Caray, Caray!

Labels: no-podia

It was nice having Comedy back for a little while, wasn't it? Well, it's taken off again.

Part One: Another wedding ends in tears; lust loses its lustre

Lupita has a heart-to-heart with Tomás about his New Luke. She explains that she didn't break up with him because of his braids and his dirty mechanic hands, but because he cheated on her. Tom is crushed.

Pepe tries to get the neighbor to move his car, but the neighbor is hostile and tries to punch Pepe. Pepe easily ducks the blow and busts the guy's face. Then he asks the guy again to move his car.

Enzo asks Chela if she's still in love with Pancho. She says she'd be lying if she said she felt nothing for him. Enzo takes this to mean that there's no hope for him, but she tells Enzo that he's made her very happy and brought her back to life. She loves being at his side. They kiss.

Night. Pepe is cleaning out the fridge. There's a chicken, some ground beef, some leftovers, more. He sniffs each stinky item and makes a face to assure us that he's not throwing away good food. Monica sobs on the bed (just think how much worse this would be if there was spilt milk, too). He's sad that he's not making her happy, and she's sad that everything's going wrong and she's not living up to his expectations either.

Next day: Preparations for Adoración's wedding. For the women, this means fitting Ado's dress. For the men, it means dancing with a mop. Wow, these folks really know how to party.

Next day: Pina's detective gives her a phone number. Pina says it'll break Ado's heart, but the ends justify the means!

Time passes.

Now Ado is in her gown, with her hair up and a nice makeup job. She looks almost completely different except for those trademark bangs! She's a little worried that Pina was so upset before about her getting married, but Pina lies and says she's accepted it. She ominously adds that she knows what's best for Ado. Ado thanks her. Argh. I don't like the way this is going.

At the Casa Popular, Chacho is asking Chato if he's going through with the wedding "in spite of..." when Pancho overhears and wants to hear in spite of what. The Cha-migos play dumb and don't reveal anything.

We're at the church. Rebe's hair is puffy and nice. Chucha and Goya are gorgeous. So is Lupita, for the first time since her own wedding day. Speaking of which, I'm feeling post-traumatic stress just watching her. This can't be easy for her. How can she stand it? Everyone else is glowing, except for Chato, who looks like he's going to be executed; and Pina and Goya, who are still conspiring.

The priest tells the onlookers to speak now, or forever hold their peace.

I feel compelled to point out that this is normally a rhetorical question. Only in fiction is it necessary to wait for a reply. In this case, the reply is a pregnant woman in a yellow dress, accompanied by a little boy who cries "Daddy!" Chato is impactado. Chaos ensues. Fred asks Pina what's going on. She pretends to be as surprised as everyone else.

The woman, Lulu, says she's Chato's wife. The boy hugs Chato's leg happily. Lulu explains in a jumble of English and Spanish that they are married and have a kid, with another on the way. She's got a piece of paper to prove it. Chato mumbles with embarrassment.

Ado is heartbroken. Pina ushers her out of there with Ado's mom. Meanwhile, Lulu asks Chato to explain himself, but she ends up doing most of the talking - or at least enough to reveal that Pina was the one who put her onto his trail. (Lupita is holding the crying son. Wow, they bonded fast!) She chews him out and drags him away by his mustache and/or nose.

Goya mutters in self-satisfaction. Suspicious, Chucha asks if she had anything to do with this. Goya denies. Pancho scolds Chacho for keeping Chato's secret. (Pancho keeps poking Chacho angrily, and there's a sound effect to let us know that it's funny. But I'm not really feelin' the funny.) Pancho tells him that keeping Chato's secret is just as bad as what Chato did. They both played with Ado's feelings. He tells Chacho he'd better have learned his lesson.

Vice and Candy are at the new apartment. She's thrilled to see that he's had it furnished. (I guess she doesn't share my enthusiasm for picking out her own furniture.) He says this love nest will be like their honeymoon and her wish is his command. She wastes no time hopping into the bed. Later, he gloats that everything in the room, even the air, is his own. He tells Candy he can't move in until the divorce is final. She reminds him that he'd told her that he was willing to give everything up, but suddenly now he's in no hurry. Anyway, there's no reason for her to worry, because Pina put an alarm in their bedroom to keep him on his own side.

