Warning! Spoliers follow

First of all, MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. This is because, while still finding the time for a slightly forced ÔÇÿromanceÔÇÖ on the sidelines, involving Porthos (it was his turn again, I believe, according to the rota), and a challenge between the Musketeers and RichelieuÔÇÖs Red Guards, this episode directly tackles many crucial ongoing threads. DÔÇÖArtagnan loses his farm in Gascony and becomes a Musketeer; ConstanceÔÇÖs husband finds out about their affair and blackmails her into nastily breaking it; Milady comes back with a vengeance.

The Musketeers has certainly seen a steady and remarkable improvement, since the pilot: ÔÇÿThe ChallengeÔÇÖ is one of the best episodes to date. Although sadly limited by the usual tv time constraints, it contains some very fine swordsmanship sequences, and Murray GoldÔÇÖs score manages to make them rather epic even in the handful of seconds he is allotted. Also worth mentioning is the great acting, from everyone but especially from Luke Pasqualino: he might seem overly emotional at the news of the destruction of his farm, but we should actually consider what it meant, for a young man, to suddenly lose all his property and status, to which his very honour was linked. Peter Capaldi with his deadpan sarcastic reactions makes you laugh when you least expect it, and Tamla Kari is excellent as usual.

Admittedly, the story has some weak links, and the dialogues donÔÇÖt stand out in terms of originality. Even if handled quite well, overall, there also remain a few clich├®s sprinkled here and there, like the sword-training of the brilliant but too emotional disciple (DÔÇÖArtagnan). There are, anyway, some great moments, like the splendid finale: faced with the temptation of the dark side, for now our hot-headed Gascon Skywalker firmly refuses it, leaving behind a rejected Milady whose face would make for an exceptional ÔÇÿfailÔÇÖ meme. Unfortunately, a question mark remains pending over the future, particularly given what has happened to his very short-lived, half-episode-long romance with Constance.

And here we come to the most painful issue. Good storytelling of course includes making the audience occasionally uncomfortable, and if everything always works for the best the narrative tension risks petering away. The ÔÇÿsplitting up sceneÔÇÖ in this episode is excellent, and comes as a surprise, albeit resting on yet another trite clich├® ÔÇô the irritating ÔÇÿif you donÔÇÖt break his heart I will have him killedÔÇÖ blackmail. Other, more interesting alternatives were probably available to complicate the picture: the characters could have questioned their adultery, for example. Either way, the writers had better sort out this mess within the next couple of episodes, or they will have a popular revolt on their hands. Splitting friends and couples apart, creating barriers of lies and secrets between them on the basis of mostly preposterous constraints, is a storytelling device that grows old very fast, as MerlinÔÇÖs creators clearly failed to grasp. There is a very fine line between suspense and stress, and certainly one does not sit down to watch a Sunday-evening swashbuckling romp in order to get stressed. As things are now, the poor, cuckolded Mr Bonacieux has been awkwardly turned into a villain, presumably to be killed off in the near future; DÔÇÖArtagnan hates Constance, love and the entire female gender, and Constance spends her days crying at the window, while the ÔÇÿConstagnanÔÇÖ ÔÇÿshippersÔÇÖ (unfortunately such a thing exists, judging by Internet forums) will soon besiege the BBC studios with torches and pitchforks. Everyone is happy, in short.

The brief preview to the next episode promises an interesting plotline, with a nice setting in a countryside nunnery, lots of fighting, and the Queen being protected by the Musketeers ÔÇô which will probably give some leeway to her beloved admirer, the gallant Aramis. And yes, if you check the rota, next week happens to be his turn for a love story. They must have some kind of algorithm.

Best Historical Accuracy Moment: the captain of the Musketeers is about to announce his chosen champion, who will represent the regiment in the challenge. From the back ranks some joker, evidently still under the effects of the Oscars buzz, breaks out: ÔÇÿAnd the winner isÔǪÔÇÖ