The Musketeers - General Discussion

[DCWash]

17th-century France: Equal-opportunity cleavage (pecs AND boobs!) and incredibly sculpted facial hair. Where the bad guys sometimes do the right thing and the good guys sometimes do the wrong thing, rapiers abound, and Musketeers actually use muskets.

[atomationage]

What, exactly, is "canon" in that situation? The real Richelieu, who died in 1642? Dumas' version of Richelieu?

Above is from your last response at TWoP, DCWash.  One thing I've been thinking about is how D'Artagnan is usually portrayed as much younger than the Three, but Luke Pasqualino doesn't seem much younger than the others in this version.   Also, especially in the finale, King Louis doesn't seem to be as much of a dolt, except that the Queen is pregnant and he doesn't know Aramis is the father.  

I don't know if they've ever mentioned what year they are supposed to be at.  I'm assuming the 1620s to leave them as much room for storylines as possible.  France didn't enter the Thirty Years War until 1635, although they supported Sweden for 5 or 6 years before that.  That's why I'm thinking it's set in the 1620s.  The mention of Prussia in the previous episode was probably anachronistic, since I don't think Brandenburg  would have even been called Brandenburg-Prussia yet. 

Edited April 4, 2014 by David T. Cole

[David T. Cole]

Not a bird, the other kind.

[Athena]

Above is from your last response at TWoP, DCWash.  One thing I've been thinking about is how D'Artagnan is usually portrayed as much younger than the Three, but Luke Pasqualino doesn't seem much younger than the others in this version.   Also, especially in the finale, King Louis doesn't seem to be as much of a dolt, except that the Queen is pregnant and he doesn't know Aramis is the father.  

I don't know if they've ever mentioned what year they are supposed to be at.  I'm assuming the 1620s to leave them as much room for storylines as possible.  France didn't enter the Thirty Years War until 1635, although they supported Sweden for 5 or 6 years before that.  That's why I'm thinking it's set in the 1620s.  The mention of Prussia in the previous episode was probably anachronistic, since I don't think Brandenburg  would have even been called Brandenburg-Prussia yet. 

I'm not crazy with the D'Artagnan in this series at all. The actor they cast is not doing anything for me. The show's lead seems to be more Athos/Tom Burke, and my favourite character is Santiago Cabrera's Aramis.

The series is set in 1630 from show media material. The book was set 1625-31. The Muskteers more or less retired after 1631 and met Twenty Years Later (the novel and the time). Queen Anne has a stillborn in April 1631 so they are following the stories and history more or less.

It'll be interesting to see how the show does in 1635 onwards. I'm enjoying the Queen Anne character, but they haven't focused on her Spanish lineage which was politicaly tenuous when France entered the Thirty Years War. Even in the novels, Anne was politically savy. I think they played that in the season finale as well. Though, I do admit to liking the Aramis/Anne subplot a lot. I don't care about Constance and D'Artagnan.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Athena

[atomationage]

The location shooting for this in the Czech Republic is very good compared to Reign, which is more of a joke. 

I also liked the previous episode with the Irish rebel Gallagher, but I didn't understand if he was supposed to be an O'Neill, or O'Neill (Earl of Tyrone) was the leader of the secret group with the mark of the hand on them. 

I had a laugh at the Wikipedia page about Dumas' book, which shows a statue of The Musketeers in the town of Condom. 

[DCWash]

I don't know if they've ever mentioned what year they are supposed to be at.

I have a vague memory that they specifically said 1630 early on, like in the opening title of the opening episode, and then left it at that and haven't mentioned it since. I'm really weak on French history, though, so I wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between events of 1625 and 1636. But that goes back to what I was talking about using historical fiction as your source material. There are SOME limits--I mean, I don't want to see Daniel Boone show up in a target shooting contest with the Musketeers or something--but I'm willing to cut them a lot more slack about "accuracy" when the whole thing  (exceot for a few secondary characters) was made up from scratch to begin with, and everybody knows that.

Of course, that attitude could stem from my ignorance and I might care a lot more if I knew a lot more. In the mean time, those Czech palaces and backstreets look awfully good.

I'm not crazy with the D'Artagnan in this series at all. The actor they cast is not doing anything for me. The show's lead seems to be more Athos/Tom Burke, and my favourite character is Santiago Cabrera's Aramis.

