The Musketeers – Commodities Review

The Musketeers is steadily continuing its opening season, and the third episode, Commodities, was exactly what I wanted at this point in the story arc. This episode delivered two interesting stories and answered many of my questions about certain characters. Sure, one or two moments may have been a little cheesy, but the episode still remained entertaining.

Commodities is mostly set around a smuggler named Emile Bonnaire and his journey from Le Havre to Paris while in the Musketeer’s custody. Unfortunately, this journey is quickly derailed when Bonnaire’s wife attempts a rescue while another faction simultaneously attempts an ambush. The situation quickly goes to hell, and the Musketeers are forced to take shelter in a nearby chalet. The time spent at this chalet is when the second storyline is revealed.

Athos, as we find out, is secretly the son of royalty as well as the owner of the abandoned chalet. In addition, Athos is a widower—or so he thinks—after his wife Milady is hung on charges of murder. This explains why Milady is so determined to destroy the Musketeers and Athos in particular. Athos is so racked by guilt that he spends the entire time at the chalet getting drunk and reminiscing about his time with Milady. The sequence was melodramatic at times, but I was pleased to learn more about Athos and see him actually open up about his past.

While Athos is getting drunk and reminiscing, Porthos is spending time with Bonnaire and Aramis, recuperating from an injury. Porthos makes an unfortunate discovery about Bonnaire and his “precious cargo” that was bound for the new world. Needless to say, Porthos is not very excited about this discovery, and he vows to make Bonnaire pay for his transgressions.

Emile Bonnaire was part Jack Sparrow and part Chuck.

Commodities spends the rest of the episode rotating between Emile Bonnaire and Porthos, some Spanish soldiers, and Athos and D’Artagnan. All of these characters have their own separate storylines that tie together without seeming overly complicated. You may be wondering about Aramis’ role in this episode. Basically, he spends the entire time in the background, occasionally killing an enemy or two. Additionally, Aramis spends a lot of time trying to keep Porthos from murdering Bonnaire because of ethical differences. These moments between Aramis and Porthos were more serious than their normal interactions, but they played an important role in the plot.

The Musketeers is an intriguing show because it mostly focuses on entertaining moments and great action, but it also occasionally includes serious themes. For example, Commodities heavily focused on whether or not slavery and human trafficking is morally right, even if it is technically legal. Slavery certainly isn’t the happy-go-lucky theme that you would expect from an adventuring show, but it was handled quite well.

The Musketeers has been getting better as each week passes, and the actors have been growing into their subsequent roles. Additionally, the side characters continue to impress, including Constance and the various villains that are introduced. Occasionally, The Musketeers will do something a little cheesy—one scene with Porthos was reminiscent of the A-Team—but these moments are few and far between. The Musketeers does a decent job of maintaining that balance without leaning into the dumber moments. If the show can maintain this balance, The Musketeers will be both entertaining and well received for many seasons.