Oh, to me, there was some genuine curiosity in there in a petulant sort of way, like “oh, so was it worth it, huh, was it”, to needle Juls a bit and make her uncomfortable, but mostly? Raging jealousy. She wanted reassurance that Juls didn’t enjoy it.
And for a split second getting that confirmation did affect her.
Annnd then realized it wasn’t really making her feel better in the moment.
I said jealousy and petulance and yeah, those are negative traits but Val feeling them and even acting on them doesn’t make her a bad person. It just makes her a person. She was understandably upset, acted like an upset person, and then like the super kind person she actually is and not at one point in time, took herself out the conversation:
It’d have been forgivable if even that hadn’t happened, if she’d stewed for longer, not because Juls deserved it, but because Val was allowed it, but Val is Val.
For real, that Three of Swords callback was amazing. I’m usually the type of person who says not to read too much into things, but it can’t have been a coincidence this time, costume departments are so selective about what text and images they allow.
Not to mention, the gayification of their outfits has been superb. They have to dress for a funeral, what should they wear? Denim and leather? Nailed it!
But is she sweeping over it or does it actually mean that little to her? To her, it answered some questions and now she’s over it. Made especially easy by the fact that she was kidnapped immediately after, thought she was going to die multiple times, and then her father revealed himself to her in a different body (and also for the first time in her life was nice to her). Her perspective on things is different than it was in the minutes after it originally happened.
She’s inexperienced, sure, but that doesn’t make her a kid compared to Val, just a different person.
I don’t know that not believing in the soulmate nature of their relationship makes her like a kid emotionally and not more pragmatic, if anything? How would someone with her background so easily believe in a love that deep, when all it’s done is cause more trouble, for both of them? Her whole life she’s seen her mom devoted to one person in a “soulmate” kind of love and she knows the effects it’s had on her AND her mom. Of course she’s going to be very careful about it now. Val is the opposite of Chino in every way, sure, and that’s what she’ll slowly come to accept. She’s tentative about it, and careful. That’s not like a kid at all.
And another anon:
She *doesn’t* get why Val is mad though, otherwise she wouldn’t use “we weren’t together” as an excuse. Or, she gets it viscerally, since she says after that she betrayed Val, but can’t yet openly admit that they never were just friends and never will be just friends, regardless of the circumstances. Last episode, I don’t think Juliana was as committed to resolution of the issues as she was in wanting things to go back to before. That’s why she was so shook by Val knowing about Sergio. She (½)
I didn’t get the second part so I can only reply to this, but which issues should she be committing to resolving? The reason she broke things off with Val was because of outside circumstances, none of which have really changed. Maybe only gotten worse, if anything, since the danger she’s surrounded by was confirmed by her own kidnapping and now Alacran knowing Lupe’s alive.
Separate from that, she’s also figuring out her own sexual identity and dealing with her mother’s homophobia. She’s somewhat resolved at least one of those things, it wasn’t anything to do with Val, it was her own thing. Or so she thought, incorrectly, it had a lot do with Val and she does somewhat sense that, immediately feeling like she’d betrayed her. I don’t know how things would have happened if Val hadn’t found out like she had, if she’d told Val herself, broken it to her in a way that explained things more, or if she’d never intended on telling her. But to Juls, it was something that helped her figure things out and now she was ready to move past that. So it explains why her attitude is one of going back to things with Val as they were after the breakup, friends with something more lingering.
And another anon:
I think my main issue with the “just friends” talk in last night’s episode was that it seemed like you said that Val and Juls were kind of talking past each other and that Juls who usually has a good read on Val’s emotions completely missed what was happening in that scene, but I think after everything w/ Sergio and the trauma of her kidnapping she is just desperate to keep Val around how ever she can &her insecurity wont let her believe that she could have Val fully again after everything ½
It is genuinely heartbreaking to go back and watch early episodes and see how badly El Chino treated Juliana, but when you do it really makes all of her insecurities make sense. The POS literally shouted at Lup when she tried to get him to stay for their daughter that Juls isnt his while she was only a few feet away he also physically jumped at her. Anyone who goes through that would have a hard time understanding/accepting unconditional love even from someone as genuinely kindhearted as Val 2/2
Yeah, and you wrote this before last night’s episode, where we saw old Chino again. Eugh.
I think Juls gets that Val is hurt but what can she do? What options are available to her? How has she handled it before? Twice she’s kissed it away, lol, not possible here, and the other time she’s talked it out, but if you recall, it was Val who instigated that talk and who then started it off, Juls was bashful and hesitant. Juls can participate in discussions and be SO honest but what can she say here that isn’t overstepping or taking liberties? She’s trying to reassure Val as best she can that she’s still all about her, but it’s up to Val to decide where to go from here. This isn’t the place for Juls to be insisting that Val understand everything and be okay with it.
That would be what she would asking for, wouldn’t it? It would be assuaging her own guilt if she was like, but Val, I still love you, please stop being hurt and mad. Especially when she can’t even offer anything longterm. With the current Alacran and Chino situations her position is even more precarious than before. Alacran kidnapped her, got shot because she hit him, he knows Lupe is alive, and now Chino is back in their lives for real. That’s just revenge and violence heading for them in every way now.
I think…there was also not much she could do about it? Or allow herself to do? Like, would it be the time, when the other person is hurt and angry, to keep on focusing on what you feel for them? Especially Juls, who’s seen herself as a burden in this relationship for a while now? It’s one thing to console her with touches and a kiss when the only issue is that you’re not together, a whole ‘nother thing when it’s you who’s hurt the other person.
