Saturday, February 06, 2016

El Hotel de los Secretos #10, 2/5/16 Friday: More Dead Ends

We begin at the dinner table with Elisa, Alfredo, Sofia, Teresa, Filipe, and Diego sitting together.  Isabel, who should be at the dinner celebrating Diego’s heroic act, (not really, he was just shutting up a key witness) but instead she and Julio are at the front door of Pascual’s dilapidated house as Julio is inserts the key.
Alfredo urges his mother to meet with him soon, he has something very important to discuss with her. She replies that if it’s not about the fact that they should be on the next train leaving these savages, then she doesn’t see the urgency to talk with him. Ouch! Now we know clearly her opinion of this family. And Filipe isn’t helping when he whistles to the waiter for more wine.


Julio and Isabel have a tender moment before he opens the door when Julio tells Isabel that no matter what they find inside, he will be thankful to Isabel for standing by him and for helping him keep his hopes alive. He turns the key, they walk in and look around. Julio seems very frustrated at not finding what he was hoping for, I assume he wanted to find Cristina or evidence of her being there, and he pulls out his harmonica and angrily throws it to the ground.

Back at the hotel, Belen catches up with Andres. She tells him that his mother doesn’t want them to marry. She’s telling horrible stories about her to the other maids. She wants Andres to promise not to believe the other stories he will hear.
Later that night, a very PO’d Diego is looking for Isabel, lets himself into her room and finds that she isn’t there and hasn’t been there.

The next morning, Teresa is praying, (no, really), Filipe is vomiting, (no explanation needed), and Alfredo is getting horny with Sofia.

Belen is snuffing out the candles and passes by Isabel’s room and notices the door ajar. She calls out, doesn’t hear anything so she proceeds inside. No Isabel, because she is  already out riding her bike to the old house to see it in daylight. Isabel notices the harmonica, picks it up, and continues to look around.

Julio is back in his room looking at Cristina’s letters and diary while Andres snores, How cute is that? It’s only cute that Andres snores, my husband snores and I don’t think that’s cute at all. Andres wakes up and asks if Julio found anything last night. Julio replies that the house didn’t even have a roof, no one has lived there for a long time. Andres tells him to not lose hope, he will find her.

Lupe and Angela flirt in their own way in the kitchen. I see a future for them yet.

Julio is reading the diary while Andres is shaving and asks Andres who La Matona (Bully) is. The diary says, the bully owes me 20 pesos and I want to get it before I leave.
Genaro is la matona. Julio rushes to go talk to him after Andres warns him that he’s not a nice person and to be careful and he might get fired for not showing up for his shift.

Diego knocks on Isabel’s door, after being told by Teresa that he needs to have a firm hand with her, only to have Belen answer and tell him that his novia is already out and about.

Isabel returns to the hotel, runs into Jacinto and asks him a few questions about Pascual, does he know him or anything about his private life? But Jacinto tells her that he was a very private person, the only one who may know anything would be Diego. Julio walks by just as Diego calls her name. Diego wants to take her to breakfast to make up for her absence at dinner, but he’s had bad luck finding her since she wasn’t in her suite this morning when he went get her. Why was he looking for her? He wanted to escort her to the restaurant. Now that she’s his finance, he wants to escort her everywhere.

Andres is schooling some guests at the breakfast table about how to eat Huazontle (lambsquarters), an herb/vegetable eaten with ones fingers. Mercedes, eating with her father Evaristo, a general in the army, is having a culinary moment, savoring the dish. Filipe notices her orgasmic display of eating pleasure, and his interest perks up. Filipe points her out to Teresa as they sit down to dine, Teresa informs Filipe that her father is called El Machete Ballesteros. How does Filipe think he earned that nickname? Stay away from her. Isabel and Diego, Alfredo, Sofia and Elisa soon join them at the breakfast table.
Diego wants to talk about the upcoming wedding, but Julio walks into the dining room just then and it reminds Isabel that she has feelings for another man and the last thing she wants to discuss is her wedding to Diego. She wants to put off the wedding until Sofia has the baby. The talk of the pending birth is making Sofia very nervous and she gets up to leave. Teresa and Elisa exchange a look that tells Teresa that Elisa knows something smells in the state of Denmark.

Elisa thinks that Sofia should be looked at by a doctor, too bad that Doctor Santa Maria left the hotel so abruptly. Teresa said she will check on her in a bit. Alfredo is worried about her, Sofia hasn’t felt well since the accident, and Elisa wants to get a doctor to check on her. Isabel offers her services, but Elisa tells her that Sofia needs to be looked at by a specialist, not a nurse, lol.
Teresa quickly inserts that they have a list of very qualified doctors that they are checking out and no need for Elisa to bother, and Teresa will go check on her now, thank you very much. Filipe takes his leave too, and Elisa is not happy with her meal.

Filipe heads right over to Mercedes, who is still enjoying her meal, and introduces himself and kisses her hand, to the stink eye of her father.

Sofia is having a breakdown, and Teresa is trying to get her under control. She can’t let Alfredo touch her, her suegra keeps asking questions, and she’s totally losing it.

Filipe somehow managed to untangle Mercedes from her father and leave the restaurant, and Isabel leaves to follow Filipe. Diego then informs her that he has work to do, and that leaves Elisa and Alfredo alone. How can Alfredo stand to be living with these Jibaros (an indigenous people in mexico). Alfredo attempts to defend them and himself, but Elisa won’t hear any of it. She wants them to leave at once. Let’s see how much of a mama’s boy he will be.

Lupe is espousing his culinary wisdom on Mercedes, his cuisine is a mix of traditional mexican with a french influence. Julio walks through and Isabel follows him. They meet in the pantry, they make googoo eyes at each other and she hands him his harmonica.

The secretary of foreign affairs sent Alfredo a telegram? he asks his mother. No they sent it to your uncle Javi, Javier Congora. Alfredo thought that she hated his uncle. She does, but Uncle Javi is the confidante to the president and he wants Alfredo to work for him. Elisa is over the top happy. Alfredo seems to like this idea, working in the foreign service, and thanks her and leaves to tell Sofia, but Teresa tells him that she’s resting.

