Grand Hotel - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Santiago doesn't seem to have a good grasp of how business works. His wife suggested contacting the media because a little publicity goes a long way and his response was "No, I got us into this mess and I'll get us out of it." Really, dude? Do you not understand how PR works? You don't have to tell them you're in the red. You can have them do a story about how you're the last family owned hotel on the strip and drum up some more publicity which will increase reservations which will increase revenue which will give you more money to pay back the loans.

Then again, this is the same guy who told audience members "No need to panic" after fireworks set a tent on fire and made his new wife his daughter's boss so I think he's lacking in any common sense.

On 6/25/2019 at 3:23 PM, Happy Harpy said:

Gigi's speech to Lina about Yoli feeling underestimated rang quite weird considering she wasn't able to compliment Yoli about anything in her (lovely) appearance earlier. Maybe the writers kinda forgot, maybe it's part of the character's blindness to her own faults, maybe Gigi finally realized what she was doing. Let's see which it is.

Gigi gave that speech right after she told Santiago how upset she was that she offered her help that morning and he declined but he happily accepted Alicia's help. Being ignored and second best made her realize how Yoli feels (probably only for about five minutes, but still).

On 6/25/2019 at 3:23 PM, Happy Harpy said:

This show is doing good so far with its "good" guys. I don't know if anyone remembers the 90s soap Savannah, but the good guys were so galactically stupid I was actively rooting for the villains.

I was one of the ten people who also watched Savannah! I still remember the "get swept away by Savannah" commercials. It was ridiculously soapy (the twin brother reveal was one of my favorites). Robyn Lively aka Teen Witch aka Blake Lively's older half-sister and Jamie Luner from Just the Ten of Us were the only one in the cast who I was familiar with beforehand.

[tennisgurl]

I have a decent amount of faith that this show will be funny fun soapy, and not stupid and annoying soapy, mostly because Eva Longoria is producing, and she produced and starred on the hilarious (and tragically short lived) sitcom Telenovela. She seems to get the funny side of over the top melodrama. 

[nilyank]

I am little confused about Santiago and Gigi's marriage. How long have they been married? His kids still seemed to outraged that Gigi swept in on the grieving widower but it seems that Alicia's and Javi's mom died when they were still children.

Their father seems to be relatively happy with Gigi, so unless he was cheating with her while married to their mother, I don't understand their resentment especially if Gigi was close with their mother and them. In the pilot, it was mentioned that they used be close to Gigi's daughters when they were younger. After all these years, I would expect a little bit more grudging acceptance.

Edited June 29, 2019 by nilyank

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E3: Curveball

Quote

Danny discovers a new piece of information in Sky's disappearance, Alicia and Gigi disagree on how to best run the hotel, and Gigi gives her a glimpse into her mother's past.

Promo:

Clip:

Original air date: 7/1/19

[DeafAngelboy23]

I wonder if Alicia actress had a nose job? It’s so different from few years ago.

[Irlandesa]

I was not thrilled with how they had Alicia and El Rey acting in this episode.  I know Alicia isn't a fan of Gigi and I know El Rey can be a bit of a divo but I felt like the show made them super extra tonight for plot purposes.  That said, it tickled me how they dealt with the issue of his threat to quit. 

Speaking of Gigi, I'm loving Rosalyn Sanchez in this. Gigi has a lot of little shades to her, some impressive and some not so much but she plays them all with just the right touch.  Just enough but never too much.

So far, this is by far my favorite show to debut this summer.  I was never a Desperate Housewives fan but I'm very impressed with Eva Longoria as a producer.  Both Telenovela and Devious Maids were a lot of fun but I think the crowning achievement of her shows is how well cast they are. It's not that these are future Oscar winners but they have just the right amount of pizzazz and chemistry with the rest of the cast to make it all hang together.

[memememe76]

I am officially a fan. What I really like about the show is how genuine a lot of the relationships are. The father son plotline really worked for me. Interesting that no one is really an all out villain...yet.

[CatWarmer]

I must say, I really enjoyed the opening sequence of Danny running shirtless around town.  Partly that's because I went biking today on Coronado near the Navy Seal training base, and twice there were shirtless hunks running the other direction who smiled and said hello to me in passing.  (And I'm 67 so they were actually nice guys.)

