The Queen moved to Miami

After the independent television series Queen of Swords went off the air, the actress who played the lead (Tessie Santiago) was cast as "Lucia" in the NBC television series Good Morning, Miami. After seeing the run through, interested persons received emails with information about how it looked. That is included below:


Good Morning Miami Initial Run-through Notes April 18-25, 2002


1) Subject: Good Morning Miami Run-Thru
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 10:07:48 -0700
-----
Thank you for ordering tickets for GOOD MORNING MIAMI...scheduled for Sunday, April 21st. This show has been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday, April 20th at 3:00PM! If you are interested in attending on Saturday instead of Sunday, you do not have to reorder tickets, but please respond to this email so we may add your name to the ticket list for the show.

Thanks,
tvtickets.com / Ticket Dept.

2) Subject: Re: Good Morning Miami Run-Thru
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 12:57:08 -0700
-----
the show time on Saturday is 3pm...arrive by 2pm.
Thanks,
Steve

3) To: tessie_santiago_fansite_inner-circle@yahoogroups.com
From: vvv <xxxxxxx>
Subject: [TSFansite-Inner Circle] My visit to the GMM Run Thorugh--REALLY LONG
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 05:19:51 GMT
-----
Greetings everyone and thank you for all of your good wishes while I was in LA. I got some info to you while at Kinko's, but I have slept since then and may repeat some of it. Please forgive me if I do.

As you all know, last Thursday, the run through date was switched from Sunday evening to Saturday afternoon. The only way I would make it was if there was absolutely no hitch in the flights or in
collecting a car to drive in the area. I was blessed to have made it all the way with no problems. I even had time to freshen up in the hotel before going to the studio, but enough about me.

The car was searched as I entered the parking structure and we all passed through metal detectors in order to stand in line. None-the-less, a few people brought in cell phones and cameras. I guess I follow the rules to the tee, as I don't want to be thrown out of a studio. Ah well. Only about 5 of us had purchased individual tickets. A very large group of people 30 or 40 had group tickets. A few people had been recruited from folks passing out tickets on Hollywood Blvd and on Universal City Walk to tourists, and about 20 casting directors from around the area had special seating. My friend Mark arrived just as we were being escorted to the sound stage. On the way we visited with a casting director who was interested that one would travel so far to see this. (Hope that was good for the show and Tessie.)

Somehow I entered the studio first. Still haven't quite figured out how that happened. More metal detectors. I sat in the front seat furthest to the left. I suppose it wasn't the greatest for watching the show, but it was great for watching the action!

The run through, and the Tuesday night taping, took place on the CBS Studio lot in Studio City in the same sound stage formerly used by "Ellen". (Andrew Helm told me that "Gilligan's Island" had been filmed at the CBS Studios and as far as he could remember it had never been anything else. Now I gotta tell you, that was the first time I ever imagined "Gilligan's Island" being filmed anywhere. I guess a child just believes everything one sees on television. Fortunately, I didn't reply "What!?! Gilligan wasn't real!?!")

The soundstage used had also been used for "Will and Grace". I have been on numerous sound stages, but in case you haven't let me describe it to you.It was cold due t the lights so I wore my jacket. Imagine a theatre. In the back is the audience. A TV audience is in bleachers with an iron railing in front of them separating the audience from those on the floor. In front of the audience and the railing are high "director chairs" for the producers, director and writers. Then there are four cameras. Three of the cameras A, B, and C have three people running each of them. One guy films while the others push and pull him around. Then there is the X camera. I may have this wrong, but I think that is the handheld camera with attached mike and boom operator, like a video camera. Then there is the boom and operator for the other three cameras. Saturday, there were also a crowd of people hanging out down in that area. I think some were the writers. Perhaps there were hair and make-up artists there too along with PAs and at least one animal wrangler. Sometimes the actors would stand with these people when they were not in scenes. This is how I got to see Tessie. In front of them was the director who ran the show. He was a tall guy. Then in the very front were the sets. On stage right was the set for the show "Good Morning Miami", next was the outer office for the television station, in the center was the office for Jere Burns' character…the office later became Mark Feuerstein's office. All the way on stage left was Suzanne Pleshette's apartment.

Before the show started a warm-up announcer (whose role was kind of like that of the clown at a rodeo…he provided safe continuity) explained who the producers were and that the series had already
been picked up for 13 episodes because of their track record. He then went on to explain that having a run through in front of an audience was something these two like to do. He suggested that most producers have the actors in front of an audience for the first time when they do the actual shooting. The man went on to explain that while an actual episode shooting can take up to four hours because of all the takes and re-writes at the time of shooting, the run through would take only about a half an hour as they wanted to gauge our reactions as if we were seeing it on TV for the first time. (We were actually in the soundstage for about 40 minutes to an hour.) There were moments when the director had folks pause and re-do lines, this was still a rehearsal, but it took very little time. The show was performed in sequence, so the actors, the director, the cameras (and the crowd in front) would walk from one set to another.

Then….the actors appeared. I saw Tessie on the "Good Morning Miami" set and that was absolutely marvelous. No, I was not able to say hello to any of the actors, writers, PAs, etc. I have seen people hang over the edge of railings to greet actors and sports personalities, but that seems like something that would embarrass everybody at the time. I think with work, one could arrange ahead of time to greet someone, but doing so while the actors are working seemed inappropriate. However, I enjoyed myself thoroughly just watching.

As they wanted to do this quickly, the actors never changed clothes, though the episode seemed to take place over two or three days. Tessie appeared in the first scene with her male counterpart on the GMM news team. He is a pompous Ted Baxter type, while her character is also sort of ditzy. She spoke with a thick Charo-like accent, so I didn't always pick up on what she was saying, but she was funny. Her character has a dog named Stewey who she believes is loved by all of Miami. The male newscaster hates Stewey so there is constant banter about Stewey. Tessie wore a spaghetti-strap, knee length, baby blue, chiffon dress with a blue flower brooch clipped to the center and matching pumps. Her hair was curled with a bit clipped up behind her while the rest flowed over her shoulders. Her hair must go at least to her mid-back if not further. She is still a brunette. As I mentioned before, her brown eyes actually sparkled. I have been paying attention to others, and have noticed one other person in my world whose eyes sparkle. What a gift! The morning news team at GMM is rounded out by a nun who does the weather segment. (Now that is part of the world and I thought it was hilarious. I hope that it doesn't offend others, because it really shouldn't.) She is in her twenties and wears a modified blue and white habit. It was great.

