Saturday, October 07, 2006

Week 7: Weekend Review

Two sceptres ruled the five episodes of last week in "The Gardener's Daughter" telenovela:

  • The discovery of Amelia,
  • The exposure and disgrace of Jennifer de la Vega.
The racy week further produced the planned re-union of Amelia with her father, an elaborate family dinner that was aborted by the tragic accident of Amelia and daughter, Luisa. This also led Don, unknowingly to the clinic, where they were rushed to after the accident. His purpose was to meet his young doctor friend, Carlos Eduardo, to cry on his shoulder, because his daughter did not show up as planned.

Marissa, the elegant and noble banker, President of the Metropolitan Bank conglomerate, is one woman with two terrible weaknesses and therefore two mistakes in life:
  • Emotional blindness, that led her into a compromising marriage to Luis Alejandro Montero, an emotional hitch-hiker and romantic schemer;
  • Emotional gulibility, that led her to embrace and associate with dubious Jennifer de la Vega, whose true desire was to lay hold on her wealth, through a desperate marriage to her son.
The chain would naturally break at its weakest point. Marissa's destiny was haunted by this naive weakness points later in her life. For me, it is 'crime' enough to love two villains (Jenny and L.A.), given her banking background of probity and honesty. Birds of the same feather flock together, Marissa is in a class of her own- a class of nobility, it is an irony that the people she "flocked" with are emotional 419s.

Pedro Perez is one other fellow that left a bad taste in my mouth. He lived a life of fantasy for 2 deacades that never became a reality. If 18 years was not enough to win the love of any woman, particularly under the same roof, that can no longer be love or even infatuation, it has become a debilitating OBSESSION!

His obsession has become selfishness. Life cannot be chained and imprisoned. Life is a continum and always ever in progress. Pedro seeks to stop the globe from turning on its axis. He doesn't want Amelia to go back to her father because he may lose both Luisa Fernanda and Amelia to the truth. The truth of Luisa's biological fatherhood.

There is no vacum in life, after about 8 years of "frozen ice" relationship called 'marriage', Pedro allowed himself to be melted by the fiery passion of Suzanna, his secret lover in a 10-year romance. I think that is when he should have called it quits, with Amelia; but he hung on in his obsession that Amelia, the spoiled brat, proud and ungrateful for little mercies, would one day, love him back. Their final separation was a crushing blow for Pedro. He could have avoided that heavy blow if he had looked elsewhere for true love.

Whatever you love, you let go, if it is truly yours, it would come back. To keep what you love in prison or in a cage, because of your fear of losing it, is not true love. Instead of fighting L.A. over Luisa Fernanda's paternity, what I feel he should have done is to call Luisa aside and tell her the whole truth 'and nothing but the truth'. that would have been better than manipulating her life with half-truths by him and Amelia. that was why I consider their attitude in relation to Luisa Fernanda asd selfish.

Episode 33: Transfusion of Destiny

As we all expected, Jardinero telenovela's episode tonite was a climax. Pedro became aggresive, obviously because he was hurting for the departure of Luisa Fernanda with Amelia, so he wasn't in any receptive mood for Carlos Eduardo's confession and correction of misconceptions. He drove him out of his house and shut the door after him.

Ambulance and paramedics arrived at the venue of the accident for rescue operation. The car was so mangled by the impact of the accident that, they had to use axes to breakthrough in order to bring out Amelia and Luisa, who were both in a state of coma. They were rushed to Carlos Eduardo's Hospital.

Jennifer de la 'Cunning' never rested from bringing out new tricks from her bag of cunning devices. Having admitted her failure to capture Carlos' love with her tricks, she was sulking when Carolina, her sister came in, this time her tears were true. With sobs that was touching, she said: "...I am Jennifer de la Vegas, ex Queen of the Universe, seated here alone without a shred of hope...oohh, this is my time to lose,...I lost to the gardener's daughter..."
Marissa came to indict Jennifer for being such a treacherous liar about her 'pregnancy' that never was, saying: "...what you did was very wrong..." Jenny switched into another round, this time, of crocodile tears, lying that: "...I didn't do it out of malice, I did it out of desperate love for your son Carlos Eduardo..., out of the fear of loosing him..., Marissa, you must help me to regain his love..., Luisa Fernanda is not the woman for him,...what could a gardener's daughter have with Carlos Eduardo: NOTHING! Please, Marissa talk to him." Marissa told her that would be a herculean task, since Carlos Eduardo does not love her anymore, but she seems to like Jennifer and, with pity, she may still help Jenny.

