Opening monologue: Life is a question without answers. Like, I don’t know why I want to be near you, but everything’s okay when I look into your eyes~*~*~
This is a pretty fun episode! The plot and relationships move forward, the characters have realistic emotions and actual conflict, and the secondary/tertiary male characters start their own subplot. I dug it a lot.
We pick up at the last time we saw Marizza, although it wasn’t the ending of last episode. Dare I hope for a deviation in formula here? Anyway, you’ll recall Pablo told Facundo he was crazy about Marizza, so it would be a dick move for Facundo to hook up with her now. Accordingly, Facundo’s shot Marizza down and left her sitting sadly on a bench. Lujan and Luna come up and want to know all the details, how much tongue he used, etc. Marizza is forced to tell them that he cut her off. “Did you ask why?” Luna says. Marizza’s like, whoa, hold up! In her sadness she totally forgot to verbally flagellate him! She runs off and finds Facundo sitting on some rock on some street. That was easy.
She’s like, literally what is your DEAL. “I don’t understand anything,” he tells her. I knew he was friends with Pablo for a reason. He tells her that he doesn’t know why she’s all up on him, because Pablo is crazy about her. She’s like, “NO WAY.” He tells her Pablo wouldn’t lie to him, because he and Facundo are besties and you gotta respect the bro code. He walks dramatically away from her, and Marizza fumes.
Meanwhile, Papa C shows up to school to tell Mia that dinner with Mercedes is back on. She and Papa C are back together! Isn’t Mia happy? Mia sniffles that she thought Papa C was happy being her dad. Why does he need a girlfriend? Papa C’s like, “I love you but I haven’t gotten laid in years, you feel?” Mia snaps that she had a mom and she doesn’t want another. Ooooh. Papa C says that Mama C was an angel, but Mia never really knew her, and Mercedes can guide Mia through the angst of female puberty. “I thought I was your responsibility, not your girlfriend’s,” Mia says. Burn! She doesn’t want to ever meet Mercedes, so THERE.
Pilar catches up to Joaquin in the hall and says they have to talk. “Does it have be now?” Joaquin asks. Charming! I can see why Pilar wants to stay with him so badly. She tells him that she’s been thinking about what they talked about, i.e. letting him sex her up. Joaquin’s like, “Oh, in THAT case I totally have time to talk!” Oh, Pilar, just dump him. She tells him that she’s not ready to have sex, but maybe later? If she puts out eventually, they can still be together right? Joaquin’s like, “Oh…you weren’t going to give it up right now in this very hallway? Nevermind then.” Pilar curls up on the stairs and starts crying. Vico rocks up and Pilar tells her that she and Joaquin are over. Vico’s like, “How unfortunate and completely unexpected!” Oh, Vico. She comforts Pilar and says that Joaquin doesn’t deserve her, but smirks as she gives her a hug.
In the distance, the fourth wall weeps.
Cafeteria. Pablo’s joking around with his friends when Papa B shows up to harsh his vibe. He tells Pablo that he wants to hang out with him on Saturday, and take him to a club and teach him how to be a man or whatever. “Is everything okay with Marizza? I mean EVERYTHING? Like, phallically?” he asks. Just kidding, not the last part. Pablo pretends like he has any idea what his father’s talking about and says everything’s fine. An excellent time for Marizza to come in, yell at Pablo that they’re broken up, and storm back out. Pablo’s like, “Ha ha, that Marizza! She just FAKE broke up with me! Oh God don’t hit me I promise I’m still a man.” Papa B leaves suspiciously.
Marizza’s room. Sonia’s in there, hunting for Papa Spirito’s lost passport. It occurs to her to look for it in Marizza’s shoe, and there it is. “Like mother, like daughter!” she says. Heh. Marizza comes in and realizes Sonia’s going to give the passport back, and they start fighting over it. She demands to know why Sonia’s going to give it back, and for some reason Sonia won’t tell her, and they just continue to fight dramatically until FINALLY Sonia spits out that Papa Spirito could get full custody of Marizza. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place, fool? Marizza cries and she and Sonia hug. I really like Marizza so much more when she’s sad, and I don’t even mean that in an “I enjoy seeing her suffer” way. A lot of the wackier subplots have her steamrolling over people and coming out on top, and I always get the sense we’re meant to like her more than the other girls because she’s so ~rebelde. So seeing her be emotionally vulnerable is gratifying in that sense, and it makes her more real and likable, too. Anyway. I’m done analyzing a telenovela now.