So there really are places where men with great builds run shirtless down the sidewalk!

I never saw the old version but this really is just classic nighttime soap fun.  I'm waiting for amnesia - there was one scene in an early year of Empire (same genre if you ask me) where a character comes out of a coma with amnesia and I yelled, YES!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Carolina: What do you think? Too flashy for a first date?
Alicia: Not at all.There's still part of your boob that you can't see.

El Rey: You take away a man's baby alligator, you take away his joy.

Carolina: More beers! Isn't this funny? I'm serving the waiters. It's like Freaky Friday!

[Angeleyes]

When Alicia was speaking to El Rey about flying in the food from his mama, I yelled at the TV that it would be cheaper to just fly his mama there to cook for him. So funny that they did that, but he also got an ear boxing and a lecture. He was sorely in need of coming down a few pegs. 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Angeleyes

[tennisgurl]

They called El Reys mom on him! Hilarious! I think that they had him going a little over the top, even for him, to get to that point, but I loved how they handled things, and that Alicia and Gigi worked together. It was fun seeing Eva Longoria in flashbacks as Alicia and Javis mom, although she apparently had secrets as well. Well it IS a nighttime soap, everyone needs a few secrets!

Speaking of beloved dead relatives, it sounds like Danny's sister might have been up to some sketchy stuff as well, which I kind of figured from her first scene with Gigi. Danny is so hilariously bad at being subtle in his investigations, its kind of great. I also love Carolina's constant failed attempts to hit on Danny, although I hope that things are cleared up with him and Alicia quickly after he saw him coming out of her room. I cant stand these kind of easily resolved misunderstandings, this show has enough drama without them. 

I also liked the father/son outing with Javi and Santiago, although finding out that Javi had a promising baseball career just makes his losing his leg even sadder. So what the hell happened? It looked like he was in an accident? Was Santiago driving and there was a wreck that hurt him?  

I like that, as many melodramatic soap twists there are, the relationships between the characters seem very real and relatable, and even the "villain" characters have layers and can be sympathetic. 

[Happy Harpy]

On 6/27/2019 at 2:09 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was one of the ten people who also watched Savannah! I still remember the "get swept away by Savannah" commercials. It was ridiculously soapy (the twin brother reveal was one of my favorites). Robyn Lively aka Teen Witch aka Blake Lively's older half-sister and Jamie Luner from Just the Ten of Us were the only one in the cast who I was familiar with beforehand.

I was in for Ray Wise because Twin Peaks, and his character's couple with Mimi Kennedy's character (lightyears from Dharma's mom LOL) was an hilarious manipulation galore, IIRC.

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I like that, as many melodramatic soap twists there are, the relationships between the characters seem very real and relatable, and even the "villain" characters have layers and can be sympathetic. 

Exactly! Characters and relationships are the hooks that keep me watching scripted TV -and the lack of quality in that respect, the reason why I dropped so many shows, starting with CBS procedurals. Grand Hotel is a soap, I expect a lot of clichés -I also expect them to be cleverly used, in these days and age- but as long as the relationships and characters ring true and make sense, I'll enjoy it and I won't give a flying fuck that it isn't "Emmy quality". 

I did appreciate, for example, how both Gigi and Alicia made mistakes. Alicia sounded quite immature, yet she is young so it's a believable and very natural flaw; as for Gigi her discourse was all about reason but her attitude was overbearing, and she enjoyed wielding power over Alicia's head. The writing didn't take sides, both of them had points and came from a place that could be understood. I think there might be something about Gigi and the kids, beyond simple dislike for their stepmother. In the flashback of Javi's incident he seemed to react quite aggressively to her presence.

Matteo doesn't seem to be holding all the ropes or be in control of everything, which is another aspect of the writing I appreciated. The all powerful villain manipulating everyone behind the scene is the most boring and annoying kind of plot to me.

Alicia and Danny were cute, maybe a bit too precious in this one, so stop dancing around it and spice it up, will ya kids? Danny did delay his visit of Ingrid's apartement because he wanted to stay with Alicia, so at least he's genuinely into her.

