Me Declaro Culpable #42, 4/15/20: Ever try to kill a cockroach, or even just get rid of one?

Patio, here is today’s recrap.  At least I dutifully stayed awake.  Some scenes were left out, but here is what you need to know:

GABRIÉL

Gabe is talking to Alba on the phone and they both decide he just does not understand what he is reading on those medical test results, so they’ll go with whatever Ingrid told them. (Really, Alba?  When did you start trusting Ingy?)

Thank goodness, Gabe has a brain.   He goes to see the doctor  (looks like with no appointment) who tells him he has leukemia.   Cara de impactada de Gabriel.  So much for ever believing anything Ingrid says. Right?

Distraught over his diagnosis, Gabe is walking around town.  Ingrid is worried that he has not come home yet (well, it is night time anyone would be concerned) so she called Alba to see if he was with her.  No, he is not with Alba, and they trade the usual insults.  You know the drill.  Finally that conversation ends when Gabe walks into the No Tell Heartbreak Café to see his mom.

JULIÁN IN THE HOSPITAL

Natalia is all torn up over Julian’s condition.  She tells Franco what happened at the train accident, how Saint Julián saved Roberta,  and now Nat is worried that Roberta will end up killing herself and all of them, too.    Well, at least Natalia finally has a clue.  Franco says don’t worry, he will deal with Roberta.*

Oh good grief, we get Paolo  in the waiting room with Nat.   (it must be in his contract that he is in every capítulo)  He says that even though she told  him he did not need to be there, he could not have her be alone at the hospital.   She appreciates that he came anyway.  Later, he brings Natalia a donut from the hospital cafeteria.  Writers do not waste a good opportunity to poke fun at hospital cafeteria bakery goods.  The donut is pretty awful.  Too bad they don’t have Krispy Kreme at the only hospital in Mexico.

ROBERTA ON THE LOOSE

Roberta shows up at Mauro’s office and interrupts Ingrid, who is again pleading with Mauro to forgive her little indiscretion with Julian. (We really don’t care and Mau doesn’t, either)  Glad for the interruption,  Mau gives Berta a standing ovation for her latest stunt, ‘Once again here she is, with the world revolving around her own personal circus.’  (what a nice guy, eh?)

Roberta is undeterred and on a mission.   “How is  that slut of a murderess is my sister?”

Mau: “ I only told you so that you would get out of that damned car”

Berta:  How is it possible that that  really bad censored word  is YOUR DAUGHTER?

Ingrid is watching this scene like she is watching a really bad reality TV show.  Pass the popcorn, plz?

Roberta:   “(again with the usual ‘you ruined my life, my family...)”

Mauro:  "Alba is the daughter I never knew I had and she is NOT craycray like you."   (Yikes!)

Roberta breaks a wine bottle on the table and holds the neck of it like a weapon.   I really thought she would entertain us and go after Mauro, but instead she holds it up to the side of her face.  Even Ingrid, still hoping to gain Berta as an ally,  is begging her to put the bottle down.

Roberta keeps calling Mauro a @!#$& pig and then leaves for her room.  (seriously? Any kid would be grounded or have their mouth washed out with soap.  And Mauro just takes it in stride. I'm so over it.)   Even Ingrid seems upset with Mauro for telling Roberta that Alba is her sister. 

Ingrid tries to console Roberta and Berta is not having it.  At all.  Ingrid reminds Roberta that Alba killed her own husband, Ingy’s brother,  and Roberta responds with  the line of the day:  “He was going to die anyway”.  What compassion (not).   Ingrid does not give up and keeps trying to convince Roberta that  they could team up to solve this Alba problem.  Roberta is too self-centered to care about Ingrid’s desires. A few times, it looked like they might start a classic telenovela catfight, but that was a no-go, so no BINGO square on that.

BIANCA & ALBA RECAP HER WEEKEND

Alba waxes feliz about her Fun in Acapulco weekend trip with Franco.  No Elvis sightings. (if you're old enough, you will 'get' that one)  Bianca is definitely walking on the QTH? side when asks Alba was Franco a gentleman in bed.  (Ew. I really wanted Alba to say no, he was  a crazed-out Trazan.)  Yes, he was a gentlemen.   Blah blah blah  Bianca is really happy for Alba’s happiness and she hugs her, but the final split second look on Bianca’s face is … um … sad.   So, whoever here on the Patio said Bianca has a crush on Alba  got it right.

