Will they, won’t they? This week, Maximo has started work at the restaurant… but he can’t stop thinking about Las Colinas. He goes with Isabel to do the deliveries, and finds he misses the place more than he thought he would. Julia confesses to Sara that she and Chad cancelled the wedding and broke up. FINALLY. She hasn’t told her family yet, but I love the friendship that’s developed between Sara and Julia. Julia definitely needs someone outside the resort and her family to talk to about all of this, and Sara is a great listener. Julia asks her not to tell Maximo.
Once Julia leaves for work, Sara is shocked to find Roberta on the doorstep. Roberta informs her that her parents found their letters, so she called her aunt in Oaxaca and asked to live with her. Sara is sad, thinking she will never see Roberta again until Roberta tells her the good news: Sara is invited too! I’m so excited to see these two back together, but I’m sure Nora will have something to say about Sara leaving to live in Oaxaca.
Chad is proudly telling Diane how independent he will be in LA, living in Diane’s condo… driving Diane’s car… okay, not quite independent. But getting away from Diane is a start. She proudly proclaims she’s a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need Chad, Maximo and Don Pablo – until she sees the craziness in reception, and promptly decides to go back to bed. I get Diane, I really do.
Memo is avoiding Maximo, which is sad to see when Maximo needs a friend right now. Isabel asks if he’s okay, and he replies that maybe it is time for him to forget Las Colinas after all. I know this will last approximately five seconds, until someone tells him Julia, love of his life, is single again. As a coping mechanism, Maximo throws himself into restaurant work and plasters a smile on his face.
Memo, Hector and Chad commiserate at the bar. Lupe sees the sad men and decides they need “the bird” aka a fortune telling canary, for which she charges them the super low price of 1000 pesos. The guys have Chad pay the money, and Lupe tells them the bird will find them. Well played, Lupe. A fool and his money are easily parted.
Meanwhile, Don Pablo’s new life in Mexico City is not quite as exciting as he thought it would be. It’s beautiful to watch him spend time with his son and grandson, but I can tell he misses Las Colinas at heart.
Sara stops by the restaurant to check on Maximo, ensuring he’s doing well. In a nonchalant way, she asks is he’s happy with Isabel and of course he lies through his teeth and tells Sara he is. Sara can’t resist telling him Chad and Julia broke up (oops, sorry Julia) and this sends him into a spin. I thought she’d tell Maximo she was leaving to be with Roberta, but I understand why she didn’t – Nora would probably stop her.
As Maximo overthinks the love of his life becoming newly single, Lupe brings the guys the canary she promised. They are allowed one question each. Memo decides to ask how he can still be friends with Maximo. Hector asks how he could be happy as a pool boy. Chad asks what to do when he gets back to LA. The bird gives each of them a card, as promised. Once Lupe leaves, the guys compare cards to find they all got the same one: “You’re asking the wrong question.” Again – well played, Lupe!
Maximo keeps himself busy by pitching business ideas to Arturo, Isabel’s father. Arturo is unimpressed, and thinks Maximo is trying a little too hard – which he is, to compensate for the fact that he really, really misses Las Colinas. Meanwhile, Sara and Roberta arrive at the bus depot ready to take off, but they seem to have forgotten one thing: Esteban works there, and immediately spots them. He begs Sara not to go, telling her how much Nora misses her. Sara considers his request, but ultimately tells Esteban to take care of Nora, and boards the bus with Roberta. Good for her!!
Naturally, Esteban can’t let Sara go without giving Nora a chance to say goodbye. He calls Nora, and she tells Esteban it will take her 15 minutes to get there. Esteban takes matters into his own hands and hammers a nail into one of the bus tyres, delaying their departure. He’s such a father figure to Sara, and a great boyfriend to Nora. He’s one of my favorite characters in this show. In the time it takes to change buses, Sara gets cold feet but Roberta manages to talk her into getting on the new bus… but she ultimately decides to stay, and Sara and Nora reunite in a beautiful, emotional scene. Both have grown so much this season, I’m proud of them.
The boys commiserate back at the resort bar, 1000 pesos down and none the wiser for it. Hector lets it slip that Maximo cut a deal to get Memo hired as pool boy (giving Hector half his tips) and Memo is touched that his friend did this for him even though he needed the money for himself.
Maximo once again finds himself at the gates to Las Colinas – just as Julia is there too. He tells her he knows about the breakup, and immediately asks if it was because of him. Annoyed, Julia informs him she and Chad had other issues, and that she needs Maximo to give her some space. Maximo points out she’s still wearing the bracelet, so Julia simply takes it off and hands it to him. Oof.
Don Pablo finds Diane on his doorstep. I’m so happy she’s come to apologize to him for the way she treated him (ignoring his repeated requests for leave to visit his family) and I think with Chad and Maximo leaving, she’s realized Don Pablo is the one who keeps Las Colinas running smoothly. She begs him to come back, as a part owner of the resort. Don Pablo’s son encourages him to take the offer, as he’s been quietly driving his son crazy. It’s settled: Don Pablo is coming home!
Isabel watched the exchange between Maximo and Julia. Once they get back to the restaurant, Isabel informs Maximo they don’t want the same things out of life and should break up. “You and Julia are in love,” she says, and Maximo feels bad and doesn’t want to hurt Isabel… but Julia is where his heart truly lies, and he knows it. Just as he’s moping in the street, Memo sprints up to him to tell him he found out about the tips situation with Hector. With a hug, they become best friends again.
Slightly happier, Maximo arrives home to find Sara back where she belongs. With the family whole again, Nora steps up with a surprise: She asks Esteban to marry her! I didn’t see this one coming, but I’m so, so thrilled for them. Their journey throughout two seasons has been beautiful to watch and I can’t wait to see their wedding.
All is right in Acapulco again! Well, almost. Now heartbroken AND unemployed, next weeks finale could go very good or very bad for Maximo. We’ll find out next week!
