Caray, Caray!

Montero takes the mask off of Esme and gets on top of her saying that he can have her whenever he wants and no one will help her. Esme struggles but to no avail.

Diego asks Alej what Montero would get out of making everyone think that Esme was dead. Alej responds with some incomprehensible stuff about Esme being the heir to the Spanish throne. Diego wonders if Montero has Esme in the prison and Alej says that she could be anywhere. Alej goes on to say that he is worried that no one has heard from SK. Maybe she is on her way back to Spain? Diego says that he would give anything to see Esme. If he is so much in love with her, shouldn’t he try and rescue her? Alej says that if they confirm that she is alive, they will do everything they can to rescue Esme.

Back at the rape in progress, Aquirre interrupts Montero to report that FS has returned. Montero is impactado.

FS retakes his office, sends his men to get weapons that are in the basement and to find Olmos. Then he says to himself that now we will find out who’s in charge in LA.

Montero leaves Esme to take care of FS but he doesn’t put the mask back on. Aquirre tries to comfort her a little but Esme starts to cry [hey, at least she doesn’t have the horrible mask on!]

Mangle, dressed in mourning, finds Diego. She asks why he has been so distant and he blames it on the amnesia. He can’t feel anything for people he can’t remember. Mangle says that she will wait and is kissing Diego as a reminder of their ‘passion,’ when Olmos shows up to speak to her about her father’s property.

FS asks the maid where Olmos is. She says that he went out on Mangle’s business so FS assumes that he is at the de la Vegas. He asks the maid about MP and she says that all she knows is that she was saved by a miracle and that now she will become a nun.

MP tells the Cardinal and PT that NN [hey, I think she’s still nutty and it’s easier that typing Suplicios] is missing. She went to pick flowers for the chapel or to find Camba. The Cardinal approves of her good heart. PT thinks she might be lost and offers to go and try and find her.

NN wakes up in Renzo’s arms. He tells her to be quiet. Someone is nearby. It’s the slave hunters. Apparently, they not only track escaped slaves, they sell random people they find into slavery. Slave hunter #1 wants to enjoy NN and then sell her. The slave hunters find NN and Renzo in the bushes.

FS’s men surprise Montero and take him prisoner.

Olmos tells Mangle that Montero is out of control and wants her father’s money as well as Esme’s. Diego overhears and says that he is going out. Mangle tells Olmos to bring her to Montero’s house. ‘Isn’t that dangerous?’ asks Olmos. ‘Yes,’ says Mangle, ‘it will be dangerous for Montero to mess with me.’

Montero is brought to FS. FS asks Montero if he is still Governor. Montero says that FS gave up his power and left town naked. ‘Yes, but do you think that I am still Governor?’ demands FS. ‘Technically, yes,’ responds Montero, ‘but wielding power isn’t about what’s on a piece of paper.’ ‘True,’ says FS and he tells Montero that he is relieved of his military command for defying the Governor and sends him to prison.

Diego recaps for Bernardo the theory that Esme could still be alive and is squirreled away somewhere by Montero. He asks Bernardo to show him how to use all the Zorro tricks so he can rescue Esme.

Montero claims that FS can’t just strip him of his command and that his men will try and rescue him. FS agrees that there are certain formalities to be followed otherwise he would have simply been executed. If Montero’s men make any move to rescue him, Montero will be shot. Montero says that he refuses to go to a filthy prison and FS says that maybe we can make a deal. FS wants to know where SK and Esme are.

Jonas tells PT that Esme is probably dead and he needs to tell this to SK.

Esme offers Aguirre a fortune to let her out of the prison but he isn’t buying. Esme vows to get out of the prison.

PT says that he isn’t going to accept that Esme is dead unless he sees her body and furthermore he doesn’t want Jonas breaking SK’s heart until they are sure that Esme is, in fact, dead.

Montero tells FS that he doesn’t know where SK is and his men are searching for her all over California. As for Esme, Montero tries the ‘shot while escaping’ story. FS asks how he can say that so nonchalantly. Montero responds that FS shouldn’t pretend to have fatherly concerns. FS never cared for Esme and gave her to Montero to get her off his hands. The new implacable FS says, ‘If my daughter is dead, prove it. Show me her body.’

Aguirre must be off duty because he is accosted by Olmos in the street. For the second time tonight, Aguirre is offered a huge fortune. This time in exchange for Esme’s body. Aguirre brushes Olmos off and Olmos is angry that he can’t satisfy the Duke’s men. He must have Esme’s body – no matter what.

Montero tells FS that Esme’s body fell into a gorge and cannot be retrieved. FS tells Montero that he is lifting the martial law declaration. Montero asks if he can go. FS says yes but warns him not to try anything. FS has men who will die for him and Alej de la Vega wants to kill him. Montero leaves and FS tells his henchman to keep an eye on Montero and warn him if he or his troops do anything suspicious. [Geez! Bad move to let Montero loose]. FS repeats to himself that he does not believe Montero and won’t believe that Esme is dead unless he sees her body.

Mangle is waiting in Montero’s house when he returns from his meeting with FS. She accuses him of trying to take her whole inheritance. He denies it and says that he only wanted the Governor’s personal property and where did she hear this anyway. Mangle tells Montero that she got her information from Olmos. Mangle warns Montero not to get in her way and tells him that he shouldn’t underestimate her father. Montero, who is having a bad day, tells her to go away.

Bernardo shows Diego Zorro’s knives, sword and bombs.

