Alberto is dead. Miriam is in shock as Aleida moves forward to take her hand.

Gigi is still talking with Addled the corpse. Uh oh, this time we actually see his face. Crying, Gigi flashes back to several scenes including the one where she heard a drunk Addled promising Miriam he was going to divorce Gigi. I’m still wondering why she isn’t crying tears of joy but I digress. Shaking with grief, Gigi takes off her engagement and wedding rings and places them on his chest. Hmmm. Perhaps he can use them as a bargaining chip for some relief from the fires of hell…

Emilia, dressed in black head to toe, holding her side in pain, walks down the hospital corridor.

Gael, Tigre, Marat and Zaira are together; Gael can’t reach Marijo and is understandably worried. Joaquina comes in and tells them they don’t know where Roberta is.

Nico tells Roberta she is his abuela, but he wants to be happy with his mother. When he brings up his father, she seems to relent a bit. “Te amo hijo te amo” she murmurs, While she hasn’t seemed to hallucinate he is Mauricio, she has a rare moment of weakness and opens the door to allow Nico to leave which he does as fast as his legs will carry him. She recalls an earlier scene where she had a bottle of poison in her hand, fighting with Joaquina.

Zaira and Gael are in Emilia’s empty room, fretting when Leo arrives, late and clueless as usual. Where is Emilia a stunned Tigre asks. He tells Gael to find her (obviously having no confidence in Leo). He and Zaira hug as Gigi and Marat enter. Gigi smiles, folding her hands in prayer as Marat looks as though he just ate several very sour lemons.

Sebas pounds on the glass door of Roberta’s house as Ezequiel comes upon him with a gun. He actually manages to get Sebas on the ground when Emilia arrives still clutching her side, wanting to see Roberta. Ezequiel seems to hesitate but Emilia does gain entrance.

Cayetana is bound and gagged while Marijo is tied to the chair. Velos (who seems completely unhinged) starts running his hand up and down Marijo’s arm. Cayetana hyperventilates, clearly terrified. Marijo starts pleading but Velos silences, then gags her. He tells her to be quiet as he kisses her temple as I shake with disgust.

Diana
 

VENCER Part 2


8. Genaro is home with Yaneli as the police take Edgardo away in handcuffs. He insists that Yaneli invited him over. Genaro wants to punch him out but the police protect Edgardo. Axel arrives and Edgardo accuses him of being hen-pecked already. He asks Yaneli if she knew that Axels's studies have suffered due to his involvement with her "feminist" issues. He is just going to be another mediocre man. The police tell Genaro and Yaneli that they have to come in to make their statements.

9. Axel explains that when Edgardo found out that he was gong to see Yaneli, he hit him the head, took his cellphone and left him locked up. Yaneli asks him if what Edgardo said about his studies was true. He sheepishly admits it is true.

10. Manuela is telling Angeles that she has the urge to take Julieta and go somewhere far away, forget about everyone and start fresh. Angeles get it but she isn't thinking clearly. Anyway, she wouldn't even have the money to do it after giving all of her savings away to Heliberto. Angeles asks where the woman who thinks everything through has gone. Manuela says that she went when all of the guilt from the past was suddenly on top of her again with the arrival of Heliberto.

11. As soon as she has her phone, Julieta is trying to contact Chiro who seems to be ignoring her. She is still stuck on him being so nasty to her. What did she do? Chiro (Heliberto) tells her it isn't directly her fault. He is not the one who is lying to her but others are. She needs to be patient and not tell anyone they have been talking. He also tells her he is going to block her so nobody can see what is going on with them. Julieta throws down her phone on her bed in anger. Manuela notices and takes the phone back. Ten minutes is over.

12. Amanda, Susana the Elder, and Nacho all visit Enrique. Susana the Elder starts her regular rant against her father. YAWN!

13. Paloma AKA "She Who Cannot Read a Room" still doesn't know why Franco was like he was. She apologizes again for having set up the supper. Franco doesn't help when he says it wasn't that. Paloma thinks it would be good for him and Joel to break the ice and maybe become good friends again since they will be working on the project together. Suddenly, Paloma gets a text. Joel has posted a photo of the four of them out at supper. He is so happy having found his best friend again. Franco can barely look at it.

14. Susana the Eder is still complaining to her father about how he treated their mother. YAWN. Amalia tries to calm them all down and is told this is a a "family" matter. Amallia leaves. Enrique is getting out tomorrow.

15. FINALLY, Manuela goes through Julieta's phone hoping to find some clues to why she is feeling like she is. Something doesn't make sense. She finds a message from Leandro.

16. Yaneli and Genaro make their complaint against Edgardo at the Ministerio Público. Axel has gone with them. He apologizes to Yaneli and she to him for not realizing what he was going through with his studies. They catch a quick kiss.
 

VENCER Part 3

17. Manuela tells Angeles that she has learned from Julieta's phone that Leandro told her to destroy the lab at school. She is now wondering if he was responsible for the alcohol appearing at Julieta's quince. She sees Leandro as an opportunist just like Heliberto. What to do? Angeles suggests that she be very careful and not to confront Leandro until she has proof. Manuela cannot see that ever happening. She is stuck because Leandro has legal right to Julieta as her father.

18. Tamara warns her mother of getting involved with Enrique. She could easily end up taking care of another sick man. Amanda says there is a difference. She cares about Enrique but didn't love Everardo. Tamara doesn't want to see her mother suffer again becasue of a man.

19. Enrique is at home and Susana the Elder tells him that they sent his mole to pathology. They will have the results next week. Enrique has decided to give his children the money that Leandro is asking for. Susana the Elder isn't too sure about accepting it now that her father has medical expenses. Nacho has no problems taking it. Suddenly Susana the Elder changes her mind. Amanda steps by to say "Hi!" and "Bye!" Enrique's kids still think that Amanda should talk to Leandro to get them off the hook.

20. Irineo tells Leandro that the man talking to Manuela is an ex-con called Heliberto. He killed a woman named Soledad Mendoza. Could it be Angeles' friend of the same name? When Soledad died, she left a 15 year old orphaned. It could be Manueal but they have to be 100% sure. It turns out that Heliberto killed Soledad when she was in prison herself where he was doing custodial work.

21. Shingles PSA

22. Carlos informs Pablo that he can expect Carmina to sue him for full custody of Pablito at any time. Leandro is like a shark that loves to attack when you least expect it. Leandro fights in unorthodox ways. Pablo thinks that means extortion, blackmail and bribes. Carlos agrees and adds fabricating evidence. There have been rumors that he even has makes people disappear who get in his way. Pablo insists that he will do whatever is necessary to keep custody of his child.

23. Leandro finds out that Soledad's daughter's name was Violeta Arroyo. Irineo agrees that it is possible that Violeta and Manuela are the same person. Leandro wonders why Irineo would want to hurt Manuela. Irineo shows him the last page in the report showing Leandro (not us) what Soledad was convicted of. They need to talk to Heliberto.

24. Manuela tells Angeles that she has not heard form Heliberto so she hopes he is satisfied and leaves her alone but she really doesn't believe that will happen. She is going to have to work harder to make more money. Manuela gives Juieta her phone back.

25. Yaneli expresses her worries abut getting into the university she wants to. Amanda says to is better that they come up with a solution.


26. It is Franco's birthday. and Paloma surprises him with some birthday pancakes for breakfast. He tells her that he will not be staying too long taking up her space. He has been to Pablo about how to handle the project. Paloma ASSumes that he ahs been also talking to Joel. Franco admits that he has not been talking to him. Paloma doesn't get it since they are supposed to be working together on the project. He says that Joel is finishing up another job so he is seeing Pablo at another time. Suddenly, Franco has another business appointment and has to leave. Before he leaves, she tells him that he isn't into celebrations but she is gong to plan a special meal for him.
 

MINAS #107 Part 3 of 3

Leo and Gael have scaled the walls of the not so impenetrable castle and have the house in their sights.

Danilo is trying to encourage Sara as Jenny brings Romina in. She has a lovely pink bow in her hair as she climbs on her mother’s bed telling her she loves her. Sara smiles sweetly and tells her she is a beautiful princess. Sara starts to say something about Romi’s father as Danilo and Sara make themselves scarce.

Nico literally runs into Leo’s arms outside the house. Leo leaves him with Gael and then runs into the house. Meanwhile, Roberta, wearing long black gloves, pours a thick white liquid into a wine glass. Emilia limps into the room as Roberta gleefully asks how Emilia Sanchez, the miner, is. Roberta starts in and Emilia, immediately defensive, declares Leo is HER son. Clutching her side, Emilia puts her hand out toward the bookcase for support, finally collapsing on the floor. As Leo lurks in the doorway, Roberta mocks her and as she holds the glass, she extends her arm out so that it is now directly over Emilia’s head. She harkens back, muttering about Mauricio to which Emilia retorts that Mauricio is dead, thanks to Roberta. Roberta thinks back to ordering the mine explosion never expecting Mauricio to be there. As the dynamite exploded, Mauricio threw himself on top of Emilia, shielding her and thus saving her life at the cost of his own.

Orlando runs up behind Leo (who is still outside listening) and Leo quickly asks for his gun, asking him to find and rescue Marijo. As Roberta continues to threaten Emilia, Leo steps into the room, gun trained on Roberta. Roberta isn’t in the least bit alarmed as she continues to smile and as she moves to pour the contents of her glass on Emilia’s head, Leo fires the gun causing her to turn and fall as the contents of the glass, acid, burns her face as she screams, flaming red and raw burns appearing on her face as the acid takes its toll. Orlando runs into the kitchen and he and Sebas overpower Velos and the unknown miner. Ezequiel who is outside, hears the screaming and hesitates outside the doors.

Roberta screams and yells “malditos”, writhing in pain and agony.

Gael mocks Ezequiel who is running away. Orlando rides to the rescue, cold cocking Ezequiel knocking him out.

Leo has called for an ambulance; Roberta is put on a gurney with some sort of adhesive netting on her face. Leo then goes to the second ambulance where Emilia is lying. Nico joins them and Sebas encourages her from the door.

Gael is hugging Marilo as a tearful Cayetana thanks her. Bonding over their shared nightmare, the two women hug as Gael looks on. Cayetana bids them goodbye and Marijo actually seems sad. But there is a bit of light at the end of the episode. Gael gets down on his knee and proposes! Marijo happily accepts.” Si mi amor” she says through her tears. As he slips the ring on her finger, there are smiles and besos.

Diana
 

MINAS

This was my final recap for MINAS.

I will have more to say after tomorrow’s finale but wanted to thank our wonderful team.

Weirdo, thank you for recapping this, single handedly at first. Your recaps were always intriguing and filled to the brim with wisdom and wit. You never failed to enlighten and delight and I always eagerly looked forward to seeing what you had to say. I learned so much from you and appreciated your kind support and generosity. It was a privilege to work on this with you. Gracias, amiga.

Waterlily, you were the wind beneath my wings. Explaining so much that I did not understand and translating what I wish I could have. You were beyond generous and you always added so much, especially with your marvelous sense of humor. Thank you for all of your insightful and thoughtful work!

To our wonderful, loyal, and supportive patio, Susan, Liz, Urban and Steve – thank you!! Your support kept me going and fueled my determination to see this through. Your comments were wonderful and added so much. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Diana
 

VENCER Part 4

27. Amanda and Enrique talk. It turns out that Enrique has skin cancer. They will do more tests to see if it has spread. Amanda realizes how complicated things are with his children and she has her own complications with her family. She thinks it is best that they dissolve their business association. She is going to look for a new place for her shop. Enrique understands. They agree that they should be able to go ahead and do what they want at their age but their families are always going to be there as they are. They regret that their love story has ended up like this.

28. Julieta is back at school and it seems like the only friend she has is Susana the Younger, if she will have her. She realizes that her time as Queen Bee at the school is over.

29. Dulce is at a command performance in Leandro's office. He is telling her, as her lawyer, how he will by her side during her testimony against Nico so she says exactly what she has to say. Dulce says she cannot look her father in the face after the lies she has told about that man. Leandro says that is the least she has think about. Dulce talks about how guilty she feels since that man did nothing to her. Leandro asks SO WHAT??? Nico is a miserable person who doesn't deserve any kind of compassion.She thinks that Leandro should pay for everything he did to Nora. She asks why he cannot leave her, her father and brother alone? She only wants the nightmare to be over. Leandro thinks she better get used to him because he isn't going anywhere. One of these days he is going to be part of her family. Carmina and Pabllto come in. Pablito runs to Leandro and they hug each other.

30. Pablito is happy to see Dulce but Carmina is not pleased. Leandro conveniently leaves with Pabllito.

31. Paloma has invited Cecilia and Tolita to help prepare the food for the surprise birthday party.

32. Pablo talks to Manuela at the center. He notices how distant she has been lately. She explains it has something to do with another case that could be similar to Dulce's and that could be related to the man who was harassing them but she cannot tell him any more. PROTOCOL! He tells her about how Dulce is avoiding him. He wants to support her economically so she can get a place to live. Manuela hasn't seen her.

