In my opinion, I agree with Teresa. I blame it all on Louis! Toodles. I cannot even imagine his reasoning for this, however I do know historically, Henriette desperately did want to be Queen of France, as did her mother want it, but at the time, she didnt have the pedigree, being the sister to Englands heir who wasnt even on the throne at the time. Totally inappropriate time to mention it. So anyways, off we go. A European history-geek friend told me about this show yesterday, so I binge watched the entire series. Cultural factors, too, played a part. Music. I will try, but I trust you wont publish it if you find it too long. And yes, the Chevalier does live to quite a ripe old age . Also I have to add SPOILER ALERT!!!! However, the bible does say something about a man being expected to marry his brothers widow. I just discovered Versailles this week and watched it in quick succession!!! But he will not be resting for long the door opens later and we see a pair of bare feet, the hem of a nightgown, both bloodied, as they enter. The Mysterious Death of Henriette, Duchesse dOrlans, Toad Testicles, Foul-Beard and Broad-Arse. Mainly wanted to know about Chevalier after last weeks tearful declaration of love. Finally, the king weeps for his love, when he is alone. You said everything that should have been pointed out a long time ago, with counterpoints and parallels that shone a light on some arguments and favoritism that , within the context of the show not history, were just mind boggling. Neither of them showed much interest or affection for the other, both clearly preferring their lovers. Ugh) and oh dear, the Chevalier looks so panicked, so worried by the Ducs appearance is it because he thinks people will start accusing him again of treason? Thank you for the recaps, I am with you on all things you write about Monsieur Marchal, he is everything! Louvois and Marchal agree. : . I COMMAND YOU! and the guards step back. Ridicule. Episodio 10. Perfectly written line is delivered perfectly by perfect actor. She finally asks. And I do not regret it for an instant. Like he is trying to justify himself. Ill tell you, though, that, like you, I totally adore Philippe in this series, the actor is great and some King/brother interaction is well done. Is he justified in his behaviour towards her? That is exactly what I would be thinking. He advances on Montcourt, who is looking a little shell shocked. Thatd do it. The historical notes you added were my favourite of all, I love knowing whats accurately portrayed and for the parts that were tweaked, what the actual history was. Louis was deathly afraid of the more relaxed, popular and fun-loving Monsieur, who gave great parties, was social and everyone wanted to be around. I knew hed say that line! He rolls in bed, his cheek on a bloodied pillow, and suddenly wakes, realises what it is and follows the trail to Louis bedchamber. Philippe is no more vulnerable to the hurt and damage done to him than she is to the hurt and damage done to her, simply because he is a man with rights and she is a woman with no rights. Just because the thinking of the day viewed a woman as mere property and not a person in her own right does not mean she isnt a human being with the same feelings and needs as any other. 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. Director Daniel Roby Writers Simon Mirren David Wolstencroft Stars George Blagden Alexander Vlahos Tygh Runyan See production, box office & company info Its just that his anger and upset (and yes, jealousy I think) affects him so much, because its just another way for his brother to control and belittle him, make him less. Back with the sick princess and Claudine is fiddling with potions while Henriette writhes and vomits blood. Because the whole world gave you counsel. Grrrr well Im not writing all that over again. Im genuinely having real trouble understanding your position here. What? You sound worse than Montespan and de Clermont sparring over the card-tables! *The only voice, your own. And Philippe says calmly and quietly: There. Historically, poison was definitely suspected in Henriette's death and briefly, here's how it went down: It was 1670 and Henriette was pissed off she couldn't be with Louis at Versailles, and of course Monsieur knew this, so he ordered her to accompany him to Saint Cloud. And one day, brother, one day they will. and to Marchal in his office, interrogating Montcourt. She could have answered with an honest yes but she evades the question. Marchal is still ordering: Get his Majesty to safety, at once! His guards rush in to remove him, they scuffle and Louis yells: get your hands off me! OMG!). She doesnt want to speak of him. I thought so but no. 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. She is powerless. Marchal: The King once told me, he warned me quite clearly that his enemies would seek to destroy those closest to him. What does she say? There could have been some anger involved without resorting to rape. Im going to be stalking these recaps in the arduous wait for season two. Exactly. 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). While making this video i was inspired by the scene when Henriette talks about her first mask ball. Then he calls for the Guards. *Deeeeeep breath* Okay. Eww. I very much enjoyed reading them and especially liked your additional facts about the historical events and figures. You can read more about Henriettas death here. Montcourt looks nervous, says he doesnt know what he means. 