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glitteryvI had only heard about this show from 2, maybe 3, people on Twitter about 2 years ago and that was pretty much it. I didn't see anyone else in Fandom talking about it nor it seemed to have gained any traction- - something that confused me since it had gay characters, it was a historical drama, etc.
Like, yes, I know that fandoms based on historical/period dramas tend to be on the smaller side of things (like HBO's Rome, the Three Musketeers, The Tudors, etc.) but still…
So I finally sat down to watching it after having it on my Netflix queue for about a year and a half. Ended up binge watching the first season and was even MORE O___o??? at Fandom ignoring the show.
And then I watched the second season and I was like OOOH, THAT'S WHY. #LOL
So what is this show about?
S1 is about Louis XIV trying to accomplish two goals: assert his power as a monarch and to transform his father's old hunting lodge (Versailles) into the most grandiose palace EVERRRR.
Meanwhile, it's not really explained well in the show, there's a group of noblemen who are pissy about the French court being moved from Paris to what amounts to swampland 12 miles away. They group together and start scheming in order to stop the king's plans.
This isn't a TV show that is super historically accurate. The way, say ROME would market itself to be. There's a lot of modern sensibilities in the mix. Like, in the way people are wayyyy cleaner than they were IRL, frex.
S2 begins with the King and his peeps squashing one conspiracy only to have to deal with a whole new one (that is even MORE OTT than the first one).
The vibe is trashy if you're looking at it from the SRS BIZNESS history perspective yet it isn't trashy enough if you're expecting a lot of perverse things to happen. There is some boobage and some butts (including male). However, all of the frontal nudity is female.
So why did YOU liked it?
I'm not sure, really. I totes cackled at how the show tried to set up Louis XIV as some kind of visionary royal who is trying to do a REALLY IMPORTANT THING. In a way, seeing the ridic lengths that the show went to add meaning to Louis XIV's quest made me enjoy this show a lot more.
In reality, he was an ultra rich fuckboy that got away with a lot cuz he was the King. According to the show, the only thing he couldn't fight 100% was the Church.
Also there's a lot of loyalty kink (taken to the extreme, but I'm a sucker for that).
Oh, and there are several payoffs if you pay attention. Like, sometimes XYZ will be brought up in one episode that will leave you a tad confused and then it gets resolved several episodes later and you're like AAAAAAH, I GET IT!
Okay. Tell me about the characters
The cast is rather big to begin with. So I'm going to mention the main ones:
Louis XIV -- The king. Played with v. soulful eyes and an extra pretty wig by George Blagden (who was previously in Vikings). V. smart and charming, prone to prophetic dreams, such a fuckboy. Always at odds with his brother despite how much they care about each other. Has many mistresses.
Phllippe, Duc of Orleans -- The king's younger brother. Played also with an exceedingly pretty wig by Alexander Vlahos (he played Mordred in Merlin. At least that's what IMDB tells me.) He is bisexual and married (spends most of his time with men) and has a, let's say, complicated relationship with Louis. The most important romantic relationship in his life is the one he has with Phillippe, the Chevalier of Lorraine.
Alexandre Bontempts -- The king's valet. Spends 24/7 and 365 with the king. His intro to the series is him wiping the king's belly after the king woke up from a wet dream. An unwavering presence in the king's inner circle, his status as a confidant is moderately known.
Fabien Marchal -- The head of security. What he lacks in tact (his bluntness with everyone is legendary) he makes up with hardcore!competence. Ruthless yet tremendously loyal to the crown. He has a network of spies and a weakness for dangerous women.
Marie Thérese -- The Queen. Spanish. Her relationship with Louis is aloof at best. Deeply religious and kinda of a stick-in-the-mud. The show tries (unsuccessfully, if you ask me) to make a compelling argument for the situation she was in, but I always felt rather neutral about her.
Madame de Montespan -- A lady-in-waiting who wants nothing more than to be the king's No.1 Boo. She will do anything to achieve her goal. Hella clever.
Sophie -- A member of the court whose life goes through a LOT of ups and downs. Initially she aims for the king's bed, but plans change all the time...
Claudine -- A midwife whose father gets appointed the Royal Doctor. Ends up securing a position that was deemed illegal at the time.
And, like, I could seriously go on. This is one of those shows that has a lot of characters and everyone had their individual agendas. Throw in the conspiracies and the plot gets meatier.
What do you mean when you talked about S2?
S1 had a really great pace. Nearly every episode ended up on a cliffhanger that you just couldn't ignore (starting with the first episode. The way it ends made me GASP IRL). Also, finding out who is with or against Louis made for a v. engaging first season. I was entertained and amused.
S2 diverts a lot from S1's storyline. Versailles is more or less completed, the royal court has moved in, and Louis has secured his position as king.