33. Leandro and Pablito leave the women alone. Carmina asks Dulce how dare she try to talk to her son. Dulce reminds her that she did not seek him out. She was at the office already. She asks Carmina if she loves Pablito so much how she could she allow him to get close to Leandro and be Leandro's friend. Carmina thinks he is good father material for her son. Dulce knew she was a bad person but each day, she is worse. Carmina says there is nobody worse than Dulce who killed her own mother when she was born. Dulce slaps her hard across the face and leaves.

34. Heliberto talks to his mother and tells her that they have to follow the plan they made. She asks when is he going to see that drooling brat Julieta. He says not yet. She wants Manuela and that snotty kid suffer like they are suffering. She wants Julieta to know who her mother really is. He is not done torturing them yet. We see that is mothering calling from the center.

35. Leandro's goons have localized Heliberto.

36. Vicky coms to talk to Manuela and runs into Pablo who wants to talk to Dulce. She tells him to call her since he gave her that cellphone a few days ago. Pablo is confused. He never sent Dulce a cellphone.

 

VENCER Part 5


37. Franco comes home only to find Cecilia there all by herself. He asks what she is doing there. She explains that they are planning a surprise party and that his novia and her stupid friend Tolita are out shopping for what they still needed. She is suddenly all over him. He pushes her away and asks her what Joel would think. What he did to Joel was a great betrayal and her not telling him about her HIV is even worse. Joel should know about it. He is her husband. She isn't ready for that because then she would have to tell him how she got HIV. She adds that he needs to be careful about what he says because then his novia would find out that the loyal kind of guy, she thinks he is, slept with the fiancee of his best friend. She goes to kiss him. He stands there like a statue but doesn't push her away. The door to the apartment door starts to open.

38. Heliberto is tied to a chair in the company of Leandro and Irineo at an empty warehouse somewhere. Leandro tells him he better start talking as he rolls up his sleeves. He asks what he wants from Manuela. When Heriberto doesn't answer, Leandro starts to punch him the face. Heliberto says he is not talking until they negotiate. Leandro doesn't negotiate with ex-cons. Heliberto says he can keep beating him then. He learned how to take beatings when he was in jail. Leandro says he knows where to get him where it hurts. It is with his mother Fidelia. BINGO! Heliberto quickly has a change of heart. He will tell him all about Manuela whose name is really Violeta. She is not who Leandro thinks she is. She is a murderer.

FIN
 

Minas
Thanks so much, Diana, for this and all your other excellent recaps And thank you also for being so kind and encouraging. There should be more people like you.
I have to note that Gigi at least didn't immediately say she forgives Addled. She said she remembers the day they fell in love, but she also said she remembers all the times he had humiliated her. She made it seem he used to be a different person because she talked about how they shared a plate of beans once because there was nothing else to eat. She mentioned he brought her mariachies when her daughters were born. But for some reason he never gave them the affection they needed, which still makes him a bastard in my opinion. Or did his decent era end somewhere around the time the girls were born? I can't believe he could bring mariachis to his wife but couldn't be affectionate with his girls.
Aleida and Orlando are the best thing about this show.
It appears tigre has his own interpretation of what it means to fight for someone you love. I was shaking my head at Sebas after he said this. Tigre essentialy said he'd beat up Marat. Sebas told him it's a bad idea and he still was ready to tell Marat he wasn't allowed to be with Zaira. She scolded them both, but Marat is right it's up to her and he at least was aware of this. Tigre,however, lives in the Middle ages and thinks you can duel your lady's suiter and she's yours if you win. I think it was Liz who said it would be very hard to make tigre happy and it's exhausting to live like this. I imagine he could do romantic things for a bit, but who's to say he won't turn back into a cantankerous old grump once things settled down?
I loved your little digs at Leo. His uselessness seems to have turned into a running joke.
I have to say I was surprised that at one point, when Emilia again pointed out Roberta killed her own son, Roberta said something along the lines of 'he is gone but I'll have my grandson.' There was no angry screaming as there used to be. Even Emilia was like 'so you admit you killed him'. Roberta kept saying how Mauricio was the only person she loved and here she is, almost with a 'what is done is done' attitude. I wonder if she ever loved anyone. She said she managed to become 'her best version'. If she was a computer and this was a software update, I'd have asked for a refund because it surely would have crashed.
 

"MINAS" EPISODE#107:

Diana: Howdy from the Alamo City. Thank you very much for your recap of last night's episode.

Best part was seeing Gael & Marijo hugging & kissing because I noticed Gael proposed to marry her, which Marijo happily said yes. Cayetana FINALLY goes her own separate way, hopefully she finds someone else.

Interesting to see if Marat & Gigi end up together.

Another moment of last night's episode (I accidentally dozed off LOL): Watching Psycho Roberta getting scalded by the acid after she fell LOL. Karma is a bigly expletive!

Wondering what fate awaits Smarmy Fidel, Velos & Ezquevel ?


 

Minas

Diana, your recap was excellent, once again. Waterlily, thank you for the extra details. I'll write my final thank-yous tomorrow, after my recap of the Gran Final.

Diana, thank you very much for your very kind words! Waterlily is 100% right when she says there should be more people like you. I can definitely confirm!

I laughed at "[...]Gigi. I’m still wondering why she isn’t crying tears of joy but I digress." Addled has been so horrible to her. I assume it's another crazy "forgiveness" trope like Jenny giving Míriam a job and Emi giving her liver/kidney/whatever body part to Sara. And ITA with Waterlily about not buying the suddenly turned bad storyline for Addled.

Another LOL part was "He tells Gael to find her (obviously having no confidence in Leo)." Who would? LOL

Waterlily, you also gave me much-needed laughter with this: "She said she managed to become 'her best version'. If she was a computer and this was a software update, I'd have asked for a refund because it surely would have crashed."

Gran Final and the madness is over! I'll try to get it up earlier than usual so we can discuss.
 

Minas #107

Gracias; this captured it all.

That was a lucky shot for Leo (I don't think he shot at anything else in this tale and we've never seen him take lessons) considering that Roberta was holding the glass over Emilia's head and Emilia could not move. She could have bled out as well if this standoff had lasted any longer. It was very satisfying to see her in genuine pain. As I said previously, she never loved anyone.

Cayetana going away quietly? I guess she would after all this and Velos perving on her.

I think Gigi was crying for what she thought she once had and then lost with no good explanation. She gave this SOB the best years of her life and he gave her crap in return.
 

MINAS

Waterlily, thank you so much for your lovely words.

“She (Roberta) managed to become ‘her best version’. If she was a computer and this was a software update, I’d have asked for a refund because it would surely have crashed” said it all!

I was shocked that at one time, Addled was actually a human being! Shades of decency that vanished long ago. At least Gigi has one or two tender memories although there was no doubt Addled died as the worst rendition of himself.

I can’t imagine having to choose between two such disparate individuals, Tigre vs. Marat! I have no doubt cranky, curmudgeonly Tigre will prevail. Marat is a gem and deserves a good woman. As there is no spark with Aleida, perhaps there might be someone fitting that bill …

Aleida and Orlando ARE the storyline that captured our hearts and imagination. A mother and child reunion is always the happiest of endings.

I hope we not only get to see a happy ending (as much as it can be under the circumstances) but a glimpse into what the future holds, years down the line. Hope springs eternal.

Diana
 

MINAS

Steve, thanks so much.

Ahh, I see we are both thinking that it may well be Gigi Marat ends up with! I think they would be a good match and I can see her traveling the world with him, loving every minute of it!

Diana
 

MINAS

Weirdo, thank you for your kind words.

Your take on Gigi “I assume it's another crazy "forgiveness" trope like Jenny giving Míriam a job and Emi giving her liver/kidney/whatever body part to Sara” hits the proverbial nail on the head perfectly!.

We have all had so much fun slicing and dicing so many absurd events (and characters), it’s been a blast!

Can’t wait until tonight to see where everyone lands and to read your sure to be spectacular recap!

Diana
 

MINAS

"I think Gigi was crying for what she thought she once had and then lost with no good explanation. She gave this SOB the best years of her life and he gave her crap in return" is exactly right Urban!

Yes, Leo was very fortunate that his shot caused Roberta to turn and fall, otherwise the results would have been catastrophic!

Looking forward to how all this is wrapped up tonight!

Diana
 

VENCER

Jarifa, a powerful and all-encompassing rendition of last night’s head spinning and non-stop action. You captured every single detail and conversation with insight and clarity.

Favorites included “Paloma AKA ‘She Who Cannot Read a Room’ and “Paloma ASSumes”, both of which had me smiling away.

So much for hoping Leandro was going to beat Heliberto to a pulp. I abhor violence but am willing to make an exception in this case. New and unanticipated complications continue to stun. In addition to Heliberto, Manuela now has Fidelia to contend with. How much more will she be able to endure?? I wish she were confiding in Pablo more; she seems like a sitting duck unable to defend herself. Something has to give.

I was so disappointed not to see Genaro fly through the air and pummel Edgardo to within an inch of his life!

And STILL, Leandro thinks he, Manuela and Julieta are going to end up living together? He is completely insane.

Paloma’s little dinner party was just cringeworthy, start to finish. Her doe eyed pushiness is one of her less attractive qualities. Franco’s affair seems out of character but real it was with life altering consequences. As the truth will inevitably come out, he should have told Paloma the truth initially so they (and we) could have been spared all the ensuing angst and agony of the tense dinner and Cecelia’s odious flirtation.

Julieta is edging closer to unspeakable evil every day. I was hoping Manuela was going to see something on Julieta’s phone. I was surprised she wasn’t monitoring it daily. Julieta should have nothing to hide.

And poor Dulce, sitting across from Leandro keeping her wits and composure about her. Who is going to step up and vanquish this monster?

Diana
 

Vencer

Thanks, Jarifa, that was great. Things are starting to fall into place.

I was thinking Heriberto must have gone to jail for Manuela killing her mother. But if he killed her in jail then Manuela had nothing to do with it. I can’t believe she really killed someone.

I didn’t realize Leandro is planning to marry Carmina! Poor Pablito. Dulce really needs to tell the truth.

I was surprised Leandro does his own dirty work. I would think his knuckles would be cut and bruised!

Poor Franco. I guess he can’t get comfortable with Joel because he slept with his fiancée, but it looks like she was probably the aggressor. Why did Paloma invite them to his birthday. Couldn’t she see how miserable he was with them.

Liz
 

Minas

Dear Diana, thank you so much for this excellent final recap. You have become a wonderful storyteller as you weave straw into gold. I haven't had a chance to watch this episode , but when I can watch, I will have a better understanding .

I remember our original blog mom Melinama ( jane) telling me that the worst novelas offer the most fun as we have fun snarking about them.

Waterlily, you are so right about Diana. She is the kindest soul. She and I have been at Caray for a long time through a lot of ups and downs . People come and go here, but Diana is a vital, steadfast part of the patio treating everyone with kindness and respect. No matter what is happening in your real world, Diana's recaps and comments at caray will always raise a person's spirits. ~~~Susan
 

Vencer #67*

Gracias, Jarifa. This episode was incredibly revelatory.

Here's hoping Eugenio's test comes back negative. He doesn't deserve this. And his "kids" are still being brats about his relationship with Amanda.

Kudos to Dulce for that slap. It was long overdue.

As for Leandro doing his own dirty work, I think he gets off on it. Carmina isn't smart enough to try to find out why Lorena divorced him and took their kids.

Paloma will probably jump to conclusions tonight. Franco needs to tell her everything.

Manuela would only have killed anyone in self-defense and Heriberto definitely is a born criminal.

*Spectrum lists this as Episode 70.
 

VIDA

Paula insists that Pepe stay so they can talk despite Rol's rudeness.

Emil tells Lucia that he is back with Reni. Lucia tells Emilio that Reni must be doing something to make him so blind.

Rol eavesdrops and hears that Rafa is Lor’s son.

Pepe tells Paula that she has to leave too because having her close causes him much confusion. He admits that he can’t stop thinking about her…he was being sincere when he told Malena that he liked her (Paula). He senses that something is growing between them. Paula tells him that she too was sincere when she told Malena that she likes him. She too can’t stop thinking about him.

Natalia/Eulalia goes to see her mother. Nat’s mom wonders why Natalia always checks the safe when she goes to visit. Mat tells her that if something happens to her she can see what’s in the safe.

Paula tells Pepe that if circumstances were different, if she had more time, they could figure out what they are feeling. Her life is complicated and the only thing she can offer is her friendship. Pepe thinks it’s best too since he has his own problems. The best thing for everyone is that Paula and her family leave but Paula says no. His father raised his brother and he won’t be able to get over the fact that Rafa is not his son. Paula argues that her father has every right to be close to her father. Whether Pepe likes it or not it, she is going to support her father.