That does not make Candy happy at all. She's much angrier to know that he's still sleeping in the same bed with Pina! She reminds him of how he once told her they weren't having sex, either, and then Pina got pregnant. What if the "alarm" doesn't work and Pina's in the mood and he can't resist? She can't believe him. And this apartment doesn't even really belong to her. She doesn't have anything. She'll believe him when he shows her the lease with HER name on it. (I'm not sure how that will prove his credibility, but at least she'll have an apartment!)

Ado is crying at home. Pina confesses that she had Chato investigated. She didn't tell her before because Ado wouldn't have believed her. She'd have to see it with her own eyes. (I think it would have been nicer to try telling her first anyway, rather than humiliate her at her wedding. Call me crazy.)

At Avon, Pancho warns Chacho not to toy with Sandra's feelings like he and Chato did with Ado's.

Still in her wedding gown, Ado drunkenly sweeps the floor and sobs. Pina seizes the broom and tells her to take a bath. Ado says all men are awful, just like Vince. Pina says one thing has nothing to do with the other, but Ado wants payback. Pina tells her to calm down, but instead Ado quits and walks out. "I did this for your own good!" Pina shouts after her. "So you wouldn't leave me, so you wouldn't get hurt!" (Nice work, Pina!)

At Avon, Elena flirts with her new boss some more. She's wearing an outfit that proves that Avon has no dress code whatsoever, or else has the same dress code as the pole-dancing joint she threatened Pancho with. She leans waaay over the guy's desk and pushes her boobs together with her elbows and tells him she'll be right back. Then she slowly prances to the door in her heels while he enjoys the view. (He turns his family photo over in shame!)

Ado goes home crying to her mother, who misunderstands and thinks she's been fired. Regardless, she wants Ado to sober up and go back and apologize to Pina. Don't let that big mustache guy ruin her life.

Chacho gives Sandra a lollipop and asks her to dinner. She makes a face. "Am I that ugly?" he jokes. "Even uglier!" says Vice, who scares him away. She tells Vice no, she hasn't been seeing him. He says she'd better not. This seems to pique her interest!

Moni's neighbor (whose busted nose and lip are miraculously healed) and another guy approach Moni's car and smash up the windows with baseball bats. I guess she should have paid extra for the glass breakage alarm.

In the apartment, Kari is telling Moni about the Fred incident when the doorbell rings. Moni admits she's jumpy because of Pepe's altercation with the neighbor, but it turns out to be a delivery - a living room and dining room. (Yet another woman is deprived of the privilege to pick out her own furniture.) It was sent by her mother.

At the office, Lambi (Beto) is having a meltdown. Financially, they're two days behind schedule. Pancho is angry. Rebe calls. He tells her to come to his office because he has an idea to deal with the loan. Before she can leave, though, she gets an email from Mike, which she deletes unread. Then Susana the wedding planner shows up with pictures of a venue and sample invitations.

Vice whines to Enzo about Candy, but Enzo agrees that Vice shouldn't still be sleeping with his wife. Vice says it's the principle - it's HIS house, HIS room, and HIS bed. Enzo reminds him that they're all in Pina's name. Vice complains that Candy has changed.

There's someone at Pina's door, and Ado isn't there to answer it. Pina thinks it's probably her, but instead it's Meli's friend Ramona, wanting to know when Mely is coming back. She wants Mely to come back there to live, and she wishes she could have an aunt like Pina to call her "Amors." Pina tells Ramona that God sent her here like an angel; "I lost my baby, but now I have you." They hug and cry. Ramona asks Pina to tell Meli she misses her. Then she leaves. Pina thanks God for sending her this sign.

Phew. I was afraid for a moment there that Pina was going to hide Ramona in the basement and make her sleep in the baby's crib.

God sends Pina a second sign: Adoración. She's still drunk, but says she came back because Pina can't live without her. Still humbled by the joy of Ramona's visit, Pina welcomes her back.

Moni's doorbell rings again. This time it's Enzo, who asks about the furniture - he thought they didn't want any help. Moni says they didn't get a chance to explain that to her mother - she just sent the stuff over. Then he asks why all her car windows are broken.

Pancho pays Pina a visit. (He calls her Fina; she calls him Rancho.) He apologizes to Ado for what Chato did. She says it's not Pancho's fault; it's just how men are. Pancho promises that they aren't ALL lying cheaters. Pina says he's the exception. Ado asks him to let her know if he sees Chato. Pina lets her have the rest of the day off.

