Episode Commentary, Synopses, Spoilers

Pondering the Queen of Swords

Queen of Swords cast

Pondering the Queen of Swords

When I watched each of the first eight episodes, certain things sprang to mind, mostly about Dr. Robert Helm, but not exclusively. Here are my thoughts, my observations, my questions, my theories. Some have also been discussed on the eLists I belong to but I tried to publish only my initial reactions and not the list feelings. It’s not my fault if they are occasionally the same. One more note: I never have tried in my Ponders to be actively philisophical, analytical, or judgemental. These are intended to be fun and thought provoking thoughts. I often raise more questions than answers and I value any feedback or criticism you’d like to send me. Who knows? I may just add it to the page with my eternal gratitude!!

Now in 2020 as the site’s redesign is in full swing, it’s been nearly twenty years since The Queen of Swords aired, many popular fan sites have gone offline. I’ve decided to preserve a couple of those sites’ awesome and/or hilarious Episode Commentaries here alongside my Ponders. They’ll be labeled with their own authorship. All copyright of those archived commentaries remains with their original authors: Eng @ Highlander Quill Club (http://7parabian.com/QueenofSwords/qos1.html) and the Methos Boxer Brigade (http://www.pynhavyn.com/qos/photos.htm).



Season 1, Episode 1 — Destiny

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

tarot card

  I want more Tony. That first scene just isn’t enough.
  Tessa sure can recognize people by only their eyes. The man who used to work for her father is no mystery, even after many years. I guess the townies are the blind ones and newcomers will have a better chance of discovering the identity of the Queen. (Yeah, right)
  A camera shot of a brown feisty horse as Tessa arrives at the Alvarado hacienda. Will this end up serving as the Queen of Swords’ horse?
  Scene in the dead garden. Hits my heart each time I watch this episode. I’d love to see more of the Alvarado hacienda’s exterior. With the garden replanted and re-grown. Beautiful again, just like Marta promises.
  Hawk-choke-hawk-spit: Like the popular clique in high school, these aristocrats are nice to your face and then stab you in the back. Selfish. Shallow. Power-hungry. Yet the underlings will always worship you in a way and want to BE you. Colonel Luis Ramirez Montoya is so plainly icky in this episode, with not as much depth as we will see later on.
  I enjoy flamenco dancing.
  So thick and voluminous Tessa’s hair can be as shown in her kata with the sword. Why are her tresses worn so down and sheen all the rest of the time? It adds pounds to her face.
  Grisham’s secrets: Why did he leave the army? Scandal! It probably wasn’t by choice. Either that or the army didn’t know he was leaving until he was gone.
  Don Hidalgo: “There is nothing like married life.”
    — You act so content, Gaspar, advising Tessa to make babies. Where are yours? Does Vera not hang around the hacienda long enough to create any?
  I’d love to lunch above the crashing waves. Just not with a crazy capitán.
  On her wedding night, Tessa’s husband will be the happiest man in all of California. I guess we now have the real reason Doctor Helm sweeps into town next week!
  Don Raphael Alvarado (Dad)
  Santa Rita wine. Symbolic? I don’t know who Saint Rita was or what she is the patron saint of though.
  Tessa wakes up late in the evening from a dream. She rummages through a back room. She hurries to dress all in black from the trunk of various forgotten clothes, plus a flashy red sash. No wonder she’s a little shaky at first in her fight against Grisham. She gets better though. The coffee must have kicked in finally.
  I love the look on Montoya’s face as he notices the tarot card left in the dust at his feet.
    — And even better is the look when Tessa falls backwards into his arms. I’m feeling... faint... in thought of this execution. Like she’s covered in mud or something, Montoya is annoyed, disgusted, and VERY uncomfortable that a beautiful woman is touching his uniform.
  Awesome horse the Queen has to leap up onto the gallows.
  The kid wet his pants.
    — It’s so obvious as the Queen rides away from him.
    — It’s completely understandable that it would happen, but strange that no one on either mailing list I subscribe to mentioned it.
    — Very realistic to the life of the condemned, and everything else in the world was debated and critiqued and picked apart.
    — I was surprised.


Nifty Trivia and Allusions, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki:
  The uniforms were changed after this episode as being unrealstic for a backwater province of Spain. The red trousers were considered too “Opera.”
  Montoya refers to “The skin of the Fox” when handed part of The Queen’s shirt. This is the only reference in the series that could be attributed to Zorro.

Destiny

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  When Tessa Alvarado (Tessie Santiago) learns of her father’s death in California in a fall from his horse, she abandons her life in Spain, which included fencing lessons, and returns to her birthplace. She quickly learns all is not well. Her father’s servant, Carlos, has turned to robbery and been arrested, the house is in disrepair and in arrears on taxes and a military dictator has set himself up as the law.
  Although she attempts to save the man servant’s life, her request to Colonel Montoya (Valentine Pelka) is ignored, in spite of the cooperative words of Montoya. The man is shot by firing squad even as Montoya entertains guests.
  Tessa visits the widow, giving her a gold piece for food. And she tries to learn if her father’s death was an accident. At another meeting with Montoya, he inquires how she will pay her taxes. Later he talks to Capt. Grisham (Anthony Lemke), who he finds in bed with Don Hidalgo’s wife, and encourages him to court the young Spanish woman in order to control her wealth and property.
  Grisham attempts to court Tessa with an elegant luncheon by the sea, and as they return to town, Carlos’ son is caught and arrested for trying to spend the gold piece that Tessa gave his mother. In spite of Tessa’s intervention, the boy is to be punished.
  Sparked by rumors that her father’s death was not an accident and her failure to help Carlos and his son, Tessa has a dream in which her father reveals her destiny to avenge his death and oppose those who oppress the people, calling her his “avenging angel.” She and her companion Marta (Paulina Galvez) discover a hidden room with the family valuables, including a family sword and Tessa sees her destiny.
  Donning her black fencing clothes and using a piece of her mother’s lace shawl for a mask, she sets out to town to rescue the boy. She frees the boy and faces down Grisham in a sword fight, getting the best of him. But she is not a murderer and she flees, leaving behind her calling card, the Queen of Swords from the Tarot deck.
  When she goes into town to pay her taxes, she learns that the young man had returned to his mother’s house and had been caught again and now would hang. Showing no reaction, she proceeds to pay her taxes but feigns illness when Montoya expects her to view the execution with him. Marta takes her to Montoya’s office to lie down and the Colonel goes to oversee the hanging.
  Now, the Queen of Swords must rescue the youngster again, this time in full view of the town and Montoya.



Season 1, Episode 2 — Death To The Queen

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

peck of apples

Dr Helm has approx. 17 minutes of screentime

  He’s rough around the edges, never completely “cleaned up”. And I personally wouldn’t wish him to be.
  I’m taking bets on how long Peter was growing that stubble for that first scene.
  Helm says “hell” a lot.
  He’s not patient, but he’s not “rude” when he tells you that fact.
  He speaks what he means. He hardly holds back and does let people know when he’d rather be saying more (to Montoya repeatedly).
  Hates suffering and needless deaths. This is why he is a Doctor now instead of a trained killer.
  Will he keep putting his life on the line for the Queen? And will she trust him with her secret identity someday?
Sore spots: Napoleon reference by Montoya at his party, Blood and Death reference by Marta.
    — Will Helm lapse? When will his past catch up to him? When will he break?
  Marriage minded he is NOT. But he’ll SURE be reminded he is of the age and financial and social standing FOR marriage. Señora Hidalgo already began on Helm. She also started in on Tessa about looking good for a man at the party. I’m pretty sure she had Helm in mind since he didn’t seem interested in the blonde herself earlier.
    — He is flattered by Señora Hidalgo, but hates the direct flirting approach, especially from a married aristocrat. He probably also had trouble understanding her thick accent. I did.
    — Helm’s background and customs are different. Being English and spending time at war being a soldier and in riding all the way from Texas whilst being a ruffian. He is not typical Old World Wealthy or Spanish Catholic. More clashes ahead if he wants to “dine on the shore” with Tessa Alvarado.
  I wonder if he was hoping to treat the Queen’s wound more intimately in his office, alone, keeping the mask on of course.
  Helm is attracted to both Tessa and the Queen. Likes and dislikes both women at the same time actually.
    Tessa:
    • Likes that she speaks her mind and isn’t a cookie cutter Señorita like the other women in town.
    • Hates that her mind is to insult him, now days it’s called “flirting” and playing hard-to-get. But back then it just wasn’t done. We know Tessa likes him because she noticed his eyes are green, no matter how many tarantulas she’s apt to keep comparing him with to Marta.
    • Gets a kick out of her sense of humor about the apple and hunger at the end of the episode.
    Queen:
    • Likes that she wants to save the peasants’ needless dying at the hands of Montoya and Grisham.
    • Hates that she is so far under Montoya’s skin. She is just a small time folk hero for goodness sake. And she is a sword-wielding warrior such as Helm is not anymore.
    • Gets a kick out of her sense of humor about that officer possibly not being able to count.
    • The Queen isn’t sure yet what to think of Helm. She didn’t expect to trust him when he cut her ropes. It will take some heavy convincing that Helm is on her side. WILL he ever be forced to betray her and she lose this small amount of trust the two already have?
Loose additional thoughts on the episode:
    — Colonel Montoya’s father’s death a year ago. He celebrates it!!!!
    — The Queen’s sword ended up on the beach. She had left it up on the cliff when she jumped. I watched her drop it! We’re using the katana space theory from Highlander on this show aren’t we?
    — I suppose now there is going to be a never ending supply of Tarot cards for the Queen to leave for the Colonel. That supply ship may become suspicious after awhile when Marta and Tessa keep requesting replacements of the Queen of Swords card each week. We can’t order up a fresh bolt of cloth each week, but we CAN destroy our fortune telling deck of Tarot cards? Hmm...

Death To The Queen

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  As this episode opens, a mining operation is in full swing with the peasants of the pueblo working in the mines under the direction of the military. A new cartload of men is brought up and one escapes. He runs up into the hills until he almost reaches the top of a bluff and Capt. Grisham offers him a hand. Refusing it, the man falls to his death.
 In town, Tessa and Marta wander through the open market looking for fresh produce. Since the supply ship is late, Tessa complains about the lack of fruits. Spotting a single apple in a barrel, she reaches for it only to see it snatched up by a scruffy-looking man who promptly takes a huge bite of it. When she chastises him for it, he tells her he was hungry, something that a lady of privilege wouldn’t likely know about. Col. Montoya arrives moments later and addresses the newcomer as Dr. Helm and takes him away to show him the pueblo.
 As Tessa and Marta return home, Tessa complains about the new man, but Marta notes that he has “teeth as white as pearls, broad shoulders and blue eyes.” “Green eyes,” Tessa corrects. Then a woman comes up to them and tells them her husband is missing, He was taken to the jail the day before and the jail told her he’d been released but he hasn’t come home.
 Tessa investigates by asking Col. Montoya about it. He brushes it off, a husband who has perhaps made a bad choice in life partner and doesn’t return home. After Tessa has gone, he discusses the mining operation with Grisham. The men are ill, Grisham tells him. But Montoya tells him to take more. He must have gold in order to buy the artillery he needs. Grisham comments that taking more men would surely attract the attention of the Queen of Swords, an issue which Montoya clearly considers a bonus.
 And, indeed, it does. As the Queen of Swords, Tessa goes to investigate the mining operation and rides into a trap set for her. A bullet from a round of rifle fire strikes her in the left side and she falls from her horse. When she regains her feet, she must fight foot soldiers. She climbs up a hill to make a stand, fighting off her two pursuers, but then Grisham arrives. She looks over the edge to her only chance of escape — the ocean. She takes it and disappears into the water. Even though Grisham’s men search for her, they only find a piece of material as evidence of her demise. Grisham takes it, instructing the men to continue to search for her body and rides back to town.
 Meanwhile, Dr. Helm has set up practice in the town square and is treating his patients. Montoya talks to him about a “hypothetical” situation of illness with men confined in an enclosed space and if there is some medicine that might help them. Dr. Helm informs him that he would need to see the men to make a diagnosis.
 While Marta shops in town, she runs into Señora Hidalgo who tells her that the Queen of Swords has been killed. At the same time, Grisham is telling Montoya that the Queen jumped and may be dead or badly injured. The cloth is silk, not a peasant’s clothes and Montoya believes that if the Queen is still alive, she would not dare to bypass his invitation to the party to introduce the doctor... unless she is badly injured.
 Back at the oceanside, Tessa has washed ashore and regains consciousness as a soldier finds her. She escapes, stealing a horse and returns to her home. Marta returns, believing that Tessa has been killed, and finds her waiting for her. In spite of her wound, which is bleeding, Tessa insists she must attend the party.
 At the party, Montoya learns that the Queen is alive and has escaped. His anger turns to joy when he spots a bloody mark on the wall and leaps to the conclusion that the injured woman is at the party. He tells Dr. Helm to go along with his plan and tries to force the Queen to reveal herself. Tessa is bleeding and nervously waits in line with the other women whom Dr. Helm is greeting — and examining for a wound. Coming to her aid, Marta breaks a glass in her hand and steps forward, saying that the blood is hers.
 As Dr. Helm treats her injury, she touches his hand and gets visions of a bloody battle where Helm was a soldier, not a doctor. She tells him his hands aren’t those of a doctor. Surprised, Helm seems a little nervous as Tessa comes to claim her servant.
 Helm is stopped by Montoya and told his services are needed. The hypothetical situation is now real. Helm goes to the mines to examine the ill men. At Tessa’s home, Señora Hidalgo comes to see Marta about sewing her a dress and complains that two of her grooms were arrested for brawling and have not been returned. She expects they have been sent to the mines.
 As Helm discusses the men’s health with the soldier in charge, the Queen watches from the cover of some bushes. The soldier suspects she is there and forces her to show her hands. She is captured and tied to a post to await the arrival of Grisham and Montoya. As they wait, Helm goes to treat her wound which has begun bleeding again, but it is really to cut the bonds holding her wrists. He tells her the rest is up to her.
 As Montoya and Grisham arrive, the Queen escapes into the mine. The soldier goes after her with Grisham’s promise of promotion urging him on. Helm opposes Montoya if he plans to kill her and Montoya shoves him out of the way. The Queen blows up the mine and escapes.
 The supply ship arrives and life is back to normal in the pueblo, although Montoya doesn’t get his artillery. But fresh fruit has arrived and Tessa beats Helm to an apple at the top of the heap. She tells him she did not eat all morning so she would know what hunger is like.

