Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      Thom V. Young
      December 31, 2018
      News, PDI Press, PDI Press Catalog
    Recent
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      psychodr
      December 31, 2018
    • VOICES FROM THE NIGHT: The Living Dead Tell Their Stories

      John E. Meredith
      October 31, 2018
    • American Carnage: Tales of Trumpian Dystopia

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Knives Out (2019)

      Thom V. Young
      November 29, 2019
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • Knives Out (2019)

      Nate Zoebl
      November 29, 2019
    • Night Work (2019)

      Nate Zoebl
      November 8, 2019
    • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray

      Paul Brian McCoy
      November 5, 2019
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Thom V. Young
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Dory Hoffman
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Thom V. Young
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • Knives Out (2019)
  • Night Work (2019)
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray
  • Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
  • Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
  • The Lighthouse (2019)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

The Musketeers 2.08 “The Prodigal Son”

Thom V. Young
March 14, 2015
Reviews, TV

Synopsis of “The Prodigal Son” (episode 2.08 of The Musketeers):

Porthos learns the truth about his parents and demands answers from his newly discovered father, but the information he receives makes him question his place in the Musketeers regiment.

As the eighth of ten episodes, “The Prodigal Son” is placed in the position of either resolving or beginning to resolve several plot lines that have been running through the second season—and some of the resolutions seem to indicate The Musketeers may have been heading toward a series-ending conclusion in case there wasn’t a renewal for a third season. However, the series has been renewed for season three—which begins filming in the Czech Republic next month.

One of those season-long plot lines involves the identity of Porthos’s father—and, as the title of this episode (“The Prodigal Son”)* indicates, that subplot is resolved. The identity of Porthos’s father became an issue in the first episode of the season, “Keep Your Friends Close,” when General de Foix (whom the musketeers rescued from a Spanish prison) recognized Porthos as the son of a man he and Captain Treville served with more than 20 years earlier.

The mystery of the identity of Porthos’s father was not nearly as significant as I thought it would turn out to be—especially considering how this plot point had been alluded to throughout the season each time Porthos and Treville were together. In fact, I had become tired of seeing Porthos roll his eyes and speak harshly each time he interacted with Treville. With all that buildup of negativity that Porthos was directing at his captain, I thought the identity of the Porthos’s father would be a bigger revelation than it was.

However, after all of that intrigue, Porthos’s father turned out to be . . . Davos Seaworth from Game of Thrones.

Father of Porthos

As Belgard in The Musketeers, Liam Cunningham delivers his lines in a manner so similar to the way he delivers his lines in Game of Thrones that it seemed as if I was watching a mashup of the two series. It was as if Porthos and his deceased mother had originally come from Westeros. Obviously, if I wasn’t a fan of Game of Thrones, Cunningham’s performance in The Musketeers would not be an issue for me, but the similarity between his portrayals of the two characters stands out because I have seen other actors do a better job in portraying similar characters differently.

For instance, Australian actor Damon Herriman did an excellent job in creating a distinction between the two American redneck idiots he has played—Dewey Crowe in Justified and the “roadkill driver” in House of Wax (2005). He even used slightly different southern accents in the two performances, which is all the more impressive because I’m sure Herriman has a distinct Australian accent. His Kentucky accent as Dewey Crowe is very convincing; however, I lived in Louisiana for five years and he did not nail the accent in House of Wax at all—but he still turned in two distinct performances as a backwoods, southern redneck.

Part of the problem in “The Prodigal Son” is Cunningham’s accent, which is identical in both roles as he uses his natural Irish accent—which, fortunately, is not a thick brogue. In fact, there are times when all of the British accents in The Musketeers (some English and some Gaelic) take me out of the story as I notice the oddity of hearing French characters speak in heavy British accents. However, I’m not calling for the British actors to do French accents in The Musketeers, as that would probably be even worse—and I’m certain it is just as odd in the rest of the world to hear international characters in Hollywood films or TV shows speak in American accents.

