by Helen Langdon
The poor musketeers on The Musketeers: even when there’s multiple unconnected storylines in one episode, they’re still barely involved. And with so many things going on at once, no-one really had time to talk to each other, so no-one could warn the king against taking Milady as a mistress, or tell Constance that kidnapping the heir to the throne is a bad idea no matter what your motivations, or give Rochefort some romantic advice. This week, it was all about the side characters, with Porthos the only musketeer who got to do anything other than punch things.
The poor musketeers on The Musketeers: even when there’s multiple unconnected storylines in one episode, they’re still barely involved. And with so many things going on at once, no-one really had time to talk to each other, so no-one could warn the king against taking Milady as a mistress, or tell Constance that kidnapping the heir to the throne is a bad idea no matter what your motivations, or give Rochefort some romantic advice. This week, it was all about the side characters, with Porthos the only musketeer who got to do anything other than punch things.
In the main plotline, a Spanish ex-general wanted the musketeers to help him retrieve his kidnapped daughter, and offered the secret of powerful gunpowder in return. Once a powerful figure in the Spanish army, he’d been chased out of the country because he was a Moor. It’s not the first time racism’s been brought up in The Musketeers, but it’s the first time since season one’s “Commodities” that it’s been the focus of a storyline. Yes, it’s historically accurate (the Moors were discriminated against in Spain, and years before The Musketeers is set any Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity, as well as being told to stop using Arabic names and ways of dress).
BBC But the way the episode goes about it is at times a bit heavy-handed, with on-the-nose comments like “I was born the wrong colour. An issue you may be familiar with,” as well as Samara’s repeated declarations that Porthos is in the wrong country and he ought to go home, refusing to listen to him when he says that he is French above all else. But at least Samara didn’t die as well as her father, which is great considering that Musketeers seem to be on a worrying roll of killing off the black guest stars.
The more interesting storylines involved palace intrigue this week, as home remedies saved the Dauphin where medicine failed, and meanwhile his parents sought comfort from other people. Milady de Winter’s method of seducing Louis through prayer worked miracles, and no matter what Constance or Athos might have to say about the matter, it looks like she’s going to be a firm part of the court for the foreseeable future.
The more interesting storylines involved palace intrigue this week, as home remedies saved the Dauphin where medicine failed, and meanwhile his parents sought comfort from other people. Milady de Winter’s method of seducing Louis through prayer worked miracles, and no matter what Constance or Athos might have to say about the matter, it looks like she’s going to be a firm part of the court for the foreseeable future.
BBC But where she’s obviously just using Louis for her own ends, Rochefort’s apparently in love with the queen, resorting to paying prostitutes for role-play purposes and making awkward declarations of love at the worst possible moment. As an antagonist for the musketeers he might not be as fun as the Cardinal was, but then there’s probably no way to chew the scenery as thoroughly as Peter Capaldi did. Instead, the writers have made Rochefort more interesting and nuanced. Like we said back in our review of episode one, it’s difficult to know exactly what he’s up to. Maybe he is trying to usurp the king, but that might just be so he can make his move on Anne. What The Musketeers seems to be doing is putting all of its subtlety into these side characters. The musketeers themselves must always be the “good guys”, and they can’t die – but the secondary characters can be morally ambiguous and thus far more intriguing for the viewer to watch.
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