Caray, Caray!

Labels: eva

Last year: Muñeca was trying to do a spot about the missing Christian, remember? And Eman was soothing Ilitia with a kiss which made MariVicky hit the roof. Ilitia was glad to see that MariVicky actually hates Eman, and Brandon asked MariVicky if maybe she’s jealous.

All new year, all new hijinks! Here we go! Ilitia tells Eman he’s the boss after all, and shouldn’t let that Spaniard get under his skin. In an unforgivable invasion of privacy (if you ask me, not if you ask Ilitia, apparently) Eman has asked his secretary to bring him the number of a shrink, which he shows to Ilitia while the secretary is still standing there. Ilitia protests that she doesn’t want to talk about it, but then says she’ll go just for him. He invites her to go out to lunch, then tells his secretary, who has been standing there undismissed all this time, to cancel his afternoon appointments.

On her way out to go change, Ilitia shoves Mauricio, who has just walked into the studio. Eman reminds Mauricio that he no longer has any business at the agency. Mau says he needs to talk to his dear brother-in-law, but Eman says no thanks and takes off.

Kristel is sobbing on Lorenzo’s shoulder that Mau doesn’t want to marry her – and here if he did, it would solve all the problems with Emil. He doesn’t realize what he’s losing! Lorenzo soothes, her, but his hugs begin to seem like something different. He tells her that she ought to think of somebody else, somebody who would treat her like the princess she is. He strokes her arm and kisses her hand and devastated Kristel begins to get the creeps. Lor pulls her close and kisses her cheek when – oh joy! – Muñeca walks into the office.

Good-hearted (and blind) Muñeca makes a beeline for Kristel and wants to know what’s wrong. Lor explains that Mauricio just dumped her, and, after some soothing noises, they both leave her alone, Lor giving her a last retreating eyeballing.

Kristel thinks for a few seconds (going for a record, good girl!) then bursts into tears again.

Back to MariVicky’s office, where she is telling Brandon that she hates Eman for what he did to Marianela. Big deal, says Brandon, Mari used to say similar stuff, and then Eman would talk her back. MariVicky tells him that that Mari, the soft-hearted sucker, is gone for good.

Brandon observes that Vicky and Mari seem to have mad in common. Has Vicky suffered a broken heart perhaps? Wouldn’t she like to fall in love and settle down? Vicky says she did have those dreams once, but apparently love isn’t for her. Aw, don’t say that, sez nice-guy Brandon.

Eman is editing the footage of Muñeca’s appeal when Mau comes in saying he’s not leaving without talking to Eman – he thought up the campaign and can’t be thrown off of it. Just then we (and they) overhear Lor and Muñeca talking, I guess carried over a live microphone on the empty soundstage. Lor shows Muñeca Christian’s chain, and says Garduño’s people have him. All he needs is $3 mil to get the kid, and of course he wants Muñeca to know that she’s not in this alone. Muñeca says they won’t even have to go to the bank – she has the money the Lirio stole from Mau – right in the house.

Mauricio’s eyes bug out, and Eman, for his part, rolls his.

MariVicky tells Brandon she was bad hurt, she was a loser in the game of love. He gently
tells her that life is for sharing, and…. he would love to share his life with someone like her. He walks across to her and kneels beside her chair, then tells her he would like her to think of him as more than a friend. Mari had told him that one day the love of his life would appear, and he thinks maybe that’s what has happened.

Why does our dear Brandon have such a thing for surly women? So much exposure to criminals that MariVicky and Ilitia seem sweet-tempered by comparison?

MV tells him she’s just not ready for a relationship, right now she has to keep her promise. Yeah, to destroy the Ruiz y de Teresa like you said, says Brandon. Actually, she says, I should have said to save Mari’s family, and to do that, I have to unmask Eman and Fedra. Count on me to help you, says Brandon sweetly.

Mau comes in and snatches him away, saying he needs him quick. Alone now, MariVicky looks big-eyed sad, and her lashes look like beetle legs, they’re so gummed up with mascara. Good thing she didn’t have to do any weeping for this scene.

Outside the office building, Muñeca and Lor are excitedly telling Eman they know where Christian is. Here comes Mauricio dragging Brandon along and announces that he can get the stolen money. Eman gingerly explains to Muñeca and Lor that the microphone was still live and they heard everything. Brandon wonders what the heck’s going on. Eman says it was something to do with somebody named Garduño or something. Brandon turns to Mau accuses him and Garduño of being behind all this.

It’s a bit later and the police in their menacing black gear are outside guarding the R y de T offices, while down at the station Muñeca is being interviewed by the comisario and Oliver. She explains that she should have said something about the money, but Mau told her he was going to give it to her orphanage anyway. We see that Fidel is there too.

The comisario tells her it’s stolen goods, and she gets a little tearful saying she just couldn’t give it back, and she doesn’t want to now, so she can use it to save her little Christian.

Fidel’s cell rings and he says it’s Flora and he’ll take the call outside the office.

Back outside the house, we see Eman taking a call while Ilitia takes her time getting out of the car. Fidel tells him that Brandon is interviewing Mau and Lorenzo - no solid developments. Ilitia arrives and tells Eman she’s going to get ready for her appointment with the shrink – she wants to get better to be the wife in body and in soul that he deserves.

Into the house she goes and Eman hears odd squeaking noises. It’s Benigno in camouflage, complete with face paint, trying to become as one with the shrubbery, something like a big fuscia plant accented with ferns anchored to his helmet. He says Bernardo and Fedra are after him and he heard them saying something about the money Luis Felipe left for his daughter and it seems like they’re going to take it away from Mari.

In the break room, Andre is trying to ask Doris out for a drink before the next shoot, who says Jackie could come in on them and burst into flames, incinerating them all. How come a womanizer like him goes with somebody so jealous like Jackie? He says it’s not true about him – all gossip.

MariVicky comes in, wanting to know where the hell everybody is. Andre tells her that since neither she nor Eman were around, they’re all on hold. MV throws a fit about having to do everything herself, there’s a shoot that afternoon. Andre tells her Eman took the afternoon to be with his wife. MV throws another fit.

Doris thinks maybe she should talk to Mari alone and sends Andre off. Mari shoots off some “lo odio!” fireworks after which Doris reminds her that Eman is the boss and can do whatever he wants. Mari raves on about how unprofessional he is and Doris sings Brandon’s little tune: she’s jealous.

Brandon has both Mau and Lor in an office and he’s telling Mau that he knows he was in prison with Garduño, and yes, he hears him saying he’s not his right-hand man and he has nothing to do with him. Okay, but this is about the life of a child. Lor eyes Mau gloomily. Mau says he doesn’t give a rat’s patoot about that, he wants his money back.

Lor bolts out of his seat and grabs Mau, furiously demanding that the money go to him. Brandon pulls them apart and yells at them that the money stays with the police. Lor yells back that they gave him only 12 hours to pay. Brandon puts it all together – the Christian who disappeared from the orphanage is his child with Begoña! Mau enjoys a little smile.

