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llywelaTunnel
In a tunnel running beneath the house, Felix confirms to Vadim and the gang that the Musketeers have gone. Vadim hands him a bomb, 17th century version of the hand grenade, accompanied by a little pep talk.
D'Artagnan, meanwhile, is restrained by a couple of thugs, rather pointlessly, since he is out cold.
Streets of Paris
The crowds are out in full force, cheering and waving flags, as the King and Queen leave the Cathedral on foot after Easter Mass. Showing themselves to the people, as they earlier insisted that they must, despite the known threat.
Louis and Anne walk together, serene and dignified, at their finest, while their Musketeer guard prowl around them on full alert for any sign of trouble and Cardinal Richelieu is tense as a bowstring.
As they pass, we see Felix lurking in the crowd.
Cell
D'Artagnan wakes, very slowly, to find himself securely bound to a big pile of barrels. A very big pile of barrels – filled, those of us paying attention to the plot can readily guess, with gunpowder. So, not his most pleasant awakening ever.
Vadim is nearby, busying himself over a barrel, a candle and a fuse.
VADIM: I was hoping you'd wake. I wouldn't want you to miss the high point of our brief acquaintance.
D'ARTAGNAN: Where are we?
VADIM: In the tunnels, under the Louvre. They run from the palace to the city wall. Built by one of our King's forebears, as an escape route, bricked up in the time of Henri IV. I discovered them whilst working in the palace kitchens. […]. You see, d'Artagnan, servants are like rats. They'll find all manner of secret exits and entrances.
He runs a long fuse from the barrel he just fitted with a candle to the barrel d'Artagnan is sitting against.
VADIM: In exactly 15 minutes, that candle will burn down and light the fuse that will explode the powder stored in those barrels.
D'ARTAGNAN: Blowing me to pieces.
VADIM: Well, certainly, but that's not the main purpose of the exercise.
Well, he did say he had something special planned for d'Artagnan!
D'ARTAGNAN: You know, it doesn't matter what you do to me, Vadim. You've failed. I told the Musketeers everything.
VADIM: You told them exactly what I wanted you to tell them. I explained the trick to you, d'Artagnan. You should have paid more attention.
He's got a point. He did explain the trick, right back when they first met – he's been playing d'Artagnan from the start. He was also extremely convincing, so it's no wonder, really, that d'Artagnan was fooled, although I remain of the opinion that book!d'Artagnan would be disappointed in his counterpart's gullibility. D'Artagnan was so desperate to prove himself, he wasn't suspicious enough when things seemed to be going his way. He allowed himself to believe it could be that easy, because it gave him the result he wanted to achieve, so he didn't question the matter any deeper, allowed himself to be played.
Vadim stuffs a few more of those bombs into his bag, places a glass over the candle to protect it from draughts, and then leaves d'Artagnan alone to face his failure and his fate.
Streets of Paris
The procession from the Louvre to Notre-Dame continues: the royal couple and their guards making their way through crowded streets amid the shouts and cheers of the populace, who seem generally happy to see them. Their Musketeer guard remains on high alert.
But among the crowd, Felix is biding his time…
D'Artagnan's cell
D'Artagnan desperately tugs at his bonds, trying to free himself before the bomb goes off. He is filled with sudden hope when he realises the edge of one of the barrels he is tied to might just be rough enough to saw through his bonds, with a bit of grit and determination, and sets about scraping.
Across the room, the candle is burning, slowly but inexorably.
Streets of Paris
FELIX: Death to tyrants!
The guards, on the alert for the expected attack, react instantly, and he hasn't done anything but shout yet. Also, hang on, I thought the attack was meant to take place as the bells rang 11am – the bell is not ringing! Maybe Felix can't tell the time. Or maybe, having known d'Artagnan would leak that detail, they decided to mix things up a little to keep everyone on their toes.
The guards close ranks around the king and queen as the rebels make their move. Aramis shoots one rebel while Porthos flings a dagger into the heart of another.
Nice shot. The crowd starts to scream and run.
Felix sees Aramis bearing down on him, gun in hand – and hastily grabs a random woman from the crowd to use as a human shield. Treville is bellowing at Aramis to shoot, but he doesn't have a clear shot.
Unable to shoot Felix without also killing his female hostage, Aramis has to aim wide in an attempt to force him back. Felix promptly hurls a bomb into the crowded street, right at the feet of the king and queen, fuse alight.
Cue mass panic. The majority of the Musketeers, the ones who manage to combine duty and heroism with a basic sense of self-preservation, hasten to haul the king and queen away from the danger, while Aramis, who tends instead to combine heroism with both recklessness and an utter lack of self-preservation, hurls himself on top of the bomb in a mindlessly brave attempt to save everyone around him, even as several voices, Treville's the loudest, holler at him in alarm. Aramis ignores them all and tucks himself around the bomb…
…but it doesn't go off.
Everyone reverses direction again, Treville and Athos hurrying the king and queen past Aramis on the floor to the carriage just up ahead, ready and waiting to take them back to the palace.
Watch Queen Anne, turning back to stare at Aramis as she is pulled away to safety. This is the second time in a single episode he has risked his life to save hers, and in the process has made a big impression on her, totally justifying the faith in the Musketeers she expressed to Treville and Richelieu earlier.
Aramis, for his part, is just now remembering how to breathe and wondering why he is still alive, having absolutely expected to die here. He lifts the queen's rosary to his lips and kisses it – 'may it keep you safe', she said when she gave it to him, so he is absolutely taking this as confirmation that the good luck charm works! Plus, obviously, a reminder that Aramis is a devout Catholic, but this is primarily a romantic moment, cementing and deepening the earlier connection made between the two characters as something rather more than mere physical attraction.
King, Queen and Cardinal clamber into the carriage, a combination of Musketeers and Red Guard gathering around it like a living shield. Once they are safely aboard, the carriage hurries them away to safety, while Aramis brings the dud bomb to show Athos, who at last realises what is really going on here.
ATHOS: They were never meant to go off. They're all duds. He's made us look in the wrong direction.
There, see, Athos has figured out the sleight of hand trick at last – just a bit too late. Felix, meanwhile, still lurking in the crowd, is aghast. He really, truly believed.
A small explosion rings out – coming from the palace. The palace, where they just sent the king and queen, not that anyone on-screen makes that point. Athos is filled with furious frustration as he works it out at last and realises how badly they have all been played.
ATHOS: He doesn't want to kill the king, he wants to rob him!
Louvre Palace
Vadim wanders into the palace, casually lighting and chucking bombs as he goes, an explosion here and an explosion there, while Red Guard run about like so many headless chickens. How did he get this close to the palace without being stopped? Well, presumably, violence. The bombs probably helped, as well, not to mention most of the guard being elsewhere guarding against the anticipated attempt on the royal lives. But still, security at the palace sucks!
