King Louie
What an ungrateful jerk!
shareNasty piece of work
share
MovieChat Forums > The Musketeers (2014) Discussion > King Louie
I'm kind of disappointed in his characterization this season. The first season, yes, he was immature and spoiled, but starting to grow into his own strength. Starting to get clever, too. This season he seems to just be a petulant, and really stupid, autocrat.
Which is a shame because I love Ryan Gage's portrayal.
You can tell that Ryan Gage is having great fun with the character, he's absolutely brilliant! But yes... he has gone from a spoiled brat with potential to just being a spoiled brat. I guess he's the perfect target for Milady though. I don't like it when writers make characters more one-dimensional for the sake of convenience, but hopefully he will improve over the course of the season? Perhaps when/if he finds out Milady's true nature and Rochefort's true intentions it will be a wake-up call for him.
shareAgreed. It's been disappointing.
Rochefort and Milady (and their ambitions) slamming into one another promises to be interesting. At the outset, Milady's goal of becoming the royal mistress and Rochefort trying to drive a wedge between the Royal Couple work together, but how long is that going to last before they come into conflict? Two characters like that at each other's throats promises to be be pretty entertaining.
It could be that Milady is the one that uncovers Rochefort's treachery, which would then be her partial redemption if she goes to the Musketeers with it. Or not.
Or vice versa. I'm still keeping an open mind that Rochefort might be a double agent (wierd-obssesive double agent, but a double agent nonetheless).
One thing I don't get: The King would have been a target for wannabe royal mistresses from the moment he could shave (and possibly before). A lot of women would have tried to seduce him over the years. Wouldn't he have seen through Milady's very overt and clumsy attempts to seduce him? I mean, maybe not. He can be a bit thick, but still I was sitting there saying, "Really? You're falling for this stupid crap? Really?"
But then, I'm a chick, so...
Ah well.
Maybe Louis will end up being the one playing her. One can hope.
The thing that could be really terrifying is if Milady and Rochefort started working together. She wants the King, he wants the Queen (albeit for very different reasons!) so perhaps it could be in both their interests to join forces? I can't decide whether I would rather see them working together or against each other, I reckon both could be interesting.
I agree about what you said about the King, it doesn't make sense to me either. I always got kind of an asexual vibe from him so I always thought that was the reason for the lack of mistresses. And yeah, Milady is about as subtle as a slap in the face but I guess he's been used to people kissing his ass all his life so maybe it seems normal for him. Poor deluded guy :)
I don't like how they sacrifice Louis's brain and grasp of common sense for the sake of plot. Because honestly, if he was a daft as he's portrayed, his crown would have been usurped ages ago.
That said, I love watching Ryan Gage's work with the character. I agree, you can tell he's having fun, which in turn makes it fun to watch.
I think this is a consequence of Cardinal Richileu having so much control over the king. Louie has spent his whole life having someone powerful to influence him but without the Cardinal he's like a teenager let loose with his parents credit cards
shareDywinter and the Cardinal always seemed to be at each other's throat.
shareThe thing that could be really terrifying is if Milady and Rochefort started working together. She wants the King, he wants the Queen (albeit for very different reasons!) so perhaps it could be in both their interests to join forces? I can't decide whether I would rather see them working together or against each other, I reckon both could be interesting.
Agreed, on all regards.
Honestly I think I would prefer to see them against each other. Seeing two villains competing when written right can be some of the most entertaining story telling off all.
I personally can't help but wonder which of the two is the most evil? I mean in the books it was Milady (she was the most evil villain in the entire series being nothing short of a seductive sociopathic sadist who cared for no one but herself, and would stoop to any level for her own gain).
However in the series its a bit more difficult to decided. Milady is undoubtedly a murderer and selfish succubus, however while she's killed more people (at the present) she doesn't seem that interested in the life style and wants to get away from it and get herself a life of luxury. The only time she ever showed any sadistic glee in her job was when she was trying to get the countess to burn and that was only cause she and Athos had hit it off.
Rochefort on the other hand is an unstable sociopath, with an insatiable lust for the queen and ambitions for the throne. Not to mention he's clearly something of a sadist who enjoys holding others lives in the palm of his hand.
Really its going to be dirty race to decide whose worse. Though part of me suspects it be Rochefort share
I dunno, Milady had her moments of crazy (other than trying to get Ninon burned at the stake). My personal favorite was when she kidnapped Constance to use as a bargaining chip and then said it was all Athos fault. "This is your doing, not mine," I think were the words.
Then there was the priest in the very first episode of series 1. (Not to mention killing the Spanish ambassador and then framing D'Artangnan, whom she had just met and slept with, for it.) Burning Athos' house down. Then last episode she killed for a dress. (Which given the gold she gave to the guard, she could have bought herself.) I don't think her killin' days are over. I just think that without the Cardinal holding her in check, she's free to play her own power games. I don't think it's the luxury she is after, it's the power that being the King's mistress gives, especially if Louis is weak-willed. France practically had a tradition of "uncrowned Queens of France" in the royal mistresses.
She may not be as twisted as Rochefort, but I think she is a sociopath as well.
