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The Musketeers - General Discussion


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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.

 

Woops yes I did. Well I will give you that but now that we established it, can we clean them up a little. :)

Athos didn't really work for me. Typically tortured hero is something I love but here... I don't know... he kind of had a death wish. Too much. I don't particularly find the actor attractive either. Oh well.

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I enjoyed it! Fun script; I love the rapport, and they managed to make the musketeers distinct and include a lot of action and plot for an hour and fifteen minutes. I'm also a fan of the 1993 movie, which got me into the book. It's interesting seeing where the series takes from the book and the many places it deviates. Of course, now I want to reread the book.

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Great summer fun.  So, much better than "The Last Ship" (blurgh).  Loved that D'Artagnan actually go hurt when he jumped out the window.  Much more realistic that way.  Regarding favorite movie version --Old folk here -- My favorite was from 1973 (Charlton Heston, Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed).  Needless to say, this will be on my DVR watch list.

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1973 fan, here, too. There is no Athos but Reed for me. Those films are the only times I've enjoyed Charlton Heston. If only DArtagnan and the whole Constance plot hadn't been there, they'd be perfect.

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Great summer fun.  So, much better than "The Last Ship" (blurgh).  Loved that D'Artagnan actually go hurt when he jumped out the window.  Much more realistic that way.  Regarding favorite movie version --Old folk here -- My favorite was from 1973 (Charlton Heston, Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed).  Needless to say, this will be on my DVR watch list.

That was the one with Michael York as D'Artagnan, yes? I'd forgotten Heston was in it, but yeah, that's always a fun watch.

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IIRC, Heston was the Cardinal.  

The book is FANTASTIC.  Until the ending, which is unexpected -- not in a great way -- but those were the times. 

 

If the series continues to build on the chem between the Three, I'll be satisfied.  A little place holder for the Ripper Street three.

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I wanted to watch this show, but apparently I'd have to pay another $10 a month to upgrade my package (which already includes a lot of pay channels) to include BBC.  So guess I will wait to see if it shows up on Netflix or Hulu.

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I have the whole 1st season on DVD and watched it last week with my parents... yes. We are all Dumas' fans and we really liked this version of the heroes. My mum would ask each day "are we going to watch d'Artagnan and the boys?"

 

It trully is the first version in which i like d'Artagnan. Up till now, he was just a silly pup I was supposed to like. This time, i actually enjoy his story. And Constance! She's great. Not a waif-like sweet creature she used to be in other versions. This Constance has 'spirit'! Plus, she has a very nice, rounded figure.

 

Also, I must admit, this time around Aramis is my favourite of the canonical Three. It has always been Athos, but in the BBc version, Aramis is the one. It doesn't help that he's just dashing.

 

As for the plot - I really appreciate the series (and it shows in the pilot) for it's production values. It brings back the enjoyment of swashbuckling tv, of old Flynn films, where violence was shown, but not too explicit, and where sex was more suggested than presented with anatomical accuracy. I have nothing against gore and sex on the screen, but I enjoy The Musketeers without those elements being thrown at my face every two minutes (looking at you HBO and Starz!). it is possible to do a fairly mature tv production without a porn (oh, the surprise!)

 

I believe the producers hit the jackpot with the main cast: the Three (+ the Gascon) have all great rapport and extreme chemistry. The Cardinal is simply wonderful (and he's not just a moustache twirling villain, he acts predominantly for the good of France). Constance? I'm still enamoured. Milady - well, she's the femme fatale of the piece and she knows it. The King and Queen prove to be (in later episodes) equally well rounded characters.

 

There are shortcuts and anachromisms, naturally. But as far as fun is concerned - I'm in for the ride. I'll rewatch my DVD's.

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There's been so many adaptations of Dumas' work about our daring French soldiers! Some were mentioned in the episode threat, so I though... Why not set up a place designated for them?