Death To The Queen

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

Doc Helm’s first appearance on the scene: Tell me this isn’t the niftiest hat you’ve seen since Indiana Whats-his-name.
  Is it my imagination, or do you feel a Buzz in the air? Montoya: “Doctor Helm, we’ve been expecting you.”
Now all the Highlander fans imagine the rest of the convo goes like this:
    Helm: “Didn’t you used to have a scar?”
    Montoya: “Didn’t you used to be shorter?... “Like the coat, Roberto. I’m thinking of getting one of those.”
    Helm: “Like the pony tail, Luis. Reminds me of somebody... Been a long time, Luis. What’s new with you?”
    Montoya: “Same old, same old.”
    Helm: “What’s the story on Señorita Alvarado?”
    Montoya: “She’s no Cassandra, Roberto.”
    Helm: “Thank God for that, Luis. But say, can you tell me what happened to the rest of her nose?”

  While Lady Zorro is secretly following the next batch of captive peasants to the hidden mine, Dr. Helm is busy with shaving and the metaphor of the cracked mirror and a very nosy Doña Hidalgo, who has all the grace of a starved wolf, slavering over new meat.
  “Isn’t my wife beautiful?” Don Hidalgo remarks, both boasting and warning. (Vera is, after all, already fluffing the sheets with Grisham.) “You should get one of your own,” Don Hidalgo adds whle Vera does her best “walking away” exhibition. Dr. Helm thinks it’s a damn shame they haven’t invented penicillin yet.

  Colonel Montoya decides to throw a ball in Dr. Helm’s honor to flush out the Queen of Hearts. Knowing she’s been wounded, he thinks she will either not show up or at least will betray herself at the party.
  Dr. Helm tends to Marta’s injured hand. She apologizes for being such a bother, but she’s clearly measuring him like a tailor for Tessa. He tells her not to worry, that he’s not a fan of parties, especially not ones held in his honor. It’s the first clue that he may have been a hero in the past. As he finishes the bandage, Marta’s hand curls around his. Marta taps into a flashback. Drat! I thought I was over those flashback spells when I changed series!

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 3 — Fever

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

mortar and pestle

Dr Helm has approx. 13 minutes of screentime

  Helm rolls his eyes every time Montoya opens his mouth. Personal servant? The medicine is all yours? Yeah right, the fever is making you delirious, Colonel!
  At the mine when Grisham holds him at gunpoint, he is not afraid. Not in the least. When the Queen shows up and the sword fight ensues, Helm finally flinches and shies away from the swinging swords. Afterwards when she takes a pinch of medicine for her “friend”, he acts like he likes her again though. Nervous doc no more. They thank each other graciously.
  Helm is a quack. Really he is. He would have to be. A doctor in 1817, come on! But with his office in charcoal shambles, he has become a quack with no quackery! Maybe I just like how that sounds. I respect him completely because he WANTS to help people and heal people, but he can’t realistically do much for you. Unless you need to get out of that confined space you are working in. Or you have the fever that willow bark tea can cure... Reminds me of Dr. Quinn. She was always incorporating Cherokee healing teas into her practice. And they worked.
Breath halting moments:
    — When Enrique conked Helm on the back of the head. I honestly couldn’t breathe until half the commercial break was over! Poor Dr. Helm. But I would have wanted to do the same thing if I was a poor enlisted husband and my wife was dying from the fever. Brave Enrique! But poor Dr. Helm! Have I mentioned that? I can’t be sure.
    — The Queen is lying on the rocks by the mine and Grisham is gonna kill her. Helm looks at the gun Grisham has dropped. He stares and stares at it. He grabs for it. The Queen screams for Robert to shoot Grisham. Time is running out for her. If he doesn’t shoot this gun, the Queen will die. Grisham was threatening the Doctor moments ago but he was in no real danger of being shot. Grisham is probably supposed to only take the Queen prisoner. Montoya would wish to deal with both good guys in his own way in his own time. But Grisham cannot be trusted. He is killing Montoya as we speak, or rather don’t speak, holding our breath, waiting for Helm to make his move. Suddenly we hear a shot! Helm has fired the weapon! But not at Grisham. Only his sword. It is now in two pieces. The Queen quickly gains advantage and Helm throws the gun as if it were a rattlesnake. Helm’s “lapse to the past” is not this week. Round one to Helm’s healing hands.
  Helm has now saved the Queen’s ass twice. And HOW MANY EPISODES has Helm appeared in? That’s right. Two. I see a theme here. And I like it very much.
  But before he can save her he has his own trials to leap through. It was try to kill Dr. Robert Helm week.
    — Enrique knocks him out cold in the middle of the street. And there was no one to take care of him. No one who cared knew he was lying out there in the dust! What a headache when he came to, but we viewers never got to see.
    — Later, there is an explosion at his office. Was he in the back? Is he immortal (I’m not actually going there, that is a ridiculous thought)? I enjoyed the ashes on his face and clothes for the rest of the day though. I hope his lodgings are somewhere else. But where, we haven’t been told. So where is all our stuff we are “keeping” for him? Where is my Hat? And the riding duster? He sure wasn’t wearing them when he took off on his horse following Grisham. Was he THAT focused on the medicine? Was he in THAT much of a hurry? (This is okay; he IS the doctor and all.) But I wanted to see my hat all safe and sound. It got away from me, and I’m sorry!!! I hear that Helm is still all Classic Cowboy (which I LOVE!) next week. Maybe he’ll need his hat...?
The Queen of Swords, in Helm’s mind:
    • Helm admits he hasn’t yet formed a definitive opinion of the Queen of Swords. He tells Tessa and Marta “it’s best never to rush to a diagnosis.” Last week the Queen didn’t want to hurt anybody. This week she blatantly begged Helm to shoot Captain Grisham. He publicly credits the Queen with recovering the medicine for him. The common folks’ faith is restored in their hero. Is it mentioned whether Helm himself ever for a moment believed the Queen mugged him for the medicine? We know he would change his mind as soon as he found the explosive pin thing, but before? Did he really believe otherwise?
Señorita Tessa Alvarado, in Helm’s mind:
    • Less obvious, as he is more concerned with making more medicine the entire hour. He is very annoyed with her when she barges into his office, but he was already ticked due to having to confiscate the colonel’s guard’s gun, and nearly his sword as well. He would have treated anyone, not just Tessa, in the manner he does. Again, after the explosion, he reprimands her as a foolish woman for getting in his way simply because she is not being useful, such as bearing a bucket of water. It isn’t that she personally annoys him. At the end of the episode he is as friendly as he’s ever been to her. At another of Montoya’s parties “in his honor”. We all know how thrilled he must be.
Loose mentions:
    — Helm’s lines aren’t “Classic” but they are definitely Golden. In the clever, leave-me-the-hell-alone sort of way.
    — Did Helm know the Queen followed him in his run after Captain Grisham? Was he unafraid of Grisham because he saw the Queen above the mouth of the cave preparing to leap down upon them?
    — Why didn’t Helm simply grab for the medicine during the sword fight? The Queen and Grisham were well out of his way several times, but he still cowered behind the woodwork of the mine entrance. Were the duelers closer to him than the camera work indicated? He reached for the gun suredly enough later.
    — The Montoya/Grisham alliance is wearing more and more thin. Grisham is a dumb man. He proved it when Helm gave him the opportunity to act as a “smart man” would. Montoya will snap that leash without a batted eyelash. Hee hee hee. But then who will do his dirtywork?
    — Salicylic Acid, made from Willow Bark is one of the main ingredients in aspirin. What these people could have accomplished with a Walgreen’s around the corner! *grin*

Fever

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

 A fever, possibly a flu or a cold, is spreading across the small town and the surrounding area. Enrique’s wife is down with the fever and just as he is going to go fetch the doctor, Capt. Grisham arrives and presses him into military service to help replenish the ranks.
  Seeing Enrique being forced along, Tessa thinks he is being arrested, but Col. Montoya informs her he is now a soldier. With the fever and the Queen of Swords forcing him to put three men where he once had one on tax collection, he needs more men.
  Montoya is also ill and he rages at Dr. Helm for treating the ill peasants with the first batch of medicine. Helm assures him he is not that ill and can wait for the next batch. Angry, Montoya puts him under house arrest, but tells him that he is simply making him his personal physician. No one will get the medicine except Montoya. Enrique overhears this as he sweeps the floor outside Grisham’s door.
  Meanwhile, Tessa tries to make a bargain with Grisham to release Enrique to her. She tells him she needs workers on her hacienda and Enrique is as strong as a mule. Grisham considers her request, although it is clear what he would like in return.
  Marta has been trying to help those who are ill and while visiting Enrique’s wife, begins to feel ill herself.   As Grisham talks with a fevered Montoya, he does to open the window on the colonel’s order and sees Helm crossing the road with the medicine. Abruptly, Helm is knocked out by Enrique who steals the medicine. Seeing an opportunity, Grisham fires his gun and announces that the Queen of Swords has stolen the medicine.
  Grisham catches up with Enrique after the man has given his wife a dose that nearly cures her at once. He forces Enrique to give him the remainder of the medicine and kills him when he tries to attack him. He tells Enrique’s wife to tell people that her husband died of the fever.
  Word has gotten out that the Queen of Swords stole the medicine and the town is against her. Tessa is surprised at the reaction, but she doesn’t understand why Grisham would lie about her. Then she realizes that Marta is ill and she takes her home to tend her. As she thinks about the situation, she and Marta believe that Grisham has taken all the medicine for Montoya.
  If she’s going to be called a thief, then a thief she will be. The Queen pays a visit to Montoya and learns that he is also very ill and has not gotten any medicine. As she leaves, Montoya summons his troops to get her. She fights them off and escapes. She finds Marta slumped over her tarot cards and Marta shows her the Death card.
  Tessa talks to Enrique’s wife at his funeral and learns he died of the fever, but she questions that as Enrique had seemed healthy only a day earlier. Following up on this, she goes to Dr. Helm who tells her the fever takes five days to kill a healthy person. He is busy making more medicine and is abrupt with Tessa.
  Suspecting Grisham has the medicine, she searches his home. When she hears him return, she pretends she has gone there to wait for him. He tries to collect on her promise if he released Enrique, which he claims she did. She tells him a woman wants to be romanced. Just as he has her almost pinned on the bed, there’s a loud explosion. When Tessa asks what that it, he replies, “Bad timing.”
  They discover the explosion was in the doctor’s office and it is now on fire. A bucket brigade is quickly formed as Helm informs Grisham there was nothing in the chemicals he was using that could have caused an explosion. Grisham shrugs it off to bad luck and walks away.
  As Tessa nurses Marta, giving her a drink made with lemon grass, Marta quizzes her on how much she put in. She tells her that too much would have made her really feverish. Inspired, Tessa calls Marta a genius and devises a plan to make Grisham lead her to the medicine.
  Later, Tessa has a drink with Grisham and slips a power into his wine while he is kissing her. She then begins to dance for him as a stalling tactic until the medicine can work.
  Meanwhile, Dr. Helm has found evidence of foul play in his burned out office. A fuse used by the military looks like the cause of the explosion. He takes his evidence to Montoya, who fails to see the connection until Helm points out someone is trying to kill him. Montoya then realizes that Grisham is capable of it.
  With a little helpful suggestion from Tessa that he might be coming down with the fever, Grisham excuses himself and rides off to get the purloined medicine. He is followed by Helm, then by the Queen.
  As Grisham uncovers the medicine which is hidden at a mine, Helm approaches him and demands he return it. Grisham learns the doctor is not armed and pulls a gun on him. Before he can shoot Helm, the Queen jumps on him from the bluff above the mine and they fight. Helm tries to keep out of the way.
  The fight changes directions a few times and finally, Grisham has the Queen trapped. Helm has picked up Grisham’s gun, but he looks horrified by the idea of using it. The Queen scream at him to shoot, but it doesn’t look like the doctor can do it. In fact, Grisham is counting on it. Just as the captain raises his sword to kill the Queen, Helm shoots the end of his sword off.
  While the Queen takes Grisham and locks him away, Helm retrieves the medicine. The Queen takes it from his hand, pours out a dose, then hands it back to him. “For a friend,” she tells him.
  Fully recovered, Montoya throws a party and thanks the doctor for his amazing medicine. He tells Grisham that he knows what he has done and he will allow him the one mistake, but no more.
  Helm has told Marta that it was the Queen who recovered the medicine and she relays this to Tessa who joins them. Tessa tries to get an opinion out of the doctor about the Queen of Swords, but he evades saying that who knows what goes on in her head.