Damn but the palace is going to need some serious repairs when this is all over.
D'Artagnan's cell
D'Artagnan continues to frantically saw away at his bonds, staring desperately at the candle as it burns down to oblivion. Time is running out.
Royal Vault
Vadim makes it to the bottom of the stairs leading to the royal vault. Lighting another bomb, he reaches through the gate to throw it around the corner toward the door – leaving the two guards on duty absolutely nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
They get blown to bits along with the door. All Vadim has to do now is push the gate open and help himself to the loot.
And I have a question now: why do they keep so many candles burning in the locked vault at all times? What's the point of keeping a room lit when it is almost always empty? Beyond the narrative convenience of having a light source in there when the camera arrives, that is.
D'Artagnan's cell
The candle has almost burned right down to the wick by now and d'Artagnan is almost frantic. At last he manages to free one of his hands – just as the candle burns itself out.
D'Artagnan breathes again, believing it is all over and he is safe…
…and then the fuse ignites.
More frantic than ever, d'Artagnan scrambles to free his other hand and rushes to pull the end of the fuse out of the gunpowder, just in the nick of time.
D'Artagnan breathes again, again. He thinks it's all over.
Louvre Palace
The Musketeers arrive, to a scene of general chaos.
As good timing would have it, they reach the palace just as Vadim comes sauntering up from the vault with his shoulder bag of ill-gotten gains – and after having planned the whole thing so meticulously, for the first time now we see a little frown cross the villain's face. He wasn't expecting to be caught still on-site. The Musketeers have responded faster than he anticipated.
He turns tail and runs, and the chase is on.
D'Artagnan's cell
Believing himself safe at last, d'Artagnan yanks open the door of his cell…which ignites a whole web of fuses, all leading inexorably to that enormous stash of gunpowder.
Poor d'Artagnan can't quite believe his luck and tries frantically to stamp out the fuses, but as fast as he extinguishes one, a new one catches alight, they are everywhere. Vadim has left absolutely nothing to chance
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Athos, Porthos and Aramis pursue Vadim as he scurries back underground to make his escape. He doesn't have enough of a head start to get away, though, and as he slows and raises his hands in surrender, throwing down an unlit bomb, it looks as if they have him.
ATHOS: There's nowhere to run. Surrender or die! It's up to you. It's over, Vadim.
But Vadim leaves nothing to chance. As he turns, he is smiling. He knows something they don't.
VADIM: Not quite.
ATHOS: Where's d'Artagnan? Is he dead?
Oh, listen to the little catch in Athos's voice as he asks that question. He is very concerned about d'Artagnan, although I will point out again that they've had very little actual on-screen interaction at this point to build a relationship, which instead is being conveyed largely by implication. It was silently implied in episode one that Athos saw something in d'Artagnan that resonated with him, in their two brief encounters. It has been implied in this episode that Athos has taken d'Artagnan under his wing and worries about him as such, more so than the other two – although they are the ones we've actually seen spending time with him in episode one. Athos had grave misgivings about d'Artagnan taking on this mission in the first place, and, now that it's all gone wrong, fears for his life.
D'Artagnan's cell
Not dead yet, d'Artagnan is still frantically trying to stamp out a dozen fuses all at the same time, but it is an impossible task, they are too widely dispersed and the room is filling with smoke, choking him.
At last, seeing how close the flames are to the barrels of gunpowder, he does the only thing he can – he runs for his life.
Tunnel
Smiling nastily, Vadim puts his fingers in his ears.
VADIM: Bang.
Athos stares at him and realises just in time what is about to happen. He grabs Porthos, who is nearest to him – Aramis is a little way back on the stairs still – and shoves him against the wall…just as an enormous explosion rips through the tunnel.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
D'Artagnan, running for his life, is thrown off his feet by the explosion – although he should probably count himself lucky to escape as lightly as that, given how close he is and how much gunpowder there was!
If d'Artagnan's cell was under the Louvre, how much damage should that amount of gunpowder have done to the palace up above?
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim, who was expecting the explosion and was therefore braced for it, recovers quickly.
Finding a light, he takes a quick look at the unconscious musketeers scattered about the place and is satisfied that he has time to escape before they recover, spots a handy hole in the wall and heads off.
This, I guess, was the main purpose of that gunpowder stash: to create another distraction and thus cover his retreat, even if he wasn't anticipating the pursuit being quite so close.
Suzette Pinault's house
Suzette is packing in haste, expecting Vadim to come for her at any moment. Whether or not he actually would, we will never know.
Among her cheap and tacky jewellery, Suzette finds something she doesn't seem to have been expecting – the queen's stolen diamond pendant.
As Suzette pauses to admire the pendant, Milady de Winter sneaks into the room, knife in hand, and catches her unawares…then kills her without so much as a word spoken.
Damn on two counts: wholly unnecessary killing of a female character just when it looked like she might escape the episode alive, plus that was the one chance this episode had of passing the Bechdel test, the only scene in which two named female characters meet, and they blew it.
Show has gone to great pains to give its female characters more strength, depth and visibility than their book counterparts, but it still falls down in places.
Also, scenes such as this are what make it so hard for me to truly invest in the tentative redemption arc Milady tries on for size in season two, because she is painted as such a remorseless, cold-blooded killer throughout this first season...and in fact, is still painted as such even while on said abortive redemption journey. She doesn't kill only when she has to, and she doesn't kill only when ordered to. She kills when she doesn't have to, because she feels like it and for no better reason than that. There was no need whatsoever for her to kill Suzette here, she could have taken the pendant without also taking Suzette's life, but she killed her anyway simply because she could. Killings like this say something very specific about who this character is, and there really isn't any way back from a statement like that.
Tunnels
In the tunnel below Vadim's hideout, Felix has brought the gang in search of the treacherous leader who set them up. It doesn't take them long to find him, since he was heading in that direction, the hideout being his escape route. Felix gets a gun to his erstwhile leader's throat, not that Vadim seems especially worried.
While Felix is still ranting about being betrayed, Vadim observes that his sidekick never was very bright – and stabs him in the gut.
As Felix collapses to the ground dying, Vadim backs away into the darkness before the other men can react. But with his escape route blocked, where will he go now?
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Aramis comes stumbling down the stairs, still shell-shocked from the explosion, just as Athos is waking and Porthos starting to stir.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim's men are still standing around wondering where Vadim went when they are confronted by three furious musketeers, hot on his trail. They recovered fast! Time for another Big Action Sequence: lots of shooting and swordage – good times.
