Episode: 2.03 "The Good Traitor"
Directed by: Marc Jobst
Written by: Lucy Catherine and Adrian Hodges
Air date: 16 January 2015
Reviews so far:
Episode 2.01 "Keep Your Friends Close"
Episode 2.02 "An Ordinary Man"
Rochefort - I have to start with Rochefort this time. So... it turns out he's insane. Obsessed with the Queen and really creepy. I honestly didn't expect such a twisted turn. Sure, we knew his time in Spain broke him somehow but until this hour I pretty much thought of him as a cold-hearted, calculated, only working for himself liar and killer who (might) have a thing for Anne. So imagine my surprise when his true intentions were revealed. Simply being a villain already means he's a danger to our heroes, but someone like this might just be worse. His actions can be driven too much by emotions and end up being unpredictable. Then again, despite being a dangerous wild card, he doesn't seem quite terrifying anymore. If ever. And his scene with the prostitute was probably the most disturbing one on the show yet. At least Marc Warren's performance continues to be great.
Constance - It was an important episode for Constance which only makes me wonder, if the ending wasn't too abrupt, even more. Also, I found it strange that with the plot involving both her and the child, there was no Musketeers (especially D'Artagnan or Aramis) to help her. I was glad to see the brave Constance, willing to sacrifice everything to save an innocent life. I wasn't happy that nobody was fighting for her, though. Sure, her decision was questionable but I was really hoping to see more of a connection between her and Queen Anne. Instead, she was sentenced to death and only pardoned thanks to physician's support, who gave her the credit for saving the life of the Dauphin.
King Louis XIII - The King, well, I'm almost out of words at this point. Him constantly blaming the Musketeers for everything that goes wrong is only getting annoying. The way he cared about the baby was going to be the one positive I can say about his actions in the episode but even that was ruined by the fact that when everyone was praying for his "son's" health, he found "comfort" in the arms of his new mistress - Milady de Winter. And in the end, he wasn't even trying to hide it from the Queen. Honestly, that speaks volumes about their relationship. Clearly this kind of thing happened quite often before as Anne didn't even express any surprise at his behavior.
Queen Anne - Speaking of the Queen, I feel incredibly sad simply considering her situation. Even though I'm
never okay with affairs and betrayals, it's hard not to understand her need to find someone good in her life, to feel loved, even for a little while. Such a tragic thing to live in those times and circumstances. Anne seems to grow more lonely and lost every week and with Rochefort staying close, I just hope she'll find her strength again, maybe with Constance's friendship and support.
Porthos - Now, moving on to the Musketeers, let's start with Porthos. Finally we're getting more of his character but sadly the theme of all his centric episodes remains the same. It's always a sad story of survival, discrimination and oppression. This time, however, he got to meet quite an impressive woman and find a common ground with her, even bond a little when they were both imprisoned. The thing about Porthos is that he's not just the strongest fighter but it's hard to break his spirit. He doesn't show too much of his pain and keeps it hidden as best as he can. He's tough but still has his humour and kindness in his heart. That's the best kind of character to root for.
Aramis - First of all, I can't wait to see Aramis' story in the next episode. Maybe he'll finally get a chance to feel more than like a father without his child. In his saddest moment in the hour, the sight of a crying baby costs him seconds he could use to take a shot and (possibly) prevent Porthos from being taken by the Spanish. Something happening to his (I believe) closest friend was quite a wake up call for our broken Musketeer. Maybe it's time for him to do something to make his position a little more bearable.
Athos - I continue to be happy about Athos' change this season. He really is quite a support and a leader for the group. Even with Milady staying around he was focused on the task at hand and doing his best to find a way to get back Porthos and help Samara and her father. Other than that, not much to elaborate on his character.
D'Artagnan - After his big episode last time, in "The Good Traitor" D'Artagnan remains more in the background of the story. I do feel he could play a part in the Constance's plot or interact more with Milady but I guess there's still plenty of things ahead of him.
Milady the Winter - The plan of Milady the Winter works brilliantly so far. It didn't take her long to charm the King and become his (I think official) mistress. That's a far way to go from where we left her in season one finale. I'm very much not a fan of her interactions with the King, as funny as they may sometimes appear, but I did love a shot of her briefly seeing Constance (brought by the guards) in the castle. Their scenes have a potential to be absolutely intense and wonderfully done.
Former General Tariq Alaman - As I don't really have anything to say about Captain Treville in the episode, I thought I'd add a few words about this great guest character of Tariq Alaman. Played by the wonderful Colin Salmon (welcome Walter from
Arrow, missed you!), Alaman, though technically a traitor, ended up being a truly good, honorable man who gave up his life to protect his daughter and not let the Spanish make a deadly new gunpowder. His tragic end might be one of the saddest scenes of the story, with the Musketeers unable to save him and his daughter breaking down. It's the second one-time character in a row that I really liked and he ended up dead. I'm starting to see the pattern. Hopefully not for long.
Notes, thoughts and quotes:
Best Character: Porthos, honorable mention: Constance
Best Scene / The Saddest Moment: Tariq sacrifices his life to help the others
Most disturbing: Rochefort and the prostitute pretending to be the Queen
Most annoying: King Louis XIII - at the very least for once again blaming the Musketeers for everything
Best Guest Character - Tariq Alaman, honorable mention: Samara
Biggest Risk - Constance kidnapping Dauphin from the castle
Biggest Twist - Rochefort's character turn
Strangest Decision - The abrupt ending of Constance's plot / No Musketeers to help Mrs. Bonacieux
Biggest Question: What happened to Marguerite? Also forgiven?
Memorable quotes:
1. King Louis: "
Why do people harp on about the beauty of the sunrise? It happens every day with tedious regularity."
2. Bonacieux: "
What's that? A baby! Is he yours?"
Constance: "
Of course not. In case you hadn't noticed, you have to get pregnant first."
3. Tariq: "
I have never understood irrational hatred. It stifles every decent impulse, destroys common sense and reason. The moment a man says "all Moors are this" or "all white men are that", he has abandoned his sanity and revealed his weakness."
Favorite to Least Favorite Season 2 Episodes Ranking:
1. An Ordinary Man
2. Keep Your Friends Close
3. The Good Traitor - Good episode, but I still think I enjoyed it a bit less than the last two.
In case you haven't read it yet, you can find Sandi's preview for the next episode here. Don't miss all new The Musketeers which airs on Friday 30th January at 9pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK!
And now, what did you think about "The Good Traitor"? Any favorite scenes/quotes in the episode?
