I guess some TV shows just can't avoid that slump around the halfway point with an unimpressive episode or two. I had high hopes for in the first quarter but it dropped off after that and was quite dry and lacked substance. Considering the fact that we just had a whole episode without Diana and Matthew, I would have expected there to be something to wait for but it didn't live up to those expectations.
This is the first episode that does not open or close with the progression of the present-day story arc and takes place entirely in 1590. As Diana and Matthew are now on their way to London, they leave behind a broken-hearted and drunken Kit who encounters a new member of the de Clermont family seeking out Matthew at his vacant home - Ysabeau's only blood daughter, Louisa. We see straight away that Kit and Louisa are already acquainted and decide to enjoy each other's company in Matthew's absence. This introduction to her character is very brief, intended to bring someone to Kit's side with a destructive influence to fuel his apparent depression. It's not so important yet so I understand why there wasn't so much of these two together just yet as it is enough to understand that it is building up to something. But at least more of this might have filled the episode out a little bit more.
Half the episode is spent on Diana and Matthew's journey to Sept-Tours and it's not particularly captivating or interesting to watch as there's not really a lot happening in that time to make the journey interesting or build anticipation to finally meeting Phillipe. Diana briefly encounters some of the truer realities of 1590 beyond the fairytale experience of history she's been living in London - riding past and leaving behind a burning town most likely a town of Catholics who would not bow to the current Protestant French King, Henry IV of France. It's merely brushed over, it's at these moments that I've come to expect Diana to have an intense reaction where she at least tries to resist ignoring what's going on but she easily leaves it when Matthew tells her to ignore it.
The only relevant part of the journey was a brief intimate moment in their tent that Matthew is still refusing to have sex with Diana so that we remember it when it plays a more important part later in the episode. This will probably confuse some people who haven't read the book as towards the end of the first season, there is a scene that takes place in the Bishop house that implies they did have sex. They also never explicitly mentioned in the first season that Matthew had been refusing to. That was probably the only purpose of including this as it didn't serve any other purpose. Personally, I have always found that whether I'm reading the book or watching the show, their sexually intimate scenes have always been really awkward and uncomfortable. I know there are people out there that absolutely love them but I don't find anything worthwhile in it other than the importance of the alchemical child.
They've written Phillipe in well, he is as much the knowledgable de Clermont family sire with his eyes and ears everywhere as he should be. In fact, the writers and James Purefoy's acting achieve the effect that Phillipe is omniscient despite it being that he reads people extremely well with his vampiric sense as well as having eyes and ears everywhere telling him everything about everyone. It's so effective that it doesn't feel out of place that Diana doesn't hold back any of the truth waiting to decide when the right time is to tell Phillipe about timewalking, being a weaver or the danger she and Matthew are in. And his declaration that the two are not truly mated as they haven't consumated the relationship is just as humiliating (and partially as amusing) as it was reading it. This is another one of those times where I do have to praise Teresa Palmer's acting in portraying Diana's fury and humiliation at the two de Clermonts following this - when it comes to stronger, more intense emotions, she's brilliant at making you believe she really is the character and does feel that way.
Despite the introduction to a very intrusive Phillipe we do still get to see that he is still a concerned parent that wants to take care of his children. And because of this he can sense that there is something in his future that makes Matthew keep his guard up around him by being as aggressive as is respectively possible so that he can avoid revealing anything about Phillipe's passing. I look forward to seeing how this plays out as it lead to some of the most bittersweet moments in the book.
Phillipe's more manipulative side that does anything to protect his family is not forgotten with his allowing a witch to come into contact with Diana to test how trustworthy she really is. Monsieur Champier immediately comes across like a fanatic claiming to be drawn to her power and desperate to help her master it. It goes out of hand very quickly with him trying to search her memories and steal them, to try to find out who has been feeding on her and erase some of her most important memories. Though we won't find out what Phillipe's verdict is about whether or not Diana passed this test until the next episode as it only ends with her killing the witch.
Reasons to Recommend:
- Introduction of Phillipe and an immediate show of the kind of character we can expect him to be going forward
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