TV REVIEW: The Musketeers - Friends and Enemies and Sleight of Hand

To say I'm a fan of men who swash their buckles (matron) is something of an understatement. I was raised watching The Princess Bride, Errol Flynn films were standard weekend film affairs and 'fencing' with my brother was occurring so often it became a liability to both ourselves and my mother's ornament collection. Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers remains, to this day, one of my favourite Sunday afternoon films and I'm unashamed about my enduring love for the Brat Pack Three Musketeers with Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Oliver Platt. So when it was announced that dear old BBC were planning their own adaptation of The Three Musketeers, I was practically giddy. 

And then Atlantis happened. It was terrible from the word go and didn't get much better. I gave up on it and I so very rarely give up on anything. It had little respect for the myths it was gleefully mashing together in its weird melting pot, spitting them back out again in random references and flourishes that made no sense. As the air date for The Musketeers drew closer, my enthusiasm waned despite being encouraged by the casting announcements, particularly Peter Capaldi, Mr Isaac from Heroes and Tom Burke (one of those actors who seems to crop up and be fantastic in anything - check out Third Star with Benedict Cumberbatch for example). When I sat down to the first episode, I am afraid to say I turned on the television fully expecting to not like what was about to unfold.

Thankfully, I was wrong.

Described as an interpretation rather than an adaptation, The Musketeers quickly covers its back in terms of fidelity to its source material, opting for something that is very much in the spirit of Dumas' work rather than following it to the letter. Certain familiar narrative beats are there; D'Artagnan's early meeting with Milady, the Cardinal's dastardly plotting to remain influential to the king and the three introductory duels with the titular musketeers, here brilliantly re-imagined to see D'Artagnan take them all on at once. Largely though, the plot featuring a case of purposeful mistaken identity is Hodges' own and though it doesn't ensure that we're swept up in the peril of the story (it would be a brave adaptation to kill off Athos so early), it serves as an excellent re-introduction to these characters.

Cleverly, the first episode doesn't waste its time in getting everyone acquainted and grants each character an early scene that typifies their character; D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) goes charging off to avenge his father, Athos (Tom Burke) is hungover yet still manages to swagger around the Parisian streets looking like a 17th century rock star, Porthos (Howard Charles) is gambling and Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) is in bed with a woman. Naturally. However, any adaptation of Dumas' characters are nothing without their adversaries. Peter Capaldi makes a suitably imperious Cardinal Richlieu, treading the fine line between cold villainy and pantomime nefariousness (a cross then between Charlton Heston's portrayal and the scenery-chewing Tim Curry version). Milady (Maimie McCoy) is also suitably enigmatic, though not enough that it is an insult to the audience watching; her relationship with Athos is quickly established if not stated outright and I'm sure will build nicely into the remainder of the series.

The decision to hit the ground running and barely pause for breath an intelligent move for an audience that has been saturated with adaptations in the past few years. The plot progresses with an easy confidence, akin to the swaggering of its characters. One liners are dropped freely, dastardly plotting occurs in candlelit corridors and everyone seems to have that 'yes, we know we're sexy' glint in their eyes. Most of all though, it had such a sense of fun that it was difficult not to get swept up in. The chemistry between the central four is pitched perfectly, particularly the comedy duo of Porthos and Aramis (both Cabrera and Charles look set to steal this series).

The momentum was maintained for the second episode too and has me cautiously optimistic about the remaining instalments. Beginning with an amusing play on the Musketeers' oft repeated motto, Sleight of Hand followed D'Artagnan on his first mission for the Musketeers, infiltrating a prison to get close to Vadim (a wonderful Jason Flemyng) in order to discover what he plans to do with a tonne of gunpowder he's just swiped. So far, so Guy Fawkes, but Vadim unfolds into an interesting antagonist, one who isn't governed by a code of honour that his companions of the Musketeers recognise; he's simply a thief which makes him easily misinterpreted.

The sense of humour was once again in place and reminded me of the Lester Musketeers with some of the scenes throughout the second episode. The scene with Athos, Aramis and Suzette was nicely witty whilst Pasqualino got to demonstrate some slapstick skill as D'Artagnan comically ran around trying to put out all of the fuses instead of just running away. It shows a keen understanding of character, this sequence; D'Artagnan isn't one to run away from a fight he thinks he can, even if the rest of us know otherwise. The final moments of the episode demonstrated this as he ran off after Vadim and confronted him in a brilliantly realised candlelit fight.

There are, of course, a few significant departures from the material to be expected. The biggest so far appears to be a hinted relationship between Aramis and the Queen. Though neither character is famous for their fidelity in relationships, they've never been linked before. It does make a little sense to keep the stakes high for our central characters and with several more episodes to go, it's perhaps too early to introduce a figure like Buckingham into the mix just yet. It might upset some of the purists, but I remain cautiously optimistic that the show will know how to handle it.

A promising start then for the King's men and despite myself, I actually can't wait for the next episode. All for one and all that.

- Becky

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