Dangerous Liasons 1.03. & 1.04.
Nov. 27th, 2022 07:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakThis prequel series continues to be entertain and at times delight me by delivering on schemes, twists, and awful people having unexpected emotions. Doing well so far, show!
One big difference to the novel and its various adaptions that struck me especially in 1.04. is that so many of the other characters are smart as well, not just our scheming duo. Not that I think the Presidente de Tourvel is stupid, and Cecilie as well as Danceny are more young and naive, plus Madame de Volanges is too self satisfied to notice how Merteuil manipulates her, but still: none of them is in the same class as the leads. Whereas here in this prequel series, intelligent people abound whom our leads have to sharpen their wits against, and many of them have more power to boot - notably, but not not limited to Jean de Merteuil and the Comtesse de Valmont - , plus another difference is that this is true for the servants and future servants as well - in fact, Victoire might even be a bit smarter than Camille, but she doesn't have Camille's capacity for revenge - who have their own personalities and are given reasons for being loyal to Camille and Valmont, respectively. (I.e. we see Camille and Valmont being loyal right back even under pressure.)
Now, when the woman Camille wants to avenge herself on - Jacqueline de Montrachet - was introduced as seemingly pious, I thought, no, show, how will you do this without making it look like a copy of the Tourvel plot, given Camille tells Valmont one way to get back into her good graces is seducing said lady - but Tourvel is sincere, and Camillle at least is convinced Montrachet is a hypocrite. Since the backstory we're teased with in bits and pieces so far seems to indicate Montrachet at the very least deliberately left her to die and since all that insistence in her conversations with Disguised!Valmont that children are innocent and pure and what not, that does look like a genuine difference in personality, plus the show's creators wisely have not given this subplot the same prominence the Tourvel plot has on the original. Good choice, since all the other subplots keep surprising me. I mean, I thought from the get go that since Camille will end up as the Marquise de Merteuil, she will have to marry the widowed Marquis, but what I expected to happen after episode 1 (and the first Marquise's death) - that she'd seduce him - did not happen; instead, he tries to get rid of her from day 1 and she keeps having to outwit him, the Marquis turns out to be repellent but also smart and good at manipulation, truly a worthy adversary to defeat and destroy. When in 1.04. he with a mixture of manipulation and social pressure gets the Majordomus to hand over the letter, which until that episode had been Camille's sole leverage against him, this was the kind of scene which makes a villain.
Episode 1.04. is also where the show's decision to split up our leads in the pilot gets a really good emotional dividend, as it has them not solely spar but actually join forces and we see in a show, not tell way they're still powerfully attracted to each other; the scene where Valmont helps Camille get dressed as a man so they can investigate Merteuil's secret together was hotter than their love making scenes in the pilot when they were lovers, and the whole adventure shows what I think is an important factor in any relationship you expect your audience to get invested in (as in, wanting to see it continue, not wanting to see it end) - they're having fun together when they're on the same page. Doesn't mean all is forgiven, but I have been wondering how the show would justify this version of future Merteuil, knowing as she does that Valmont is collecting letters for future leverage, writing to him letters which incriminate her - and one answer beyond the Mutual Assured Destruction point seems to be that he really comes through for her here beyond that seducing-her-old-enemy subplot and she's just enjoying herself and able to relax when with him when she - and he - are working the facades nearly everywhere else.
Speaking of Valmont, it didn't escape me that Madame de Rosemont, his saintly aunt from the novel, is nowhere to be seen. Now one reason for this can be that the show' s young Valmont has to have no support mechanism and needs to claw his way back to the title and the money against his stepmother and stepbrother, and the novel's Rosemont who adores him would have surely supported him at least financially in such a situation. Otoh, maybe there's a surprising twist waiting here as well. Incidentally, with those fencing scenes, I spy a fraternal duel coming on, providing an explanation, perhaps, as to why the guy isn't around anymore in novel times, but what about the stepmother? Here Camille's deduction that she wants an even greater next marriage might provide an explanation, as in, my guess is the duo will trick her to marry someone she thinks is rich but who really isn't.
