Sol y viento episodio 9 : Endings, beginnings, and the messy stuff in the middle

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 6, Episodio 7, Episodio 8.

And it all comes down to this…

At a meeting of the Toastmasters International—Chilean Wine Division—, doña Isabel welcomes her guests and shows off her friend don Paco, as well as Sol y viento’s nueva cosecha, which receives a resounding chorus of ums and ahs. A nosy guest interrupts the good feelings with a question. “What about the rumors that you’re selling the place?”

Isabel: Not in my lifetime, sister!

María brings the party back to life after that exchange by toasting the bright future of Sol y viento. This gets a big thumbs up from Mario, even though he has been put at the working-class version of the kid’s table—along with Traimaqueo and some drifter-looking hippie—, and he appears to be the only person at the tasting who doesn’t have a glass of wine?!?!

Then don Paco announces that he’s helped put together a distribution deal for Sol y viento in the United States. He also whispers to doña Isabel that the vineyard will be able to say adiós a las deudas because of it. And everyone is happy…except for María, who notices that her ex-boyfriend Jaime is standing across the table from her making faces. Um, creepy stalker?

The next morning the gals are going over the vineyards’ debts when don Paco shows up to reassure them that his business deal with the US distributor will get their family business out of debt. But he stresses to María that she’ll have to get more involved in the future.

María: But I don’t know jack about business.

Isabel: What about that norteamericano? Jaime?

Paco: Good idea. He quit his job recently and he has a deep background in wines and vineyards. I looked over his resume, and it’s pretty sweet.  Besides, it’s not like he tried to steal the land away from you through a shady business deal involving your now disappeared son and some monolithic power company in the US just a couple of days ago, right?

María: I’m out of here.

Jaime stalks tracks down María at her job site and asks for a chitchat. After beginning to piece together an “I’m sorry,” he gets flustered by María’s description of the situation (“So if I hadn’t been in the middle of all this, you would have continued the deal with Carlos?”) and the fact that they aren’t using tú anymore. When she relents on the pronoun, he also convinces her to take back the necklace he first bought for her back in episode 4. Mario really enjoys that. Hey, where did Mario come from?

Now that he’s buttered her up, Jaime confesses his affection for María. She denies knowing that he was hot for her, so he proves it with a kiss. But enough about love…let’s get down to business.

María: Mom and Paco think you should help run the place, at least until I’m up to speed with the business.

Jaime: What do you think?

María: I think they’re crazy…but probably right. You still have a lot to prove though, buster!

And the last words of Sol y viento are left for the Machi: “And that, kids, is how the earth—as well as a cheeky hombre who lost his connection to the land—was saved. But don’t forget the dumb-dumb who rejected Mother Earth! (Bad, Carlos. Bad.)”

Roll credits and let the feelings of accomplishment sink in.

Sol y viento episodio 8 : ¿Qué dice el corazón?

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 6,Episodio 7, Episodio 9

Junior Detective María Sánchez is sifting through piles of Carlos’ forged documents, shaky business deals, and sales offers when the man of the hour steps in. While María assumes that all these documents track Carlos’ trickery, he’s pretty sure that he was just doing what he had to do. And besides, “Since when did you become so interested in the inner workings of Sol y viento, sis? I’ve always had to deal with this stuff by myself.”

María: “Hey, I trusted you, bro. I wouldn’t have dreamed that you were into dirty dealings with filthy, lying capitalist pigs like that…that slightly dreamy Señor Talavera…er…anyway…you aren’t the only one tied to these lands. So yes, while I agree that you’ve had a lot of responsibility as the admistrador of the winery…you’ve been a bad one. I say good day to you, sir.”

Carlos: “Slow down there, girl. Let’s not be too hasty. You know, you and I can still make some cash money on this deal.”

María: “Esta tierra no está a la venta…¡ni yo tampoco! Unless it involves a remolino.”

Meanwhile, don Paco takes an oddly involved interest in Jaime’s resume. But after reading it over thoroughly, all he can say is “University of California.” But that’s okay, he doesn’t really have any power to hire Jaime anyway. But the now jobless American isn’t so much concerned with that at that moment, rather he wants to get to that awesome wine-testing festival that Sol y viento is hosting. Apparently he was left off the guest list. Don Paco remedies the situation.

Speaking of the big event, María decides to celebrate it by telling her mother that Carlos is double-crossing, lawbreaking filth. “See, Mom, here are the documents to prove it.” Deudas, deudas y más deudas. Though she made sure to find out that mom has no ill feelings towards her for not going into the wine business first, before exploding the fraternal bomb. Happy wine festival, mamacita!

Mom has Yolanda track down Carlos and she hashes it out with him at pop’s grave.