Fever

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  Montoya is feverish, convinced he may die. He wants some of the doctor’s medicine. Dr. Helm says there is none left.
    Montoya: “You have given my medicine away?” To the sick and the dying, yes, Luis.
    But you are MY doctor, Roberto.
    Helm: “Death shows no favorites, and neither do I.”
    Montoya calls for the guard.
    Are you putting me under arrest, Luis?
    Think of it as an exclusive contract, until you make me some medicine of my own.
    Does this mean we can still date other people?

  Dr. Helm is hard at work at his office on what seems to be a decoction or infusion—the aforementioned medicine, anyway, and one of Montoya’s minions barges in saying the Colonel wants Helm to go to him. Now.
  When Helm says he’s busy, the guard pulls a gun.
  Does he want me alive or in a casket, Helm says, cooly.
  Quick like a cat, the doctor blocks the man’s thumb, twists the gun from his hand and plops it in a pot of water. If you liked what I did with your gun, you’ll be ecstatic over where I plan to put that saber.
  The soldier leaves.

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 4 — Vengeance

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

sword clipart

Dr Helm has 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.
    1 Twice in town a crossbow-wielding assassin targets him.
    2 Queen nearly slits his throat.
    3 Tumbles down a ravine.
    4 In the flashback, Ian Latham fires a gun at him.
    5 Assassin tries to kill him with a sword.
    6 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?
    1 The Queen saves the Doctor from assassination by crossbow at the church
    2 The Queen saves the Doctor by leading away the Colonel’s men
    3 The Doctor saves the Queen from Latham by fighting him instead
    4 The Doctor saves the Queen from Montoya by putting her blade to his throat and buying her time to get away
    5 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...

Vengeance

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

 It’s a fiesta in the pueblo and Tessa dances with an old childhood friend, Ramon Aguilara (Freddie Douglas). Although there is a party atmosphere, everyone is not happy. Ramon’s father argues with one of the local ranchers who tries to insinuate that he sold him sick cattle. As Don Aguilara leaves in anger, he is met by Dr. Helm and they pause to chat. Just as a child offers a melon to Don Aguilara, an arrow splits the melon and hits the Don in the chest. With help, Helm get him into the church, declaring that his office is too far to go.
  Ramon is angry and distraught and immediately reaches the conclusion that Don Fuentes (Javier Sandoval Alverez) is responsible for the attempted murder of his father. He demands that Col. Montoya arrest him, but Montoya points out there is no proof. Meanwhile, Dr. Helm fights to save Don Aguilara’s life. The arrow is from a crossbow and Helm tells Tessa that a professional fired it. But why would an assassin try to kill Ramon’s father, Tessa asks.
  After a talk with Fuentes, Montoya orders the rooms of the hotel searched. As one of his men goes to the room where the man who fired the crossbow is (Latham), Latham (John Innes Smith) allows him to enter, then kills him. He goes out of the room, crossbow in hand.
  As Helm sits with his patient into the night, Latham prepares to take another shot, crouching on the rooftop and aiming into the church. The Queen has chosen to try to protect Aguilara and spots the assassin, interrupting his attempt to finish the job. They tumble to the ground and the Queen escapes as Montoya’s soldiers spot them. But she has a piece of paper in her hand, a paper with the drawing of a face that looks very familiar... Dr. Helm.
  As Ramon and his men guard the church where his father is still under the doctor’s care, Montoya confronts him and orders him to send his men home. In the middle of their argument, Dr. Helm tells Ramon his father has died.
  The Queen slips into Helm’s office to ask him if he recognizes the face in the drawing. Helm tells her no, but when she flips it over, he obviously reacts to the map on the back. He recalls a time during the war when he was in the army. But he won’t explain to Tessa, ignoring her questions and telling her to stay out of his business.
  Ramon enters Fuentes house with the intent of killing the Don. Fuentes captures Ramon and orders him men to take care of him — away from the house.
  Anxious to find out information about the assassin, Helm does a little investigating on his own, going into the sealed room where the murder took place. There he finds another arrow that matches the one that hit Don Aguilara. Montoya catches him in the room, but Helm does not reveal he found the arrow.
  In the morning, two of Fuentes men are preparing to toss Ramon over a cliff when the Queen arrives and saves him from death. She takes Ramon back within walking distance of town. There she tells him that Fuentes wasn’t responsible for his father’s death, that the target was someone else and Don Aguilara was in the way. She tells him to stay away from Fuentes and leaves him to walk the rest of the way back to town.
  In Dr. Helm’s office, Tessa feigns an illness in order to “gossip” with the doctor about what happened with the Queen of Swords and Ramon. She uses the opportunity to try to work on Helm’s conscience. She gets to him. Helm brushes her off with a sugar-water medicine. But he send a message to Ramon and Fuentes to meet him at the church where he tells them that he was the target, that there are things in his past that people would kill him for and that the crossbow bolt was aimed at him... Aguilara got in the way.
  Helm rides out of town, ready to leave rather than face the assassin. As he pauses for water, he hears another horse. He stages an ambush on the rider and captures the Queen, who immediately flips him so she has the upper hand. His horse runs off in the fray and as he leaves, the Queen follows him, trying to talk him into facing the danger.
  Latham has seen the Queen with Helm and goes back to Montoya to make an offer. He will get the Queen for Montoya and Montoya will turn over Dr. Hem to him. Montoya makes the deal.
  Helm and the Queen see the soldiers coming after them and Helm leaves the Queen’s company. She tries to lead the soldiers away from Helm. Latham, however, goes after Helm while the soldiers and Montoya pursue the Queen. Latham catches up with Helm and asks him how he would like to die. He reminds him of his brother Ian Latham and Helm makes the connection. In the war in 1812 in Northern Spain, Lt. Robert Helm killed Ian who was selling British troop placement information to the French. Latham now seeks vengeance for his brother’s death.
  As Latham is about to shoot Helm, the Queen catches the crossbow with a whip. Helm won’t let her fight his battle, so she throws her sword to Helm so he can defend himself. As she watches the men fight, Montoya come up behind her and they fight, sword to knife... and her footwork. The Queen’s kicks are an effective weapon. But she pauses to watch the finale of Helm’s battle. Will he kill Latham? Will Montoya kill the Queen?

Vengeance

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  Montoya and his troops are still following Tessa’s horse, away from the doctor. “The woman has a good heart,” Luis remarks, “I shall keep it in a jar on my desk.” They stop and look more closely at the hoofprints. “A little voice speaks to Montoya,” the colonel muses. He sends his men on and turns back.

  Meanwhile, Latham has come, straight as one of his bolts, after Helm. Helm wants to know why. Latham only wants to know if Helm wants it fast or slow.
  Latham: “I am Liam Latham’s brother.” Oh, oh. That’s why the Latham sounded so familiar.
  Lt. Helm, HMSS, flashes back to the moment when he caught Liam trying to sell troop placement maps to the enemy. Helm kills the young man.
  Liam’s older brother gets a good look at Helm before he flees.
  Helm: “It was war.” What? Not going to use the those-were-different-times excuse?
  War or no, tell me you didn’t get a thrill killing.
  That’s just a rumor some witch started.

  Latham: “Tell me you don’t hear the guns and see the dead every day of your life.”
  “You know I can’t,” replies Helm. (Not with all these bloody flashbacks!)

  Out of nowhere, Latham charges Helm, screaming. Vengeance personified.
  Helm freaks.
  Montoya fires.
  Helm: That was cold, Luis.
  Montoya: I’ll take it up with the ethics committee in the morning, Roberto.
  Helm: “You’re a complicated man, Luis.”
  Montoya: “Not really. Assassins like him are a centavo a dozen, but where would I find another doctor?”
  Helm: “Or another horse,” Helm points towards the ridge...
  ...where Tessa waves back, riding Montoya’s horse and leading Latham’s.
  “That’s my horse!” Montoya squeals. “The Gods, they mock Montoya!” Luis moans. “You know, Roberto, sometimes I am just too virtuous for my own good.”
  Walking the long way back to town...
  Helm: You know, Luis, I don’t think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 5 — Witness

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

Tarot Card clipart

  Kissy, Kissy everywhere. And Tessa is all alone without Robert. Poor girl.
  Grisham is icky. “Dashing?” Even HE didn’t believe that.
  We see someone (Vera) closing the door and curtain at the beginning after the girl (Carmina?) falls out the window. We are supposed to know the whole time that there is more than just Tessa as a witness!
  “It’s too late for a doctor,” Tessa tells Grisham. Like Helm EVER could have saved her anyway. Remember, doctors in 1817 were quacks.
  The posse wears hats when THEY ride their horses. Now tell me why Helm can’t. I just can’t seem to let it go, can I? The perils of being the Scruffy Hat Keeper.
  The poor don’t trust the rich. Of course, they don’t. Tessa came for her shawl and only her shawl. Why would she want to mourn a girl she didn’t know? Silly brothers.
  Val looks damn good in blue. So does Tessie in that last scene.
  There is a blacksmith in town! We get to see him twice! More professionals in the pueblo. Marta even flirted with him. How sweet.
  Mary Rose and Anton spoke pretty openly in front of Montoya and Grisham at the jail. And Anton wonders later how Montoya knows things?
  Tessa: “Who has time to sin?”
  Rich kid. Slumming to be with his girlfriend. Angry mom. He says she could have killed the girl to keep her son away from her. Pirate lady probably wishes she HAD thought of that.
  IF: Mary Rose kills Tessa Alvarado. THEN: Montoya gets Tessa’s land. THEN: The law hangs Mary Rose. THEN: Montoya gets HER land too.
  Captain Grisham: “I was the bull LAST week!”
  The Colonel may have given more clues as to why Don Alvarado is dead. Did he too value the truth over his life?
  Marta can fight! Resourceful with kitchen weapons. See, those who see the Queen needing a sidekick? Here you go! I see promise. Then Helm would have to decide which tough girl he liked more. More possibilities for those in the Helm/Marta camp.
  Those strands of hair that hang across Marta’s face always! I like it but at the same time it bugs the crap out of me.
  Colonel vs. Tessa at the end of the trial. Very good trading of lines there.
    • Tessa: “I knew you were a man of wisdom and courage.”
    • Montoya: “Yes. I am.” I know you are really that thorn in my side the Queen of Swords, and I have no conscience, only fear of public persecution.
  Mary Rose believes Tessa had a “change of heart” or that she just wanted Marta back. Mary Rose trusts the mysterious woman in black that Tessa will not testify. Mary Rose does not know that Tessa DOES know the truth of what happened that night. So why so chummy at the end? I suppose Mary Rose could actually be a really nice person who went nuts for the love of her son, Anton.
  The Colonel is a GOOD thinker. He knows that Tessa is the Queen. So he won’t protect her as he might any ol’ Don’s daughter. He can only tell Grisham he wants Tessa dead so that he can take her land. Because Montoya knows Grisham would blow the Queen’s identity all over the place before real proof was discovered. The Colonel also knows Vera is a witness to Carmina’s accident, and that she cannot speak at the trial.
  Wow, Vera cares about something real. And another insight into her past and her marriage perhaps?
    • She compares herself to Carmina, perhaps using the love of a richer man to increase her social standing.
    • Vera is the other Witness. With her money and wifely status to lose. Her affair would surface and her happy little social life would end.
    • Vera: “He is a good man. He doesn’t deserve this.” You know what Vera, darling? Gaspar Hidalgo doesn’t deserve YOU either.
    • Vera is a possible ally to the Queen. Tessa’s friend, and she knows the importance of secrets kept for the greater good of everyone involved. Although Vera’s own secrets are unsavory and Tessa’s are noble, how does one compare adultery to murder and treason?


Nifty Character Development and Behind The Scenes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki:
  Tessa has no love in her life except for the unwanted attention of Captain Grisham.
  Vera has another lover other than Grisham.
  Tessa kills for the first time when she is attacked.
  Mary Rose is a retired sea captain, “A Sea Wolf”, a mercenary with commissions from England and Spain.
  When Vera rides to see Tessa she is using a side saddle, as young ladies of refinement would. Tessie Santiago being a novice rider would mostly be seen using a wagon which she became quite proficient in handling. As The Queen, Tessie Santiago would ride Chico, which was the friendliest of the three horses used. Her Queen costume also made getting on and off a horse very difficult. Her stunt doubles generally rode Champion and Escalano and their costumes allowed more freedom of movement.

