Caray, Caray!

Ric is telling Gasparo about the camp of brigands that he and Mario spotted near the beach. Gasparo wonders how Ric knows they're pirates. The gist of Ric's answer is that it takes one to know one. "You're a pirate not by vocation, but by circumstance," Gasparo chides. Ric says he's made a pact and he's going to follow through. Gaspar says sure he will - until one of those guys runs him through with a sword. Ric retorts that in that case, he'll have the right to do the same.

Ric tells Gasparo that he and Mario saw contraband there too. Gasparo says this kind of thing is getting to be a problem for the king. Ric says he doesn't think it's fair that poor people have to pay so much (taxes, tariffs, transport, middlemen, etc.) to have things imported from Spain when they can make so many of these things locally. Gasparo essentially shrugs this off - everyone looks out for their own interests, and anyway, he doesn't make the laws.

Meanwhile, Gonzo is dining with a local dude and opines that it's quite a coincidence that Lis and Fran are traveling with a guy named Ric when they also have a relative named Ric who's a pirate. He's going to invite Ric to the inn for a drink, and he wants this local guy to say whether he's the pirate or not. The guy agrees, but I get the feeling that he'd recognize anyone for you if the price is right.

Gasparo asks for an update on Lis's inheritance situation. Ric fills him in on the Mystery of the Missing ED Letter and how he thinks Fran probably bribed the doctor to write it in the first place. He doesn't see any reason to deprive Cami of her inheritance anyway.

Gasparo says now that Bermeo has confessed to framing Ric on Tim's behalf, Ric ought to be able to sue for his own father's inheritance. Ric doesn't want to do that either. He's got plenty of money. He gets all serious and asks Gasparo if he can entrust him with something. Gasparo looks worried - like he's expecting Ric to confess to something very awful. But no; Ric is in love! Wheeeee! Gasparo's thrilled. "This is just what you need, get married, retire, live a normal life! Who's the lucky girl?"

Ric says it's Camila. "You just love trouble," Gasparo chuckles. He encourages Ric in his pursuit and says he's sure to win her over.

Jimena is trying to convince Cami that fate brought them together. She hadn't seen him in over a year, then he shows up and wants to get married. Cami still isn't as jumping-up-and-down excited about this as Jimena, but when Jimena says it's the will of God, Cami follows Jimena's eyes up to the ceiling. Jimena keeps going on about all the blessings Cami has in her life, not to mention Ursula's envy. Poor Camila says it's just happening too fast. She likes Ric and thinks he's attractive, but... Jimena says that's plenty enough reason to want to get in the sack with him!

Jorge, LaFont, and two other guys are talking about the highway attacks. They haven't found out anything yet, but it seems as though they're escalating and the guys are organized. (I'm confused about this... so are there TWO groups of highwaymen?) Jorge says, "So, are you going to nab the next caravan or not?" LaFont says it's as good as done.

Ric finally gets back to the inn, where the kid he hired to follow Gonzo yesterday reports that, among other things, Gonzo went to see Dr. Bonerfacio Gomez at the Droopy-Dingdong clinic, spoke briefly to a servant, and left. "The doctor wasn't there?" Ric asks. "Nope, poor guy died last week." Ric gives the lad a shiny nickel and sends him away.

Next day, Gasparo tells Ric that Bermeo confessed to everything. He said Tim ordered the hit, and Fran was there too but didn't say anything. He doesn't know if she'll be charged with conspiracy or not, and it will be a while before the entire case is closed. Until then, he advises Ric to go back to San Fernando while he waits for news, and continue working on Camila. He hopes he'll get to perform the wedding. Ric likes the idea, but he doesn't want to get married until he can do it with his own name.

Some people show up at the... I don't know what it's called. It's tall enough to be a door, but it's set a few inches above the floor, and is several feet above the street below, so it's more like a big window. Some people show up outside this window thingy, asking for a blessing. I don't like the window at all - it looks like a cage. If I were tuning in at just this moment and didn't know any Spanish, I'd see these two people looking up at the cardinal behind those bars and wonder if it was some kind of twisted zoo exhibit.

