Caray, Caray!

Hello amig@s! I'm running a wee bit late (I overslept!) but I shall have the recap up by early afternoon EDT. Apologies for the delay.

Catch you later! :)
 

I have to thank everyone who worked on this marvelous project , the recappers and the hilarious commentators. Mil Gracias!

This was an nice but not overwhelming finale. The finale looked like a normal real life resolution of terrible events. It felt original without it being shoved in our throats.

I was surprised when we learned that Sophia was behind the death of Romulo and Christina. Well she did have powerful reasons to kill Christina either way , the most being earning her mother's love.

I was screaming YES at the top of my lungs when Cecilia , Felipe & Arenas bros became part of Diego's anvil. Shooting him ,burning him but that was just a dessert when Diego got manhandled by Doctor V , Clara's daddy dearest! RIP Doctor V :(

Manuela & Felipe got a happy ending , they seem to participate in the revolution.

I didn't care about Julio & Isabel. They got a happy and sad ending. In the happy they live forever after getting out of the hotel . Julio tried to turn himself in but the officer didn't do it because of the revolution. In the sad ending Julio's fate remains unknown after turning himself in. Isa & Matilde decide to go Back to School . This song will forever remind me of El Hotel :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_03np9IqKg

I especially liked Teresa's anvil. She was not tortured physically but mentally. She got betrayed by all of her children and Diego.

I didn't like how Olegario remained untouched. He hasn't received any anvils whatsoever.

I am looking forward to reading your future recaps once we get a new creative show ( By the way Yago will return to a 10 pm schedule on May 30th on Univision!







 

I also LOLED when Teresa on court acted as victim, her own attorney and interrogator all at once .
 

The finale is in the best hands Nandicta and we will wait patiently for you to put your masterly touch to last night's events.

I for one enjoyed the finale. Not terribly over the top as the Count points out, the courtroom with our own Perry Mason Ayala was suspenseful and wrapped up speculation on events nicely...sort of the slow burn to the Sophia reveal. And then I yelled at the top of my lungs "I KNEW IT!! I KNEW IT!!" which had my son come running In from the other room and the cat go flying Out of the room. I'll note other anvils after the recap.

I agree, I felt slightly let down there was no Oleg anvil, but he basically got nothing. I guess we can't have everything. This was as close to a perfect TN as we may see for awhile, so I won't quibble.

And the wrap up on our couples...sweet,simple, again in character and nothing over the top. And I'll admit it, I clapped like a stupid kid with Lupe/Angela and seeing Flippy plant one on Manuela in the cantina, and again before he rides off with the gang. Mati/Ayala---too cute. Just right.

And to all our recappers, regular and those who filled in, you have been amazing!! I stared a bit at the FIN at the end and sighed knowing this group and TN has come to an end. I think this has made me sadder than any recent TN coming to an end I can remember in quite awhile. Thanks to everyone, recappers and commenters, on making this journey such a great time.

Lots of running around to do today, but will catch up later.

 

I figured Sofia had killed Cristina but I actually thought it was going to be Diego who killed Romulo. I agree, Olegario's lack of punishment was the one thing missing. The trial seemed to take forever and I could have done without the last fight between Isabel and Julio, but overall I liked it.

I'm glad they went with the happy ending for Isabel & Julio. I would have been so angry with the alternative ending! (You can watch it on Univision's site).

Thanks to all the recappers! This may be my last Univision TN. It was hard staying up until 11pm watching this even with how good it was. I'm happy Yago is staying on Univision after all, but I'm not sure if I'll continue watching every night. I'll still check out the Telemundo discussions for La Esclava Blanca since I prefer period dramas to the normal TNs.
 

Well Oleg was probably left free because there was no actual evidence on him. Both Belen & Olmaro are dead and no one has reported of ever seeing Oleg hanging out with them. He was also freed of charges when Sophia declared herself guilty. Teresa was imprisoned for charges of fraud & obstruction of justice . Sophia took all of the blame in the end.

I will probably tune in on 3X Ana but I am also watching Outlander, Black Sails and Bates Motel just to hold my breath until Yago comes back ( No Yago next week because of Ana. I am having withdrawals already!)
 

Freed of charges for Romulo's murder*
 

Thanks to everyone who recapped this series. I truly hope the networks don't chicken out of doing something like this again.

I agree about Olegario; he should not have gotten off scott free. He killed his own henchman, after all, not to mention what he tried to do to Andres.

I'm still not clear on how many people knew that Jorge was Manuela in drag. Also, how was it that she led her own brothers when she was younger than they?

That Sophia turned out to be her father's killer makes her madness more logical. We won't see this, of course, but I'm sure she'd off herself in prison. Teresa probably would, too.

More later.
 

Nandicta- I love that gag shot from the cast and the great quotes you pulled out. Looking forward to what I know will be a masterful recap!

I enjoyed the trial. Teresa went down swinging, even trying to frame Angela one last time. You can't blame a girl for trying. I think she did better than any lawyer would have on her behalf. Loved that she and Angela got to spar one last time.

Was not surprised Sofia turned out to be our other serial killer, all to please mommy and gain her love. Girl had issues.

I cheered when Ceci, cool as a cucumber, shot and then lit up Diego, and sashayed out of that prison like a boss.