Mari tells Doris that her love for Eman is dead dead dead and that sweet gullible Mari is dead dead dead too. I’ll say, says Doris, you could bottle and sell your venom. Mari, calming a little, asks her to understand that Eman tried to poison her. Doris says no matter what, Mari’s still in love with him. More big-eyed, big-lashed sadness on Mari’s part.

Lor is frantic to get the kid from Garduño. Say it! says Brandon. YOUR kid! My son, confesses Lor, who begs him to hurry. He’s sure Mau knows where Garduño has the boy, but Mau just says he (Mau) wants his money back.

Brandon’s on fire: You paid Begoña to leave the country with her child! How is it that he’s been here the whole time, in an orphanage, no less, huh? HUH? What happened to her? Answer me!

Back to Benigno the Bush. Eman thought that Luis Felipe left Tia Carlota in charge of that money, which must’ve passed to Mari when Carlota died. Apparently not, says Beningo, he heard Fedra talking about putting it into a luxury resort in Cancun. Eman swears he’ll get that money back to Mari.

Muñeca tells Fidel to go to the house with the comisario and get the money. Alone with Oliver now, she despairs of getting Christian back. She shows him the chain that she thinks Garduño sent to show he has the child. Oliver looks at it and recognizes it as the one Gladiola bought for Begoña’s child. Muñeca is surprised, and says Begoña is her friend and…. The wheels in her brain start turning. Or make that the reels start turning, because it’s flashback time. Begoña at the restaurant table sarcastically saying she’s Lor’s mistress, the call from his mistress (she recognizes that voice!) Lor’s enthusiasm about adopting the boy. Her conversation in which she chose not to tell Begoña who Ilitia’s true mother was because there are secrets that remain secret even in the best friendships.

Back to the present and Muñeca says Dios mio! Christian is Lorenzo’s son!

Brandon is demanding to know where Begoña is, but Lor says he’s just as surprised as Brandon is. The door bursts open and in comes Muñeca. Lor steps toward her for a comforting hug, but she flies at him, hitting at him and yelling that Christian is his son with Begoña. He retreats, crushed and tearful, and Mau has a nice laugh at him, saying You thought you could away with it, didn’t you? Infuriated, Lor jumps forward, and shoves Brandon aside while snatching his gun from his holster. He levels it at Mau and says he’s going to kill him. There’s general chaos in the background, but he’s still pointing it at Mau as we go to ad.

Things are a lot quieter in Emil’s office, at least for the moment. He’s telling MariVicky that Mau’s off the campaign and that the separation papers have to be signed today, so would she mind going to Mau’s? She takes a fit, wondering why a messenger couldn’t be sent, and why she has to run around on errands like this if Eman can take the afternoon off to fart around when they’re supposed to be shooting an ad. Emil assures her he’ll have everything all ready for her when she gets back and that she’s the only one to take care of this task (though I’m mystified as to why that’s so). Anyway, she slaps a smile on and says of course she’ll do it. She’s very responsible, unlike the boss’s son. Off she sashays.

Now Brandon has pulled another gun and has pointed it at Lor, telling him to drop the one he has pointed at Mau, but Lor isn’t giving up. He tearfully confesses to Muñeca, without taking his eyes of Mau, that Christian is the son he had with Begoña. Muñeca agonizes that they were lovers. Mau tells him not to shoot, because then Brandon’ll shoot and there’ll be two of them dead, does he want that?

(Fiction alert, if you missed the earlier months of the show.) Lor confesses that he was going to go to Italy with Begoña and their son. Why didn’t you? demands Muñeca. He weeps that Garduño killed her to get at him, that’s why. Garduño wanted to hurt Muñeca too.

He bawls that he spent the past two years thinking Christian had died the same day as Begoña. Still holding his gun to cringing Mau, he says the reason he couldn’t be in the car with his daughter on her wedding day is because Garduño called him to the prison to tell him that he son was alive – he had been abandoned in the street when Begoña was killed.

The comisario and Fidel enter Muñeca’s house where they have found the door unlocked. They hear moaning cries and find Flora and Manzanita tied up. Flora says some men came and took the briefcase. Cut to Dandy, or his accomplice - I forget what name goes with which guy, with the briefcase, caressing the money and saying how glad Mau will be that he found it. He’s saved Mau’s life!

More long confession/explanation from gun-pointing Lor. He explains that he hired a detective to find the boy, and he approached Mau because it’s no secret that Mau works with Garduño. Mau found the boy in your orphanage, Muñeca, where you told him the story and showed him the chain, right? He’s the one who took the chain and told Garduño. Thanks to him my son’s life is in danger.

Forgive me, begs Mau, who doesn’t give any compelling reason why Lor should. Lor growls at him to confess, or he’ll shoot him. Mau says he’ll talk, but he wants Brandon to give him immunity in court for everything he’s about to say. If Brandon can promise that he won’t go to jail for his involvement, he’ll say where the child is.

Mustachioed Gretel is in Netty’s kitchen, making a sandwich and thoughtbubbling out loud that it’s better everybody thinks Manolo is gay, and boy, poor Axel, what he must’ve gone through. Guess who shows up! You’ll never guess! Okay, everybody already guessed right last week in the comments: it’s Delicia. Mano is surprised and says Delicia, ¿Qué haces aquí? (Bingo! Only ¾ of an episode into the new year and we hear that immortal line.) Delicia is taken aback that he knows her name.

At the big house, Fedra is vamping down the hallway, Nereida at her side. Fedra thinks it’s splendid that Delicia’s gone, and tells Nereida it’s too bad she’ll have to do twice the work.

Eman shows up. You tricked me, he says to his mother. You got Mari’s Luis Felipe money and you didn’t tell me. Where is it, hmmmm?

Delicia demands to know how Mano knows her name. He quick fudges that Mari showed him a lot of photos, and he noticed her, how pretty she is. Delicia, who won’t take any guff off anybody, tells him to mind his manners. He assures her he’s gay, everybody knows that. Bull hamster, she says. There are men who pretend to be all swish and the next thing you know, they’re all over you. I’m not buying.

Netty is just finishing up a telenovela scene and afterwards her lawyer congratulates her. She tells him she doesn’t feel comfortable with the character, which seems more and more like Fedra. You’re nothing like my mother, says Axel who somehow has arrived on the set. She apologizes. Don’t worry, he smiles, but I have something important to tell you.

Eman is still trying to weasel information out of his mother. He thought they were accomplices! For once actually looking around to see if anybody is listening, she whispers that he didn’t keep up his side of the deal, he was supposed to get Mari to marry him and instead since she’s left all he’s done is whimper around like a whipped puppy. You’re the one who has let me down! You have all these feelings for that lump of fat. Eman tells her that they were talking about money, they ought to focus on that.