Vico and Joaquin get it on in the map room. Oh, good, I was missing the map room! It must have been so lonely while the gym was getting all that action. Vico tells Joaquin they have to keep their relationship on the DL because the Society’s watching her. Wasn’t she just whining that he wouldn’t mack it with her in public? Make up your mind, Vico. They make out and sink to the floor, and the camera cuts away to the next scene. Okay, they DEFINITELY have sex.
Classroom. Guido, Tomás, Marcos, and a couple of tertiary characters gather to discuss the exam drama Gloria dropped on Guido last episode. I’m mildly impressed that one-off line has turned into a whole subplot. It turns out that — horrors! — they have two exams scheduled on the same day. This is an OUTRAGE! It is? I recall having two (maybe even three) exams on the same day in high school and college. They tried to stagger them so that wouldn’t happen, but it was still possible, depending on your schedule. Well, whatever. They will not stand for having two exams on the same day! They must be rebelde! Marcos, being a nerd, suggests that they just like, study and deal with it, and everyone’s like, “Study? At this school? Surely you jest!” By the way, it looks like Tomás got a haircut, too:
It’s weird because it looks like they trimmed the sides but not the back, which is like…where all the length is. I think that’s why Marcos’s hair looked so weird earlier, too. And the problem’s creeping up on Guido, too, although it doesn’t look like he got a noticeable haircut since the start of the show. ANYWAY, they decide to make a plan to mess up the finals schedule. Hilda walks in and asks what they’re up to, and they BS that they’re forming a study group. Cutely, she asks if they need help organizing it. Aw! I’m so fond of Hilda now, you guys.
Look at her lil face!!
Cafeteria. Erreway plus Nico minus Marizza discusses various band shenanigans. Pablo’s all pissed off that Marizza’s ditching them for Facundo’s band, but she’s a good performer, so everyone else is like, get over it. Pablo’s like, “Aiight, but on Saturday I got a thing. Which reminds me that I gotta rope Marizza into it, so I’m gonna go look for her.” He leaves, and Nico and Manuel muse that it’s a pity Pablo and Marizza don’t get along. Feli’s like, “Really? I think they’re in love. Have either of you ever watched a teen drama in your life? Just like you and Mia, Manuel! Just kidding!” Manuel’s like, “Haha, right! Me and Mia! As if!”
Oh my God, CUT THE BACKS OF THE BOYS’ HAIR.
Speaking of Mia. Blas corners Vico and tells her to stop writing him sexy notes under Mia’s name, because she’s a pure innocent angel and he won’t stand for Vico trying to ruin her!!! Vico’s like, “What.” She storms off to find Mia in the lounge, and is like, “You’re sending sexy notes to a teacher? NOW which one of us is a sl*t?” Mia denies it, and Vico tries to rip her hair out. All the extras watch awkwardly like, “…should we say something? Are we allowed to improv here?”
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” plays in the background as we cut to Dunoff. I can’t think of a less appropriate song for him. Gloria comes in and tells him he has a phone call and he’s like, “Leave me alone Gloria, you know I hate working.” “But it’s from Franco — I mean, Mr. Colucci,” she corrects herself. Heh. Oh, Gloria, like you’re on first-name terms with him. Dunoff takes the call while Gloria hovers in the background all, “Is he talking about me? Does he love me?” Dunoff waves her out of the room, and kisses up to Papa C all, “You need me to do you a favor? Sure, whatever you want! Literally anything! I am your servant!” Papa C tells him his request, and Dunoff’s like, “Oh…maybe not that.” Well, this is awkward.