Back in the pantry, Isabel wants to know how Julio is doing after last night. She comes close, touches his chest, but Julio keeps a cool head and tells her that he can’t have the luxury of exchanging their feelings. He needs to concentrate on finding Cristina. He has to go talk to Genaro. He tells her about the diary passage. He asks her to get him permission to drive to San Cristobal.

Filipe is feeding Mercedes the delicacies of the kitchen while Angela and Lupe fight/flirt some more, and agree to spend the afternoon together.

Isabel is sitting down with Diego in his office to now talk about the wedding. She says she’s changed her mind. She wants to get married in the church that her parents got married in, and wants to check with the priest to set the date. He’s so happy that he gives her some money to buy her something pretty. She wants to take a waiter with her when she goes to town. She's, in reality, getting the car for Julio.

Filipe and Mercedes are walking their bikes through the park, enjoying the day together. They are bonding, maybe even falling in love? He shows her the sights. She later tells him that everyone told her that he was a womanizer, but he’s behaved like a good schoolboy. It seems she prefers the bad boy, and throws herself at him. He's happy to oblige.

Diego is filling Teresa in on the latest as Jacinto brings the car around. Diego wants Jacinto to bring Isabel to San Cristobal in the afternoon. But he tells Jacinto that Isabel can only be driven places that Diego authorizes. Nowhere else.

Jacinto is driving Isabel and Julio to San Cristobal. Isabel and Jacinto wait outside of the cantina while Julio meets up with Genaro. Julio demands to know where Cristina is, Genaro tells him that he has no idea, she was a nobody and that he has no interest in her whereabouts. She’s either dead, in jail, or earning money in another bordello. Those are fightin’ words, and Julio lets him have it. Violeta runs out and tells Isabel what is happening and Isabel runs in. Genaro pulls a gun out on Julio just as Isabel arrives.
El fin.  Hasta lunes.

Labels:


Comments:
Pardon me for posting this here, but I would like some interaction on my speculations, attempts to understand the story:

Please correct me if I have the facts wrong or you have a better explanation:

1.) At the start Mother Teresa accused Cristina of having "something" that belonged to MT. Cristina did not deny it. Cristina threatened MT that she knew something or had something which would cause MT to lose the hotel. What could that be?

Dialogue:
"teresa: estas mintiendo de nuevo, cristina,
tu y yo sabemos que tienes algo que me pertenece,
y no te vas a ir de aqui hasta que me lo devuelvas.
cristina: si usted me hace algo, todo el mundo va a saber la verdad, y usted va a perder el hotel."

What is this "verdad"? Is it a lost will leaving the hotel to someone other than MT, other than to Isabel? A month later, Julio discovered the cache of Cristina with a key in it. Did he also discover Cristina's diary. What does that key open? Is it a box that has the will? Can we assume that whatever alleged property of MT that Cristina stole, that is the thing which could make MT lose the hotel? Is the stolen thing that will take the hotel from MT the key or the ledger?

2.) Felipe was disinherited. Isabel inherited the hotel (or part of it) instead of him. I am not sure if Isabel is the sole legal owner now or not. To be disinherited is a big deal.

3) Mother Teresa insists that Sophia have a son, even by faking it & taking Belen's son whenever Belen gives birth. Does the Old Goat's will require it?

4) MT insists that Isabel marry Diego. Apparently MT lied about the hotel being broke & needing Diego's money. Is that another plan to get a grandson, or secure the inheritance to Isabel?

Possible explanation: The Old Goat (defunct now) Sr. Alcance found out that Felipe was not his son & thus disinherited him. He stated in his will that his bienes should go to the first son that either of his daughters would have, or that for a daughter to inherit, she must have a son. Then the will of the old goat cud be the thing that Cristina stole from Mother Teresa. And cud it be that the sins of the old goat compromised the inheritance? Teresa said, "tu padre era un buen hombre, hija, pero cometio muchos pecados."

Now if MT fails to get a grandson, does that somehow make her lose the hotel??? Would it then go to Angela & Andres, Andres being the Old Goat's son? Imagine an ending with Angela & Andres owning the hotel, while Mother Teresa is a maid! We cud see her emptying chamber pots.

Or cud Julio turn out to be the son of the Old Goat ? If so, Isabel will not be his daughter. Will the core of this telenovela turn out to be mistaken/unknown parentage?

Incidentally, my theory is that the great love of Teresa's life is Teresa -- she always looks out for #1. I think she wanted Felipe to go to prison and framed him to protect herself. Cud it be that he is the true heir, but not MT's son?



 

Enoch:
IMHO:

Felipe managed to attract the daughter of General Machete, despite his frown at the dinner table. Then they pranced about, damsel getting a guided tour of the barrio by Felipe. Suddenly the damsel turned on him: "I didn't go out with your for no guided tour"; then she smooched him in public. Even as late as the 1950s I deem such an action extremely unlikely, when girls rarely called a guy on the phone. I am thinking that her behavior is extremely improbable for the time & culture -- tho there indeed were all kinds of people, then as now.

Now what should we guess will happen? Isn't it certain that General Machete will catch them at least quasi in flagrante? Is Felipe going to be a punching bag in this show? I can see the flat of the machete on the Fellippian nalgas.
 

Anonymous, you are implying a lot of things that we don't know to be true.

Back in the day, females didn't inherit anything, their husbands did. Diego put up much of the money that saved the hotel from bankruptcy, so that's why he will inherit the hotel when he marries Isabel.
 

I myself am not convinced that Diego put up any money to save the hotel -- I don't recall even hearing it (but my memory is faulty). Also, I don't believe anything that Teresa told Isabel, as I think Teresa is a big liar. Aside from a specific provision in a will, I have never before heard of a man inheriting anything from a defunct father-in-law on the grounds that he married the daughter. But there are many truths of which I am ignorant.
 

I guess it's true that sickly is the new sexy. Julio looks bad.
Regarding that horny girl, what could we expect due to the fact that both Julio and Felipe have ''designer stubble'' like 100 years before it was in style.
Mother Teresa should be in room number 30 and not in 69, not after I saw what Sofía and Felipe were doing...
La vieja cotorra ended up being Angela. I got very upset when she was disrespectfully interrupting Lupe while he was proudly explaining his culinary ideas to Hornysia. You just don't do that to a coworker if you dont want to be beaten up with the flour tortilla rolling thing... Do you really want to sleep with one eye open?
 

