Zorro 1.7 - Monastario Sets a Trap

Plot: Don Alejandro has come to visit the imprisoned Torres ladies. Monastario had decreed they receive no visitors, but relents on the advice of his attorney crony, Licenciado. Alejandro is surprised to hear from Dona Louisa that Monastario is treating them well, but assures them anyway that he's meeting with the other dons to form a plan. Unfortunately, Monastario had stationed a corporal nearby to spy on them, and he follows along to this meeting. There, Diego strongly urges the Dons to present a unified front and call for Monastario's dismissal. It seems as though it will work, until on Don arrives late with a drunk lancer, who has told him Louisa was told to say she and Elena are being treated well. In fact, Monastario has told them Don Nacho was captured and will be given 50 lashes if they tell the truth.

As you can imagine, Diego's pleas to handle things with reason fall on deaf ears, and the Dons prepare their attack on the cuartel, which Monastario now knows all about, thanks to the eavesdropping corporal. He orders his men to hide, and not emerge until all the Dons are inside and the gate is closed behind them. Zorro attempts to ruin this by sneaking in and attacking Monastario, hoping to draw the lancers into a chase. To the Capitan's credit, he sees through the ploy, and sends just a few men with Garcia to chase Zorro, but only for a little while, then double back, so they can catch the Dons between two forces. The plan seems sure to work, but Zorro somehow beats Garcia and his men back, and cuts off most of the Dons before they make it inside. His father is not so lucky, and Zorro has to venture inside and try to get him out over the walls, which he does, but not before Monastario is able to shoot Don Alejandro. Zorro is able to get them under cover, and use Tornado to lure the lancers away, but he's now on foot, with a gutshot old man. Good luck with that one.

Quote of the Episode: Alejandro - 'For a few moments tonight, I almost felt what it is like for a father to be proud of his son.'

Times Zorro marks a "Z": 0 (5 overall).

Other: I get there's a lot of ideas about manhood and the proper actions of a Spanish gentleman driving Alejandro, but that quote was cold. He said that right to Diego's face. It's not even about the fact he doesn't realize Diego is actually Zorro (at one point, delirious, he tells Zorro he is the man he hoped his son would be when he returned from Spain), it's just a really shitty thing to say to your kid. He's saying he's never been proud of Diego, because he won't go rushing off to die in battle with a bunch of foolish old men?

And they would have died. They're old, bent over, moving slowly even when they need to be hustling. Even if Monastario hadn't known of their plan, they'd have been slaughtered. The lancers might look bad against Zorro, but they aren't that bad. And Monastario is ruthless. He specifically ordered his men to kill all the Dons in the battle, though there's a fair chance they wouldn't have surrendered, and they would technically have been criminals and insurrectionists, so I guess he could have justified it (especially since they'd all be dead, so it's just be his version of the story the governor would hear).

On a lighter note, credit to Sergeant Garcia. Zorro tried to bait him into continuing the chase, even called him a fat, stupid pig and a coward, but Garcia did not take the bait. Like Diego, he didn't allow someone questioning his manhood to drive him to do something he shouldn't. Of course, Garcia is declining because he fears Monastario (and also would probably like better odds than him and 4 lancers against Zorro), whereas Diego withstands his father's scorn because he recognizes he can't talk the old man out of it, and Zorro will be better suited to save lives than Diego. Still, good to see the Sergeant not rise to the bait. Oh, and boo to Zorro for those harsh words to Garcia. Don't take out your daddy issues on the sergeant, Diego.