Our Heroes are outnumbered, but prevail, naturally.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim isn't far away – close enough to hear the shouts and clashing of swords. Smiling, certain that his escape is secure, he heads off down the tunnel – but is brought to a halt when his name is called from the shadows.
It's d'Artagnan, finally using his brain to play Vadim at his own game.
Vadim flails about, flaming torch in his hand – d'Artagnan is close, but he can't see him and can't quite understand how he is still alive.
VADIM: You're full of surprises.
D'ARTAGNAN: I had a good teacher.
Vadim swings around and finally catches a glimpse of d'Artagnan, who ducks away out of sight before he can swing a sword at him. The tunnel is in complete darkness other than Vadim's torch, it's too easy for d'Artagnan to hide. This is the one thing Vadim did not reckon on, the variable he couldn't have predicted.
D'Artagnan plays games with him for a bit, getting him thoroughly rattled, before finally engaging him in actual combat.
Hang on, d'Artagnan still has his sword? I guess Vadim was so confident of success, he didn't bother to disarm him.
It's a really nicely staged fight, all firelight and shadows. Good job, director and choreographers. At length, d'Artagnan manages to stab Vadim in the gut…but before he can make sure of his kill, the crook stumbles away into the shadows and disappears. By the time d'Artagnan has snatched up the torch to make a search, he is gone. For a mortally wounded man, he moves fast!
The three Inseparables come sprinting along at that moment, too late to apprehend the criminal but vastly relieved to see d'Artagnan alive and in one piece.
ATHOS: So you are alive.
D'ARTAGNAN: I think so.
ARAMIS: Vadim?
D'ARTAGNAN: Wounded, badly. He can't have got far.
They hurry off in the direction Vadim fled to continue the search.
Tunnel and riverside
Vadim leaves behind him a trail of both blood and priceless jewellery as he stumbles out of the tunnel into the mud of the riverside. He's lucky the bars at the end of the tunnel were already broken, or he'd have been stuck in the dark instead of getting to see daylight one last time.
The Musketeers and their apprentice are right behind him and he is mortally wounded. There can be no escape now. He drops to his knees as they surround him at sword-point and glares at d'Artagnan, defiant to the last.
VADIM: I should have strangled you at the Chatelet, saved myself a lot of trouble.
D'ARTAGNAN: Why didn't you?
VADIM: For the fun of it. It was a good trick. It should have worked.
D'ARTAGNAN: It nearly did.
So Vadim dies, still clutching that coin he used to demonstrate the trick to d'Artagnan back at the Chatelet, and d'Artagnan is left to contemplate where he went wrong, because, let's face it, this mission was a failure. He failed to win Vadim's trust, but instead gave the man his, fell headfirst into Vadim's trap as a result and took everyone else down with him. He was played from start to finish and fed misinformation to the Musketeers that almost enabled the theft of the priceless crown jewels. Not one piece of the intel he acquired was worth the effort he put in – it certainly wasn't worth him going back in a second time, a decision that almost cost him his life. Not even the map would have been worth it, even if the attack on the royals had been genuine, since it didn't tell them anything more than they'd already figured out, or thought they'd figured out. No, the only part of this mission d'Artagnan can claim as success was his eventual kill of Vadim before he could escape with the treasure, and it really should never have got that far.
Yeah, this one really has to class as a failure for the Musketeers in general. Sending d'Artagnan in undercover was a calculated risk that did not pay off. They failed to prevent Vadim's faux attack on the king and queen, they failed to determine what his real plan was, they failed to prevent him using the stolen gunpowder, they failed to prevent him stealing the crown jewels and causing untold damage to the Louvre in the process. But hey, at least they've got the treasure back! I hope they manage to retrieve all the bits he dropped along the way, or they really will be in trouble!
Bonacieux House
D'Artagnan has brought the Inseparables with him, perhaps as both evidence and as a bodyguard, as he makes his apologies to Bonacieux and Constance, in hopes of being allowed to reclaim his room. We are left to presume that the duelling charges against him have been dropped and he is no longer a wanted man.
D'ARTAGNAN: My apologies for the deception, Monsieur. I had no choice.
ATHOS: D'Artagnan was doing his duty at great personal risk. He deserves praise, not blame.
Hang on, how was any of this d'Artagnan's duty? He isn't a musketeer, isn't a soldier of any kind, and I really don't think the kind of risks he took here can be classed as civic duty! Still, I like that having been opposed to d'Artagnan's mission throughout, and despite having been essentially proved right – d'Artagnan was too inexperienced and it was a dangerous risk to take – now that it's over Athos is focusing on the positives rather than the negatives, supporting the youngster and encouraging him.
Bonacieux is a man who likes to swing in whichever direction the wind is blowing, rather than standing behind any firmly held opinion of his own. When d'Artagnan was generally believed to be a criminal on death row, Bonacieux was swift to condemn him, and now he is being acclaimed as a civic hero, Bonacieux is likewise quick to get with the programme and offer praise, albeit insincere.
BONACIEUX: Oh, he is very brave, I'm sure.
ARAMIS: Please accept our profound apologies for any misunderstanding.
PORTHOS: No hard feelings?
BONACIEUX: Of course not. I always knew there'd be a good explanation.
I like the knowing smiles among the musketeers at the man's falseness. D'Artagnan, though, is more concerned about Constance.
D'ARTAGNAN: I beg Madame Bonacieux's forgiveness.
CONSTANCE: I trust nothing of the kind will ever happen again.
D'Artagnan shakes his head, but knows better than to voice a promise he can't keep. Then Bonacieux, who still looks very suspicious, as if expecting more trickery, sees the three musketeers to the door, which leaves d'Artagnan and Constance alone – alone, that is, except for the maid I spy lurking silently in the corner. This is a very respectable middle class household.
CONSTANCE: Things were very quiet before you came here, Monsieur.
D'ARTAGNAN: I'm sorry. You must miss that.
CONSTANCE: Not for a single second.
Bless her, Constance has had her safe, respectable life turned upside down ever since d'Artagnan blew into it like a tornado, she's been seriously rattled and upset all through this episode…but she doesn't regret any of it. Her eyes are just beginning to be opened to how much more there is to life than her husband could ever give her.
D'Artagnan heads upstairs to reclaim his room…where he finds a posy of forget-me-knots on the pillow. He smiles, assuming they are from Constance. Viewers, however, know better.
Crypt
Richelieu and Milady are de-briefing, following the events of the episode.
RICHELIEU: You were right about d'Artagnan. He has the devil's luck. But all the good fortune in the world won't save him, if he chooses to be my enemy.
MILADY: Then I must help him make the right choice.
