Sunday, June 19, 2011
La Pola - June 16-17, 2011
Readers: This is a very abbreviated recap of Thursday and Friday.
HACIENDA DOMINGO – GUADUAS
Cata has dreams of Juliano, but when she wakes, Domingo is beside her in unending confusion and conflict. Gertrudis keeps trying to get her to drink the fertility tea and to do her duty. When she realizes that Pola is leaving for sure, Cata tries to get Vivianito to live in the house with her, but even he prefers to live with the slaves in the barn.
Meanwhile, Domingo goes to see the mayor about getting rid of the complaint brought against him by Juliano and Pola. After some discussion, the mayor convinces him to free a slave to make amends. Domingo will allow the firstborn of Juliano and Nicolasa to be born free.
Domingo meets with Juliano and tells him that if he withdraws the complaint, he will allow his first child to be born free. Nicolas, as we know, is taking ruda (rue) to bring on a miscarriage. The slaves are looking for remedies to save Nicolasa. It is as this point that Domingo notices Cata’s interest in Juliano and wonders aloud why this slave is so important to her.
Pola tells Cata that she doesn’t know how she puts up with that beast Domingo. Pola takes a parting shot at Domingo by calling him a coward who hits indefensible women.
MANSION IN POPAYAN
Alejo can’t sleep. He wakes Leandro, whom he assumes has more experience that he has with women, and asks Leandro if this can be. Maybe, says Leandro. The thought of Pola is driving him crazy, and he just can’t fathom what is happening to himself.
Iggy continues her crying jag and now claims that she is pregnant, but no one must know. She later tells Francisco that she feels terrible, but Francisco assures her that it is all for a good cause. Fran tells that to Alejo who is shocked, but who, of course will keep the Secret. Francisco is desperate because the dowry is to be delivered this afternoon.
Alejo is very suspicious of Ignacia’s accusation and tries to pin Acacia down as to how much time she left then alone. Alejo sees Ig talking to Fran.
After Fran loses the gold (see below) he returns to the manse and starts drinking. He tells his wife what happened and says that he is celebrating the marriage of my miserable son. He is now mad as he**.
GOVERNOR’S PALACE IN POPAYAN
Well muses the gov, it looks like Francisco owes a big debt. The gov knows that Fran is about to receive the dowry and think that maybe he can pay up now.
The receiving of the dowry proceeds. The governor announces that Ignacia and Alejo will be married, and he reads out the dowry – gold, jewelry, clothing, furniture, etc. Francisco receives a bag of gold. There is no turning back now, and Francisco and Gaspar sign the marriage contract.
The governor- when everyone has departed -later tells Francisco that he has real problems and orders the guard to relieve him of the bag of gold.
SANTA MARTA
The priest is caught with too many groceries and the soldiers follow him home. They grab Tonito, but Nariño comes out of the shadows and tells them to set Tonito free. They are headed to Cartagena thinks Nariño. He pleads for his son. Then they are told that they are going to the Castillo de San José in Boca Chica where he will be kept in solitary confinement. Tonito loses it and calls the man an assassin whereupon he is told that they will never leave there alive.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES
Don Jorge reads a document that is a demand for equal rights. He still thinks that they will prevail before the King of Spain (royalists). The others do not agree with him. For some reason Baraya wants to find a way to persuade the vireina to support them. He can threaten to expose her dalliances to her husband.
POLA ON THE TRAIL
Pola decides to stop at the monastery to see her brother, and a good man whom she had accompanied, shows her the way. The long and short of this visit is that her brother is reminded that he cannot be a priest if he is of mixed blood. Although he talks to Pola, he denies that he is her brother.
When Pola arrives in Santa Fé, she has to resort to begging to survive. She tries the house of Doña María Matea, but the maid tells her the doña is not in and later lies to the doña about it, too. She ends up sleeping in the street. She goes to the cemetery where her parents are buried. She tells her father that he was the only person who saw good in her. She promises to fight his fight and she swears to do what he could not do.
MANSION
Alejo tells Francisco that he doesn’t believe what you have done. You are not my father. He lies and says that María Ignacia told me everything. María is an idiot says Francisco.
No, says Alejo finally, she didn’t tell me anything – I knew it had to be your idea.
HACIENDA DOMINGO – GUADUAS
Cata has dreams of Juliano, but when she wakes, Domingo is beside her in unending confusion and conflict. Gertrudis keeps trying to get her to drink the fertility tea and to do her duty. When she realizes that Pola is leaving for sure, Cata tries to get Vivianito to live in the house with her, but even he prefers to live with the slaves in the barn.
Meanwhile, Domingo goes to see the mayor about getting rid of the complaint brought against him by Juliano and Pola. After some discussion, the mayor convinces him to free a slave to make amends. Domingo will allow the firstborn of Juliano and Nicolasa to be born free.
Domingo meets with Juliano and tells him that if he withdraws the complaint, he will allow his first child to be born free. Nicolas, as we know, is taking ruda (rue) to bring on a miscarriage. The slaves are looking for remedies to save Nicolasa. It is as this point that Domingo notices Cata’s interest in Juliano and wonders aloud why this slave is so important to her.
Pola tells Cata that she doesn’t know how she puts up with that beast Domingo. Pola takes a parting shot at Domingo by calling him a coward who hits indefensible women.
MANSION IN POPAYAN
Alejo can’t sleep. He wakes Leandro, whom he assumes has more experience that he has with women, and asks Leandro if this can be. Maybe, says Leandro. The thought of Pola is driving him crazy, and he just can’t fathom what is happening to himself.
Iggy continues her crying jag and now claims that she is pregnant, but no one must know. She later tells Francisco that she feels terrible, but Francisco assures her that it is all for a good cause. Fran tells that to Alejo who is shocked, but who, of course will keep the Secret. Francisco is desperate because the dowry is to be delivered this afternoon.
Alejo is very suspicious of Ignacia’s accusation and tries to pin Acacia down as to how much time she left then alone. Alejo sees Ig talking to Fran.
After Fran loses the gold (see below) he returns to the manse and starts drinking. He tells his wife what happened and says that he is celebrating the marriage of my miserable son. He is now mad as he**.
GOVERNOR’S PALACE IN POPAYAN
Well muses the gov, it looks like Francisco owes a big debt. The gov knows that Fran is about to receive the dowry and think that maybe he can pay up now.
The receiving of the dowry proceeds. The governor announces that Ignacia and Alejo will be married, and he reads out the dowry – gold, jewelry, clothing, furniture, etc. Francisco receives a bag of gold. There is no turning back now, and Francisco and Gaspar sign the marriage contract.
The governor- when everyone has departed -later tells Francisco that he has real problems and orders the guard to relieve him of the bag of gold.
SANTA MARTA
The priest is caught with too many groceries and the soldiers follow him home. They grab Tonito, but Nariño comes out of the shadows and tells them to set Tonito free. They are headed to Cartagena thinks Nariño. He pleads for his son. Then they are told that they are going to the Castillo de San José in Boca Chica where he will be kept in solitary confinement. Tonito loses it and calls the man an assassin whereupon he is told that they will never leave there alive.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES
Don Jorge reads a document that is a demand for equal rights. He still thinks that they will prevail before the King of Spain (royalists). The others do not agree with him. For some reason Baraya wants to find a way to persuade the vireina to support them. He can threaten to expose her dalliances to her husband.
POLA ON THE TRAIL
Pola decides to stop at the monastery to see her brother, and a good man whom she had accompanied, shows her the way. The long and short of this visit is that her brother is reminded that he cannot be a priest if he is of mixed blood. Although he talks to Pola, he denies that he is her brother.
When Pola arrives in Santa Fé, she has to resort to begging to survive. She tries the house of Doña María Matea, but the maid tells her the doña is not in and later lies to the doña about it, too. She ends up sleeping in the street. She goes to the cemetery where her parents are buried. She tells her father that he was the only person who saw good in her. She promises to fight his fight and she swears to do what he could not do.
MANSION
Alejo tells Francisco that he doesn’t believe what you have done. You are not my father. He lies and says that María Ignacia told me everything. María is an idiot says Francisco.
No, says Alejo finally, she didn’t tell me anything – I knew it had to be your idea.
Labels: LaPola
Saturday, June 18, 2011
La Pola - June 13-15, 2011 - Lies, Deception and Humilliation
HACIENDA NARIÑO
Don Jorge, in a feeble attempt to win Magda back, tells her that he wants to help her and to help his daughters. They are not your daughters she tells him. Jorge tells her that this is our moment. Nariño will never return. A slap to his silly face. She can’t stand him now. You got me pregnant at the same time you impregnated María Tadeo. My husband is an honorable man. Magda is sorry for what she did.
Antonio will return to get rid of you. She now thinks like Don Antonnio who wants equality for all. I am not afraid of him says Don Jorge. Well, you better be, says Magda.
Magda is left on the hacienda to work the land. She is now talking like Nariño about fighting the Spanish. Her sister warns her to be careful about what she says.
Baraya arrives and tells Magda that Antonio has escaped and warns her that soldiers might come looking for him.
ON THE TRAIL TO JAIL
Don Antonio wants Tonito to return to the hacienda to help his mother, but Tonito tells his father that she will be OK. You need my help, and an officer makes them stop talking. Tonito expresses his absolute loyalty to his father.
They are in a little boat going down a river. Nariño mentions that girl in Guaduas and how different she is. Then he tells Tonito that they cannot go to Cartagena and be put in jail. They have to try to escape.
When they stop for the night and the guards are asleep, Tonito cuts his father’s handcuffs. Nariño tells Baltasar that if we are found, they will kill us. Nariño writes a message on something and he and Tonito leave in the boat.
When the guards awake and realize the prisoners are gone the officer in charge (Angel) says he knew the boy was trouble. Baltasar tells him to read the message. I am not going to jail and I leave your good company – the company of angels.
SANTA MARTA
Nariño and Tonito arrive at Santa Marta and seek help from a priest who once was one of his teachers.
The priest goes out for provisions and unfortunately is detained by soldiers. Their freedom is short lived. Nariño realizes that to be returned to prison or to be sent to the prison where he is going is like being put in the mouth of a wolf (meterse en la boca del lobo).
AT THE MANSION
The doctor tells Alejo that he is getting better and that the infection is under control. Alejo wants to go to Quito. The doctor tells his family that he needs rest, and his mother wants to postpone the wedding. Francisco has a fit.
Doña thinks it is a miracle Alejo is alive. Francisco remarks as to why he was the only soldier wounded. Alejo relives the shooting. I was going through the bodies looking for survivors, etc. María Ignacia, forever desperate, gets him to say that he will marry her. Why wouldn’t I want to marry you, says Alejo.
His mother tries to get him to eat since the wedding is two weeks away. Alejo asks Francisco if he is in agreement with a massacre. Francisco warns him to be careful about what he says. Those people weren’t with the French. They tell Alejo the news – the troops from Santa Fe are meeting in Popayan and then they are going to march on Quito. Alejo says the Quiteños are going to think it is the king who is going against them when it is the Viceroy.
Alejo wants to go to the governor and stop them. Francisco – the Viceroy is in agreement. Don Gaspar, says Alejo, you are an influential man. The governor will listen to you. You can avoid another tragedy. After discussion between Francisco, Alejo and Gaspar, Gaspar admits that he agrees with Alejo and he says that he is going to ask for a meeting with the governor.
Francisco says the governor is trying to defend Spain. The governor has power over everything – even Don Gaspar’s gold mines. Don’t worry – I will marry María Ignacia. Francisco tells him that he is running a risk by running around with that Indian. Francisco wants to stop Gaspar.
Alejo’s mom remarks that he has hardly said a word to her since he returned from Spain. Alejo is still annoyed at her because of how they hid news of Pola from him. She tells him that he doesn’t understand the position of a married woman who lives at the whim of her husband. Well, he says, do you want me to be as miserable as you are. Then he ask her forgiveness, but adds that this will never stop hurting me.
Gaspar tells everyone that they are going against Quito. Alejo says that is absurd. There will be blood on our hands. Francisco says that we are sending a message. Alejo wants to join his troop, but is unable to get out of bed.
Alejo makes his way to the lounge because they have to get ready for the wedding. He and Ignacia share a moment together. He asks her what is the matter. Have you forgotten the mestiza? He has not. Have you seen her? Yes. Are you still in love with that mestiza? Alejo says that he cannot help that his thoughts always go back to her. If you do not want to marry me, I will understand.
Ignacia says do you think I am not disgused by your loving this mestiza. You cannot look at a woman like that because you are going to have a señora at your side. I am going to take care of your every need. Alejo says I don’t want to make you unhappy. She will be the unhappy one says Ignacia.
There is some talks about Francisco returning to Honda – but in the end he accepts Gaspar’s offer to stay in the mansion. Alejo announces that he will not live in Popayan. I am a soldier. I might have to go to Spain. Then Francisco pipes in with after Quito, everything will be like nothing happened.
Francisco tells Leandro that your brother is going to kill me and he tells Leandro about the letters. Leandro tells Fran that Pola was living with the campesinos and slaves and that Alejo is going to find her because he thinks she might need his help, but that he was going to comply with the engagement. (With??) Fran wants to know if Alejo and the indian ever shared a bed. Alejo doesn’t know about the letter from Guaduas denouncing him. Pola told Leandro that Alejo would return for her. Well, says, Fran, she is playing dirty, and we will do the same pagar con la misma moneda).
Fran and Ignacia (with a little friendly persuasion) hatch a plan to trick Alejo into thinking that he dishonored her. But, she admits that if she does this, Alejo will know she is lying.
At dinner all the talk is about wedding plans and Alejo could care less. He wants to report to his battalion and get away for a couple of days.
Later Alejo is packing and Leandro asks him what he thinks he is doing. He is going to look for Pola, to help her. He says he has a right to just one last trip and that Leandro can kill him if he wants.
Doña Eusebia found Ignacia crying. Iggy says she committed a sin and that her father will not pardon her. Gaspar overhears this conversation. I lost my honor. Alejo robbed my honor. Gaspar enters in a rage.
Gaspar catches Alejo as he tries to leave and calls him a miserable … The women are crying and of course Alejo is bewildered. Alejo denies it and says that Iggy is not telling the truth. Gaspar goes so far as to offer him a gun for a duel. Alejo knows better. You don’t remember, says Iggy, because you were asleep? He says “moribundo” – what?
Gaspar believes his daughter and Acacia remembers a few minutes when Alejo and Iggy were alone. Alejo remembers his dreaming of Pola and saying that if I can’t be with you, I prefer to die. If I did this, says Alejo, it was not by my free will. Gaspar wants him to pay with death.
Calm down, Gaspar, says Francisco, they are getting married next week. No one has to know. Anyway, for the time being Francisco and Iggy get by with their little trap, and the wedding plans proceed.
POPAYAN
Military officers and a nobleman debate the right course to take. The governor wants to send the troops to Quito. The nobleman wants to negotiate. It appears that both the governor and the Viceroy are playing both sides against the middle.
The governor wants to crush the rebellion in the name of Spain.
The governor receives a letter from the archbishop. He reads about the complaint against Alejo on behalf of a girl from Guadas. Well, he says to himself, it looks like Sabarain isn’t all that honorable after all.
Gaspar has gone to see the governor and finds that a nobleman by the name of Gaspar is being taken away by soldiers. We are not against the king, he says. Governor Tacón is on Napoleon’s side.
Gaspar goes in to speak to the governor, but Francisco catches up with him and interrupts. Francisco congratulates the governor on his victory, but, Gaspar adds that it will be a big mistake to march into Quito.
How can it be an error to defend our own lives? Gaspar – but they are on our side, and he leaves.
