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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Por ella soy Eva #2 7/17/12: Everybody Yells at Juan Carlos


Rebeca cheerfully explains to Helena: you're getting dumped as part of the new austerity plans. You're always wanting special consideration because you're a single mother. Helena asks to get her project back, Rebeca denies having it. It turns out all the fired employees are women - either old, or single mothers.

JC and his buddies are striking out: all the projects he and his sidekicks review are lousy. He even goes to bed with the somewhat middle-aged Victoria Infante in hopes she has some ideas for him. He calls her his countess; she knows about his fiasco...


... and she tells him Playa Majagua is the next big thing, there will be tax breaks etc, but he better hurry, the window of opportunity is closing. He leaves her to make her own sandwich while he goes off...

... to trawl through the trash - he finds Helena's precious project soaked with ikkiness and her dvd is broken.

Meanwhile, Helena remembers the Canadian guy and calls him... he takes her to lunch and says he'll do business with her if she'll open a travel agency -- he as a foreigner needs a local legal entity. He makes her promise not to accept an offer from anybody else, especially G.I. and they sign an agreement.

Helena drags her fired butt home. In private she tells her mom she's been fired ("don't tell your father") and that she needs 200,000 pesos to start a travel agency. The mom takes out a mortgage on the family home the next day. The cranky dad tells her son Lalo: "Your dad was an irresponsible coward, he ran away, he never wanted you." BUMMER. Later Lalo tells his mom it was his fault the dad left. "You think my dad loves me?" "I think he's losing the chance to see a wonderful boy grow up."

Meanwhile JC gets the list of fired employees from Rebeca (while staring down her cleavage). "You're not thinking of re-hiring them?" she asks like a proper villainess. She gives him pills good for gastritis. JC finds Helena's number and calls her. He's suave, but she's furious: "I'm not setting foot in that business. You didn't have time for me, now it's too late." She hangs up on him. He tells his buddies: "They get their period, that's why I hate doing biz with women!"

He goes and fakes it with his boss, airily describing chains of hotels, restaurants, spas, all with the G.I. logo on them. "Like the Caribbean or the Mediterranean." Plutarco whispers in his brother-in-law's ear that it's all a bad idea. The brother-in-law (boss of both of them) says he won't put his own money into it. JC says he'll get private investment. Adriano says if it goes well, JC will get a chunk of the business.

Plutarco is indignant: "I am your brother-in-law and you never offered shares to me." "You're married to my sister, she has shares. And JC has never failed me - except that once." Plutarco goes to whine to Rebeca his girlfriend (the same one whose cleavage JC was ogling). They have an argument; she threatens: "Fire me and I'll tell the whale [his wife] we're lovers."

At home Plutarco's wife again tries to give him a massage and again he spurns her. Turns out she owns 40% of the company shares.

With the money from the bank, Helena and her friend fix up the friend's place to be the new travel agency, which they call Viajes Moreno. The Canadians come through (the subtitles amusingly call them the Alberta Trouble Company but it's really the Alberta Travel Company).

JC's buddies report that at the beach, they have no local buy-in - the locals only want to do business with Helena! JC says no woman can do as well as men. Plutarco calls the three of them "Hugo Paco and Luis," better known to us as Walt Disney's trio of baby ducks, Huey Dewey and Louis. Plutarco has come round with a huge empty box; he says that because of the austerity program they have to turn in their cell phones. JC says this is sabotaging him! Plutarco says people did without cellphones for centuries, consider the Aztecs!

Adriano steps up the pressure for a quick solution - he wants a formal report on the Playa project immediately. Plutarco is listening.

Rebeca wants a chauffeur but she is refused (austerity). She goes and yells at Plutarco. Unsympathetic, he suggests she take a taxi or walk. Or there's a microbus. She rubs up against him until he gives her his car keys.

JC realizes Rebeca knows something about the Playa project, runs after her, offers to join forces with her, they end up in bed. He says afterwards, "I never take this sort of 'meeting' with women I work with." "Then I'm special." As a reward, she tells him: "I have contacts - and I know that Trouble company has the project underway."

There's some problem at Lalo's school so Helena runs out of the travel agency.

