Zorro (1990): Season 4

Don Emilio Alonzo gets a fine gentleman's welcome in Los Angeles and on the de la Vega hacienda when collecting taxes for the Spanish king Ferndinand. Alas the next day the pueblo is visited by senor Zelaya, another royal tax collector, who turns out to be the real one: don Emilio is just a clever alibi of the brilliant conman El Conejo ('the rabbit'), 12,000 pesos are due as annual levy anyway. To top it, the fake even stole the precious Andalusian stallion the de la Vegas named Emilio in his honor, so Don Alejandro is as determined as the alcalde and his lancers to chase the fraudster; don Diego is ordered to join, but Felipe follows unseen with Zorro's equipment so he can do what neither dad nor posse can as soon as Diego has shaken them, after liberating the alcalde's party from the explosives-rigged cave the rabbit trapped for them. Alas the merciless monster even set another trap which catches Felipe, and leaves the boy hanging in it to die, his last leverage for liberty once Zorro has outsmarted and outlived a fiery battle of wits and tricks...

Senorita Escalante witnesses the thief Ortiz trying to rob the mission church's poor box, alerts the garrison, then locks them up realizing they'll see Zorro, but the alcalde does give chase. They land in Indian territory, where the alcalde trespasses on sacred burial ground, a capital offense under tribal customary law, and is easily captured by the brave Angry Eyes. Zorro pleads with the chief, Wise Eagle, and accepts to buy the oppressor's life by passing in his place the river of pain, which turns out a triple trial: running the gauntlet under clubs, a stick-fight against Angry Eyes and finally climbing the steep, dangerous Wall of Death. Alas the brave and the alcalde don't play by the rules, and then there's a traditional prize...

When Victoria finds a box with Dr. Henry Wayne's potions, and a taste of Strength seems to work on all-devouring Mendoza who thus wins a week free food, she plans to use a potion in a Montilla wine to assure herself of Zorro's Eternal Love, but the alcalde had set a trap and ends up drinking it unwittingly, leading to completely romantic courting willing Victoria. Zorro and Felipe find the potions are based solely on the power of suggestion, so Zorro sets up such as mental trap to right the suggested wrong...

Sergeant Mendoza reports to the alcalde that Francisco and Estaban Carvalho, the sons -and as their private correspondence points out posthumously, spies- of the chief minister of the Spanish colonial office, were found dead and dying on their ranch, victims of a mysterious, fatal disease. The fact that Felipe gets stomach-ache shortly after finding a dying bird at the nearby Old Oak Creek while his own and don Alejandro's horses both go crazy a while after drinking water on the also neighboring Carvalho ranch inspire don Diego to chemically test water samples: lead sulphate, from a failed fertilizer experiment, and sergeant Mendoza is made to tell what the previous alcalde, Luis Roman, bought the entire stock for and what he did with it...

Victoria's cart is attacked by bandits; Zorro jumps on but it crashed, he must carry her to the secret cave, which is nearly discovered by the bandidos, who find the 1,000 pesos mortgage on the tavern she was carrying in a sacred compartment. Felipe must stop Zorro / don Diego twice passing the fireplace-passage without changing costume, and Victoria gets him to accept revealing his true identity, but the fiends need more urgent attention, making him realize she may never know, and yet...

When sergeant Mendoza brags about his alleged part in general Campos' Yucatan campaign, nasty senor Baquero sneers to know from experience there that's impossible; later he attacks Victoria as guest in her own inn, and is killed in a confused struggle with three villagers, neither of whom admits killing him, till the alcalde says there is a 3,000 pesos reward: each claims it, but they accept don Diego's suggestion to share the credit. When Baquero's even nastier friend Narcisco, himself under bounty, turns up and claims the reward or revenge, only Paco Garcia stands courageously by his acts, and is challenged to a duel by gunfight. Although Paco must borrow a gun from Narcisco and clearly stands no fair chance, the alcalde waits till Zorro turns up, hoping to cash in on three fat rewards...

While reading Cervante's Don Quixote, don Alejandro hurts his head against the fireplace, stumbles into Zorro's cave and wakes up thinking he's Zorro, so he rides in costume on Toronado to the pueblo, just in time to confront the Esteban brothers -wanted murderers the alcalde hoped to let get drunk before arresting them- and overpowers both by sheer luck, only to be easily arrested and unmasked by the alcalde. Although everyone often saw don Alejandro and Zorro together, the alcalde orders his arrest -ranting as a cross between Don Quixite and Zorro which drives everyone mad- and hanging. Obviously the infuriated real Zorro rides to the rescue...