The governor asks Francisco to stay. Francisco agrees with the governor that the Quiteños are not on their side. The governor then gives Francisco the letter to read. What? She is not honorable. She is a mestiza. The governor tells the guards to leave. She has two letters: 1. A declaration of love and 1. A proposal of marriage. No, it is prohibited. The governor wants to know if she’s pregnant – no. And, Francisco says you aren’t going to pay any attention to this letter. That depends, says the governor. Many people hee think I am on the side of the French. I am not for Napoleon. I am on my own side. You and I as Spaniards have to succeed in Quito. I need the support of influential people like Gaspar. I need his unconditional support. I will forget I ever received this letter. Francisco, of course, assures him that he can count on him.
The governor is thinking of doing a new bando to the people of Popayan – he wants Francisco to read it.
Later, Francisco obliges the governor and Francisco speaks aloud from a balcony with the governor.. The Quiteños are Napoleon’s accomplices. Now – let’s go to Quito and recover the property for Spain. Anyone against this is a traitor. Long live Governor Tacón. Gaspar, who is in the crowd looks bewildered.
Still later Francisco tells Gaspar not to listen to my son. I don’t think the way my son thinks. We must recover Quito, then everything will return to normal.
SANTA FÉ
The Viceroy is worried about a confrontation. More than 500 Quiteños were killed. The people might go against us. The Vicereina is getting bored and wants to get out of the four walls she is in.
Sámano tells him the little group is not planning a botanical expedition and that they are planning an intrigue. Nariño is especially dangerous and we will get him. We note that the vireina is a flirt. Apparently she is having an affair with José Antonio who has bought her a villa. She is spotted by Baraya and some women as she stands outside the villa”Amar es mi Delicia” with her lover.
HACIENDA DOMINGO - GUADUAS
Juliano can’t find Nicolasa who is in the woods drinking from a gourd and singing. Pola tells Bernarda that she has to leave. Bernarda doesn’t want Nicolas to find out that she is helping Cata with a fertility remedy.
Domingo tells Pola that he wants her to help out with their new guests, the soldiers. She is happy about that, but then she finds out that they are not going south, but to Cartagena with prisoners.
Cata watches Juliano, who in this moment responds and looks back at her. She pretends to look away. Juliano remembers Nicolasa’s words that something strange is happening with Cata and him.
Pola brings sleeping mats to the prisoners, but an officer tells her that they have to sleep on the ground. When she protests that in this posada everyone is equal he gives in and lets her leave the mats. She doesn’t think they look like bandits. She asks the man why he is a prisoner, and he tells her that he doesn’t know why. She remembers him, and she remembers a speech he made attended by her father who asked a question about taxes.
She tells Tonito that thanks to your father I lost my family. My father moved our family to Santa Fe and followed Don Antonio, and they all got smallpox. Your father is terco (stubborn), she says. I am going with him because he is my father, wouldn’t you do the same? I agree with my father. We will all be better off and free.
Later, Pola pulls an old box out of a sack. She sees her mother’s shawl and her father’s hat. Then she remembers Don Antonio telling her that a man was sent to prison in Africa for translating the document that she has also just found. The document is the rights of man from France. She remembers her father telling her that it isn’t right that those who were born here didn’t have the same rights as the Europeans. She remembers her family being humilliated in church. She remembers how Juan Samáno treated her like she was nothing and of little value.
Nariño makes a point of telling the alférez that he will never be a commander because the higher positions are reserved for Spaniards.
Pola asks Nariño to explain the rights of man to her. She tells him her father’s name. Nariño explains to her that all men are equal and that in France the people killed the king, which is shocking to her.
Nariño: All men are born with equal rights – the slaves, the mestizos, everyone. She asks if they can marry people like me – yes, he says, when we break the yoke of Spain.
Nariño tells Pola that she is a very different type of woman. She tells him that she taught the slaves how to read and that they learned very fast. Why is it bad. It is bad, he says, for the owners. It will be harder to dominate them. She tells him how Juliano lost his finger. She has asked for his freedom. She also tells Nariño how she learned to read.
Nariño tells Pola to look for José María Carbonel. The soldieries interrupt them but, he adds that you can count on me to be in Santa Fé soon.
You are Spanish, says Pola. My father was Spanish, says Nariño. The Spaniards from Europe don’t treat us as equals. If we want to be free, we have to take the risk. This is our land. Blood will be spilled. Spain will call us traitors. Every day more and more people like you are changing their minds. Pola now realizes that her father wasn’t wrong. I did something terrible, she says. She flashes back to her father’s deathbed. I refused to forgive him. Nariño tells her that a good father knows that his children love him. Now you understand your father’s side. We have to fight for this land. We have to get the Spaniards out of here.
You are a beautiful woman, says Nariño, and a beautiful woman is a most lethal weapon in a war. I am a prisoner. I went to save my family and the Viceroy accused me of treason. Now I count on the support of my family. I am going to support you, too, says Pola. You are easy to convince says Nariño. I don’t have any place to live. I have nothing to lose. My father was ready to give his life for you. Why not me?
Later Pola talks to Bernarda after the soldiers and Nariño have left. I will be able to do something my father couldn’t – but I better not tell you.
Pola sings as she works. She tries to help Juliano and asks him if he wouldn’t like to fight injustice. He just doesn’t want any problems.
Juliano goes to Nicolasa – do you still love me? Why are you so distant? Are you pregnant? No. My children will be free.
Leandro arrives in Guadas. He goes into a cantina and can’t understand how such a miserable place has so many clients. A woman approaches him and asks if he is looking for a girl. He is only looking for one called Pola and learns she lives with the slaves.
When Leandro enters the barn he sees Pola sitting with Juliano and doesn’t miss the opportunity to criticize her for being with campesinos and slaves. She snipes back and he threatens to withhold information about his brother. After teasing her about Alejo being dead, Leandro tells her he was only wounded. And, he says, he going to get married to a very distinguished woman of Popayan.
Later Leandro meets Pola. She says we cannot be together because you your stupid society. But, even the “dirty blood” have rights. You can only be a concubine. Pola slaps Leandro. I am a decent woman. He wants the medal. She refuses – she still has hope. Leave my brother in peace. Are you afraid of me? He feels the same as I do.
Pola found out about the letter of denouncement and asks Gertrudis why she did it. Basically, Gertrudis is looking for a way to save herself, Cata and indirectly Pola by thinking Alejo will be bound to pay something to get rid of Pola.
Pola announces that the laws aren’t for a person like her and that she is leaving. The mayor asks her what does she think a mestiza like herself is going to do. She tells him she is going to Santa Fé to get rid of chapetones like you. The mayor accuses her of treason and threatens to take her prisoner – but, she tells him that he should think about the people of Guaduas, not her.
Nicolasa gets weaker and weaker as each day passes. Bernarda wants to call a doctor, but Nic won’t have it.
Pola writes a letter to Alejo telling him that she did not denounce him – that it was Gertrudis and Cata. She also tells Juliano that she is leaving as there is nothing here for her. She is going to Santa Fé and tells him one day skin color won’t matter.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES
Baraya, Torres, etc – yes, 500 died. Jorge says it is a message. And what they did to Nariño is a message too – to show us they can do it to us, too. They have to be very careful because Sámano is watching. Speaking of the devil – he wants to know what they are doing. He knows they are planning something and talking about Nariño. They think he is the leader – Jorge says he is not going to return. Sámano wants power, too. Sámano wants to be viceroy and put them in their place.
Our little group of revs supposedly are planning some kind of botanical outing. Don Jorge is handling a plant and announces that he has found a new venomous species. The others chime in that it must be Sámano.
Enter Baraya with news that Nariño has escaped. Jorge’s jaw drops. But, they don’t think it is a good idea to organize a revolution with a fugitive as a leader.
Later – Jorge is at his home when he receives a message and his wife comes out to taunt him that Nariño escaped. But, he brags that news from Spain is good and that they practically have the crown’s blessing to go ahead and form a junta. Now you can be king, she says, isn’t that what you always wanted?
Don Jorge, in a feeble attempt to win Magda back, tells her that he wants to help her and to help his daughters. They are not your daughters she tells him. Jorge tells her that this is our moment. Nariño will never return. A slap to his silly face. She can’t stand him now. You got me pregnant at the same time you impregnated María Tadeo. My husband is an honorable man. Magda is sorry for what she did.
Antonio will return to get rid of you. She now thinks like Don Antonnio who wants equality for all. I am not afraid of him says Don Jorge. Well, you better be, says Magda.
Magda is left on the hacienda to work the land. She is now talking like Nariño about fighting the Spanish. Her sister warns her to be careful about what she says.
Baraya arrives and tells Magda that Antonio has escaped and warns her that soldiers might come looking for him.
ON THE TRAIL TO JAIL
Don Antonio wants Tonito to return to the hacienda to help his mother, but Tonito tells his father that she will be OK. You need my help, and an officer makes them stop talking. Tonito expresses his absolute loyalty to his father.
They are in a little boat going down a river. Nariño mentions that girl in Guaduas and how different she is. Then he tells Tonito that they cannot go to Cartagena and be put in jail. They have to try to escape.
When they stop for the night and the guards are asleep, Tonito cuts his father’s handcuffs. Nariño tells Baltasar that if we are found, they will kill us. Nariño writes a message on something and he and Tonito leave in the boat.
When the guards awake and realize the prisoners are gone the officer in charge (Angel) says he knew the boy was trouble. Baltasar tells him to read the message. I am not going to jail and I leave your good company – the company of angels.
SANTA MARTA
Nariño and Tonito arrive at Santa Marta and seek help from a priest who once was one of his teachers.
The priest goes out for provisions and unfortunately is detained by soldiers. Their freedom is short lived. Nariño realizes that to be returned to prison or to be sent to the prison where he is going is like being put in the mouth of a wolf (meterse en la boca del lobo).
AT THE MANSION
The doctor tells Alejo that he is getting better and that the infection is under control. Alejo wants to go to Quito. The doctor tells his family that he needs rest, and his mother wants to postpone the wedding. Francisco has a fit.
Doña thinks it is a miracle Alejo is alive. Francisco remarks as to why he was the only soldier wounded. Alejo relives the shooting. I was going through the bodies looking for survivors, etc. María Ignacia, forever desperate, gets him to say that he will marry her. Why wouldn’t I want to marry you, says Alejo.
His mother tries to get him to eat since the wedding is two weeks away. Alejo asks Francisco if he is in agreement with a massacre. Francisco warns him to be careful about what he says. Those people weren’t with the French. They tell Alejo the news – the troops from Santa Fe are meeting in Popayan and then they are going to march on Quito. Alejo says the Quiteños are going to think it is the king who is going against them when it is the Viceroy.
Alejo wants to go to the governor and stop them. Francisco – the Viceroy is in agreement. Don Gaspar, says Alejo, you are an influential man. The governor will listen to you. You can avoid another tragedy. After discussion between Francisco, Alejo and Gaspar, Gaspar admits that he agrees with Alejo and he says that he is going to ask for a meeting with the governor.
Francisco says the governor is trying to defend Spain. The governor has power over everything – even Don Gaspar’s gold mines. Don’t worry – I will marry María Ignacia. Francisco tells him that he is running a risk by running around with that Indian. Francisco wants to stop Gaspar.
Alejo’s mom remarks that he has hardly said a word to her since he returned from Spain. Alejo is still annoyed at her because of how they hid news of Pola from him. She tells him that he doesn’t understand the position of a married woman who lives at the whim of her husband. Well, he says, do you want me to be as miserable as you are. Then he ask her forgiveness, but adds that this will never stop hurting me.
Gaspar tells everyone that they are going against Quito. Alejo says that is absurd. There will be blood on our hands. Francisco says that we are sending a message. Alejo wants to join his troop, but is unable to get out of bed.
Alejo makes his way to the lounge because they have to get ready for the wedding. He and Ignacia share a moment together. He asks her what is the matter. Have you forgotten the mestiza? He has not. Have you seen her? Yes. Are you still in love with that mestiza? Alejo says that he cannot help that his thoughts always go back to her. If you do not want to marry me, I will understand.
Ignacia says do you think I am not disgused by your loving this mestiza. You cannot look at a woman like that because you are going to have a señora at your side. I am going to take care of your every need. Alejo says I don’t want to make you unhappy. She will be the unhappy one says Ignacia.
There is some talks about Francisco returning to Honda – but in the end he accepts Gaspar’s offer to stay in the mansion. Alejo announces that he will not live in Popayan. I am a soldier. I might have to go to Spain. Then Francisco pipes in with after Quito, everything will be like nothing happened.
Francisco tells Leandro that your brother is going to kill me and he tells Leandro about the letters. Leandro tells Fran that Pola was living with the campesinos and slaves and that Alejo is going to find her because he thinks she might need his help, but that he was going to comply with the engagement. (With??) Fran wants to know if Alejo and the indian ever shared a bed. Alejo doesn’t know about the letter from Guaduas denouncing him. Pola told Leandro that Alejo would return for her. Well, says, Fran, she is playing dirty, and we will do the same pagar con la misma moneda).
Fran and Ignacia (with a little friendly persuasion) hatch a plan to trick Alejo into thinking that he dishonored her. But, she admits that if she does this, Alejo will know she is lying.
At dinner all the talk is about wedding plans and Alejo could care less. He wants to report to his battalion and get away for a couple of days.
Later Alejo is packing and Leandro asks him what he thinks he is doing. He is going to look for Pola, to help her. He says he has a right to just one last trip and that Leandro can kill him if he wants.
Doña Eusebia found Ignacia crying. Iggy says she committed a sin and that her father will not pardon her. Gaspar overhears this conversation. I lost my honor. Alejo robbed my honor. Gaspar enters in a rage.
Gaspar catches Alejo as he tries to leave and calls him a miserable … The women are crying and of course Alejo is bewildered. Alejo denies it and says that Iggy is not telling the truth. Gaspar goes so far as to offer him a gun for a duel. Alejo knows better. You don’t remember, says Iggy, because you were asleep? He says “moribundo” – what?
Gaspar believes his daughter and Acacia remembers a few minutes when Alejo and Iggy were alone. Alejo remembers his dreaming of Pola and saying that if I can’t be with you, I prefer to die. If I did this, says Alejo, it was not by my free will. Gaspar wants him to pay with death.
Calm down, Gaspar, says Francisco, they are getting married next week. No one has to know. Anyway, for the time being Francisco and Iggy get by with their little trap, and the wedding plans proceed.
POPAYAN
Military officers and a nobleman debate the right course to take. The governor wants to send the troops to Quito. The nobleman wants to negotiate. It appears that both the governor and the Viceroy are playing both sides against the middle.
The governor wants to crush the rebellion in the name of Spain.
The governor receives a letter from the archbishop. He reads about the complaint against Alejo on behalf of a girl from Guadas. Well, he says to himself, it looks like Sabarain isn’t all that honorable after all.
Gaspar has gone to see the governor and finds that a nobleman by the name of Gaspar is being taken away by soldiers. We are not against the king, he says. Governor Tacón is on Napoleon’s side.
Gaspar goes in to speak to the governor, but Francisco catches up with him and interrupts. Francisco congratulates the governor on his victory, but, Gaspar adds that it will be a big mistake to march into Quito.
How can it be an error to defend our own lives? Gaspar – but they are on our side, and he leaves.
The governor asks Francisco to stay. Francisco agrees with the governor that the Quiteños are not on their side. The governor then gives Francisco the letter to read. What? She is not honorable. She is a mestiza. The governor tells the guards to leave. She has two letters: 1. A declaration of love and 1. A proposal of marriage. No, it is prohibited. The governor wants to know if she’s pregnant – no. And, Francisco says you aren’t going to pay any attention to this letter. That depends, says the governor. Many people hee think I am on the side of the French. I am not for Napoleon. I am on my own side. You and I as Spaniards have to succeed in Quito. I need the support of influential people like Gaspar. I need his unconditional support. I will forget I ever received this letter. Francisco, of course, assures him that he can count on him.
