King Louis' cousin, Princess Louise of Mantua, is engaged to marry a Swedish crown prince in an alliance that would be to Spain's detriment. While the Musketeers escort her to Paris from Italy, they're ambushed on the road by masked brigands carrying Spanish gold. A subsequent attempt on her life results in the death of the Archbishop of Paris, resulting in her being sequestered at the Louvre. But when Treville is shot while retrieving a wedding present, the Musketeers begin to suspect that something is amiss.
Meanwhile, King Louis has become increasingly paranoid after his ordeal with Marmion. He hides in his bedroom and refuses to speak to anybody but Rochefort. At the same time, Rochefort has learned that he was betrayed by the King's Council five years earlier; they refused to pay the ransom demanded by Spain for his release, at the Cardinal's instruction. Yep, even the Cardinal thought he was too unstable.
I can't really talk about this episode too much, because the twists are too good for me to spoil. There's a strong element of paranoia and intrigue as the Musketeers guard the princess. She strikes up a particular rapport with d'Artagnan as she sees his relationship with Constance, especially as she prepares to leave her husband. Speaking of which, Monsieur Bonacieux has become more and more unlikable as the series has gone on, and crosses a line this episode.
Something else lurks in the dark though; Rochefort notices Aramis' prized crucifix - which Queen Anne had given him at the beginning of the first season - and begins to suspect he's having an affair with her (as he'd originally given the crucifix to her). He instructs Lady Marguerite, who is now in his pocket, to investigate further.
One odd thing I'd raise: When Treville is shot, Aramis recruits Dr Lemay to help him treat the wound. The good doctor's first appearance involve a reliance on leeches in his treatments (even after Constance proved him wrong). As he treats the captain, he asks for boiling water to clean his instruments, claiming that doing so reduces the chance of infection but is clueless as to why. Nevertheless, he has grown to trust Constance and invites her to help him with the operation.
Anyway, I won't spoil the twists of the episode itself, but I will spoil the elements that will be carried over:
- D'Artagnan learns that Monsieur Bonacieux was caught in the crossfire of another assassination attempt. He actually panics when he finds out, and hesitates trying to stabilise him. We don't actually see him break the news to Constance, just as he's about to. When Constance sees he has blood on his hands, she realises.
- Milady de Winter learns that Rochefort is a Spanish spy.
- As Treville recuperates, he confesses a secret to Porthos.
- The final scene has King Louis offer Rochefort the Cardinal's old post as First Minister of France. The glare he exchanges with the Musketeers when they refuse to bow to him says it all.
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