The plot, as you probably know centers around this morning news show in dire need of help. The station manager hasn't done a really great job (the nun is his cousin and he has allowed the male news caster to put a clause in his contract saying that only he can fire himself) so he brings in Mark Feuerstein to consider the job of executive producer to fix things. Mark agrees to the interview only to visit his grandmother, Suzanne Pleshette—a Bea Arthur Golden Girl-type (the character, not Suzanne…NEVER!) who lives in Miami.

Remember when I mentioned the crowd of people hanging out between the audience and the sets. There was one very pretty hairdresser hanging with them. She stood out, but was not recognizable to
me. Well, that was Ashley Williams. She visits the station to cut Jere Burn's hair. Mark Feuerstein falls head over heals in love with her and decides to stay. He makes changes at the station. In one cool scene, he is telling Tessie's character things to change and she just keeps doing them as if in a cloud. Then the conversation turns to Stewey who was a brown pug sitting quietly in Tessie's lap. Tessie stands up and tells Mark that Stewey is a beloved hero in the city and that he cannot be taken out of the show. At which point, Mark wins her over to his side by saying that he agrees and that he thinks Stewey should have his own weekly segment on the morning show. It makes Tessie's character happy and she flits out. (Imagine the Queen flitting.)

It was neat to watch Tessie after that scene. I wasn't about to reach out and talk to people and the railing made it a little harder to see the action, but I could see that mass of people walking up and down in front of the sets as the action moved from one set to another. Tessie and the nun would join the crowd and walk past me to the various sets. So she was five feet in front of me many times. I thought that was cool. After she left the office scene she carried the dog over to the masses and seemed to be looking for someone. She appeared relieved when she saw someone (the animal wrangler?) who took the pug. That was when I realized what fine actors she and everyone were. I really believed that she and the dog went together.

As Mark sets out to fire the male show anchor, he learns that the anchor and the hairdresser are living together. Now he doesn't know what to do. Suzanne Pleshette convinces him to stay and fight for the girl. The final scene takes place on the "Good Morning Miami" set again. Tessie asks the male anchor on camera "Do you know what I made for dinner last night?" He replies, "I hope it was a nice big pot of Stewey". And we are out.

At one point the director turned to the audience and asked if we could hear. Nobody replied. We thought he was talking to some hidden sound booth god. Then he asked us again, finally someone whispered "Is he talking to us?". Eventually, people started to hesitantly call out yes. They really did want to know what we thought and for us to react we had to be able to hear. I thought that was awfully sensitive of the director. I liked his control of things. At one point, my friend Mark said he heard one of the masses say "Why aren't they laughing" so I guess they were learning by our reactions.

At the end, they brought out all of the actors and introduced them to the audience. I promised I would carry you all with me, but I did not want to embarrass Tessie. So since folks were cheering other actors, I gave my best whoop when they introduced Tessie. At least the casting director we had spoken with was aware that Tessie has a following.

Well, it is late and this is long. I best close. When I think of more, I will add it. Please feel free to ask me questions which might help stimulate my memory and help me think of things to tell you. Perhaps I can refine this and make it sound more like the beautiful experience it was.

It was truly marvelous to get to watch Tessie perform live and then getting to discuss it with some former QoS folks the next night made it even better. Sharing it with you all makes it a wonderful
memory. I am a fan of Tessie's,like you all, and this was just pure fun. She is great and I loved it.

Take care! vvv

 PS--Thank you Pinkyswear for helping to keep me informed of any changes after I left me email. You are a great friend!

Dancing With the Stars Queen of Swords Contestant Photos

Here are some pictures of Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke mentioned in the previous post (now go vote for these two!):



Cristian de la Fuente



Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke





Finally, a Queen of Swords entrant on "Dancing With the Stars!"

IRamat2

Queen of Swords on Dancing with the Stars

Cristian de la Fuente played the role of "Antonio" opposite Tessie Santiago's "Queen of Swords" in 2000-2001. He played a former love interest sent to de-mask and eliminate the Queen on behalf of actor Valentine Pelka's evil "Colonel Montoya"--the town overlord. Cristian's character failed at that, but he is now succeeding by leaps and bounds on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" opposite Cheryl Burke. Last week he tore his tendon from his left elbow, but continued dancing tonight (using only one arm in the intricate twists, turns, and lifts) and did the best he has ever done on the show (better than any other contestant tonight including Olympic Skater Kristy Yamaguchi). So, in honor of all the Queens who inspire us in life, I have put the link to the ABC TV show on the left side of the page so people can easily vote for Cristian and Cheryl this week and next. (Go vote for those two now and thank you!)

IramaT2

Pictures of the Queen of the Seven Swords and Jesus

Thoughts on the Sorrows of the Queen

I read, and believe, that the Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the
souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary's
and meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). This devotion
was passed on by St. Bridget.

Here are the Seven Graces:

I will grant peace to their families.
They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
I will console them in their pains and I will accompany
them in their work.
I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does
not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the
sanctification of their souls.
I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their
lives.
I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they
will see the face of their Mother.
I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those
who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will
be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness
since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will
be their eternal consolation and joy.

Here are the Seven Sorrows:

The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2: 34, 35)
The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13-14)
The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 3: 43-45)
The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
The Crucifixion.
The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.
The burial of Jesus.

The Prayer called The Hail Mary:

The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Other Prayers in Honor of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God. Hail Mary…
2. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary…
3. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary…
4. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude. Hail Mary…
5. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel. Hail Mary…
6. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. Hail Mary…
7. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary…
Let Us Pray:

Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen.


This is good stuff to remember.

Queen of the Seven Swords

I just bid for and won a book off of eBay by GK Chesterton called the "Queen of the Seven Swords." The book description discusses poems written by Chesterton about the seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary predicted when Jesus was brought to the temple for circumcision. It really put everything together in my mind....Queen...Heaven....Swords. It contrasts with the Queen of Swords from the Tarot cards et al. Not that I have been successful reading the poetry, but the described idea works for me.

Speaking of which....another old review

Well, my last post commented about a fellow's declaration thatthe catress who was in the short-lived TV series QUEEN OF SWORDS really was to him a Queen, I found a review I wrote many years ago about an episode the actress did in the other short-lived TV series GOOD MORNING, MIAMI. It disappeared with a webiste that disappeared, so I am re-posting it here in case it ever gets lost again. If and when I find more, I will add those, too. For now, please enjoy my reviews of "Kiss of the Spider-man:"

Kiss of the Spiderman

Claire: Stay open to the signs.

