Caray, Caray!

Until yesterday, our Merry Marco had everything tightly controlled. There may have been some pressures, some of his plans were just about bursting at the seams, but everything was (barely) under control, much like one of Claudia’s blouses. But Chavez “opened the clasp”, so to speak, and now just about everything is out in the open. As such, we may not be too surprised that there are numerous things still “hanging”, and with so much “exposed”, Marco was sure to try to cover up a bit. Tonight we took a breather from yesterday’s delights, as new plans were hatched all over the place. We also had a possible new love connection, one character finally growing some cojones, and a touching moment for two of the characters who have been almost like pinballs in this crazy machine. We also had lots of things promised for “tomorrow”. Here’s what happened.

A lipstick-covered, half drunk Marco is arguing with a disheveled, fully drunk Chavez, having found out that loose lips sink ships, Chavez’s having been sufficiently loosened that both of them are about to go under.

In contrast, Ale and Rafa are brimming with confidence. Although they still have to solve the problems of Frank (Zetina is searching for him), Vicky, Marian and Daniel, they’re happy, because love will keep them together.

Nighttime at the Jimenez hostel, where the ladies get the bedroom, Father-in-law gets the couch, and Ramiro usually gets the shaft. Suegro is asnooze, and our ladies in waiting are waiting in the dark, armed with rolling pins, for the arrival of their whipping boy. Jimenez enters, half drunk, turns on the lights, to be met by his horrendous harem of hostility, his wife threatening with the pin, accusing him of being out with Arcadia again. And how could he cheat with someone like Arcadia? What does she have that I (Elvira) don’t? She shrieks for Jimenez to get out of the house, and just show up every two weeks (quince días) with money. Ramiro first moans that he almost lost his job, but when suegro makes another of his stupid remarks, Jimenez explodes! I’ve HAD it! Elvira tells him not to yell, but he GRABS the rolling pin and yells that it’s HIS HOUSE, and they all had better SHUT UP! You’ll respect me, he roars. I still pay the bills, and I’ve never been unfaithful, never! He threatens the three with the rolling pin, and they cower on the couch like little mice.

It’s over, he adds, from now on, you’ll respect me, or GET OUT!!!! He even throws a few things at them, and tells them he’s now going to the bedroom to sleep. As he leaves, Suegro bounds up, declaring THAT’s a real man! Wish I could have said that. I’m going to sleep in the bedroom, too, and you two cockatoos are stuck in the living room! He staggers after Jimenez, leaving our nightgown-clad nellies speechless.

Chavez tells Marco that at least he finally blew off Carmela, the human vacuum cleaner, right? Nope, laments Marco, I actually let her have her way with me, and it was horrible. Then everything’s lost, says Chavez. Marco disagrees, he’ll still get all the money from the sale of the hacienda, and flee to Brazil, woo-hoo! Not so fast, replies Chavez, that low-life Shrimp Man double crossed us, and sold it! Marco’s enraged, threatens to sue the guy, put him in prison, he’ll make cocktail of that damned shrimp! But Marco then realizes that Chavez has very likely betrayed him, and sold the hacienda out from under him. Chavez claims to be Markie’s only friend, but Marco is so mad he falls over the sofa.

Chavez complains that he always wanted to be Marco’s friend, but got treated like an employee, a slave, a wet newspaper on the corner. “And that’s not right, because I see you as a brother”. Marco protests, I don’t have any brothers, certainly not as ugly as you. But then he gets wistful, saying he actually does have brothers, but he hasn’t seen them in a long time. “It’s true, I miss my family, Vicente”. “You called me Vicente?” Chavez gets teary, and our two slimy slobs melt into a bit of a man-hug, they’re down, but they’re not out (yet).

Rafita arrives home, greets his Mom and Sis, telling them this has been a great day, only to be startled by Vicky from behind, “Pajarito!!” She’s hopping mad that he didn’t answer his phone all day. Rafa hides behind Leonor and Julieta,


begging Vicky to wait until tomorrow, and they’ll talk. Vicky isn’t too happy about this, calling Rafa unfaithful and a liar, but she agrees to wait, and tells them goodnight. As soon as she leaves, Rafa gets a big smile and tells his Mom they know where to find that swindler from the radio, and she’ll be free! He then notices Juli’s long face, and finds out that both Cesar and Jaime proposed to her. No way! You’re too young! And your career! But this decision will have to wait until tomorrow, too.

Now it’s tomorrow. We’re at Siglo, and Arcadia gives Beltran a list of candidates for a whole new crew of salespeople. She has to keep the current ones until after the convention, but after that, they’re out, and it’s his job to pick replacements. He wonders about HIS job, and she waffles a bit, then says she’ll probably keep him, since she doesn’t want him to have a heart attack with his checkbook. A few money, money, moneys, and she exits, leaving Beltran a bit shaken at this development.

Jaime’s wearing a suit, standing before three serious guys with white hair. Turns out he’s passed the bar, he’s officially a lawyer! He jumps for joy (and stumbles, of course), thanks his new “colleagues” and turns to his family, which consists of his granny and his cousin. He unfolds his diploma, says he’ll dedicate it to granny, who weeps with pride. Curls is proud, too, having never gotten out of high school. Jaime misses Rafa, Julieta and Leonor, wishes they were here. Curls tells him to go rub (restriégales) the diploma in their noses. Jaime’s not mad, they always supported him, at least until Vicky messed things up. Not deterred, Curls wants to celebrate, and picks up both Granny and Jaime, let’s party!

Doña Arcadia is addressing the troops. If you don’t win the title at the convention, heads will roll (van a rodar cabezas). Marino doesn’t think there’s anything to worry about. They’re like Titans of selling, they’ll win it all. You’d better, says Arcadia, and asks Jimenez to come to her office.

Urdiales is telling Rafa and Ale that he submitted their estimate to his board of directors, and it’s almost sure to be accepted, but they won’t know until tomorrow. They shake on it. After he goes, Rafa and Ale both yell “gol!” They’ll still go to the convention, and they sneak a little kiss.

Frank the Freak is cutting pictures of women out of magazines (don’t we all do that in our spare time?),

when there’s a knock on the door. It’s Zetina (I guess he DID know where to find Frank), who says he came on behalf of Marco and Chavez, who need to see him. Frank just needs a minute to get his things. Zetina thinks to himself, could it be that for ONCE things went right for me?

Nope. Two scenes later, Zetina calls Rafa to tell him that Frank’s given him the slip. Dang.

Our two brothers in slime (Marco and Chavez) are out like lights, when Marco’s cell rings. It’s Vicky with a wake up call, in full scream mode (she’d make a great alarm clock), telling Marco they have to meet. Something has to be done, once and for all. Marco hangs up on her, and she REALLY goes crazy! Marco tells Chavez it’s too bad Vicky’s hung up on the idiot Medina, because she’s HOT!

We see the big hands, we see the sleek laptop, we see the boring test pattern on the secondary monitor, and we know we’re witnessing a powerful man.

He instructs his secretary to have an envelope delivered to Leonor Nuñez, with no explanation. This is, of course, what Marian was working on. The man (whose face we don’t see) says “the moment has arrived we’ve all been waiting for”. Not quite. Tomorrow, maybe?

Rosaura and Claudia, wearing similar outfits of high waisted dark skirts topped by low cut frilly white tops,


are gossiping as usual. Rosie thinks that rich guy (Urdiales) is giving Claudia the eye. Claudia’s hormones activate, and she “walks” over to him, coyly displaying all her charms. Urdiales doesn’t exactly want a car, he wants a “personalized accessory”. Right. And he’d like to discuss it over lunch. She beckons Mr. Big over to her cubicle first, as we see Carmela enter to pick up her car.

She hears the greeter girls (sorry, I forgot their names) talking breathlessly. Girl 1 starts. “He lasted all night, he gave, he gave, he gave, and never got tired”. He looks fat, but he’s a total athlete, he went up, down, up, down (Carmela’s ears are perking up). Were you satisfied, asks Girl 2? Totally, I couldn’t take it, I said I was so tired I’d have to go to sleep, but he said, don’t worry, I’ll finish myself! What he did in one night would have taken another a week! If only all men were like that.


Uhh, excuse me, asks Carmela. Who are you talking about? Oh, that chubby guy Trapito. Could he do the same job for me? Just ask, but he only works at night. Perfect! replies Carmela, striding off to make a date. Gee, that’s strange, says Girl 2. She wants HER apartment painted, too?

Frank shows up at Marco’s, grabs some whiskey, and Marco has a new plan.

Carmela makes a date with Trapito for the “same job he did for that young lady”. Trapito wonders if he should bring “his things” or use hers. She’ll lend him hers, but he has to keep going all night. He assures her he’s “a machine”. She thinks to herself, finally, a REAL MAN.

Ale calls Marco, urges him to withdraw the lawsuit against Leonor. She’s going to a convention for a few days, but he’d better do as she says, or she promises, he and Chavez will go to jail.

