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Oh my...those hands...

Porthos’ hands for @canadiangarrison

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Howard Charles

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things english speakers know, but don’t know we know.

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>> >> Positivity, peace & adventure blog 🍁

(Don’t delete link above, thank you)

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He has such a great smile!

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I've watched all 30 episodes and most of episode 3 more than once. Clearly, I need to watch it again and pay more attention this time! What a great take on the show (and Porthos...never enough Porthos)!

I’m going to talk about adaptation, character arcs, and series three. And, of course, Porthos. I always talk about Porthos.

The Three Musketeers by Dumas is a satire, and it satirizes the ‘values’ that society upheld, and the absurdity of that. The three musketeers value honour, and pride. Athos kills his wife, in the book, because she is a branded criminal who escaped the noose, and that wounded his familial pride. Porthos challenges d'Artagnan to a duel because d'Artagnan reveals to the company that the baldric of gold Porthos was showing off. That back of which is not gold. Aramis is always on about women’s honour and protecting it with overblown, ridiculous actions and words, without actually bothering much about their honour. He sleeps with them and uses them for money and status, and uses them to advance his interests in intrigues. The values of honour and pride are shown as insincere, over the top, an over reaction. It’s satire.

(ha ha this the only screencap I have that isn’t mostly Porthos and has them lot in. It’s labelled ‘erm, Porthos’, and Porthos is about to throw the diamond away)

In adapting the book, the BBC carried over the values, but did not do much to change the actions and characterisation of the four. The series is written as if everyone should accept that these men are honourable and so on, but their actions don’t reflect that. They enjoy killing people, Aramis says he never felt more alive than blowing people up, they torture people. There’s nothing wrong with having characters like that, but the difficulty comes in that they’re supposed to be honourable. In my (admittedly biased) opinion, Howard Charles’s Porthos is actually the character who is adapted well.   He’s a street urchin, so he doesn’t have the upper-class obsession with honour. His priority is praise and glory, rising through the ranks. Soldiering is his job, and he enjoys it, he doesn’t pretend it’s some great crusade for good.

The conflict between the satire of the original text and the serious drama of the TV series is uncomfortable at times, and doesn’t always work, is my point. In series three, we see d'Artagnan, Athos and Porthos struggle with the values of the previous series. Porthos is more dour, often seems as if he’s repeating other people’s opinions, does his duty without question. Athos questions everything because of Sylvie and the soldiers with nothing. His duty, his role and position, the way he lives his life. d'Artagnan struggles to find the values he’s been fighting for in a Paris that’s falling to pieces. (I am afraid I was cross with Aramis when I watches series three, both times, and paid little attention to his struggle, or lack there of. I don’t know if he questioned his values. Apologies, Aramis fans. Then again, I think Aramis going to the monkery was his questioning of it all).

Aramis, and Athos, get big emotional arcs in series three. d'Artagnan gets a professional arc, growing into his leadership of the cadets and his running of the garrison. Their arcs take them away from their characters in the book, to an extent. The writers move away from The Three Musketeers, at least. They draw on Twenty Years After, I think, though the similarities might be coincidence I suppose. I think this moves the series away from that conflict between satire and drama. I know a lot of fans were unhappy with the character changes, but I personally liked that in four years they’d changed, and that the characters had moved forward, away from that conflict that I saw.

I have been wanting to talk about Porthos. Of course I have, he’s my favourite across all media and adaptations. And talking about series three Porthos means talking about Howard Charles, and his skill for telling stories in gaps and moments and backgrounds. He isn’t given enough screen time, and there’s no episode that focuses on him. I think there have been similar complaints about d'Artagnan, but d'Artagnan isn’t my favourite so I’m not going to talk about that. Porthos gets an emotional arc, thanks to Howard Charles.

I wrote previously about Porthos struggling to find a place and enjoy his role. He is no longer the happy go lucky soldier who has no problem with being part of a brotherhood and living day to day, coin to coin. He wants more from life, needs to find ‘himself’. In The Good Traitor he says ‘I know who I am, and what I am’. In series three that self-knowledge is more uncertain. We see, in series three, Porthos searching for more.

He finds his skill as a soldier and detective/strategist in The Hunger, following his hunch and finding the grain. In Brothers in Arms he finds his loyalty, to Treville, to the crown, and to his fellow soldiers. The scene where he sits, back against the bar, and not only talks calmly and rationally but listens is spectacular. In the Queens Diamonds we see him discovering his mercy. The scene where he lets Bonnaire go shows Howard Charles, unspeaking, using body language, facial expression, and minimal action, to show Porthos’s emotion. And Porthos’s ability to put his emotion aside, give way to his reason. It’s a fantastic contrast with the scene in Commodities where he loses his temper and is held back by his friends, who fear his anger will lead him to hurt the man they’ve been tasked to protect. I’m not going to go through each episode.