Candy and Vice are together at a restaurant, but she's still angry about him sleeping in Pina's bed. She gets up, and he begs her not to leave. She's only going to the bathroom! But in the short time she's gone, he catches a glimpse of a tall, glamorous woman and falls in love "for the first time since I was a kid." Sigh. He sends the waiter over with his phone number and a mash note. Candy returns just in time to see them making googly eyes at one another.

Part Two: Some wounds can't be cured with Concha Cream

Candy informs Vice that the woman he's been staring at is Mónica's crazy mother Violeta. She smacks him with her handbag and abandons him in the restaurant. He follows her out (after acknowledging Violeta) and she accuses him of playing some kind of macho game, trying to seduce his friend's ex. Vice says it's not like that at all.

Moni is hysterical about her vandalized car and is sure the neighbor did it. She wants to call a wrecker to haul the car away before Pepe comes home - if he sees her car like that, he'll kill the neighbor. She's getting more and more wound up, and Enzo can't talk her down.

Tom and Pepe are shooting some pool. Pepe teases Tom about his New Luke. Pepe calls Moni. She pretends nothing is wrong. He can tell she's lying and decides to go home. Moni cries and tells her father she can't take it any more.

Chato is drinking. Pancho lectures him about hurting Adoración and his son. Chato says things hadn't been going well with Lulu; that's why he came to Mexico. But he hasn't missed any of his payments to her or anything. They didn't get divorced because they wanted to split up for a while and see how it went. He insists that he's in love with Ado, though. He thought he'd talk to Lulu and Jr. later. And now that Lulu's pregnant, he doesn't think he should divorce her now. He vows never to fall in love again.

Ana asks Fred what happened with Karina. She's been acting weird at rehearsals ever since she ran out of there the other night. Ana begs Fred not to lie. "Well, I guess she likes me," Fred lies. No, she didn't tell him, but what does it matter since he loves Ana? That's not what worries her - what worries her is that Kari's in charge of her choreography, so she's going to have a talk with her tomorrow. Fred looks worried.

Elena's new boss, Cristian, is on the phone with his wife, saying he'd love to be with her in Cancún but he's gotta work. He hangs up and Elena helps him with his coat and offers to have dinner with him some evening since he's going home to an empty house and probably doesn't have anything there to eat. He takes her up on it and says they'll go out tomorrow night.

Elena is soooo pleased with herself. Just think - if it all works out, she'll be the envy of all her friends, married to a grody middle-aged divorced man while they all date hot young guys their own age.

Pancho goes to Rebe's with a stuffed Pancho doll. She loves it. He entertains her with a lame joke and they make out. Rebeca's phone buzzes on the desk. It's a text from Mike: You haven't answered your phone and emails. I guess Mike is slow to take the hint.

Moni is sulking on the new couch, which is still wrapped in plastic, when Pepe comes home. He asks about the furniture and where's her car? She says she sent it out for maintenance. He doesn't think they should keep the furniture. She gets angry and says she has some rights and she never wanted to refuse any gifts, she just went along with Pepe but now she thinks they should welcome all the gifts they're offered. Bring 'em on. Pepe doesn't think they need them. She tells him to take his pride down a notch, because she does need them. She's not used to being miserable. The furniture stays.

She goes to bed and gives him the cold shoulder. He says he could tell something was wrong on the phone, but she won't tell him what happened. She cries, but says she just wants to go to sleep. No kiss. Pepe flashes back to Pancho's advice never to go to bed angry or without kissing her and telling her he loves her. That will make the anger go away. Pepe realizes it might not be that easy.

In (Pina's) bed, Vice obsesses over Violeta. His phone rings, waking Pina, who threatens to lock him out of the room. (He walks right through the green dots without setting off the alarm. Impressive.) It's Violeta. She wonders how he knows her name. He tries to make a date with her. She doesn't commit.

Pancho and Rebe look forward to being married soon and spending the night together. He promises to text her when he gets home. Her phone is already ringing. She wonders when Mike is going to get sick of sending her messages. Please let Mike hook up with Violeta and both of them go away.

Kari is distracted, remembering the kiss, when Ana charges in and says "I hear you like my boyfriend." Kari spills the tepache: "I didn't mean to kiss him!" Ana is impactada. Kari realizes she's already said too much! (This tiny scene was split up into three different segments!)

