After an intensely entertaining second season, The Musketeers sought to finish strong by creating an epic finale. This episode, “Trial and Punishment”, was supposed to answer all of the lingering questions while providing closure around Rochefort’s story. Additionally, this episode was supposed to answer some lingering questions about the king and his strange illness. The final product may have sadly skipped over some important moments in order to meet the 1:15 run-time, but the end result was an absolutely enjoyable and mostly satisfying end to a great season.
Continuing on from the penultimate episode, “Trial and Punishment” focused on the different parties involved in Rochefort’s evil scheme. Constance was on the literal chopping block after some false accusations, Aramis was in prison, and the queen was locked in a room away from her son. The remaining Musketeers needed to find a way to solve all of those problems without letting the Spanish spy, Rochefort, completely take over Paris and destroy the French world. In order to achieve this goal, Porthos set out to capture Rochefort’s spymaster while Athos, Treville, and D’Artagnan attempted to rescue Constance from certain beheading. This rescue fulfilled the dual goal of screwing up Rochefort’s plan while also preserving Constance’s life.
After this botched execution, Rochefort set out to get confessions from the queen, Aramis, and Marguerite while trying to execute everyone who stood in his way. This excursion led to some awkward trials that completely messed with the king’s drugged-out mind. Granted, none of these trials accomplished anything for Rochefort or anyone else, but they did provide important story details that had been forgotten. Plus, the king heard many different sides to the story instead of Rochefort’s version.
Aramis on Trial
While the trials were taking place, Porthos was in pursuit of the spymaster who created Rochefort and his devious mission. This solo mission, which was the best part of the episode, consisted of Porthos tracking down the spymaster and leading him on a chase through the forest. During this chase, Porthos went all out with the face paint to make matters more fun. Ultimately, Porthos did capture the spymaster and took him before the king to prove Rochefort’s guilt.
The season finale of The Musketeers was a mostly fantastic way to finish off the second season. The rescue at Constance’s execution was a great way to start the episode, and the chase through the forest was just as entertaining. Plus, the final battle at the palace could have been an episode all on its own. This final battle featured sword fights, shootouts, and the best payoff you could ask for after this season. Even better, the more plot-heavy scenes were an important way to break up the action. Honestly, the only complaint during the episode was the fact that certain moments couldn’t be included in the 1:15 runtime. For example, the dialogue between the spymaster and the king wasn’t even included in the episode. It would have been nice to know how the spymaster convinced the king that Rochefort was actually the villain. Plus, The Musketeers never explained whether or not Rochefort was still subtly poisoning the king after the one big attack on his life. The king went from a big sweaty mess to the picture of health in about two hours.
Not the picture of health.
The Musketeers had an enjoyable second season, and the finale was the best part of it. Major events happened that will greatly affect the third season, and the writers even gave a clue as to how the next season will progress. The finale even included some much-needed payoff on Constance and D’Artagnan’s story. The Musketeers is consistently one of the most enjoyable shows on TV, and it continues to improve during each season. Now, we begin the long wait until season three premieres.
All for one, and one for all.
You must be logged in to post a comment.