Previously on Rebelde Way: A private investigator has finally located Mama C, so Sonia has gone ahead and tried to contact her. Really? This couldn’t have waited until we finished the “Manuel is dying of telenovelaneosis of the brain” plot?
Mama C calls Sonia back, asking Sonia who she is and how she knew that Mama C was staying at this hotel. Sonia BSes that she’s just a simple rep for a cosmetics company, and she was just cold-calling hotels and asking for famous people, and she totally didn’t mean to call Mama C and she’s definitely not stalking her, bye! Papa C’s like, “What was that all about?” and Sonia makes up another story about the director of her show losing her stage makeup. For some reason, Papa C flips out and is like, “How dare you answer the phone and talk about your job when Manuel is in surgery!” I mean…what did you want her to do, hang up on anyone who calls her?
The doctor comes in and tells them that everything is fine and Manuel is stable now. He adds that they found a locket in Manuel’s hospital gown, and Mia gasps that she gave it to him when they were dating. If he took it into the hospital with him, could this mean that maybe…perhaps…Manuel still likes her?
The nurse wheels Manuel out of the operating room and takes him to recovery. The doctor tells them that they can’t visit him just yet, and Marizza’s all, “I can’t believe we waited all that time for him to get operated on, and now we have to wait even longer!” Yeah! How dare Manuel need time to recover from brain surgery! The kids all want to wait until he’s ready to have visitors, but the adults hustle them back off to school.
Miranda comes back to school and tells Papa B that he signed a blanket permission form so that Pablo could leave for educational field trips. First of all, these kids have never taken a field trip in their life (Bariloche does not count; you can’t tell me that shit was for education). Second of all, Miranda has some nerve going after Papa B for corruption when he’s freely lying in order to let the main characters cut class. He tells Papa B the kids went to an art museum.
Now that that’s out of the way, Miranda’s like, “So, let’s talk about these checks.” He points out that they were authorized by some mysterious superior to Dunoff — perhaps the owner of the school? And some of the checks are made out to an iron and steel company — what does that have to do with education? Papa B yells that Miranda is just going to have to ask Dunoff and then he runs out of the room. Jeez. Honestly, for someone who’s supposed to be a high-ranking government official who regularly makes corrupt deals, Papa B’s not very smooth.
Presumably Vico and Rocco caught Feli trying to strangle Sol earlier and managed to pull her off, because now they’re talking about how weird that was. Rocco thinks that Feli isn’t entirely right in the head, but Vico’s like, “Well, if Sol hadn’t opened her big mouth, Feli wouldn’t have had to try to throttle her.” Rocco’s like, “Okay, a little worried about how cool you are with murder, but okay.” Vico runs off to check on Feli, and naturally just then Michi comes up, saying Lalo is on the phone. She wants to know where Feli is, and Rocco BSes that she’s in an aerobics class (does Elite Way even have an aerobics class?), but he’ll just hold the phone for her until she gets out. Michi buys this for some reason. Rocco grabs the phone and tells Lalo that he has to come back to Buenos Aires, stat, before his girlfriend snaps and murders someone.
Speaking of which, Marizza has come back to school and goes to calm Sol down. She tells Sol that she totally DID hold up her end of the bargain and asked Sonia to get in touch with her editor friend, but Sonia didn’t, so really, this isn’t her fault. She promises to make it up to Sol by getting her another two-page spread in the magazine, and she calls Sonia’s phone asking her to come see Marizza right away. Papa C picks up and promises to pass the message on.
Rocco finds Francisco being emo in the library. “What’s wrong, Santiago? Did your farm burn down, or…?” Heh. Francisco cries that Mia broke up with him, and Rocco’s like, “Did you say something dumb? Guys say dumb shit to girls all the time, women are from Venus, men are from Mars, etc.” Francisco wibbles that Mia just doesn’t care about him and that’s that. I mean…he was the one that tried to cheat on her with those soccer players when she left school for like a week? Let’s not act like you were putting any effort into this relationship either, my dude. He runs off and as soon as he does, Mia comes in crying. Rocco’s like, “Omg, I bet she’s crying for the same reason as Francisco!” I bet she’s not.
Rocco immediately decides to meddle and tells Francisco that Mia is just as upset over their breakup as he is. Clearly she wants to get back together! Francisco’s like, “Omg, I bet there’s a chance for me after all!” I bet there isn’t.
Pablo goes into his room and is immediately confronted by Papa B. Pablo snipes that Papa B kicked him out and disowned him, so really, what Pablo does is none of his business now. I mean — okay, fair, I do agree that Papa B has forfeited the right to be mad about any of Pablo’s life decisions, but also like…he’s still Pablo’s legal guardian, isn’t he? The school can’t just let Pablo run off without informing Papa B where he is. Whatever. Papa B starts snarking that Pablo is a spoiled brat and will never make it on his own, but then Guido and Tomás bounce in and hand Pablo his paycheck. Pablo’s like, “Fuck you, Dad, I make minimum wage now! I can do whatever I want!”
Wait, so…did Guido give Pablo the money for LAURA’S day of work? That’s fucked up. Don’t date a boy who commits wage theft, Laura!
