Zorro 1.27 - The Eagle's Brood

Plot: With Gallindo dead we need a new villain, and as we open in some meeting room in a big house in Monterey, we get him: the Eagle himself. What's more, we learn his forces have control of the northern portion of California, and most of the southern. However, he's going to establish his new HQ in the one area he hasn't got under control, Los Angeles, and a Senor Quintana will be going there as well to assist.

In Los Angeles, Captain Toledano receives a messenger. He is to report to San Diego to serve as acting Commandante until a new one arrives. Meaning Garcia is back in charge, and unfortunately, that Toledano must leave it to the sergeant to keep an eye peeled for the gunpowder stolen from the other cuartels, by searching every stage that comes through on the El Camino Real. The Captain is also leaving his wife behind, and asks Diego to keep her company (and keep other dudes away from her). As the Captain boards the stage, Quintana and an Enrique Fuentes get off, and to Garcia's credit, he orders Corporal Reyes to search their baggage. To his discredit, he tells the corporal to stop once they mention they purchased the inn and tavern. While Garcia shows them around their own establishment, Diego is trying to console Raquel through the difficulties of being a soldier's wife, when another messenger arrives. Diego agrees to go retrieve Garcia, which gives Raquel the chance to, oh dear, she reads the message, destroys it, and replaces it with a different note, one which says the gunpowder has been found. But she's sloppy enough Garcia notices the letter is in different color ink from the envelope, and does so around Diego, who suggests perhaps the sergeant should compare it to other official letters. Meanwhile, Zorro and Bernardo are off to watch the pass, where they see Fuentes bringing in a cartload of hay. With an armed escort. Zorro investigates, and just as he finds the casks, Garcia comes along with some lancers, and Zorro flees, rather than trying to explain. So Fuentes is able to say he was transporting wine in the casks, to trick bandits.

Naturally, Garcia escorts the "wine" all the way to the tavern, but Zorro is able to slip into the cellar and get it all out to Bernardo, replacing the casks with others stored down there. Garcia and Reyes had been promised some wine in exchange for their aid, and growing impatient waiting, venture into the cellar themselves. Zorro is long gone, but when Quintana learns the soldiers are down there, he and Fuentes grab pistols and head down, only to find Garcia extremely apologetic, because he didn't realize it was actually brandy. Thus is the Eagle thwarted, and Garcia and Reyes' lives spared, since Quintana can hardly kill them over that.

Quote of the Episode: Quintana - 'This is not one man. This is Zorro.'

Times Zorro marks a "Z": 1 (13 overall). On the bottom of one of the brandy casks.

Other: Quintana seems like he could be trouble. He's the only one of the Eagle's inner circle who questioned the wisdom of setting up shop in L.A.. And his concern is entirely about the presence of Zorro, who has managed to thwart all their plans in the area, seemingly single-handed, and cost the Eagle several agents. Jack Elam and the fake tax collector, Gallindo's scar-faced assassin, the false Captain Ortega, the false blind man, Senor Alacon and his men, and of course, the Magistrado himself. At some point, you gotta stop throwing good money after bad.

It really doesn't make any sense to go there. In an era where travel is still fairly slow, and communication not much faster, how much of a threat is one pueblo to the Eagle's plans? It isn't as though he plans to keep the land himself. He's actually going to break it off from Spain, and sell it to some other country, apparently. So you have 95% of it, sell it off, let France, or Russia, or whoever handle the holdouts in Los Angeles.

I was surprised to learn the Eagle doesn't plan to rule California, only break it loose from Spain and sell it. I had just assumed all his work to destabilize the region and eliminate the ability to resist was a plan to set himself up as King of California. But if he's accustomed to staying in the shadows, it would make sense he'd just as soon make a buck and call it good. Let someone else deal with administrative headaches.

Not really sure why Zorro didn't just tell the sergeant what was in the casks as he rode up. Hit one with the butt of the sword and throw it out on the ground. Is he really that worried about Garcia and three lancers? Garcia knows Zorro's a good guy, and I think the sergeant still had at least some suspicions he needed to be on the lookout for gunpowder, he'd have listened.