The story kinda goes into Louis becoming paranoid and sleeping v. little. So he ends up having a slow-motion breakdown--especially in episodes 5 thru 7-- that was a tad frustrating to sit through. Maybe the fact that I was binge watching it tired me out way faster than it should have.
Like, the first 3 episodes in S2 are really good. The show starts to dip in yays around episode 4, becoming kinda tedious in eps 5-7, and then picking up the pace in episode 8 all the way thru the end of the season. It ends on a high point for Louis that works because of everything that happened prior to it.
Also, several main characters who were front and center in S1 were kinda put on the background in S2. I think doing that weakened the show to the point that it took a while to bounce back.
What about the female characters?
There are several female characters. 10 of them have storylines that are super relevant to the main plot each season. 5 of them are outright villains. The remaining 5 have varying degrees of morally gray.
Sadly, LEGIT TERRIBLE THINGS happen to all 10 women. Which was an absolute #sadtrombone. By terrible, I mean up to and including sexual assault and murder. It is true that male characters do suffer as well. But, like, if I'm reccing this show, I can't pretend that everything is great for the female characters. For example, a [female character]'s death is used solely for manpain in such a blatant way that I totes made me grimace.
Which does remind me that the gore level can be v. high (like, not quite on the same league of Game of Thrones at its bloodiest but deffo graphic enough to make you go sheesh! at the screen.)
Are you saying I shouldn't be watching this show?
Well, that really depends.
Are you able to withstand historical inaccuracies? For a modern comparison, it's kinda like thinking that real life!New York City is exactly the way it's depicted in Sex and the City.
Even though Versailles is based on real life people, it's more of a fantasy version of them.
If you do decide to watch it, I'd say sitting through blocks of 2-3 episodes works best if you decide to tune in.
About that queer content…
Since Philippe (Duc of Orleans) is the king's brother, his relationship with Phillippe (the Chevallier) is part of the story.
What I found fascinating was how the show used historical facts (Philippe's sexuality, his occasional crossdressing) to demonstrate the extent of the king's power as well as how close Philippe and Louis are.
In the show, Philippe and the Chevalier are the loves of each other's lives. Theirs is a, at times, volatile relationship but it's obvious there was love.
HAVING SAID THAT, theirs is also an open relationship. The show doesn't give any hint as to how they agreed on having that kind of dynamic However, I'm mentioning it because sexual monogamy is a must for some folks. The way I see it, a lot of it comes from Philippe's position as the King's brother. His main achievements in life (according to the royal protocol) is to make a political advantageous (for France) marriage and produce heirs.
It's pretty interesting seeing how Philippe's relationships with his wives (he has one in S1 and another one in S2) affect his other relationship with The Chevalier. I do like that the canonical polyamory happens in the show because that's what royals did instead of being "explained" via the promiscuous bisexual stereotype. (See: Louis' fuckboy status).
If you watch it for the queer content, it's there despite not one single episode being about Philippe or The Chevalier's queerness. After all, Philippe is one of the main characters and The Chevalier is usually somewhere in the vicinity of Philippe.
As a character, The Chevalier is a lot more important in S1 because of the social circles he runs around. He has a downward spiral in S2 (he throws a lot of hissy fits and sort of being frustrating.) Thankfully, he redeems himself in the last episode and I was like "All right, you can stay."
So, yeah, I'm deffo Team MonChevy. The actors who play them have a lot of chemistry in both the romantic and sexual levels. Imagine two cats who hiss at each other and, two seconds later, they're licking each other. Like all good ships, they are stronger when they're together than when they're apart and a lot of their distance is because The Chevalier likes to throw tantrums.
One thing I did liked was that, aside from one brief moment in the first episode in S1, neither Philippe or The Chevalier are humiliated for being queer. Neither character shows at any time (so far) any kind of internal homophobia.
As much as I like Philippe (he is kind of my bae for this show) there is a quick scene in the first episode in S1 that could be read as him sexually assaulting his first wife. It deffo made me quite uncomfortable.
The show tries to "explain" it as Philippe being upset at his brother since his wife (Henriette) is Louis' no. 1 mistress. This family is MESSY AF. #YIKES
Moving on, there are no F/F relationships, but there are several scenes of F/F having sex in an orgy or two.
What is up with Philippe and Louis?
They have a super intense and deeply codependent relationship. They tend to snipe at each other despite of how much they care and yet they always end up hugging it out. The two actors look alike SO much is kinda loopy.
Sadly, the fandom is microscopic. As in less than 250 fics on AO3 and, well let's say that they aren't readable at all. #SADDESTKITTEN
I love the opening credits...
So, have YOU watched it? Did you liked it? Hated it?