 

The version from 1993 with Charlie Sheen (Aramis), Kiefer Sutherland (Athos), Oliver Platt (Porthos) and Chris O'Donnell (d'Artagnan) was mentioned most often. I admit, there was a lot of the pretty in it and Tim Curry was a funny Cardinal (is the Cardinal supposed to be funny?)

But Charlie Sheen did not make a good Aramis, and as much as I like Chris O'Donnell, his d'Artagnan did nothing for me.

 

The 1973 version with Michael York - I remember only Richard Chamberlain as terribly feminine Aramis and the fact that Constance died in a really unfortunate way (well, it's in the books!).

 

I even watched the 3d version from 2011 and thought the cast was pretty good! But the film was pretty bad. I think the BBC series sort of took the ideas behind this film - the musketeers as special forces, Milady as cat-burglar/assassin, and made them feel right...

 

Does anyone remember the old animated series with Dogs as musketeers? I used to love that when i was a kid. Dogtanian, was it?

 

I also remember the anime series in which Aramis was a woman in love with Athos. Yes. That was... strange.

 

And let's not forget about this little monstrosity. A kung-fu fighting d'Artagnan.

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I have a weird soft spot for The Man in the Iron Mask. I thought the Musketeers they cast had great chemistry with each other. It's strange to say that of John Malkovich as Athos, but it all worked. Jeremy Irons was a good Aramis, Gerard Depardieu as Porthos was even better if you seen Cyrano, and oddly, I adored Gabriel Bryne as D'Artagnan.

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True about The Man in the Iron Mask. It's one of the early DiCaprio pictures that Leo is not dominating. I liked the twist with the parentage (another thing sort of linking the film to the BBc version right now).

 

I also vaguely remember the Russian mini-series of old (the Russians did another version more recently...). It can be found on YouTube with English subtitles. It's sort of strange, because there are songs played during some scenes, like musical numbers.

 

Also, strangely, I cannot remember any French adaptations apart from that one weird follow-up with Sophie Marceau as d'Artagnan's daughter. Naturally, there's also an American tv version of the theme, with Susie Amy. Funny thing, d'Artagnan is there played by... Michael York.

And Young Blades, the tv series. Riddiculous to the extreme (but with a certain charm. It sort of falls into the same category as Hercules and Xena).

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Does anyone remember the old animated series with Dogs as musketeers? I used to love that when i was a kid. Dogtanian, was it?

Ohhhhh, I loved Dogtanian! When The Musketeers first aired here in the UK earlier this year, it became must-see TV for me at once, but it was Dogtanian I kept thinking of and comparing it with for the first few episodes! I loved that show so much as a kid.

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I like this a lot - I like any version of this story really, even bad versions like the Paul WS Anderson one from a couple of years ago and the Gene Kelly one.  My favorites are the Richard Lester ones from the 70s and the Douglas Fairbanks one from 1921, but I have a soft spot for the 1993 one as well.

As they have been making a point of in the publicity, this is maybe the first version where muskets rather than just swords are actually featured, which is a nice touch.  Also I like that they are keeping with the dashing heroic characterizations from the book, rather than going all fucking "DARK" as so many adaptations do today in some kind of attempt to appear more "serious." 

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I love the 1973 version - at the time it came out people remarked on how gritty and authentically dirty it looked compared to previous versions.  Beautifully photographed and a fair amount of emphasis on the rich vs. poor stuff, without being preachy.

 

But really my favorite is the Douglas Fairbanks one from 1921 - now THAT is a swashbuckler.  Fairbanks is perfect, plus Barbara LaMarr is probably my favorite Milady and it's a trip to watch Eugene Pallette(!) as Aramis.

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I have to admit, I have never read the book. I have tried, but I could never get into it. My exposure, prior to this tv series to this story comes from the 1993 movie. I love both.

I have one question...in the book, was it ever mentioned if the Musketeers are equivalent to the Night's Watch or Kingsguard from Game of Thrones in that they can never marry or never father a child? Or is any of that even an issue?

