Episode description: "As the caravan makes its way to Ségur, Rochemort's men relentlessly pursue them. Facing their pursuers, Néro makes a harsh decision that will change the course of their journey."
Another exciting, quick-paced episode! Again, lots of reversals and shifting loyalties.
The beginning is brutal as we meet the penitents, who claim the terrible drought is a punishment from God. They demand penitence, which they have defined as the sacrifice of body parts – usually ears, but sometimes fingers. They pull a guy out of the village and demand he participate by throwing knucklebones to determine what he must give. It's a gruesome, gut-churning, high tension scene to watch.
We get back to the interior of the Rochemort coach with the characters we know and care about. There's conflict between Hortense and Néro as they go off in the carriage. We can assume that these two will eventually make a pair, but at the moment there are many obstacles: Hortense is Néro's hostage, although he actually meant to steal the coach without her in it. Although Néro prioritizes his daughter, he does tell Perla to stop wiping the bottom of her shoe on Hortense's skirts. Néro will strike and humiliate, but not gratuitously.
The coach is driven by the monk, Horace, who wants to get Perla to Ségur where she will presumably suffer a horrible death as the last descendant of the devil. He is not as vicious as the penitents, but he, too, interprets the terrible drought as a punishment from God or perhaps the prevailing of the devil. When they lose the coach and horses and their chances of actually reaching Ségur look slim, he tries to kill Perla himself with a large rock while she is sleeping. However, in a moment that speaks well to his character, Horace cannot do it.
Lothar the captain is a man of honor – alas, honor is not highly valued in this show – and he sensibly trusts neither Rochemort nor Néro. It looks well for him that he figured out that something was wrong with the coach before Rochemort and his gang of five (seven in the first episode, but they have lost Néro and Toussaint) ride up to catch them. Rochemort and his minions are accompanied by the one-eyed witch, who does her sorcery on the necklace around Néro's throat. Then Perla, who was hidden in the coach, comes out in order to save her father.
Most startling moment: When Néro stabs his own daughter to keep her out of the one-eyed witch's clutches. It works; the one-eyed witch can't risk Néro possibly killing Perla. Néro, Horace and Perla escape, taking Hortense with them. Lothar also comes along, at least at first.
Néro takes care of his daughter, sewing her up, and giving her a root to chew that will ease the pain. When she asks about her mother, Néro tells Perla some of the truth but not all. He can't tell her that her mother died giving birth to her. Also, when he gets captured by Lothar, his first priority is Perla's safety.
Most emotional moment: Grief and despair as the main characters abandon the horses to the starving hordes. Don't worry, though, we don't see it, and it fits with the story. But why does even the idea of this tug at us more than the deaths of Lothar's soldiers?
The episode does a good job portraying the devastation of the drought. The river they were supposed to cross in order to get away from Rochemort and his men has been reduced to puddles. Hortense asks about strange sounds, and Horace reports that the forest is dying. I'm impressed that the series managed to find locations that match the conditions in the story. However, they do spend a lot of time wandering in the scrub.
Hortense, as a hostage instead of a willing traveler, is at odds with the others. She talks sharply. She's startled when Néro takes one of her sleeves in order to stanch Perla's injury, but the second time, she offers it of her own free will. Still, you'd think, that after several attempts that didn't turn out well, she would stop appealing to strangers for help. None of the times she tried worked out well, although we can understand how happy she was to see Zineb. Near the end, she appeals to a stranger; alas, he is with the penitents. The three – Horace, Perla and Hortense – are captured by the penitents; the episode ends in the same village where it opened.
Title musings: The title of the episode is "The Witch" or "La sorcière." Although we don't get to know the witch well, her impact on the other characters drives the episode forward: Zineb, Lothar, Rochemort, Néro and Perla – they all adjust because of her. Also, at first several others don't even believe in her, but her control of the necklace around Néro's throat changes their minds. Besides, Néro the Assassin has made the choice to name each episode after one of its characters. I like this decision.
Bits and pieces
In the French version, they sometimes call her la sorcière, which means the witch, but more often they call her la borgne, which means the one-eyed woman.
Compelling make-up job on Camille Razat, who plays the one-eyed witch. Wonder if they glued her left eye shut for the process or not.
Perla is a Latin name meaning Pearl. Interesting they didn't use the French version, Perle. But anyway, there's a pearl of great value in the Bible, and certainly in the show, her blood is extremely important.
Some guy dressed in black is following them on a swift horse, and he's dangerous enough to spook the witch, even though she can survive sword thrusts (this episode) and fork stabs (last episode). Don't know who the guy is, but wearing so much black in this landscape must be uncomfortable.
Glad to learn the original coachman was only knocked out, not killed. That makes us like Néro more.
When they abandon the coach, it's surprising they take nothing else with them. Was Hortense really traveling with no supplies whatsoever? No food? No wine or water? No changes of clothing? Not any of the gold that was so important? Later Horace reads from a book; does his outfit have pockets? Ah, well, these things would slow down the story, I guess. She does bring her wooden parasol, which in this heat does matter.
Quotes
Hortense: What do you plan to do when you have to leave the carriage?
Néro: You'll find out.
Hortense: So you have no plan at all?
Néro: I have you. That'll do me fine.
Néro: What's it like to know your father's an arsehole?
Hortense: Well, I don't know. Ask your daughter.
Lothar: How do you know you missed her liver and kidney?
Néro: My expertise.
Néro: Sorry, I had no choice.
Perla: I know. I'm not stupid.
Néro: Oh, yeah. A duel. It's the only way. And it's classy.
Lothar: And I'll kill you.
Néro: I'm sure you will. See you! (Kicks Lothar out of the carriage.)
Hortense: Did you hear that?
Horace: The forest – it's dying. These trees are as dry as the hearts of man. The Apocalypse approaches.
Lothar: I was a soldier. You're an assassin.
Néro: Different names, same profession. We both kill.
Lothar: Not for the same reasons. You kill to make a bastard wealthy.
Perla: And my mother? What about her? Who is she?
Néro: Didn't Horace tell you that?
Perla: No, 'cause that's your job.
Néro: She was a prοstitսte. Her name was Callista. She was lovely. Dead now though.
Perla: How come?
Néro: I – I don't know.
Hortense: You really are a bitch. Just like your father.
Perla: Let's talk about your father, shall we? He sold me to a witch. He killed your betrothed.
Hortense: And yours kidnapped me. He abandoned you in the cradle, and he's abandoned you now, right after he stabbed you in the guts.
Overall rating
Again, a really quick, entertaining episode, just a bit too much wandering about without supplies. Three and half out of four wooden parasols.
Victoria Grossack loves math, birds, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.
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