Caray, Caray!

TAN CERCA DE TI, NACE EL AMOR #26 Page 1

Notes from the Couch "A Bit of This and That" edition

Around and Around We Go
Flores continues to cause real problems for Vero with his continued insistence on her writing an article about Luis' death. Joaquín tells Romina all about him and how he mislead him from the get go. Romina knows nothing and said she refused to talk to Flores. Joaquín tells her that the last time they talked, "Vero" said that she would do all she could to stop him. Clearly out of the loop,. Romina concludes that he knows Vero. He says they saw each other once. He thinks it is a small world indeed. He also calls Flores himself and warns him to leave them alone.

Flores calls Vero to come see him. It is urgent. He reminds her he is still her boss. He is aggravated that he keeps finding things she has hidden from him like discovering that her own sister has infiltrated the Navarro-Cross company. Vero tells him Romina has nothing to do with this. She has worked there a long time. She refuses to use people and certainly not people in her family. He doesn't buy it. She gets into a costume everyday and manipulates the family all for an article that she says she doesn't want to write. He wants results NOW. She had better turn in something that has been worth waiting for.

Consuelo goes to the company to get the papers from Romina that lazy Aurelio needs. She never expects not to find Romina and being way laid by Joaquín who recognizes her as "Vero" and who is still upset about Flores and wants to talk to her about it. She finds out that Joaquín knows that Romina is her "sister". He wants to make sure that "Vero" isn't a part of the Flores problem. When he leaves the office to deal with Iván, Consuelo calls Vero to let her know. Vero is with Facundo. When Joaquín comes back, she convinces him that she isn't spying for Flores. She explains she is only there to get some papers from Romina for their father. As a favor to Vero, Facundo calls Joaquín saying he needs to talk to him. That allows Consuelo to get the papers from Romina and leave.

A Dangerous Game
Vero continues to lean on Facundo who drives her to see Flores. After hearing about the Flores problem, he suggests that she tell him about her daughter. She would never do that because Flores would use that information to control her. He asks her what else he can do to help her. She grabs his hands (BAD MOVE) and says he has done plenty already listening to her and being there.He ends up stopping the car and asks her what he really wants to know. Is there anything between her and Joaquín. She is surprised he would asks that. He says she has been so quiet lately and then there is the way she looks at Joaquín when she thinks nobody is watching. She insists her only focus is her daughter. She has a working relationship with Joaquín because of the kids. She is not falling in love with anyone. He then starts to badmouth Joaquín telling her that he is not her ally He knows him better than her and how he is going to react when he finds out who she really is and how she lied to his face. He will not respect her pain . Facundo tries to convince her that he is the only one at her side who is able to help and protect her and her daughter. He loves her. Vero grabs his hands (AGAIN) and tells him he is a great guy but her daughter comes first She cannot think of a relationship. Consuelo calls her telling Vero she is stuck in Joaquín's office. Facundo makes that call to Joaquín that he needs to see him.
 

TAN CERCA DE TI Page 2

Everything else
-Eleazar comes on by and ends up letting Vale "drive" his motorcycle.He will be the passenger. She brings up his kissing Rebe. He says it was Vale's kiss that meant everything to him.

-Vale and Eleazar notice Vero in Facundo's car. It looks they are being romantic. Vale blames Eleazar's lukewarm reaction to the fact that he must be put off because Vero is a domestic worker. Excitedly, she later brings up what she saw to Vero. What a coincidence! They are dating a father and son! Vero says she and Facundo are not going out. They are only getting to know each other.

-Diego returns Majo's earring on the sly. He tells her to throw it out or put it away so Claudia doesn't see it. She explains that he is not doing well, Claudia is not doing well and nothing is right. The two of them can be friends but nothing is going to happen between them ever. Later Majo witnesses Carmen crying to her mother that Diego has left her for another and she cannot take it.

-Olga makes her way to the company to see Iván at a job!!! She doesn't need money but does need a cellphone. She reminds him that she has never asked him for anything before. He finally gives in and she kisses him. She adds that the years have been kind to him. He is taken aback and wipes off the kiss. He goes to Joaquín to ask for a loan. Joaquín will give him an advance on his salary.

-Facundo supposedly has to talk to Joaquín about a problem with the suspension on the new motorcycle they are developing. Joaquín comes to the shop and talks to Facundo. After Joaquín leaves, Marcos confronts Facundo about the fact that Joaquín wanted both of them to work on the new motorcycle but he is not including him. . Facundo points out that he is the degreed mechanical engineer and Marcos is just a neighborhood mechanic who ended up at the company because of his wife.. Marcos defends his knowledge saying he has been there for years and has earned his place in the shop. Facundo could not care less.

-Marcos soon feels better when he literally runs into Olga and finds out that she is Iván's ex.