And another anon:
I was literally shouting at my screen (ok, maybe just in my head) — “No! You do NOT just want to be friends! For the love of all things holy, you are MEANT to be together. You are meant to be together NOW. Come ON!!!” And then I was like, okay, sure, yes, kidnapping, death, rampant homophobia, etc, etc, etc. Okay, okay. But STILL. Las chicas. POR FAVOR. 😉
They really can’t be just friends, I do not see how they’re going to go into a time jump like this. They don’t deserve to??
And another anon:
I thought juliantina’s reactions were pretty much in characters n enjoyed it as such. Val’s anger has always exploded For Juliana never At Juliana. Seeing theories wher she will lash out at her seemed OOC .I loved maca’s acting choices in this. Her anger at juls for mentioning mazcal, they way she showed disgust at sergios hug by shoving his shoulder at the end of the hug and then wiping her hands on her jeans, when juls puts her hand on vals she tightens her fit as if shes holding herself back!
Huh, I don’t think I saw that with Sergio, but then I wasn’t watching too closely, lol.
You are right, though, Val was never going to get super angry or hurtful toward Juls. The loudest she’s been with her was “let yourself be loved”, which says a lot, lol.
And other anons:
Why people are disappointed with last night episode?? I think it was great how they were truthful about their feelings. I get that everyone (litterally everyone in the world) wants them to be together but it would be unrealistic for them to get there immediately. Val has been hurt in a 1000 different ways in the last few days and needs time to process her feelings while Juls has family drama and guilt to work through. What it’s great with those 2 it’s how even now you can feel the love btw them
i’m a little mad that Juls didn’t defend the herself more. like Val said ‘so *now* you decide to drink mezcal’ when that should’ve been a huge red flag to her, that Juls was drinking. i wish Juls had drive. home the fact that she was basically homeless, everyone kept telling her she was confused and Sergio 1000% took advantage of her
I don’t think people were necessarily disappointed that they didn’t get together after it, I think people just felt a lot had been left unsaid.
Also, Juls was hurt in a whole bunch of different ways these last few days. I think there were two things that should have been covered but due to time and plot, ultimately weren’t. One was just what Juls had been going through, you can’t tell me that she could just casually say “I’d left home” and this wouldn’t be a major thing for Val to stop at and dissect? And I haven’t really mentioned it but for Juls to confirm that she didn’t like it shows actually how terrible that day must have been for her, what her frame of mind must have been. AND of course the whole kidnapping thing. They’re feeling sorry for what Sergio’s going through? Um?? If Juls had really said everything
The other thing was how hurt Val was feeling and why. And I think if they’d really gotten into that talk, as well, hashed out everything, how they felt, the strength of their feelings, the outcome of the conversation and ep would be different. Both things, really, would have changed the ep. There’s no way Val would just leave it at that if she truly knew what Juls was going through. But they can’t have them get through all that right now, lol. Having watched today’s ep, like, yes, that Mateo/Eva conversation was awesome for them, it revealed so much, but that’s what’s needed for where their plot needs to be. If Juliantina had something like that (with 1000% less yelling), it would…resolve too much.
Keeping aside external reasons, it could make sense in the plot too, they just weren’t in the mood for it, Lucho’s death was still hanging over them, they were too raw over everything.
And another anon:
Ok, boss, so Valentina has to put on her Sungay best to get ready for the funeral; Juliana’s already in the room, does Vale change in her en suite? Does Juli go chill with Chivis until Vale’s ready? Does Juli stay? Does Vale ask her to leave? I guess my question is, how much awkward ‘what are we to each other anymore’ energy do you reckon was between them between the bedroom scene and the break up-ception scene? Especially at the funeral with Juli knowing she kinda broke Lucho & Vale up?
Lol, this ask in the middle of the others. I bet Juls was full on averting eyes or straight up left the room, Val was not in the mood for anything like the post-first-kiss or even post-breakup awkwardness. Neither was Juls, of course. I imagine both felt just miserable and guilty at the funeral, and also super weird not just because of Lucho but Sergio.
Oh, oh, though, there was that cute little classic “look at the other when she’s not looking” moment.
Aw, don’t let other people get you down, anon. One good ep and everything’ll be back to the usual. Remember how it was…last week? Lol, it feels like a lifetime ago, but the fandom’d taken the biggest hit it could and then bounced back with not much problem.
Personally, I’m also coming around. I think we played out all the possibilities from the promo so much that what actually happened ended up being anticlimactic. But you know what I described earlier for what I thought should happen? Them really hashing things out? That’s not really them either, is it. When I think about it, would I want them to be yelling or sobbing at each other? Especially in light of what they’ve just gone through? They didn’t focus on the hurt but instead on what happened and where they can go from there. That’s actually a good way to handle things, if they feel they can move past it without resentment.
Also, they looked super hot and super gay.
And another anon (referencing spoiler pics):
So the spoiler photo with the caption ‘Juliantina reunion’ might be accurate. Friends before the time jumps… then “hey, do you wanna grab coffee sometime?” after 2-3 yrs of time jump. ?
I dunno, this week makes me think it’s more likely that they’ll get back together before the time jump.
And another anon:
The thing that none of you are seeing is that telenovelas are hell and as much as I see them trying to be better we still live in a very misogynistic society. What Sergio did is not seen as bad by the majority of people in Latin America. There’s even music about it, you can listen to Maluma’s ‘Borró cassette’ as an example. So what I’m trying to say: the story is never going to address it because they don’t see anything bad with Sergio’s actions, for them in was Juliana the one that screwed up.
Yeah, sadly, that does seem to be the case. The writers not even realizing what they’ve written him as. But that still doesn’t mean they have to still include him in all these scenes! Well, the one scene. But one scene too many!
That’s a very fair point. They may simply not want to hash all that out or even be in the place to do so. If anything, a quiet talk about where they are now might be the most “them” thing.
