The Musketeers have been dispatched to Le Havre to arrest Emile Bonaire, a flamboyant merchant and explorer played by James Callis, for violating a trade agreement between France and Spain. Unfortunately, the journey back to Paris is not a simple one: Bonaire's wife, Maria, attempts to rescue him on several occasions; Bonaire's financier, Paul Munier, is looking for a return on his investment and has sent thugs after him; and two Spanish agents (because everyone who isn't French speaks with their native accent) are shadowing them along the journey.
When Porthos is wounded in an ambush, Athos is forced to give him shelter at a dilapidated chateau; his ancestral home as the Comte de la Fere. While Aramis treats Porthos' injury, Athos becomes withdrawn as he's forced to spend the night, haunted by memories of his marriage to Milady de Winter. Meanwhile, Porthos - who is now established to have been the son of a freed slave - is fascinated by the tales of Bonaire's travels and dreams, until he discovers that he's actually a slave trader.
While there's still some great action, with a barfight, an ambush, and a horse chase, this episode has a greater focus on drama. We get flashbacks to when Athos was happily married, interspersing moments of him wandering through the chateau. He doesn't share this with anybody except d'Artagnan. There's also the tension between Bonaire and Porthos, who is almost on the cusp of killing the merchant outright.
Bonaire makes an interesting "villain of the week". He presents himself as a suave and charismatic figure, so you kind of warm up to him. In reality, he's just a snivelling coward who will say anything to save his own skin. Nonetheless, that is something he's good at, especially when he's brought before the Cardinal to account for his misdeeds. It's frustrating when you want to seem him get his just desserts, but so satisfying when he eventually does.
Good episode, with great tension and drama from multiple fronts.
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