Gasparo seems surprised that Ric is going under a false name; I thought he was the one who got him the fake creds in the first place. Eh, whatever. Gasparo says he'll speak to the viceroy about getting his name cleared. It's not safe for Ric to stay here in the meantime. And if he brings the highwaymen to justice, the king would pardon him for his past pirately deeds.

The next boat to Mexico doesn't leave for three days. Ric declines to buy a ticket and says he'll think about it. He runs into Gonzo, who apologizes for being unfriendly to him earlier, and invites him to the inn for a drink at 5:00. (As he walks away, it looks as though Gonzo is checking him out!)

Next, Ric visits a (supposedly Chinese, but anybody can wear a long black wig and a Fu Manchu mustache) friend he addresses as "Chino." (I assume this is only a nickname... a really feeble one.) It appears that Chino... well, let's just tactfully say that he's a recycler... of contraband and stolen goods.

He's planning a boat trip this afternoon which would get Ric safely out of La Mariana. He's vague about who his customers are. Ric hints around about the Veracruz highwaymen, but Chino says it's not worth the considerable effort and risk to get involved with such people. Ric asks if Foreman is mixed up in any of it. Chino isn't sure, but he wouldn't put it past him.

Then Ric goes to the cemetery to visit his mother's grave and tell her the good news about clearing himself of the murder charge, because he knows she always doubted him. He asks what happened between her and Tim - why all the hate? But Mom's not in a chatty mood. (If anyone's wondering about the lengthy inscription on her tomb, don't worry, it's just generic tombstone stuff.)

Gonzo meets with his hungry local friend at the inn and they split a small pitcher of wine. As night falls, they realize Ric's not coming. The friend says he's going to Havana tomorrow, and Gonzo's going back to Nueva España, so they say good bye. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Over in Nueva España, Mario strolls through the plaza with Cami and Jimena. They chat about Ric's house (it's almost ready), and how they hope he comes back soon. They run into Jorge. "Oh, what a surprise," Jimena says in a borderline-sarcastic tone. "What surprise? We all live here, don't we?" He invites himself to escort Cami to her house for a talk. Mario grumbles disapprovingly as Jorge and Cami pull ahead. Jimena, who has her arm chummily wrapped around Mario's, says Cami's no fool.

Jorge is miffed that Cami didn't tell him about her plan to marry Ric, when he was being such a nice guy, unselfishly trying so hard to find her a husband. Cami says thanks, that was nice of you, and tries to explain the mixup, with her father going to see Jorge before Ric had a chance to discuss things with Justo. Jorge accuses her of lying - no doubt Ric proposed, but no way did he speak to Justo. (Jimena and Mario look worried.)

They pull ahead a bit further, so Jimena and Mario can't hear. He reminds Cami that as the boss hog of San Fernando, he has to give his consent to the marriage, and he can also exercise his right to bang her before the wedding.

She very, unbelievably, incredibly, Valiumly calmly tells him that this "right" doesn't apply to widows, and anyway, he wasn't able to do it when he had the chance. He says that's only because she escaped. They've got unfinished business, so she has to let him do it.

Cami very composedly says she doesn't think Ric would go for that, so she's just going to have to go ahead and say no. She also reminds him that as far as everyone else knows, he already did it, so he doesn't get to do it again. He says no one else needs to know about this. If she lets him do it before Ric comes back, then he won't object when Ric asks permission to marry her.

He kisses her hand and leaves. I think they should keep a wire brush and a jug of hot bleach to wash off ofter getting a hand-kiss from him, but she doesn't even wipe it off on her skirt. That's what I call ladylike manners. She doesn't tell Jimena and Mario what Jorge said; she takes off to talk to her father.