Thanks so much, Cathyx! This was definitely a setup episode, but many interesting scenes.

We saw a bit of Belen's scheming side. She is going to pit son against mother, and she can still bring out her secret weapon against Angela-- Teresa.

Anon- I think Teresa wants Sofia to have a child (a son) because Sofia's husband will become a very rich man (and Sofia a rich woman) if she has the (male) heir Alfredo's father stipulated in his will. I don't think this has anything to do with Don Romulo Alarcon and what may or may not have been in his will about the hotel.

We don't know anything about how Romulo divided his fortune/property. Everyone seems to be functioning as if Teresa inherited all, because she's the boss and she's making decisions about who can rule at her side (namely, Diego).
 

I don't believe Mercedes is supposed to represent a typical woman of the time. That's why Felipe was trying to woo her the "correct" way, and he was shocked/wasn't expecting her to just jump his bones like that. I have a feeling she gets a lot of men hurt/killed, whenever her General father finds out she's strayed. Being hunted by a killer general might just be what Felipe needs to scare him straight. :)

Teresa better come up with a plan for Sofia, otherwise that girl is going to lose her mind trying to fake this pregnancy. It's nice to see that Alfredo actually loves and desires her though.

How did the local cantina owner/pimp/loan shark end up owing Cristina money?! So now we know she was holding something over Teresa's and Diego's AND Gernaro's heads. Not good people to have as enemies!
 

Seems

I guess a lot of women are attracted by stubble -- but isn't the feeing objectionable if cheek or lips rub against stubble? As for myself, stubble is very uncomfortable becs the ends turn in against my neck.

So, Vivi (& the rest) consider the dialogue quote:

Dialogue:
"teresa: estas mintiendo de nuevo, cristina,
tu y yo sabemos que tienes algo que me pertenece,
y no te vas a ir de aqui hasta que me lo devuelvas.
cristina: si usted me hace algo, todo el mundo va a saber la verdad, y usted va a perder el hotel."

Do u have some suggestion as to what it was that Teresa was claiming that Cristina had which belonged to Teresa (which ought to be returned). If not a will, then what cud it be?
And what is this "verdad" & how could Cristina prove it & cause Teresa to lose the hotel?
 

Anon- What Cris was holding over Teresa is the second biggest mystery, after where is Cristina (and is she's alive). We don't yet have enough clues. If I had to guess, I would say it's either a will that Romulo left that leaves the hotel/wealth to someone Teresa doesn't agree with, or the real financial accounts for the hotel that show some kind of fraud. But again, not enough info yet to make an educated guess.
 

I don't remember what did Julio opened with the key he found in Cristina's room. Isn't that ANOTHER mystery?
 

Pablo- He hasn't yet found what Cristina's key opens.
 

Enoch:
IMHO:
Pablo, I think we have to guess (just guess) that the key gives access to the thing that Mother Teresa said Cristina had that belonged to MT, also that the "thing" is the means of Teresa losing the hotel. I don't recall Julio using that key. Didn't Andres say that that type of key opens thousands of houses? I am not sure if Andres said "houses," though; & one wud expect that there is a secret box or cabinet somewhere to unlock with that key.
 

Is he even looking?
The more he hesitates the more people will end up dead...

Let's make another timeline:

He gets to the Arkham Asylum, I mean, Hotel and find that diary and a key. Then with his supervision he sees a button in the bottom of the lake. Than he finds a cuff, then a piece of fabric from someone's cape, what else? Another key for the old house. So the first key is the only one he has not been able to figure out yet?
Isn't everything he needs to know in that diary?
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

Pablo- I don't remember the scrap of fabric. Isabel was the one who saw the cape the blackmailer (Pascual) was wearing and recognized it as hotel uniform issue. She's also the one who found the cufflink, which she showed to Julio. Since he knew Cris had them (they belonged to their father), and wouldn't give them away to just anyone, he investigated and found out Cris had a boyfriend- Pascual. That mystery is solved. The blackmail, cape, and cufflink all led to Pascual. What we don't know are the details of his romance with Cris, what he knew of her fate, and WHY he was blackmailing Diego.
 

Mysteries so far:

Where is Cristina, is she alive, and who was pursuing her?
What was Cristina holding over Teresa’s head?
Why are Teresa and Diego working together to lie about Cris/cover up her disappearance?
Why is Teresa so eager to get Isabel married to Diego?
What are the secrets that Teresa and Diego are hiding?
Who left the bloody uniform in Diego’s room?
Is it true that Diego saved the hotel from financial ruin that Romulo caused?
Why does Gernaro owe Cristina money?
Just how much did Pascual know about Cristina’s intrigues and her whereabouts/fate?
Why did Pascual blackmail Julio?
Why was Pascual's button at the bottom of the swim hole?
Why didn’t Cristina tell Julio about Pascual in her letters?
What does the key Julio found with Cris’ things open?
What else does Cris’ diary say (read more quickly, Julio!)?
What’s the importance of the book Pascual had, that’s now in Natalia’s possession?
Is there something important in Pascual’s house that Isa and Julio didn’t find?
Is the murder of Ximena connected to Cristina’s disappearance?
Who killed Ximena?
 

''The sword in the stone''

Why was the golden knife so flimsy that broke with one of Ximena's ribs?

I don't have golden cutlery, but I am sure none of my cheap butter knives would break even if a try to bend it with pliers.
 

Gold is a pretty soft metal.
 

Good questions Vivi. Maybe Cristina sold Genaro the other cufflink and never got the money? Could he have taken it to get appraised and she never got it back?

Sofia would be smart to go away with Alfredo and then act as if she loses the baby. Alfredo loves her, he will have a good job, so I don't think he will miss the inheritance.

 

LOL! I have never had anything made of gold in my hands. I thought those items were just gold plated.
 

I suspect that the special cutlery that the hotel has, that they have locked up, is solid gold, not plated.
 

thanks for this cathyx

"Teresa is praying, (no, really), Filipe is vomiting, (no explanation needed)"

Anon thanks for the questions to muse and Vivi thanks for putting together the mystery list. Lots of loose ends, I missed 3 shows so my head is spinning.

