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Tuesday 14 June 2016

The Musketeers 3.8 "Prisoner of War" Review

                                          Image result for the-musketeers prisoner-of-war photos
Anne (Alexandra Dowling) has been sending messages to her brother, Philip in Spain in the hopes of peace and she sends Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) with a letter to meet with Spanish envoys at a secret location, without knowledge or consent of Louis (Ryan Gage) or Treville (Hugo Speer)  Of course Grimaud (Matthew McNulty) happens to overhear everything they say, being able to lurk and sneak about everywhere, including the palace still.  She's worried for France as Louis grows weaker and takes too much of his new medicine, he's in pain.

The Musketeers take Spanish generals to the prison and tell Marcheaux (Matt Stokoe) to treat them with respect. Porthos (Howard Charles) tells him to treat them how they'd expect to be treated and he replies that they slaughtered French soldiers and are to be hanged the next day.  Aramis rides to the rendevous point but is met by Grimaud and his men who take him hostage, sending demands to the Queen. The Spanish prisoners must be released in exchange for Aramis.  Also Gaston (Andre Flynn) is behind the attempt too as he wants Anne discredited and removed from the throne.  He has the backing of  the Duke of Lorraine (Robert Glenister) who wants the prisoners in his hands and Aramis killed.  However Grimaud has his own agenda for the Musketeers as he tells Gaston, they are his.

Louis wanders off and he ends up in the garden, hallucinating and passes out.  Treville has the Musketeers search for him and he is found by D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino).  Louis says he saw Milady De Winter (Maimie McCoy) and is taken back to his quarters.  Treville tells them of his medicine.  Later he finds a handkerchief at Louis's side bearing her mark of the flower.  He heads to his quarters and finds her hiding there.  He says if he was going to be killed, he'd already be dead. She wants money from Louis since they were on good terms, but Treville instead says he will give her a retainer for her services.  She denies she's an assassin any longer even if she did kill the Duke's son.
Milady: "I'm disappointed by your calm demeanour.  I'd hoped for shock, panic.  Even a faint note of surprise would've been nice."  Alas no,  he doesn't seem to be surprised at anything which makes him truly a politician.  Compared to Athos (Tom Burke) who wasn't told about Milady being here, but promptly drops his apple upon seeing her, they kiss and embrace and then he leaves her for Sylvie (Thalissa Treixeira) an odd reunion if ever there was one.  Especially as she later asks what he'll do, kill her.  Well we all know how the story goes, but in this case there was dramatic licence, as always.

Treville says he will spare the Spanish prisoners but not by Royal Assent as he agrees to the men being exchanged for Aramis.  They must take the prisoners.  They arrive before they are hanged as Marcheaux has sped up their execution and are met by the wrath of the people.  Also D'Artagnan sees his cousin Espoir (Tim McCall) there who is also being hanged as he is a thief. D'Artagnan wants to take him too but Marchauex doesn't let him.  He pleads that he's French and all he did was steal bread whilst the Spanish are set free.  The Musketeers finally take the men and D'Artagnan takes Espoir. They meet in secret and he tells them about the farm being razed to the ground and how he came to Paris to find work and make an honest living but didn't find any work.  Athos agrees to him going with them but only if he's released before they reach their destination.  They think it could be a trap and the seal of the Spanish could have been forged.  Athos storms out of there when he finds out and will deal with Aramis himself.

Milady heads to the garrison and finds out about Athos and Sylvie and she will wait for him.  (See above).  Constance (Tamla Kari) tells Sylvie about the Queen wanting the poor to be educated and she can use the press to this end, as she prints out ages to be distributed to the poor to help them read. She asks about Athos and Constance explains he's well and she will tell him she asked after him, but Sylvie doesn't want her to. Grimaud holds Aramis suspended and he takes his cross from him and throws it into the fire, he doesn't need to fear God or anyone else, only him, after Aramis tells him about his mother and how she was brutalized by the soldiers.  Grimaud calls her weak, but Aramis says she was strong.

D'Artagnan releases Espoir as Athos tells him to and they make camp.  He takes him to a clearing where he stumbles upon Grimaud and his men holding Aramis as D'Artagnan sees his horse.  They plan a raid to free him and Athos asks if Espoir can shoot.  Seems after all that fighting, Grimaud once again escapes as was obvious he would and Espoir saves Athos from being shot.  Aramis is held as a shield by Grimaud and he tells Porthos to shoot him but he doesn't, allowing him to flee.  Aramis is angry they didn't shoot him, seems like he should've had a go and he wouldn't have missed, even if he was still shackled.  He's angry and Athos asks why he didn't tell them about the Anne's plans.  He replies he wants peace.  Don't they all.  They return to the palace and Aramis wants to speak with Louis himself but she doesn't want him to.  Anne hands out money to the poor in the street and they distribute leaflets with her seal on it depicting Anne and her lover.

Grimaud and Marcheaux planned this after Marcheaux shows Grimaud the leaflet being distributed by Sylvie to educate the poor.  The Musketeers rescue Anne and take her back to the place, as Athos storms out when he finds out what's happening to Sylvie.
Athos meets Milady and she says they're still married asking about Sylvie, he asks what she's done with her and she replies she's all right.  He rushes to find her and discovers she's been arrested for the leaflets and is about to be flogged.  Sylvie pleads with Marcheaux that there's no going back after this for him but he doesn't care.  The Musketeers arrive as Athos stops him and Marcheaux tells him he's disobeying the king's orders.

Anne wants to explain to Louis but he doesn't want to listen and mumbles "Spanish harlot," as he walks past her.  She wanted to give the crown a good reputation by helping the poor but Louis didn't want that.
Milady accept Trevilles offer.
Milady: "I'll kill for you."
Treville: "Not for me, for the crown."
Milady:" Spoken like a true politician."
Treville: "seems we've both found our place."
A bit of a funny conversation when Treville tells Athos he's a captain now and Treville's reminded he wasn't always a politician himself.  Also Gaston calling Anne a "bitch", hmm getting past the BBC censors, we'll wait and see.

Seems the title was apt considering Aramis is in many ways a prisoner, not only of war, but his love for Anne and not being able to see his child, as well as for his circumstances and not being able to find and get the peace that he so gravely desires.  A lot of scenarios being set up here for the series finale and yet the treachery continues from Grimaud, being the key villain in this series, he always gets away!

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