Okay, what Urdiales really wanted was a personal advisor or consultant. He said asesoría, which I thought was an accessory. Well, Claudia fits both descriptions, so we’ll let it go. Generala and Rosaura urge her to go for it with the big guy, he looks rich, not like the losers (muertos de hambre) she’s been going with. Speaking of which, Marco calls, and gets the time and place of the convention. Claudia’s tired of his spy requests, with never any bonus for her. He says they won’t be seeing much of each other anymore. After he hangs up, she thinks it’s too bad, because he did turn her on. She envies Ale, who has two guys crazy about her, when Claudia doesn’t even have one (there really was no reason for this picture, except that I really think Claudia is pretty :))


Rafa wants them to go to the convention in the Pantera, it’s an extension of himself (una prolongación de mi mismo). Ale agrees. Rafa’s happy friends enter. They’re afraid to talk in front of Ale, but says she knows everything, the hacienda was free of the lien for months, and Marco had an arrangement with Carmela to keep it quiet. So, says Dandy, do you believe us now? Well…..yes, but I’m not too impressed with your method (procedimientos) of seducing a woman to get information. The boys look duly chastised.

Todo yo Daniel sidles into Marian’s office, full of plans to recover Ale, and get Rafa for Marian. Let’s join forces. Marian is dubious, why? Because I’m totally in love with you, Marian. Oh really? If you’re so in love with me, why do you want to conquer Alejandra? Good point, but Dan forges right ahead with not wanting to be outdone by that car salesman. How can three sexy women be gaga over that slob, when I, so full of love, don’t even have one? Marian explains why. You act like a child, Daniel, and love is not a game. He’s not deterred, still insists that he can seduce Ale, leaving Rafa free for her. And his plan? Go to the convention. (Okay, we had the famous barbecue, next up, the famous convention. Should be something).

In an outdoor café, Claudia is talking cars, but Urdiales admits he’s already bought them. Then, why are we here? asks Claudia. Can’t you guess? he hints. Well, maybe, but (she actually tries to COVER her boobs here), I don’t go out with married men! How about divorced ones? She lights up, uncovers the boobs, give them a little boost, and asks if he has children. Not yet, but I’m not discounting the possibility. Do you have any candidates to help with that? she purrs. Could be, as they look in each others’ eyes, some fine wine is poured, and Claudia may have finally hit the jackpot, as she languidly waves her ringless, sensuous fingers.

Leonor is watching a telenovela when there’s a loud knock. This time, it’s not Vicky, it’s Jaime. He proudly presents his diploma to Leonor.

They smile, she gives him a congratulatory hug, and he tells her he owes all this to two women. My Granny, and you, Leonor. She gets misty as he thanks her for all the support she gave him. He adds that he’s not thanking her to get Julieta back, he knows that’s his sole responsibility. He had to come, to give her this diploma, to thank her, from the bottom of his heart, because she’s always, always been the mother that he never had. He loves her very much. She cries tears of joy.


Rafa gets a call from Urdiales, the sale is confirmed! So they can go to the convention without worrying about that. Ale and Rafa do “gol!”, they high five, they say they’re invincible, and they kiss. The only thing, says Rafa, is that Urdiales has to go to a meeting in Cuernavaca in two days for the final signing, by the Director of Acquisitions, and Rafa and Ale will have to go there, too. So (I think) Rafa and Ale will go to the convention “tomorrow”, and the next day to Cuernavaca. Let’s hope the Pantera doesn’t break down (or as Private 057 predicted, Rafa doesn’t get kidnapped). Ale’s not worried, if the Pantera breaks down, she’ll help push. Money, money, money, says Ale in glee. For the wedding. But, says Rafa, we’re not going to spend TOO much on the wedding are we? Do we have to have all that champagne? Of course not, handsome, she gushes, I don’t need any expensive wedding, just to be with you for the rest of our lives. But promise me you’ll sing. And I’ll be totally yours. They kiss again.

Vicky calls Marco, angry. So are we going to meet? No, replies cool Marco, I’ve already decided what to do, and I’m not telling you. But I’m going to a convention for a few days. He hangs up. Vicky EXPLODES with rage. If things don’t go her way, WATCH OUT!!!!!!



And Monday? It’s “tomorrow”, and (although they could be teasing us), it looks as if Private 057 is right!!!!!


Vocabulario:

Quince días – two weeks, literally 15 days, but the first and last are counted, unlike the way we calculate it
Restregar – scrub or rub. Restriégales en las narices means rub it in their noses, or in their face
Van a rodar cabezas – heads will roll, you can also say rodarán cabezas
Asesoría personal – a personal advisor, or consultant (not a personal accessory, as I originally thought!) Actually a consultant is un asesor, but asesoría is like a consultancy
Una prolongación de mi mismo – an extension of myself
Procedimientos – procedures, or methods of doing something

Labels: dinero

The recap is up now. Thanks for the patience everyone. Everything went really well yesterday with the playgound! Here is a pic of the nearly complete playground.


We get a bit of a replay from last time. Bertha and Dora are in Mario’s office and Bertha is giving Dora a hard time about properly cleaning Mario’s office. Dora takes offense. She’s worked 11 years for Mario in this house with no complaint. Well, Bertha’s in charge now. As Ale enters looking distracted, Dora reminds Bertha that only Abelardo is allowed to touch anything in Mario’s office. Bertha doesn’t care (what’s new?). Dora leaves and Ale shares with Bertha what has her so worried and distracted. She explains the whole Elsa, Architect Medina, JJ situation. Mario walks into his office just at that moment wanting to know who the man is that she is speaking of.

A man he doesn’t know, answers Ale. Someone who’s getting her into trouble (lirios)—Juan Jose Victorio. At the mention of this name, Dora who is passing with a tray full of china, drops the whole tray in a loud crash, totally impactada. They all turn to look at her in surprise so we cannot tell if this name resonates with Mario. We also never return to this scene, so the mystery of Dorra and JJ will continue a bit longer.

At Adolfo’s apartment, Yolanda is showing Adolfo the huge, likely hot, diamond she bought from the jeweler for a bargain price. Adolfo is impressed. It’s a fantastic diamond! He takes a closer look and we can tell that there’s obviously something else of interest here. Turns out it’s an exact match to one of the diamonds he had sent in the shoes. “It’s one of them!” He’s going to get it to his expert to confirm his suspicions, and in the meantime he wants the jeweler to keep an eye out for that guy who sold it. Yolanda is in a state of disbelief. How can it be the same diamonds when David threw the shoes in the trash in L.A.? Adolfo, ever suspicious of others' motives, thinks that was a lie. He’s sure the girls not only still have the shoes, but have sold the diamonds for their own gain. He’s even more sure of this now that he’s heard they’re leaving town. “Strange coincidence, no?” Adolfo intends to get his diamonds back!

At a local flea infested hotel, Marcos and Susana spread the diamonds out on the bed, imagining how much money they can get for them. Marcos decides he’s going to sell another one—the big one. They decide to ask 100,000 pesos for it.

Our other lottery winners, JJ and Limon, are still looking wild eyed excited at finding their treasure of gold bars. JJ is grateful that Limon made him keep looking and assures him that they are sharing the treasure. They’re all one family now (JJ, Limon, Caramelo, and Elsita), and the treasure belongs to all of them. They hug as Caramelo comes out cradling a gold bar. Limon scolds her that it’s not a plaything and to put it back. JJ, ever the softie, doesn’t want to be so hard on her. In fact, he thinks they should be thinking of putting her in school. When Limon points out that Caramelo doesn’t have any official papers that would allow them to register her in school, JJ counters that they can buy her some papers. And they’ll all live right here in this house. JJ, Limon and Caramelo can each have their own room (guess it wouldn’t be proper for Elsa to move in), and they’ll turn one room into a den/office. They start to daydream about all the things they want in the house. As for the problem of how to convert all that gold into money, they’ll leave that up to Elsa as she’s the brains of this operation. (I would say uh oh, but Elsa’s managed to help them out so far by really working her connections.)

Gabi is arriving at her apartment building and runs into Leo who is leaving. Leo says he doesn’t want to butt in, but he wants to make sure she knows what she’s doing with that guy he saw her with (David). “He’s my boyfriend.” Gabi’s starting to get bristly (careful Leo). “Are you sure he’s trustworthy (de confianza)?” Wrong question Leo. Gabi is in full defensive mode. “Why does the whole world distrust David? Anyway, it’s NONE of your business!” Leo says she’s right and sadly walks away.

