Queen of Swords episode reviews--Vengeance

Vengeance

The Day of The Dead

Queen: "Looks like I'm not the only one who hides behind a mask."

This was another fine episode by master craftsman James Thorpe who wrote a number of the earlier episodes of QUEEN OF SWORDS giving it much of the stories meaning and flavor. Though not shown in this order in the original episodes in the US, this was supposed to be the fourth episode in the series and it works if viewed with that in mind. There were a couple of different themes and one main symbol tying the story together very nicely. We can give Mr. Thorpe and the producers credit for the themes, but director Brian Grant needs to be mentioned for the use of a cross as the symbol tying characters together and also rendering some asunder in this episode.

The story begins with a pale clown puppet landing in a blanket after having been tossed in the air by some village children at the local Harvest Festival. It was a rather eerie looking beginning which set the tone for the story. Americans and Canadians might refer to the Harvest Festival as Thanksgiving in this day and age. In 1817, the festival probably took place around the same time so it could have been combined with the Roman Catholic Feast Day occurring on November first known in the US as "All Souls Day." In Spanish speaking countries the day is known as "Dia de la Muerte" or "Day of the Dead." Mr. Thorpe and the producers used this phrase to tie together the murder of a local villager committed by a visiting assassin (played beautifully by Englishman James Innes-Smith ) with the death of the assassin's brother by Dr. Helm years earlier in Spain and then brought the concept full circle when the Queen discovers that the assassin is back to kill Dr. Helm. (This also explains why Montoya's men never caught the Queen. She figured out the intended target of the assassin while they "combed the countryside" – something they did a lot. He did not have the most competent staff to assist him in his treachery.)

In learning about the life Dr. Helm lead in the Napoleonic Wars – in fact, the life he tried to escape by becoming a physician – the audience is lead into the second theme expressed by the Queen in her statement at the top of this review. We are reminded in the opening song (which is played hauntingly in many forms) by Jose Feliciano that not only the Queen of Swords leads a life hidden behind a mask, but we all do. In this story we learn that Dr. Helm's current lifestyle is a mask for his history. We also get a glimpse behind the mask of charm used by Montoya to cater only to the richest Dons in Santa Helena in order to build his massive amounts of wealth to control the land when he appears to play delightfully with the children. When one spills a bottle of wine splattering on the Colonel, he curses at the child under his breath.

These themes play wonderfully tying the story together, but I especially liked the use of the cross as the unifying symbol for the story. In fact as I re-watched the episode, I began looking for crosses just to see how the director would fit them in -- not that they were that obvious to the first time casual viewer. No, these were well-placed symbols woven into the story such that they added rather than detracted from it. I only took notice because it is my job to watch for these things. In Roman history, a cross was an instrument of torture and death. Instruments of "torture" are used for ultimate healing in Judeo-Christian history, surgery, and the dentist's office. Similar messages associated with crosses were used here. The most stand out moments were the assassin's use of a CROSSbow to kill and crosses in the local church where emergency surgery took place to try and save the wounded Don, (these symbols were matched one above another as the assassin tried to shoot Dr. Helm in the church. Other significant uses of the cross symbol included the image of a knife crossing the foot of a crucifix making a Greek cross when Ramon (played by another fine English actor Freddy Douglas whose Ramon was the only guest character to make a return appearance) tries to kill Don Aguilera as revenge for his father's death and a cross carved in a chair sitting next to Montoya's head as he conspires with the assassin. Perhaps the most interesting creation and use of a cross as symbol came in the knife fight between the assassin and the Queen. Twice, the assassin pinned the Queen's arms and shoulders against a wall in the shape of a cross to try and stop her aggression (and twice she got away). I never found any crosses in scenes between the doctor and the Queen. It was as if to say they hadn't made a connection yet.

The courtyard fight between the Queen and the assassin was one of the best in the series. Roberta Brown and Anthony DeLongis worked as knife doubles for Tessie Santiago and James Innes-Smith, but the fantastic editing does not let the unaware viewer in on this. The scene was excellent. My only wish was that they would have used longer shots to show us what was happening. All the tight close-ups made the scene tense, but it would have been nice to see more of the action.

Speaking of nice editing, Tessie Santiago and Peter Wingfield had four wonderful scenes together which made the episode most special. The scene that stands out as being the most fun was one in which they shared more banter about telling secrets. The quick editing from one face to the other gave the scene an added touch of humour that might not have been there in one long shot.

This was Ms. Santiago's fourth episode as a professional and lead actress. In this episode, one could see that she had picked up on nuances of voice needed for film and looked far more polished that in the first episode "Destiny." As such, the Queen looks like she was becoming more comfortable in her role as "saviour" of the people of Santa Helena which made sense since the first few days of anyone's job (be one a Queen or a servant) are rocky. This all served the story quite well and made me want to see each additional episode.

I give this episode 9 Rapiers and 4 Daggers for great use of symbolism to tell a story, fun scenes between the Doctor and the Queen, and one of the best fight scenes ever.


Taram

July 31, 2003