Wednesday, March 27, 2024

El Amor No Tiene Receta #20: It's the IMF to the Rescue

 

Vermin got out thanks to his disguise. Paz and Mireya trapped the doctor in the room and explained that the janitor was her ex in disguise and she did not know of his plan. Despite that this was going to violate her professional ethics, the doctor agreed to let them get away but with a warning that the police would be involved sooner or later. Pepa called Paz to update them as to their movements as a little Mission Impossible music accompanied Vermin's escape to the exit. He quickly texted Salomón. He and Pepa then staged a fight on the ground floor to distract others while Paz and Mireya ran out to the taxi cab that Vermin had driven in. Two guards separated the brothers – who were shouting as loudly possible – and dragged them to the exit.

The doctor took a deep breath called for a red alert for a child gone missing. [Rats!]

Vermin delivered Luna to the cab and she was off with Paz and Mireya. Vermin passed the two boys telling them where the cab was was waiting for them and to hurry up. The boys ran while Vermin put the janitorial cart away and re-entered the hospital.

Elvira gave Lupita grief due to Paz' absence, insulting the food yet again. Esteban came home but Elvira said they would talk about Rubio privately. Esteban went to Bosco's room and smelled the vape scent [which must have clung to the brat's sweater despite him having exhaled it out the window]. Bosco said he sprayed the room and Esteban chewed him out for his rudeness to Paz, which he had seen on the security videos. He then said “If you want to fight, we will right now.” With rapiers and no masks! Bosco tried pulling rank, saying “You could get hurt.” As they began exchanging parries Esteban deliberately provoked Bosco until the brat stopped and whined about being ignored, the absence of his mother, and complained once again about his father potentially being interested in women other than his [dead for six years] wife.

Felipa invaded Kenzo's office to annoy him and Nandi. She even tried to trip Nandi as she left the room. He finally got fed up with her antics and her attempt at turning their children against him. He finally said he was fed up with her lies and her greed and going to sue for custody of the children. [So he does have a spine after all? We'll see.]

Luna and her rescuers finally got home. Vermin excused himself to change out of his disguise. Luna picked up Cobija as Paz told her to rest and promised her some good food. Mireya was upset with her sons for the fight. Salomón left, saying he will open the restaurant. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath at Paz' suggestion and flashed back to Ginebra hitting her hands with the belt, saying her drawing was bad, she would never be an artist, and remembered that her uncle has brown hair. Also that she has asked him why her mother didn't love her. Paz tried to get her to talk just as the doctor arrived saying she had to talk this.

Salomón tied a pair of shoes together and threw them up to hang over power wires [Seems stupidly wasteful to me]. Gema came out as he was high-fiving with two other guys. She slapped him twice.

Paz brought Luna a bowl of soup and encouraged her to talk about her memories. Luna asked if Paz knew her mother and uncle and when Paz admitted she did she asked if she could take her to them. Before Paz could answer Dr Monica walked in through the open door to talk about what they were going to do with her. She looked frightened. [Of course only we and Paz know – and this poor child has no idea – that her mother tried to have her killed.] Mireya entered the room.

Esteban and Bosco talked about family conflicts and how they should be resolved by talking about them so as not to create distance. Bosco asked about his Esteban's estrangement from his own father. Esteban admitted that this happened with his father and said “I don't want to be distanced from you.”

Paz asked Pepa to take care of Luna and then talked with Dr Monica. The doctor explained that the hospital is in a state of chaos and she could lose her license if they discovered her involvement. Paz explained that her own daughter had disappeared six years previously and explained that she had rescued Luna whose life was in danger. Wasn't saving lives the priority?

Salomón had problems with Gema who was jealous of Gala. Who was with her new bestie doing her social media thing. Her mood went south when she looked at comments that must have said she looked fat [Here we go again].