I like Jason, and Ingrid vs Mrs P would be an interesting match -it will happen anyway, imo- but I'd still like it better if Javi and Ingrid got together. They both seem damaged or very flawed, whereas Jason is a such a nice straight arrow. I don't know, I feel that he's idealizing Ingrid and would be in for a heartache anyway. In any case, maybe his crush on Ingrid can be the catalyst and lead him to teach Mom boundaries.

He isn't the only one whom I'd like to see kick the hornets' nest. I wanted to give Javi a hug, but I'd also like him to step up and assert himself more. Same for Yoli. Her sassing Lina was a thing of beauty, but she was still playing too nice for me. Go, Yoli, rebel! Tell me that Mama El Rey is going to stay, want Yoli as her DIL and succeed in matchmaking.

I can't figure out Santagio. Is he the worst businessman in the world, or is it obfuscating stupidity? Is he a gigantic screw-up led by his emotions, or a villain whose only redeeming quality is his love for his family? I'm curious to find out.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Happy Harpy

[TomGirl]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:16 PM, Happy Harpy said:

I can't figure out Santagio. Is he the worst businessman in the world, or is it obfuscating stupidity? Is he a gigantic screw-up led by his emotions, or a villain whose only redeeming quality is his love for his family? I'm curious to find out.

I predict that Santiago will be a good guy and not a villain, because Eva Longoria’s son is named Santiago, and you don’t name a bad guy after your baby!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E4: The Big Sickout

Quote

Danny and Jason dive deeper into the mystery of Sky’s disappearance, an old friend of Gigi’s checks into the hotel causing Santiago to feel uneasy, and Javi is put to work.

Promo:

Original air date: 7/8/19

Edited July 8, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[memememe76]

I am enjoying this show so much. Everyone is so good looking. Javi's "I am not a janitor, I am Facilities" line was such an amazing signal of growth. And I was kinda heartbroken for Jason. 

[Happy Harpy]

OMG Danny is a dog! Just after he and Alicia were so freaking cute and spicing it up. I'm not even mad at you, show. The Big Misunderstanding re: Carolina didn't last, so I was already thankful. "There's someone else", that was clever. Following Danny firmly and honestly turning Carolina down, it was well timed. Danny was a little too picture perfect, if a bit on the manipulative side; and somehow I don't hate him (yet?). He isn't completely rotten either: He seems to be a loyal friend at least, with Jason in the beginning. I also think he has real feelings for Alicia -doesn't make him less of a dog, of course.

*hop* That was me jumping on the Yoli/Marisa bandwagon -provided that the writers make it extremely very heavily clear that it isn't because Yoli is down on her luck with men.

Once more, for an OTT soap, I find many characters and their reactions ringing very true. In spite of her relatable side, Yoli is still a privileged brat and it wasn't swept under the rug. Alicia also refreshingly admitted that she was jealous, and had no right to be. I hope the writers can keep balancing the qualities and flaws of the characters so as to keep them sympathetic enough. If they're too much a bunch of assholes, it'll stop working.

I was right on Jason being in for a heartache with Ingrid. I felt sorry for him*, although I'm not certain it's over considering how the writers bothered establishing his feelings for several episodes. On a side note, he did read the riot act to Mom, exactly what I wanted last week.

*I genuinely was, but I still loooved the Javi/Ingrid scene. It was sweet. Why do I feel that Javi can handle the truth, or that Ingrid is somehow moved by his good will? (I know, I know, it's called shipping goggles.) I'd also like more snarky Javi vs Gigi.

Poor him and Alicia, though, both being deceived...yet I'm really not mad about it either. I still love their family bond, their discussion in the beginning was one of my favorite moments of the episode, and I look forward to much brothersisterly commiserating, cheering each other up, and maybe plotting retaliation scenes once they find out.

OTOH I feel that Matteo is less and less in control. He can't keep Santiago in check, Mrs P. and Danny both have his number now, Ingrid turns him down. If I had to bet on someone to bite it in a couple of episodes in order to boost  both the Sky and mafia plot, my money would be on him.

I don't know where the Felix plot is going, but if Smarmy NuGuy wanted to stir shit, with Lina he chose the perfect target.

