'An Ordinary Man' contains at least two prospects guaranteed to excite Musketeers fans - not only the return of Maimie McCoy's magnificent Milady but also Ryan Gage's marvellously petulant Louis getting to slum it on a boys' night out.
Tired of his royal duties, the King opts to pose as a peasant in order to enjoy some of the city's simpler pleasures alongside the Musketeers, but their outing quickly goes awry as his arrogant demeanour lands Louis in trouble.
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He and D'Artagnan are both abducted, one day before the Royal Prince's christening, and are to be sold as slaves to Spain. In short order, the King gets a real taste of what it's like to be poor and without influence in 17th century Paris and learns what his people really think of him.
Amidst all its frolics, 'An Ordinary Man' has a point to make about the rich/poor divide - while the King longs for a life free of responsibility, envying the peasants of Paris, these commoners live a life of struggle - and frequently a short one - and are neglected by the 'great and good' of France.
As Louis reflects on his failings - as a King and father - Gage does his best work of the series. Often portrayed as a ludicrous (that is, ludicrously entertaining) buffoon - a sort of aristocratic, thumb-sucking Russell Brand - here, Louis is genuinely sympathetic for perhaps the very first time in the series' run.
He even gets his own version of Russell Crowe's epic speech from Gladiator as he stands up to his bullying captors - we frequently laugh or cringe at Louis, but it's rare that we cheer him on and it's a refreshing change.
It's only disappointing that the events of this episode don't appear to affect a lasting change on the King - once back in the comfort of his court, he's as bullish, short-sighted and immature as ever.
The Musketeers shouldn't be afraid to implement lasting change. A steady evolution won't scare viewers - if anything it'll encourage them to keep coming back, to see what happens next.
Similarly, the story of how Milady returns to court is satisfying until it takes a misstep in the episode's final moments. It's fantastic to have her back on our screens - she may be out in the cold, but the Cardinal's exiled ex-agent remains the ruthlessly ambitious queen of sly manipulation.
Her womanly wiles may no longer work on D'Artagnan ("I'd rather sleep with a polecat!") but helping Louis escape captivity earns her a pardon for past crimes and by playing the sexy ingénue (that swoon!) she's soon turned the King's head and restored her power and influence in court.
Terrific stuff - so why the tinge of disappointment? I'd expected Athos (Tom Burke) to lose his mind upon laying eyes on Milady again - and that's before we get onto the matter of her being absolved and returned to Paris - but instead he displays stoic restraint at seeing his devious ex-lover pardoned.
Doubtless there's more to come for this hopefully entwined pair, but their initial reunion comes off as rather flat - given how things ended between them, you'd expect Athos to at least have a few stern words to say on the matter of her resurgence. Ho hum.
One wholly successful aspect of 'An Ordinary Man' is how it uses the King's absence to allow the ladies of the palace to shine. Queen Anne (Alexandra Dowling) is impressively forthright and commanding - a far cry from the simpering victim - while her new lady-in-waiting Constance (Tamla Kari) gets more to do than moon over D'Artagnan, though speaking her mind in court places her firmly in Rochefort's crosshairs.
The Musketeers also scores points for not neglecting Marc Warren's antagonist in his second outing - Rochefort struts about the palace like a peacock and slowly sneaks his way back into the Queen's affections, working to manipulate Anne while her husband is missing.
His position threatened by outside forces, Rochefort also sets into motion what would appear to be a key arc for the series. Preying on the Queen's insecurities, the turncoat implores her to write to her brother in Spain - inviting an alliance in the event of King's death - and though Anne ultimately has no need for it, that letter will surely come back to haunt her.
'An Ordinary Man' can overall be judged a partial success, taking flight only to not quite stick the landing. It has intrigue, humour and wonderful character moments in spades, but a flat resolution for both Louis and Milady means it doesn't quite deliver on its initial promise.