Edited by Love
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I'll let someone whose read it more recently than I have address most of that, but my memory is that Athos, at least, is serving under an assumed name (which is why they almost lost me in a later episode when someone addresses him as if his birth name was Athos). Their opposite numbers at the time were the Cardinal's Guards, which is what Cyrano de Bergerac was.

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I have to admit, I have never read the book. I have tried, but I could never get into it. My exposure, prior to this tv series to this story comes from the 1993 movie. I love both.

I have one question...in the book, was it ever mentioned if the Musketeers are equivalent to the Night's Watch or Kingsguard from Game of Thrones in that they can never marry or never father a child? MOrmis any of that even an issue?

 

It's been a decade since I read the book, but I don't remember them actually addressing this issue. Being a musketeer is not a life long sentence and though and after the first book, the original three retire. All three of them resume their real names and live "civilian" lives. Porthos gets married, Athos becomes a nobleman again, and Aramis becomes a priest. None of them father children legitimately, but Athos has a ward named Raoul at some point in the sequel Twenty Years After.

 

I really liked the first book, but found it difficult to get into the other two.

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But really my favorite is the Douglas Fairbanks one from 1921 - now THAT is a swashbuckler.  Fairbanks is perfect, plus Barbara LaMarr is probably my favorite Milady and it's a trip to watch Eugene Pallette(!) as Aramis.

 

My favourite Milady has to be Lana Turner from 1948. She's just so alluring!

Aesthetically speaking, i think the cast of the 2011 3d version with flying ships was all well chosen to their parts - too bad the film was terrible... But i would have watched Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson swashbuckle with Matts Mikklesen's Rochefort - if only the film had a script.

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But i would have watched Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson swashbuckle with Matts Mikklesen's Rochefort - if only the film had a script.

Too true.  I also like Lana Turner as Milady - in fact she's one of the few good things in that bad version - but I just like Barbara LaMarr more.

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Ahh I didn't really love this one. D'Artagnan really seemed like an unlikely person to pick for this mission. The entire story meant to fool the baddy was weak and hastily put together. Wouldn't really fool anyone.. but I enjoyed Arthos being more normal and happy and enjoyed Cassandra and D'Artagnan.  Though he really doesn't have one splick of concern for her husband... he just walks up and kisses her whenever he wants.

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I'm a little ashamed to admit I have never seen any version of the Musketeers (which should probably be remedied immediately) but I highly enjoyed this! This seems like a great show for summer-- action and fun, some pretty eye-candy, but slightly more cerebral than a lot of summer fare.

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Ahh I didn't really love this one. D'Artagnan really seemed like an unlikely person to pick for this mission. The entire story meant to fool the baddy was weak and hastily put together. Wouldn't really fool anyone.. but I enjoyed Arthos being more normal and happy and enjoyed Cassandra and D'Artagnan.  Though he really doesn't have one splick of concern for her husband... he just walks up and kisses her whenever he wants.

Psst, it's Constance, not Cassandra ;)

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I did like Constance getting pissed that she was all worried about him and it was a set up.   He was never in too much danger (until they figured out he was a spy).   And methinks Milday finds D'Artagnan a delicious morsel she would like to enjoy.  

 

Porthos of course got the good lines "I think she likes you."

 

Which one said "He understands the Musketeers codes, every man for himself."

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Which one said "He understands the Musketeers codes, every man for himself."

Aramis did.

 

I admit, the whole spy setup was silly and transparent, but i still enjoyed the episode. The main villain tried to trick everyone, yet I felt some sympathy for him. Also, he came crazy prepared: when D'Artagnan opened the door and the extra fuses lit up? Well, nice thinking.

 

...and the spark between Anne and Aramis ignites. As Porthos observed, Aramis always aims high. But this one may actualy burn him.

 

The chemistry between the three Musketeers remains great. I think I could just watch them banter for half an hour...