Mamacita: “I know everything…except where all the money went.”

Carlos: “I invested it in a bunch of tech companies that went bad. Gosh, what do you think I am? Stupid? So I was just going to sell off the winery to pay the debts. Was that wrong?”

Mamacita: “Carlos, your dead father and I agree. Either I’m going to call the police on you or you’re going to have to renounce all ties with Sol y viento and disappear.”

Carlos: “I guess I’ll go…but first I’ll shed some unconvincing tears at Papá’s grave.” (Carlos sobs.)

End scene.

At the party, don Paco tries to put in a good word for Jaime with María. “I think he’s genuinely sorry and he could really help around this place. I mean…he went to the University of California! And hey, I know that you’re normally a cold, brainy booksmart girl who can’t think for herself…but at times we have to listen to our heart. ¿Qué dice el tuyo?”

Only one episode left. The suspense is killing me.

Sol y viento episodio 7 : Sunstroke Epiphany

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 6, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

Mario: Now the lady who’s pissed at you is the same one I saw you snuggy with the other day, right? Why’s she mad? Did she see you with another woman?

Jaime: Shut up and drive.

But grumpy Jaime is in for another treat. His Mapuche spirit guide blows some kind of magical air bubble at Mario’s car and Mario finds that ¡Se me pinchó una rueda! And the poor man doesn’t have a spare at the moment. Help is about 45 minutes away by foot. Of course … there’s un atajo right over there. Jaime likes that idea. ¡Me voy! But Mario warns Jamie that he’ll get sunstroke.

As Jaime sweats in the sun while traipsing through the vineyards, he appears to start to hallucinate, and we’re treated to a series of voice overs that amount to a greatest hits of dialogue from Sol y viento … in case we weren’t paying attention. Then the old boy falls over. Guess the emotions of the trip finally got the best of him.

When we see Jaime again, he’s recuperating in the care of doña Isabel and don Paco, who both seem to be wondering what Mr. Slick is doing back at the vineyard anyway.

Jaime: It was urgent that I speak with doña Isabel.

Isabel: Hello, broken record. You’re one porfiado guy. We’re not selling the vineyard.

Jaime: It’s just that I was thinking about my campesina mother, and …

Isabel: … and didn’t you learn anything from her? Why do you work for a company that wants to change our life?

Paco: Here’s the thing, boyo … I’ve looked into your company and it’s up to no good. They want to build una represa. Do you know the ecological and cultural damage that’ll cause? What they did over in Bolivia is inexcusable. [Bolivia? When did Bolivia come up?]

Jaime: I know I screwed up, but I want forgiveness … especially from your smoking daughter, doña Isabel. I think I’m falling in love with her.

Paco: Actually, I think she’s taken with you, too.

Isbael: But it’ll be hard work to earn her forgiveness, don Jaime.

Jaime: Advice?

Isbael: Hechos y no palabras.

Jaime: Hechos eh? Here’s my first hecho. I know how to stop the sale of these lands.

So Jaime goes back to his hotel room and has it out with Andy at corporate—who’s more than confused about what’s going on. He knows this is going to make money …

Andy: So what’s the problem, Buster?

Jaime (impassioned): I’m talking about people’s lives!

Andy: Rassner’s going to have your butt, James.

Jaime: Tell him to go jump in the reservoir that the company built in Bolivia that has destroyed people’s lives and is a perfect example of what the damage we might do in Chile will be if we keep up with this plan to buy Sol y viento vineyard from the Sánchez family, who don’t really want to sell, except for the greedy son Carlos, who has been stringing us along for months now. I quit!

Sol y viento episodio 6 : All the cats are out of the bag

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 7, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

Tempers and deceit…but not before some quaint scenes of México. Don Francisco Aguilar is out shopping for jitomates when he gets a call from the Sánchez matriarch. No entiendo…¿Carlos?…¿Qué? Somehow this twenty-second, four-word conversation convinces Francisco to make travel plans to visit Chile. And he somehow also gets across when he’ll arrive and that he needs to be picked up at the airport. Oh, and who picks him up? La antropóloga, of course. And why? Because as most of figured out last semester…she’s Carlos’ sister and Isabel’s daughter!

Now the interesting part starts. Jaime shows up at the Sánchez abode to negotiate the final sale of Sol y viento with doña Isabel Sánchez, but Carlos says she’s too sick…how about tomorrow? Hoy es mañana, Carlos. Well too bad, mom’s health is more important than business. But Carlos isn’t as aggressive as Jaime, and the US businessman wants this deal done. Unfortunately for Carlos, Isabel also must of overheard what was happening, and she asks Jaime in. Carlos is left kicking up dust in the drive like a frustrated schoolboy.