Ofelia, Ines, Manuela, and some other people are helping out at Ric's new house. Ines says she has a tummyache and asks Ofelia to excuse her. Ofelia asks her to meet with Saintly on the way home. Lis also asks Ines to tell Saintly she'd like to come by tomorrow to admire the forge's light. (I swear she seems sincere.) Manuela and Fran wonder what's wrong with Ines. Manuela thinks she seems sad.

Ines schlumps on out of there, then begins running when the house is out of sight. She runs, not to the forge, but to the mill, where Vasco is putting in his ten minutes of work per week. She tells him how anxious she is about this whole situation. "Yeah, I realize it's a little tough." "A LITTLE?" she gasps. She's desperate. Every day she hopes that he's spoken to Saintly, but no. She doesn't care if he hits her or yells at her (maybe she should work something out with LaFont), as long as he gets permission to marry her.

He takes her in his arms and says he's been waiting for the right time, but Saintly is always in a bad mood. She begs him to just do it. He needs a few more days. She badgers him only a tiny bit more, and then he admits that what happened between them really didn't mean much to him. It wasn't love, it was just lust.

Ines gives him a well-deserved slap. He grabs her roughly and yells, "If you think that's the way to get yourself a man, you're very much mistaken!!" She begs his forgiveness and says she's desperate. He says he's desperate too. Not only would he have to face her brother, but also his father and her mother.

He calms down and says she's going to have to marry Ascanio. Then he apologizes and says he just needs more time. Everything will work out. He takes her in his arms again and kisses her.

Guess who just moved to the top of my list of people I hope get run over by a pie cart.

At the forge, Ascanio shows off his first lantern. Claudio says it's all crooked. Saintly says it's not bad for a first try. Hans said that he and Franz would show him their first efforts, except Saintly melted them down. "Are you going to melt this one?" Ascanio asks Saintly. Saintly says no - he's going to keep it around as a warning for others who would wish to become blacksmiths. "Hey, this was your idea. I always had my doubts!" Saintly says he'll learn. Life is all about learning. Thusly inspired, Claudio asks Hans and Franz for an impromptu lesson on blacksmithing.

Ascanio tells Saintly he needs to find a place to live. Saintly suggests Justo's. Ines shows up with her message from Ofelia (but not Lis). It's practically a drive-by. Claudio hurries after her. Ascanio mutters to Saintly that his sister didn't seem very happy to see him.

Ines is crying by the time Claudio catches up to her. He tries to get her to talk. He tells her that when she convinced him to talk about his mother's death, he felt better. She tells him they want her to marry a guy she doesn't find thoroughly objectionable, but she's in love with someone else. (She ought to talk to Ursula sometime about what it's like to marry a nasty old creep when you're 15 years old.) Saintly told her the guy's not good for her, but she loves him! She loooooves him!

She runs off, leaving Claudio to walk alone across the plaza... and across the path of LAZARO!!!

It is at this moment that Ric's pirates discover that Lazaro's left. Jesus (I think this guy is the one named Jesus) flips out, saying Mario told them not to leave. They worry how Mario will react if Lazaro doesn't return before Mario comes back.

Lazaro is muy, pero MUY impactado to see Claudio chatting with Mario in the street. Mario pats the boy on the shoulder and leaves. Lazaro follows Claudio to Camila's house.

Lis, Fran, and Manuela are at Ofelia's when Mario shows up. Lis says the place is now ready, thanks to Ofelia's and Manuela's help. Just a few more things to bring tomorrow. Lis remarks to Manuela how nice Ofelia is. Manuela agrees that the whole family is nice.

Mario brusquely interrupts and asks to speak to Lis alone; she pulls away when he tries to take her arm, but walks alongside him. (In the background, Manuela tells Fran that this guy is weird-looking. "He works for Ricardo," Fran replies. Manuela falls all over herself apologizing, unaware of Fran's deep disdain for the man.)

Mario tells Lis that Ric has ordered that his men should stay in the barn; he needs them to protect the place. Lis hates the idea, but says fine, go get them now and we'll talk. She calls for her aunt and says she'll tell her about it later.

