Deceptions (Telenovela)

Deceptions (Spanish: "La Usurpadora") is a Mexican telenovela produced by Salvador Mejía Alejandre for Televisa. it first broadcasted on El Canal de Las Estrellas on February 9 1998 and ended on July 24 1998. It was broadcasted on Sandy Point State Park Network in March 19 2001 replacing the Right to Love, and ended on August 9 with Twisted Lies the next day.

Once it first aired on SPSPN just like with Esmerelda and The Right to Love, it became the telenovela with the highest amount of rating at that slot and made SPSPN the still become the most viewed channel of the year.

It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga as the main protagonists. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque, who here portrayed the character of Piedad Bracho, until *Carita de ángel*.

It was the first on-screen collaboration between Colunga and Spanic, who both later worked in "A Woman of Steel"

## Plot

Paola and Paulina are twins who were separated at birth. Paulina is a good-hearted and honest woman who lives in poverty and is engaged to a simple man, Osvaldo (who's seeing another woman). Paola, on the other hand, is a rich, frivolous and evil woman who has many lovers, including her brother-in-law, Willy. She is married to Carlos Daniel Bracho, a wealthy man.

When the twins cross paths by chance, Paola attempts to convince Paulina into taking her place at the Brachos' house, so she can take a year-long vacation with her new lover, Alessandro. At first, Paulina refuses because she can't leave her deathly ill mother; but she's later blackmailed and threatened with jail after Paola puts her bracelet in Paulina's purse and accuses her of theft. Abandoned by her fiancé Osvaldo who leaves her to be with his mistress and left with nothing after the death of her mother, Paulina submits to Paola's plan. She is, however, unaware of the destruction the Bracho household was under (thanks to Paola) and decides to work throughout the year righting all wrongs. Paulina (posing as Paola) strives to convince everyone that she has "changed" and become a "new person". During the year, Paulina falls in love with Carlos Daniel. She cures Piedad from alcoholism, saves the Bracho factory from financial ruin, and cuts ties with all of Paola's lovers. No matter how hard she tries, she can't make peace with Estefania (Carlos Daniel's sister) because the real Paola had an affair with Willy, Estefania's husband. Nonetheless, she continues to try to make amends.

Paulina, being the honorable and decent woman that she is, refuses to be intimate with Carlos Daniel, telling him that she needs a year due to her "illness". Carlos Daniel, unaware she is not really Paola, resents her and falls back into the arms of Gema, Paola's frenemy, who's always trying to seduce Carlos Daniel, encouraged by Estefania.

Meanwhile, the real Paola is in Monaco partying with Alessandro. One night after a party, Paola, scared because she had previously dreamt this would happen, gets in a car crash with Alessandro in the passenger seat. They end up in a hospital in Monaco, where she spends months and recovers after multiple surgeries, although her lover Alessandro ends up paralyzed and is reliant on a wheelchair. Paola, no longer interested in him, plans her return to Mexico to take back her place as the real Paola Bracho.

Paola's plan is discovered and Paulina escapes from Mexico, but Carlos Daniel's son, Carlitos, tries to find Paulina, who he thinks is his real mother. With a broken foot, he falls from a hill, hits his head on a rock, and loses his memory. An old lady finds him and cures him.

Paola returns and restarts wreaking havoc: she finds out that Carlitos and Paulina are missing. Eventually, Paulina hears about Carlitos and returns to the Bracho House. Paola goes to travel the world with her famous lover Douglas Maldonado, so Paulina pretends to be Paola again because Carlos Daniel's grandmother Piedad doesn't want Paulina to go to jail. Paulina tells the whole family that Carlos Daniel hated Paulina at first, but after finding Carlitos, they both share their secret love for each other. Gema and Willy contact the Police. Willy beats Estefania up and she is hospitalized. Estefania doesn't turn Paulina to the authorities, after Paulina donates blood to her and her baby. Estefania later reconciles with Paulina.

On the same day, Paola eventually returns, pretending to be paralyzed and trying to take her place back. The next day, Paulina is arrested. While in prison, Paulina and Carlos Daniel discover a mysterious letter by Paulina's mother, written before she died. In the letter, it is explained that Paola and Paulina are twins, but were separated at birth. Paola is caught standing on her feet, putting on make-up, by her nurse Elvira. Paola tells her she will give her money to keep her mouth shut. When Paola finds out that Paulina is her twin, she gets furious. Many men come forward to help hire a lawyer for Paulina so she can be free. Later, Paulina is cleared of all charges. Paola decides to go to the Bracho house with Elvira. Paulina takes Carlitos to her hotel to avoid Paola, so Paola stays in a wheelchair to prove that she is disabled.