The governor is thinking of doing a new bando to the people of Popayan – he wants Francisco to read it.
Later, Francisco obliges the governor and Francisco speaks aloud from a balcony with the governor.. The Quiteños are Napoleon’s accomplices. Now – let’s go to Quito and recover the property for Spain. Anyone against this is a traitor. Long live Governor Tacón. Gaspar, who is in the crowd looks bewildered.
Still later Francisco tells Gaspar not to listen to my son. I don’t think the way my son thinks. We must recover Quito, then everything will return to normal.
SANTA FÉ
The Viceroy is worried about a confrontation. More than 500 Quiteños were killed. The people might go against us. The Vicereina is getting bored and wants to get out of the four walls she is in.
Sámano tells him the little group is not planning a botanical expedition and that they are planning an intrigue. Nariño is especially dangerous and we will get him. We note that the vireina is a flirt. Apparently she is having an affair with José Antonio who has bought her a villa. She is spotted by Baraya and some women as she stands outside the villa”Amar es mi Delicia” with her lover.
HACIENDA DOMINGO - GUADUAS
Juliano can’t find Nicolasa who is in the woods drinking from a gourd and singing. Pola tells Bernarda that she has to leave. Bernarda doesn’t want Nicolas to find out that she is helping Cata with a fertility remedy.
Domingo tells Pola that he wants her to help out with their new guests, the soldiers. She is happy about that, but then she finds out that they are not going south, but to Cartagena with prisoners.
Cata watches Juliano, who in this moment responds and looks back at her. She pretends to look away. Juliano remembers Nicolasa’s words that something strange is happening with Cata and him.
Pola brings sleeping mats to the prisoners, but an officer tells her that they have to sleep on the ground. When she protests that in this posada everyone is equal he gives in and lets her leave the mats. She doesn’t think they look like bandits. She asks the man why he is a prisoner, and he tells her that he doesn’t know why. She remembers him, and she remembers a speech he made attended by her father who asked a question about taxes.
She tells Tonito that thanks to your father I lost my family. My father moved our family to Santa Fe and followed Don Antonio, and they all got smallpox. Your father is terco (stubborn), she says. I am going with him because he is my father, wouldn’t you do the same? I agree with my father. We will all be better off and free.
Later, Pola pulls an old box out of a sack. She sees her mother’s shawl and her father’s hat. Then she remembers Don Antonio telling her that a man was sent to prison in Africa for translating the document that she has also just found. The document is the rights of man from France. She remembers her father telling her that it isn’t right that those who were born here didn’t have the same rights as the Europeans. She remembers her family being humilliated in church. She remembers how Juan Samáno treated her like she was nothing and of little value.
Nariño makes a point of telling the alférez that he will never be a commander because the higher positions are reserved for Spaniards.
Pola asks Nariño to explain the rights of man to her. She tells him her father’s name. Nariño explains to her that all men are equal and that in France the people killed the king, which is shocking to her.
Nariño: All men are born with equal rights – the slaves, the mestizos, everyone. She asks if they can marry people like me – yes, he says, when we break the yoke of Spain.
Nariño tells Pola that she is a very different type of woman. She tells him that she taught the slaves how to read and that they learned very fast. Why is it bad. It is bad, he says, for the owners. It will be harder to dominate them. She tells him how Juliano lost his finger. She has asked for his freedom. She also tells Nariño how she learned to read.
Nariño tells Pola to look for José María Carbonel. The soldieries interrupt them but, he adds that you can count on me to be in Santa Fé soon.
You are Spanish, says Pola. My father was Spanish, says Nariño. The Spaniards from Europe don’t treat us as equals. If we want to be free, we have to take the risk. This is our land. Blood will be spilled. Spain will call us traitors. Every day more and more people like you are changing their minds. Pola now realizes that her father wasn’t wrong. I did something terrible, she says. She flashes back to her father’s deathbed. I refused to forgive him. Nariño tells her that a good father knows that his children love him. Now you understand your father’s side. We have to fight for this land. We have to get the Spaniards out of here.
You are a beautiful woman, says Nariño, and a beautiful woman is a most lethal weapon in a war. I am a prisoner. I went to save my family and the Viceroy accused me of treason. Now I count on the support of my family. I am going to support you, too, says Pola. You are easy to convince says Nariño. I don’t have any place to live. I have nothing to lose. My father was ready to give his life for you. Why not me?
Later Pola talks to Bernarda after the soldiers and Nariño have left. I will be able to do something my father couldn’t – but I better not tell you.
Pola sings as she works. She tries to help Juliano and asks him if he wouldn’t like to fight injustice. He just doesn’t want any problems.
Juliano goes to Nicolasa – do you still love me? Why are you so distant? Are you pregnant? No. My children will be free.
Leandro arrives in Guadas. He goes into a cantina and can’t understand how such a miserable place has so many clients. A woman approaches him and asks if he is looking for a girl. He is only looking for one called Pola and learns she lives with the slaves.
When Leandro enters the barn he sees Pola sitting with Juliano and doesn’t miss the opportunity to criticize her for being with campesinos and slaves. She snipes back and he threatens to withhold information about his brother. After teasing her about Alejo being dead, Leandro tells her he was only wounded. And, he says, he going to get married to a very distinguished woman of Popayan.
Later Leandro meets Pola. She says we cannot be together because you your stupid society. But, even the “dirty blood” have rights. You can only be a concubine. Pola slaps Leandro. I am a decent woman. He wants the medal. She refuses – she still has hope. Leave my brother in peace. Are you afraid of me? He feels the same as I do.
Pola found out about the letter of denouncement and asks Gertrudis why she did it. Basically, Gertrudis is looking for a way to save herself, Cata and indirectly Pola by thinking Alejo will be bound to pay something to get rid of Pola.
Pola announces that the laws aren’t for a person like her and that she is leaving. The mayor asks her what does she think a mestiza like herself is going to do. She tells him she is going to Santa Fé to get rid of chapetones like you. The mayor accuses her of treason and threatens to take her prisoner – but, she tells him that he should think about the people of Guaduas, not her.
Nicolasa gets weaker and weaker as each day passes. Bernarda wants to call a doctor, but Nic won’t have it.
Pola writes a letter to Alejo telling him that she did not denounce him – that it was Gertrudis and Cata. She also tells Juliano that she is leaving as there is nothing here for her. She is going to Santa Fé and tells him one day skin color won’t matter.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES
Baraya, Torres, etc – yes, 500 died. Jorge says it is a message. And what they did to Nariño is a message too – to show us they can do it to us, too. They have to be very careful because Sámano is watching. Speaking of the devil – he wants to know what they are doing. He knows they are planning something and talking about Nariño. They think he is the leader – Jorge says he is not going to return. Sámano wants power, too. Sámano wants to be viceroy and put them in their place.
Our little group of revs supposedly are planning some kind of botanical outing. Don Jorge is handling a plant and announces that he has found a new venomous species. The others chime in that it must be Sámano.
Enter Baraya with news that Nariño has escaped. Jorge’s jaw drops. But, they don’t think it is a good idea to organize a revolution with a fugitive as a leader.
Later – Jorge is at his home when he receives a message and his wife comes out to taunt him that Nariño escaped. But, he brags that news from Spain is good and that they practically have the crown’s blessing to go ahead and form a junta. Now you can be king, she says, isn’t that what you always wanted?
Labels: LaPola
Sunday, June 12, 2011
La Pola - June 6-10, 2011 - Alejo Takes a Bullet to His Broken Heart; The Vireina Wears the Pants; and The Revolution Begins
Hacienda Nariño
Don Antonio will keep his promise, but Magda is devastated. He tells her the marriage is not working. Don’t you feel anything for me, she asks. He replies – I can’t think of you as a decent wife, which gets him a slap across the face. She spits out the same – I did it for my children, to save my family, I’m not indecent. It gets physical. Finally, he looks at her and the bad spell is broken and they embrace and make passionate love. Ed: I don’t know why, but, I had a hard time looking at this.
When Magda awakes Don Antonio is gone. She sees him in the lounge in front of the fire crying. Then she goes down the hall to the BR and cries, too. Ed: One must ask – Can this marriage be saved?
We later see Don Antonio working in the fields. He is more than a gentleman farmer. Capt. Baraya, the giant, approaches him on horseback and tells him about the revolt that has taken place in Quito. He said they have taken Quito in the name of the king and that they will probably form a junta to rule. Now is the time for us to do the same. But someone by the name of Rosillo is making rash promises to the people. Baraya wants Don Antonio to step up and take over, but, Don Antonio will not go to any meeting with Baraya. For one thing, he doesn’t want to go to jail again and for another, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with Don Jorge Tadeo, and he reminds Baraya that he is a man of his convictions.
Don Antonio tells Magda about the uprising and the junta formed by creoles in Quito and that the situation is bad. Finally, he ask her forgiveness and the wounds begin to heal. They embrace.
Don Antonio sneaks out because he wants to get information about what is going on. Apparently he is under house arrest. He wants to know if the Viceroy will send troops to march on Quito.
Don Antonio makes it back safe and tells Magda that we are at war and that troops are going south to protect Pasto and Popayan. Don Antonio tells Magda that at this time he will not get involved as it is not the right thing for his family. So, she asks, you love your family more. Yes.
Later, soldiers arrive and arrest Nariño. (Unfortunately, I lost some of the Thursday episode because I was out of town and my DVR did not record the entire chapter.)
Anyway, Magda tells her two older sons that their father will not return. She now understands because we have no rights. If only your father had taught me how to get rid of these Spaniards. The two sons argue. The younger denounces his father for getting them into this mess, but the older son, Antonio (Tonito) supports his father. He wants to help Don Antonio because he has been carried off without food or money. He asks his mother’s blessing to bring help to Don Antonio.
Later, Col. Juan Samáno and soldiers (and an official with a clipboard) approach the hacienda and tell Magda that they are there to confiscate all of Don Antonio’s property. Magda asks him how will she maintain her family if they take everything, including the land. Samáno gives her a little slack by telling her they can have the present crop and its proceeds.
Samáno lectures her that treason is the worst crime. He reveals that Don Antonio has been denounced by a VIP, but he won’t tell her the name. And, you better get used to the idea that your husband will not return. Later she tells her sons that their father was right – that the Spaniards think they own us.
Don Jorge is out riding in the vicinity and sees Samáno leading the soldiers followed by carts full of furniture.
Cantina
Alejo tells his friend, Arcos José María, about his engagement. His friend says are you serious? Her father owns all of Popayan, and, she is beautiful.
The dancer wants to know if Alejo would like a little experience before he marries. Exit Alejo.
Arcos tells the dancer that Alejo is in love with one woman and has to marry another.
Guadas
Nicolasa sings in her native language. It means that where we walk is sacred ground. Juliano says that Nicolasa is here to remind us of who we are.
Pola – ready with speeches tells them they should remember who they are. Talk of the militar comes up. She says that if he’s alive, he will come for me.
Pola wants the slaves to learn to read. Juliano tells her no because it is forbidden. El capatáz tells her they are too bruto for that. Then they hear that Cata thinks they do not have souls which now makes them want to learn. Nicolasa and the others raise their hands in assent. Pola tells them how wonderful it would be to receive a letter from far away.
While Cata is restless in bed with Domingo, Juliano and Nicolasa spend tender moments together.
Later at Guadas Pola happily teaches the slaves to read and write.
Meanwhile Cata and Gertrudis go shopping with little brother Vivianito. The postman calls him and hands him a letter and tells him to keep it secret and to give it to Pola. As he runs off, the letter drops to the ground. Gertrudis is so suspicious at his delay that she shakes him down, but can’t find the letter. But, he runs back for it.
Later he gives it to Pola but not before he begins to read it. She is so happy until she realizes what the letter says.
We are privy to a conversation between Gertrudis, Domingo and Cata which reveals that they are afraid that if the slaves learn to read they will know more than they do and become dangerous. So they decide to take the letter (I think the original letter) to the mayor. He decides that Domingo should severely punish them to set an example. Gertrudis gives him the letter.
The three musketeers return to the stable where Domingo finds Pola’s teaching box and takes it. Cata points out Nicolas as the ringleader. It all ends when Domingo grabs her and puts her hand on the chopping block to be cut off.
Juliano however convinces Domingo to let him take Nicolasa’s place. It doesn’t matter to Domingo because as far as he’s concerned, one black slave is the same as another. But Cata wants Nicolasa punished. Domingo tells her he doesn’t take orders from her and proceeds to cut off one of Juliano’s fingers.
When Pola arrives, she knows it was Domingo who did it, and she is furious. She goes after Domingo and pounces on him and Vivianito hits him with a stick. Domingo blames it on her, as in, this is my crime, but it’s your fault. As far as Pola is concerned, the blacks are her only family and that things will change for them. Paloma tells Pola that they burned her papers and her books including the letter. Viviancito is now living in the stable with her. Pola is angry about that, but, he thinks she should be happy. Cata arrives to find Juliano suffering.
Now Cata takes the blame. In unision – please leave.
Bernarda returns to the hacienda from a shopping trip to Guadas. She asks Pola if the military is going to the war in the south and then tells Pola about Quito.
Pola in a fury goes to the mayor who is walking down the street with a uniformed soldier who turns out to be Juan Sámano. The mayor tells Col. Sámano that Pola was teaching the blacks to read. Pola asks Col. Sámano if the slaves are protected in any way. He tells her that it is against the law to mutilate slaves.
When Pola finds out that the colonel is looking for lodging, she offers him a room at Domingo’s guesthouse (posada). The mayor and the colonel exchange words about Pola – it seems the colonel is interested in Pola for fun – but not for the purpose of spoiling his perfect Spanish blood (manchar mi sangre).
Sámano also tells the mayor to send a doctor to cure that, and he hesitates for Pola’s benefit, and adds man. At the guest house Juan Sámano asks Pola a lot of questions about other guests and people living nearby while she is fixing up the room. She questions him about people from Popayan going to Quito. He is a company man and he tells her that the king owns everything, and if you disagree it means death. He then closes the doors to the room and she realizes it’s just the two of them. It ends up with him saying I am pure-blooded Spaniard not a bastard like you. You are repugnant. I’m a soldier who has won many battles and I have a right to you.
He grabs her, and she reaches for his dagger and slices him across the belly, but it only cuts his clothing. Pola threatens to gut him to see if his blood is really blue. He pulls out his sword and Pola is outmaneuvered. As she cries out for help he tells her that nobody will believe his word against his, and he’s going to tell everyone she was stealing from him. The only way you will leave this room is dead he threatens. Enter the mayor just in the nick of time with a your excelencia.
Look what she did to me says Juan Sámano. He then orders the mayor to do his duty, and Pola is taken away by guards. As Pola waits for the mayor in his office, she rifles through his papers and finds something that interests her.
Meanwhile Domingo is stewing about this new mess. He’s mad at Gertrudis for Pola and because Cata hasn’t produced any children as promised. Gertrudis tells Cata that she’d better do something quick or they’ll all be out on the street.
Pola hides the paper she found and when the mayor comes in he tells her she is going to jail. He has to take the word of Sámano over that of a mestiza. He still wants to marry her and makes the same offer. She protests and so he rubs in the fact that her soldier won’t be coming back to her. She says it only means that he isn’t a coward.
He tells her, I’m a Spaniard. That’s more than someone like you could hope for. Pola tells him that she would prefer to be shot. He then orders her taken away with Pola yelling that the Spaniards will pay for all this injustice.