Nat reminds her mother that she changed her name many years ago. She gives her mother money, The mother is sorry to be a bother but her meds keep getting more expensive. The mother then tells Nat that some people came and told her that Nat owes a lot of money and they could take her house if Nat doesn’t pay them. Nat assures that the house will not be taken. She is about to achieve everything she has wanted for them.

Pepe worries about Rafa getting hurt too. Paula suggests that they work together to resolve everything. Pepe muses that before Paula and her family got there, his family was fine: now they have shaken their world. He pleads they Paula leave…and to take her father.

Rol insults Pepe and warns that he stay away from Paula. If he messes with his interests,Pepe will be sorry.

Lor wonders why Alex has changed his mind about his offer. Lor admits that the only woman he has loved is Isabela and he is only doing this for her. Alex reminds him that Isabela is his wife. Lor should talk to his lawyer and when all is ready, then Lor can come to the restaurant to finalize everything.

Gracia advises that Isabela be honest with herself. Isabela will try to fight her feelings for Lor.

Rol tells Nat that Paula has a half brother. Nat worries that Paula will want to include her half bro in her will.

Paula adds “Fall in love again” to her list! The doc tells Paula that her tumor has grown. He advises a more aggressive treatment but Paula refuses. Rol shows up and Paula tells him that they should marry right away…in a couple of weeks! She asks that Rol plan everything since she is having some bad days. Rol assures he will take care of her children, he only asks that she try to fall in love with him.

Emi confronts Reni. Reni denies everything accusing Lucia of lying ( no surprise)

Diego agrees to help Andrea find her mother, but Andrea doesn’t even know her name. Even her birth certificaste only has her father’s name. Everyone avoids talking about her mother or gets nervous when she asks questions.

 

VIDA Ep. 16 Part 2 (the previous post was part 1 ...but you know that LOL)

MAL has coached Teo in what he should say to his father. Teo later tells Pepe that he misses hismother; and Teo wants pepe and his mother together AND he wants a baby brother!

Reni begs her A$$ off until Emi caves and agrees to goon their trip. Uh-oh, look like Emi might have a drinking problem! He takes a long swig out of the thermos after filling it with liquor.

Paula tells Diego that she will marry Rol in two weeks. Diego tells her that if she marries Rol, he can forget about him (Diego). Diego can't wait til he is 18...and he wishes the it had been Paula that had died!

Pepe confronts MAL about what Teo said. He thinks MAL put Teo up to it (bull's eye!).

Reni warns Lucia that she has no idea who she is messing with. Reni is the daughter of a very influential family (AND????) Lucia stands hew ground but Reni is capable of anything to keep Emi...he is hers!!

Pepe wants to follow his parent's example, they have overcome many problems. And the idiot concedes to being a father to her baby, but that doesn't mean that they will get back together. He asks MAL to tell him the truth about who she cheated with, When she remains silent, Pepe asks if he knows the man who got her pregnant.

FIN





 

Minas

Thanks Diana, I enjoyed your recap. I’m starting to feel like some cold blooded person. Even Mirian looked upset at Addled death. She was afraid of him. She and Gigi should be dancing with joy! At least Gigi took off her wedding ring. But why leave it on his chest, take it to a pawn shop!

Great ending for Robertson great pain and her beautiful, cold face scarred for life.

I’m not sure what can happen tonight. Are they going to give us a whole hour of everyone happily going forward with their lives! That would be a welcome change!

Liz
 

VENCER

Thanks, all.

I am focusing on Leandaro comments tonight because we are finally seeing him for who he really is in all of his aspects.

Diana, This was another fun episode to recap. "So much for hoping Leandro was going to beat Heliberto to a pulp. I abhor violence but am willing to make an exception in this case." Definitely. It seems that Leandro's mask has finally dropped and we are getting to ee who he really is.


Liz, "I was surprised Leandro does his own dirty work. I would think his knuckles would be cut and bruised!" Exactly, if we see him with pristine hands tonight there is a production problem. I was surprised he also had on a white shirt.


Urban, "As for Leandro doing his own dirty work, I think he gets off on it." I totally agree. He is one sick . . . puppy. : ) I am well aware that this is technically episode #70 of the episodes that were shown in Mexico. Univision cut out three episodes worth of material early on so I am going with consecutively numbering the ones that were actually shown here. It is a mess anyway you number it thanks to Univision and its ever present clippers.
 

MINAS

Susan, what beautiful sentiments, thank you amiga.

We have been through much together lo these 16 years and God willing with many more to follow. I thank you for your unfailing kindness and support.

One thing we have learned over the years is that it isn't over until "FIN" flashes...There is so much that can happen tonight and I don't even want to hazard a guess as to what Roberta's fate will be.

Mercifully, we don't have long to wait!

Diana
 

MINAS

Thanks so much Liz!

Like you, I was baffled at Gigi's (and Miriam's) reaction to Addled's death. Even more so (as you noted) leaving valuable gold and diamond rings behind?!

Having Roberta in "great pain and her beautiful, cold face scarred for life" would be a fitting punishment. What worries me is that she has always seemed indestructible, even now when the tide seems to have turned against her.

I so agree that it would be so refreshing to actually see more than a few brief moments of happiness at the end. I want more Orlando and Aleida, and Jenny and her baby. I want more Danilo and Sebas (preferably without their partners :) and the promise of a better, brighter day ahead.

Diana
 

VIDA

Rgv Chick, thank you for your very fine recap.

“Paula adds “Fall in love again” to her list!” Hooray!! I love the honest, sweet attraction that is growing naturally between Paula and Pepe.

MAL is a piece of work, spewing one lie after the other. How fast will she be able to spit out another name and whose name will it be? I’m taking a wild guess that it’s far too soon for Rafa to be revealed as the baby’s father.

Roi is managing to rush Paula into marriage; a marriage that Diego is trying his darndest to stop.

I kept thinking Paula was misdiagnosed somewhat but now that the tumor is growing, there goes that theory. Looks like there needs to be a miracle cure or a miracle, pure and simple.

Reni is such a brat but a very dangerous one.

Diana
 

vida
Thanks, rgv chick.
Stupid stupid stupid! Everyone is being stupid. It was bad enough having to watch Malena manipulate Teo, but then stupid Pepe agreed to raise her child. I am rather surprised he doesn't see how selfish Malena is. People can change, but she's had years to do it. She doesn't love her children and neither of his parents acts the way she does and it must have been one of the reasons the marriage worked. Someone should record Malena next time she rants about how she hates her kids. Rafa won't be happy, though. I wonder if he is going to do anything.
I know Pepe is in shock and is also hurt Paula is marrying someone else, but it's silly to even bother asking her to leave twon. He sounded like Isabela. Are they both used to telling people what to do? It's rather insensitive to say it makes no difference to Paula's father he has a son because he hadn't known this for 40 years. I get he wants to protect his father, but for a man who is so considerate with his kids and so understanding when it comes to his mother's actions, that's very insensitive.
Emiliano deserves Renata for now because of his own stupidity. I don't understand why he got back with her. her being 'fragile' can't be the reason. And then he allows her to manipulate him into going on that trip. I thought he had a bit more sense. He must be unable to see red colour because he keeps missing all these red flags. Lucia handed him one and still.
Why does Rolando keep insisting Paula try to fall in love with him? He seems to think it can actually be done. I don't envy Diego. His rebellion might cost him a lot.
 

VIDA #16

Thank you RgvChick for your mini recap!

I wish Paula knew that Rol was eavesdropping on her and Pepe. And Natalia is right to worry Paula might include him in her will.

Rolando and Pepe antler-bashing each other is getting old already. And Rol, trying to mark his territory...

Emi is an idiot, as are many boys his age. Will they really ever get to Europe? Do I even care?

waterlily - Emi has to be colorblind. ;-)

Again Rol kissed Paula and she didn't kiss back.

Does Diego know something about Rolando? Or is it just vibes/sixth sense?
 

OT...saw a promo for " El Amor no tiene receta"...wheeeeeeeeeee.....Feb 26?????
Susan
 

Vida

Thank Rgv Chick, that was an excellent recap of a frustrating episode.

Pepe and Paula admit they have feelings for each other. Then Pepe decides to raise Mal’s baby as his. And I’m assuming they’ll live together since Too wanted all of them together. Paula wants a wedding in two weeks. To someone she doesn’t love. So both will end up miserable. Because they listen to their youngest kids, who would probably be thrilled to be step siblings!

Emil is a fool, apparently a fool with a drinking problem. If he’s been dating Remi for 4 years we can understand the drinking. Lucia is too good for him.

Paula and Pepe should have gone further away from Rol, and shut the door! I know Paula trusts him but Pepe should have realized he’d eavesdrop.

If it goes another 8 months, in telenovela time, I wonder how long after that Rafa will claim his baby!

Liz

Liz
 

Vencer

Jarifa, thank you for another fantastic recap as we twist and turn to the very end.

Why doesn't Franco tell Paloma what is going on with this annoying , horny woman ? The answer is : this is a telenovela.

Why was Manuela's mother in prison , and why did Heli kill her ?

I noticed that Pablo's lawyer is the actor who played Cristobal on " Invencible."
Susan
 

Vencer

Super job, Jarifa. I loved all your zingers on Paloma. She is so annoying right now.
 

Vida

Are you guys liking this one???
 

VENCER LA CULPA #68 Page 1


Who we found out tonight. . .

MANUELA

Leandro tells Heliberto that he believes about half of what he has told him. He also has to hear what Manuela has to say about his father's death. Helibeto insists he is telling the truth. He will not rest until he does justice for his father. Leandro says he can do what he wants but he is not to do anythig to Julieta. He will not touch her. Heliberto agrees to do nothing to the girl. The photos were to scare Violeta. He knows how to break Violeta and what is more he has proof that she and not her mother Soledad killed his father. It doesn't matter how long ago she killed him, she can still go to jail because there is no statute of limitation on murder. An innocent woman went to jail. It is time for the guilty one to go to jail. Leandro decides to let him go for now but from now on he will be doing what Leandro says. When he is free, Heliberto leaves his mother a message saying they have big problems.

Fidelia is in Manuela's office telling her her story as if she were a bonafide client. She won't give her name. She was a happily married woman. She and her husband had a son. It was all going well until her husband left her for another woman.The other woman was a widow and she had a daughter. Fidelia was a good wife and couldn't understand how the man she adored had left her. She was broken but her consolation was that he still was her husband. He was a good father and would take his son out for a walk or give him a little money. He did what fathers do when they leave short of introducing him to his new family. The problems started when that so and so and her brat started to plot against them. They were like the devil and put al of these ideas into her husband's head so that he would leave her and her son. The mother was a witch. The daughter was the devil incarnate. She made her husband want her. Her husband stopped coming to see them. Then one day he turned up dead. Fidelia introduces herself. Manuela only saw her once but she never forgets a face and especially a face that reminds her of her greatest pain of her life. She asks "Violeta" if she agrees. She is there to remind her of everything she is guilty of.

Manuela asks her why she is there. Fidelia says her son told her already. They want justice and money for all of those miserable years they had to live though. Manuela thinks they want to torture her. Fidelia says they destroyed her and her son's life because of Rosendo's death. Fidelia is there to unmask her so everyone will know the slut her mother Soledad was. Manuela tells her to respect her mother because she .. . Fidelia orders her to finish the sentence; to say that Soledad did not murder Rosendo. It was she Violeta who killed him and she who did all she could to see that her mother took the blame. Manuela tells her to get out fo her office. Fidelia says she will leave but she and her son are going to be very close until she confesses her guilt.

Fidelia meets up with her son at a clinic. She says they left him bloody like Christ. She tells him to be careful since the girl's father left him like he did, means that he must be powerful. He explains that Leandro threatened him. He doesn't want them touching his daughter. Leandro doesn't know that he is Chiro so if Violeta doesn't confess, they will make sure that justice is done with their brat. Fidelia likes that idea. Julieta will protect them from Leandro but for now it is best that they ally themselves with him.
 

VENCER Page 2


Manuela tells Angeles about Fidelia. She was full of anger, rancor and resentment.Manuela is dying of fear. They will not leave her alone. She worries about how Julieta will feel learning the truth. She has suffered for years from the guilt about what happened to Rosendo and then how her mother died. They want her to publicly announce that she killed Rosendo or turn her self in so she pays forth same crime that her mother payed for. She will always carry the guilt for having killed Rosendo and the death of her mother.

Manuela remembers her mother coming home that day twenty five years ago. She went out to meet her. She looked like she was in a state of shock. Her mother asked her what was wrong.. She could barely talk but quietly repeated and repeated that she had killed him. Her mother went inside the house. There was Rosendo on the floor with his head in a pool of blood.