JJ is still riding a high when he answers his door excitedly, ready to share the good news with Elsa. He finds not just Elsa, but also Medina. Elsa immediately starts to scold JJ. She doesn’t understand why he won’t sell Medina the house when it will be to his benefit, and after all the architect has done for him. JJ can’t contain his news anymore, and despite Medina’s presence, announces they’ve found the treasure! Elsa rushes to the kitchen with the boys with a completely perplexed Medina in tow. When Caramelo reveals the gold bars under a blanket, Medina is open mouth impactado.
Elsa is all excited smiles. She runs to JJ to hug him, then hugs Limon and picks Caramelo up into an embrace. They get Medina’s assurance that he won’t say anything. He sincerely promises not to. Anyway, JJ is the legitimate owner of the house, and as he found the treasure in his home, it belongs to him. He wants to know how they knew the treasure was there and JJ says it’s a long story that he may tell him some other time. They do however, need to find some way of protecting the treasure legally, so Medina offers the services of a lawyer who can take care of it. (I like this guy more and more each second.)

Medina asks if anyone else know about the treasure, as he thinks that might be why someone tried to set him up the other day. Elsa and Caramelo swear they have told no one. Limon hasn’t told anyone either, but he is worried about that friend of Elsa’s (Carlos) who saw him in the hole. They hope that he suspected nothing.

Marcos is back at the jeweler’s. He’s got another jewel (hoya) that his “aunt” gave him to sell. The jeweler compliments his “aunt” on her jewels and wonders if she has more. Marcos admits that indeed she does. They begin to haggle on the price of the large diamond. Marco wants his 100,000 pesos. The jeweler scoffs at that price, saying the diamond is full of flaws. They finally come to an agreement on 50,000, but only if Marcos agrees to bring the rest of the jewels to him to sell. Once Marcos leaves, he tells his employee to follow him and find out where he lives. He then cackles at how stupid Marcos is, as that diamond he just sold for 50,000 is worth more than 5 million pesos!

At JJ’s, Elsa is helping the boys count the gold bars, as they check that no more remain in the well. They have 400 bars of gold! They quickly make the calculations and figure out that they have approximately 300,032 million pesos worth of gold! They are all beyond impactados. They wonder what they should do now, and decide to wait for Architect Medina to return. Now they want to go celebrate with the few pesos they manage to scrape together.

Roberto visits Carlos at Club Sagitarius to update him on the plans he’s laying for the special date with Julieta. He’ll have Juli bring Gabi along, and then Carlos will have his opportunity. Carlos wants to make sure it’s someplace they can stay the whole night, as he plays menacingly with his letter opener. (Run Gabi and Juli! Run!) Roberto notices Carlos’ unique pinky finger ring (the blue one with the triangular diamond that we see in the credits and know was also found on Marta’s dead body).

He asks about it and Carlos explains that it’s a talisman that can bring good or bad luck. Ever grabby of anything that is Carlos’, Roberto demands that Carlos gift it to him. Carlos refuses. It’s a one of a kind piece (único) that his dad gave him years ago. There were two of them, and if they’re separated all sorts of bad juju will happen. But Carlos doesn’t believe any of that. His dad lost the other one many years ago. (Hmmmm…..)

Back at the Flea Motel, Susana is flipping through a magazine impatiently waiting for Marcos to return from the jeweler’s. Marcos finally arrives looking nervous. Seems our boy has a few brain cells and realized he was being followed. He had to walk around in circles and do some fancy footwork to lose the guy tailing him before returning. Susana doesn’t dwell on this news too long. She’s happy with the 50,000 and already starts to plan the clothes, shoes and handbags she’ll buy. Marcos is happy to indulge her, but he also thinks they should be thinking of investing some of the money in something that will help their future. He wants to buy a truck, so he can start a business transporting things. Susana does not look over the moon at the thought of being a trucker’s girlfriend, but Marcos says they have to start thinking about their future and the money won’t last forever. (Wow! I am blown away that he has shown so much intelligence and stupidity in the same episode.)

Gabi is checking in with her dad on the phone. He’s in Mexicali and hasn’t found work yet. He won’t be back for another week. Juli comes in to the room as Gabi is wrapping up the call and gets the update from Gabi. Juli sees their dad’s continuing absence as an opportunity to accept Roberto’s offer for a date on Sunday at a luxery hotel. She wants Gabi to come with her, but Gabi refuses. Juli, in full little sister mode, threatens that if Gabi won’t go with her, she will just go by herself! This tantrum is interrupted by a call from David. He’s grinning from ear to ear as he invites Gabi out to dinner. She can barely suppress her huge smile under Juli's watchful gaze. But Juli has figured out who was on the phone, what he wanted, and that Gabi accepted. She hopes this means Gabi will aks their dad to change his mind about leaving the city. Gabi refuses to do so. She doesn’t want to disappoint their dad who so desperately wants to leave. Juli is expectantly pouty and furious.

Now we get to the most fun part of our episode. JJ, Limon, Elsa and Caramelo have arrived at a fancy department store, Pretty Woman style, to begin their makeovers. Good guy Medina is at the bank taking care of the gold bars business and advanced JJ 300,000 pesos for their shopping spree.

The first order of business for Caramelo is a new baby doll, or two. She drags Elsa away and they spend the afternoon buying and playing with toys, trying on pretty dresses, including a Mini-Me Elsa look, and having a fun girly day.

JJ and Limon head to menswear where a snooty, pretty-boy salesman tries to shoo them away. A look at the wad of cash JJ keeps pulling out from his pockets and socks (lol!) quickly change his mind however, and he is soon personally serving these two gentlemen and helping in their transformation. They want hats, pants in every color, jackets, and shirts. The salesman looks like he has a tiny orgasm when they say they want ties (corbatas) too! Oh happy day!

At Adolfo’s, Yolanda shares the news of another diamond sale from the mysterious muchacho. Adolfo is now 100% sure that the girls are behind it and this guy is their accomplice. He’s going to take care of this, and begins to make a call as he orders Yolanda to leave. She lingers long enough to drink a glass of her beloved absinthe and to overhear Adolfo order someone to come over right now. She makes another plea for him to leave the girls alone, but he orders her to leave (Véte!).

At an elegant restaurant, David and Gabi are having dinner and mooning at each other. He informs her he has to go to Cancun for a few days to check in on one of their hotels. She checks to make sure his cousin isn’t going with him this time. He promises, and makes her promise she won’t go out with Carlos while he’s away this time. She promises, and viewerville sees another breakup very soon in their future when Juli has her way.

Back at the Deliptated Casa, everyone is still abuzz about their shopping spree. Limon even agrees to bathe before wearing his new duds! JJ wants to know why Elsa didn’t buy anything for herself, but she shyly begs off and changes the subject. She’s more concerned about where they will be sleeping while the renovations are being done on the house. They’re booked in a luxery hotel. And who’s JJ going to contract to do the renovations? Medina? Nope. JJ has someone else in mind. (Hmmmm…. Who could that be?)

At Adolfo’s, Roberto has arrived and receives orders from Adolfo to search the girls’ apartment for the diamonds while they’re at work tonight.

Ale and Mina are in their offices as they discuss the JJ/Medina situation through Ale’s office door. In walks a well shod pair of men’s feet in Mina’s office and she is left speechless for a second. We can already tell those feet are attached to a handsome man, and when the camera pans slowly up his legs, chest and then face, this is confirmed. We see a delicious looking, clean shaven JJ in a suit, smiling at Mina. He asks for Ale and Mina directs him in. “Señorita Alejandra Genoves?” She turns around from her shelves and immediately recognizes JJ from the tunnel. “Usted?”

"Good afternoon. How can I help you?" Ale asks, then confirms that he’s the man she met in the tunnel. JJ confirms this and says she’s just the architect he needs and that he’s renovating his house. It’s old and falling apart and he’s sure she can make it nice and pretty for him. He looks her up and down quickly, and it’s obvious he’s NOT thinking about the house when he’s talking about pretty things.

“Please sit Señor…” He introduces himself as Juan Ocampo, leaving out two key pieces of his name—the Jose and the Victorio parts. Ale wants to know how he knew her name was Alejandra Genoves. He makes up an excuse about seeing it in the listing and this all being a coincidence. Anyway, she points out, Genoves is her second last name. Her full last name is Balmori Genoves. Ale asks where the house is and when he says Jazmin 33, she and Mina are shocked that it’s the same house that belongs to Elsa’s friend Juan Jose Victorio (aka Juan Jose Victorio Ocampo). “Yes, he sold it to me.” Impactada faces on Mina and Ale.

At Roberto’s, Juli is losing track of time while making out with Roberto. She realizes she’s late for work and quickly heads to the bathroom to freshen up. While she’s there Roberto steals her housekeys from her purse.

Meanwhile at the Club, Carlos has stopped Gabi to ask if her sister is sick and not coming in. Gabi assures him she’s on her way in and tries to go about her work. But this was all really an excuse for Carlos to make a case for them to be friends. Gabi tries to find a polite way out of this conversation when in walks Juli. She heads straight to her little sis and demands to know where she’s been. Juli lets her know she was with Roberto and flounces off.

Roberto, meanwhile, is tearing their apartment apart, even dumping all their spices, looking for the diamonds. He does not find them, but finds something of more personal interest to him behind the stereo speakers. An exact copy of Carlos’ ring!

