TV REVIEW: True Detective - The Long Bright Dark

If you're a social media junkie, like me, you'll have known of HBO's True Detective long before it arrived on these shores. The moody trailer promised us something 'deep and dark' was going down in Louisiana and with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson on the case, I was signed up from pretty much the word go. The trailer was perhaps a little misleading, promising an action thriller-esque show with lots of men stalking about with weapons drawn and pensive expressions as they use doorframes for cover. I'm sure we'll get to that in the later episodes, but The Long Bright Dark is something much more of the slow-burner variety, a moody opening that establishes the chess pieces before the ongoing investigations inevitably shift them around the board. And shift them they do.

The story of investigating an disturbing murder which questions all our two detectives hold dear may not be the most original of tales, but the beauty of it here is in the construction. Taking place across two timelines, possibly linked by the same serial killer, True Detective introduces us to Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin Hart, two detectives with the Louisiana State Police. In one timeline, set in 1995, we follow their initial investigation of the fetishistic murder of Dora Kelly Lange. The other timeline is set seventeen years later as Cohle and Hart are questioned by Michael Papania (Tory Kittles) and Maynard Gilborough (Michael Potts) about the Lange case following a similar murder in the present day. The interviews frame the 1995-set narrative with answers to questions not only helping with exposition, but also providing a contemplative voiceover to the proceedings.

The complex structure embodies the confidence that the show has for itself from the opening credits; the writing is assured, the themes subtly woven through and the central characters arriving fully formed, warts and all. McConaughey continues to push those godawful rom-coms out of everyone's minds with another electric performance as Rust, a nihilistic intellectual who swallowed a lot of philsophy and likes to give weighty existential monologues on long car journeys. With his stiff gait and almost monosyllabic tone, Rust would be dull in the hands of a lesser actor. As it stands with McConaughey, Rust is a fascinating enigma to unravel, with flashes of black humour interspersed with philosophical ramblings. The contrast between 1995 Rust and his present day self borders on the extreme, a hint towards the disintegration not only of himself but of his relationship with Marty.

Marty is a different kettle of fish to Rust altogether and doesn't have a whole lot of time for his partner's dark outlook on the world, pushing for something slightly more optimistic instead. Harrelson's prickly chemistry with his co-star works particularly well and the scenes in the car and their conversations prove to be the highlight in this episode. Harrelson's square-jawed detective provides a stark contrast to his partner across both timelines, more keen to hold on to some kind of faith and having gone through the post-police work transition more successfully. The pair play off each other well and their partnership is one of mutual respect if not overly friendly. As we know they work together for seven years before a rupture of some kind, but even after three months, it's clearly an uneasy relationship.

With its apparent occult links, the central murder of Dora Kelly Lange plays into some of the anxieties which unsettle the relationship. Rust struggles with the constant background of a religious society, one which Marty continues to support and empathise with. These darker occult connotations of the murder with the antlers and the straw figurines found at two crime scenes lend True Detective the darker note that it promised us back in the trailer. It is helped in no small part by the sweltering Louisiana setting and a marvellous bluesy soundtrack and score from T Bone Burnett (it’s going to be very good for my music collection judging from this first episode). For 1995, the cinematography is hazy and oppressive and Cary Fukunaga’s direction doesn’t shy away from the darker corners of the story, focusing in to a sometimes unnerving degree.

For the most part, The Long Bright Dark is a strong opening, full of promise and intrigue and with two brilliant characters to lead it. However, the problem with two such characters is that it throws into sharp relief that the other people who populate Cohle and Hart’s lives haven’t yet been given a large amount of work. Of course, it is difficult to establish everything and everyone in an opening episode, but Michelle Monaghan’s Maggie, Hart’s wife, already feels like a tired stereotype. Monaghan is an excellent actress and I’m slightly worried that she’ll be reduced to the furious harridan of a detective’s wife before long. Likewise, the presence of female characters is somewhat lacking aside from Maggie; any we meet are secretaries, prostitutes or dead. With excellent female character work becoming something of the norm in big event television (Cersei Lannister or Claire Underwood for example), it’s always noticeable when they’re lacking. I hope to be proven wrong.