Right when I said no chemistry Isabel touches Julio's chest in the pantry. Me like.

Silver or gold it's all heavy in my tiny hand so gimme plastic.



 

Tofie- I was surprised Isabel was bold enough to break through all conventions of class and gender, by putting her hand on Julio's chest in that very suggestive way. And even more surprised that he's the one who put the brakes on, and got them back to just focusing on solving the mysteries. No time for romance, Missy!
 

Thanks cathyx!! Fab recneeded the details towards the end. I was dosing and lost what Genaro was blabbing off to Julio.

Great questions Anon ( why don't you give yourself a sign off name. Seems so much friendlier to answer you back with a nickname or real name. AND welcome!!) I too wonder what Cristina was up too that she had herself mired in such issues and secrets with a diverse group of people. Was she acting alone? Ugh, all these secrets are killing me. We solve one, raises two more.

I don't think Teresa is actually very bright. She didn't think this fake pregnancy through. Her greed took over and now she's badgering her daughter to figure out the details, or lack thereof. I would love for Sophia to just tell Alfredo. Poor girl is ready to lose her mind, but then I doubt Teresa cares as long as the fake pregnancy is pulled off.

LOVED watching Felipe and Mercedes. Seems to me her father is more than aware of her antics and behavior. He just sat seemingly somewhat resigned and amused while she hardly acted like a gentile young lady of the times. Bless her...my guess is she has left a trail of used up lovers and admirers, or dad has handled them. Maybe that's where he gets the nickname. But Felipe showed us he can be gallant and sweet when he wants to be, which was refreshing. He was downright handsome as he watched and smiled while the girl ate.

Teresa and Elisa should hold a stare off--and then they will burst into flames and be gone. Honestly, what witches. And I don't think there is a real job for Alfredo. She just wants him gone out of there.

Daisynjay
 

We have a lot of show left so I won't be surprised that we will get more and more mysteries needing to be solved than what we have so far.
Cristina mentioned that she needed the money from the bully before she could leave. Where was she going? Home? How come she didn't write a letter to her family telling them that she was going to come home?
 

Could Andres's parentage be the secret that Cristina knew about and was threatening to expose? If so, perhaps Romulo was going to will things to him before he died? Teresa and Diego would want that secret kept for sure.
 

Cathyx- It could be something like Romulo left the hotel and his wealth to all his kids (legitimate and maybe even some illegitimate), and Teresa just doesn't want to give up control/power/money to any of them. So she's trying to get Sofia squared away with her husband's wealth, marginalize Felipe, and chain Isabel to Diego who will "control" her.
 

According to the telenovela Bingo we used to play all the dots can be connected to make the giordian knot. Let-s do the math:

1-Angela has lived/worked there her whole life
2-Andres is around the same age as the Alarcons
3-Most GWM like to seduce the help
4-Why not?

GWM=guys with money
 

Pablo- Yep. It's a very solid theory that Andres could be Romulo's (or maybe any other hotel staff we've seen). But the main plot is Cristina's disappearance. So the question is, if Andres is an Alarcon, what does it have to do with Cristina's disappearance and her conflict with Teresa?
 

Vivi, if families only willed their estates to the males, and in this case, Filipe being a total loser, maybe Romulo was ready to recognize Andres as his son and will him the hotel entirely. Teresa would be very unhappy about that if that were true.
 

Romulo was a guy who supported his daughter becoming a doctor. I don't see him cutting his daughters out of inheriting in favor of male heirs. He seems more forward thinking than that.
 

Great recap, cathyx. Thanks. Just watched the episode. Another good one.

Trivia: last night they used the word for mirage "el espejismo" both in "El hotel de Los secretos" and in "Antes muerta que Lichita". Here it was "hope" that was the mirage, there it was "love" that was the mirage.

I was so glad that Isabel retrieved Julio's harmonica from the shack.

Poor Isabel you could just see her bristle at her loss of freedom as overbearing Diego's fiancée.

Poor Sofía stuck in the middle of this massive charade.

I am sure enjoying Erick Elías portrayal of Julio. He rightfully looks like a fish out of water.

Felipe's pursuit of Mercedes seemed like some very welcome comic relief.
 

Enoch:
Really great comments above; this site is smokin'.

It was asked, "WHY he was blackmailing Diego"?
Why not simply for money?

Above Vivi has a great list of mysteries: I will respond to some of them; not that I know the answers.

1) Where is Cristina, is she alive, and who was pursuing her?

Since Cris antagonized & threatened Mother Teresa, surely the pursuer must have been an agent of MT. (Or MT gave Diego the hit, & Diego got a rascal to do the dirty work).

2) Why are Teresa and Diego working together to lie about Cris/cover up her disappearance?

Best answer I know: They made her disappear; so they cover it up.

3) Why is Teresa so eager to get Isabel married to Diego?
My guess is the same as w/ Sophia; for some reason Mother Teresa HAS to have a nieto. But why that?

4) Who left the bloody uniform in Diego’s room?
Μy guess is Pascual as part of his blackmail scheme.

5) Why did Pascual blackmail Julio?
I don't recall that blackmail; I do recall how Pascual tried to claim that the suitcase w/ money belonged to Julio.

6) Why was Pascual's button at the bottom of the swim hole?
Great question. If he drowned Cristina there, it wud be explained; but somehow I think Pascual was in love w/ Cris.

7) Why didn’t Cristina tell Julio about Pascual in her letters?
To me it seems so simple a telenovela convention how brothers & fathers (who may be whoremongers), yet have a conniption fit about anyone pretending on the sister/brother.

8) What else does Cris’ diary say (read more quickly, Julio!)?
Yes, we wud have expected that very quickly Julio wud have learned big secrets from the diary.

9) Is there something important in Pascual’s house that Isa and Julio didn’t find?
I was disappointed by the house scene. I expected something interesting to be found, or for sparks to fly between the protags.

10) Who killed Ximena?
The only person I know of who had a motive was Mother Teresa. Ximena was an estorbo. After embarassing her, Ximena cud easily come around saying Felipe knocked her up.
 

Enoch- Pascual left the blackmail letter on Diego's desk saying that he needed to pay up, unless he wanted the truth to come out about Cristina. That's why Diego sent his goon to the money drop, and that's how Pascual ended up with a suitcase of money.

