Lo Que La Vida Me Robó: Spangish Girl’s Recap and Review (July 16-25)

Episodes 167-174

Caution: this is an extra-long novela blog.

It’s amazing how much can change in the week and a half since my last blog. We have mucho to talk about…

I’d like to first point out that there must be something in the water in Agua Azul: too many people have gone mad (lost their minds!).  Jose Luis now joins the ranks of Graciela, Maria, and Pedro in terms of evil, creepy, craziness. Perhaps you think I’m being too harsh.  After all, one could argue that Jose Luis has every right to be angry and vindictive. But still, I think his behavior, as of the last few episodes, has been a little on the dark and creepy side.  But, if you are a Jose Luis fan, don’t be too upset because I am still holding out hope that the old Jose Luis returns: he has yet to cross over to the dark side, that is to align himself with Pedro.  If I’m speaking in code, let me explain:

So this last week and a half, Jose Luis has stuck to his promise (that if he can’t be happy, neither can Montserrat  and Alejandro).   Jose Luis has made Montserrat and Alejandro’s life a living hell.  Not only is he over all the time (under the premise that he has a right to see his daughter e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.), but he has now filed a petition to gain full custody of his daughter Romina. In an attempt to gain full custody, he has manipulated and harassed Montserrat and Alejandro so that he can later “paint” them as bad parents.

Even more creepy and evil is that Jose Luis is now a certifiable stalker.  He shows up wherever Montserrat is, and he purposely plays with her mind.  In one episode this week, Jose Luis coincidentally runs into Montserrat as she is leaving church, and she discovers her vehicle vandalized with the words zorra, which implies the B word (I always thought it meant skunk…lol…silly Spanglish me).  Jose Luis really did not vandalize her car, Maria did.  But because Jose Luis had called Montserrat a Zorra prior, she assumes it was him.

In the scene where Jose Luis called Montserrat a Zorra, they were discussing Jose Luis’s attempt to gain full custody of Romina.  Jose Luis, to belittle Montserrat, points out her faults: that she is seen as a “loose” woman by the people in Agua Azul, and that her ability to raise a daughter is questionable, since she herself is so “damaged.”  Then in another scene, Jose Luis follows Montserrat and Alejandro to a car dealership where Alejandro has just bought Montserrat a new minivan (I need an Alejandro in my life). Jose Luis sneaks into the car, and while Montserrat is driving, she looks in her rear view mirror and to her surprise, there is Jose Luis, smiling (creepy). Montserrat, startled, gets into a car accident. She is ok, but Jose Luis later lies and tells her he was not in the car. He does this so that he can play with Montserrat’s mind—as if to imply she is crazy.

Montserrat, however, does not doubt her own sanity. Alejandro, already fed up with Jose Luis’s games, decides he must once and for all put a stop to Jose Luis’s harassment.  He calls Victor and Dimitrio over and he tells them what Jose Luis has been up to: first Jose Luis entered their home while Montserrat was showering (this happened before the car accident), then he causes the car accident. Dimitrio and Victor agree that Alejandro cannot sit back anymore, so they accompany him to Jose Luis’s house for a fight (such Machistos—what they need to do is go to therapy and deal with all the hurt—Jose Luis is just hurt—I’m all about therapy—I love my shrink).

Refugio is at Jose Luis’s house because Jose Luis wants to ask him to cover for him, regarding his whereabouts during the time that the accident took place. Jose Luis needs Refugio to be his alibi. Refugio refuses to lie, and when Alejandro arrives with Victor and Dimitrio, Jose Luis is forced to admit he was in the van. Jose Luis and Alejandro get into a fist fight.  Eventually the fight is stopped because Dimitrio has to leave to go see Carlota, who has just learned of Ezequiel’s true career and involvement with Pedro.

So before I move on to the whole Carlota and Ezequiel thing, I’d like to share some final thoughts about Montserrat, Alejandro, and Jose Luis: in the very beginning of this novela (as I’ve noted before) I was team Jose Luis all the way. Then Alejandro grew on me and I switched sides and to date, I am still team Alejandro. I really feel bad for Jose Luis—life has been cruel to him. But the guy needs to stop. He is losing his mind and turning into an evil person.  I know people say love can make you do crazy things, but I get the feeling that Jose Luis’s love for Montserrat, although at one time pure and beautiful, is now evil and obsessive.