I'm sorry, in what way has d'Artagnan chosen to be Richelieu's enemy? D'Artagnan has had nothing whatsoever to do with Richelieu in this episode – or ever, in fact. I don't believe they've ever even met, certainly not on-screen. D'Artagnan barely even knows the Cardinal exists at this point – and since the Cardinal wanted Vadim to be stopped, and d'Artagnan was working to that end, with his full knowledge and support, I fail to see where this is coming from.
RICHELIEU: Oh, I don't suppose that there was any sign of the Queen's diamond pendant?
MILADY: None at all.
RICHELIEU: Pity.
But as Richelieu leaves and Milady turns to walk away, she pulls a necklace from beneath her bodice and we see that she is wearing the stolen diamond pendant, for which she committed murder.
This confirms that Milady was not under orders from the Cardinal when she killed Suzette, she was acting on her own initiative, taking the Queen's pendant for herself and removing the only witness to cover up her tracks. She can never even wear the thing openly, being so recognisable, but taking it for herself makes a clear statement to us, the viewers, of her willingness to defy her patron. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt and call it a nest egg, insurance against a time she may need funds to run, but I already know it will never be mentioned again. The significance of the pendant lies in what it says about Milady here and now, specifically her ruthless self-interest. The show at this stage is telling us loud and clear who Milady is: a remorseless killer without conscience; it is the closest any of the characters ever really come to their book counterparts.
Interesting that this is two episodes in a row now that have ended on Milady, highlighting that she is one to watch going forward, a loose cannon in the Cardinal's service.
THE END
Does it pass the Bechdel test?
No. The closest we get to female interaction is a brief scene in which Constance is bringing the washing in with her maid, but the maid is not named and they don't speak to one another. There is also a scene in which Milady pays a visit to Suzette, but she kills her without either one speaking a word.
Named women with speaking parts in this episode: Constance, Milady, Queen Anne, Suzette Pinault. They are all in separate sub-plots and do not intersect, aside from Milady's murder of Suzette.
Named men with speaking parts in this episode: d'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, Porthos, Treville, Richelieu, King Louis, Vadim, Felix, Lavoie. They overlap and interact throughout.
Is a woman captured?
Yes. Queen Anne is briefly taken hostage by Vadim during the prison riot. A nameless woman is briefly taken hostage by Felix during the street riot.
On the flip side, d'Artagnan spends a significant portion of the episode either in prison or tied up.
Does a man have to rescue a woman from peril?
Yes. Aramis quite dramatically shields Queen Anne from gunfire during the prison riot .
On the flip side, Constance defends d'Artagnan when her husband tries to call the guard on him. Since Bonacieux was trying to have d'Artagnan arrested and returned to the Chatelet for execution, and since he is the kind of man who believes that a wife should be meek and subservient, it absolutely counts.
Is a woman physically threatened, harmed or killed?
Yes. Vadim threatens to kill Queen Anne if he isn't allowed to walk free from prison. Felix later uses an unnamed woman as a human shield. Milady de Winter murders Suzette Pinault in cold blood, for no particular reason whatsoever.
On the flip side, d'Artagnan is tied to a large stack of gunpowder with the fuse lit and comes within an inch of being blown to bits.
Does a woman have to deal with a sexual predator?
Vadim gives a terrified Queen Anne a kiss on the forehead while holding her hostage, which is unnecessarily creepy – helps establish his character, while exacerbating an unpleasant ordeal for her.
Is a woman 'spared' the ordeal of having to do/witness something unpleasant by a man who makes a decision on her behalf/keeps her deliberately ignorant?
No.
Does a man automatically disbelieve or belittle something a woman says?
Yes, Bonacieux won't listen to Constance when she tries to stop him blowing d'Artagnan's cover.
Does a man talk over a woman or talk about a woman as though she isn't there?
I'm going to say yes here, for Bonacieux apologising for Constance's behaviour when she defends d'Artagnan to the Musketeers.
Is a woman the first/only person to be (most gratuitously) menaced by the episode's antagonist(s)?
Yes and no. Most of the gratuitous menacing this week is directed toward d'Artagnan, but Queen Anne is the first victim, taken hostage by Vadim during the prison breakout.
Does a woman come up with a plan?
Not really. Milady is full of tricks, but doesn't really achieve much in this episode.
Does a woman get to be a badass?
Constance is pretty fierce here, taking no nonsense from anyone, speaking up for d'Artagnan when it looks as if he's been abandoned by the world and later defending him from her husband, refusing to back down.
Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode?
No, no and yes.
Is Paris colourful?
No. Aside from the mixed ethnicities already commented on among the Core Four, everyone in this episode is white.
Who Saved Who?
This is a strong episode for Aramis, who manages to directly save both Athos and then Queen Anne during the riot at the prison, and later throws himself on top of a bomb in a heroically reckless attempt to save everyone around him.
Loose threads left hanging?
D'Artagnan's position with the Musketeers isn't made clear, he seems to just be randomly helping out for no clearly explained reason, and there's no mention of his recent bereavement, or explanation of his present circumstances or why he has chosen to remain in Paris instead of returning to Gascony. There is no follow-up on Richelieu's discovery in episode one that Aramis had an affair with his mistress; Aramis and Porthos briefly discuss Adele's disappearance, but Richelieu gives no sign of remembering that she ever existed and it isn't clear at this point if he even knows who Aramis is, although since he tasked Milady with finding out, we have to presume that he does.
Verdict
Well, I found myself picking a lot of nits in the writing of this recap, and the story is very standalone procedural in tone, without much in the way of what you might call deep and meaningful characterisation, but overall I really enjoy this episode, every time. It's still early days, so the characters and their world are still being established. Despite all the unanswered questions, the plot holds together well and the characters remain engaging and well-drawn. A fun, rollicking romp.
*Screencaps made by me; gifs in my collection made by very clever other people on the internet. These include Tumblr-users Tatzelwyrm, Marigoldfaucet, Ofthemusketeers, Doortotomorrow, Polyportamis, Evennstars, Iamanathemadevice, Sweetladylucrezia, Angelicaliza, Ladyofglencairn, Roseroberts, Kingsmusketeers, Nineteeninetyeightt, Sylviesathos, Musketeersbbc, Duckodeathreturns, Themusketeersdaily, Runakvaed, Unkindness313, Sigurism, Berniestark, Kynikey, Deivixxx, Harrveyspecterr, Lochiels, Walterobrien, Annamisdaily, Captaindamerica, Dealingdreams, Borgiapope, Iriswestt, Themusketeersgifs-blog, Morimundo, Punksteves, Spaceshoup, Rrueplumet, yurioplisestky, padmecat. All credit to them and anyone else whose name I have failed to capture!