Sámano asks the mayor about Pola on his way out of town. She’s in jail. He tells the mayor to send his regrets and adds I never lose – it just takes time. When he’s gone, they open the door to the cell and let her out.
Pola goes back to the stable and tells Juliano that she found the Protection of the Slaves. She proclaims that this uncivilized situation cannot remain. Juliano says I am not a coward, but I am a slave. Pola reads it to him. It says that punishment of slaves is limited and that mutilations are prohibited. See, you are all God’s creatures. It won’t bring my finger back. But, it might set you free.
Gertrudis suggests to Cata that they resort to native herbs to help her along. In confession the impatient priest tells Gertrudis that that is a sin. Gertrudis fills him in on the Pola situation. He knows the mayor won’t help them to get the soldier to restore Pola’s virtue so the priest says that he will go to the archbishop to make Alejo answer for himself.
Juliano finally says that it doesn’t matter if I can’t be free, but, he wants my children to be free. They go to talk to the mayor.
Domingo has been drinking and when Cat invites him to bed, he flies into a rage and hits her. He calls her a bad wife because she hasn’t given him a child and has caused trouble with the slaves. Later Gertrudis brings Cat some type of tea that (I think came from the slaves.) that she believes will help Cat have children.
In the woods, Nicolasa feels her belly and says she doesn’t want you to be a slave. She then drinks from a gourd (something made from the herbs she was cutting earlier to bring on an abortion?), cries and sings in native language.
Pola wakes the next day and has a bad feeling that something has happened to Alejo. She starts her chores, but when Gertrudis sees her doing work that slaves normally do, she invites Pola into the main house. Domingo comes upon the scene and notifies Pola that he is putting her out and that she has one week to find someplace else to live. Gertrudis says we have to pray to God for a miracle.
Pola goes to the post office and asks if there is any news from the south like weddings, etc. The postmaster tells her about what is happening in the south, but he has no news of weddings.
Popayan
Alejo – sits at desk and takes out a piece of paper and begins to write a letter. He crumples it up, and then he begins again. Then he begins: Dear Pola: I have to confess I would prefer to be dead. Don’t wait for me for I will never return. What I would like most in the world is to see you. This will never be. I will not return to Spain. It is not for the war. It is because I have to marry María Ignacia Valencia.
Planning begins for the biggest, most expensive wedding in Nueva Granada – like nothing ever seen. Ignacia gets impatient but she is told that she’d better get used to it. Her father tells her that a new government has taken control of Quito and that means we are at war. Alejo will have to go for a few days and the wedding must wait. Alejo will not go to the governor for a dispensation – he is not a coward.
Alejo enters – something going on. Gov. Tacón is calling a big meeting. The ruler in Quito has been deposed. They have joined Napoleon. This is treason. We must confront them now. He wants to stop them from marching on Quito. I will show you once and for all that I am not on the side of the French says the governor.
Alejo tells him it is not necessary for us to kill our own brothers. He is convinced they will not fire a shot. The Governor tells him to follow Col. Santa Cruz.
The governor talks about rebellion – Don Francisco – but, my son is to be married. The guv doesn’t give a rat’s a** about the wedding.
The public gets a pep talk and are told the enemy is near. Followers of Napoleon have taken power in Quito.
Alejo hugs his mom goodbye and tells her they won’t fight and assures his father that everything will get better (aclarar). Off he goes.
The governor wants a confrontation. He wants to stop them. The soldiers on horseback march through the streets of Popayan. When Ignacia sees Alejo riding down the street she runs out and gives him a lock of her hair to remember her. (What will happen to this hair?)
As they wait for news, Alejo’s mom makes lace and feels a pain in her chest.
Days later we hear cheering in the streets as the victors return from the battlefield. The two families notice that Alejo is not amongst the crowd. Then they see two soldiers carrying a stretcher with an unconscious Alejo.
They realize that Alejo is the only soldier who was wounded. His mother and father bicker. She says it is all our fault. We made him go to military school against his will.
Alejo, still unconscious, dreams that he and Pola are standing in a river. She says I told you you wouldn’t be cold, and she then goes under the water, and he follows. They kiss (finally). He is trembling, not because of the cold, but because she is close to him. She says we can’t be together. Alejo tells her that he doesn’t know how to live without her. I don’t want to live, I can’t live if I cannot be with you. I prefer to die. I prefer to die.
He mutters, in the presence of Ignacia who will not leave his bedside, don’t go, don’t go, Pola. Without you I will die, I will die. Ignacia breaks down and cries.
Francisco is annoyed at Alejo when Ignacia tells him what happened. When Alejo wakes up, Francisco threatens him again if he doesn’t go through with the wedding. Enter the entire family who are now very happy that Alejo is conscious. Francisco tells Ignacia that Alejo wants to make her the happiest woman in the world.
The Battlefield
Arco reminds Alejo about his meeting with the Indian last night. Can’t you just trade one for another? Alejo asks him not to talk to him like that.
Upon arriving in the vicinity of the enemy camp, the colonel asks for two men to go in close and to report back. Alejo and Arco are assigned to that duty. Alejo thinks they will win without firing a shot. Alférez, says the colonel, do you think we won’t fight? The colonel says the people here are tired of the Spaniards, and Alejo is surprised to learn of the enmity.
Back in the woods, Alejo and Arco use a monocular (catalejo) to spy on the camp, and they see civilians, including women around campfires. Their guards see him and he sees them. But Alejo and Arco spot weapons. He still thinks that they are not there to fight, but to convince them to join us. We are not on the side of the French.
Alejo notes that the so called enemy is numerous and well armed but that they are not soldiers. They are against the French like us.
Alejo reports to the colonel that it is not true that the Quiteños support the French. He is told to shut up and to obey orders.
Their orders finally arrive. They are ordered to cross the river. What about the surrender asks Alejo. We are at war he is told. We are marching against France – let’s go.
But, Alejo still asks the colonel for a surrender. No, says the colonel, we have orders to fire. They then overrun the camp killing at random. It is a bloodbath as the officers watch and order more troops to advance.
Alejo and Arco are disgusted by what they see which is a massacre and not a battle. Alejo walks through the field and comes across a wounded French soldier and calls for a doctor. The soldier looks up and shoots Alejo in the chest. We hear someone say that Alejo is dying. Alejo, who is bleedly badly, mutters Pola, Pola.
The colonel is very proud of himself although the captain doesn’t appear happy. They have more than 300 prisoners. He thinks they are crazy to go to Quito. Sabarain is the only wounded. Arco thinks that if Alejo dies, two beautiful women will die too.
Santa Fe
Capt. Baraya speaks to the Viceroy. Baraya wants them to occupy Quito – send troops. He believes that those in power will not hand it over to France because they support the king. One of the other “revolutionaries”, Don Camilo Tores proposes the unthinkable – why don’t we form a government like that in Quito.
Don Camilo proposes a government of native Spaniards and creoles. Everything will be returned to the king and Spain and the king’s goods will be preserved. The Viceroy will sleep on it (consultar la almohada) and will make his decision at the right time.
However, we learn that his wife – the Vireina(?) has other ideas. She does not believe the creoles are equal to native Spaniards. She does not want to allow them to have any power. She tells him to send in the troops – send Col. Juan Sámano, the governor of Riohacha and apparently a very bad a**. Crush them in Quito, she says. And, when have I ever given you bad advice. A couple of times muses the Viceroy.
Baraya meets Colonel Dupre who is going south – Riohacha with Juan Sámano??
Anyway, Dupre makes his way to the palace. The Vireina tells him to go south to Pasto. They are sending Sámano to Santa Fe and he has many troops.
The colonel doesn’t recommend attacking Quito. He gives all sorts of alternatives, but the Vireina just about tells him to cut off their heads. But, the colonel argues, we don’t have enough troops. We need to negotiate so that what happened in Quito doesn’t happen here. Sámano will be here in a couple of days. He is near Guadas now.
A new edict is read in Santa Fe – Quito is in revolt. The viceroy wants all men over the age of 16 to join up and march to Popayan and Pasto and fight.
Don Camilo still tries to talk sense to the Viceroy. However, Mrs. Viceroy is clearly in charge here and tells him we are the government. Send your troops to Pasto. Go. We’re busy.
Later, Don Juan Sámano arrives at the palace. We note that he walks with a limp. The Viceroy and Vireina want him to stay in Santa Fe to protect them. These three are on the same page. They are ready to go to war as soon as possible. She wants all the insurgents put in jail. Sámano says that blood must be spilled and that they must get the leaders.
Enter Don Jorge Tadeo who is more than willing to express his loyalty to the king and Viceroy whom he suggests should lead a new junta. Before entering, the Viceroy wants to know what idiot is asking for his advice. None other than Don Jorge. He is loyal to the king to death. Juan Sámano laughs in his face and the Viceroy is not amused. They demand to know who are the leaders is it Rosillo? Don Camilo Torres? Jorge offers up Don Antonio Nariño.
The Viceroy, the Mean Queen and Sámano declare that Nariño will be the first one they will get. We will kill him.
Nariño On The Trail
Don Antonio is worn out and admits that he will not be able to walk to Cartagena. He is not allowed to ride Don Baltasar’s horse. He falls into a mud puddle. Baltasar calls for help and asks if Don Antonio can ride his horse. The officer tells him he has his orders and that will not be allowed. Don Antonio asks the officer why don’t you just kill me? Baltasar says that would require proof and hearings.
Tonito catches up and has an extra horse with him. He tells Don Antonio that he was given a sick horse on purpose. Baltasar asks the officer if he has orders not to let him change horses when one dies. Don Antonio is allowed to ride. Baltasar tells Tonito that these men have orders to let your father die. Tonito tells Don Antonio about what happened at the hacienda and that they even took the boots he was sending to England for sale. Don Antonio blesses his son. Aloud, Tonito declares that he is going with his father to Honda, to Cartagena or to the end of the world.
Don Antonio will keep his promise, but Magda is devastated. He tells her the marriage is not working. Don’t you feel anything for me, she asks. He replies – I can’t think of you as a decent wife, which gets him a slap across the face. She spits out the same – I did it for my children, to save my family, I’m not indecent. It gets physical. Finally, he looks at her and the bad spell is broken and they embrace and make passionate love. Ed: I don’t know why, but, I had a hard time looking at this.
When Magda awakes Don Antonio is gone. She sees him in the lounge in front of the fire crying. Then she goes down the hall to the BR and cries, too. Ed: One must ask – Can this marriage be saved?
We later see Don Antonio working in the fields. He is more than a gentleman farmer. Capt. Baraya, the giant, approaches him on horseback and tells him about the revolt that has taken place in Quito. He said they have taken Quito in the name of the king and that they will probably form a junta to rule. Now is the time for us to do the same. But someone by the name of Rosillo is making rash promises to the people. Baraya wants Don Antonio to step up and take over, but, Don Antonio will not go to any meeting with Baraya. For one thing, he doesn’t want to go to jail again and for another, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with Don Jorge Tadeo, and he reminds Baraya that he is a man of his convictions.
Don Antonio tells Magda about the uprising and the junta formed by creoles in Quito and that the situation is bad. Finally, he ask her forgiveness and the wounds begin to heal. They embrace.
Don Antonio sneaks out because he wants to get information about what is going on. Apparently he is under house arrest. He wants to know if the Viceroy will send troops to march on Quito.
Don Antonio makes it back safe and tells Magda that we are at war and that troops are going south to protect Pasto and Popayan. Don Antonio tells Magda that at this time he will not get involved as it is not the right thing for his family. So, she asks, you love your family more. Yes.
Later, soldiers arrive and arrest Nariño. (Unfortunately, I lost some of the Thursday episode because I was out of town and my DVR did not record the entire chapter.)
Anyway, Magda tells her two older sons that their father will not return. She now understands because we have no rights. If only your father had taught me how to get rid of these Spaniards. The two sons argue. The younger denounces his father for getting them into this mess, but the older son, Antonio (Tonito) supports his father. He wants to help Don Antonio because he has been carried off without food or money. He asks his mother’s blessing to bring help to Don Antonio.
Later, Col. Juan Samáno and soldiers (and an official with a clipboard) approach the hacienda and tell Magda that they are there to confiscate all of Don Antonio’s property. Magda asks him how will she maintain her family if they take everything, including the land. Samáno gives her a little slack by telling her they can have the present crop and its proceeds.
Samáno lectures her that treason is the worst crime. He reveals that Don Antonio has been denounced by a VIP, but he won’t tell her the name. And, you better get used to the idea that your husband will not return. Later she tells her sons that their father was right – that the Spaniards think they own us.
Don Jorge is out riding in the vicinity and sees Samáno leading the soldiers followed by carts full of furniture.
Cantina
Alejo tells his friend, Arcos José María, about his engagement. His friend says are you serious? Her father owns all of Popayan, and, she is beautiful.
The dancer wants to know if Alejo would like a little experience before he marries. Exit Alejo.
Arcos tells the dancer that Alejo is in love with one woman and has to marry another.
Guadas
Nicolasa sings in her native language. It means that where we walk is sacred ground. Juliano says that Nicolasa is here to remind us of who we are.
Pola – ready with speeches tells them they should remember who they are. Talk of the militar comes up. She says that if he’s alive, he will come for me.
Pola wants the slaves to learn to read. Juliano tells her no because it is forbidden. El capatáz tells her they are too bruto for that. Then they hear that Cata thinks they do not have souls which now makes them want to learn. Nicolasa and the others raise their hands in assent. Pola tells them how wonderful it would be to receive a letter from far away.
While Cata is restless in bed with Domingo, Juliano and Nicolasa spend tender moments together.
Later at Guadas Pola happily teaches the slaves to read and write.
Meanwhile Cata and Gertrudis go shopping with little brother Vivianito. The postman calls him and hands him a letter and tells him to keep it secret and to give it to Pola. As he runs off, the letter drops to the ground. Gertrudis is so suspicious at his delay that she shakes him down, but can’t find the letter. But, he runs back for it.
Later he gives it to Pola but not before he begins to read it. She is so happy until she realizes what the letter says.
We are privy to a conversation between Gertrudis, Domingo and Cata which reveals that they are afraid that if the slaves learn to read they will know more than they do and become dangerous. So they decide to take the letter (I think the original letter) to the mayor. He decides that Domingo should severely punish them to set an example. Gertrudis gives him the letter.
The three musketeers return to the stable where Domingo finds Pola’s teaching box and takes it. Cata points out Nicolas as the ringleader. It all ends when Domingo grabs her and puts her hand on the chopping block to be cut off.
Juliano however convinces Domingo to let him take Nicolasa’s place. It doesn’t matter to Domingo because as far as he’s concerned, one black slave is the same as another. But Cata wants Nicolasa punished. Domingo tells her he doesn’t take orders from her and proceeds to cut off one of Juliano’s fingers.
When Pola arrives, she knows it was Domingo who did it, and she is furious. She goes after Domingo and pounces on him and Vivianito hits him with a stick. Domingo blames it on her, as in, this is my crime, but it’s your fault. As far as Pola is concerned, the blacks are her only family and that things will change for them. Paloma tells Pola that they burned her papers and her books including the letter. Viviancito is now living in the stable with her. Pola is angry about that, but, he thinks she should be happy. Cata arrives to find Juliano suffering.
Now Cata takes the blame. In unision – please leave.
Bernarda returns to the hacienda from a shopping trip to Guadas. She asks Pola if the military is going to the war in the south and then tells Pola about Quito.
Pola in a fury goes to the mayor who is walking down the street with a uniformed soldier who turns out to be Juan Sámano. The mayor tells Col. Sámano that Pola was teaching the blacks to read. Pola asks Col. Sámano if the slaves are protected in any way. He tells her that it is against the law to mutilate slaves.