She’s furious because instead of the two of them having a lovely toast to the money they got from Maximo, he blabbed that that money was intended for Mari. Finding that will was like manna from heaven for her. You fooled me, confess it. You never were interested in the money, you never did want to break open that piñata, did you?

Ilitia tells the nice psychologist that there’s nothing he or anybody else can do to help her because that guy’s face is burned into her brain for the rest of her life.

At the station, Mau is signing his testimony. At his side is Garduño’s mob lawyer (won’t he blab to Garduño?). Brandon tells him if what he told them isn’t true, and the child isn’t found safe and sound, his immunity is off. Mau tells him he has the address, knock himself out. Brandon swears that he’ll get him behind bars. But not today, says Mau, making a kiss at him. He leaves and Brandon stews. The comisario tells him to calm down and focus on the child. Oliver and the others are waiting.

Fedra tells Eman that even if he’s not on board, she’s looking out for the best interests of her adored son. He begs her say she didn’t take Luis Felipe’s money for him. She tells him that was the plan, but no luck, so his fatty can roll around in pesos after all.

Then Eman brings up that it’s fishy that she took a trip to Switzerland, a trip that coincided with Carlota’s death. Fedra feigns shock that he would suspect her. Eman asks her to swear she didn’t go to Madrid to see Carlota before she died. She swears. He asks her where she’s gotten the money to invest in a vacation resort. She assures him that she’s just a minor investor mixing in with some powerful people. That answers your question, doesn’t it my love? she says, stroking his face, then quick beating a hasty retreat up the stairs. Eman looks after her and thoughtbubbles that he knows her and he’s not going to rest until he finds out what she did with Mari’s money.

Avances: In a restaurant, Emil proclaims his love to Netty and kisses her. A paparazzo snaps a photo. In the office, Mari tells Eman it looks like he’s going to try to kiss her again. Not me, he says, because you want it more than I do. She grabs him and kisses him.

Labels: llena

Capítulo 1: In which an innocent is betrayed, a sinner is cloaked in piety, and a lot of skinny girls get work.
Present-day Mexico City:
Fireworks. Fountains. We are at a high-end fashion show in an exclusive mall. It’s all very glam and energetically percussive. The beautiful people behind the scenes are getting ready to strut for the beautiful people in the audience. A fortyish blonde runs around putting out fires in a back-stage atmosphere that is breathless, frantic. She glances at her watch and thinks:
Victoria debe estar por llegar.(Victoria must be about to get here./She’ll be here any minute now.)

The scene shifts to a church, an image of the Virgen de Guadaloupe. An elegant, dark-haired woman prays for her daughter’s return.
Tú eres madre como yo y conoces el dolor de todos estos años.(You are a mother like me and you know the pain I’ve suffered all these years.)
This is Victoria. In her prayer, Victoria blames herself for her suffering: she should never have become involved with a man who was of the church. She moans: Juan Pablo!

Twenty years ago:
By crying out his name, she seems to have conjured the past. For now we are with the young seminarian himself. He is holding an image of Christ while another voice – older and harsher – calls out: Juan Pablo!. The door to his study opens and we see an imperious figure radiant in ecclesiastical purple. It is Bernarda, Juan Pablo’s mother. She reminds her son he is chosen, privileged. He deflects her praise. He is just one seminarian among many. No, she insists, he is unique, special. He is her salvation and his vocation as a priest will save her soul. (Not to put any pressure on him or anything.) She kisses his hands, she touches his face, she embraces him. It’s too bad he has to go to Monterrey to buy her a ticket to heaven.

Her quasi-incestuous rapture is interrupted by the entrance of Juan’s father, Octavio. (Eduardo Santamarina). Bernarda’s expression sours when she sees him although Juan’s face lights up with pleasure. Octavio has his doubts about his son’s vocation. He asks:
Juan Pablo, hijo, desde el fondo de tu corazón, ¿realmente el sacerdocio es tu vocación?(JP, from the bottom of your heart, is the priesthood really your calling?)

Octavio reminds him how limited his life has been: he has never had a girlfriend; all his life his mother has wanted him to be a priest. He pleads with his son to decide for himself. What does he want? Bernarda looks on and fumes.

The scene shifts to the kitchen where young Victoria, now a family servant, is wrapping a farewell gift, a small carved crucifix for Juan Pablo. She is with an older servant, Tomasa. [In this age of High Definition TV, it takes a certain amount of viewer goodwill to accept forty-something actors playing late adolescents. But with a twist of the old beanie, I’m there. Besides, I’ve been a fan of Ruffo’s ever since she triumphed over that bunch of Looney Tunes in-laws in La Madrastra.]

Victoria has the task of picking up JP’s seminary clothes from the tailor, but when she gets to the shop, she finds Juan Pablo has beat her to it. He obligingly gives her a ride back to the house and on the way he quizzes her on her times tables. We learn he has been her tutor. She was illiterate when she first arrived and he has taught her everything she knows. Well almost.

In the car, Victoria timidly gives him his gift and tells him how much she’s going to miss him. He dries her tears and tries to reassure her, telling her she is a very talented girl, capable of doing whatever she sets her mind to.
Time warp back to the present:
Fashion Diva Victoria is still in the church lamenting the sin of loving Juan Pablo. Her penance: losing what she most loved – her daughter.

Meanwhile… the show must go on. When Victoria enters, she is instantly in command. The blonde assistant breathes her relief. This is Antonieta, faithful friend and colleague. She knew Victoria would be there on time, she says. She passes a cloth doll with dark pig-tails to Victoria. Hmmm.

Victoria is checking out every detail and wants to know who chose the accessories of one model. They are all wrong! It was Antonieta’s decision but her male compañero takes the rap for it and agrees to make the changes Victoria demands.

You stopped at the church to pray, didn’t you? asks her friend. Victoria tells her she goes to that same church whenever she can:
Me he encariñado con una imagen de la virgen de Guadaloupe que está ahí.
Durante tantos estos años le he pedido que un día me haga el milagro de volver a ver a mi hija.(I’ve grown fond of an image of the virgin of Guadaloupe there. For so many years, I’ve asked her to one day grant me the miracle of seeing my daughter again.)

Antonieta, momentarily losing sight of telenovela plot conventions, suggests it might be time for her friend to forget the past. Never, says Victoria. And above all, I will never forget that heartless (despiadada, sin piedad), Doña Bernarda Ituribe.

Yeah well Bernarda the Church Lady doesn’t see herself as despiadada. Even now she is reading from the Psalms:
Mi alma está pegado al polvo; reanímame con tus palabras.
(My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.)

But her pious exercise is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She calls out crossly to the servant:
¿Quién es Tomasa?...(Who is it Tomasa?)
And then smiles delightedly:
Juan Pablo, hijo!And I have to say, except for a little bit of stubble, he still looks pretty frisky twenty years later.

Elsewhere in town, the fashion show proceeds, the models appearing appropriately anorexic and edgy and the rich, snooty crowd duly appreciative. An assistant tells Victoria that the show is nearly over and they will be waiting for her on the runway.