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. I also saw the subtle ways in which Henriette (and Louis) talked about him, how they wished he was not there. Earlier that day, a servant spotted one of Philippes mignons and Grand Equerry (Master of the Horse), the Marquis dEffiat, drink water stored in a cabinet near Henriettes chambers, wipe the glass, then go on his way. Yet even on her deathbed, she reaches for Louiss hand first. They fear she might have been poisoned, so King Louis XIV shuts all access To Versailles. Since the first stone was laid in this expansion. ), (*WTF. Louis, who never forgave a slight, always ensured that the guilty paid dearly. Duchess Henriette becomes suddenly ill when she returns from a visit to her brother in England. 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. We see him silent and sombre, a blank expression on his face. Eg; Louis shuts him (from preventing Henrietta to go to England) up by releasing Chevalier. The Angelique series of movies from the 60s are highly camp, and put Philippe in a terrible light, but they are funny. We are back at the sickbed, where Henriette sleeps and Montespan silently weeps at the bed. Feel free to comment if any details are wrong. Basically he can do what he wants, but she is not allowed to. Versailles - Stagione 3 Episodio 10. We see a lovely shot of Versailles outside, then cut to the Kings bedchamber, where the flowers and hedges are neatly arranged around to the bed. Lovely. poison, death and departures Versailles episode 10. She has no one to keep him at bay but the king, if he chooses. LOUIS. on The finale. And dragging Effiat into it too, for a) being a mignon loyal to the Chevalier, and b) his familys involvement in the Fronde, during Louis XIIIs reign. Are you suggesting that she would have the power to deny the king even if she wanted to? And she did it willingly. Philippe: Because you told her to. Louis: Because she was born to it. Philippe: Because she loves you. Louis: if we do not have the English, we cannot attack the Dutch. The look on Philippes face is incredulous yes, Louis is talking war when his wife lies dying. It is not clear in the show. What the king wants, the king gets. Louis turns in slow-mo, the expression on his face revealing nothing. 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! She also miscarries a baby that was either her husband Philippe's or the King's, no one is sure. You admit her situation is unfair and certainly, she is powerless where her husband (and Louis) are concerned and yet, simply because of the screwed up thinking of the day, the thinking that removed a womans personhood and reduced her to mere property, she is the villain for not being able to love a man who ignores her and rapes her? But unlike Philippe, Henriette never snogged her lover obnoxiously right there in the same room with him. When we are the kings enemy, we must make him believe we are his friend. Snake! Of course, nothing happened and the doctors said colic but nine hours later, she was dead. Photograph: BBC. (Historical note: this happened and wasnt at all odd) The door suddenly opens, the Queenis standing there. Points 1 and 2: We establish that both people are in love with someone else. Louis meanwhile, is disorientated (and by this time I am wondering where the guards are with all this noise, despite Marchal telling them not to disturb them). He sees Louis. 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. Called it!) 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. And remember you can also start at the beginning and read my reviews of EpisodesOne, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six,Seven,Eight. How accurate is Netflix Versailles? Good idea, he says breathlessly. There is your music.. We see Louis expression crumple, and he blinks, almost disbelievingly, and then Philippe is out the door. And Philippe is the one who looks tortured, he is the emotional one, while Louis remains stoic. Noemie Schmidt: Yes, totally stuck. Also, Louiss eyes are wet earlier than you recount, namely in the first shot after she says can you hear the flowers? We were taking the air with our governess when we made a break for freedom. Saint-Simon asserted that Louis was so thankful that his brother was innocent of the crime that he decided not to prosecute the perpetrators. They could not be more different in this moment. Philippe: my brother always trusted you. Claudine: I am honoured. Philippe whispers: I dont believe I know what it feels like. .. Emo Philippe, so dark and tortured! Despite being a dab hand at treating people who have been poisoned, the doc announces that she . Who poisoned Henriette in Versailles? And she is the only one who knew who prepared Henriettes chicory water. elisabetta, oopsI should say figure, not charactersorry, english is not my first language . No context is provided about who he is, no indication he is married. yet so satisfying to watch because.. yeah. I really enjoy your reviews. The true cause of Henriettes death can never be known, but one thing is certain: this beloved princess was sadly missed. Claudine Masson Fabien Marchal Henriette of England Henriette and Montespan Fabien and Sophie