Leandro calls to talk to Manuela about Julieta going on a vacation after school is out. Manuela agrees she will go with her. .


DULCE

Dulce is overwhelmed and ends up at Amanda's pet shop. Yaneli is there and the girls chat. Yaneli talks about how Genaro always watched out for her. He may be stubborn but is a good guy. Dulce will always have lovely memories of her brother. She met him when he delivered an order to her by mistake. They first were friends but as time passed by he became the first boy she fell in love with. She thought he was also starting to feel something for her. Yaneli agrees saying that she never saw him like he was over anyone before. She get bad that she still hadn't dared to tell him she was transgender. One day they passed by a little hotel and he insinuated that he wanted to take the next steep in their relationship. She knew then and there she couldn't keep the truth from him Also, she was being followed. Genaro took a photo of her outside the hotel. A few days later, she decided to tell him everything. He thought she was going out with somebody else because that night her aggressor called her. She didn't answer and Genaro became curious who was calling her. She said it was her landlady but Genaro wouldn't let it go as somebody kept calling her. He saw her hide who was calling her and got angry thinking it was another man. He asked her if she was going out with somebody else. Genaro got jealous and stupid only wanting to hear that she was cheating on him. That was not true and she decided to tell him that she was transgender. He became very violent. He shouted at her. He was going to hit her. She slapped him and ran. She had never seen him like this. That same night she was kidnapped. Yaneli hugs her. Dulce tells Yaneli that she felt guilty that she had kept being transgender from her brother but she was so excited being with him. Yaneli can understand. Yaneli asks if she was going out with Nico when she was going out with her brother. Dulce lies and says she already had left Nico but he really wanted to continue seeing her.

Manuela tells Pablo she still feels guilty she didn't give Dulce the time when she told her she was in toxic relationship. She must have been talking about Nico.

Pablo doesn't understand how Dulce got the phone. Vicky says she seemed quite tense when she received it. He asks Dulce about the phone and who was the "father" she got it from. She lies and says that it was a man that Nora was very friendly with and that she called "father." He also was very kind to her. Pablo admits he has made many smitakes but really wants her to come and live with him. She can always leave if she is not comfortable.
 

VENCER Page 3


Dulce moves is with Pablo. He wold like to hear about her relationship with Nico some day. She makes it clear that she isn't talking.
He wants her to trust him. Sooner or later they will have to hire a lawyer. Dulce says that Leandro is taking care of her since he was already handling Genaro's case. He asks if she trusts him and brings up the fact that Carmina hired him to try to get full custody of Pablito. Dulce informs her father that Leandro wants to be much more than a lawyer to Carmina.


PALOMA

It is Tolita who catches Cecilia kissing Franco. Tolita lets Cecilia know that she saw her and tells her off. Tolita could not care less and tells Tolita that she must have bad eye sight and should get some glasses. Tolita tells Franco that she saw him. He says it wasn't what she thinks. Tolita insists that he tells Paloma. The birthday party continues but is very uncomfortable. FINALLY, the party ends when Franco says he has to get up early for work. Tolita is the first one out the door. Paloma ones why?? She asks Joel why he has been trying to evade Joel. (It took her this long to notice??) At first, Franco thinks that Tolita told her what she saw. He tells her it was all a misunderstanding. Paloma makes it clear that Toita told her nothing. Franco wants to be honest. Years ago, he betrayed Joel when he got something going on with Cecilia that lasted a few months. Paloma asks if Cecilia was the one who gave him HIV.


ENRIQUE

Susana and Nacho are with their father complaining about all they have to pay Leandro. Enrique tells them to stop complaining. He explains that he is going to pay their settlement with Leandro and he is going to sell the house to do it. Susana the Elder says he can't because it is THEIR house. Enrique makes it clear that no, it is HIS house to do with as HE pleases.


AMANDA

Amanda stops by to see Leandro to find out how the distribution of her inheritance from Everardo is going. He says it is going slowly but it is moving along. She has not changed her mind but she needs to do something with her own money before the distribution is completed. She wants him to take out of her part of the inheritance the money he is claiming from Susana the Elder and Nacho. She also wants to support Tamara's plans to start a business. She wants to pay for her grandchildren's schooling and also Yaneli's professional career. Leandro is angry saying she is turning them into a charity and asks if she has gone crazy. Maybe Enrique brainwashed her. Amanda reminds him that Everardo left that inheritance to her. She can legally do what she wants with it. She does not need his permission. She has signed nothing over to anyone yet. She is not crazy or brainwashed. She is breaking her business relationship with Enrique and looking for a new location for her shop. She also tells him to let his case against Enrique's kids go. Desirée is in jail and he knows he is not being fair. If he cannot do what she wants, she will get a lawyer who will.
 

VENCER Page 4


CARMINA

Carmina brings Nancy up to date on seeing Damián and how he slapped her. What bothers her is that Damián mentioned having known Leandro from before. Nancy is sure she misheard. Carmina thinks so because Leandro is a great guy. Leandro fascinates her but she doesn't love him. The love of her life is Pablo. She wants to isolate Pablo from Pablito and her so he realizes what he is losing not being by her side. As for Leandro, they have formed a team because it is to both of their advantage. There relationship has been advancing rather well. There might be a big surprise coming. Nancy asks if she is planning on getting married.

Pablo comes barging into Carmina's house telling her that he will not allow her decisions to affect his son. He is talking about her lawyer Leandro. She understands him it now. It was that abomination called Damián who was gossiping about her having a close relationship with Leandro. Did he also tell her that he slapped her? Pablo is not interested. He wants to know how "professional" her relationship is with Leandro. She never answers because Leandro has arrived. He tells Pablo that it is a serious relationship because he is planning on moving into this house. Leandro adds if Pablo is going to be jealous, he can save the "show". Pablo will not allow him to use his son to manipulate him. Leandro says he has never treated him badly. He asks what is so bad about being a paternal figure for Pablito when that is something he does indeed need. Pablo disagrees. Leandro informs him that if Pablito does not have the chance to be raised by a full fledged man, the poor boy is going to end up turning into a degenerate like Damián. He smirks and pushes Pablo. Pablo swings and hits him twice.

YANELI

Yaneli and Axel are thinking about taking their relationship to the next level. When she tells her brother that she is going to be going off with Axel this weekend, her brother gets angry. He says that Axel only wants to sleep with her. She says so what?? Having sex with a novio is normal. She is an adult and knows how to take care of herself. She tells him to respect her like she respects him. She is free and responsible.

FIN
 

VENCER

Jarifa, I devoured your extraordinary recap, hanging on every well written word.

Somehow this storyline continues to transcend a higher level of shock and awe every episode. Evil is so pervasive and powerful, I cannot fathom how those who personify it will be vanquished. Fidelia, Heliberto and Leandro are the evil triumverate.

"Fidelia...says they left him bloody like Christ" struck fear in my heart. I cannot imagine the sheer terror Manuela is feeling.

So Leandro plans on moving into Pablo's home so Pablito can "be raised by a full fledged man". My stomach roils and my heart drops.

How long will Dulce be able to withstand Leandro's evil manipulation combined with Carmina's cruelty and inhumanity?

Things are so bleak but we must hold out hope because as the saying goes "it's always darkest before the dawn".

Diana
 

"MINAS" GRAN FINAL:

Diana: Howdy from the Alamo City. Enjoyed watching last night's Gran Final & was satisfied with the happy endings of several people.

Emilia & Turtleneck Leo got married FINALLY. We see Danillo, Sara & Romina at the ceremony earlier before they leave presumably for Spain maybe.

Marijo & Gael: Awwww.

Just as I predicted from the beginning: Marat & Gigi end up together. Marat sporting the turtleneck LOL.

Weirdo: Looks like Miriam is preggers again & Sebastian will be the Baby Daddy tjis time.

Waterlily: Psycho Roberta got off way too freaking easy. She's living in some cafe & eating like a dog; I would've preferred seeing her in maximum prison.

I enjoyed seeing both Smarmy Fidel & Ezquevel squirming & getting scared when tje big bad prison dudes appeared likely to stabbing them.

Grumpy Tigre & Zaira back together: Yawn!

Darcy: Adelia, Orlando, Jenny & the Baby was the best moment of last night's Gran Final. Noticed when Adelia got a phone message from unknown caller & her smirk was priceless BABY.

Adelia's revenge against Smarmy Fidel officially complete!

UA: Only ones in this Telenovela that interested me: Adelia, Gigi & Marijo.
 

Vencer

Thanks so much Jarifa, you gave us every detail of all the happenings in this show. Everyday it’s a new ”oh, no!” in my head. Or several!

I was shocked that Leandro is moving in with Carmina. In the house Pablo bought her. And after Pablo hit Leandro Pablito runs to Leandro.

Does Leandro want Manuela or Carmina. I think he wants the same relationship with Carmela that she wants. While they both love other people. If they’re even capable of love.

Fidelia and Heriberto think they can mess with Leandro. I bet they learn their lesson.

I’m sure Manuela killed Rosendo to prevent him from raping her. Or maybe he already had raped her. Apparently the police would not consider that a reason to kill someone.

Franco needs to come clean to Paloma and Joel. Then Franco can work with Joel but Cecilia needs to never be included.

I’m glad Enrique told his kids it was his house and he could do what he wants. But I don’t think he should pay their debt to Leandro. And I loved Amanda telling Leandro she could get another lawyer.

Dulce is not going to keep her story straight. She was stumbling talking to Yaneli. I really thought when Pablo found out about the phone he would start unraveling the truth.

We still don’t know why Leandro ever got involved in Dulce’s life. That’s the biggest mystery.

Liz
 

Vencer #68

Gracias, Jarifa. This is still getting more complicated.

Cecilia is seriously toxic in every way possible. Did she know she was HIV+ before boinking Franco back in the day? If the answer to that is Yes she is both evil and amoral. I think once Joel knows about Cecelia he will divorce her.

Both of the above words also describe Leandro and Carmina. The latter isn't as smart as she thinks because Leandro much smarter and has blood cold enough to make popsicles for Dracula.

I am still attempting to figure out if Rosendo raped Manuela. If so, how can this be proven now? Did Soledad kill him upon discovery or did Manuela kill him in self-defense? Did the writers read Marnie or see the film and/or the opera?

Fidelia and her hellspawn are evil incarnate, especially if they knew that Rosendo raped Manuela (Violetta). Interesting that they are calling he a slut (when she was a minor) and the writers gave her Violetta as her original name -- the name of the troubled ex-courtesan heroine of Verdi's La Traviata.

I don't want Amanda and Eugenio to break up.

Dulce needs to enter a witness protection program. I think her life will be in danger at least one more time before this is over.


 

VIDA - #17

Notas del armchair. I watched late last night because I'm out all day today and my 9 pm. brain is worn out and hard drive is full, by that time of night. Please post any corrections or additions to this recap.

A lot happened in this episode!

Pepe tells MAL that he’ll support her and the baby and claim it as his, but he hasn’t decided if they will get back together. She asks and Pepe admits he is interested in Paula. We can figuratively see MAL’s thought bubble, plotting how she will make Paula’s life a living hell for this.

MAL tells Alex that Pepe won’t divorce her. She also mentions Alex forgiving Isabela because of Lorenzo. Alex was taken aback that MAL knew about all that ancient history. ( I hope I understood this conversation correctly.) She says everyone knows Isa “puso los cuernos a Alex” all those years ago. Alex goes ballistic while MAL realizes too late she said too much.

Lorenzo tells Marco to get a job at the Castillo’s restaurant and report back to him everything he sees and hears about Rafa. Lor will continue to pay Marco.

Paula invites Rafa to her house for dinner. He thinks she’s asking him on a date and she clarifies “nopis”, that it’s just a family thing.

I really liked this scene: Pepe and Paula talk, she gets dizzy (that darned tumor!!!) and Pepe is concerned about her. He asks why is she marrying Rolando and does she love him? She says no, she doesn’t love him, but it’s complicated. He drives her in her food truck out to the lake. They walk out onto the dock and share some hot kisses. The Paula stops and says they can’t do this; she’s getting married in two weeks., yadda yadda yadda. Pepe thinks its because Rol is from a different social class and has more money to provide for her kids. Paula denies that’s the reason, she just wants someone to look after her children, it’s complicated, etc.(and, TBH, Pepe's marital situation hasn't been sorted out nor finalized, so there is that.) They end up sitting on the dock, having a water fight and screaming to release their frustrations.
** Walking back to the food truck, Pepe notices his watch fell off his wrist (and that “tomorrow” is his birthday). They search for it but didn’t find it.

Alex comes over to Chez Lugo and punches Lorenzo for blabbing about his affair with Isa. Lor says he is going to sell Alex the land back for three pesos. Alex seemed insulted. Long story short, Rol calls the cops and has Alex arrested for attempted murder. I really can’t stand Rol, at all.