Moni visits with her mother and tells her about all the mishaps since she moved in with Pepe. She can't handle it. Violeta says Pepe will probably leave her, because sometimes love isn't enough. Their backgrounds are too different. Disappointed, Moni said she came here for her mother to cheer her up. Whether it's true or not, she doesn't need to hear that they might break up. Violeta follows her out and promises not to say anything more about Pepe. Moni barely gets another couple of sentences out before Violeta starts making snotty comments about "those people in the multifamily homes." Moni says it's only this one obnoxious neighbor. Violeta suggests that the two of them - she and Moni, that is, not Moni and Pepe - go to San Diego. Moni says she can't leave Pepe and she doesn't want to lie to him. Violeta tells her to think about it. (I hope that when Moni thinks about it, she remembers how Thelma and Louise ended.)

Moni leaves, and Violeta gets a call from Vice, which she doesn't answer.

Fernanda returns home to her mansion. Lupita is wearing a coat that's buttoned at the top. Temo asks Fer if she's cured. She says the doctors are optimistic, and now that she's among family she feels the will to live. She gets all misty when Lupita calls her "abue." Temo tells Candy he loves Fer like a grandma. (They're laying it on really thick!)

Fred tries to talk to about Ado about the wedding, but is interrupted by a call from Ana. "So you kissed that slut Karina and didn't tell me. I hope the two of you will be very happy. I never want to see you again!" She hangs up before he can say anything. She shakes Kari and tries to storm out, but her manager shows up and says he doesn't care about her problems, the show must go on, there's a lot of money on the line so they'd better get to work.

Pancho and Rebe are at the wedding planner's. It's clear that they have very different ideas about the ideal reception (type of music, number of guests, food...) but instead of arguing about it, they both say "whatever you want." I'm not sure if that gives their planner much to work with!

At the office, Vice tells Enzo he met Violeta and he likes her. (Seriously? We don't have to wait for months before Enzo finds out about Vince and Violeta? Score!) It doesn't make any more sense to Enzo than it does to the rest of us, but I guess Enzo is used to this sort of behavior from Vice. He warns Vice that she said she's still in love with him and that she's dangerous. Vice brags, "I know how to handle women." Enzo thinks it's more like the women know how to handle him. Vice says they're having dinner today and he wants to know all of her favorite things.

Lupita thanks Fer for sending the nice letter and kind words. Fer says she knows just how it feels to lose someone like that. FINALLY she tells her story: It was a married man. She was foolish and inexperienced and he said all the right things. She had a baby, and gave him up for adoption. She's never forgiven herself.

Lupita doesn't know what to say. Fer says it's enough that she listened and will keep her secret. She feels better just having confided in her. Lupita says she can always trust her, and please let her know if she needs anything. (She still has her coat on, buttoned around the neck.) "You're welcome... grandmother!"

Rebe and Pancho talk about business for about 10 seconds and then talk mush again. She rejects another call from Mike, but doesn't tell Pancho. He can tell something's up, though.

Fred asks Moni and Pepe for help with Ana, because they're his only friends. He swears the kiss meant nothing. Pepe isn't encouraging.

Fred goes to the dance studio to make up with Ana. She's not encouraging, either. "What part of 'I don't want to see you' didn't you understand?"

Next time:
Fernanda sees Lupe's medallion.

Labels: familia

¡Hola a todos!  Flor Salvaje is now, "Hacia el Gran Final." I still haven't been able to watch any episodes since Tuesday but I checked really quickly this morning to make sure that Enrique hadn't gotten shot. Thanks so much to Novelera for her great recaps of Flor. I've kind of given up on Relaciones Peligrosas but I do read Hombre's excellent recaps and I might jump back in. I can't tell all those kids apart!! Then there's Una Maid. Over to you.

Labels: flor-salvaje, relaciones, telemundo

Labels: no-podia

In which:
Lucrecia strips for inaction
A Fake Mariana fakes out Camila
Pedro paces and pouts
The F-sisters get some wheels
Meester Renato turns on the smarm for El Viral
Doris is ready to reel in the Troll
Antonio and the Troll face off over the Negrete fortune

Recipe for Fresno Hash Brownies

Preparation:

1. Take a dollop of disbelief and suspend. You will need enough for one hour.*

2. Strain credulity well and set aside.*

3. Take 3 or 4 scenes**, approximately 10 minutes long. Pound each one senseless, roll it in a mixture of estupifacientes and cornmeal; fry in lard until golden brown or smoke alarm sounds.

4. Drain well, allow to cool and chop into fragments from 10 seconds to two minutes in length.

To serve:

5. Arrange random fragments attractively on a giant belt buckle, filling in any gaps with frozen close-ups and fatuous flash-backs as needed.