Isabel has bad news for Jaime: the vineyard is not for sale. No está a la venta. I don’t know what my crazy son told you, but this land is not changing hands. However, have you seen my daughter? All these pictures of her have been facing away from the couch the whole time we’ve been sitting here so that you couldn’t see them. I like to look at the back of picture frames while I nap in the afternoon. Anyway, she’s hot stuff, ¿no? And with that Jaime pieces together the truth about María. His face says it all: this has been one sorry excuse for a day. But it only gets worse.

Jaime has words with Carlos on the porch. Carlos never had his mother’s agreement, his sister will never go for the sale, and he did nothing about the Mapuches (when did Jaime and Carlos ever discuss the Mapuches?). You don’t have the influence needed to get this done, Carlos. But Carlos just keeps asking for a couple more days to sway his mother and sister.

Well, guess who overhears enough of this conversation to realize that her brother and her new boyfriend are in some kind of shady business deal with each other. “You’re right, Mr. Talavera,” says María. “I’d never approve the sale of these lands.” And here’s your crappy Mapuche charm back. I’m getting to the bottom of whatever you’ve done, dear brother. Ouch! But if this were a real telenovela, wouldn’t she have slapped one or both of them?

Sol y viento (episodio 5) : Carlos cries, Jaime lies, and María flies

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 6, Episodio 7, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

Like a good stalker, Jaime catches up on María Sánchez’ life by reading the local paper, La Tribuna. So engrossed, he’s startled when she arrives, but he quickly gives her un remolino as a gift. Did someone say earlier that love is a whirlwind or something? Good thing Sol y viento is sticking hard to its metaphors.

On the funicular ride, Jaime tells María that she’s not una profesora típica because she takes learning outside of the classroom and the textbook. She agrees; she thinks professors should work for the people. She also agrees that she’s not the thick-glasses-and-formal-dress type (anteojos gruesos y vestidos formales) and that she’s way more interesting than Jaime, who sums up his existence as working for a company, playing the market, and running for exercise. (Yup, you’ve got a real winner there, María.)

Switching to Carlos..he comes pouting to mommy. Work is hard. Sis always gets to do whatever she wants. Waa, waa, waa. What if I sell the vineyard? But mom doesn’t like that idea. We worked hard for this land and nobody forced you to take over the business. Señora decides that the situation might require some outside help and she goes off to make an important phone call.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds decide to tú each other (tutear) and María finally gets to hear Jaime’s backstory. His parents were campesinos in California’s Central Valley, he’s worked in the wine business, and he’s been around grapes all his life. She says his family is like the Mapuches. (Is it me or someone a little obsessed with the Mapuches? I’m just saying…) And then she gives him a lesson in linguistics. Mapu = tierra. Che = gente. “People of the land.” But then Diego interrupts all the fun with a phone call—María has forgotten her obligations, and Jaime gets jealous of the young stud scholar. María soothes his ego with a kiss and a llámame. Jaime ends this otherwise perfect day by hanging up on good-old-boy Andy after lying about their phone connection.

I have the feeling sparks will fly, both good and bad, in episode 6.

Sol y viento (episodio 4) : Romance/Bromance, Let’s Go For a Ride

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 3, Episodio 5, Episodio 6,Episodio 7, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

Whoosh! This is one full episode, and it all starts with our favorite foreman Traimaqueo, with whom Jaime starts his second cross-class bromance of the film. Pobre Mario, he’s probably out waiting by the car, crying. Anyway, Traimaqueo gives Jaime the tour and quite a bit of folk wisdom. La tierra, el sol, la lluvia, las cepas all working together in harmony. It’d be enough to wet the eyes of any viewer, but then Traimaqueo twists the audience even more with a quote from Pablo Neruda:

Vino color de día,

vino color de noche,

vino con pies de púrpura

o sangre de topacio,

vino

It’s the first bit from Neruda’s poem “Oda al vino” (Ode to Wine).

Day-colored wine,

night-colored wine,

wine with purple feet

or wine with topaz blood,

wine

But it’s when Jaime meets T’s wife Yolanda that he gets emotional. Apparently, Señora Sánchez está en casa and Carlos laid a big fat lie on JT in the last episode. Ouch! That’s quite a face the young professional makes when hearing the news. But then he shifts gears and heads back to Santiago and we shift to seeing a poignant moment between María and Diego. La profesora tells her student not to abandon his studies (did we know he was thinking about doing that?). He’s got real talent. You don’t understand, profesora, it’s my family. Dad wants me in the family business. María knows what that’s all about, more than Diego could image she tells him. Because, as we should all know by now, she’s Carlos’ sister. But why don’t the filmmakers just tell us that? Do they really think it’ll be a surprise later in the film? Give me a break.