Isa goes to stir up trouble with MAL, who stands her ground and lets her know that she (MAL) knows they are both unfaithful wives.

Paula goes back to the lake dock area and searches some more for Pepe’s watch. She finds it and says “miracles do happen.” Lighbulb moment, when she looks up and repeats to herself, “miracles do happen” and this recapper hopes she will look into treatment for her tumor. Stay tuned. We still have seats available at the Hoping For A Miracle table on the Patio.

IN OTHER VIDA mini-Recap NEWS:
RgvChick will be mini-recapping the Monday and Wednesday night episodes. I will do mini-recaps of the Tuesday and Thursday night eisodes. We will alternate the Friday night ones.
* * * If any of you would like to take one of these nights, we will be thrilled! They don't have to be perfect nor complete. A bullet point list of major action points will be sufficient; just something so we can all comment.
 

Minas

My final recap for Minas will be up in a bit, an hour max.
 

Vida #16/17

Thanks, RGV Chick.

Pepe is a good father while MALena is a crap mother. I think he agreed to raise this baby because he needs to protect it from her and possibly to prevent her from parentifying Lucia.

Lorenzo may try to change his will but that would put a target on his back. If Rolando killed his own brother what's to stop him from killing Rafael?

With two new novelas on the horizon I don't think I will be able to comment on all of them every day. It's been a long time since I watched the full line-up.
 

VIDA

Doris, a wonderful, wry recap.

You imparted so much wisdom "Paula denies that’s the reason, she just wants someone to look after her children, it’s complicated, etc.(and, TBH, Pepe's marital situation hasn't been sorted out nor finalized, so there is that.) As Pepe seems bound and determined to take responsibility for MAL's baby, his situation is even murkier.

I love the Paula/Pepe scenes and last night was so sweet. I think Susana could have chemistry with a paper bag though if truth be told. Still, Pepe is growing on me...Diego is not. What a sad, sour young man.

I readily admit that I am having difficulty following some of this and appreciate that you and Rgv Chick are recapping this.

I have been at the "Miracle" table as soon as it was set up on the patio. All along I've felt Paula will survive and I still do. Miracles are real here on earth (I'm living proof) so have confidence one will find its' way to ensure Paula lives a very long, happy life.

Diana
 

Vida

Thanks Rgv Chick, great notes that included all.

How did Mal find out about Isabel and Lorenzo. I don’t remember her knowing that. I thought it was the 4 older adults, (the two participants and Isabel’s friend. I wasn’t sure Alex knew for sure) and Pepe and Paula.

Rol is terrible. Why would he report a punch as attempted murder. And he supposedly loves Paula but I don’t see it. He’s possessive of her and wants her money. That’s all I see.

I enjoy the interactions between Paula and Pepe. Everything is against them but now that miracles are mentioned I see a happy ending! But she needs to tell him she’s sick!

Rol and Natalie are up to something with that deed, I’m just not sure what.

Rafa was funny when he thought Paula wanted a dinner date with him. I also enjoyed Marco-our comic relief.

Liz
 

"MINAS" GRAN FINAL:

Weirdo: Looking forward to seeing your full-scale recap of last night's Gran Final.

RGV Chick: What happened to my comment that I posted earlier this morning?

 

Vencer

Jarifa, thank you ....yikes ...you completely captured every dark, uncomfortable moment .

Gabe Soto is doing an excellent job bringing the creepy,arrogant ,egotistical evil.I think he gives an even better performance depicting a villain than he does as the good as gold galan. His evil seems real.

It seems that the mask is slipping, and we are seeing the Monster that Leondro is emerge.The writers are doing this reveal in a slow, subtle, terrifying way as they bring all the villains together against the innocents. However, Leondro is the big bad .

Violeta\_Manuela evidently killed her mother's creepy boyfriend when he tried to rape her , and her mother took the blame and went to prison. Heli and his mother have a distorted view of what happened so that they can paint Heli's father as the innocent victim.

We all know as telenovela fans that the darkness is supposed to intensify so that we will hopefully feel the relief at the finale when the good are victorious and the villains punished. Susan
 

Vida

Doris, thank you for the recap. You cleared up quite a few things for me , including Paula finding the watch and Alex being arrested .

Last night , Pepe's manbun turned into a scraggly, little ponytail . Sorry, you just cannot see this guy as the galan. I'm trying ...but ....no. I have seen Susana opposite so many galans, including Fernando Colunga and David Zepeda . I could see her opposite Juan Soler ( Lorenzo) ...or even Rol( who always plays the bad guy). Susan
 

VENCER

Thanks everyone for your comments. So much to consider and talk about.

Things just keep on popping out of nowhere!

Scariest person in the novela for me: Fidelia She has a loose screw and is far from stupid.

Okay, what I am concluding is that Manuela killed Rosendo for raping her/attempting to rape her. I find her killing him self-defense. Why would not the legal system? Evidently her mother took the blame for killing him but what did she tell the police that landed her in prison? Why did she lie in the first place? Could it be due to the way that rape/sexual assault survivors are treated by society? As if their victimhood is something shameful that they provoked? Just wondering since the shame seems so ingrained in society. Yes, Urban, this has major "Marnie" (btw one of my favorite Hitchcock movies) vibe.

Diana, "Fidelia, Heliberto and Leandro are the evil triumverate." What a perfect description that made me smile this morning! You have such a gift for finding the right words. "How long will Dulce be able to withstand Leandro's evil manipulation combined with Carmina's cruelty and inhumanity?" Good question. Leandro has her in a pressure cooker.

Liz, "Dulce is not going to keep her story straight. She was stumbling talking to Yaneli." She never saw that question coming. She was lucky she was talking-to Yaneli. I also totally agree with: "I’m glad Enrique told his kids it was his house and he could do what he wants. But I don’t think he should pay their debt to Leandro. And I loved Amanda telling Leandro she could get another lawyer." I do not get why Enrique would award his kids for being deadbeats and irresponsible. Will Susana the Elder ever SHUT UP? So far,

it seems that Leandro got involved in Dulce's life because he was trying to find out what happened to money that Nora had when she was alive. Dulce was her close friend so he figured that she might know where it was once Nora was dead. We still do not know how Nora died. He had Dulce kidnapped and tried to beat the location of the money out of her. He concluded , shot of killing her, that she didn't know. That is all we know so far. They have not told us anything else about the conncection between Dulce and Leandro.


Urban, maybe Soledad did finish Rosendo off. I hope they give us more details about the sexaual assault so we have a better picture of the timeline. "Cecilia is seriously toxic in every way possible. Did she know she was HIV+ before boinking Franco back in the day? If the answer to that is Yes she is both evil and amoral. I think once Joel knows about Cecelia he will divorce her." Yes, Ceciiia is beyond toxic. it wouldn't surprise me if she infected Franco because she, frankly, didn't care. Joel seems like s genuinely good guy.
 

OT

Steve, the Spam monster ate your comment but I dragged it out and it’s back where it should be.
 

VENCER

Susan, I totally agree with your take on Gabriel Soto (with that smirk!!!): "Gabe Soto is doing an excellent job bringing the creepy,arrogant ,egotistical evil.I think he gives an even better performance depicting a villain than he does as the good as gold galan. His evil seems real." He always had a cute puppy dog quality as a galán. This doesn't even seem like the same actor. I like it!



 

Minas de Pasión, GRAN FINAL (Capítulo 108), Martes, 6 de febrero, 2024

In which everyone gets partners they do not deserve, Emi has the most boring last monologue and Roberta becomes Gambit from X-Men - Part 1/3

After Gael's proposal to Marijó, night falls on San Lorenzo de Minas - actually, many nights fall, since we're informed some weeks have passed.

Roberta is hospitalised, asleep, with the permanent red marks on her cold face. Leonardo, Joaquina and Emilia enter. Joaquina sees her and remembers some scenes of their childhood and youth; first, their father going to hit Rob and Rob begging him not to; then, Jo telling Rob their parents don't love them, not even a bit; and lastly, Rob standing up to the madame of the brothel, to no avail, while screaming she won't stay here.

Leo breaks the silence, talking to Roberta. He says he isn't her son but he loved her, he always tried to get her to forgive him, but she never did. He mentions not protecting him like a mother should. He finishes his talk by saying he has to face the kind of person she is and go on with his life. Jo merely says "adiós Roberta" and leaves with Leo. Emi is now alone with Rob. So Leo has left his great love alone with the woman who has tried to kill her and a few weeks beforehand tried to pour acid on her face. What a galán move! Emi starts talking to a still asleep Rob. "You can't even imagine how many times I imagined doing justice myself", she says, looking at Roberta.

Jenny is crying about Addled's death as Gigí says it's a very sad event (as sad as your favourite soccer/football team winning a game) but they have to move on. Sara says she's now officially divorced and kisses with Danilo. Zaira tells everyone they're (Sara and Danilo) going to be very happy. Gigí asks her if she read the cards again, but Zaira replies that no, this time it's her heart that says that. She isn't doing that well on love, though. Just as she says this, Tigre enters with some musicians (no, without Sebas, weird). He gives some flowers to Zaira (although, objectively, Zaira is the most beautiful flower of the bunch) and tells her he won't ask her to return home, only for a chance to win her heart. Zaira has a huge smile on her face, so I think we know the answer... "Claro que sí, mi amor", she says and kisses him.

Seb is with Míriam and Andrés and calls them family. Míriam tells him not to feel pressured, but he says he doesn't feel pressured; she's been with him in good and bad times. Yeah, but maybe she because by being there she caused half his "bad times?" Just saying... "You love me exactly how I am", he continues. He adds they're his happiness and he wants to be with them for the rest of his life. "Does that mean you're getting married?" Andrés asks them, ecstatic. "If you guys accept " is Sebas' reply. Míriam at least acknowledges she has won the jackpot and accepts. Family hug! I still can't believe she gets away with everything she's done without some form of punishment. Hey, Sara almost died and she wasn't any better! But at this point I remembered I can whine/rant about the episode after the recap, so I'll move on to...
 

Minas de Pasión, GRAN FINAL (Capítulo 108), Martes, 6 de febrero, 2024

In which everyone gets partners they do not deserve, Emi has the most boring last monologue and Roberta becomes Gambit from X-Men - Part 2/3

Emi, still looking at Roberta, talking to her calmly. Slight warning: I was writing the dialogue as fast I could, but some parts I was unable to catch word for word, so I cut few details out. I kept all the important stuff. "At first I wanted to see you suffer. You took everything from me." Flashback to Emi, Al and Dan leaving the insane asylum, which was caught on fire and Emi having trouble to do so. "My family, my son... Even my own name." Flashback to Emilia changing into Victoria by putting makeup and contact lenses on and mumbling about doing justice. "Emilia died, Victoria was born. The fair thing would be for your life to end. This is not the kind of justice I want though. I want you to survive and see that this power you had was an illusion, was fake. The only true power is love, forgiveness". Sorry for the weird cut, but I had to stop typing and laughing at the same time to breath. Inhale, exhale... Okay, I'm good. "I forgive you. I forgive you for everything you've done to me. I forgive you for everything you've done to people I love." Flash- well, not a flashback, since Emi wasn't present in these scenes. Rob giving Ignacio some pills. Ignacio screaming at her and dying. "I forgive you and I free you. I hope you're able to forgive yourself some day." They've taken forgiveness TOO far on this show. Anyway... I'll rant after the recap, I'll rant after the recap, I'll rant after the recap...

I was expecting a jumpscare at this point, but nope. Just Rob's heart stopped working. Interesting, I thought it never did. Doctors enter the scene and tell Emilia to leave. Does she? Of course not. She just stands next to the door. Joaquina and Leo are also standing there. The doctors are trying to save Rob (damn Hippocrates, why did the doctors have to vow they'd always try to save their patients?!) as Jo is... Praying? Yep. She's praying. Electroshocking the heart doesn't seem to work. Roberta is... Dead? Too good to be true... Jo bursts into tears. The doctors ask them to leave. Jo doesn't, saying Roberta is her sister. That seems to satisfy the doctors and not only they leave her with Rob, they leave her ALONE with Rob. Jo, unable to stop crying, also has a monologue. Beanies tightened? All set? All right, here we go...

"I'm always going to be thankful for everything you've done for me." I can't- I can't stop laughing at the stupidity of this whole thing. Yeah, I guess anyone would be thankful for taking their child as their own for money, having them as a servant in their home, treating them like trash, accusing them of stealing something she knows they didn't and locking them up in prison. "I never understood your attitude though. The people hate you [I wonder why], but I don't. Don't leave me, sister. Don't leave me, sister!" All this while crying. Oh and the "don't leave me" bit was while HUGGING her. But wait... There's a catch. The jumpscare I was expecting at Emilia's monologue happens now. During the hug, Roberta, out of nowhere, OPENS her eyes. The extremely funny thing is that one is RED. I dare you to try not to laugh at this. I dare you.