The waiting for Amelia and daughter became obviously futile and Luis Alejandro had to leave, but, not before scolding Vanessa in the secret, telling her that he knew her identity, that she was the friend of the 'gold-digger' girl he hit and took to the hospital, who later swindled him legally in court for the accident.

Don Fernando Alcantara fell into another mood of heavy depression because Amelia and daughter did not show up. He assumed it was because Amelia was still angry with him, for what he did to her nearly 20 years ago, by sending her into the wilderness of life. Nothing, and nobody could assuage his agony, he was very low in spirit. He sneaked out of the house, without anybody's knowledge.

Meanwhile, Marissa got home and met Carlos in a depressed mood. She learnt from Carlos that Pedro was still mad with him, and wouldn't listen or believe his reasons that Jennifer deceived him..., in the midst of their discussion, Carlos received an emergency call from the hospital, that two patients from a ghastly car accident, oscillating between life and death, were just brought in by the paramedics, and the senior doctor asked him to report immediately to the operating theater, to join in saving their lives..." He took excuse, from his mother and left.

After the patients were put under anasthestia, and as he and the senior doctor approached the first patient, just before the operation, he was stunned to recognise Luisa Fernanda, lying unconsciously on the operating table. He gasped for breath and said: "...IT CAN'T BE! Luisa Fernanda my love!" At that point, the senior doctor told him that he cannot be part of the operation, if the patient was his relative, as it was against the rules. He admitted that the patient was his girl friend and that the other patient must be her mother. Just before Carlos was sent out, Luisa Fernanda drowsily came afloat from anasthesia and called his name, "...Ca-ar-los Eduarr-rdo...", she went back into coma. He assured her that she would not die because he was there for her, to save her...he looked unto the Heavens and prayed to God to save Luisa Fernanda's life.

As he came out, he ran into Don Fernando, who confessed to him that he was feeling so low in the spirit and he had no friend to share his burden with, that was why he came to meet him. Carlos told him that was a wrong time to come, because his girl friend had an accident and was being operated now. He told the old man to go home and he would come to see him at home the next day. After expressing his sympathies, the old man hanged around the corridor in solidarity, and refused to go home.

Much later, Carlos ran into Don again in the corridor, and as they were chatting, the nurse ran to him saying that the life of his girl friend was in danger, as she needed a blood transfusion due to the much blood she lost to internal bleeding, and the blood bank does not have Luisa's blood group in stock. When Carlos asked for her group, the nurse mentioned it as O+, Don Fernando interjected saying: "...I am O+ too, I am willing to donate my blood to your girlfriend let's go..." What a relief and divine rescue!

Don, unknowingly was saving the life of the heiress to his fortune. While the transfusion was in process Luisa was about to wake up, and Don looked at her face, suddenly, he said with conviction that: "...this young lady,...I think I've seen her before..., I know her from somewhere..., but where?...but where?"

Pedro carried the pictures of Amelia and Luisa and was in great pains for their absence at home that nite. He said the home was empty without them. As he placed Amelia's picture on the table and was watching it, a gale of angry wind from outside the window blew it off the table and it crashed to the floor. When he picked it up again, the glass was already smashed to pieces, defacing Amelia's face. What a signal of the impending demise of Amelia! He couldn't stay alone in the house again, so he went to the bar with his friend Pancho to cool off tension. Suzanna, his friend and secret lover for 10 years met him at the bar to assured him that she was there for him.

Leopoldo and Andreina were getting along well with their romance. After a sumptuous lunch they retired into her apartment. While they were seated on her sofa, L.A. called but Andeina, knowing that it was L.A. refused to pick his strident and repeated calls. She told Leopoldo not to rush the relationship and allow their likeness for each other to grow into a love relationship as sex should not be the next agenda for them, so she urged him to remain a gentleman, and go home now, instaed of wishing to sleep over at her flat.

L.A went to Pedro's house to find out why Amelia and daughter did not come afterall to Don's house as promised. As pedro opened the door, L.A. said: "...I have come to see Amelia and my daughter..." Pedro did not give him the luxury of explanation, he rather threatened him that he would break his head if he doesn't leave immediately. L.A. left promising Pedro, with a grinding teeth, that Pedro would regret his action soon.