In a tunnel running beneath the house, Felix confirms to Vadim and the gang that the Musketeers have gone. Vadim hands him a bomb, 17th century version of the hand grenade, accompanied by a little pep talk.
D'Artagnan, meanwhile, is restrained by a couple of thugs, rather pointlessly, since he is out cold.
Streets of Paris
The crowds are out in full force, cheering and waving flags, as the King and Queen leave the Cathedral on foot after Easter Mass. Showing themselves to the people, as they earlier insisted that they must, despite the known threat.
Louis and Anne walk together, serene and dignified, at their finest, while their Musketeer guard prowl around them on full alert for any sign of trouble and Cardinal Richelieu is tense as a bowstring.
As they pass, we see Felix lurking in the crowd.
Cell
D'Artagnan wakes, very slowly, to find himself securely bound to a big pile of barrels. A very big pile of barrels – filled, those of us paying attention to the plot can readily guess, with gunpowder. So, not his most pleasant awakening ever.
Vadim is nearby, busying himself over a barrel, a candle and a fuse.
VADIM: I was hoping you'd wake. I wouldn't want you to miss the high point of our brief acquaintance.
D'ARTAGNAN: Where are we?
VADIM: In the tunnels, under the Louvre. They run from the palace to the city wall. Built by one of our King's forebears, as an escape route, bricked up in the time of Henri IV. I discovered them whilst working in the palace kitchens. […]. You see, d'Artagnan, servants are like rats. They'll find all manner of secret exits and entrances.
He runs a long fuse from the barrel he just fitted with a candle to the barrel d'Artagnan is sitting against.
VADIM: In exactly 15 minutes, that candle will burn down and light the fuse that will explode the powder stored in those barrels.
D'ARTAGNAN: Blowing me to pieces.
VADIM: Well, certainly, but that's not the main purpose of the exercise.
Well, he did say he had something special planned for d'Artagnan!
D'ARTAGNAN: You know, it doesn't matter what you do to me, Vadim. You've failed. I told the Musketeers everything.
VADIM: You told them exactly what I wanted you to tell them. I explained the trick to you, d'Artagnan. You should have paid more attention.
He's got a point. He did explain the trick, right back when they first met – he's been playing d'Artagnan from the start. He was also extremely convincing, so it's no wonder, really, that d'Artagnan was fooled, although I remain of the opinion that book!d'Artagnan would be disappointed in his counterpart's gullibility. D'Artagnan was so desperate to prove himself, he wasn't suspicious enough when things seemed to be going his way. He allowed himself to believe it could be that easy, because it gave him the result he wanted to achieve, so he didn't question the matter any deeper, allowed himself to be played.
Vadim stuffs a few more of those bombs into his bag, places a glass over the candle to protect it from draughts, and then leaves d'Artagnan alone to face his failure and his fate.
Streets of Paris
The procession from the Louvre to Notre-Dame continues: the royal couple and their guards making their way through crowded streets amid the shouts and cheers of the populace, who seem generally happy to see them. Their Musketeer guard remains on high alert.
But among the crowd, Felix is biding his time…
D'Artagnan's cell
D'Artagnan desperately tugs at his bonds, trying to free himself before the bomb goes off. He is filled with sudden hope when he realises the edge of one of the barrels he is tied to might just be rough enough to saw through his bonds, with a bit of grit and determination, and sets about scraping.
Across the room, the candle is burning, slowly but inexorably.
Streets of Paris
FELIX: Death to tyrants!
The guards, on the alert for the expected attack, react instantly, and he hasn't done anything but shout yet. Also, hang on, I thought the attack was meant to take place as the bells rang 11am – the bell is not ringing! Maybe Felix can't tell the time. Or maybe, having known d'Artagnan would leak that detail, they decided to mix things up a little to keep everyone on their toes.
The guards close ranks around the king and queen as the rebels make their move. Aramis shoots one rebel while Porthos flings a dagger into the heart of another.
Nice shot. The crowd starts to scream and run.
Felix sees Aramis bearing down on him, gun in hand – and hastily grabs a random woman from the crowd to use as a human shield. Treville is bellowing at Aramis to shoot, but he doesn't have a clear shot.
Unable to shoot Felix without also killing his female hostage, Aramis has to aim wide in an attempt to force him back. Felix promptly hurls a bomb into the crowded street, right at the feet of the king and queen, fuse alight.
Cue mass panic. The majority of the Musketeers, the ones who manage to combine duty and heroism with a basic sense of self-preservation, hasten to haul the king and queen away from the danger, while Aramis, who tends instead to combine heroism with both recklessness and an utter lack of self-preservation, hurls himself on top of the bomb in a mindlessly brave attempt to save everyone around him, even as several voices, Treville's the loudest, holler at him in alarm. Aramis ignores them all and tucks himself around the bomb…
…but it doesn't go off.
Everyone reverses direction again, Treville and Athos hurrying the king and queen past Aramis on the floor to the carriage just up ahead, ready and waiting to take them back to the palace.
Watch Queen Anne, turning back to stare at Aramis as she is pulled away to safety. This is the second time in a single episode he has risked his life to save hers, and in the process has made a big impression on her, totally justifying the faith in the Musketeers she expressed to Treville and Richelieu earlier.
Aramis, for his part, is just now remembering how to breathe and wondering why he is still alive, having absolutely expected to die here. He lifts the queen's rosary to his lips and kisses it – 'may it keep you safe', she said when she gave it to him, so he is absolutely taking this as confirmation that the good luck charm works! Plus, obviously, a reminder that Aramis is a devout Catholic, but this is primarily a romantic moment, cementing and deepening the earlier connection made between the two characters as something rather more than mere physical attraction.
King, Queen and Cardinal clamber into the carriage, a combination of Musketeers and Red Guard gathering around it like a living shield. Once they are safely aboard, the carriage hurries them away to safety, while Aramis brings the dud bomb to show Athos, who at last realises what is really going on here.
ATHOS: They were never meant to go off. They're all duds. He's made us look in the wrong direction.
There, see, Athos has figured out the sleight of hand trick at last – just a bit too late. Felix, meanwhile, still lurking in the crowd, is aghast. He really, truly believed.
A small explosion rings out – coming from the palace. The palace, where they just sent the king and queen, not that anyone on-screen makes that point. Athos is filled with furious frustration as he works it out at last and realises how badly they have all been played.
ATHOS: He doesn't want to kill the king, he wants to rob him!
Louvre Palace
Vadim wanders into the palace, casually lighting and chucking bombs as he goes, an explosion here and an explosion there, while Red Guard run about like so many headless chickens. How did he get this close to the palace without being stopped? Well, presumably, violence. The bombs probably helped, as well, not to mention most of the guard being elsewhere guarding against the anticipated attempt on the royal lives. But still, security at the palace sucks!