The writers took some time establishing characters and relationships in the beginning and it now pays off. They can go with twists and reveals and imo, the show took off plot-wise in this episode, which was my favorite so far.

Edited July 9, 2019 by Happy Harpy

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yoli: Something funny?
Marissa: I've just never seen somebody mopping a floor in heels before.
Yoli: They're not heels. They're wedges. And I didn't know I'd be cleaning today.
Marissa: Cleaning is generous. You've been spreading dirty water all over for twenty minutes.
Yoli: Hilarious, isn't it? Watching the spoiled princess screw up.
Marissa: I don't think you're a princess. Princesses can clean. Snow White whistled while she worked. And Cinderella? All that bitch did was clean.

[Jillybean]

After last week's ep, it should be obvious that Javi is a born salesman. Putting him in Facilities is a waste.

[nilyank]

Alicia should have changed clothing once she was responsible for Laundry duty.

So Gigi's first husband sound like he was some Bernie Madoff. I wonder if he was the reason that Santiago was in such financial straits with the hotel.

[spar500]

I am fairly certain that Santiago inferred that he was

[Happywatcher]

The plot lines have calmed down a little, and the sister plotline is interesting.

The maid's lying was getting tiresome, good on them asking for a DNA test. The slutty sister is the only openly comic book style eye rolling inducing character.

The Danny/wife reveal was great.

[zillabreeze]

I'm still in.  It's just a silly telenovela that I don't need subtitles to watch.  

Perfect brain (and eye) candy.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E5: You've Got Blackmail

Quote

Javi finally reveals his big secret to the family, and Alicia and Danny's hidden relationship becomes more complicated as new rules are enforced. Meanwhile, a past lover of Sky is revealed, adding another suspect to her disappearance.

Promo:

Original air date: 7/15/19

Edited July 14, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Irlandesa]

Yoli and Sky?  That was a great little twist after making us think she was involved with Santiago or Mateo.  Who knows? Maybe she still was? 

I thought Mateo was very hot walking out of the hospital room.  But I don't like it if he went into full villain mode with him.  I'd rather keep him somewhat multi-layered/redeemable.  But I have my own agenda about why.

Carolina finally adds some value in pointing out that she thought Ingrid was with Mateo. 

I'm beginning to think there is a fake out with Danny and Heather in that she's not the girlfriend/wife she appears to be.

[Simba122504]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:10 AM, nilyank said:

I am little confused about Santiago and Gigi's marriage. How long have they been married? His kids still seemed to outraged that Gigi swept in on the grieving widower but it seems that Alicia's and Javi's mom died when they were still children.

Their father seems to be relatively happy with Gigi, so unless he was cheating with her while married to their mother, I don't understand their resentment especially if Gigi was close with their mother and them. In the pilot, it was mentioned that they used be close to Gigi's daughters when they were younger. After all these years, I would expect a little bit more grudging acceptance.

Would you honestly accept your father marrying your mom's best friend? No matter how close you are to her. She’s still your mom's best friend. You just don't go there, even though life is complicated and shit happens. That's hard to accept and honestly I personally would never truly accept it. I'm happy there's a thread. What is Mateo hiding? What happened to Sky? Will Dalicia? finally get it on? Will Javi find out that's not his damn baby?  I already ship Danny & Alicia. I hope it gets a S2. 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Simba122504
Wrong words

[nilyank]

Sex P'Alicia.

Awesome Javi.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Javi: All right, little guy, cover your ears unless you want to learn how to curse in Spanish.
Ingrid: I'm two months pregnant. That little guy doesn't have ears yet.

Ingrid: I didn't know you were such a big reader.
Javi: It's an audio book.

Santiago: I'm an artist. No one yelled at Diego Rivera for making a mess.

Santiago: Two hundred grand. I got it in hundreds. Will that work?
Mateo: I don't know. I've never been blackmailed before.

Gigi: You're the eyes and ears of this hotel, right?
Mateo: Not my official title, but yes.

Gigi: Santiago thinks [Ingrid]'s trying to trap Javi.
Mateo: What's more likely? A housekeeper risks her job to trick the boss's son or Javi, who sleeps with everyone, slept with one more girl?
Gigi: You make a good point.

