At the restaurant, Helena sees Pluto (she thinks he's JC) and wants to give him a piece of her mind. Panicked, JC tells Helena HE'LL take care of it. He goes to Pluto's table and spins a wild tale about Helena being a clingy crazy ex-employee he regrets having gotten involved with. She's pregnant, the baby is certainly not his, but she forced him at gunpoint to make a scene at their table. They should pay no attention to anything she says. Antonia expresses some sympathy for Helena's desperation. Only then does Pluto jump to his feet and scold JC for his careless behavior with women.
Eventually Helena gets tired of waiting for JC and comes over to the table to tell them off herself. This works out to be the perfect misunderstanding, mercifully cut short by a phone call from Helena's mom. (Antonia tells her brother she's lost her appetite. He insists that they have dessert. Yeesh, is he trying to kill her too? No, I think he's just an idiot.)
Helena is upset about Adriano's rudeness. JC says no woman should be treated that way; he wanted to bust those guys' faces. He also wants to talk about Playa Majagua, but she has to go home; Dad is waiting. She insists on taking a taxi. She is barely out the door when JC picks up another woman. He takes her back to his place and kicks her out when he's had enough of her.
Helena's father gives her a hard time about getting home late. They are mutually offended. He stomps off to bed. Helena's mom wants to know how it went. No, not the business dinner, but the man! Helena admits he was great.
At home, Antonia doesn't feel well. She calls 911 and flops over on the bed. Pluto looks delighted when she says she feels like she's dying.
At JC's apartment, his bimbo du jour is now wearing a big t-shirt and tells JC he was sensational. She wants to stay all night, but he says he's too busy and calls her a cab. It doesn't take long - apparently he's a regular. The taxi dispatcher knows what he wants as soon as they hear his voice. He dismisses her brusquely.
At the hospital, Pluto is clearly disappointed when the doctor reveals that Antonia is still alive. (Really. He asks twice.) Turns out she's come down with diabetes. Her glucose was way high. Of course, there are ways to make it more manageable, the doctor says, and he'd like to keep her there for some tests... but Pluto says no, we're going home. He hammers her little shoes onto her swollen feet and tells her he doesn't trust doctors. She's just got a touch of the diabetes, that's all. Very easy to control. Antonia thinks that could be serious, but Pluto has a gift for her - chocolates! Sugarless and calorie-free, he says. She says they taste just like the regular ones. They agree not to tell her brother - he'll worry. Anyway, Pluto says, it's no big deal. He'll take care of her. "Put your life in my hands."
Next day, Pluto tells Rebeca all about it. They laugh about Antonia's diabetes. If only she would die! On top of obesity, Rebeca says, Antonia's also got high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and snores like a bear! A hahahahaha!
Helena tells Lucia how hot JC is and how he defended her in front of the Grupo Imperio people. JC has come up with some plan that requires Helena to accompany him to an Acapulco resort and show him around. Helena volunteers Lucia in her place. Lucia pops out (from the door she's been hiding behind) to shut down that idea. Helena finally agrees. They'll leave at 7 the next morning. JC gives the door a good whack on the way out, smacking noisily eavesdropping Lucia in the forehead. (There's a window in the door, for heaven's sake. He could see her hiding there.)
Back at GI, JC and his pals go to the restroom to rehash and pee. I must say, this is an interesting twist on the rehash sessions that female characters often have in restrooms. They talk about beating Pluto with their plan. JC is sure this "business trip" will work out. She won't be able to resist him. He'll dress up in a skirt and heels before he suffers over a woman. Santi jokes about JC falling in love with a fea. "Like the one Pluto married," JC laughs. They all walk out. Pluto steps out of a stall. He's overheard everything, and he doesn't look happy.
It's already evening. Santi ad Ferni are working late. But the files they've been working on have been deleted. (You'd think that after similar fiascos in other TNs, they'd know enough to back up their files regularly.) Pluto gloats.
Helena tells Dad she's going out of town. He says no, she can't travel alone. Um, did she ask his permission? She assures him she won't be traveling alone. Is she referring to JC?
