Hot Off The Press - The Musketeers episode 10

Through the highs and a few low(ish) points, episode nine put The Musketeers back on track, setting up for a dramatic conclusion, having seen the Cardinal and Milady trying to cover their tracks after an unsuccessful attempt on the Queen's life. Things looked to be in their favour but it wasn't long before the musketeers started to close in and have a pretty good idea of who was responsible. Now at the end of the season, they must chose their moment carefully when to expose the enemy, but first they must gain their trust. Full spoilers to follow!

Kicking off the pre-credits action, a drunk Athos threatens to kill Milady point-blank but d'Artagnan intervenes and takes a bullet for her, gaining her trust in the process, but making him an enemy of the King's Musketeers. But wait! It was all a sting, and with d'Artagnan now on the inside, he is able to assist in the setup of the Cardinal in what has to be the best scene of the episode. Watching Peter Capaldi from going all-powerful to then seeing the carpet pulled from beneath his feet was brilliant, providing a great sense of pay-off having seen him cheat and twist his way to this point. The way Capaldi tries to keep his composure as the knowing Queen approaches was fantastic, owing much to his flawless performance that delivers weight, yet never going too far to the point of overacting. 

In many ways this was Capaldi's episode as I look back, but maybe thats because I forget about a rather bland cameo that, as a character (not the actor's fault), delivered little to the story, serving as just a plot device. It was in these scenes that the story dragged and I wanted to get back to the action where the charismatic musketeers were plotting their attack on Capaldi, all the while he was trying to maintain his cover. 

That said, there was still plenty of excitement following the Cardinal's reveal, with a silly-but-fun action sequence where the team shoot and slice their way through the enemy lines to rescue Constance and stop Milady, which proved to be pretty exciting. Unlike d'Artagnan's duel with Vinnie Jones, his fight with tonight's cameo brought the moves, the tension and the brutality, so when the villain finally bit the dust, it was both a relief and an achievement. As well upping the action and continuing with ever-enjoyable banter between the musketeers, the drama, which had sometimes been a weak point, was certainly at its strongest. But, with the Cardinal still alive and well by the end, there is the small problem of Capaldi not returning for a second season. 

While I enjoy the musketeers and am interested to see where the show will take them now Milady has left the scene (for now), I want to see how the Cardinal's relationship with the Queen will develop, following her knowledge about him that she has chosen to keep secret from the King. Alas, we may never know, unless they recast the role, but Capaldi's absence will take something away. Not only is he a brilliant actor but the character was also the driving force behind many of the episodes which will be lost. 

Overall, season one of The Musketeers established its characters well, brought a fair balance of humour, action and drama, while supported by brilliant attention detail in its production design and lush cinematography. While there were certainly flaws with some episodes proving stronger than others, a second season is no bad thing, but with Capaldi out of the picture, how well the show performs could see it cut off before it reaches its conclusion. However, I remain hopeful that the show will find someone suitable to fill the hole that Capaldi has left and continue to improve, just as how the recent episodes have done, even if this wasn't quite the perfect end to the first season, it's still a decent start.