But just before Victoria walks out, Antonieta shows that she is a true friend. She says something that Victoria may not want to hear:
Pay attention to your husband and family or one day you might get a nasty surprise. Osvaldo is a very attractive man!
Cut to a bedroom scene. The indeed very attractive Osvaldo is in bed with an equally attractive woman. The action is hot and heavy.

Cut to a pensive Victoria holding and stroking the ragdoll.

We’re back with Osvaldo again and… Wait! It’s only acting! Osvaldo is a galán in a telenovela and they have just shot the final scene. He hops out of the bed, undies still on, and now we see the tv crew all around him.

Back at the fashion show, we catch a glimpse of actress Helena Rojo sitting on the sidelines holding a bouquet. Then it is Victoria’s moment. She glides gracefully down the runway as the crowd stands and applauds. In a nod to telenovela royal lineage, Rojo, who last played the Ruffo role, presents a bouquet of red roses to the current Reina.

At home, Bernarda is having her own moment of joy. Juan Pablo has been transferred from Monterrey back to Mexico City and he will have a parish close to home. Says Bernarda without a trace of humility:
No cabe duda que Dios me premia por mis buenas obras.(There’s no doubt that God is rewarding me for my good works.)

His mother leaves Juan Pablo to get some rest. In a room filled with religious imagery of all kinds, it is the small carved crucifix that Victoria gave him so many years ago that catches his attention.

His mind wanders to the night of his farewell dinner (cena de despedida)--

--and the winsome Victoria, white ribbons woven into her dark braids.

He also recalls an unsavory incident from that night. As the guests are leaving, one woman lingers and tries to seduce the virginal Juan Pablo. She teases him for his innocence and inexperience. He tries to edge away but she continues to taunt:
No me tengas miedo -- no voy a comerte…aunque ganas no me faltan.(Don’t be afraid of me – I’m not going to eat you… not that I wouldn’t love to!)
Immediately Mother Bernarda is there to defend him:
Patricia! ¿Te la pasaste bien?(Did you have fun?) asks Bernarda as she smoothly takes the wine glass from the woman’s hand and tries to lead her away, reminding her that foremost among the vows Juan is to take is that of chastity. The resourceful Patricia manages to plant one on Juan Pablo before Bernarda ousts her more forcefully. Afterward he wipes his mouth, seeming more confused than disgusted.

Sweet Victoria, the image of purity with her beribboned braids, her little black maid’s uniform trimmed with a white apron, collar and cuffs, steals into Juan’s study and tearfully leaves a note for him.

A moment later Juan enters the study – apparently fresh out of the shower – and finds the note. He looks particularly fetching with that devilish lock of hair falling over his forehead. He smiles as he reads the note and then looks for Victoria to thank her for it. He finds her weeping. He gently wipes her tears away and tries to get her to tell him why she’s crying. I can’t, she says, it’s a sin. He smiles:
No creo que tú seas capaz de ningún pecado. Eres tan buena, tan dulce.(I don’t think you are capable of sin. You are so good, so sweet.)

He confides that he has never before been so close, physically, to a woman and he feels so comforted by her presence. He needs to talk to someone, he tells her. She invites him to share his anguish with her. He can tell her anything. He says:
Me estoy despidiendo de un mundo para entrar en otro.(I’m saying goodbye to one world to enter another.)

She is pained by his leaving, she tells him, and she weeps on his chest. He is about to close the door on material things, he says. And yet:
Hay cosas que no he vivido, que no he sentido.(There are things I haven’t lived, that I haven’t felt.)
Sometimes, he continues, they say we should experience a normal life before taking our vows, to test ourselves, just to be sure... I wanted to be pure, I wanted to be chaste…

But oh my. Things are getting warm in here. That nasty Patricia seems to have lit the pilot light under Juan Pablo’s reservoirs of carnal desire. And now alone with the adoring and naïve Victoria he feels things he has never felt before. They kiss tentatively at first, and then with more conviction.

Bernarda goes into Juan Pablo’s room and is satisfied to see his clothes laid out on the bed. She’d be less smug if she knew that the owner of those clothes was in Victoria’s little room. Testing himself. Just to be sure.

When he finally returns to his room, a bit out of breath, his mother is waiting. In the dark. She senses he looks different somehow and asks him what’s wrong. He confesses he has begun to have some doubts. Maybe his father was right…

Octavio happens to be passing by his room and overhears this conversation. His face brightens at the idea that his son is thinking for himself. But inside that room, Bernarda’s mouth hangs open in horror. She manages to convince him he is just nervous and confused right now. He was born to serve God, she tells him. And he ends up agreeing with her.

We see Juan Pablo kneeling, holding the carved crucifix, and praying: Perdóname.

And Victoria sits on her bed in her chaste white nightdress and prays: Dios mío, perdóname, perdóname.
It is the following day and it’s time to say goodbye. Octavio again asks his son if he’s sure of his decision. After all, he says:
El celibato lo inventó el hombre y no Dios.(It was man, not God, who invented celibacy.)

When Juan Pablo answers that yes, he is sure, Bernarda can’t suppress a triumphant smirk. Victoria watches from her window as Juan Pablo and his father drive away to the airport.

Monterrey, 20 years ago:
So the time you spent away from the seminary confirmed your vocation! says the priest as he welcomes Juan Pablo back into the fold. Well sort of:
Necesito confesarme cuanto antes. Soy pecador, un gran pecador.(I need to confess right away. I’m a sinner, a terrible sinner.)
In the confessional he admits to carnal sin. The priest tells him that since he has not yet taken a vow of chastity, the sin is not as grave as it might be. But are you sure this is what you want to do?
Present-day Mexico City:Juan Pablo holds the small carving and thinks of how he has prayed for Victoria all these years. He kneels, begs forgiveness for his sin and asks that Victoria be blessed, wherever she may be.

As it happens, she is back-stage after the fashion show, holding her roses, savoring her moment of success. Antonieta suggests she call Osvaldo and invite him to join her. But she doesn’t have to: there is Osvaldo himself holding out a single red rose to his wife. And the couple leave together for a private celebration.

They are dining in an intimate restaurant, rose petals strewn on the table. Osvaldo tells her they should do this more often, that lately she’s almost obsessive about her work as if she is using it as a way to avoid thinking about something. I love you, he says, and I need you. She answers:
Tienes toda la razón. Te he tenido muy abandonado. Perdóname.
(You’re completely right. I’ve been neglecting you. Forgive me.)

Then we see them in bed together, a loving couple, entwined.

More Scenes in Present-day Mexico City: Salt of the Earth Division
El Mercado:
An elderly woman – this is Milagros – is picking out her fruits and greens when she is approached by a woman who needs help. Milagros, thinking it is an affair of the heart, reassures her:
Nunca falta un roto para un descosido.(There’s someone for everyone or literally: there never lacks one who is torn for one who is ripped.)
But that’s not the problem. It turns out someone cast an evil eye on her taco place (taquería) and Milagros agrees to take care of the problem with a cleansing ritual. She has an interesting skill set, this Milagros.