I can usually tune out the British accents in The Musketeers but “The Prodigal Son” required a greater effort for me—not because of Liam Cunningham’s slightly Irish (but mostly just “British”) delivery. The biggest problem in “The Prodigal Son” was Steven Cree’s thick Scottish brogue as he played Porthos’s brother-in-law Levesque. Each time his character spoke, Cree’s accent took me out of the moment, as I would suddenly think: Is Levesque supposed to be a Scotsman who has come to France and married into Belgard’s family?

I kept waiting for some sort of in-story exposition that would explain why Levesque had a thick Scottish accent, but that exposition never came. I even started coming up with my own explanation—such as, despite the character’s name, I considered the possibility that he fled his native Scotland and brought his nefarious business to France where he married into Belgard’s aristocratic family. That “nefarious business” is part of the suspense surrounding Porthos’s father—a sex slave auction house that the musketeers bring down.

Sex Slave Auction

The concept of slavery or servitude is the leitmotif of the episode, as we learn Porthos’s mother was a servant in the family manor when Belgard was a young man. He claims to have loved her (and married her), but that she and Porthos were taken from him in an abduction scheme orchestrated by his own father, who opposed the mixed-race marriage and progeny. However, Belgard’s tale is a twist on what actually happened. It was Belgard himself who arranged for the removal of Porthos and his mother from the family estate before his father could disown him.

Other plot lines of the season are similarly heading toward resolution with only two episodes remaining. All of these other season-long subplots involve Rochefort’s scheme to remove the king and be with the queen. He has been in love with Anne since she was 14 years old and he was tutoring her on French customs. At that time, she apparently gave him reason to believe that she felt romantic love for him as well. However, recent evidence has suggested to Rochefort that Anne is having an affair with Aramis.

Legally, Aramis is guilty of treason for having had sex with the queen. It might also be that Anne is guilty of treason due to her marital infidelity. However, despite the circumstantial evidence he has gathered (he does not have solid proof), Rochefort gives her a chance to commit marital infidelity with him rather than with Aramis. As an agent of Spain who is attempting to bring down the French government, Rochefort is already guilty of treason—so one more act of treason by having sex with the queen would be inconsequential.

Rochefort and Anne

Obviously, Anne rejects Rochefort’s declarations of love—first with a slap across his face and later with a needle to his eye. Unsurprisingly, he then tells her he intends to report her infidelity to the king—who is just foolish enough to believe anything Rochefort tells him. However, there may actually be a valid reason for the blind gullibility Louis has regarding Rochefort.

I may have been a bit hasty in my review of “A Marriage of Inconvenience” (2.07) when I criticized the contrivance of having Louis stay in his bedroom for the entire episode so that he wouldn’t spoil the plot the writer had planned. Having the king remain secluded for the episode’s plot to work was a contrivance, but at least it has continued into “The Prodigal Son” and has been given more plausibility by this episode’s writers: Susie Conklin and Adrian Hodges.

Rochefort and Louis

Rather than refusing to leave his bedroom until Milady de Winter leaves the palace, the king is now keeping to his chambers due to Rochefort manipulating him into paranoia by poisoning his mind—and probably his food as well. Louis admits to fearing death by poison more than he fears all else, and (judging by the preview scenes of the next episode) it looks like his greatest fear is coming true.

It seems that if the series had not been renewed for a third season, Rochefort would end up being killed by Aramis in two more episodes—but not before the king was also killed (or greatly incapacitated) due to Rochefort’s efforts.

If season two had ended with the king’s death (10 years before his historic death in 1643), Aramis and Anne’s son (presumably Louis XIV) would become king and Anne would then have to reign as his regent until he came of age—which would also be historically accurate except for the years in which Anne would begin her reign as regent. Of course, the series would probably have ended with Aramis as Anne’s consort—perhaps involving a mirrored wedding ceremony involving D’Artagnan and Constance.

