Caray, Caray!

I am posting this in a hurry, so I apologize for any and all typos. Since I'm a little OCD and can edit this, I'll try to clean it up later on, but for now here it is....

The show starts off where yesterday’s episode ended, Cmdr. Ricardo Montero and Governor Fernando Sanchez in the midst of a duel. Well-choreographed swords are being brandished, until Fernando plays dirty and cuts Montero on the site of his old wound (on yesterday’s show he kicked him in the same spot right when the duel began). Montero collapses to the ground in pain and tells Fernando to go ahead and kill him, that obviously he (FS) wants Montero dead because Montero knows that Fernando killed the Viceroy’s inspector.****Little history, the Viceroy sent an inspector to check out Montero’s prison, he was looking for a woman prisoner, who is very important to the crown. He was unable to find this prisoner because Fernando shot him dead, right in front of Pizarro and Montero. Fernando told the two that they were now a party to the crime and therefore they must work together. The prisoner of which we are speaking about is Sara Kali, Esmerelda’s mother and Fernando’s wife, presumed to be dead, but oh very much alive. Sara Kali we know is a gypsy queen and is forced to wear a paper mache mask and act like it is really made of iron. Her gypsy friends know that she is in the prison and send a white rodent w/ a small tail into the prison, carrying notes back and forth to her. Esme now knows that her mother is in the prison, she had a chance to snoop around one day and miraculously found her, but more on that later.**** OK, back to the duel, Fernando tells RM that he doesn’t want him dead, and that RM has committed some crimes himself, so Fer isn’t too worried. In fact, Fer tells him that he wants RM quite alive that the two of them can do great things together. They can maintain order in the city through fear and to accomplish this they need to support each other. Fer tells RM to forget about the foolish marriage to Esme, that they have bigger fish to fry and Esme really isn’t deserving of RM. The two men shake hands and agree to be a team. However, Fernando tells Montero that there will be no retribution against either Diego or Esme. Montero agrees, as if he is trustworthy.

Fer is quite happy that he has met his obligation for stopping the duel and now it is up to Maria Pia to fulfill her part of the agreement.

Back in town there is a funeral, the Mother Superior of the almost convent has died. Nutty Nun (Sister Suplicios) and Maria Pia are going to the burial. Nutty Nun tells MP that she is the perfect person to succeed the Mother Superior. MP says she’s not worthy, and this causes Nutty Nun to spout out all of Maria Pia’s saint like virtues. Maria Pia just walks away, and from the look on Nutty Nun’s face, she isn’t happy.


Later that evening, at la casa de de la Vega (Diego and Alejandro’s home) we have a meeting between the two newly engaged couples (Alejandro and Almudena & Diego and Esme). Fernando is there filling them in on what happened with Montero, but leaving out some very incriminating parts. Fer asks for Diego’s forgiveness and offers him his daughter for marriage. They all toast the two couples and the idea for a double wedding is born. While Yumali, Alejandro’s Indian servant, watches in the wings. Fer then hightails it out of there, he’s got a date. While the remaining group of people begin to discuss all that Maria Pia has done to help them and they talk about how she should be a saint. The next scene shows Maria Pia sneaking out of the convent, dressed in regular non-nunlike clothing and a black cape to better blend into the night.

Montero and Mariangel are now together bemoaning their thwarted “romances” respectively with Esme and Diego. Montero blames Mariangel for getting Fernando to change his mind and stop the duel. He starts to rough her up as he yells at her. MA logically tries to tell him that the broken engagement isn’t in her best interest and she tells Montero that Maria Pia intervened. The two begin to speculate about what power this meddling nun has over Fernando. Montero thinks she blackmailed him, but then remembers that the two used to be engaged. Montero’s sick mind figures out that Maria Pia most likely offered herself as the deal maker, that she is offering to Fernando now what she denied him in their youth (as this is something that Montero would probably do himself, I suspect that he is impressed by Fernando’s actions). Mariangel swears that Diego and Esme will never marry.

Cut to the next scene with Al & Al and Diego& Esme. They are discussing how Maria Pia was able to convince Fernando. How noble Fernando is to listen to Maria Pia’s pleas and grant her request all the while asking for nothing in return (HA!!).

Maria Pia arrives at the cabin, and romantically Fernando has it all candle lit, oh wait candle light is all they pretty much had back then. Anyway, he’s got the stage set for seduction. Fer is really nervous, and I can’t help but thinking that he might really love her, that perhaps he isn’t just obsessed with her, but I digress. MP says she is ready to fulfill her part of the deal. Fer tells her that she is more beautiful than ever (note, she does look pretty nice and it appears that she even had her hair done for the occasion). Fer leans into kiss her and she is unresponsive. All of this is being witnessed by Nutty Nun, who is peaking through a window (? or some opening in the wall). Fer starts to undress Maria Pia and she begins to cry. Fer thinks that this is her first time and decides to ask her if it is (smooth). He is really happy with the thought that he will be her first and only (perhaps he is assuming to much to think she’ll never do this again). Nutty Nun freaks, I mean FREAKS out. She goes running away from the cabin cursing Satan. He’s possessed Maria Pia and he’s doing this to punish Nutty Nun. She’s officially turned into Sister Psycho now. Sister Psycho has flipped and rages that the devil has turned Maria Pia’s purity into garbage. Then she starts laughing (I think).