Months later...

It's the day of Emilia and Leonardo's wedding. Yay, not. Jenny has apparently given birth to her baby, since Aleida is holding it. Jen says she feels as if her life is perfect. She and Orlando want to open a new restaurant and Al agrees. Haven't they had their lesson from the first one? Just saying... Orlando says he has the family he's always wanted.
 

Minas de Pasión, GRAN FINAL (Capítulo 108), Martes, 6 de febrero, 2024

In which everyone gets partners they do not deserve, Emi has the most boring last monologue and Roberta becomes Gambit from X-Men - Part 3/3

Sara is kissing with Danilo. They look at Emilia with Leo. Sara comments that it's the happiest she's ever seen Leo. "Are you happy?" Dan asks her. "Yes, very", answers Sara. (Are they for real wearing black at a wedding?)

Mar and Gael are are very happy. They kiss and Nico with Romy mess with them, LOL.

Míriam enters the scene with Sebas and Andrés. Andrés goes to play with the other kids and calls Sebas "papá". Seb tells Míriam he loves it when he calls him "papá". Míriam tells Sebas he'll have someone else call him "papá" in a bit; she's pregnant! Why am I not excited? A rhetorical question, obviously.

Tigre has bought Zaira tickets to go on a trip together.

Gigí and Marat are watching Zaira and Tigre. Marat is going back to Uzbekistan. Gigí asks him about Zaira. He says he likes Zaira but he's searching a partner for the rest of his life. Gigí starts describing herself LOL. Marat asks her about going to Uzbekistan with him. They kiss and then they laugh. Gigí even grabbed a napkin LOL

Emi, in her wedding dress and with some pearls (?) on her hair, that for some reason don't look good on her, thanks Joaquina. She leaves and Leo also thanks Jo for being by his side. He adds that no one will separate them and calls her mom. Jo says she's been waiting for the moment he'd call her "mamá" for a long time. "Go with your wife", she urges him.

Dan and Sara approach Emi and Leo. Dan will get into a witness protection program with Sara and Romy. "Sara, take care of my brother Dan", Emi says. Romina asks Leo if he'll still be her dad and he replies that he'll always be. Rom is happy because now she has two dads. At least someone in this family can count... Anyway, Emilia wishes them the best.

In a dim cell in prison, Fidel and Ezequiel are playing checkers/whatever that game is called. They say something about Velos I didn't catch. Some old guy approaches them and asks for more money in change of protection. Fidel gives money for both him and Ezequiel. The guy leaves and Fidel gets a call. His contacts are obviously failing him. A mysterious dude that we learn is hired by Aleida arrives and tells Fidel about him (Fidel) having to give all his money to Aleida. The old guy returns with some thugs and says that now that he doesn't have enough money, protection stops. They're screwed and I'm happy.

Al gets a text from the guy telling her the package has arrived. She smiles and sends back "Proceed."

We finally learn what happened to Roberta. Her red eye has turned to blue. Guess she's not Gambit anymore :( She enters some sort of pub and starts drinking from some guy's drink. They tell the alarmed guy that the woman is crazy. Rob says she's the prettiest woman he'll ever see. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be funny, but it kind of is. They kick her out as she's screaming "YO SOY LA PATRONA". Gee, she might have gone mad but at least she kept her main principles.

Now she's in a cave and is mumbling about gold. Jo arrives and gives her something to eat. Rob is forced to say "please" in order to get the food. When Jo gives it to her, Rob immediately starts eating. Jo says that she's giving her food just as once she got her out of prison, but Rob doesn't seem to understand/be listening. After Jo leaves, Rob touches the cave and says "Gold... There's gold here... Gold..."

Tigre talks in the wedding, saying today is one of the best days of his life. The road has been long but now they're finally going to be happy. Emi says she loves them all dearly. She and Leo dance the intro song as everyone's watching. "Together forever", Emi whispers to Leo as we see the huge FIN on our screens.

And with the dance, we have the Fin de la Telenovela...
 

Minas

That was obviously my last recap for Minas.

I want to sincerely thank Diana for being my co-recapper. Amiga, thank you for doing three nights a week. You always have something sweet to say and make my day. Thank you very, very much for everything!

Waterlily, I always find important the extra information you provide us with. You caught many things I didn't see or didn't understand. Your comments were important additions to every recap. Thank you very much!

And of course, I want to thank our dear patio, Susan, Urban, Liz and Steve. Your comments fueled me to keep going and continue recapping. Thank you so much!
 

Vencer #68

Televisa has historically typecast their actors based on appearance and voice type. Basso profundo males are usually cast as villains; think of the late great Enrique Rocha. Cesar Evora was allowed a few romantic parts in his prime because of his extraordinary good looks. If there had not been a few deaths among the oldest generation the great Jorge Salinas would still be a romantic lead, but his talent allows him to do any sort of character. Gabriel Soto is now getting to the experience level to expand his casting options. It also helps that the writers probably know the actors' work and create characters that both fit their abilities and the stories.

BTW, when Marnie was in the works for opera I read the book. In the book her mother was seriously toxic, having murdered a baby born before Marnie and also having murdered her client and lied to police that Marnie did it; Marnie was a child at the time (not yet a tween). In the film Marnie killed the man with a fireplace poker in defense of her mother and her mother took the blame. The opera followed the book rather than the film script. We are likely to get these details by tomorrow night at least.
 

Minas

I forgot to add that Rob opened her eyes WHILE THE HEART WASN'T BEATING. I knew her heart never did!
 

VENCER

Thanks, Urban, for the "Marnie" details.
 

"MINAS" GRAN FINAL:

Weirdo: Now that Danillo, Sara & Romina will be going to the witness protection program, who'll replace her as Municipal President of San Lorenzo ? I can't imagine Gigi getting the job since it's hinted she'll be traveling the world with Marat.

Something tells me Adelia had something to fo with Smarmy Fidel & Ezquevel getting attacked. She got her revenge on the Scumbag & with her grin, I loved it.

Miriam getting preggers was inevitable. At least Sebastian will be the Baby Daddy for real this time.

Gael & Marijo getting their happily was AWESOME.

I strongly agree with you on Emilia, Leo & Joaquina being way too forgiving because Psycho Roberta destroyed their lives for crying out loud.

The wedding of Leo & Emilia was nice.

Orlando & Jenny getting their happily ever after wasn't shocking.

Basically: Adelia, Gigi, Marijo were my favorite characters overall.


 

Oops, thanks Doris, that was excellent. Sorry I got the wrong name!
 

Minas

Thanks Weirdo, loved all the details, and enjoyed your side comments!

Everyone pretty much ended up with whom we expected. I guess they think a telenovela is successful if they can find a partner for everyone. My guess is that after Fidel, Aleida didn’t want another man in her life! She’ll enjoy Orlando and family.

Everyone was way to forgiving in the telenovela. At least Aleida knows how to get even.

I was totally confused about Roberta. She died and then was alive. She never went to trial and jail. And is living in the mine, surrounded by gold. At first I thought the devil had brought her back, because of the red eye.

And is the mine going to be producing gold and making money for everyone? Or will it be haunted by Roberta.

I liked Gigi, although I didn’t at first. And Zaira and Aleida.

I thought Dan had been a two bit thief. But that wouldn’t put him in the witness protection program. Now Romy never see Leo and Nico. Kind of sad.

Many, many thanks to Diana and Weirdo for taking the recapping on and doing an outstanding job of keeping us “in the know”.

Liz
 

MINAS

Weirdo, I smiled with pure joy reading your recap. Loved the title! You captured everything perfectly, what a stellar job. Your marvelous sense of humor was on display throughout.

“Just Rob's heart stopped working. Interesting, I thought it never did” was exactly right! And yes, she did open her eyes while she was technically dead; I had to laugh. Another favorite was “…she's screaming "YO SOY LA PATRONA". Gee, she might have gone mad but at least she kept her main principles” just superb!

When Roberta’s red eye was revealed, I thought for a quick second we were watching the Terminator come to life! 😊

I do have a question. I couldn’t follow the scene where Aleida sent the envoy with the papers to Fidel. Did she know that was going to lead to Fidel’s demise or was it just a happy coincidence?

I have to give credit that the majority of the last episode did give time to flesh out the happy endings for our deserving and not so deserving couples.

Jenny looked beautiful; Orlando looked so handsome and their baby with that adorable knit hat was an angel.

Sebas’ joyous reaction to Miriam being pregnant almost made me tear up.

I have had a soft spot for Danilo throughout, his love and devotion to Sara never waivered for a moment. I hope he is happy with Sara.

Gigi going after who she wanted – I hope she and Marat are as happy as we want them to be.

Zaira chose Tigre so I wish them well. Gael and Marijo were beaming.

The wedding venue was lovely, the tables groaning with amazing flowers, beautiful roses, and gerbera daisies (my favorite).

Emilia faded to the background at her own wedding. She smiled, did all the right things but I saw no real emotion or passion. I wonder if it reflected what the character had gone through or if Livia Brito did not quite achieve the emotion that was called for in what should have been one of the happiest in her (granted) fractured fairy tale.

And finally, Leo. As we close the door, I need to say something about Osvaldo de Leon. He and Africa Zavala played one of my all-time favorite couples in La Malquerida. He was a steadfastly devoted loyal, passionate galan, who loved fiercely and fought for the woman he loved. The way Leo was written here, flawed and unassertive kept his character weak and ineffective. But one scene really stood out to me last night. His heart was breaking when Romina was going to go with Sara and Danilo. His face mirrored such love and anguish simultaneously I actually choked up. I wish him far better on his next venture.

Weirdo, again, thank you for this remarkable ending and for all your work these many months. It’s been a pleasure.

Diana
 

Minas
Thanks, weirdo. This was terrific. I love imagining you laughing while trying to type.
Joaquina disturbed me with her crying and 'I'll be grateful'. And the worst thing is that I could bet the authors do mean this to be taken literally and not as a sign of Joaquina being messed-up. They did the same with the rest of the good guys. Emilia forgiving Roberta on behalf of other people pissed me off. It's not up to her to do that.
Miriam and Sebas...I won't be able to watch this actress in anything else I'm afraid. She infuriated me way too much. And apparently it's not her who is bad. Instead the good guys would have been bad for not forgiving her. Has one of the writers been unfaithful or what? In light of telenovelas already showing things like therapy sessions, this forgiveness narrative feels more like proof these people aren't ok rather than something to admire. Long lost sister/baby sitter Miriam didn't bother doing anything to atone for what she did.I couldn't listen to Sebas talking about how she was with him through thick and thin. They include this phrase even when it makes no sense. I hope to see this actor in something else.
So has Roberta gone mad?
Zaira and tigre...Why?What does she see in him?I wonder how long his romantic mood will last. It's very hard to keep him happy. And Iam not sure he really learnt to value Zaira.
How do people who are in a witness protection programme live?Hide forever?
Aleida and Orlando's story is the only thing that makes me genuinely happy.
Sebas ending up with Miriam makes me want to write fanfiction.
Ezequiel called Fidel Fidelon, if I'm not mistaken, which made me laugh. Thank you, weirdo and Diana, for recaping this. I've enjoyed being able to add some details. It was like taking part in a school project which actually was enjoyable. I never thought this would happen nor that I'd be able to understand enough Spanish to add something. There's nothing as fun as ranting here when the plot gets too silly and the writing turns into something that deserves its own name. Though I can't think of one. I hope I'll be able to be part of this patio in the future.
 

Vencer

Thanks, Jarifa. I missed watching last night, but with your vivid storytelling I can "see" it all.

Fidelia and her son are nuts. If Manuela's birth mother went to prison for her daughter's self-defense against a rapist, Manuela has certainly already paid a high price in losing her loving birth mother that way. Now I'm confused about the guy that raped Manuela when she was a teen. How does he figure in all of this.

Leandro seems to have forgotten all about his two sons. I've never felt he was in love with Manuela since he found out about Julieta, but only wanted to control her. Now he's ticked that she prefers Pablo to him. He's so arrogant that he thinks everyone is stupid. Letting Carmina see that he knows Dulce and trying to openly shack up with Carmina will (hopefully) bite him in the butt.

Too bad Franco never confessed to his best friend about Cecelia. That probably would've prevented his bestie from marrying her, or at least using protection with her.
 

MINAS

My comment disappeared and I've asked Rgv Chick to repost it when she can...

SO frustrating!!

Diana
 

Minas

Weirdo, thank you for this final recap as well as for all the time, talent , and effort that you have put into all your recaps. I am so appreciative .

Well....what can I say ....that happened ...it was a lot , but we were all on this weird ride together . The innocents survived to the end , and so did we. I must say, that for me , the best part of the hour was the promo for " El Amor No Tiene Receta." (I hope I am not disappointed in that show. I have such high hopes.)