That aside, this is an assured piece of work, stripping back the mystery layer by small layer whilst keeping enough back to maintain intrigue. I’m already gripped.

Becky

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter

Or like our Facebook page.

FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Phases

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow has been sort-of seeing Oz and getting over her Xander crush whilst Buffy is still reeling from the arrival of Angelus.

Phases is another episode I've been looking forward to (the back half of the second season is one of the show's strongest run of episodes) and yet another one that hasn't disappointed, even developing in quality in the intervening years. One of only three Oz-centric episodes in the series, Phases finds our deadpan guitarist bitten by his cousin and turned into a werewolf. Said werewolf is running around Sunnydale attacking hormonally charged students and generally causing a bit of havoc. As the gang are unaware of who the werewolf is but wanting to save man the behind the dodgy wolf mask, Buffy starts to track it before it can hurt anyone, fending off the attentions of werewolf hunter Kane in the process.

Although Buffy often goes with the teen movie trope, Phases is probably the teen moviest of episodes with some added horror cliches thrown into the mix. First up, the horror element; Xander and Cordelia are engaged in that standard American teenage experience of making out in her dad's car in the woods when Xander hears something. Naturally, it's not long until the werewolf crashes a claw through the roof. Elsewhere, Giles declares the werewolf to be 'one of the classics' and gets very enthusiastic about spending an afternoon with the books, a girl walking home hears something behind her (more on her later) and Willow runs away from the werewolf only to fall over in the process. Unlike other horror cliches, these moments aren't followed by an ironic comment about the horror movie-ness of it all, but are rather left uncommented upon to feed into the wider concerns of the episode where women become prey.

This is where the teen movie aspect comes in, providing a solid foundation through which to explore the sexual politics of Sunnydale High. With that, you need to have a jock and so Larry returns, mastering 'the single entendre' and plaguing the females of Sunnydale with his lumbering male chauvinism. The sexually active (at least in his head) male jock is pretty much standard when it comes to creating a high school setting and Larry will not be the first we get acquainted with. He is, however, probably the most complex. Opening the episode with leering over Buffy and Willow, knocking books out of a female student's hands to get a look up her skirt and asking Oz if Willow's 'putting out'. Before his coming out to Xander in the locker room, Larry is your classic sexually entitled male, believing that he has access to any female of his choice because, well, that's what they're there for right?

Giles: Quite. And it, uh, acts on-on pure instinct. No conscience, uh, uh, predatory and-and aggressive.

Buffy: In other words, your typical male.

Xander: On behalf of my gender, hey!

Giles: Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions.

Buffy: I didn't jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were.

I don't usually include quotes as paragraph breaks in these, but the above exchange is so important to the themes of the episode that it would be remiss of me not to include it. Larry is not the only male character whose actions towards women come under some heavy criticism in the episode, with Angel, Oz and Xander all representing different ways in which men can victimise or belittle women. Buffy's 'typical male' comment makes explicit this connection and Shannon Craigo-Shell explores Phases in her essay on feminist ethics in Buffy to look at the way in which sexual violence as a 'problematic background' against which the female characters attempt to have relationships with the male characters. Angel is the easiest one to categorise and as a vampire he's famed for making his conquests sexual in nature. In this episode, he stalks Theresa and takes on the classic 'attacker jumping out of the bushes' role, a cliche and not a particularly useful one at that. He stalks through the episode in the background and leaves Buffy a message by leaving a victim for her to dust. He acts as a reminder of the threat awaiting Buffy later in the season as well as serving to represent the aforementioned cliche.

