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POLL : What did you think of The Musketeers - Episode 1.01?

19 Jan 2014

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39 comments:

  1. Patrick Maloney19 January 2014 at 22:02

    Awful

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  2. Sharon Seymour19 January 2014 at 22:04

    Wow, what an insightful comment.

    How did you even watch it so quickly if you're based in the USA?

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  3. Sandi19 January 2014 at 22:45

    I went with Great, which for me is high praise....I very rarely give top marks for an episode of any show, but I'm in a good mood this evening so I'm probably being more generous than I would normally be.


    An opening episode with a large(ish) cast can be hard to set up, but I think they did well. New comers to the genre probably have a good understanding of the characters and those that already know them well enough should be able to see how they are to be portrayed this time round. As I said in my preview, I hope that the romance/angst angle isn't played on too heavily as that is a possibility from this, but the politics and camaraderie angle have also played heavily too so we shall see,


    I think my only real issue was that I wasn't overly keen on all of Murray Gold's incidental music, but that's a running problem I have with Doctor Who too so it might just be a personal bugbear. I would have preferred a more French sounding soundtrack, a friend and I both thought it sounded more Irish and I've also seen it described as wild west and Mexican on Twitter this evening XD

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  4. Daniel Maloney20 January 2014 at 04:04

    You don't deserve that last name...

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  5. swanpride20 January 2014 at 14:19

    I admit, I had a bad feeling when this ep started. It was fairly obvious that they wouldn't stick to the stories and everything seemed so overcrowded. But it got better and better. While it is more "based on" than a straightforward adaptation, they did capture the spirit of it and found the perfect balance between realism and fun. They had me with the fight between d'Artagnan and Athos.
    The plot itself was predictable, but I don't mind predictable if it is sold well. And this one was sold well. Perhaps a little bit overcrowded (it might have been better to introduce some character and storylines in the following episodes instead of trying to establish everything at once), but nevertheless well done how even something as simple as a card game, which initially seemed just to be there as character establishing moment, became important later on.
    Athos is a little bit young for my taste, and there are some other minors points, but all in all, it was well shot, well acted, and full of potential. I went with "Great" for now, because I rarely give the "awesome" label.

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  6. László Harsányi20 January 2014 at 15:17

    I wouldn't say it was great, but it was good, entertaining. I was a bit afraid how would they do the detour from a closed story to make a "to be continued..." series, but they passed the exam. I agree, the whole Athos-Mylady plot was too early to bring up. Those who know the source, they know their backstory, those - I think very - few, who don't, well, I think it would have been a nice twist later for them. While the male cast is good, neither the Mylady nor Constance was convincing to me, I couldn't feel the vibe. I was surprised how quickly they get rid of the mistress of Richelieau - a pity, she was the prettiest of the three. :(

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  7. lily20 January 2014 at 15:45

    I liked it. And i was extremely biased because i didn't like the promotional photos of the cast. But in motion they are a likable bunch of people

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  8. DarqueMode20 January 2014 at 17:35

    It was pretty good to me.
    I did have a couple issues though...


    Like others mentioned, the music was just bad
    It tended to pull me out of the scenes more than enhance the scenes. At times it was just too loud, and at others it was out of place and yet other times it was out of style. Their is such a natural music to sword play that was regrettably lost, but maybe that will get better in the future.


    Also, he tonal balance was not quite right for me. It was too serious to be a campy adventure series, but not serious enough to be serious drama. Some of the one-liners were not clever or even funny and took me out of the drama. Yet it really seemed to attempt to be a serious drama. Something just felt a bit off to me I guess...


    Aside from the musical score and that bit of identity crisis, I thought it was fairly good. It has a number of solid actors I have limed in other projects, but Tom Burke and Peter Capaldi stood out to me, as well as Hugo Speer I guess.


    The action scenes were very good apart from the one or two times stunt men had to pause a beat or two too long before being hit by the brunt end of a musket or punched in the face etc... The acting was solid all around, but I'm not sure the writing was doing the actors justice. A few scenes felt like they "just missed" and with better writing or directing they would have hit with more impact or humor.


    Overall I would rate it a C+ I think, maybe a B-at times.
    I think for those that want a bit of swashbuckling that can look past the show's flaws it will be a nice addition to TV watch lists.