Esteban continued explaining to Bosco about his difficulties in becoming a better father. That Elvira interfered, threatening his employment, that he missed Berenice, and he felt alone. Bosco is still a classist jerk for asking whether boinking Paz was the answer. Esteban asked if he was going to keep this up. Bosco told him “You almost kissed her,” then got up and handed him the rapier saying “Thanks for this moment. But now it's you who has to fight for what you feel. Let's see when you dare to accept the truth.” Esteban took the weapon, his expression revealing his realization that his son was still a classist jerk. [Changing that will need another branch of the IMF.]

Dr Monica made her point and tried to convince Paz to report this but Paz repeated that she saw police involved in the attack on the homeless children. She was not convinced that Samara/Luna would be protected if this were reported.

Mauro visited Ginebra in her office. She gloated to him about having fooled Elvira. He asked “Are you going to tell them that you hate them when they tell you the truth? Are you going to pretend to be the selfless daughter who forgives out of love?” She said she'd do what she should, but in the meantime that she would convince Elvira that she would be the best new mother for her “three stupid grandchildren.” Mauro appeared mildly amused.



Elvira was on her way to the basement thinking about Ginebra's statement about never forgiving her mother for ruining her life when she suddenly saw Fobo in his skivvies coming up the stairs. She quickly averted her gaze [as some Jungle Fever-type music made this situation amusing for us].

Paz suggested talking alone with Luna/Sam to ask her about how she has been treated. Monica replied that the temporary amnesia had to follow something traumatic and that with treatment her memory could come back almost completely. Paz told her that the child had just remembered her uncle, the one who talked about killing her. She had recalled asking him why her mother didn't love her. Monica said that “None of this proves that her real mother is an evil woman.” [We can debate that.] Paz and Mireya convinced her to come to the meeting to check Ginebra out. She said she would see if there was adequate cause for concern and would not hesitate to involve the police if she thought so. Paz greed, implying the possibility that Ginebra was being deceived by her brother. If that was proven the judge would return Sam to Ginebra.

Ginebra and Mauro continued discussing their plan [Isn't it rather risky to do this at the office?]. She said that in time she could get him a position there. He liked that. She then told him she has to perform for the group of mujeres lloronas. Mauro told her “It would be advisable for both of us to monitor every step that Esteban makes. If he suspects who killed Berenice we have to be careful, sis.” She replied that he was to make sure that Rubio knew all the details of the killing of Berenice down to the number and position of the insulin syringes. She did not intend for Esteban to know that she was the killer until after she married him [...and loaded strychnine or cyanide in his drink?].

Fobo apologized to Elvira, explaining that he had been working on the car. She said she doesn't want excuses and he can't walk around naked in the house. He was to get dressed. He excused himself and started back downstairs. She turned around to look at him, then away as she said she would be waiting for him in the study but he had to be fully dressed. He agreed. She turned away and took a deep breath before exiting to the main floor [….and we flies on the wall had a good laugh at her expense].

Lupita explained the history and popularity of tortillas to Eder, who was very interested. He told her he had told Paz he wanted to become a chef. Lupita pinched his cheek. Saying Paz would be happy to teach him all she knows. Esteban came in and talked about learning all about corn from his father back in the day and eating tacos under a big tree. Eder asked if he had argued with Boscio, commenting that his brother was very stubborn, always arguing about the same thing. Eder then admitted he's like to have Paz as his second mother. Lupita heard this and smiled.

Monica acknowledged that Luna needed protection.

Luna watched Pepa draw and complimented his work, asking if it was for a girlfriend. He said it wasn't just as Paz walked in to tell Luna that Dr Monica wanted to talk to her and help her. She said “Wow, she's our friend!”

Nandi told Kenzo she had heard his argument with Felipa. Arguments were familiar territory to her because of her family. She praised him and he said he still had a few things to do about being a better father and secure outside of work. He didn't want to be immature in his children's eyes. She suggested he get a wardrobe makeover to be more fashionable [She's right].