Quick! What does a stage manager do? Answer: Supervise the
physical aspects of a stage production, assist the
director during rehearsals and act as the person in charge
of the stage during a rehearsal. So during a live
television performance, the stage manager usually counts
the show in and out. That is, except in "Good Morning,
Miami." In the fictional "Good Morning, Miami" this week,
stage manager Robby (played by Stephon Fuller) described
the gist of Kiss of the Spiderman in his prophetic weekly
line, "And we're out!"

This week, the subplot and main plot were cleverly woven
into this one event while all the characters learned about
themselves as they interacted in the same places. That is
everyone except Claire. She wasn't "out" as Robby
announced. For some reason, the producers and writers kept
her at home AGAIN to bring Jake, and the audience, up to
speed about the main plot and his mistakes when dealing
with Dylan.

In this week's episode, Jake arranges for the cast and
crew to broadcast the Halloween episode of the fictional
"Good Morning, Miami" from a local gay bar that is reputed
to have the best costume party in the area. We learn that
Frank gets along extremely well with gay men even though
he thinks he has never met a gay man. Lucia, Frank's
confidant in this episode, suggests that perhaps he is
really gay. At the same time, Dylan and Jake inadvertently
share a kiss when Dylan supposedly thinks she is kissing
Gavin. This transpires because Gavin and Jake both dress
as the same cartoon superhero to attend the costume party.
The kiss causes Dylan to at least question her feelings
for Jake.

The entire episode flowed together quite well with some
cute little vignettes between various actors and
characters. I didn't get the same "yucks" as from Lucia
and Frank in Power Failure or Sister Brenda's one-liner
about kids in The Heart is a Lonely Apartment Hunter, but
the show offered a good time for thirty minutes. There are
some serious concerns developing with the overall plot at
the same time which need to be addressed.

Once again, my favorite actor was Tessie Santiago as
Lucia. They do not give that woman the best lines ever
written, but she certainly turns what she is given into
memorable screen gems.

Frank and Lucia were great while discussing whether or not
Frank had ever met a gay person especially when Lucia
asked him how that could be: "We live in Miami. We got gay
like we got flamingos!!" Then, in the bar, when Frank
comes dressed as a biker dude, actor Jere Burns readily
turned the effiminate behavior on and off as Frank
switched between talking with Lucia to talking with the
bar patrons. I loved Lucia's costume for the party: "Katie
Couric." Rather than wearing Lucia's typically flashy
outfits, she forced herself to step foot in the women's
clothing chain ‘Ann Taylor' to pick up a twin set for the
party. The bar owner mentioned he almost didn't recognize
her in this delightful disguise. At the office the next
day, Frank is exhausted from going out dancing with the
"female" friend of one of his new gay friends. Lucia is
great as she tells him "OK, enough with this. A man can be
straight or he can be gay, but there's none of this 'I'm
straight, but I'm dancing all night with Wayne.'" Ms.
Santiago gave the line life. If Mr. Kohan and Mr. Mutchnik
want Frank to be a gay character then this was a cute
"outing," but female fans will never forget Mr. Burns as
"Roy," Nina's hot blooded, convict, boyfriend on "Just
Shoot Me." Gay? Hmmmmm. Mr. Burns is a good actor.

Brooke Dillman had a cute scene with Ms. Santiago. As
Sister Brenda's Halloween joke, she appears to be cutting
vegetables for the crew to take to the shoot when she
seems to cut her hand off. Fake blood spurts everywhere.
Ms. Santiago is freaked out (a phrase Sister Brenda likes
to use). When Lucia wants to try the joke on Jake with
Sister, it backfires causing Sister Brenda to tell Lucia
"Next time I work alone ‘hambone.'" The Halloween joke
sequence was cute and perfect for Sister Brenda; however,
the team of Kohan and Mutchnik added another seriously
erroneous stereotype about Catholics at the bar in this
episode. They had Sister Brenda indicate that hell is full
of gays. Specifying that the Catholic Church teaches that
by just being homosexual one will go to hell is simply
another fallacy. (Hey! Just check out article #2358 in the
"Catechism of the Catholic Church"—available at a
bookstore near you.) Kohan and Mutchnik are known for
pushing the envelope, but the stereotypes of Catholicism
are not working…even in a character who behaves as if she
might have a frontal lobe brain injury. There is so much
in the character of Sister Brenda that COULD be funny to
all people, but by persisting with inaccuracies, the show
is closing the door to humor from that character.

This all leads us to Jake. From correspondence I have
received, I know that some women and gay men find Mark
Feuerstein quite attractive. That helps bring viewers to
the show, but in spite of the public attraction to Mr.
Feuerstein and Ms. Williams, the Jake and Dylan story has
turned stale. Jake persists in acting like a love-struck
teenager while Dylan doesn't notice his over-the-top
overtures. As someone pointed out to me, the show would
have more aptly been called "Dylan and Jake" since so
little of the show is actually about putting on the
fictional "Good Morning, Miami." With this said, let me
note that Kiss of the Spiderman DID move the love story
forward just a little. Jake imagines fantasy dating in
daily 8:15am meetings with Dylan at the coffee stand where
he uses the various creamers available like puppets to
attempt to entertain Dylan. Dylan enjoys seeing Jake, but
doesn't seem to think that the daily meetings are anything
special. Jake has begun sharing his interest in and
pursuit of Dylan with Penny. When Dylan announces that
Gavin is taking her to meet his parents for Thanksgiving,
Penny points out to Jake that Dylan is Gavin's girlfriend,
not his. So on the day of the shoot, as Jake is leaving
for the bar, Dylan shows him Lactaid she brought to join
the creamers at the coffee stand. She asks Jake what it
would say as a puppet. Jake blows her off (thereby ending
another chance to get to know her at least as a friend.)
At the bar, Gavin keeps Dylan close for fear of being
ogled by the gay men. Gavin is dressed like a buff "Flash"
while Dylan is a cat. At one point he asks her to leave
and get something for him. While Dylan is out, Jake enters
also dressed as the "Flash." Gavin departs demanding that
Jake change because Gavin's image is more important. While
Jake is sitting in Gavin's place, Dylan returns and
apparently doesn't know that this new "Flash" is not
Gavin. Why she couldn't at least tell that he was a
different person is unimaginable. Either she knew and
wanted to kiss Jake, the lighting was bad, or she isn't as
sharp as the producers want us to believe. Gavin was buff
with a great chin. Jake was…well… "round." Once again,
Jake shares his delight with his new confidant Penny.
Constance Zimmer is fast becoming a favorite of mine in
this series. Her apathy at his pining for Dylan as well as
her cynical attempts to bring Jake back to reality (i.e.
"C'est la vie, Frenchy") are what make the "Dylan pursuit"
scenes tolerable. Dylan and Jake end up discussing the
kiss so that Jake's feelings for Dylan start to come out.
As with the Frank coming out subplot, the Dylan-Jake kiss
main plot ends the next day at the office. Jake was
thrilled that Dylan had ended their kiss with "mmmmm," but
when they discussed the kiss, Dylan claimed that that is a
noise she has to emit to clear her sinuses. Penny notices
Gavin and Dylan kiss by the coffee stand. When Dylan does
not respond with "mmmmm," Penny hurries to Jake and
suggests that he join Dylan at the stand for a fresh pot
of coffee. That new aspect of Penny's character was a
sweet way to end the episode.

