The Musketeers Marathon - S2E9: The Accused

 

It's the penultimate episode of Season 2, and things are about to kick off.

Picking up immediately after the end of the previous episode, the Musketeers have been summoned to the palace by Constance. They go to report the incident to King Louis, but find that Rochefort - now sporting the eyepatch Christopher Lee made iconic for the character - is already there, along with the letter Queen Anne wrote to King Philip of Spain at the beginning of the season. Having forbade her to write to her brother, King Louis has her placed under house arrest. As the Musketeers are forced to leave the palace, they all learn that Aramis had slept with the queen. Athos decides to take up Milady's previous offer for information. She reveals that Rochefort is in the service of Vargas, the Spanish spymaster, and helps them sneak the queen out of the Louvre. But Rochefort then poisons King Louis, framing Constance and Lemay for it. The Musketeers and the Queen are forced to return to Paris upon learning this.

If there's one scene I have to dedicate time to, it's when the Musketeers and Treville learn of the liaison between Aramis and the queen. It's supposed to be dramatic, considering the magnitude of the situation, but it's also kind of hilarious. Aramis doesn't admit to sleeping with the queen; Athos tells the others he did. Porthos asks Aramis why he didn't say something sooner (prompting a funny comment from d'Artagnan to show his idealistic nature), while Treville is dumbstruck and asks why Athos didn't do anything (who nonchalantly states he would have shot him if he'd known what he was going to do). When Aramis confesses to the Dauphin being his son, Porthos gets ready to strangle him until he realises the burden he's been carrying and goes to hug him. Treville has to physically separate them, going from disbelief to fury as he shouts at Aramis for endangering the entire country. Athos - who has been almost gleeful through all this, like a kid telling on a sibling to their parents -  then reveals that Rochefort knows, and Treville is despairing over it.

That scene aside, this episode is a tense one. There isn't much action, but that's because it's building up to the finale. Rochefort is basically playing his endgame by driving the queen away. He uses Marguerite to falsely accuse Constance and Lemay, and enlists Milady to work for him to implicate Aramis. But when he chokes her for making a snide remark, she ultimately sides with the Musketeers. There's plenty of teeth-clenched teamwork moments between her and Athos, with a brief diversion as Katherine de Garreville attempts to exact revenge on her. Personally, I feel that particular part doesn't add much, since Katherine doesn't appear again at any point in the story.

Ultimately, very little is resolved this episode. Porthos rides out to deliver a forged letter from Rochefort to Vargas. The Musketeers return to the Louvre with the Queen, but Rochefort is waiting for them. Aramis is arrested for treason, while the others are escorted out of the grounds. It ends with d'Artagnan trying to see an imprisoned Constance until he's beaten and dragged away by the Red Guards.

But it doesn't matter that nothing gets resolved, because it makes me excited for the next episode.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E8: The Prodigal Father

 

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.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E7: A Marriage of Inconvenience

 

Things are definitely heating up (heatwave notwithstanding).

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.

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.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E5: The Return

 

Maybe this one should be called "The Magnificent Musketeers".

Athos is torn over the facts that he promised to kill Milady if she ever returned to Paris, but her affair with King Louis makes her untouchable. Being Athos, he deals with that by...drinking himself under the table, where he is promptly kidnapped by his former tenants in the village of Pinon. His greedy neighbour, Baron Renard, has been raiding the village and covets Athos' land for himself. Athos refuses to help them, having renounced his title after ordering Milady's execution. The other Musketeers, plus Treville, arrive in Pinon in search of Athos. Seeing the havoc Renard is causing, they decide to stay and help the villagers protect their home from the Baron. Meanwhile, Athos has chance encounter with his late brother's fiancé, Katherine de Garreville, and decides to help as well.

Yeah, this is basically The Seven Samurai in 17th Century France. Familiar, yet fresh. Although Baron Renard is probably one of the least subtle villains of the week. He's a pompous aristocrat who is little more than a bully. When Athos first tries to negotiate with him, he agrees to treat the tenants "as they deserve". He then reneges, claiming that he doesn't make deals with peasants, and Athos would be one since he's renounced his title. His retinue also kidnap the local innkeeper's daughter at his son Edmond's behest. Katherine isn't the nicest character around either, but she's a little more sympathetic; she was originally engaged to marry Athos, until he married Milady. She was then betrothed to his brother Thomas, only for him to be murdered by Milady.