Back in town the priest, Padre Tomas, gets a surprise visit from the Cardinal. He’s come all the way from Rome and apparently the letter informing Padre of the visit got lost in the mail (it was an excuse even back then). The Cardinal is here to tell the Mother Superior that the Pope has decided to let their almost convent really become a convent and an official Order of Nuns. Padre Tomas tells the man in red that unfortunately in a strange twist of fate, they buried the Mother Superior just that day. The Cardinal says they need to find a successor and Padre Tomas has just the person in mind---Maria Pia. The Cardinal asks some questions and then decides that he wants to meet her right away, since the convent is right next door to the church. Padre Tomas tries to stall and the Cardinal suspects that the nuns are able to come and go freely from the convent at night. By Padre Tomas’s reaction, I’m beginning to think he might know what’s going on between Fernando and Maria Pia, but I don’t recall seeing any scene where that was revealed to him. Anyway, the Cardinal is a little put out that he cannot meet Maria Pia. Padre Tomas tells him that he’ll arrange a meeting tomorrow. The Cardinal states that MP better be a suitable replacement for the Mother Superior. He is going to be watching her closely, looking for any fault.

Back to the de la Vega home, the two couples have split up so they can have their respective conversations. Diego and Esme discuss their upcoming marriage and Esme mentions that she has always been unlucky , so she has a little fear that something may go wrong. Diego tells her not to worry and they start to talk about the wedding. Esme wants to give Diego a happy wedding, to have a gypsy wedding. Diego tells Esme that Zorro is going to get her mother out of prison (as a wedding gift?). Esme begs him not to do it, that it would be too dangerous. She’s been in the prison and knows that it won’t be easy to get her mother out (yet she just found her when she was sneaking around the prison and apparently found a way to get through locked doors, too). She is even more fearful because she knows that Montero wants to catch Zorro and find him guilty of killing the Viceroy’s inspector. Esme says that the gypsies are working on a plan to get Sara Kali out of prison, why doesn’t Diego just leave it to them. Diego doesn’t want to risk others and says he can go it alone, that Esme should have faith in him. He knows he has resources that Montero won’t be able to defeat. He wants to do this to express his love for Esme and also to give meaning to what Maria Pia has done for them.

In another part of the house, Alejandro(aka Al) and Almudena (aka Dena) are together and Yumali (aka Yumi) is watching from a distance. Dena calls out to Yumi, but greets her with her “white” name, Guadalupe. Dena can sense with her female intuition that Yumi is a threat to her and Al. She tries to make nice, and calls Yumi by her Indian name. She says that she wants to be Yumi’s friend (that’s right, keep your friends close and your enemies closer). Some talk is made about Yumi not wearing shoes and Dena wanting to be Yumi’s godmother. Dena tells Yumi that she can help her learn to be a Spanish lady. Yumi doesn’t want any part of it and walks away. Al tries to make excuses for Yumi’s behavior, but I don’t think that Dena buys it. Yumi goes to the kitchen and starts pumping Dolores for info about Al’s dead wife, Regina. Yumi finds out that she’s Regina’s spitting image and she decides that she can use Al’s love for his first wife to her advantage. Looking in a mirror Yumi decides that she can become a proper lady, and pulls her hair up to admire how she’d look.

The two couples get back together and discuss what it will be like for them all to live at the hacienda together. The women decide that they should have Maria Pia be their maid of honor for the double wedding, after all she is responsible for getting Fer to allow Diego and Esme to marry. It has started to rain, and the men decide to get the ladies home before the weather gets any worse. Diego “signs” to Bernardo to get the carriage ready for them to leave.

At the governor’s mansion, Mariangel returns drunk. She wakes up Olmos, who is dressed in his Wee Willy Winky pajama set, including the long cap. She demands that Olmos obtain a love potion for her to use on Diego. Olmos tells her that he knows nothing of brujerías (witchcraft) and hechiceras (sorceresses). Mariangel threatens him and Olmos tells her that she doesn’t need to threaten him, he’d gladly do anything for her from his heart. She mocks him and calls him a monster, asks him if monster’s have hearts. MA tells Olmos that he is pathetic, laughs at him cruelly and leaves. To the mirror, Olmos says that MA has stolen his heart, but he’s going to help her. “No good will come to Diego”.

Diego gets the ladies home and while he is saying his goodbyes to Esme, Mariangel comes downstairs scantily clad. MA wants to talk about what happened with the duel and Esme tells her that there is some good news, their father has agreed to their marriage. Esme is smug as she says this (and she turns Diego away, getting MA from his line of sight). There is no love loss between these two sisters, that’s for sure. After Diego leaves, the two women exchange words. MA speaks in veiled threats and figuratively throws down the glove. She tells Esme that she didn’t get dragged to this undesirable city for nothing. She is going to marry the best man in town, end of story. Esme wants her to clarify what she means, but MA does not follow that request and leaves the room. Come on Esme, you cannot be dumb enough to not figure out what MA meant.

