Episode 11

Episode 11

Our beloved and adored Dr. Armando Mendoza emerges from the elevator in search of the bag with the things from his car - before Betty sees it. Mariana tells him it’s in Betty’s office, so he asks her where Betty is. She tells him Betty’s with Kenneth at the plant. Armando -poor guy, the handsomest fool to the Nth degree- asks if Betty took the things from the car with her. Mariana replies no, they’re in the office. Armando counts his blessings, but his luck doesn’t hold: Betty and Kenneth arrive… Armando tries to slip away to Betty’s office but she instead suggests they all go together -Betty, Armando, Kenneth, and Gabriela- in order to talk. Gabriela again demands that Armando tell Betty the truth, but our Handsome Fool insists he cannot.

Inesita has presented Rosario, her daughter Janet’s friend, to the Cartel. Rosario is accompanied by her “best friend,” Natasha [Merci: Natasha is too friendly and affectionate for my liking. She’s like Patricia, only worse…]

In Betty’s office, Armandito tries to keep Betty from opening the bag, but he cannot stop her. Betty finds Suji’s purse, but before another disaster for Armando should occur, Gabriela exclaims it’s her purse that she’d lost the night before. Armando says that he hadn’t even noticed the purse. Kenneth and Betty look a bit doubtful of the tale, but Gabriela manages to convince them and the case is closed. Betty starts to discuss the new employees (the chauffeur and secretary for the Fashion Group people) and Armando is clueless -poor guy, he’s still recovering himself [Merci: Armando just about died on us for a moment there, but thanks to Gabriela he survived this brush with death].

Gutiérrez is in his element with the interviews for Kenneth and Gabriela’s secretary. Some of the candidates don’t seem to have any idea of appropriate dress for an interview, but this certainly helps their case with Gutiérrez… Soon it is Miss Sara Ramirez’ turn. The little missy doesn’t speak a word of English and there’s nothing Gutiérrez can do about that. When asked, she proudly states she is “made in Colombia” instead of saying “I’m from Colombia”… She begs Gutiérrez to make good on the promise he made her in the hotel, saying she had left her boyfriend and could take a crash course in English.

Outside, the members of the Cartel are very pleased with Rosario since they have the hope that she will be hired. Rosario wants to know if she will be interviewed before 2pm since she has another interview. Just then Suji and Mario appear, and the Cartel comments that she is a ‘friend’ of Mario’s who they imagine must be there to interview. They discuss how important it is to get the job since the person who does will be an employee of Fashion Group and paid in dollars, and will have the opportunity to travel to the US and be promoted within that company.

Natasha hears all this and it’s clear she’s interested in the job - and that it doesn’t matter to her if she has to go over her friend to get it. She excuses herself and goes to the bathroom where she asks Suji what she (Suji) is doing at EcoModa. When she realizes that Suji is not an impediment, she calls her mother and tells her she has found the perfect job, she will take care of Rosario in order to get it. Before leaving the bathroom she hides her purse behind one of the toilets…

Jenny gets off the elevator, shouting into her cel phone as she argues with Efraín. Apparently things are not going well between the Pupuchurro and his Pupuchurra: They are on the point of breaking up. Sofia behaves herself very well and pretty much ignores Jenny. Just then Jenny bumps into Don Hermes [Merci & Beth: who is a first-class dirty old man] and tells him she is bored with her life, she has no future, her Pupuchurro denies her everything. Don Hermes asks her who the Pupuchurro is and she explains its her husband [Beth: this does not necessarily mean that Jenny & Efraín are actually married; in many Latin American countries boyfriends and/or girlfriends are referred to as spouses]. Don Hermes asks if she’s married, then, and she replies that she’s not married married, but they live together. Don Hermes, so understanding [Merci & Beth: Puh-lease!! is this the same Don Hermes who didn’t like Betty being friends with Aura María because she was a single mother, or with Sofía and Inesita because they’re divorced??], loans her his handkerchief and tries to console her. [Beth: yes, those gagging sounds you hear as you read this are coming from me. as you will see as this series continues, i am not and never have been a Hermes fan - the man just annoys me to death. were it not for the fact that Betty’s long-suffering and much-put-upon mother Julia -who never deserved to be afflicted with Hermes- appears to love the wretched man and does not deserve to be made desperately unhappy even if i do think she’d be much better off without Hermes, i would say that Jenny is just what he deserves. and the sooner the better.] She tells him she doesn’t have anyone to look after or defend her [Beth: boo hoo… our hearts all break for you]. Don Hermes asks if her Pupi beats her and she replies no, it’s just that he doesn’t oblige her in anything. She doesn’t like him any more and wants to leave him. Don Hermes sides with her and tells her it’s better if they break up. She replies that he’s an angel and she’d love to give him a kiss but she doesn’t want to make trouble for him…

Armando, Kenneth and Gabriela emerge from Betty’s office. Armando greets his father-in-law and introduces Kenneth and Gabriela. Don Hermes asks if they are from Miami and they reply no, they’re from New York. Then Don Hermes starts telling them the story of relatives he has in the “neighborhood of Queens,” how they have a little shop, and how if Kenneth and Gabriela should be in the area very likely they could get a discount. [Merci: poor Armando!]