Elvira was fanning herself as she flashed back to seeing Fobo en deshabille. He entered her office fully dressed. Her temper(ature) had cooled down. After a partial repeat of the earlier exchange she sat down and told him that she had a terrible moment with her daughter, that telling Ginebra of their relationship had been much harder than she had expected.

Gala and her bestie (Gio) left the park. Esteban told her over the phone that they needed to talk. He wanted to spend time with her and that she was to do his PR video. He had a parents-only conversation with Lupita on communication with children. Remaining silent is not good for the soul or the heart. He had lost his mother at a young age to lung cancer and he missed talking with her. Lupita started saying she wasn't his mother or on his level, but he stopped her , saying “No, don't say that. It's I who isn't on your level.” She offered a good coffee, shoulder, or ear if he ever needed them. He confessed that Paz was changing his life. He was finding things in himself he didn't think previously existed. He even smiles at the sound of her name. Lupita said that this added up to one thing and the A word came up. He said it was Paz who made him believe in it.

Paz' meeting took place in a large gazebo in the park. Paz introduced Ginebra who summoned her best crocodile tears. Monica watched her Oscar-winning performance which ended with Ginebra hugging Paz. Monica watched carefully, then shook her head. [We are all hoping that Monica watches telenovelas].

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Comments:
My apologies for the quality of the second screenshot; I don't have a good editing program to fix it. It was a brief comic relief for this seriously dark story. Does anyone else think the title is somewhat deceptive?
 

Urban, your recap was fabulous.

Loved both screen shots which added so much to your already superior recap.

By her reaction to Fobo, Elvira proved she is human. Well as much as she can be of course.

I am hoping Luna doesn’t fall into Ginebra’s evil clutches once again. It seems Dr. Monica will have significant input into how and if that transpires. She is a good woman who has certainly stuck her neck out in trying to do the right thing.

The “great escape” went surprisingly well. The boys improvised their fight to cause a diversion and for once, Vermin came up with a good plan.

Bosco is omnipresent and truly annoying complaining “once again about his father potentially being interested in women other than his [dead for six years] wife.” Sigh.

I can’t figure out why I have no interest in Kenzo’s storyline, but there it is.

Lupita is such a calming, reassuring presence.

Growing up in Jersey decades ago, I remember quite a few pairs of sneakers flung up onto impossibly high wires. It’s reassuring to see that tradition continues, half a century later.

Diana
 

Not sure what IMF stands for so I can't say whether it is deceptive. I sure do appreciate the recaps to explain some of the things I miss (Kenzo wanting to get custody, Esteban's mother dieing of lung cancer). I'm not sure how the Dr. will rule in Ginebra's stellar performance. It almost seemed Paz believed Ginebra as her eyes welled up with tears. Elvira's shock at seeing Fobo was funny. You would think she had never been at a pool before as the boxers are like a swimsuit!
 

OT, Diana I grew up (until I was 11) in Jersey also ...
The tied sneakers I also missed. I spend so much time reading the Spanish subtitles I miss the actual action!
 

Urban, thanks for a great recap. And the screen shots are an added bonus.

I enjoyed the hospital antics. What a contrast to the family Luna was raised in. But all of them are on camera, although Vermin is the only one who will be a suspect and he was unrecognizable.

Esteban and Lupita were great together. It would be nice if he could go to her with any problems. Especially since she knows more about Ginebra and Mauro than he does. And meanwhile Ginebra seems pretty confident of her marriage to Esteban. She’s in for a surprise.

Fobo looked pretty handsome in the stairway. Not because he was in underwear! Maybe his hair was more casual. But I don’t find him appealing usually. Elvira was funny, fanning herself. So a few light moments in the show last night.

The gazebo scene bothered me. I’m wondering if the doctor was taken in by Ginebra’s act. Paz seemed upset, almost as if she might be doubting her own thoughts, and Luna’s memories.

Diana, I grew up in the Bronx and they’d do that to sneakers there too.