Al and Diego are both at home and they rehash. Al is worried and wants Diego to be on guard for Montero’s vengeance. Diego tells his father that he is aware of Montero’s hate.

Switch to Montero and Pizarro back at the prison. Montero vows to get revenge. He decides that he’s going to start by messing with Esme’s mother---he’ll find out her secrets and then kill her. He doesn’t trust Fernando and figures that whatever Sara Kali knows will be very valuable to use against Fernando. Then when he’s done with Sara Kali, he’s going to wipe the superior look off of Diego’s face once and for all. With Diego out of the picture, Esme will be his next victim. He will make her his, then beat her and return her to Fernando as damaged goods. He doesn’t stop there, he’s decided to get revenge on the entire town. He intends to run the city through terror and fear.

In the gypsy camp, a woman sees lightening flash from the storm and reads it as a bad omen. She spouts out some doom and gloom and ends with “someone is digging a grave.” Gypsy woman reads Tarot cards when gypsy man arrives. He discovered that the rodent has returned from prison (what a weird sentence to type!). The rodent still carries the message they sent to Sara Kali. The gypsy woman fears what the cards are telling her, she worries that they are going to kill Sara Kali.

In the prison dungeon, Hermes, who appears to be the lifer inmate, tells Sara Kali that he hears a lot of movement from the soldiers. He also smells a scent that provokes bad memories. Memories of when they burned a prisoner alive about 15 years ago.

Fer continues to kiss Maria Pia, while removing her clothes. He is quite impressed with her feminine attributes. He continues to kiss her, but she doesn’t respond and he wants to know why. She tells him that she is just keeping her word. He can have her body, but her mind is elsewhere. Fern is ticked. He wants her to be an active participant, to show her love like he wants to show his. Maria Pia tells him that she is just doing as he ordered. She is not there because she wants to be, she is there because Fernando gave her no other choice.

Nutty Nun, I mean Sister Psycho is out crying and screaming in the rain (she’s not laughing). It looks like there are some dark clouds gathering around her, to represent an evil presence? Sister Psycho is very angry with Maria Pia and calls her a hypocrite.

Fer tells Maria Pia to go. She hesitates because she is afraid that he’s going to go back on his word. He tells her that he cannot stand her coldness and indifference, that she should just go. He blames God for taking her away so many years ago. Maria Pia flees and cries. Outside the cabin, away from Fernando, she says to herself that she doesn’t know what to feel. She says she still loves Fernando, but why did he do such terrible things. It wasn’t God that took her away from him, but Fernando’s own actions. Back in the cabin, Fernando curses himself. He feels bad that he put Maria Pia in such a position, to all but force her to sleep with him. He thought it was something they both wanted, but from her response he knows that isn’t true. Fernando doesn’t know what he can do about his damn love. He says that Maria Pia’s God , if he is a God of love, should make him free of her. He’s turned into a monster and he’s afraid that he will only cause Maria Pia more pain. (Ed. Note, I have to say that after this scene I’m beginning to think that there is a much softer side to Fernando. I was honestly shocked he didn’t take complete advantage of the situation. Fernando obviously has more shades of gray than the typical B&W novela characters.)

Maria Pia, rubbing her lips, is amazed that Fernando let her go, that he didn’t follow through with his plan, that he didn’t touch her (can we say euphamism). She is amazed that he was incapable of shaming her. She tells herself that he still loves her, like she’s figuring it out for the first time.

Diego and Al continue to rehash (they are almost as bad as Fernando and Omar from La Fea). Al remembers how upset Maria Pia was when she heard that Fernando was returning to Los Angeles. Al is amazed that she would have even approached Fernando to ask him to bring an end to the duel. The only slightly significant thing said is that Al is worried (big surprise there) and suspects that Maria Pia might still be in love with Fernando.

Fernando goes to the bar and drinks. Maria Pia arrives back in her room at the convent. She flashes back to Fernando kissing her and removing her clothes. It appears that she is thinking of it fondly. She pulls back her bed covers and discovers an inverted cross on her pillow.

Flash to Sister Psycho laughing (oh, so now she’s laughing) and creepy music is playing.

Montero has Sara Kali removed from her prison cell. He wants her to give him info on Fernando. She refuses and tells him that she knows he can’t hurt her. He calls her bluff and tells her that he’ll have her burned at the stake. We then see Sara Kali tied up to a wood pile outside and Montero holds a torch, demanding that she tell him why she is important to the crown.
The next day, Diego and Esme are meeting outside (by a river?). They are kissing and declaring their love when a group of gypsies (or is it a band of gypsies?) approach. Diego asks Esme to introduce him to her family, but now is not the time, they apparently come with bad news. END OF THE EPISODE

Labels: Zorro