Nighttime, Marizza’s room. She fumes to Lujan and Luna over Pablo cockblocking her shot with Facundo. She’ll make him pay! One of them — I didn’t write down which, but probably Luna — suggests that Marizza calm down. Ha! Have either of you met her? Speaking of whom, Pablo sneaks into the room and tells Marizza he has to talk to her. Marizza kicks Lujan and Luna out of their own room — they go pretty willingly, I guess since they know Pablo and Marizza’s love drama trumps all. Marizza snaps that she knows Pablo ruined her chances with Facundo, and he tells her that he was just trying to keep the band together any way he could. He tells her that the band has a gig on Saturday and suggests that they go out beforehand, to keep Papa B off his back. Marizza breaks down and tells him that she won’t be here, as Papa Spirito is taking her away. Pablo’s like, “Dude, no way, I just got back from disappearing from several episodes in a row!” He says they’ll figure something out, and Marizza is a little moved by this. She asks if he’s doing this because of the band too, and he’s like, “……….yes.” Oh, Pablo. He gets so close to being smooth, and then he fucks it right up.
The not-library. For a brief second I thought they might’ve added another bookshelf (for a grand total of two), but then I realized they were just shooting from a different angle. They should keep it up, though, because it gives the illusion that there are more than ten books in that library. Anyway, Lujan’s like, “They’re spending way too much time alone in that room. Pablo’s probably murdering her right now.” Before they can go rescue Marizza, though, Blas rolls up and is like, “STUDENTS? In the LIBRARY? You could only be in here because Marizza is in your room with a boy!” Do I think Blas is stupid for constantly jumping to the most incriminating conclusion, or grudgingly admit he’s smart for knowing what these kids are always up to? It’s a hard choice. Anyway, Lujan throws herself on the pyre and picks a fight with Blas to distract him, while Luna sneaks off to warn Marizza. But when she gets to the room, Marizza and Pablo are already gone! Uh-oh. Mia walks by and sees Luna panicking, and Luna says Mia has to help cover for Marizza, because Marizza pitched in with the Vico protest that one time. Blas comes up and Mia hits on him to distract him. Damn, Mia’s going above and beyond here. They should give her a medal. Or report Blas to the Argentinian FBI. The second one would probably be more effective.
It turns out Pablo’s taken Marizza to the sad trailer, and has decided to cheer her up with a dance party. They dance goofily around to “Inmortal” for a couple of minutes, then Pablo’s like, “Close your eyes, because between that last scene and this one, I managed to get some game.” He puts on “Dos segundos” and they slow dance while the disco ball throws light around the trailer. Dang, Pablo. Please accept my apology for saying you fuck it up every time you manage to be smooth, because this is pretty slick. I mean, it’s a little weird that they’re slow-dancing to his own song, but whatever.
Meanwhile, Mia’s having an incredibly uncomfortable conversation with Blas in the not-library. She tells him she wants to apologize to him for Vico’s behavior, and he says it’s weird that Mia’s friends with someone so shady. “Do you have a lot of friends?” she asks Blas. Hee! If he does, they’re probably all in jail. She asks if he knows what it’s like to love someone even when they’re being a shitty person. I guess that’s how she feels about Vico. Blas rubs Mia’s shoulder, presumably to be comforting but more likely just low down being a perv. Manuel walks in and sees this, and he is pissed. For once, as he should be! Punch him, Manuel!
The next day. All the boys are brushing their teeth in the bathroom. When Pablo comes in, Guido and Tomás needle him about where he was last night. He evades them and says he was with “a friend” — although, being in Spanish, he has to specify that it was a female friend, and they all OOOH at him. He still doesn’t give up Marizza’s name, though. Guido and Tomás snip that while Pablo was off getting some, they found out they have TWO EXAMS on ONE DAY! The horror! Pablo’s like, whatever. He’ll be generous and let them have this subplot to themselves. Guido has a brainwave and calls up someone to help them with their plan.
Dunoff calls Mia to the office and tells her that she’s been chosen to be in some photos advertising Elite Way. Mia’s all twitterpated at the idea of attention, and Dunoff brings out the photographer. It’s Mercedes! This was Papa C’s nefarious plan! You gotta admit he has Mia’s number, though.
Cafeteria. Marizza’s waxing romantic about Pablo, and Lujan and Luna are like, “…so, you actually like him, then?” Marizza snaps to and is like, “How very dare you imply that! We just slow-danced and we’ve made out like ten times, but there’s ZERO ONDA!” Luna’s like, well, have you changed your mind about Mia, at least? Because she saved your ass last night. Marizza’s all confused. It’s almost like she might become friends with Pablo and Mia soon!
