QUEEN OF SWORDS

VENGEANCE

TV GUIDE PROMO
The Harvest Festival is disrupted when an assassin kills the father of Tessa's childhood friend, Ramon. ClickTV

An assassin targets Dr. Helm but kills another man. ExciteTV

SYNOPSIS 1:

This synopsis is by James Ott.

TEASER

At the scene of a Town Fiesta, Don Aguilera and Don Fuentes argue over a sale of 50 head of cattle between the two. Don Fuentes argues that the cattle were diseased and twenty five are already dead. The elder Don Aguilera counters that the cattle were healthy enough when sold and the fact that Fuentes runs a filthy ranch, not bothering to closely check his water supply or feed quality. The two exchange more words and separate with an open threat of vengeance from Fuentes. Later Don Aguilera converses in the Square to Dr. Helm and is assassinated by a crossbow wielding figure from the Church roof, shot with a metal arrow in the back. Ramon, Don Aguilera's son, believes Don Fuentes killed his father.

ACT I

Don Aguilera lies dying in the church vestibule. A hot tempered Ramon leaves with revenge on his mind. He holds court with Col. Montoya demanding why Fuentes is not in jail. Montoya dismisses the idea because he has no proof. Ramon says that if the governor will not deal with Fuentes, he will. He proclaims, "If my father dies, it will not be the last blood spilt in this town." Montoya returns with, "Of that we agree."

Montoya receives a visit from Don Fuentes thereafter who denies being the murderer. He stated that he wouldn't have done such a thing in public, rather he would have slit his throat while he slept instead to the mildly amused Montoya.

The assassin, Latham, clubs a guard on duty while moving through the town under cover of darkness. The Queen of Swords, drawn by the movement, swoops down from above to face Latham but loses her sword. The assassin attacks her saying with dagger drawn, "Your dead!" "The words right out of my mouth", as she pulls out a hidden silver dagger from her boot. The fight is interrupted by other guards, but the Queen finds a drawing left behind; a likeness of Dr. Helm.

ACT II

Ramon assails Montoya for non action when the Doctor approaches with the sad news of Don Aguilera's death. The apologetic Doctor heads home to find the Queen awaiting his return. Tessa has realized what the Doctor already knows; the crossbow attack was aimed at him. She also believes the assassin will not stop until his target is dead. The discussion turns to the Doctor denying guilt that Ramon will undoubtedly kill Fuentes needlessly over the incident.

Ramon slinks into the bedroom of Don Fuentes to kill him in his sleep. It is a trap. Don Fuentes, with two other armed men, repeats that he did not kill Ramon's father. But since he has a wife and children, for their sake, he must reluctantly take the unrelenting Ramon's life. He instructs his two vaqueros to ride him off the property and dispose of Ramon.

The Queen of Swords riding hard with whip swinging foils the murder plot.

She knocks out one of the men cold and flips the other over a nearby cliff. Using her whip, she lashes Ramon to save him from falling over the edge himself.

ACT III

The Queen of Swords tells Ramon that it was not Don Fuentes who killed his father and to stay away from him. She leaves him saying, "I killed a man to save your life, I won't do it again."

A guilt-ridden Dr. Helm brings Ramon and Don Fuentes together explaining that he was the target and Don Aguilera was killed in the crossfire.

Helm rides into the desert alone. Knowing he's being followed, he topples the Queen off her horse as she comes around a blind turn. His own horse runs off so the two continue out of town, the Doctor on foot. The assassin, Latham, sees his direction and rides back to town for a meeting with Col. Montoya. The deal is he will deliver the Queen of Swords for Helm's death. A bargain is struck.

ACT IV

In a flashback to the Napoleonic Wars on a battlefield in Northern Spain, we see a younger Helm shoot Corp. Ian Latham to recover the French battle plans from the officer's messenger. Latham, stationed nearby, runs to find his dying brother and swears to avenge his death.