6. Garnish with ripe avocado slices, jalapeños and a splash of chutzpah.

Serves: No one, actually, but there are millions of us gobbling down every last crumb.

¡Buen provecho!

*Those of you already wearing tinfoil beanies can skip to step 3.
**Ready-to-cook ten-minute scenes can be ordered from the Tal*Mart Clichetería.


Meester Smith lays it on the line for Camila.
The plaga at El Alcatraz is someone else’s problem now. If she wants to keep her job, she’s going to El Talismán where they are having production problems. (Snort.) Now that he knows that Mr. Ibarra is married, Smith has no qualms about Camila living at ET. After all:
Son tiempos dificiles.
(These are hard times.)

If she wants to stay at the hotel, no skin off his avocado -- she can pay out of her own pocket.

The Sting, part one:
Renato’s young partner in crime, lovely Rita, she of the minidress and the ravishing smile, stalks El Viral, following her into the salon de belleza. She phones Renato with an update: the lady is ugly, old and boring. Renato, still in his apartment, laments: “Why aren't there more women like Demi Moore?” Tracy -- a bit of a lurker herself – overhears him and puts him in his place: "You know you're not exactly Ashton Kutcher".

Tomás and the day visitors
Camila’s replacement, Tomás, is examining the trees in Alcatraz. The Troll rides up and demands an assessment. “It’s pretty serious, this plaga” Tomás says. “Well fix it!” roars the Troll. “That’s what I’m paying you for.” (I love it when they get all technical.)

Antonio watches this scene and mutters:
Ojalá se caiga del caballo.
(I hope he falls off his horse./I wish he’d fall off his horse)

Valentín explains to the beleaguered agronomist that Don Gregorio doesn’t have a lot of patience. Says Tomás:
Ya me di cuenta.
(Ya think?)

Now Antonio, whiskey bottle in hand, approaches Tomás and introduces himself. “Ah” says Tomás politely, “you’re Don Gregorio’s son!”

“No, no, no, no!” cries the pettish progeny. “I’m not the Troll’s son! The Troll is Antonio Negrete’s father!”

“¿Perdón?”
(WTF?)

Antonio wants Camila’s address but Tomás won’t give it up. Good on you, Tomás!

Camila and Meester Smith – Second Verse, Same as the First.
ff-->>

Pedro is back in the drabbest living room set in Telenovelaland. He tries again and again to find the right words to explain his story to Camila. So painful to watch ... Finally the tía tries to put him (and us) out of his (and our) misery. “Just tell her”:
Me casé para ayudar a una amiga que me salvó la vida.
(I got married to help a friend who saved my life.)

Camila and Meester Smith – Third Verse ...
Smith is so sick of dealing with Camila and her crap, er, I mean emotional baggage, he’s starting to feel some sympathy for the Troll.

The Troll is gloating over getting Camila fired. And what about the mother? Is Valentín sure that El Viral came to Fresno alone? Cuz he does NOT want to see that woman:
Parece muy inofensiva esa mujer pero puede ser muy peligroso. Muy peligroso.
(She seems very inoffensive, that woman, but she can be very dangerous. Very dangerous.)

At that moment El Viral’s thoughts stray to the Troll – “I wonder how he looks – probably a lot older. Hah”.

The Sting, Part Two
Lovely Rita breaks into this reverie. El Viral is obviously a woman of taste – maybe she can help her choose a style suitable for the Annual Filthy Rich Businessmen’s Ball. Her uncle – a VERY IMPORTANT BUSINESSMAN – has invited her. El Viral arches a brow with quiet relish. (Hot dog! How does she do that when her forehead appears otherwise immobile?)

Back at home, Renato is putting on his hunting clothes. The white sweater sleeves tied casually across the front of the pink shirt send just the right message – metrosexual of means. He may deny it but Tracy knows what he’s up to:
Usted no da paso sin huarache.
(Everything you do has an ulterior motive. Literally, “you don’t take a step without your sandals”)

It’s El Viral’s turn for treatment (the kind she wants, not the kind she needs) and she orders the works.

Talk to Her
If you’re thinking Pedro Almodóvar, boy are you in the wrong room. No, this is Pedro Ibarra and the tía in the oh so drab living room. They are ruminating.
(Rumination: 1. The act of pondering; meditation. 2. The act or process of chewing cud (food regurgitated from the first stomach to the mouth of a ruminant and chewed again.)