Hewey tells Dewey he's found out about the Alberta Trouble/Travel Company having an alliance with Helena's Viajes Moreno. "And she's an employee you FIRED." Rebeca comes in to hear JC whispering about her: "The woman I'm here with is nothing special, she's a courtesan by vocation, I'm doing her a favor." She yells: "You pig! Some day you should feel what I feel, be in my shoes!" "Ridiculous woman, you think such a thing could happen?"

Tomorrow: he greases his hair back and goes with a false identity to hit up Helena.



24 comments:

  1. Thanks Melinama for a great recap. Poor Helena. I like how she rallied the other women and protested even though they got thrown out by security. Isn't that discrimination for these women to be let go cause they are single moms or older? I know it would be here.

    I don't like Helena's dad. He is like very old school and I didn't like what he said to Lalo. There was no reason for that. I really like Helena's Mom. Very sweet woman.

    I feel sorry for Plutarco's wife. So what she's big, he could at least be courteous to her and treat her well. I hope she doesn't give him her shares.

    I like the little fight that was going to happen in the office. Too funny.

    That Canadian guy was funny. He almost sounded like Estevie from MEPS except without the English. It would have been perfect if he had used English. His Spanish sounded like Estevie's. lol.

    Poor Helena I hope she doesn't get bamboozled by Hewey, Dewey and Louie.

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  2. Thanks for the recap CHP.

    I too felt badly for Helena. Getting fired (those women would have a lawsuit here) and her horrible father. And his comments to his grandchild, wow.

    Mads - yes the Canadian guy did sound like Esteve from MEPS.

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  3. Thanks, Melinama. Excellent recap, succinct yet complete.

    This one's fun, so far. Love how JC is setting himself up for a long, long fall and a long trip back to redemption.

    I would like to take a brush to Lucero's hair. As a busy working mother, maybe she doesn't have time to do that for herself.

    La Paloma

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  4. Thank you for the recap, CHF. Two nights in a row - my hat goes off to you!

    I'm glad that Adriano (the pres) isn't a doddering old fool ala MEPS. Plutarco, as the devil on his shoulder, keeps whispering in his ear, and Adriano keeps telling him to shut up! He's no fool - he's not about to let Plutarco get ahold of any shares because he knows that as soon as P. has shares of his own, Adriano's sister will be put out on the curb like yesterday's trash.

    Yesterday people said they were glad that this one will have a lower murder count. I'll bet that it won't have any murders at all. One other thing I expect it won't have - The Princesa. That's the standard novela character, the galan's rich snotty evil girlfriend who thinks that marriage to the galan is part of her birthright. The one who always tries to destroy the Sweet Young Thing and turn everyone against her. I can't stand that plotline! So I'm glad we don't have it here.

    I think I'm going to like this show. It has an energy, instead of that oppressive heaviness many TNs have. Of course, los tres compaƱeros and their hijinx add to that. But overall, it feels like rollicking fun. In fact, there are a lot of high-energy actors in this. Camil, who could power a city with all the energy he puts out. Then Rebeca who's always on the move. And JC's little buddy Fernando whose mouth goes a mile a minute. And when Paty Navidad shows up, I'm sure she'll zap the show with even more energy.

    Yes, I think I'm going to like it.

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  5. Thank you so much CHF! I haven't watched a novela in a long time, but when you mentioned that Jaime Camil was on, I had to peek in. I just caught the second half of this episode, then I went and checked out the cast list etc. This one looks great! I may be breaking my long dry spell.

    I really enjoyed your recaps - thank you catching me up on what I missed - fortunately not too much so far.
    - Maggie

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  6. This second recap is not posted to the Eva list of recaps. Can somebody fix that?

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  7. Paula H Well I tried to fix it, but it isn't showing up on the side bar. Melinama will have to go in and fix it.

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  8. Melinama - fine recap.

    I hope Plutarco's wife doesn't stay a doormat for long, cause that's just not funny.

    Helena's dad is such a chauvinist, I'm surprised her mother had the rights to mortgage their house without him signing anything.

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  9. Thanks, Melinama.

    I only saw part of this episode, but it seems like all the dudes are doing a fine job of digging big pits for themselves. So many in need of so much reform and redemption! Do we have any good guys who aren't pigs?

    The Canadian guy sounds so funny. I love how these non-Mexican characters like him and Esteve speak perfect Spanish, yet with a very awkward cadence. Is that what norteamericanos sound like to Mexicans?