While María dreams of Jaime in one of the silliest scenes in the film, our arch-capitalist goes shopping. How exciting! Luckily, he’s decent enough to contribute to the local economy by buying a Mapuche charm for María from a small shop. If you have sharp eyes, you’ll catch a glimpse of a well-known Mapuche photo in a small cabinet when Jaime walks in. Let it be known that the image is highly merchandised. For instance, Zazzle offers a mouse pad of it if you need to accessorize your computer with trinkets related to Sol y viento. Anyway, shortly after that, Jaime thinks he sees something out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn’t be his ancestral spirit guide, would it? Oddly, that leads to him running into…María! Is fate special or what? She’s out hanging up political propaganda: apoye al pueblo Mapuche (“support the Mapuche people”). JT gives her the figure and then asks her on a date (though they still use “usted” with each other). Someplace romantic…like the bar at his hotel. No, she says, let’s go for a funicular ride. Meet me at Cerro San Cristóbal (Saint Christopher Hill). “Cool.” And we’re all drunk with romance. Right? Right?

Sol y viento (Episodio 3) : Jaime Plays Hardball

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 2, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 6,Episodio 7, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

As the episode begins, Jaime journeys into his inner child (un recuerdo lejano) as he stares off into the muy, muy lindo Valle del Maipo. Leave it to working-class hero Mario to wake him from his dreams of childhood and work in the wine-producing regions of California: ¿Se sienta bien, don Jaime? It’s time to get down to business at Sol y viento winery, where there’s perhaps a taste for Mario, a lover of Chilean wine: ¡Conozco los vinos! And yes, the accompanying chapter does introduce c to zc irregular verbs. How did you guess?

At the winery we see el jefe Carlos Sánchez in action, and he’s a piece of work. Hey, has anyone else noticed that Carlos and María both have the same last name? Crazy coincidence I suppose. I imagine most folks in Chile have the last name Sánchez, ¿no? Anyway, don Carlos jumps on pobre Traimaqueo (the foreman of the winery) over nothing, then treats the man like a slave before trying to stall Jaime and riding off on his high horse. But Jaime has the old boy’s number. Over a glass of merlot, Jaime tells Carlos how it is: la venta has to go down in the next couple of days. No sweat, says Carlos, my mother is old and my sister (sister?) has no interest in the wine business. And for me, the whole thing is too much work. Of course, sis and mom are in Santiago, so it’s going to take a couple of days. Jaime doesn’t buy it. No me voy sin un contrato firmado. So get going, don Carlos. Oh, and I’m taking a tour of winery. Is it just me, or is Jaime Talavera a soulless corporate slug in negotiations? I guess that spiritual epiphany I’m waiting for from him is going to take at least one more episode of the edu-drama that could only be known as Sol y viento.

Sol y viento (episodio 2) : Jaime’s Turbine of Amor

Prólogo, Episodio 1, Episodio 3, Episodio 4, Episodio 5, Episodio 6,Episodio 7, Episodio 8, Episodio 9

For exercise (ejercicio), Jaime journeys into the subconscious to meet his spirit guide…or maybe instead he jogs in Parque Forestal and runs into an organ grinder that happens to look just like a Mapuche spirit. It’s your call. The grinder’s trained bird pitches un papelito de la suerte at Jaime with the fortune “el amor es un torbellino” written on it. But before he can read it, he must first pay and run into destiny–la Profesora María Sánchez. The former gives us a chance to practice our numbers. Jaime dimly asks if it’s tres pesos when the spirit…er, organ grinder raises three fingers. No, Señor Talavera, son trescientos pesos. But Jaime is so unfamiliar with Chilean currency–which he’s clearly been using since he has change in his pocket and tipped the bellboy earlier–he needs a fashionable muchacho to count 300 out for him. In reality, it’s just for our ignorant benefit I’m sure.

After roughly bumping into María, Jaime quickly learns that she’s a lickity split kind of gal. He blinks; she’s gone. He chases her down after finding her business card; she bolts. She does let him carry her books for her eventually though. Apparently, Jaime and María aren’t as much a businessman and a college professor as two high school students. Anyway, the happy couple runs into Mario, and Jaime is running late for his “tourist trip” to Valle del Maipo. Though she doesn’t want a ride from the boys, María is interested to hear why Jaime is headed to Maipo, where she leads her excavation. Is he really a tourist? Or is he headed to Maipo for negocio? Little does each other know that he is actually…and she is really…well, I guess we’ll all discover that later. Either way, Mario knows whats up: “¡Bonita la muchacha, don Jaime!” Glad to know that our working-class hero is maintaining professionalism in the workplace.