Liz


 

IMF is the acronym for Impossible Mission Force, the organization in the TV series Mission: Impossible. The music under the Robles' actions in the early scenes is derivative of the original theme song. It's one of the best Tv program themes ever.

I hope that Monica has watched at least a few novelas. Ginebra was wearing heavy black, including black nail polish. I didn't notice any jewelry on her but if it has snake images, that is a sure ID for a villana. Her crossed legs and that she never stumbled over words could also be evidence working in Paz' favor. However....

...since this is a novela we can probably expect that this child will end up in Ginebra's clutches sooner or later.
 

Thank you Urban for this fabolous recap! I haven't watched the episode yet but I've started to prefer to read the recap first with this show since so much is going on and my mind wanders, it helps to know what I missed rather than rewind 100 times! LOL

I haven't lived in a place that did that with shoes, but I had heard that when it was done, it was a memorial to someone (especially if it's a young kid) losing their life. They would throw that person's sneakers up there and everyone who saw it knew what it meant. That doesn't seem to fit this scenario though since we haven't had any kids' deaths that I can think of.

That doc is in a tricky situation that she never should have been put in. But maybe she'll recognize Ginebra's psychosis.
 

Urban, WOW , thank you for a wonderful, detailed recap complete with great screencaps.

So far, I am enjoying this show very much And look forward to both the show and the recap by our fabulous recappers every day.

Elvira was all hot and bothered seeing Fobo in his skivvies . I though he was wearihg swim trunks. Whatever. She didn't know where to look. Teehee

I am glad that we got a bit more of Esteban's backstory . So, he lost his mother to cancer. His father taught him about corn, so his father either owned a farm that produced corn ( sweet corn for eating or field corn to feed to animals ???) Or he was a hired hand on a farm. My dad grew acres and acres of the best sweet corn I have ever eaten ..Silver Queen ( white corn kernels ) and Sugar and Honey ( white and yellow kernels ). I picked a lot of sweet corn . Now, we have to find out why Esteban and his dad are estranged , but we might not find that out until Dad arrives on the scene.

The scene between Esteban and Lupita was so sweet . She would treat him like a son , unlike his haughty, elitest suegra who treats him like dirt. You are never too old to need a mother ..yours or a kind, caring , loving mother figure .Lupita is the epitome of a loving mother \abuela.

I had relatives all over NJ...Summit, Westfield, Martinsville , Fanwood , Springfield , Hoboken ,but I never saw sneakers on phone wires . I have seen it on tv , but I can't remember what show it was on.

My hope is that Gin will not be able to seduce The Responsible (Hot) Widower. Please writers, we need A hero.
Susan
 

Thanks Urban. Great recap and screenshots especially the second one. :) That image must now be burned in Elvira’s memory. Too funny. It seemed odd to me that Luna asked Paz to take her to her mother and uncle but hey, she is a kid. Too bad that Vermin has become such a responsible adult now only after he destroyed Paz’s and Luna’s lives. I never would have expected it. Hate to say but he did can’t make up for it. What a waste of skin! In my neck of the woods, I have seen plenty of shoes up on the lines and always thought it was to signify gang related activities.
 

Jarifa, I googled " why do people throw sneakers onto powerlines " and there was a list of what it is supposed to signify.
Susan
 

I wonder whether Bosco knew that his paternal abuela died of lung cancer or is he just underage to smoke. Esteban will go ballistic when he finds out because these products are of questionable legality in Mexico

BTW the word "bosco" means forest. Ironically he's actually a hothouse flower instead.
 

OT I think the actor playing Bosco was in Rosa de Guadeluoe last night. I also think he was the older son in " Perdonnme "
Susan
 

He was; I caught the last 15 minutes of that.
 

There was something very odd about how Elvira turned away from Fobo....she looked like a traumatized child not a grown woman turning away. This woman has some serious trauma reaction to any hint of sexual attraction - which would be understandable given what she went through with daddy stealing her newborn - but it makes you wonder how she got pregnant with Berenice, and what that relationship was like.
 