He puts it in his breastpocket, looking very satified with his discovery.

Labels: verdad

Marisa comes home from her appointment with the shrink to find Nati hosting a party in Marisa's bedroom. Nati claims that the stereo in her room was broken but Marisa corrects her, 'No, you sold it.' Marisa throws the zombies out and then she and Nati have their usual confrontation. Nati accuses Marisa of only using her to keep Lucas from running away with Jade. Apparently, this was the cause of all Nati's problems.

Cut to the beach and who walks up on Alej and Diana kissing but Nati, of course. She touches her pregnant belly and leaves without their seeing her.

Latifa, Zoraida and Jade are having fun teaching Estela to belly dance. The Naz wanders off and sees a picture of Daniel. Estela tells her that is her grandson who lives here and wants to marry Jade. Party over, announces the Naz and herds her sister in law and Zoraida out the door.

When the ladies return to Mohamed's apartment, they find Jadiya, Rania and Amina visiting. [Where is Munir?] Jadiya wants to know where her mother is staying. Said comes in and wants to know the same thing. Latifa replies that Jade is staying with a friend. 'Why don't you tell the truth,' says the Naz. Jade is with Lucas and they are going to get married. Latifa says that Jade isn't with Lucas, she is with Daniel. Since the Naz doesn't know about the whole clone thing, she thinks Latifa is lying. Jadiya is concerned about her mother marrying again. Latifa reassures her that her mother doesn't want to get married. The guy wants to marry her but she doesn't want to marry him. With that, Said and his family depart.

Estela tells Jade that she hopes she didn't offend the Naz. Jade replies that the Naz is always like that. Estela says that before she was afraid when Daniel talked about marrying Jade but now she is ok with it. Now Jade clearly draws the parallel that was hinted at in last night's episode. She tells Estela that all this happened before but it didn't work out. Her boyfriend's family rejected her. That's horrible says Estela. Where is the guy now? Jade replies that it is Daniel - 20 years older. 'You mean Lucas?' asks Estela. But now Jade can't understand why everything is going swimmingly just like she dreamed. 'Aren't you happy?' asks Estela. 'I don't know,' replies Jade.

Alí tells Mohamed that he wants to go back to Fez. He misses his house and the medina. Mohamed wants to go back too. He says that Zamira has crushed his heart (se sentó sobre mi corazón). Alí curses the cobra that he took into his house. She has probably cost him his place in heaven. Zoraida comes in andAlí tells her that if she is bringing him news of Jade, she can turn around and leave. She does so.

Zoraida tells Latifa that she was just going to offer Alí some tea when he started yelling at her. Alí comes in and tells Latifa that they are going back to Fez. He asks how Jade is and Latifa replies that she is sad.

Abdul does some 'I told you so-ing' to Alí who reminds him that Said is in his family. Said is a lost sheep, replies Abdul, every family has one. Latifa tells Zoraida that she is worried about what will happen to Jade. Alí comes in and starts in all over again on how Jade deserved her fate. He tells Latifa and Zoraida that he forbade her name to be mentioned. 'You started it,' Zoraida reminds him.

In their carefully staged confrontation (probably shot in front of a green screen) Daniel claims that he is not like Lucas. Lucas wasn't brave enough to keep her. Lucas asks what he is talking about. Daniel tells him that Jade is living with him in his house. 'I'm not like you. I didn't leave her in the street,' says Daniel. Lucas is impactado.

In the Lucas/Daniel confrontation, Rosa defends Daniel. Cristina tells Lucas that Rosa raised Lucas and she will always see Lucas as a 20 year old. She sees Daniel as Lucas. Lucas asks Cristina what she would think if there were a 20 year old Cristina and Leo fell in love with that Cristina. Naturally, Cristina replies that she wouldn't permit that and would beat up the other Cristina. Lucas agrees and says that is what he is going to do to Daniel. Rosa puts herself between Lucas and Daniel. Lucas leaves. Cristina asks what he did to provoke Lucas. Nothing, says Daniel, I only told him that Jade was living with me.

Clara tells Carolina that she thinks that her move to be Lucas' secretary is just the prelude to being fired. She says that Fer is ruining his life and hers. Caro tries to make see the positive - she has Rogelio. '¿Pero hasta cuando? Si tiene al lado Alicia y ella echándome tierra,' But for how long? Malicia is with him putting me down. She tells Carolina that she is going to get the paper from the Chump that shows Malicia is evil.

Luisa must be truly desperate to get info on Albieri. She comes to see Malicia and asks her to disclose the vague threats about Albieri that Malicia used to blackmail Luisa. Since Malicia never really knew anything, she has nothing to tell but of course she doesn't say that to Luisa. Apparently she doesn't guess or doesn't care that Luisa suspects Albieri of cheating on her. If she did, I'm sure she would have made up something to push Luisa's buttons.

More recap of the story for those who tuned in late or forgot what happened. Jade tells Estela that when she met Lucas 20 years later, he was married and had a child. She says that he was a completely different person. She realized t that the man she had dreamed of was nothing more than a fantasy that she had created. So she reconciled with her husband and tried to start a new life with him. Then Daniel showed up and she realized that Lucas existed and it was just that time had changed him. [Has she been watching the same novela as us? I think she has fantasized about her own past.] Jade asks Estela what she should do.

Lucas testifies in court that it is as if Daniel has robbed him of his identity. When Daniel appeared at their house, he stopped being Lucas and Daniel became him. Daniel got all the attention. He says that if Leo establishes paternity of Daniel, he doesn't want to be Leo's son anymore. [What kind of court proceeding is this where people just say whatever they want? The lawyers are supposed to elicit the necessary testimony by examining and cross examining witnesses. ]

Luisa is losing it. She accuses Anita of knowing what was going on with Albieri and not telling her about about it so that she was the last to know. Anita says that Julio convinced her not to say anything and that she only saw Albieri having lunch with Amalia. Luisa quizzes Anita on how the two of them were behaving. Then she tells Anita that she will show Albieri what he is worth without her. She opens the safe and takes out Albieri's Book of Cloning and leaves.

Albieri has gone to see if Luisa is with Father Andres. He says that he may be called to testify at the hearing at any time but he has to try and find Luisa before she disappears again. The padre asks if Albieri is sure that cloning won't be mentioned at the trial. Albieri replies that Leo told him that it wouldn't be. [Well that cat is out of the bag and from Leo, too.] Albieri says that even if it is mentioned, he doesn't care.

Father Andres explains to Albieri that even though he hasn't had a relationship with Amalia, he has has betrayed Luisa by exchanging her admiration for him for Luisa's. Albieri replies that he didn't ask Luisa to give up her life for him. He can't stand to have her watching him all the time. The padre says that it is ironic that Albi left the Seminary because he couldn't stand to have God watching him all the time and he just exchanged that for Luisa watching him all the time. Albieri says that he is afraid of what Luisa will do. He is in her hands.

Daniel testifies that everyone had told him different things about his paternity and now they are saying that he is a clone. The judge asks him if he understands why this hearing is taking place. Daniel replies that it is to establish who is his father. The judge asks him if the DNA evidence shows that Dora cannot be his mother, is he ok with her name being removed from his birth certificate. Daniel replies, 'No, ella es mi mama,' No, she is my mother.

The younger generation - Amin and Zamira - offer their opinions on the Jade situation as they walk to school. Suddenly, Amin finds that Zamira has disappeared. Carlos has returned from his trip. [If Nati really is 6 mos pregnant after she lost the first baby, then Carlos has been away for about 8 months.] He is ready to convert to her religion to be with Zamira.

When Zamira doesn't come home from school with Amin, the old Mohamed returns blaming Latifa for everything and saying that if Zamira is going to follow her cousin and want to marry a Westerner, he will send her to Fez to live with Abdul. Abdul urges him to do this and says that he will make sure that Zamira comes back tamed.

Gloria approves of Alej and Diana as a couple but Ramoncito says that Alej doesn't look happy. He is sure that their romance won't last long.

Zamira finally turns up and Latifa shoos her and Amin inside.

Team sKank is out for a stroll. Consuelo sKank tells the other two that she won't return to work at Lucía's house. She will go back when Lucía is asleep to get her stuff.

Clara tell Rogelio that she has a surprise for him. She is going to unmask the real Malicia. Rogelio doesn't want to hear any more about Malicia but Clara says that the woman has ruined her home and work life and Rogelio has believed everything that Malicia told him. Rogelio agrees to hear what she has to say as long as they never talk about Malicia again. The doorbell rings and, of course, it's the Chump with wine and flowers. Once he sees that Rogelio is there, he pretends that he is dropping off the papers on his way to a date. Uh oh, it looks like a reconciliation might be in the works. Clara seems kind of regretful at seeing the Chump and the Chump goes outside and takes swigs from his wine bottle while he flashes back to when he surprised a pregnant Clara with the house. He acknowledges to himself that she made him happy but he didn't make her happy.