Porthos goes through a journey of discovery, a journey with himself, while the others get their story lines and screen time. Howard Charles takes the moments he’s given, and gives us, his audience, a beautiful story. He gives us Porthos. Emotional, tired, searching for something better, battling the world that is often unkind to him, and finding his own center and kindness in the midst of the struggle.

There are three more episodes I want to mention. Fools Gold, Prisoners of War, and We Are the Garrison. I want to talk about Death of A Hero too, and The Prize, but I promised not to talk about every episode. In Fools Gold, Porthos is shown as calm under all kinds of pressure, not just in battle. He delivers a child, and he has clearly done that before (which he soon says he has). His care with Elodie is the heart of Porthos. His careful empathy and quiet softness. He makes himself vulnerable and shares fear with her, and tells us the story of running from battle. The courage to admit to what might be considered cowardice is huge, and the courage is shown as part of his softness, kindness. That is what we’ve been waiting for, with Porthos. Not the fighting, laughing, giant, though we love that side of him too.

In Prisoners of War he is asked to shoot Aramis, and I mostly want to mention it because it’s an episode Porthos is hardly in, but Howard Charles makes the most of his moments again. He’s dutiful and watchful, and we see him as leader- he keeps order at the nooses, and he nags d'Artagnan into action, and he sees to the prisoners. Then, when he fights to get to Aramis, the desperation of his fight makes him less efficient than usual. We see him miss threats because he’s focussed on getting through. And then he’s asked to shoot Aramis, and his face shows every conflict he’s had with Aramis since seeing him at the monastery. His final ‘you shouldn’t have lied’ is heartbreaking, but it’s also full of resignation. He knows this about Aramis, now, and accepts it. He’s angry, but he’s not the same kind of hurt from the monastery.

Finally, We Are the Garrison. All I want to say about this one is the way, in the final scene before Athos’s epilogue speech, he smiles every time someone calls him ‘general’. If you watch, it really is every time. His smile is proud, and certain. He’s is Porthos du Vallon, son of a freed slave, of the Court of Miracles, General to the Queen of France. Leader of the armies. Husband to Elodie and father to Marie Cessette. Friend and brother to Athos, Aramis and d'Artagnan. He has a place, he knows himself once more, and he is proud of the man he is.  

Porthos’s pride is in careful things, built things. He’s come a long way from the gambler and character of that first introductory scene. He is general to France, as Dumas’s father was. I think that 'I know who I am and what I am’ has gone from being 'I am a black man in the army, an outsider, a man who has forced a careful balance of fitting in and standing out’ to being 'I am the head of the army, a French general, with a background I am at peace with’. I think that Porthos comes to embrace his difference as a strength. He certainly stops hiding the things he’s good at, and Athos finally takes notice of those skills.

This has been a long, rather rambling, series of thoughts on series three and adaptation and, of course, mostly Porthos. Thanks for getting all the way through :)

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This is probably my favorite episode of all three seasons. I think Porthos was a vastly under-utilized character (I was OVER the whole Aramis/Anne storyline long before season 2 ended) and this episode finally cast a light on the character where he could shine and say more than two words in succession.

I really enjoyed the fact Porthos and Elodie had some unspoken "I've got your back" vibe starting when she shot the bad guy who had Porthos in his sights. The little snippets of the two together just left me wanting to see more of them.

I have never been a fan of the television episode where the woman is in labor at the worst possible moment and has to be "delivered" (pardon the pun), by the hero. I did, however, really like how this episode turned the tables and focused on Porthos and not Elodie. He is the one you see, he is the one doing all the talking, and you almost get a sense that it's cathartic for him to tell this woman he doesn't really know, all these very personal details. Also loved that this big, rough warrior can roll up his sleeves and perform midwifery duties like its no big deal.

That Porthos, the big, strong, steady, man of action actually walked away from the war for a couple hours tells us just how bad it was. No man alive (at least back then) would have ever admitted to being afraid or of deserting, so I guess it doesn't surprise me that he never told anyone when he got back into camp and no one had known he was gone. It did make me kind of sad for him when he offers to stay for a while and Elodie tells him to go. I'm sure he would have loved to stay and look after her for a while, but probably wanted some peace for a change too and knew that wasn't in the cards back in Paris.

A few initial thoughts after watching Musketeers 3.07:

Porthos got me right in the feels admitting that he had run away from the battlefield but nobody ever knew. Since he mentions that thinking of his men was part of why he came back and I don’t think he had “men” before the series started, I’m assuming that that incident happened recently. So nobody ever finding out about it would include Athos and d'Artagnan. 