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  9. swanpride20 January 2014 at 17:51

    Honestly, who doesn't know? I think it is better that they brought the "twist" up early on, because 95% of the audience knew about it already. The only other option would have been to not mention it at all until a later episode, but apparently they are set on making it the character defining moment for Athos.
    I'm okay with Constance and yeah, too bad about the mistress, but so far, I think Mylady is miscast. They went too much "femme fatale" and forgot that one of the most important aspects of her character is that she looks like an angel and is good in convincing others that she really is one.

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  10. László Harsányi20 January 2014 at 18:16

    I agree, the Mylady is a miscast. Regarding the plotline: as they have completely omitted the branding part (we saw her shoulders, there are no lily) and generally diverted from the original story, not to mention the reinventing of Mrs Bonacieux, I could have lived with the fact if they change that part a bit as well.


    Yes, they probably wanted to emphasise that moment in Athos's life, but IMHO it was counterproductive. First, it didn't give any relevant information - just as you said, who didn't know it? Second, YMMV, but to me it is a bad approach when the creators practically try to give a checklist of what topics will arises in the next episodes. The result is that there are no time for settling the story and the characters. To me if a pilot has a strong atmosphere, a good tone in the dialogues and it makes me curious to know more about the characters, that's when I want to watch it on the next week too. IMHO that sole scene when Athos looked at the flower in his medallion would have been enough from this plotline in the premiere.

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  11. swanpride20 January 2014 at 19:12

    Perhaps the brand is elsewhere. We'll see. I am not too bothered about the changes because, well, the original was more than a little uneven since it was basically a serial, and as long as the keep the "she is married" part, I am okay with it. If they are less cavalier about the fact that she falls in love with someone else (honestly, with the books I always wondered what exactly her husband did to deserve that aside from not being a dashing hero), that's a plus for me.
    They had to establish the fact that this plays a role though and wasn't just something they omitted. It's all a little bit rushed and like I said, they could have waited with one or two storylines a little bit, but I am ready to wait until they settle in a rhythm.
    Mylady is a problem though. She is the most layered figure in the books (this in mind, I actually approve an emphasis on her past with Athos - they did the angle in the musical, and it worked really well), but I am not sure if the actress can carry the part convincingly.

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  12. Setheriel20 January 2014 at 19:41

    Just finished it. Not bad. Not great either. Must say that the music score is up there with the worst I have ever heard in a T.V. show. Just did not fit at all. This will probably end up being a DVR show that I'll catch up on in the summer or something.

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  13. SweetiePie21 January 2014 at 04:04

    I really want to start watching this, but the comments here are quite unenthusiastic. Merlin has been the best adventure show so far on BBC in my honest opinion.

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  14. Bailey21 January 2014 at 06:08

    I've been so strapped for time I haven't had a chance to give my detailed perspective, but if my random-stranger-opinion counts at all to you, I really liked it and encourage you to give it a shot. It's my favorite thing that I've watched in a while.


    There are a few things in the other comments I agree with (I felt like Athos' story was rushed & am feeling a little dubious about Mylady's casting, etc.) But the music didn't bother me like it did others, and I found the episode to be a fun/good incarnation of The Musketeer portrayals and a good set up for the season. It's a little darker and deeper than Merlin, imo, but felt adventurous too. Even the things that bothered me or that I feel dubious about, weren't/aren't remotely big enough to turn me away. I think a story that is so well known by so many is bound to draw critique, even when viewers may on the whole enjoy what they're watching or the story they're being told. That's true for me too - I may cock my head and think, "That was an interesting choice for the writers/producers to make there," but I'm willing to go with it and see what they come up with.


    On another note: I grow to like Santiago Cabrera more and more in each role I see him in, and that was especially true in this. I really liked his Aramis, better than his Lancelot, and enjoyed the other characters too. Good camaraderie. Good brotherhood. Looking forward to more.

