Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Hacienda: Theater of War!

Eduardo's desperation knew no limit as he barked out orders to his hitman, Jingo, instructing him to find out the hiding place of Alicia Gracia in Kito. He ordered him to do everything possible and scale every hurdle placed on his path of fishing out Alicia.

After Camila spoke with the family, Alejandro told her that he was relieved with her happy tears, but not with Irene's. he told her how Irene's internet boyfriend based in Lima stood her up, and didn't dare show his face to her in real life.

Camila began to soften the romantic ground for Hamman by hinting that she thought that Hamman and Irene had a soft spot for each other. Alejandro was won over, he agreed that Hamman was a great guy and better than the internet freak. The two lovers rocked away on the hotel bed where they were lodged.

Camila understood the reasons of Alejandro why he could not leave for Hacienda immediately, because of the load of responsibilities- Heidi's case, eviction of Claudia, public indictment of Patric and the tumult over the Novoa hotels alleged bankruptcy. She agreed to stand by him in Lima.

Eduardo was shocked to learn that Camila had been completely exonerated of all charges and is now free. His lawyer told him that Alejandro had turned the table against him by pressing charges of false witness, criminal embezzlement and bankruptcy of Novoa Hotels against him. Eduardo vehemently denied all the charges, saying he had nothing to do with it.

The bell tolled for Claudia, she desperately made a call to Canada, asking if the job she turned down some years ago was still available for her to come and pick up. She was told to check back in a month's time. She went wild with rage, a month is too long a delay, she could be behind bars by then.

Claudia and Patrick have been indicted! The Judicial system is Ecuador was swift. That was the good news that Alejandro brought to Hamman at the TV station where he worked. Alejandro came to thank him for the excellent press coverage organized by him, which made the judicial system swing in their favor.

Alejandro told him to phone Flavio and let him know that he appreciated the great and excellent work he too did in Kito. Hamman agreed that Flavio was a spectacular crusader for justice. At that moment, Flavio called Hamman to brief him about the recurrent danger that Alicia represented, having already paid a menacing visit to the Himenez family house once. He also pleaded with Hamman to put in a good word for him on Lucy, as his parents were irreconcilably opposed to his marrying his sister, Lucy.

Hamman was furious and hung up on him. Alejandro supported the romantic bid of Flavio for Lucy, and advised Hamman to reconcile with the fact that his life-long friend was the best candidate for his sister as husband. He frankly told him that he didn't see Flavio as a sister-snatcher. He also warned him to be wary of the scheduled private interview with Eduardo Bonfil.

Alicia deftly resurfaced at the Novoa Hotels and pretended to be a friend of Helena. She asked for Alejandro's phone number and residential address. She told the receptionist that she needed to meet Helena urgently. when she was told that the confidential information was not available, she flew off the handle and insulted the receptionist. She suddenly realized that she had exposed her motive for being angry with a simple denial of her seemingly 'harmless' requests. Her real plot however, was to kidnap Virginia, and hold the baby hostage, as a ransom for non prosecution by Camila.

Camila called her mother, Florencia, announcing to her that it would take some three days to tidy up the loose ends in Lima, before she and Alejandro could travel to join them in Hacienda, to 'liberate' Virginia from the pampering grandmothers. When Camila told her that Irene sends her regards, Florencia told her that John Perry from Hacienda also sends his regards. Camila laughed with a romantic knowing, asking what the distinguished gentleman was doing in Hacienda.

Claudia called and pleaded with Eduardo to save her from going to jail. Eduardo blamed her for opening her mouth to a journalist. He asked her if the journalist recorded the interview on tape. She said she did not know because she didn't see the man use a video-camera or tape recorder.

Eduardo told Claudia to shelve her ambition of coming to join him in Lima, saying it was not good for them to be seen together in public yet. When she asked if he would still give her the presidency of the Novoa hotels. He lied by fondly saying, " ... yes, my love".

Lucy has begun to fan the embers of rebellion against her father's opposition to her intended marriage to Flavio. She refused to to heed the warning of her parents that Flavio does not have a roof over his head and was not yet a graduate. She declared that she would marry Flavio, whether they like it or not.

Alicia began to spun more tricks to get to Florencia, Juanita and little Virginia. She phoned Himenez house and Lucy, picked it. She pretended that she was Maruhita, Florentia's ally. When lucy told her that Florencia had travelled to Hacienda to visit helena Novoa, she asked Lucy for the address and phone number of where Florencia was staying. After the disclosure, Paddy grabbed the phone from Lucy and asked who the caller was. Alicia kept quiet and hung up. Paddy knew immediately that it was not Maruhita but Alicia.

Lucy gasped, on realizing her error of endangering Florencia's life by her indiscreet disclosure of Florencia's location to a demented killer on the loose. Paddy called Hamman to brief him of the mistake of Lucy and warned him to be wary of Eduardo in his next professional exploit of interviewing the criminal.

Camila noticed that Alejandro was tensed and looking worried, so she confronted him, demanding for the reason behind his worried look. after much persuasion, he confessed to her that Alicia was on the loose, and seeking to hunt down Florencia for the kill. Camila gasped with shock and immediately she ordered for two flight tickets to Ecuador, they left immediately for Hacienda.

Camila Freed For Fresh Battles

The two villains, Claudia and Patrick began to blame and shout at each other. Patrick revealed to her the foolishness of her careless utterances to a journalist from Miami. He reminded her that Miami was the base of Camila, and naturally, that journalist was the agent of Claudia's worst enemy- CAMILA!