Xander is a tad more complicated and the flak he comes under in this episode is more subtle than with Larry. Xander is your classic Nice Guy; friends with female characters and therefore believes that he is entitled to possessing those women. It is behaviour he exhibits throughout the series, but particularly in the first three seasons with Willow and Buffy. He becomes irrationally jealous of Angel almost instantly and actively hates him (something that will become important later) and now starts to do the same with Willow and Oz, becoming obsessed with their relationship. Although it paves the way for their affair in the third season, Xander's behaviour acts as another signifier of the way in which the male characters attempt to possess the female characters and is offended when he's called out on it. At the end of the episode, he actually utters the words 'if it were up to me' about whether Willow and Oz's relationship should move forward to which Buffy, carefully and calmly responds, 'Xander, it's not up to you'.

Watching this episode again, particularly Larry's behaviour, is particularly fascinating when considered alongside the ongoing Everyday Sexism project. If you haven't come across it before, the Everyday Sexism project collects stories of exactly that, when people (the majority of which are women) face discrimination because of their gender. It can be stuff like the kind of catcalls and groping that Larry engages in, the stalking that Angel engages in or the assumption that women aren't capable of 'doing a man's job' as stated by werewolf hunter Kane (a man I so badly wanted Buffy to punch). All of these moments are Everyday Sexism-worthy and the episode demonstrates particularly well how this is a constant in society. By using the high school setting, the show demonstrates that this behaviour is learned from an early age. Each female character in this episode faces some form of victimisation at the hands of the male characters though thankfully, each of them stands up for themselves in the wake of it. Buffy was never going to back down but Willow also takes the initiative with Oz and Cordelia calls out Xander on his behaviour repeatedly.

Returning to Larry, the show ups the analysis of gender politics even more by having him come out to Xander in the locker room when the latter believes the jock to be a werewolf. In this one scene, Buffy gives a minor character who only appears in a handful of episodes more depth than some shows give their regular cast members in an entire run. Larry identifying himself as gay also speaks volumes about the way in which homosexuality can be treated in high school; he worries about not being accepted and so overcompensates by becoming the alpha-male of his group, complete with outright sexism. Although by the end of the episode, he's picking up the books that a team-mate has knocked out of a girl's hands, Larry still won't come out to his schoolmates during his time at Sunnydale High because prevailing attitudes state that he will be victimised as a result. 

For a standard monster-of-the-week affair, Phases has got a huge amount going on. I feel a little awful that I've spent the majority of this Oz-centric episode lookback talking about everything else that's going on in the episode and not Oz. I love Oz. Not only is he very funny, but he also adds an interesting dynamic to the group and his relationship with Willow kickstarts some big developments for her. His actions can be seen to fit into the above theme with his mistreatment of Willow (because he does mistreat her by refusing to talk to her and be honest about himself, not in the werewolf context, but in terms of how he feels), but instead of being focused on the themes of this episode, Oz fits into the much wider context of Buffy.

With his transformation, he becomes another double in the Buffyverse, a man torn between his inate gentleness (and Oz is nothing but nice) and the animal within. Duality becomes something of a key signifier for each character as they have to deal with something inside themselves that can be threatening. Buffy has two identities and struggles to keep them separate, Angel has Angelus who is now running around doing unspeakable things to high schoolers and Willow will later have the witch in her to contend with. Oz is another in a long line of Buffy characters who is forced to reconcile two halves of himself and one who is not always successful at doing so. As Giles states, the werewolf represents our most base, animalistic urges which makes Oz the perfect character to deal with that particular problem; he's so laconic and controlled in his day-to-day life, the wolf becomes the other side of that. The Oz Gone Wild if you will.

Like Innocence before it, Phases takes the metaphorical aspect of the series and really runs with it. A fascinating, layered and witty episode, it is thematically one of the strongest and an episode which rewards on repeat viewings. Plus, Oz is now in the gang. That is a good thing.

Quote of the Week: Willow: "Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not all the time and hey, three days out of the month I'm not so fun to be around either"
                              Oz: "You are quite the human"

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at two-parter Surprise & Innocence here

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page

FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Surprise & Innocence

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: After the events of What's My Line, the gang believe Spike and Dru to be dead. Cordelia and Xander are still in the sort-of groping phase of the relationship and Willow and Oz are making tentative steps towards theirs. Elsewhere, Angel still remains under the gypsy curse that gives him his soul.

