The Musketeers Marathon - S2E6: Through a Glass Darkly

 

Damn, that was intense. This might be one of my favourite episodes.

The astronomer Marmion has invited King Louis to view a solar eclipse. The Musketeers accompany his procession to Marmion's observatory, converted from an old fort, while Athos - who can't bear to see King Louis parading Milady in front of the royal court - stays at the Garrison to watch the eclipse with Treville. At the observatory, Marmion's men kill Rochefort's contingent of Red Guards and take the royal procession hostage. Aramis gets thrown out of a window, Rochefort and Porthos are chained up in the cellar, while d'Artagnan and Constance are tethered together and forced to watch the king partake in a deadly game based on the laws of fate.

I find Marmion to be reminiscent of Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men, with his nihilistic view and his tendency to utilise a coin toss to determine someone's fate. The plague doctor masks his minions wear gives off the vibe of some cult. But there aren't any occult elements involved in the plot, other than the eclipse being used as a means to lure the procession in. Unlike Anton, Marmion does actually have a backstory. I won't go into it here, but it's actually quite tragic and invokes a strong feeling of "sympathy for the devil".

It's a genuinely tense situation as Marmion asks King Louis to make the call. When he refuses, Milady makes the call instead and guesses correctly. After she's allowed to leave, she alerts Treville and Athos. One of the king's redshirts courtiers also tries to make a call, but loses and is promptly executed. Marmion then spirits the rest of the procession away for the next part of the game. Queen Anne is locked in one room with Lady Marguerite and the Dauphin, while the three other courtiers are locked in another. The king is told to choose one room to send one of Marmion's men into, blindly condemning the occupants. It takes its time, and wracks up the tension. 

By the end of episode, King Louis is a quivering wreck. I almost feel sorry for him. Until the formula is adhered to, that is. Rochefort is once again credited for saving the day, while the Musketeers are blamed for the whole ordeal. Even Milady, despite using her release to get help, is accused of abandoning the king and loses her position in court (although Athos begins to respect her). Meanwhile, d'Artagnan re-kindles his affair with Constance.