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  15. Anna21 January 2014 at 08:41

    Looks promising. Will watch couple of episodes before I decide wether I'm following it or not

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  16. Juliet21 January 2014 at 12:09

    I ALSO thought the first episode was great! The cast is lovely. The only character I honestly didn't like was Milady. I don't know if it's the actress playing Milady or the character, to be honest. I mean, I don't think the viewers are supposed to like her anyway since she is evil. I really loved Constance, though. I think the actress is a perfect choice for Constance. I saw her on Being Human. She's really talented. And I absolutely loved the Constance/d'Artagnan moments! They were pretty funny together. Especially their first meeting. The way that Constance kept saving him was refreshing! Normally, you get men saving women. So it was nice to see Constance having d'Artagnan's back the whole time. I also thought both actors had great chemistry together. There is definite attraction there. When you said earlier that there will be 2 triangles, I never would have guessed that you meant that Constance was married. That was a shock. I don't think we've seen that in the films before. I wonder why the writers made that change. But that's what you meant by two triangles, right? One with Constance/husband/D'Artagnan and the other with Milady/Othos/D'Artagnan, right? I don't really see it as a triangle with Milady though because she's purely evil. I mean, she killed a priest in just the first episode! As for Constance's husband, I think there is something fishy about him. I get the sense that perhaps he doesn't even like women. Hmmm. I don't know. Something is off there with Constance's marriage. She doesn't seem like the type to spend that much time on another man while being married in the "traditional" sense. Plus, any other husband would have been at least a bit bothered by her spending so much time with D'Artagnan. I would assume that anyway. But yeah, so far, I'm happy with the writers being faithful to Constance/D'Artagnan's romance even with the hubby situation. As I've mentioned, I think there is more to the story there than meets the eye.

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  17. Sandi21 January 2014 at 12:31

    Yeah, the two triangles are D'Artagnan/Constance/husband and D'Artagnan/Milady/Athos. Both of those are in the books though as far as I remember, so Constance having a husband isn't a change that the writers have made I don't think. I guess her husband will go the same way as in the books too, like you say it's a bit of an odd set up and she definitely has more chemistry with him than what we saw of her with her husband. I didn't particularly like her character of Pearl in Being Human (though she portrayed it very well) but I liked her a lot in this. I also liked Milady though, I thought she was fabulously evil and maligned, a perfect partner in crime for the Cardinal for now :)


    I think filming has finished, not 100% sure though, I guess post production may still be ongoing though.

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  18. Sandi21 January 2014 at 12:43

    I was kinda the same, the promo stuff didn't grab me very much at all but the episode was pretty good.

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  19. Sandi21 January 2014 at 12:47

    Kinda glad to hear that the music being off putting wasn't just a problem for me but for others here too. Murray Gold can be brilliant, but does tend to over egg the pudding too often imo, I prefer to let scenes speak for themselves sometimes rather than be bamboozled and drowned out with music.

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  20. Sandi21 January 2014 at 12:53

    Great, balanced write up Bailey! I totally agree that as it's such a well known topic that it's bound to draw more critique/comparison.

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  21. Sandi21 January 2014 at 12:55

    As a huge Merlin fan myself, I would urge you to give this a go as it's probably a much closer adventure type show to Merlin than many of the other offerings that the BBC has :)

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  22. DarqueMode21 January 2014 at 13:06

    I would try it if I were you...
    I think many of the negatives people have noted many people will not even notice, or if they do notice they will not mind.


    For me overpowering music is a pet peeve and I simply cannot ignore it or overlook it.


    I agree with you about Merlin being the best adventure series BBC has offered in a while. The tone of this show is less campy than Merlin, maybe it's trying to be more adult or more of a serious drama? I think some of my issues with the overall tone will be worked out as the series matures and finds itself.
    I hope.

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  23. Juliet21 January 2014 at 13:06

    I loved Rebecca De Mornay as Milady. I thought she was perfect. I just don't know about Maimie's potrayal of her. Something feels off to me. In Rebecca's portrayal, I felt like her Milady was multi-layered, not all evil. But in the episode I just saw, it feels like this Milady is all evil without any signs of having a heart. But perhaps, that's what the writers are going for. I haven't read the books in a while. So my mistake about the husband! I guess what I meant to say was that I don't recall seeing Constance having a husband in any of the recent film versions of The Musketeers. In films, they usually leave that out, at least in the recent ones. But anyway, I loved the whole episode. I thought Tamla was a stand out. Her Constance was spunky and fiesty with a lot of heart. I liked her. I liked Luke in this role, too. Athos is played by Tom who I saw in The Poirot. So I liked him a lot in that role and in this one, too. Over all, it was enjoyable. As long as they don't go all "love triangle/quad" bs, I'm good. I LOVED that Constance and D'Artagnan had a lot of scenes and interaction in this episode. And some really poignant moments. Their chemistry feels very natural and genuine! Good casting!

