Episode 8: "Chantaje"
English subtitles https://youtu.be/Gf86dJe0kUg
Spanish subs https://youtu.be/KLqm3-4wvx8
Dialogue includes more references to continuing imagery of "wheels" and "Montana rusa/roller coaster" (reason why Clio--among others--knock down, fall on top of other characters). When Andy asks Tania about "what can we do" about his problem, she uses expression equating "we" with a "school bus" (load of people), then likening Clio to a mountain falling on him. She also figuratively washes her hands clean of responsibility (like Pontias Pilate did Christ) from helping Andy after he & his father had told her to butt out of meddling in their personal lives.
Tania to Andy: Podemos? Me suena camino de escuela. (We? That sounds to me like a school bus; English sub-titles=That's too many people). She advises him to wear sexy underwear as Clio is waiting with an "avalancha de amor".
Andy to himself: Andrecito, que desmadre me metiste?
(calling himself "little Andy" fits into continuing thread of supposedly "grownup" characters behaving like children, helpless babies. Among important messages of story and lessons characters must learn: to truly become an adult means accepting consequences of own's own actions, making wise choices by thinking maturely).
Cell phone cases give clues to owners' personalities: Andy's is green, Carmen=floral, Lara's=pink, I think Tania's may be white, Clio=white with gold geometric design
Marga to Juancho (about Pablo hitting Tommy because brother thought TC harmed Lara): Tienes la cola muy larga que te pise como para andar regando mi hijo. (On page 24 of Dichos! book by Joseph Keenan: "Todos tienen cola que les pisen/everyone's got a tail that can be stepped on. In this sense, 'having a tail' is much the same as having a "skeleton in the closet", and having that tail stepped on is the same as having the door to the closet thrown wide open.")
Juancho complains: Levantando la mantel (figuratively "clear the table"? Or "peek under tablecloth?) soplamocos, chihuahua. (soplamocos=slap in the face, punch on the nose). Related word useful to know: "mocoso" is slang for runny nosed little kid, (you recognize likeness to "mucus"?) an annoying brat, or simply rugrat--someone you might like to smack on their "nalgadas" (give spanking to) as Marga & Yuli have already said to younger relatives who've been acting up.
"Escuincle" is another common word for "kid"--this word nerd would like to know origin (the English slang comes from "baby goat"); is there Spanish version of Oxford English Dictionary? In favorite book of mine, GONE-AWAY LAKE by Elizabeth Enright, Pindar Payton names goat after his spoiled cousin as its plaintive Ma-a-a sounds exactly like girl calling her mother. Opening titles of movie SINGIN' IN THE RAIN with female star wearing 1920's fad of flapping galoshes refers to why teen girls were dubbed flappers, tho some say is from young birds--reason young women are still called "chicks".
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I LOVE scene depicting "hostage situation"--"we are negotiating the terms of Mr Robert's kidnaping": To save his new friend, the now-paralyzed, neglected Robert from his new wife Leticia (whom Rocco calls a witch/ "bruja"), boy takes him to hide in Maria's room where she earlier mistook him for ghost when over-hearing him talk.
"Estoy armado--no quiero recorrir a la violencia" says boy to crowd of combined family members. Door being locked, they don't know his "weapon" is a red foam baseball bat. Juancho, amused, speculates boy's weapons may be darts, slingshot, catapult. His mother Marga weeps. George goes off to get spare keys to open door.
Inside, adults discover that Rocco has handcuffed himself and Robert together (cuffs have fuzzy red trim, boy found them in Maria's chest of drawers. Juancho is again amused to see Maria keeps the key (with pale blue feathery keychain) in her bra. Boy's mother hauls him off by the ear while he protests he did it to save Robert from the witch Leticia who mistreats her husband.
"Esposo"=spouse, "esposas"=handcuffs, which is what Leti is to her husbands, callously discarding them when they can't be useful. Leti is like "el perro con dos tortas", traditional saying I think may be from Aesop's Fables: a dog can't decide between two cakes, so ends up with neither. Leti wants to have her cake and eat it too: after divorcing George to marry apparent multi-millionaire Robert--who loses everything--she wants to return to financial & social security of previous life as wife of wealthy George.
Showing her true colors, Leti berates mute Robert in front of her kids that he's "un estorbo, una carga". She orders twins to both pack their bags. Tommy protests--begging Robert's pardon--but no way is he going back to live in that "miseria" of stripped empty mansion.
