Gladly. Louis is disbelieving: And sacrifice your future to see me suffer? Philippe glances around the salon then says: What does a King know of sacrifice?, Louis cant believe it. Then he says I pay you to spy on others, not on me. . Claudine confirms: We have no choice. but it would cause her too much pain. Marchal, his shirt now stained with his wound, stumbles into the antechamber, to Bontemps and says: Listen to me. Only a year or so to go until a new season arrived on fledgling network Ovation, its U.S. cable home. This scene is barely seconds long, but oh, so telling as to her character. Yet even on her deathbed, she reaches for Louiss hand first. . I am really liking Sophies growth as a character, who is, of course, beautiful, but with attitude and a strong backbone, as we are now seeing. And who can blame her? Mainly wanted to know about Chevalier after last weeks tearful declaration of love. But his treatment of her does make me think, rather than an actual person, the writers have quite subtly used her as a tool: she is the only person Philippe can take his frustrations out on he knows she loves Louis, and at that point Louis is still very much in love with her Philippe knows this, and punishes Louis the only way he can, but punishing his mistress. We were young. Maybe that is where she got the poison she used on Fabien? He looks nervous and steps to Cassel, but Cassel rises and bows, along with everyone, as Louis enters. The characters almost act as it never happened. You see it in Ep3 where he yells where is MY wife? You see it in Ep2 with his angry speech to Louis: do you tell yourself that when you are fucking MY WIFE? In so many subtle ways Philippe is being demeaned by Louis. many things. Louis looks at him as he goes on: I believe this palace is a symbol of our king. Montcourt is confused. Saint-Simon asserted that Louis was so thankful that his brother was innocent of the crime that he decided not to prosecute the perpetrators. Claudine looks sad: this must be frightening for her. Lulz. Aaaaaand there we have the end of the episode and the end of Season One. Louis paranoia about his little brother is completely unfounded. Not Marchal! At a Mass said for her soul, Bishop Bossuet conveyed the sense of shock at her sudden death: Oh, disastrous night; oh, dreadful night, in which resounded like a clap of thunder the unbelievable words Madame is dying Madame is dead!. Philippe and Henriette were forced into a marriage with someone they didnt love or care for. Your email address will not be published. And then of course, Philippe rapes her (only the once? She is currently working on a biography of Louis XIV. New episodes of " Versailles " air at 10/9c Saturdays on Ovation, but are rebroadcast throughout the week. She seems like she has genuinely been brought in as a main character simply to drive the wedge deeper between Louis and Philippe, but not contribute anything herself to most of her scenes! Montcourt is stabbed by Louis XIV while facing off with him and Fabien Marchal. Keeps your brothers power in check and offers a direct connection to England. NOT AT ALL acceptable in the eyes of pretty much everyone. Louis and her smile about it. The camera hovers over the prone Henriette then pans up from the bed, like we are her soul being released from her body. Louis just nods, gives Philippe a look (who is standing near the doors, looking so alone and sad, I just wanna hug him!) Yes, it was the thinking of that time but wouldnt that make her a victim of circumstances, rather to be pitied than villified? I look forward to reading your reviews on the next series, when it comes out. It is so interesting to watch, given a discussion I had on Twitter earlier with some fellow fans. We see his offer to help refused time and time again. He took the bottle to drown his sorrows as it were, after he hit Claudine, feeling remorse, I would think. The mortality rate was very high, thats why people had so many children so often. I let a wolf back into my barn! Montcourts hand slides to his hip, Marchal sees this (good Chief of Police *pets his pretty head*) and Montcourt still denies, Louis accuses him of poisoning Henriette. She was 26. In Versailles, Madame de Clermont is running round like a blue-arsed fly having discovered that her poison has gone missing. Such a beautiful moment, with Philippe building on their complex relationship, reminding Louis of a more simplistic time. No wonder Philippe feels the need to claim what is his. I was highly frustrated with the artistic liberties the authors took, and some just pretty much made up shit, totally contrary to history . Required fields are marked *. Hi Jules, I must thank you for your detailed writeup of all ten episodes of Versailles. I have never posted a comment on your website before and this will be the first time that I have ever written a comment here. , Question, did real Louis also love Henriette, or was it unrequited? Does Henriette mind being used by Louis? Louis replies how else was I to keep you close. Louis looks stunned too. Thank you (and I agree with you on all pints!!! A letter from the King of Sweden has arrived, telling Louis he has agreed to break his alliance with the Dutch and support the French. When she travelled to England, she was excited at the prospect of seeing her brother, Charles, again. If Id been in her shoes, I think Id have given a flat affirmative. Royal FamilyKing Louis XIV Arranged Marriage: To Marie-Thrse Boom, Headshot! After Philippe shoots a couple rounds into the air he tells Louie, Brother we must go, the wolves will come back and there will be more. Did you have the same thought as I; that while in the moment the characters are talking about the actual wolves, the underlying message is about Louis and the traitors in his midst, starting with Moncourt. . We are NOT touching her! Philippe finally says. And, more importantly, Henriette NEVER RAPED Philippe. Louis, who never forgave a slight, always ensured that the guilty paid dearly. The camera then cuts to Rohan, drinking and brooding in his room, absently stabbing the table with a knife as he glares at a portrait of Louis-as-a-boy (which is a gorgeous portrait and includes Philippe, apparently in a private collection and attributed to artist Charles Beaubrun. We establish right from the start that she has no powershe was forced to marry a man she did not want because the king wants to keep her close. And here is where Im a bit uncertain, but didnt she make that remark after Philippe raped her? And suddenly Marchal has his ah-HA moment. Now this is fascinating. Louis drops the poker, approaches Montcourt. Such an angry king, and rightly so. All I could find were negative. Glad to see he lives on, at least for awhile. I just wanted to tell you that I enjoy your reviews and will keep reading them through saison 2. I choose to believe it was a mistake on the writers part and will simply fast forward over it when I rewatch. Henriette says a glorious death in battle would not displease him. I just found out your site and I must congratulate you for your beautifully written reviews. Would you villify a slave because he hated his master or ran away simply because slavery was accepted at that time and slaves (much like women, little difference there) were considered nothing more than the property of their masters to do with as they please (again, just as a woman was to her husband)? Brilliant writing. But his family and France are divided. The two Ms still fight, and Louis approaches, holding the poker. Marchal is surprised but pleased: attracting the flies to the paper. You are both the angels at my shoulder, says Louis, which reminds Marchal of the Parthenays and Montcourt. Oh, and was it common in this era to talk about new marriages literally 2 minutes after your wife/husband died? THIS. Philippe is most definitely not the victim in his marriage. Heres a thought: what is your view to Claudine? Louis wakes to the sight of Henriette, blood down her gown and from her mouth, saying help me please. Even gravely ill, she still choses Louis over her husband. See production, box office & company info. But for that one unforgivable act, I could have felt real sympathy for that walking, talking mess of dysfunction. Pot, meet kettle. Or survival. he starts to pace: here comes the lecture. Only Versailles is now about as sexy as Robot Wars. Henriette screams and they both surge to the door then suddenly stop. We defended our position from the Spanish all morning and in honour of your distinguished service. Just airing in the U.S. and Im having surgery Friday so I dont know if Ill catch it. : . You really point out a lot of details one might miss when watching the episodes for the first time. Women were not allowed to practice medicine at that time and her father clearly disapproves, particularly as she grows more skilled and knowledgable than him. Henriette says to Philippe: Im sorry. Moreover, we cant fault her anymore for continuing her relationship with Louis (as if she would have had the power to end it anyway) than we can Philippe for continuing his with the Chevalier. She is not indulgent in it. I pity Henrietta. The final review of the finaleof Versailles. Bontemps is a little freaked: Th-this is highly irregular, your Majesty. But the IDGAF expression on the Queens face is priceless. Speculation that Henriette had been poisoned began straight away. At least thats always been his excuse. (aaaand check out the looks on Louis and Bontemps faces as I randomly paused right here. Charming. She doesnt want to speak of him. Your question misses the question, Montcourt replies cryptically. #JesusTakeTheWheel What a scene. Well, my thought is Philippe angrily claiming his conjugal rights may well have happened before. and Nine. We now see Philippe asleep. Louis. Were just waiting for it to take root., Now we are outside in an antechamber again, where Colbert is frantic that Henriette must be moved, that she cannot be treated in the Kings chamber. Is he justified in knocking her across the room? She was merely being used by the man she was in love with. But Marchal continues calmly. Cue some fabulous visuals of doors closing, pikes crossing, the golden gates slamming shut and locking. And then down by the promontory. I really like him as a character, even though he tortures people. King Louis is in a bit of a pickle. I find it interesting that Louis feels the need to add: she came to find me, to put the doubt on Montespans face to rest. Thank you, Amy! She is used by the king to hurt his brother. The sad irony here is, I do think Louis cares very much for Philippe but he cannot let his armour of paranoia down enough to recognise Philippes loyalty and the fact that he can trust his brother. I know historically Philippe did leave Versailles for a time, but season two Louis without Philippe will be interesting because while Louis takes shots at him every chance he gets, at the end of the day Philippe is the only true person around him besides Bontemps. This is who they truly are in this one moment of grief. Im guessing they were pretty equal. Henriette, however, was never robust and often experienced such terrible pains in her side that she would lie on the floor to find respite. Yes, she says and does little things that hurt Philippe, but he does the same and muchoh so much!worse to her. Snake! Is it fair? And she was having an affair with the Comte de Guiche. Despite being a dab hand at treating people who have been poisoned, the doc announces that she . A begrudging father/daughter mentor role, and she eventually warms him up a bit? UGH. So many questions.. let me see: did Fabien Marshal shoot Charlotte Parthanay, and if so, why? Once again, Louis behaviour, as reported here, is uncharacteristic. I know this coming years later, but to Theresa THANK YOU SO MUCH. Henriettes liver and intestines were found to be badly corrupted, while her duodenum, gall bladder and the lower portion of her abdomen were filled with evil-smelling bile. Fashion. OMG he hits Marchal across the face with the candlestick, Louis lunges, Montcourt throws him off and the King smacks his head on a table. And it is on. Season Two Mike and the last of Rohans men are massacred in a last stand by the musketeers, led by Fabien Marchal. After reading your review on epsiode 10, and reading that it ends with Philippe leaving Versailles, I thought back to epsiode one and the moment he finds Louis at his favorite spot in the woods. Point 4: This point actually supports my own. Henriette fulfills her duties with. Louvois and Marchal agree. Though it was true that he was saddened by Henriettes death, I dont felt that he was actually that hell bent on punishing those who were or at least believed to be responsible for her death, due to the lack of evidence among other factors. Versailles - Stagione 3 Episodio 10. As Mme de Svign wrote: She was taken ill and died within eight hours, and we have lost with her all the joy, all the charm and all the pleasures of the Court. The camera hovers over the prone Henriette then pans up from the bed, like we are her soul being released from her body. ? Brilliant. But enough with this. After all, everything she did was unacceptable at that time for women and it was certainly acceptable to beat a woman, especially if she was a wife, sister or daughter. Having spent the first episode ripping their kit off at any opportunity, the court of Versailles has taken an oath of chastity. The Chevalier looks a little panicky or is it my imagination? Historically, poison was definitely suspected in Henriettes death and briefly, heres how it went down: It was 1670 and Henriette was pissed off she couldnt be with Louis at Versailles, and of course Monsieur knew this, so he ordered her to accompany him to Saint Cloud. And in the context of the show, I did find it a nice touch, the apology to him. Whew! Get him out! Henriette cries. It can be quite shocking to us, but pretty much most children died before adulthood people mourned, mirrors were covered and a service held, but some didnt wait more than a few days before picking themselves up and going off to the next party or ball or soiree. So do I believe that our enemies would dare to poison King Charles of Englands sister? Back outside, to a view of Versailles under construction (I love these pre-glory shots!) The door suddenly opens, Claudine walks sombrely in. But unlike Philippe, Henriette never snogged her lover obnoxiously right there in the same room with him. Even if Louis were to let her go, she would then be relinquishing the love of her life to sit lonely and chaste in her apartments waiting for her husband, a man who feels no attraction or interest for her at all.