Nati tells Paula that she wants to stop taking drugs, they don't do anything for her but she can't stop. Paula replies that was once clean for a month. Nati asks why don't they stop when up comes Fer with some drugs. PSA from Enrique about how drugs become your God.

The zombie teens come to party at Nati's house with the usual ineffectual attempts to throw them out and the usual claims by Nati that no one cares about her. Marisa tells Rosa that she wants to go somewhere. Her phone rings and it is Said. He's calling from home. You can see Rania and Amina in the background. Marisa eagerly agrees to meet him.

The credits roll.

Labels: clon

Read Kim's original recap, the section called “Missing Recap 39: Paradise Lost.” Then come back here to discuss it.

Capitulo 57

1. Marcia tells Ali that Fernando won’t let the cuartel in; he would never go against her orders. He lets them in and tells them to watch from the hall, but they go backstage. Lobo brings the kids because Jaimito has homework questions. Marcia harps on Fernando because he disobeyed her orders.

2. On the phone, Pop tells Lety he’ll pick her up in an hour. Lety begs Tom to go along and not let Pop enter the building – who knows what he could say?

3. Jaz dances in the show. Lola and Jaimito distract her and everyone trips. Felix and Saimon jump in with a hoofer routine. Lola and Paula laugh like hyenas. Luigi fires Jaz as a model.

4. Omar warns Fernando to keep Lety on his side and not let Marcia do damage..

5. Ariel arranges purchase of an apartment in Miami, but it will only be a temporary arrangement.

6. Ali and the cuartel face off. Ali threatens legal action if they don’t give her the results, because they ordered the test and released confidential information. Sara counters: only if she tells everyone she’s not pregnant.

7. Marcia tells the cuartel they entered the event to mock her (it’s always Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!). She stomps her little foot and tries to crush them under her heel, but Fernando intervenes and tells her they stay. He erases the shadow of Marcia by privately telling Lety how valuable she is.

8. Alicia mourns the loss of her dream, an apartment in South Beach or marriage to Omar. She says it’s all the cuartel’s fault. She tells Marcia and Marcia is suspicious. She tells Omar and he celebrates that he’s free of her. She tells Ariel and he keeps the results as evidence. He orders her to leave the country tomorrow. Those three are the closest thing Alicia has to friends.

9. Tomás tries to impress a group of dancers. The portero won’t let him enter without an invitation. Tomás says that he’s a partner in FI and novio of Lety.

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Capitulo 58

Read Kim's original recap, the section called “Missing Recap 40:.In which everyone forgot their chill pill.” Then come back here to discuss it.

They cut the whole first half of this episode. Be grateful! It was almost all blither. I'll leave in my notes for the part that was not broadcast, but in blue. The part they left in was absolutly packed! That's why the scene notes are so long.

1. Jazmín and Paula play tug-of-war over Saimon. It sounds like Jaz promises the jackpot, but that pushes Paula's buttons and she turns on the heat. Saimon takes her to an antro, and she gives him a chance to charm his way back into her good graces. They leave there to find someplace more "intimate."

2. Fernando’s parents leave. Pop is satisfied that Conceptos is doing well; he only hopes they can recover what they lost (boy howdy!). Mama wants to see the lovebirds stop fighting.

3. While Lety says goodbye to Fernando, the portero brings her a message from Tomás Mora, partner of FI and her novio. Lety attempts damage control; she fails. Lety is mad at Tom. He jokes, “Is it going to make your boss jealous? Will I make you lose your romance with him?”

4. Fernando and Omar hunt for solutions. Lety’s novio could leave them on the street. Omar proposes three solutions, and Fernando shows why each one is unfeasible. Omar says the only viable and surefire solution is for Fern to enamorarla. Fern says he can’t – she’s like a squash with a mustache that pokes.

5. Erasmo doesn’t want Lety to be with that kind of people at that kind of event. That world is not right for her. Lety says it’s not her world, it’s her job.

6. Fernando tries to diffuse Marcia’s enmity against Lety because otherwise it will kill their relationship. He says that she helped gain tonight’s success and she deserved to enjoy it. She’s an important executive. If she were a man, Marcia wouldn’t have a problem with her. He thinks the rivalry is absurd, considering Marcia’s beauty and class. Marcia is offended that he thinks it’s feminine competition. Fernando pulls out his trump card. He says that she can keep fighting if she wants, but he’s going home. Marcia folds.

7. Lety tells her diary that she should’ve told Fernando about the partnership with Tomás from the beginning. She doesn’t want him to fear for his company or think she’s hiding things from him. What she really wanted was to tell him that she invented the Tomás story to hide her love for him, and he’s the man of her dreams. Fernando and Lety have similar dreams, but Fernando’s is a nightmare. Both dreams center on a kiss.

8. In the morning, Julietta says that wakening with a good dream means that you’ll have a wonderful day. Marcia tells Fernando that telling his nightmare will keep it from coming true. If he doesn’t tell, he must want it to come true.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Up until now, the episodes have duplicated the original exactly. Today, they cut the first half of Cap 58, skipped most commercial breaks, and got 75% through Cap 59. Who knows what they'll do next? The part that is missing from my scene list - the part that should've broadcast on Monday - I won't be able to write that up until late tonight.

I have decided to keep the original episode numbers, so it's easier to match the new postings with the old recaps. So that means, for example, even though we only saw two hours of show today, I've labeled it as 57, 58, and 59A. We'll start Monday with 59B. I know that's going to be a little confusing. But if I reflected the new episode breaks, it would be even more confusing. Bear with me. -Paula

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Capitulo 59-A

Read Kim's original recap, the section called “Missing Recap 41: The one where two guapos fight over Lety.” Note, that recap covers the entire episode. Friday's broadcast covered about 75% of the episode.

1. An unimportant scene but very funny. See transcript. Marcia tells Fernando that Alicia got a job offer in Miami. Paula and Saimon arrive together. Jazmín responds to the news nobly.

2. Ariel orders Alicia to resign. She can’t – she needs the job. She reads him her letter of resignation. It refers to his sexual blackmail, sabotaging Lety’s computer, and forcing her to report company secrets. Ariel’s beaten this time; he tells her not to resign.

3. Fernando gives a mountain of reasons he can’t enamorar Lety, and Omar has an answer for every one of them. See the list below. Omar demonstrates how differently Lety responds to Omar vs. Fern, to prove that the task is Fernando’s.

4. The triumvirate and Marcia have a production meeting. Fernando scopes out Lety, trying to imagine getting close to her. Lety says FI and Conceptos will have trouble making their loan payments.

5. Sanchez suggests to Tom that they finalize the embargo. I suspect that means to get a Judgment, and FI would become full owner of Conceptos. (Or maybe he asked whether to continue or retire the embargo.) Tom tells him not to. Sanchez wants to meet them tonight.

6. Fernando and Omar hear Lety arrange to see Tomas tonight. Omar says Tomas is moving fast. Fernando has to start his mission TONIGHT.

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Fernando's Excuses

Fernando certainly is creative! In cap's 58-60, he comes up with no less than sixteen reasons he should not enamorar Lety. And Omar shoots down every single one of them! Here are the 16.

1. I don’t know how to enamorar a fea. She’s like a squash with a moustache. O: with enough whisky, any woman looks beautiful.
2. It should be you. O: No, I did my duty with Alicia and almost got a son.
3. You should do it, Omar. A. You’re not her boss, B. you’re not about to get married, C. you have no scruples, and D. you’re the grand suductor. O: No, you started this mess. And that’s irrelevant. What matters is, who has the best chance of winning her? Before Tomas showed up, I would’ve sworn she was in love with you. Besides, if I flirted w/ her she’d suspect something fishy.
4. I can’t do this to our Lety. I can’t play with her emotions like that. I can’t build up her hopes and then send her to the north pole. She doesn’t deserve that. It’s a canallada (rotten thing to do, detestably base) against someone who follows me unconditionally. How can I betray that? O:Would you rather betray your family by losing the co?
5. How can I romance Lety, with Marcia so close all day? O: You do with models all the time. Lety’s right in your office. Do you really think Marcia will suspect Lety?
6. Lety knows I’m engaged. She’d never go for it. O: Lety knows you love your car more than Mar. She knows your marriage is more of an obligation than a desire.
7. No, no, no, no, no. NO!
8. Lety has principles. She respects Marcia. She’d never get involved in a problem of this level. O: To a woman like Lety, poor, ugly, old maid; if a galan like you appears.. F: I just don’t think she’ll go for it. O: Then try it and find out. I say she will.
9. What if I make a play for her and she rejects me? What if I’m not her type? The situation would get worse than now. O: No, it would be better. She’d know you like her.
10. What if she accepts? O: Then you’ll have a little romance. The beauty & the beast.
11. When your mission was Ali, she’s intolerable, but at least she is as God intended. Lety, I don’t even want to touch her hand. To kiss her? Blech! Her whiskers will poke me! O: Then you need desensitzing therapy.
12. Okay, but I need to adapt to the idea. Like maybe a year. O: No, Tom is beating you to her. Today
13. It’s a joke, right?
14. If only she was just slightly pretty. O: But one of those wouldn’t be your loyal ally.
15. How can I seduce a fea? O: Imagination.
16. What if it gets to the point that I have to acostarla?