I do still think Jose Luis has hope. Pedro tried to align himself with Jose Luis on Friday’s episode but Jose Luis refused.  I’m hoping the old Jose Luis comes back. I hope he finds love again and he moves on. Otherwise, I get the feeling his storyline is going to end darkly.

Intermission…

*If you need a break this is a good time to take one. We are still not even half way done. I still need to talk about Carlota and Ezequiel (at last the rose colored glasses come off), Graciela (who is dying), Rosario (who was kidnapped), and Macario (who now has a son).  So get a snack or a drink and then head back soon or if you’re on a diet and don’t want to eat because you want to look like Montserrat, then consider going for a short walk or doing some sit ups. 

Ok, back to Carlota and Ezequiel…

So it all began when Ezequiel  was shot by Adolfo from a distance. Pedro returned to Agua Azul and he kidnaped Adolfo and ordered him to kill Ezequiel. Adolfo follows through with Pedro’s request because Pedro has threatened that if Adolfo fails,  something bad will happen to Josefina .  Adolfo feels he has no choice, so he positions himself in a tower and shoots Ezequiel from afar, while Ezequiel is giving a speech to announce his run for Governor.  Ezequiel, however, lives because he was wearing a bullet proof vest.  Pedro finds out Ezequiel is alive, so he sneaks into Ezequiel’s house and ambushes Carlota in her room.

Ezequiel enters the room to ask if Carlota knows where their maid is. He finds Carlota sitting on the bed with Pedro, who is pointing a gun at her head.  Pedro orders Ezequiel to tell Carlota his true career (drug trafficker). Pedro then orders Ezequiel to choose his own life or Carlota’s. Ezequiel, the true coward that he is, chooses his own life and flees from the room. Carlota is not killed, but she is devastated and she calls Dimitrio, which is the call that ended the fight between Jose Luis and Alejandro.

Now, here is my two cents: leave it to Pedro to set Carlota straight.  He, of course, does it in the most evil and least sensitive way, but he at least points out the obvious: Carlota was in denial about Ezequiel and although Pedro is a dirt bag, at least he didn’t kill Carlota.  I still don’t understand Pedro’s plan. He supposedly wants to make Ezequiel suffer, and I’m guessing death would be too easy.  But still, why he spared Carlota’s life I can only guess one thing: Ezequiel choose his own life over hers so clearly, he didn’t love her as much as Pedro thought. Therefore, Carlota’s life may have had little value to Pedro because he is looking to torment Ezequiel. By allowing Carlota to live, Ezequiel is going to have to face her and the law for his actions.

Ezequile, however, is already trying to save himself. He has offered el Alacrans identity to Refugio and Dimitrio in return for protection and assistance to leave the country. Refugio and Dimitrio are reluctant but willing to help him because they want the information.  We’ll see how this goes next week, Adolfo is already working his own plan to ensure his identity as el Alacran is not revealed.

Now, you are probably wondering why Dimitrio is being called upon by so many. Well, he is now a captain in the Mexican Navy. So Alejandro and Montserrat need him to help them deal with Jose Luis, Carlota needs him to help her deal with Ezequiel, and Ezequiel needs him to help him deal with Pedro.  I have to say that Dimitrio has become quite the responsible and reasonable man. I still remember the early days of this novela when Dimitrio was a professional couch surfer and con artist.  How things have changed. Now, if only he could see that Josefina still loves him and that he still loves her…

Speaking of Josefina, she and Adolfo got engaged this week, which is why Adolfo is so desperate to conceal his identity as el Alacran. He knows that If Josefina finds out she will never marry him.  I think we all know that she isn’t going to marry him anyway—she is still not over Dimitrio no matter how much she pretends to be.

So you heard me right, Graciela is dying and yes, her children are sad. What? Did you think they would be jumping for joy? Ok, I thought so too, but no, Montserrat and Dimitrio really do seem upset by the news.  I still don’t know if I believe Gracieal’s doctor. After all, I would not be surprised if she paid the doctor off.  As of now, it seems to be true. She has cancer and less than a year to live, so Montserrat has moved Graciela into her home to care for her.

