Warning: there are many, many spoilers about the Spanish drama Velvet ahead.
I think I’m in denial about how much I liked this show, because I have pages of notes but it takes me forever to write them up. And when I write them up, I just get annoyed by how these characters behave.
This episode opens with Ana and Rita walking home, because the charming Alberto has left them at the country church. (Why are we supposed to like him again? He’s rich and handsome, but the dude has zero maturity and almost as much personality.) They make it back to Madrid to get to work on the dresses for the fashion show. To add to the excitement, a camera crew is there to document the new collection for a news story.
Patricia tells Alberto that Gloria kicked her out, and Alberto tells her not to exaggerate. Everyone is running around getting ready for the show, including Patricia, except for Alberto because he is lovesick.
Raul shows Cristina the dress that she will will be wearing, then asks Ana to find appropriate (that is, sexy) lingerie to wear with it. This show is all about the love triangle rather than the reality that in this situation, with this type of dress, the lingerie would be industrial strength—and a lot less comfortable than Spanx. Ana gives Cristina a note for Alberto and asks her not to read it. When Alberto receives it, he throws it in the trash.
Meanwhile:
- Pedro runs into Clara and officially breaks up with her. Manolito tells Pedro that he’s okay with that decision because he likes Rita better.
- Doña Caetanya comes to the store and asks for Luisa. She wants to give him her condolences for Juan’s death.
- Antonio and Adolfo are setting up the show and hitting on Ana and Rita, respectively.
- Carmen tells Devastatingly Handsome Maximiliano the latest on her plans in the hopes that they can become romantic now, but Max refuses her. He says is interested in someone else, someone very wrong for him.
In the workroom, Rita and Ana update Luisa on the previous night’s events. Ana still pines for Alberto and hopes to marry him, but not like that. She rips a dress on purpose to force Alberto to talk to her. Doña Blanca takes Ana to Alberto’s office, and he launches into a speech about all the sacrifices he has made for their love while Ana has done nothing but leave him at the altar. So now they are broken up, too. He’ll just have to settle for the beautiful and charming Cristina, poor baby.
Up in the workroom, the models have arrived for their fitting. One hasn’t shown up. Rita notes that the missing model has the same measurements as Clara, so Clara gets pulled into the show.
Ana talks to Emilio about the breakup. This time, he tells her that the things in life worth having are the those you have to fight for. Question: who kidnapped Emilio and replaced him with this guy?
The fashion show begins. Alberto notes that it has been a year since the last show and since his father died. Already? I thought it had only been a few months. In any event, the young women in the audience are impressed with the show but the old people are scandalized. Clara is a hit. So now we can get back to the relationship drama.
There are two parties after the show, one upstairs and one downstairs. In what is surely product placement, Pedro gives Cokes to Adolfo and Antonio. Everyone else gets champagne. Pedro tells Rita that things are over with Clara. Raul asks Doña Blanca to take her bun down, and guess what? She’s beautiful. Luisa skips the party. What is she up to? Why, she’s off to see that sleazy Don Caetanya.
Also, there is a lot of smoke circulating around the fabric. Is that wise?
Newly Sexy Doña Blanca and Devastating Handsome Maximiliano dance.
Ana crashes the upstairs party in the red dress. She sidles up to Alberto, and the next thing we know. . . he walks away! For once, he shows a little bit of spine in his spoiled baby body. He leaves with Cristina and they end up having a night of passion at Marquez Manor.
Meanwhile, Gerardo goes up to the office looking for Cristina and creeps into Alberto’s office. There, he finds Ana’s letter to Alberto. Uh, oh!