I do like that the whole premise of the show is in its title: "The Musketeers." Not "The Three Musketeers"  ("but there's four of them!" I remember thinking as a child), not "The Young Hero D'Artagnan and His Sidekicks," but "An Ensemble of Swashbuckling Musketeers."

King Louis doesn't seem to be as much of a dolt, except that the Queen is pregnant and he doesn't know Aramis is the father.

Ah, but one thing to bear in mind in these days before DNA testing is the possibility that Louis really IS the father. Because this non-doltish Louis knows how to count backwards from nine and surely Anne has enough sense to let her husband near her for insurance sake, if nothing else. Given that Anne did get pregnant earlier, it's quite possible his little swimmers may have outraced Aramis'. Not saying it's likely or that it actually happened, just that ambiguity, not certainty, should be the order of the day with these things.

[Ariah]

I'm actually impressed with how the producers are trying to make the series FEEL a tiny bit accurate. I'm nota talking about historical events, but costumes and settings. And weapons. These Musketeers use muskets! (and pistols)

The dresses seem rather well done for the time period and the whole setting-light-setup has a Vermeer feel to it. I also like the fact that the characters are not overly... clean. They have dirt on their clothes and faces, they can be sweaty - good effort.

[Ariah]

The Three Musketeers have always been about friendship and loyalty - and I'm happy to see this done well in the series. These four men work well together and understand eachother, even if they can differ in opinions. Watching the actors I can actually believe they are close friends.

In the light of the men's cameraderie, the romantic relationships may fell a bit flat.

Although i love this version of Constance, her romance with D'Artagnan is somewhat skimmed over. Milady and her feelings take the lead... And her relationship with anyone can be summed up with "it's complicated".

I was positively surprised by the route they took queen Anne: in most versions she's in the background, a gilded plot device. Here she's actually an active player. Now, I have no idea who's seen which episode, so maybe I'll say it in tags:

Anne's feelings for Aramis (and vice versa) jumped to the top of romantic relationships in the series. I hope the child she carries will be born healthy (not as history says).

 

 

[atomationage]

In this era, I think, the number of years between Anne's pregnancies would have been considered to be evidence either that she was barren or Louis was not interested in doing his duty.   Women usually had a pregnancy every year until they wore out or died.  They both came from very fertile families.  Since Louis had no mistresses, the blame for lack of heirs was probably his.  A generation or so later, Jonathan Swift wrote in Gulliver's Travels about seeing the ancestors of the great rulers of his time, who were mostly servants, cardinals, and other assorted non-royals.  People must have thought that at the time. 

 

These Musketeers use muskets!

I love that kind of accuracy, but their muskets are a little bit too accurate. 

[atomationage]

I'm guessing everyone has either seen all the episodes or none.  I agree that Anne is great in this series.  The actress is stunning, the costumes are great, and the casting was very well done.  I also liked that they included some Irish accents since there were many Irish exiles in France. 

[atomationage]

I hope Peter Capaldi is able to continue when the second series starts filming, or they write around him when he's not available, rather than re-casting.  This role is perfect for him.  His Richelieu is the only cardinal I've ever seen wearing a black leather yarmulke. 

[Athena]

He really is great in the role, but I seriously doubt they can work around the Doctor Who schedule. Who is a very intense gig for its lead so doing two regular BBC series would be overkill. I could see maybe a guest spot, but I'm wondering if the writers add another Cardinal. Recasting would be tricky, but then again, this is Britain, I am less freaked out if this were an American show since the pool of good acting talent is larger.

[atomationage]

They could bring Cardinal Mazarin to work 15 years early.  David Threlfall?

[Athena]

Yeah, I was thinking Mazarin thing too. That could also prove interesting to Queen Anne's romantic plots.

[ganesh]

Didn't Aramis tell D'A that he cleaned his gun so much so the gun would "be good to him?" I chalk up the accuracy to them being *very fastidious* with the guns. But, at least they show that it's hard to reload them fast and when they got into fights, they shoot once, and get another gun. 

[atomationage]

It was funny too that the nuns were using Molotov cocktails to repel the invaders.  I guess DaVinci left some of his works behind in France after he invented everything in modern warfare.

[Athena]

 

The musketeers must protect king and country against evil forces seeking to destroy them.

 

[Athena]

Previously.TV uses the TV Database and original air dates for episode threads.

