Episode: 2.05 "The Return"
Directed by: Marc Jobst
Written by: Simon J Ashford
Air date: 13 February 2015
Reviews so far:
Episode 2.01 "Keep Your Friends Close"
Episode 2.02 "An Ordinary Man"
Episode 2.03 "The Good Traitor"
Episode 2.04 "Emilie"
Athos - First of all, I'm so glad we finally got Athos-centric episode. It's been a while and he's definitely one of my favorites. It was a very emotional hour for our Musketeer when he was forced to go back home and confront his past once again. It's clear that Milady's influence over Athos is far from over. He's definitely more calm and reserved now whenever he has to face her, much more than he was back in season one but thinking about their story still causes him a great deal of pain and being back at their old house was a visibly heartbreaking experience for him. Which makes the fact that he came back to help his people even better. I loved the little smile he finally had on his face when he watched the entire village training and working with his friends to prepare for the fight. Also, it was great to see him leaving the lands to the people and everyone showing up to say goodbye to the Musketeers after the fight. But, I have to mention the most memorable part of the episode for me, the flashbacks to the day when Thomas died and his fiance, Catherine's introduction. After meeting her I actually felt sorry for Milady, which is definitely saying something. The fact that the writers keep getting back to this story for the past two seasons only makes me believe that there's something we still don't know about the events surrounding Athos' brother's death. And I have to admit, I watched the episode twice and both times I couldn't understand why Athos didn't even try to listen to his wife's explanation. He listened to Catherine and sentenced his beloved Anne to death. If this was any other case, I would be sure he didn't truly love her enough to fight for her, but there's no doubt that Athos was deeply in love with Milady and even now he doesn't deny having feelings for her. It's just strange, to be honest and would definitely want to see more of his perspective on that day.
- There was no Milady in the current story of the episode, but her presence in the hour was very much felt by the characters. It's always tragic and unusual to see her years ago happy with Athos, she really seems like a completely different person and keeps making me think: "what happened to her". And then there's the story of Thomas' death. Back in season one I wondered whether she was actually telling the truth about her killing Athos' brother in self-defence but after the plot was seemingly put to rest I thought it would be the end of it. These new flashbacks and Catherine's character definitely change things and my current theory goes like this. Catherine wanted to marry Athos since they were kids, she wanted position, power, money and the man himself. Then Anne showed up and Catherine was to marry Thomas, who wasn't nearly enough for her. She started to look for a way to get rid of Milady and eventually found out the truth about her past. Catherine used this information to send Thomas after Anne and once Milady killed him when he attacked her, Catherine easily persuaded Athos to execute his wife, the murderer, hoping to finally get a second chance with her one-time fiance. However, what she didn't anticipate was how broken Athos would be after everything and that he would choose to leave it all behind and start his new life as a Musketeer. Obviously, I could be completely wrong about it but for now these are my speculations. I'd love to hear about yours.
- In case anyone needed a reminder why exactly Treville is such a great Captain this is the episode I would recommend to watch. It was such a nice change to see him more involved in the action with the rest of the Musketeers this week. And I loved all of his speeches to the people of Pinon where he taught them how to fight and helped them find their strength and motivation to take the stand against the Baron. The fight could have gone differently if he wasn't around, his presence there really meant a lot. I wish he could tell Porthos the truth since we all know it's going to be revealed eventually and it would be so much better if he heard it from him. I admit, I'm a bit worried about Treville's plan to leave, as we can hear in the next episode's promo, because the Musketeers would certainly lose their best support if he was to say goodbye for good. And I'm not so sure they're ready for that.
Porthos - Always honorable, good-hearted, smart and skilled fighter, that would be Porthos for sure. I'm glad that despite their issues, he still had Treville's back when it mattered. And how great was it to finally see him spending more time with Aramis. I missed these two together! They were easily one of my favorite things about the series back in season one and we hardly see them interacting with each other lately. Which is why their short trip to save the kidnapped woman from her (absolutely revolting) captors was one of my favorite parts of the episode.
Aramis - Aramis certainly seemed more like his old self, back from season one, in this episode. Teaming up with Porthos, enjoying the country and teaching the people of Pinon to fight and shoot Baron and his men brought back the lighter, carefree side of him. And what he said about taking risks to feel alive was actually a great description of his character. He's a passionate, loyal, honorable believer and a risk taker. He cares about people and protecting the innocent but he also enjoys the brutal, fighting side of things. It was a nice change to see him free like that, looks like being away from the castle for the second episode in a row, away from his worries and secrets has a good effect on him. Clearly, it won't be the case next week. The fall looks terrifying, what a rude way to end the promo.
D'Artagnan - I absolutely loved all the little moments D'Artagnan had with most of the Musketeers this week. Always great to see his bond with Athos and him being there for him in his family home full of haunting memories. Also I really enjoyed him and Treville helping out the people in the village. It sure made me smile how he got stuck with his old Captain's chores at the beginning when the Musketeers showed up to ask for Treville's help. And finally, what a cheerful moment he and Aramis shared. So many great interactions for all the Musketeers this week, I loved it.
Notes, thoughts and quotes:
Best Character - Athos
Best Duo: Athos and D'Artagnan & Runner up: Aramis & Porthos
Best Scene: The flashback to the day Thomas died
Best Speech: Treville
Most Suspicious/Annoying: Catherine
Most Disturbing: Baron Renard and his men
Biggest Change: Milady in the flashbacks
Biggest Question - What's the real story behind Thomas' death?
Memorable quotes:
1. Athos
"A little battered, but just about serviceable."
d'Artagnan
"Are you talking about yourself or that pistol?"
2. Porthos:
"I didn't think that would work."
Aramis:
"Centuries of inbreeding is making the aristocracy stupid."
3. Treville:
"All right, I'll ride with you. But not as your commanding officer."
D'Artagnan:
"Whatever you say, Captain."
Favorite to Least Favorite Season 2 Episodes Ranking:
1. Emilie
2. An Ordinary Man
3. The Return - This is were the ranking gets really hard as I didn't know where to place the episode at all. Great character moments and interesting story but I still think something was missing for it be one of the best.
4. Keep Your Friends Close
5. 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 20th February at 9pm on BBC 1 in the UK, and on February 21 at 9pm on BBC America!
And now, what did you think about "The Return"? Any favorite scenes/quotes in the episode?
