This week's episode of Versailles began with the King staring moodily out of the window. Before he'd even said anything it was clear that he hadn't been sleeping and so right from the offset the audience were asking what was troubling him. Usually, no matter what is happening in the Palace, Louis is normally able to maintain a sense of humour but none of that was evident in this episode. It's clear to me straight away that he's not feeling himself when he fires Fabien. Always loyal to him, Fabien was quite rightly shocked and hurt. In fact, I don't remember ever seeing him as vulnerable as he looked in that moment. I love the character of Louis but that could soon change if he doesn't sort it out with Marchal. Setting fire to a piece of paper, I doubt the King was thinking of the fire hazard as he looked intense and drawn.
Soon after, we were reminded of the poisonous hold Montespan has over Louis. Walking through an elegant looking room, Louis was asked by Bontemps what he wanted to do with Gaston, with the latter kneeling on the floor behind him. Obviously, Louis was advised to throw him in jail, where he should be, really. However, Montespan whispered something in his ear that changed his mind and he actually forgave Gaston, allowing him to return to Court. Bontemps was predictably agitated by this, as we all would be if we were hired to advise and our advice was ignored. Nonetheless, Bontemps kept his thoughts to himself, for now.
The only thing I agreed with that Louis did was to ask Philippe to lead the war. We saw how skilled the King's brother is in battle last season so it seemed only right for him to lead again this time. Despite his elation, it didn't last long. After doing some ear-wigging, Louis soon came to the conclusion that he should go to war himself and leave Philippe at Versailles. Again, it's no surprise that Philippe was devastated by this and Louis yet again ruffled feathers among his loved ones, as well as disappointing me.
This season is only halfway through but I've really developed a dislike for Montespan. She's too arrogant and swans about like she owns the place. The amount of sway she has with the King is insufferable. During a game of billiards (that looks more like table-top croquet) between Montespan, Louis and the playwright, and just in general, the Madame continues to exert her virtually non-existent power. She seems to thrive on alienating Louis from those closest to him and coyly suggests that Father Pascal's motives with the Queen run a lot deeper. It's clear she knew this would infuriate Louis and he quickly marched to the Queen's chamber to demand to know what's really going on with Father Pascal. She tells Louis how it is and it reminds us all that he needs to be reminded what's important in his life. I can't believe that Louis could be so naive as to listen to everything Montespan tells him but I think that's a common thought throughout his Court.
My favourite scene in this episode has got to be the rather emotional scene between Louis, Bontemps, and Philippe. Bontemps had previously expressed his worries about the King to Philippe, basically telling him that Louis was completely under Montespan's spell. I really felt for Bontemps in this episode, especially when he declared he was to speak to Louis as not his valet, but his friend. Whilst I was thinking this was a nice gesture from Bontemps, I had an inkling that it wouldn't go down well with the King, especially when he found out Philippe was in on it too. Obviously they were only trying to help Louis but he saw it as conspiring against him or turning their backs on him, if anything proving their point. Louis ordered Bontemps to leave and the nation's heart broke; Bontemps only wanted to help.
Another dark storyline running through this season is Sophie's grisly marriage to Cassel. I think we all knew this was going to end horrifically and in this episode, Sophie decided that enough was enough. Visiting Ariadne for 'marriage advice', she finds that Ariadne knows her husband is 'sick' and in need of a 'cure'.
Away from the poison, scandal and deception, I was hoping that the Chevalier and Philippe would offer some sort of light-hearted relief. They delivered this...in a way. The Chevalier was his usual self with Liselotte but as usual, the Prince's wife's wit shut both Montespan and the Chevalier up. My adoration for Liselotte has not faltered at all, if anything it's increased. She's an absolutely precious new addition to Court and she's definitely still ticking all the boxes for me.
After being told he was to remain at Versailles, Philippe did what any Prince of France would do; he shut himself away in his chamber to sulk by pushing trinkets off the table with his sword. Even though Philippe hasn't been that kind to Liselotte since her arrival into his life, she offered him a few pearls of wisdom and he thanked her by doing what they should've done during the bedding ceremony. That had been coming since the beginning therefore everyone was expecting it. Everyone, but the Chevalier. Waltzing into Liselotte and Philippe's chamber with an armful of wool, he was horrified to discover her in bed with his lover. This added to the ever-growing tension between Philippe and the Chevalier, with the latter retaliating by taking a young new lady in Court under his wing.
With a lot going on in this episode, the final major storyline was the demise of Father Pascal. I had a feeling something was going to happen to him some time or other, he'd rubbed too many people the wrong way and had a big presence in Court. Gaston made sure Father Pascal's fate was sealed and the Queen was distraught to discover his body.
This week brought a really eventful episode of Versailles, filled with heartache and anger. I've said it before but this season of Versailles is really outstanding. I'm gripped every week and the season finale is approaching way too quickly.
Written by Sophie Williams
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