One of the things I like the most about this adaptation is that the characters do actually use the muskets that their title derives from as well as the sword play that we generally get with the genre. Just about every skirmish in this episode makes use of some sort of firearm or explosive, which works especially well in the riot scenes and in one where D'Artagnan is rescued, again, by a lady with a pistol.
There is some lovely character development on the whole in this episode, especially with the Musketeers themselves and the Bonacieuxs', but there are a couple of people whose motivation I am still a little unsure of. One is someone whom Aramis starts getting close to this week; yes he’s the dashing, romantic hero, but we've not seen any real reason for this lady's eye to start wandering towards another man as yet, especially when it would be so dangerous for her to do so. It also makes a bit of a mockery of his undying love for Adele last week when he starts appreciating, and even perhaps encouraging, her advances.
With Vadim (
Jason Flemyng;
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,
Primeval) wreaking much of the havoc this week Richelieu has his hands full just trying to keep the royal family safe, so there isn't a great deal of evil scheming from him this week. As working with Treville and the Musketeers doesn't come easy he does find himself once again turning to Milady to try and uncover the notorious criminals hideout, but can she be trusted to have his best interests at heart? For someone so used to art of deception he should be able to see right through the game that she seems to be playing, but it seems that for now she still has the upper hand on him.
Sleight of Hand airs at 9pm on Sunday 26th January on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD, below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you think.
“I told you I am not a musketeer, I'm a wanted man on the run”
“Servants are like rats, they will find all manner of secret exits and entrances”
“It wasn't only murder that made our night together memorable, you’re at the crossroads D'Artagnan, don’t take the wrong path, choose the musketeers and you choose oblivion”
“Look, if I knew any more I'd tell you, I don't want to hang”
“Common sense is for commoners, not for kings, I will not have it said that the son of Henry IV is a coward”
“The secret to a good trick? Make people look the wrong way”
“How many ways can a man think of to get himself killed?”
“D'Artagnan is in prison because of you, alone, friendless, condemned, I hope you’re very proud!”
“Accept this gift as a token of your queens gratitude, may it keep you safe, always”
“You don’t have to do this, it’s Musketeer business”
Trailer Teaser
“There are opportunities for men like you in the colonies, you could be rich”
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
Thanks for the preview! Though I may have more comments later, for now I'll say I'm just really interested in where the show takes us. I did want to follow up on one thread you hinted at, though, if I may. Regarding your statements about Aramis - I was thinking the next episode would give us more of his reaction to Adele's death. Does this mean he doesn't have much of one, or that they don't show it? Is he just moving on to another girl?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thanks so much for the preview! Secondly, based on your hints, I'm going to assume that Aramis starts getting close to Queen Anne. I actually think this could be interesting. It would give more layers and depth to both characters. After all, forbidden love has its intriguing qualities. So I'm interested to see their scenes together, assuming I'm right about my guess, of course! :) Two quick questions if you have the time, of course. Will there be a good amount of Constance/D'Artagnan interaction in this episode? Lots of scenes together? I already like them together after the first episode. And am I going to be able to stomach the Milady/D'Artagnan scenes? Since Constance already saved D'Artagnan many times in the first episode, I'm going to assume it will be another lady saving him with the pistol this time, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteHave to admit, I thought of Queen Anne as well. As she was depicted to be fairly sensible and grounded in the first episode, I would wonder what would be behind that for her - making advances toward Aramis. And maybe, what would be behind it for Aramis to reciprocate them, especially so swiftly after Adele's murder and experiencing the consequences of that forbidden love. I realize he's the lover of the group, but is that enough for him to be drawn into a similar situation so quickly? The danger of a forbidden love with Queen Anne would be just as immense as with Adele, obviously, if not more so, and the consequences if they were discovered...
ReplyDeleteI guess I wonder what would realistically spur that for both of them, except perhaps a shared hatred for the Cardinal, or a teaming up to scheme against him. If it is her, I would wonder if it is really infatuation on both their parts, or do they have ulterior motives? Sorry to go on. She occurred to me too; I just felt to speculate a bit.