Returning to her old ways, Paola inflicts damage on the family and on Paulina. Later, the whole Bracho family is horrified to see Paola walk. Elvira tells the whole family the truth about Paola never being paralyzed. Paola overhears this, so she and Willy set out to get revenge on Paulina, Carlos Daniel and Paulina's lawyer because she was set free. They also plot to kill Elvira for being a traitor. Paola takes Elvira away to kill her but, while in the car travelling at a high speed, Paola reveals to Elvira that she overheard her snitching and she is going to die because of it. Elvira tries to stop the car but they lose control whilst speeding up and the car hits a wall, rolling violently down a hill, where it explodes. Carlos Daniel arrives to the Bracho house. Farmers discover the wreckage of the car and Elvira's corpse. Paola however is found alive in a critical state. Everyone later finds out about Paola's car accident.

Paola is transferred to a Central Hospital. There, she tells everyone the truth about her plan with Willy. The police arrests Willy and he's sentenced to 8 years in prison. Paola is forgiven by her sister and her husband, and dies. Paulina is finally free to marry Carlos Daniel, and peace is finally restored at the Bracho house.

## Cast

* Gabriela Spanic - *Paulina Martínez / Paola Montaner de Bracho*
* Fernando Colunga - *Carlos Daniel Bracho*
* Libertad Lamarque - *Piedad Vda. de Bracho*
* Chantal Andere - *Estefanía Bracho de Montero*
* Arturo Peniche - *Lic. Edmundo Serrano*
* Juan Pablo Gamboa - *Guillermo "Willy" Montero*
* Dominika Paleta - *Gema Durán Bracho*
* Marcelo Buquet - *Rodrigo Bracho*
* Jessica Jurado - *Patricia de Bracho*
* Paty Díaz - *Lalita*
* Alejandro Ruiz - *Leandro Gómez*
* Anastasia - *Viviana Carrillo*
* Antonio De Carlo - *Osvaldo Reséndiz*
* Magda Guzmán - *Fidelina*
* Nuria Bages - *Paula Martínez*
* Ninón Sevilla - *Cachita Cienfuegos*
* Giovan D'Angelo - *Donato D'Angeli*
* María Luisa Alcalá - *Filomena Tamayo*
* Tito Guízar - *Don Panchito*
* Enrique Lizalde - *Alessandro Farina*
* Silvia Derbez - *Chabela Rojas*
* Silvia Caos - *Cenobia Rojas*
* Irán Eory - *Lourdes de Reséndiz*
* René Muñoz - *Luis Felipe Benítez "El Mojarras"*
* Mario Carballido - *Amador*
* Adriana Fonseca - *Verónica Soriano*
* Jaime Garza - *Comandante Merino*
* Azela Robinson - *Elvira*
* Miguel de León - *Douglas Maldonado*
* Meche Barba - *Abigail Rosales*
* Rafael Amador - *Dr. Galicia*
* Miguel Córcega - *Braulio*
* Rebeca Manríquez - *Genoveva Sarmiento "La Tamales"*
* Maricruz Nájera - *Emiliana*
* Angelina Peláez - *Ricarda*
* María Solares - *Lisette Bracho*
* Sergio Miguel - *Carlitos Bracho*
* Humberto Elizondo - *Silvano Piña*
* Andrea García - *Celia Alonso*
* Eduardo Luna - *Mauricio Arteaga*
* Sara Montes - *Eloína*
* Adriana Nieto - *Beatriz*
* Yessica Salazar - *Isabel Vidal*
* Laura Zapata - *Fiscal Zoraida Zapata*
* Renata Flores - *Estela*
* Consuelo Duval - *Macrina Olvera*
* Gloria Morell - *Doña Zenaida*
* Melba Luna - *Doña Francisca de Reséndiz*
* Julio Monterde - *Dr. Peraza*
* Mario Cimarro - *Luciano Alcántara*
* Héctor Álvarez - *Fermín*
* Claudia Castillo - *Magnolia*
* Nayeli Dainzu - *Pituca*
* Jesús Lara - *Felipe*
* Pedro Sicard - *Memo*
* Emiliano Lizárraga - *Pedro*
* Gabriela Tavela - *Olinda*
* Irma Torres - *Eulalia*
* Fernando Torre Lapham - *Dr. Fulgencio Mendive*
* Eduardo Rivera - *Larry*
* Gabriela Carvajal - *Adela*
* Ricardo Hernández - *Secretary in the court*
* Javier Herranz - *Dr. Varela*
* Raquel Morell - *Carolina Carrillo*
* Óscar Morelli - *Juez Castro*
* Jorge Santos - *administrator of the Club "La Joya de Cancún"*
* Héctor Parra - *Lic. Juan Manuel Montesinos*
* Esther Rinaldi - *Fabiola de Alcántara*
* Fernando Sáenz - *Lic. Mayo*
* Claudia Vega - *Olivia*
* María Morena