Paz already guessed her mother means for them to pretend to their father that they will also leave if their mother is forced out of Cruz home--twisting Dad's arm this way is another version of more humorous "hostage" scene earlier in episode.
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Lara's change of hairstyle reflects her changing--for the worse--attitude toward her own family. Her braids may have shown how the family was closely woven in her life (Carmen wore tiny braids when she introduces George to her family; I seem to have noticed wedding ring Carmen gave him also has braided design).
After siding with twins and their rude rich kid crowd, Lara's personality is showing signs of being corrupted, mistaking conspicuous consumption for true worth. Pedro repeats nickname Gremlins he gave to twins when the snobs insulted them on the terrace they were decorating for Carmen's proposal to George. In movie Gremlins, water makes cuddly creatures turn into monsters--something similar happens to Lara (see later scene below).
After Yuli upbraids her for choosing to believe "ese par de yemas" (double yolk egg?) over her own brother, Lara rudely insults her cousin--for coming to live with her family because Yuli's father lost their own home--and furthermore, calls her own family losers, and that she plans to make something of herself (but pride goeth before a fall). "Arrimados" has been translated in English subtitles as neutral "guests" when is closer to pejorative "leech, mooch, freeloader, sponger who lives in somebody's house without contributing money". http://www.crandall.altervista.org/sp/mexican-slang-to-english-jerga-mexicana-al-ingles.html
English subs maybe on purpose bowdlerize passage (which flushing toilet punctuates) by cutting useful to know word "crudita" (hangover) Lara is suffering from after drunken pool party she can't remember. (Eng subs say Karma instead.)
In previous chapter, I now realize that George's being knocked unconscious by heavy whisky glass (thrown by irate Marga who was trying to hit her brother after finding out he gambled away her home) is paralleled by Lara becoming unconscious after downing alcoholic drinks forced on her at Beverly Hills Country Club pool party.
Yuli to Lara: Espero que te esta castigando la crudita porque le vas acostumbrando porque te va por lo que le hiciste a tu hermano Pedro, no? Le duele la cabecita la reina? Haz me el favor. Como se te ocurre escoger ese par de yemas por encima de tu hermano?
Lara: El se lo busco por metiche. (He deserved it for being a busybody)
Yuli: Por este "metiche" (That busybody is why you didn't drown) Porque no la contabas la verdad. Mira, yo te veo, no te conozco. Lara does type text of apology and thanks to her brother, but doesn't send it.
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If you're reading English subtitles, I noticed that "noisy" appears instead of correct "nosy" for "metiche", which has connotation of related word "meter" (to meddle in). I've not compared all translations to original dialogue, but have noticed other worse, clunky errors. In Ep. 3, a joke is "corrected" (eliminated): Lara, showing off her supposedly superior knowledge says that very ugly--although expensive--painting is "arte EXtracto" (tying in with "x"/ Cruz symbols), not as English subtitles say "abstracto" (read her lips).
Clumsy translations can mar a carefully crafted work, as Guillermo Del Toro remarked on why he wrote his own English subtitles.
Knowing Spanish can really help audience understand what writers meant in their original dialogue when using extended verbal and visual metaphors. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro provided his own subtitles for PAN'S LABYRINTH after previous film "translation" resulted in what he called "for the thinking impaired--incredibly bad".
Another good reason to learn Spanish--besides the beauty of the language and appreciation of subtle shades of intonation, expression conveyed by talented actors: Those who have good vocabulary in English can deduce related meaning to many Spanish words which share Latin roots. Two for one win-win!
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Andy takes Pedro to stay at his uncle Tenoch's, where he discovers Clio is holding press conference to announce that he is her boyfriend--which is news to him, having only spent previous night with her. As she signs autographs for the crowd, camera angle shows star-shaped lamps hanging from ceiling above her. Clio can't see boundary between public/private life. Lara's view of reality is also getting twisted--she's grateful that her almost dying in video shot at pool greatly increased her internet followers.
Clio drags Andy onto stage where they converse in whispers--unheard by crowd of fans and reporters. Evokes scene in classic film SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, when silent movie stars argue, hurl insults at each other while filming a love scene. Clio warns Andy that if he doesn't go along with her story that they are a besotted couple, she will sabotage his father's movie. Reporter's query about their "nido del amor" (love nest) continues flight metaphor.
Clio tells Andy to follow her lead/"corriente", bringing to mind popular warning "cameron que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente". DICHOS! book on page 53 interprets as "if you aren't paying attention, you'll get swept away by events...You snooze, you lose".