Damn but the palace is going to need some serious repairs when this is all over.
D'Artagnan's cell
D'Artagnan continues to frantically saw away at his bonds, staring desperately at the candle as it burns down to oblivion. Time is running out.
Royal Vault
Vadim makes it to the bottom of the stairs leading to the royal vault. Lighting another bomb, he reaches through the gate to throw it around the corner toward the door – leaving the two guards on duty absolutely nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
They get blown to bits along with the door. All Vadim has to do now is push the gate open and help himself to the loot.
And I have a question now: why do they keep so many candles burning in the locked vault at all times? What's the point of keeping a room lit when it is almost always empty? Beyond the narrative convenience of having a light source in there when the camera arrives, that is.
D'Artagnan's cell
The candle has almost burned right down to the wick by now and d'Artagnan is almost frantic. At last he manages to free one of his hands – just as the candle burns itself out.
D'Artagnan breathes again, believing it is all over and he is safe…
…and then the fuse ignites.
More frantic than ever, d'Artagnan scrambles to free his other hand and rushes to pull the end of the fuse out of the gunpowder, just in the nick of time.
D'Artagnan breathes again, again. He thinks it's all over.
Louvre Palace
The Musketeers arrive, to a scene of general chaos.
As good timing would have it, they reach the palace just as Vadim comes sauntering up from the vault with his shoulder bag of ill-gotten gains – and after having planned the whole thing so meticulously, for the first time now we see a little frown cross the villain's face. He wasn't expecting to be caught still on-site. The Musketeers have responded faster than he anticipated.
He turns tail and runs, and the chase is on.
D'Artagnan's cell
Believing himself safe at last, d'Artagnan yanks open the door of his cell…which ignites a whole web of fuses, all leading inexorably to that enormous stash of gunpowder.
Poor d'Artagnan can't quite believe his luck and tries frantically to stamp out the fuses, but as fast as he extinguishes one, a new one catches alight, they are everywhere. Vadim has left absolutely nothing to chance
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Athos, Porthos and Aramis pursue Vadim as he scurries back underground to make his escape. He doesn't have enough of a head start to get away, though, and as he slows and raises his hands in surrender, throwing down an unlit bomb, it looks as if they have him.
ATHOS: There's nowhere to run. Surrender or die! It's up to you. It's over, Vadim.
But Vadim leaves nothing to chance. As he turns, he is smiling. He knows something they don't.
VADIM: Not quite.
ATHOS: Where's d'Artagnan? Is he dead?
Oh, listen to the little catch in Athos's voice as he asks that question. He is very concerned about d'Artagnan, although I will point out again that they've had very little actual on-screen interaction at this point to build a relationship, which instead is being conveyed largely by implication. It was silently implied in episode one that Athos saw something in d'Artagnan that resonated with him, in their two brief encounters. It has been implied in this episode that Athos has taken d'Artagnan under his wing and worries about him as such, more so than the other two – although they are the ones we've actually seen spending time with him in episode one. Athos had grave misgivings about d'Artagnan taking on this mission in the first place, and, now that it's all gone wrong, fears for his life.
D'Artagnan's cell
Not dead yet, d'Artagnan is still frantically trying to stamp out a dozen fuses all at the same time, but it is an impossible task, they are too widely dispersed and the room is filling with smoke, choking him.
At last, seeing how close the flames are to the barrels of gunpowder, he does the only thing he can – he runs for his life.
Tunnel
Smiling nastily, Vadim puts his fingers in his ears.
VADIM: Bang.
Athos stares at him and realises just in time what is about to happen. He grabs Porthos, who is nearest to him – Aramis is a little way back on the stairs still – and shoves him against the wall…just as an enormous explosion rips through the tunnel.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
D'Artagnan, running for his life, is thrown off his feet by the explosion – although he should probably count himself lucky to escape as lightly as that, given how close he is and how much gunpowder there was!
If d'Artagnan's cell was under the Louvre, how much damage should that amount of gunpowder have done to the palace up above?
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim, who was expecting the explosion and was therefore braced for it, recovers quickly.
Finding a light, he takes a quick look at the unconscious musketeers scattered about the place and is satisfied that he has time to escape before they recover, spots a handy hole in the wall and heads off.
This, I guess, was the main purpose of that gunpowder stash: to create another distraction and thus cover his retreat, even if he wasn't anticipating the pursuit being quite so close.
Suzette Pinault's house
Suzette is packing in haste, expecting Vadim to come for her at any moment. Whether or not he actually would, we will never know.
Among her cheap and tacky jewellery, Suzette finds something she doesn't seem to have been expecting – the queen's stolen diamond pendant.
As Suzette pauses to admire the pendant, Milady de Winter sneaks into the room, knife in hand, and catches her unawares…then kills her without so much as a word spoken.
Damn on two counts: wholly unnecessary killing of a female character just when it looked like she might escape the episode alive, plus that was the one chance this episode had of passing the Bechdel test, the only scene in which two named female characters meet, and they blew it.
Show has gone to great pains to give its female characters more strength, depth and visibility than their book counterparts, but it still falls down in places.
Also, scenes such as this are what make it so hard for me to truly invest in the tentative redemption arc Milady tries on for size in season two, because she is painted as such a remorseless, cold-blooded killer throughout this first season...and in fact, is still painted as such even while on said abortive redemption journey. She doesn't kill only when she has to, and she doesn't kill only when ordered to. She kills when she doesn't have to, because she feels like it and for no better reason than that. There was no need whatsoever for her to kill Suzette here, she could have taken the pendant without also taking Suzette's life, but she killed her anyway simply because she could. Killings like this say something very specific about who this character is, and there really isn't any way back from a statement like that.
Tunnels
In the tunnel below Vadim's hideout, Felix has brought the gang in search of the treacherous leader who set them up. It doesn't take them long to find him, since he was heading in that direction, the hideout being his escape route. Felix gets a gun to his erstwhile leader's throat, not that Vadim seems especially worried.
While Felix is still ranting about being betrayed, Vadim observes that his sidekick never was very bright – and stabs him in the gut.
As Felix collapses to the ground dying, Vadim backs away into the darkness before the other men can react. But with his escape route blocked, where will he go now?
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Aramis comes stumbling down the stairs, still shell-shocked from the explosion, just as Athos is waking and Porthos starting to stir.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim's men are still standing around wondering where Vadim went when they are confronted by three furious musketeers, hot on his trail. They recovered fast! Time for another Big Action Sequence: lots of shooting and swordage – good times.
Our Heroes are outnumbered, but prevail, naturally.