Other fave moment was Lupe and Angela finally kissing, and all the staff watching and cheering. Big smile on my face through that scene.

Yes, Oleg was the only one who didn't get punished, but he did a good job covering his tracks. I envision the revolutionaries eventually taking care of him. At least he didn't get the land and oil.
 

Teresa's sins :

Poisoning Romulo ( Sofia dealt the final blow)
Hiding Romulo's last will by fakery
Multiple counts of bribing and extortion ( Rom's doctor, Doctor Santamaria, Church ministry and many others )
Obstruction of justice
Stealing and switching of babies ( Belen's babies, one of them died)
Hiding the death of Baby #1

Chime me in if I forgotten something.
 

Countx- She also committed insurance fraud.
 

Her unending neglect and cruelty to her children, particularly her advice to Diego about dominating Isabel.

Her disgusting snobbery.

Her willingness to throw others under the carriage wheels to escape her own deserved punishment.
 

Did they ever explain what happened to the fake "priest" that seduced and slept with Sophia in the treatment center? Was he a wayward priest or was he just an imposter?

And, what ever became of Alfred's mother? And, the pool of oil underneath the Grand Hotel?
 

I did also chuckle when Julio went to turn himself in and the commander of the federales was like, dude, we've got bigger problems to deal with than a guy who supposedly killed a gringo a few years back. If I were Julio, I'd still want my exoneration in writing and on record, just in case.

Julio and Isa having one last fight just showed that this is going to always be the way with these two. Both stubborn and headstrong. But they are really incapable of staying mad at each other for long, and seem to enjoy making up. More power to them.

I was surprised that they intended to leave, when Andres is planning on turning the hotel into a hospital or school. With both of their backgrounds (Julio a ex university student and son of a teacher, and Isa a doctor in training), you would think they would be the perfect people to help Andres transform the hotel into an institution to serve the local people. In any case, turning the place into something for the people will likely help spare it from the revolutionaries.
 

Gobluefan- Last we saw of Elisa, her reduced circumstances seemed to be bringing on dementia. I don't think she's long for the world. Alfredo had already determined to maintain his distance from her (and took that foreign Secretary to the ambassador job). Last we saw of the oil dudes, they were trying to chat Andres up at the party, and he ignored them. Considering his plans for the building and grounds, I don't think anyone is getting their oil deal.

We'll never know why that guy became a fake priest, but the bishop who came to raid the place seems to have taken care of him.
 

In any case, turning the place into something for the people will likely help spare it from the revolutionaries.

That was the one thing that made me feel good about that decision. A number of beautiful buildings of the past had this fate and I hate seeing something beautiful become something ordinary even when there is a good cause being served. I guess I'm just as selfish as Teresa.

But Isabel and Julio leaving doesn't surprise me in that they would prefer to distance themselves from all the danger and tragedy that happened there. She needs to finish med school and he needs to establish a profession, so they need to be in a big city for that. Maybe they'll go with Mati and Serapio to the US. Can you imagine Serapio teaching forensics?
 

Nandicta these quotes are awesome and my favorite

*Teresa on Dagoberto: “This poor man is two steps away from [belonging] to the Plant Kingdom. If God hesitated just a bit, he would have been an aubergine (eggplant).”

My top 5 favorite characters in descending order

Teresa
Belen
Ayala
Sofia
Felipe

and in awe the work of

Jorge Poza
Dominika Paleta
Diana Bracho
Ilse Salas
Fernanda Borches

 

They should have titled it “Gran Final: The Highlights Reel” so much was cut. I’m betting about 50%. Yeah, we saw how almost all the characters ended up, but the emotional punch that would come with full scenes was missing. I bet Olegario’s comeuppance was something that got chopped out.

Awesome quotes, Nandicta! I just loved the writing in this show.
 

Tofie- That was my favorite quote too. :)

I think this whole cast did a fabulous job. I'd like to call out the work of all the background characters, like all the hotel staff. No one ever looked like they were going through the motions or sleepwalking just because they were background or small parts. I remember being impressed a few episodes ago when Diego found the maid packing Isa's clothes. Without saying anything, that actress playing the maid perfectly conveyed her terror, while trying to keep on task and stay respectful of her boss. One of her hands was trembling like crazy, while she kept her head down and tried to figure out if she should continue packing or try to get the hell out of there.
 

I felt sad as Julio and Isabel walked the hollow halls as the hotel was emptied of its guest, staff and wares. Suppressed in my memory was my only foray into performing art. In 8th grade and I the smallest in class male or female, was chosen to be Oliver in the school production of Oliver Twist. The exhilarating terror of the performance aside, I recall crying behind a canvas backdrop at it's end, praying no one would catch me while the boys were hurrying to dismantle our little world.
 

Vivi , I too found myself screaming for that maid to leave the room . But the maids didn't have much of a choice but to stay there. It was better to work in El Hotel than being a prostitute. These were horrible working conditions so everyone was forced to lay their heads down if they wished to feed their families even if they faced mortal danger.

 

Tofie- Yes, there was a sad sense of a play coming to an end and the actors walking around an empty set as Isa and Julio walked around the empty hotel. I think it was intentional. I'm shedding a tear with little Oliver-Tofie. :)
 

Count: I believe Yago is moving to UniMas @ midnight starting Mon. Since it looks like it's temporary, not sure if those will be new eps or repeats.
 

