The long wait is very nearly over as our fearless leather clad swordsmen are finally back this week. As in the novels, the Cardinal’s heart has been ‘worn out in his duty to France’ during the six months between last season's finale and this opening episode. While the citizens of Paris grieve at his funeral our heroes are rather relieved to be excused from attending, instead they are sent on a mission to escort a mysterious fugitive safely back to the city. Almost as soon as they learn who their man is however - Comte de Rochefort, Richelieu’s old spy in Madrid who has just escaped from a Spanish prison - he is getting them into trouble, in fact it’s practically instantaneous.
His relationship with the Musketeers and the royals is complex at times, yet you understand his anger and frustrations well. Like the Cardinal last year he’s not a villain whose motivations are obscure or hard to comprehend, there is an impetus for every move that he makes. His passion, and resentments, drive him and drag others along in his wake if they are unfortunate enough to get tangled up in it. There is no denying that he is a dangerous adversary this season, but this only makes our leads even more heroic when they outsmart him!
Once we see the characters set in place at court the rescue of General De Foix (Dominic Mafham) takes up a large chunk of the episode. This is when bootcamp really starts to show its merit as the boys show us what they’re made of. As Luke says in the New Villains and Story Arcs video, the action sequences have been worked on with sword master Roman Spáčil in order to create more visually impressive fights. The stunts too are thrilling; I wish everyone could see the zip slide scene on a cinema screen as I did as it is magnificent when seen at that scale.
Howard has said that a central running theme through the season will be identity. The arcs set up at the end of the episode certainly follow this motif. How does Porthos’ past connect to someone he should be able to trust? Where do Constance and d’Artagnan stand with each other? How can Aramis risk showing any love for his son? Some questions will be answered more easily than others, yet I fear all will have long lasting effects on the lives of our Musketeers.
Keep Your Friends Close airs on Friday 2nd January at 9pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK, below are some dialogue teasers to see you through until then. I will fill in any correct guesses on who said what, and to whom, that are suggested in the comment section later in the week. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
“This is my chance to make amends”
“He was a great man, his only mistake was failing to destroy you Musketeers” Rochefort to the Musketeers
“Why rake up the past now?” Treville to ?
“Summoned to attend on the King himself, what an honour” Bonacieux to Constance
“El gobernador se lo agradecerá”
“He said she was a woman of great sense, and discretion” Anne to ?
“If we’re caught out of uniform we’ll be treated as spies, that means instant execution”
“Treville, I believe you are that man” Louis to Treville
“I demand this man’s arrest, he’s a fugitive from justice” Fernando to ?
“The King’s council has been chaos since the Cardinal died, no-one knows who is in charge” Athos to the Musketeers
“I’m sorry, I have my orders” d'Artagnan to ?
“He is strong, and handsome” ? to ? about the Dauphin
Trailer Teaser
“Ha, I win again! Don’t even need the money...” King Louis
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