1X07 WITNESS
by Eliza
Tessa has left one of Montoya's parties. She passes couples kissing at the gateway and her loneliness is plain to see. Grisham, a little better for the wine, follows her and tries to coax her back to the party. She insists she is going home.
GRISHAM: Then why don't you let me escort you wherever the Hell it is you're going. The road is
dark and dangerous.
TESSA: It might be safer without a dashing captain.
Tessa continues, passing the hotel and sees the silhouettes of a couple in the window. There is a gunshot. A girl bursts out of the window and falls over the balcony into the street. The boy that was with her leans over the edge with a pistol in his hand, shouting, "Carmina". He is taken into custody. Grisham calls for a doctor ("A" doctor? There's more than one!) but the girl is dead. A hand is seen at the curtain to a nearby window.
A large group of riders is heading across the desert.
(Lots of cutting back and forth in this episode)
Tessa pays her respects in the church. She meets Carmina's brothers, Crispin and Arsenio, and assures then she will testify at the boy's trial. Crispin thanks her and seems to trust her word. Arsenio doubts her good will. "The only reason she came was to get her shawl."
As Tessa crosses the square from the church the riders pass around her.
One of the riders enters Montoya's office, interrupting his reading. The removal of the hat and kerchief reveals a beautiful woman, Mary Rose (Bo Derek) who demands the release of her son, Anton. Montoya is courteous in the face of her threats. "I have eight good, very well armed reasons outside, and one in here, Montoya," she says indicating her sword. But he maintains that he just can't let a killer go free on a mother's say so. She insists on seeing him. The colonel agrees but informs her that there is a witness to the crime.
Tessa is walking toward the blacksmith's under the watchful eye of Mary Rose's rancheros. At the forge, the smith, Vlad, is flirting with Marta. She chides him, but the looks she gives him behind his back show that her curtness is all pretense.(Paulina Galvez is an exquisite flirt) Tessa arrives and Marta comments that she can feel that the rancheros watching Tessa are trouble. Vlad notes that the carpenter,Luke?, will have to work late into the night making a second coffin and scaffold.
In the jail, Mary Rose and Anton are having a mother-son talk about how unsuitable Carmina was. Anton is willing to die, blaming his mother for both their deaths.
MARY ROSE: "You'll hang over my dead body, and any other body that gets in the way."
ANTON: "Ah, yes. Dead bodies are something yo know all about."
Montoya is listening to it all and starts to plan.
MONTOYA: "We will use the small fish to catch the bigger one, Grisham. And then we will see what else is left in our net."
Carmina's brothers argue over whose fault it really is that Carmina is dead. Arsenio insists that if Tessa doesn't testify she will pay.
On the way home, Tessa and Marta are chased by the rancheros. They make it to the hacienda but find Mary Rose waiting for them. Tessa sends Marta for lemonade, at Mary Rose's insistence for privacy. Mary Rose then threatens Tessa, promising death if she testifies.
The next day (I think), Tessa goes into town to look for Montoya. She meets Vera in the rose courtyard. Vera is about to tell her something but changes her mind at the sight of Mary Rose's rancheros following Tessa. Tessa tries to loose them in the streets. Carmina's brothers pull her suddenly through a gateway and tell her that they will protect her from Mary Rose's men. They also ask again for her assurance that she will testify. As she leaves them, a small boy hands her a note.
Montoya and Grisham talk to Anton. They find out that Mary Rose had been a mercenary pirate. They also tell him about Carmina's history with the rest of the "local boys", encouraging him to implicate his mother in her death. Anton reacts badly, throwing a ceramic cup at Montoya. The colonel ducks and Grisham instantly has a sword to the boy's throat, but if looks could kill Anton would already be dead.
MONTOYA: "You will die for that if for nothing else."
(I must comment on how impressed I was with the performance of Neil Newbon, who played Anton. Not only did he completely show up Bo, not hard to do I admit, but he held his own against Val Pelka who was hitting all his marks in this scene. Bravo.)
On their way into the square, Montoya instructs Grisham to prepare two nooses - one for the boy and one for his mother.
Vera bursts into Grisham's quarters calling his name. He jumps out from behind a partition with what looks like a flag, using it as a matador's cape.
GRISHAM: "Ole! I'm the matador. You're the bull."
VERA: "I can't do this today."
GRISHAM: "OK. But I was the bull last week..."