RE Yago: I checked my TV Guide schedule for the 30th and it looks like 3VA will air in Yago's old time slot and A Que No Me Dejas will air in HDLS's old time slot. I looked at the schedule for UniMas for that day as well and didn't see Yago but I'll try to see if I can look at the schedule for the other days for that week to see if Yago is there.
 

Univision supposedly tweeted yesterday, after protests from viewers, that it will keep Yago on Univision at 10pm starting the week after next, after 3xAna does a week of 2 hour blocks. My dvr does not yet reflect this latest change, and I'm not inclined to believe anything yet until I see it. I suggest folks keep check dvr and tv listings every day. My dvr still shows Yago starting on Unimas at midnight on Monday.
 

Maybe this will make Univision realize that the "non traditional" TNs are popular and keep making them.
 

Not to mention putting them in the right time slots. You can fudge a 4PM to a 7PM, but you don't mess with stuff running between 8 and 11PM. Yago belongs at 10PM.

Hotel should have been in the 9PM time slot even if that meant waiting a bit longer to air it. None of these belong on the vampire shift.
 

UA: agree.
 

Yeah it should be the opposite. "Traditional" shows should be kept in the vampire shaft while non traditional should be on 8-9 PM.
 

Well according to my TV Guide it looks like Yago is staying on UniMas. It won't air on the 30th because a film is airing but it will air on all other days that week.

On to HDLS: Overall I thought the finale was okay. It certainly wasn't as good as Pasión Y Poder's finale. I'm happy that the writers were kind enough to include a trial scene for the villain. That's what I've missed in some of the more recent telenovelas like QTPD (I would've liked to have actually seen Macaria get hauled off to jail). I'm surprised the judge let Teresa, as the defendant, act as her own lawyer and let her interrogate a witness. At least she complied with the rules of the judge and the courtroom while doing her interrogation, I guess.

One thing that made me shake my head was the testimony of that other doctor who accused Angela of killing Romulo. Although I must agree, Teresa did a fine job being her own lawyer even if she was still guilty. Sofia was definitely an interesting character and unfortunately was put in that position because of her mother.
 

UA, I don't think most people knew about Jorge/Manuela. There were some stunned looks at first when Flippy planted that big old one on Manuela in the cantina, but I think it also helped that he had a reputation of being the family black sheep. I don't think people in that town are surprised at anything he does, so it was like "oh wow, there goes Felipe again. Dudes we need to go". But it was awesome, and I loved later when he did in front of her brothers they got all uncomfortable and protective of little sis. She may be smarter than they are, and tactically the brains behind the group, but she's still their little sister. Was too cute.

I sort of chuckled with Andres thinking of running anything, but then thought, hey, he's got Natalia. She's the brains of the two, and he knows it, so they will be fine.

I was wondering where all of Diego's ill gotten gains are because Isa could be coming into some interesting funds. But I do think she and Julio have had enough og the pageantry and like to think they go somewhere where both their educations can give them a nice life.




 

Not many places in Mexico for a nice life in the years to come. Revolutions and insurrections in various parts of the country.
 

I agree that the finale was so-so. I'm assuming the doc died to in the fire. I sort of guessed about Sofia being the murderer in order to please her mother, the clue for me was when she said she knew about Andre's being Romulo's son way back when she was 7. I figured it was her.
 

I was confused last night. Remember that scene where Sophia was in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror and she was going to take some of that medication? (I forgot what it's called) Anyway, instead she drops it on the floor and leaves the bathroom and goes out. Then she walks down the hallway, passing Andres and Alfredo and Felipe joins her as they knock on Teresa's door. She knocks and no answer. Then they go inside, "Mama! Mama!" as they are inside her suite. Then the scene suddenly cuts over to the courtroom scene. How did they get from here to there? That part was awfully confusing? At least there should have been an explanation where someone told everyone that Teresa had been arrested and the trial is about to begin. It was just very weird.
 

Hello again! Apologies for the delay but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible for this dynamic and eventful finale.

Many thanks for all your generous comments and all your encouragement to the EHDLS recapping team! Much appreciated, indeed! I shall delve into the comments tomorrow. I need to eat and walk around a bit. My hips and hiney are cramping from so much sitting.

Enjoy the recap and the discussion! Catch you all mañana! Good night :)
 

Thanks for the recap Nandicta! A satisfying ending to a great story. I do wish they had included Felipe saying goodbye to Isabel and Andres though, especially since he turned out to be a good brother in the end, helping to punish Diego and get Andres out of jail. The hug with Andres, Isabel, and Julio was adorable at least. I don't care for weddings in the gran finals, so I'm glad there wasn't one.

I only watched 4 episodes of Gran Hotel because I couldn't stand it (no chemistry between the leads, horrible characters and casting, lack of resolution to some storylines, etc.), but read what happened online. El Hotel is so much better even if I wish they hadn't stuck so closely to some storylines/character traits since Gran Hotel was written as a 3 season series. I am dumbfounded why so many people loved Gran Hotel just as much as those that loved Downton Abbey, which was just terrible (Julian Fellows should be banned from writing). In any case, I thought the writers of El Hotel did a remarkable job at rewriting Gran Hotel, and all of the actors were great and perfect in their roles. I know it is very unlikely we will ever see a production of this quality anytime soon (at least on Univision), which is what makes me even more sad than no longer seeing Erick Elias as Julio.