I'm not convinced the Pascual was also the one who left the bloody uniform though. There was no note with that, and no hint that he did it.
 

The suitcase of money was never Julio's. Pascual lied to Diego that Julio was the one who left the case of money, in order to throw Diego off his scent as the blackmailer.
 

ENoch:

Αs to the gold of the gold knife, I think that gold knives are either plated or made of an alloy. For example, copper hardens gold.
If a knife were plated, you would think that the plating would wear off quick. And if an alloy, I really don't know how hard gold gets in an alloy, if an alloy really makes a practical device for cutting anything.

I think of the break-off in the chest as very unlikely unless the knife was plated. Probably this is a blunder in the writing, as I don't think flatware is made brittle.

Here is an LOL suggestion:
Diego stole all the gold flatware & replaced it with yellow colored flatware (which will turn green eventually when Elisa is using it).
 

IMHO:
As to the "prayer" of Mother Teresa, actually she was quoting from the prologue to Proverbs (Bible). Was this done to vilify her as a Biblicist (seems rather common for Hollywood & secular drama)?

But I take it that she is claiming to be Wisdom personified herself:

En las alturas junto al camino,
A las encrucijadas de las veredas se para;
3 En el lugar de las puertas, a la entrada de la ciudad,
A la entrada de las puertas da voces:
4 Oh hombres, a vosotros clamo;
Dirijo mi voz a los hijos de los hombres.
5 Entended, oh simples, discreción;
Y vosotros, necios, entrad en cordura.
6 Oíd, porque hablaré cosas excelentes,
Y abriré mis labios para cosas rectas.
7 Porque mi boca hablará verdad,
Y la impiedad abominan mis labios.
8 Justas son todas las razones de mi boca;
No hay en ellas cosa perversa ni torcida.
9 Todas ellas son rectas al que entiende,
Y razonables a los que han hallado sabiduría.
10 Recibid mi enseñanza, y no plata;
Y ciencia antes que el oro escogido.
11 Porque mejor es la sabiduría que las piedras preciosas;
Y todo cuanto se puede desear, no es de compararse con ella.
12 Yo, la sabiduría, habito con la cordura,
Y hallo la ciencia de los consejos.
-Enoch
 

Enoch:

I forgot to say that what I pasted is in chapter 8 of Proverbs.
 

Enoch:
In other words, I don't view that recitation by MT (of soul) as a prayer, but as a soliloquy based on delusions of grandeur.
 

Gracias, Cathyx. This series must be a challenge.

The gold knives have to be an alloy because pure gold is much too soft to be used this way. They could be gold-plated silver. They also are unlikely to be used every day because they'd be very special.

Sofia will probably end up in a manicomio before much more time goes by. Between Teresa and Elise she can't even breathe without them coming after her. And Elise bringing up pregnancy symptoms at a dining table in mixed gender company is absolutely against every rule of etiquette during this era.

I hope Isabel finds out that Diego has the key to her room and he used it. In my book that's grounds for ending the engagement on the spot.

Teresa must be the grandmother of Humberto of Poder; she thinks exactly like him. Doesn't give a flying damn about Isabel's happiness and wants Diego to rule her with an iron fist.

I hate the possibility of Jacinto becoming Diego's errand boy and future goon. He deserves better.

Finally (for now) I hope the culinary consultant for this series writes a cookbook! Elise is a nasty snob about Mexican food but I'm not!
 

< Enoch:

Well, Urban,
as to Sophia in the manicomio, LOL;
Sophia is anything but a stock character in a telenovela; so for me she is quite entertaining. It will be interesting to see where they go with this papel. Dominika is doing a great job with it. Will she become completely unhinged and strangle her suegra?
 

< Enoch:

Further musings on Vivi's very helpful list of mysteries above:

6) Why was Pascual's button at the bottom of the swim hole?

New Muse: Pascual cud have found Cristina drowned in the swimming hole & dove to try to rescue her. But that upsets my theory that Cristina is alive (else, why not show her murder?) Sheer speculation: Pascual found her in the water, dove & pulled her out, gave her CPR. He was hit on the head by the guy who tried to drown Cristina. Cristina recovered from the attempted drowning. She is now wandering around with amnesia (LOL).
 

Por favor, not amnesia! Let's break that old rule! More likely she's being held prisoner somewhere by someone with a motive to get Teresa and who wants to find out what Christina knows.
 

Elisa does not like the Alarcon family, she doesn't think they are good enough for her son to be married to one. What remains to be seen is if Alfredo loves Sofia enough to stand up to his mother who will try to break them up if she finds out that Sofia isn't pregnant. I don't see Sofia pulling off this farce unless Alfonso can agree to be in on the deception, which he may actually agree to if he loves Sofia as much as it seems.
 

Wow! great recap Cathyx & all the comments are super.

I think the thing that Cristina had that belonged to MT is the key. The thing that doesn't make since, is why Cristina's room wasn't searched after her disappearance & the key & diary found. Maybe Belen hid them, she & Cris were roomies.

I do think Angela had a thing with Papa Alarcon & Andres is likely his. She has sth on MT since she is still around. Maybe Andres is in the will & MT wouldn't want that scandal to get out.

In an early episode when MT went to Diegos rm & Belen was hiding, I had the thought that there was sth sexual between MT & Diego, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Pobre Sofia is already in the manicomio.


 

Variopinta- Cristina's diary and the key were very well hidden under the bed and behind a wall panel. Julio only found it by chance because he hid under her bed. A search of her room/things would not have easily found it.
 

I think that Julio needs to get to know Belen better and find out if she knows more. She was Cristina's roommate and I would think that she must have known what Cristina was going through before she disappeared. But Julio first needs to find out if she and Cristina were friends. There must be more in her diary about her roommate to also give him clues as to Belen's leanings.
 

Cathyx, great point. We don't really know the answer to this yet. For the moment I'm leaning in the direction that he might because they don't live near his mother's residence. Not that living with Teresa is so great, but it's marginally better because there are other things competing for her attention.