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  24. Sandi21 January 2014 at 13:37

    Yeah, I think the only downside to Maimie's Milady is that she does seem a bit one note evil, and they seem to be placing the blame for that firmly on Athos's shoulders (and his brooding nature right back on hers). This is one of the reasons I am a lil concerned that they may play the shipping angle/angst thing a bit too heavily for my liking, I'd prefer to have the Cardinal as the puppet master pulling the strings in the background manipulating everyone than having people seeking their own revenge if that makes sense?

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  25. Sandi21 January 2014 at 13:43

    I think a lot of people saw this as the natural replacement for Merlin when it was announced, rather than Atlantis. Many even thought that this was going to be on Saturday teatime right up until a few weeks ago, even thou it's a 10 part hour long format rather than a 13 part 40 minute one, and had blood in the promos which is something that just wouldn't be allowed pre-watershed.

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  26. DarqueMode21 January 2014 at 13:56

    Interesting.
    I never considered this as the replacement of Merlin, but I did think Atlantis was. Like you said, totally different format to the series and the air time makes a huge difference too.


    I looked at Musketeers as more like a US Cable series in format. Longer episodes, more adult themed etc..


    Maybe my incorrect expectations were part of the reason I had issues with the tone. BBC can be more graphic and adult themed than most network TV series, but it cannot be as adult as most US cable series. So It falls into a middle ground I am less accustomed to. Maybe more similar to Ripper Street, Copper, Orphan Black and shows of that ilk.

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  27. Sandi21 January 2014 at 14:19

    The watershed is a funny thing in the UK, after 9pm you can have blood and suggested nudity/sex (16+ material), but full frontal/etc (18+ material) doesn't tend to happen until after 10pm. It's basically called 'gentle progression' to adult material. As this is a 9pm show, it's aimed at the mid teens to adult range. The BBC, and the other channels, have far more graphic content on after 10pm; in films, own content and bought in content on all their channels over here, not sure what BBC America's policies are though?

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  28. DarqueMode21 January 2014 at 14:43

    Just a few years ago showing a bare bum on network TV (no matter the time) made the national news here! XD


    Now suggested nudity is more common, but still not the norm even in the 10pm EST/ 9pm CST hour. Basic Cable channels like FX get away with more violence and more suggested nudity, but it is still mostly bare butts or close ups of women wearing revealing lingerie with the occasional implied bare breast hidden by shadow.


    Premium Cable channels do whatever they want of course and while the original programming may air at 10pm they often have reruns or marathons airing throughout the day. So there is no real time cut-off for those series.


    I guess there is the rated MA (mature audiences) programming on premium channels like Cinemax etc (nicknamed Skin-emax), they are basically soft core porn and those only air after 10pm as far as I know.Never watched any of those series with any regularity honestly.
    *shrug*

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  29. Sandi21 January 2014 at 15:10

    I watch Banshee from Cinemax, so I assume most of their stuff is along those lines. It's not very realistic in some ways, but I think it's very well done/choreographed and has a great plot so I can get into the show as a whole. Not aware of any of their other shows though so can't really comment on them. There are other shows where the soft porn/we can so it so we will does get on my nerves though, I have to ask myself if this really does bring in viewers, cos surely in this age of the internet it's easier to get better stuff without paying for a prem channel anyway if that's what you are into?! lol

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  30. Juliet21 January 2014 at 22:24

    I don't think the writers will get too into the whole Athos/Milady thing because she appears to have no heart. I mean, killing the priest like that in cold blood without any hesitation? I don't think fans will rooting for Milady at all. At least, I'm not. I think for a pairing to work, you'd need to at least have characters that have some sort of human qualities. Otherwise, why would anyone root for Athos/Milady? However, in comparison, I'm already rooting for Constance and D'Aartagnan because both characters have layers and interesting qualities. I think Tamla and Luke have great chemistry together. I saw a lot of sparks in their scenes together. As a person who does love romance, that's really nice to see. Otherwise, it would be just a show about men fighting! Also, their first meeting with him kissing her in order to hide was pretty classic and unique! I loved that moment a lot! Do you think there will be a second season of the show? I just checked the ratings for the first episode. And the ratings were solid. But not "huge." Anyway, I'm liking the show. So I hope there will be more seasons! What do you think? Were the ratings good enough for another season? I know it's still too early. But I wonder what the show has to get in order to get a season 2 pick up.