When Pola finds out that the colonel is looking for lodging, she offers him a room at Domingo’s guesthouse (posada). The mayor and the colonel exchange words about Pola – it seems the colonel is interested in Pola for fun – but not for the purpose of spoiling his perfect Spanish blood (manchar mi sangre).
Sámano also tells the mayor to send a doctor to cure that, and he hesitates for Pola’s benefit, and adds man. At the guest house Juan Sámano asks Pola a lot of questions about other guests and people living nearby while she is fixing up the room. She questions him about people from Popayan going to Quito. He is a company man and he tells her that the king owns everything, and if you disagree it means death. He then closes the doors to the room and she realizes it’s just the two of them. It ends up with him saying I am pure-blooded Spaniard not a bastard like you. You are repugnant. I’m a soldier who has won many battles and I have a right to you.
He grabs her, and she reaches for his dagger and slices him across the belly, but it only cuts his clothing. Pola threatens to gut him to see if his blood is really blue. He pulls out his sword and Pola is outmaneuvered. As she cries out for help he tells her that nobody will believe his word against his, and he’s going to tell everyone she was stealing from him. The only way you will leave this room is dead he threatens. Enter the mayor just in the nick of time with a your excelencia.
Look what she did to me says Juan Sámano. He then orders the mayor to do his duty, and Pola is taken away by guards. As Pola waits for the mayor in his office, she rifles through his papers and finds something that interests her.
Meanwhile Domingo is stewing about this new mess. He’s mad at Gertrudis for Pola and because Cata hasn’t produced any children as promised. Gertrudis tells Cata that she’d better do something quick or they’ll all be out on the street.
Pola hides the paper she found and when the mayor comes in he tells her she is going to jail. He has to take the word of Sámano over that of a mestiza. He still wants to marry her and makes the same offer. She protests and so he rubs in the fact that her soldier won’t be coming back to her. She says it only means that he isn’t a coward.
He tells her, I’m a Spaniard. That’s more than someone like you could hope for. Pola tells him that she would prefer to be shot. He then orders her taken away with Pola yelling that the Spaniards will pay for all this injustice.
Sámano asks the mayor about Pola on his way out of town. She’s in jail. He tells the mayor to send his regrets and adds I never lose – it just takes time. When he’s gone, they open the door to the cell and let her out.
Pola goes back to the stable and tells Juliano that she found the Protection of the Slaves. She proclaims that this uncivilized situation cannot remain. Juliano says I am not a coward, but I am a slave. Pola reads it to him. It says that punishment of slaves is limited and that mutilations are prohibited. See, you are all God’s creatures. It won’t bring my finger back. But, it might set you free.
Gertrudis suggests to Cata that they resort to native herbs to help her along. In confession the impatient priest tells Gertrudis that that is a sin. Gertrudis fills him in on the Pola situation. He knows the mayor won’t help them to get the soldier to restore Pola’s virtue so the priest says that he will go to the archbishop to make Alejo answer for himself.
Juliano finally says that it doesn’t matter if I can’t be free, but, he wants my children to be free. They go to talk to the mayor.
Domingo has been drinking and when Cat invites him to bed, he flies into a rage and hits her. He calls her a bad wife because she hasn’t given him a child and has caused trouble with the slaves. Later Gertrudis brings Cat some type of tea that (I think came from the slaves.) that she believes will help Cat have children.
In the woods, Nicolasa feels her belly and says she doesn’t want you to be a slave. She then drinks from a gourd (something made from the herbs she was cutting earlier to bring on an abortion?), cries and sings in native language.
Pola wakes the next day and has a bad feeling that something has happened to Alejo. She starts her chores, but when Gertrudis sees her doing work that slaves normally do, she invites Pola into the main house. Domingo comes upon the scene and notifies Pola that he is putting her out and that she has one week to find someplace else to live. Gertrudis says we have to pray to God for a miracle.
Pola goes to the post office and asks if there is any news from the south like weddings, etc. The postmaster tells her about what is happening in the south, but he has no news of weddings.
Popayan
Alejo – sits at desk and takes out a piece of paper and begins to write a letter. He crumples it up, and then he begins again. Then he begins: Dear Pola: I have to confess I would prefer to be dead. Don’t wait for me for I will never return. What I would like most in the world is to see you. This will never be. I will not return to Spain. It is not for the war. It is because I have to marry María Ignacia Valencia.
Planning begins for the biggest, most expensive wedding in Nueva Granada – like nothing ever seen. Ignacia gets impatient but she is told that she’d better get used to it. Her father tells her that a new government has taken control of Quito and that means we are at war. Alejo will have to go for a few days and the wedding must wait. Alejo will not go to the governor for a dispensation – he is not a coward.
Alejo enters – something going on. Gov. Tacón is calling a big meeting. The ruler in Quito has been deposed. They have joined Napoleon. This is treason. We must confront them now. He wants to stop them from marching on Quito. I will show you once and for all that I am not on the side of the French says the governor.
Alejo tells him it is not necessary for us to kill our own brothers. He is convinced they will not fire a shot. The Governor tells him to follow Col. Santa Cruz.
The governor talks about rebellion – Don Francisco – but, my son is to be married. The guv doesn’t give a rat’s a** about the wedding.
The public gets a pep talk and are told the enemy is near. Followers of Napoleon have taken power in Quito.
Alejo hugs his mom goodbye and tells her they won’t fight and assures his father that everything will get better (aclarar). Off he goes.
The governor wants a confrontation. He wants to stop them. The soldiers on horseback march through the streets of Popayan. When Ignacia sees Alejo riding down the street she runs out and gives him a lock of her hair to remember her. (What will happen to this hair?)
As they wait for news, Alejo’s mom makes lace and feels a pain in her chest.
Days later we hear cheering in the streets as the victors return from the battlefield. The two families notice that Alejo is not amongst the crowd. Then they see two soldiers carrying a stretcher with an unconscious Alejo.
They realize that Alejo is the only soldier who was wounded. His mother and father bicker. She says it is all our fault. We made him go to military school against his will.
Alejo, still unconscious, dreams that he and Pola are standing in a river. She says I told you you wouldn’t be cold, and she then goes under the water, and he follows. They kiss (finally). He is trembling, not because of the cold, but because she is close to him. She says we can’t be together. Alejo tells her that he doesn’t know how to live without her. I don’t want to live, I can’t live if I cannot be with you. I prefer to die. I prefer to die.
He mutters, in the presence of Ignacia who will not leave his bedside, don’t go, don’t go, Pola. Without you I will die, I will die. Ignacia breaks down and cries.
Francisco is annoyed at Alejo when Ignacia tells him what happened. When Alejo wakes up, Francisco threatens him again if he doesn’t go through with the wedding. Enter the entire family who are now very happy that Alejo is conscious. Francisco tells Ignacia that Alejo wants to make her the happiest woman in the world.
The Battlefield
Arco reminds Alejo about his meeting with the Indian last night. Can’t you just trade one for another? Alejo asks him not to talk to him like that.
Upon arriving in the vicinity of the enemy camp, the colonel asks for two men to go in close and to report back. Alejo and Arco are assigned to that duty. Alejo thinks they will win without firing a shot. Alférez, says the colonel, do you think we won’t fight? The colonel says the people here are tired of the Spaniards, and Alejo is surprised to learn of the enmity.
Back in the woods, Alejo and Arco use a monocular (catalejo) to spy on the camp, and they see civilians, including women around campfires. Their guards see him and he sees them. But Alejo and Arco spot weapons. He still thinks that they are not there to fight, but to convince them to join us. We are not on the side of the French.
Alejo notes that the so called enemy is numerous and well armed but that they are not soldiers. They are against the French like us.
Alejo reports to the colonel that it is not true that the Quiteños support the French. He is told to shut up and to obey orders.
Their orders finally arrive. They are ordered to cross the river. What about the surrender asks Alejo. We are at war he is told. We are marching against France – let’s go.
But, Alejo still asks the colonel for a surrender. No, says the colonel, we have orders to fire. They then overrun the camp killing at random. It is a bloodbath as the officers watch and order more troops to advance.
Alejo and Arco are disgusted by what they see which is a massacre and not a battle. Alejo walks through the field and comes across a wounded French soldier and calls for a doctor. The soldier looks up and shoots Alejo in the chest. We hear someone say that Alejo is dying. Alejo, who is bleedly badly, mutters Pola, Pola.
The colonel is very proud of himself although the captain doesn’t appear happy. They have more than 300 prisoners. He thinks they are crazy to go to Quito. Sabarain is the only wounded. Arco thinks that if Alejo dies, two beautiful women will die too.
Santa Fe
Capt. Baraya speaks to the Viceroy. Baraya wants them to occupy Quito – send troops. He believes that those in power will not hand it over to France because they support the king. One of the other “revolutionaries”, Don Camilo Tores proposes the unthinkable – why don’t we form a government like that in Quito.
Don Camilo proposes a government of native Spaniards and creoles. Everything will be returned to the king and Spain and the king’s goods will be preserved. The Viceroy will sleep on it (consultar la almohada) and will make his decision at the right time.
However, we learn that his wife – the Vireina(?) has other ideas. She does not believe the creoles are equal to native Spaniards. She does not want to allow them to have any power. She tells him to send in the troops – send Col. Juan Sámano, the governor of Riohacha and apparently a very bad a**. Crush them in Quito, she says. And, when have I ever given you bad advice. A couple of times muses the Viceroy.
Baraya meets Colonel Dupre who is going south – Riohacha with Juan Sámano??
Anyway, Dupre makes his way to the palace. The Vireina tells him to go south to Pasto. They are sending Sámano to Santa Fe and he has many troops.
The colonel doesn’t recommend attacking Quito. He gives all sorts of alternatives, but the Vireina just about tells him to cut off their heads. But, the colonel argues, we don’t have enough troops. We need to negotiate so that what happened in Quito doesn’t happen here. Sámano will be here in a couple of days. He is near Guadas now.
A new edict is read in Santa Fe – Quito is in revolt. The viceroy wants all men over the age of 16 to join up and march to Popayan and Pasto and fight.
Don Camilo still tries to talk sense to the Viceroy. However, Mrs. Viceroy is clearly in charge here and tells him we are the government. Send your troops to Pasto. Go. We’re busy.
Later, Don Juan Sámano arrives at the palace. We note that he walks with a limp. The Viceroy and Vireina want him to stay in Santa Fe to protect them. These three are on the same page. They are ready to go to war as soon as possible. She wants all the insurgents put in jail. Sámano says that blood must be spilled and that they must get the leaders.
Enter Don Jorge Tadeo who is more than willing to express his loyalty to the king and Viceroy whom he suggests should lead a new junta. Before entering, the Viceroy wants to know what idiot is asking for his advice. None other than Don Jorge. He is loyal to the king to death. Juan Sámano laughs in his face and the Viceroy is not amused. They demand to know who are the leaders is it Rosillo? Don Camilo Torres? Jorge offers up Don Antonio Nariño.
The Viceroy, the Mean Queen and Sámano declare that Nariño will be the first one they will get. We will kill him.
Nariño On The Trail
Don Antonio is worn out and admits that he will not be able to walk to Cartagena. He is not allowed to ride Don Baltasar’s horse. He falls into a mud puddle. Baltasar calls for help and asks if Don Antonio can ride his horse. The officer tells him he has his orders and that will not be allowed. Don Antonio asks the officer why don’t you just kill me? Baltasar says that would require proof and hearings.
Tonito catches up and has an extra horse with him. He tells Don Antonio that he was given a sick horse on purpose. Baltasar asks the officer if he has orders not to let him change horses when one dies. Don Antonio is allowed to ride. Baltasar tells Tonito that these men have orders to let your father die. Tonito tells Don Antonio about what happened at the hacienda and that they even took the boots he was sending to England for sale. Don Antonio blesses his son. Aloud, Tonito declares that he is going with his father to Honda, to Cartagena or to the end of the world.
Labels: LaPola
Saturday, June 04, 2011
La Pola - May 30-June 3, 2011 - Love Lights up the Night; Curiosity Doesn’t Kill Cat; and Alejo Can’t Get Loose from the Noose
For fans of "La Pola" -- Pasofino has written this terrific recap for us. Enjoy! And let us know you are out there!
La Pola - Alejo and LaPola at Guaduas and Life at Rancho Domingo (Guaduas Vecinity)
Alejo asks God to let him die in battle because he isn’t capable of marrying another woman while he knows she exists. Pola tells him that it might have been better if he had continued to think she was dead. But, Alejo, says no because he was miserable and in pain when thinking that and that in death he would have been reunited with her. Pola tells him that that is the most beautiful thing she has ever heard and then she tells him that if it was left up to her to choose the person with whom she could die, it would be him.
They run back to the house and in the moonlight Cata and Gertrudis see them embrace and kiss. Gertrudis is afraid Pola will lose her virtue (virtud), but Cata tells her that Pola was born without virtue. Those two, mocks Cata, are not strangers because they are part of each other.
Pola tells Gertrudis that she was not with a stranger, but with someone she has known from childhood. When the posse catches up, Dear Cata tells them that Pola was with the soldier (militar). So, Pola, the crowd wants to know, have you lost your virtue? When she realizes that it will get her out of a marriage with an idiot (Don Andrés, the mayor) she says yes. Not only that, she is told she has soiled (manchado) her whole family.
Big Bro, the monk, keeps at Pola and slaps her. Being Pola, she slaps him back. He is going to go to the military camp to get Alejo to save her honor. Gertrudis volunteers the letter in which Alejo asked Pola for her hand in marriage. He sets off. But, alas, alack, that little old letter doesn’t impress the captain. Big Bro is worried that he might not get to be a priest because of La Pola. Pola doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about. He can’t even send her to a convent because that’s only for the “pure”.
Pola tells Cata that she didn’t lose her virtue. She just didn’t want to marry the mayor. She thinks Alejo will accept her as she is. Cata, who can’t keep her mouth shut, tells Gertrudis who decides to call in the midwife to settle the question. Pola, being Pola, will not allow her to lift her skirt and take a peek unless they kill her first. Anyway, my honor wasn’t robbed, it was given as a gift, she says.
Finally, they decide to shun her – send her to the stable to live and not let her use the family name. She says that Alejo is worth whatever punishment she has to suffer. Cata places Juliano the slave in charge of looking after her sister.
Pola moves her belongings out to the stable where she will sleep with the slaves and laborers. Domingo is furious with Pola because the mayor has demanded a contribution from him for the king’s cause all because Pola refused him. The Twisted Sister, Cata, feels some remorse at Pola’s having to sleep with naked men (the slaves), but Domingo shuts her up by telling her it would be a waste of money, it would be like putting clothes on horses.
To add to Domingo’s misery, Cata is holding out, she’ll only have sex with him to reproduce, and considers all other relations with him to be a sin.
On Sunday, Pola must remain in the back of the church with the slaves. She comes forward to receive communion, but the priest refuses and tells her that before he will give her communion she must repent. Later she goes to confession but tells the priest that she has nothing to repent. She will marry Alejo. The priest drags her out of the confessional and tells her that he will never marry her and Alejo because Alejo’s father has to consent and that will never happen.
Life heats up at Rancho Domingo. Pola doesn’t understand why there are slaves and why they are being treated like animals. She reminds Cata that their father told them it was wrong. Meanwhile Nicolasa and Juliano have a rendezvous and kiss and caress with Cata spying on them from them from behind a rock. We are reminded that Nicolasa was a princess and that Juliano is just a common man who wants to by his freedom and help Nicolasa escape.