I think there are two pending pregnancies because of the issue that Afraido's child has to be a boy. We know that Belen's baby is likely to be European-looking because Diego is the most likely sperm donor. Violeta's baby is an unknown. So if Belen's baby is a girl the terms of Afraido's father's will do not allow him to inherit. If Violeta's baby is a boy but is too dark (as in any darker than Andres and with the wrong features) they're back to zero and up the creek. Sobfia is not up to pulling this deception off twice.
 

Thank you Cathy!

I honestly don't believe that Christina is alive because I doubt that there could be a hiding spot for her but it would be refreshing if these theories bear fruit. Not really sure if we could trust Pascual's words because of his unstable paranoia. If anything he could have done an investigation on his own but in the end greed got to him so he coild have used the ruse for some quick money.

The only chance Sofia has to save her sanity is by telling Alfredo the truth. If Alfie loves her de verdad he will run away with her from Gran Manicomio.

Felipe getting some happiness is nice. I hope that he isn't using the girl

For the love of God , Julio should just stop with his mad pursuit of truth, he is far too reckless to be an actual spy. I hope Genaro shoots him, an arm or a leg would be fine but not lethal .Or make a delicious soup out of his tongue. I mean Julio is hawt but as a spy , he is stinking terrible.




 

The only way Cristina could be alive is if she's being kept against her will.

Countx, I love that Julio doesn't give up his search. He loves his sister and wants to know what happened to her. What if she were alive, needing help, and he did give up? Plus, there wouldn't be a reason for this show.
 

Yes Cathy but he should have befriended Genaro before digging more, get to know the players like Ayala did . He doesnt get that he is slowly blowing winds around himself. I suppose the show's quick pace doesnt allow for us to dig more into the methods of our spies. Julio doesn't get this game at all. Victoria is a better spy than Julio. I want to marry her someday , she should join UNCLE!

So yeah my twisted desire for Julio to get shot somewhere so that he learns his lesson still stands!

 

Cathyx--Wow, your very explicit recap sure engendered an immense number of comments. The Mystery Thickens--or is it The Plot Thickens. Thank you for everything.

Vivi--You original list probably had a typo, you specifically mentioned Pascual blackmailing Julio. I'm sure you meant Diego. Also, when Ayala and Diego took Isabel back to the scene of the blackmailer's pick up, while she was finding the cufflink, the two men DID find a scrap of material. This may be of no importance now, but I think they used it to determine it came from one of the Hotel uniform's capes--which Isabel I think, also identified the blackmailer as wearing.

More later, this is a lot to go through. (Not that I'm complaining. This is the best storyline to come along in a long time--well, since Reina de Corazones, for me.)


 

Vivi--Your list is so comprehensive, but I would have added who took the gold knife and who hid it under Felipe's mattress.

I think Julio expected to find some trace of Cristina in Pascual's abandoned house. He wanted this to end--one way or another, dead, kidnapped, or alive and well. I really want to believe she got away from the stranger with the knife and ran for her life and made it to safety somewhere.

Now, if that is true, why wouldn't she have contacted (written) to Julio to tell him of the circumstances for leaving and to come and get her, or something like that.
 

I wasn't surprised at all when Isabel put her hand on Julio's chest. Lordy, they were standing 6" apart. I keep telling you all, Isabel is a modern woman trapped in her mother's world of conventions. She no longer has her father to support her endeavours.

She's been attending MEDICAL school. She's been rubbing shoulders with young men and professors for at least a year or two (since before her dad died). Some of those conventions have faded away and she's much more prone to do what her heart feels. And her heart definitely does NOT want Diego or a marriage of convenience to him.
 

Anon at 3:20 on Saturday:
"I guess a lot of women are attracted by stubble -- but isn't the feeing objectionable if cheek or lips rub against stubble?" YES, indeedy. Not every male has soft, downy, baby fuzz on his cheek. I wonder who started this trend, for real.

We saw Andres shaving. Why not Julio? Don Benji should get after him.
 

True, Anita. Stubble like that would be considered uncouth in 1908.
 

Anita- Yes. Who placed the knife that killed Ximena under Felipe's mattress should definitely be added to the list. Thanks for the reminder of what the scrap was. Yes, Isabel had already identified the blackmailer's cape as hotel issue, so the scrap wasn't really needed.
 

Gracias Vivi, how quickly I forget, tks to your incredible memory about Julio discovering Cristina's hiding place .
 

Well... what are secrets for if not for everyone else trying to know them, right?

This is the hotel of secrets and everybody thinks they have one but someone else know about it and then threat/blackmail them so they not run and tell everybody else.

Doña Teresa has a secret that Cristina knows, Angela knows and Diego and God knows who else.
Diego has his share and both think they can use them against each other.
Angela has a secret, and so Isabel, Julio and the whole town.

For me, this is more BLACKMAIL ACADEMY, Haha!
 

High Points/Low Points list.

Two weeks in and there's already so much going on the list is too long to be put into one post.

High Points:
Ayala’s detective skills.
Isa hears her siren song (thanks, Jarifa).
Another clue: the cufflink belongs to Cristina.
Teresa slaps Felipe around.
Another clue: Belen tells Julio Cristina gave the cufflink to her sweetheart, Pascual.
Belen’s sincere kiss.
Angela threatens Teresa.
Angela wins (game, set, match—thanks Jardinera).
Elisa—cast iron witch (this could be fun).
Elisa doesn’t like that Sofia is pregnant.
Teresa modes Elisa by answering her in French.
Jacinto loves Violeta at first sight.
Angela and Julio have a heart-to-heart.
Julio lives to see another day.
Julio confronts Pascual.
Andres is released.
Belen/Andres reunion.
Andres’ welcome.
Lupe/Angela “flirting”.
Pascual is nervous.
Julio/Andres reunion.
Julio/Isa’s conversation in the dining room.
Teresa and Angela’s heart-to-heart, which has opened up a lot of interesting questions for Viewerville.
Angela overhears that Andres is not the Baby Daddy.
Ayala scolds Dag for not being respectful of Ximena.
Pascual about to murder the talkative old lady.
Elisa insulting Diego.
Matilde is shocking the world.
Julio talking of Isa’s eyes and what they do for him.
Isa talks about Julio’s eyes and what they do for her.
Julio confronts Pascual and he admits to loving Cris. He also says that Felipe wasn’t involved in her disappearance (he seems sincere, so I’m taking Felipe off my suspect’s list).
Isa finally gets to cry on Julio’s shoulder.
Julio lets Ayala know Diego shot without warning.
Angela tells Belen to break things off with Andres. B has a fit.
Isa rescues P’s clothes before they burn up and finds a key (looks a lot like the one Cris had).
Sofia has a great idea.
Isa gets a look at Pascual’s file and finds an address.
Isa/Julio tender moment.
The key fits the door.
Isa goes back to the house to look and retrieves Julio’s harmonica.
Lupe/Angela flirt in their weird way.
Belen tells a not too happy Diego that Isa has left her room already.
Felipe notices Mercedes.
During Sofia’s breakdown, she smacks Teresa (by accident, I know, but still . . .).
Isa gives Julio his harmonica back.
When Elisa tells Alfredo about his job, after thanking her, his first thought is to tell Sofia (E. NOT happy).
Felipe and Mercedes bond.
Felipe is a gentleman.
Mercedes doesn’t want a gentleman.
 