Other people working on "Good Morning, Miami" who need to
be given a pat on the back for their work on Kiss of the
Spiderman are the prop master and the set decorator. In
his opening scene at the office and while at the bar,
Gavin reads a thick book. Characters never talked about
the book, but in a quick shot of the cover, the title of
the book was revealed: "THE POWER OF YELLOW." I loved it.

To sum up, Kiss of the Spiderman was possibly the
best-written episode to date of "Good Morning, Miami" in
spite of my waning interest in the Dylan-Jake love affair.
It was nice to see the humor finally coming from the
situation in which the characters found themselves. Now
this is a sitcom! I see many improvements in the show so
far and the potential for further improvements continues
to exist. So, I am giving Kiss of the Spiderman 8 Palm
Trees out of a possible 10. In addition, I am awarding it
6 Pink Flamingos for the delightful scenes with Frank,
Penny and Lucia.

What I would still like to see: AN EXAMPLE OF AN ACTUAL
TAPING OF THE FICTIONAL "GOOD MORNING, MIAMI."

I used to sign these with "what do you think, click on my name and let me know" until I started getting emails from people lambasting me for my thoughts about the show and telling me which character they thought should end up with which. A couple people started sending ugly emails to me because I wouldn't respond to their emails except to say "thank you." I guess they thought I should start some sort of correspondence with them. These people really needed a life outside of TV and the internet. So I stopped signing reviews that way.

I guess writing a blog is like reviewing a weekly TV series. You have to think of something to say quickly while relating it to real life. My blog-o-sphere experience has been somewhat less nutty than my TV reviewer career, though. Thank you everyone for that!

Now if I could figure out how to write a job reference letter..............

IRamat2

Tessie Santiago is THE Queen!

Or so I read at a Yahoo! Group tonight (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TSEnthusiasts/) . It is called "Tessie Santiago Enthusiasts" and seems to be comprised of a group of fans of this little known actress. Well then, alright! Somebody else out there has heard of this lady and her first TV series called "Queen of Swords."

Anyway, the poster, whose name is Manx, wrote about the first episode of the series:

"..... It had everything; murder, cruelty, honour, justice, bravery, cowardice, treachoury I could go on all day, lol! And of course, the sublimely gorgeous Tessie Santiago! Tessie IS the Queen!"

He then went on to lament the untimely demise of the series by saying:

"For the show to be taken off after just one season was a criminal waste of an excellent story, superb supporting cast; Valentine Pelka as Colonel Montoya was one of the best villains I have ever seen on tv; and of course Tessie Santiago.....! A terrible, terrible, waste of talent."

Now don't you wish you could see this series on DVD? The best I can figure is, if we were to all write to Paramount Pictures, which was involved in the production, maybe we could get them to put the series on DVD and sell it someplace like on Amazon or at Best Buy.

It is something to do while we mourn Fred Thompson's decision to drop out of the 2008 Presidential campaign, today. Political commentators seemed to think that happened because Fred came in third in three states which held primaries or caucuses. I think it happened simply because the dear man was low on cash. His staff had to take pay cuts yesterday. (And his blessed mother is sick having been placed in the hospital this past weekend. Fred had the honour to take care of his family first. I respect him even more for doing that.)

So who will I vote for now? The John Edwards camp seems to think that Senator John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president. The Edwards camp is armed with a letter of support from Martin Luther King III. Hilary is trying to build her campaign war chest by promising two seats at her next televised presidential debate in Los Angeles to the winner of a comapign donation lottery. It sounds like the seats will be awarded lottery style to a contributor, but since rules are not clear, she might just give the seat to whoever contributes the most money. She doesn't seem to be aware of the middle income folk like Fred is. (Remember his $10.00 at 10:00 pm campaign? Most of us with Internet access could afford that.) I wonder if this favor for cash lottery that Hilary is running hints at how she will run the White House? Doesn't like something a noble Queen would do to her subjects or to the electorate.

I am not on any mailing lists for Obama right now. I just can't stomach the idea.

Speaking of mourning, but on a truly somber note, actor Heath Ledger died today. He was only 28 years old. He had already had such a fine career that this was a shock to me. He did not seem reckless like so many other young celebrities. You may remember Heath from "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, "Broke Back Mountain," "A Knight's Tale," and the short lived TV series "Roar" in which he played a reluctant hero thrust into the position due to local atrocities similar to Tessie Santiago's character in "Queen of Swords."

Rest in peace Heath, be well Fred, and long live the Queen!

IRamat2

Queen of Independence

I was about to tell you all that, although I have a favorite in the race for the American president this election year, you should make up your own minds on the subject. A great way to learn what politicians think--unhampered by rhetoric and unfiltered by the media--is to go to their official websites where you can even sign up for newsletters to read what the candidate wants voters to know. Currently I am getting newsletters from Fred, Hilary, and John Edwards. Eventually I will sign up for more. For now, below are the websites for all of the current presidential candidates:

www.johnmccain.com
www.fred08.com
www.mikehuckabee.com/
www.joinrudy2008.com/
www.mittromney.com/
www.ronpaul2008.com/
www.hillaryclinton.com/
www.barackobama.com/
www.johnedwards.com

So how does that relate to the Queen, you wonder. (Actually I wondered the same thing myself.) Well if you remember the Queen of Swords, she had moved from Spain to California and lived in a terrible regime run by Colonel Luis Montoya (played by my pal, actor Valentine Pelka seen, in character, below.)









Valentine Pelka as Colonel Luis Montoya in the year 2000







Rather than live under Colonel Montoya's tyranny, she chose to fight villainy and free the people of Santa Helena, California giving them the independence they craved to make their way in life, unhampered by this evil overlord.