When it comes to television and film, I'm a fairly emotional person. I get wrapped up in the dilemmas of fictional characters quickly and easily and can sob at a scene far faster than I would like to admit. However, there are but a handful of moments like these that will stay with me, the mere thought of which could bring those emotions flooding back to the surface. The Surprise/Innocence two-parter has a whole bunch of those moments and it all stems back to when I watched Buffy the first time round. 

If I remember correctly, I was around 11 when these episodes were airing on BBC2 and I had just managed to convince the family to start watching them with me. Partly because I knew they'd like it and also because I was really tired of having to sneak in VHS recordings when they weren't looking. It was around this time that I started realising I was watching something really, really good. And I can pinpoint the exact moment that this occurred to me. It was during Innocence as I stared aghast at Angel (second in affection rankings only to Billy Kennedy from Neighbours at this point in my life) killed someone. In cold blood. The credits music kicked in and I knew from then on, this wasn't just something enjoyable to watch of a Thursday evening, it was something I needed to watch every week. In short, Buffy is the first television show I ever became completely hooked on and it is entirely down to these two episodes.

Needless to say, these are two episodes I've been most looking forward to revisiting and thankfully, they didn't disappoint. After a prophetic dream, Buffy worries that Drusilla is alive and has designs on killing Angel. She's not far off the mark as the gang soon discover that Spike and Dru are assembling a demon of legend, capable of reducing the righteous to ash. Seeing as our Scoobies have nothing but good in them, the Judge is bad news. Even worse, one of them undergoes a complete transformation that has Big Bad written all over it...

Surprise is a somewhat misleading title in that there are few surprises that take place in this episode. There are a couple for the characters, like Oz discovering vampires exist and handling it with his deadpan charm or Buffy's surprise party, but anything major is held back. Instead, it's a slow build-up to the crushing series of revelations that are to hit the characters when we get to Innocence. Like gathering the piece of the Judge, Surprise starts to slot bits of information together to form a bigger picture. In this case, it is the revelation of this season's Big Bad and those already trying to stop it happening. The audience gets some information ahead of the characters, like the reveal of Jenny Calendar's heritage, but this only serves to heighten the suspense. 

The episode does suffer somewhat for being the major set-up for Innocence; Surprise has a lot of foundation work to lay in but does so swiftly and there are plenty of twists to keep you interested. However, it is Innocence that lingers much longer in the memory. There's a poetic term, specifically related to sonnets, called a turn or a volta. The turn usually takes place around the ninth line or third quatrain (depending on what style you're reading) and signals a shift, a change in mood for the conclusion of the poem. As far as I'm aware, television seasons don't have a terminology to describe a similar shift so I shall have to apply the turn to Innocence, for that is what it is.

Other seasons have similar shifts in tone, usually to do with discovering bad guys (Faith and Willow are prime examples), but because it was the first, the Angelus reveal stands out like no other. It was a massive twist and one which cements the second season as a firm fan favourite. Primarily, it is the personal connection we have with this character through Buffy. As her boyfriend, Angel is the nice, dependable sort (albeit with fangs) who occasionally saves the day and looks good with his top off. To have him become the bad guy is just something I wasn't prepared for and it's massively important for the theme of this episode.

Joyce smashing the saucer in Buffy's prophetic dream at the beginning of Surprise proves to be something of an over-riding image for these two episodes; relationships break down, hearts break and illusions shatter. For a show so grounded in the supernatural (and there's plenty of that here too), the episodes where humanity and reality break through that magical fog are the ones that really stick with you. Just think of The Body with its meditation on death, Hush with its emphasis on our ability to communicate without words or The Gift and its message of sacrifice. Innocence is one such episode, in which our characters, and to a certain extent the audience, are forced to face up to the sudden, overwhelming realisation that some people just aren't what they seem.