Isabella Braganza Claudine and Fabien Marie-Thrse and Montespan Versailles (series) Sophie de Clermont Philippe of France Henriette and Louis Philippe and Liselotte's Wedding Chevalier and Henriette Categories [4] Because Sophie steals any scene shes in with Henriette, hands down, and she even maintains a presence with Montespan, too, though Montespan is clearly the dominant one in most dynamics (the Chevalier excluded, of course swans fat flippers come to mind!) Then the camera pans to the door and Philippe enters, says to him quietly, were leaving. Its emotionless. Especially in S1, I got the feeling that they gave a lot of Lorraines personality traits/reactions/behaviour to Philippe. Yes. He was named Louis Dieudonn (Louis the God-given) and bore the traditional title of French heirs apparent: Dauphin . And Marchal sees this too, his eyes flicking down to focus on them, then showing us aflashback of the dying girl, Charlotte de Parthanay, whom he held in his arms in Episode Three, where she says she saw angels. We learn that she has loved Louis since they were children. Colbert tries to push his point when Louis enters. Is it fair? Then he says I pay you to spy on others, not on me. . I have heard many say they see angels before they die. (Ahhh! IDK??? I realise that you are not a fan of the historical figure but I am speaking strictly of the character. Queen Marie-Thrse noted that everyone was talking about Henriettes death and the manner of it. It is so interesting to watch, given a discussion I had on Twitter earlier with some fellow fans. Still wouldve loved to read your long comment was it complimentary? I guess in summary, I saw more nuance and non-verbal cues with Philippe that made him a more sympathetic character. Now we are with Marchal, who is interrogating Henriettes ladies, Sophie included. Menu. I think he has done his younger brother irreperable harm and, at times, I wonder if he wouldnt throw Philippe to the wolves if it suited him or France. Like only a brother can. Philippelooks into the fire, whispers, I was so proud of you. even if it turned out his brother was the poisoner. Right. 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. Henriette feels nothing for Philippe, he not having put any more effort into endearing himself to her than she to him and he also complicating things for her where Louis is concerned. I also cannot figure out why Louis and others speak freely in front of the guards when even they are unsure of their loyalty.. He says quietly: She knew what she had to do. and especially when he proved himself in battle and all of Paris cheered him and adored him. There is no change. 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. Why is his passion for the man he loves to be forgiven and Henriettes passion for the man she loves to be used against her? 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. He certainly is darker, more angry and violent than he was in real life. 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. Not only did they grow up together but they were first cousins and Louis was a devout Catholic. Which one? Louis asks. And to Ainee for perspective. When you see Fabien going to find the missing Charlotte, you see him visualising the scenario he holds up his hand, points his fingers in the shape of a gun to see how the angle would project. And there is also Dangerous Liaisons, but that is set in the 18th century. It ended up working even better than planned and within a very short amount of time, Louis fell for Louise de la Valliere who was originally meant to be a decoy but became his first official royal mistress. This girl is familiar she was at Henriettes bedside as the princess related the story of her first masked ball to Sophie. Youre brought up, its your duty. Henriette of England died in Saint-Cloud, not in Versailles. The one she loves the most. Kill him, then me, and blame it on him. He is beyond selfish and his cruel behaviour is at the root of all of their misery. Remember, Henriette, as a woman, is completely powerless. I came across your reviews and I read each one after viewing an episode. Just another way Louis is emasculating him, making him a laughing stock in French society. God knows the wolves might have taken us but what did we know? A fabulous shot of Versailles under construction and we are back inside, in Louis' chambers conducting business. Something must be done! Louis demands and now NOW he is looking scared, helpless and not at all like the King. Thanks for your great reviews! Next time we see the painting in Ep 6 it has been moved to Henriettes room on her dressing table. he is troubled, hearing Montcourts whispers in his head: When we are the kings enemy, we must make him believe we are his friend. and so on. Rohan. Bontemps is still confused: you told us Montcourt was to blame. How can he be so sure? Josephine Wilkinson is an academic and author. but the show never uses his name, referring to him only as his title of Chevalier, probably to avoid confusion . They could be far away from the victim at the time of death, so it would be difficult to definitively pin on anyone. This is who they truly are in this one moment of grief. I did have a thought, though, why the writers didnt build up to her being the young version of one of Louis mistresses, he had so many. But to his brother? His contemplation is silent. It is Louis, and not Henriette, whom I see as the one who does the greatest harm to Philippe. NOT I dont want you to die, (that comes later) she says my problems cannot be solved, you know that. Way to avoid his question. 