Naturally, since we now belong to Google, I also googled Queen +Independence. I found some interesting things. First was an article from the New York Times dated December 28, 1902 in which a woman tried to destroy a large picture of Queen Anne of the United Kingdom in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, because, according to the woman, Queen Anne's ascension to the throne ruined her chances of ever ruling all of Great Britain. "Hmmm," you say. That explains the Queen plus Independence concept, but who was Queen Anne and how were these two related. The answer is they weren't related at all. They never even lived in the same time period. I suspect the woman in Philadephia in 1902 of being mentally imbalanced or a time traveler who got stuck in the wrong time. Just FYI, Queen Anne lived between 1665 and 1714. She was 37 years old when she ascended to the throne in 1702--two hundred years earlier. You can read more about the two women (the one in Philly and Queen Anne) at the links
below:

New York Times Queen Anne article

and

Queen Anne in Historic UK

I believe that both the painting attacker at the Smithsonian and Queen Anne demonstarted independence of thought based on what they said and did.

Even though I support Fred Thompson for president, we Americans need to evaluate the issues and demonstrate our own independence of thought and choose the person we think would best serve as the Next American President.

Have a great night!

IRamat2

Queen of my Heart -- My mom's eyes

Yesterday, I posted something I wrote five or six years ago about Tessie Santiago's eyes (mostly because I did not want to lose that information and this seemed like a safe place to keep it). Tessie played the character "Queen of Swords" in the syndicated TV series of the same name back in 2000-2001.

In the post, I metioned that I should post about the eyes belonging to the other Queens (and I mean that in a nice way) in my life. That would be like the Blessed Virgin Mary who is Queen of Heaven and my mom who is Queen of my Heart.

As you may have read in an earlier post, my mom died a year and one year and nine months ago, today. When I think of her, I still have a warm feeling of comfort......and loss, but I have trouble remembering her eyes. My memory is like that. I forget how things look. That is why I took up photography--in order to help me remember how people look.

There was a 3-part TV movie in the late 1990's starring actress Bobbie Phillips from MURDER ONE. The films were called CHAMELEON. Bobbie played a hybrid-kind of human. She had been genetically altered in a test tube at conception, so that she had cat and human genes. Bobbie became very good at working with child actors. They really made her shine. In the last film of the series, she was working with an older teen ager whose character was supposed to have lost her parents. In the official "touching" scene of the film, I recall Bobbie explaining to the teenager that she had trouble recalling how the caretaker she loved as a child looked, but, she said, "Once I've got the eyes, I have her." I think that maybe how it is with recalling my mom and her eyes. Once I FINALLY remember her eyes, then I have her.

When I first reflected on her eyes, I remembered the trouble my mom had had with them. She often asked me if she should wear an eyepatch, because she thought her eyes bothered other people when they looked at her. My mom had some of the first catract surgeries ever performed in which they implanted artificial lenses, so the patient did not have to live life with pop bottle lenses. She had to stay in the hospital two days after the first surgery. After the second surgery, she would say that she was awake and she heard the doctor say "Oops" during the operation. The eye operated on the second time had a misshapen pupil for the rest of her life. Even so, the surgery worked wonders. Whenever my younger brother and I needed to see something far away, as when we were driving somewhere, we would ask her to use her "bionic eye" and tell us what was up ahead.

Before my mom's older sister died in 1998, my mom started to develop a large brown spot around her left eye. We did not know what it was until a year or two before she died. We thought it was a freckle.......a big freckle. I remember my mom told me that her sister had commented about it on a visit to the northern states. By March of 2006, it had officially become malignant melanoma (a very bad cancer). When she had a lung x-ray to make sure she could have the surgery to take the cancer off of her eyelid, the doctors found a large cancerous tumor in her kidney. We tried to fight it, but when she had her stroke, they found that the cancer had started to creep into her lungs and brain also. If the stroke hadn't gotten her, the kidney cancer would have.

So then I have to think about what life was like before the cancer. (I hate cancer, by the way.)

I remember that my mom's eyes were blue--a clear , expectant blue. They were like a lake in Minnesota or North Dakota in the fall just before winter comes and ice forms on the lake. Mom always knew that something better would come along for her and anyone else. She did not fight for it or work for that change, she just went about her daily tasks caring for her family and waited for the "better" which, as I recall, always came.

My mom's eyes could be serious like when I brought home a bad report from my 7th grade English teacher. At other times they would twinkle with glee like at Christmas or when we would have our mother-child shopping trips. Up to the end, she wanted to enjoy those little outings with me. I remember New Years Day of 2006, the year she died. I took her to a quiet mall and we went to the Calendar store to get a 2006 calendar. She happily looked at everything in the store with me. Then, at one point, I was off doing something, but eventually came back to her side. She had been sitting down in front of a display, because she was tired. I didn't get it, though. I didn't get it until the end. The cancer does that to a person......makes a person tired.

Her eyes still gleamed after the first stroke. She never complained. She seemed to be able to look at the top half of her field of vision, but not the bottom. None-the-less, still she smiled and tried to comply with everyone's wishes. The priest at her church told me, "She is still there" when I commented about the fight to get a feeding tube for her and that she was still "there, sort of." I will never forget his comment. I am glad he made it. I would have forgotten the truth of it all, if he hadn't.

Mom finally looked tired as death started to creep up on her. The deep breathing that accompanies the dying process, may have affected that. (It is called Cheyne-Stokes breathing, according to the Hospice Nurse who cared for my mom.) As she passed away, she let out a big sigh of relief. She still looked tired, but then she develped a great big smile with eyes that had not been bright for a long time because of vision problems related to surgeries for the eyelid cancer. It was as if she saw Heaven. Maybe she was finally seeing the Queen of Heaven, but that is another story.

Well, for now, that is what I remember of my mom's eyes. Maybe I will remember more another time.

I hope you are all well and that you kiss your loved ones tonight or at least say a prayer for them and thanking God for putting them in your life.

See ya,
IRamat2

The Queen's Eyes: Queen of Swords

I am just re-publishing a comment I made about Tessie Santiago's eyes as she performed in GOOD MORNING, MIAMI. I am thinking it will be a good subject for all of the Queens in my little world. Here is that Santiago eye post from April 21, 2002:

Something that never came across on the TV is that in real life
her eyes actually sparkle. (I know the mask didn't help either, but
the camera just never caught this.) Remember the phrase "eyes
that sparkle like diamonds"? Hers really do!

It was amazing!!!!

IRamat2

The Queen's performance on GOOD MORNING, MIAMI

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Queen returns

Hey there again! We meet twice in one day. How about that?