ROBERTA,  AGAIN    (why don't they just call it The Roberta Show?)

* Remember earlier in this recrap, when Franco told Natalia that  he would "deal with  Roberta?"   Nopis,  he has not done it yet.  Probably never will.

Still with mascara halfway down her face, Berta  is sitting on a sofa, looking fondly at her handgun so Viewerville can see it,  and slips it into her purse  when Franco comes home.  (Dun dun DUNNNN!!!)

He is not happy to see her still drinking (and Viewerville is not happy to see her still not locked up in the manicomio.  WHY haven’t they had her committed yet?)   Roberta takes no responsibility for Julian ending up in the hospital (and that just takes the cake).   They argue over her condition:  Franco lines…. Roberta lines …   Mauro wanders in and Roberta leaves  to go out (out!) with a full drink in her glass.  Hel-lo?!?  Nobody stops her.  Again.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE???  (*see note above with asterisk!)

MORE JULIAN SCENES

Julian is in a coma but the nurse tells Natalia he has no fever, so that’s good.  Nurse encourages Natalia to talk to him anyway with positive stuff, how much she loves him (blech!) and wants to be by his side.  The nice nurse has no clue.  Natalia is playing Julian’s favorite song and she is promising to stay by his side at the hospital (barf) and she sees his finger move.  She will always be indebted to him for saving her mother’s life, so that Roberta can continue to maraud about town and wreak havoc on everyone’s physical and mental lives.   ---- (okay, I made up the second half of that sentence)

MORE GABRIEL STUFF

There is a test pattern on my screen halfway thru the commercial break so I have no idea what was missed.   When it goes off,  Gabriel is talking to Alba.  He asks her to tell him what it was like when his dad was ill.  She tells him how it was, how it progressed, how things were in the hospital as it got worse.   Not once does Gabe tell Alba about his real Dx.   (medical shorthand for “diagnosis”….and you thought you only watch for the Spanish!)   He asks her to sing to him like she sang to his dad in the hospital.   Okay, ya basta con esta escena. 

IN OTHER NEWS

Julieta sighting! 

Julieta tells Pedro his father called her.   He is no longer with the woman that he left her  for,  is returning to Mexico,  and wants to talk to her to ask for another chance.  (I hope she has him checked for cooties first)   Julieta still loves him and will probably take him back.  He is Pedro's father, after all.  Next?

  Ingrid shows up, looking for Gabriel.  Pedro tells Ingy that she and Gabe are no longer friends, so he hasn’t a clue where Gabe could be.  But Julieta wants to talk to Ingrid, and it does not look like this will be friendly chitchat or swapping recipes.   She tells Ingrid that she has not seen Gabe in a long time, no longer takes his calls; they are history.

AAAAAND IT’S ROBERTA.  AGAIN.  STILL ON THE LOOSE

Roberta walks into what appears to be a closed No-Tell Heartbreak Café (don’t they lock the doors at night?).  She has a new flask and is sipping pouring down her throat some  liquid courage.   It’s night and she slips into Alba’s dark bedroom, pulls the gun out of her purse, aims it at the sleeping person in the bed,  and quietly says she doesn’t care (yes you do, you crazy bat) if she goes to jail  but you won’t take anything of mine again.   (Yikes!)   

At that moment, Alba walks into the room while on the phone with Franco.   Alba turns on the lights, Gabe wakes up, and Berta slips the gun back into her purse and nobody saw it.   Turns out, crazy half-drunk Roberta was about to shoot a sleeping Gabriel. (who still has not told his mother he has leukemia)

She says she came to talk to Alba (Franco can hear all this over Alba’s phone) and he keeps yelling for Alba.  Recapper wishes he would shut up so Berta can’t know she is being eavesdropped on via phone.    Alba says she will give her 5 minutes to talk.   A frustrated Franco hangs up (idiot) and leaves to head out for the Café.  

THE COMATOSE COCKROACH

Natalia returns to Julian’s room, tells him she left for  a brief prayer session(good luck with that)

 at the hospital chapel.   Natalia lines …. Julian in coma …Natalia lines …  when …. he flatlines!  Viewerville starts a “stadium wave.”   However,  Julián is like a cockroach.   You can’t get rid of one and they are reputed to be able to survive nuclear attack.  So never fear, Patio, this recapper has no doubt he will be revived.  You can bet on it.  Hospital staff rush in and start to revive him.

And that's our cliff-hanger for the day.