Now he’s on “lo del cheque” – Camila has to know he didn’t intend to leave her family in the street!

Now tía is fretting about Lucrecia’s likely reaction to the news that Camila will be living at the rancho:
Porque en cuanto Lucrecia sepa que Camila se va a quedar en ET, les va a hacer a ustedes dos la vida imposible.
(Because when Lucrecia finds out C is going to stay at ET, she’s gonna make life impossible for both of you.)

Armando Becomes A Real Boy
Camila huffs and puffs her way through the corridors of the Only Hotel Inn-Fresno™ to Armando’s room. No, she wasn’t fired, she tells him. It’s even worse – she has to work at ET! For Pedro!

Camila’s brother has come to life, a sort of TN Pinocchio. He shows empathy. He asks about her feelings. He wants to help – it’s his turn.

It turns out he is a student. He wants the family to go back to Davis. He can get a job and still continue his studies. Besides he wants to get out of Fresno before he falls in love ...

... with Fabiola, the dark-haired F-sister, who at this moment is hoping for Armando to call ... Que me llame ... (let him call me, please call me).

Florencia, the blonde F-sister, bursts into the room sqweeeeeing with joy. Their daddy is buying them cars! Don’t worry about abuelo, Antonio reassures them. This is a decision he can make on his own.

Tracy phones Camila and they agree to meet in the park. Tracy is so OMG impactada by Camila’s news about working in ET with Pedro that she can’t bring herself to tell her friend about Meester Renato and his peculiar interest in El Viral.

Lucrecia and Doris snipe at each other at the Alcatraz pool. (Clearly, Lu has no issues with her body.)

Alberta takes Lu aside and reports that 1. Camila will be living and working at ET; and 2. El meollo del asunto (the marrow of the matter, the nitty gritty) is that Camila doesn’t know Mariana is missing – she thinks Pedro is living with his wife.

Well. That’s just what Lucrecia needed to know. She picks up the phone and calls “Julie”. She needs a favor ...

False Mariana and Camila, Round One
Camila and Genoveva drive up to ET. A Furious False Mariana awaits and keeps Camila away from the door. No one is taking her husband away from her! Camila protests that she is there to do her job.

The Sting, Part Three
Renato enters the beauty salon looking for his ‘sobrina’ and is dazzled by the splendor that is El Viral. How could he have failed to notice her before? She’s gorgeous. El V, draped in the black plastic salon cape, modestly demurs:
¿Con esta facha que traigo?
(In this schmatta?)
Oho, says Renato – if you’re beautiful like this, when you’re all dressed up you must be dazzling!

Rita is watching and not especially liking what she sees. “Estúpida” she mutters. Oh Rita is going to be trouble!

Renato and El Viral quickly discover the Remarkable Coincidence – Renato’s niece is El Viral’s new friend! He asks her out for coffee ... It is established that she is a widow with a son and daughter. The daughter can’t possibly be more beautiful than her mother, he oozes like a newly lanced boil.

False Mariana and Camila go a few more rounds
Zorra! Quitamaridos! (Husband-stealer)
Hey, I’m just here to work lady!
¡Largate!

... While Oblivious Pedro Fills Camila’s Cabaña with Red Roses
Think of Cinderella and the little birds who helped her with her chores. The ET gang pitches in to make Camila’s room perfect. But even here where the sun shines and the birds chirp gaily, the Negrete sibs cast their dark shadows ...

New Chevy’s for the F-sisters! And Antonio’s buying!
It’s a dream come true for the giggly girls. Daddy looks on indulgently. It was time for him to start spending some of that Negrete money:
Esa carta que encontré de mi madre me da derecho a exigir la parte de la herencia que me corresponde.
(That letter I found, the one my mother wrote, gives me the right to demand the part of my inheritance that I have coming to me.)

The Sting, Part Four
El Viral thought bubbles:
This guy’s not too shabby. I wonder if he’s rich.

Renato tells her he’d better leave before stylist François finishes his magic or he’ll go blind. Huh? Yes, if he sees the final effect, he’ll be so dazzled by her beauty, he’ll lose his sight. Does El Viral lose her lunch? No. “Háblamé de tú” she simpers.

False Mariana and Camila go a few more rounds.
(Camila could take this chick out easy peasy – this Julie girl is no Thighmaster. But no. They just keep yelling.)

Just a few yards away, on the other side of the door, Pedro and tía wonder why Camila hasn’t arrived. Pedro paces and frets. (Rafa, take the writers out for drinks or something. Seriously, man, try to find out why they hate you.)

