Marie Antoinette Season 1 (2022)

Review

Marie Antoinette is a British-French historical drama, created and written by Deborah Davis, and produced by the BBC and Canal+, which follows the life of France’s most infamous queen. The series premiered on the BBC on 29 December 2022 with Emilia Schüle as Marie Antoinette, Louis Cunningham as the Dauphin, James Purefoy as Louis XV and Gaia Weiss as Madame du Barry. The series was written entirely by female writers and the episodes were directed by Pete Travis and Geoffrey Enthoven. Most reviews were positive as many found the series to be entertaining even if it played loose and fast with historical accuracy. There is a lot of froth but also a lot to like.

Maria Antonia of Austria, the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, arrives in France to marry Louis-Auguste, the dauphin, who is the grandson of Louis XV. Maria Antonia is immediately taken under the wing of the stern Madame de Noailles who divests her of anything relating to Austria, including her beloved dog. Renamed Marie Antoinette, the young princess is greeted warmly by the king and his younger son, Provence, but Louis-Auguste can barely look her in the eye. The king’s daughters, Victoire and Adélaïde, have vicious tongues and it is obvious they have no liking for Antoinette. The only person who shows Antoinette any real warmth is the Princesse de Lamballe, who is a young widow. As beautiful as Emilia Schüle is, it is a stretch believing she is an underdeveloped fourteen year old in the opening episode but she does her best to portray Antoinette’s naivety and bewilderment at being in a foreign country where people are treating her with disdain.

The following day, Antoinette arrives at Versailles for her wedding but is unnerved by the cold stares of the aristocrats gathered there. The wedding takes place after a reluctant Louis-Auguste is dragged away from his doves in the tower but he still can’t look at his new bride. The pair are tucked into the marriage bed with great ceremony but Antoinette is confused when Louis-Auguste puts a pillow between them before turning his back on her. As Antoinette reaches out to him, Louis-Auguste jumps out of bed and leaves the room almost falling over Provence who is spying through the keyhole. The following morning the new dauphine is slapped by Noailles for failing to perform her duties and she is told her mother will be informed. It seems poor Antoinette cannot please anyone as she is caught between warring factions at court and the expectations of her mother.

The royal family travel to Fontainebleau where a fete has been organised and Provence’s thoughts turn to marriage. Madame du Barry suggests a Spanish princess, while the king’s daughters prefer Josephine of Savoy who had been Louis-Auguste’s mother first choice as a bride for him. Provence announces at dinner that he has chosen Josephine but the king tells him he must first ask Louis-Auguste’s permission to marry which irritates Provence. Provence vows he will produce an heir first which puts even more pressure on Antoinette. Meanwhile, the king’s interest in the dauphine has deepened into sexual attraction and she spends the night with Lamballe to avoid his knock on her door. The pair are spotted together and rumours circulate that Antoinette and Lamballe are lovers which proves the court really is a nest of vipers.

When Josephine arrives at Fontainebleau to marry Provence, he is horrified by how unattractive she is and he takes a leaf out of his brother’s book by refusing to speak to her. Roxane Duran is excellent as Josephine who initially sides with her husband against Antoinette but her antics add a lot of humour. Ironically, Louis-Auguste seems to like Josephine and Antoinette accuses him of wishing he had married Josephine instead. When Louis-Auguste comes to her room later that day and thanks her for being so patient with him, she tells him she wants to go home to Austria but Louis-Auguste pleads with her not to leave him and promises to protect her. Louis Cunningham is endearingly awkward as the dauphin who just wants to be left alone with his doves, however things are about to change significantly.

The king collapses at court and du Barry suddenly finds herself in a precarious position but Louis rallies and proposes to her which means du Barry will have a prominent rank in the event of his death. With the king apparently making a recovery, Louis-Auguste and Antoinette make plans for their first official visit to Paris. Anxious how the Parisians will view her, Antoinette asks Rose Bertin (Zelda Rittner) to design a dress for her visit but Bertin refuses as she is there to design a wedding dress for du Barry. Antoinette is persistent though and shows Bertin a series of sketches which eventually win her over. Bertin designs an exquisite feathery white gown which Antoinette shows off at court before heading to Paris. In Paris, the royal couple prove to be extremely popular with the public and Antoinette meets Axel von Fersen, a handsome Swedish count, and agrees to dance with him. Seeing the count as a rival, Louis-Auguste cuts in which pleasantly surprises Antoinette.

Back at Versailles, the mood is spoiled when Josephine announces she is pregnant and Antoinette is devastated at the news so Louis-Auguste makes an effort to visit her that night but their attempt at sex is a disaster. However, the matter is quickly put aside when the king falls ill with smallpox. Shocked, Louis-Auguste is desperate to tell his grandfather something and Antoinette offers to deliver his message as she has already had smallpox so proximity to the king poses her no danger. Louis-Auguste tells her to tell the king he is ready to wear the crown and this pleases Louis. The king is given the last rites and he asks for absolution for the sin of consorting with fallen women. After the king’s death, Louis-Auguste wastes no time in banishing du Barry to a convent and a conflicted Antoinette watches as her husband is crowned.