Thanks again to all the recappers!! I mostly watch TNs to improve my Spanish, but they are also one of the few things I enjoy in life as I continue to deal with depression, so I am very grateful that this community is here to share these stories with.
 

Thank you for every word picture and learning opportunity, Nandicta.

"He is such a drooling idiot, he should be walking around with a tray permanently affixed to his jaw!" Hehe. Reminded me of a SNL skit with Dan Akroyd and a drool cup.

The relationship between Julio and Isabel was unnecessary and seemed contrived but was the only thing I didn't really buy. Oh, wanting to turn himself in was stupid. Everything else was awesome.

Clara's doctor dad suffered a worse end than Diego and it's not fair.

I don't have much confidence Andres can hold on to the hotel.

Nobody looked for Belen's body.

A good ending would have been Jorge and her gang in full gallop toward the next adventure. FIN

 

Oh my. I am going between laughing myself silly (Bouncy Bazooms has a plan!) and feeling sad that this is our last amazing recap not only by Nandicta but for the whole TN.
You absolutely out-did yourself Nandicata and as the credits roll, you and all our recappers should take a well-deserved bow. This was a TN where each episode was filled with drama, details, clues and you caught them all along with the humor and relationships. Brava.

As for the anvils, perfect to have Diego go out the way he made Clara die. I think the look on the Doc's face said it all--how appropriate and he made sure to speed it along. He never had any other need to live, which is sad. His revenge, though understood to some extent, ended a life that could have been used for a better good in his daughter's name. CeCe, who I have to admit was not a favorite of mine, was absolutely brilliant in her manner and revenge against Diego. I also enjoyed her understated dress of black reminiscent of the garb of an executioner.

Flippy came out of his mother's shadow, lost the guilt she laid on him for all .those years, and seemed to actually look taller than I remembered him. I always had a soft spot for the guy, and his ending makes me happy.

I had no empathy for Teresa at all in that prison and nothing irks me more than when someone who has been cruel, manipulative and ready to throw anyone under the bus or kill (whether she did it or not), including her own children, suddenly starts praying as if they still think they have a right to think themselves misunderstood and worthy of their idea of salvation. Sophia I have more sorrow for, a child who was probably unloved and ignored, admittedly by Teresa, and who was weak enough in her thinking to believe anything, including murder, was ok as long as it made her mother look in her direction and love her. Teresa still throwing it all in Isa's face at the trial's end still showed she just didn't get it. She truly thought she was in the right and everyone was beneath and against her fir no reason.

Hopefully after the President of Televisa is back from his honeymoon to the lovely Eva he will continue the support that was originally given to doing more of these short tales.

Until then, back to the same old.
 

Nandicta, thanks for your recap finale! You always do such an excellent job. In fact all the recappers do a wonderful job, but I particularly enjoy your vocabulary lessons. This finale went too quickly for me, it just didn't seem like there was much explanation from one scene to the next. As I said in another comment, it went from Sophia looking for Teresa in her room to the courtroom scene. Another scene that puzzled me was the part at the comisario where Ayala and Dagberto were and the prisoners were released. Wasn't Ayala knocked out cold by Felipe? I was thinking when I watched it that Ayala and Dagberto were TOAST and that they hadn't gotten away. The next thing I knew they were in that car with Matilde arguing and then Matilde plants a big kiss on him. I'm happy they made it out but it would have been nice to see how they got out. I guess Diego's "psycho mom" got to live to see her son die a horrible death. She deserved that kind of death too. I hope she killed herself or something.

Even though Diego was such a bad guy, I am going to miss seeing Jorge Poza's acting. I so enjoyed listening to him speak as his diction was impeccable. Everytime he spoke, there was always such clarity in his diction. This is in contrast with Carlos Rivera, although he is so handsome, I couldn't understand much of what he said unless I had the closed caption. His speaking style is very, very, fast and I had a hard time understanding him. But maybe that is reflective of the region in Mexico he is from. Jorge Poza' speaking was just so clear and understandable.

I'm going to miss all this. Don't know if I'm going to watch the one about 3 Anas. It looks somewhat interesting. We shall see. Thanks again everyone. It's certainly been a pleasure!

Cynthia
 

Gracias a Nandicta por un gran final recap.

It sort of ran out of gas, Doc was a huge disappointment, we figured he was Clara's papa, it would have been much better had he been her lover. I wanted a better end for him, not going up in flames with Diego. Donde esta Samuel? Guess it would have added capitulos.

I loved this novela, but I'm going to criticize anyway. The cop is the prosecutor????? I'm sure that would work in todays society, you're arrested, you're guilty unless some one else confesses.????? Que!!!

Did you notice how the baby was looking at Alfredo when Andres was giving the munchkin to him,so cute.

Thanks to ALL the wonderful recappers, what a great ride. I'm sure it will be a while before we have another novela as good as this.
 

Thank you Nandicta for a great Gran Final recap. And thank you Princess JuJu for Thursday’s.

Also thanks to both of you, along with Julie, Jardinera, Cathyx, Anita and Vivi for recapping this extraordinarily amazing novela. And thanks to all the commenters who have made this an enjoyable experience. As fun as it might be or some to be involved in commenting/recapping the bad TNs, I like the experience more when we all admire what we are watching. Very rare. These TN producers are afraid to take chances for the most part which makes for very unsatisfying viewing.