ETA: (06/27/2022) Having watched the 3rd season earlier this year, I most deffo recommend stopping at S2. The third and final season is full of nonsense and bad storylines.
Like, yes, I know that fandoms based on historical/period dramas tend to be on the smaller side of things (like HBO's Rome, the Three Musketeers, The Tudors, etc.) but still…
So I finally sat down to watching it after having it on my Netflix queue for about a year and a half. Ended up binge watching the first season and was even MORE O___o??? at Fandom ignoring the show.
And then I watched the second season and I was like OOOH, THAT'S WHY. #LOL
So what is this show about?
S1 is about Louis XIV trying to accomplish two goals: assert his power as a monarch and to transform his father's old hunting lodge (Versailles) into the most grandiose palace EVERRRR.
Meanwhile, it's not really explained well in the show, there's a group of noblemen who are pissy about the French court being moved from Paris to what amounts to swampland 12 miles away. They group together and start scheming in order to stop the king's plans.
This isn't a TV show that is super historically accurate. The way, say ROME would market itself to be. There's a lot of modern sensibilities in the mix. Like, in the way people are wayyyy cleaner than they were IRL, frex.
S2 begins with the King and his peeps squashing one conspiracy only to have to deal with a whole new one (that is even MORE OTT than the first one).
The vibe is trashy if you're looking at it from the SRS BIZNESS history perspective yet it isn't trashy enough if you're expecting a lot of perverse things to happen. There is some boobage and some butts (including male). However, all of the frontal nudity is female.
So why did YOU liked it?
I'm not sure, really. I totes cackled at how the show tried to set up Louis XIV as some kind of visionary royal who is trying to do a REALLY IMPORTANT THING. In a way, seeing the ridic lengths that the show went to add meaning to Louis XIV's quest made me enjoy this show a lot more.
In reality, he was an ultra rich fuckboy that got away with a lot cuz he was the King. According to the show, the only thing he couldn't fight 100% was the Church.
Also there's a lot of loyalty kink (taken to the extreme, but I'm a sucker for that).
Oh, and there are several payoffs if you pay attention. Like, sometimes XYZ will be brought up in one episode that will leave you a tad confused and then it gets resolved several episodes later and you're like AAAAAAH, I GET IT!
Okay. Tell me about the characters
The cast is rather big to begin with. So I'm going to mention the main ones:
Louis XIV -- The king. Played with v. soulful eyes and an extra pretty wig by George Blagden (who was previously in Vikings). V. smart and charming, prone to prophetic dreams, such a fuckboy. Always at odds with his brother despite how much they care about each other. Has many mistresses.
Phllippe, Duc of Orleans -- The king's younger brother. Played also with an exceedingly pretty wig by Alexander Vlahos (he played Mordred in Merlin. At least that's what IMDB tells me.) He is bisexual and married (spends most of his time with men) and has a, let's say, complicated relationship with Louis. The most important romantic relationship in his life is the one he has with Phillippe, the Chevalier of Lorraine.
Alexandre Bontempts -- The king's valet. Spends 24/7 and 365 with the king. His intro to the series is him wiping the king's belly after the king woke up from a wet dream. An unwavering presence in the king's inner circle, his status as a confidant is moderately known.
Fabien Marchal -- The head of security. What he lacks in tact (his bluntness with everyone is legendary) he makes up with hardcore!competence. Ruthless yet tremendously loyal to the crown. He has a network of spies and a weakness for dangerous women.
Marie Thérese -- The Queen. Spanish. Her relationship with Louis is aloof at best. Deeply religious and kinda of a stick-in-the-mud. The show tries (unsuccessfully, if you ask me) to make a compelling argument for the situation she was in, but I always felt rather neutral about her.
Madame de Montespan -- A lady-in-waiting who wants nothing more than to be the king's No.1 Boo. She will do anything to achieve her goal. Hella clever.
Sophie -- A member of the court whose life goes through a LOT of ups and downs. Initially she aims for the king's bed, but plans change all the time...
Claudine -- A midwife whose father gets appointed the Royal Doctor. Ends up securing a position that was deemed illegal at the time.
And, like, I could seriously go on. This is one of those shows that has a lot of characters and everyone had their individual agendas. Throw in the conspiracies and the plot gets meatier.
What do you mean when you talked about S2?
S1 had a really great pace. Nearly every episode ended up on a cliffhanger that you just couldn't ignore (starting with the first episode. The way it ends made me GASP IRL). Also, finding out who is with or against Louis made for a v. engaging first season. I was entertained and amused.
S2 diverts a lot from S1's storyline. Versailles is more or less completed, the royal court has moved in, and Louis has secured his position as king.