Back to the episode . Sebas is a alive , and he is going to be a dad . Sebas has been a wonderful father figure to two little boys , and now he will be a biological dad ...but it won't be any different . Some men love children and are always wonderful protectors, guides, and role models to any children who are lucky enough to come under their wings. Sebas was my galan . I loved someone very much like him . Miriam is a lucky, lucky woman .

As we all expected , Em and Leo were end game . okay. I hope Oswaldo is given a better written galan role very soon.

I also look forward to seeing the actors portraying Sebas and Dan very soon in galan roles .

Zaire and her grumpy old man ..check

Mar and Gabe. ....yeah. Okay. Cay smiles and disappears . ....right.

Sara got a big pass for her nasty attitude throughout this show ...until Dan's love changed her . What exactly made Dan so stoned in love with her?

I wish Aleida would have ended up with romantic silver fox Marat...but not in Uzbekistan . Aleida 's HEA is being surrounded by her son, daughter in law, and her beautiful grand bebe. She was glowing with happiness .

Wow...Rob is crazy and living in a mine with Jo bringing her food and making her say "please." QTH?

It's been fun laughing and shaking our heads at these storylines and characters together . Beanies were required. Suspended disbelief was necessary. Onward we go.... hopefully to a great new show.... NEXT........ Susan
 

MINAS

My comment has been reposted above.

Thank you Rgv Chick!

Diana
 

Minas


Question : So what happened to Gigi's young suitor Manuelito?
Susan
 

Minas
What show is replacing minas? Vivir de amor? But doesn't it start later?
 

MINAS

Susan, I think Gigi left Manuelito behind...

Waterlily, Mujer is going to two hours at least for this week and likely for next.

Vivir de amor is starting at 8 Eastern. I believe it starts February 20th.

The new promos for El Amor No Tiene Receta now show it airing at 10 pm.

Diana

 

Mujer

I record Mujer because I am watching a pretty good show on Telemundo at 9 " Vuelve a mi" . Mujer is a sea of tears .

Gee ....10 pm for " Receta." Susan
 

MINAS and O/T

Correction: Vivir de amor is starting at 7 Eastern.

El Amor No Tiene Receta may well end up airing at 9; I am confused by the recent promos saying 10 so we'll likely have to wait to see.

Diana
 

Minas

Diana, i always love to read your comments . We are often on the same page. I watched " Malquerida" , but I dont remember much! I think Africa played a working girl , and I think the villain got an unusual anvil, right?

I have seen Oswaldo in several shows , and I was always impressed with his acting.

I loved the scene of him saying goodbye to Romina. I remember thinking that he has two young daughters , so he probably could bring real emotion to saying goodbye to a daughter. Susan
 

VIDA

Doris, your notes are a delight. I didn’t watch the entire episode because I had quite a busy day; so I am truly grateful that I don’t have to go back and finish it.

Rol is such an idiot; how can Paula ignore that? If h wonder if he has always been a jealous control freak.

Emi is just plain spineless. Lucia is very insightful; she knows Reni is giving him “something” to keep him under her control.

Liz, Pepe inadvertently alluded to the that fact that his parents had overcome their own similar problem and MAL quickly caught on.
 

VENCER LA CULPA #69 Page 1

Tonight I felt like I was in a plane circling the same old same old but after the last few action-packed episodes . . . that was okay!

PALOMA is holding Franco's feet to the fire. She wonders who he is anyway. Where are his principles and his ethics??? She wants him to tell everything to Joel and will be keeping her distance from him until then. Franco is sloooow in talking with Franco. We are led to believe he will be telling him when they meet the next day. In the meantime, Paloma cannot take it and goes to see Cecilia who tells her it is none of her business. Paloma disagrees saying it is affecting her life right now with Franco. She wants Cecilia to tell Joel the truth. As they are arguing, Joel arrives and has overheard it all.

After PABLO has punched Leandro, Pablito runs to his defense and is not happy that his father has hurt his friend. Leandro tells Carmina that he is going to file charges against Pablo and use that violent episode to help her get sole custody of Pablito. As Carmina plies Pablito with more of her special tea that only makes him feel worse, he tells her that he misses his father and he does not like always lying to him. All of Pablo's friends including Manuela and his lawyer, tell him how stupid he was to punch Leandro. He was just giving him ammunition in Carmina's custody fight. His lawyer suggests that he try to broker an independent deal with Carmina on custody. Pablo tries that approach and Carmina refuses to talk to him. Instead, she goes to pay Manuela a visit and tells her that if she agrees to permanently stay away from Pablo, she will drop her custody fight for Pablito.

MANUELA meets again with Heliberto to tell him that what his mother told her and has told him his whole life is not the truth. His father sexually abused her. He was a real monster.He was a rapist. He attacked her, she defended herself and he ended up dead. It was not intentional. He adored his father ad refuses to believe her. He insists that his messed up face is Manuela's fault, too. He was dreaming of being a baseball pitcher and playing in the USA. His father spent money on Manuela and her mother and bought them all sort of luxuries he and his mother never saw. In order to do that, his father ended up going to some bad guys and getting a loan. He couldn't pay the debt so the loan sharks took it out on him. They almost beat him to death, fractured his arm and left a scar on his face. His dream of playing baseball was over. Helibetto refuses to believe Manuela. He wants more money. His mother and he will be always trailing her and torturing her because she deserves it.

AMANDA is planning on getting a larger shop and asks Tamara to go into business with her. They could even open a second store. Amanda offers to pay for Yaneli's education at the university. Yaneli thanks her and turns her down saying she is all set to go to a public university. Amanda is going to hire Dulce back and will still employee Yaneli. Amanda talks to Susana the Elder and tells her that she will pay what she and her brother owe to Leandro. Susana is grateful. Amanda says it will help her close the chapter on her association with their family. Leandro tells Amanda that he now supports what she is doing with the inheritance. Amanda sees Nico in jail before he is transferred to the penitentiary. He insists that he never cheated on Tamara and maintains his innocence.
 

VENCER Page 2

Yaneli tells GENARO that she can take care of herself now so it is time for him to do something with his life. He is worried that he will not be able to get a job after he was jailed. She tells him he will be able to but he insists on going to see Leandro to be sure. Leandro tells him that he is now innocent in the eyes of the law. He will not have a problem. When he hears that Genaro need a job now, he offers him a job with him. Irineo will show him what he nees to do. Leandro tells Irineo that Genaro will be useful one day. it is always good to have somebody around to take the fall when needed.

FIN
 

VENCER

Jarifa,

A wise and thoughtful rendition of another powerful episode. Exceptionally well done.

While the action ramped down from the previous fast and furious, it was grim enough that I’m still completely on edge.

I cringed at Leandro putting on a performance for Pablito’s sake, acting as though he were grievously injured at Pablo’s hands. Leandro’s unholy alliance with Carmina is frightening. Pablito is not only being weaponized by his mother but being “poisoned” to boot.

As evil continues to surround her, Manuela’s anguish intensifies. She and Pablo are both drowning in their own respective problems. How can they save each other when they can’t even save themselves??

Genaro working for Leandro is grave news; I’m very afraid for him. But not nearly as scared as I will be if Heliberto manages to get anywhere near Julieta.

I hope Manuela and Pablo quickly realize that whoever gave the phone to Dulce has very nefarious intent.

I like Enrique but unless a miracle occurs, Amanda is right in that they have no future; Susana certainly saw to that. That said, he should never have let his worthless children back into his life and house until they were able to treat Amanda with respect.

Franco’s deception troubled Paula greatly, and rightly so. What he did, cheating with his best friend’s wife, was reprehensible. While “We are led to believe” Franco was going to tell Joel the truth, I had grave doubts. It was Franco’s apology tour and while Paula should have let him handle it, at least things are out in the open. Paula should really consider if this, a man without scruples or honor is who she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

Rest in Peace Helena Rojo…

Diana
 

VENCER

Diana, I am right on edge with you wondering who is going to launch the next attack. After hearing more from Heliberto, he is just as unbalanced as his mother. Poor Genaro should have looked up his question on wiki rather than going to see Leandro. As for the Paloma and Franco, I agree with your assessment. Franco is a man without “scruples and honor” sort of like her parents but in different packaging. ; )
 

Vencer

Thanks Jarifa, another great recap. There were a lot of cringe worthy moments in this episode. I tell myself there’s a lot of people that know Leandro is no good but then I realize even Manuela doesn’t realize how evil he is.

Carmina seems to think that if Manuela is out of the picture she will get Pablo by default. But that ship has sailed, I can’t imagine him ever going back to her. Meanwhile I’m waiting for Pablito to end up back in the hospital with his health in grave danger.

I really don’t think Amanda should pay for Susana’s debt to Leandro. He should drop it. But why pay for someone who has been awful to you from the very beginning. It looks like Amanda may help Leandro to get custody of Julieta, because Pablo hit him. Not sure how that argument will hold up. I feel sorry for Amanda knowing she’s going to find out her son is a monster.

Poor Genaro, too trusting. But I guess he has no reason not to trust Leonardo.

My feelings on the Franco, Joel triangle are that it was wrong on Franco’s part but they were college kids. They don’t exactly put a lot of thought into their actions. I hope they can be friends again. Joel’s wife isn’t exactly devoted to him. I can see him ending up with Tolita.

Liz


 

Vencer

Thanks, Jarifa! Always so much in each episode; I rely on you! Interesting that we got so much background on Heliberto, his failed baseball dreams and such. Setting up Fidelia as the bigger baddie?

Helena Rojo. So elegant. Painful to watch knowing while filming she was in terminal phase. QEPD

Liz, Tolita! I have noted you are often spot-on with ideas that never occurred to me. You might be onto something.

Clara
 

VIDA Ep. 18 Part 1

MAL insults Isabela who won’t slap her only because MAL is pregnant.. Isabela points out that she made her choice to be the wife that Alex deserved. Isabela did what she did in the past for love, unlike Mal who did it just for a one night stand (or so Isabela thinks) . Isabela has raised her children and loves them unlike MAL who has always treats her children as if they are a burden. MAL warns that if Pepe doesn’t take responsibility for the baby then the baby won’t be born.

In his jail cell, Alex explains to Pepe that he was furious that Lor wanted to tarnish Isabela’s reputation. Pepe assures that he will always repect and think well of his mother. Alex adds that everything that happened was his fault because he didn’t take care of his family the way he should have…and Lor came and took Isabela.

Andrea is excited that Rafa is going out. Rage shares that Paula asked him to dinner…but only so the family can get to know him. Andrea comments that it’s good that it’s not a date because she knows Pepe and Paula like each other…and it wouldn’t be right if Rafa went after Paula.

Paula offers to teach Diego how to drive…and Diego actually cracks a smile.

Nat mocks Rol about being jealous of Pepe.

Gracia urges Isabela to let Marcos sing at the restaurant. They talk about MAL. Isabela won’t allow Mal to make a fool of Pepe. Pepe arrives and tells Isabela that his father is in jail because he hit Lor.

Rol doesn’t think Pepe can compare to him. He’s not going to let Pepe ruin his life. Nat warns that if Paula falls in love with Pepe, she will drop Rol like a hot potato.

Pepe explains why Alex hit Lor. He thinks things will get worse if Rafa works for Lor. He advises that they should start preparing for the day that the truth comes out.

Rafa has very strong teeth! He opens the beer bottles with his teeth. Lor and he chat about the tree house.

Nat comments that ever since Paula found out about the tumor, she has been very impulsive. If they are not careful, Paula will throw them to the curb.

Pepe asks Andrea where Rafa is. Andrea hesitated but then tells Pepe that Paula invited Rafa to dinner so that they can talk about the job.

Rafa shares that he used to play the piano with his father. When Rafa plays a tune the piano, Lor comments that Rafa is very talented.

Pepe calls Paula who tells him she is with her kids looking at the stars… and Rafa is with her father, probably having some drinks. Pepe worries that Lor gets a loose tongue when he drinks.

Emi announces that he and Reni want to leave on their trip as soon as possible. Paula asks if he can wait…since she and Rol will marry in a couple of weeks. Diego complains and Paula wonders what Diego has against Rol (so do we!)
 

VIDA Ep. 18 Part 2

Rafa makes a drawing of what he plans to do with the treehouse. After Lor praises him, Rafa shares that his family has never supported him.

Marcos confesses to Gracia that he is in love with her.

Rafa wants to leave but Lor talks him into staying for a while longer. Lor shares how he didn’t get to do “boy” things with Paula. He asks if Rafa wouldn’t mind if he treated him like a son…in walks Pepe who asks what is going on?.

Diego has his fit once again reminding that he and his siblings grew up in their own. He thinks Rol is making a fool of Paula and Paula just doesn’t want to see.it. He asks that Paula be honest about what is going on.

