the kiss between the Chevalier and Philippe happens after the war, after Philippe has seen Louis bring Henriette to the front. She could have answered with an honest yes but she evades the question. Apparently de Clermont gave Marchal the names of the conspirators against the king, and all the names of those who shared her allegiance. and Nine. The Queen rushes to her side as she collapses and Louis commands Bontemps to fetch his doctor. It was Season 1. Another possibility is that Henriette suffered from anorexia nervosa, which is often characterised by increasing frailty and hyperactivity; the summer of 1670 had been particularly hot and Henriette would swim in the river; unable to sleep, she walked in the gardens at night. It is Louis who victimises Philippe and he does it in every way he can think of. I am waiting eagerly for the second season and I really hope to see you write about it then. Id be happy with either, tbh! We could never invade the entire world but the world can imagine us as their centre. The marriage was doomed from the start, because Henriette was already in love with Louis, it seems. Philippe and Henriette were forced into a marriage with someone they didnt love or care for. He expressed his doubts to the grief-stricken Charles II, who earnestly believed that his sister had been murdered. I was merely pointing out how such treatment of his wife would hardly help warm her feelings towards him. Why is this so? What the king wants, the king gets. Wow that was odd. Montcourt looks nervous, says he doesnt know what he means. Something must be done! Louis demands and now NOW he is looking scared, helpless and not at all like the King. I do think it is out-of-character for the Philippe we know and love on the show, not just historically inaccurate, to force himself on her. His face may be handsome but now he just reminds me of a ferret. At the time of her death, it was widely believed that Henrietta had been poisoned and the prime suspects were her husband, Philippe and/or his lover, the Chevalier de Lorraine. We now see Philippe, so resigned, with tears down his cheeks, then Louis with a no, this is NOT happening. look on his face, eyes still dry. Claudine and Philippe converse, with Claudine saying she feels they are not through the worst. : . But I still dont get why he doesnt just dob them both in.? There are a few movies I enjoy that are fairly accurate. Only honestly acknowledging that Philippes glorious death in battlesomething that would not displease Philippe, himselfwouldnt necessarily break her heart. He did it with Prince Annaba, with Philippe and the Chevalier, with Philippe in the bath whether its just him thinking hey, Im the King, I can do whatever TF I want or some other deep need to catch people unawares, I do not know). 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. I think this comes down to loyalty one would assume the Kings guard would be fiercely loyal to the crown so no one would suspect any plotting. To bring them over to us. 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. Im no Henriette fan, but Im so sorry, no, Philippe did not win the victim sweepstakes in that marriage. 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)? Philippe is clearly shocked and my heart is just going HHHHHHHGGGGNNNNN. Is it fair? Hi Theresa, and thanks for your comment. I certainly cant say for certain what the writers intent was with that scene, but in this writers opinion it is multilayered a) to show Philippes slow growing resentment towards his brother: he says I want a boy, just like my brother. Thanks for the correction I listened to that audio over and over but couldnt quite get the last word! There are only two men in this court who move freely between the outside world and the Kings inner circle, but only one who has never raised a single voice against him. Bontemps is surprised: the Kings brother? NO, BONTEMPS. But, this is my interpretation or thoughts based on the real life events. The death of someone so young was often attributed to poison. What a total prick ). So thats why I believe that the most that Louis felt for Henriette was that he only loved her a little or to some degree but not enough. Husbands have being raping their wives since time began from royalty down to peasants and it was classed as taking their marital rights . I like the show, the actors and the plot. Totally inappropriate time to mention it. And the next shot is Louis in slow-mo, walking out. Another suggestion is that she had porphyria, although she displayed none of its symptoms. From the bed, Henriette says pitifully, Dont leave me and straight away, we know who that is aimed at. Therefore, my thoughts are strictly about the characters. I am sobbing. The next shot is of Montespan, entering her rooms, where she briefly cries then quickly gains control with a deep breath. In the days when it was only you who /truly/ had my back. Admittedly, its in the middle of a shag, when she is distracted, but still. Jacques 10 episodes, 2015 . did the male medicin drink the vial of poison accidentally or on purpose? Hi Jules and Aly, Her intent is not to hurt Philippe by sleeping with Louis, she simply doesnt care (and I dont blame her). In one of the episodes did we see Clermont messing with the doctors box of bottles. Montcourt is confused. The rape thing was upsetting. Anyway, back to the story. He feels betrayed. LOUIS. The first one we ever played in, says Philippe. apparently it is still not safe. I know times and attitudes were different then, but a person violated still feels violated, whether they are allowed to acknowledge it or not. Im going to be stalking these recaps in the arduous wait for season two. Henriette mentions the issues she has with the Chevalier. The one she loves the most. We begged you. Never forget. They look at each other for a moment, until Philippe looks away and mutters, Not that youd remember. Louis thinks, then slowly reaches into his jacket pocket, steps forward and takes Philippes hand then places that stone in the palm. 