I was disappointed in this GF. Maybe it was because we had such action packed eps for the last week or so and then a complete putting on the breaks for most of this ep. For me, it would have been better to have put it on two nights. The trial scene itself was nearly an hour. And they rushed most of the happy endings into the last 20 minutes. It could also be because I’m feeling sad that I know the next new TN I watch just won’t be the caliber of this one (had thought about checking out AB’s new one, but don’t want to commit to two hour eps for the first couple of weeks). I do want to say that I didn’t care for it because it was bad by any means, or dropped the ball (except in the case of Oleg). Just that I would have liked to have seen it done differently.

Where was Oleg’s anvil?

Andres signed a bunch of papers when he was dealing with Oleg. I was so afraid that it would come out he’d signed way his inheritance.

So Teresa really was the beneficiary of the insurance?

I’m going to put the Gran Final High Points Low Points list together and post it later this evening.

Thanks again, everyone, for a most amazing, memorable time.

Nanette

 

Nandicta, thank you for the marvy recap and commentary as well as the other entertaining recaps you provided along the way. Great comment on the wedding dress. Ha! Ha!

I loved the courtroom scene as well as Cecilia's revenge on Diego and Teresa's jail experience. Nicely done.

My favorite scenes were:
Ignacio just not understanding how Ayala could be more desired than he.
Matilde telling Ayala they were going away together.
Felipe joining Jorge/Manuela. Now that the hotel and Teresa are gone he might actually have a chance!

All in all this novela was entertaining which is all I hope for these days. It very much had an ensemble feeling. I am still not a fan of period pieces/costume dramas but this was better than expected. Of course, the best part was the company on the patio. Until next time!
 

High Points:

Doc confirms to Viewerville he’s Clara’s dad.
Julio does not shoot Diego (there’s a better karmageddon awaiting him).
Diego and doc are arrested.
Servants get to eat the feast.
Andres gives the baby to Alfie.
Alfie asks Andres to go with him.
Andres and Alfie make a pact to be brothers.
CeCe declares Julio and Isa won’t be safe until Diego is six feet under.
Teresa in the love nest.
Mati/Ayala hand dancing.
Mati tells Ig she loves Ayala.
Sofia decides not to drug up.
Teresa is on trial.
Barreda has been ousted.
Isa adds her name to the complaint.
Ayala proves Rom died of poisoning.
Mati confirms. They try not to flirt.
Vallejo confirms he was paid to certify death by natural causes.
Angela was Rom’s lover even before his marriage to Teresa.
Lupe misses his appointment to be there for Angela.
Nena tells Alfie to let Sofia go.
Alfie offers Sofia a new life and she refuses.
Rom was poisoning Teresa and setting it up as a suicide.
Sofia confesses. Did it all so mommy would love her.
Sofia and Teresa are jailed.
Felipe kisses Jorge in front of everyone at the cantina.
Felipe and the gang liberate the Arenas’.
CeCe shoots Diego then sets the jail on fire.
The doc keeps Diego from leaving.
Diego dies.
Andres/Nat say good bye to the baby.
Andres gives the baby his medal.
Mati asks Ayala to come with her to US.
Mati/Ayala kisses.
Julio turns himself in, but they don’t care.
Lupe decides to stay at hotel to be with Angela.
Angela decides to go to the capital to be with Lupe.
Angela and Lupe FINALLY KISS!
Servant’s reaction.
Andres and Nat decide to change the hotel into something that will serve the community.
Felipe joins the Arenas gang.
Teresa loses her will to live.
Julio returns with a new harmonica.
Andres/Julio/Isa hug.
Angela and Lupe leave for a new life.
The hotel gets an airing.
Isa/Julio declare their love.
 

Low Points:

Ig interrupts Mati’s and Ayala’s interesting conversation.
Ig is insulting.
Ayala overhears Mati say “te quiero” to Ig and misunderstands.
Teresa had threatened harm to Andres if Angela revealed Rom was not in a coma.
Diego lies about Angela having arsenic.
Rom gives Diego the directorship and Isa as payment for helping him kill Teresa.
Diego switches sides. Saves Teresa under same terms as Rom’s.
Teresa, Diego and Sofia destroy evidence Andres is an Alarcon.
Teresa lies that Rom committed suicide.
Isa/Julio fight—again.
Doc perishes keeping Diego from escaping.
Julio goes to turn himself in as promised.
Sad empty hotel.
“FIN”




 

Last list for this TN. I want to thank you for your kind comments about the lists throughout this novela. They were greatly appreciated.
 

Oleg will get what's coming to him in the revolution, hopefully from our new favorite Adelita, Felipe. He may have finally found his calling.

Loved Cecilia's cool arson and walking without a second thought, not even a glance to Doc V. She'll probably come out the revolution ahead.

And happy to see that Andres and Natalia are together again. Lord knows he's going to need her brain to stay alive. The first thing they need to do to that hotel is replace the doors. The ones they have are made of cardboard. And maybe keep that secret room, just in case. Revolution and all.

And can we also get an anvil for Sofia's hair? It's been driving me crazy. Like two cardboard tubes stuck on the sides of her head.