Pola unfortunately runs into Don Andrés (the mayor) who grabs her on the street. He tells her he doesn’t understand why she refuses him when any other woman would have jumped at the chance to get him. She has made him the joke of the town and somehow this will not bode well for her.
Anyway, Cata thinks she has seen sin incarnate in the form of Juliano and Nicolasa coupling. She confesses to the priest, and he tells her she had an accident and didn’t commit a mortal sin.
Cata also tells Pola about the slaves having sex and appearing to enjoy it, not like her and Domingo. She’s determined to get the devils out of her house to the point of selling Nicolasa which brings on a speech from Domingo about how much slaves cost, how scarce they are. He says if they are fornicating, that is good because their numbers will increase. So, they all hatch a plan to evangelize the slaves and make them marry. Only thing, it costs 150 pesos for the priest and church. So what if that takes up Juliano’s stash that he was saving up to buy his freedom.
As if things aren’t bad enough for Pola, Ciro, el capatáz of the slaves, tries to get his hands on her, but Juliano fights him off.
Nicolasa doesn’t want to get married, but she’ll either marry or be sold. And so, Bernarda takes over as Cata’s new slave.
Later, when Cata finds Nic and Juliano kissing again, that does it. She tells Domingo and the rest of the world and Domingo orders them to be whipped. Nicolasa refuses to marry, but when she sees what they are doing to Juliano, she relents and says she will. We later learn that she had made a vow not to marry until she had found her son who had been taken away from her.
Anyway, Cata’s interest in the slaves is becoming an obsession. At the same time La Pola’s interest in the slaves becomes notable as she becomes aware of how badly they are treated. She tells Nic that she thinks there are new laws that should help the slaves and sets out to find about these laws – first by visiting the priest who reminds her that slaves do not have souls and who also sends her to Don Andrés, the mayor. What is it about men in white wigs that is so unattractive? He tells her nothing. Then he asks her if she still thinks the militar will come back for her. No – she says, I don’t think that, I know it.
We have our first wedding in the novela when the priest marries Nicola and Juliano in a Latin ceremony. Fortunately, this was followed by a fiesta around the campfire when we see La Pola dancing with the slaves and the farm laborers.
La Pola - Alejo and Leandro
Back at the military encampment, Leandro tells the lieutenant that Alejo is engaged to a woman from a very wealthy family and that they should go south and ask these people for money for the king’s campaign.
Capt. LLorente then sends Leandro and Alejo south as in immediately and gives Alejo a lecture about chasing women of questionable origin and to concentrate on a decent girl.
Alejo tells Leandro that he doesn’t see why they have to leave tonight. Leandro rants about Pola and the mayor and that the mayor came to the camp looking for him and Pola. Alejo tells him that no one saw them – but, they have orders. Alejo plans to return to Pola and then gets another Leandro lecture about keeping promises and marrying Doña Ignacia. There are meztisos, he says, because other Spaniards felt like you do and went against God and the King. Alejo can’t imagine a life lived with someone he doesn’t love.
Finally Alejo and Leandro arrive in Popayan. Alejo tells Leandro that he will go into that building, Ignacia’s family manse, and call off the engagement. They enter the mansion and are greeted by their parents, Francisco and María Teresa Sabarain, and Don Gaspar and his wife, Eusebia (Ignacia’s parents). Alejo and Leandro tell them they are in Popayan to ask for donations to help save the king and Spain. Don Gaspar reminds Alejo to ask about Ignacia.
They then find out that their parents are living at Don Gaspar’s mansion for charity. Apparently Dear Daddy squandered money he was supposed to have been collecting for taxes and now he has to make restitution. He wants Alejo to marry Ignacia within a week. The man needs the dowry money to save himself. They note that Alejo is a grown man and every bit a militar. Alejo says no, I’m just an Álfarez. (What is that? Can’t find it anywhere.) Don Gaspar plans a welcome party.
La Pola - The Revolutionaries
At Casa Nariño (Santa Fe, Nueva Granada), Don Antonio and Don Jorge Tadeo have it out with Don Antonio knocking Jorge to the ground. I knew that guy would be eating that ruffled shirt of his. He tells the other revolutionaries that he fell. On his ignominious retreat from Casa Nariño, Don Jorge tries to stir up trouble with the two little girls.
Magdalena is now very grateful to Don Antonio for defending her honor. He recognizes that she has been treated like dirt. Magda questions Antonio about the political situation. Also recognizing that she has a working brain, Don A lets her in on his beliefs about equality and about how unjust the Spaniards have been with the creoles – like him. He’s on fire and ready to revolt. But, not with Don Jorge and his company.
Meanwhile the relationship between Don Antonio and Magdalena begins to improve. He realizes that she has been treated badly and she realizes and admits that she was wrong and that she was seduced by Don Jorge who took advantage of her situation. Don Antonio still cannot remove the thought of her being in Don Jorge’s arms. Later he thanks Iñez (Magda’s sister) for helping his family while he was in jail. Iñez tells him to forgive Magda, and the light slowly begins to dawn in his brain.
Magda tells Iñez that Don Jorge wanted her as a trophy. Iñez tells her that Don Antonio still loves her and that he acknowledged her illegitimate children (the two girls) as his own. What more could a girl want?
Well, she wants love, and for just a moment they are a couple until Don Antonio conjures up visions of Magda doing it with Don Jorge. (Meanwhile, the same thing is happening in the parallel universe of Don Jorge’s bedroom. Blech!)
It seems that Don Antonio comes to the conclusion that the bond between him and Magda is broken and that they should make other living arrangements – like she should go live with her sister.
La Pola - The Big Party in Popayan
Alejo is offended by the pomp and obvious expense laid out for the party. He asks Leandro don’t these people realize that we are at war. While they wait for Ignacia, the governor arrives in white wig and satin knickers. Alejo begins a little speech and the governor winces. Alejo is reminded that the Don Godoy he just mentioned as the man who let France into Spain is married to the governor’s sister.
Anyway, the governor is calling for a big town meeting tomorrow to ask the citizens for financial help for the king. Finally, the beautiful Ignacia enters the room. Alejo takes her in. She says she is ready to be his wife.
She then puts on a piano recital for Alejo. She’s been practicing for years just to get it right for him – he is reminded that many years ago when he told her to do something for herself like learn to play an instrument. This was her big surprise for him.
The crowd toasts the two brothers, and Don Gaspar asks Alejo to say a few words – presumably in admiration of Ignacia. Instead, he tells them about the serious situation with the king and that they need money to help save Spain. He refuses to toast and says he must terminate the engagement because of the gravity of the situation. Ignacia faints.
Alejo continues on that he has to face the biggest army in war and that it is not fair for him to marry Ignacia. The Governor thinks Alejo sets an example for all to follow and permits him to break the engagement, but the dowry must be returned. Uh, oh – me thinks it has been spent.
Ignacia is beside herself with grief, but Don Gaspar tells her someone better will come along, and that is not the right answer since only Alejo will do.
The Governor tells everyone to be generous in their donations. He then tells Alejo that his relationship to Godoy will not stop him from doing his duty.
Of course, Leandro has to whisper into Alejo’s ear that the “mestiza” is behind all this. He also tells Alejo that he (Alejo) doesn’t understand anything.
Later, Ignacia has a spell and cuts her wrists – superficially for heaven’s sake. Alejo asks her to forgive him, but she can’t live without him. Don Gaspar tells her she could go to Hell – but she can’t take life without Alejo, a man she doesn’t even know.
Daddy Francisco asks Leandro where did Alejo got all this patriotic fervor. Leandro, being his usual disloyal brotherly self tells Francisco about La Pola.
Meanwhile back at the manse María Teresa packs up because they have to leave and return the dowry. Francisco vows to fix this mess and tells her the meztisa is behind this. He has no political pull here, but Governor Tacón can prevent Alejo from leaving.
La Pola - The After Party
Ignacia hatches her own plot by offering the governor 1,000 pounds (pesos) of gold if he will pull strings to keep Alejo in Popayan. That is the sound of music that the governor understands. Alejo will stay here and perform his official duties, but he reminds her that she will be marrying a soldier of the king.
When Ignacia leaves the guv’s office, Alejo notices her happy face. I’ve just saved your life she tells Alejo. He thinks why do I feel that nothing good can come of this?
To rub it in, the governor tells Alejo that he is just an álfarez, not someone indispensable to the war. More painful, he wants Alejo to become one of his personal troopers. Governor Tacón also warns him about revolutionaries in the Americas, but Alejo insists that their orders were very clear. With 1,000 pounds of gold in mind, the guv tells him that he will write to Capt. San LLorente and have his orders annulled. When Alejo shoots back that all this is because of Ignacia’s capriciousness, the governor reminds him that her family is being very generous to the war effort. You should be very happy because she saved your life, and she is very beautiful. When Alejo says he will not accept, the guv tells him it’s an order – do it, or you’ll be a prisoner.
When the news breaks that Alejo will not be going anywhere, Don Francisco and Doña Eusebia are very happy and start making wedding plans. But, says Alejo, I am not going to marry María Ignacia.
Alejo tells his parents that it is the war – no, says Francisco, it is the girl. Yes, he says, if I live through this war, I will marry La Pola. There are words on both sides – Francisco asks him how dare he speak to him like that. Alejo retorts with how dare you play with my life and if you make me stay I will look for La Pola. Francisco grabs Alejo and says do you think I’m going to authorize this (marriage to LaPola). Ignacia has many fine qualities, but he loves La Pola. His destiny is to go to Spain. Francisco says he doesn’t respect his parents.
Finally, Francisco tells him that they are broke and that if he doesn’t marry Ignacia, he and his mother will live in misery. He also learns that his mother’s family will no longer support them. Francisco now begs – we will die of hunger if you don’t do this.
Alejo finally resigns himself to the situation he is in and agrees to marry Ignacia. Later he meets up with Leandro who is headed out of town. Leandro gives him the family pep talk, but Alejo admits that what he is about to do makes him feel like a miserable coward.
In the end we see Alejo at a cantina in a drunken state calling a dancer Polita. That’s not her name says another soldier. It’s Aurita. And, they toast to those who break their hearts.
[Written by Pasofino]
La Pola - Alejo and LaPola at Guaduas and Life at Rancho Domingo (Guaduas Vecinity)
Alejo asks God to let him die in battle because he isn’t capable of marrying another woman while he knows she exists. Pola tells him that it might have been better if he had continued to think she was dead. But, Alejo, says no because he was miserable and in pain when thinking that and that in death he would have been reunited with her. Pola tells him that that is the most beautiful thing she has ever heard and then she tells him that if it was left up to her to choose the person with whom she could die, it would be him.
They run back to the house and in the moonlight Cata and Gertrudis see them embrace and kiss. Gertrudis is afraid Pola will lose her virtue (virtud), but Cata tells her that Pola was born without virtue. Those two, mocks Cata, are not strangers because they are part of each other.
Pola tells Gertrudis that she was not with a stranger, but with someone she has known from childhood. When the posse catches up, Dear Cata tells them that Pola was with the soldier (militar). So, Pola, the crowd wants to know, have you lost your virtue? When she realizes that it will get her out of a marriage with an idiot (Don Andrés, the mayor) she says yes. Not only that, she is told she has soiled (manchado) her whole family.
Big Bro, the monk, keeps at Pola and slaps her. Being Pola, she slaps him back. He is going to go to the military camp to get Alejo to save her honor. Gertrudis volunteers the letter in which Alejo asked Pola for her hand in marriage. He sets off. But, alas, alack, that little old letter doesn’t impress the captain. Big Bro is worried that he might not get to be a priest because of La Pola. Pola doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about. He can’t even send her to a convent because that’s only for the “pure”.
Pola tells Cata that she didn’t lose her virtue. She just didn’t want to marry the mayor. She thinks Alejo will accept her as she is. Cata, who can’t keep her mouth shut, tells Gertrudis who decides to call in the midwife to settle the question. Pola, being Pola, will not allow her to lift her skirt and take a peek unless they kill her first. Anyway, my honor wasn’t robbed, it was given as a gift, she says.
Finally, they decide to shun her – send her to the stable to live and not let her use the family name. She says that Alejo is worth whatever punishment she has to suffer. Cata places Juliano the slave in charge of looking after her sister.
Pola moves her belongings out to the stable where she will sleep with the slaves and laborers. Domingo is furious with Pola because the mayor has demanded a contribution from him for the king’s cause all because Pola refused him. The Twisted Sister, Cata, feels some remorse at Pola’s having to sleep with naked men (the slaves), but Domingo shuts her up by telling her it would be a waste of money, it would be like putting clothes on horses.
To add to Domingo’s misery, Cata is holding out, she’ll only have sex with him to reproduce, and considers all other relations with him to be a sin.
On Sunday, Pola must remain in the back of the church with the slaves. She comes forward to receive communion, but the priest refuses and tells her that before he will give her communion she must repent. Later she goes to confession but tells the priest that she has nothing to repent. She will marry Alejo. The priest drags her out of the confessional and tells her that he will never marry her and Alejo because Alejo’s father has to consent and that will never happen.
Life heats up at Rancho Domingo. Pola doesn’t understand why there are slaves and why they are being treated like animals. She reminds Cata that their father told them it was wrong. Meanwhile Nicolasa and Juliano have a rendezvous and kiss and caress with Cata spying on them from them from behind a rock. We are reminded that Nicolasa was a princess and that Juliano is just a common man who wants to by his freedom and help Nicolasa escape.
Pola unfortunately runs into Don Andrés (the mayor) who grabs her on the street. He tells her he doesn’t understand why she refuses him when any other woman would have jumped at the chance to get him. She has made him the joke of the town and somehow this will not bode well for her.
Anyway, Cata thinks she has seen sin incarnate in the form of Juliano and Nicolasa coupling. She confesses to the priest, and he tells her she had an accident and didn’t commit a mortal sin.
Cata also tells Pola about the slaves having sex and appearing to enjoy it, not like her and Domingo. She’s determined to get the devils out of her house to the point of selling Nicolasa which brings on a speech from Domingo about how much slaves cost, how scarce they are. He says if they are fornicating, that is good because their numbers will increase. So, they all hatch a plan to evangelize the slaves and make them marry. Only thing, it costs 150 pesos for the priest and church. So what if that takes up Juliano’s stash that he was saving up to buy his freedom.
As if things aren’t bad enough for Pola, Ciro, el capatáz of the slaves, tries to get his hands on her, but Juliano fights him off.
Nicolasa doesn’t want to get married, but she’ll either marry or be sold. And so, Bernarda takes over as Cata’s new slave.
Later, when Cata finds Nic and Juliano kissing again, that does it. She tells Domingo and the rest of the world and Domingo orders them to be whipped. Nicolasa refuses to marry, but when she sees what they are doing to Juliano, she relents and says she will. We later learn that she had made a vow not to marry until she had found her son who had been taken away from her.
Anyway, Cata’s interest in the slaves is becoming an obsession. At the same time La Pola’s interest in the slaves becomes notable as she becomes aware of how badly they are treated. She tells Nic that she thinks there are new laws that should help the slaves and sets out to find about these laws – first by visiting the priest who reminds her that slaves do not have souls and who also sends her to Don Andrés, the mayor. What is it about men in white wigs that is so unattractive? He tells her nothing. Then he asks her if she still thinks the militar will come back for her. No – she says, I don’t think that, I know it.
We have our first wedding in the novela when the priest marries Nicola and Juliano in a Latin ceremony. Fortunately, this was followed by a fiesta around the campfire when we see La Pola dancing with the slaves and the farm laborers.
La Pola - Alejo and Leandro
Back at the military encampment, Leandro tells the lieutenant that Alejo is engaged to a woman from a very wealthy family and that they should go south and ask these people for money for the king’s campaign.
