The Musketeers - Trial and Punishment & Season 2 - Review: "Goodbye for Now"

© BBC Pictures Episode: 2.10 "Trial and Punishment"
Directed by: Nicholas Renton
Written by: Simon Allen
Air date: 27 March 2015
Reviews so far:
Episode 2.01 "Keep Your Friends Close"
Episode 2.02 "An Ordinary Man"
Episode 2.03 "The Good Traitor"
Episode 2.04 "Emilie"
Episode 2.05 "The Return"
Episode 2.06 "Through a Glass Darkly"
Episode 2.07 "A Marriage of Inconvenience"
Episode 2.08 "The Prodigal Father"
Episode 2.09 "The Accused"

Aramis - Aramis' tragic story this season made his character seem so much different than he was back in season one. Of course that romantic and playful guy wasn't gone, but at the end of the finale we're left with a broken man who lost everything, even let go of his friends and only has his faith to keep him going. Faith can be everything for a man, but it doesn't feel like that with Aramis. He's a believer, yes, but that's not the reason he's leaving, he left because the pain and guilt over everything that's happened was too much for him to stay. And him being alive and no longer suspected for the treason is not a happy ending after all, in the face of these consequences. Such a sad ending for one of my very favorite characters left me quite conflicted about this finale, to be honest. Season one, despite everything, still ended on a more hopeful note, if you ask me. There were many great scenes with Aramis in the hour, including a great fight with Rochefort and all the reunions/goodbyes. Poor Aramis, though. If that was the ending for the series, it would be a heartbreaking one for this Musketeer, for sure. And I'm really not a fan of the tragic ones.

Rochefort - Rochefort is gone. Sadly it won't make all the damage and pain he caused go away. Dr Lemay and poor Marguerite still died. And that's entirely on him. The relationships end every day, very often not on the best terms, but what Rochefort has done with Marguerite after Aramis ended things with her, broke her completely. Her testifying against someone she loved, knowing he'll be sentenced to death, was the last straw. Her breakdown as she was being taken away from court, terrified, heartbroken and humiliated, resulted in her committing suicide. It was too much and even her letter where she wrote the truth about Rochefort was destroyed by him before anyone could read it. I knew that this will not end well for Marguerite but still, this was a lot to process. Rochefort was a very twisted and powerful villain, his insanity and obsession made him even more dangerous than I expected. His takedown was a very satisfying scene for sure. All the Musketeers with Queen Anne and Constance took part in his last fight and demise. Kudos to Mark Warren for his most impressive work this season! It's no easy task to potray such a cruel, unstable, emotional and dark character. And his performance was absolutely spot on.

King Louis - I really tried to find more sympathy for the King in the episode, in big part because of Ryan Gage’s spectacular performance, especially in the scene where he finds out the truth about Dauphin. But to be honest, every single time I started feeling truly bad for him, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Aramis was fighting for his life after his love affair with the Queen, while the King had his official (!) mistress living in the castle and no one said a word. And Louis saying he lost everything made me remember Pepin, the ordinary man who gave up his life to protect the King who promised to reward him for his actions and forgot about him the second he was back safe in the castle. And then there’s Marmion’s family and everyone who lived in Gerberoy, everyone who died because the King didn’t care enough to consider their fate and caused the entire village to starve to death out of his sheer indifference. The list goes on… So in the end, no matter how lost and broken Louis might have seemed at times, I can only feel for him in those moments, but never truly like the man. And it just made me immensely sad to see that he’s the one who got everything back, had his happy ending, while the others (like Aramis and Athos) were left to carry on with their pain and guilt.

Queen Anne - When I look at Queen Anne in the finale it seems like she started the season as a completely different person. There was so much sadness in her, the loneliness, hurt and now, now she's a strong, brave and impressive Queen. She didn't let Rochefort break her and faced him with pride and confidence, even told him exactly what she knew would hurt him in the end. Queen Anne ends the season happily it seems, she's back to where she was when season one finished but with more hope and strength than she had before. It was great to see her like that, though I still felt there was something wrong with that perfect little picture of her. After everything they've been through, I kind of expected her to care more, about Marguerite and especially Aramis and we didn't get to see her reaction to his departure. Things are changed now of course, the King will surely pay more attention to the Queen (at least for a while) but it seemed like a strange, almost abrupt ending for Anne. I have to say though, I'm so impressed by the wonderful work from Alexandra Dowling this season. Her interactions with Rochefort were one of the most powerful moments of the show. Kudos!

Constance - Constance was definitely one of my favorites in the finale. Her strength and courage when faced with her own execution were powerfully done and truly impressive. Her decision to join the Musketeers in the fight resulted in one of the most popular quotes of the hour and a chance to see another side of this wonderful character. It was very fitting to see that in the end it was Aramis and Constance who came to the Queen's aid and confronted Rochefort. Also, I'm so glad and relieved Constance got her happy ending in the end, even though I couldn't quite celebrate it with everything else that was going on at the time. But now, here's to the great new beginning for Constance and d'Artagnan!

D'Artagnan - Passionate, intense, impulsive, always ready to get even whenever things get personal. That's all definitely D'Artagnan. I absolutely loved the entire sequence with Constance's rescue at the beginning of the finale. The Musketeers being the heroes of the story are always one of my favorite things to see. And it was a great, successful plan. Also it was lovely to see him standing by Aramis and not willing to say goodbye (despite those sarcastic comments towards him in the last few episodes). Still...D'Artagnan did get a happy ending after all. Easily the best one between all the Musketeers. I hope to see a different, more mature, happy and calmer D'Artagnan when we'll be back in season 3. The dynamics all changed and there's a great potential in that.