Lor tells Pepe that he and Rafa were talking about the treehouse. When Pepe tells Rafa shouldn’t work with Lor, Rafa demands to know what if going on…why doesn’t anyone want him to work with Lor?

Diego insists that Paula tell him what’s going on. Paula tries to explain that at her age, a person looks for a companion, a good father for her children…but Diego knows that she doesn’t love Rol.

Gracia can't believe Marcos wrote all those poems for her...but she will never be able to love him.

Rafa pleads to Lor that he tell him the truth because he family won't tell him anything. Lor tells him to ask his mother, but Rafa insists that his mother doesn't confide in him. After he storms out, Pepe tells Lor to leave town, for the good of his brother.

Outside, Rafa pleads with Pepe to explain what is happening. He guesses that Lor was his mother's lover. He lists all the clues he has to make that assumption plus their parents are no longer as loving to each other. Pep denies, denies, denies...

Isabela and the kids talk about planning for Pepe's birthday.

Paula concedes that she doesn't know much about Diego. Diego cries that when his father died everyone worried about Emi because he started misbehaving in school...and for Suzy because she was a baby...but no one worried about him because he kept to himself and everyone thought he was fine. He is tired of keeping quiet so now he will speak--firstly, he thinks it's stupid that she is marrying Rol when she doesn't love him; secondly if she does marry Rol, she will lose him as her son. She has a choice--they can fix their relationship together or she can ruin everything.

FIN
 

Vencer

Jarifa, thank you for providing us with all the details . This show could have been entitled " When Bad People Happen to Good People."

I can hardly stand looking at Heli's miserable ,battered face. How will Manuela ever get away from him and his evil mother ?

Clara, like you, I watched Helena and felt so sad knowing that this was her last novela. What a beautiful, talented woman.

I hope that Genero survives because it seems Leondro is planning to use him as a fall guy. Leondro keeps revealing hos demonic self.

Why is Leondro okay with Amanda's plan to be so generous with everyone ? Amanda is kind to a fault and trying to fix everyone's problems . I think many women find themselves trying to save people in their orbits. I hope Amanda gets a HEA. She put up with Everude and ungrateful children for so many years . she deserves some happiness. Susan


 

VENCER

Liz, thanks. "Meanwhile I’m waiting for Pablito to end up back in the hospital with his health in grave danger." Good point! We have't had him drinking that nasty tea and having a severe kidney situation for nothing. "My feelings on the Franco, Joel triangle are that it was wrong on Franco’s part but they were college kids. They don’t exactly put a lot of thought into their actions." Thanks for expressing that point of view because that is basically what Manuela was telling Paloma. It was something like people grow and people change over time. It is going to be fascinating to see how that situation shakes out.


Clara, thanks. I found the whole Heliberto story fascinating, too. Of course he believed what his mother told him. It always stuns me when people insist on blaming women in these kind of situations when it is the man who is usually out actively looking for some side action. Give me a break! Heliberto's father strayed from home and ended up sexually abusing and assaulting his lover's daughter. I would not blame Manuela for his death even if it weren't an accident. He got what he deserved one way or another. "Helena Rojo. So elegant." Always. She will be missed.


Liz, I would love to see Tolita with Joel, too.
 

VENCER


Susan, "I hope that Genero survives because it seems Leondro is planning to use him as a fall guy." Exactly. Earlier in the novela, Leandro told Irineo that it is always good to have people around that you can blame for things/take the fall. "Why is Leandro okay with Amanda's plan to be so generous with everyone ?" That was a bizarre twist. What does Leandro have up his sleeve? I, too, hope that Amanda has a happy ending after all of this/
 

VIDA

Rgv Chick, thank you for your excellent recap! I missed much of the dialogue and am grateful for all the important details you provided so well.

“MAL warns that if Pepe doesn’t take responsibility for the baby then the baby won’t be born” should have shocked me but sadly didn’t. She is a cold hearted, calculating beyotch that cares about no one but herself.

The oft neglected and misunderstood middle child…Is Diego so bitter that he is forcing Paula to make a choice between him and Rol? Probably. But he is so vicious, I’m wondering if he does know something he’s not saying..

Until last night I thought that with Rafa, what you saw is what you get. The bottle cap biting made me smile and I was relieved no teeth were harmed in the filming. But there is much more behind the vacant stare. His musical talent delighted. I can see where Pepe was the golden boy although likely not intentionally. Rafa has always seemed to come in a distant second. I am hoping that he will meet someone else to make MAL a painful but distant memory.

I enjoyed watching Isa and Gracia’s different reactions to Marco’s performance.

Diana
 

vida
Thanks, rgv chick.
It's interesting that once Isabela pointed out that she does love her kids, Malena didn't try to go the 'I'll do better' route, but outright said she'd abort ifPepe doesn't take care of her child. How does he manage to tolerate her for so many years when she doesn't even bother doing anything? 'For the kids' isn't a reason here.
Pepe is way too generous with his 'such things happen' remark about his father's decision to leave his family. Does he honestly think it's ok to just leave your wife and kid because you suddenly decided to follow your dreams? I find it annoying Pepe plays the good son role even here.I don't have much sympathy for Alex. Even now his insecurities matter way more to him than his kids' happiness.
I'm getting sick of Pepe and everyone coming to fetch Rafa and bossing him around and expecting him to obey.
Diego has learnt to do his sisters hair? Paula's excuses of burrying herslef in work made me even angrier after I learnt this. Her children would have grown up without her realising and as much as she might have loved her husband, I can't believe she's put them into a category of people who only need food and shelter out of her grief. Would she have woken up when Suzy turned 18? Diego is right on one aspect: she can't expect him to be an open book just because she now realised she doesn't know him. Diego was a mixture of a parent and a brother to his little sister and Paula missed it? So she only came home to sleep for 7 years? It makes me sad that Diego feels so neglected. He might be rude, but very few teens would look after their younger siblings the way he looks after Suzy. Emiliano meanwhile only cares about girls and still can't pick a decent one.
Why did Rolando mention Pepe can't win Paula from him because he has a lot of money and can do whatever he wants? How are these two things related? The man is exceedingly arrogant and stupid. No wonder Natalia is in charge here.
 

vida
I hope to learn the name of the song Rafa played on the piano. It was lovely.
 

Vencer #69

Manuela needs restraining orders but likely won't try to get any because of having been gaslit into unnecessary guilt.

Carmina will get what's coming to her because of what she's doing to her son. She has no connexion with reality. (OT: Ingrid Martz is not aging well).

Paulito will need a shrink ASAP.

Franco needs to talk to Joel, esp since he now knows Cecelia never told him about her HIV.
 

VENCER

Urban, you hit it on the head with "Manuela needs restraining orders but likely won't try to get any because of having been gaslit into unnecessary guilt." And she keeps meeting Heliberto at that deserted park. Death wish? SHE needs counseling more than Julieta.

 

Vida

Chickie, thank you For a great recap as we try to understand these characters and their interactions.

Wow...did the actor playing Rafa actually take those bottlecaps off with his teeth ! I couldn't believe that scene. I find this character interesting . Is the actor being directed to be a hulking Neanderthal? ....and then he site down and plays the piano. Que?

MAL is mal...muy, muy mal.

Renata is a rich, spoiled bimbo. yawn

Diego is a touchy , grumpy young guy who loves bucket hats.

Paula is dying and dealing with all this drama. I guess Pepe is a calm port in the storm swirling around her. Susan

 

VIDA

RgvChick - thank you for your recap! I totally went around me that Rafa guessed about Isa & Lor.

Rafa .... where do I start?
- He combs his hair, puts on hair spray, and THEN puts that awful knit hat on. Hel-lo?!?
- He arrives at Lorenzo's with one of his front shirttails untucked. Is this the macho "un-French tuck?
- He opens bottle caps with his teeth. (yikes.....years of dental bills making me shudder at this)
- The poor guy is going to explode if someone doesn't tell him the truth. And the he might still explode.

Okay, so according to Isabela, it's okay and not infidelity if you truly love the guy you're committing adultery with? Eh, no. Yes, I get it, your husband left to pursue his career in Europe and you were lonely. And you took marriage vows, lady. It happened but do. not. justify. this.

Poor Diego. His anger is understandable. He is the middle "Lost Child" of family dynamics.
He is also very sensitive. Does he just sense the evil in Rolando? Does he have a repressed memory of his father's murder?

Diana --- "I’m wondering if he does know something he’s not saying..." You might be on to something here. Our first Crockpot Theory!©
 

VIDA

I'm just going to ruminate on Paula here. She is one of the more stupid protagonistas in telenovelaland, IMO:

- IMHO she is a bit self-centered, like her father.
- From previous conversation, I gather that Lorenzo disappeared from her life for large periods of time.
- Do we know how old Paula was when her mother died? Was she left with nannies, etc.?
- Did Paula interact much with her children before Germán died?
- Did she even think about her own children's grief? (I have questions)
- She handled her own grief by throwing herself into her work and seems that she ignored her kids until the recent tumor diagnosis. ("oh riiiight, I have kids. I better spend some time with them before I kick the bucket but I refuse to tell them why.")

- And now she's dying, wants all this time with her children and has chosen a family friend a/k/a her husband's murderer, and assumes he'll do right by the kids, because her own father is like a leaf in the wind and cannot be counted on. Which says a lot about Lorenzo, too.
- Also, she will not tell the kids she is dying. When they find out, they might end up with serious trust issues for the rest of their lives. Who could blame them? She is currently committing a Lie of Omission . . . . . Right now she is teaching them to hide the truth even though, in her mind, she is sparing them pain. How will Emiliano feel if he's in Europe (with that awful Renata) when she dies? He'll likely hate himself and need years of therapy, if he ever even realizes he might need it.

Well, gripe session is over.
;-)
 

Vida #18

Thanks, RGV Chick.

Both families are messed up and so is Rolando, whom I suspect would love to ship off Raula's children to boarding schools at the first opportunity. Diego is suspicious of him as it is and when will he take that stupid hat off?

Rafa biting off the bottle caps reinforces his caveman image; not endearing. The piano, however...

Unless she is past Week 12 MALena should have an abortion. She would be even less of a mother to this potential infant than she was to Lucia and Teo; this pregnancy is meant to trap Pepe and prevent him from filing for divorce despite that he knows he wasn't the one to knock her up. I am also wondering if this is another achievement for her in the sense that she is getting off either on deceiving him with his own brother and getting away with the deception or the huge ugly fight that likely will happen when Pepe learns the truth. Should we take bets on how that will happen?

Rolando may have come from privilege but that doesn't make him any smarter or a better person than anyone else.
 

Vencer

Gracias, Jarifa. I'm glad things slowed down last night cause it gave me a chance to catch up.

Heliberto's father cheated, spent money on Manuela's birth mother and Manuela instead of Heliberto, and led to Heliberto being too messed up to pursue a baseball career. But it's ALL MANUELA'S FAULT. Mom and son are plain loco. The man was no good and they should've moved on.

I'm still thinking Franco and Paloma are end game. It's a shame he never took the bull by the horns to become a character I could cheer for. I remember when he kept a copy of Dulce's photo and bracelet and I thought he was going to help with finding her. Then nothing. ITA nobody's perfect and he made a terrible mistake when he was young and in college. But he didn't tell his bestie that he was at risk for HIV. Now Paloma is the one that (unintentionally) informs the bestie. The best thing Franco has done is be straight with Paloma from the start.

Poor Genaro. He has no friends to help him out like his sister does.

Can't stand Leandro, but pretty shrewd of him to let Pablo punch him.
 

OT

I've only seen a few TNs with the great Helena Rojo. My favorite was her role in the 2009 version of Corazon Salvaje. This remake wasn't the greatest production but she was exquisite as a villain.

QEPD.
 

VIDA

"Poor Diego....Does he have a repressed memory of his father's murder?"

Doris, that would answer so much! Rolo is very unlikeable but Diego's hatred seems a bit irrational. Unless of course, that is the truth.

Diana
 

OT..Niecie , Helena was also a villain in " Amor Real," which was the first show I saw her in. She was deliciously bad as Adela Noriega 's vain, greedy mother who pushed into a marriage to Manuel, Fernando Colunga. That was quite a show with a spectacular cast . No matter the role, Helena was wonderful. Sad to say goodbye .
Susan
 

VENCER

"Poor Genaro. He has no friends to help him out like his sister does".

A thoughtful point Niecie...

Another character I'm very worried about.

Diana
 

VENCER

Niecie, oh yeah, we really needed that break last night. "Can't stand Leandro, but pretty shrewd of him to let Pablo punch him." Yes,it is is as if anytime we see Leandro he is observing, filing info somewhere inside of his twisted brain and plotting.

 

Minas

Posting my thoughts on the telenovela on the next page :)