The Firehouse:
In a friendly card game, a young fireman wins the third hand in a row. The game is forgotten when the alarm sounds and all slide down the pole, grab their gear, and are off to the rescue. When the young guy grabs his stuff, we see his name: Juanjo. And he calls his older friend ‘Don Napo’.

The Taquería:
Milagros is performing a complicated procedure involving bunches of grasses, spitting in the face and breaking eggs. Ni me lo preguntes.

Back up the Social Ladder:

The Gym:
Osvaldo is working out, and pretty strenuously, when a friend comes along to remind him they have a breakfast date. Osvaldo ducks out for a quick shower. As soon as he’s out of earshot the friend hisses:
¡Maldito! Crees que mereces todo! ¡Si tú supieras cuánto te odio!(Damn you! You think you deserve everything! If only you knew how much I hate you!)
So I’m thinking he’s maybe not such a close friend.

We get to peek at Osvaldo soaping up in the shower. Big fellow.

Victoria is working at the Casa de Moda when she gets a call from Osvaldo inviting her to join him and his good buddy Guillermo for breakfast. But she has to beg off. She’s preparing the benefit show she does every year for abandoned girls (niñas abandonadas). He teases her that she should do a fashion show for the benefit of abandoned husbands. But he’s just kidding, he loves the way she worries about the needs of others.

Bernarda’s house, the dining room:
This lady definitely does not love the way her son worries about the needs of others. When she hears that Juan Pablo plans to devote much of his pastoral time to abandoned children, she says (and I’m not making this up):
No, tú no tienes porque dedicarte tanto a los demás; tú tienes que dedicarte a mí – rezar por mí, por la salvación de mi alma!(No, you have no reason to dedicate so much of yourself to others; you have to dedicate yourself to me – pray for me, for my salvation!)
She goes on: I’m your ma and you owe me!

Juan Pablo tells her he prays for her all the time but also for the sick, the poor, the homeless. And besides her soul doesn’t exactly need saving.

The servant Tomasa enters the dining room and Juan Pablo asks her if she knows what has become of Victoria. Tomasa says his mother is the one he must ask and politely leaves the room. Bernarda’s face shuts down. To his insistent questioning she finally answers that Victoria quit her job as soon as he left for the seminary – the ingrate! They never heard from her again, but she expects she married some guy and probably has a houseful of kids. I hope she’s happy, says Juan Pablo.

Meanwhile Tomasa is back in the kitchen fuming. If la señora Bernarda won’t tell him the truth, she says, I will – even if it costs me my job!

Tomasa’s thoughts travel back to that time twenty years ago when Juan Pablo had just left for the seminary:

Victoria is crying and Tomasa is telling her she should never have set her sights so high. Bernarda comes into the kitchen prepared to fire Victoria, but when Victoria tells her she knows how to sew, Bernarda decides to try out her skills. She asks her to alter a very fine blouse. If she damages it, she is out. Victoria passes the test and soon she is at the sewing machine taking care of all of Bernarda’s clothes. Like Snow White, she pricks her finger, but this witch’s venom doesn’t act instantly.

While Juan Pablo prays in the seminary in Monterrey, Victoria is Bernarda’s slave in Mexico: she cleans, she dusts, she polishes the car. And Bernarda stands back and smirks.
Five months after Juan’s departure:
Juan Pablo is serving his God and Victoria is serving Juan’s parents. Coffee, that is. Victoria isn’t feeling too well. But Octavio is feeling even worse. He has an attack of sorts -- it looks pretty scary -- the doctor is called, and he is diagnosed with very high blood pressure. He is to be given drops morning and night. The precise dosage is crucial. Too much could be fatal.

While the doctor is attending his patient, Victoria comes in to tell Bernarda she has a phone call. Then she falls in a dead faint. The doctor examines her and announces his diagnosis: Victoria is pregnant.
Bernarda goes berserk:
¡Maldita infeliz! ¡Desvergonzada! ¡Habla de una vez! ¿Quién es el padre de ese hijo?Damn you! You have no shame! Speak at once! Who is the father of that child?
She slaps the young girl so viciously that she falls over; and finally she tells Bernarda what she wants to know:
Juan Pablo. El joven Juan Pablo es el padre de mi hijo.(Juan Pablo. Young Juan Pablo is the father of my child.)
For no reason other than to make us all feel better, we end with a scene of William Levy paddling his kayak.

Labels: triunfo

Santiago admits Mario knew Márta, but hastily distracts Gabriela with the theft of the cuff link. When he posits Adolfo sent someone to seek the infamous shoes who stole only the trefoil instead, Gabriela is busied with phoning Julieta to see if she ever remembered where she lost her keys that day.

But Julieta can't recall, so Gabriela hangs up and returns to the topic of Mario and Márta; but his stress relieved, Santiago has time to invent a story of Mario being taken with Márta's beauty on one single occasion of seeing the theater troupe.

Asunción attracts Mina to Juan José's on an architectural pretext to ask her help finding the extortionist's helicopter. He plays her the video and must divulge the reason for it, which Mina doesn't like the sound of. At Mario's, David and Santiago discuss Gabriela's name problem; but Santiago refuses to reveal the truth.

At Adolfo's condo, Yolanda reports Carlos's desire to return to work; and if Adolfo asks nicely, he may give him the ring. At Leonardo's, Paula lobbies for him to make Julieta his wife to take care of Paula, at which the dad must affectionately lay a few ground rules. For starters, Julieta's not even his girlfriend yet.

In Puerto Vallarta, deliciously anguished Juan José sees Alejandra's dainties laid out on the bed and needs a nano-second to think about joining her in the shower, where he makes her a very happy woman. Back in the D.F. at the club office, harried Adolfo sits amid messy stacks of paperwork, just waiting for Carlos to arrive.

When he does, Carlos declares he wants his life and his office back, where he'll take care of business as usual. All Adolfo wants, Carlos insists, is not to see him -- which they can arrange; and Adolfo agrees. He earns enough to live elsewhere, but there's one other condition.

Carlos jumps to conclude and refuses to partake in Adolfo's clandestine deals; but Adolfo merely means the trefoil ring. His son was loathe to return it as the regretfully single affectionate gesture he thought his father had ever made. Before Carlos returns it he relates how he never understood Adolfo's hatred for him.

He's not the loser Adolfo always accuses him of being; he's always worked hard and tried to make his father proud. When Carlos suggests earnestly they try to get along better, without insults and hostility, Adolfo agrees -- but not without the ring. Ring in hand, Adolfo clasps his son's shoulder on the way out.

Back at Juan José's, Mina phones around to learn to what office to bring a photo of the helicopter's model and registration number for identification. During a companionable stroll on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Garnica charges Zaida with promise of good pay to cozy up to Juan José and learn his plans.

