The Musketeers Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Keep Your Friends Close
Lindsay MacDonald
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Another year of dueling, pistols, and sexy leather costumes kicks off with The Musketeers Season 2 Episode 1.
As premieres go, this one came out of the gate full force, with more action and espionage than ever before. Our fearsome foursome took center stage immediately, throwing punches and jokes at every turn. The only thing missing was the beguiling Milady de Winter, who I'm sure will be back sooner or later with a vengeance. Literally.
In a surprising twist, Cardinal Richelieu has died in the interim between the first and second seasons. The Cardinal's actor, Peter Capaldi, was cast as Doctor Who's Twelfth Doctor last year, so our episode opened with the poor Cardinal's funeral.
Athos: The King's council has been in chaos since the Cardinal died... They say he wore out his heart in the service of France.
D'Artagnan: It's a pleasant surprise to hear he had one at all.
His departure left a sizable hole in the villain department. A hole that was quickly and marvelously filled by the evil Compte de Rochefort, a Spanish spy and a master manipulator.
As always, the action sequences in this episode were abundant, providing lots of gunfire and sword fights, especially in the extended rescue mission for General De Foix. I'd argue that the twenty-five minute action sequence could have done with some editing, but it was no less effective. Rochefort endeared himself to our heroes (even if only a little), securing his place on the King's council and as an ally of the musketeers.
In the romance department, Queen Anne delivered a healthy baby boy in the premiere. A healthy baby boy that might in fact be Aramis' son instead of the King's. Aramis gets a brief moment to meet his son before he's swept away by a protective governess, but I don't expect our most dashing musketeer to give up so easily. I'm curious to see just how far he'll go to stay close to his son, and who he'll manage to tip off to the truth in the process.
The Dauphin is not your son, Aramis. He can never be your son unless you confess to an act of treason and take the Queen down with you.
Athos
I was ecstatic to see Anne and Constance developing a relationship on their own. Finally. The first season skewed pretty heavily towards the men and their relationships, so I'm looking forward to our two girls spending some time together and creating that new dynamic.
A new mystery of the year appears to be the secret of Porthos' parentage. De Foix and Treville's conversation about leaving Porthos and his mother in the slums when he was a baby raised more questions than it answered, and I'm eager to hear more about this Belgard character they alluded to. Not to mention how Porthos will react when he finds out that Treville has been keeping this secret for so long. He's been known to make hotheaded decisions before, and with a topic as delicate as this one, I can't imagine Porthos taking it quietly.
The highlight of the whole episode, in my opinion, was the last interaction between Constance and D'Artagnan. Their romance burned hot and fizzled fast last year, leaving Constance to return to her husband instead of running away with her lover. D'Artagnan is obviously still bitter about her choice, but I found myself sympathizing with Constance in a big way. Her choice was based on logic and reason, looking at her life in the long term and taking into account the huge risk she would be taking by becoming D'Artagnan's mistress. In light of all the hardships she'd face if he were ever killed, I kind of had to agree with her. I almost wanted to smack him when he called her a coward.
I am a woman, D'Artagnan. A woman in a world built for men.
Constance
Who do you think Porthos' real father is? Will he do something rash if and when he finds out? And will Aramis put the Queen in danger with his need to stay close to his son? All things I'm desperate to find out as we embark on a new year with The Musketeers.
Catch all the action and adventure when you watch The Musketeers online via TV Fanatic.