Witness

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  As Tessa leaves a party alone, she sees a woman shoved out the upstairs window of the hotel and she sees the man who did it. She tells the dead woman’s brothers that she will be a witness at the trial of the girl’s lover. But the young man is the son of Mary Rose (Bo Derek), a tough rancher who was once a pirate captain.
  Mary Rose’s son is not willing to defend himself. He is upset by the death of his lover and blames his mother. They obviously are at odds about the whole affair and Mary Rose feels the girl was beneath her son’s station. Not a suitable match.
  When Montoya tells Mary Rose that Tessa is a witness, she is determined that no one will testify against her son and takes measures to insure Tessa’s silence. Meanwhile, the brothers are equally as determined that Tessa should speak out about what she saw.
  Mary Rose has a man follow Tessa and he stops her wagon, then attacks her. In the ensuing fight, Tessa accidentally kills the man. She is shaken by this. Although the Queen kills, Tessa is not a killer. Marta cautions her about this kind of thinking. She cannot separate herself from the Queen this way. Nonetheless, Tessa is determined to tell what she saw.
  Only what one sees is not necessarily the truth. Vera has a different version of the story and tells Tessa what happened. Vera was in the hotel also and cannot be called to testify since she was not with her husband, but she knew that the girl’s death was an accident. Tessa realizes that if she tells what she saw, her words will convict the young man even though he is innocent. As she decides to withdraw, Mary Rose kidnaps Marta to force Tessa to her will.
  But it is the Queen who arrives to save Marta. She fights with Mary Rose and although she wins, she does not kills her opponent, but she tells her that Tessa will not testify... that she knows the truth. But Montoya has planned for a hanging. Can Tessa convince him that a trial is not necessary?



Season 1, Episode 6 — Duel With A Stranger

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

Tarot Card clipart Duel

  Plan A: Grisham kills the Queen of Swords
  Plan B: Montoya kills the Queen of Swords
  Plan C: Hire a new guest star to kill the Queen of Swords
  The pueblo has a name: Santa Helena
  The amount of time they spend discussing Honor and Jealousy, I’m surprised these two concepts eluded the title of this episode.
Grisham and his jealousy.
    • He’s jealous of Antonio for getting the job of killing the Queen.
    • So jealous he kills Antonio instead of wounding him at the end.
    • Montoya has yet one more character flaw to hold over the Captain’s head.
    • I wonder if this Jealousy thing will rear its head soon concerning girlfriend Vera and her husband, the jolly Don Hidalgo.
  Antonio thinks he does the honorable things. But Tessa does not want his money when he has made it any way he can. She wanted him for HIM in Spain.
    • But she is different now. As the Queen she lives not for just Tessa anymore. She is a savior to many people.
    • Money equals honor and position to Montoya, as well as to the post-war Antonio.
    • Antonio may not actually love Tessa. Honor could have been more accurate the reason he did not give her to the Colonel.
    • Grisham: “What are you doing?”
    • Antonio: “Taking my life back.”
    • So, money=life. Antonio will buy his honor, and will buy Tessa’s love and return home to Spain.
    • Montoya knew the price of Antonio’s honor.
    • Antonio cannot sell something he has already lost. He’s lost Tessa and knows why and agrees he shouldn’t have her. So basically Antonio commits suicide rather than try to get his honor back the alive way.
  I love the wink! We HAVE personality with Antonio! More than stupid Latham from “Vengeance”.
  Day of the Dead celebration. Rain is impressed.
  And another of the Colonel’s parties! I knew it! And his fountain is magnificent!
  A Flashback! I love flashbacks! Only back 2 years though. It counts for sure still.
  Marta can wiggle her own information from men. Albeit, the man was paid to get drunk and dispense the info, but Marta of course didn’t know that. I love Marta.
  “Your heart and mine are one.” But, Antonio cannot love the Queen of Swords. The Doctor does! And the Doctor cannot love Tessa, the fake prissy Tessa anyway.
  I see no huge reason for the Queen to need to stop the Colonel’s gold shipment. Only that he would be using it to gain more power and more riches. I think she is supposed to act like Robin Hood, but the Colonel probably IS supposed to have a lot of gold from honest tax money paid to the colony.
  I like how Pietro describes the Queen: “Her face is scarred, her eyes are yellow like the lion, she moved like lightening.”
  Discount on bathtubs! Aisle 7! So far we’ve seen Marta in “Fever”, Tessa and Grisham (and nearly Vera!) in “Duel” in the bathtub. When does Dr. Helm need to clean up? Please don’t make us only imagine! I see images from first-run “Chivalry” dancing in my head…
  I don’t particularly appreciate Vera’s chest OR Grisham’s. Quit throwing these people’s bodies at the audience! Their relationship is growing on me in the disgustingly cute sense, but I’m not quite that far along yet…
  Why does Death always mean literal “death”? I thought in Tarot that the Death card could just as easily and more often mean an “end” to something.
  No doctor this episode, so it’s Vera to the rescue of Captain Grisham’s infected arm.
  Tessa looks sunburnt by the close of this episode.
  Tessa gets HER Antonio back just to lose him. Just like her father, shown by the cross up on the hill. Her past is not hers. More of what she used to know is dead. She can’t go back. Now the Tessa we know is the Real Tessa.
  If Montoya knows Tessa is the Queen (and I heartily believe he does know), would he also know that Tessa and Antonio were an item back home? And in more than just a coincidence, bring him here to kill the Queen? Montoya has proven already that he enjoys his sport while killing a genuine menace to his power and society.
    — Montoya DOES know! He wants the Queen gone from his pueblo so he pays Marta to recommend Tessa marry Antonio and leave for the Old World. Marta of course sees through Montoya’s cute little small talk. She knows he knows the Queen’s identity. And Montoya knows Marta knows he knows.
    — In the church, Montoya has obviously warned Tessa to stop dressing up as the Queen before more of her loved ones die. She could end up losing Marta, the Doctor, and who knows who else will be invented in future episodes.
Both Antonio and the Queen fight in the Spanish circle style.
    • Even Grisham admits that Antonio does. The Capitán says the circle style is predictable and so on, which means he SHOULD be able to beat the guy, right?
    • Well, shouldn’t Grisham notice that the Queen fights this way too?
    • And shouldn’t Grisham get himself in trouble by gloating about taking on Spanish Circle Sword Fighters when in practice he always loses to both examples?
    • Hence he only admits this Spanish Circle nonsense to Vera.
    • Antonio recognizes the Queen’s fencing teacher in her method.
    • Or he was bluffing and she gave herself away. THEN the stupid girl goes and calls Antonio by name. That was dumb.
Montoya was all MEAN this week. No funny ha ha’s, maybe a couple thumb-in-cheek ha ha’s.
    • Taupe ascot for the colonel? Boring. Bring back the blue and the green and the red please.
    • Gotta admire the Colonel’s traps. Kill me a Queen! Then I will kill you. The money will ALWAYS be mine, forevermore!
    • Gray ascot now. Still boring.
    • Montoya’s secret room behind his bookshelves: the wealth behind the education? :o)
    • Whose painting is on the wall of his office? Is it the father whom Montoya hates? Or is it Montoya’s hero, a lowly bureaucrat who worked his way up to emperor?
    • Look at Montoya’s horsy trot! And the Colonel is wearing red and gold. Finally, a fashion statement I can handle. Am I obsessed yet? See, this is why I “KEEP” Montoya’s Array of Ascots.
    • He will kill Antonio after Antonio kills the Queen. That’s familiar. Remember an assassin named Latham? No one steals Montoya’s money OR his doctor!
    • Montoya would never get off that purty trotting horsy of his, would he? I like that about the guy.

Duel With A Stranger

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  Montoya hires a swordsman (Cristián de la Fuente) from Spain to kill the Queen of Swords. As the story opens, he is demonstrating his skills against Grisham and his soldiers. The swordsman is clearly superior.
 As they discuss the arrangement, Montoya sympathizes that Don Antonio has to resort to selling his skills. To him, Montoya reveals that his father was a bureaucrat and his mother had a minor title, but money. When Don Antonio says he is confusing money with station, Montoya points out that with enough cannons and gold, he can aspire to become an emperor.
 Meanwhile, as Tessa bathes in preparation for a party, she reads a letter from Spain and laments on missing how much she misses Spain. In spite of her desire not to go to the party, which she must use as a spying mission, she goes. Across the room, she spots Antonio, and she recollects events in 1815 when she loved Antonio. He was going off to the Napoleonic War and she thought she would never see him again.
 Reunited at the party, she learns that Antonio still loves her. He tells her that when he completes his business he will be a rich man and asks Tessa to meet him at noon at the church the next day. Montoya notices the two lovers and hopes Antonio doesn’t get too distracted. He and Grisham have arranged for the whole town to know when the gold is being moved.
 At the Fiesta of the Dead, Marta learns from the driver of the coach that he will be driving the gold. Her thoughts more on Antonio than the gold, Tessa seems indifferent to this information. She wants the happiness she could have with Antonio. Marta asks her if Antonio will love the Queen of Swords as he loves Tessa. She can’t answer this.
 The Queen intercepts that carriage that is carrying the gold, only to find Antonio inside the carriage. She doesn’t stay to fight him, riding off and leaving him shouting after her. Montoya doesn’t believe that the Queen ran from Antonio. He decides to set up another trap, a hanging to draw out the Queen and allow Antonio one last chance to kill the Queen.
 Tessa meets Antonio in the church and he tells her what his job is, that he is being paid 500 reales to kill the Queen. He tells her that there is nothing left of his home in Spain, but he gives her his grandmother’s ring in pledge to marry.
 Marta tries to talk sense into Tessa. She tells him that Antonio is not the same man, that the man she knew would never agree to kill a woman.
 The Queen goes to Antonio’s room to talk to him. She tells him the truth, why she is a bandit. He draws his sword on her. She doesn’t want to fight with him and throws a lamp down starting a fire. She escapes out the window. Antonio goes in out in the night in pursuit of the Queen. Eventually, after daybreak, he finds her. They fight and he removes her mask. He believes that Tessa mocks him.
 Antonio returns to town and tells Grisham the Queen is dead. He insists on getting his gold, knocks out Grisham and takes the money.
 Marta fears Antonio will betray Tessa. Antonio comes to Tessa and tells her she is coming with him. Tessa refuses to go. She has realized that Antonio is not the same man she loved. As Antonio starts to leave, she tells him to leave the gold. Antonio takes it and leaves. Montoya arrives outside Tessa’s hacienda and Antonio is ready to bargain with the Colonel. Will he betray Tessa to Montoya?



Season 1, Episode 7 — Running Wild

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

Tarot Card clipart Run

  A pretty nice episode overall. Calm, and at times funny. Nothing heavy here.
  I’m going to start counting the times characters utter the phrase, “Dios mio” (my God). The Colonel began this fad in episode one when he met Señorita Alvarado for the first time. Marta says it; the gang members say it...
  I like the masks the gang wears.
    • “Johnny Brock’s Dungeon” costumes store?
    • Oh, I know! Left over from the Day of the Dead celebrations, right?
    • How DID these people get a hold of animal masks without bringing attention to themselves unless they are very old, stolen, or made with paper maché by the gang members themselves?
  I enjoy the talk of Tessa’s past.
    • Her family, her parents’ love story.
    • This is why Tessa came back to California in the first place.
    • And now even more of her past is gone forever.
      — Her godfather is dead.
      — Ramon is banished.
  Isabel and Teodoro Selvera remind me of present day rich kids.
    • No interest in their parents’ plans for their future, and bored.
    • They turn rebellious looking for attention and a way out.
    • They turn to a life of crime because it is a rush, and running away to Monterey is a temporary answer to their problems, not because the family actually needs money.
  It’s good to see Ramon again.
    • Full of bad choices still, but at least he has a forbidden girlfriend.
    • He lost his father in Vengeance and hates running his own hacienda.
    • Of course he latches on to the Bad Kids.
  Why isn’t Isabel married already to this ancient don her father has picked out? She is old! Just like Tessa is pretty old to still be single.
  Grisham’s answer to every problem is “I’ll kill him or her!” That, or “I’ll sleep with her!”
  Montoya’s position is finally in real danger. But these dons underestimate the Colonel’s will to remain their military governor (until such time as he promotes himself to the Emperor of California)
The whole Tessa and her money as bait trap is precious.
    — Tessa wants justice for her godfather’s murder.
    — Montoya wants the murderers/thieves imprisoned and executed to save his job and social position.
    — But Montoya also wants Tessa’s hacienda. And (I believe he knows her secret identity) Montoya wants the Queen of Swords killed. So of course Montoya will wait to give the order to go after the gang, hoping they will kill Tessa. He would then acquire the thieves, the Queen, Tessa’s hacienda, the godfather’s hacienda, and the dons’ respect and support all in one day.
  It’s funny to see Montoya talked down to and threatened. He’s gonna open up a can of early nineteenth century whoop-ass. He sics Grisham on Ramon to get the other two gang members. And bad cop/good cop with Vera helping is brilliant. And Ramon gives up at least the hideout local. Perhaps his partners as well.
  The Queen to Captain Grisham: “The rubies in that necklace really bring out the red in your eyes.”
Tactics and Politics:
    — Montoya wants the dons’ petition dropped.
    — He’ll execute Ramon and never tell the identity of the sibling masterminds.
    — The cover is Montoya gets money and land from Don Selvera. But that is the bonus.
    — Ramon has no family. Only Isabel and Tessa care about him. He is expendable and his death is needed to please the public.
    — At any rate, Montoya’s gods do not mock him any longer.