Victoria neglects her clients orders, all her worries go to Sergio, a fever-struck boy at the mission who may die as the kid keeps almost no nourishment in. Don Diego learns his greatest wish is to be taken on a ride by his ultimate hero Zorro. The alcalde was listening eagerly and probably will set a trap as Felipe points out, but Diego resolves to give Sergio his ride to the sacred cave to diagnose and treat his disease, hoping Dr. Orfila's toxicology guide is the key. Pretending the boy is fatally contagious clears the way out of the trap, and the remedy and Felipe's nursing do their job. Mendoza was threatened with the stocks unless he found the boy, but padre Benitez and Victoria are caught sneaking him in. When the alcalde swings the whip to force Sergio to betray Zorro's hiding, the fox appears...

Just when don Diego has broken his leg stopping a bull with a broomstick, fine horses are stolen from both the de la Vega hacienda and the garrison. To everyone's surprise, they are found in the corral of reputedly honest farmer Jose Macias, so the people raise the alcalde's exorbitant bail of 2,000 pesos. Alas the next day the horses and the whole Macias family are gone. Seeing Victoria ride fool-heartedly fearing the alcalde would shoot Jose on sight, Zorro rides despite his injury, just in time to intervene after she found Jose bringing the horses to bandits and trying to arrest them on her own...

In 1788, Alejandro's wife Elena gave birth in Madrid to two boys, Diego and one who was taken away by nurse Inez. Years later, royal emissary Don Gilberto Resendo chooses a ruthless way to assert absolute authority beyond the call of collecting a 10,000 pesos special tax for the Spanish war effort against France: the alcalde is sentenced to death merely for 'incompetence' because the emissary's royal guards easily overpower the logically surprised lancers garrison; Diego is arrested for reporting a friend from the front contradicts in a letter the emissary's war optimism. Gilberto is surprised to learn don Alejandro is a de la Vega, a friend of the royal family, and as a courtesy releases Diego. So Zorro can prepare to intervene at de Soto's execution, for terrorizing effect by quartering between horse-carts, which sergeant Mendoza bravely refuses to carry trough -his own death sentence- under expert invisible sniper cover from Felipe's rifle, and ride off after a threat to return unless Risendo leaves quickly after collecting his tax. Gilberto corresponds with his mother in Madrid...

Royal emissary Gilberto Risendo first seizes the mission church properties, then lays the seed for a popular outcry he happily responds to: instead confiscate the haciendas of wealthy caballeros who enjoy legal tax exemptions, such as on account of beef supply to the garrison. The next day, Risendo's guardsmen literally occupy the de la Vega hacienda where he and lieutenant Hidalgo take up residence, abusing Felipe as their domestic, and has their bank accounts confiscated. A night, Zorro deals them a fencing lesson, but the alcalde and sergeant Mendoza, who have to capture Zorro or be executed two days later, shoot at Zorro- and accidentally kill Hidalgo. Risendo blames Zorro, vacates the hacienda and reverts to seizing church property...

The alcalde pretends Zorro was the one who shot lieutenant Hidalgo. Risendo sets a trap, pretending to bring Victoria -actually a soldier playing her- to the inquisitor-general. The coward gets a Z-shaped taste of the whip in his face before his guardsmen can give chase; jumping horses, Zorro has to abandon Toronado, who is captured but proves indomitable. An attempt to make don Alejandro believe don Diego is after his estate fails, despite well-forged handwriting. Duelling Zorro during the stallion's daring rescue, Gilberto falls from a roof, apparently to his death. During a celebration at the alcalde's expense, his mother arrives and amends their evil plan for the de la Vegas's ruin ...

In this series finale, Gilberto Risendo's mother Ynez nurses him back to health while repeating her story he was born as Alejandro's son before Diego but rejected because of a deformation. Risendo's first act after 'resurrection' is to tell alcalde and sergeant they'll be executed the next morning, by fire-squad together or far crueler if either tries to flee. Next he sets an obvious trap for Zorro, a 'truce' and meeting in devil's canyon, where he uses dynamite to bury the fox, only Toronado digs him out from the ruble by hoof. At the hacienda, Gilberto knocks down Alejandro, ties up Felipe and duels with the old man, inflicting wounds. When he's about to strike for the kill, Diego steps in unmasked; Gilberto realizes from arm wound and explosives smell he's Zorro, but is still defeated fencing. His mother Ynez tells her story, while Alejandro reposts she was just a hired, jealously infertile midwife, Gilberto draws a hidden pistol at his junior brother, but is killed before he can shoot, by a horse thief: the alcalde, who came to steal an Andalusian to flee...