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. Such emotion. Nup. Back outside, to a view of Versailles under construction (I love these pre-glory shots!) Henriette has become seriously ill, it might be poison and she is the sister of the King of England. And Louis, who is being so totally duped, is convinced by Rohan to take his son, the Dauphin, out to ride, so he is far away from the cries of pain. Philippe and Louis have all the best monologues and the writing is brilliant, so in character. Today, speculation has attributed Henriettes death to intestinal blockage, ectopic pregnancy or tuberculosis affecting the peritoneum. But, this is my interpretation or thoughts based on the real life events. No doubt those in Philippes camp played on that too, to taint Henriette even more (Guiche UGH. When an autopsy was done (observed by 17 French doctors, two English physicians, the British ambassador and around 100 other onlookers) death was deemed to be from cholera morbus (gastroenteritis) caused by heated bile. The poor Chevalier, accused when he wasnt even there! Sorry to jar you There are just some things I couldnt overlook, and I admit I was looking at Henriettes character so closely, to see if the screenwriters would sweeten her up from her historical figure. But I still dont get why he doesnt just dob them both in.? While it seems like shes being unfair to Philippe, he doesnt really put up an effort to make himself lovable most of the time. I think I enjoyed your reviews as much as the show itself. Hi Jules and Aly, Who seeks to harm Henriette? (*cries*), Bontemps goes to see Louis. When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away. 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. So how could you be scared? UGH, technology! Thank you all! Anything Henriette had done to Philippe, he had done to herand worse. And in the context of the show, I did find it a nice touch, the apology to him. And were never coming back. The Chevalier makes the sign of the Cross (like the good Catholic he is), sweeps a look across the room to Cassel? All I could find were negative. She is in love with him and, as you say, it seems its been going on for a long time. This doesnt do good for her position, unloved by her husband and no one would stand at her side, should French and English go to war. Montcourts eyes drop to Louis hand and suddenly he pulls a knife. Her intent is not to hurt Philippe by sleeping with Louis, she simply doesnt care (and I dont blame her). She had always been painfully thin and Louis once tactlessly referred to her as the bones of the Holy Innocents. Henriette answered Montagu with a shrug: she did not know. The two Ms still fight, and Louis approaches, holding the poker. So to me, this indicates hes still quite scared. King Louis is in a bit of a pickle. Philippe has no interest in Henriette, is not attracted to her or in love with her. The camera hovers over the prone Henriette then pans up from the bed, like we are her soul being released from her body. For the record, I dont think Henriette would actually like to see Philippe die, but she would like to be shot of him. I am a true friend of the king. but Louis knows. Art. Maybe that is where she got the poison she used on Fabien? Do you honestly think that just because certain abusesatrocities, evenwere acceptable, that those on the receiving end didnt feel anger, pain, violation, etc. The Queen rushes to her side as she collapses and Louis commands Bontemps to fetch his doctor. 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. Marchal commands to clear the room, Louis adds: Not you, Montcourt. and the doors are sealed: no one enters. 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. To spare his feelings? Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction - and other times, period dramas take a little artistic license . Still, Louis suspicions had been aroused and he ordered an autopsy, which was performed by French doctors and witnessed by others sent from England. Louis looks mega pissed. It could also be argued that Philippe is relatively powerless, but only where Louis, his older brother and his king, is concerned. This is such a clever production team impeccable writing, brilliant cast, sumptuous sets and costumes. Louis: you are grieving. Philippe shakes his head: I grieve alone. Louis swallows then says: You will marry again. Philippe interjects: I simply want to live. Louis: It is your duty. Philippe hisses: I have had my fill of duty. Montcourt is stabbed by Louis XIV while facing off with him and Fabien Marchal. . Are there more shows you will review? 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. Louis XIV was born on 5 September 1638 in the Chteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Hell, HIS WIFE is shagging his brother. My biggest problem with Henriette/Louis is that I find it highly doubtful that Louis would have sex with her. He weeps for the loss and I am sure he also weeps for the helplessness he must now feel, a man so powerful and commanding, who rules a country and its people a true King and yet, still unable to save her.
