Caray, Caray!

As expected, Mangle’s big news for Montero is that Esme is preggers with Diego’s baby. Montero tells Mangle that Esme already told him this and they have an agreement that she won’t tell anyone. Ever resourceful, Mangle then tells Montero that Esme & Diego had a conversation alone and afterwards Esme looked very happy. As she hoped, this gets Montero jealous and he hurries off saying that he will put a stop to Diego and Esme’s relationship. Mangle wanted to tell him something else but it’s too late – he’s gone.

Diego and Esme are across the room from each other and there is music and conversation but each is only aware of the other. Then Montero comes in and tells everyone that he is going to make an announcement. Esme is nervous. She asks Montero what he is up to and he answers that it is something that she provoked.

Cut to Fernando (FS) and Maria Pia (MP) who are having a conversation away from the main party. FS tell MP how beautiful she is, etc. etc. He then says that he is about to close a deal that will bring him a large fortune (this must be Mercedes’ inheritance) and he has the brass ones to say that this fortune would be meaningful if he could share it with MP. [‘Meaning’ that he wants to share the fortune that he has stolen from his wife whom he had locked up in an iron mask for 20 years with his supposed true love whom he has lured away from being a nun by pretending that he did not in fact kill her sister in law when he did kill her and many other innocent women and children.] MP starts down this bad path by kissing FS.

Montero announces that his marriage will be filled with joy in about 9 months when Esme has his child. Everyone applauds and Esme and Diego look stricken. Montero asks Esme to say something and she faints. Montero carries her out and Diego tries to follow saying that this can’t be true and he needs an explanation. Alejandro stops him saying that this is not the time for explanations – Esme is Montero’s wife and by the way, Diego’s wife is right here. Diego doesn’t follow Montero but he leaves the reception and goes upstairs. Mangle looks really annoyed.

Almudena asks Montero to accompany Esme but he refuses saying that he can take care of his wife. Almudena asks how he could have made such an announcement and calls Montero unflattering names. Montero grabs Almudena and says that on the contrary, he is a gentleman saving the reputation of his wife who is pregnant by another man. Montero wants to leave with Pizarro but Pizarro wants to stay and see who the Maestro identifies as being Zorro. Montero agrees.

Alejandro goes up to Diego’s room and of course he isn’t there. He’s gone to the bat cave. Bernardo plays dumb to Alejandro’s questions about where Diego is. Al leaves and Bernardo scoots down to the cave where Diego is suiting up as Zorro. He tells Bernardo that Zorro has always fought for justice for the people of LA but this time it’s personal! He tells Bernardo that he won’t let Esme stay a minute longer with Montero. He will steal Esme. Bernardo’s expression indicates that he doesn’t think much of this plan but Zorro rides off.

MP pulls out of the lip clinch with FS and tells him that she isn’t going to let her desire run amok. She has matured and wants everything to be perfect when she gives herself to FS. ‘Let’s get married then,’ says FS, who obviously hasn’t matured at all. MP tells him that she needs time – hours or days to let her heart calm down. They start kissing again.

Alejandro is alone with Almudena [the skirt of her wedding dress looks like those shirred curtains some people have.] Al’s initial take is that Esme lied. She hasn’t been married to Montero long enough to know that she is pregnant. Almudena tells him the whole story.

Meanwhile Zorro is riding across the countryside where it is very light for the middle of the night.

We have comic relief with Tobias and the Maestro. Pizarro pressures Tobias to get the Maestro to make an identification because the Viceroy wants Zorro. Tobias is flattered that the Viceroy is in town. Meanwhile Catalina is trying to get the Maestro to stop eating and id Zorro. After scanning the crowd, the Maestro ids Tobias as Zorro. Tobias is impactado.

The Viceroy is in his office. [He has a really bad wig.] He orders his aide to have the soldiers be extra vigilant so as not to be surprised by an attack by Zorro. The aide reports no success in finding Mercedes. The Viceroy says that he knows she is here because the Marquesa told him there was a woman in the prison here. The aide asks what should he do when he finds her – bring her to the Viceroy? ‘No,’ says the Viceroy, ‘kill her immediately and then kill all the witnesses.