We don't know anything about Fobo other than he has worked for her for at least a few years. He clearly couldn't have been to the manor born or he would have a better job. I stand on my previous statement that Ginebra's sperm donor must have been considered by her father (or both parents) to be a social inferior, thence no shotgun wedding; only throwing away the baby against Elvira's will. Over time she caved to the adage "If you can't beat them, join them."

Re social media: Today's Tic Toc stars will be has-beens in a couple of months. Teens Gala's age will -- or should -- be getting busy with their studies in college if they think at all about their futures. The problem is that teens live in the moment and also act too often on impulse. Cyber bullying is a world-wide problem that leads to mental health crises. Unless people learn to be more effective parents and there is a substantial change in gender attitudes we're all in trouble.
 

I wasn't thinking her reaction had anything to do with Fobo personally, or that he was significant to the story of either of Elvira's children. El had the same extreme reaction to seeing Esteban with his shirt off. Fobo is probably just some guy hired at some point as a bodyguard/driver/assistant/whatever his job is. But something is wrong with Elvira. Whether she was raped by Gin's bio-dad, or Berenice's, or if daddy's psychological torture, and cruelty in stealing Gin did it; or however it happened, this woman is not normal. A normal healthy grown woman does not hide her face in the wall when coming across a scantily clad man - she might turn away if her own sense of modesty demanded it, but she would not tremble and try to disappear into the wall.
 

I doubt Elvira was raped; she wanted to keep the baby. She is definitely not normal, though.

Esteban is of peasant stock despite not looking or behaving so. He is also her son-in-law and therefore more seriously off limits. We do need more info.
 

Oh, Urban, don't worry. I think your second screenshot looks just fine. I mean really FINE.
 

Rather late to the party, but I wanted to thank you for the terrific recap, Urban.

ITA with all of you confounded by Elvira's ridiculous response to seeing Fobo that way on the staircase. It's even more ridiculous because he mentioned he was in the servant's quarters. He wasn't in the main part of the house. But he groveled when he spoke to her. There have been hints he feels something for her. Why? I just hate it when "the help" grovel in telenovelas.

Fingers and toes crossed that Dr. Monica sees through Ginebra's performance at the Missing Kids gathering. I thought she might catch on because Gin kept saying she was sure that her baby was dead. I think a normal mother would not even let her mind go there so soon.

I hoped for a little more redemption from Bosco after his father challenged him to a duel. But He didn't change much. Probably it will take some attention from that girlfriend of Gala's to respect his father's right to have feelings for someone besides his mother.
 

Thank you, Urban, and sorry for being so late, but I have a hard time organizing myself these days.
So Fogo - I will call him that, since Fogo is closer to Fuego, wich means fire and since the guy is HOT - OK, what was I saying? Elvira better jump on that, it might help her see life... differently.

I also believe Elvira was abused at some point. Having a child ripped from your arms, followed by years of abuse and no therapy could actually explain why she's such a nighmare.

The recap of last night's episode will be online in a few hours, probbaly in time for your morning coffee.
 

Novelera, Adriana, those are good points about Elvira.

On the basis of that one flashback to her father taking the baby away from her I am prepared to call him a control freak. People like that will often hold any wrongdoing or mistake against their child forever to maintain control. That could be the case here.

We really know nothing about Elvira's parents. Her mother could also have been controlled by this cruel father or could have been his accomplice.

The flashbacks to Berenice made it look as though Elvira's relationship with her was close to normal. What was Elvira's husband like and when and how did he die?

Esteban finally talked about his father, so we can probably expect him to appear soon. I still wonder whether he was Ginebra's sperm donor and this is why she hates Esteban and he is no contact with his father. Not that he knows that due to the lack of communication he wants to avoid with Bosco.
 

Yes, perhaps " Speak of the devil , and he appears."

We often have many questions about the characters' back stories that are never answered. We shall see what the writers tell us about the backgrounds of these characters.
Susan
 

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