Zorro: Capítulos 102-106 (July 9-13)

Make love (with each other), then war (against the bad guys): Diego/Zorro and Esmeralda/Xenameralda, together again at last!

This week set up what are likely to be the final battles, with the good royals backed by General (and now Gobernador) Alejandro de la Vega - with our hero's support, of course! - against the evil Comandante and his rogue army.

The masquerade ball turned out to be quite the event. The Louvin Brothers song "Together Again", beautifully covered by Emmylou Harris, could have been the theme song for this week. Zorro/Diego and Xenameralda/Esmeralda were reunited and apparently stopped to make love (after kinkily undressing each other with their swords) before going in to save the two Spanish Queens (the sitting one, María Louisa and the rightful one, Sara Kalí/Mercedes Mallorca) from the forces of evil at the masquerade ball.

First, forgiveness all around, then a little pecado (sin): María Pía and Fernando finally work something out

Former Governador and former beggar monk Fernando got together with María Pía and they made love, too. Finally, after all these years! And General Alejandro and Almudena did the same. Almudena's talking about having a baby.

Yumalai/Guadalupe gave some of her killer juju juice to Fernando and put him on speed-mend from severe torture and a bullet wound. And the spirit of her sister Toypurnia/Regina appeared and forgave him for murdering her. So Regina and Fernando were together again, too.

Even Olmos and Mariangel (Mangle) got together again. But it wasn't exactly pleasant for either of them. Olmos tried to rape her. Mangle clobbered him with something on the head, then doused him with burning kerosene and finally stabbing him with a broken lamp or bottle or something. Olmos survived but he wasn't looking good what with the livid burns on the side of his head and all.

Una "machala" más: the Amazons return to help fight the bad guys

Mercedes and the current Queen were together, although not "again", since they had never met. Mercedes and Almudena, who knew each other from when she was married to Fernando, were reunited. And, of course, Esmeralda and Mercedes, neither of whom knew the other was alive until the night of the ball. Esmeralda was even reunited with her Amazon sisters, who helpfully showed up when the fighting broke out at the ball. And even Renzo the cute-but-useless gitano was reunited with Esmeralda, although his new wife Ana Camila, formerly the demon-possessed num Sor Suplicios, has cured him of his crush on Esmeralda.

Do I need to add that Tobías' transvestite plan to kill el Capitán Pizarro also flubbed? We knew that was coming.

But wouldn't you know, the evil Comandante Montero had to spoil all the togetherness, with help from Mangle. The Queen ordered him arrested for high treason. But he fought back and in the commotion managed to take the Queen prisoner and high-tail it to his secret cabin hideaway in the woods.

More togetherness: Esmeralda and Sara Kalí - with Ana Camila in the background - and you're in a heap'a trouble, Comandante Montero!

Even worse, Diego's flaky friend Santiago discovered that his thuggish creditors had showed up in Los Ángeles and they threatened to turn him into shark-bait if he didn't pay up the next day. So he snatched Baby Zorro and turned him over to Mangle. Who didn't bother to pay him anyway. But then he met the half-toasted Olmos, who told him the baby was Esmeralda's, not Mangle's. So Santiago and pan-fried Olmos set off to find the baby.

Old Hickory's Weblog exclusive! What Baby Mangle-Montero would have grown up to look like

The end of the week found Zorro and Xenameralda outside the cabin, which el Comandante Montero and Mangle have by now abandoned and Montero has booby-trapped to explode when someone opens the door. Just as Zorro is about to head to his doom, Santiago and Olmos-on-the-half-shell show up and pull guns on them. We can see where this is going. Santiago and/or Olmos will go into the house thinking there's going to get the baby and be blown to smithereens instead.

Selenia (Valentina Acosta): her fans are hoping for her return, too

Meanwhile, Mangle and Montero are on the lam with Baby Zorro and presumably with the kidnapped Queen. Fortunately, they think Baby Zorro is actually their baby. Although the lack of fangs, claws and horns on the kid should have tipped them off to their error. At least General Alejandro arrested the evil Duque and sent him to El Callao prison.

So, there still an Empire to save, and Baby Zorro to rescue. And yet several karmic debts to be paid. Plus, we can still hope for the return of Selenia the Good Witch.

Tags: valentina acosta, zorro, zorro telenovela