Porthos - Once again, Porthos has proved why he's the Musketeer in the story. With everyone counting on his help, he managed to complete his mission, took down quite a lot of men on his own and brought the Spanish spymaster Vargas with the proof of Rochefort's treason to the castle. So basically, whenever you're in need, call Porthos for help. At this point, he's probably the most reliable guy we know. And how sad but beautiful was him reuniting and then saying goodbye to his best friend. If there's one person who really didn't want to let go of Aramis, that would be Porthos. I wholeheartedly agreed, which only made me like Porthos even more (and how's that even possible?). One of my season three wishes will definitely be getting our Musketeer more involved in the main arc and giving him a chance to be more present and active on the weekly basis. It still feels like there's never enough of Porthos.

Treville - Finally! Should have taken that job from day one, Treville! Good to see people do learn from their mistakes. I still can't help but wonder how different things could be if the former Captain made a right decision in the season premiere. There were so many little things that Treville did in the episode that I absolutely loved: confronting Rochefort while saving Constance, making Athos the new Captain, giving Porthos his old sword, standing by Aramis through everything that was happening and letting the Musketeers go after him at the end. Not only a great leader, but a truly great friend. I look forward to seeing him in this new position, as the King's right hand, next year. Just one little thing to add, really wish he didn't stop Athos from going after Milady. What a great scene would that be. Anyway, glad to see such a good ending for Treville.

Athos - The only person as broken and sad at the end of the finale as Aramis can only be Athos. The connection and understanding between the two in the episode (and the season) was really wonderfully done. "He's letting us go" and "all for one" scene made for such a heartwarming but truly sad part... I absolutely love the fact that Athos is now the Captain. Though it seems like his heart is not all focused there. It's good that there's finally a sense of moving on from the pain and tragic story between him and Milady. I did like the fact he wanted to go after her at the end. To convince her to stay, to say goodbye or to join her - regardless of the reason, I was really enjoying their dynamics this season and I'd love to see more of the two working and interacting together. Also, Athos being the one to walk Constance down the aisle made me think of the series' first hour when Mrs. Bonacieux (now) D'Artagnan decided to help the Musketeers mostly because Athos was a friend. Great little moment there. It was a very emotional, intense and powerful season for Athos and the amazing Tom Burke. I absolutely can't wait for what his storyline will be in the next one.

Milady - Unfortunately Milady didn't have a lot of screentime in the episode but she perfectly used the few minutes she had. In one of my favorite, even if quite predictable, surprises of the hour, she managed to save Aramis' life, get him out of prison and reunite him with his friends all on her own. She also showed more of her vulnerable side when she asked Athos to leave Paris with her and start over. She waited for quite a while. Hopefully her last shot in the season and the missing glove are no indication that she was attacked/something bad happened to her. I've heard quite a few theories about that but I'm choosing to stay positive. Milady had an incredible season and I've grown to really care about the character as she joined the list of my favorites. Who would have thought? Hopefully the little moment she shared with Aramis as he told her she doesn't have to kill everyone on her way was a good sign that her character development is still a work in progress in the right direction.

Notes, thoughts and quotes:
Best Scene: The Musketeers say goodbye to Aramis
Best Rescue: Athos, D'Artagnan and Treville save Constance & Milady saves Aramis
Best Plan: Porthos brings Vargas to the King
Best Change/Potential: Treville accepts King's offer & Athos is the new Captain
Best Happily Ever After Moment: The wedding
Most satisfying: Rochefort's death
Most tragic: Marguerite's death
Most in Need for Hug/The saddest: Aramis
Biggest regret: Athos didn't make it in time to Milady

Memorable quotes:
1. Constance: "Surrender, monsieur". Vargas: "You bring women to fight your battles?" Constance: "Perhaps I bring men to fight mine."
2. Milady: "God works in mysterious ways, does he not?"
3. Aramis: "We don't need to kill him." Milady: "Why not?" Aramis: "You shouldn't treat death so lightly."
4. Milady: "I'm not free. I'm bound to you. As you are to me. I have become this foul and ugly thing, this stranger who cheats and lies and kills without conscience. I don't want to be that creature any more. I want to be... as I was once with you... To feel hope instead of this... deadness in my heart."
5. Constance: “It’s not the man we have to destroy, it’s his lies”

Favorite to Least Favorite Season 2 Episodes Ranking:
1. Through a Glass Darkly
2. The Accused
3. Emilie
4. Trial and Punishment - I really would need to re-watch the season to be sure, but that's it for now. As much as I enjoyed season two and I loved many moments in this finale, I have to admit it left me more conflicted than I expected, which probably has a lot to do with its place in the ranking.
5. An Ordinary Man
6. The Return
7. The Prodigal Father
8. Keep Your Friends Close
9. A Marriage of Inconvenience
10. The Good Traitor

And now, what did you think about "Trial and Punishment" and season 2 overall? Any favorite scenes/quotes/theories/wishes for season 3 to share with the rest of the fans? Thank you for reading! And see you back in season 3!

Justyna JJ Kubica

22. Student. SpoilerTV Writer. Loves Movies, TV Shows (The 100, Teen Wolf, Sherlock, Person Of Interest, Arrow, Supernatural (especially 1-5), Agents Of SHIELD, Doctor Who, Fringe, The Musketeers, Psych, etc.) and Books (Harry Potter!). Fantasy & SciFi geek! Scene Of The Week articles author. Writes reviews for Doctor Who, Sherlock & The Musketeers. Member of SpoilerTV team since 27th November 2011.

Recent Reviews & Articles( All Reviews & Articles)