Remember the "Queen of Swords" created by that good fella David Abramowitz? The TV series starred actress Tessie Santiago. Well, I just learned that Tessie is back in a new production! New Line Cinema started principal photography on the film "The Cell 2" in November of 2007. The film is a continuation of the "The Cell," a Jennifer Lopez vehicle which came out in 2000. "The Cell 2" will star Tessie and actor Frank Whaley. It will be released direct-to-video in the third quarter of 2008 which is between July-August-September.

Alright!!!!

IRamat2

OK....I Need the Queen of Swords, now

Not the one on the Tarot cars, but the one on TV during the 2000-2001 TV season in the US, Canada, Spain and elsewhere in the world. Her alter ego was a wealthy heiress, Tessa Alvarado, who had inherited her father's California hacienda which helped fund her efforts by night (and sometimes day) as the masked Queen of Swords. The chaaracter was played by actress newcomer Tessie Santiago newly from Miami. Florida. Life got stressful and I could use a hero just now.

Queen of the Pen! Where are You?

Well...when I say "pen," I mean a writing instrument. Looking around the internet, I found that the word is used to mean the farm pen--as in Dolly the Sheep, Queen of the pen--and the prison nickname (pen)--as in a South American Drug Leader who is now Queen of the pen. I found one person at a pen pals' site who called her self Queen of the Pen and Paper. Unfortunately, no one was called just Queen of the (writing instrument) Pen.

I really wanted to know if there was a Queen of the Pen, since I think I experienced genuine email libel this week and I wanted to ask her what to do about it. Without a genuine Queen of the Pen out there, I read various internet sites about libel and learned that Mosaic and Solomonian laws in the book of Exodus in the bible protected individuals from defamation of character. For something to actually be libelous, it must contain three elements:

1) it must be specific,
2) it must be presented so that those who would care will read it, and
3) it must harm another's character (and that harm can be implied not necessarily specific).

The person performing the questionable act of libel, sent an email to various professionals with whom I work saying I said something which I never said or wrote. In fact what she said I said made it look like I was refusing to perform my job. When I sent out a correction saying that I had never said what she said I said, this person performing the questionable act of libel fired off an email telling me to stop "picking." I told her that I was not picking on her, I was just setting the written record straight as I do not need people thinking I said something I did not say.

Did you get all this? I think one must write in a confusing manner in order to complain about another and still avoid libel.

I suppose if I was truly picking, I could have sent her copies of the anti-defamation of character laws in Exodus, a definition of libel, and a request for an apology. Finally, I could have warned her of an upcoming call from my personal lawyer regarding cyber-libel, but I didn't do any of that.

So was I picking on her? I suppose I was a little, but I did not want other professionals thinking I was shirking the duties of my job and it was easier to just clarify the comment rather than contact a lawyer in order to get an apology.

Too bad that there was no Queen of the Pen I could contact, like Dear Abby, in order to make sure I did everything correctly. I avoided the office Christmas party since this woman's comment made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Thinking about it, since I didn't have a Queen of the Pen to call on, I could have used the Queen of Swords to help bring home my point this week

....too bad she is a fictional character, but that is another story.







Copyright Romil Ilagan 2003, Used with permission
Based on an idea by David Abramowitz, 2000
No infringement of rights is implied or intended

Queen of Swords episode reviews--Honor Thy Father

Honor Thy Father

All that Glitters is not Gold

Tessa: "If my father can't have justice, then maybe someone else can."

Though this was the eighth episode aired in North America and Spain, it was actually supposed to be episode number three in the series. It had some nice writing and story concepts with the matching of ideas to build the Queen's career as is demonstrated by her alter-ego's line above. If the episodes had been aired in the order in which they were meant to be aired, some of the plotlines would have made more sense to viewers possibly bringing more people to US screens to see the series.

Gael García Bernal did a marvelous job portraying the "Indian shaman" Churi in this episode. Mr. Bernal is quite popular in Mexico so it seems odd that, in advertising for this segment, they did not play up the fact that he would appear as they did when guest stars like Daisy Fuentes, David Carradine, Bo Derek and Cristian de la Fuente appeared. His depiction of a young man whose quiet belief in his goal and persistence rubbed off on other characters thereby changing them easily moved the audience allowing each viewer to suspend his or her disbelief for that episode.

In "Honor Thy Father," Tessa's plight to find who murdered her father so that her soul might rest is mirrored by Churi's plight to regain his father's gold death mask (stolen by Montoya naturally) so that Churi's father's soul might rest. Rather than retrieving stolen gold, Tessa gives gold (10 gold Reales) to Raul, a deserter from Montoya's army, who says he can tell her who murdered her father. In both cases, the story points out that it is not gold nor money that matters (as Montoya so ardently believes), but rather the spirit or soul. Churi even teaches this fact to Dr. Helm who tells Churi he shouldn't bother about the death mask because humans are merely flesh and bone and after death there is nothing else. Churi points out that Dr. Helm does not really believe this so in the end the doctor helps Churi regain the mask and even tells the Queen that only "God" has the power of life and death (a complete turn around from his initial stated beliefs).

Tessa learns, and the audience is again reminded, that the person who will be one's ally is not always the individual one would typically expect. In the beginning, Tessa turns Churi in to the soldiers while she protects Raul. In the end, however, it is Churi who proves to be Tessa's confederate. Raul is a cad and a scoundrel who continues to try to blackmail Tessa after he has lost the original 10 Reales. Tessa wants so badly to find out who murdered her father that she gives him too many chances, such that she eventually accidentally kills him as he tries to ravage her. This is when she realizes that, as the Queen, maybe she cannot help herself, but she can help others. This seems to be the real turning point in the development of the Queen of Swords. Now not only is she avenging her own father's death, but rather she is an avenging angel for all people injured by Montoya's injustices and it is from this that she derives the will and determination to continue.

This was a nicely done story, again with beautiful sets, costumes, and hair, The swordplay between Montoya and the Queen in Montoya's office (again with Roberta Brown as Tessie Santiago's sword double) was beautifully done. Allowing the audience to see Raul watch as the Queen removed her mask was honestly exciting. There was associated with that moment a genuine "What now!?" feeling. Tessie Santiago was also becoming more comfortable with her characters. The banter between the Queen and Dr. Helm in Montoya's office as they searched for the gold mask was cute and well-played. Perhaps because friendly chatter suggested the two characters might be getting along, the actual tension between the two characters was accentuated when Dr. Helm chastised the Queen for saving his life by killing another man. This reaction shocked the Queen and it surprised this viewer. I enjoyed the Queen's guise as a nun, because in the initial attempts at creating this story Tessa was a nun rather than an orphaned rich girl. This was a nice nod to the roots of the story. The use of big glasses to conceal Tessa's identity supported Clark Kent's use of glasses to hide his alter ego "Superman." I also enjoyed Churi's singing in jail. It was a beautiful haunting hymn that stays with me for quite awhile every time I hear it.