Gracias to all the recappers and fingers crossed they'll take a chance on more of this kind in the future. More mystery than typical novela, and maybe they should market it like that for a bigger audience.

Kelly
 

I have been lurking here for the last couple of months. EHDLS is my very first TN. I started watching to improve my Spanish. I was amazed at the beautiful locations, sets, costumes and HD video. And so much good stuff was chucked into each episode.

THANK YOU guys for the wonderful and entertaining recaps. I found myself LOL numerous times. You recappers are GREAT writers. I will miss coming here to find out what I missed from each episode.

From what I've been reading here, it seems like another TN of this quality may be a long time coming. I hope to see all you guys there when it does.
 

Welcome Anon 9:55. In a way, it's too bad this is your first TN. This quality of novela is very rare.
 

Outstanding recap, Nandicta! Thank you for the awesome vocab list and the wonderful photos!

I’m left with a lot of questions… did I miss something somewhere along the way? Who was the original gold-knife killer who was stabbing people randomly?

If Doc came to the hotel to kill Diego, why didn’t he do it early on before the guy attacked women and generally spread evil around?

Why was Doc sort of courting Teresa?

Why did Doc have to die at the end?

What will the staff do now? They looked awfully happy for people who are about to be unemployed. I had misunderstood at the end – I thought they were toting off lamps, etc. to take home. I didn’t realize it was an airing out – thank you Nandicta for clarifying that.

Why didn’t they have Felipe jump up on the back of Manuela’s horse instead of her burly brother’s horse? That would have made a better ride-into-the-sunset scene. I’m wondering if the Manuela actress is maybe a little nervous about riding. I noticed in one scene some days ago that she looked a little wide-eyed when she was on horseback.

What exactly were the charges against Teresa? I bet that was one of the many scenes that ended up being cut out… handing down the verdict is always A Big Dramatic Moment.

Why wasn’t Teresa in a cell with Sofia? That looked like the women’s cell. I hope she wasn’t in the jail that got burned down..
 

To the commenter who mentioned Downton Abbey: When my friends raved about it, I told them then they don’t get to laugh about me watching telenovelas, because a telenovela is exactly what it was, just with better production values and sharper writing.
 

It’s discouraging that Hotel didn’t do well in the ratings. Of course, on American TV you have to turn to PBS to see the really great stuff, though now it’s excellent that cable channels have been making terrific productions.

I don’t know how the jaw-droppingly outstanding, movie-quality Celia did in the ratings, but it didn’t seem to have any followers here on Caray. I had hoped that Hotel would do well, so that we could see more high-quality novelas. Sigh.

I have heard that Yago is excellent, but I’m stuck with Quien es Quien, which is fun, but it got moved to daytime (no problem as I tape it), but here’s the thing – they are doing 2 episodes per day. More than I want to see in one sitting, and it means no time for Yago.

 

Doc Vic seemed too in control of his faculties to so unnecessarily thrust Isabel into Diego's arms for the kill. I can't get my head around any line of reasoning that would make it necessary, or even desirable, to offer Diego another victim.I

I could see him as obsessed enough to sacrifice Isabel if it somehow contributed to Diego's doom, but can't see any twisted path to holding off the crowd while sending Diego off to presumably kill again.

He knew enough to facilitate pinning crimes on Diego and knee Diego was already wanted in connection with Garrido, and he had opportunity enough to kill D himself.

I can sort of see that somehow just killing Diego himself wouldn't satisfy him.

Presumably Columbia hadn't prosecuted Diego and Doc Vic couldn't expect Mexico to try him for Clara's murder, but how did that add up to "oh, I know I'll set him up to kill again, and not just scum like Garrido, but another lovely girl like my Clara."

Even if his original plan did involve setting up some innocent, or even Isabel specifically, to be killed so as to pin murder charges on Diego, once Garrido was unearthed, what was the point of another victim?

Whatever the derangement of his sense of justice or choice of goals, his instrumental reason in pursuing the end of not just murdering Diego himself but arranging for Diego to be killed by the state as a murderer seemed quite unimpaired.

The writers have given so much satisfaction on making so much else have a constant internal logic that my inability to follow this part of the Doc Vic story arc makes me assume I'm the one off base not them.

And that is high praise indeed for telenovela writers. On most novelas unexplained or incomprehensible bits have me frustrated with the writers, not doubting myself.

Not too happy with having to hope for Oleg to be caught up by and crushed by the revolution for his anvil. But I chose to believe that despite all the attention to documenting the conventional happy endings and anvils for most characters, here the writers were, by the lack of a punishment for a character that they had just gone out of their way to remind us was even still in town at the trial, pointing out that if anyone ever said life was fair, they were either lying or about as perceptive as Andres.

Or wait, maybe he had already redeemed himself by having driven Belen to suicide?

Chris in FL




 

Thank you recappers and commenters. Lovely community. Each recapper has a style and take that offer special enjoyment and insight, and so often the alternate perspective of a commentator adds new dimension to my understanding.

It is so nice for the CarayCaray Snark to be sort of an occasional artistic flourish rather than the chief redeeming quality of the whole telenovela watching experience.