Constance after the Proposal

When the series eventually does conclude, the situations I imagined might still be how the characters end up. However, we are fortunate that there is at least one more season of The Musketeers before my series-ending scenarios might occur. For now, we have two more episodes of this current season that will show how Rochefort’s machinations are resolved in a way that still allows the principle characters to continue into the third season.


* IMDB has the title of this episode listed as “The Prodigal Father,” but the actual title is “The Prodigal Son.”

(Visited 25 times, 1 visits today)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Alexandra DowlingHoward CharlesLiam CunninghamLuke PasqualinoMarc WarrenRyan GageSantiago CabreraTamla KariThe MusketeersThom V. YoungTom Burke

12 Monkeys 1.08 “Yesterday”
Revenge “Bait” 4.15

About The Author

monsterid
Thom V. Young
Spontaneous Quixote
Google+

Thom V. Young has lived all over the country—Idaho, Oregon, Ohio, California, Kansas, back to Idaho, Louisiana, and South Carolina—but he eventually ended up in Maryland. Over the course of his travels, he has had an array of odd jobs—including short order cook, fast food restaurant manager, construction worker, frozen food warehouseman, alternative health publications editor, and college professor. He has also published several poems and short stories in a variety of super-secret small-press publications.

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Daily Top Ten

  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACKThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE… by Laura Akers
  • Unnatural Selections: Insecticidal (2005)Unnatural Selections: Insecticidal (2005) by Brooke Brewer
  • Lost in Translation 163: Tetris, Really?Lost in Translation 163: Tetris, Really? by Scott Delahunt
  • The Americans 4.04 “Chloramphenicol”The Americans 4.04 “Chloramphenicol” by Thom V. Young
  • The Fourth Day of Christmas: Brazil (1985)The Fourth Day of Christmas: Brazil (1985) by Rick Shingler
  • Spectre (2015)Spectre (2015) by Jose San Mateo
  • The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Complete Series DVD ReviewThe Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Complete Series… by Zack Davisson
  • Adventure Time: Frost & Fire DVDAdventure Time: Frost & Fire DVD by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Riding Shotgun: Before He Was James Bond and Lord Sinclair, He Was a MaverickRiding Shotgun: Before He Was James Bond and Lord… by Don McGregor
  • The Nun (2018)The Nun (2018) by Nate Zoebl

PDI Press Bestsellers

Weekly Top Ten

  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPEThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE by Rick Shingler
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by Dory Hoffman
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) by Corin Totin
  • Lost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a Major MistakeLost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a… by Scott Delahunt
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by Dory Hoffman
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig - Devil’s Experiment (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig – Devil’s Experiment (1985) by Corin Totin
  • The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984) vs The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1984) vs The Hills Have… by Corin Totin
  • Knives Out (2019)Knives Out (2019) by Nate Zoebl
  • The Nun (2018)The Nun (2018) by Nate Zoebl
  • Nice Guys Finish First: The Death of Masculinity in Friday the 13th (2009)Nice Guys Finish First: The Death of Masculinity in… by Dory Hoffman

INSTAGRAM

psychodrivein

Psycho Drive-In
Instagram post 17868529129555485 Today at http://psychodrivien.com

The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Because while Star Wars had revolutionized movies and movie-making in many ways, Empire reminded us why that mattered, why films mattered. ---
Read more of Laura's article at the link in our profile!

#starwars #starwarsepisodevtheempirestrikesback #theempirestrikesback #empirestrikesback #episodev #episode5 #starwarsepisode5 #starwarsholidayspecial
Instagram post 18117889531027648 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney

Caroll Spinney, best known as the performer who brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life for nearly 50 years died on Sunday, December 8th 2019.
---
Read more of Jesica's memorial at the link in our profile!

#carollspinney #bigbird #oscarthegrouch #sesamestreet #jimhenson
Instagram post 18085270978141184 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE

When it comes to Star Wars, I am a gibbering fool. ---
Read more of Rick's article at the link in our profile!