Running Wild

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  A trio of bandits stop Tessa’s godfather on the road and rob him of the tax money he is on his way to pay to Montoya. Tessa loans the money to Don Frederico to pay the taxes.
  At a hideout near the ocean, two of the bandits go through the spoils of their work. Isabelle (Daisy Fuentes) and Teodoro are sister and brother, siblings eager to escape their life with their father. They want to raise enough money to leave Santa Helena and start a new life. They are surprised to see Tessa and the Don near their hiding place. But Tessa and her godfather have come there to talk about Tessa’s mother and father. As they talk, Ramon (Freddie Douglas) joins them.
  In town, Senor Solvera tells Capt. Grisham that the Dons are unhappy with the protection that Grisham and Montoya are providing. He demands they protect them against the robbers. As Solvera gets in his carriage, his son and daughter are in the back... Isabelle and Teodoro.
  At night, the bandits meet at their hideout and plan their next robbery... Tessa. Ramon objects, not wanting to hurt Tessa. But he loves Isabelle and is persuaded by her.
  Don Frederico visits Tessa’s house and is there when the trio breaks into the hacienda and steal her silver and gold. The Don chases after them with his sword and is shot in front of the house, dying in Tessa’s arms.
  Murder was not what either Ramon or Isabelle had in mind and they are upset. Teodoro tells him that he killed the old man to save Ramon’s life. Ramon leaves the bandits.
  At the funeral, Solvera tells Montoya that the Dons are requesting a new military governor be appointed, that Montoya is not capable of protecting them.
  Tessa goes to Montoya with an idea to capture the robbers. She will set herself up as decoy. Word will get out that Tessa is moving her gold. When the robbers come after her, Montoya and Grisham will capture them. Again, over Ramon’s objections, the bandits take the bait.
  Marta goes with Tessa, ready to help protect her. The bandits attack and stop the carriage. Montoya delays Grisham, hoping that the bandits will kill Tessa, proving him with her land. When it’s revealed that the gold box is empty, Marta draws a gun on the robbers, but they take Tessa hostage. Ramon objects, pulling a gun on Teo. At that point, Montoya orders the soldiers to attack. The thieves flee but Grisham shoot at one and the horse spooks, dumping Ramon.
  Arrested for the murder of Don Frederico, Ramon is in jail and Tessa tries to find out what happened, who the others are. Ramon refuses to talk, clinging to his last piece of honor. In the pueblo, Tessa recognizes Isabelle’s voice as she crosses the road.
  Solvera lectures his children about their incompetence in running the ranch. Teo wants to leave. He tells Isabelle to get the wealth from the ruins. Isabelle doesn’t want to leave Ramon. He insists.
  At the jail, Grisham “questions” Ramon with his fists. Vera stops him and uses her persuasive charms on Ramon to find out where the spoils are hidden. Grisham takes a troop of men to get the gold. Isabelle has also gone to the hiding place where the Queen follows her. They arrive there just before Grisham and the Queen tells Isabelle to hide. When Grisham finds the wealth, he hears some stones moved as Isabelle tries to hide. To cover for Isabelle, the Queen steps forward and has to fight the soldiers. Grisham stops the soldiers to allow him to kill her himself. Tessa takes advantage of the pause and escapes. Tessa catches up with Isabelle and persuades her to tell the truth.
  In spite of the confession, Montoya still has a plan. He will tell Don Solvera the truth and allows the Don to make a deal to save his children, but Ramon will hang. The deal includes money, land and the petition for Montoya’s removal dropped.
  Grisham returns Tessa’s stolen items and she learns that Ramon will still be executed. Will the Queen be able to save Ramon from the firing squad and will the real killer find justice?



Season 1, Episode 8 — Honor Thy Father

Ponders by Rainofhearts, aka Rain Pierson

scalpel clipart

Dr Helm has approx. 12 minutes of screentime

  So far, this episode is running a close race with Vengeance as my favorite.
  The supernatural tones gets to me. The wind of the shaman, the suspense in so many scenes, the moon, the magic of it all. Even Marta hears Churi’s voice singing and remarks: “The spirit world is very close tonight.”
  Tessa looks very young and very pretty and very thin in her first scene. She should wear more outfits like that red-topped one.
  Did that native son run after that wagon all night? Or did he track the soldiers and take shortcuts? We are only told scenes later that Churi tracked the soldiers over a hundred miles. They could have been clearer from the beginning I think. I was convinced Churi should run the Boston Marathon next year and win!
  Tessa really picked the wrong criminal to protect in the stable. Raul is bad news. And the Queen would just break out of jail the one man or both men.
Grisham and his “disgrace to the uniform”. Why then won’t he himself don the Spanish military uniform for everyday service?
    • Only in the first 2 episodes of the QoS does Grisham dress like he belonged in Montoya’s army. And now he will wear the Spanish military dress uniform for special occasions.
    • I AM pleased he wears the American Army uniform though. Keeps us reminded he is NOT one of them. And is, for some as yet undeveloped reason, “hiding” from America.
More of Marta’s spiritual side.
    • She hears the wounded soul singing in the cell.
    • The show should concentrate more on this kind of stuff than action.
    • Except where the sword fighters know how to fence. Like the Queen, Grisham, Helm, Montoya, assorted guest stars. Regular enlisted men are just farcical to watch fall in the Queen’s wake. I’ve had enough of that watching Xena for 6 years.
  Montoya proves delightfully consistent in his quips to and about Grisham.
  I wish I’d seen this episode in production order as Tessa goes weepy wondering how her father died. Alone? slowly? loved? in pain? Etc.
  The shaman, Churi, calls Tessa “Angel”. Like her father did. That throws her back for a sec. The two orphans ARE kindred souls. Tessa’s tarot reading is correct. Divine Inspiration.
  I’m surprised Vera hasn’t tried this approach with Helm already. And it took gold coaxing from Montoya to get her to play sick and try undressing in Helm’s office.
  Robert Helm has “warm hands” according to Vera Hidalgo.
  I love how Helm tells Vera she should flirt with her husband instead of the doctor. Helm will never sleep with Vera. Ever. Thank God.
  There are framed pictures in the back of Helm’s office. Who are they of? They seem to be men. One has a beard the other is younger.
We learn more of Helm’s motives and beliefs toward preserving life. Or at least what he tries to project and hopes to eventually really believe.
    • “Spirits come in bottles.”
    • “Men are flesh and bone, nothing more.”
    • Helm would maybe rather die than let the Queen kill to save his life. The golden mask and the shaman are more important than he is. IF the Queen could bring justice back as well as Helm could, let her do it and let the soldier kill the doctor?
    • Helm will never thank the Queen for keeping him alive by killing another.
  Tying themselves up. Marta’s idea? A Good idea.
  Giving a knife to Raul. Tessa’s idea. A Bad Idea.
  As Helm discovers Churi has left his care, his shirt is all dirty. What’s he been doing?
  Damn I wanna be that actor who played the young shaman, Churi. In the immortal words of rock gods Bon Jovi, “Lay your hands on me!”
  Okay, the Queen breaks into Helm’s office every episode they appear in together, huh?
  Dr. Robert Helm: my little monkey. Scurry up a wall, drop down into a... patio? (can’t seem to think of the real Spanish term to use here...), climb a noose rope.
  I really like the noose lasso. And how his military covert training takes out the cigar smoking guard at Montoya’s.
  Hmmm, if I were an evil colonel, where would I hide my stolen gold mask?
  Tessa and Raul are fighting on her parents’ graves. Reminds me of soldiers fighting on a Native American burial ground and nothing good ever comes of that. Tessa botches everything by insisting she know right away about her father’s murder. Now Raul is dead. She will have that guilt and she lost her witness who was willing to talk (albeit still stupid enough to get shish-cabobbed by a girl he KNEW to be the Queen of Swords).
I love how Helm makes fun of Tessa.
    • Double life, crime fighter. Then lays in on her with a great cause: the sacredness of a tribe’s wealth and customs and rights. I guess he would have left her alone if he’d known how that dialogue was going to turn out. But Round 1 to Helm!
    • Helm blames the Queen for injuring people. This is true though. It only gets worse after this first scene between them. Round 2 to Helm!
    • Raul taunts and insults Tessa too. Helm had better look out and not make any move toward her physically while yelling at her. He could end up with a pitchfork in HIS torso!
    • The Queen talks down to Helm at Montoya’s office. She could have won that round, but she keeps talking and he surprises her again by clicking the right book and opening the bookcase and THEN by picking the lock to the stash. Round 3 to Helm!
    • “God and doctors.” She finally beat him in a pissing contest! Round 4 to the Queen!
Montoya and the Queen need to fence more often.
    • She may actually have a longer reach than he does.
    • It’s gotta be like great sex for Montoya to be fighting his Queen with a sword. And such a disappointment when she skips out, knowing she would lose AND not wanting Montoya to die bleeding. I think she would rather he eventually learn a lesson and live with it, suffering.
    • At any rate as Montoya is leaning over the balcony with his sword raised watching her ride off, I cursed the TV! And then Montoya joined in and promptly said, “Damn you!” Cool.
  Yet ANOTHER queen of swords tarot card. I could see it before Grisham crumpled it up in his hand. I say again, how many decks of tarot cards did Marta bring to the New World?
  Churi saw the truth the whole time. The big picture. Helm and the Queen must work together to put the sins of Santa Helena right. Both their strengths together.
  Tessa has found a sort of peace at the native’s ceremony. She will have (relative) patience in the future concerning the truths she seeks.

Truly, the Honor Thy Father episode was supposed to air in place of Fever, between Death To The Queen and Vengeance. This placement would explain a lot of details and extra ponders. These points below are made by both ME and the atthehelm mailing list:
HTF as ep 3:
    — The Queen kills to save the doctor’s life (in HTF) = he is upset. Montoya kills to save the doctor’s life (in Vengeance) = he calls the Colonel “a complicated man.”
    — Since in this ep we learn the Queen never has permission to kill for him, she quickly turns over her sword to Helm to do his own killing in Vengeance.
    — Our first look at Montoya’s secret room. We spend a lot of time watching him gloat over his stuff in there. In Duel we see the room again, with far less fanfare, when Antonio makes Grisham open it.
    — The Queen and the Colonel have a sword fight. This could explain why in Vengeance he wants to fight her again so adamantly. He can’t wait to finish her off.
    — Vera’s going after Helm romantically. Episode 8 would be far too long for her to wait in that capacity. She would have flirted with Helm without Montoya’s enticement before that.
    — Vera is shown to not be Captain Grisham’s only “weekly appointment”. So when Tessa has to pretend to be interested in him in Fever, we can believe Grisham isn’t automatically faithful to Vera’s company.
    — Vera works covertly for Montoya for the first time? She was not successful, but she showed promise, so her skills were utilized again in the good cop/bad cop game in Running Wild where she redeems herself.
    — Helm’s breaking and entering and lock-picking skills are revealed. They are to be utilized again in Vengeance, with far less fanfare.
    — Helm’s office is in one, pre-Fever, non-blown-up piece...
    — Tessa and Marta continue to discuss Helm as in a continuation of the tarantula comments in Death to the Queen. Tessa calls him detesting. Marta calls him complicated, putting a positive spin on the doctor just as before.
    — Doctor Robert Helm and The Queen of Swords:
      • Her actions and decisions appall him in HTF.
      • By the end of Vengeance, they are almost buddy-buddy. She now intrigues him. I doubt their relationship would develop backwards.
HTF as ep 8:
    — Not much falls into this argument, mostly Tessa’s reactions to killing.
    — She is not deeply affected by the fact Raul is dead, only that his information died with him.
    — ABs says: “If you remember, she went pretty crazy when she as Tessa killed one of Mary Rose’s guys on the road [in Witness]. Remember? There was this, ‘I know the Queen kills, but Tessa doesn’t kill.’ Well, honey, she sure killed Raul [in HTF]. And she had a pretty strong reaction; but it was mostly cos she could not get any more info out of him. IOW, why did she react so strongly to MR’s guy if she had already killed Raul as Tessa? Going on in the same vein, she wings a soldier with a knife as they are escaping (while she was a nun), with no thought whatsoever — and she also kills the guy for Helm that way. Yet in the other order, the first time we see her kill is for Ramon [in Vengeance], and she comments on that.”


Nifty Arc & Character Development and Behind The Scenes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki:
  Using the Queen’s dagger, Dr Helm opens Montoya’s strongroom. A technique she copies in the next episode.
  Captain Grisham has another girl in his bed.
  Normally the actors fight a stunt double and editing place the two actors together, but in the pitchfork scene Tessie Santiago and Ramon Camin did it together and the scene got out of hand and Santiago suffered a bruised finger and Ramon’s sword glanced her cheek.