Alicia: Did you know people are calling me the sex police?
Javi: It's Sex P'Alicia and I may have started it.

Yoli: Can't you just do me a favor? We're sisters, right?
Alicia: You're going to pull the sister card? You and Carolina have never said one kind word to me. We're not sisters, Yoli. We're just two people whose parents got married.

Carolina: Do you want me to finish that [food] for you? That skirt is already a little tight.
Gigi: If you were not my daughter, I would stab you with this fork.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I like that Gigi and Santiago both have legit reasons to see the Javi/Ingrid situation differently. Even though we know Ingrid is lying, that doesn't change the fact that (1) Javi sleeps with girls he has just met and (2) not everyone who gets pregnant is in love, in a long term committed monogamous relationship, or on equal socioeconomic levels. Shit happens, man.

Part of me has felt bad for Nelson the last few episodes because he seems like good natured guy who just wanted to be friends with Danny and their coworkers but he was constantly getting shoved aside or ignored.

And of course Yoli had no hesitation asking Alicia for a favor and had never considered the fact that she and Carolina had never been nice to her.

[RedInk]

This is nearly perfect summer fluff, but I am dreading the Ingrid thing. I can't root for her and I can't fault Santiago for insisting on a paternity test. It would be appropriate social commentary to show outrage over requesting a test from a housekeeper your son is actively dating or hooking up with. That is not this story: Javi himself should want proof from a complete stranger that the he has no recollection of sleeping with. That's not classist; it's basic intelligence. But I guess they're gonna fall in love for real in soapy fashion & it won't matter that she's a grifter. 

Edited July 16, 2019 by RedInk

[greyhorse]

3 hours ago, RedInk said:

This is nearly perfect summer fluff, but I am dreading the Ingrid thing. I can't root for her and I can't fault Santiago for insisting on a paternity test. It would be appropriate social commentary to show outrage over requesting a test from a housekeeper your son is actively dating or hooking up with. That is not this story: Javi himself should want proof from a complete stranger that the he has no recollection of sleeping with. That's not classist; it's basic intelligence. But I guess they're gonna fall in love for real in soapy fashion & it won't matter that she's a grifter. 

This. Obviously it's frustrating for us as the viewers to watch knowing that she is completely lying.  But in real life, a guy would at least ask the woman if there was anyone else.  And insist on a paternity test for sure.  She's a complete stranger to him yet we are supposed to believe that he instantly takes responsibility despite having no recollection of sleeping with her.  

"Well, you did see me out of uniform one time." "Oh yeah, I wish I could remember that."  So clearly they are destined to fall in love and enter into a real relationship.  Yuck.

[Happy Harpy]

This was awesome, and I dread the moment this show will stop getting better week after week to suck donkey balls, like every show I ever watched or almost.

Nelson was getting a personality for a reason, well, there it is. Well played, show! And game over for him.

Matteo isn't the villain after all... oh, but he's a murderer still. I still think he's going to be a casualty at one point.

The mysterious blackmailer is Gigi's first husband, isn't he?

Ingrid is bringing out the best in Gigi, but this isn't going to end well, or will it? Will Gigi see only an idealized version of herself in Ingrid or will she be able to embrace Ingrid's morally grey side, which she has, too ?  I really have some Savannah flashbacks because yes, Ingrid is a liar and Javi is adorb yet being played, I usually prefer my characters honest and loyal...and I can't help but root for her. I admired the work of art vs Santiago (who is not saint either, it helps in this case). I guess I find her interesting because I always wonder where is the degree of truth when she speaks. I don't think she's cold-hearted and I wonder if beyond money it isn't security and a family she truly wants. Really a screwed-up way of getting it, of course, and probably she'll get some comeuppance at some point. I know it's too early for her and Javi to be end game but I love them together. She brings out the best in him, too. It was so cute when he was elated because she stood up to his father.

It's like Dany. He has a GF, but he hit on Alicia. He's now trying to do the right thing. I don't think it will last, and I don't think his GF ringing him during the Matteo/Nelson confrontation will be the last time she'll have a bad timing...

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And of course Yoli had no hesitation asking Alicia for a favor and had never considered the fact that she and Carolina had never been nice to her.