Oh, wait, but as it turns out, the boys didn’t get paid at all: Leti gave them envelopes full of cut-up newspaper, with a note saying that they’re fired for being dicks. Hee. But also — and the boys rightfully point this out, too — they did still work for like two days? They should still get paid for that? Can someone on this show please call the department of labor?
Sol thinks it over, but decides not to believe Marizza and says that their deal is off. Now, how to tell everyone that Feli is pregnant? Should she make flyers? Just tell the school board directly? Marizza begs Sol for another chance, and Sol’s like, “Oooh, is the ~rebelde~ of Elite Way begging for MY approval?” Hee. For once, though, Sonia decides to be a responsible adult, and when Marizza broaches the subject, Sonia’s like, “No, I cannot just give my editor friend a call and have him put some random 15-year-old in 10 pages of his magazine.” Marizza’s like, “But she’s blackmailing me!” She tells Sonia about Feli and Sonia promises to take care of it.
Papa B tasks Javier with finding out where Pablo works, not knowing that Pablo was just fired two minutes ago. Is this this show’s attempt at dramatic irony? Anyway, Javier agrees, although he looks weirdly nervous about it. All you have to do is follow Pablo, Javier. This isn’t even a hard job.
Over at the hospital, Manuel briefly wakes up and sees Papa C. “Who are you?” he asks. Papa C panics and calls for the nurse, but she assures him that Manuel is probably just disoriented from being sedated for so long.
Francisco apologizes to Mia and says he doesn’t want to break up over a little fight. Mia’s like, “Uh, this is awkward, because I do still want to break up.” Francisco’s like, “Oh.” Then he cries. Suffer, Francisco!
Sonia goes to the hospital and Papa C tells her about Manuel’s little bout of amnesia. “You should have seen his eyes! He looked so lost!” I mean, I know Papa C is right that Manuel has amnesia — because this is a telenovela — but he is making a lot of assumptions off shit Manuel said when he was half-asleep and doped up on 12 hours’ worth of sedatives.
They’re only allowed in the room one at a time — and cell phones aren’t allowed — so Sonia goes in first, leaving her phone with Papa C. Aaand naturally, at that moment, Mama C tries to call Sonia again. Papa C thinks she’s a crazed Sonia stan and snaps that famous people deserve privacy, and this isn’t even Sonia’s phone anymore, so GOOD DAY, SIR! He hangs up, and Mama C makes a note that the phone belongs to a celebrity named Sonia. Nice going, Papa C.
Marcos tells Marizza that he’s worried about Lujan, and he’s like, “Can’t you be the bigger person and talk to your friend who has severe abandonment issues and has just gone through a lot of trauma in a very short time?” Marizza’s like, “No.”
The next day in class, Mia and Vico try to talk Feli out of negotiating further with her mother. “Don’t worry, Marizza’s going to fix everything!” Mia says. So…instead of relying on Feli’s family to solve her problems for her, we’re just relying on Marizza? I feel like Mia has not grasped the root of the problem here. Anyway, Feli wibbles that she wants Lalo to come back, and Mia’s like, “Well, he can’t! Because he’s busy working…and being alive…and healthy…and not having brain surgery…” Then she runs out of the room. The way Mia keeps making Feli’s pregnancy all about herself and her own issues is so very gross.
Michi comes in and hustles Feli off to the office. Feli thinks that Dunoff’s come back and shit’s about to hit the fan (hilariously, Tomás also thinks this and starts panicking), but it turns out that it’s just Lalo. Michi tells them that Dunoff’s not coming back until tonight and Miranda’s in class, so they can be alone together. Are…are they going to fuck in Dunoff’s office?
The hospital gang is all back at school now, and Miranda says that he’ll cover for them and say they were doing a project at the museum. And the rest of the kids in class are just going to be like, “Ah, yes, a project that was never assigned to the rest of us, sounds legit.” Then again, it’s probably true that they won’t ask any questions if they think they’re getting out of doing homework.
Naturally, as soon as they waltz back into the classroom, everyone starts buzzing and wondering aloud where they’ve been (although nobody bothers to ask them to their faces, for some reason). Sol asks Miranda directly what’s going on, and he gives her the museum excuse. Sol loudly asks if it’s fair that some kids are getting different homework assignments than others, but Miranda’s like, “Okay, next time I want to assign extra homework, I’ll pick another group.” Actually, in total fairness, given that Erreway also missed like two weeks of school to go on their half-finished tour, I suppose it’s realistic that they have to make up their work. I don’t know why Miranda didn’t just go with that instead. I’d be a way better sketchy teacher than him.
Lalo tells Feli that he’s going to stay here in Buenos Aires. I mean, that’s nice and all, but…doesn’t he need his job in wherever the hell he went? Especially since he tells her that asking her mom for her inheritance is a fantastically bad idea, and asks Feli to promise not to say anything to her mom. So Lalo’s quit his job, doesn’t seem to be able to get a job in Buenos Aires, and Feli is cut off from her family money. This will end well!
And then Dunoff comes back early! What’s up, Dunoff! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I kind of missed you. The show always feels weird and off-kilter whenever any of the main cast goes missing. Like, with Dunoff and Papa B gone, I had to sit through Sol trying to be the main villain.
