MovieChat Forums > The Musketeers (2014) Discussion > Something really bugging me

Something really bugging me

posted 9 years ago by Ace_Spade
2 replies | jump to latest

SPOILERS AHEAD; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

So, this is a terrific show. I really like both seasons that I've seen, I'll be watching season three when it hits Netflix as well. But there's one thing that keeps coming up that just bugs me.

It seems like every time there's a season finale and the Musketeers are about to take down a major villain, they balk or something.

Season one has Milady de Winter deserving to die like almost nobody else and they just let her walk, completely out of character for the burning wrath of Athos (or any of the Musketeers). Yeah, I know she's not all bad in season two (though, still pretty heinous most of the time), but that's after they let her (inexplicably) live.

Season two, meanwhile, has the rescue of Constance from the executioner's block conclude with the baffling (shout-stuff-at-the-screen baffling) decision to not kill Rochefort. The Musketeers save Constance, Treville has a knife at Rochefort's throat and he doesn't kill him. The only possible explanation is that the scriptwriter needs Rochefort alive, but the only explanation Treville gives is, "Killing Rochefort wouldn't do anything". What? Louis hadn't made up his mind, at that point, to side with Rochefort. Louis, demonstrably throughout the show, has a whimsical judgement, easily lead down whatever manipulative path the Cardinal, Rochefort, Milady, or pretty much anybody chooses. With Rochefort dead, they wouldn't have needed to do anything more than have the Queen swear nothing bad happened and they'd be in the clear.

Both of these instances aren't characters acting like they would act or people doing logical (or even super-emotional) things to accomplish their goals. They don't seem to want anything, a driving want being key to any character in a drama - TV, movie, or stage play. Because they ignore these core character elements, it's obvious that the writer just needs or wants Rochefort, Milady, or whoever alive and just doesn't allow characters to follow through on their actions.

Yes, I know it's an action show with lots of "cavalry at the last second" Deus Ex Machina moments, but it's cliche and hokey when, say, D'Artagnan rides in at the last second to save the day, but when characters act contrary to their personalities, wants, and needs, it's just painful to watch.

I needed that rant.

Other than that stuff, it is a great show. I just needed to get that off my chest, you know?

[–] lucy-loo1 9 years ago

Louis was attaching himself to Rochefort in a similar way to how he was attaching himself to the Cardinal, so had Treville just killed him, he could have been arrested and thrown in prison. Killing someone who's 'the King's favourite' as Rochefort was at this time isn't something you could do without consequences..

The show isn't perfec though and does have characters do silly things in the name of plot - one that annoys me is in 'Through a Glass Darkly' when Athos chooses to stay with Treville at the Garrison rather than going with the Royal party ( which includes the baby Prince - the future heir to the throne ) simply because Milady was there. It wasn't a professional way to behave for a man who's made Captain by the end of the series but clearly the writers needed Milady to help save the day and if that meant making Athos look unprofessional, then so be it.

[–] Ace_Spade 9 years ago

The Musketeers were already prepared to kill a bunch of soldiers, guards, and the executioner. Most executioners, by my understanding of it, were just commoners who needed a few bucks. If they're prepared to do that, you'd think they'd just ice Rochefort. Heck, without Rochefort whispering in the king's ear, they could probably stab Rochefort, make off with his corpse, dump it in the woods, and claim that Rochefort was working with them to expose corruption from Spain and he just got killed by Spanish assassins.

I think the Rochefort thing bugs me because the writers did a really great job of making the stakes never higher than they were right then: Rochefort's plans had put the Musketeers into disgrace, the Queen's life into jeopardy, and had almost killed Constance. With so much at stake, you'd think somebody like Athos or Treville would figure, "Duty first" and just shoot Rochefort through his good eye. Yeah, the killer would have to run, but the Queen would be safe (reputation and bodily), the other Musketeers would retain their position (and it's not just our four heroes, either, but the whole lot of them Rochefort was gunning for), and the kingdom would be far more stable for the price of one guy needing to hide out in the woods for a month or two. I say a month or two because that's how long it would probably take the Musketeers to find proof of Rochefort's traitorous nature and talk Louis into letting (whoever) back into the good graces.

I forgot about Athos just buggering off in Through a Glass Darkly. You're dead-on about that.