Nevertheless, it's still a good episode with some great action as the villagers fight Renard's men. There's also one moment near the beginning that's quite sweet: Treville - no longer the captain of the Musketeers - has resigned himself to work detail. When the Musketeers ask him to help look for Athos when he disappears, he agrees to ride with them, but insists that he will not act as their captain. Without skipping a beat, d'Artagnan responds with "Whatever you say, captain." Treville doesn't respond or correct him, but gives a proud smile. It's only a brief moment, but it shows how much respect the Musketeers have for him; he is their captain, and they refuse to see him as anything less. However, tensions are arising between him and Porthos over General De Foix, whom Porthos suspects was his father.

Overall, this episode could be considered filler. With the action taking place away from Paris, Rochefort doesn't appear at all. However, there is one new thread which starts; when Katherine learns that Milady is alive and is the king's mistress, she rides to Paris to seek revenge.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E4: Emilie

 

Today's episode provides a look at the dangers of religious extremism. And once again, I'm going to have to discuss spoilers that will come into play during later episodes.

Young Emilie of Durras is being hailed as a prophet when she claims to have visions from God. In her visions - which occur when she has fainting spells - she claims to have seen that King Phillip of Spain is the Antichrist. Her sermons have attracted a following, which has led to mob violence against Spaniards living in Paris. The Musketeers are tasked with ensuring that she doesn't march on Spain, as doing so would provoke a war. Aramis is sent to infiltrate the camp as a spy, where he begins to suspect that Emilie's mother is manipulating her. Things get complicated when Queen Anne visits the camp with Constance in a bid to parley with Emilie. Meanwhile, Rochefort and Perales are at each other's throats, and Perales believes that Rochefort has become a liability to Spanish interests. He hires a sex worker whom Rochefort frequents to kill him when he next visits. When the attempt fails, Rochefort learns of Milady's past and blackmails her into carrying out an assassination.

It's a pretty good episode. The Musketeers have to tread lightly when dealing with Emilie, who is being compared to Joan of Arc, not wanting to cause a riot. There's not as much action, but there's plenty of tension. When Perales is forced to shelter from Emilie's supporters at the Garrison, and receives a severed ear in the post before later arranging to be recalled to Spain. Treville and the Musketeers are tasked with escorting him through a marketplace to a carriage, only for d'Artagnan to learn it's a trap.

Meanwhile, this episode also serves to set up many later plot threads:

• Porthos learns that General De Foix - who was mortally wounded during their escape - has left him a legacy. He begins to suspect that Treville is hiding something from him, but is stonewalled.
• Aramis and Queen Anne are revealed to still be intimate, which Constance promptly discovers and is sworn to secrecy.
• Rochefort learns that Lady Marguerite is having an affair with Aramis, and uses this to blackmail her into spying on Queen Anne

The episode has a truly poignant ending. I won't go into details regarding the story of the week, but I will give away what happens afterwards: When the Musketeers return to the Garrison, they learn that Treville has been scapegoated for the death of Perales and is being relieved of command. It's a great scene, with Treville standing in the courtyard with the letter in hand. He assures the Musketeers that they're not in trouble, but he's trying not to cry as he explains the situation.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E3: The Good Traitor

 

King Louis complaining about the morning is such a mood.

General Tariq Alamand, a Moorish officer in the Spanish army, visits Captain Treville and expresses an intention to defect to France. He demonstrates a highly potent form of gunpowder which he has developed, and presents King Louis with a coded formula to develop more of it. In exchange for the cipher to decode it, he asks the Musketeers to help him rescue his daughter Samara. She had been kidnapped by Spanish agents in Paris led by Tariq's protégé, General Balthasar, who is demanding the cipher in exchange for her life.

Meanwhile, the Dauphin falls ill and is placed in the care of Dr Lemay. But Constance expresses a concern that his treatments aren't working. And yes, they involve leeches. Lemay must have been a student of Dr Hoffman of Stuttgart (owner of the largest leech farm in Europe). Anyway, Aramis learns of the Dauphin's fever before the Musketeers head to a busy market to make the exchange with Balthasar. His fears distract him, and the exchange goes south. A fight ensues in which several bystanders are killed, while Porthos is wounded and captured by Balthasar's men along with Samara. And while all that's going on, Milady seduces King Louis, and becomes his mistress.

I must admit that I wasn't keen on the ill Dauphin sub-plot. I reckon it could have been handled a little better. When Lemay's treatments prove ineffective, Constance tries to point this out and is reprimanded by King Louis. In response, she abducts the Dauphin and takes him to a laundrette, hoping that the steam would decongest him. She's found by Rochefort after her husband rats her out, and narrowly escapes being executed when Lemay admits her remedy had worked. Which leads me to wonder why she didn't consult with Queen Anne first. While Louis was dismissive, she's still the queen's confidante and could have suggested it to her. I suppose it gave Rochefort something to do, since he's not really involved with the main plot. It's a means for him to curry favour with Queen Anne, whom he is besotted with. To the point of paying sex workers to roleplay as her. Creepy.