Aura María, Bertha and Sofía take advantage of Kenneth and Gabriela’s presence to introduce Rosario. They tell them that Gutiérrez is the one in charge of interviews. Gutiérrez comes out of the conference room with Miss Ramírez and Armando asks if he is working much. Gutiérrez replies not as much as Armando… Natasha takes advantage of the situation to ‘unmask’ Miss Ramírez in front of all by asking her in English how her interview went. Of course, Miss Ramírez cannot answer and is left looking like an incompetent in front of everyone. Kenneth makes sure that Gutiérrez removes her from the group of candidates and Gutiérrez very obligingly says, of course [in his Spanglish], “her English is fatal!” [Beth: as usual, he pronounces “fatal” the way it is pronounced in Spanish, i.e., instead of ‘FAY-tall’ he says ‘fah-TAHL’). Natasha, like the good double agent she is, innocently begs pardon for having ‘unwittingly’ exposed Miss Ramírez, and starts speaking in English with Kenneth. She tells him she’s sure that Miss Ramírez knows how to speak English, but it appears she doesn’t understand it at all… Armando asks if she’s there to interview for the position and she replies no, she’s Rosario’s friend is all. Natasha then asks the Cartel if they speak English and they tell her no (They’d asked her to explain what she and Kenneth talked about in English). She very delicately tells them she can help them learn so they won’t remain “ignorant.” She adds that she didn’t mean to do anything bad to Miss Ramírez and clarifies to them that “the little Chinese” (Suji) is there on other business.

In Armando’s office, they officially return Suji’s purse to her. Armando and Mario look like two bad little boys who have just been saved from a major scolding [Merci: In truth, the faces on these two during these scenes were worth a million. They looked like the Disney characters Chip & Dale!]. Suji wants to know when she and Mario are going to go out and he suggests this weekend, as Armando’s car will be fixed by then. [Beth: !!! Armando is pathetic - i would’ve decked Mario for that!!]. Then Armando replies of course, and Mario can drive and they will decide over which cliff he will go. Armando suggests to Suji that she acquire a bathing suit because he is going to get her a jug full of whiskey… They say goodbye to Suji and Armando tells her not to hold her breath waiting for a call about going out again. Suji thanks Mario for an unforgettable night.

Armando shouts at Mario that he never wants to see Suji in the office ever again, and that she’s not going to go out with him (Mario) even so far as the corner. Mario tells him to calm down, to remember they have a “cardiac” problem. Armando replies that everything is already resolved, there is no reason to worry.

Armando explains that were it not for Gabriela’s intervention they would be attending his funeral and Mario would be exiled. Armando thanks Gabriela for saving his skin. Mario cannot believe Gabriela’s ‘masculine solidarity’ and wants to hug her to welcome her into the “group,” saying she is a “great friend.” Gabriela tells him not to touch her and that she absolutely didn’t do it out of solidarity with them. Her solidarity will always be with Betty - this is the first and last time that she will help to deceive Betty. She leaves the office, slamming the door behind her. The Dynamic Duo are left there with their typical idiotic looks on their faces.

Rosario goes to her interview with Gutiérrez. Bertha comments that Rosario has the best résumé of all the candidates and obviously will get the job. Then Natasha sees her chance to attack and invents a whole story about Rosario’s unstable mental history. She also remarks that she doesn’t know what happened to her purse - someone must’ve taken it… She tells Bertha and Sofía that although it pains her to relate something like this about her very bestest friend, she feels she must warn them if they are going to work with Rosario. This makes Bertha, who never needs any urging to enjoy gossip, as happy as would a bag of potato chips. Rosario is very professional, says Natasha, but she has a terrible problem with aggression. One former co-worker of hers had to be paid 4 million pesos so she could have reconstructive surgery, and another 2 million pesos after she threw him down some stairs. Rosario knows martial arts and is very violent. What’s more, she’s slept with her bosses and because of that they speak well of her. Bertha and Sofía can’t believe their ears. They ask Natasha if she hasn’t worked to try to help Rosario and she replies yes, twice. The two women have the same experience, they studied marketing then went to the U.S. to learn English [Beth: wait… didn’t Inesita say her daughter was in Canada, not the U.S.?]. After that, Rosario dedicated herself to working for companies while Natasha opened her own business… As Natasha tells this story, Rosario is talking to Gutiérrez about how well her other jobs went for her, that of those she left after being promoted, once it was because the company went out of business and the other because they downsized. But all of her former employers will speak well of her. Rosario is clearly uncomfortable with Gutiérrez’s questions [Beth: he is asking about things like her marital status and whether she has a boyfriend. typical]. She tells him she studies the martial arts. As she is telling Gutiérrez this, we switch back out to Natasha, Bertha and Sofía. Natasha tells them Rosario’s aggression is due to her ex-boyfriend Moncho, a karate devotee. Bertha and Sofía ask themselves if Inesita knows this story, but Natasha says it all happened after Janet left the country. To conclude, she relates that Rosario is undergoing psychiatric treatment but that now it’s only by phone because she threw a vase at the doctor and nearly killed him [Beth: a shrink that deals with an aggressively hostile patient by phone?? i don ’t think so!!]. After all her story’s damage is done, Natasha reverts to the topic of her purse, and Sofía suggests she look in the bathroom - Natasha probably left it there. After Natasha has headed off, Sofía and Bertha decide to call an emergency meeting of the Cartel…