As ever, the breakdown of the relationship between Buffy and the transformed Angel is another metaphor for teenage worries and experiences. In this case, it's the 'having sex with a guy immediately transforms him into a monster' fear brought to the fore in all its hideously soul-destroying glory (pun intended). Losing your virginity is a Big Deal and it's something so often discussed as a teenage girl fear (and I'm sure for others too). I'm also fairly certain a lot of people of all genders and persuasions have experienced a relationship development only for the other person to turn out to be a complete arse. Here it's maximised in a way that only Buffy can; it brings back the murderous, borderline insane vampire that Angel has suppressed via the gypsy curse.

I'm not going into the 'Buffy is punished for sex' criticism here as I'm saving that all for Parker Abrams and I also don't think it actually applies to this situation. That Buffy and Angel have sex in this two-parter is not the most shocking part about this turn in their relationship. It is, as it always is when teenage sex in high school dramas is concerned, about the consequences. The heartbreaking scene is the moment in which Angelus (for the sake of differentiation) tortures Buffy who believes she is speaking to Angel. He manipulates her into thinking it was just about the sex and slowly, painfully, breaks down the self-confidence we expect in our Slayer. It doesn't even matter that he's a vampire in this scene nor that she's the slayer. To paraphrase a rom-com, she's just a girl, standing in front of a boy and expecting him to love her. And he no longer does. The illusion shatters and she sees his true self.

It's also important to remember that Angel isn't the only person to be revealed as something different to the characters in these episodes and that people being awful isn't all just about sex. Throughout the season so far, there's been a constant theme of growing up, of accepting responsibility and the world around you, particularly for Buffy, but other characters weren't immune. Giles was even pursued by his teenage past at one point, something he'd always been running from and is forced to confront Jenny's ulterior motive. What this episode does so well is capture that loss of innocence (hence the title) so well and just as with Buffy and Angel, so too must the other characters go through it.

Despite the obvious Buffy-Angel-Christophe Beck theme heart-wrenching, the most upsetting scene remains the moment in which Willow discovers Xander kissing Cordelia. It's the moment in the hallway when confronts him and tearfully confesses her feelings for him; "it means you'd rather be with someone you hate, than be with me". Maybe it's just my strong affinity with Willow's character, but there is something particularly galling about seeing someone being hurt by their crush in such a complete way. Unreciprocated love is a quintessential teenage experience and to have that happen in the midst of all this supernatural shenanigans just makes the show feel that much more human. It's another illusion shattering and one that is arguably worse than the Angel reveal.

The human/inhuman dynamic is obviously particularly important then in this episode, so it is fitting that we get a villain whose modus operandi is to kill of the humanity within people. Unlike some other Buffy villains, the Judge is actually worthy of his reputation and shown to be such, partially down to Brian Thompson's fearsome appearance (see Sunnydale Who's Who). His 'no weapon forged can kill him' schtick is built up well and fits in well with the sense of dread that slowly mounts over the course over the two episodes. It's what makes the climactic battle so satisfying. It's a freaking rocket launcher. 

I haven't really spoken much about the villains in the episodes, mainly because I think they're not as important in the scheme of things, but that doesn't mean they're not effective. Juliet Landau in particular has a ball in this episode and is a lot of fun to watch, especially when Angelus returns. Speaking of, David Boreanaz is always much better as Angelus than he is as Angel during his run on Buffy and he's certainly more entertaining. Angel's character of tortured and brooding doesn't work until he gets his own series, but Angelus walks in fully formed with a predilection for torture that makes him truly despicable.

That being said, it's still really satisfying to see Buffy kick him in the balls.

Returning to the emotional person of the opening paragraph, she's still here and Surprise and Innocence still hit me harder than a lot of episodes. There's a lot to relate to here and the monster as metaphor has never worked better than it does in Innocence. This remains one of the soaring high points of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a brutal, emotional meditation on growing up and quite literally facing your demons.

Quote of the Week:Joyce: "What did you do for your birthday? Did you have fun?"
                             Buffy: "I got older"

Inventive Kill: ROCKET LAUNCHER.