No, it turns out she means Lalito, her son. JC is quite surprised when he arrives to pick her up. He wasn't expecting a kid. He's not happy. Neither is Lalito. They make faces at one another. The kid scowls at JC. JC ruffles his hair. The child actor fights to stifle his smirk and angrily tells JC not to touch his head.
The IT guy brings Pluto the Playa Majagua project files he stole from Santi and Ferni's computers. There's not much too see. So much for stealing their work! (It turns out that Santi, at least, was working last night not on the PM project, but on setting up reservations for JC's trip.)
Lalito and JC fail to bond over lunch at a roadside café. The boy puts hot salsa in JC's taco and generally acts like a brat. He jumps up and down in the back of JC's car. He drops a sticky snack on the upholstery and wipes his saucy hands on JC's shirt.
Back at the travel agency, Helena's mom brings lunch to Lucia. Lucia tells her how great "Juan Perón" seems. "He's a true caballero," she jokes obliviously.
Finally JC & co. get to the hotel. Some of the employees recognize JC. JC asks one of them to rustle up a babysitter to watch the brat. The brat refuses to be handed off to a babysitter and is rude to JC, but somehow he ends up going off with the babysitter anyway.
Meanwhile, at the office, Pluto (wearing a very shiny suit), knowing that JC is out of town, puts Santi and Ferni in the hot seat with Adriano. They try to bluff their way out of it, but they obviously don't have their facts and figures on Playa Majagua. Adriano gives them a deadline and kicks them out.
Furthermore, Santi's and Ferni's paychecks are being held back "until further notice." Ferni is upset that he'll have to rely on his wife's pay.
JC hatches a plot with a yacht captain. When JC puts his hands over his face, that's the signal for the captain to cut the engines. He calls it "Operation Honeymoon."
On a shopping trip with Antonio, Pluto has a run-in with the owner of the car Rebeca crashed Pluto's car into. The other guy says it happened outside a cheap motel. He wants money. Pay up or he'll call the cops. Antonia is getting restless in the car. Upon seeing that the woman in the car is not the same woman he saw yesterday, the other guy manages to extract a few more pesos in blackmail money.
Lalito gives his babysitter the slip at the pool. A couple of hotel employees gossip about JC seducing the single mother and breaking her heart. Lalito overhears and runs off.
On the yacht, Juan is laying it on thick with Helena. He says he feels nostalgic. He drones on and on about natural beauty and el sol y el mar. (Hmmm... this feels familiar. I keep expecting him to mention the sabor de la vida.) Helena says she's heard that story before and let's just stick with business. She mocks his Argentinean accent.
The babysitter searches for Lalito and finally reports him missing.
Juan continues trying to flirt with Helena. He asks if she likes him. His pal from the hotel calls with the news: Lalito's lost. "¿¡QUE!?"
Next time:
You call these avances? They're useless! Here are my own predictions for Monday: One of the men acts like a jerk. Someone gets angry. Nobody dies just yet.
¡Guau! That was fast Amiga. Thanks for the rapid recap.
ReplyDeleteI didn't catch the scene in the bathroom. It does sound like a funny rif on the very common women in the bathroom scenes which were so common in Fea.
I loved Lalito & Juan making faces at each other. This is going to be fun I think.
Güera
Julie this was wonderful, fast and so good. I too loved the faces Jc and Lalo made at each other. And the hot sauce on his tacos. Too funny. JC is trying so hard to seduce Helena, he doesn't have a clue lol. I do like his fake accent though, too funny.
ReplyDeletePoor Antonia, Pluto is trying to kill her with death by food. I hope she catches on to his shennanigans soon. I like how Adriano treats him, I wonder if Adriano has Pluto's number.
I don't know whether I will stick with this one or not, but let me start by saying I despise restroom scenes.
ReplyDeleteI think Lalito (how do we get that from Eduardo?) is a smart kid. He's got a bad vibe from JC from the starting gate. I can see him trying to blackmail JC down the road.
Helena's father is really bad news. His attempt to control her is sick and outdated.