Antonio gives his deliriously happy daughters three rules:
1. Never speed.
2. Don’t put on make-up or do any texting while you are driving.
3. No boys in the car.
4. No accidents because this subplot involves blatant product placement and the car can generate no negative vibes.

(Well, ok, I made up the 4th rule.)

Both girls are happy to agree to rule one and two. As for rule three, Flo doesn’t even have a boyfriend. But Fabi – well, she met someone...

Did they really say this? Or do I need a new ear trumpet?
Fabi says Dad broke the record when he had her at age 14.

(Yikes! Maybe Dor-is the Hor-is got knocked up by the Troll and then seduced Antonio so she could claim he was the father of her baby. That would explain a lot about his, um, issues.)

He was a fool, he says, and he doesn’t want his daughters to make the same mistake. They are already older than 14, they remind him.

Boring Pedro is still in his boring living room. He tries to make Camila appear by sheer force of will. Doesn’t work. Look out the damn door, fool! You’d see False Mariana grabbing Camila by the arm, screaming that if she had one shred of dignity, she’d leave Fresno forever! That everyone says she and Pedro are lovers!

El Viral has phoned Armando and now she knows Camila has been assigned to work at ET. She’ll have to let Antonio know...

Antonio continues his pater familias scene showing a tenderness and maturity we haven’t seen before. (In fact, one might guess actual writers were involved here.) He won’t get mad if his girls are dating – he might be a little jealous, but that’s normal, right? He wants to be sure any boyfriend is a good person. And he wants to be part of their lives, a person they can lean on.

He’s unhappy because he is married to someone he doesn’t love. But he wants his daughters to be free to fall in love and to choose the men they will spend their lives with.

He doesn’t want them to live the hell he lives with Doris. (Ay, Antonio. Too bad you didn’t stop one sentence ago.)

Why Dor-is is a Hor-is and not, say, an astrophysicist
Doris and Mme Brigitte sit in a park-like setting, presumably the gardens surrounding the bordello. Doris knows her suegro wants to boink her, that is to say, Catherine.

Well wasn’t that why she came there in the first place? asks Brigitte.

On the contrary, explains Doris:
La idea era que mi marido me deseara.
(The idea was that my husband would desire me.)

But then she realized that if Antonio ever saw her in the bordello, it would give him the ammunition he needed to divorce her.

The first time she sleeps with the Troll, he may not recognize her. But even if he does, he won’t tell Antonio because then he’d be exposed as a sleaze who sleeps with his own daughter-in-law.

Now Camila is back in Fresno. Antonio has always had the hots for her. For her sake, he’d divorce Doris and walk away from the Negrete fortune in a California raisin minute.

What Doris wants to do is drive the Troll mad with desire. That way, with Antonio and Camila out of the way, she’ll have all the Negrete money.

I don’t see any flaws in that reasoning. Do you?

False Mariana and Camila, the final round
I’m not his lover!
I’ll never leave him! You’ll always be the lover, the concubine, the other woman!

Camila gets in the car and she and Genoveva drive away. The Thighmaster comes out from her hiding place. High fives for the perras!

In the car, Camila fumes: How could he do that to me?

In the house, Pedro paces and hopes: Que llegue Camila, que llegue ...

Around the pool, Lucrecia and Julie laze and gloat over fooling Camila.

In the salon, El Viral ponders ... Camila needs to be with Antonio, not Pedro ... so we need to clear the Troll out of our path ...

The F-sisters are still high on life and Chevy’s and loving generous daddies. And now their nanny Alberta has joined the giggle fest.

Suddenly the giggles die. The Troll is in the building.
Well, actually, outside the building. He takes one look at the cars and orders them returned. Immediately.

Antonio says the girls are keeping the cars. And if he has to, he’ll get a lawyer to recover his share of the inheritance.

Pedro, despite the encouragement of the tía, officially cries “Uncle”. No más. Se acabó. Kaput. Down the crapper. He never wants to hear Camila’s name again.

Now back at the Only Hotel, Genoveva reminds Camila that she fulfilled her part of the deal – she’s not responsible for the crazy lady in the driveway who chased them away. Meester Smith can’t fire her for that!

Lucrecia is still gloating; but it turns out her friend has a conscience. She feels bad about tricking that poor girl. She’s glad she’s going back to Texas tomorrow. (Texas? I can’t wait to see how they connect the dots.) She’s been in Fresno on vacation. No, seriously. On vacation.