...or not. Camille might decide to keep her as advisor; she did so far say only true things, and did point out the Marquis' impending nuptials to Camille.
One big difference to the novel and its various adaptions that struck me especially in 1.04. is that so many of the other characters are smart as well, not just our scheming duo. Not that I think the Presidente de Tourvel is stupid, and Cecilie as well as Danceny are more young and naive, plus Madame de Volanges is too self satisfied to notice how Merteuil manipulates her, but still: none of them is in the same class as the leads. Whereas here in this prequel series, intelligent people abound whom our leads have to sharpen their wits against, and many of them have more power to boot - notably, but not not limited to Jean de Merteuil and the Comtesse de Valmont - , plus another difference is that this is true for the servants and future servants as well - in fact, Victoire might even be a bit smarter than Camille, but she doesn't have Camille's capacity for revenge - who have their own personalities and are given reasons for being loyal to Camille and Valmont, respectively. (I.e. we see Camille and Valmont being loyal right back even under pressure.)
Now, when the woman Camille wants to avenge herself on - Jacqueline de Montrachet - was introduced as seemingly pious, I thought, no, show, how will you do this without making it look like a copy of the Tourvel plot, given Camille tells Valmont one way to get back into her good graces is seducing said lady - but Tourvel is sincere, and Camillle at least is convinced Montrachet is a hypocrite. Since the backstory we're teased with in bits and pieces so far seems to indicate Montrachet at the very least deliberately left her to die and since all that insistence in her conversations with Disguised!Valmont that children are innocent and pure and what not, that does look like a genuine difference in personality, plus the show's creators wisely have not given this subplot the same prominence the Tourvel plot has on the original. Good choice, since all the other subplots keep surprising me. I mean, I thought from the get go that since Camille will end up as the Marquise de Merteuil, she will have to marry the widowed Marquis, but what I expected to happen after episode 1 (and the first Marquise's death) - that she'd seduce him - did not happen; instead, he tries to get rid of her from day 1 and she keeps having to outwit him, the Marquis turns out to be repellent but also smart and good at manipulation, truly a worthy adversary to defeat and destroy. When in 1.04. he with a mixture of manipulation and social pressure gets the Majordomus to hand over the letter, which until that episode had been Camille's sole leverage against him, this was the kind of scene which makes a villain.
Episode 1.04. is also where the show's decision to split up our leads in the pilot gets a really good emotional dividend, as it has them not solely spar but actually join forces and we see in a show, not tell way they're still powerfully attracted to each other; the scene where Valmont helps Camille get dressed as a man so they can investigate Merteuil's secret together was hotter than their love making scenes in the pilot when they were lovers, and the whole adventure shows what I think is an important factor in any relationship you expect your audience to get invested in (as in, wanting to see it continue, not wanting to see it end) - they're having fun together when they're on the same page. Doesn't mean all is forgiven, but I have been wondering how the show would justify this version of future Merteuil, knowing as she does that Valmont is collecting letters for future leverage, writing to him letters which incriminate her - and one answer beyond the Mutual Assured Destruction point seems to be that he really comes through for her here beyond that seducing-her-old-enemy subplot and she's just enjoying herself and able to relax when with him when she - and he - are working the facades nearly everywhere else.
Speaking of Valmont, it didn't escape me that Madame de Rosemont, his saintly aunt from the novel, is nowhere to be seen. Now one reason for this can be that the show' s young Valmont has to have no support mechanism and needs to claw his way back to the title and the money against his stepmother and stepbrother, and the novel's Rosemont who adores him would have surely supported him at least financially in such a situation. Otoh, maybe there's a surprising twist waiting here as well. Incidentally, with those fencing scenes, I spy a fraternal duel coming on, providing an explanation, perhaps, as to why the guy isn't around anymore in novel times, but what about the stepmother? Here Camille's deduction that she wants an even greater next marriage might provide an explanation, as in, my guess is the duo will trick her to marry someone she thinks is rich but who really isn't.
...or not. Camille might decide to keep her as advisor; she did so far say only true things, and did point out the Marquis' impending nuptials to Camille.
