King Louis decides that he wants to experience the life of an ordinary Parisian for one night. Said experience involves going to a disreputable tavern incognito with the Musketeers. But when he accuses a man of cheating at cards and provokes a brawl, he and d'Artagnan are promptly kidnapped. With the Dauphin's christening due to take place the next day, the Musketeers are charged with finding him before a scandal spreads across Europe. They soon learn that the culprit is Sebastian le Matre, who sells his victims to the Spanish to serve as galley slaves. Meanwhile, Rochefort - who is now the captain of the Red Guards - uses the disappearance as an opportunity to grow closer to Queen Anne. He eventually persuades her to write to her brother, King Phillip of Spain, asking him to support her regency if King Louis dies.
This is a tense episode. While the Musketeers are carrying out their investigation, d'Artagnan and Louis are forced to march through the woods to the slavers' camp. Since d'Artagnan believes they'll be killed if Louis reveals his true identity, they have to remain anonymous. They befriend another captive named Pepin, and learn how much contempt a lot of people have for the king. But things get complicated when it turns out that Milady de Winter is part of the gang, and she recognises them.
I don't want to spoil too much, but I'd like to talk about the ending. After Louis is rescued, he orders d'Artagnan to execute one of the slavers who had switched sides in exchange for clemency. After he refuses, Rochefort carries out the execution himself. I mention this because it's something that gets very formulaic in this season; Louis blames the Musketeers for the episode's events, while Rochefort earns the king's praise.
Despite that issue, it's still a great episode. The final action sequence is great, especially when d'Artagnan gets a particularly badass moment by taking out a mounted swordsman with only a scarf. There's also a moment during their captivity in which Louis talks about his fears that his son will grow up without his father in the same way that he did. It's quite sad, especially considering the real world history: King Louis XIV was only four years old when he ascended to the throne, so there's a foregone conclusion. The final scene is also very poignant.
Meanwhile, Aramis is beginning to get romantically involved with Lady Marguerite, the Royal Governess. Although it's clear that it's so he can spend time with the Dauphin.
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