Ugh, I have to FF through all Pluto/Antonia scenes now... his reaction to her diabetes, stuffing those chocolates down her throat, shoving those shoes on her feet, it's just all so disgusting. When Rebeca was running through all of the health hazards of obesity while they were making fun of "the whale", I got the feeling that this whole characterization of Antonia is meant to be some kind of PSA ("you don't want to be like this pathetic lady!") in a totally backhanded sort of way, like if they made her character strong and likeable more people would want to be obese... their version of "tough love" without the "love".
ReplyDeleteThe JC/Lalito scenes were fabulous! And loving JC's spontaneous reactions to the hot sauce, single mother thing. Such a great comedian!
AnotherAmy
On the run, so just a few quick things.
ReplyDeleteJulie, thank you for a great recap. I always look forward to your work.
Did anyone notice JC's red hightop sneakers? Those exact shoes played an important part in his last TN shot in Argentina, LEPerez.
No wonder the woman who picked up JC at the restaurant was disappointed! Notice that when he called a taxi for her, he was still wearing that evening's clothes. IOW they didn't even get sweaty before he shooed her out the door. We know the TN standard - the galán never gets sweaty with anyone else after he's been bitten by the love bug. So shall we assume he's already bitten? I noticed on Wed's show, Santiago asked which catagory of babe Helena was, and JC didn't know the answer. Another clue that this woman has already affected him like no other.
As for our beloved Pluto... thanks to the other driver, he has learned that his devoted courtesan (sp?) was not at the tourism agency but at a luxury hotel in the middle of the afternoon. And probably not on business!
As for Rebeca getting busy at said hotel. She told JC all about the intel she gathered about the PlayaM. deal. But she must not have told Pluto. I think the baño was the first he heard of it. So she's giving favors, sexual and business, to his rival.
About the bathroom conversation. Pardon the shaggy dog joke, but...
1. Pluto didn't know about PlayaM until JC talked about it in the bathroom.
2. Entonces Pluto will do something to prevent JC from getting the PlayaM deal.
3. Entonces JC will not get those shares from Adriano.
Ergo... (drumroll please)
Loose lips sink partnerships!
Finally, did anyone else bust up and JC's final line, QUE???!!! ? I just about fell on the floor laughing. For those who didn't see it, it was based on a memorable scene from Fea.
Julie, thanks so much for the recap. Due to evil circumstances, I missed this episode. Love hearing all the funny business I missed.
ReplyDeleteLa Paloma
Well, I still intend to add some detail to the recap, including the scene at JC's place. I don't remember the woman's exact words, but she said something to indicate that they'd already gotten it on, like "that was spectacular." (Also, I think she was wearing one of his shirts.)
ReplyDeleteIt looked to me like that kid playing Lalito was having a hard time keeping a straight face when he was doing a scene with Jaime. I LOVE the fake Argentinian accent. It makes me laugh again and again. Thanks for joining the team, Julie!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the kid was obviously struggling not to crack a smile through a lot of that first scene he did with JC.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or doesn't he look a lot like the kid who played Temo in Familia? He's younger, obviously, but I wonder if they might be brothers.
Julie said, "she said something to indicate that they'd already gotten it on."
ReplyDeleteI missed that, Julie. Thank you for the clarification.
I'm going to have to double-check their conversation, but I was left with the impression that he's a shockingly efficient womanizer.
ReplyDeleteI think Don Fernando didn't give up on his hijinx until after he'd kissed Lety... and we had a long wait even to get to that point. We may have to endure a little more (or maybe a lot more) of JC's bad behavior before we see any hint of rehabilitation.
Julie - fine recap.
ReplyDeleteIt was funny when Adriano razzed JC for his 80s look. Why JC thinks Argentinians dress like the 80s I don't know.
I predict/hope a sweet karmic payback for Pluto for the way he's treating Antonia, something on the order of the Coyote and Road Runner.
Niecie, I am wondering if the 80's clothing joke about Argentinians is another nod to the way Aldo dressed in LFMB. We made merciless fun at his fashion sense(lessness).
ReplyDeleteI'm rewatching now to nail down a couple of details...
The expanded version is now finished. I hope I didn't go too long. I actually missed a fair amount of stuff the first time through.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tutz. I enjoyed the additional details.
ReplyDelete