Zorro 1.13 - The Fall of Monastario

Plot: We open in Monastario's office, as Sergeant Garcia marches Diego in. Diego's been arrested, because Monastario is sure he is Zorro, which seems so ludicrous to Garcia he can't help himself from bursting out laughing. Diego is not so amused. Before Monastario can go further, one of the lancers reports that the Viceroy is on his way, and will be here in 30 minutes. Monastario, fearing a conspiracy by his enemies, orders Garcia to empty the jail, and get all the prisoners in the town square to cheer the Viceroy's arrival by any means necessary, even if he has to shoot them. Garcia finds it difficult to get them to leave - as they rightly fear it's a trick and they'll be shot trying to "escape" - until he promises free wine on the Capitan at the inn. Meanwhile, other citizens are being forced into the square at lance point, and are encouraged to cheer by musket wielding soldiers hiding behind the crowds.

So the Viceroy gets quite the reception, as Monastario sets to buttering him and his daughter Constancia up like a couple of biscuits. It doesn't work terribly well - Constancia describes him as a pompous fool - but outwardly, all the reports of Monastario's harsh tactics, and a populace near open revolt, seem baseless. Monastario has a party for his guests at the inn, and as they prepare to retire for the night, he has Diego brought in, dressed as Zorro, to demonstrate how he has captured the notorious outlaw. The only problem is, when Zorro is revealed as Diego, it's also revealed the Viceroy knows Diego, because his son attended university with Diego.

Even when Licenciado backs up Monastario, by claiming he has seen Zorro up close and recognizes him as Diego, the Viceroy still isn't sure, and accedes to Diego's request to have Monastario ushered from the room while they speak. We accompany Monastario and Garcia, which only serves to tell us the Capitan thinks Constancia fancies him, and that Garcia does not find Monastario attractive. Brought back inside, Monastario is asked again if he is certain the man before him is Zorro. Monastario says he is. But he wears a mask, and is often seen at night. One could apply a fake mustache. Is there no doubt? Monastario is dead certain. Then Zorro's mask is removed again, and it is one of the lancers, who put the outfit on at the Viceroy's orders. Diego was hiding jauntily behind the bar the whole time.

Even now, maybe sensing the end, Monastario won't relent, and he challenges Diego to a duel. Just like last week, Diego plays the clumsy fool, but Monastario is too furious to press him hard enough to make Diego fight seriously. At a crucial moment, the Viceroy distracts Diego, and Monastario has him in a corner, sword at his throat, vowing to kill him if he does not admit he is Zorro. At which point Zorro rides by and throws a knife at the tavern door with a note attached, then speeds off. Out of sight, we see it was Bernardo (who up to now, we'd seen only briefly in the square before the Viceroy arrived). With that, Monastario is sunk, and the Viceroy removes him from command, placing Sergeant Garcia in charge, much to the Sergeant's glee. And he declares a holiday in honor of his promotion.

Quote of the Episode: Monastario - 'I have here a list of Zorro's offenses.' Diego - 'It's a rather long list. He must have been working nights!'

Times Zorro marks a "Z": 0 (8 overall).

Other: Well, Garcia called someone else a baboso, but avoided that particular insult this week. He did get called an idiot when he said he didn't find the Capitan attractive, and it also prompted this exchange:

Monastario: I mean if you were a woman!
Garcia: If I were a woman and fat like this, I wouldn't be particular.

Oh Sergeant.

Diego's facepalm when Monastario tells Garcia to make the people appear happy even if he has to shoot them was fantastic. It's such a mind-bogglingly stupid way to think, but it's Monastario. Actually being kind and fair to the people, where they might truly want to cheer, never occurs to him. Simpler to force cheer through the same threats of violence he uses all the time anyway.

Diego also looked incredibly smug when Monastario realized the Viceroy was an old acquaintance of Diego's. Monastario never considered the possibility Diego would have more connections in high places than Monastario. That said, I'm surprised Diego's "pitiful swordsman" act would work on the Viceroy. We saw in the first episode that Diego won many fencing trophies. If the Viceroy and Constancia know him well enough to be not only surprised at Monastario's accusations, but adamant they can't be true, wouldn't they also know he was actually a fine swordsman? If Diego was friends with their son, it seems the sort of thing the son might mention in a letter or conversation. I tell my parents about cool things my friends did.

All I can figure is the Viceroy did know, but went along with the ruse, because by the time Diego and Monastario are dueling, the Capitan has already effectively hung himself. He'd demonstrated that the reports about his style of leading are true, and the Viceroy's going to have him removed anyway. Might as well let Diego see it through his way.

I guess, since Bernardo was able to prepare a perfectly legible note to pin to that door, we know whether he knows how to write now. So yeah, in the future perhaps he ought to skip the pantomime and just write what he needs to tell Diego.

There's one odd sequence in the episode. After Monastario sends Garcia to empty the jail, he orders a bath drawn. The next time we see him is in his private quarters, as he's finishing dressing and the tub is being hauled out of his room. But Diego is sitting there at Monastario's writing table, a lancer with a loaded pistol right next to him. Did Diego have to watch the Capitan bathe? That would be extremely awkward. I guess Diego and the soldier could have been waiting out in the office, then brought in after, but Diego looked as though he'd been there some time.