In the rat hole, Hermes has no success in taking Mercedes mask off. He suggests hitting it but that might kill her. Mercedes says that she is used to the mask. Hermes says that the gypsies will be able to get it off when they rescue her. Mercedes says that the gypsies and her daughter are the only things keeping her alive. Hermes asks if she will try to claim the throne of Spain when she escapes. Mercedes says that she only wants to be with her daughter far away. Hermes says that he hopes she won’t forget him. Mercedes answers that he will come with her. He is her dearest friend who saved her from insanity. Hermes shakes his head indicating, I think, that he thinks she is already insane.

Montero and Esme are in a carriage with an escort of about 15 soldiers. They are being shadowed by Zorro. Esme wakes up and yells at Montero. He tells her that she made it happen by talking to Diego alone. They are interrupted by cries of, ‘Zorro!’ While Esme looks on lovingly, Zorro defeats all the soldiers in the escort who conveniently attack him one at a time and don’t use firearms.

Pizarro arrests Tobias as Zorro. Alejandro tells everyone that the reception is over. Catalina asks Mangle for help from her father for her husband. Mangle blows her off by saying that it is a military matter and that if he is innocent, he will be released. ‘Some friend you are,’ says Catalina.

With no more guards to defend him, Montero and Zorro start to fight with swords.

The guests bid farewell to Alejandro and Mangle. Al asks Mangle if she thinks Tobias is really Zorro. She answers that she met Zorro once and Tobias isn’t Zorro anymore than Diego is Zorro. FS and MP saunter in laughing. Al asks where they’ve been for the whole party. MP says they’ve been talking about old times. FS barely acknowledges Mangle. He only has eyes for MP. Al says that FS is a changed man.

Zorro dis-swords [not a real word] Montero. Montero expects to be killed but Zorro says that he won’t do that so that Montero can always remember that Zorro spared his life this evening. Zorro then uses his handy smoke bomb to escape with Esme. [Was he carrying the smoke bombs around with the fuses lit? How did he light the fuses? Matches hadn’t been invented yet.]

FS takes his leave of MP saying that he has important business in town with the Viceroy. He then tell MP in a nice bit of irony that she has the dignity and bearing of a queen and that she will change him into a new man. He will await her decision.

Pizarro is questioning Tobias. Tobias admits that the Maestro is a senile fool who eats all the time and is incapable of identifying Zorro. Pizarro points out the similarities between Tobias and Zorro in complexion and height. He tells Tobias to consider himself the chief suspect. Pizarro and his men will search Tobias’ house and if they find evidence that Tobias is Zorro, he will hang.

Catalina comes to see Pizarro and says that Tobias is not man enough [no tendrias suficiente pantalones – ‘ he doesn’t wear enough pants’] to be Zorro. Pizarro says that they should not talk here. Catalina asks Pizarro to come to her house later and they can talk. ‘Only talk?’ says Pizarro with a hint of an expression on his face, ‘That’s boring. I’m not coming.’ ‘Whatever you want,’ says Catalina desperately, ‘just come.’

Back at the hacienda, Dolores tells Al and Almudena that Diego has disappeared. ‘Maybe he went off somewhere to deal with what Montero told him,’ suggests Dolores. Al agrees that this is possible. Al recaps the Tobias incident for Almudena and apologizes that the reception was such a disaster.

In the bat cave, Diego says that he has serious questions for Esme.

Alone on her wedding night, Mangle is annoyed that she told Montero about Esme & Diego because Montero’s announcement upset Diego. She promises that with the help of chemistry Diego will be all hers.

Almudena is worried that MP might get back together with FS. Al swears that he will not let MP get back together with FS.

FS gets out a box and rummages around in it but what he is looking for isn’t there. The key to the iron mask is gone! Who could have taken it? Cut to Olmos who is giving the key to his henchman, Gerardo, and telling him to guard it with his life. It is the only key that can open the iron mask. When Sara Kali escapes, Gerardo must bring the key so that the mask can be opened.

Esme is concerned that by abducting her, Montero will guess Zorro's identity. Diego says not to worry about that and asks Esme why Montero said that she was expecting a baby?

The credits roll.

Labels: Zorro