Queen of Swords Ponderings

Episode 4 - 'Vengeance'

Approx. 25 minutes of screentime

Tons of cursing in the episode. I'm not sure if I like yet. I approve if it is what the characters should be saying, but not if the show just likes to be edgy and force some markets to bleep words (and entire scenes).

Rephrase that last episode's ponders. EVERY week is 'Kill Dr. Helm Week'. And a new twist! Helm even tries to kill himself a little.

Twice in town a crossbow-wielding assassin targets him.
Queen nearly slits his throat.
Tumbles down a ravine.
In the flashback, Ian Latham fires a gun at him.
Assassin tries to kill him with a sword.
Assassin comes back from unconsciousness to attack once more.

Helm would let an innocent man die as long as HE lives? THAT'S new.

The way Helm gathers the men in the church to talk. The way that man can utter the word "death". I'm not comparing his character to another VERY old one; I am simply pointing out the similarity to Highlander in GENERAL. It IS by some of the same producers. I think I should be allowed to compare THEM.

Helm's hair length keeps changing. Couldn't be caused by a 16 lost reels re-shoot of some scenes now could it? Whatever happened, I am partial to the longer cut. Curls on the forehead give Rain weak knees.

The brown duster is back as he is sneaking into the hotel room. So why not the hat?

Another Helm trench as he is leaving town. The pale one. He is LEAVING TOWN but WITHOUT A HAT? He'll get sunburn on his nose! Why did he forget his hat? Because I, the Keeper of the Scruffy Hat, kept too close a guard on it even Helm himself can't wear it anymore? I hope not. In any case, "The gods, they mock [Rain Pierson]."

The scene by the cliffs where Helm leaps off the rock onto the Queen. I could watch it for hours. The noise he makes as he jumps. What she says. What he says. Rewind. The noise he makes as he jumps. What she says…

BAD Montoya! Guess you don't need a doctor that bad after all. I can really tell now that 'Fever' was not supposed to be aired yet. Montoya would have valued Helm more if it had. Of course these ponders came to me BEFORE I was sure Montoya ONLY wanted the Queen and was using Latham the assassin to get her and not to kill Helm.

Did Montoya finally get tired of sending Grisham out to get the Queen and failing? So this time he actually went out of town to do it himself? He could have died. Stupid moves to make the Queen such an openly personal adversary.

"Leftenant Robert Helm of His Majesty's Service." Leftenant, Peter? Really? There's that True Brit surfacing again. 'Schedule', Colonel Montoya?

Are the Queen and Helm even yet in saving each other's asses?

The Queen saves the Doctor from assassination by crossbow at the church
The Queen saves the Doctor by leading away the Colonel's men
The Doctor saves the Queen from Latham by fighting him instead
The Doctor saves the Queen from Montoya by putting her blade to his throat and buying her time to get away
Montoya saves the Doctor from Latham by shooting him with the crossbow.

Round 2 to Helm's healing hands. He punches out Latham instead of taking his life.

It WOULD be a long walk back to town for Helm and Montoya. How long had Helm and the Queen ridden before the others caught up?

Robert's Tessa:

Tessa the hypochondriac makes an appearance to make certain Helm knows about Ramon's suicidal quest and to guilt the doctor into action.

Helm's impatience is evident again in his office with Tessa. He talks his way through it, listening to Tessa talk on and on, trying to examine her instead. Finally he is bothered enough deep inside his conscience and sends her away, perhaps even canceling any other appointments he had waiting in his office. I'm not sure it's Tessa exactly he is annoying with. Simply women like Tessa. He doesn't single her out in the aristocrat population. She definitely wishes he did. I think that's why she went for supplies to help save Don Aguilera at the beginning. And before that, she said hello to Helm at the outdoor party as he walked on by offhandedly acknowledging her, "Señorita".

I can't decide whether I want Tessa to act like she likes Helm or not. She could fight with Marta about it some more ("His eyes are green"). I kind of do, so I can play more on the Queen's flirtations. I also want to see Helm continue to ignore Tessa's aristocratic, hypochondriac, shallow, flighty, flowered skirt, hair down wearing, American accent speaking, size 7, Alvarado ass.

Robert's Queen:

Helm is angry with the Queen throughout the beginning because at his office, she wants him to make things right with the assassin, his target, the unfortunate victim, Ramon and Don Fuentes.
Yet, he is relieved it is she who finds him as he's leaving town. She is on his side that she doesn't take him back to town, when she most certainly could have knocked him out and dragged him back to the pueblo. Trust is important here. She trusts he WILL change his mind.
Then we know but Helm doesn't, she leads the Colonel away from Helm.
He gets to use the Queen's sword. More trust going back and forth between them. She hardly knows him.
He doesn't kill Latham. Queen must be proud because she doesn't like to kill either.
Helm doesn't let Montoya know when she's sneaking away.
Helm is sad when she's left his office at the end before he was done speaking. He doesn't actually realize how much he likes her. I don't believe he meant to flirt. He just said ambiguous phrases that the Queen took to be flirting. He DOES lean very close to her though before handing her her sword.
The Queen does flirt the entire hour. Helm doesn't care. It's like she's not even a girl. Why doesn't he make himself open to the possibilities of love? Doña Hidalgo or Tessa or the Queen: he always responds coldly. Not mean, just not interested. We had a killer guy in the closet. Have we an old flame in that closet too? I hope we don't get any kissy kissy flashbacks like the war flashbacks from Northern Spain. Nice fake Spanish accent, by the way, Peter. Not.
Where did Helm's horse wander off to? I had an idea before the final scene aired. Would the Queen find his horse and come to trade it for her sword? Something like leaving your purse in his car at the end of a date so that he absolutely has to see you again?
And yes, she came for her sword. Or a little more? Because Tessa likes Helm and Helm can't go around casually kissing TESSA, but he COULD kiss the QUEEN!
Helm is all chummy with the Queen for sure now, but what will he tell other people? He needs to be more on Montoya's side, or at least the rich citizens' side, in public. Helm is not a peasant where the Queen could be so simply and perfectly his hero.
Did he partly stay for the Queen? Not for the town's medical needs and his pride and to resume his settling down in a new start at life as a doctor.
He's got his saddlebags to unpack. He must have found his horse.

Loose Mentions:

It's nice to know there are more important people in the area than nameless party attendees at Montoya's 'Let's Honor Helm Again' parties.

Uncle Luis!!!!

The Assassin: I dig the trench. I dig the accent. Despise the mission.

A different stethoscope. Three total now, I hear from their KEEPER.

Helm's office is 'back'. Don'tcha just love when they don't show the episodes in order?

"Seems I'm not the only one to hide behind a mask." Go Queenie! You tell him!

I saw that 'sleeping Mexican' outside the hotel and thought, "The pueblo is so empty most of the time. He looks out of place and important. Watch out, Doctor!" And I was right.

"No one can hide from Montoya forever." The murderer or Helm, Colonel?

Not so much Tessa. No Grisham at all. Not much Marta either.

The Queen's horse. Pretty pretty bridal metalwork. Silver heart on the forehead.

Such pretty pale green eyes Val Pelka has in the episode…

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"Queen of Swords" Ponderings