Suddenly, Claudia's brain became cleared of fog. She realized that she had goofed by cheaply allowing herself to be tricked during the interview. She accused Patrick of the same folly as hers, by also being indiscreet during his own interview with the same journalist! Both of them agreed to having played the fool.

The two of them also discovered that they were on their own now, because Eduardo Bonfil seems to have disowned them, due to their incriminating 'public confessions' on the pages of most daily newspapers. While Patrick admitted defeat, expressing his fear of inevitable imprisonment for both of them, being convicted for fraud and embezzlement.

Claudia refused to accept such defeatist opinions, she vowed to fight to the end, and that she would soon travel abroad, out of the country to North America, for a while. Her confidence triggered suspicions of Patrick that she may have slept with Eduardo Bonfil. She could not look him straight in the eye, she denied that nothing happened between them.

John Perry, Florencia, Helena and Genesis sat on the couch of the living room in Hacienda countryhome, awaiting news of Camila's heroic arrival in Lima. They were all full of excitement as they watched Alejandro and Herman, who were former rivals and enemies, but now close collaborators and best of friends, on TV, during the Press conference. Suddenly, the TV went blank, as the signal went out. Florencia was startled but was reassured by Genesis and Helena that, it was a normal fluctuation.

John and Florencia reconciled and spoke alone together for a long time about their future plans, once Camila was freed. John told her of his plan to convert the Hacienda ranch into a commercialized motel. Sparks of old romance was gradually being rekindled between then, but first, many questions about the past pains are yet to get answers.

Camila and Heidi arrived at the Lima airport into the waiting hands of the police, who welcomed them with re-arrest and took them to the Lima Police station, where they were held. Alejandro helped to fill all the legal papers for the release of Camila. After Camila's release, she reassured a sad Heidi that she would do everything possible to get her out of prison before long, because she had never met a true friend like her.

Eduardo Bonfil swung into action and spun fresh web of lies, in his plan to escape justice. He asked his new lawyer, late Segovia's partner, to issue a Press statement, declaring that his wife, Alicia, was mentally ill and had just escaped from home despite undergoing consultation and observation of a psychiatrist. The statement portrayed him as a pitiable victim, worried and suffering husband of a mentally deranged woman who threatened him with a gun in order to escape from the house. Eduardo discovered that Alicia had taken his gun with her when she escaped from the house.

Flavio came again, fully 'equipped' to win over Lucy's parents, with two bouquets of flowers- one for Paddy (Lucy's mother) and one for his heartthrob. He bought some cigars as gift for Kike (Lucy's Dad), who rejected his gift and called it poison, designed to kill him quickly.

Flavio formally asked the permission and endorsement of Kike and Paddy to marry Lucy. Kike refused to grant his heart-desire, to the uttermost disappointment of Lucy. Kike even refused the attempt by Flavio to put an engagement ring on his daughter's fingers. After much pleadings, the only compromise that Kike agreed to, was that they can be in a 'guided and supervised' courtship for two years, before they could marry.

Eduardo Bonfil, in a last-minute effort, tried to woo Alicia Gracia back with hypocritical promise of love and repentance, asking her where she was so, he could bring her back, to protect and care for her. She replied him with a cold deadly voice that she could take care of herself. She said she would never need his 'protection' again. She hung up on him while he was still pleading for reconciliation.

The court accepted the Alicia Gracia's telephone conversation, audio tape recordings, as evidence, without further testimony. Camila's 5-year sentence was annulled and she was certified and set free. She was amazed and hugged Heidi who congratulated her. She hugged Alejandro and fell into a great liberating kiss with him.

Alejandro reassured them that he had pressed a 30-count charge against Eduardo and Alicia, more than enough to keep them in jail forever. Heidi and Camila were happy.

As Eduardo refuses every appointment to be interviewed by every journalists, he smarted up plans to get rid of the two meddlesome journalists that have given him much torment in recent days: Flavio and Hamman! He phoned Hamman's TV station's news room, asking them to tell him that it was only him that he wanted to grant the privilege of interviewing him, and that Hamman should come alone to his office for the 'interview'.

In the middle of their romantic renewal, the telephone rang, and ... lo and behold, it was Camila! Florencia was thrilled to hear the voice of her beloved daughter. Camila confirmed to her mother that she was back in Lima, her sentence had been annulled and she was now FREED! The contagious ecstasy of Florencia spreaded like virus among all the family members standing round about her to catch a 'glimpse' of Camila's voice, (if voices can be seen!).

Camila she uncontrollable tears, as she also spoke in turn, with every member of the family starting from nana Juanita. After the call, she told Alejandro that she could not wait to reunite with her daughter, Virginia.

Let's Finish With Camila

A deep gratitude and big thanks from me to two telenovela researchers- Ayodele Aji and Newking. They have helped to locate the scripts of Todo Sobre Camila (All About Camila). With what we have left, 8 FULL Episodes, which translates in Nigeria to 16 half-episodes.

I will start right away from what would be shown tonight of MITV, 10-10:30 p.m and Fortune Cable TV, 8:30-9:00 p.m. Thanks also to Univision, the American partner of Televisa and our colleague, Dianne, from Telenovela World Forum.

I hope to finish the 16 half-episodes between now and 12 noon tomorrow. After that, we would now do a recap of the 102 full episodes that we were not privileged to read before now on this blog.

So, let's get cracking, and finish with Camila!