In Hugo’s workshop, Jenny is once again shouting into the phone at Efraín. She tells him to leave her things in the doorway, to sell the apartment - everything’s over between them. Inesita asks her if she’s going to do any work, but Jenny just complains about her problem… Just then the rest of the Cartel arrives and Jenny tells Sofía to take charge of Efraín, but Sofía replies that no way is she getting back together with her ex-husband. Jenny leaves and the Cartel tells Inesita they have to speak with her about Rosario.

In Nicolás’ office, he and Don Hermes are doing the accounts. Nicolás tells Don Hermes he’s an old man now, and Hermes replies that he’s still fine, very strong, and he challenges him to pulse [Beth: ??? oh, right, i remember right around now they were arm-wrestling, that must be it]. Nicolás calls him Don Hermenguildo Tyson Pinzón… They start to wrestle and the phone rings. Nicolás answers - it’s Doña Julia wanting to speak with Don Hermes to tell him to come to Betty and Armando’s apartment to eat lunch. They continue arm-wrestling throughout this conversation. Nicolás is on the point of losing but is saved by Jenny’s sudden entrance, which distracts Don Hermes. Nicolás cries victory while Don Hermes states that he was distracted by Jenny’s angelic presence…

Don Hermes leaves to speak with Jenny, who apologizes saying she didn’t realize he was busy. Then she tells him she broke up with her Pupuchurro, she’s very depressed, confused; she invites him to have lunch with her [Beth: yes, and i’ll bet she’s expecting him to pay for it, too…]. He tells her his wife is expecting him. Then she asks him when he’ll be back in the office because she would like for the two of them to chat, alone. He replies he’ll be back around 2:30pm. So the cheeky, shameless and disgraceful one gives Don “Germenes” [Beth: a play on words with Hermes’ name - germenes means “germs,” LOL! and so appropriate, too!] a kiss right on the mouth! Nicolás see this and repeats Don Hermes’ favorite reprimand: The Devil is dirty, and old… [Beth: when Betty first aired here there was a lot of discussion about this “El Diablo es puerco” pet phrase of Don Hermes’; a search of the posts on the forum ought to bring up more info, for those who are interested]. Don Hermes tells him to get his mind out of the gutter, no-one is flirting with anyone. Nicolás retorts that obviously Don Hermes wants to adopt another daughter. He then recounts Jenny’s notorious history, how she stole Sofía’s husband. But Don Hermes isn’t listening. Nicolás then tells him it’s the fierce old man and his granddaughter [Beth: ??].

Betty leaves her office and asks her father what’s gong on; he looks strange. He replies it’s nothing and tells her he will come back later (she is surprised by this) because he has a meeting with Nicolás. Nico states they don’t have to meet about anything at all but in the end he helps out the old man with his story. Don Hermes is leaving and Nicolás states that Betty had better take care since Don Hermes is headed for her apartment to ‘level the fridge’ [eat a lot]. Betty comments to Nicolás that Don Hermes does indeed seem strange. Nicolás agrees, Hermes is getting old, and tells Betty that he [Nico]won their arm-wrestling match.

The Cartel tells Inesita about Rosario’s supposed problems and they decide that, as always, they should consult Betty. They go into her office but she isn’t there and they return to the hall. There they run into Natasha and Rosario, who was just out of her interview. Rosario tells them it went well, but Gutiérrez’s behaviour really made her mad, since he was asking very intimate questions. The Cartel nervously tries to “calm” her since they don’t want her to get how Natasha told them she could get. Rosario tells Natasha they need to get going in order to make her next interview, but Natasha tells her the sad story of her “missing” purse. Rosario, silly woman, was going to stay with her ‘friend’ [until she found her purse] but Natasha told her to go to her next interview, she would catch up with Rosario later. The Cartel cautiously says goodbye to Rosario as we see Natasha’s smug look, thinking that now no-one will get her out of there…

Advances for next week… We see the Cartel telling Betty they have to discuss a very delicate matter with her; Calderón speaking on his cell -apparently with Armando- regarding his past… The voiceover says that Armando could fall into temptation, insinuating it is because of Natasha whom we see straightening her clothing while Betty spies on her through her office window shade…