1X04 VENGEANCE

Aired the week of October 23, 2000

An assassin disrupts the Harvest Festival, when his crossbow fells Don Aguilera, the father of Tessa's childhood friend, Ramon. The grief-stricken son swears vengeance, which Tessa more than understands-until she, as the Queen of Swords, discovers that the shooter's target was not Don Aguilera, but Dr. Robert Helm. It seems that the good doctor has his fair share of secrets, too. Intrigued, the Queen tries to protect Helm, and finds herself caught between Montoya and a range war.

WRITER: James Thorpe
DIRECTOR: Brian Grant

GUEST CAST:
JAMES INNES SMITH as Latham
FREDDIE DOUGLAS as Ramon
JAVIER SANDOVAL ALVAREZ as Don Fuentes
JULIO MORALES MERINO as Don Aguilera
NOAH HUNTLEY as Ian Latham

The episode "Vengeance" written by James Thorpe and directed by Brian Grant was excellent. The introduction of the whip for the first time was heavenly to watch. Also the introduction of another weapon in the show such as the crossbow was interesting.

The scene at the cliff in which the QofS rides her horse swinging that whip was spectacular. The fight sequences were great. I loved how the camera panned out and gave the viewers the shot where the body goes over the cliff. Very nice. The stunts were performed so well. Also, the scene where the QofS wraps the whip around her body was awsome. The stunt performer did a great job. The way the whip was used against Montoya was done with such precision. How was the scene executed so well? It was a different weapon used against him just like the swordplay scene where Montoya uses his sword against the QofS's dagger. The whip is such a wonderful addition for the QofS weaponary.

My favorite scene in "Vengeance" was the duel on the rooftop of the church. I especially liked how the stunt performer couldn't keep her balance and fell off making an exciting dive to the bottom. Praises for a stunt executed so well. The dagger fight scene was captivating. The use of a long blade such as a sword vs a small blade like the dagger seems like a challenge to execute. The stunt performers made the scene look easy, but I'm sure it wasn't. With the scene filmed at night, I wonder how much lighting was provided for the stunt performers to ensure the scene was executed so well?

The valley scene where Dr. Helm surprises the QofS by leaping off the rock was funny to watch. The stunt performers were great. Jumping off a rock and knocking someone off a horse didn't look easy. I liked the dialog between Dr. Helm (Peter) and Tessa (Tessie). It had a flair for comedy and a touch of sarcasm. I just enjoyed listening how the QofS and Dr. Helm sparred using words and not weapons.

The Swordmaster and Stunt Coordinator, Albert Goldberg, makes these scenes look so real, I sometimes forget the stunts are all choreographed and rehearsed to give the storylines a sense of realism. This episode was fantastic to watch. I hope the shows creators continue to use the whip as an alternative weapon for our heroine the Queen of Swords.

~Margie~