I'm all for speculation and discussion. So feel free, of course! I think that probably Aramis will save Queen Anne's life in episode 2. And hence, their attraction will begin. From what I can tell in the promos, Queen Anne will be attacked. Aramis is there. So put two and two together, he'll keep her safe. She'll notice him. And then their story begins. I think when it comes to love/attraction, there is no logical explanation. It just happens when it happens. Sometimes suddenly. I'm a bit intrigued by Aramis/Queen Anne. It could be interesting. Let's hope they'll have chemistry. I've noticed Luke/Tamla's AMAZING chemistry as Constance/D'Artagnan right away in episode 1. They have natural and genuine chemistry that is fun and sexy. I can imagine Aramis/Queen Anne also having good chemistry. So we shall see. I can't wait for episode 2!
ReplyDeleteAramis undying love for Adele? I think the first episode made pretty clear that he is a womanizer who enjoyed the challenge of being with the mistress of his enemy. That doesn't mean that he didn't "love" Adele, but this was hardly the great romance, just another of a long string of woman he "appreciates". It's just who Aramis is.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in getting back to you, and others here, Thurs-Sat are pretty manic for me generally.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to tell if he's just bottling any further reaction up and moving on in order to hide the emotions, or is someone who is maybe addicted to dangerous relationships at this point I think. One of his closest friends is certainly surprised at his actions of moving on so quickly though and questions him on it.
Incidentally, just had lunch with my mum and she insists that Adele isn't dead. She says that the Cardinal wasn't looking at her when she was shot but only reacted to the sound of the gun going off. Going to have to go back and double check this myself though, lol.
Yep, you're right, it is a different person who rescues D'Artagnan this week, but he and Constance share another *very* similar scene to their first one in the opening episodes too. She and her husband both feature more heavily this week....he is not a very nice man, is all I'm saying :\ Which I suppose is a good thing if you are a D'Artagnan/Constance fan thou I guess, what is this ship going to be called btw? :p hehe
ReplyDeleteAs for Milady, I think you're just going to have to let the characters work through that one I'm afraid, ships that get together without some drama first never happen as far as I'm aware. And, it's always great to see a good character come through being tested by the 'dark side', which is what the affair with her is in the books after all. It's very early days in the show, but I think it's pretty obvious who's meant for who already, but it will take time for them to work that one out :)
That's how I've seen the character before, but even his friends question his moving on so quickly after his 'true love' of Adele in this episode.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I'd have to go back and watch that again too, but I got more the sense that they panned away and did the sound of the gunshot, instead of showing her get shot, for dramatic effect, not because they were faking her death, (and maybe because they didn't want to depict her getting shot in the head). But it is TV after all, which loves twists and turns and finding ways for dead characters to rejoin their shows again. :D
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, no worries on rushing to reply to comments. Everyone's busy. When time permits, it's just fun to engage in the hobby of fandom and speculation. Appreciate your response.
ReplyDeleteIs it better than the first episode?
ReplyDeleteI personally preferred the first episode, the pacing is a little off in this one imo and it dragged a bit in the middle for me. I would also have liked to have gotten to know the characters more in a second episode before we rush headlong into another adventure too.
ReplyDeleteJust got home and rewatched that little bit, he's definitely watching her get shot imo. That's not going to go down well with mum though as she was *very* insistent, I think I'll let her carry on believing her version for an easy life for now ;) XD
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the reply! Based on your hints, I think D'artagnan will kiss Constance again in order to hide from the bad guys. I saw him kissing her in one of the main promos. Classic if that happens! It's just too bad it won't be Constance saving him again. I rather loved the fact that she kept saving him in the first episode. It was refreshing! Since I saw Milady firing a gun in a promo, yup, it will probably her who will save him, unfortunately!!!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that the second episode will focus on Constance and her husband more. But will we get a good amount of Constance/D'artagnan interaction? Or will it be just that one scene you hinted at? I hope we'll at least get a few scenes with them! I mean, each episode is more than 50 minutes long!
As long as it's very clear that D'artagnan is meant for Constance, I'm good. I can handle the obstacles. I can wait for D'artagnan/Constance to get together if we have that assurance that they are the real love story here. :) And yes, I like that the husband is evil. It's better for my favorite pairing!