Graciela finds out she has cancer by chance.  After years (or months—I can’t remember) of locking herself up in her room like a hermit and not eating because of Fabiola’s death, Carlota and Ezequiel finally have enough. They ask Montserrat and Dimitrio to take responsibility for Graciela. Montserrat and Dimitrio come over to Carlota’s house to check on their mother, but Graciela wont open her door. Dimitrio then kicks the door open and they find her laying on the floor. It is then that they take her to the hospital and the doctors discover she has a tumor.

Because I am not a fan of Graciela, it is hard to feel sorry for her. But because she seems to feel remorse for Fabiola’s death, I do feel a little sorry for her. Montserrat also has taken pity on her mother and Dimitrio, although reluctant, is visiting her, but he still resents her.  Graciela, although depressed by her current situation, is still being difficult. If cancer doesn’t humble her and make her change, I don’t think anything else will.

Next: Macario has a son! I thought that Macario would be overjoyed since he and Dominga can’t have children,  but no, Macario is reluctant to accept his son with open arms. Dominga, however, has taken to him very well.

Macario’s son showed up and informed Dominga that he was looking for his father. Dominga, of course, was surprised and a bit upset. But then she learned that Kevin (Macario’s son), traveled to Mexico alone to look for Macario because his mother had died.  Kevin is now working with Macario and Dominga at the bakery and Macario is slowly starting to like him. The casting director’s for this novela did a good job with the casting of Macario’s son—he really looks, talks, and acts like Macario.

Now, last but not least: Rosario was kidnapped on Friday. Alejandro watches the entire incident take place because he is walking and just happens to be in the area.  Rosario is shown being dragged into an SUV by two masked men. I think it’s safe to assume that this is Pedro’s doing. He really has returned with a vengeance.

Speaking of Pedro, his accomplice, to my own surprise is Maria. She has been helping to hide him, despite the fact that she is supposedly Adolfo’s friend. Adolfo has no idea. Even more confusing is that Maria’s is belittled by Pedro and still she helps him (he pets her like a dog and makes her sit on the floor in his presence). He literally treats her like crap. The novela writers sure do know how to confuse us and keep surprising us. Why Maria would help Pedro, I don’t know. Even if she and Pedro share the same goal, to get back at Alejandro, it still doesn’t make sense.

But I guess my biggest mistake is trying to make sense of Maria’s character—I should know by now that there is no logic. In fact, this week she continued to be crazy: she dressed up as Montserrat twice and both times visited Alejandro. Alejandro, I think, is immune to her craziness because both times he ordered her to leave him alone and to stop dressing like Montserrat, but other than that, he seemed more bothered than concerned—I think he has given up on her and rightly so.

Some final thoughts on this last week and a half: this story line, although intense, is becoming somewhat repetitive. Interesting and suspenseful—yes—but receptive.  I’m ready for it to be over just so we can see how it actually ends.  I’ve had enough of Pedro and I’ve had enough of the whole Montserrat, Alejandro, and Jose Luis love triangle. Montserrat has clearly made her choice and Jose Luis, we all know, has lost.

In my perfect world, Jose Luis would find  love gain and realize Montserrat is not the only fish in the sea (speaking of fish, don’t her bangs remind you of Ariel’s from the Little Mermaid?); Adolfo, Ezequiel, and Pedro would rot in jail; Montserrat and Alejandro would live happily ever after; Rosario would fall in love; Graciela would disappear (I’m not going to say she has to die, she just needs to move and leave everyone alone); Maria would be admitted to a mental institution; Carlota would fall in love with a good guy, and last but not least, Dimitrio and Josefina would get married.

Nadia and Victor are already together and Macario and Dominga already have a son, so I feel like my above wishes would be ideal. However, the name of the novela is Lo Que La Vida Me Robo (what life took from me), so clearly, this novela will probably have a semi-depressing ending.

Until next week my Novela Lovers!

Oh, one last thing: did any of you find yourself craving chilaquiles after the scene where Rosario makes some for Alejandro? Well, if you did (like me), here (click on link) is one of my fellow Bloggistas Chilaquilles recipe—it is to die for! Enjoy:  Chilaquiles Recipe–The Spanglish Girl’s Guide

 

Spanglish Girl

Ps. I forgot to mention that Nadia never sat on the scorpions (Victor, of course, saved her).