ep#10 The Invincible Sword

[Gabrielle]

You can talk about The Invincible Sword here.

[warrioress]

Just rewatched this one the other day and remembered how good it was. *sigh*

[potc166]

even though it didn't really happen it was just a premaniton of what could happen if they didn't get rid of it but I loved the kiss between Jackline and D'Artayan.. ;D

[jeantre16]

potc166 said:

even though it didn't really happen it was just a premaniton of what could happen if they didn't get rid of it but I loved the kiss between Jackline and D'Artayan.. ;D

Yes, the kiss that never happened. But you could see that after this ep, J is different towards D. Check it out. Maybe she realized there was something in her heart for him in that "dream." At the end, she says some things are better off left unsaid.

[potc166]

I think she said that beacause she was too emberessed to tell him..

[MusketeerGurl]

I was saying to myself at the end 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! She killed D`Artagnan! I going to kill her

How did you feel when she killed D.?

[ladydartagnan]

Wait, wait, she and D'artagnan actually kissed??? Ohhh!! *.* I gotta see that... >.> <.<.... ^^;;...... Wait, she kills him...?! ;_; Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!! Evil tragic muse on the part of the writers of the show....

[thedaringhattrick]

All the d’Artagnan/Jacqueline goodness aside, this was perhaps my favourite episode of the series. While at first I thought the whole ‘it was all but a dream’ solution was a little lame and unabashedly cliché, the more I considered it, the more I realized that there was a quiet complexity to this episode that made it stand out from all the rest.

By exploring her ‘dark side,’ this episode gave us an strong insight into Jacqueline’s character and solidified her values in the eyes of the audience. Did anyone pick up on how the sword actually amplified Jacqueline’s traits and gave them a self-serving twist?

For example, we know that Jacqueline’s childhood dream was to be a musketeer and, perhaps even be recognized as legendary. Under the sword’s influence, however, we see her duty to her king become overzealous and her desire for and the acknowledgement to be the ‘best’ turns her ruthless. Her normally careful nature made her entirely distrustful to the point that it completely overrode her friendship with Ramon; her growing attraction to d’Artagnan turned into lust; her training as a soldier returned to its baser purpose and caused her to kill, and so on and so forth.

But the defining moment of the entire episode was when she tossed the sword away, even at the cost of having the one chance to ask for Jacqueline Roget's pardon from Louis. I think these actually really underlined Jacqueline’s courage and strong convictions towards the ideals of duty, justice and moral responsibility. Not only had it made me appreciate and admire her character a lot more than before, I think these single scene really rounded out the whole episode and what made it so dense and complex.

As for the big kiss scene and d’Artagnan’s dying words, if it wasn’t obvious before which direction the writers were going with their relationship, this definitely had to hammer the message home.

I wonder, however, whether this was more Jacqueline’s subconscious desire rather than something that was meant to mirror reality—after all, it was her dream. We get to see a softer side to d’Artagnan, although it strongly echoes his disposition and attitude in “the Exile.” After all, while under the influence of the love potion, Jacqueline then confirms in “Secrets” that she really does think that ‘there is no more noble man in France.’ To me, this episode demonstrates a shifting perception towards our handsome cad and the recognition that he may have genuine feelings for her that really carries over toward the end of the series.

It's a shame that they had to end it so soon. Aside from the odd Dumas thing in "Secrets," the last three episodes were taking on a lot more complexity and character-building than the other ten combined.

[queengwen]

Daring,

This was my favorite episode too! I loved it... and boy was I yelling at her at the end... while she was acussing D'Artagnan and all.,, I was like WHEN has he EVER been disloyal? He got torured in 'The Exile' to cover for HER... AND she completely lost his words...he said WE will ask for exile... WE..not you..WE...

I didn't see it as a 'dream sequence' dreams are done differently...I saw it as she got a 'second change' to do it over the right way... divine intervention or something...

so... and let's see...'Secrets' I don't see Jacqueline as 'under the influence' in the way of she didn't mean those things... I think it was more of a 'truth serum' for her... it made her talk more loosely than she would've... vs. the 'sluts out' thing it did for Ramon and Siroc.

[thedaringhattrick]

Actually, with regards to "Secrets" and the whole fire-side chat that they had about her and King Charles, I want to point out one thing.

I think that the initial reason why D'Artagnan followed Jacqueline was because he wanted to try the potion out on her, not because he was concerned about her (although, maybe that factored in later when he realized that she wasn't just going for a night-ride). But after their talk, when Jacqueline reveals that she wants a man she can trust, and then says that she appreciate D'Artagnan for following her 'incase she was in trouble, without knowing why,' I think that was what eventually prompted D'Artagnan to turn down her kiss. Not only was he being dishonest about the potion, but he also followed her for the wrong reasons...

He not only realized that he wanted her to mean it, but the fact that he wanted to be that noble man she described.

I think that this was the turning point in their relationship... what shifted D'Artagnan from being attracted to Jacqueline and caring about her as a friend, and into the realization that he wants to become a better man for her. The one who wouldn't have a hidden agenda.

I think that's a huge stepping stone for D'Art's maturity.

[queengwen]

exxactly!

[thedaringhattrick]

Of course, whether or not Jacqueline was affected by the potion is left deliciously up in the air. After all, we don't know for certain how Jacqueline feels about D'Artagnan. Then again, the conversation leading up to the near-smooch in this episode very much mirrors the conversation in the bedroom scene in the "Invincible Sword." Jacqueline was touched by D'Artagnan's willingness to help her. On the other hand, it can be argued that both times she was under the 'influence' of some other power that had her baser instincts bubble forth.

Personally, I think that she was affected by the potion. After all, the whole episode was demonstrated as a story actively written by Dumas, and he is the one who said that any kissing would be out of character for Jacqueline. For now.

I think that definitely correlates to the scene in question, and to me, that's proof that the potion worked. Jacqueline is not quite ready to accept D'Artagnan, methinks, although she's obviously got a little thing for him...

But fortunately, D'Artagnan knows exactly what he's gotta do to remedy that...and looks like he's more than willing to do so.

(I spend way too much time analyzing episodes. lol. I'm just a teeny bit lame).

[jeantre16]

Daring, what's wrong with analyzing these episodes? You are right at home here. I LOVE J & D talk.

...he wants to become a better man for her.

I agree with all you've said. In addition, he has always been bothered that his father wasn't a better man for his mother. I think D is realizing that he not only wants to be a better man than his father, but that he's met the one that would make that worth it (J, of course).

[queengwen]

yes!

[thedaringhattrick]

Ah, I remember my old musings. I wonder if I can dig anything else up for the episode re-watch this week.