Accompanied by six mounted lancers, Montoya and Latham set out and find their individual targets. While the lancers are following the trail of Dr. Helm's wandering mount, Montoya chases after the Queen and Latham pursues Helm. Montoya is no match for the Queen of Swords. She whips the sword from his hands and the medal from his chest as he curses her. To save the Doctor, she throws him her sword to enable him to duel with Latham. In the midst of action, Helm spares Latham after defeating him. Montoya grabs the loose crossbow from the ground aiming at the Queen. The Doctor holds a sword to Montoya who suprisingly shoots the oncoming Latham. "Killers and assassins are a dime a dozen, but where would he find another doctor?" remarks Montoya. Queen of Swords has disappeared again and the Governor shrugs, "The god's mock Montoya." The Colonel and the Doctor are seen walking back to town together with the Colonel's offhanded aside, "Maybe I'm too adventurous for my own good?" The beleaguered Helm replies, "Oh, shut up!"

EPILOGUE

The Doctor is in his quarters when the Queen pops out of nowhere. Helm says he didn't know when he'd run into her again but he returns her sword and thanks her.

SYNOPSIS 2:

This synopsis is by Simlady.

The show starts during some sort of feista. Tessa is dancing with a young man - he's her childhood friend, Ramon. They are teasing each other over what they were like as children - he pulled her hair, etc. His father is roasting a lamb (or a calf - it is fairly small) and a man named Fuentes comes over and accuses him of selling him sick cows. The father (last name Aguilera) says Fuentes has a filthy farm and it was not his fault (they argue).

When Dr Helm and Aguilera are talking, the Don gets shot in the chest with a cross bow arrow. (Helm's nice white vest is now blood spattered!) They take him to the church, because the doctor's office is too far away. Tessa is helping out. The Dr won't say he will live, though the arrow missed his heart. The son is furious and blames Fuentes.

Dr Helm says it's a professional hit - the guy didn't want to be heard so he used a crossbow (an unusual weapon). Tessa says it was stupid to do this at a public event, but Helm said no one heard where he shot from, so it was a good choice of weapon.

The son is on at Montoya to get at Fuentes, but of course, there is no proof Fuentes did it. Later Montoya has a nice chat with the Don, who says he would have slit Aguilera's throat, not kill him so publically. Montoya likes that. He goes on about pruning his garden, as a subtle hint that Fuentes can be pruned out if he had to be.

Tessa as the Queen is watching the church where the patient is dying - she confronts the bad guy and gets a bit of paper off him - which indicates that Helm is the target of the assassin.

Aguilera dies. Doc comes back to his rooms and The Queen confronts him with the bit of paper. It has a picture of a man in a beard, and some sort of map on the other side. Quick flashback and "where did you get that?" She confronts him and he says he is not responsible and Ramon should keep away from Fuentes if he knows what's good for him.

Helm: This is my business, you stay the hell out of it.
Queen: I guess I am not the only one that hides behind a mask.

Ramon goes to kill Fuentes and gets caught. He won't give up his quest, even when Fuentes tells him (solemn word) he didn't do it. He figures he needs to kill the son or his family is in danger, so his men take him away.

Helm goes and looks thought the assassin's room (he has killed one of Montoya's men there, so it has the 1817 equivilant of police tape on the door. (I was immediately reminded of Sharpe borrowing a pick lock. "Trust me," he tells his men. "It's very hard to trust a man who is borrowing a pick lock!" - sorry, my own digression, but seeing helm pick the lock made me think of it)

Montoya finds him in the room, and Helm gives a lame excuse of being a scientist and hoping to help the investigation.

"No one can hide from Montoya forever." This is clearly directed at Helm, too - so I do not think Montoya knows of Helm's past. (In fact, knowing what it is now, I am sure of it)

The Queen saves Ramon while Fuentes' men are trying to throw him off a cliff.