Michi tries to block him from going into his office and catching Feli and Lalo. She tells him that she has important news to impart, but they can’t talk here because the office is bugged with microphones. Luckily, she doesn’t have to make up a story about why Dunoff’s office is being bugged, because as soon as he sees Tomás in the halls, Dunoff runs off after him.
Dunoff’s like, “So, let’s talk about those photos,” and Tomás surprisingly takes the blame: he tells Dunoff that he took the photos of Pilar in a moment of stupidity and it’s totally his fault.
All the kids go back to visit Manuel. He wakes up again and asks who they are.
Javier tells Guido that Pablo can’t go to work today, so he’s going in his place, so if Guido could give Javier the work’s name and address, that would be cool. Guido blithely forks it over, apparently not considering that 1) they’ve been fired and 2) why would Pablo ask Javier to help him? Jesus Christ, Guido.
Javier calls Papa B to impart this news, adding, “Just so you know, the reason I’m doing this is because I love you, Dad,” he tells Papa B. “Yes, thanks Javier, bye,” Papa B says. HEE! He calls his assistance and tells her to prepare a closure order for the business right away. I mean, Leti and her mom are apparently committing wage theft and splitting 1 employee’s pay among 3 people, so they probably should be shut down anyway. Ines is shocked and disappointed that Papa B isn’t supporting Pablo’s quest for independence. Ines, have you not been living with him for the past one hundred episodes? Why are you acting like this is brand new information?
Back at the hospital, all the kids are emo over Manuel not recognizing him. Lujan tries to suggest that he’s still under the effects of the sedative, and Marizza’s all, “¿Por qué no te callas?” Yeah! Fuck anyone who suggests that Manuel needs time to recover from his 12-hour surgery!
The doctor comes in and tries to explain to them as much. He then adds that the operation went well, but they can’t expect Manuel to be the same as before: he might act like a toddler, he might have even forgotten how to read and write. Uh…this doctor has a different definition of “went well” than the rest of us. I admit, I’m not sure how realistic this is — like, would a doctor actually consider this to be a successful operation? I guess it went well in the sense that Manuel’s brain is no longer killing him, but regressing to toddlerhood is a pretty big deal! Also, there is no way they should’ve operated on Manuel without telling him or Papa C the risk of him LOSING HIS COGNITIVE ABILITIES as a side effect.
Dunoff yells at Pilar for letting her pervy boyfriend take bikini photos of her, and Pilar tells him that they were taken by a professional photographer, and what is he even on about? Dunoff pivots to yelling at her for showing her midriff to God and everybody. Pilar says she doesn’t care if he punishes her, as long as he leaves Tomás alone. Aw. Dammit, I hate how much I like Pilar and Tomás together.
Sonia calls Sol and tells her that she’s arranged for Sol to have an interview at the magazine, to prepare for her big debut. Belen walks up and asks Sol what’s gotten her in such a good mood, and Sol gushes about her interview and how this is most definitely her big break as a model. This girl has never heard of jinxing herself, has she? Anyway, Belen points out that Sol will have to get permission to leave school, and Sol shrugs that they’ll definitely let her go. Oh, Sol. You’re one of the villains of this show; this means that the adults get to treat you unfairly and get away with it because we’re not supposed to sympathize with you.
Mama C gets a bunch of magazines delivered to her hotel, and finds a gossip article saying that Sonia and Papa C are together.
Sol goes to Miranda and asks if he can make an exception and let her leave school today. “And why should I make an unfair exception?” he asks. “Because you do it for other students, playing favorites and flagrantly breaking the rules for them despite your anti-corruption stance,” Sol doesn’t say. Miranda reminds her that SHE thought it was unfair for him to give the hospital gang an extra assignment, therefore, he’s just doing what she asked and refusing to apply his rules unevenly. Okay, except…that’s not what he’s doing? He’s forcing Sol to obey an existing rule that he broke for someone else. Friendship ended with Miranda, now Dunoff is my best friend because he’s the only adult on this show who doesn’t actively enable Erreway’s bullshit.
Pilar forgives Tomás for getting all mad over her bikini photos, since he was willing to throw himself under the bus for her. They make out until Dunoff shows up and tells them that Pilar has to be punished for the photos. Pilar rolls her eyes and says that she knows he’s not going to let her leave the school or her room, blah blah blah. Dunoff corrects her and says that he’s forbidding her from seeing Tomás. If he catches them together, he’s going to send Pilar to a nunnery and expel Tomás from school.
Michi comes up after the youths leave, and tells Dunoff that Miranda found out about the checks in his office.
The doctor tells the hospital gang that Manuel has partial amnesia, but his memories will slowly come back — he’ll remember more important people to him first, so it might take a while for him to recognize everyone. “Excuse me, doctor, but EVERYONE here is important to Manuel,” Papa C says. “They’re his friends.” The power of friendship! Fuck Manuel’s mom and his tiny lisping sister! The doctor manages not to roll his eyes out of his head and says one of them can go in to see Manuel. Mia asks to go first.
She goes in and asks if Manuel remembers her. Suspense!
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