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The way Aramis looks at Queen Anne when she is putting the necklace on him. Damn, girl, I think you in trouble.

 

Aramis too because Porthos says you can't look at the Queen like that.

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Ha, Aramis is awesome.  He would be the one who would go "You know, Richelieu's mistress was all fun and dandy, but you know what would be even better?  The Queen!  Time to hit on the Queen!"  Careless and potentially stupid?  Without a doubt.  But I love it.  Between this and his Lancelot on Merlin, Santiago Cabrera knows how to work the charm.

 

Not as good as the pilot, but I still find this show very fun.  My main issue was that I also didn't think D'Artagnan would or should have been the one to do this kind of undercover mission.  Really, the most believable thing was that the guy didn't fall for it and was playing his ass, but they just got lucky with bringing them him down (mainly thanks to him going into Bond villain mode, and not just finishing D'Artagnan on the spot.)  But, whatever.  The Mustketeers are still awesome and I continue to love Constance.

 

Milady though is hardcore, with her knifing the prostitute, and just wearing the queen's stolen necklace like that.  She gives zero fucks.  Careful, D'Artagnan.  She may be hot, but I have a feeling it would not be worth it in the slightest...

 

Strangely, I'm kind of digging King Lou.  He obviously strikes me as someone who shouldn't have this power, but the actor plays him in a way where I get the sense he knows this on some level, and his well-meaning in some ways.  His (and the Queen's) refusal to use body-doubles was potentially dangerous, but I kind of got where they were coming from.

Edited by thuganomics85
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D'Artagnan really seemed like an unlikely person to pick for this mission. The entire story meant to fool the baddy was weak and hastily put together. Wouldn't really fool anyone..

 

This had me slightly confused (not your post, but D'Artagnan's involvement). Is he already a Musketeer? Was this his initiation mission? It seems like he's been easily accepted into the company of Musketeers, including their captain, but he's not wearing the uniform and we didn't see him officially become a Musketeer. Or am I having a total brain fart and missed it in the first episode?

 

I did like that Jason Flemyng's character was not fooled at all by D'Artagnan and had even had a backup plan for if he managed to free himself and put out the fuse.

 

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D'Artagnan strikes me as one of those guys who's good-looking and a great fighter, but not too bright. Not the sharpest pencil in the box. I suppose they used him as the spy because he's not as well known as the others. Any of the other guys would be too high profile - I suspect all the criminals know them on sight.

 

I thought this episode was OK, although a bit lacking in both the plot and the Cardinal departments. 

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Ha, Aramis is awesome.  He would be the one who would go "You know, Richelieu's mistress was all fun and dandy, but you know what would be even better?  The Queen!  Time to hit on the Queen!"  Careless and potentially stupid?  Without a doubt.  But I love it.  Between this and his Lancelot on Merlin, Santiago Cabrera knows how to work the charm.

 

Not as good as the pilot, but I still find this show very fun.  My main issue was that I also didn't think D'Artagnan would or should have been the one to do this kind of undercover mission.  Really, the most believable thing was that the guy didn't fall for it and was playing his ass, but they just got lucky with bringing them him down (mainly thanks to him going into Bond villain mode, and not just finishing D'Artagnan on the spot.)  But, whatever.  The Mustketeers are still awesome and I continue to love Constance.

 

Milady though is hardcore, with her knifing the prostitute, and just wearing the queen's stolen necklace like that.  She gives zero fucks.  Careful, D'Artagnan.  She may be hot, but I have a feeling it would not be worth it in the slightest...

 

Strangely, I'm kind of digging King Lou.  He obviously strikes me as someone who shouldn't have this power, but the actor plays him in a way where I get the sense he knows this on some level, and his well-meaning in some ways.  His (and the Queen's) refusal to use body-doubles was potentially dangerous, but I kind of got where they were coming from.