Nandicta, I have given up the fiction that I am sincerely watching novelas to in any serious way "study Spanish" (though the exposure to the dialog and sound of the spoken language does probably help maintain what little I already have) but I thank you especially for going above and beyond with the vocabulary lists. It is what I told myself I would be doing when using real novelas as a sort of Destinos II.

And what I have actually done three or four times --ever.

Chris in FL
 

Thank you all recappers. I'm a hoverer only because my hands are full to watch all the time.
!
I'm an avid novela book reader and never imagined to find myself enjoying TV telenove!las but I'm enjoying them immensely. My favorites are ehdls, pyp, Teresa and amor bravio. This one is excellent except sometimes I miss it due to its late night time slot. There is one question I'd like to ask anybody. Did Andres or Alfie know that Diego was the father of the baby? Once again a million thanks recappers. Goodnight.
 

Both of them knew by the end. I don't remember exactly when that happened, but Belen was under a death threat from Diego the entire time.
 

Thank you Nandicta, you are an excellent recapper. I love reading them.

Chris in Fl, I had the same problem with doc too. My final conclusion is that he wanted Diego to kill someone in Mexico so that he would get caught and go to jail. Garrido's murder hadn't been solved so I'm assuming Doc wanted there to be witnesses when he made his next kill.
 

Nandicta- I loved every bit of this recap and all the lovely extras, quotes and pics too! Thank you for deciding to recap and for recapping with this team. I have a real gift, and clearly a passion too.

Maggie- The Gold Knife Killer was Don Benjamin. Between him and Sofia, we now know who was behind all the mysterious deaths and attempts.

I guess Teresa did destroy Romulo's letter and the knife she found in Diego's safe, but now we know what it must of said, since Rom mentioned he had discovered something about Diego-- that he was wanted for murdering his wife, and that Teresa was trying to have him declared incompetent in order to steal Andres' inheritance.

Someone asked why we didn't see Teresa carted off to jail. She wasn't. Last episode she politely received a notice telling her the date and time to arrive in court. That's when she found out she was being accused of murder. Sofia was getting ready before going to the court, when she decided not to drug herself. Then she and Felipe went to Teresa's room to pick her up and accompany her to court, but we're then surprised to find she had already left without them, without anyone. She was going it alone.

Sofia resisting taking the drugs likely led to her finally being able to confess the truth and taking responsibility for her actions.
 

Cathyx- Not just go to jail. I think Doc wanted to see Diego executed by the authorities for killing his wife-- what should have happened in Colombia years before had Juan Camilo not escaped. Let's face it, he was loco. He wanted to recreate the crime, and be there to make sure Juan/Diego didn't escape the authorities, so that he could get the satisfaction of feeling the debt had been paid to Clara.
 

Nandicta- That should have been YOU have a real gift and passion. Good grief!
 

Alfredo was just as much of a love fool as Andres. He was willing to give Sofia yet another chance, after all he had already discovered she had lied to him about. Let's hope learning she's a BSC serial killer puts an end to his feelings for her.

Looks like crazy killer Sofia was put in solitary, while Teresa on lesser charges was put in with the general population. If she survives, she should be out in a few months or years, and she'll have nothing when she gets out. Maybe Nat and Andres will let her work as head housekeeper in their hospital/school. :)
 

Yes Vivi, and he didn't care who Diego had to kill to get his justice. And he's a doctor too!

I've started watching Yago and I'm working on catching up. If anyone wants another good one to replace this one, I suggest it.

 

Does anyone imagine Teresa working as a janitor or a lovely, hug allergic nanny? :)
 

Having a question mark over the futures of so many of these characters (even all the hotel workers) makes total sense, because that's how it was for everyone in that moment as the revolution was starting. For the next ten years of fighting, nothing was certain, for anyone. Only our characters who are leaving the country seem to have the clearest futures.
 

Nanette- Your list had me smiling. What a great way to relive all.the best moments. Thank you for reviving your high/low points lists for this excellent series.

Variopinta- Yes I noticed how the baby was looking at Alfredo and even smiling during that scene. And when he was in Alfredo's arms he'd smile at Andres. So cute! Both actors were trying to speak seriously with grave expressions on their faces, but then you would see them every now and then looking down at the little guy and smiling in response to his smiles. The actors were great with the baby.
 

Before they turn the hotel into anything else, Andres and Natalia should have a priest come out and do an exorcism and blessing to drive all the evil out.
 

Vivi: Thank you for your gracious words. I'm glad you enjoyed the lists. Some of the thanks for reviving them goes to Anita. I hadn't thought of doing them again, but she asked if I was going to make them for this one and I decided I would.
 

Until the priest can come, I would light some sage and go through every room.
 

Vivi, thank you for reminding me that it was Don Benjamin who was the gold-knife killer. I’m always astonished at your encyclopedic knowledge of telenovelas past and present – in fact, you are a terrific resource for us here at Caray and I thank you for all your wonderful informative input over the years.

But this is our present novela, and I should have remembered, so shame on me! Once again I embarrass myself on Caray – ha!
 

That reminds me, we never met Ben's son. The writers probably threw him out there in case they wanted to use him later or just to keep us guessing.
We assumed Ben was the one that tried to stab Andres when the horse reared, wrong.
I can only remember 1 prostitute that he killed & I think he was the one that stabbed Diego. OK, Vivi, refresh my memory. I might have to watch the whole TN again with opened eyes.