-Vero hears Meli again talking to the video of her father. The question is should she be friends with this girl Alexa. She says she wants to be her friend but she doesn't believe her. Vero overhears her and suggests that she give Alexa another chance.

-Meli gives Diego his phone because Carmen is calling. He refuses to answer and she gets angry. Diego is his obnoxious self demanding that Meli tell him why she is angry and not write why on a piece of paper. She refuses and they have a tug of war with the paper until it rips.

-Vale is just as cruel to Dani who still has the hope that their parents are alive because they never found their bodies. She is sure they will return.

FIN
 

TAN CERCA

Jarifa, thank you for your excellent recap.

"Around and Around We Go" could not have been more fitting! There was a lot of hemming and hawing, delay and denial with much mired in muck.

Yes, Vero was too "handsy" with Facundo. While viewerville knows her true feelings, she is (inadvertently) sending him mixed messages. "Dangerous Games" indeed. She is not telling Facundo the truth about her feelings for Joaquin, and he is bound to catch her in that lie shortly. Further, Facundo is going to be livid whenever she finally rejects him as he's made it clear he won't take "no" for an answer.

Consuelo pretending to be Vero is going to be another lie that Vero will have difficulty trying to explain to Joaquin.

Flores is a nasty little man...

"Diego returns Majo's earring on the sly. He tells her to throw it out or put it away so Claudia doesn't see it". Good heavens man, tell poor Claudia before she sees you kissing Majo. Diego continues to be unappealing and Vale equally so especially in her treatment of Dani. Eleazar is a petulant, snarling brat. Period.

"Marcos soon feels better when he literally runs into Olga and finds out that she is Iván's ex". They certainly hit it off, didn't they? As odd a couple as Romina and Ivan are! Cupid must be bored.

Don't be friends with Alexa, Meli!! She has no good intentions toward you.

Jarifa, thank you for clarifying much that I just couldn't understand.

Diana
 

"HERMANAS"
Liz, Jarifa, UA, SpanProf, Darcy & Co: The scumbag in the three-piece suit keeps stirring the pot of chaos.
 

GUARDIAN

It’s a Plot Device Block Party and (almost) all the secrets are out! While Julian hides in a corner (I suspect he’ll get his Custard the Dragon moment someday, probably saving Cata), the three sisters, two cousins, and one hippo-mouthed bodyguard do the dozens to no great effect. Aramis orders everyone around as if anyone actually listens to him. The Bulldog tries to flirt with Emma, but he’s met his match. Monique is, as usual, a thorn in everyone’s paw.

Meanwhile in Arzzzhhhentina, Andro leans both ways in a David Bowie haircut that does her no favors. Between tango flourishes, she fits in a brief phone call with Grecia and mentions she has her ticket to Alternate Mexico City in hand. Da DUN dun.

Highlights: Cata’s outfit, which she appears to have borrowed from Sofia; Bulldog’s extended canine metaphor

Lowlights: Sofia’s shoes, which she appears to have borrowed from Cata; whatever they were spooning out at the party that had a CHICKEN FOOT sticking out of it 😖
 

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Hmmm....I just posted a Comment , but it has disappeared. Susan
 

Tan. Seca

Thanks Jarifa, great recap of the mishmash of events. Vero says one thing to Facundo but then grabs his hands, and allows him to kiss her. I wish she’d see what he’s really like. As in the way he treats his son and the way he treated Marcos, implying he only got the job because his wife recommended him.

And Flores was worse, thinking Romina was working there to help her sister spy! I’m guessing she’s worked there for quite a while and it was obvious she didn’t know what Flores was talking about. It looks like Flores will have to get any dirt through his daughter. Hopefully nothing will ever get published. But I worry about Facundo telling all to him. Either way, I’m guessing at some point Joaquin will want nothing to do with Vero.

I felt so sorry for Dani. I’m sure Vale was trying to be realistic but let Dani hold onto hope until she’s ready to accept the truth. Although I admit I hope they somehow escaped death and will appear to save the day.

Liz
 

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Jarifa, thank you so much . p

Liz, interesting ideas. My comments disappeared , but I had noticed that Marcos may become Joachin's ally . He was frowning during his conversation with Facundo, and he seems to have Facundo 's number .
Marcos was also delighted to meet Olga, interfering Ivan's ex .

Vero is surrounded by toxic males..her dad, Facundo, nagging Flores . Susan
 

Guardian

Well....Sylvia Navarro is getting the chance to play an evil twin, and she appears to be having a lot of fun doing it. It must be fun to play a bad girl . I wonder how soon she will arrive to shake everything up ...another daughter for Aramis.

I guess Gonzo is not looking forward to being a dad again .What did he say to conniving Grecia?

I enjoyed the parade of families . First , Cata, Sofia, Barbie, and Nana march into the living room . Then, Family*#2 march in ...with dessert...Gina , Rex, and Franco ..led by that old villain Aramis. Uh oh .Let the family feud begin.