He got so desperate that he actually deserted and he didn’t feel able to speak to his friends about it. That’s harsh, that’s really, really harsh. But it fits, somehow. It fits with him being that reliable, steady character who’s just there, taking for granted almost. And it fits within a wider theme of him shielding people from the truth that comes through in this episode.

He tells Elodie that he was never afraid because he thinks that’s better for her, then only changes his tale when the truth seems more helpful. He never tells her that his mother died when he was four, so her raising him was pretty short-lived. He never tells her how many of his former neighbour’s ten children survived. No point. We all know the number will be low, if not zero. No need to burden the poor woman with the truth. And evidently no need to burden his poor friends with the truth of how afraid and desperate he felt on the battlefield. More helpful to just be there.

More broadly, it feeds into why they all knew so little about his past. No need to burden them with that. And it also helps a bit with the lack of a much-needed proper talk with Aramis. No need to tell him how awfully difficult everything was, how betrayed Porthos felt, how afraid he was, how hard it is to try and be friends again now. Aramis is having a hard enough time already, no need to burden him further.

Better to just pretend everything is fine, that they learned to live without him and that they can go back to how they were, even when they clearly can’t. Shielding those he cares for from unfriendly truths has become second nature to Porthos so much, probably since he was a kid, that he —who is usually so good with emotions, and particularly with reading Aramis— doesn’t recognise that Aramis is still on the outside after all this time. Better to keep silent. There’s no need for painful truths.

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D'Artagnan isn't my favorite Musketeer, but, ummm....wow...

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This!

the musketeers 3x07

LISTEN PORTHOS STEPPING AWAY FROM A FIGHT TO HELP ELODIE GIVE BIRTH AND RUBBING HER BACK AND CRADLING HER HEAD GENTLY AND TELLING HER HOW BRAVE SHE IS L I S T E N  I WAS NOT PREPARED

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Tags under the cut, if anyone wants to be tagged/untagged, let me know!

Keep reading

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“Next time, I’m using the front door.”

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Casting was perfect! Can't fathom any other actors playing these roles.

The Musketeers Fest 2016, Day 2: One aspect of the show you really admire 

Diverse casting of main characters (please don’t reblog to add hate!)

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Best scene of all 3 series for D'Atagnan!

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Wish there would have been more of this.

