I wasn't expecting much of what I thought to be another American adaption of this monster of French Literature (and realizing it was from the BBC didn't change much) but it's decent entertainment on itself. I think it's better to watch it without expecting to find the adventures written by Dumas but rather to consider it as a (silly) action/adventure period drama.
It is true the first episode wasn't very good (quite... stiff, I would say, in terms of characters and plot) but it gets better with the second episode and more with the third episode so I am expecting it to be quite decent in the end. There's humor in this show, the costumes are pretty, the acting goes from correct (d'Artagnan) to very good (Capaldi obviously) and the Musketeers' specific story lines are quite entertaining (especially the back-story we got in the third episode). Ah, and female characters with their own motives (Milday! what a good!), so that's a (welcome and great) plus. (Along with the fact that this is a diverse cast, it's always good. And there would have been people of color in France at this time, though perhaps not at these positions, I'm not very well versed on this topic.)
On the other hand, I'm less sold on the portrayals of the French court, especially the King, the Queen, their relationship together (or lack of therefore) and overall the palace. I have to say this is rather disappointing. The other sets are correct, I appreciate the effort for the streets and the houses of the common people (as well as the unused mansion, even though it wouldn't have looked exactly like that. Ah well, silly period drama, not historical documentary.). My main (and silly) regret is the pronunciation of Athos: sorry, but I like the French version better.
Overall, it's decent entertainment (what we call in French a TV-show "de capes et d'épées") with action and adventure and humor and shifty political manipulations all in historical setting not too badly done. Honestly worth watching if you can go past the first episode.
It is true the first episode wasn't very good (quite... stiff, I would say, in terms of characters and plot) but it gets better with the second episode and more with the third episode so I am expecting it to be quite decent in the end. There's humor in this show, the costumes are pretty, the acting goes from correct (d'Artagnan) to very good (Capaldi obviously) and the Musketeers' specific story lines are quite entertaining (especially the back-story we got in the third episode). Ah, and female characters with their own motives (Milday! what a good!), so that's a (welcome and great) plus. (Along with the fact that this is a diverse cast, it's always good. And there would have been people of color in France at this time, though perhaps not at these positions, I'm not very well versed on this topic.)
On the other hand, I'm less sold on the portrayals of the French court, especially the King, the Queen, their relationship together (or lack of therefore) and overall the palace. I have to say this is rather disappointing. The other sets are correct, I appreciate the effort for the streets and the houses of the common people (as well as the unused mansion, even though it wouldn't have looked exactly like that. Ah well, silly period drama, not historical documentary.). My main (and silly) regret is the pronunciation of Athos: sorry, but I like the French version better.
Overall, it's decent entertainment (what we call in French a TV-show "de capes et d'épées") with action and adventure and humor and shifty political manipulations all in historical setting not too badly done. Honestly worth watching if you can go past the first episode.