Labels: fea-2010

Capítulo 175: In Pursuit of Truthiness

Amalia excuses herself and edges away carefully leaving Luisa alone and hyperventilating. [I hope they have paper bags handy in the courthouse.]

The Naz barrels into Said’s house: ¡Vengo por las cosas de Jade! (I’m here for Jade’s things!) She is only looking out for her brother. She doesn’t want people to say he is the kind of man who gives things to his wife and then demands they be returned. When she paints Rania and Amina with the odalisca brush, the sisters protest. Mi amor, retorts the Naz:
Si no fueras una odalisca, mi hermano nunca se habría casado contigo.
(If you weren’t an odalisque, my brother would never have married you.)

And she orders them all – Rania, Amina and Said – to help pack Jade’s things and carry them downstairs.

Rania angers Said when she complains about the way the Naz talks to her. (Said: She talks to me like that too! She talks to everyone like that!). And Amina gives her sister a warning: You talk too much! Keep it up and he’ll send you back!

At the del Valle home, Lucía is interrogating Consuelo about her ‘Tía Hilda’. [Maybe she’s the one who should have gone to law school. She’s pretty good at this.] Lucía is going to file a criminal complaint: Tell them they’re going to jail. And unless you take me to them right now, you’ll be in jail with them.

In Mohamed’s house, Latifa and Zoreida ask Alí to come with them to pick up Jade’s belongings. but he is still fuming. Don’t mention her name in my presence, he says.

Lucía pulls up to the sKank residence with a reluctant Consuelo riding shotgun.

Down the street Gloria is dismayed to hear (via the Ramoncito Wire Services) that Alej has been visiting Natalia.

Alej gets back to the restaurant. Your mother’s looking for you, Ramón tells him, and Diana waited two hours for you, then finally left with Pablo.

In the land of the sKanks, the UbersKank has no fear. The UbersKank has no shame. Karla is nervous and even Consuelo hangs back, but Hilda marches up to Lucía and says, in her most elegant English: Hello lady!

She says that Lucía’s husband is unwilling to man up and take responsibility for his child. Lucía fires right back. Those sKanks will pay for their false accusations! But when Hilda pulls out a photo of Roberto clowning with a very pregnant Karla, Lucía is left slack-jawed; Hilda twists her mouth in a way that makes her look even more grotesque than usual.

Karla, come here, says the UbersKank. Leave Roberto Jr with Consuelo. Roberto Jr??? echoes Lucía miserably. And she listens with increasing despair to their story. When she hears that Karla met Roberto at the Beach Club, she protests: He only goes there with me!

The court proceedings continue. Leo describes the birthmark which his sons inherited from his late wife. And now Daniel has the very same mancha.

Leo never had a past encounter with Dora, he assures the judge. And while he is sorry to cause her distress, he has no intention of giving up his claim to Daniel’s paternity.

Roberto, allowing his attention to stray to his own contested paternity, passes a note to Enrique: ¿Y si me rehuso hacer el examen de ADN?
(And if I refuse to do the DNA test?)

And Enrique answers: It would be worse for you because the judge would interpret your refusal as an admission and would declare paternity without the exam results.

It’s Dora’s turn to testify.

Albieri is looking for Luisa. No, Cris hasn’t seen her.

That is because Luisa, chest still heaving with rage, is back at the clinic. Albieri is cheating on me with that reporter, she tells Anita and Julio. How could he? I devoted myself to him and he just discards me like trash! Now he’ll find out what it’s like not having me at his side!

Malicia, with supreme self-confidence, strides into Empresas Ferrer on her 6-inch tacones (the heels have grown with her arrogance) and demands an audience with Leo. She is convinced that Clara is lying when she tells her Leo is gone for the day. She wants to speak to Clara’s superior. Carolina wheels around to face her. She is of ‘higher rank’ and she confirms what Clara has said. Malicia leaves her card with Carolina with a message for Leo to call her.

Malicia drives right past Escobar on her home and their eyes meet. He smiles expectantly and starts to approach her. She smirks and keeps on going.

Clara calls Rogelio. She wants him to know that Malicia showed up at her office just to upset her. He explains that Malicia had a perfectly innocent reason for being there: she is planning a surprise celebration for Leo! (Does anyone else think Rogelio is too stupid to deserve Clara?)

That Leo is the next one on Malicia’s list is obvious to Clara and Caro. But this time she is taking on Cristina’s man. And, says Clara:
¿Sabes qué? Con Cristina no va a poder. ¡Cristina tiene que vengarme!
(You know what? She won’t get away with it with Cristina. Cristina has to get even with her for me!)

Lucía tries frantically to get past the guard at the entrance to the courtroom. She has to find Roberto! Lucas sees her and gently leads her away explaining that she will have to wait.

Inside the courtroom, Dora is telling her story: how she worked as a manicurist and how she told Luisa, one of her customers, about her desire to have a child; how Luisa convinced her to go to Albieri’s clinic.

At the clinic, Dra Silvia determined that it was Dora’s partner who was infertile. The plan was to do an artificial insemination using a donor who resembled her partner, Osvaldo.

And while Dora is testifying:
Estela and Jade are getting acquainted. They hear someone at the door. Estela peers out to see who it is and the Naz whooshes past her and into the room followed by Latifa and Zoraida. There are smiling introductions and updates on the home situation. She hears about Alí, Rania and Said but when Jade asks about Jadiya, the question goes unanswered.

Latifa wants to know how Jade met Doña Estela. She explains: This is the house of la sombra. On the night she left, she was walking down the street and Allah led her to an encounter with him:
La sombra hizo por mí lo que Lucas nunca hizo. Me trajo a su casa, me recibió aquí, y él hizo que hiciera la historia con Lucas pero con amor.
(The shadow did for me what Lucas never did. He brought me to his house, he received me here. He repeated my story with Lucas but with love.)

Back in the court building, Lucas and Daniel come face to face. Daniel pauses for the obligatory head-scratch and then asks Lucas why he abandoned Jade. You don’t abandon a woman you love!

You don’t have my problems, retorts Lucas. Besides, you’re the same as me – you’ll end up just like me!

And in the courtroom, Dora continues to tell her story:
Osvaldo had rejected the idea of artificial insemination forcing Dora to choose between a child and her partner. She chose the child but by using a donor resembling Osvaldo, she hoped he would warm to the idea eventually. Dra Silvia did all her treatment but the evening she was supposed to implant the fertilized eggs [yes, I know – it’s not artificial insemination. Let's all just tighten our beanies and keep going] Dra Silvia was called away unexpectedly. So the following morning, Dora returned to the clinic and Dr Albieri did the procedure.

At this point, Dora is overcome with emotion. She never thought, she says, that the happiest day of her life would be the beginning of her worst nightmare.

The judge calls for a 15 minute recess and Dora’s lawyer reassures her and helps her regain her composure.

As soon as Roberto steps outside the courtroom, Lucía swoops down on him and tells him about the photo. He is sure it is a fake. No, she wails, you look like a real couple in the picture – you’re touching her pregnant belly! And they say you spend every morning at the Beach Club and many nights too!

Roberto insists on his innocence. He is sure a DNA test will exonerate him and then they will sue the sKanks for psychological damages.

A distracted Albi wanders by still looking for Luisa. She’s not with me, says Cris.

Luisa the Huntress has tracked Amalia to a classy-looking restaurant where she likes to work. Luisa asks: How long have you and Albieri been in a relationship? Amalia tries to explain that there is no romance. She is Albieri’s biographer and they’ve been working together for a few months. To Luisa, that is as much a betrayal as an actual affair would be. She says to Amalia:
Nadie puede escribir una biografía de Albieri sin contar conmigo.
(No one can write Albieri’s biography without my help.)

When Albieri comes home during the court recess, Luisa is ready to pounce. Amalia confessed everything, she says. She know he gives Amalia little gifts -- perfume (this is a lucky guess on Luisa’s part) and books -- and all he gives Luisa are cheap pens and pencils. He sees her as a secretary. A very efficient secretary.

This is what happens, Albieri now realizes, when you allow the camel into the tent. He tells her:
Tú me ofuscas, tu me ahogas, me quitas mi espacio.
(You confuse my thoughts, you suffocate me, you take my space.)

He goes on: I need to talk to someone alone without another person correcting me and answering questions for me. I’m proud of what I’ve done and I want the satisfaction of talking about it.

So now I’m just someone who gets in the way, says Luisa bitterly.