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  10. "Helena's dad is such a chauvinist, I'm surprised her mother had the rights to mortgage their house without him signing anything."

    Niecie, the house must be in Silvia's name. Which would mean that she inherited it from her parents, and she kept it in her name after the marriage. So let me take this conjecture a little farther. Maybe Eduardo married her because she already owned a house. And maybe deep down she knows that so she didn't dare transfer the house into his name. Much like Antonia and Plutarco - he married her because of her 40% shares in GI, and that's what's keeping him from leaving her.

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  11. I don't think Adriano is doing his sister any favors if he knows Plutarco would kick her to the curb if not for her shares. If he knows Pluto's a bum he should encourage his sister to kick HIM to the curb.

    Still likin' the show so far. :-)

    Julie

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  12. Exactly. Why does he want his sister married to a shyster who doesn't even like her? I mean, Plutarco won't even accept a back massage! Does bro think she just really wants to be married and no one else would take her? Not very nice! I'm curious to see where they go with this character. The actress seems to have a great sense of humor but I hope they don't put her in a hideous tutu thing like in Tontas.

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  13. Thank you for the great recap! It's been a while since I've watched but I'll always come back for Camil! He has changed a lot since LFMB days but still has that great sense of humor. I noticed a photo of the actor who played his father in LFMB was in a picture frame at the mother's house. I really enjoy seeing all the characters again from past shows. It will take me a while to get into this again but I thought the cemetery scene with all the women swarming was a funny beginning.

    Carrie L.

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  14. Thank you so much for your recap. Am glad you did one today.

    I so much appreciate your capturing this line
    "They get their period, that's why I hate doing biz with women!". I yelled to the TV NO HE DIDN'T. I guess that's why soon he will be Eva and then the real fun will begin, I look so forward to it.

    This is not Amorcito, but I like it.

    I am speculating that when Eva comes on the scene, he will be Dear Abby to all, I think Eva will make all the women in this strut their stuff, so for right now I feel sorry for Plutarco - well at least I'm hoping.

    As for Helena's dad, since he's always putting her down, I thought from day one that he never worked a day in his life and probably was telling Helena all the things his Dad told him, so I wasn't surprised to hear the house was in his wife's name.

    The one thing I like about this show is that they did not make Helena a 20something, and I appreciate that.

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  16. "How long ago was La Fea Mas Bella made?"

    It started in Mexico in January 2006. 300 episodes. It ended in the US in July 2007.

    You never forget your first love.

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  17. Paula would know how long it's been since LFMB! I don't remember myself. I started with Alborada and then LFMB and afterward a few more with Camil or Colunga. Then life and it's problems got complicated and other things took priority. I'm happy you are still here and it is as much fun as the "good old days".

    Carrie L.

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  18. Thank you for the recap. I understood why Helena does not want her father to know just jet about opening and becoming a travel agent. I see that he has a long history of demeaning her, and probably the mother too. The things he said to that child were ugly and hurtful. I think papa is verbally abusive and not just to his daughter and grandchild. Didn't the mother say he does not know about her 'nest-egg'?
    That quip about women's periods and women don't know how to develop large scale projects?! And didn't he have something negative to say about single mothers!? Let the payback be painful please.

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  19. I'm watching! Love Jaime Camil, although trying to understand his Spanish exhausts me... thanks for the recaps!!

    I'm currently watching reruns of Tontas No Van al Cielo on another channel so I'm having some trouble keeping the two shows straight, but i love them both. I have to say I love the chemistry between Jaime and Jacqueline in Tontas, but not quite convinced with Lucero yet.

    AnotherAmy

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  20. Plutarco, bleck bleck bleck! Liked the actor in LFDD, but can't get past the slime in this one. I hate how they are constantly referring to his wife as manatee or whale (although I know it's a baddie doing it). I seem to have noticed some insensitivity in other novelas regarding overweight characters, even from some of the good characters using supposed terms of affection referring to weight. Not so much on the "political correctness" boat sometimes!

    AnotherAmy

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  21. I keep trying to get into this but just can't. JC is being directed too broadly and I can't watch Carlos without thinking of Meester Jim. If they don't hook me by Friday it' all over. Refugio is too good and with the Olympics coming I must make a choice.

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