Honor Thy Father

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  As Montoya’s soldiers steal some gold items, including an Indian burial mask from an Indian shaman, the dead man’s son (Gael Garcia Bernal) attacks them. They beat him.
  At the stables in town, Tessa is trying to get evidence of the murders of her father by talking to Raoul (Ramon Camin), a deserter from Montoya’s troops. Chased by Grisham and his men, the Indian runs into the stable. Tessa is forced to give up the Indian in order to save Raoul, who escapes with the money she was going to pay him for information.
  Dr. Helm meets her in the town square and tells her that he knows her secret. He’s heard about her helping Grisham to find the Indian. He also tells her the young man is a shaman and will hang for trying to get back the mask that belonged to his father. To add to the problems, Raoul is caught by Grisham’s men as well.
  Tessa feels she must break Raoul out of jail so she goes to the jail dressed as a nun. She knocks out the guard and frees both prisoners, leading them out of town. As they leave, the soldiers fire on them and the shaman, Churi, is shot. When they stop to rest the horses, the Queen discovers he is injured. She asks Raoul to help, but the traitor rides off leaving her to deal with the injured man.
  Tessa takes Churi to her home where she and Marta nurse him. But the injury is infected and she decides to take him to Dr. Helm. Helm is seeing Vera who is after information more than needing the doctor’s skills. Montoya has offered Vera a handsome payment if she can find out where Raoul got the gold. Helm hears a noise in his back room and looks in to see the Queen with Churi. He tries to get rid of Vera and excuses himself. He blames the Queen for the man’s injury even though she points out he would have hung the next day. He interrupts to get rid of Vera and when he returns, the Queen is gone.
  Back at the hacienda, Tessa, still in the Queen’s garb, tells Marta that the shaman is still alive and complains loudly about Helm. Outside the window, Raoul witnesses this and sees her in the Queen’s clothing. He heads back to town to sell her out. Montoya doesn’t believe that he knows who the Queen is, but tells Grisham to check it out. Raoul leads Grisham to the Alvarado rancho where they find Tessa and Marta tied up. Tessa tells him the Queen is responsible. As Grisham orders Raoul killed, a fight breaks out and Tessa slips a knife to Raoul who uses her as a hostage out the door.
  Tessa waits for Raoul to return and he finally does, but he wants more money for his information and he threatens to get even more from Tessa. Caught without a weapon, Tessa defends herself as best she can. When Raoul pulls a sword on her, she grabs a pitchfork to fight him off. In the fight, as Raoul lies to her about her father’s death, she accidentally kills him. She decides to go back to town to help Churi find peace for his father.
  In town, Helm’s patient has left his office and Helm goes looking for him. As night falls, Helm finds his missing patient, who is after the mask that was stolen from him. In order to keep Churi alive, Helm decides to get the mask for him. He must break into Montoya’s office. Will the doctor be able to get the mask without being detected and will the Queen of Swords be an ally?

Honor Thy Father

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  Pete steps a little forward out of his key light, this scene affords a lovely montage of Helm’s elegant and expressive features.
Except for the cropping, these are unedited screen caps and each is linked to a full 600 X 600 size pic. We’ll pick up the story at the bottom of the page.
  Hmmm, let’s see, where were we? Ah, yes... Helm bumps into Tessa as she is prowling the town looking for Raoul.

  Later: Helm returns to an empty exam room and traces of blood on the sill... and a wonderful little vignette of silent hands and portraits. The good doctor has not a lot of lines in this episode, but he is most expressive nonetheless.

  A bit later still: Hmmm, Dr. Helm out for a night’s stroll? Nope. He’s tracking blood spatters from his AMA patient. The doctor’s agile hop takes him up and over Montoya’s wall.
  Inside the garden, he finds the young shaman and pulls him into the shadows, to avoid the passing guard.
  Churi: But why are you doing this?
  Helm: Oh, think of it as post-surg rounds. Now where can I find a rope? Yup, that’ll do. Wonder who Montoya is expecting to hang in his garden?
  Helm interrupts one of the guards as he steps outside for a smoke. And then he tosses up the rope and ascends. Once in Montoya’s office, though, he’s stymied as to where the mask would be... then he gets an idea and starts searching the bookshelf for a latch... when suddenly...
  Helm: Oh, hello again.
  Queen: Have you suddenly turned into a thief, Doctor?
  Helm: Well, you don’t much look like a second story man to me, either, Queen.
  Queen: You don’t really know what you’re doing, Doctor.
  Helm: Oh, yeah, well just watch this. Let’s see, ummm... Oh, of course, St. John’s Revelations and the Art of Power Riding.
  Once in, he asks the Queen for a dagger and proceeds to pick the lock.
  Queen: Where does a doctor learn how to do that?
  Helm: I’ll show you mine, if you’ll show me yours, Senorita.
  Queen: That was cute about three repetitions ago, Doctor. Did you hear something?

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 9 — Counterfeit Queen

Counterfeit Queen

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  As Montoya is out hunting with Grisham, they hear gun shots and Montoya quickly deduces someone is attempting to rob the Monterrey-Santa Monica stage with the payroll on it. They gather their men and ride to see what is happening.
  The Queen of Swords is robbing the stage. Vera Hidalgo is on the stage and the “Queen” steals her necklace along with the gold. As the soldiers arrive, the Queen rides off, but her horse is startled by a rattlesnake and she falls. When the soldiers ride up, she shoots two of them and draws her sword to take on Grisham, but Montoya is behind her and they capture her. Montoya removes her mask to reveal a beautiful, dark-haired woman (Elizabeth Gracen) who is not Tessa Alvarado. As Montoya questions her, he learns that she is not the real Queen as she doesn’t know who he is.
  Back in Santa Helena, Vera is anxious to tell Tessa about her “harrowing” experience. Learning as much as she can, she and Marta go to investigate the scene of the robbery and piece together what happened. But they wonder why the imposter isn’t in the gallows?
  Montoya has recovered the payroll gold, but has decided not to reveal it. He is expecting the viceroy into the town. Grisham has the false queen under guard.
  Tessa and Vera sit in the courtyard and discuss the robbery. As Tessa spots Montoya she asks him about the queen. He tells her not to worry that the Queen will no longer be a problem soon. He is asking the viceroy to double the soldiers and guns. Tessa and Marta guess that Montoya has the gold.
  The false queen attempts to escape her guard just as Montoya returns and she learns he is Col. Montoya. This woman is Carlotta and she makes the moves on Montoya. He decides he can use her.
  At night, Tessa sneaks into Montoya’s private treasury behind the book case and searches for the payroll gold without success. But as she comes out, she spots the counterfeit queen going into the church.
  The father has been collecting contributions for a school for the children. As the Queen, Carlotta tells him she’s looking for a withdrawal and knocks the priest unconscious then gathers the gold from the donation box. The real Queen catches her in the act and they fight. Swinging on the rope to the church bell, Tessa fights off the other dark-garbed woman, disappearing as soon as the soldiers and Grisham arrive. Grisham grabs Carlotta... and the gold.
  Tessa tells Marta that unless she can find the gold and return it, Montoya will have succeeded in sullying her name. She believes Montoya has put the gold with someone he can trust. Marta tells her that it is dangerous for the Queen to investigate, but Tessa tells her it is the perfect for Tessa Alvarado.
  When the viceroy arrives, Montoya finds he is not receptive to additional troops and guns, seeing the problem as more the inefficiency of Montoya, who can’t catch one woman. Meanwhile, Tessa searches Grisham’s quarters and finds the money from the church. But Grisham returns before Tessa can get out so she must hide in his bath area. Before Grisham can get into the tub, Montoya arrives with a plan to set up Carlotta so that they can kill the Queen of Swords to show the viceroy that Montoya can govern the territory.
Tessa has overheard the plan and rides as the Queen to warn Carlotta of the their plot against her. Can Tessa thwart Montoya’s plan and recover the gold so that she can restore her good name in Santa Helena?

Counterfeit Queen

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  What an intriguing scene this is on every level, from the carnal to the sublime, as Montoya beds the avatar of his arch enemy.

  Who would have thought you could be so deliciously lewd with all your clothes on.

  But just look at how not surprised I am.

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.


Nifty Story Arc Advancement, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki:
  To enter Montoya’s strongroom The Queen uses the same technique that Dr Helm showed her in Episode 8.
  Montoya sends the Counterfeit Queen to rob the hacienda of the Rey family who feature in Episode 18.



Season 1, Episode 10 — The Serpent

The Serpent

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  A thief called the Serpent (David Carradine) robs the son of one of the Dons, but doesn’t release him. He plans to hold the man for ransom. The Queen of Swords intervenes and fights with the Serpent. During the fight, the Serpent is wounded just as his men arrive and the Queen escapes. The injury is bad enough to require attention so the Serpent sends one of his men to Santa Helena to fetch a doctor.
  The dons are complaining to Montoya about the bandit. Don Hidalgo asks if they must turn to the Queen of Swords to handle it. Even Tessa takes a moment to rub it in. As she and Marta walk away, Tessa spots one of the men who was with the Serpent. The man goes to the doctor’s office, trying to force the doctor to come back with him. Dr. Helm overpowers the man, but agrees to go with him. He is blindfolded as they near the Serpent’s lair. Behind them, the Queen follows the trail.
  He treats the injured bandit, who suggests the doctor should stay with him. Helm refuses and although the bandit threatens him, he lets Helm leave with the warning that he should stay quiet about the hideaway. With Helm blindfolded again, Leandro leads him back out where they encounter the Queen. Leandro attacks her and she accidentally kills him. Helm is unhappy and they have words. Tessa tells him that the Serpent is a killer and he tells her that they have “something in common.”
  Angered by the death of his man, the Serpent and his men attack a small village. Helm is conflicted by the retribution, but when he encounters the Queen and refuses to tell her where the Serpent is, he tries to explain that he has taken an oath to save lives. She tells him it is not honor to protect the murder, but vanity.
  Don Hidalgo tells Montoya that the dons want action in capturing the Serpent. Montoya addresses the dons and imposes martial law, placing a curfew on the city and calling all men to search for the bandit.
  Helm tries to find some truth in a bottle of wine when Tessa comes up to volunteer as a nurse. She works on the guilt that is already building in Helm, playing on his emotions. Then when she tries to call the woman who called him vain as callous, Helm surprises her by defending the Queen. He calls her the most remarkable woman he’s ever met. It leaves Tessa in surprise.
  Helm returns to the Serpent and advises him to leave town, telling him that if he heads east, he will miss the two search parties. But the Serpent blames Helm for the death of his man and plans to kill him. The Queen has followed Helm and now must find a way to get him out of this mess. Just as the Serpent is ready to take his head, she makes her move and Helm grabs a gun, jumps on the back of the Queen’s horse and they ride off together. The Serpent yells after them that there is no way out.
  Meanwhile, Montoya and the dons are now turning their attention to the east-west routes. Montoya takes his men and begins heading in the same general direction.
  Once they run into a dead end, Helm and the Queen climb up a cliff face to escape the Serpent’s men. As they pause for a rest mid-way up, Helm talks to the Queen about why he doesn’t want to kill any more. He pulls the gun and fires...
  The shot rings across the canyons and gets the attention of both the Serpent’s men and Montoya’s troops. Helm has shot a snake that was about the strike at Tessa. Tessa thanks him by complaining about him using their only bullet on a snake. They resume climbing with the Serpent’s men firing at them. Suddenly, the men stop firing and leave.
  As Helm and the Queen continue their climb, they come over the top of the cliff to find Montoya and his men waiting for them. Can the Queen escape Montoya? What kind of retribution will there be for Dr. Helm for aiding the Queen? And what about the Serpent and his men below them?

The Serpent

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  The Serpent’s henchman is seeking a doctor for the Serpent’s arm wound. A helpful peasant gives him directions. He storms the office just as Dr. Helm is seeing one of his obstetric patients out the door.
  “Well,” says Helm, “is it the inflamation or the discharge of that weapon concerns you most?” Nothing like a little VD humor to lighten the mood, don’t ya know.
  My Master is wounded, the man stammers.
  “In the head,” Helm quips, “if he sent you for help.” Helm has no trouble disarming the man and bashing him into the side table. One more set of priceless glassware bites the dust.
  Helm: Now, why don’t you just tell your boss I’m not on his HMO preferred physician list, and go on your way.
  “But the Serpent will kill me if I come back without you,” the man complains.
  “And I guess that makes me a herpetologist. Damn that Hippocrates.”

Actually, the best thing about this episode is that Peter is finally learning how to ride and, more importantly, how to interact with his horse... a new, more collected and taller bay. He’s not a bad hand at that. Yay, Pete. All in all he just seems more comfortable in his role and he’s got a cinematographer who appreciates his fine features.

  The Queen has rescued the Doc from The Serpent and his banditos again. She asks him, What difference if you just let this villain die?
  Helm: It makes a difference... to me.
  Queen: Why?
  Helm pauses, about to launch, yet again, into the “tell me your secrets and I’ll—”, but he stops. “How many men have you killed? Do you remember their names, their faces?” He continues, “I remember the first forty: husbands, brothers, sons.... after that they all become a blur.”
  The Queen is shocked at first... “Oh, the war.”
  As if that explained everything. Helm smiles sadly. Right, the war. “I thought they were evil and I was good. In time, it became clear that they thought the same, that there was no good, no evil... There was only blood and death.”