Mina impresses Asunción by printing out a helicopter picture from the video on Juan José's computer and assures him Juan José and Alejandra won't mind her taking time out to go and have the aircraft identified. It makes her angry to hear of the blackmail.

Gabriela phones Julieta, and after learning she spent the whole day with Leonardo and Paula, wishes Julieta wouldn't mention recent developments to Leonardo, even though he offered to help Santiago and doesn't think he's guilty either; Santiago wants Adolfo to be proven guilty.

Speaking of which, Julieta explains Carlos's visit of the other day and suddenly becomes enraged realizing Yolanda knew all along. Julieta's intending to brace her on their next meeting, and Gabriela is just squelching that when the doorbell rings, and it's Leonardo asking Julieta on a date to the movies.

Julieta happily forgets to mention it's Gabriela on the phone and hangs up on a "friend" in a hurry to get back to him. Bertha meets Adolfo exiting the club to bring him Mario's doctor's name; and he convinces her to visit the doctor to learn the reason for her uncle's care, before leaving Bertha to stay and visit Carlos.

In his office, Carlos doesn't need to be buzzed twice to admit Bertha; and when she wants a kiss in greeting, newly daring Carlos knows just how to thrill the thrill seeker. After threatening the receptionist with no admittance -- especially his father, Carlos and Bertha get busy right there on the premises.

Later in his apartment, Carlos promises an ecstatic Bertha that this is only the beginning. When she regretfully must take leave of her artful lover in favor of his father's house, Carlos becomes irritated at the reminder; and she must explain Adolfo's just helping her, and nothing's going on -- for the moment.

So before Carlos drives her home, he wants to put his stamp on her one more time. Far away in Puerto Vallarta, Garnica introduces Zaida at the business lunch as yet another investor; but Mauricio assures Juan José there are enough profits to go around -- and also prevents Garnica co-opting Elsa as his own secretary.

During a tour of the marina, second-most important only to Los Cabos's, Zaida lags behind to eavesdrop on Asunción phoning Juan José about the chopper. She feigns horror at his blackmail tale of losing $10 million pesos -- incidentally the sum total of her net worth she claims -- until he insists he was just teasing her and actually intends just to buy a helicopter.

After Alejandra pointedly repossesses Juan José from the blonde, Garnica draws Zaida aside urgently to spill what she learned; and she hears Garnica decide to rid himself of the chopper right away. In Carlos's car outside Adolfo's condo building next morning, Bertha can't prevent herself from asking Carlos if he's a smuggler.

Surprised, Carlos suddenly claims it's the truth, after learning Adolfo alleged that; and decides they shouldn't be seen together on penalty of Adolfo ordering him killed. Annoyed at her connection to Adolfo, he dumps Bertha out like a sack of potatoes; but not before suffering a quick farewell peck.

Back at the beach hotel, while playing "airplane ride" with Caramelo, Chicles decides he needs more manly accoutrements than her girlie luggage and goes to find a handcuff-chained briefcase instead. Out in the breezeway, he notes Garnica enter his hotel room with just such a wonder.

In his suite, Juan José is hanging up with Garnica calling to arrange a business dinner when Chicles appears; and after some requisite roughhousing, he lobbies Juan José to buy a briefcase -- so he can lend it to Chicles, of course. He's not to keen to hear Juan José planned to buy him one anyway -- for school.

Chicles planned on selling gum for a living. Over in his suite, Garnica urgently calls Valentín and charges him to get rid of the chopper -- destroying it if necessary -- and to claim it was done three weeks ago already. Outside, Chicles reappears at Caramelo's with a briefcase "chained" to his wrist with a necktie.

When she teases him about the tie, Chicles rushes out in a disgruntled huff. In the breezeway, though, he ducks behind a corner and watches Garnica drop his room key on the ground after using it, distracted by kissing Zaida goodbye for the moment. Chicles bounds over a planter to retrieve the card; and while Garnica showers, enters.

Stealthily, the boy makes off with the infamous security case and returns with the genuine article this time to impress Caramelo. Instead earning him a threat of tattling to Elsa, Chicles rushes out again to return the case. But in his haste, it pops open, spilling the contents out on the ground.

After shoving the papers back in, Chicles quickly replaces the case in Garnica's room, him none the wiser. But outside on the sidewalk, Chicles spies one last thing he missed -- a letter, which he retrieves to show to Caramelo. Claiming he found it on the beach, as she holds it up, it plainly says: …I am the mother of David…

Labels: verdad

Capitulo 151.
Read k-Fuego’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.

1. Caro observes that Lety is doing better, but she still needs to think through her problems. Luigi is working Irmita to exhaustion. Saimon looks into a computer science night school course so he can get a promotion.

2. Tom sees Lety and Ali leave Conceptos at the same time. In his fantasy, Lety smacks him and takes the car keys and his money from FI, so Alicia is no longer attracted to him. He flirts with Ali as he helps Lety into the car. Lety’s bitterness is splashing onto Tom now too.


 
3. Fern follows Tom and Lety to Le Noir and spies on them, hiding behind various people. Seeing them together drives him nuts. Lety lays into Tom for going out with her enemy and making her look like a fool. Lety thinks she sees Fernando, and she confirms it with the parking attendant.

4. Lety tells Tom he can’t resign, and she holds it out as a test of their friendship. Tom declares how important their friendship is to him. They stage a hug for Fernando’s sake, and he nearly explodes.

---

Capitulo 152.
Read Alma’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.

1. Fern follows Lety and Tom do out of the restaurant. Tom asks her how much farther she’s going to take this; she’s driving Fern nuts (desquiciar). She says she’ll stop when he stops playing games with her, and she doesn’t know what extremes he’ll go to, to get the doctored balance and save his company. Lety says Fern knows she doesn’t care about money, so he promised to cancel the wedding after the meeting, but she knows it’s another lie. He can’t cancel the wedding and he doesn’t want to.

2. Tom doesn’t answer Ali’s call. Lety warns that Ali only wants his money. She warns that Ali will hurt Tom the way Fern hurt her. Tom says that he knows Ali only wants his money, but this is the only chance he’ll ever have with a woman like that. He’s living a dream and he’s not willing to miss it. (Sound familiar?)

3. Lety’s heart softens a little, and she lets Tom go on his date, but with three conditions: No more lies, don’t give Ali even a peso, and don’t promise her anything because this is a game he will have to abandon soon. She tells him to enjoy the short time he has, but don’t let himself get hurt. Ali calls again and Lety laughs through their entire call.

4. Lola tries to talk sense into Paula. If she loves Saimon, quit chasing the ricos. And if she doesn’t love Saimon, quit leading him on and breaking his heart.