Capt. LLorente then sends Leandro and Alejo south as in immediately and gives Alejo a lecture about chasing women of questionable origin and to concentrate on a decent girl.
Alejo tells Leandro that he doesn’t see why they have to leave tonight. Leandro rants about Pola and the mayor and that the mayor came to the camp looking for him and Pola. Alejo tells him that no one saw them – but, they have orders. Alejo plans to return to Pola and then gets another Leandro lecture about keeping promises and marrying Doña Ignacia. There are meztisos, he says, because other Spaniards felt like you do and went against God and the King. Alejo can’t imagine a life lived with someone he doesn’t love.
Finally Alejo and Leandro arrive in Popayan. Alejo tells Leandro that he will go into that building, Ignacia’s family manse, and call off the engagement. They enter the mansion and are greeted by their parents, Francisco and María Teresa Sabarain, and Don Gaspar and his wife, Eusebia (Ignacia’s parents). Alejo and Leandro tell them they are in Popayan to ask for donations to help save the king and Spain. Don Gaspar reminds Alejo to ask about Ignacia.
They then find out that their parents are living at Don Gaspar’s mansion for charity. Apparently Dear Daddy squandered money he was supposed to have been collecting for taxes and now he has to make restitution. He wants Alejo to marry Ignacia within a week. The man needs the dowry money to save himself. They note that Alejo is a grown man and every bit a militar. Alejo says no, I’m just an Álfarez. (What is that? Can’t find it anywhere.) Don Gaspar plans a welcome party.
La Pola - The Revolutionaries
At Casa Nariño (Santa Fe, Nueva Granada), Don Antonio and Don Jorge Tadeo have it out with Don Antonio knocking Jorge to the ground. I knew that guy would be eating that ruffled shirt of his. He tells the other revolutionaries that he fell. On his ignominious retreat from Casa Nariño, Don Jorge tries to stir up trouble with the two little girls.
Magdalena is now very grateful to Don Antonio for defending her honor. He recognizes that she has been treated like dirt. Magda questions Antonio about the political situation. Also recognizing that she has a working brain, Don A lets her in on his beliefs about equality and about how unjust the Spaniards have been with the creoles – like him. He’s on fire and ready to revolt. But, not with Don Jorge and his company.
Meanwhile the relationship between Don Antonio and Magdalena begins to improve. He realizes that she has been treated badly and she realizes and admits that she was wrong and that she was seduced by Don Jorge who took advantage of her situation. Don Antonio still cannot remove the thought of her being in Don Jorge’s arms. Later he thanks Iñez (Magda’s sister) for helping his family while he was in jail. Iñez tells him to forgive Magda, and the light slowly begins to dawn in his brain.
Magda tells Iñez that Don Jorge wanted her as a trophy. Iñez tells her that Don Antonio still loves her and that he acknowledged her illegitimate children (the two girls) as his own. What more could a girl want?
Well, she wants love, and for just a moment they are a couple until Don Antonio conjures up visions of Magda doing it with Don Jorge. (Meanwhile, the same thing is happening in the parallel universe of Don Jorge’s bedroom. Blech!)
It seems that Don Antonio comes to the conclusion that the bond between him and Magda is broken and that they should make other living arrangements – like she should go live with her sister.
La Pola - The Big Party in Popayan
Alejo is offended by the pomp and obvious expense laid out for the party. He asks Leandro don’t these people realize that we are at war. While they wait for Ignacia, the governor arrives in white wig and satin knickers. Alejo begins a little speech and the governor winces. Alejo is reminded that the Don Godoy he just mentioned as the man who let France into Spain is married to the governor’s sister.
Anyway, the governor is calling for a big town meeting tomorrow to ask the citizens for financial help for the king. Finally, the beautiful Ignacia enters the room. Alejo takes her in. She says she is ready to be his wife.
She then puts on a piano recital for Alejo. She’s been practicing for years just to get it right for him – he is reminded that many years ago when he told her to do something for herself like learn to play an instrument. This was her big surprise for him.
The crowd toasts the two brothers, and Don Gaspar asks Alejo to say a few words – presumably in admiration of Ignacia. Instead, he tells them about the serious situation with the king and that they need money to help save Spain. He refuses to toast and says he must terminate the engagement because of the gravity of the situation. Ignacia faints.
Alejo continues on that he has to face the biggest army in war and that it is not fair for him to marry Ignacia. The Governor thinks Alejo sets an example for all to follow and permits him to break the engagement, but the dowry must be returned. Uh, oh – me thinks it has been spent.
Ignacia is beside herself with grief, but Don Gaspar tells her someone better will come along, and that is not the right answer since only Alejo will do.
The Governor tells everyone to be generous in their donations. He then tells Alejo that his relationship to Godoy will not stop him from doing his duty.
Of course, Leandro has to whisper into Alejo’s ear that the “mestiza” is behind all this. He also tells Alejo that he (Alejo) doesn’t understand anything.
Later, Ignacia has a spell and cuts her wrists – superficially for heaven’s sake. Alejo asks her to forgive him, but she can’t live without him. Don Gaspar tells her she could go to Hell – but she can’t take life without Alejo, a man she doesn’t even know.
Daddy Francisco asks Leandro where did Alejo got all this patriotic fervor. Leandro, being his usual disloyal brotherly self tells Francisco about La Pola.
Meanwhile back at the manse María Teresa packs up because they have to leave and return the dowry. Francisco vows to fix this mess and tells her the meztisa is behind this. He has no political pull here, but Governor Tacón can prevent Alejo from leaving.
La Pola - The After Party
Ignacia hatches her own plot by offering the governor 1,000 pounds (pesos) of gold if he will pull strings to keep Alejo in Popayan. That is the sound of music that the governor understands. Alejo will stay here and perform his official duties, but he reminds her that she will be marrying a soldier of the king.
When Ignacia leaves the guv’s office, Alejo notices her happy face. I’ve just saved your life she tells Alejo. He thinks why do I feel that nothing good can come of this?
To rub it in, the governor tells Alejo that he is just an álfarez, not someone indispensable to the war. More painful, he wants Alejo to become one of his personal troopers. Governor Tacón also warns him about revolutionaries in the Americas, but Alejo insists that their orders were very clear. With 1,000 pounds of gold in mind, the guv tells him that he will write to Capt. San LLorente and have his orders annulled. When Alejo shoots back that all this is because of Ignacia’s capriciousness, the governor reminds him that her family is being very generous to the war effort. You should be very happy because she saved your life, and she is very beautiful. When Alejo says he will not accept, the guv tells him it’s an order – do it, or you’ll be a prisoner.
When the news breaks that Alejo will not be going anywhere, Don Francisco and Doña Eusebia are very happy and start making wedding plans. But, says Alejo, I am not going to marry María Ignacia.
Alejo tells his parents that it is the war – no, says Francisco, it is the girl. Yes, he says, if I live through this war, I will marry La Pola. There are words on both sides – Francisco asks him how dare he speak to him like that. Alejo retorts with how dare you play with my life and if you make me stay I will look for La Pola. Francisco grabs Alejo and says do you think I’m going to authorize this (marriage to LaPola). Ignacia has many fine qualities, but he loves La Pola. His destiny is to go to Spain. Francisco says he doesn’t respect his parents.
Finally, Francisco tells him that they are broke and that if he doesn’t marry Ignacia, he and his mother will live in misery. He also learns that his mother’s family will no longer support them. Francisco now begs – we will die of hunger if you don’t do this.
Alejo finally resigns himself to the situation he is in and agrees to marry Ignacia. Later he meets up with Leandro who is headed out of town. Leandro gives him the family pep talk, but Alejo admits that what he is about to do makes him feel like a miserable coward.
In the end we see Alejo at a cantina in a drunken state calling a dancer Polita. That’s not her name says another soldier. It’s Aurita. And, they toast to those who break their hearts.
[Written by Pasofino]
Labels: LaPola
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Alborada Is Being Repeated!
[A number of these May 11th recaps are being returned to us as drafts, post repairs to the system, but without the original comments. I'm reposting as they come up and I see them. This is reposted for Melissa as an FYI. --Jardinera654.]
Hola CarayCaray Members,
Hola CarayCaray Members,
I've been lurking and not posting lately. Not sure if this has been posted anywhere on CarayCaray yet, but I just saw a commercial on Telefutura that Alborada will start "Muy Pronto"!!!! I've tried to find the exact date/time, but haven't found anything yet. I'm so excited it's my favorite novela of all time and I know it's a favorite for a lot of you also.
Another Telefutura note: There's a historical novela that just started this week called "La Pola" - set in Columbia just before the Revolution. It's really very, very good.
Sorry for the interruption in case you guys already knew about Alborada, but I was just so excited!
Melissa :)
Labels: Alborada, LaPola, synopsis-cast
Saturday, May 14, 2011
El Mundo de Telemundo, week of May 16, 2011: Discuss Amongst Yourselves
Now the whole primetime line-up on Telemundo is poised to change:
Urban Anthropologist has kindly been filling us in on the final days of Aurora in which our eponymous heroine lives on as the beating heart in a new protagonista. ¡Guau!
No one seems very excited about Los Herederos del Monte as it plods to its conclusion, proving perhaps that it takes more than All the Pretty Horses and All the Pretty Boys to make a successful novela.
La Pola, the historical novela from Colombia currently being aired on Univisión’s sister station, TeleFutura, has been given a tentative welcome to this page. Nobody wants an Invasion of the Pola Monster but we are open to brief comments and questions about this fabulous new show (as long as we remain a Logorrhea Free Zone).
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For the past few months, most of our conversation here has been about La Reina del Sur. As of Friday –
There are storm clouds gathering over Transer Naga. Teresa has many enemies but it’s a couple of insiders – both brought in at Patty’s invitation -- who seem poised to destroy her.
First there’s Teo. It is only after the suicide of his wife and would-be killer, Eugenia, that Teresa allows herself to think that what she and Teo share may be love. She seems touched when he surprises her with a yacht (that he bought with her money – what a prince!). [The yacht bears the name “El Bandido” but the script refers to it as “El Sinaloa”, as in the book.] For the first time, she invites him to her house. And she gives him a gift -- an untraceable gun for his own protection. Teo looks as if he expects her to take it out of the case and use it on him at that moment.
After Teo leaves, we are treated to a cheesy telenovela cliché -- not all that common in this show -- when Teresa falls in a dead faint. At a doctor's office the following morning, she learns she is pregnant with Teo’s child. [My favorite moment: the doctor congratulating Pote, whom he assumes to be the father.]
Then there’s Lupe/Veronica, Willy Rangel’s secret weapon in “Operation Sappho”. Lupe seduces Patty by exploiting her unrequited love for Teresa and posing as “Teresa Two”, the other Mexicana. L/V has several narrow escapes but she talks her way out of danger by exploiting Patty’s feelings for her. Patty can’t think beyond sexual betrayal so it never occurs to her to share her suspicions with anyone else at Transer Naga. And Patty reacts to this perceived betrayal by sinking into a profound depression. (Ya no queda ni la sombra de la hermosa Patty O’Farrell.)
Teresa herself is spending more time thinking about Sinaloa and el Güero and asking Pote questions that until now she has perhaps been afraid to speak aloud. On Friday, Pote confirms that it was el Gato who killed Brenda and Chino’s children – her godchildren -- on Batman’s orders.
The repulsive Cucho Malaspina finally impales Teresa – and Teo – on his telefoto lens, makes a small fortune publishing the photos and then goes on television to talk about the private life of “La Reina del Sur”.
L/V delivers documents to Flores and Willy that show the surprisingly vast financial network of Transer Naga and the names of the rich and famous people, the politicos, the philanthropists, the show biz types, the artists, who are involved in some way in the business. This is sensitive info but not enough to put Teresa et al in jail.
But the info L/V steals from Teo’s computer gives the police something they can use – evidence that Teo has been robbing Teresa blind! Now they can pressure Teo into giving them what they need to put Teresa out of business.
The police confront Teo with what they have discovered. If he informs on Teresa, they will shield him from her vengeance, he’ll keep everything he stole, and get nothing more than a judicial slap on the wrist for his own involvement. If not… Teo doesn’t even bother to feign conflicted feelings. Willy and Flores have themselves a rat.
Ironically, L/V is filled with guilt and self-reproach for betraying Patty. It may be that her words to Patty were all lies but their emotional content was not.
There is a delivery en route – 20 tons of cocaine – and between them, L/V and Teo give the cops enough details for them to set up a plan to intercept the carrier and arrest Teresa.
Willy recognizes that L/V is vulnerable and moves to get her out of Spain quickly. “Operation Sappho” is over and L/V is to fly to Mexico in the morning.
Juarez, while doing routine surveillance, catches sight of Teo coming out of the police building; his informant tells him Teo was in the Anti-Drug area. [The informant also tells him a man and woman, both with Latin American accents, are working with Flores.] Juarez reports Teo’s police visit to Oleg . Teo, when confronted by Oleg, claims that he was just following Teresa’s orders – to threaten Flores and explain away the documents. Then he tries to get Oleg off-balance by accusing him of being jealous – to which accusation our phlegmatic and enigmatic friend replies: A lo mejor sí, a lo mejor no. Soy ruso. Con nosotros, nunca se sabe. (Maybe I am, maybe I’m not – I'm Russian. With us, you never know.)
Both Oleg and Juarez are uneasy about the 20 ton shipment after hearing about Teo’s visit to the drug cops but there’s no way to shut it down – the Aurelia Carmona is already on her way. All they can do is be extra vigilant.
Patty, who has morphed into a zombie version of herself, breaks into L/V’s place by climbing through a window. Her frantic search of the flat is interrupted when L/V herself returns. Patty hides in the wardrobe and overhears one side of a phone conversation – L/V’s job is done and she’s packing to go back to Mexico in the morning.
Teresa calls Teo and asks him to come to the office. She has something she needs to tell him personally -- clearly, she wants to tell him she’s pregnant. But before she can begin, he goes on the defensive and blurts out the same lying explanation for his visit to the police station: he was only doing what she asked him to do.
So. We all know that the Golden Age of Transer Naga – and with it, our all-time favorite novela -- is coming to an end. What we don’t know is who will survive to tell the tale. And we don’t know how the Mexican side of the story will play out.
Your turn.
Urban Anthropologist has kindly been filling us in on the final days of Aurora in which our eponymous heroine lives on as the beating heart in a new protagonista. ¡Guau!
No one seems very excited about Los Herederos del Monte as it plods to its conclusion, proving perhaps that it takes more than All the Pretty Horses and All the Pretty Boys to make a successful novela.
La Pola, the historical novela from Colombia currently being aired on Univisión’s sister station, TeleFutura, has been given a tentative welcome to this page. Nobody wants an Invasion of the Pola Monster but we are open to brief comments and questions about this fabulous new show (as long as we remain a Logorrhea Free Zone).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past few months, most of our conversation here has been about La Reina del Sur. As of Friday –
There are storm clouds gathering over Transer Naga. Teresa has many enemies but it’s a couple of insiders – both brought in at Patty’s invitation -- who seem poised to destroy her.
First there’s Teo. It is only after the suicide of his wife and would-be killer, Eugenia, that Teresa allows herself to think that what she and Teo share may be love. She seems touched when he surprises her with a yacht (that he bought with her money – what a prince!). [The yacht bears the name “El Bandido” but the script refers to it as “El Sinaloa”, as in the book.] For the first time, she invites him to her house. And she gives him a gift -- an untraceable gun for his own protection. Teo looks as if he expects her to take it out of the case and use it on him at that moment.
