This is the calm before the storm.
Treville has revealed to Porthos that his biological father is the Marquis de Belgarde, so he and Aramis travel to his crumbling estate to meet him. They're invited to dine with the reclusive Marquis and his family: Eleanor, the Marquis' daughter from another marriage; and her husband, Antoine Levesque. While Belgarde is proud to see his son's return, his daughter and son-in-law take an immediate dislike to him. Meanwhile, Aramis discovers that Eleanor and Levesque are running an exclusive brothel, and have been kidnapping young girls from the provinces to work there. He shares this revelation with the other Musketeers, and they strive to shut the business down.
These two plots are at the forefront of the episode, which largely serves as a breather episode of sorts. That said, it does try and tie in the main story as well. King Louis has become even more paranoid since last episode, cancelling his public appearances and ceding more power to Rochefort. He hires Milady to investigate Queen Anne's connection to Aramis, and she offers to sell Athos information about Rochefort. Meanwhile, Constance puts her relationship with d'Artagnan on hold after her husband's death, but finds herself being courted by Dr Lemay. It's during this time that Queen Anne confides to her that Aramis is the Dauphin's biological father.
Liam Cunningham is great as the Marquis de Belgarde. He presents himself as a cynical recluse who nonetheless overjoyed to have a son, but it soon becomes clear that he's manipulating everybody around him. Porthos learns that his mother, Marie Suzette, was a servant in Belgarde's household whom the Marquis secretly married. Not long after he was born, he and his mother were kidnapped by Treville and General De Foix - at the behest of Belgarde's father - and left in the Court of Miracles. The revelation causes Porthos to doubt Treville, and he even begins to suspect that his commission in the Musketeers wasn't earned entirely on merit.
There's still some action as Porthos gets into a fistfight with Levesque when he's insulted. We also have a brawl as the other Musketeers shut down Levesque's brothel, preceded by Athos' tranquil fury as he sees the girls being paraded in front of the wealthy clientele. But they have to keep the matter a secret from Porthos, as Treville believes he'll think they're poisoning him against his father. Not much really comes of that, but I guess the risk was still there. Ultimately, it wraps up that plot thread nicely.
The episode ends on a shocking cliffhanger, as Rochefort attempts to force himself on Queen Anne for her apparent affair with Aramis. Constance intervenes, and the queen is able to stab Rochefort in the eye with a hairpin.
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