Vera tries to convince him that she is not in the mood and needs his help. But it is no use. She walks out. (Grisham is being a pig - but a really cute one)
Tessa is on her patio with the note. Vera rides up; she sent the note. The conversation is vague. Vera implies a personal understanding of Carmina's position and that Anton may not be guilty, But she doesn't give Tessa any specifics.
Finally catching up with Montoya (She is going to wear a rut in the road to town!) Tessa asks to see Anton. Montoya refuses saying that he can't risk influencing her testimony.
MONTOYA: "You noble father would rather have chosen death than failing to tell the truth, no?"
As Tessa leaves, Grisham notices both Carmina's brothers as well as Mary Rose and Co. watching her. He suggests that a guard to posted at the Alvarado hacienda.
MONTOYA: "Trouble is our ally, Grisham."
He sets Mary Rose after Tessa by saying he couldn't convince her to recant her testimony. The plan - Mary Rose kills Tessa. Montoya gets Tessa's land. Mary Rose hangs for murder. Montoya gets Mary Rose's land.
MONTOYA: "Perfect. Just when you think that the gods have forsaken you..."
On the way home, Tessa is confronted by Mary Rose's foreman. He tries to kill her. She defends herself and he ends up falling on his knife. She has an interesting conversation with Marta about her duel role. How Tessa is not supposed to know how to defend herself. How Tessa is amazed at what the Queen does.
Mary Rose hears of her foreman's death and orders Tessa brought to her.
Grisham tells Montoya this news.
GRISHAM: Colonel. Got a problem
MONTOYA: Only one? Really? Things must be improving.
When asked for his orders, Montoya counsels patience. When Grisham points out that letting this conflict run its course could be very bloody, Montoya mocks him. "What is that I smell? A conscience? It is a little late in the day for that."
Vera overhears Vlad and the carpenter discussing the height of the scaffold. She goes to Montoya to find out how strong the case is. (One of the best shot scenes in the series. Montoya is circling her while on his horse. Beautiful - all three of them) When she implies that she might know more about the events, Montoya "reminds" her that should word of how she became a witness to the shooting become common knowledge, she "might loose everything."
Tessa runs into Vera as she is fleeing this confrontation. After getting Tessa promise that she will tell no one, Vera is convinced to tell the whole story.
She was in the hotel, drinking wine with a young man. She heard voices in the next room and went to the window. She heard Anton tell Carmina that his mother will not let him see her anymore. Camina takes a pistol, obviously intending to shoot herself. When Anton tries to take it away from her, it goes off.
Vera begs Tessa not to tell anyone as it would hurt Gaspar.
Just to stir the pot, Montoya talks to Carmina's brothers and gives them the idea that Anton might go free.
MONTOYA: "Come, come. We are all men. We know the true value of a woman's promise, don't we?" (Issues Luis?)
To ensure Tessa's silence, Mary Rose holds Marta hostage. She does not come along meekly and the fight gives some indication as to where Tessa may have learned her brawling skills. Only Mary Rose's sword to her throat gets Marta to give in.
Grisham and Montoya are walking through the square, (having one of those little meaningless aside conversations that I love to watch them have) when Tessa stops them and informs Montoya that she cannot testify. He tries to find out what has prompted this change of heart, he suspects Vera, but then pretends to loose patience as one of Mary Rose's rancheros walk by and orders Tessa to testify. (Watch Valentine's eyes, and you won't be surprised at Montoya's change of tack)
Tessa returns home to find that Mary Rose has taken Marta. The Queen comes to the rescue - as a friend of Senorita Alvarado's
MARY ROSE: "Hired no doubt to free her gypsy cook."
Duel. The Queen wins (surprise!) and she informs Mary Rose that Tessa is not going to testify and that she will meet her on the road into town in the morning.
As Mary Rose frees Marta, she says, "Please accept my apologies."
MARTA: "Gypsy cook? I'll think about it."
Everyone rides into town together in the morning to Montoya's court in the square. Posturing between Montoya and Mary Rose. (Horribly out matched. Bo can't intimidate a butterfly) Guns are drawn on both sides. Tessa pleads to Montoya's ego and his sense of self-preservation. He releases Anton with typical pomp. (I would like to eviscerate the writers for Tessa's last bit of fawning and Montoya's reaction)
Arsenio doesn't believe that Carmina's death was an accident and threatens Tessa. Mary Rose jumps in and promises to gut him if anything happens to Tessa. Mutual admiration. "Fair winds, Maria Theresa Alvarado. And safe anchorage." (I fast forward this scene every time. It makes me cringe.)
~~Eliza~~