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  31. Sandi22 January 2014 at 09:05

    I don't think anyone would root for Milady/Athos, but their background before things turned sour looks like it's going to feature quite prominently and their behaviour now seems to be because of their relationship woes with each other. Athos's friendship with D'Artagnan will also be tested I assume once he finds out about who he is pining for atm, so I can see the three of them doing a little dance for an episode or two, hopefully no longer than that.

    The rating were very strong (7.41m/28.9% versus it's nearest other competitor, Mr Selfridge S2 opener on ITV of 5.27m/20.5%), but it really depends more on the drop off over the next few weeks rather than opening night figures. As it's a co-production with BBC America, and therefore the costs are shared rather than just coming from the Licence Fee, I would imagine that it will be renewed unless it drops to, say, under 5m in the next 2-3 weeks.

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  32. Juliet22 January 2014 at 09:39

    Thanks! Now that I think about it, didn't Being Human get like less than 1 million viewers in its first season? And it still got a season 2. So hopefully, there will be more seasons of The Musketeers. Also, I only see D'Artagnan having a physical attraction to Milady. Going by the first episode, he definitely has more of an emotional connection to Constance. So hopefully, the writers won't have D'Artagnan suddenly fall for Milady. That would be something I'd hate. From what I can tell in the first episode, D'Artagnan definitely likes Constance a lot and on a more emotional level. And going by promos, he'll grow closer to Constance. So I hope there won't actually be any silly triangles. Plus, the actress playing Milady is at least 10 years older than Luke. So Milady/D'Artagnan look odd to me. Since Milady is a killer, I don't see her getting any happiness. I just HOPE they won't kill off Constance like in the novels. That is something that does concern me. I want for Constance to stay on the show for its entire run and for the writers to change the ending. For them to actually let Constance/D'Artagnan end up together and happy and married.

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  33. Sandi22 January 2014 at 10:30

    We can't really compare audience figures with Being Human as it was on BBC3, and in its early days as a channel, at the time those figures were huge for it and even now they would be pretty big for a show on there. BBC 1 is a different kettle of fish I'm afraid and needs to compete with ITV rather than C5/Dave type figures. My guess, atm, is that there will be more seasons, but that is only a guess at present, overall it seems to be getting more favourable reviews, the negatives ones mainly seem to be coming from the Murdoch (Sky/biased) side of the press from what I can see and can be pretty much ignored imo.


    Oh sure, it's only a physical thing with Milady, he's just lost his father don't forget and this attractive older woman has just initiated the whole thing with him. I think he will be infatuated with her for a while, and she will use him even more once she finds out how close he is to Athos. There's real drama there, esp as at the end of it Athos and D'Artagnan will be closer than ever, so they would be silly not to explore it imo. Like I say thou, I just hope it's not something that drags on for too long, I haven't read the books in a couple of decades so I can't recall exactly how long their affair lasts, but I'm sure it's not a huge long winded one?


    I have episode 2, going to watch it this afternoon so hope to have the preview up later on today :)

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  34. lily22 January 2014 at 12:14

    The only thing i didn't like how cardinal killed two people in the end just to let us know he means business, so we would get it he is a formidable opponent. I didn't feel it. You can either pull the villain part or you fail miserably and no amount of killing for the sake of killing is going to convince the audience you are scary

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  35. Juliet22 January 2014 at 12:16

    You're lucky to get episode 2! Let us know what you think! :) I don't know too much about ratings. So thanks for that info.

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  36. Sandi22 January 2014 at 16:02

    No worries, you're welcome.

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  37. Sandi22 January 2014 at 22:09

    Have to agree with you there I guess, it's a kind of cartoon villainy almost isn't it. There are parts of the episode I loved Capaldi in, generally how he manipulated the king, and others where I didn't really feel it.

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  38. Nimueh12324 January 2014 at 20:47

    I enjoyed the first episode all in all. It is well made and the actors are doing fine. Constance seems a tad too old for D'Artagnan, but that is probably just me. I have always enjoyed the musketeer stories and like new takes on them. So I am in and am looking forward to episode 2.
    This is certainly miles better than Atlantis!

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  39. Lou8 April 2014 at 01:59

    I thought it was OK actually, Capaldi and Santiago Cabrera characters were my favourites. Some of the 'twists' were predictable but it was watchable and fun and the kind of show I need on a Sunday night before having work the next day. Look forward to more.

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