Then there was the priest in the very first episode of series 1. (Not to mention killing the Spanish ambassador and then framing D'Artangnan, whom she had just met and slept with, for it.) Burning Athos' house down. Then last episode she killed for a dress. (Which given the gold she gave to the guard, she could have bought herself.)
Very good points, maybe I'm giving her to much credit.
I don't think it's the luxury she is after, it's the power that being the King's mistress gives, especially if Louis is weak-willed.
Its probably somewhere between the two, she certainly enjoys luxury and high class things. But I think your right, having a near untouchable position and being able to manipulate the king is something she clearly enjoys.
She may not be as twisted as Rochefort, but I think she is a sociopath as well.
I have to agree, she's at the very least borderline herself. Of course that makes it all the more complicated. Who is the most evil of the two of them? Are they just as bad as each other? If so, whose going to win?
All in all, I hope they keep fighting, its going to be a lot more fun to see to lunatics trying to rip the other apart while forging there own ambitions.
share
All in all, I hope they keep fighting, its going to be a lot more fun to see to lunatics trying to rip the other apart while forging there own ambitions.
That's what I am looking forward to. At the moment, their goals work in concert: to drive the royal couple apart. But at some point, they are going to butt heads and the amount of crazy that is going to come out of that is going to be very fun to watch. share
It's interesting that she spoke in favour of Captain Treville, who isn't one of her favourite people. I didn't expect that from her.
I don't think she's a sociopath, though. She's undeniably ruthless, callous, cynical, selfish and socially ambitious, but there seems enough humanity in her to make her compartmentalise. As in seeing the world as a mathematical world. Add, subtract, divide, square, multiply and such. Instead of the usual sociopathic thinking: use or be used, take or give, kill or be killed and such. No grey area in between.
The compartmentalization is part of what makes her bonkers. For her to kidnap Constance to use as a bargaining chip and blame Athos for it. To kill Athos' brother for finding out who she is and blame him for it.
Muy loco.
The fact that she so pissed off at Athos for trying to legally execute her when she killed his brother is a little nutso too. Love affairs don't often survive murdering a family member.
I don't know if it's part of being a sociopath, but it's certainly is part of some disorder to blame others for what is blatantly their own actions.
EDIT: Plus we are talking about a woman who started her new life as a "non-killer" by killing a woman for a dress.
I don't know if it's part of being a sociopath, but it's certainly is part of some disorder to blame others for what is blatantly their own actions.
Oh yeah, many Psychopath's and Sociopath's suffer from extreme Narcissism to the point where they can not except anything is there fault. share
And they DEFINITIELY fit the criteria perfectly.
shareI recently watch Episode 6 and 7, and I don't know, it seems in this Season especially, King Louis seem to be ranting a lot, such as
"I want him DEAD!!!"
"I want him executed!!"
Blah, blah, ranting on and on. At first it was endurable, but as episodes went on, his character has started to feel incredibly one-dimensional and annoying (it doesn't really help when writers continuously put him in danger, I guess giving him every opportunity to rant and complain to the musketeers afterwards).
Kinda felt this way since the episode 2 "Ordinary Man" when they really had a good chance to develop his character but squandered on that opportunity.
With Milady, oh boy.... Where do we even begin.....It seems as if the writers in this season are quite unsure of what to do with the character.
Sometimes, she sides with the musketeers and helps them out (even though she states everytime it's to gain the King's favor & power), but in some other scenes she is siding with Rochefort and making deals with him - (I have read the Dumas novels, but) if someone who haven't read the novels were to watch the series, that person might mistake Milady crossing borderlines of villain/antihero this season.
But I'm guessing we're kinda stuck with Milady for a while, since Athos just can't stop looking at (and caring for) her, with him always stuck in "brooding" mode (not that I'm complaining, since brooding is one of Athos' best qualities haha) especially this season.
Historically, the King was indeed quite asexual. He refused to share bed with his wife for 13 years after their first child miscarried. And he kept nearly nobody as his mistress in between. Luis XIV was born at the Queen's thirtieth if my memory served.
I was a bit disappointed that Milady and Rochefort didn't plot together immediately after the season started, because in the book they were Cardinal's left and right arms, top spies and secret weapons. It would be a quite natural development for them to work together after Cardinal's gone.
I agree with this post completely. I enjoyed this characterization and the actor in the first season. Really beginning to loathe the character now because of the direction the writers keep sending him down this season, and that's a shame.
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
I loved him in the first season but maybe this is on purpose? As far as Rochefort and Milady, I think he's more shades of crazy than she is DEFINITELY. He's a twisted one that's for sure. He's annoying as sin but I like hating him.
shareIt's Louis, not Louie. Louie is an obnoxious orang-utang who kidnaps Mowgli in The Jungle Book. Louis is the name born by 18 French Kings between the 9th and 19th centuries.
"Occasionally I'm callous and strange."
Being French, I say THANK YOU for this post.
It's King Louis, not Louie.
And I have only watched a few episodes, but I am already disappointed in his characterization. I don't think he was such a bad king, on the contrary.
I hope they are pulling an "Man in the iron mask" doubleganger plot.
the change in Louis personality is to odd otherweise.
Yeah, but his smile can light a room.
🇫🇷🎆⚽🎆⚽🎆⚽🎆🇫🇷