Henrietta Maria, King Louis' sister and the Queen of England, has come to France to meet with a Dutch financier named Van Laar, to raise funds for troops in England's ongoing civil war. Unfortunately, a highwayman steals the diamonds she had intended to pawn to Van Laar. As Ferron entertains Van Laar - brokering a private loan in the process - the Musketeers are tasked with recovering the stolen diamonds. During their search, they find themselves reuniting with Emile Bonaire, a cowardly slave trader they had dealings with in the past. They force him to help recover the diamonds. Meanwhile, Aramis has a chance encounter with his childhood friend Pauline, who is engaged to a nobleman named St Pierre (played by Paul McGann, who was also in the 1993 live-action Disney adaptation). She later seeks him out, revealing that she's being blackmailed over her growing up in a brothel.
We see the return of James Callis as Emile Bonaire, who once again has his ability to talk his way out of certain death. Even when the Musketeers (especially Porthos) are having none of it. His fetch quest produces a comedic moment, in which he claims to have sold a portion of the diamonds to a noblewoman as a gift for "Serena". D'Artagnan is volunteered to pose as an eligible bachelor, and meets the noblewoman's daughters...none of whom are called Serena. When he asks about her, he's slapped. It then cuts to him introducing the Musketeers to a prized mare, who has diamonds woven into her tail. The Musketeers ineffectually try and rope the horse, to the point that Athos orders Aramis to shoot her until d'Artagnan intervenes. There's later an action scene when they have to get the next set of diamonds from a fence. Although I must admit that Bonaire being the robber does seem a little too coincidental for my tastes. Perhaps they could have built that up a little more.
It's interesting to see that Grimaud isn't really involved in the main story. He does appear, telling Ferron that a ship the Marquis he invested in had sunk. He later attempts to bribe Sylvie, and then states that the Musketeers are looking for diamonds.
The blackmail subplot had some interesting ideas, but I wonder if it could have been pulled off a little better. It feels kind of rushed in places. It's established that Aramis and Pauline grew up together in a brothel, until Aramis was taken away by his father. It's not entirely clear how Pauline was able to get out and pass off as a fine lady, but it is clear that she hasn't forgotten her past: she's shown giving money to a beggar, telling her fiancé "If we can, we must." On the wedding day, St Pierre catches a child stealing food, and lets her have what she wants, saying "If we can, we must." Aramis, who has been invited to walk Pauline down the aisle while he finds the blackmailer, confronts him. It's then revealed that the final diamond is in the wedding ring St. Pierre intends to give to Pauline, which almost results in a rift between the Musketeers. Sadly, the happy couple don't get the happy ending, which does fall in with the bleak nature of this season. I guess I could call that credit where credit's due.
Amateur historian me is going to jump in now, to try and discuss the timeline. Henrietta mentions that Cromwell is in London. When the English Civil War started in 1642, I believe that Parliamentarian forces did hold London while King Charles I relocated to Shrewsbury. But Oliver Cromwell didn't become a general until 1644, one year after King Louis died. Then again, he's the name associated with the conflict, and historical accuracy isn't a priority for a thing like this.
Nevertheless, the episode does have an interesting cliff-hanger. Ferron reveals to Grimaud that King Louis is dying, and in the process we learn their end-game: they plot to install Gaston to the throne, using forces raised by the Duke of Lorraine. Ferron outlines a plan to finance the scheme.
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