Production #104: Vengeance

Writer: James Thorpe Director: Brian Grant Cast: James Innes Smith (Latham) Freddie Douglas (Ramon) Javier Sandoval Alvarez (Don Fuentes) Julio Morales Merino (Don Aguilera) Noah Huntley (Ian Latham)

In "Vengeance" Dr. Helm steps onto center stage as events strip away at least part of the veil obscuring his past. Behind his mask lies a man still haunted by guilt over his career as an operative for the British government, a job that evidently entailed dealing out death rather than striving to save lives, as we have seen him do with an almost desperate intensity in episodes such as "Fever."

The burden of guilt Helm carries only grows heavier when a man bent on revenge for a dead brother accidently shoots an innocent don who was standing too close to the doctor. Ironically, the errant shot sets another cycle of vengeance in motion as Don Aguilera's angry son retaliates against Don Fuentes, certain that he is responsible for Aguilera's sudden murder. Helm's agonized confession, the only means for ending the escalating violence between the dons, is a highlight of the episode. "Look at me! Look into my eyes! That's not life you see, that is death. And death leaves a trail!" Peter Wingfield artfully hits these passionate notes without going over the top into melodramatic hysteria.

Having finally quelled the local rivalries that threatened the peace of the community, the doctor tries to escape his personal furies by leaving town. To his chagrin, however, the Queen of Swords is a most tenacious companion who accompanies him in his flight.

Meanwhile, Colonel Montoya, ever the cheerful opportunist, studies the situation with a dispassionate eye. His obvious distaste for disorder and chaos is tempered by the knowledge that such upheavals can almost always be turned to his advantage. At the very least he hopes to use the doctor's stalker to further his own vendetta against the Queen of Swords. "The woman has a good heart. I'll keep it in a jar on my desk."

The inevitable convergence of these four players is choreographed into a colorful double fight sequence in which Helm and his would-be assassin confront each other at the same time that Montoya and the Queen square off. Amidst a flurry of crossbow bolts, swordblades and stinging whips, allegiances shift and flow. Helm prevents Montoya from killing the Queen and — in a gesture that is at least as pragmatic as it is generous — Montoya saves Helm from his attacker. "He's an assassin. A dime a dozen. Where am I going to find another doctor?"

Although the literal ending to the episode was a delightfully wry and flirtatious exchange between the doctor and the Queen of Swords as Helm settled back into his quarters, the scene that lingers most strongly in my mind is that of Helm and Montoya walking through the desert, their horses forfeited to the resourceful Queen. Their companionable banter proves Montoya's philosophical acceptance of momentary setbacks. He is a man who can wait, patiently, for the day when the gods will finally smile on him.

—Carmen Carter