Let's Get Trivial: Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon provided the breathy noises for the flashback sex scene because they were too embarrassed to ask David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar to do it in ADR.

Sunnydale Who's Who: Is there a finer genre character actor than Brian Thompson? He clocks up two runs in Buffy, one as the Judge here and the other as Luke back in the first season. He's also particularly scary as an alien hunter in X-Files.

- Becky

You can view Becky's look at previous episode, Bad Eggs, here.

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page

FEATURE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Bad Eggs

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Angel's relationship is intensifying, Cordelia and Xander's is also yet still very closet based and Buffy's having difficulty hiding her identity from her mum.

Bad Eggs finds the gang each looking after eggs as part of their sexual health education, learning about the responsibility of having their own offspring. Only these eggs are offspring of something a whole lot nastier than a chicken as the Bezoar Mother takes over Sunnydale High one student at a time. Buffy sets out to deal with the problem, but also has to contend with two vampire brothers, Lyle and Tector Gorch, who have set their sights on a showdown with the Slayer.

Bad Eggs is another one of those episodes, like last week's Ted, which I had written off long ago and simply never went back to. It's still one of the lesser outings for the Scooby Gang but there's a lot to like about it as well. The script has plenty of laugh out loud moments; there's Giles' reaction to the eggs, Buffy's incredulity at becoming a single mother and Xander and Cordelia's sparring to name but a few. It's also notable for its quieter moments, particularly the scene between Buffy and Joyce at the beginning of the episode in which the latter bemoans her daughter for not taking responsibility and despairing when Buffy quips about saving the world from vampires. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Kristine Sutherland have such a wonderful chemistry that any scene in which its just the two of them is welcome and it's refreshing to still be in the 'Joyce doesn't know' section of the series.

So then to the rest of the episode; when I watched it as a wee 'un, I simply didn't have the science fiction knowledge that this episode requires; it's packed full of references (as you'd expect from a Whedon-penned script) with Alien and Invasion of the Body Snatchers being the most notable. Later in the same year, Robert Rodriguez' The Faculty would hit cinemas which tackles a similar parasite in a high school premise that Bad Eggs does and it would be remiss of me not to compare the two. 

The Faculty remains one of my favourite teen horror/sci-fi combinations and the film and Buffy share a fair amount of the same DNA. The Faculty features a group of misfits (amongst them Buffy alum Clea DuVall as well as Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett) who realise their school is being overrun by alien parasites and attempt to kill the queen before their world is lost. Remarkably similar then to Buffy's own tale, but actually a whole lot better. Given more room to breathe, the concept is allowed to affect each character in turn whilst a lot of Buffy's supporting cast are relegated to minor spots in the episode; Angel, Willow and Cordelia in particular. The Faculty is also more knowing with its references and with Kevin Williamson on screenplay duties, it crafts darkly witty take on the bodysnatcher sub-genre. 

The film also benefits from a bigger budget and the reveal of the queen is rather impressive, remaining so to this date, despite the 16 years which have passed (oh dear God). However, for Bad Eggs, it's an episode which betrays its budget, particularly in the school basement scene. The styrofoam pieces of concrete and the one eye representing the Mother Bezoar look really cheap whilst the bezoars themselves manage to get away with looking rubbery through sheer ick factor. That said, the scene in which the bezoar first releases itself and wraps its tendrils around Buffy is really creepy and the confrontation in the bathroom channels the post-chestbursting moment from Alien particularly well.

If you haven't seen The Faculty, I heartily recommend it (if you hadn't guessed) but in the meantime, Bad Eggs is no bad substitute. A better episode than I gave it credit for previously, it's more notable for its quippy dialogue and quieter moments than it is for this instalment's feature creature.

Quote of the Week: Xander - 'Can I just say geeeurgggh?"
                              Buffy - "I see your geeeurgggh and raise you a nnnyaaaargh"

Inventive Kill: Xander inadvertently boils his Bezoar alive by attempting to cheat his assignment.

