YMMV / Zorro (1957)

• Alternate Character Interpretation: While it's clear Sergeant García isn't the sharpest sword in the armory, many fans believe he deliberately exaggerates his own incompetence, especially when following the orders of one of Los Angeles's many corrupt leaders. This is supported by the fact that he seems to run the garrison well enough when he doesn't have a Corrupt Bureaucrat breathing down his neck, and that he manages to land quite a few zingers against his superiors — not all of them caught on by them. A Notable example was his "helpful" mention of Monastario being under a lot of stress only helps to further undermine his credibility to an already suspicious Viceroy, aiding in his removal from command — was Garcia trying to be helpful to his commander and it backfired, or did he see an opening to remove a vicious petty tyrant and took it?
  • Just the simple fact that Sergeant García can even read, a skill some officers didn't even have in the early 19th century, is also a big indicator that he's smarter than he lets on.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Captain Monastario is seemingly regarded this way by a not insignificant proportion of the fanbase.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Ask anyone about who they remember the most about the series (outside Zorro himself, obviously), chances are high it'll be Sergeant García. He practically stole the show with his Big Fun and Butt-Monkey antics, along with Henry Calvin being given ample opportunity to show off his rich singing voice.
• Fridge Brilliance: Diego is at one point unable to access his costume and has to resort to "warning" Monastario about Zorro just before Bernardo knocks him out from behind. To avert the capitan's inevitable suspicion, he then arranges for himself to be found bound and gagged in the cellar alongside Bernardo. The fridge brilliance comes into play when observant viewers note that Bernardo has been gagged as well — If Zorro knew Bernardo was mute, he wouldn't bother with the gag.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff:
  • The series is massively popular in Argentina, to the point that Guy Williams traveled several times to the country and ultimately ended up living there until his death in 1989, and when the network that aired reruns of the series in syndication for years in the country announced that it would stop airing it in 2019, there was actually a pretty big revolt by fans asking to not take it off the air.
  • Ditto with France. Tellingly, it was rerun on France 3 (the third of the main national channels) until 2019 — there were practically no TV series from The '60s, The '70s, The '80s and The '90s left on that channel meanwhile. Due to popular demand, France 4 picked it up in 2020.
• Heartwarming Moment: In "The Sergeant Regrets", Zorro arrives just as Hernandez dies. Upon learning what happened from a shaken Garcia, Zorro (who, as Diego, had yelled earlier at Garcia for failing to stop the planned ambush that resulted in Don Alfredo nearly being tortured) merely tells him "You're a good man, Sergeant" before running off. In that moment, you knew why Diego cared for Garcia despite all of his flaws.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: This show's take on Sergeant García is essentially a Hispanic version of Sergeant Hans Schultz.
• Tear Jerker: In "The Sergeant Regrets", Diego gives Sergeant Garcia a severe tongue lashing for not delivering a note to stop a planned ambush. Garcia looks like a kicked puppy when Diego yells at him.

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