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Foreshadowing: Gina jokes that Pedro's "marriage" with Andy already has him sleeping elsewhere. Pedro replies he couldn't sleep even in a 5 star hotel; he just wants someone to listen to him. To her query about if things were bad back home (in Mexico), he says they weren't millionaires, but had peaceful life. Family came for Carmen's marriage, but had been thinking of going back. Things aren't bad now--they're terrible: no home, unable to return ("regresar"), no money, nothing. Gina replies that's what most immigrants have, and we don't go around crying like a baby over bad luck. Pedro responds, "Do you see me crying? I want so much to help my family" Aguita=drizzle aguitarse=to become sad. He's heard that there's money in "la lucha" (fighting/wrestling). She advises he can make more money "by fighting in the ring--not in the streets", and then he won't get kicked out of the country. His spirits lift and he decides to try becoming professional.
Juancho talks mournfully to photo of his dead wife Regina (queen) about how sorry he is that he keeps hurting his family. He almost jumps out of his skin when he hears voice he mistakes for Regina, but is really Mama Rosa.
She asks if he remembers what she told him after the fire that burned down his old home. Misunderstanding, he said he won't forget her ordering him to take his dirty feet off her new furniture (using word "patas", animal paws/hoofs). Mama Rosa explains she meant when she said he would now be another son for her. Crying, Juancho repeats he doesn't want to do wrong, "no soy malo" (I'm not bad), and promises to get back what was lost, tho he doesn't know how.
Margarita privately reprimands Rocco for kidnapping Robert, taking him from his family--but boy protests "la victima estaba de accuerdo", (alleged victim was in agreement) and he was just doing what she'd taught him, "cuidar a los quieremos" (take care of those we love). When she said boy's behavior she disapproved of wasn't something she taught him, and maybe came from his father, he sadly says he never knew his father.
George and Carmen discuss whether Leti and twins should be allowed to stay in the house. Carmen feels that if his children stay, they can get to know her and eventually realize she isn't the witch, "mala" or evil one in the tale.
George is touched by her generous, magnanimous spirit, and impulsively kisses her hands. He realized his kids are badly brought up, and feels it's his fault, but Carmen tells him he was working hard to give them what they have.
Carmen knows that both she and George are both like "perros con pulgas" (dogs with fleas/both come with personal baggage to relationship), although she jokes he's a refined breed of dog. Carmen agrees to let Leti stay until she can find somewhere else to live, but advises that George "no canta victoria", the war is not entirely won yet: if his ex tries anything, Carmen warns she's capable of grabbing Leticia by her elegant hairdo and dragging her down the stairs--which makes George laugh.
Love and laughter/"risas" is what Carmen tells his family she wants there to be more of in their home. Emotionally healthy people don't take themselves too seriously, can see other side of situations, be flexible, learn to compromise to get along, accept.
More battle imagery when Clio muses to herself "como me gustas cuando te resistes, Andy. Y mejor cuando estas fuera de combate".
Carmen tries to talk with twins (Paz being self-appointed spokesperson) but girl's perception of the world has been so warped by her mother's self-centered views that she can't believe people actually do act out of love for family, and not merely pretend to in order to hide their own private agenda. When Paz claims that Carmen came between her parents, Carmen points out George was already divorced when she met him, and he was feeling very bad about what happened on his birthday--Paz then accuses her of taking advantage of George being "solo y triste" to put her claws in her father (ignoring fact it was her mother's heartless behavior that caused his sorrow).
Carmen: "Yo quiero que tu seas feliz, pero yo tambien quero ser feliz--que hacemos?"
Paz: "A mi no me interesa conocerte mas y tampoco me interesa hacerte la vida feliz".
When Paz stalks off in a huff, Tomy finally speaks up placatingly: "Ya se le va pasar, eh", a hint there's hope he could be decent human being--if he could break from mom and sister and learn to think and act for himself.)
Lara is uncertain about twins side of the story, that they introduced her as stylish cousin from London, but starts suspecting they're being sarcastic, and that they pretended friendship to save their own skins from punishment from their father. Paz relents a bit (or reconsiders best tactic), "don't misinterpret, "te falta mucho camino por recorrer", but she's doing good. Lara may still be in earshot when Paz tells Tomy, "how can someone be such an idiot". She's already hatched plan to get revenge on Pedro and further push them out. Lara is dying to join Beverly Hills circle, so may do anything, opening pueblorinos to even greater humiliation.