This is what I really like in the writing so far, because everyone has flaws, even those supposed to be sympathetic. Like last week, it was coherent with Yoli's personality. I also liked the bonding between the sisters and I hope it's a beginning. I appreciated the development and clarification re: Yoli's sexuality. And very good twist with Sky.

I wonder what skeletons in Mrs P. or her husband's closet will be revealed with that sueing the hotel business. Their storyline seems separated from the main one right now, but probably another twist is going to tie it up to it soon.

Random: The actress who plays Alicia has really great comedic timing. The whole cast has chemistry together, which allows me to enjoy every scene. Good job, casting director !

[tinderbox]

I’m really enjoying this show.  Is it a limited run series?

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, tinderbox said:

I’m really enjoying this show.  Is it a limited run series?

Depends on ABC and if they decide it's worth bringing back for another season but no, I don't think it was conceived as a limited run series.  I fully expect we'll get some cliffhangers at the end of the first season.

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

Would you honestly accept your father marrying your mom's best friend? No matter how close you were to her. She still was your mom's best friend. You just don't go there even though life is complicated and shit happens. That's hard to accept and honestly I personally would never truly accept it.

I know someone in a similar situation, and I don't think the (adult) kids ever accepted it. They are nicer to him then Alicia and Javi are to Gigi though.

Regarding Ingrid....did she even ask Matteo for money for the kid? I know he was a total ass and wanted her to have an abortion, but I feel like she just gave up and started conning Javi after that. Why not say, I'm having the baby and you better support it or I out us?

[peachmangosteen]

On 7/16/2019 at 12:41 AM, Irlandesa said:

I'm beginning to think there is a fake out with Danny and Heather in that she's not the girlfriend/wife she appears to be.

I'm wondering the same thing.

11 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Regarding Ingrid....did she even ask Matteo for money for the kid? I know he was a total ass and wanted her to have an abortion, but I feel like she just gave up and started conning Javi after that. Why not say, I'm having the baby and you better support it or I out us?

Yea, I feel like in general I don't really understand why Ingrid did what she did. I also feel like it's not even clear if she's truly pregnant or not lol. In any case, I like Ingrid and I am super into the idea of her and Javi falling for each other for real.

16 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

This was awesome, and I dread the moment this show will stop getting better week after week to suck donkey balls, like every show I ever watched or almost.

lol seriously. Every time I love a show I am always so scared for the day it starts sucking. I've been burned too many times!

I love this show to pieces so far though. It's near perfect for what it is. I hope ABC gives it another season. Does anyone know how the ratings are?

[Jillybean]

I like this show much better than I expected to. I really like Mrs. P and her husband (I haven't caught his name) but I'm not clear on what grounds they would sue the hotel. What did I miss?  I enjoy her relationship with Santiago and hate to see that ruined.

Glad the blackmailer plot didn't drag on endlessly. See ya, Nelson.

I'm in the "I don't like Ingrid" camp and I'm glad to see that she's going to be busted quickly for her lies. This will clear the way for Javi and her to become star-crossed lovers... IF he can get over the lies and manipulation.

I like Santiago so I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't think I'm quite clear on Mateo and his role to oversee things at the hotel. He represents someone who financed the hotel or loaned them money, right?

Edited July 17, 2019 by Jillybean

[Happy Harpy]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I love this show to pieces so far though. It's near perfect for what it is. I hope ABC gives it another season. Does anyone know how the ratings are?

The last episode got 0.6, which is the average so far.

It airs after the Bachelorette, so some will argue retention isn't good, other will say that reality TV and scripted don't have the same audience.

It is the highest-rated scripted show this summer (Reef Break, the other ABC offering, gets 0.3/0.4) and if the delayed viewing isn't remarkable, it seems to do rather well on Hulu.

So for now, I'd say it's on the bubble.

[tennisgurl]

On 7/16/2019 at 5:38 PM, Happy Harpy said:

Random: The actress who plays Alicia has really great comedic timing.

The actress who plays Alicia is really great, especially considering playing the "nice girl" main character, especially in a soap opera type show, can be kind of a thankless job. It can be easy to get lost in among the bigger personalities and more dramatic revelations, but she does a great job at standing out. It really helps that she has great comedic timing and has a very natural warmth she brings to her scenes. 