 

"The Musketeers" will air June 22, 2014 on BBC America.

 

This forum was created after S1 aired in the UK and some of the topics contain spoiler information. Episode threads should contain information about the episode in question and references to past episodes but not future ones in consideration for new viewers.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here.

[DCWash]

There's been a touch of activity on the TWoP "Musketeers" thread, from whence I got this article about how they're going to hand-wave away Richelieu in Series 2 and who the replacement villian will be. It's about as official as you can get. Kind of funny, too. (And a different story from the first official-sounding version I heard a while back.)

[atomationage]

I read that article about season 2 of Musketeers also.  I think it's a shame, but I guess it's too hard to schedule work in Cardiff and the Czech Republic at the same time.  

[ganesh]

I would think that being the Doctor is an all-consuming job, but I think the resolution of the Cardinal on the show is funny. "Where is he?"  "uh"

 

Marc Warren should be good. I like him in everything. I hope he'll bring The Coat! 

 

The cool thing is at the end of series one, they finally got one over on the Cardinal. So even though he's not around anymore, the Musketeers and the Queen know they got him in the end. 

[LittleIggy]

I tried watching the first episode and couldn't get past a cardinal wearing black leather. Seriously?

[ABay]

This is the first adaptation of the Musketeers in which I've liked Aramis. not loathed D'Artagnan, and did not immediately love Athos. I don't know what to make of that but I'll happily watch the second cheesy series when it comes out.

 

It's a pity Capaldi can't come back as Richeliue when he clearly spent lots of time learning how to twirl that cloak dramatically for the opening credits.

[Athena]

I have no interest in D'Artagnan in this series so the whole Constance thing was a bit of a snoozefest for me.

 

I love Queen Anne here and she is more of a player in the later books so it makes sense that she would feature. Her and Aramis are my OTP for this series. Aramis is probably my favourite.

 

Having said that, they have a decent Athos here. I really liked his romantic interlude with Ninon.

[ABay]

I've been rewatching season 2 of The Hour, which is where I remember Tom Burke (Athos) from. I actually like him more in The Hour. It's not that I don't like him as Athos, it's just that I've loved other Athos..es...Athii?..and it's taking more time to warm up to Burke. I also think he looks better in period clothing from the 20th century than the 17th but I might just be swayed by the superior personal hygiene of more recent times.

[merylinkid]

My my my.   Such pretty to look at.    Especially Aramis.   Welcome back Lancelot, hope you are better written this time.

 

It may be unpopular but my favorite movie version was the 1993 one.   Mostly for Oliver Platt's Porthos but the rest weren't bad to look at either.    Nice to see some good lines here too.   Like during D'Artagnan's fight with Athos "Is he keeping up with Athos?   No, he just doesn't want to kill the lunatic."  THen later after Constance stops the fight, they admire her spirit.   Yes her spirit.   

 

I'm in.

[missbonnie]

Me too! Partly for the pretty, but mainly because it has a smart script, good costumes and well written characters so far.

[BooBear]

I liked it. I admit I am a Musketeers virgin only seeing parts of the 1993 one. I turned in thinking that there wouldn't be much of a role for women and Constance knocked my socks off on that. She was great. There was so much pretty among the Musketeers. I would watch for that. But I did find some of the fighting sort of confusing. I hope the scenes are done a bit better in the future.

[Athena]

Notorious criminal Vadim seeks to make life unbearable for the authorities that have imprisoned him. When he engineers a full-scale riot, it falls to the Musketeers to protect those whom he seeks to destroy. Will the Musketeers discover his plan in time and stop him from endangering the monarchy? And can the inexperienced d’Artagnan prove he is worthy of becoming a Musketeer, or do his loyalties lie elsewhere.

 

[Athena]

The Musketeers are dispatched to Le Havre to collect the infamous merchant trader and explorer Bonnaire and bring him back to Paris to be reprimanded for breaking France's trade treaty. This straightforward mission soon descends into a treacherous battle, as they must defeat Bonnaire's surprising number of enemies. Athos is forced to confront his past, which threatens to engulf him. Will he overcome his demons and help the Musketeers safely return to Paris, or will Bonnaire's enemies get the better of them?