Elsewhere in the tunnels
Vadim isn't far away – close enough to hear the shouts and clashing of swords. Smiling, certain that his escape is secure, he heads off down the tunnel – but is brought to a halt when his name is called from the shadows.
It's d'Artagnan, finally using his brain to play Vadim at his own game.
Vadim flails about, flaming torch in his hand – d'Artagnan is close, but he can't see him and can't quite understand how he is still alive.
VADIM: You're full of surprises.
D'ARTAGNAN: I had a good teacher.
Vadim swings around and finally catches a glimpse of d'Artagnan, who ducks away out of sight before he can swing a sword at him. The tunnel is in complete darkness other than Vadim's torch, it's too easy for d'Artagnan to hide. This is the one thing Vadim did not reckon on, the variable he couldn't have predicted.
D'Artagnan plays games with him for a bit, getting him thoroughly rattled, before finally engaging him in actual combat.
Hang on, d'Artagnan still has his sword? I guess Vadim was so confident of success, he didn't bother to disarm him.
It's a really nicely staged fight, all firelight and shadows. Good job, director and choreographers. At length, d'Artagnan manages to stab Vadim in the gut…but before he can make sure of his kill, the crook stumbles away into the shadows and disappears. By the time d'Artagnan has snatched up the torch to make a search, he is gone. For a mortally wounded man, he moves fast!
The three Inseparables come sprinting along at that moment, too late to apprehend the criminal but vastly relieved to see d'Artagnan alive and in one piece.
ATHOS: So you are alive.
D'ARTAGNAN: I think so.
ARAMIS: Vadim?
D'ARTAGNAN: Wounded, badly. He can't have got far.
They hurry off in the direction Vadim fled to continue the search.
Tunnel and riverside
Vadim leaves behind him a trail of both blood and priceless jewellery as he stumbles out of the tunnel into the mud of the riverside. He's lucky the bars at the end of the tunnel were already broken, or he'd have been stuck in the dark instead of getting to see daylight one last time.
The Musketeers and their apprentice are right behind him and he is mortally wounded. There can be no escape now. He drops to his knees as they surround him at sword-point and glares at d'Artagnan, defiant to the last.
VADIM: I should have strangled you at the Chatelet, saved myself a lot of trouble.
D'ARTAGNAN: Why didn't you?
VADIM: For the fun of it. It was a good trick. It should have worked.
D'ARTAGNAN: It nearly did.
So Vadim dies, still clutching that coin he used to demonstrate the trick to d'Artagnan back at the Chatelet, and d'Artagnan is left to contemplate where he went wrong, because, let's face it, this mission was a failure. He failed to win Vadim's trust, but instead gave the man his, fell headfirst into Vadim's trap as a result and took everyone else down with him. He was played from start to finish and fed misinformation to the Musketeers that almost enabled the theft of the priceless crown jewels. Not one piece of the intel he acquired was worth the effort he put in – it certainly wasn't worth him going back in a second time, a decision that almost cost him his life. Not even the map would have been worth it, even if the attack on the royals had been genuine, since it didn't tell them anything more than they'd already figured out, or thought they'd figured out. No, the only part of this mission d'Artagnan can claim as success was his eventual kill of Vadim before he could escape with the treasure, and it really should never have got that far.
Yeah, this one really has to class as a failure for the Musketeers in general. Sending d'Artagnan in undercover was a calculated risk that did not pay off. They failed to prevent Vadim's faux attack on the king and queen, they failed to determine what his real plan was, they failed to prevent him using the stolen gunpowder, they failed to prevent him stealing the crown jewels and causing untold damage to the Louvre in the process. But hey, at least they've got the treasure back! I hope they manage to retrieve all the bits he dropped along the way, or they really will be in trouble!
Bonacieux House
D'Artagnan has brought the Inseparables with him, perhaps as both evidence and as a bodyguard, as he makes his apologies to Bonacieux and Constance, in hopes of being allowed to reclaim his room. We are left to presume that the duelling charges against him have been dropped and he is no longer a wanted man.
D'ARTAGNAN: My apologies for the deception, Monsieur. I had no choice.
ATHOS: D'Artagnan was doing his duty at great personal risk. He deserves praise, not blame.
Hang on, how was any of this d'Artagnan's duty? He isn't a musketeer, isn't a soldier of any kind, and I really don't think the kind of risks he took here can be classed as civic duty! Still, I like that having been opposed to d'Artagnan's mission throughout, and despite having been essentially proved right – d'Artagnan was too inexperienced and it was a dangerous risk to take – now that it's over Athos is focusing on the positives rather than the negatives, supporting the youngster and encouraging him.
Bonacieux is a man who likes to swing in whichever direction the wind is blowing, rather than standing behind any firmly held opinion of his own. When d'Artagnan was generally believed to be a criminal on death row, Bonacieux was swift to condemn him, and now he is being acclaimed as a civic hero, Bonacieux is likewise quick to get with the programme and offer praise, albeit insincere.
BONACIEUX: Oh, he is very brave, I'm sure.
ARAMIS: Please accept our profound apologies for any misunderstanding.
PORTHOS: No hard feelings?
BONACIEUX: Of course not. I always knew there'd be a good explanation.
I like the knowing smiles among the musketeers at the man's falseness. D'Artagnan, though, is more concerned about Constance.
D'ARTAGNAN: I beg Madame Bonacieux's forgiveness.
CONSTANCE: I trust nothing of the kind will ever happen again.
D'Artagnan shakes his head, but knows better than to voice a promise he can't keep. Then Bonacieux, who still looks very suspicious, as if expecting more trickery, sees the three musketeers to the door, which leaves d'Artagnan and Constance alone – alone, that is, except for the maid I spy lurking silently in the corner. This is a very respectable middle class household.
CONSTANCE: Things were very quiet before you came here, Monsieur.
D'ARTAGNAN: I'm sorry. You must miss that.
CONSTANCE: Not for a single second.
Bless her, Constance has had her safe, respectable life turned upside down ever since d'Artagnan blew into it like a tornado, she's been seriously rattled and upset all through this episode…but she doesn't regret any of it. Her eyes are just beginning to be opened to how much more there is to life than her husband could ever give her.
D'Artagnan heads upstairs to reclaim his room…where he finds a posy of forget-me-knots on the pillow. He smiles, assuming they are from Constance. Viewers, however, know better.
Crypt
Richelieu and Milady are de-briefing, following the events of the episode.
RICHELIEU: You were right about d'Artagnan. He has the devil's luck. But all the good fortune in the world won't save him, if he chooses to be my enemy.
MILADY: Then I must help him make the right choice.