I guess Aguirre was on dinner break in town because he is back at the prison eating dinner in front of Esme and cursing Olmos. Esme looks on hungrily and Aguirre gives her his food and Esme is well on her way to making him feel sorry for her.

Diego is fencing blindfolded with Bernardo and he wins. PT, who is also there, says that Diego is almost back to his old form. Diego says that all he needs now is his memory. PT starts to tell Diego about Esme but Diego tells PT that he already knows and recaps the return of FS and the theory that Esme is not actually dead. Diego says that he will pay another visit to the prison and get the truth out of Montero.

Mangle has a happy reunion with her father. He tells her that he had to come and take back his city. FS tells Mangle that he doesn’t believe that Esme is dead and Mangle swears that if Montero lied to her, he will pay.

Almudena is grieving terribly for Esme and no one has bothered to tell her that Esme might still be alive. Yumalai offers Almudena comforting words about life going on and a greater power taking the loved one for a higher purpose. Almudena thanks Yumalai for her kindness but she is still hurting.

Then Yumalai goes to give consolation to Alej by embracing him, which leads immediately into passionate kissing. But she stops and sends him to Almudena.

The Cardinal and MP are still worried that NN has not returned. PT says that he searched the valley and found nothing and no one had seen them [When did he have time to search the valley? He was talking to Jonas and then in the bat cave with Diego and Bernardo.] Cut to the camp of the slave hunters who have Camba, Renzo and NN.

At dinner at the hacienda, Almudena isn’t eating. Yumalai has disappeared and Mangle hasn’t returned from town. Diego excuses himself from dinner. In his room, he sees the flamenco dancer in his mind again and says that he has to remember, he has to.

MP is praying and FS comes in.

Diego realizes that the dancing woman in his dreams is Esmeralda. A rapid montage of characters in the novela indicate that Diego has regained his memory. He says that he has to find Esme.

Esme wakes up to find Pizarro outside her cell. He says that he won’t harm her but she calls him a traitor. He tries to convince her that he is still on her side and that what he has done was simply to save his life. Esme is not buying this.

Diego tells Alej that he can remember everything. He wants Alej to confirm that Esme is alive. Alej says that they can’t be sure and Diego shouldn’t have unrealistic expectations. Diego says that knows that Esme is alive. He would know if she died and that they have to save her from Montero’s clutches.

FS goes to see MP. He tells her that he tried to find God after he shot her and she didn’t die but the beast within him still lives. MP goes through the reasons that she can’t love him: murdered Regina; already married; kept his wife in prison. FS says that he still loves MP and MP says that he has forgotten him and thrown him out of her heart. FS says that deep down he knows that MP still loves him. MP says that she doesn’t love him and furthermore, she is going to become a nun and the Mother Superior of this congregation and he cannot stop her. FS says that since he couldn’t change, he will keep trying to get MP because if he can’t be by God’s side, he wants to be with MP.

At the slave catcher’s camp, NN wakes up and Renzo tells her what has happened. She wants to find Camba and sees him tied up and writhing around with some kind of problem – probably his demon. His finely muscled torso shows no evidence of having been flogged or beaten up by the slave catchers.

Diego tells Alej [in a bathrobe that is open to show his bare chest] and Almudena that he has regained most of his memory. He remembers who he is, who they are and he remembers his love for Esme. He doesn’t believe that she is dead and he has to find out out what happened to her.

Pizarro tells Esme that under the present conditions he can’t do anything for her but he assures her that he is on her side. He orders Aguirre to make the mask disappear and to clean Esme’s cell every day – dirt causes disease.

Diego remembers who Dolores is. He tells Alej that he wants to go out and try and remember things. Alej says it is better to wait and see whether FS defeats Montero and become Governor again. If that happens, Alej says that he won’t be happy working with him. Diego asks why Alej says that since he remembers that his father and FS had differences but were friends. Dolores, Almudena and Alej exchange meaningful looks. Alej says that he will tell Diego about the problem between him and FS later but that despite their differences, Alej would negotiate with FS to rescue Esme. Diego says ok and excuses himself to go tell the good news about his return of memory to Bernardo.

Almudena says that is will be very painful when Alej tells Diego what FS did to his mother. Alej agrees but says that he has to do it.

Diego tells Bernardo that he has regained his memory. They need to go to the bat cave. Zorro has work to do. If Montero had anything to do with Esme’s death, he will have no mercy on him.

Montero tells his men that FS isn’t going to mix it up in his city with a bunch of hired killers. He gives his men basically the same orders that FS gave to his men - keep an eye on FS’s men and tell him what they are doing. Pizarro comes in and Montero asks what happened to Sgt. Garcia. Pizarro says that he needed an idiot to go with him to the de la Vegas so he set Garcia free and took him. Pizarro doesn’t volunteer where Garcia is now and Pizarro doesn’t ask. Montero warns Pizarro that he is watching him and if he suspects that Pizarro is disloyal, he will kill him.

Zorro rides out of the bat cave.

Mangle returns to the hacienda and tells Alej and Almudena that FS is rational again and has retaken his position as Governor. Alej asks what happens to Montero but Mangle doesn’t know. Alej warns Mangle not to go into town so often in her condition – it’s dangerous. Mangle says that she had to see her father and her baby is fine. Almudena chimes in in agreement. ‘Anyway,’ she says, ‘we don’t know if you are really preggers. Young women often get it wrong. We’ll have to wait and see if your waist grows.’ ‘It will grow. Take it for granted’ responds Mangle. Mangle asks about Diego and Almudena tells Mangle that Diego has regained his memory. Mangle is impactada. The credits roll.

Labels: Zorro