Antonio tells his father that he found his mother’s letter and now he wants his share of the inheritance. “What inheritance?” asks the Troll. “The only thing that matters is the will. And in the will, she left you nothing – nothing for you and nothing for your sister.”

Avances: Camila storms into El Tal and demands to talk to Pedro and his wife.

Labels: Talisman

PLEASE NOTE: Sara's full, real, genuine recap of Cap 37 is here. This is a merely screencap-heavy supplemental edition. Not meant to replace the real thing. Go read Sara's recap first, if you haven't already.

The Rohell Fangirl Screencap Edition. LQNPA Feb 15, 2012, Cap 37: Supplemental materials

Let's do a quickie review of any suitable fangirly moments from earlier in the episode. Because you know, since I'm already here, with my screencapping tools at the ready.

Cupcake talking about her idiot brother and his abysmal handling of life.

Rohell: "It's better not to meddle in your brother's life." Cupcake: "Oh, like you don't meddle in your sister's life?" Gotcha!

She's not entirely convinced of his reasons for withholding Sinthia's inheritance . . .

... but he's got other things to discuss as well.

Sinthia and Gus are getting along. (Gratuitous Sinthia shot.)

Oh he with the beautiful eyelashes (Gratuitous Gus shot.)

Rohell's also brought a copy of the contract so she can review it at her leisure.

And he shamelessly hints that he'd like a goodnight kiss, by puckering up.

Cupcake doesn't hesitate to comply.

In the morning, Cupcake oversleeps because she's been thinking of the Darn Shell Necklace. She greets Rohell at the breakfast table.

She's been thinking of the necklace, she says. Rohell seems to freeze in place and holds his breath for a moment.

He gulps nervously as he stares at the thing dangled in front of him.

She says she'll put the past behind her, and that means the Darn Shell Necklace. "Gracias, mi amor" he says enthusiastically, and some hand-kissing commences.

And more besos, naturally.

The whole place is lit up with candles, there is slow mariachi music playing. Cupcake smiles broadly and with delight.

And there's Rohell waiting for her with the band behind him. He makes a shrugging gesture with his hands, as if to say, "Well, here I am, what else was I gonna do?" Cupcake (and most of the female portion of Viewerville) melts.

*Sigh*

He approaches her, takes off his hat, takes her hand and we get more hand-kissing.

Cupcake is deeply touched.

As he looks up adoringly at her.

The long, lingering, loving looks go on, and on, and on, but most of Viewerville isn't complaining.

We go into dimple overload with the pouring of the champagne.

"Cheers!" His cup runneth over with love and happiness.

He surprises her with a new, special ring.

She'll consider this new ring the one that really matters, because it was given with love, not because of the contract.

She leans in to give him a kiss, which seems to profoundly move him.

And another kiss initiated by her. Again, his cup runneth over with happiness.

And they really get down to the business of kissing, as the "Corre!" song starts playing and it's the end of the episode!

END OF EPISODE!!!

MORE SUPPLEMENTAL FANGIRLISHNESS: As some of you may know, I like to dabble in video editing and like to make "fan videos." (You'll find a ton of fan videos for telenovelas on YouTube, but FAIR WARNING, do NOT look for any fan videos for LQNPA because there are tons of spoilers!)

Anyway, I made a fan video for this show a while ago, but couldn't show it until now, due to spoilers. But now you've seen enough of the show and it's (mostly) safe for you to see the video if you like. (There are a couple of clips that are from episodes that are yet to come, but they are "Rohell and AP getting along" clips—possibly minor spoilers, but in my opinion nothing profound. But you have been warned, and if you want no trace of spoilers, then avoid this video!)

I uploaded a copy of the video to Vimeo, so you can view it streaming online: http://vimeo.com/36888552

The video is called "Dare You To Move" (song by Switchfoot) and it's mostly a Rohell/AP video and I make no apologies for how corny and fangirly I am! LOL.

A download for the video is here: http://floatingblue.com/telenovela-clips/LQNPA/video/  It's an MP4 file, which can be played on the iPod or in your media player (like Quicktime, VLC Player, or Windows 7 version of Windows Media Player).

(I also have this video on YouTube, but like I have said, there are so, SO many spoilers for LQNPA on YouTube so I didn't want to link to my video there. Besides, I had to flop the video—mirror image—in order to prevent the video from being detected by Televisa and pulled.)

Labels: no-podia