As for the ship name, that's difficult with their names!!! Constagnan? LOL!
You're almost there with the reasons for the kiss, but it's not to hide from the bad guys, though the bad guys are involved somehow....can't really say much more than that without giving too much away. I'm trying to remember, but I think most of the scenes are with others in them as well if I'm honest, I know she reacts to Aramis a tad harshly (thou, even he would say deservedly so) twice in the same way in the episode, lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply! At least we'll get another Constance and D'Artagnan kiss! Love that! Too bad there won't be a lot of alone scenes with Constance and D'artagnan in this episode! Hopefully, we'll get a lot more interaction with them in the upcoming episodes! I'm especially looking forward to the scene where he is teaching her how to fire a pistol (that was shown in one of the promos!).
ReplyDeleteAs for Aramis, I think I saw Constance slap him twice in a promo! LOL. It looked more like a comedic scene rather than a serious one!!! I do like that she is interacting with all the musketeers! That makes her more part of their team! I read in an interview that she sort of becomes like a 5th musketeer!
Interesting speculations on Aramis and Queen Anne in this thread. It sounds pretty accurate from the episode description that it's probably her. I don't mind the romance angle, but I'd prefer they don't have a bunch of romances just for romance sake and that there be some plot and layered motivations behind things, especially if they're going to jump into something with Aramis and Queen Anne in ep 2 right after the death of Aramis's lover. They've already got the Constance and Milady triangles to deal with, which are there in the book and interesting enough. Throw in too much forbidden or doomed love and that side of the show gets a little heavy. I just don't want to watch a soap opera.
ReplyDeleteIf they go there, I'm on the side of hoping there is a bit more to it than just forbidden love or infatuation. Not that I wouldn't want the feelings between Queen Anne and Aramis to be genuine, but I want more plot than that. I like that they could be setting up Aramis with a good storyline here, but Aramis to me isn't Aramis without the intelligence and intricate plotting we know him to be capable of from the books. That and his intense loyalty, especially to his friends. If this is just another affair for him, it takes something from his character, and the show becomes in danger of having a soap opera spin instead of really developing the story of the brotherhood of the Musketeers, which is the story I prefer to watch.
ReplyDeleteInteresting commentary. Looking forward to this ep. I like that the show will be making ample use of actual muskets and not just focusing on swordplay.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I'm not really a shipper at all and therefore watch primarily for the brotherhood and to see what they do with the plot in this incarnation. So far, I feel it's been a fun beginning. I don't mind the romances (and I like Constance so far) but don't want the love stories to take over the plot. Or, I guess you said it better - I'd prefer there to be plot layers to those romances, rather than just having romance for romance sake.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Aramis - I know the show is doing their own thing so I don't want to get too caught up in this - but I agree with your description of him. He's the lover, but also has this depth and patience about him, and can seriously, quietly and patiently plan revenge (or hold a grudge). I remember from the books about how young Aramis, before he was a musketeer, was "innocently" reading to a young woman and was thrown out of her house by someone (it's been a while since I've read them, so can't remember who exactly). Aramis swore revenge for being treated that way, studied swordplay for a year with the best swordsman in town and then came back and challenged the man to a duel. He was so good by then the duel lasted only a few seconds even though he was a novice. To me, it shows Aramis is seriously the kind of guy who prepares for things and doesn't easily let them go.
It might be a character flaw, but it'd be interesting and fitting if they put some of those aspects, or some of that background, into his characterization on the show. Personally, I'd love to see him holding a deep and dangerous resentment about Adele, while very patiently preparing for and plotting his moment of revenge.
That said, on the whole, I'm just waiting to see where the show takes us, and am planning to enjoy the ride.
Do they spend any time at all letting us get to know the characters more? Any character threads for Porthos? Much interaction between the core four?
ReplyDeleteThe episode opens with all four of them doing something illegal :o But then they are split up for much of the episode, with the Musketeers working together and D'Artagnan working elsewhere. I would have preferred more of the four together for a second episode, maybe off together on a mission and learning more about each other, and in turn us as an audience learning more too. Then an episode like this with the rest of the characters involved afterwards.
ReplyDelete