Looks like Ingrid might be catching some actual feelings for Javi, which was certainly not part of her original, pretty half baked, plan. She clearly expected him to do the rich guy thing of paying her off to raise the baby somewhere and go away, but he actually wants to, gasp, be an actual father to the kid! Honestly, I dont think that Santiago was wrong at all to request the paternity test. Even without the massive class difference, she stands to get a lot of money, they weren't in a relationship, and her storming out did come off as pretty suspicious. Even if we didn't know she was lying (which we do) its not unreasonable to ask, both with so much money on the line, and knowing how invested Javi is getting on Ingrid and this baby. Now Javi will get his heart broken when he finds out the truth, which will be even MORE complicated by Ingrid actually developing feelings for him. Oh the drama!

Nice seeing Yoli and Alicia having a nice sisterly moment, I hope that they can continue to bond more. Oh shit, the love letters were probably from Yoli! I suspected that Sky's lover might be a woman (Danny was so hung up on looking for a male lover, I was thinking "maybe it was a woman?" the whole time) but not that it was Yoli!

Poor Nelson, he might have been a blackmailer, but thats still a nasty way to go, and he seemed so desperate to make friends.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E6: Love  Thy Neighbor

Quote

The hotel faces a few obstacles from a neighboring hotel while planning their gala fundraiser. Elsewhere, Mrs. P goes undercover; and Javi embraces his new fatherhood role despite his family's hesitations.

Promo:

Original air date: 7/22/19

[BaskingsharkGTX]

On 6/25/2019 at 4:23 PM, Happy Harpy said:

I don't know if anyone remembers the 90s soap Savannah

Me! Me! I was in Junior High and I absolutely LOVED it, like all Aaron Spelling shows. I remember with perfect clarity the part where Peyton (Jamie Luner) found out Ray Wise was actually her father and that he knew about it but hadn't told her, making her grow up poor, said "Ah will get what is rahtfully mine!" in her horribly fake Southern accent, got him drunk and tricked him into thinking he'd had sex with her so she could get a payoff. I thought that was just the most wonderfully clever, evil plot I had ever seen anyone do ever and TBH, I'm still in awe!

Just came into Grand Hotel after watching the first two episodes on a plane and I'm really enjoying it so far - I can't help but feel it could use a slightly harder edge, and there were a couple of things I didn't buy (like the part where the baseball players talked smack about Javi - not least because based on what we've seen of him, the story about the Sports Illustrated cover model is probably true!) but I just really like these characters - they mostly feel multi-dimensional and fresh (bizarre for what's essentially a trashy soap) as well as being genuinely likeable. Given that I've basically hatewatched every show I've followed for the last two years, it's so nice to watch something and actually enjoy it again. I'm in for the summer!

Edited July 21, 2019 by BaskingsharkGTX

[Simba122504]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:56 PM, KaveDweller said:

I know someone in a similar situation, and I don't think the (adult) kids ever accepted it. They are nicer to him then Alicia and Javi are to Gigi though.

Regarding Ingrid....did she even ask Matteo for money for the kid? I know he was a total ass and wanted her to have an abortion, but I feel like she just gave up and started conning Javi after that. Why not say, I'm having the baby and you better support it or I out us?

I don’t blame them. I mean I love my mom’s best friend but I don’t want her as my stepmom. After my mom dies, my father marries her bff?! Out of the women in the world? And I know things are not black and white but fuck that. You don’t go there. Same goes for my mom marrying my dad’s best friend. 

[BaskingsharkGTX]

12 hours ago, Simba122504 said:

Regarding Ingrid....did she even ask Matteo for money for the kid? I know he was a total ass and wanted her to have an abortion, but I feel like she just gave up and started conning Javi after that. Why not say, I'm having the baby and you better support it or I out us?

She probably figured that Javi was richer, nicer and hotter than Matteo and if she managed to hook him in, she'd have a sweet easy ride (not knowing, of course, that the family is in dire financial straits.)

In the sequence where Danny was chasing Sky's car, something was bugging me and I just realized that at different points, the car switches between being a VW Golf Mk3 and a VW Golf Mk4, both of which look completely different!