I remember someone following Isa & we thought Ben, do we know?
 

Ben was the one who stabbed Diego. It was seen in a flashback right before Ben died from his gunshot wounds.
 

Variopinta- Ben also tried to kill Isa in town and tried to kill Cristina the first time (when Diego was trying to kill her on behalf of Teresa). He killed Angela's husband, and two maids-- one who heard about Andres long ago and was trying to use that to blackmail Angela, and a recent one to frame Sofia after they tried to frame him for Bea's murder. He also killed a random guy on the street after he failed to kill Isabel.
 

Sorry for the deletes lately. When I'm commenting from my phone and I accidentally hit the back to previous page button and then refresh, my last comment gets posted again.
 

Thanks, Nandicta! "Andrés promises he will visit them and be the baby’s (idiot) uncle." LOL.

Special thanks to Nandicta for all the bonus materials, and especially for pointing out that Olegario would get his anvil during the Revolution. I hadn't thought of that. Until that day comes, I hope he stubs his toe every single morning when he gets out of bed.

Loved the cast photos. It's no surprise that they had a lot of fun working together, but it's neat to see the evidence.

This was one of the gabbiest finales I've ever seen. I can't really complain, given that we had weeks of thrill-filled ultimos, but the immense amount of talking in this fin was kind of disappointing (if efficient). At any rate, I had trouble following it all, and if not for this recap I would not have known that Sofia confessed to poisoning Romulo. (I may have dozed off for a moment or two, eep!)

I've seen several episodes of the original "Gran Hotel" now and there really is no comparison. EHDLS had a lot more sparkle, in my opinion.

Tofie, thanks for sharing that 8th grade memory. It's a familiar feeling.

It's been real, folks. And it'll be a long time before I have another TN experience like this. Thanks again, everyone.

I can't say anything more that I haven't already said, so I'll just leave it at that.
 

Just started watching Gran Hotel. So far Secretos followed it very closely. A couple of name changes, Isabel/Alicia,Felipe/Xavier.

I just couldn't let go.
 

Hello Patio Pals! Many thanks indeed for all your kind words and insightful comments. Sorry I couldn't join you on Sunday, we had to escape to the mountains 'cause we're experiencing a heatwave, which is completely unusual and frankly worrisome this time of year.

Thank you Vivi for animating the patio and answering the questions. Thank you CountxAlacran, Daisynjay, J, Urban Anthropologist, Goblue from OH, Tofie, Maggie, Nanette, TF, Anon@5:11, Cathyx, Cynthia Hampton, Variopinta, Jarifa, Kelly, Anon@9:55, Chris in FL, Anon@4:39 and Julie for sharing your impressions of the finale with us.

Welcome to the newcomers (grab a screen name and join the fun on Caray Caray!) and welcome back to the hoverers!

Loved the last high/low points list, Nanette, and stared at the word "Fin" for a few seconds, definitely the lowest of low points. Thank you for compiling these lists for us every single week.

I enjoyed this big finale, despite some choppy editing. I prefer to see storylines wrapped up and anvils handed out progressively over the course of the last episodes, as opposed to have it all jammed into the finale. Just like many of you pointed out, the acting on this show was simply masterful. I can't think of a single actor or actress that wasn't on point the whole time. Diego Montejo has just dethroned Fernando Escandón ("Fuego En La Sangre") and Alberto Lafont ("Pasión") as my all-time TN male villains. Jorge Poza was terrifying, mesmerizing, fascinating and intriguing in this role. The poor guy's neck must hurt like hell after impersonating a human vulture for the entire run of the series. You guys might boo but I really really felt sorry for Teresa. I had a soft spot for her ever since the truth about her despicable husband was revealed. She became that way because of the monster she married. I don't think any self-respecting woman would be able to bear that humiliating situation for 30 years and have to fight tooth and nail to preserve decorum and protect her children's patrimony from all the vultures preying on her family. If anything, I think she should've poisoned Rómulo 30 years earlier!

Olegario's interjections in the courtroom were excellent comic relief for me! "They assasinated my brother!" Hahahaha! I enjoyed watching this character. Come to think of it, his anvil doesn't need to be very drastic. Olegario doesn't even need to be shot down, or hanged or buried in the desert by the revolutionaries, he is so slimy they can kill him with just a box of salt!

Andrés became my least favorite character towards the end. Loved the actor, hated the character! Come on, nobody is that naive! I feel bad for poor Natalia, she'll have to think, act and make decisions for the both of them.

Well, it's been a pleasure! Thank you all for keeping us company! Yago is back on Monday May 30 at 10pm/9c, so hope to see you on the Yago Patio. ¡Nos vemos pronto!
 

Has me thinking about Dr. V early on when he gave Isa advice about being a dutiful wife and he glimpsed her first kiss with Julio. He was conniving back then! Maybe you can help me figure out where to find two scenes that pop up in the credits. Admittedly I watched only the Resumen for several episodes so I can't figure out when these occurred: 1) Natalie scrubbing Andres back in the tub and 2) Cecelia eating her breakfast off of Julio's belly. Thanks!
 

Hello Mermaid. Welcome to our patio

The bathtub scene never happened but the Cecilia scene happened around episode 15-17 I believe.
 

Has anyone scene the alternate ending? What was the conversation between Isa and Mati at the end?