Oh... wait. Do you mean to say that Aramis flinging himself onto Anne wasn't him being selfless?? Well, okay, maybe it was, but the lingering afterward? ;) I let myself rewind and laugh repeatedly over Cabrera's reactions over leaping on the bomb. Yes, honey, it was her blessing that kept you safe, not the fake-out bomb. Still, he did a great job with the whole thing.

 

D'Artagnan being the one for the mission makes sense a few days later. Since he isn't a Musketeer, he was the only one they had who could go in and think he was convincing Vadim that he wasn't a Musketeer. Like Kathira said, he's a good fighter, but not the best strategist, which is why I finally caught myself yelling at the TV when he was trying to stop the many burning fuses instead of RUNNING AWAY.

 

One more episode before I commit to telling the DVR whether or not to record it every week. :)

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I love this show! The chemistry really is fantastic between these actors. They are all so swagtastically dashing! Since he seems to get no love, I'll take Porthos.

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I like all of the Musketeers, including Treville, and remain surprised at how more I like Aramis than usual in this adaptation. Athos has been my default favorite since the book, so I tend to be a bit more judgmental about on-screen depictions. Which leads me to this nitpick. I'm rewatching episode 3--this is where Lady DeWinter addresses him as Athos as if it's his real first name and nearly made me sprain my eyeballs with the rolling--and I think I've figured out why I am not as in thrall to this Athos. He's too damn small. Tom Burke is a fine actor--he was very good in a thankless role in The Hour--but the outfit really emphasizes how thin he is and that his shoulders are a bit narrow (in my utterly subjective taste). ETA: Actually, I think he's kind of pigeon-chested. I am insanely shallow to be picking on him and it's not like I find him hideous or lacking in any other way. I just kind of expect Athos to have a bit more physical heft to him.

Edited by ABay
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Thanks, @Athena. They were filming near Prague while I was there last year, but unfortunately I didn't know that until I got home. Whenever it's pouring in the early episodes, I imagine it's the major rain that hit shortly after and flooded so much of Europe. The library they use quite often is, I believe, in a monastery near the castle in Prague and I think they also used Cesky Krumlov a lot. But I don't recognize the spot used as Holy Cross and it looks like a cool place to visit.

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 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.

 

 

I haven't seen him in anything else but I am disliking him more than anyone else. I think it is just that he is the resident grumpy puss with nothing else happening for him -- at the moment.

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"there goes my needlework"   Aramis was a bit too proud of his needlework.

 

"DO we look that stupid?"   Looks around at the others.   "Guess we are."  

 

Constance, for a married woman, you sure are jealous of anyone that D'Artagnan might be seeing.   Either you are a married woman who would never dream of such things or you need to admit how you feel.   You can't say you aren't available then get all mad about him playing around -- even if he isn't.   

 

Broken hearted Athos is hot.   Poor man.   He put duty before love.   Either way it would be hard to look himself in the mirror in the morning.   

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All men need hobbies and Aramis has a great Etsy store I'm sure.

 

I don't really care for the D'Artagnan/Constance show, and one of the reasons is her jealousy and how she acted in this ep.

 

Yeah, Athos does some decent angsting.

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"DO we look that stupid?"   Looks around at the others.   "Guess we are."  

 

That was funny. Though this wasn't my favorite episode ... porthos angst ugh... it did have some tidbits. I enjoyed the story of Arthos and his wife but boy will it be awkward when he finds out D'Artagnan slept with her.  I generally like Constance and D'artagnan but I do find it amazingly weird that she is just so completely open about wanting D'Artagnan. Kind of makes me feel bad for her husband.

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I am really enjoying this show so far, but there was a little too much of Athos and his manpain in this episode.  I thought that is was awful that at first, Athos seriously seemed like he was willing to let Porthos die just so he wouldn't have to go back to his home that he shared with his crazy dead/but not really dead wife.

 

I did love how horrified Gaius Baltar was by the brutishness of Athos punching Porthos unconscious.  "Prepare the patient."  Ha!