After Teo leaves, we are treated to a cheesy telenovela cliché -- not all that common in this show -- when Teresa falls in a dead faint. At a doctor's office the following morning, she learns she is pregnant with Teo’s child. [My favorite moment: the doctor congratulating Pote, whom he assumes to be the father.]
Then there’s Lupe/Veronica, Willy Rangel’s secret weapon in “Operation Sappho”. Lupe seduces Patty by exploiting her unrequited love for Teresa and posing as “Teresa Two”, the other Mexicana. L/V has several narrow escapes but she talks her way out of danger by exploiting Patty’s feelings for her. Patty can’t think beyond sexual betrayal so it never occurs to her to share her suspicions with anyone else at Transer Naga. And Patty reacts to this perceived betrayal by sinking into a profound depression. (Ya no queda ni la sombra de la hermosa Patty O’Farrell.)
Teresa herself is spending more time thinking about Sinaloa and el Güero and asking Pote questions that until now she has perhaps been afraid to speak aloud. On Friday, Pote confirms that it was el Gato who killed Brenda and Chino’s children – her godchildren -- on Batman’s orders.
The repulsive Cucho Malaspina finally impales Teresa – and Teo – on his telefoto lens, makes a small fortune publishing the photos and then goes on television to talk about the private life of “La Reina del Sur”.
L/V delivers documents to Flores and Willy that show the surprisingly vast financial network of Transer Naga and the names of the rich and famous people, the politicos, the philanthropists, the show biz types, the artists, who are involved in some way in the business. This is sensitive info but not enough to put Teresa et al in jail.
But the info L/V steals from Teo’s computer gives the police something they can use – evidence that Teo has been robbing Teresa blind! Now they can pressure Teo into giving them what they need to put Teresa out of business.
The police confront Teo with what they have discovered. If he informs on Teresa, they will shield him from her vengeance, he’ll keep everything he stole, and get nothing more than a judicial slap on the wrist for his own involvement. If not… Teo doesn’t even bother to feign conflicted feelings. Willy and Flores have themselves a rat.
Ironically, L/V is filled with guilt and self-reproach for betraying Patty. It may be that her words to Patty were all lies but their emotional content was not.
There is a delivery en route – 20 tons of cocaine – and between them, L/V and Teo give the cops enough details for them to set up a plan to intercept the carrier and arrest Teresa.
Willy recognizes that L/V is vulnerable and moves to get her out of Spain quickly. “Operation Sappho” is over and L/V is to fly to Mexico in the morning.
Juarez, while doing routine surveillance, catches sight of Teo coming out of the police building; his informant tells him Teo was in the Anti-Drug area. [The informant also tells him a man and woman, both with Latin American accents, are working with Flores.] Juarez reports Teo’s police visit to Oleg . Teo, when confronted by Oleg, claims that he was just following Teresa’s orders – to threaten Flores and explain away the documents. Then he tries to get Oleg off-balance by accusing him of being jealous – to which accusation our phlegmatic and enigmatic friend replies: A lo mejor sí, a lo mejor no. Soy ruso. Con nosotros, nunca se sabe. (Maybe I am, maybe I’m not – I'm Russian. With us, you never know.)
Both Oleg and Juarez are uneasy about the 20 ton shipment after hearing about Teo’s visit to the drug cops but there’s no way to shut it down – the Aurelia Carmona is already on her way. All they can do is be extra vigilant.
Patty, who has morphed into a zombie version of herself, breaks into L/V’s place by climbing through a window. Her frantic search of the flat is interrupted when L/V herself returns. Patty hides in the wardrobe and overhears one side of a phone conversation – L/V’s job is done and she’s packing to go back to Mexico in the morning.
Teresa calls Teo and asks him to come to the office. She has something she needs to tell him personally -- clearly, she wants to tell him she’s pregnant. But before she can begin, he goes on the defensive and blurts out the same lying explanation for his visit to the police station: he was only doing what she asked him to do.
So. We all know that the Golden Age of Transer Naga – and with it, our all-time favorite novela -- is coming to an end. What we don’t know is who will survive to tell the tale. And we don’t know how the Mexican side of the story will play out.
Your turn.
Labels: aurora, LaPola, reina-sur, telemundo
Saturday, May 07, 2011
El Mundo de Telemundo, Week of May 9, 2011: Discuss Amongst Yourselves
REINA
I watched Friday's episode, virtually all of which took place at Teresa's birthday party.
Confessions - voluntary and otherwise:
Conejo confesses to Alberto that she murdered her husband and his mother.
Eugenia crashes the party, hangs all over Teo and tells Teresa that she isn't going to give him up. Eugenia follows Teresa into some other room and Teresa tells her that she knows that Eugenia paid Eddie to put the hit on Teo. When Eugenia denies it, Teresa plays the tape of her phone conversation with Eddie. Teo comes in while this is going on so now he knows. He says that he won't allow Eugenia to be with their daughters. Eugenia's world shatters and she stumbles out of the party imagining that everyone is calling her a murderer. Teresa sends Teo after her and Patty predicts that worse is to come.
Oleg tells Teresa that he has another surprise for her and in comes Sanchez Godoy fronting a mariachi band. Godoy is all over Patty and Lupe/Veronica. Patty recalls Godoy's birthday party in Colombia and Godoy tells her that his buddy turned out to be a police informant named Willy. Now, he only trusts Huguito, his assistant, to handle the shipments he is doing with Transer Naga. 'Shipments?' asks Lupe but Patty changes the subject.
I think that's about it. Feel free to fill in what I missed.
HEREDEROS
The world's most boring novela moves forward at its glacial pace. We are in the 'etapa culminante' now so that's a good sign.
Emilio/Pablo is now testing his family and persons from his former life. Sofía fails when she marches out after Emilio/Pablo tells her that he is broke.
Emilio Pablo goes to La Arboleda pretending to be a sick, homeless person looking for work and a place to stay. Not surprisingly, Jose fails the test when he tell E/P to get lost. Lucas passes when he agrees to give E/P a job. Gaspar gets a C when he grudgingly lets E/P sleep in the stables. Later Juan passes the test with an A+.
Esteban wants his money from Jose but Jose refuses and threatens to kill him. It seemed like Esteban was going to tell Juan what was going on but he finds the payroll money in Juan's office, succumbs to temptation and takes it. To keep Juan from calling the police, Jose confesses to taking the money and then orders Paula to get it back from Esteban.
It's Lucas' birthday. His mother comes to see him and they reconcile. Lucas has only one wish when he blows out the candles on his cake but Rosario still isn't ready to have sex with him even though she has erotic dreams about him.
Modesto and Berta are getting closer although it seems like she is going to be another one who is afraid of having sex.
Rosa pretends to have a boyfriend to make Miguel jealous. It works and then Rosa meets E/P and he is very gallant and invites her to his hotel room. She agrees but later sends a message declining the invitation.
Juan finds out that Julieta lied about not being able to have any more children. She claims that she lied because she is afraid that he will go back to Paula. Juan and Paula continue to be on the point of igniting the passion that is clearly smoldering in both of them. The laws of telenovelas say that Paula has to get pregnant by Juan in circumstances that he won't remember so he can believe that the child isn't his. When Juan was drunk in Friday's episode, I kept expecting it to happen but it didn't.
Over to you now.
Labels: aurora, herederos, LaPola, reina-sur, telemundo
Saturday, April 30, 2011
El Mundo de Telemundo, Week of May 2, 2011: Discuss Amongst Yourselves
LA REINA DEL SUR
We had to content ourselves with three new episodes this week. I don’t have much to say about Friday’s “Twenty Favorite Moments” except that most of the sequences included were the ones I could have done without. I’m not a big fan of graphic violence and cruelty. My favorite moments all along have been writer- and actor-driven. Small scenes that reveal larger truths. But I suppose action sells. And all of us agreed that the scenes with Teresa and her two loves were superb.
We’ve wondered before whether this show would be perceived as a glorification of the narco world especially at this moment in history when Mexico is suffering its consequences en carne propia. (As many of you already know, Televisa began airing the series in Mexico on April 4.)
And here I have a confession to make. I don’t exactly tweet – who cares what NovelaMaven had for breakfast? -- but I do have a Twitter account and I follow a few people I find interesting. I guess you could say I ‘twalk’ (twitter+stalk); or maybe I ‘twurk’ (twitter+lurk).
So anyway, the other day, Roberto Stopello, writer of the tv adaptation of our novela, posted an intriguing tweet speaking to this question. He wrote on April 28:
Pa' que les voy a decir no, si sí? Alvaro Cueva es como Teresa Mendoza! Al pan pan y al vino, vino! | http://t.co/Rv27Goj
Following that link will take you to a piece by Alvaro Cueva: Cambios, extrañamientos y cosas peores: El pozo de los deseos reprimidos. (Changes, reprimands and worse: the well of repressed desires.)
[I had some trouble with the word ‘extrañamiento’. It seems to mean, literally, something like ‘exile’ but here I think it means ‘reprimand’.]
Anyway, here’s a quick and dirty translation of the parts of the article that referred to “Reina”:
Did Héctor Villarreal, Undersecretary of Regulations and Media of the Ministry of the Interior really send a written reprimand to Televisa for its airing of the telenovela “La reina del sur”?
I prefer to think it’s untrue, that it’s just a rumor, that it’s a publicity gimmick – because if it’s true, it’s obvious that the gentleman isn’t watching this Telemundo production; nor does he have people capable of reporting the truth about what is happening on our screens.
“La reina del sur” is very far from promoting organized crime in this country.
Moreover, weeks go by without any scenes taking place in Mexico; and in contrast to what happens in other national melodramas, it is full of basic values.
Didn’t ‘Teresa Mendoza’ (Kate del Castillo) just go to Morocco to defend a mother’s right to be with her child?
Didn’t the hero of this telenovela just give us a lesson about defending children in the face of human trafficking occurring in different parts of the world? Is this what they want to censor?
It looks like he just wants to cause trouble. He’s attacking something without taking the trouble to know what it’s about. He’s not a savvy tv viewer.
If Don Héctor and his colleagues were really interested in what is happening in our industry, they would be investigating other cases which really are shameful like “Pequeños gigantes”….
Unlike “La reina del sur”, “Pequeños gigantes” is shown in the family hour … and let’s not even get started about the “talk shows”…
That’s why I think that this scandal is a lie. It’s just a smear campaign that the social networks came up with to make the folks at the Ministry of the Interior look bad. Because if it were true, it would be scary.
Now it seems that a telenovela that tells the story of a woman who falls in love with the wrong man is dangerous; on the other hand we don’t need to do anything about the tons of garbage we “shoot up” every day.
It’s not for real, right? It didn’t really happen, did it?
-------------------------------------------------
If you want to know exactly what Cueva wrote, check out the link. I also found another discussion of the theme here: http://tinyurl.com/3okqumd
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I watch La Reina, I often think of The Sopranos, another brilliantly written series that sometimes made us squirm because we were rooting for the bad guys. But I don’t remember anyone worrying that Tony Soprano’s real-life counterparts would be swamped with eager recruits. I suppose that in the case of the drug cartels in Mexico, the wounds are open and bleeding – and even an artistically integral treatment of the theme can be painful, even insulting. Thoughts?
----------------------------------------------
Does anyone know anything about the novela Marina that will be shown at 1pm eastern/12 noon central as of May 9? I thought it might be worth recording because it stars two actors I like, Sandra Echeverría and Mauricio Ochmann. But then I read that after the first few episodes, Mauricio was replaced by the Colombian actor, Manolo Cardona.
-----------------------------------------------------
Herederos and Aurora watchers – the floor is yours!
We had to content ourselves with three new episodes this week. I don’t have much to say about Friday’s “Twenty Favorite Moments” except that most of the sequences included were the ones I could have done without. I’m not a big fan of graphic violence and cruelty. My favorite moments all along have been writer- and actor-driven. Small scenes that reveal larger truths. But I suppose action sells. And all of us agreed that the scenes with Teresa and her two loves were superb.
We’ve wondered before whether this show would be perceived as a glorification of the narco world especially at this moment in history when Mexico is suffering its consequences en carne propia. (As many of you already know, Televisa began airing the series in Mexico on April 4.)
And here I have a confession to make. I don’t exactly tweet – who cares what NovelaMaven had for breakfast? -- but I do have a Twitter account and I follow a few people I find interesting. I guess you could say I ‘twalk’ (twitter+stalk); or maybe I ‘twurk’ (twitter+lurk).
So anyway, the other day, Roberto Stopello, writer of the tv adaptation of our novela, posted an intriguing tweet speaking to this question. He wrote on April 28:
Pa' que les voy a decir no, si sí? Alvaro Cueva es como Teresa Mendoza! Al pan pan y al vino, vino! | http://t.co/Rv27Goj
Following that link will take you to a piece by Alvaro Cueva: Cambios, extrañamientos y cosas peores: El pozo de los deseos reprimidos. (Changes, reprimands and worse: the well of repressed desires.)
[I had some trouble with the word ‘extrañamiento’. It seems to mean, literally, something like ‘exile’ but here I think it means ‘reprimand’.]
Anyway, here’s a quick and dirty translation of the parts of the article that referred to “Reina”:
Did Héctor Villarreal, Undersecretary of Regulations and Media of the Ministry of the Interior really send a written reprimand to Televisa for its airing of the telenovela “La reina del sur”?
I prefer to think it’s untrue, that it’s just a rumor, that it’s a publicity gimmick – because if it’s true, it’s obvious that the gentleman isn’t watching this Telemundo production; nor does he have people capable of reporting the truth about what is happening on our screens.
“La reina del sur” is very far from promoting organized crime in this country.
Moreover, weeks go by without any scenes taking place in Mexico; and in contrast to what happens in other national melodramas, it is full of basic values.
Didn’t ‘Teresa Mendoza’ (Kate del Castillo) just go to Morocco to defend a mother’s right to be with her child?
Didn’t the hero of this telenovela just give us a lesson about defending children in the face of human trafficking occurring in different parts of the world? Is this what they want to censor?
It looks like he just wants to cause trouble. He’s attacking something without taking the trouble to know what it’s about. He’s not a savvy tv viewer.
If Don Héctor and his colleagues were really interested in what is happening in our industry, they would be investigating other cases which really are shameful like “Pequeños gigantes”….
Unlike “La reina del sur”, “Pequeños gigantes” is shown in the family hour … and let’s not even get started about the “talk shows”…
That’s why I think that this scandal is a lie. It’s just a smear campaign that the social networks came up with to make the folks at the Ministry of the Interior look bad. Because if it were true, it would be scary.
Now it seems that a telenovela that tells the story of a woman who falls in love with the wrong man is dangerous; on the other hand we don’t need to do anything about the tons of garbage we “shoot up” every day.
It’s not for real, right? It didn’t really happen, did it?
-------------------------------------------------
If you want to know exactly what Cueva wrote, check out the link. I also found another discussion of the theme here: http://tinyurl.com/3okqumd
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I watch La Reina, I often think of The Sopranos, another brilliantly written series that sometimes made us squirm because we were rooting for the bad guys. But I don’t remember anyone worrying that Tony Soprano’s real-life counterparts would be swamped with eager recruits. I suppose that in the case of the drug cartels in Mexico, the wounds are open and bleeding – and even an artistically integral treatment of the theme can be painful, even insulting. Thoughts?
----------------------------------------------
Does anyone know anything about the novela Marina that will be shown at 1pm eastern/12 noon central as of May 9? I thought it might be worth recording because it stars two actors I like, Sandra Echeverría and Mauricio Ochmann. But then I read that after the first few episodes, Mauricio was replaced by the Colombian actor, Manolo Cardona.
-----------------------------------------------------
Herederos and Aurora watchers – the floor is yours!
Labels: aurora, LaPola, reina-sur, telemundo
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