WARNING - here's where she kills for the first time!! She throws a man over the cliff. After leaving Ramon some distance from his home (And Ramon has a British accent - explain that one to me), she tells him Fuentes did NOT kill his father, it was an accident. "Today I killed a man to save your life; I will not do it again."

Next we see Tessa visiting the Dr, with all sorts of "symptoms", as she tells him what the Queen did to save Ramon. She's trying to make him feel guilty. What Ramon did was so romantic. He won't give up till he kills Fuentes. Helm gets shook up and hands her sugar water.

He arranges a meeting between Ramon and Fuentes. He tells them the assassin was after him. He says there are many reasons someone would kill him, but he'll take them to his grave.

"LOOK at me! Look in my eyes! That's not life you see, that is death. And death leaves a trail!"

Helm takes off on his horse. Fearing he is being followed, he pounces on the horseman and - it's the Queen. She gets the upper hand and it is the closest we've seen to a clinch. "Slit my throat and have done with it, or take your knee of my..." Meanwhile, his horse has run off. She says he can get another at a nearby rancho - if you want to keep running away.

"I am not running away! I am walking."

(I tell you I was rolling on the floor)

The assassin sees them together and makes a deal with Montoya - he will give him the Queen, if Montoya hands over the Dr. They shake on it.

Queen and Dr are sharing her horse and talking - she is trying prevent him from leaving, but he has taken an oath and will not kill the assassin - here comes said assassin and Montoya. After they see him, Montoya says to his men, "Once I have the Queen of Swords, kill that son of a bitch!"

Helm and the Queen *separate* (He makes a botch of it, of course; slaps her horse on the butt and the animal rears and pushes him down into a ravine!) Montoya goes after her and the assassin confronts Helm.

In the war (Northern Spain) Helm was a Lt. He wears this really ratty gotee which makes Koren's look good!! He was in civilian clothes as he approaches a British soldier.... the British soldier is the assassin's brother. He was a *spy*, though the same term can apply to Helm. I can't remember now the term they used in Sharpe - Jay please help me. One of Hogan/Nairn/Ross' boys. Anyway, intellegence. The young soldier had the map (the bit of paper the Queen found) which showed British troup placements - he is going to give it to the French. Helm shoots the man and the brother sees it as murder. When we come back from flashback the brother refuses to believe his brother was selling secrets to the enemy and still wants to kill Helm.

Queen has let her horse go on, but Montoya figures it out and doubles back. She gives her sword to Helm ("Not her!" yells Helm, "It's me you want, come and get me you bastard!") so she is left to face Montoya with *just* a whip.

She uses it to take his medal off his coat.

Helm gets the upper hand but won't kill; he knocks him out. But there is a long moment when the assassin taunts him with, "What are you waiting for, you're a killer!"

Then Helm goes up to Montoya with the Queen's sword. (Montoya has the assassin's crossbow on the Queen). "You BARGAINED for my life!" Montoya asks Helm to kill the young lady behind him ("Which young lady is that?"). Assassin rises up and Montoya kills him with the crossbow.

"You're a complicated man, Colonel."
"He's an assassin. A dime a dozen. Where am I going to find another doctor?"
"Or another horse."

They look and Queen is riding off on Salan (holding the assassin's horse.) Montoya freaks. Hee. Guess he likes the horse.

They start back to town and Montoya says, "You know Dr, sometimes I think I am too virtuous for my own good."

"Don't push it, Colonel." (didn't I read that one on Eng's page?)

The Doctor is back in his rooms "unpacking". Queen comes in - very cute little bit where he hears her but goes the wrong way. THEN there is a very flirtatous little thing, where he says he wasn't sure when he would see her and you could see her getting all bothered and . . . all he wants is to give her back her sword.

"Oh by the way . . ."

But she is gone.

"It's nice to be back."

MY THAT'S A SHARP SWORD

10-17-00. This is the episode wgere they lost almst 12 rolls of film on their way to Canada for processing. Becuase of this mishap, re-shoots had to be done in July 2000.