Juancho tries to log on to George's laptop to find work. Rocco suggests they start a lemonade stand, idea Juancho belittles--how many millions of lemons would it take to earn money he needs? Rocco says they could "deliver" (using English word), which Juancho misunderstands--maybe for Spanish words "de ligar"--to untie?--saying he's not taking his clothes off for anyone. Maria rolls in Robert in his wheelchair; delighted his friend will now be staying with them, Rocco says their "dream team" can work together to make deliveries/"repartir".
George hasn't swallowed Leti's act of good will and being reasonable after hearing she can stay, and he warns there's no chance of their getting back together--"no va ver nada ni ahora ni nunca". Whatever she says, he's wary of her too perfect performance of resigned loss, "Si, me queda muy claro que te perdi para siempre y que no importa lo que haga para remediar lo que te hice....Voy a tratar que tu relacion con Paz y Tomy sea mucho mejor y que aceptan a Carmen, y va ser tu aliada. Ya que no puedo ser tu gran amor, voy a intentar ser tu gran amiga."
Carmen washes her hands at kitchen sink, as if wanting to wash away miasma of Leti & Paz. Yuli scolds her cousin, whom she affectionally nicknamed "tontota" (silly, dumbell) that she's outdone herself in being foolish,
by letting Leti and her "engendritos" (devil spawn?) stay, spitting their poison. (Love name Yuli calls her-- "Perricia"--which refers to "female dog", English "b" word that rhymes with witch). Carmen says, "You tell me how I could prevent it--I just can't say "you leave, pero tus hijos no". Aunque es dificil, se tiene que aceptar con todo. Yuli finally resolves: Tu no te procupes, que los Jurados no les tenemos miedo a chili, aunque se mire colorado. Don't worry, we Jurados have no fear of chili peppers, although they look red (fierce?) Your family will defend you.
Heroines of both LA MENTIRA and PARIENTES A LA FUERZA may resemble Christ-like figure of title in Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT, someone perceived by the worldly as "too good to be true", too guileless to be wise.
Next morning, George tells Carmen he's going to take her on "escapadita", a romantic getaway in 10 minutes.
Leti, wearing tiger-stripe patterned dress, goes to ask lawyer not to tell anyone about debts.
In recap of Ep. 7, English translation lacks flavor of Leti's suggestive remark to lawyer that she is "open" to doing whatever he says/"hacer lo que tu pidas". Spanish word "abierta" is related to English "aperture"), her meaning conveyed further by added upward hand gesture when she says "adelante", ahead, onward (and her grimace of distaste behind his back; note mini-golf club on desk). Later, when Carmen is using curling iron, what does George have in mind for them? (LOL)...
For grownups who get it--and perhaps those who don't--reminds me of idea passed along by one of my Spanish professors, a very sweet elderly priest with a sense of humor. Some of his college students told him their comprehension was helped by reading materials meant "for adults". Even younger students (as in article about French prof of mine) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/education/edlife/christine-eustrade-french-lesson.html say they are bored by standard textbook cardboard characters, stilted conversations and lifeless situations depicted. That's big reason I promote watching entertaining telenovelas that students will make effort to follow and understand.
TV programs have advantage of added information provided by facial expressions and body language, as well as wide range of vocal tones which skilled actors can use to convey meaning even though words may be unfamiliar. Series of comic British novels by Helen Cresswell,* THE BAGTHORPE SAGA , about eccentric family of overachievers (aside from ORDINARY JACK and his dog ABSOLUTE ZERO) includes TV scriptwriter who watches programs with the sound turned off to see if he can follow story without dialogue. Watching shows including sound, tho in another language, is easier still.
*(1969 THE NIGHT WATCHMEN is my favorite book by same author, with Hagrid-like character inspired by Biblical story of two brothers, Josh & Caleb.)
Maria blithely passes along gossip/hearsay to Margarita and Mama Rosa about George's brother Tenoch (whom she may never have met) saying he's drunkard, has a so-called restaurant that may be something disreputable in dangerous, unsavory area. Margarita, frightened for her son who went to live there, fiercely stabs food with knife, declares she and Mama Rosa are going to save her boy from vice. (Real danger to be revealed in next episode)
For complete capitulos go to www.Telemundo.com All entire episodes of PARIENTES A LA FUERZA (so far) can be seen On Demand with www.NBC.com app.