The phone rangs. It’s Enrique telling them the proceedings are starting again. Let’s go, says Albieri. Now you need me -- to defend you, says the stony-faced Luisa. And she gets in her car and drives away leaving Albieri standing alone in the street.

Marina has been left in charge at Casa Ferrer since Marisa is meeting with her therapist and Lucas, Leo, Marisa and Cristina are all at court. The insufferable Paula shows up and Natalia invites her inside. There’s really nothing Marina or the security guard can do to stop here. Nobody wants to be responsible for provoking Natalia.

Did you bring what I asked for? asks Nati. Paula grabs a decanter of whiskey and taking swigs from the bottle, she follows Nati up to her room.

Marina is over her head. She calls Rosa for help. The situation is about to get worse, she says: Fernando is coming over too! Just at that moment, Andrea walks through the door and Marina passes her the phone. Rosa explains her concerns and tells her:
¡Esa casa está patas pa’ arriba!
(That house is upside down. Literally, paws up.)
Rosa is relieved when Andrea agrees to stay there until Marisa comes home.

Nati is telling Paula about Alej’s visit and how she told him the baby wasn’t his. He has a girlfriend, she says:
¡Que disfrute porque no va a ver a su hijo!
(Let him enjoy himself because he’s not going to see his child.)

When Andrea enters the room, Nati asks her nastily what she wants: Did my mother send you? Andrea says she and Alej were concerned about her. The pregnancy is no concern of Alejandro’s, she says. The baby isn’t his. I’ve been with a lot of men. Tell her, Paula. And Paula confirms: Con media ciudad. (with half the city). Nati turns to Paula and asks: Did you bring the good stuff? Paula pulls out a plastic envelope and Andrea leaves.

Andrea finds Alej at the gym. She sadly confirms what Natalia has already told him: the baby isn’t his. You need to get on with your life, she tells him. The Natalia we knew isn’t coming back.

Escobar is talking to Clara on the phone. She would like a copy of the document he had drawn up requesting that Malicia return his apartment to him. He doesn’t understand why she wants it, but agrees to bring it to the house that night.

Julio overhears Escobar’s end of the conversation and praises him for the absence of rancor. He suggests reconciliation may be in the air. Escobar likes that idea. He’ll take some flowers and wine to Clara’s tonight.

Clara isn’t really looking for a romantic gesture from Escobar. She wants to be able to show the apartment document to Rogelio, Zein and everyone else at Salamandra so they will finally see that Malicia is a money-grubbing tramp. And Carolina agrees: It’s time for everyone to know what a gem she is.

The friends agree that Malicia’s next target is Leo. And Cristina had better watch out – because she’s won over every man she has set her sights on.

Dora is still testifying:
Cuando Daniel nació yo me di cuenta que no parecía para nada a Osvaldo. Todo el mundo lo notó.
(When Daniel was born, I realized he didn’t look at all like Osvaldo. Everyone noticed it.)

As Daniel grew older, he looked less and less like his family. Dra Silvia had gone abroad and there was no one to explain what had happened. The jokes, the rude remarks of strangers took their toll. And Dr. Albieri wouldn’t stop bothering her, wouldn’t let her be simply be Daniel’s mother. So finally, to escape from all that, she took Daniel and she fled.

Outside the courtroom, Cristina asks Luisa what’s wrong. What’s wrong, she tells her, is that she is tired of Albieri’s treatment, tired of being stepped on, ignored and degraded.

Alej and Diana meet up at the beach. She knows he went to see Nati, she starts to say. But he interrupts her and tells her: I came here to begin something. I still love Nati but it’s over. And Diana answers that she will always be there for him. He gives her a cinematic kiss. And she gives it right back.

Credits roll.

Labels: clon

At Juan José's, Asunción tries to convince an irritated Carlos that they're digging for water -- in the kitchen. Carlos is mostly interested in how Matos's trap went awry, though, and gets the old man to explain about the prospective buyer interrupting it.

Medina has Juan José reluctantly sign an agreement to sell his house for $3 million pesos, with an eye to completing the details the next day -- and Medina's other eye on Elsa. He's interested and hopes to see her again.

At the club, Julieta is still peeved with Gabriela, who continues along this line by ticking Carlos off, too. She suddenly won't go out with him again, period, frustrating him. At Juan José's, he disappoints Asunción with news of the house sale; but Asunción succeeds in convincing him to keep digging till the last minute.

Roberto encounters the angry Carlos abusing a vendor on his office phone and relieves him of the need to fire Gabriela with the news the sisters are moving to Baja California. They both decide to get their hands on the girls before they leave; and Carlos will secure a certain wristwatch Roberto desires, if he helps him with a plan.

Carlos relates Matos's intention to put Juan José back in prison for another eight years -- and something weird he encountered visiting Asunción: finding them digging in the kitchen, supposedly for water.

At the tunnel house, Marcos and Susana accidentally tear open the black shoes while breaking in again -- and to their gleeful astonishment find diamonds inside! They know they must be stolen, but think it's ok since they're from L.A.

At Mario's, Bertha irritates Alejandra, haranguing her about Mario possibly dying without a will and leaving them destitute. Alejandra insists David wouldn't let that happen. Later Roberto visits with Bertha and when asked explains David's and Carlos's interest in Gabriela stems from their rivalry, with David's not being sincere. He claims Carlos really has a case on her, though.

Bertha wants to meet Carlos. When Alejandra enters and explains she's going to work, Roberto assumes privately that at that hour she's meeting someone instead. At his office, Carlos phones and furiously berates Matos about the frame-up snafu and wants results.

Medina comes by Juan José's as promised; and while Asunción answers the door, in the kitchen pit, Juan José finally hits pay dirt. His head is swimming with visions of golden sugar plums, as he hyperventilates and bellows up the shaft for Limón. He can be heard from the front door to repeat "We found it!" over and over.

Asunción rushes to the kitchen to celebrate, and then they sheepishly exit to greet a perplexed Medina, both of them grinning and cackling like monkeys. When Juan José happily throws it in Medina's face that he won't sell him the house, the architect leaves, understandably incensed and sorry he ever helped Juan José.

Matos phones the scum bag from his office and rakes him over the coals, just as Carlos visits to discuss their further plan. Matos says but for the accident of the architect overhearing the morons discuss their procedure on the street, it would have worked. Matos promises to think of a foolproof method this time.

The bewigged Marcos appears at a jewelers to fence one of the diamonds, and he's glad to get $10K pesos for it and exits. The jeweler turns right around and phones a faithful customer to come see.

In a visit to Alejandra's office, Medina relates the fiasco with Elsa and Juan José, and she explains the same thing happened to her with them -- and to someone else she knows. Just then Elsa enters to see Mina, but instead gets an invitation to a serious discussion over coffee with Medina.

Back at the jeweler's, the faithful customer is no other than Yolanda. He shows her the exquisite stone he just acquired, which he says is surely stolen -- and offers it to her at the great bargain of $150K pesos. Meanwhile, over a messy table full of food somewhere, Marcos and Susana squabble over how to proceed next.

Asunción and Juan José labor and dream over their treasure pit and pile up 200 bars of bullion, amounting to about 1000 kilos of gold, they decide. Juan José wishes Piedád could share it and remembers he'll buy her gravestone.

Over coffee, Medina explains the house-sale breach of contract; and when he wonders if Elsa's in love with Juan José, she denies it. Despite that, he doubts Juan José is really what she thinks he is. If she wants him to back out of the contract, Medina says, Elsa is going to have to explain the whole story of Juan José to him. She's unsure how much to say, because Alejandra's family is involved in it, which surprises Medina.

David and Gabriela meet in the park, where she stubbornly turns down every option he can pose to keep her in town. He pulls her close, asking in a husky whisper whether she means to just abandon him.

At Mario's, Bertha and Dora have a power struggle over cleaning his office; only Abelardo is allowed in there, Dora insists. Bertha orders her to bring tea, and she exits as Alejandra enters and explains the embarrassment of getting Medina involved in the house-buying fiasco.

After a moment Mario enters, followed by Dora; and when he asks who the owner of the house is, as Juan José Victoria's name is pronounced, Dora's jaw drops open and she lets the entire silver tea service crash to the floor.

Labels: verdad

 Next week I will be out of town and not able to recap, can anyone fill in or post a header for me?


Kristel walks Ilitia to the airport gate. I never noticed before but she’s kind of pigeon-toed.

I think Tia Carlota plans to go back to Spain and she has invited Netty to stay for dinner because “she’s a great lady just like her sister Eva”. Is Marianela going to Spain with her? It kind of sounds like it. Fedra snarls and Axel sits next to her looking blissed out. He doesn’t understand Fedra and Netty’s insults and Netty explains they like to talk in irony. Emiliano convinces Netty to stay of course, and Delicious announces that dinner is served.

Eman corners Mari and tells her they have to talk about the kiss whether she likes it or not. He says it was his fault and he won’t repeat it. They both keep saying they will never let it happen again as they move in for another kiss. Fedra catches them and he pretends to remove something from Mari’s eye. Fedra scowls.