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. Im guessing they were pretty equal. She is a woman, she is his subject. throughout the show, we see Louis attempts to belittle and emasculate Philippe. He cripples himself with his own paranoia. Dear Anne, Im guessing I know a fair bit more about rape, the history of rape, the history of rape within marriage and womens rights (and lack thereof) than you realise. The Henriette thing is just one more on the heaping pile of shit. My biggest problem with Henriette/Louis is that I find it highly doubtful that Louis would have sex with her. fantastic bog! Louis walks in and replies: because I ask him to do so. Ahhhhh-HA! IDK??? This is clearly frustrating for Bontemps, this is against all protocol, and Bontemps is nothing if a creature who takes comfort (and even enjoys) the routine of protocol. So he tells Louis he will now deliver the man responsible for their deaths. Coming from the quills of noted showrunners David Wolstencroft and Simon Mirren, both known for gripping series with a conspiratorial bent (i.e. What? She causes her father distress, embarasssment, hurt. Your loyalty can lie with Philippe while still acknowledging that Henriette is also a victim and not the villain (the real villain here is Louis). But for that one unforgivable act, I could have felt real sympathy for that walking, talking mess of dysfunction. Our dear Henriette. The writers want us to think that evrry time they had kids, he had to rape her? I came across your reviews and I read each one after viewing an episode. Beating your wife was also quite legal, acceptable and, indeed, expected. In reality it only took a very short time for the plan to take full effect. For the record, I dont think Henriette would actually like to see Philippe die, but she would like to be shot of him. Such was the hygiene of 17th century France. Henriette says to Philippe: Im sorry. The true cause of Henriettes death can never be known, but one thing is certain: this beloved princess was sadly missed. I love these seemingly random yet distinct choices made by directors and production designers. We were taking the air with our governess when we made a break for freedom. She is subject to the whims and wishes of her king and lover, of her husband and even of her husbands lover. I couldnt honestly say. I think Teresa is being a bit naive re. God knows the wolves might have taken us but what did we know? His grip tightens on the poker, even as Montcourt looks actually shocked at that accusation. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction - and other times, period dramas take a little artistic license . And suddenly Marchal has his ah-HA moment. As to fiction I found the ones I did read ended up thrown against the wall. Louis reels off a list of people who were with Henriette on her journey, people that must be interrogated. To my observation, we do not know who messed with the bottles I was assuming it was Mike or Rohan, because the hand is gloved and we do not see the face. I just found out your site and I must congratulate you for your beautifully written reviews. Who was that mysterious man in the mask of Apollo who dan. ? Brilliant. It is fascinating to compare Philippes two moments of deep anguish side by side: when the Chevalier was arrested, we saw his total and complete breakdown, the slow crumple of his expression from shock, to horror, to abject grief, then as he collapsed to his knees and rocked while he wept. Looking forward to Season 2!! Is anyone else hoping Fabien takes her under his wing? What a great mix of observation and humor. Not so much. Bontemps moves her along. The final review of the finaleof Versailles. I will speak to whomever I like. Louvois: I know this is true. And poor Philippe, who is distraught about his wife, its just another snub for him, isnt it? Louis decides to go to Paris to bless the sick. Yes. It felt like if the whole world came running for us his voice thickens with emotion, we might fend off all who would take us ill. He finally looks up, at Louis. Such an angry outpouring from Louis, however, would have been out of character and no one else reported that he said any such thing. They grew up knowing what their duty was as prince and princess. Revealing nothing. Neither of them showed much interest or affection for the other, both clearly preferring their lovers. Philippe is jealous. Nice one, Montcourt. (yeah, I know I said I liked Marchal/Claudine, too! Also, Louiss eyes are wet earlier than you recount, namely in the first shot after she says can you hear the flowers? And c) to show the resentment Philippe has for his wife, a woman whom he has to share with his brother, and he cannot do a damn thing about it. Yes, it was common to talk about marriage that soon! BRILLIANT acting. And even after Louis became tired of Louise, he didnt run back to Henriettes arms either, instead he turned to Montespan who became his next mistress. She was merely being used by the man she was in love with. I guess in summary, I saw more nuance and non-verbal cues with Philippe that made him a more sympathetic character. . A day later, I was hooked. Point 6: Not her greatest moment, no. In walks Philippe, now fully dressed (and what a fine figure he is!) But here, now? Rohan grabs her by the throat, saying it is not yet clear to him what she has done to earn her money, then demands she clean his room before leaving. Because the whole world gave you counsel. I also saw the subtle ways in which Henriette (and Louis) talked about him, how they wished he was not there. Louis turns in slow-mo, the expression on his face revealing nothing. That was your promise to me. 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. Philippe raping his wife. These scenes are odd for me to watch, but by now, I have totally put aside any frustration when the show deviates from what I know of the actual history. Says you made me marry him. And even if not, we see what Philippe is capable of when hes in a jealous snit. We see him silent and sombre, a blank expression on his face. That doesnt mean a woman would feel affection for her abuser. Or twenty, I suppose. What a pain! Plus he told Louis he didnt recognise the sender of the notes which is technically true. Philippe loves and is loyal to his brother and only wants Louis to allow him to support him. He is the villain if you are looking for one. We found an old building a sorry shack made of stone and moss. Philippe had stillborn twins and a daughter, a son who died at 2 and one at 4, plus two miscarriages. Im glad you like my reviews And I will most definitely continue on with reviewing S2. plus its almost as if he has something to say, to hide. Is Philippe such a child and so lacking in self-restraint that he cant wait a few extra moments until they, too, were behind closed doors? He had mistresses, for example. Louis persists. In the end though, nobody was actually tortured or executed on charges of killing her. The characters almost act as it never happened. I have one comment / correction on what you wrote on Henriettes death scene. And I see all the little things that Henriette says, her little gestures and actions that bring conflict and sadness to Philippe. Her father was King Charles I of England, her mother the youngest daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. Off they stride with purpose and a couple of guards, through the gorgeous corridors (shot in the gorgeous Vaux Le Vicomte) and with ominous background music to set the mood.