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 11 — The Pact

The Pact

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

treasure map clipart

  Marta surprises a thief in the Alvarado hacienda. The thief attacks her, but retreats as Tessa also wakes and comes out to find him assaulting Marta. As the man hurries away, Tessa and Marta wonder what he came for since nothing seems to be taken. Convinced that Montoya must be behind the break-in, Tessa tells Marta she must report it to Montoya or he will wonder why she didn’t.
  When Tessa reports it, Montoya appears unconcerned at the break-in and Tessa believes he is not responsible. Montoya assigns Grisham to investigate.
  Meanwhile, Don Miguel consults with Don Gaspar (Tacho Gonzales), concerned that the reason for the break-in might have to do with a pact made with Tessa’s father. Each of the men had one third of a map and he is worried that someone else may have found out about it. Don Gaspar assures him that he has not told anyone. Yet, as he practices his archery, Vera senses that something is disturbing her husband. When she asks him about it, he tells her that he trusts that she has not told anyone about the secret he let slip earlier.
  Grisham meet with the thief, a convicted felon that he has had released from the prison in Monterrey, and tells him to get the map piece from Don Miguel. He doesn’t care who gets killed.
  The Queen catches the thief breaking into Don Miguel’s home and they fight. Don Miguel interrupts them and the thief stabs Don Miguel. The thief escapes with the map section. As he is dying, Tessa reveals her identity to the don, but it is too late for him to tell her about the maps.
  The thief goes to find Grisham, entering his office, telling him that he has it. Instead of Grisham, it is Montoya, who learns about the treasure.
  As Vera meets Grisham at his quarters, she asks him if he has told anyone about the secret she revealed to him. A soldier interrupts before Grisham answers, informing him that Don Miguel is dead. Grisham leaves Vera, skirting the answer as she asks him again on the way out.
  Tessa appeals to Don Gaspar to give her advice and, guilt motivating him, he tells her about the maps. It seems that one of the dons had discovered that Montoya’s finances were not as he claimed and he challenged Montoya. With no heirs to his ranch and fortune, Montoya intended to take it all when he killed the don. But Tessa’s father got the don’s wealth and hid it with the intention of dispersing it among the people of the town. He made a map and split it into three pieces and he, Don Gaspar and Don Miguel each had a piece.
  Tessa realizes that if Montoya learns about the map, then all their lives are in danger. At home, she and Marta search for the map and find it. Tessa begins to formulate a plan.
  Vera once again talks to Grisham, but realizes that he must have talked about the map. Tessa catches up with her and offers her a ride back to her hacienda. As they go, they talk and Tessa makes it sound as if Vera had struck on a solution about the map pieces.
  However, Montoya does know and he, too, is heading to Don Gaspar’s hacienda. Can Tessa keep the map away from Montoya and find the treasure before he does? Can she keep Montoya from killing Don Gaspar and herself? And what of Grisham, who has once again gone behind Montoya’s back on his own scheme?



Season 1, Episode 12 — The Emissary

The Emissary

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  Ambassador Ramirez (Ed Stoppard) arrives in California with a mission, to take back the Queen of Swords’ head to the King. As he makes this announcement at a reception on the beach, one of the peasants, a man called Sancho, cries out against it. He is captured and Ramirez declares that the man should be hanged at dawn. Montoya is immediately at odds with the new arrival as he was hoping to get support from the King.
  Ramirez is contemptuous of Montoya, who managed to maintain his temper with the man. He decides he will stay with one of the Dons as a guest in one of the haciendas.
  Marta doesn’t want Tessa to try to rescue the man who spoke out, but Tessa is determined to bring justice. At that time, Ramirez arrives declaring to Marta that he will be staying at the Alvarado residence. Tessa feigns pleasure at the prospect.
  An English reporter, Edward Wellsley, who came with Ramirez interviews Grisham. When he tells Grisham he is going to write about him, Grisham tells him he doesn’t want his name in print. In fact, he insists on it.
  Meanwhile, Tessa must sneak away from her house to become the Queen. She goes to town to free Sancho.
  Ramirez talks to Grisham, enlisting his aid in his plan to kill the Queen and take over Montoya’s place. He hints at a promotion for Grisham if he has his aid in getting Montoya recalled.
  At the jail, the Wellsley interviews Sancho at the time that the Queen releases him and witnesses the action. Sancho and the Queen flee the town. Montoya suggests that Grisham follow the Queen. The Ambassador is amused and tells Montoya that everything is proceeding according to his plan. Montoya confronts Ramirez about being left out of his plan. His scheme is becoming very clear to Montoya.
  Montoya takes a moment to speak with the writer, offering to help him enjoy the hospitality of the town. He wants information on Ramirez and why he is here. He is after the reward that is offered on the queen.
  As the Queen leads Sancho away from the town, Grisham and his men follow her. They manage to elude the men by hiding themselves and the horses in the brush. While her back is turned, Sancho begins to pull a knife, but the Queen is suspicious of the man and interrupts him before he can attack her. Her questions tell her that he is not who he claims to be. Warned, she is not caught by the trap he is leading her to.
  Ramirez makes a pass at Marta, expecting her to serve him. He wants her to celebrate the death of the Queen of Swords with him. He is confident he has destroyed her. Wellsley interrupts his advances and Marta slips away.
  Forewarned, Tessa eludes the trap set for her and Grisham arrives in time to kill Sancho before he can escape. But Tessa once again escapes capture. Still, pleased with his hunt, Grisham returns to the village with the dead man. Ramirez is furious that his man has been killed and the Queen is not dead.
  Tessa decides she must try to find out more about Ramirez. She dons her red dress and goes to town to talk to the Wellsley. While buying him wine and playing the spoiled, misplaced aristocrat, she finds out what she needs to know from Edward. She also learns of Ramirez’ plan to replace Montoya.
  Montoya has a lively “discussion” over swords with Grisham and suggests there is something Grisham can do to help solve the problem of Ramirez. Montoya makes his point with finesse.
  Ramirez then launches his next plan by having a cage built in the town square. He fills it with peasants and when Marta speaks out against the plan, he has her put in it as well. He tells her he will kill one peasant an hour until the Queen shows up and she will be the first to die. (Presumably beginning the next morning after the Queen has time to learn of his plan.)
  Will Tessa be able to save Marta from the death Ramirez has planned? Can she escape from the Ambassador if she does save Marta? And will Montoya manage to eliminate the threat from Ramirez?



Season 1, Episode 13 — Kidnapped

Kidnapped

Promotional Summary

  A man from Vera’s past comes to Santa Helena, threatening to topple her carefully constructed house of cards. When Bernardo kidnaps her, ransom is not his prime objective. He wants to keep Don Hidalgo’s gold, as well as his wife. It’s up to the Queen of Swords to save the girl, the ransom — and Vera’s reputation.

Kidnapped

Nifty Happenings and Character Development, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Vera’s life is held in turn by Bernardo, Montoya, Grisham, Tessa, and Don Hidalgo.
  Vera’s past life in Spain revealed.



Season 1, Episode 14 — The Uncle

The Uncle

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  As Grisham’s men beat a peasant for failure to pay taxes, the Queen of Swords comes to the rescue at the same time a gentleman of Spain is passing. The gentleman assumes that the masked woman is in the wrong and threatens her with a gun. She throws one of the soldiers into the man and rides off. At home she throws her blouse with a bullet hole in it to Marta telling her that she didn’t think Uncle Alejandro would try to kill her.
  The man from Spain is Tessa’s uncle who has come to try to find his brother’s murderer. He urges Tessa to return to Spain.
  Meanwhile, Montoya expresses his unhappiness with Grisham’s latest failure. Don Ricardo is angry and complains to Montoya about the soldiers brutalizing his workers.
  Tessa’s uncle has brought her a present of a doll dressed in a wedding dress and he tells Tessa that he would like to see her in such a dress. Don Alejandro goes to see Montoya. He tells him he is offering a reward of 1000 reales for a witness to the death of his brother. He has 100 with him and the rest will be sent from Spain when Don Rafael’s murderer is hung. Montoya tells him he cannot help, that he doesn’t have enough man power. But Don Alejandro has orders from the Viceroy instructing Montoya to cooperate.
  Grisham puts up a poster with the reward information. The Captain is unhappy because he believes this will lead to his death. Montoya tells Grisham that Alejandro has signed his own death warrant when the local bandits learn the man is carrying 100 reales on him.
  A note is attached to Alvarado hacienda door with a knife offering information. Tessa tries to talk her uncle out of meeting the person who left the note, but he is insistent. When she says she will go with him, he refuses to allow it.
  Don Alejandro goes alone and is attacked by bandits. The Queen comes to his rescue even as Grisham and his men watch the fight. As the Queen warns him that this isn’t Spain, the soldiers attack and the Queen leaves.
  Later, in town, Don Ricardo talks to Grisham, telling him to leave his workers alone. Grisham wants to kill him, but Montoya points out that he had just argued with Don Ricardo and it wouldn’t look good. He instructs him to continue the plan and release the bandit they had hired to attack Don Alejandro. As the man rides away, Grisham shoots him.
  A false confession on the bandit’s deathbed claims that Don Ricardo killed Don Rafael. Grisham’s men plant Rafael’s sword at Don Ricardo’s hacienda as evidence and arrest Don Ricardo. At the same time, Montoya tells Don Alejandro about the confession and that Grisham is arresting Don Ricardo. When confronted with the evidence, Tessa confirms that the sword looks like her father’s and confirms that her father had a dispute with someone over water rights — another part of the trumped up charges.
  Knowing that they can’t afford to have a trial with the flimsy evidence he has, Montoya makes a deal with Don Ricardo to release him in exchange for money, land and the water rights. He expects Don Alejandro to kill Don Ricardo when he learns he has been released.
  Tessa confronts Don Ricardo after his release and asks him if he killed her father. When he denies it, swearing he did not kill him and he doesn’t know how the sword ended up at his hacienda, Tessa believes. Don Alejandro, however, is furious and is ready to shoot Don Ricardo in the town. Tessa interferes, stepping in front of Don Ricardo. Not understanding her, Don Alejandro tells her she has not shown any interest in finding her father’s killer and disowns her.
  Montoya’s plan is going perfectly. Don Alejandro has threatened Don Ricardo and Montoya speculates how the plan will work. Will Don Alejandro fall victim to Montoya’s plan? Will Tessa lose her uncle without reconciliation with him? Will Don Ricardo be murdered for a crime he didn’t commit?

The Uncle

Nifty Happenings, Allusions, and Character Development, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Emotions run high in this episode.
  Episode reveals Tessa lived with her Uncle in Madrid.
  Tessa’s uncle is Don Alejandro. In Zorro (1990), Zorro’s father is Don Alejandro de la Vega. Spooky.



Season 1, Episode 15 — Runaways

Runaways

Synopsis and Detailed Spoilers by the Methos Boxer Brigade (MBB)

  A blonde woman (Amber Batty) and two black slaves run down the beach, pursued by a man (Simon MacCorkindale) with a rifle who shoots the female slave, Agatha. The other two leave her behind and escape. The man and his men catch up with the wounded slave and take her back to his ship.
  The captain goes to Montoya for help in locating the woman, his wife, whom he claims was kidnapped by the two slaves. Montoya is reluctant to help him, but Wentworth offers him a gift of gold. Montoya promises to help after he finishes his lunch.
  At Tessa’s hacienda, the slave is caught by Marta stealing from the house and she chases him out where Tessa stops him. Camilla is waiting in the stable.
  At another stable, Dr. Helm is trying to doctor Montoya’s horse who is not well. Helm tells Montoya he is doing the best he can, but he is not a veterinarian. He asks Montoya if he’s heard about a woman being shot on the beach. Montoya tells him the woman is apparently okay. But he’s sent Helm a patient.
  Wentworth has a boil that needs attention. As the doctor treats him he offers to look at the injured slave for a reduced price, to help the man preserve his investment.
  Jeffrey, the other slave, chooses to go back to the ship to get his sister Agatha.
  As Helm treats Agatha, he learns her mistress is Camilla, a woman he was once engaged to. He takes Agatha below deck to discuss it.
  Camilla decides to go talk to Montoya even though Marta warns her about Montoya being a dangerous man.
  When Jeffrey returns to the ship, Helm tries to interfere as Wentworth threatens the slave and the captain’s men restrain Helm. When Agatha comes out, Wentworth aims the gun at Agatha until Jeffrey tells him what he wants to know. He knocks Helm unconscious and has him thrown overboard. From the cliffs by the sea, the Queen sees Helm dumped and jumps into the water to help him. She pulls him to the shore and learns that Wentworth is sending his men to her hacienda to retrieve his wife.
  Camilla explains her situation to Montoya, that she and the slaves have run away from her abusive husband and asks for Montoya’s help. He puts her under guard at the hotel under the pretense of protecting her.
  When Helm turns up at the Alvarado residence, he learns that Camilla has gone to Montoya. When Tessa inquires why he is so concerned about Camilla, Helm tells her that he was once engaged to her. Tessa is upset to learn this and asks Marta if she must risk his life to save Camilla’s so he can be with her. Marta reminds her that Helm said she “was” his financée.
  Tessa goes to Montoya to try to find out where Camilla is. Montoya remarks that once again Tessa is the center of activities. But Montoya does tell Tessa that Camilla is the hotel. After Tessa leaves, Wentworth shows up demanding that Montoya take him to the Alvarado hacienda. Montoya tells him that he has his wife. Montoya negotiates to return Wentworth’s wife for one of the captain’s cannons.
  While they have been talking, the Queen has been busy getting into Camilla’s room and freeing her, even though Camilla doesn’t think she needs to be broken free. After the Queen subdues the guards, she tells Camilla that she is a friend of Robert Helm. Camilla then goes with her.
  On the way to the hotel, Dr. Helm confronts Wentworth, accusing him of attempted murder and hits Wentworth. Although Montoya is amused at the brawl that breaks out between the two men, he has his men separate them and has Helm taken to his office. As Helm is going up the stairs with the guards, the Queen and Camilla ride past out of the town.
  Hiding out from the pursuing guards, Camilla babbles on to the Queen about Robert. Camilla reveals that she was forced to marry Charles Wentworth by her father. She says she must she him and wants to go back to town. Tessa takes her back to Robert’s office where she leaves her. Released by Montoya, Helm returns and finds Camilla waiting for him. The Queen witnesses the tender kiss between the two through the window and, heartbroken, leaves them. Camilla tells Helm that the only freedom for her is Wentworth’s death, but Helm will not kill him for her.
  Montoya talks to Wentworth, trying to placate him over losing his wife to the Queen. He promises to deliver Camilla to Montoya in the morning for his cannon. As Wentworth leaves, Montoya calls to his guard, Gomez, to bring in his pretty sister, a blonde girl whom he intends to make into Camilla for the exchange.
  The Queen takes a boat out to the ship to free the slaves. But the alarm is sounded. As the slaves escape, the Queen confronts the sailors, attacks Wentworth and dives into the ocean. Just as Jeffrey and Agatha beach the boat, Montoya and his men show up and take them captive.
  Will the Queen of Swords save the slaves again? Will Montoya get his cannon? Will Dr. Helm resume his romance with Camilla? What will happen to the Queen’s relationship with Dr. Helm?