Meanwhile Julian has complete!y blended into the family , washing dishes and mopping floors . I think this is my favorite part of the show . I wonder what his original story was to this family when be first showed up at their door .
Susan


 

Tan Cerca

Sorry, Susana, but your lost comments have disappeared completely.

Diana, I do not understand Vero with Facundo at all. As you noted there is a lot of mixed messaging going on on her part. Anyway, he is way too old for her no matter what age they want him to be. .

Liz, yes this episode was a "mish mash" of events. Maybe it was all a set up for something better organized for tonight. Her is hoping.

Susan, good point about Marcos maybe becoming an ally of Joaquín when the chips are down.We know that Facundo will be attacking Joaquín some how sooner or later.
 

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Jarifa, yes, Facundo is too old for Vero ...and too evil . You would think that Vero would be more cautious about putting her trust in Facundo after growing up with Aurelio.

We are at the part of the novela where we just go around and around without much forward movement .

Joachim is oblivious to all the people around him who are acting against him .

I can barely stand Claudia whining and moaning about Diego, but remember that before Luis and Susana died, she was always at their house sticking to Diego like glue.

I wonder where the storyline with Olga is going . I don't think that Marcos was interested in her .. I think he hoped that her presence would keep Ivan occupied and away from Romina.

Come on. Nuria, we need a character . Susan
 

Tan Cerca

Gracias, Jarifa. Fantastic storytelling. I don't see how Vero can keep up with the lies she's giving to everyone, except Consuelo. I'd be so confused keeping up with her personal lie to each person if not for your recaps.

Anybody mean to Meli is on my *@#! list. Diego better make a big apology pronto.
 

TAN CERCA

NIecie, I agree about Meli. She is such a sweetie. Yes, Vero's lies are getting to be a bit overwhelming.
 

GUARDIAN

Gonzo told Grecia that he would claim the child and give it his name, but only after the paternity test. She came over all shocked and offended, apparently forgetting that she had, um, pretended to be gang-raped...? Oh, the webs we weave. Meanwhile, she will undoubtedly tell Uriel it's his and keep him in line by threatening to tell Marisol. He should have kept his tiny little pants on.

As I recall, Julian told Chava's family that he had heard about the room from Candelaria, but that seems kind of sus since I really don't think Gina and her Mom had time to discuss living arrangements during their little telephone hiss-fests. (Idle question: do you think her facility with knives will ever come in handy?)
 

TAN CERCA DE TI, NACE EL AMOR #27 Part 1

Notes from the Couch

VERO
-Vero tells Consuelo how disappointed she was that she ended up going to the company. Just one mistake could have messed everything up. Consuelo explains it was an emergency. She had to go for (lazy) Aurelio's papers that Romina had. Consuelo agrees to let her know what is going on next time. She also comments on how impressed she was with Joaquín. Vero tells her that he kissed her but it wasn't a real kiss because he thought she was somebody else.
He apologized as if it were something horrible. Consuelo informs her she is in love with him. Vero says she cannot afford to be. What she doesn't know is that Joaquín doesn't seem to be able to forget the kiss either.

-Joaquín tells Vero that Meli had a lot of good things to say about her. She said she has the best smile and since she arrived things are not so bad. He agrees with Meli. Vero has done much more than put the house in order. He puts his hand on her shoulder and sincerely thanks her.

KASSANDRA
-Kassandra tells her mother how she thinks that Joaquín has something going on with Vero. The night she slept over, he ended up on the couch and Vero ended up sleeping in the servants' quarters. Joaquín keeps her at arms length. There is no intimacy. Isaura blames her daughter for not playing her cards right. A wedding ring will solve it all. She needs to be pressuring him little by little so being with her becomes inevitable.

Kassandra meets with Facundo in the shop so they can update each other. She tells him she thinks that Joaquín slept with the help . He says he talked to Vero and nothing has happened between her and Joaquín. She tells him to control his two-faced Vero. He tells her to get moving with Joaquín already. He is surprised by how unskilled she is in handling the situation. She warns him to not underestimate her. She will get Vero out of there with or without his help.

At the end of the episode Kassandra makes her move. She tells Joaquín that she wants to be a part of the family he is building and share his burden. She wants to move in with him. (Uh, oh)

OLGA
-Olga is complaining from the start. She begins with not being able to stand the vegan menu. Iván says he doesn't think the food is bad. Majo uses him as an example of a parent who listens to her and supports her. The arguments between Iván and Olga have only started. The next morning she startles Iván with some morning coffee as he is the one who has ended up sleeping on the couch. She hears a phone rings and jumps. Nothing escapes Iván's watchful eye. She said she thought it was her phone. He shows her her old crushed phone and says if she were expecting a call, it wasn't coming on that phone. He suspects she is trying to avoid somebody. She invents this convoluted story about her ex Borja but Iván is not buying any of the several versions she makes up.Their arguing wakes Majo up.