I give this episode 8 Rapiers and 4 Daggers for a well written story that gave us some fun side elements and more insight into why Tessa continued as the Queen of Swords.


Taram

July 29, 2003

Queen of Swords episode reviews--Duel With a Stranger

Duel with a Stranger

Dancing with Danger

Captain Grisham: "All he does is the Spanish Circles."

On this second anniversary of the cowardly terror attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, I am reminded of "Queen of Swords." There were a few reasons for that. One reason was the discussion on chat boards about how we wished we had a heroine like the "Queen" to save us. It was later that we realized that our heroes are not super beings, but rather, they were, and still are, our neighbors…flesh and blood human beings just like this writer and you the reader.

That is the message of the "Queen of Swords" episode Duel with a Stranger.

This was a beautifully crafted episode. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I watched the tape four or five times before buckling down to write the review. The idea is that Tessa's former love Antonio, who she lost contact with when he left for the Napoleonic wars, has lost his family fortune and has accepted the job of Montoya's hired gun (that is "swordsman") who will kill and bring in the Queen's head. He has no idea that she is the woman he is sworn to capture and she has no idea that her love has turned mercenary. That is, not until a climatic sword duel in which Antonio traps the Queen against a canyon wall and rips off her mask revealing her identity. The scene brings home to us that Tessa is merely our heroic flesh and blood neighbor living the guise of the Queen of Swords. In the end, Antonio dies choosing not to betray Tessa making him her flesh and blood hero.

Speaking of moving scenes, two especially stand out. The Queen wants to give Antonio the chance to back out of his attempts to kill her. So she goes to see him in his hotel room at night. A duel ensues and Antonio takes her rapier. In order to escape, the Queen throws a kerosene lamp on the floor starting a fire. Then she breaks out of the French windows for the room leaping from the balcony with a huge fireball following close behind her. Heroes outrunning fireballs were popular scenes in the late 1990s and this scene follows that genre, but I loved it. Although the series star, Tessie Santiago, did not perform the stunt, I always thought it should have been included in publicity photos.

The other scene that was impressive was that in which Antonio pinned the Queen and ripped off her mask to reveal Tessa. Prior to this climatic move, the Queen and Antonio dance around each other using the Spanish Circle form taught to Tessa and Antonio by their mutual swordmaster in Spain. Not only do taunt and threaten each other with blades, but the tension in Tessa and Antonio's relationship is heightened as they dance around each other. This is a family show, so romance was limited. This scene, however, was a great technique to explain the story progression to children while, at the same time, making the mask ripping shot very erotic for adults.

The acting was fun. Tessie Santiago did a marvelous job of being confused by love as both Tessa and the Queen. She is obviously stronger as the Queen, but in this episode I could see traces of the same person in both personas. Nice job. Cristian de la Fuente was marvelous as Antonio. His line deliveries associated with his charming smile made ME smile. What wonderful casting. We have a parallel here, too. The star of the series is Tessie SANTIAGO while Mr. De la Fuente is from SANTIAGO, Chile. Sweet, eh? His character's death was kind of a bummer. Had the series continued so that characters could have made reappearances, it would have been fun to see Antonio again.

"But Mr. De la Fuente can't fence! Why would we want to see him in that role again?" you might ask. That is when the marvelous editing of the series played an important role. Anthony De Longis (supreme developer of the Spanish Circles fencing form used in "Queen of Swords" alluded to by Captain Grisham in the quote above) was Mr. De la Fuente's sword double. The editing never gives any hint that Mr. De Longis is in a scene instead of Mr. De la Feunte.

In the end, the viewer knows that Tessa, as our heroine the Queen, faces danger. We count the cost she pays and hope her heroic deeds do not take her life. After all, she is merely our flesh and blood neighbor. God bless all heroes...fallen and living.

I give Duel with a Stranger 9 Rapiers and 4 daggers for a beautifully moving story.

Taram
September 11, 2003

Queen of Swords episode reviews--The Witness

The Witness

Behind the Mask

Tessa: "Marta, it's not supposed to be this way. Only the Queen kills."

As the theme song by Proffer and Plunkett—sung by José Feliciano—tells us, we all hide behind a mask: a mask by which we want the world to remember us. When we hide our true persona from the world, do we also hide from ourselves? What happens when the two characters meet? These are the questions "The Witness" tries to ask and answer. Unfortunately, though the episode employed the talents of classically trained fencer, very hard worker, and famed actress Bo Derek, the story was weak.

As viewers who have seen the episode or readers who have read the synopsis know, "The Witness" tells a story in which Tessa witnesses the apparent murder of a poor young woman by a wealthy landowner's son. The landowner (Bo Derek as "Mary Rose") also happens to be a former buccaneer who travels with a sword and band of men expecting everything to go her way. Tessa promises the dead woman's brothers they she will not let threats or social standing keep her from testifying against Mary Rose's son at trial. Montoya naturally schemes to kill the young man and get both Tessa's and Mary Rose's lands by pitting them against each other. None-the-less, through various turns of events related to Vera's need to confess to Tessa that she was sleeping with another man on the night of the murder and saw the entire event, Tessa ends up believing the boy is innocent.

At one point in the story, Mary Rose sends one of her Rancheros to kill Tessa while she is riding home in her carriage. Though not dressed as the Queen, the Queen's reactions are triggered when Tessa is attacked. When she kills the Ranchero, Tessa begins to question the sanity and morality of killing in order to achieve a cause. This was a nice moment of tension. Unfortunately, rather than letting Tessa stew and worry about her choices, even making her doubt herself, this was merely a moment in the story. The tension is present and then it is gone. This would have been a nice piece of character development drawn out slowly as the story progressed. Tessie Santiago did a nice job of agonizing in front of Paulina Gálvez, as Marta, in this scene. She appeared to age 10-15 years as she spoke.