As they arrive at Jorge's, Manuela asks Lis if "that man" said something to upset her, because she's been so quiet. Lis pretends to have a headache. Sofia and Fortunata ask about the house. Fortunata wants them to wait for Ric to come back before they move in; Lis says he could be back at any time. Ursula bitchily asks what he's doing on that island anyway. Fran and Lis thank Manuela for her help and excuse themselves.

"So, what are you supposed to be now, the blind girl's servant or something?" Ursula snipes. Bravely locking eyes with... um... the table, Manuela says that it's especially because Lis is blind that she thought it would be right to help. Ursula mocks Manuela some more, "You can hang around with her all the time if you want," she says, but they'll get tired of her and she'll die alone of sadness at home. She stalks off.

Fortunata tries to make excuses for Ursula, saying she's upset because her suitor's coming soon, and she doesn't want to marry him. Manuela explains that she's trying to have other friends, and and her father thought Lis would be a good companion for her. (Sofia grunts suspiciously.) Fortunata says she hopes Ursula does marry this guy, because in her opinion, the reason Ursula's always in such a bad mood is because she needs a man. Sofia says Ursula's always been in a bad mood, and she sincerely pities the poor guy who marries her.

Manuela very timidly asks Sofia about the husband-search on her own behalf. (Sofia exchanges a cautious glance with Fortunata, who looks at Manuela with sympathy. Jeez, I know she's a little mousy, but she's not ugly!) Sofia tactfully says it's taking a while to find someone with all the qualities a young woman would like. Manuela says none of those things matter to her, as long as he's patient with her and won't beat her. (Part of me feels sorry for her, part of me wants to smack her for being so pathetic.) Fortunata's face becomes even more comically pitying.

Up in their room, Lis and Fran wonder why Ric ordered his thugs to stay on his property. All Fran can say is that she doesn't want to stay at Jorge's house any longer, or she'll die of disgust. Anyway, she doesn't believe the thugs are really there just to protect them; after all, no one's threatened them. But maybe they're after Ric. Who knows why he's really in San Fernando, Fran muses. Supposedly he's there to get Cami's inheritance back for Lis, but he doesn't seem to have any intention of actually doing it. There must be some other reason he's there. "He would have told me," Lis insists. Fran says if that's the case, that he would tell her everything, then surely he'd have told her why they need the protection of his crew.

Lis gazes thoughtfully into the distance. (I swear, just as we cut to commercial, I can see her eyes focusing.)

Downstairs, Fortunata and Sofia speculate as to whether LaFont beats his daughter. Fortunata doubts it, but Sofia believes he's maybe even more cruel than Jorge. Fortunata expresses surprise that Jorge is cruel; Sofia actually has to remind her of Jorge's bad qualities. She accuses Fortunata of seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.

Fortunata asks about the mysterious trip Sofia took with Justo. Sofia regales her with an insane tale of a clandestine picnic of passion. She smirks as Fortunata scurries behind her, begging for details. (Heh, that might have been just a tiny bit cruel, too.)

Saintly and Ascanio approach the pub; Saintly sees Vasco drinking with his friend. (I just noticed Vasco and his friend are wearing matching outfits. Que the hell? Did I miss something?) He suggests to Ascanio that they go someplace else. Too bad, because Saintly misses out on a great conversation.

Vasco is saying that Ines could spill the beans on him at any moment; he's thinking of leaving town. The friend seems to think that the problem will go away on its own if he simply does nothing, but Vasco says Santiago will just spy on him. He'd like to go to "the capitol" (I'm not sure which capitol, or where), but he's out of money. The friend asks about that "information" Vasco was thinking of selling. Vasco isn't sure how to go about it.

The friend says he'll help, but what is Vasco trying to do? Vasco admits that he's considering getting some money out of his sister. He hates to do it, because she loves her. The friend says he loves her too, but need comes first!