5. Fernando confronts Lety at her door, quaking with jealousy. See the transcript. He says he saw her, caressing and hugging Tom. Lety says he has no room to talk, since he spends almost every night at Marcia’s, and not exactly sleeping. Fernando tells her earnestly that he hasn’t touched Marcia nor any other woman since their first night together. She says she doesn’t believe him but you can see she wants to. He’s dying to kiss her and she almost lets him, but Pop interrupts him.

6. Tom arrives at Alicia’s apartment, and she fakes a call about her car. She sheds some tears and he says he will find a way to get her the money.

7. Mama tells Lety that if she’s not going to tell her the truth, don’t tell her anything. Lety says she has to make important decisions. She knows her life must change, but she’s afraid she doesn’t have the strength for what she needs to do. Mama says that change is always frightening, but Lety has the strength inside.

---

Spanish Lesson

Fernando Confronts Lety
Tom drops Lety off. Fernando stops her cold. He’s quaking with jealousy.
L: Listen, Tom & I are very close friends.
F: Sí! Buenisimos! Even something more than friends, it seems to me.
L: We’ve known each other since we were small.
F: Claro, and you played doctor too, right?
L: You know we had a fight.
F: Yes. Over a woman. An Oxigenada. Try to tell me no!
L: No. Over FI money.
F: Yeah, you clarified things amid hugs and caresses...
L: Y’know what? You don’t have any room to criticize me. You come to my house spying on me and my friend, but you’re kissing Marcia at the office. And you go to her house almost every night. Not exactly to sleep. Your complaints don’t sit very well with me.
F: (Very clearly, so she doesn’t miss a word.) I have not touched Marcia again. Leticia, since you and I were together the first time, I have not touched Marcia again, nor any other woman. You don’t believe me, do you? Well, that’s my problem. It’s what is eating me from the inside. (Lety hangs on every word, slackjawed. A part of her believes him.) I am not able to make love with any woman who is not you.
L You don’t have to give me that line, Don Fernando. I know very well the conditions of our relationship. Don’t lie to me! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need some sleep. I have an early morning tomorrow, to work on the balance.
F: (He pulls her back again, and trades places to show his good.) I swear it. I swear by what is most sacred in my life, which is you, Lety, that what I’m saying is the truth.
L: Yes. Of course.
(She tries to turn away, but she can’t resist him. He almost kisses her, but Pop comes out, ready to deck him. Pop asks if he was yelling at Lety.)
F: No! I was singing!
Pop: Let me tell you something. I don’t like how you sing, not one bit.
F: Well, coming from you, Don Erasmo, that’s.. that’s.. Thank you!

Labels: fea-2010

Hi Folks: Feliz Año Nuevo-Happy New Year!!!!

Labels: alguien, aurora, fantasma, telemundo

Happy New Year to all you denizens of Caray Caray. May the coming fifty-four weeks be filled with rippling abs, bulging biceps, heaving bosoms, long legs, unbuttoned shirts, tight pants, short skirts, deceitful husbands, cheating wives, switched infants, comas, amnesias, cute smart kids, even cuter and smarter animals, steamy kisses, long showers, tasteful gratuitous sex and violence, bad wigs... well, you know what you like... hurry home each evening to see... then on your coffee break the following morning, feverishly consult the computer to discuss, dissect, and deride.

Soy Tu Dueña has wrapped, no new episodes of anything on Friday, so it's a good time to catch up on the goingson in India and Brazil, and let's also take a side excursion to Dubai since the most interesting couple in this TN is currently residing there. Unfortunately, there are not enough board certified recappers available for this show to be featured daily on Caray Caray, but it is, after all, almost certainly the most colorful and lavishly produced TN currently available here in the USA, so an occasional update here is not unwarranted.First let's see what the principal characters have been up to. As you recall Raj (handsome son of a wealthy Indian family) fell in love and mated with the skinny Brazilian girl, Duda (there must be an interesting story behind her parents' choice of that name) and she had high hopes of spending the rest of her life as an Indian princess... but Nooooo... Raj's old-fashioned parents had other plans for their brooding brown boy. He was roped into an arranged marriage with the pampered, gorgeous daughter of a similarly wealthy family.


Poor bastard. More about his plight later.

Duda's EPT turned blue (no rabbits were harmed in the detection of this pregnancy) and she turned even bluer when Raj announced his change of plans before she even had an opportunity to announce the joyous news. She considered, signed up, and even skipped breakfast for... an abortion. As she was donning the fashionable hospital gown, she had second and third thoughts, "Do I really want anyone to see me in this getup?" and bolted like a frightened bunny leaving the clinic with the little bun securely baking in her warm oven. Her BFF, Kiara , never a big Raj fan, was dismayed but supportive so... on to plan B.... wait till we have a bump to show off, then off to India to shake down Raj's family.

Raj married Maya in a modest week-long ceremony which I described in the Who's Watching India? He vaguely remembers Duda and their fun times together but that was then and this is now so let's make the best we can out of being married to perhaps the most beautiful girl in all of India... sacrifice for tradition. And sacrifice he did. He gritted his teeth and consummated his union with Maya... "Hey dude, that wasn't half bad! Duda who?"

In India, Duda and Kiara make their way to the fabric shop to begin negotiations with Opash who is devastated by the news that some of his Eastern genes have found their way into a Western womb and are busily doing their part in weaving a little bit of Indian silk into the fabric of Brazil. Having heard somewhere that the best defense is to be offensive he wonders aloud if his precious Raj is indeed the babydaddy... could be any one of the boys from Ipanema. Duda quickly offered DNA testing to assuage his doubt. Not understanding such things, Opash offers money... lots of it. He just doesn't want his happy family bothered by a little detail such as a bastard child. When she balks, he even offers to assume the child's paternity himself. Kiara thinks that a satisfactory deal can be reached so they return to Brazil to await a visit there from him.

The family priest, Pandit, who is adept at astrology sees an illegitimate child in the stars for the family, so Opash fesses up that he is the father of said child. His wife Indira is humiliated and vows to starve herself. After she flees to the bosom of her own family, he chases her down and admits that Raj is actually the culprit and that he is sacrificing himself to maintain harmony. She is utterly charmed and more in love with him than ever. The rest of he family is stunned but pleased by the reconciliation.

After an eye-opening trip to Brazil by Opash, further negotiations are pursued but he returns home with no final deal being struck. Duda makes a number of calls to India and even talks to Raj but does not reveal the pregnancy... yet. She also talks to Maya who is very jealous and sternly orders Duda to leave her man alone.

Maya, however, as you may recall, has a much bigger problem to deal with. She came into the marriage with luggage of her own in the form of a little bun in the oven placed there about two months too soon to pass off as Raj's. Her mother, upon learning the truth is scandalized but, like any good mom would... she hatches a plan with some rural kin whom she has aided in the past and who owe her big time.

Ladies, the best place in the world to be pregnant may well be India. While Duda busies herself with the mundaneness of day to day, Maya lounges about getting massages, soaking in a perfumed bath, snacking on sweets, having oil rubbed on her stretch marks, and watching the little girls and other women dance. If this were Raj's child, she wouldn't have a care in the world.

