Reviewed by Lewis Hurst.

Well… that was an eventful episode.

And The Musketeers has finally delivered its second death of a recurring character in the form of Constance’s husband Bonacieux, who this episode seemed to paint as a very unlikeable character, perhaps in an attempt to make the audience not feel sad at his passing. Either way, it was a show of real consequences. While Bonacieux was never a particularly great character, in fact he was more in the way than anything, it’s still sad to see a character who was present since the first episode die. But of course this means that Constance and D’Artagnan can happily get together (after Constance is allowed the time to grieve of course). But Bonacieux’s dying words of cursing the couple will certainly come back to haunt them.

The episode’s story was full of twists and turns, just how I like my plots. While I suspected that Perdita Weeks’ Louise was more than she seemed from the start, her actually being an assassin in disguise was a bit of a surprise that caught me a little off guard, but it was very well done. The fact the whole “assassination” plot was nothing more than a cover so Rochefort could “remove” the various members of the King’s council and plant himself as the King’s only advisor was a very smart plan. It was nice to see the writers play a little bit of misdirection on the audience like this. Here’s hoping that we’re in for more shocks like this as we enter the final three episodes.

Meanwhile, Milady – stripped of her new found wealth – resorted to reminding us all just why we love her so much. From rather calmly threatening Rochefort that she will have her revenge, to coldly watching Treville get shot without lifting a finger to help, she’s certainly getting herself back in the bad books just in case last week made viewers think she’s having a change of heart. And then, killing Louise in her cell after learning the valuable information that Rochefort is a Spanish spy (or is he? Recent episodes suggest he’s now working on his own for his own interests), Milady is now in possession of some most valuable information. But what does she intend to do with it? Well knowing Milady we can probably expect her to offer the information to Athos and the Musketeers… for a price. Milady knowing Rochefort’s dirty little secret (well, one of them) will almost certainly play a huge role in the next three episodes.

It’s almost as if the whole series is a chessboard and this episode was the writers making sure every piece is where it should be as the series begins to draw to a close. With Milady knowing Rochefort’s secret, Rochefort as First Minister and also well on his way to discovering Aramis and Anne’s affair as well as the true parentage of the Dauphin. And this isn’t even mentioning Treville promising to tell Porthos the truth about his father.

It finally feels like everything is coming together this week and with three episodes left to wrap it all up, let’s hope it’s all going to end in a nice knot while leaving one or two loose threads for next series. I hope the writers have learned their lesson and aren’t relying on Series 3 plot threads requiring a big name star who suddenly becomes unavailable due to other commitments (cough-PeterCapaldi-cough). I’d like for Rochefort, as much as I love the character, to be dealt with this series with other Musketeers villains taking centre stage next series, the Duke of Buckingham perhaps or Milady, maybe even the King’s mother Marie who has been conspicuously absent since The Exiles last series.

This was another well made episode, but of course the Musketeers has always been well made. The production design, the beautiful locations and costumes were all given ample time to gleam in this episode. I must also congratulate director Edward Bennett for making the, ahem, “operation” on Treville suitably squeamish without resorting to a lot of unnecessary gore, mastering the talent of “less is more”. Everything about the production on this episode was great. It was sleek, stylish and gripping throughout. But part of that is down to Steve Bailie’s script, which was a tightly plotted and tense thriller. It was a joy to watch unfold on screen. Any script that can surprise me is one worth celebrating.

It’s a shame then, that once The Musketeers finds it groove, the series is nearly over. Here’s hoping the pace can be kept for 3 more great episodes.

8/10