Hot Off The Press - The Musketeers episode 4

Those two long weeks until the next episode will feel even longer given how tonight's cracker of an episode really upped the anti with political intrigue, conspiracy and betrayal in BBC's The Musketeers. Minor spoilers to follow.

Unlike the last three previous episodes, this time the musketeers shared the limelight with the King and his Cardinal when the Duke of Savoy visits. However, things don't go to plan when the Duke is nearly assassinated upon arriving. As a munhunt starts to breakout through the beautiful grounds of the King's palace, Aramis finds the would-be assassin who turns out to be an old comrade who saved his life five years ago when their men were murdered by people who they believed to be the Spanish, until now...

What I liked so much more about this episode was that it wasn't so straight forward as say, the enjoyable second episode, where we knew who the bad guy was and how it will likely end. This time around, the musketeers were having to continue with their duties while uncertain of the very person ordering them, all the while being caught amidst political tensions.

Speaking of politics, at long last, Peter Capaldi plays a much larger and far more interesting role as Cardinal Richelieu. Having been stationed in the background for some time, it was great to see him come to the forefront, where we learned further about his deceptive past. Along with the King, their confrontations with the Duke hint towards where the series might be going, with the King's very own sister playing spy while married to the Duke himself.

Despite the inevitable confrontation at the end, which felt like it could have gone another way and been better and all the more original for it, the was certainly a great episode. Visually, the show continues to look fantastic, and with more episodes like this which are spent building the character's world and develop the story, instead of the villain-of-the-week scenario, the future for The Musketeers looks stronger than I expected. Even more so now it's been confirmed for a second season.