B-plot aside, this episode still has some good moments. The exchange scene at the market is tense. Aramis takes up a sniper position to shoot Balthasar once the cipher is handed over. As a woman walks past with a crying baby, he begins to think about the Dauphin and loses his clear shot. And when Porthos is captured, we get some great snarky dialogue between him and Samara. The climax of the episode is both awesome and poignant, but I won't go into details here.

And need I mention that Balthasar is a racist prick? It's great to see him get his just desserts.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E2: An Ordinary Man

 

This is a good episode, but I think I'm beginning to see a formula for this season.

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.

The Musketeers Marathon - S2E1: Keep Your Friends Close

 

It's time to start the next season, with a new antagonist.

Six months have passed since the previous episode. Cardinal Richelieu has died, since Peter Capaldi was busy with Doctor Who. Treville is offered a seat on the King's Council, but he declines on the grounds that he's a better soldier than politician. The Dauphin Louis is born, whom Aramis believes to be his son. Constance is appointed to serve as the Queen's confidante on d'Artagnan's recommendation, but she's reluctant to resume their affair.

The Musketeers are sent to a remote village to meet a mysterious contact. Said contact is the Comte de Rochefort, one of the Cardinal's lieutenants, played by Marc Warren. Rochefort had been serving as a spy in Madrid until he was discovered and imprisoned. He claims to have escaped, and reveals that he was imprisoned alongside General De Foix, an old friend of Treville and one of France's chief military strategists. The Musketeers are assigned to accompany Rochefort on a covert mission to infiltrate a Spanish prison to rescue De Foix, or eliminate him if a rescue isn't possible. Unbeknownst to the Musketeers, Rochefort is a double agent for the Spanish. His intention is to lure the Musketeers into a trap while he rescues De Foix so he can be hailed a hero.

Rochefort is intended to be something of a contrast to Richelieu. While the Cardinal is methodical and calculating, Rochefort is more impulsive and devises his schemes on the fly. While the Cardinal acts in a combination of national interest and self-interest, Rochefort is actively working against his country. He's also a cold-blooded killer with eyes for Queen Anne. He's introduced being lynched by a mob, apparently for murdering an innkeeper, and the Musketeers are content to let him hang until they learn he has vital information. He also kills a priest who disturbs his meeting with his handler, the Spanish Ambassador Don Fernando Perales, played by Will Keen. Perales is visibly shaken by this, and often makes the point that he was never on board with working with Rochefort from the get-go.

The prison infiltration is tense, with d'Artagnan having to swim underwater to gain access via the well in the courtyard. And the escape has an equally tense sequence involving a pulley spanning a ravine. It's the kind of pulpy swashbuckling action I love.

One scene of note occurs at the end of the episode. A priest visits the Garrison in search of Aramis, giving him a message from the Cardinal. Said message comes in the form of a burial vault for Adele Bessette, the Cardinal's mistress whom Aramis had an affair with until she was executed at the end of the first episode. The priest warns that the Cardinal knows many of Aramis' secrets. It's quite ominous, and Aramis begins to fear that Richelieu was aware of the Dauphin's parentage. Unfortunately, not much really comes out of it.

Nevertheless, I'm hyped to see the next season.

The Musketeers Marathon - S1E10: Musketeers Don't Die Easily

 

It's the season one finale, and it's a pretty good one. Just a heads up, this post will contain some major spoilers. There is also a brief mention of attempted suicide.

Three months have passed since the previous episode. Cardinal Richelieu has framed Count Mellendorf for the attempt on Queen Anne's life, and he awaits trial. Despite the Cardinal's desire to have him executed, Queen Anne has persuaded King Louis to delay until further inquiries are made, as his execution would likely result in war with the count's Prussian and Swedish allies. 

Athos has deduced that Milady de Winter was the one who hired Gallagher. He drunkenly takes Milady hostage, and the other Musketeers try to intervene. Milady appeals to d'Artagnan and reveals their relationship, which causes a rift to develop between him and the others. When Athos shoots d'Artagnan, Milady takes him in and persuades him to get revenge and fulfil a promise he made when they first met. Though reluctant to kill Athos, d'Artagnan relents when Treville strips him of his commission.

