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One thing this show does very well is have strong women front and centre week after week, both main and guest female stars get their chance to shine in what you expect to be a very heavily male skewed narrative. This episode is no exception, in fact the main plot pushes the boundaries of female rights in the seventeenth century far more than any of the preceding ones have done. Although whenever challenging the stagnant thoughts of the mainstream populous there will always be consequences to pay and overcome, especially if the Cardinal has ulterior motives and with help of the Catholic church starts spreading propaganda around court.
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I have a few nitpicks about this episode, see the last paragraph for my biggest bugbear, but overall it’s an enjoyable outing, and at least we have all the cast making an appearance which is something that hasn't happened for a month or so. Peter Capaldi's Cardinal has a chance to showcase his Machiavellian nature alongside guest star John Lynch’s Jesuit priest, we’re reminded of Athos and Milady’s past and hatred of each other, and likewise Anne and Aramis share a brief scene in case we've forgotten about their attraction. The plot has enough twist and turns to be entertaining, the dialogue is witty (Gage again in particular gives another fab performance with spot on delivery of Louis’ comic lines), and the settings are as gorgeous as ever, but none of this can help save what is what I feel a bit of a disappointing end to Ninon's story.
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D'Artagnan and Constance shippers will be welcoming the last scene of this week’s instalment I'm sure, though personally I feel that this declaration of love has come about without much build up in recent episodes. I also would have preferred any affair to start after her husband has either been shown to treat Constance very badly or undertaken an evil deed, rather than just her not to be as enamoured with him as she could be, but then stay with him anyway and sleep with someone else while he is away on business. As a big fan of her character so far I don’t want her honour to be downplayed, they've spent time making sure that she’s as worthy of that accolade as the Musketeers themselves so I hope there will be a satisfying resolution to this plot.
A Rebellious Woman airs at 9pm on Sunday 9th March on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD, below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
“The kingdom of heaven is a dream, our only life is here”
“We’ll add Satan to the list of suspects”
“Aren't you that Jesuit priest who wrote that terrible pamphlet!”
“This woman is a liar, she is not even who she claims to be!”
“I don’t hate Bonacieux, I'm only trying to be realistic”
“Four young women in their nightwear, we can only speculate as to the horrors they have endure”
“I was gagged the day I was born a woman”
“Your job is to find something I can use against her, these girls she encourages, is her interest in them healthy?”
“I have often seen you at court and thought how handsome you are, there’s a melancholy aspect to your looks that I find intriguing but it’s probably only mental vacancy”
“One day we’ll sit down and I’ll explain women to you”
Trailer Teaser
“30 livre, is that right?”
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
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