[Athena]

When Aramis's old friend Marsac, a former musketeer, unexpectedly returns to Paris, the musketeers are thrown into turmoil, fully aware that they should report him for desertion. His appearance coincides with the royal visit of the king's beloved sister and her husband, the Duke of Savoy, whom the musketeers must protect. Marsac believes he finally knows the truth behind the infamous massacre which killed his troop, and wants Aramis's help to prove it. Despite their misgivings, will the musketeers help and can they prevent Marsac exacting his own revenge?

[Athena]

 

Porthos wakes up from his drunken birthday celebrations with no memory of the night before. This would not be unusual, but for the dead body by his side... After being unjustly sentenced to death, he is abducted to the dangerous Court of Miracles, the streets of his childhood. In order to save him, the Musketeers must prove his innocence. Their investigations uncover a tangled web of divided loyalties and greed, and they risk their lives to infiltrate the unruly slums of the Court of Miracles before it is too late.

 

[Athena]

 

Aramis and d’Artagnan are thwarted in their task to transport a young woman and her baby from a village outside Paris to the palace when armed men abduct her baby. They must find out who she is exactly and why anyone would go to such lengths to kidnap her son. Meanwhile, the king’s royal hunting party is disrupted by the sudden appearance of Louis’ banished mother, Marie de Medici, seeking royal protection from an unknown assassin. The Musketeers must fight to protect both mother and baby while also loyally defending the throne.

 

[Athena]

 

Following the tragic death of a young girl underneath the royal carriage, The Musketeers’ investigations into her missing friend lead them into the world of a high-born and enlightened woman, Ninon, who really gets under Athos’s skin. The Musketeers are forced to put aside their animosity towards the Cardinal when his life is placed in danger and they must rescue this extraordinary woman.

 

[Athena]

 

The Musketeers are tasked with bringing the fearsome Labarge, a regional intendant under arrest for the murder of two Musketeers, to Paris. The Red Guards, resentful of the Musketeers' handling of him, initiate a vicious fight between the two regiments. Fed up with the disruptive rivalry between the Musketeers and the Red Guards, the king calls a contest between them to settle which one is stronger once and for all. D'Artagnan is determined to be chosen to fight so that he can prove himself worthy to be a Musketeer. But first he has to learn to control his impetuous nature and to fight with his head, not his heart.

 

[Athena]

 

Queen Anne’s taking of the waters is cut short when her life is put in mortal danger. Meanwhile, Louis dines with wealthy German banker Count Mellendorf, who is looking for a French match for his beautiful daughter.As the Musketeers try to spirit Anne back to Paris, they’re forced to seek refuge in a fortified convent, where Aramis comes face to face with his past. Under siege and fearful for their lives, the Mother Superior and nuns help the Musketeers to defend the convent, but what will they do once they run out of ammunition?

 

[Athena]

 

Milady seeks her ultimate revenge. Can the Musketeers outwit her or will she destroy them?

 

[Athena]

Now that the show is airing on BBCA, I have marked some threads with spoiler tags. I will remove them once the season finishes.

 

For those who have seen all or most of the season so far, I have made all the episode threads. Please do not spoil beyond the episode. If you really need to, use spoiler tags.

 

Please feel free to create new topics as well or PM/ping me if you need help. Thank you!

[Athena]

My favourite Musketeer version is actually "The Man in the Iron Mask". The 1993 one isn't too bad either.

 

This D'Artagnan does nothing for me. Aramis on the other hand...

[Arynm]

I am also a huge fan of the 1993 version. So much pretty... I like this version as well, I'm in for the season.

[Cyranetta]

I need a well-swashed buckle  on my TV, so I'm in.

[thuganomics85]

Just caught it On Demand.  I thought it was very fun and perfect for the summer.  Obviously, not too serious, but I enjoyed the swashbuckling, the banter, and the characters.  The Musketeers already have a good rapport with each other and I enjoy their interactions/chemistry.  It's nice to have characters I can actually root for.

 

The show sure does bring the eye-candy, to say the least.  The Musketeers for fans of male eye-candy, but as a guy, I certainly had plenty of options as well.  Got Constantine for the feisty, bad-ass eye-candy (shooting fools!), Milady as the evil eye-candy (and the actress looks a lot like Lena Headey), and the Queen for regal eye-candy (and she was totally Roslin Frey on Game of Thrones!)  I can't complain.