It's a tense moment as d'Artagnan goes to the Garrison to confront Athos. He's shunned by Porthos and Aramis, until Treville brings the four of them to his office. They exchange barbs, before laughing and sharing a group hug, revealing that their rift was staged in order to expose the Cardinal. However, Milady has a contingency; she meets with her previous patron, a criminal gang leader named Sarazin, played by Sean Pertwee. In exchange for working with him again, Sarazin agrees to kill the Musketeers, abducting Constance to bait them.

Every character gets their moment to shine. Richelieu is becoming increasingly frantic as he fears discovery, losing his temper at Milady. King Louis offers Charlotte Mellendorf reassurance that he won't execute her father right away, and even puts the Cardinal in his place (as does Queen Anne later on). Even Constance gets her moment when she's abducted by Sarazin. While guarded by his perpetually drunk mistress, she's able to free herself and even cuts her guard's face on a broken bottle. She actually would have escaped if Milady hadn't shown up. Knowing that she dies in the original story actually makes this scene genuinely tense. Of course, it's the Musketeers who truly steal the show in this episode. They out-gambit the most powerful man in France, and go on to single-handedly take down Sarazin's gang. In the end, you've just got to have some action.

However, after all that triumph, the ending is kind of bittersweet.

After the battle with Sarazin's gang, Athos can't bring himself to kill Milady, telling her to leave France. Constance reconciles with d'Artagnan, but they're unable to re-kindle their affair when Monsieur Bonacieux - who had initially assumed she'd eloped with d'Artagnan when she was abducted - tries to kill himself to guilt her into coming home. Furthermore, King Louis announces that Queen Anne is pregnant, and it's implied that Aramis is the father. It's also implied that the Cardinal suspects this. 

Of course, there isn't much that the Cardinal would be able to do; Peter Capaldi had to depart from the series due to his then-recent commitment to Doctor Who.

The episode ends with the Musketeers lamenting that they haven't got anything that makes life pleasant: No glory, no money, and no love. They eventually settle on having their honour, and ride into the sunset for their next adventure.

Oh yeah, they say the line. You know the one I mean.

The Musketeers Marathon - S1E9: Knight Takes Queen

 

It's the penultimate episode of the first season, and things are about to go off.

The Musketeers, including the newly-commissioned d'Artagnan, are tasked with guarding Queen Anne while she visits a spring reputed to have powers of fertility. Back in Paris, King Louis woos Charlotte Mellendorf, the daughter of a wealthy banker from Hamburg. In private, he vents his frustration to the Cardinal over Anne's inability to give him an heir, and would prefer to marry Charlotte for their shared interest in outdoor pursuits and a sizeable dowry from her father. After he offhandedly wishes that Anne was dead, the Cardinal also realises that an alliance with Hamburg would be in France's interest. He sends Milady to hire Gallagher, an exiled Irish mercenary (who isn't Italian), to assassinate the queen.

This one is definitely action-packed. The Musketeers have to flee from the spring while being pursued relentlessly by Gallagher's men. It's reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Eventually, they're forced to split up. Athos and Aramis shelter the queen at a convent, which Gallagher's men besiege. Porthos and d'Artagnan flee to Paris, only to find that the rest of the regiment is hunting with King Louis and the Mellendorfs.

The nuns at the convent are pretty badass. Although Gallagher allows them to leave unharmed, they opt to remain and help to reinforce the convent. They initially spend the first assault praying, until a stray bullet damages a statue of the Virgin Mary. At that point, the mother superior leads them to help the fight. They cut the grapple lines of the men scaling the walls, and they drive them away with beehives and incendiaries made from bottles of brandy.

We do get some drama as Aramis discovers that one of the nuns, Sister Helene, is actually his old flame Isabelle. He'd gotten her pregnant and was engaged to marry her, but her father sent her away after she lost the baby. This builds upon a discussion he had in an earlier episode, but also provides some interesting insight into his character. After she's killed by two of Gallagher's men, Queen Anne comforts Aramis as he grieves and they end up sleeping together. Yeah, I know I'm spoiling that, but it's something that has ripples throughout the series, so I have to mention it sooner or later.

The episode has a good amount of humour as well. There's a scene at the beginning in which d'Artagnan is sparring with Athos and Porthos, who drag him through the dirt to make his uniform more battle-worn. Gallagher is introduced riding to a farm where he shoots some apparent bandits which turn out to be large rodents. Queen Anne tries to cook fish while they're camping, which turns out to be...a little on the well done side, but the Musketeers are too gallant to complain. While at the convent, the mother superior offers Athos a musket, claiming it's for shooting rabbits (and Protestants). And there's a ton of casual danger dialogue between Athos and Aramis.

All in all, this is an episode I rate quite highly. I'm excited for the next one.