Runaways

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  This tale begins with three runaways, fleeing from a ship in the harbor, two slaves, a brother and a sister, and the wife of Captain Charles Wentworth, Camilla. Wentworth fires on, and hits, the young woman, and the two are forced to leave her behind. They make their way to safety at the Alvarado hacienda, where they hide in the barn.

  Captain Wentworth shows up in Montoya’s garden, interrupting lunch, to complain that his wife has been kidnapped by one of his slaves, and what is Montoya going to do about it.
  Finish my lunch, Captain, says Montoya after a discourse on the English and the Spanish not being on such friendly terms anyway, and besides, this is his domain and he will attend to things in his own good time, but the bribe was a nice thought, thank you so much.
  He is soon checking on his horse, whom the good Dr. Helm is tending. I won’t say anything about this scene except that it reflects badly, both on Montoya’s and Helm’s knowledge about horses or even their ability to think logically. It reflects even less well on the writers themselves. It is supposed to be a “Hey, Jim, I’m only a (human) doctor” kind of scene, but it’s just more stupid than a “Timmy’s in the well” trick.
  Anyway, Montoya tells the doctor he is sending him a patient.
  The woman who was shot on the beach, Helm asks.
  No, Captain Wentworth.
  What’s wrong with him? asks Helm.
  “You mean besides being English?” Montoya quips.

  Dr. Helm spends a busy day, lancing the Captain’s boil, tending to the wounded slave and getting into all kinds of trouble when he interferes between the captain and his slave, who has returned to save his sister. Into the drink with the doctor after a well-placed pistol whip. Glug.
  But the Queen has followed the slave back to the boat and is on hand to rescue Robert.
  Again.

  When Dr. Helm catches his breath, he struggles up and starts muttering about going after Camilla; the slave he was tending on the ship told him that Camilla was the name of the captain’s escaped wife. He says she’s at the Alvarado hacienda, and the Queen says, ahem, gotta run. You can ride back alone, right?
  But Camilla, bless her pale, perky self, has run from the hacienda, straight into Montoya’s offer of aid, which is more an imprisonment at the local inn, under the guise of hospitality.
  Robert arrives at the hacienda only to find Camilla gone and a curious Tessa wanting to know just what gives with this captain’s wife that so interests the doctor.
  We were going to be married, Helm replies.

  Dr. Helm returns from a heated argument about Montoya’s siding with Wentworth — or, more correctly, himself — to find Camilla waiting in his office.
  Smooching ensues.
  Night falls.

  The next morning at Dr. Helm’s. Camilla still has her lace gloves on... but who can say?
  In any case, this morning she’s keen on having the doctor kill her husband, if he won’t let her do it herself.
  Did I tell you I don’t kill people, Camilla?
  You’ve killed lots of people, Robert.
  That was the war!
  Oh, hell, Dr. Helm stomps out to the strains of “I’ll do it my way...”

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 16 — The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man

Promotional Summary

  When Montoya and his men depart Santa Helena for Monterrey, leaving Grisham in command, the Captain’s former nemesis, Krane, sets his sights on the pueblo. Blackmailing Grisham and jailing the Dons, Krane and his desperados leave the Queen only one option. Unable to take them all on her own, she’s forced to enlist some unlikely conscripts — the town’s women.

The Hanged Man

Nifty Character Development and Behind the Scenes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Grisham was a corporal in the American army during The War Against Britain (1812-1815) who killed his commanding officer to escape a hanging for the murder of a boy that he did not commit.
  Curro, a stunt man, performs the most dangerous stunt in Westerns: involving a wagon and horses. Dressed as The Queen (as none of Tessie Santiago’s stunt doubles would have been strong enough to perform the stunt which involved passing under the horses and wagon), Curro is dragged along by a trailing rope, hauling himself back on to the wagon.



Season 1, Episode 17 — The Return

The Return

Promotional Summary

  Marta’s former lover, Leonardo, visits Southern California in search of his paramour. Leonardo and Marta are arrested when they are found in the company of the sailor’s companion who robbed a rancher and killed a soldier attempting to escape. Montoya guarantees his prisoners’ freedom if Leonardo will kill a troublesome don who is leading the fight against the governor’s planned tax increase.

The Return

Nifty Character Development and Trivia, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Tessa has an Aunt, Uncle, and three cousins in Madrid.
  Marta met Leonardo 10 years ago, in Madrid, when Tessa was 11 and their relationship lasted a year.
  Leonardo spent 5 years in a Castille prison for stealing a loaf of bread.
  Oliver Haden (who guest stars as Leonardo) appeared in Zorro (1990) episode “The Chase” as Greywing.



Season 1, Episode 18 — The Pretender

The Pretender

Promotional Summary

  A horse rides into town carrying a wounded stranger, whose last words accuse the Rey family of lies and murder. As Montoya and his men try to piece the puzzle together, the Queen turns to Andreo Rey, the son of Claudio and Paloma, suspecting that he is hiding something. And when mother and father accuse their own son, she knows without a doubt that its time for the Queen of Swords to ride to his rescue.

The Pretender

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  This episode starts out with an event to cheer the heart: the murder of a lawyer.
He manages to make it into town, just as Tessa is getting done with shopping. She says the magic words to make Pete appear, “Get Dr. Helm.”
Yesssssss.
Dr. Helm does the put-sheet-over-head, toss-back-whiskey-and-curse protocol.
Hmmm? Wonder what the dying lawyer meant by “lies, lies,” when he mentioned the Reys, and what is the Rey’s only son doing spying at the clinic window?

[Colonel Montoya and Grisham investigate and uncover a web of deceit involving the Rey family that leaves the son Andreo charged with murder.]
Andreo tries to flee. Helm knocks Grisham over before he can shoot the lad. He gets such a smack for his troubles.
And despite the intervention on both the doctor’s and Tessa’s part, the boy is captured.
Helm: “You know, Luis, a suspicious person might think you were being more than a scoundrel.”
Montoya: “Don’t get your stethoscope in a twist, Roberto. I’m not going to kill the boy. I’m just going to send him off to Monterrey for a life of chain gangs and shower parties.”
Helm: “Geez, Luis, don’t let anybody tell you don’t have a heart of gold.”

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 19 — Takes A Thief

Takes A Thief

Promotional Summary

  Roman and Fenner, two con men riding through town, convince Montoya that they can catch the Queen of Swords — for the 1000 reales reward. After the Queen saves Roman, the criminals have trouble keeping their word. But when Montoya sets a human death trap for the Queen, it’ll mean teaming with a couple of thieves to beat Montoya at his own game.

Takes A Thief

Nifty Character Development and Behind The Scenes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Roman is the gentle giant and Fenner the wise cracking conman.
  Fenner, played by Darren Tighe, is a stand up comedian and comedy actor. This episode was the nearest to comedy of any in the series.



Season 1, Episode 20 — The Dragon

The Dragon

Promotional Summary

  A clipper ship delivers strangers, a Samurai master and his apprentice, to a strange land. After the master is murdered, the young initiate, Kami, vows to avenge the killers — and walks right into one of Montoya’s traps, one pitting the Japanese warrior against the Queen of Swords. Will Kami seek the truth, or be blinded by revenge?

The Dragon

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  Master Kiyomasa, and his apprentice, Kami, are walking—somewhere—one assumes towards St. Helena, or whatever they’re calling the town. Why the town is so far from the ship landing dock is a question, when it’s usually closer in other episodes, but who knows. In any case the two Samurai warriors are walking up a draw when they are accosted by some scruffy looking bandits.
  The son of the bandit leader puts the moves on Kami and ends up wounded badly on the edge of his own sword.
  The bandit leader shoots and kills the Samurai master and Kami is conked on the head, just as Tessa and Marta approach, on their way back from the same ship, where they’ve bought some imported silk. The bandits flee.
  Tessa speaks those lovely words, we all wait to hear, “We should get this person to Dr. Helm.”

  Back at Helm’s office, Tessa is amazed at the good doctor’s knowledge of Samurai esoterica.
  Kami wakes from her concussion and Pete gets to do an amazing somersault upside down into the bric-a-brac. Ouch.
  Kami, disoriented, rushes out, while Helm does his best impression of “patient done fell out.”
  Kami goes running through the main street, demanding that the soldiers tell her where her master is.
  One of the soldiers picks her up rudely and all hell breaks loose as Kami teaches them the Zen art of “I am the dirt.”

  Tessa stops in for a visit at Helm’s office just in time to see the walking wounded left in Kami’s wake.
  She jokes with the doctor and bats him on the noggin with her fan.
  “Hey! Post-concussion, here!” He says something about Montoya reviewing the troops in a “keemoaner.”
  You think that’s fancy fan work, you should have seen Luis when he used to go under the name of Korda.

  Night falls and Helm settles in for a soak on his poor bonzai’ed shoulder.
  He’s just working a good loll, when...
  Helm: Hey! Naked doctor bathing here!
  Kami: I can see that.
  Helm: Listen, you haven’t come back to finish beating me up, have you?
  Kami: No, Doctor. I’ve come to ask a favor.
  Helm: Sure, if I don’t have to stand up.
  Kami: Your shogun tells me the Queen of Swords is responsible for my master’s murder.
  Helm: Well, if you believe everything Montoya-san is shovelling these days, then I’d like to talk to you about some swell real estate investments.

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.



Season 1, Episode 21 — End Of Days

End Of Days

Promotional Summary

  Cornered by Captain Grisham and his men, the Queen of Swords escapes into an abandoned mine, and is followed by Grisham himself. Just when he’s got her where he wants her, an earthquake traps them inside. With a dwindling air supply, the two foes vow to keep up the good fight — until the bitter end.

End Of Days

Fanciful Commentary by Eng of Highlander Quill Club

  End of Days is basically a flash-back summary of the season, built around the premise that Tessa and Grisham get trapped in a mine cave-in. Rather than recap earlier episodes, I’ve confined this set to QuickTime movie clips of Helm flashbacks.

Did notice one of the things lacking in QoS, chemistry-wise. That is, there doesn’t seem to be any from Queen to Doctor, though the reverse is clearly there, but then Tessa tends not to do passion very well, either in the anger, or the sexual sense, while Pete tends to skate the margin on every score.

Like Eng’s humor? Find the full Screen Captured Episode Commentary at archive.org.


Nifty Referbacks and Behind The Scenes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki:
  This is the mine partly destroyed by The Queen in Death to the Queen, Episode 2.
  The interior mine scenes were filmed at Pinewood studios, London; and the end titles list the technicians used in London.



Season 1, Episode 22 — Betrayed

Betrayed

Promotional Summary from TV IV Wiki

  Vera Hidalgo, out riding, stumbles across The Queen and Captain Grisham fighting and is thrown from her horse. Unconscious, Grisham takes her to Dr Helm, blaming The Queen for the accident. Don Hidalgo, outraged by The Queen, demands Colonel Montoya take action to kill The Queen. Montoya demands in return Martial Law so he can conscript every man into an army to kill her. The key being that Vera does not awake from her coma to tell the truth. Montoya orders Grisham to kill her. Will Grisham kill his love? Will The Queen have to fight Tessa’s rancheros? Can Dr Helm save Vera? Will there be a Season Two? (no, definitely not a Season Two... awwww)

Betrayed

Nifty Character Development and Memorable Quotes, as noted at TV IV QoS Wiki

  Captain Grisham’s love for Vera is sorely tested.
  Dr Helm becomes the victim of Montoya and Grisham’s scheming.
  Grisham and The Queen in the church:
    Grisham: “You see, either way, you take the heat, so from where I’m sitting, believe it or not, this is kind of win win situation.”
    Queen: “You really are a bastard.”
    Grisham: “Yeah.” (These last two lines are deleted in some versions.)
  The Queen to Grisham: “I’m afraid the Doctor is in jail right now, but if you’ve come for a physical, bend over and cough.”