 

Peter Capadli was having a blast as Richelieu, and is making me more excited for his Doctor in August.

 

So, yeah, I'm in.  Only complaint is that Sunday is such a crowded night.  Thank goodness for On Demand.

[ABay]

As I said in one of the other threads, this is the first time I've really liked an Aramis and not utterly hated a D'Artagnan. I've never seen the 1993 version, or tried and couldn't get through it, or something. Obviously, it didn't stay with me.

[voiceover]

This took awhile for me.  I'm of an age where I judge new series on the Would I Hit That? meter, and the first ten minutes...eh. D'Artagnan looks too much like Keanu Reeves --

 

-- but I can live with the other three.  Especially when Aramis tossed off that oh-so-Gallic gesture (after besting the Red Squad) -- I sat up straight and said, "Yeah, okay!"

[Athena]

This took awhile for me.  I'm of an age where I judge new series on the Would I Hit That? meter, and the first ten minutes...eh. D'Artagnan looks too much like Keanu Reeves --

 

-- but I can live with the other three.  Especially when Aramis tossed off that oh-so-Gallic gesture (after besting the Red Squad) -- I sat up straight and said, "Yeah, okay!"

I agree with most of your post except I think Keanu is much prettier than this D'Artagnan. A colleague and I remarked he looked out of place and not very French when we saw this episode the first time.

I think a lot of adaptations struggle with casting D'A though. He is a great book character though.

[caprice]

A colleague and I remarked he looked out of place and not very French when we saw this episode the first time.

I think a lot of adaptations struggle with casting D'A though. He is a great book character though.

D'Artagnan is from Gascony, which is in SE France, so I can buy him looking "not very French." There is a large Spanish influence in Gascogne.

What I caught was fun and I look forward to seeing more. My only thing is that I hope we get less-broody Athos. I know that's how the character is written, but dear god, let the man crack a mile, please! Why else do you cast so many pretty actors?

[Athena]

D'Artagnan is from Gascony, which is in SE France, so I can buy him looking "not very French." There is a large Spanish influence in Gascogne.

What I caught was fun and I look forward to seeing more. My only thing is that I hope we get less-broody Athos. I know that's how the character is written, but dear god, let the man crack a mile, please! Why else do you cast so many pretty actors?

 

Yeah, we were just being persnickety because I personally think this is not one of the best D'Artagnans I've seen.

 

This episode didn't pull me in, but I started watching episode 2 so I had the benefit of two episodes to judge. It is a pretty show. I also like how dirty it is as a BBC period piece.

[caprice]

I get what you're saying, Athena, both about being persnickety and about the dirt factor. I'm not crazy about the actor they have as D'A either, but it looks like they're playing up his youth next to the established Musketeers.

 

Ugh. So, in my previous post, I'm hoping that Athos will crack a SMILE, not a 'mile.' *shakes head sadly at self*

[BooBear]

I get what you're saying, Athena, both about being persnickety and about the dirt factor. I'm not crazy about the actor they have as D'A either, but it looks like they're playing up his youth next to the established Musketeers.

Not crazy about the dirt either but I think D Artagnan is really hot here and he is my big draw. I don't find any of the others that hot.  I also really like his clearly spanish look -- as someone upthread mentioned it could be plausable how close they were to Spain. Athos at the moment doesn't seem all that attractive and his moodyness leaves me a bit cold.

[caprice]

Not crazy about the dirt either but I think D Artagnan is really hot here and he is my big draw. I don't find any of the others that hot.  I also really like his clearly spanish look -- as someone upthread mentioned it could be plausable how close they were to Spain. Athos at the moment doesn't seem all that attractive and his moodyness leaves me a bit cold.

I can't speak for Athena, but you may have misunderstood me. I was saying that it is refreshing to see a series attempt to come close to the level of dirt you would find for the time in a period piece. It wasn't that long ago that a show set over 100 years ago would gloss that over, but that is less the case now, which I am thankful for. Love the clothes then, appreciate the fuck out of penicillin today.

I'm the one who mentioned the proximity of D'Artagnan's native Gascogne to Spain. I have a bit of an advantage, as my husband is French and I've driven through Gascony. Beautiful country.

I totally agree with you, Boo, about Athos. I know that's how he is in the book, but would it kill the writers to give him something to smile about? Really? Why else would they hire such pretty actors?