I take back what I said before about wanting Vasco to get hit by a pie cart. I want it to be a big wagon full of scorpions. Giant ones, with fangs and claws in addition to stingers. And guns.

Over dinner, Santiago explains Ines's weird behavior to Ascanio. She's always had a thing for Vasco. Saintly loves Vasco like a brother, but he's a irresponsible, embezzling, gambling, boozing disaster. He cheated on his previous wife (actually "woman," which may or may not refer to a n actual wife) every chance he got, may she rest in peace. And now there are rumors about him and Ursula. Ascanio thinks they should just give Ines some time to get over Vasco. He doesn't think it's good to force someone to marry, and he personally doesn't want a hostile wife. He's honored that Saintly and his mom thought so highly of him, but if Saintly doesn't want to go on with the blacksmith apprenticeship, he'll understand. Saintly doesn't let him out of it so easily. :-)

At the hideout, the pirates are still flipping out about Lazaro's disappearance, and there are complaints about the quality of their liquor. Lazaro is peeping in from above.

Claudio is complaining to Jimena that the current marriage rules aren't fair. Jimena says marriage among the rich is just business. Cami says it can be for the poor, too. They could combine their properties and have more stuff. Claudio is still worried. Cami asks where this is coming from. Is someone being forced to marry against her will? Claudio clams up.

At bedtime, Cami tells Jimena all about Jorge's demand that she let him have another crack at her before he gives Ric permission to marry her. Painfully practical Jimena thinks this is the simplest way to go. Cami says no, Ric's going to have to take care of this. Jimena is shocked that Cami's willing to let Ric risk his life over this, rather than make this one little sacrifice on her own. Cami says she's not going to let Jorge bully her. She wants a man who'll promise to protect her, and then follow through.

Jimena points out that Ric isn't a god who can win every battle. Then she realizes, oh hell, now Cami really does think he's a god. Cami says no, but she has to trust someone; and she'll feel safer when he's in town. Jimena leaves, and Cami has a momentary flashback or fantasy of making out with Ric.

Mario and (is it Jesus? I don't know!) talk business on their way to the hideout. I don't get every word of this, but evidently some friend of theirs is on their way to meet them... as part of a caravan. And there's some discussion of getting the guys moved over to Ric's ASAP, because they're getting restless.

The first thing Mario notices when they get to the hideout is that Lazaro is missing. As expected, he takes the news extremely poorly. Jesus says he was out buying food when it happened, they tried to stop Lazaro, but you know how he is. Camila's name comes up, but I don't understand what they're talking about. Mario says something about hogtieing Lazalo .

He hightails it back to town to look for Lazaro. He searches all the obvious places - bars, restaurants, and of course Porky's, the bordello, where he has to fend off an amorous employee.

BAM! It's nighttime.

LaFont is in the woods with his men, waiting for the caravan to arrive. Their scout reports that there are eight uniformed guards, and a wagon with two big trunks. The rival group of highwaymen (the non-Ric pirates) also wait. The pirates suspect that someone else is around, but this doesn't bother them much.

The caravan arrives. The pirates make their move. LaFont watches the melee unfold. The noise wakes Lazaro, who has been camping nearby. It's hard to follow the action, but some guy - I'm not sure if he's someone we're supposed to know or not, he might be the friend that Mario and Jesus were talking about - is savagely beaten by one of the pirates and left for dead. The pirates ride off with the horses and other treasures.

Mario's goes back to the hideout, and is told that someone else is now AWOL. Mario isn't amused by the suggestion that this guy is out with a woman. One of the men complains (I think) that they don't know what they're supposed to be doing.

LaFont sends his men after the pirates. The man on the ground struggles to stay conscious, because he doesn't want this creepy guy with the rooster hair to be the last thing he sees before he dies.

---

Jueves
The Duke shows up in a fancy carriage. I hope this guy brought a clean shoe to drink out of.

Labels: Pasion