 

I understand where Constance is coming from.  She's clearly attracted to D'Artagnan, but she's a married woman who feels a duty to her husband.  She seems tempted, but I don't think she wants to be unfaithful.  I find it sort of strange that we have D'Artagnan and Aramis both going after married woman and we even had Aramis commenting to D'Artagnan (about Constance), "I think she likes you."  Apparently adultery wasn't that big of a deal?   

 

Aramis still remains my favorite.  He's just so darn charming and funny. 

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I understand where Constance is coming from.  She's clearly attracted to D'Artagnan, but she's a married woman who feels a duty to her husband.  She seems tempted, but I don't think she wants to be unfaithful.  I find it sort of strange that we have D'Artagnan and Aramis both going after married woman and we even had Aramis commenting to D'Artagnan (about Constance), "I think she likes you."  Apparently adultery wasn't that big of a deal?   

 

Aramis still remains my favorite.  He's just so darn charming and funny. 

 

Adultery for public figures is still not that big of a deal in France. It's not exceptional by any means. It is dangerous since Constance's husband knows D'Artagnan I think and Aramis keeps flirting with women who are engaged or married to the most powerful men in France.

 

Porthos was funny in this episode. The show is starting to become a bit of a historical fiction procedural. Every episode they have a mission and the characters have defining moments amidst it all.

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Constance is beginning to get on my nerves. All I see is a grown married woman mooning over a teenage looking boy. But I guess that aspect is here to stay. Nice learning more about Porthos. Sick of the other ones manpain already. Wasn't paying much attention, but his "dead" wife is the chick trying to screw over D'Art, right? I did have to laugh when she mysteriously appeared and disappeared so D'Art wouldn't see her. Good thing the script called for him not to turn around at an inopportune time.

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Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of slavery (duh!) but I found the anti-slavery rants in last night's show too heavy-handed, given the general mindset of the historic time period. Porthos' mother was a slave = Porthos hates slavery = Porthos thinks Bonnaire is scum. Repeat ad infinitum. Okay. WE. GET. IT.

So of course, the Musketeers had to trick Bonnaire into getting captured by the Spanish officers at the end. IMO, wouldn't it have been more realistic (and more daring on the writers' part) to let Bonnaire sail off in his slave ship and get away with it? Ah well, nobody watches this show for subtlety anyhow.

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The stuff with Athos was necessary I suspect, but I do agree that it went heavy into the angst and manpain territory, which was kind of boring at times.  I mean, yikes!  He not only had his brother die and it was by his wife's hands, but he was the one that order her execution (and, obviously, the wife was Milday, which just adds even more craziness to it.)  I did like how it seemed to establish a deeper bond between Athos and D'Artagnan at the end, but hopefully it won't be cutting too much into the fun.

 

Porthos stuff was also a bit heavy, but I enjoyed it, because he was probably the least developed musketeers at the moment, so I was glad we got more of his back-story, and how he became a musketeer.

 

Constance was getting into jealous territory there, but I overall still like her a lot.  I do think some of her problem with it was that Milady was so obviously bad news.  D'Artagnan better watch his ass, because nothing good would come out of getting involved with her.  Just ask Athos (oh, I can't wait to when both of them find out she's the same lady.)  But I hope Constance isn't just going to be pining for D'Artagnan the entire season.

 

James Callis was fun as hell as Emile.  While I figured they would find some way to take him out, I can't see this being wrapped up.  Since he made a deal with Richelieu, wouldn't Richelieu eventually find out Spain captured him, and be able to figure out someone betrayed him?  And there would have to be some witnesses in the bar, that saw the musketeers around Emile, before he "left", so I would think Richelieu would figure it out, and kick up a fuss.

 

Aramis continues to be my favorite.  Loved his pride over his needlework, and he would be the one who would prevent the musketeers from stopping a woman-on-woman fight.  But I really want to see more of him inappropriately hitting on the Queen!

 

Still finding this to be one of the most enjoyable shows this summer.

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