Apparently, with the first child a bride returns to her family around the seventh month so her mom can help with this difficult time and with the birthing. Before she leaves there's a little party in which everyone in both families takes turns adoring her, sprinkling flower petals on her belly, giving her gifts, feeding her sweets, and regaling the fetus with family lore. All in all, pregnancy's really not a bad gig in India.

But Koshi has a plan. "Don't unpack your bags," she tells Maya when they arrive home. Maya's all "¿Qué the Hell?" Joined by Harima, they pile into a cab and head for the boondocks. Good thing, 'cause Maya goes into labor upon arrival


and quickly (and rather easily) gives birth to a bouncing baby Dalit
.
Koshi takes the baby and gives him some honey (this is not a good idea, by the way) which is usually Daddy's job (again, honey is not recommended for infants). Maya holds and adores her child even as Komal and Raj, after discovering that Maya and Koshi have gone country, hurry to catch up to them.

They arrive in a tizzy, but melt on seeing the baby, even as Maya's demeanor goes dark. "That's not my son," she grimly mutters as a premature infant is passed amongst the gathered in-laws who have arrived as well. Yikes!

Raj wants to arrange for an ambulance to take the baby back to the city where there are doctors and nurses. "Not gonna happen," Koshi warns, "The kid stays here for ten days... punto." Now everyone is scowling, but Maya's scowl is the most toxic. What the heck does Koshi have up her sleeve? A double infant swap?

Meintras tanto, Duda is having her child under more familiar (to me) circumstances. Delivery room, blue drapes, bright lights, stainless steel, Dr., nurses... reminds me of my days abirthin' babies.

No swaps, no honey, no Ganges water. What to name the little critter? Maya had planned on Nihash Her friend Aida thinks that is not a good idea, too Indian. Hey, his daddy's Indian... oh, I see, that's the problem?... nevermind. Maya thinks Nihash... Enrique. Kiara thinks Enrique Nihash... ... Next!

During the past few months, Bahuan has been chasing the dollar and nursing a grudge. He set up business in the USA. He returned to India to retrieve Maya... failed. Stayed to open a restaurant (out of spite, next door to Raj's family's fabric store)... failed. Now he is in Brazil setting up a business deal with the Cadore family who are already doing business with Raj. He is insisting that Raj be in on the negotiations. He is consumed with a desire to humiliate and ruin Raj. Raj, meanwhile, is too busy being a daddy to Bahuan's son, who, for the moment anyway, has been swapped out for a more creditably premature stunt baby... Next!

Sylvia, Raul's widow is feuding with Ramiro, Raul's brother, who is trying to evict her from her home. Meanwhile Yvonne has stashed Raul in Dubai and has returned to Rio to help out her BFF, Sylvia, with her problems. She begins the aid by doing a little cleaning. She cleans all the money and Sylvia's jewelry out of the safe in Raul's study, leaving it spotless... and empty, just in time for the locksmith that Sylvia has called to open the safe (Raul died without leaving the combination for Sylvia). Oops, time for Yvonne to head back to Spain, busy, busy, busy, you know. She does tell Sylvia that it was probably the family's faithful housekeeper/cook who emptied the safe. Ondina is offended and quits, prompting Señor Cadore to leave as well, taking Ondina with him. while Ramiro helps out by cutting the power lines and water to the house.

Murilo, who has a thing for Sylvia and has already been helping her with business concerns, offers to let her stay at his place... temporarily, of course. She, who has lately been seeing him in a new light, reluctantly agrees... temporarily, of course.

Ramiro's son Tarso, who is pretty but crazy, has reached critical mass. He is hearing voices and has gone fetal. At Señor Cadore's request Dr. Castaño has been helping but Tarso's mom Melissa, a card carrying ditz has discovered and ditched the meds. His novia, Tônia, is very supportive and very much in love


but is discovering that Tarso is a long term project and very high-maintenance. There's still time to run away from this nightmare, sweetheart.

Ramiro has his problems. His feud with Sylvia is escalating. His son Tarso is deteriorating. His wife, Melissa, copes by keeping earplugs stuck in both ears. She is a real hoot, but can't come to grips with the fact that Tarso is deeply afflicted, denying that he has a problem. His dad, Señor Cadore has decided to move in with Ramiro and his family and has brought Ondina with him. More and more Ramiro is turning to his personal assistant Gaby for comfort and now realizes that he has a lustful interest in her. She shares this interest, but feels like he needs a therapist more than a mistress right now.


I'm disappointed because I thought that he is a faithful husband and that she is a loyal friend to Melissa. Oh well...

Ravi, Raj's little brother is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Camila, his computer-novia, to arrive in India with her sister and friend. He's hoping to put them up at the family manse, but that looks about as likely Osama bin Laden playing a shepherd in next year's Christmas pageant. In fact Amithab has the family priest/matchmaker looking for a suitable wife for the lad. He wants to preserve Chanti's virtue (he found her studying in a locked computer room at school with a little boy... kids these days!) by marrying her off, but because Ravi's older, he must marry first. Sorry Ravi, fair's fair.

In Dubai, Humberto is alternatively exuberant over his exciting new life and wistful over the old one with a loving wife and family. The grass is always greener... Well, it may not matter much because I don't think Humberto/Raul is destined to walk this earth for much longer. As I've said, I think that Yvonne has long-term plans for his money and sort term plans for him. While she was away helping his widow, Sylvia, he busied himself by purchasing a condo. "Good boy! Now sit! "
Meanwhile, the Motta girls, Camila, her sister Leiña, and Raul's daughter, Julia have a layover in Dubai and have decided to check out the city. Will they run into Raul... er... uh... Humberto and Yvonne as they explore? Well, the show is still young, sooo... maybe not, but you can bet they'll come close.

César, Camila's dad was arrested for non-payment of child support after his first wife filed a complaint. His current frisky wife, Ilana, enjoyed showing Opash Rio de Janeiro's points of interest while he visited, maybe just a bit too much, he was scandalized when he found out she is married, "Are baba!" César's churlish son Zeca is still a bully prompting a PSA concerning... bullying.


Must be a problem in Brazil as well. César did agree to foot the bill for the girls' Indian excursion.

I realize this is complex and confusing. There are characters I have not mentioned. If there is anything that I've omitted that you would like to add or correct or to ask about, please feel free.

Friday's episode had a live performance at the dance club of the romantic theme of Maya and Bahuan, Não Se Esqueça De Mim, by Nana Caymmi and Erasmo Carlos.


Earlier in the week Ademir (our more compliant schizophrenic) helped Dr. Castaño in his quest to win over Suelen by suggesting that he dance with another lady. He did and Suelen became jealous and broke in. They make a cute if vertically mismatched couple.

At the end of Friday's show it was announced that we are entering a nueva etapa (a new phase). If you've not been watching, this is a good time to jump in.

Carlos

Labels: announcements