[Irlandesa]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:56 PM, KaveDweller said:

Regarding Ingrid....did she even ask Matteo for money for the kid? I know he was a total ass and wanted her to have an abortion, but I feel like she just gave up and started conning Javi after that. Why not say, I'm having the baby and you better support it or I out us?

She think Mateo is just another employee.  He's one with a better paying job than hers but I gather she sees Javi as the big payday once Mateo initially didn't seem to have any interest in the child. 

I don't know where Mateo is in the organization that lent Santiago the money for the hotel--is he just an employee of that group too or family?  I don't remember if they've specified.  It's possible that Mateo has access to more cash than Javi, or any of his family, does at this point.

[Happy Harpy]

25 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't know where Mateo is in the organization that lent Santiago the money for the hotel--is he just an employee of that group too or family?

I'd also like to know who truly has the upper hand here, in terms of power. In the pilot it seemed like Matteo was the one holding all the ropes and Santiago had no choice but to comply, now the roles are somewhat reversed.

[BaskingsharkGTX]

2 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

I'd also like to know who truly has the upper hand here, in terms of power. In the pilot it seemed like Matteo was the one holding all the ropes and Santiago had no choice but to comply, now the roles are somewhat reversed.

This is kind of the one big issue with this show - everyone's just too nice to each other. Considering that either Matteo or Santiago has the upper hand here, Santiago owes major money to Matteo's bosses and they're being blackmailed, they seem to be pretty chill with each other to the point where they seem almost like equals. Santiago's threats to Matteo sounded more like good-natured ribbing than actual threats.

Do Yoli and Carolina have any other friends? Considering they seemingly don't get on, they seem to spend a lot of time hanging out with each other!

[KaveDweller]

On 7/21/2019 at 4:28 PM, Irlandesa said:

She think Mateo is just another employee.  He's one with a better paying job than hers but I gather she sees Javi as the big payday once Mateo initially didn't seem to have any interest in the child. 

But I think it is where Ingrid crosses the line from woman trying anything to take care of her kid to woman who's just out for as much cash as she can get. Mateo didn't have any interest in the child, but he may have helped support it when pushed.  Or maybe he would have, we really don't know. I feel like his character goes back and forth.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As much as I totally understand Gigi insisting that Ingrid tell Javi the baby isn't his, I was annoyed that Gigi somehow expected Ingrid to do it at the gala. It's a benefit FOR HIS DEAD MOTHER so maybe this devastating news can wait until the next day.

On a shallow note, Alicia looked gorgeous at the gala. I loved that beautiful red dress.

I also loved how enthusiastic and happy Carolina was when she found out about Yoli and Marisa. Hopefully she won't be making snotty comments about Yoli dating a hotel employee n the future.

Oliver = Dickon Tarly = Cormac from the Harry Potter movies! But weirdly, at certain angles, he looked almost like Jonathan Groff.

Edited July 23, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jason: You gave me a concussion so you wouldn't have to come out?

Santiago: Are you [and Oliver] here together?
Alicia: We work at competing hotels, dad. It's not exactly West Side Story.

Carolina: This is so great! Why didn't you tell me? Yoli,  [Marisa] is so cute. Do you guys share clothes? Please telll me you do. She needs help.

[Simba122504]

I know this will always sound silly since it’s a telenovela. But I hate how quickly characters fall in love. I can understand Danny and Alicia having a strong attraction to each other but not love yet. They’re still strangers and haven’t even really opened up to each other yet. Danny understandably cannot even tell Alicia the truth yet. Let them build something first. Even with Danny’s secret which of course would cause their first dramatic break up. lol Thank God the cat is out of the bag! Javi, You are not the father but boy were you dumb. Your father asked for a DNA test before you ever did! You never asked for one, even though you’re the son of a rich hotel owner. Now, when he actually impregnates an honest woman, he’s not going to trust it and will demand a test asap. Will Danny’s ex girlfriend find him and blow his cover? 

Edited July 23, 2019 by Simba122504
Typos

[skotnikov]

I must admit in a current TV landscape full of pretentious pseudo-intellectual overrated series it's quite enjoyable.