Needing a final sword duel to cap the episode, Mary Rose kidnaps Marta in order to convince Tessa to not testify against her son. While tied up, Marta is lectured by Mary Rose about the worries a mother has about her children. This scene provides one of the cuter moments when Marta is insulted by being called a "cook." As the Queen, Tessa finds Marta, duels Mary Rose in a nice sword fight in which both women are equally challenged, and wins Marta's freedom by allowing Mary Rose to kill the Queen in order to prove she is trustworthy. The Queen tells Mary Rose that Tessa will not testify against her son and Mary Rose believes her.

The next day everything works out for Mary Rose when her son is released as Tessa refuses to testify. Unfortunately, Tessa says nothing about her knowledge of Vera's statement (to protect Vera's faux marital mask of fidelity), so the dead woman's brothers do not know who the killer is, the dead woman does not receive justice, and Mary Rose doesn't learn to curb her blood-lust behavior.

I recall reading on the original show forum that an earlier version of the script had Mary Rose nicking Tessa as the Queen on the forearm during the sword duel. Then, when they meet the next day, Mary Rose sees the nick and realizes that Tessa and the Queen are one in the same. For me, the episode would have had an added element of excitement had that bit been left in the final cut. This way, Tessa would be stressed knowing that someone COULD reveal her secret someday. Having a stressed "super" hero is always more exciting.

The actors, editors, camera and lighting crew, and stunt people did an excellent job on this episode. The fight scenes were outstanding and the actor playing the dead woman's brother "Crispin" (Leo Medina) was beautifully cast. I wanted him to have justice for his sister and be safe! Unfortunately, the story and the producer's cut combined to weaken a good effort in this episode. Fortunately, other episodes of the QUEEN OF SWORDS were stronger and more exciting.

I am compelled to award "The Witness" 5 Rapiers and 4 Daggers for decent acting and stunt scenes with a moderately well crafted story.

Taram

October 19, 2003

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

Queen of Swords episode reviews--Fever

Fever

All I need is a Hero

Queen: "For a friend."

The life of a good man was abruptly ended by a bullet in July, 2003 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Casey Dominguez saw two men attempting to rob a co-worker outside the nursing home at which they both worked. He took flight chasing these thieves and halted the attempted robbery. In the process, one thug turned and killed Mr. Dominguez who will always be remembered as a hero. There are heroes amongst us. Sometimes these are our neighbors…people we would never expect to risk life, limb, or reputation to help a non-family member. Unfortunately we miss these heroes' presence in our lives until we lose them.

With "Fever," the third episode originally aired, but actually the fifth in the series, we leave the story introduction plots (especially those created by executive story consultant James Thorpe) and move to a nice episode written by Scott Kraft. "Fever" did not have the symbolism that "Vengeance" did. Nor did it contain the single words leading to choices technique that "Destiny" did. None-the-less, it was a well put together story that flowed nicely, was entertaining, and made the viewer start to wonder why someone would risk everything to help others outside of one's home. After September 11, 2001 (a horrifyingly sad day of loss in the United States), "QUEEN OF SWORDS" was finishing its original airing in North America and Spain. Avid viewers writing to the official site's message board wrote about the real heroes of the day and also wished that the Queen had been more than a story so she could help the people in harm's way. Others would wonder why anyone would help in the first place. The Queen's line clarified the reasoning heroes must use to justify helping others. All people are connected somehow and are the hero's friend. The rest of us might not see life that way, but a genuine hero does. Author Joseph Campbell teaches us that there is more to a heroes way of thinking than that, but viewing others as one's extended friends is one aspect suggested by this episode.

Writer Scott Kraft tells the struggles of two people dealing with the deadly fever (Montoya and peasant Enrique) killing many citizens of Santa Helena and effortlessly weaves them together with antagonists Captain Grisham and the Queen of Swords. In doing so he completely absorbs the viewer in the story. Tessa likes being viewed as a hero by the townspeople when she works as the Queen and is disheartened when the people believe Montoya as he claims the Queen has stolen their precisous medicine to fight the deadly fever gripping the town. When Tessa exclaims to Marta, "Of course! He blames the Queen and gets the medicine for himself," the viewers, who already understand that it is Grisham who stole the medicine can't help but cheer her on telling her "Good job. You are half-way there. Just keep looking." We want to see this self-appointed hero solve the crime in order to help the sick and dying .

Eventually the Queen does discover that it was Grisham who stole the medicine so that Montoya might die leaving Grisham in charge of Santa Helena. Dr. Helm also figures out the secret and they both follow Grisham to the abandoned mine where he has hid the precious medicine. A marvelous fight, augmented by the Queen jumping in slow motion off the top of the cave onto Grisham, ensues. The Queen struggles and even has to admit to Grisham that he has gotten better. When Grisham disarms the Queen and is about to kill her with his sword, everyone is surprised by the pacifist physician's skillful use of a gun to cut the blade in half with a bullet – so much so that the Queen is able to overpower Grisham, save the day, and allow the doctor to bring healing to her community of extended friends. It was a fight scene that told a lot about each of the characters. We were made more aware of the doctor's hidden skills with weapons, we find that Grisham is improving as fighter and that the Queen has weaknesses.

Though she was credited as working in "Fever," American Roberta Brown was replaced as sword double by Frenchwoman Gaelle Cohen as Tessie Santiago's sword double for economic reasons. Ms. Brown and stuntwoman Natalie Guijarro were the best doubles for Ms. Santiago. Their faces looked enough like hers that unless one knew about the doubles, it always looked like Ms. Santiago performing in every angle of stunt scenes. Ms. Cohen, though a fine stage fighter, has a distinct face that stands out every time it passes the camera making this writer step out of the story to actually think "Hey, that isn't Tessie Santiago" if only for a moment.

Another aspect of the episode that made little sense was a scene in which Tessa asks Vera Hidalgo (Elsa Pataky ) for help from Captain Grisham, but she refuses. Her refusal is not tied into any other event or events in the story. Perhaps one has to read an early script to find out what purpose that scene had. At it's best, the scene emphasized Senora Hidalgo's familiarity with the Captain – something we had already learned about in "Destiny." This was the only aspect of the story that seemed to stick out as unnecessary, though. Everything else worked together as pieces of a puzzle.

I rather enjoyed the surprise at the ending in which Colonel Montoya asks Dr. Helm what was in the medicine he used to save the residents of Santa Helena. We learn that he was creating salicylic acid from willow bark or to those of us in the 21st century: aspirin. Once, what we consider common played heroic roles in people's lives. Maybe we are overlooking heroes in our everyday lives viewing them as common and trivial. That is definitely our loss.

I give this episode 8 Rapiers and 5 Daggers for telling a great story, teaching me to be aware of the heroes in my life, and reminding me of the value of straight aspirin.


Taram