Demonology 101: Lyle Gorch will be back in the third season episode Homecoming.

- Becky

You can read Becky's look at Ted here.

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page

TV REVIEW: The Musketeers - Commodoties

As Athos, Aramis, Porthos and d'Artagnan are tasked with bringing merchant trader Bonnaire back to the King, we gain a little insight into the past of some of heroes. 

Commodities opens with Bonnaire (James Callis of Battlestar Galactica and 'come the fuck on Bridget' fame) swaggering through port and causing a bit of a scene in a tavern when several parties close in on him. Besides the Musketeers, there are two Spanish agents and men working for his spurned business partner. There's also his wife Marie (Anna Skellern) who develops an amusing habit of outwitting d'Artagnan. However, when Porthos is injured, they are forced to take refuge and Athos reluctantly offers his nearby country pile, confronting his past with Milady through cunning use of flashback and later through her decision to reveal herself as alive to him. Meanwhile, Porthos discovers Bonnaire is a slaver and the heroes find themselves conflicted when it comes to deciding their next course of action.

Continuing with the rip-roaring atmosphere of the first two episodes, Commodities fully embraces the post-Pirates of the Caribbean swashbuckling status of the show, throwing in a Badelt-esque score in its opening moments and Jack Sparrow inspired performance with Callis' enthusiastic portrayal of Bonnaire. The opening and closing scenes, both tavern-based, are a lot of fun, allowing the easy chemistry between the four main characters to shine whilst giving its guest star a memorable entrance. Callis, like Jason Flemyng last week, slots into the ensemble easily and makes Bonnaire a truly detestable figure with an outer layer of smarm.

The episode takes a darker turn with the discovery of Bonnaire's true profession, that of a slaver. After speaking of his own African heritage, Porthos is naturally more than a little peeved. This seems to have been included, not only to address the casting of Howard Charles (more on that very shortly) but also as a neat homage to Dumas' own African heritage. It gave the episode a greater emotional weight to the proceedings, already slightly more sombre due to Athos' brooding. It's an odd turn in an otherwise rollicking episode and the discussion with slavery isn't exactly the most nuanced of discussions, coming swiftly to the conclusion of 'slavery is bad' and not doing much else with it. The Musketeers' betrayal of Bonnaire's escape at the end led to some emotional closure, but the transition from the usual atmosphere to something more contemplative and dark was a little clunky. Fortunately, it didn't detract from the quality of the episode too much, as everything else was on spectacular form.

So the casting of Charles appears to have caused a bit of a ballyhoo; there's the usual comments regarding the BBC being 'too PC', denying that there may have been black people in 17th century Europe (there were and frankly that's just silly) and parallels drawn, as the episode does, with Dumas' ancestry. However, no one has actually mentioned that Charles was clearly the best person for the role (and I happen to think he's fantastic) or if we're really going to go with the historical accuracy bent, the cast members in this production of The Musketeers, set in 17th century Paris, AREN'T FRENCH. It's a ludicrous argument and one that needs to be forgotten as quickly as it was brought up. Charles is brilliant and this version of Porthos is a lot of fun. Let's leave it at that.

The other main strand in this episode was a foray in Athos' past as the Comte de la Fere, something which haunts him as he broods with furrowed brow. I'll overlook the convenience of his home being nearby the exact spot where Porthos is injured for the sake of swift plot progression, but it is only a slight misstep. Tom Burke is given a fair amount of heavy lifting in this episode and handles it well; his final confession to d'Artagnan shows a vulnerability to the character so far unseen. The flashback scenes were used well too, never outstaying their welcome but showing enough of his relationship with Milady to bring those in the audience not in the know up to speed. It already has me looking forward to a proper showdown with Burke and Maime McCoy.

A strong episode then if not as good as the first two, but it lays a lot of groundwork down for future plot developments as well as shifting the focus from d'Artagnan to learn a little more about his compatriots.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the first two episodes here.

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page