I'm sorry, in what way has d'Artagnan chosen to be Richelieu's enemy? D'Artagnan has had nothing whatsoever to do with Richelieu in this episode – or ever, in fact. I don't believe they've ever even met, certainly not on-screen. D'Artagnan barely even knows the Cardinal exists at this point – and since the Cardinal wanted Vadim to be stopped, and d'Artagnan was working to that end, with his full knowledge and support, I fail to see where this is coming from.
RICHELIEU: Oh, I don't suppose that there was any sign of the Queen's diamond pendant?
MILADY: None at all.
RICHELIEU: Pity.
But as Richelieu leaves and Milady turns to walk away, she pulls a necklace from beneath her bodice and we see that she is wearing the stolen diamond pendant, for which she committed murder.
This confirms that Milady was not under orders from the Cardinal when she killed Suzette, she was acting on her own initiative, taking the Queen's pendant for herself and removing the only witness to cover up her tracks. She can never even wear the thing openly, being so recognisable, but taking it for herself makes a clear statement to us, the viewers, of her willingness to defy her patron. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt and call it a nest egg, insurance against a time she may need funds to run, but I already know it will never be mentioned again. The significance of the pendant lies in what it says about Milady here and now, specifically her ruthless self-interest. The show at this stage is telling us loud and clear who Milady is: a remorseless killer without conscience; it is the closest any of the characters ever really come to their book counterparts.
Interesting that this is two episodes in a row now that have ended on Milady, highlighting that she is one to watch going forward, a loose cannon in the Cardinal's service.
Does it pass the Bechdel test?
No. The closest we get to female interaction is a brief scene in which Constance is bringing the washing in with her maid, but the maid is not named and they don't speak to one another. There is also a scene in which Milady pays a visit to Suzette, but she kills her without either one speaking a word.
Named women with speaking parts in this episode: Constance, Milady, Queen Anne, Suzette Pinault. They are all in separate sub-plots and do not intersect, aside from Milady's murder of Suzette.
Named men with speaking parts in this episode: d'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, Porthos, Treville, Richelieu, King Louis, Vadim, Felix, Lavoie. They overlap and interact throughout.
Is a woman captured?
Yes. Queen Anne is briefly taken hostage by Vadim during the prison riot. A nameless woman is briefly taken hostage by Felix during the street riot.
On the flip side, d'Artagnan spends a significant portion of the episode either in prison or tied up.
Does a man have to rescue a woman from peril?
Yes. Aramis quite dramatically shields Queen Anne from gunfire during the prison riot .
On the flip side, Constance defends d'Artagnan when her husband tries to call the guard on him. Since Bonacieux was trying to have d'Artagnan arrested and returned to the Chatelet for execution, and since he is the kind of man who believes that a wife should be meek and subservient, it absolutely counts.
Is a woman physically threatened, harmed or killed?
Yes. Vadim threatens to kill Queen Anne if he isn't allowed to walk free from prison. Felix later uses an unnamed woman as a human shield. Milady de Winter murders Suzette Pinault in cold blood, for no particular reason whatsoever.
On the flip side, d'Artagnan is tied to a large stack of gunpowder with the fuse lit and comes within an inch of being blown to bits.
Does a woman have to deal with a sexual predator?
Vadim gives a terrified Queen Anne a kiss on the forehead while holding her hostage, which is unnecessarily creepy – helps establish his character, while exacerbating an unpleasant ordeal for her.
Is a woman 'spared' the ordeal of having to do/witness something unpleasant by a man who makes a decision on her behalf/keeps her deliberately ignorant?
No.
Does a man automatically disbelieve or belittle something a woman says?
Yes, Bonacieux won't listen to Constance when she tries to stop him blowing d'Artagnan's cover.
Does a man talk over a woman or talk about a woman as though she isn't there?
I'm going to say yes here, for Bonacieux apologising for Constance's behaviour when she defends d'Artagnan to the Musketeers.
Is a woman the first/only person to be (most gratuitously) menaced by the episode's antagonist(s)?
Yes and no. Most of the gratuitous menacing this week is directed toward d'Artagnan, but Queen Anne is the first victim, taken hostage by Vadim during the prison breakout.
Does a woman come up with a plan?
Not really. Milady is full of tricks, but doesn't really achieve much in this episode.
Does a woman get to be a badass?
Constance is pretty fierce here, taking no nonsense from anyone, speaking up for d'Artagnan when it looks as if he's been abandoned by the world and later defending him from her husband, refusing to back down.
Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode?
No, no and yes.
Is Paris colourful?
No. Aside from the mixed ethnicities already commented on among the Core Four, everyone in this episode is white.
Who Saved Who?
This is a strong episode for Aramis, who manages to directly save both Athos and then Queen Anne during the riot at the prison, and later throws himself on top of a bomb in a heroically reckless attempt to save everyone around him.
Loose threads left hanging?
D'Artagnan's position with the Musketeers isn't made clear, he seems to just be randomly helping out for no clearly explained reason, and there's no mention of his recent bereavement, or explanation of his present circumstances or why he has chosen to remain in Paris instead of returning to Gascony. There is no follow-up on Richelieu's discovery in episode one that Aramis had an affair with his mistress; Aramis and Porthos briefly discuss Adele's disappearance, but Richelieu gives no sign of remembering that she ever existed and it isn't clear at this point if he even knows who Aramis is, although since he tasked Milady with finding out, we have to presume that he does.
Verdict
Well, I found myself picking a lot of nits in the writing of this recap, and the story is very standalone procedural in tone, without much in the way of what you might call deep and meaningful characterisation, but overall I really enjoy this episode, every time. It's still early days, so the characters and their world are still being established. Despite all the unanswered questions, the plot holds together well and the characters remain engaging and well-drawn. A fun, rollicking romp.
*Screencaps made by me; gifs in my collection made by very clever other people on the internet. These include Tumblr-users Tatzelwyrm, Marigoldfaucet, Ofthemusketeers, Doortotomorrow, Polyportamis, Evennstars, Iamanathemadevice, Sweetladylucrezia, Angelicaliza, Ladyofglencairn, Roseroberts, Kingsmusketeers, Nineteeninetyeightt, Sylviesathos, Musketeersbbc, Duckodeathreturns, Themusketeersdaily, Runakvaed, Unkindness313, Sigurism, Berniestark, Kynikey, Deivixxx, Harrveyspecterr, Lochiels, Walterobrien, Annamisdaily, Captaindamerica, Dealingdreams, Borgiapope, Iriswestt, Themusketeersgifs-blog, Morimundo, Punksteves, Spaceshoup, Rrueplumet, yurioplisestky, padmecat. All credit to them and anyone else whose name I have failed to capture!
