The Musketeers - 'The Hunger' and 'Brother in Arms'

"Oh look, trouble. My hubbie must be back in town."

Buckle your swashes and swash your bucklers, for a double bill of The Musketeers.

D'Artagnan is disappointed that a morning with his wife involves less fooling around and more fetching the garrison grocery order. This inevitably runs them into trouble, as the Duke of Beaufort announces that his grain has been stolen and an angry mob of already hungry Parisians turn on a nearby camp of war refugees. D'Artagnan rallies the cadets to defend the camp, but the Red Guard appear to round up the usual suspects, including D'Artagnan. It quickly emerges that the Duke is in cahoots with Feron and Grimaud - although he despises the latter - to disappear the grain, using the refugees as scapegoats, then resell it to the King at double the price.

Remember, all sympathetic supporting male characters in this series a) are
doomed, and b) must have hot relatives the Musketeers' age.

The Musketeers sally forth to try to prove the innocence of the refugees, including Sylvie, an outspoken young woman who is initially distrustful of any soldier. As the Red Guard and their plant in the camp work to incriminate the refugees, Aramis and Porthos trace the wagon used in the theft and Porthos finds the stolen consignment. It's always good to have a reminder that this Porthos isn't a fool.

Captain Marchaux kills the plant and blames him for everything. The Duke doesn't get his payday, and Feron narrowly dissuades Grimaud from murdering him for being a snobby tosser. The refugees are released, but not before Sylvie's father dies in custody. All in all, a distinctly qualified win. Grimaud pops up to taunt the Musketeers in person, and Aramis and Porthos recognise the horse he took from a wagon owner he murdered. We also see the first rumblings of popular revolution, as the refugees espouse opposition to the absolute monarchy which destroys lives with its wars.

The Queen is unhappy to see her son encouraged to play with murderous
psychos.

This latter theme is continued in 'Brother in Arms'. The Musketeers are sent to retrieve the King's rebellious brother , the Duke of Orlean, from exile, only for him to flip out during a rest stop and stab three dudes after he misses his wallet. The pub where this happens is a veterans' bar, populated by disgruntled, pensionless ex-soldiers, who demand justice of the aristo-hanging variety, and are of course to be disappointed.

Feron and Orleans machinate to have the veterans made an example of for daring to be stabbed by a man of quality, while Treville and the Musketeers try to maintain the rule of law and spirit of justice. There's a lot more rumbling against the King, and Sylvie pops up again, as a friend of the soldiers'. It all winds up with a hostage situation and the Red Guard attacking the Musketeers surrounding the tavern, precipitating a fight in which the Musketeers join the rebels and let them off at the end of it, doubtless leading to further consequences along the line.

Sylvie and Athos look like they're going to hook up, probably about thirty seconds before Milady returns.

"Are you getting that 'King's Landing' feeling?"

Orleans ends up in the Bastille, since his wallet contained not money, but incriminating letters, but the political game ends poorly for our heroes. The King clearly suspects that his son might not be his son, but dotes on the boy as his legacy to the neglect of all else. As we, Treville and Feron discover this episode, this is because he has contracted the White Plague (tuberculosis, I think,) and will be dead within the year. The game is now to hold the loyalty of the Dauphin, and with the boy apparently poisoned against his mother, it doesn't look good.

Season 3 is obviously going for a darker vibe even than Season 2, and a sense of impending disaster only cemented by the Omen-like creepiness of the Dauphin (which may be more to do with the wig than th lad wearing it.) For this, it's kind of odd that there was no more comeback from the fact that the Musketeers killed several Red Guards while defending accused traitors. You'd think that might at least rate a scolding, although perhaps it was forgotten what with the whole 'uncovered a plot to overthrow the King' angle.