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shallownessThe Musketeers
3.1
It’s back, I literally sighed with joy at the library and metaphorically at the architecture and, okay, Aramis surrounded by kids.
It opened with quite a big battle scene for this show, but I was mentally comparing it, thanks to Tom Burke’s presence, with the epic battle scenes of War and Peace. Different show, different intentions. The musketeer approach to heroics was quickly established.
As it’s the first episode of a new (and final) series, there was a lot to establish: four years have passed, there’s been a war (against the Spanish) that the musketeers were fighting in, Louis the king is acting sillier than ever over his son and Anne has a ridiculously complicated hairstyle. Aramis has been trying to be a priest all this time, but the Abbot wouldn’t let him. (I did have mild The Sound of Music flashbacks.) We have a new baddie in Louis’s bastard half-brother Phillippe, and, playing him, Rupert Everett is charmingly hinting at a French accent when no-one else bothers. He’s the boss of Paris and the red guards and it’s a bit of a mess, despite Treville’s attempts best and because Constance can only be in charge of the Musketeers’ garrison. Lucian (?) is dark, brooding and mysterious (he kept getting really close close-ups; I think they’re hoping he’ll be the new Richard Armitage), but TBH, I’m irked that they gave the Milady slot in the updated credits to a man.
The episode was also about reuniting Aramis (surrounded by children, some of them very little, mostly cast for credibility as adorable urchins) with the musketeers so they could return to Paris and strengthen Treville’s hand. It was all hug-hugs, big grins with Athos and D’Artagnan, but Porthos was a sulky bear because his best friend left him a few years back.
The running theme was blowing up lots of gunpowder so nobody else could use it and going BOOM! This helped to make things okay between Porthos and Aramis (Athos had said something philosophical like ‘give him time’. Ha!).
I think I was meant to find no-longer-a-child-not-yet-a-man Luke more charming than I did, but he wasn’t the ever going to be a POV character for me. He was always going to discover the truth about the friar he’d been grumbling about his restrictions. I thought that Adele, the eldest girl, who, like Aramis, put the protection of the kids first instead of recklessly wanting to fight, was more use, but she never got a word of dialogue. But it was sweet that Aramis had been telling the children Musketeer stories (bowlderised, presumably!) all the while.
I liked the Trevillie-Constance dynamic, which is a new development. I feel Phillippe is going to be less rape-y (GOOD!) but will bring a new flavour of black hat that, so far, I’m enjoying.
We ended on some reunions, and so far D’Artagnan/Constance looks like it’ll have to do the het heavy lifting, though I look forward to Anne realising Aramis has returned. The show is like a big dog that’s a puppy at heart that wants to play. I’ll go along with it, because I really enjoy the view (the monastery was GORGEOUS, and I was glad to see the return of the tavern set, the castle, and THAT LIBRARY.)
3.1
It’s back, I literally sighed with joy at the library and metaphorically at the architecture and, okay, Aramis surrounded by kids.
It opened with quite a big battle scene for this show, but I was mentally comparing it, thanks to Tom Burke’s presence, with the epic battle scenes of War and Peace. Different show, different intentions. The musketeer approach to heroics was quickly established.
As it’s the first episode of a new (and final) series, there was a lot to establish: four years have passed, there’s been a war (against the Spanish) that the musketeers were fighting in, Louis the king is acting sillier than ever over his son and Anne has a ridiculously complicated hairstyle. Aramis has been trying to be a priest all this time, but the Abbot wouldn’t let him. (I did have mild The Sound of Music flashbacks.) We have a new baddie in Louis’s bastard half-brother Phillippe, and, playing him, Rupert Everett is charmingly hinting at a French accent when no-one else bothers. He’s the boss of Paris and the red guards and it’s a bit of a mess, despite Treville’s attempts best and because Constance can only be in charge of the Musketeers’ garrison. Lucian (?) is dark, brooding and mysterious (he kept getting really close close-ups; I think they’re hoping he’ll be the new Richard Armitage), but TBH, I’m irked that they gave the Milady slot in the updated credits to a man.
The episode was also about reuniting Aramis (surrounded by children, some of them very little, mostly cast for credibility as adorable urchins) with the musketeers so they could return to Paris and strengthen Treville’s hand. It was all hug-hugs, big grins with Athos and D’Artagnan, but Porthos was a sulky bear because his best friend left him a few years back.
The running theme was blowing up lots of gunpowder so nobody else could use it and going BOOM! This helped to make things okay between Porthos and Aramis (Athos had said something philosophical like ‘give him time’. Ha!).
I think I was meant to find no-longer-a-child-not-yet-a-man Luke more charming than I did, but he wasn’t the ever going to be a POV character for me. He was always going to discover the truth about the friar he’d been grumbling about his restrictions. I thought that Adele, the eldest girl, who, like Aramis, put the protection of the kids first instead of recklessly wanting to fight, was more use, but she never got a word of dialogue. But it was sweet that Aramis had been telling the children Musketeer stories (bowlderised, presumably!) all the while.
I liked the Trevillie-Constance dynamic, which is a new development. I feel Phillippe is going to be less rape-y (GOOD!) but will bring a new flavour of black hat that, so far, I’m enjoying.
We ended on some reunions, and so far D’Artagnan/Constance looks like it’ll have to do the het heavy lifting, though I look forward to Anne realising Aramis has returned. The show is like a big dog that’s a puppy at heart that wants to play. I’ll go along with it, because I really enjoy the view (the monastery was GORGEOUS, and I was glad to see the return of the tavern set, the castle, and THAT LIBRARY.)