Low Points:
Diego tells Isa the note was for Felipe.
Natalia finds the gold knife under Felipe’s bed.
Angela gives the knife to Teresa.
Teresa tells Felipe to set up a servant when getting rid of the knife.
Felipe puts the knife under Andres’ bed (how low can you go?).
Andres is arrested.
Teresa threatens Angela right back.
Elisa’s dismissive attitude towards Sofia.
Looks like Alfie does have to have a son.
Angela weeping in her office.
Sofia has a talk with her not-so sympathetic mother.
Sofia tries to seduce her husband.
Victoria. Ugh!
Felipe won’t come clean (pun not intended).
Diego and Teresa are in cahoots re: the blackmailer.
Julio is in danger.
Teresa sells out Felipe (I know he deserved it, but it’s still kind of skunky—she only did it for her own selfish ends).
Victoria is a sour face.
Elisa and Diego make a pact.
Jacinto learns the truth about Violeta.
Pascual sets Julio up.
Pascual takes Isa hostage.
Diego shoots _________?!
Diego shoots Pascual.
Pascual dies before revealing what happened to Cris.
Isa tries to run to Julio, but Diego gets in the way.
Teresa badgering Isa (I couldn’t understand a word, but I could see from Isa’s expressions, it wasn’t good).
Isa/Julio are unable to search Pascual’s room.
Belen/Diego scene.
Natalia takes Pascual’s book.
Natalia REFUSES to give up Pascual’s clothes.
Poor Felipe is always F-ed up (as Juju’s BF says). There’s something tragic that is causing his behavior, I fear.
Jacinto’s angst.
Diego’s VERY awkward dinner.
Julio finds nothing in the cabin and throws his harmonica in frustration.
Diego snoops in Isa’s room.
Teresa tells Diego to use a firm hand with Isa.
Elisa wants a specialist brought in to check on Sofia.
Elisa insults Isa by calling her a nurse.
Sofia has a major melt down.
Angela undermines Lupe as he is talking with Mercedes.
Diego tells Jacinto he’s to drive Isa only where D. approves.
Julio confronts Genaro.
Fight breaks out.
Isa runs into the cantina.
Genaro pulls a gun on Julio.
 

Nanette--Your Hi/Low lists are always a trip back. Thank you for taking the time and the effort to distill all the action into single lines, packed with punch.

I started to review the last episode. We had been discussing what some Patio people thought was a breach of social convention when Isabel placed her hand on Julio's chest while they were talking in the pantry.

In the first few seconds of the episode, Julio and Isa are standing outside Pascual's ruined/abandoned house. He is thanking her for giving him back hope (and yadda yadda). But did you notice he was playing with the hair framing her face? Also, they agreed early on to use the familiar "tu" form in conversation and he was using it then as they stood close together. I'll say she took her cues from him.
 

Anita. Did notice he played with her hair. Should have put that on the list. Very romantic gesture.
 

Nanette- Gracias for the great list! It's fun to look back and see all that's happened in the week.

Anita- That's a lovely detail with the hair. There is certainly both an emotional and physical intimacy that's slowly growing between Julio and Isabel.
 

< Enoch:

Great comments above!
1) on Belen "I think the thing that Cristina had that belonged to MT is the key. The thing that doesn't make since, is why Cristina's room wasn't searched after her disappearance & the key & diary found. Maybe Belen hid them, she & Cris were roomies"
- In reviewing cap 2: it was said that after Cristina's disappearance, De Eggo had Belen gather Cristina's belongings. Belen may have found something.

2) As to Julio getting shot, it is a telenovela convention that the hero gets shot (or something similar).

3) Violeta's baby (is Violeta the cantina sex slave?): Who else but De Eggo is the papa?

4) Sofia's sanity: Methinks that Sofia is an official loser in the show.

5) Julio in Pascual's house: I don't understand why we didn't see him doing a through search. He should have found things. He cud have found a rubber duckie & commented sympathetically : "So Pascual had a rubber duckie."

6) Thanks Nanette for your high & low pts. On Mother Teresa insinuating that Felipe shud put the hot potato knife in some other servant's bed, it seems clear that while MT was being to noble as to turn in her own supposed son to the law, MT failed to mention her own obstruction of justice by leading Felipe to incriminate an innocent servant. Why Pascual took Isabel hostage is beyond me. As to understanding the words, the Univision site has English captions available for old capitulos.

The main chemistry in this show is between Lupe & Angela -- illustration of the dicho que there is only a fine line between hate & love. She hates him too much!

Now how is Jacinto going to refuse to take Isabel somewhere becs of De Eggo's orders? Isn't Isabel an owner of the hotel & the tin lizzy? Surely Isabel outranks De Eggo.

I had forgot that Julio played with her moo hair.

Can we all agree that Julio is an idiot led by emotion who cannot see how people will react to his actions? Now how does he believe he will learn about Cristina by such a rude approach to the brothel owner? I would like to see Isabel come up behind this owner & bop him on the head with a vase or something; but I doubt that will happen.
-Enoch
 

Belated thanks to Juju, Enoch and Cathyx for the awesome recaps for the past couple of eps. So much going on in each ep! It's like Amor Bravio (which had very few filler eps by the end of its run).

Early days yet, but this one is tied with AB for being my all time fav.