The story kinda goes into Louis becoming paranoid and sleeping v. little. So he ends up having a slow-motion breakdown--especially in episodes 5 thru 7-- that was a tad frustrating to sit through. Maybe the fact that I was binge watching it tired me out way faster than it should have.
Like, the first 3 episodes in S2 are really good. The show starts to dip in yays around episode 4, becoming kinda tedious in eps 5-7, and then picking up the pace in episode 8 all the way thru the end of the season. It ends on a high point for Louis that works because of everything that happened prior to it.
Also, several main characters who were front and center in S1 were kinda put on the background in S2. I think doing that weakened the show to the point that it took a while to bounce back.
What about the female characters?
There are several female characters. 10 of them have storylines that are super relevant to the main plot each season. 5 of them are outright villains. The remaining 5 have varying degrees of morally gray.
Sadly, LEGIT TERRIBLE THINGS happen to all 10 women. Which was an absolute #sadtrombone. By terrible, I mean up to and including sexual assault and murder. It is true that male characters do suffer as well. But, like, if I'm reccing this show, I can't pretend that everything is great for the female characters. For example, a [female character]'s death is used solely for manpain in such a blatant way that I totes made me grimace.
Which does remind me that the gore level can be v. high (like, not quite on the same league of Game of Thrones at its bloodiest but deffo graphic enough to make you go sheesh! at the screen.)
Are you saying I shouldn't be watching this show?
Well, that really depends.
Are you able to withstand historical inaccuracies? For a modern comparison, it's kinda like thinking that real life!New York City is exactly the way it's depicted in Sex and the City.
Even though Versailles is based on real life people, it's more of a fantasy version of them.
If you do decide to watch it, I'd say sitting through blocks of 2-3 episodes works best if you decide to tune in.
About that queer content…
Since Philippe (Duc of Orleans) is the king's brother, his relationship with Phillippe (the Chevallier) is part of the story.
What I found fascinating was how the show used historical facts (Philippe's sexuality, his occasional crossdressing) to demonstrate the extent of the king's power as well as how close Philippe and Louis are.
In the show, Philippe and the Chevalier are the loves of each other's lives. Theirs is a, at times, volatile relationship but it's obvious there was love.
HAVING SAID THAT, theirs is also an open relationship. The show doesn't give any hint as to how they agreed on having that kind of dynamic However, I'm mentioning it because sexual monogamy is a must for some folks. The way I see it, a lot of it comes from Philippe's position as the King's brother. His main achievements in life (according to the royal protocol) is to make a political advantageous (for France) marriage and produce heirs.
It's pretty interesting seeing how Philippe's relationships with his wives (he has one in S1 and another one in S2) affect his other relationship with The Chevalier. I do like that the canonical polyamory happens in the show because that's what royals did instead of being "explained" via the promiscuous bisexual stereotype. (See: Louis' fuckboy status).
If you watch it for the queer content, it's there despite not one single episode being about Philippe or The Chevalier's queerness. After all, Philippe is one of the main characters and The Chevalier is usually somewhere in the vicinity of Philippe.
As a character, The Chevalier is a lot more important in S1 because of the social circles he runs around. He has a downward spiral in S2 (he throws a lot of hissy fits and sort of being frustrating.) Thankfully, he redeems himself in the last episode and I was like "All right, you can stay."
So, yeah, I'm deffo Team MonChevy. The actors who play them have a lot of chemistry in both the romantic and sexual levels. Imagine two cats who hiss at each other and, two seconds later, they're licking each other. Like all good ships, they are stronger when they're together than when they're apart and a lot of their distance is because The Chevalier likes to throw tantrums.
One thing I did liked was that, aside from one brief moment in the first episode in S1, neither Philippe or The Chevalier are humiliated for being queer. Neither character shows at any time (so far) any kind of internal homophobia.
As much as I like Philippe (he is kind of my bae for this show) there is a quick scene in the first episode in S1 that could be read as him sexually assaulting his first wife. It deffo made me quite uncomfortable.
The show tries to "explain" it as Philippe being upset at his brother since his wife (Henriette) is Louis' no. 1 mistress. This family is MESSY AF. #YIKES
Moving on, there are no F/F relationships, but there are several scenes of F/F having sex in an orgy or two.
What is up with Philippe and Louis?
They have a super intense and deeply codependent relationship. They tend to snipe at each other despite of how much they care and yet they always end up hugging it out. The two actors look alike SO much is kinda loopy.
Sadly, the fandom is microscopic. As in less than 250 fics on AO3 and, well let's say that they aren't readable at all. #SADDESTKITTEN
I love the opening credits...
So, have YOU watched it? Did you liked it? Hated it?
ETA: (06/27/2022) Having watched the 3rd season earlier this year, I most deffo recommend stopping at S2. The third and final season is full of nonsense and bad storylines.