Later, Olga gets an email from Borja her ex to call him. She does on the house phone on the sly. It turns out that he is now in Holland. She calls him a coward. He abandoned her. She informs him that his colleagues called her and let her know that he owes them a bunch of money. She doesn't have a red cent. He tells her to be careful. She ends up wondering if somebody is looking for her.

DIEGO
-Diego is back to being the rude fool he is. He starts by playing his video game without having the consideration of listening through his headphones. Joaquín has to ask him to use them and so he does. He doesn't hear Meli knocking on his door. She sits outside his room on the floor.

The next morning, Diego announces that he is not going to school. Joaquín tells him to put on his uniform so he can take him and the girls.

Instead, Diego leaves the house bopping along with his headphones on. What nobody knows is that Meli is following him.
 

TAN CERCA DE TI Part 2

Suddenly at home, everyone notices that Meli has gone missing. Where could she be?

Since Diego cannot hear much of anything, he almost gets run over. It is Meli's screaming at him as loud as she can that manages to get through and saves him from getting squished by a car. He rejoices with her that she saved his life and that she is talking again. He only asks her not to tell anyone that he almost killed himself. She agrees.

Back at the house, everyone rejoices in Meli's recovery of her voice. She explains that she went to find Diego because she didn't want him to leave.

Sad but none of that "saved by an angel called Meli" moment, has changed Diego's nasty mood towards Joaquín. Diego tells him that he is done with school and is going to work full time at the company to watch over his family's investment. . He dares Joaquín to try and stop him. As his guardian, Joaquín says maybe he has been too nice to him so far but he is a minor and he will be going to school. Period.

EVERYTHING ELSE

-Flores gets a tablet as a gift for Alexa to give to Meli. He puts a ribbon on it. Alexa moans that he never gets her gifts like that. He says it is part of a strategy and reminds her about her K-Pop concert she wants to go to. She goes to give it to on then playground, showing Meli how she can type in what she wants to say and then how the tablet will speak for her. Meli hands her back the tablet saying that she would rather use her own voice. She runs off to play with a friend.

-Eleazar tells Rebe that they are done. She is upset. NO, she will never ever be friends with him. Done is done.

-Hugo asks for the verdict and he gets it. . Vale tells Hugo that she doesn't feel about him the way he does about her.

-Yaneli is on a bus going somewhere. (Can we please have an adventure with her?)

-Marcos enjoys the fact that him chatting with Olga seems to be making Romina jealous.

-Claudia is still talking about Diego to Majo. Majo suggests that maybe she should think about something else. (Novel thought!) Claudia is not going to school because Diego isn't going. (Claudia and Diego deserve each other) She also doesn't want other people to know that they broke up. She concludes that since he is changing, she should change too.

-Eleazar hears his father being flirtatious with his mother Lorena at the snack bar as he eats breakfast. He asks his father what he is up to. He saw him kissing Vero in his car. Facundo does his head lock move on his son and while making sure he is uncomfortable with the pressure on his neck, he confirms that YES he is going out with Vero. She is the only woman who he has been really attracted too since his mother. He tells his son to listen closely. Everything he does, he does for him. That is why he is smiling at his mother. Vero is the key to all of his plans. He advises his son to quit questioning him. Either you advance in this life or you get stepped on.

FIN
 

TAN CERCA

Jarifa, your recap was a joy; so insightful and superbly written.

"Yaneli is on a bus going somewhere. (Can we please have an adventure with her?)" Yes, absolutely! I have no idea where she is going but definitely want to ride along!

Meli speaks! It is so obvious she loves Diego who is SO not worthy. Best moment was Meli handing Alexa back the tablet "...saying that she would rather use her own voice". So touching; I wanted to reach in and hug her through the TV.

Eleazar and Hugo finally give and receive definitive decisions to/from their no longer potential partners. I only hope Hugo takes Vale's words to heart and starts looking for love in all the right places (Yaneli).

I had to smile at Marcos drooling so obviously over Olga. If positions had been reversed and Romina did that to him, the fireworks would have surely commenced! I can't think of any potential couples more mismatched than Ivan and Romina unless it's Marcos and Olga (also, aren't Ivan and Olga far too old for Romina and Marcos??)

Olga sadly did not realize that the first rule of hiding out is not to make phone calls from land lines or any traceable phones. Whining, complaining and not too bright. Next!

Kassandra moseyed into the workshop to have Facundo tell the mechanics to take a hike? Shouldn't they keep their relationship a bit more hidden? She is delusional if she thinks Joaquin is anywhere near ready to start a relationship with her.

"Vero is the key to all of his plans". I must be missing something as I don't quite understand Facundo's rationale.

Jarifa, thank you, thank you!

Diana