Episode: 2.04 "Emilie"
Directed by: Andy Hay
Written by: Ryan Craig and Adrian Hodges
Air date: 30 January 2015
Reviews so far:
Episode 2.01 "Keep Your Friends Close"
Episode 2.02 "An Ordinary Man"
Episode 2.03 "The Good Traitor"
Aramis - Episodes like this one are certainly the reason why Aramis happens to be my favorite character on the show. I absolutely love the way he can so effortlessly develop a bond, even friendship, with women he only just meets, like Emilie and Agnes and Ninon before. Having faith is not always easy, especially at times like these, so to see Aramis' unbroken belief is also somehow heartwarming and special. His storyline this week was a welcome change from the constant state of loneliness and sadness over being away from his son, always even more painful when we remember that he already lost one child years ago. The one thing he's doing wrong for sure is his relationship with Marguerite. If there's one person I'm convinced is going to get hurt by the entire situation (and Rochefort being around) is her. It was good to see that at least Aramis is not lying to her about his feelings (and even encourages her to find a suitable husband) but his need to stay close to the baby shouldn't be the reason to start this relationship. It won't end well. As for everything else, it was great to see Aramis interacting with Anne and Constance. I really enjoyed all of their scenes and would love to see more of them in the future. Though surely, it might just be a wishful thinking at this point.
- Also with a nice change in plot, this week Queen Anne decided to take action after she realized the King no longer needs or wants her support. In order to stop all the murders of her country men she decided to confront Emilie herself. Obviously it wasn't the smartest plan (foolish even) but I was glad to see the Queen outside the castle and with Constance. Those two are finally becoming friends I hoped they would be. I am surprised at how carelessly Anne flirted with Aramis and kissed him, even though anyone could have seen them at the time. Though, after everything that King has been (openly) doing lately and how hard these few last episodes were for her, I probably should have expected it. Getting away from the castle and interacting with Constance and Aramis certainly helped Queen find her strength of spirit. She was tough and even almost happy for a while. Certainly a good episode for Anne.
Constance - There are just so many great things to say about Constance in the episode. She was playful, strong, supportive, loyal and very protective of the Queen. It was nice to see her and D'Artagnan working on their interactions, they had a brief, but quite a lovely moment. My favorite part about the character in this episode, however, was the fact we got to see her work with Aramis and Athos for a change and they couldn't have asked for a better person to help. Also Constance and Anne are a great duo, hopefully we'll be seeing more of them in the future episodes as well. I'm actually kind of glad that now Mrs Bonacieux knows the Queen's secret, it's good to have someone to talk to, or at least to support you when things happen. And after all, who wouldn't understand Anne's tragic love for a Musketeer better than Constance?
Athos - First of all, I can't wait for Athos' episode coming soon! He didn't have so many things to do in the season so far, though, fortunately, that wasn't the case in "Emilie". The entire sequence of Athos (and Constance) helping Emilie fight with the poison's withdrawal was brilliantly done. We don't even know half the things he went through after his wife's "death". And that scene with Milady was more powerful than I expected. He didn't even try to deny her words. But the look on his face when she was walking away said it all. Poor guy, even though he's clearly in a better place than he was in season one, I'm not sure he will ever fully get rid of the influence Milady has over him. The pain can slowly fade away but the scars remain. Tom Burke did such a wonderful job in the episode. Kudos!
Milady - It was such an interesting episode for Milady. Her conflict with Rochefort is surprisingly pushing her to the point where I believe she might stand on the Musketeers' side in this fight. It was certainly curious to see her speaking to the King on their behalf. After the way Louis treated her in this scene, though, like she's a fragile, foolish girl who shouldn't take part in significant conversations like this one, I was almost expecting her to attack him or something. So much for her new beginning!
Rochefort - His obsession and insanity shouldn't make anyone underestimate Rochefort. Even though he seems like quite a pathetic, broken person at times, he can be a terrifying villain. He doesn't hesitate to attack those who stand in his way and I'm honestly worried about him getting closer to figuring out the truth about the Queen and Aramis. I'm surprised he (or anyone else by the way) didn't notice Anne being gone for quite a while. His scene with Marguerite and the little King was definitely creepy and hopefully not any kind of foreshadowing as to where the things are heading. The stakes are only getting higher with each episode.
King Louis - The King's ridiculous behavior is sadly not going away anywhere. His anger with the Musketeers, ever since Captain Treville refused to accept the Cardinal's position now resulted in Treville losing his position. There's also the fact that he's completely blind to Milady and Rochefort's actions but that was to be expected, so I'm quite indifferent about it at this moment. I do wonder how his relationship with Milady will end, though. The things could get intense after seeing their interactions this week.
Captain Treville - I'm sure by now everyone realizes, and no one more than Captain Treville, what a bad idea it was to decline the offer to become the King's right hand. Things only went downhill from there. The way he was trying to hide his emotions in the last scene was such a sad view. The one good thing that might be a result of this demotion is the idea of seeing Treville more often fighting side by side with our Musketeers. That actually sounds pretty great. Other than that, the lie about Porthos' family is getting closer to being revealed and I'm both excited and worried to see the outcome.
Porthos - Porthos is certainly not an easy person to deceive. He realized there's something suspicious going on after he's included in General De Foix's will and it didn't take him long to connect the dots and figure out Treville is lying to him. Smart! Though Captain really isn't the best liar when I think about it. I still wish Porthos was more involved in the action and was aware of Aramis' secret. When he's going to find out about all of the things his friends are hiding from him, I'm afraid it won't be a good day for the Musketeers.
D'Artagnan - And then there's D'Artagnan. There wasn't a lot of things for him to do in the episode. Though I very much enjoyed seeing him bond with Athos and finally making a postive change in his interactions with Constance. I'm not so sure he was right about not telling the Queen the truth about Milady. Sure, they can't prove anything, but at least Anne would know and be able to prepare to face Milady if anything was to happen. All those secrets usually don't end well.
Notes, thoughts and quotes:
Best Character: Aramis
Best Scene: Anne and Constance meet Emilie & Runner-up: Athos talks to Milady
Best Duo: Anne and Constance
Saddest Character: Athos
Biggest Threat: Rochefort
Biggest Twist: Captain Treville loses his position
Most Horrifying: Man is beaten to death & Rochefort kills the prostitute
Guest Star of The Week: Emilie - She was strong, interesting and believed in her visions so much that she almost started a war. I very much enjoyed her scenes with Aramis and Athos and I really wish there was a better ending for this character. All those sad and tragic endings, it feels like a theme of this season. And secrets.
Memorable quotes:
1. Anne: "You know all my secrets now. You carry my life in your hands."
2. Milady: "The truth is staring you in the face, and you can't even see it."
Athos: "What truth?"
Milady: "Whatever I am, you love me. And you always will."
Favorite to Least Favorite Season 2 Episodes Ranking:
1. Emilie - Definitely my favorite episode of the season so far. Also added to one of the best of the series. So many great things - characters' interactions, plot, acting and more - about it.
2. An Ordinary Man
3. Keep Your Friends Close
4. The Good Traitor
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 13th February at 9pm on BBC 1 in the UK, and on February 14 at 9pm on BBC America!
And now, what did you think about "Emilie"? Any favorite scenes/quotes in the episode?