Pablo goes to see Mansilla, and Mansilla’s like, “Oh hey, come in, I’ve always got time for your family problems!” Pablo’s like, “For once, someone else has family problems, not me.” He asks Mansilla to talk to Marizza, because it might make her feel better about her papa issues. Mansilla eyes Pablo suspiciously: “Marizza’s important to you, huh?” Pablo’s like, “Uh…gotta go.”
Chem class. Everyone’s focused on their hormones and not on chemistry. At least, not academic chemistry. Oh, I see what you did there, show! “Sweet Baby” plays in the background, and it’s a mildly cute bit of editing and stuff.
Cafeteria. Mercedes and Mia have hit it off, under Mercedes’s fake photographer persona. They chatter about fashion, and Mercedes says she and Mia should go shopping some time. If Mia’s mom is cool with it, of course. Well, Mama C is dead, so…”I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Mercedes says. Oh, this is so manipulative. Mia is going to HATE Mercedes when she finds out the truth. I hate Mercedes a little right now. Mercedes asks if Mia wants a mother figure, and says that she knows what it’s like — Mercedes’s dad is the one that died, and she tried to keep her mom from dating for a long time. But now she regrets it, because it was selfish to stop her mom from being happy! I don’t know if Mercedes is telling the truth or not, but even if she is, this is SO awful and manipulative. If it doesn’t blow up in her and Papa C’s faces, I’ll be so pissed.
Manuel rocks up and drags Mia off so he can yell at her about Blas. Mia snaps that it’s none of his business and she doesn’t want him to be her brother. Well, he’s not interested in being your brother, Mia, so it all works out! Mia flounces off to flirt with Blas, just to annoy Manuel. Oh, man, this is going to end SO badly.
I should add that I’ve been watching a video that cuts the commercial breaks out, but occasionally one sneaks in. This one is an ad for Sunny D! God, this show is old.
Mansilla calls Marizza into the teachers’ lounge to talk about Papa Spirito. It occurs to me that we haven’t seen Mansilla actually teach class in a while, have we? Anyway, he tells her that she can’t always change things she doesn’t like, and she should try being honest with her dad. If he really does care about her and wants to get to know her, it might help their relationship. Marizza looks like she’s giving this some thought.
Back to the exam subplot. Guido leads Tomás, Pablo, and the random Diegos out of school to pick up a delivery of…flour, it looks like? They pack it all into bags and try to sneak it into the school. I think this is the most the random Diegos have ever had to do in an episode. Gloria nearly busts them, but Pablo waxes on about how hot she is and strokes her ego, and that’s enough to distract her. Jesus Christ, Gloria’s so thirsty. He’s 15 years old!
Cafeteria. Marizza tells Erreway that she’s resigned herself to going to Italy, so “someone” is going to have to take her place in the band. Man, they can’t seem to go one performance without having to replace one of the girls with Mia. It’s almost like they should just make her a permanent member. Marizza goes off to tell Mia about this, and Mia picks up on her sad mood. “Are you okay?” she asks. Aw! Mia cares, you guys! Marizza thanks Mia for saving her from Blas, and Mia says Luna told her that Marizza was sad about Italy. But everything will be fine, because Italy has some of the BEST SHOES in the WORLD. Have I ever told you about my Italian grandfather? He’s lived in the US for about 60 years, but he still only wears Italian shoes and refuses to wear sneakers. When it rains, he puts plastic bags over his shoes and goes out like that. That’s going to be Mia in 80 years.
Classroom. Pilar’s crying over Joaquin, and Dunoff comes in and sees her. She tells him she fought with Joaquin, and Dunoff’s like, “Oh, don’t worry! Your mom and I fight all the time, but we’re bound together by our mutual love of capitalism and corruption!” Heh. Pilar shrieks that it wasn’t just a fight, she and Joaquin broke up for real, and NOBODY UNDERSTANDS HER!!! She runs out of the room and Dunoff’s like, “Dang, parenting is even harder than principaling.”
Office. Marizza comes in and sees Sonia, and Sonia tells her that Papa Spirito has some kind of work thing, so he has to leave for Italy like, right now. Marizza’s like, “Sweet, so I’m off the hook?” Nope, the flight takes off tonight, and Marizza’s going with him. “It can’t be!” she gasps. Oh, but it totally can.
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