#starwars #starwarsepisodeivanewhope #anewhope #starwarsepisode4 #starwarsanewhope #starwarsholidayspecial
Instagram post 18066887845196274 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a Major Mistake

A new Sonic the Hedgehog trailer was released earlier this month and it corrected the biggest problem that the movie had.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #sonic #sonicthehedgehog
Instagram post 17853450166690202 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Knives Out (2019)

Knives Out is an incredibly fun movie to watch fly by for its extended 130-minute running time. ---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#knivesout #rianjohnson #danielcraig #chrisevans #jamieleecurtis #donjohnson #michaelshannon #anadearmas #lakeithstanfield #rikilindhome #tonicollette #christopherplummer
Instagram post 18093127504113756 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 318: Remaking The Crawling Hand

The Crawling Hand begins with a lunar mission going wrong in the worst way possible. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #thecrawlinghand
Instagram post 17851403575711016 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Just How Many Fools Can Truly Be Pitied? An essay.

Then, one fateful day Mr. T vanished from our lives the same way he entered them; mysteriously, and without warning.
---
Read more of James' article at the link in our profile!

#mrt #dispatchesfromthefield #jamesradcliff #ateam #rocky3 #lastmanonearth #iamlegend
Instagram post 18029243452241284 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Drive-In Saturday: The Monster Squad (1987)

The Monster Squad is not a perfect film, but it is a highly underrated classic of the comedy/horror genre. ---
Read more of James' article at the link in our profile!

#driveinsaturday #themonstersquad #jamesradcliff #shaneblack #freddekker #tomnoonan #duncanrhegar
Instagram post 17996762620276384 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 317: Remaking the Raven

Remaking The Raven will require a deft touch and the right cast. Modern technology can make or break the remake. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #theraven #edgarallanpoe #boriskarloff #belalugosi
Instagram post 17984037811285851 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Night Work (2019)

Night Work is a fun, ribald little movie that has its own sense of charm, from its budgetary limitations to the expansive possibilities of its strange world.
---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#nightwork #kylerayburn #valeriegilbert #scottwood #virgilschnell #ohio #indiehorror #indiehorrorfilm
Instagram post 17895959116408221 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 316: The Expanse - Part 2

The Expanse continues to pull in from other stories in the series to flesh out what’s happening, keeping the storytelling more or less linear, with a few exceptions in shown in flashbacks. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#theexpanse #leviathanwakes #jamessacorey #thomasjane #stevenstrait #lostintranslation
Instagram post 18028847674233924 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray

All in all, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw is the epitome of a popcorn movie. It’s big, loud, and dumb as fuck, but charming. ---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#fastandfurious #fastandfuriouspresentshobbsnandshaw #hobbsandshaw #dwaynejohnson #jasonstatham #vanessakirby #idriselba #davidleitch #ryanreynolds #helenmirren #kevinhart
Load More... Follow on Instagram

TWITTER

My Tweets

Latest Reviews

  • Knives Out (2019)

    Nate Zoebl
    November 29, 2019
  • Night Work (2019)

    Nate Zoebl
    November 8, 2019
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray

    Paul Brian McCoy
    November 5, 2019

Latest Columns

  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

    Laura Akers
    December 11, 2019
  • Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney

    Jessica Sowards
    December 11, 2019
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE

    Rick Shingler
    December 10, 2019

Look Who's Talking

Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 12/11/2019
The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE
I can't even imagine seeing this by accident in a drive-in! My family and I scrambled for tickets,...
johnhurschelrunion
johnhurschelrunion - 12/8/2019
Dobie Gillis: “I Gotta Kill that Boy!” A Cult Series Makes its Way to DVD
GREAT article. thank you. i am currently revisiting the series on amazon prime. i was first...
Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 12/2/2019
Knives Out (2019)
I kind of wish there was a Blade Runner: 2047, as it had to have been better than 2049, but it was...
Large_rectangle_336X280
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: