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In recent years the BBC has been producing a number of Saturday night style shows loosely based on myth, legend and literature. These include Robin Hood, Atlantis, Merlin, Sherlock etc. They are all quite similar... cocky heroes, dodgy plotting, dialogue trying too hard to be witty, modern attitudes in historical settings, naff acting peppered with a range of London accents etc
The latest to arrive is The Musketeers which suffers from all of the above flaws but is strangely enjoyable. It lures you in with a catchy theme tune at the beginning (see below), some of those trying too hard witticisms actually raise a smile and it throws in lots of reasonably fun fight scenes. The show works on a plot of the week format which is a shame because it would be nice to be invested in an on going story, but it does mean that if one episode falls flat, at least they can start all over again the following week.
Main Strengths
The show's ace card is Peter Capaldi (i.e the next Doctor Who) as Cardinal Richelieu. Those who have seen him in his most famous role, foul mouthed spin doctor Malcom Tucker, might expect an explosive performance, but he plays it in a quiet understated way, which has worked better as the show progresses.
I always think that any adaptation of the Musketeers lives or dies with its Athos. Tom Burke is no Oliver Reed, but he's playing it in a similar way i.e. brooding and looking like he might thump someone at any moment. He certainly acts a strong focus for the main quartet.
Main Weaknesses
Women - There are no decent female characters in this show, which is criminal given that they have one of the best female characters in literature to play with. Unfortunately Milady De Winter is grossly miscast and hasn't really been given anything interesting to do yet except show up in dark alley ways and shoot people in the back. They have also dived into the connection with Athos far too early. The other main female character, Constance, is also miscast and a bit of a wet blanket.
Hard to explain, but as noted above, this is a plot of the week type show which means that as yet, there's no spine to the story and each episode is a bit of a mess. It's an enjoyable mess so far, but I prefer a Game of Thrones style ongoing saga.
So those are my thoughts. What does everyone else make of it?
I like Atlantis more than it deserves. I like Musketeers better.
To me, the Musketeers actors inhabit their roles very naturally, and the show rollicks along at a good pace. Dumas's original story was a bit of a potboiler and all the better for it, IMO.
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I am thoroughly enjoying the Musketeers, when I'm in the right mood for it (usually after my wargaming). The only downside of it is a severe lack of...
Sorry, I had to do it. I'm pretty sure it's a rule somewhere.
Really needs to be switched to the Saturday night 7pm slot (which was the original plan) Other than that, it's daft fun.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
but so far I've been disappointed (as you say the women are, at least so far, under used and disappointing)
I'm not sure whether an overarching plot will help or not,
if cleverly woven in to the show it would be a real bonus but looking at the writing so far I'm not sure the team is up to doing that which would leave a slow drip drip of
'and now the obvious plot point of the week, leave the room for 5 mins if you just don't care'
I watched the first two, saw a bit of the third (I doubt I care enough to use catch up to see the rest of it), and will carry on watching if nothing else is on to see if it improves
(and is it just me or are they trying for a 'really we're ethnically mixed even though we're not' feel for the musketeers ?)
I have been enjoying it quite a bit even if they killed the sexiest woman off early for a later plot point.
I have seen a lot worse!
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but so far I've been disappointed (as you say the women are, at least so far, under used and disappointing)
I'm not sure whether an overarching plot will help or not,
if cleverly woven in to the show it would be a real bonus but looking at the writing so far I'm not sure the team is up to doing that which would leave a slow drip drip of
'and now the obvious plot point of the week, leave the room for 5 mins if you just don't care'
I watched the first two, saw a bit of the third (I doubt I care enough to use catch up to see the rest of it), and will carry on watching if nothing else is on to see if it improves
(and is it just me or are they trying for a 'really we're ethnically mixed even though we're not' feel for the musketeers ?)
To be fair, Dumas himself was mixed race, so it's definitely in the spirit of things.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Having seen all 3 episodes so far, I'm liking it a lot. It's soooo much better than the tragedy that was Atlantis (I only got 1 week into that, 45 minutes I'm never going to get back). While it may take a while to get going, it's entertaining enough to keep my interested, quite funny in places, and the fights are pretty good. The music is great, the set and costume design are good, and the scripts/plots are generally decent. I think this has potential to rival Robin Hood (can't really compare with Merlin, it's a different animal entirely, being far darker and more adult really). I can't see it touching Sherlock and Ripper Street (why oh why did they cancel that?), but it could easily fill that gap in the historical drama department.
To be honest I like the 'plot of the week' idea, it keeps it fresh and interesting, and I always think a show is better focusing on characters than some convoluted plot that no one can follow (Looking at you, Dr Who). I may be generalising, but I think it would be fair to say that 'plot arcs' are generally more of an American that British thing (although they have crept in over here in the last few years). I'd be perfectly happy with no plot arc whatsoever if they just keep the quality of each episode consistent.
One thing I've noticed is that in most adaptations, D'artagnan is a bit of a whelp, and while cocksure, usually defers to his three older and more experienced companions.
In this series, he is still technically earning his place, but strikes me more as an equal. In one of last night's whimsical scenes, the antagonist pleaded for a night for his wife before being escorted to Paris. D'artagnan asked if the man thought they were stupid, but found that the other three were willing to acquiesce. "It seems we are that stupid." he sighed.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/02/03 20:17:07
Tappers wrote: But Flashman, are you calling Sherlock similar to Atlantis? Sherlock may be becoming closer to Dr Who, but it is in a whole league of its own...
I'm saying the style is similar... cocky, slightly silly and over the top, not really grounded in reality. Sherlock is just better executed (though is in danger of disappearing up it's own backside).
Constance - "I just want to be treated like an equal." Wrong show, love.
Otherwise, one of the more entertaining episodes so far. I love how they manufacture daft excuses for sword fights.
Duke of small but strategically important principality - "We will discuss the treaty if that musketeer... " Duke stupidly points at Athos "...can beat me in a duel."
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/02/09 22:06:54