Brandon is at the airport reading a magazine article about guess who? He recalls the night he kissed her. (Brandon, you need to take kissing lessons from Emiliano!) Ilitia walks in, sits down behind him, and spies him reading about her. “Excuse me” she says sweetly, obviously not recognizing him, “may I look at your magazine?” “TU?!??! AQUI?!?!?” they shout in unison.

As Ilitia and Brandon bicker they discover they are on the same flight to L.A. What a surprise!

Nereida brings Spiderus/Bernardo his dinner and sexily accuses him of trying to kill the fatty. (I can’t believe I just wrote that.) He tells her to butt out for her own sake and she thought bubbles “I know it was you. The one with the knowledge is the one with the power and this is just what I was looking for.”

Brandon phones Gretel and calls her his little pickled/salty/sweet fruit candy (caramelita de chamoy) . He’s dying to see his little spicy cherry (ceresita enchilada). This makes her smile. She’s worried for him but he tells her he’s a warrier. She knows where to find him and he’ll be waiting for her call.

Axel visits Gretel in her room and they share a warm and happy hug.

Muñeca thanks Fidel and Flora for hiding the pirated films. They think Lowrenzo should go to the police. He enters and hisses to Fidel he’d better not tell anyone or he’ll kill him. Muneca sez “everyday I know you less and less”. She tells him living with him is a nightmare. She’s just figuring this out?

Gretel is flummoxed when Axel tells her how great his mama is treating him. She wonders to herself, has he forgotten everything their mother has done to them?

Oh God help us, it’s another meal at the toxic table. I hope Fedra didn’t cook dinner. They comment that Kristel has been gone all day. They blather a bit about that Fonseca (Orangey) and Kristel. Tia changes the subject to say how awesome Netty is and she has Tia’s permission to visit Mari any time. She’s a part of the family. Emiliano smiles and Fedra says no way will Netty set a foot in her house.
OK, it definitely sounds like Mari is going to Spain with her.

The Mafiosi show up at the puerta de Porta Lopez to threaten Muñeca, Flora and Fidel. They want their merchandise. Muñeca tells them Lowrenzo is not at home.

Emiliano and Fedra argue about Netty. Fedra’s a total bitch but Axel sticks up for her and tells daddy not to yell at mommy. May I have permission to skip this scene? They are all too mean. Oh wait, Carlota tells Fedra she’s acting like white trash (well, “without class” is what she said). I liked that part.

Fedra accuses Emil of defending his lover. Gretel jumps up and Emil sees the bruise on her face. Gretel says ask your wife who did this to me. Tia and Emil walk Fedra out of the room but Fedra tells them Gretel is lying. She says yesterday Gretel was having a crazy fit and she assaulted Fedra boo hoo. Tia says her niece’s suffering is all her fault. (Why?)

Everyone has left the table except Mari, Netty and Gretel. Gretel tells them that Fedra is a monster and worse than either of them knows. Come one, enough with the veiled references. Spill your guts why dontcha? Gretel gets up as if in a trance and repeats "she's worse" to herself as she leaves the table. Netty begs Mari to leave with her, these nuts are going to kill her. Mari refuses so Netty gives her a bottle of pepper spray, demonstrating how to use it with gusto. She says spray all over, tch tch tch tch tch and then scream like crazy.

Lowrenzo shouts at the Mafiosi for threatening his family so the one guy knees him in the nuts. Can’t say I’m sorry. The other guy says their merchandise had better be in the warehouse or else because The Boss doesn’t like to play games.

Emiliano insists on driving Netty home. He can’t run out of there fast enough. Fedra slithers up behind Mari and grabs her. Mari shakes her off and tells Fedra to bugger off, she doesn’t deserve the love of her kids much less her uncle Emil. Fedra starts insulting Mari and gets a huge stomp on the foot for her troubles. Ouch! She looks shocked and starts strangling Mari and is rewarded with another big stomp on her other foot. This is cool! She starts yowling, hopping around on one foot and holding her other. (Very limber, I’m impressed.) Eman enters and Mari tells him his mother tried to strangle her.

Well well, looks like Gretel has rendezvoused with Oliver. He slaps himself on the face, he can’t believe his little luck. She calls him her love and says she only wants to be with him. “I love you and I’m lost in your love” he coos, kissing her tenderly. Wow, these two are hot tonight.

Fedra’s sitting on the stairs kissing her toes (see, didn’t I say she was limber?) while Eman consoles Mari. (NOT his mother, hah!) He demands to know why Fedra strangled Mari. Fedra denies it but Eman doesn’t believe her. Mari starts to faint and Eman tries to support her, buckling under her weight, but it’s kind of cute.

Kristel runs into the house and almost runs into Nereida who teases her about being pregnant. Something tells me Nereida may not last long with all her insinuations and blackmail. Nereida leaves and Orangey sneaks up behind Kristel and grabs her. Drat!

Oh thank you telenovela gods. Gretel and Oliver are happily making out and telling each other ‘I love you’. The romantic music plays and he removes his shirt. Are they? Will they? Oh my…

Eman wants to make Mari feel better by making her a double hamburger. She tells him her head hurts. They stare at each other and Eman apologizes for…sorry the background music was too loud…and he moves in for a long kiss AND we go to commercial.

Yikes! No romance now, Agent Orange has turned into a violent jack-o-lantern, devilish grimace and all. He throws Kristel down and yells at her for leaving him alone at the clinic. What an ass. He tells her she’d better figure out a way to get rid of the little package and pronto. She gets all pathetic, grabs his waist and begs him not to abandon her.

Eman and Mari finish their kiss, look content, and then look shocked. He stammers, she stutters, he doesn’t know what he feels for her, they are cousins, they are…it’s a mistake she says. More stammering, more staring, wow he is truly smitten. He tells her he doesn’t care, he wants to kiss her and boy howdy he does.

Emil drops Netty off at the house. Will we get yet another kiss? He approaches her, he embraces her, she resists in the wimpiest manner possible, but then she pushes him out the door. Shoot! He shouts that he’s leaving, but he’ll be back.

Back to our inconstant kissin’ cousins and they have torn themselves from each other again. Mari reminds Eman that he’s engaged, he has to go from her room or she’ll leave the house forever. He looks slightly indignant.

We return to our real lovers, Oliver and Gretel, and they couldn’t be sweeter. She never thought she could be this happy. He tells her he’ll never leave her, they kiss and the romantic music reaches a climax…ahem.

Netty frets to Gladiola about her problematic relationship with Emiliano. Gladi says it’s not Netty’s fault, there is an air of frivolity in the house. Netty says she feels it and the two giggle. It’s in the house all right, in Oliver’s room to be exact.

Crazy Fedra Music interrupts our joy and the witch limps (heh heh) in anger as she curses Netty for stealing her husband. Said husband comes home and wonders why she’s limping in her 9-inch heels. Emil is another one who doesn’t believe that Mari stomped on Fedra. Fedra insults Netty and Emil grabs her and tells her Netty is an exceptional woman and he never wants to hear her refer to Netty in that manner again! She gets weepy but he doesn’t fall for it. He stalks off to bed, telling her he’s tired of listening to her stupidities.

It’s the next morning and Mari wakes to the memory of the passionate kiss with her cousin. She tells herself it can never happen again. She looks next to her and notices that Gretel isn’t there. (I guess they are sharing the room.)

Delicia knocks at the door. Mari plumps up the pillows to make it look like Gretel’s in bed and then gazes longingly at the breakfast tacos before asking herself where could Gretel be?

She could be under the loving gaze of her amante, illuminated by the morning’s first light. Oliver still can’t believe it and he asks “Are we novios?” Gretel tells him “Of course we’re novios you boob, do you think I do this with the whole world?” Then she becomes frantic, her mother will kill her. Oliver calms her with a kiss and assures her that if Fedra lays a finger on her he’ll take her away from that house forever.

Los Angeles – Ilitia signs for her room service as we hear a familiar naco voice creating a scene in the hallway OF THE SAME HOTEL. Hey they only have one hotel in L.A., just like in the DF. Her plate spills all over her expensive frock. He grabs a napkin and tries to wipe her off. And she lets him.

Back at the Porto Lopez abode Flora is untying Muñeca. They hope nothing bad happened at the warehouse. Hopefully Lowrenzo is dead or at least severely beaten and Fidel is just fine.

Fedra is enjoying the ubiquitous glass of OJ found in all telenovelas and cursing Emil for sleeping with his back to her thanks to Netty. Spidery twists the knife by pointing out that Netty is pretty…and young. Fedra pounds the table. Eman joins them. He kicks Spidery out and pointedly asks Fedra if Chema and José Manuel Sevilla are the same person.

Tomorrow: Spidery injects something nasty into a chocolate. Maximo tells Eman that he’s not a Ruiz y Teresa.

Labels: llena