 

Thanks, Cathyx, for this fun read on yet another snowy day. I liked your snoring comments. Yes, snoring is always cuter when it's a cute fictional person that we don't live with!

I just about threw up when Diego gave Isabel some money and told her to buy herself something pretty. Gag, retch...

Felipe got his head turned by a woman way sooner than I expected. Will she inspire him to clean up his act? Or cause him to fall even farther away from the wagon?

Pablo: "Mother Teresa should be in room number 30 and not in 69, not after I saw what Sofía and Felipe were doing" hahahahaha... yes... when I saw the room number (it was hard to miss) I had to laugh. There's nothing going on in that room!

I really do think Cristina is still alive. However, I think she's in hiding, somewhere in the puebla, recuperating from the attempted murder. She hasn't revealed herself because she's still unwell. Someone must be helping her - probably someone we haven't met yet.
 

Nanette--OT but on AB....Mena has just showed up on PyP. We had a brief AB exchange. AB is about my all time favorite--with two of the most beautiful actors in the lead.
 

If Christina lived than I wonder where is she is hiding and who has the motive strong enough to help Christina . Surely the supposed killer would be wise to not leave loose ends around ( Maybe the killer was offed to clear the suspicion away) . Well Christina has been shown to be quite a self dependant woman so I wouldnt find it difficult for her to find a decent hiding place. So far the most likely suspects are Diego and Genaro.

Regarding the mystery of Angela and Teresa, I just want it to be something else than parenthoods but thats likely the reason why they are frenemies.

If Felipe screws up with this girl I wonder who will make his head spin more , Teresa or Daddy Zorro? For some reason I also hope that Felipe consequently is forced to become a gardener .
 

Thanks for the recaps NM. Very entertaining!
 

Well this hotel doesn't disappoint in all the secrets it's throwing out. But the one I want to know is: When is Isabel going to finish up med school? Mostly I want to see Diego's face when she tells him she's still going to sit for the exams and be a doctor. I love this time period, but mostly I love when women in this time period defy convention (hello, Mercedes!).

Kelly
 

Amen to that.

Diego will probably work as hard as he can to prevent Isabel from taking the medical boards or even finishing the course studies (I think she had another year to go, but I could be wrong). I hope she has the guts to tell him and her mother off and go to do that.
 

Late to the party but had to stop by and thank Cathyx for a great recap! Muchas gracias!

No Ayala sighting in this episode but it was a fun one all the same. I'm glad Felipe found a new playmate. This feisty gal and the threat of her father's connections (and machete! Yikes!) might just become life-savers for Felipe. Maybe they'll help him get on the straight and narrow before he drinks himself to an early grave.

Don Lupe and Àngela should stop bickering and get a room, already! :)

The fake pregnancy scheme is proving a lot harder to pull off with the constant probing and the machinations of the suegra metiche. We were allowed another glimpse of Teresa's maternal love in the scene where she witnesses her daughter's distress and panic. In her own twisted way, Teresa loves her children and endeavors to protect them in the way she sees fit. Unfortunately, the way she goes about protecting her kids might just spell their perdition.

Julio and Genaro's confrontation at the end was the perfect Friday cliffhanger! Can't wait for tonight's episode!

I'll dive into the comments now. There are always interesting insights to glean from everybody's observations.
 

-- A quote from the capítulo --

De cada diez problemas en los que uno se mete, sólo uno es por tarugo. Los otros nueve son por metiche. Así que fuera de aquí!” *

Julio wants to talk about Cristina and Genaro invites him to a nice box of “scram!”: “Out of every 10 problems that one gets into, only one is for being stupid. The other 9 are for being nosy. So get out of here!” (A brothel operator / cantina owner talking in probabilities? Oh I forgot, he also runs an underground boxing ring in his spare time!)

Meterse en problemas = to get into trouble.

Tarugo = literally, a block of wood. Figuratively, a fool, an idiot, a blockhead.

Metiche = nosy, meddling, snooping.

Así que = so, therefore, hence.
 

Anita: OT: Love SN, not all that about CdlF, though (don't shoot!!). Can't wait for the next SN to come around. Know she's going to want to spend some quality time with her hijo, but hoping next year.
 

Thank you, Cathyx! Muy bien hecho indeed.

I was surprised they didn't search the old house more thoroughly. It didn't look conclusive at all to me that no one and nothing important had been there. Else why would the key have been hidden in the hem of the trousers, instead of just in a drawer or something, if it were just his family's old unused house in bad condition?

So I was hoping they'd go back and look around some more in this episode, but I suppose Julio's got bigger drama at the moment now. Fortunately, we know he's good at fighting. Unfortunately, I don't think Genaro would hesitate to set all his goons after Julio simultaneously. But Julio did okay on his own when he was saving Felipe. Still, he's going to have to watch his back in this town forever after.

Elise is certainly a...piece of work, to put it nicely. I have a special bucket of Nerfazos for snobs who are incredibly rude to everyone else while thinking themselves so classy and above the much-more-decent people they think are ill-mannered. Newsflash, Elise: you are not elegant, nor do you know the first thing about etiquette. Or perhaps I need to say that in French for her to hear it. She needs to find herself poor and scrubbing toilets.

So Felipe CAN be pleasant when he wants to be. The bicycling and waterfalls looked fun. He didn't even have a bottle of booze in his hand the whole day!

Poor Sofeeble. She is losing it fast. I hope she does just spill the secret. That would be drama also, but I think honest drama would be better for her mental health than dramatic lies. At least she could mourn her lost baby.
 

Oh, there was also a dicho that I like: when Elise was describing the job to Alfredo, she said it was preparing for some big special event and they were going to "tirar la casa por la ventana", i.e. go all out extravagantly (lit. throw the house out the window).
 

Quick comment about Dominka Paleta's acting in that hysterical scene. Just amazing!!! I really felt it.
 

Nanette: I felt it too.

There are some things in life which, no matter how terrifying they seem, will make you feel 100000% better if you do them. Sofia would feel 100000% better if she would tell Afraido (if not everyone else) that she lost the baby. I mean, even if he dumped her (which I don't think he would), I think she would still feel better afterwards than she does now.

Sofia doesn't feel that she has much control of her life. This is one of the things that she can control, and I hope she goes for it.
 





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