The Musketeers Fest 2016, Day 3: Favorite Relationship

Elodie x Porthos

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The Musketeers Fest

Add an Epilogue: I really didn’t like the way the series just ended. So in my head, here is what I imagine happened to everyone. I am not a writer, so be warned… As Athos voice fades we see Aramis and Anne sharing a gentle kiss in the gardens as Louis plays with his maids in the distance. The scenes shift forward in time, showing The two doting parents watching over Louis and shaping him into the King he was born to be. Aramis, though fully occupied with business of the State, remains close to D'Artagnan, making time to help when and how he can with the rebuilding of “his” Garrison. Aramis and Anne devote their lives to ensuring a prosperous future for their son. They always keep a chaste distance (though sometimes walking a little closer than proper) when anywhere they could be seen. Anne is doing her duty to Louis, and France, and no one would dare comment on any impropriety between the Queen Regent and her First Minister. Even if a few eyebrows rise each year when they depart for a week of quiet contemplation at a remote convent with their only guard, the Captain of the Musketeers. For that one week each year Paris, and the rest of France can function without the two lovers. D’Artagan, along with Constance, has taken over the de Mauvoisin estate. Vacant since the failed attempt at destroying the Court of Miracles, it is the perfect space for a new, larger Garrison. The two work tirelessly turning the old estate into a refuge and training ground. They are side by side recruiting the best young men France has to offer (from all walks of life) molding them into soldiers and gentlemen worthy of the title Musketeer. While Constance will always consider the Musketeers her children, of a sort, she now has 3 of her own, as well. Twin boys born less than a year after the destruction of the Garrison, Rene and Olivier grow into lanky boys with dark hair, and their father’s cheeky charm. Their baby sister, Emily, is the image of her mother in looks and spirit. D’Artagnan leans over the rail outside his office looking down on the courtyard where Constance is instructing a newer recruit on just how things work in “her” Garrison. His children run amok amid the gathering of Musketeers preparing for the days training. He smiles, wondering how he could have been so fortunate to find so perfect a life... Porthos is at war. We find him firmly astride a large black war horse, sword in hand, shouting orders to the men around him. Unable to remain in the rear, he is at the front lines encouraging his men and leading by example as he cuts a swath through the enemy. His left hand, holding tight to his reins is wrapped in a blood stained bandage and there are other signs war has taken its toll on this giant of a man. His armor, while clean and well oiled, shows dents where it has warded off blows from pistol butts and not quite sharp enough spears, there is a large slash mark across the back where a Spanish blade narrowly missed its mark, and countless smaller nicks and scratches attesting to the fact THIS general does not shrink from a fight. At night, when he is alone in his tent, he can recall the faces of the young men lost to battle and grieves for them, while being grateful he still has the chance to return home. We next see him returning to Paris after peace is declared. Rejoining Elodie, he settles into a quiet life of semi-retirement, but still a fixture among the Musketeers when he helps with their training (SOMEONE has to keep an eye on what D’Artagan is doing to “his” Garrison). Porthos revels in the family he had always dreamed of. Marie-Cassette is joined in short order by Jean, a sturdy little boy with an unruly mop of chocolate brown curls, he has his mother’s quiet strength and his father’s fierceness and quick smile. His children and Elodie are Porthos' world. He cannot recall life before them or imagine life without them. Porthos and D’Artagnan’s children are constantly with their father’s at “their” Garrison where they are watched over as fiercely by all from the newest Musketeer recruit to the most senior veteran as they are their own parents. There is no small rivalry among the five as to just which of them will one day be chosen as Captain of the Garrison. Smart money is on Marie-Cessette. Though tiny, she is a better shot than the other 4 with the child sized pistols Uncle Aramis had made for all the children, nearly as good with a blade, and is already an expert archer. Athos and Sylvie walked out of Paris hand in hand. With Athos having laid to rest the ghosts of his past, he and Sylvie return to his estate. While he has no interest in reclaiming the title Comte de la Frere, it is the home of his childhood and the place he wants to raise his own children. He and Sylvie build a cozy house just outside the village and Athos spends his days working with the villagers rebuilding and improving on the estate he had left in their care. The burned shell of Athos past is torn down and a garden created where the grand house had stood. He and Sylvie are often seen walking hand in hand with their son, Thomas, while Athos tells the boy stories of his namesake and his Uncles, The Musketeers. He visits Paris as infrequently as possible, but keeps up on the news of the Musketeers and the rebuilding of “his” Garrison. Providing advice and counsel when D’Artagnan asks, but trusting the younger man to make the right choices. Milady de Winter is tired. Tired of running, hiding, and pretending. Tired of being used by others for their own ends. Just tired. She rides out of Paris alone and is next seen at the gates of a convent somewhere in southern France. She has come for a place with the sisters, and can pay her dowry with a large diamond. The Mother Superior has no need to know this particular diamond was stolen from the Queen by Vadim many years ago.. The last we see of Milady is the gates of the convent closing behind her… The final scene is 10 years after the destruction of the Garrison. It is Porthos’ birthday and the four Musketeers, along with their families are gathered for the one day each year when all other obligations are set aside and they can be together as a group again. The sun is shining and the eight adults are sitting at a long table in the shade of a large tree. The children play around them in the forrest clearing. Just on the edges, but not quite out of sight is a contingent of Musketeers. A nod to the fact the young King Louis is playing with his cousins this afternoon. Where once, this party would have been rowdy and boisterous, as the old friends ease into their middle years, they are quiet. Almost sedate. Comfortable with each other; with the friendships and love that has been honed amid the worst of times, they now relish the best of times. As the day draws to a close, Porthos rises. Holding his wine glass aloft he offers a toast to friendship, family, brotherhood, and the memory of those no longer with them. “All for one” he proclaims with an answering cry from every last person present “And one for all!”

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I have a serious thing for the hands of Howard Charles....

The Musketeers Fest 2016

Day four - One scene (2/2)

“You don’t give up.”

This looks supremely odd lmao I had to dig up a decent ref to not screw up the hands and don’t even ask me what the colors are doing. The point is not my rendition of it kinda sucks tho, BABBLING AHEAD: I absolutely adored this scene. I initially watched the series on netflix LA, which means a few minutes of each episode were cut - the most part of this scene was cut, one of the few actual big emotional or important scenes to be removed (the rest were mostly minor things and all). When I finally was able to see the full thing, I was so stunned and moved by the vulnerability and emotion displayed in it, just… how absolutely brilliant and touching Howard’s delivery of Porthos’s story to Elodie was. Much moreso because it’s just a closeup of the two of them, and he’s holding her up (in the most lovely way ugh his hands on her just kill me okay he’s so gentle and he’s grounding her and aaa honestly Elodie just marry him right there), so he hasn’t got much body language to rely on, no props, no anything, just his own skills to put feelings into the way he’s speaking and his expressions. And the result is incredible. It’s a downright crime that they’d ever cut this amazing moment. Shame on you, editors.