Two months later, Antoinette beseeches Louis to end the period of mourning as she is sick of wearing black and she appoints Lamballe head of her household which prompts Noailles to leave court. Antoinette forms her own circle and sets about planning an extravagant ball. Meanwhile, Louis finds evidence that Provence was plotting with du Barry to have Antoinette returned to Vienna for her failure to provide an heir. Displeased, Louis refuses to allow his brother on to his council and he gifts his wife with the Petit Trianon for her exclusive use. As queen, Antoinette’s behaviour is under even closer scrutiny as before and you can see the mistakes she makes that will come back to haunt her in the future as she plans lavish balls and create enemies when she appoints her own people around her. The first of many vicious notes start to circulate Versailles and Louis asks Beaumarchais (Philippe Tlokinski) to find out who is behind it. Instead Beaumarchais discovers Josephine was never pregnant so she fakes a miscarriage and gives up any pretence of caring for her husband.

Meanwhile, Louis must choose a new prime minister but he disregards Antoinette’s preference for Choiseul (Gérard Watkins) because of his ties to Austria. Upset, Antoinette moves into the Petit Trianon and makes it clear her husband is not welcome. Ignoring Lamballe’s concerns, Antoinette befriends Yolande, Countess de Polignac, and invites her to stay at Versailles. Yolande only agrees if she can bring her husband and her lover along. Louis decides he and Antoinette are not suited to each other and his new prime minister, Maurepas (Paul Bandey), suggests ending the marriage. The lack of an heir continues to put Antoinette in a precarious position at court and while the idea of a divorce is not disagreeable, she soon changes her mind when she learns she would be required to remain in a convent in France as she would be deemed a security risk.

After hasty letters are sent to Austria, Emperor Joseph (Jonas Bloquet) arrives in France to find out why no children have been born after seven years of marriage. Antoinette admits sex is painful with her husband and Joseph suggests Louis have a session with a more experienced woman. The king is appalled by the notion as he believes in the sanctity of marriage but Antoinette later urges her husband to follow her brother’s advice if they are to have any hope at a reconciliation. Louis begins his instructive course and Joseph sends word back to Austria that he is satisfied there will be no divorce. Louis meets Antoinette in the pavilion and they finally consummate their marriage. Before long, Louis happily announces to the court that the queen is pregnant but Antoinette’s enemies continue to spread vicious lies insinuating the king may not be the father. The king is furious and orders his prime minister to find the culprit.

Maurepas shuts down Versailles and searches every room but finds nothing so he begins to question those of higher rank and narrows it down to Provence or the king’s cousin, Chartres. When Chartres’ room is searched, pamphlets are found but he protests his innocence and Antoinette believes him. Later, Josephine reveals to Provence that she was behind it all but Yolande spots them laughing together and grows suspicious. When the queen goes into labour, the whole court holds its breath waiting for news but the labour is long. Yolande slips away to search Josephine’s rooms and finds a pamphlet hidden under a floor tile. A baby girl is finally born which delights Antoinette’s enemies and disappoints those hoping for an heir. Regardless, Antoinette and Louis are overcome with joy at being parents at last. Hoping to appease the empress who will see the birth of a girl as a failure, the new baby is named Marie Thérèse in her honour.

As war breaks out in the Americas, Louis secretly provides arms to the revolutionaries and the British urge Provence to speak to the king to avoid a war between France and Britain. The rumours of a war prompt the arrival of Fersen to Versailles in the hopes of receiving a commission and Antoinette cannot hide her pleasure at seeing him much to Louis’ chagrin. However, the arrival of Benjamin Franklin at court spectacularly outs Louis’ support for the revolutionaries and it seems war is inevitable. The warnings about getting involved in a costly war go unheeded by Louis and the cracks in his reign start to appear as his decisions will be severely detrimental to the French economy and will lay the ground work for the unrest that will follow.

Antoinette is also making some questionable decisions as she takes her daughter to live at the Petit Trianon and is tricked into paying off Yolande’s considerable debts. Since Lamballe’s warnings about Yolande are falling on deaf ears, she leaves Versailles and the queen loses the only true friend she has made. The devious Yolande begins to control visitors to the Trianon and disposes of letters sent to the queen, but she invites Fersen to visit knowing it will sow seeds of discontent amongst Antoinette’s trusted circle. When war does break out with Britain, Louis obsesses over it but his ministers all agree that France does not have the resources to win. Fersen finally kisses Antoinette but tells her that the king is an honourable man and it can never happen again. However, another admirer, Chartres, isn’t so honourable as he arrives at Trianon in the middle of the night to tell her the French have won a victory over the British navy. He tells Antoinette he is in love with her and assaults her when she laughs at him.

Chartres is branded a traitor for leaving his post to come to the queen so Louis dismisses him from the navy and banishes him from Versailles. Before leaving, Chartres and Provence form an alliance against Louis. Louis also manages to get rid of Fersen by giving him a commission that sends him to America. Having lost two of her most fervent admirers and with her friendship with Yolande on thin ground, Antoinette is already distraught when news comes from Austria that her mother has died. Fearing for the queen’s state of mind as she is pregnant once more, Lamballe is called back to Versailles and is at the queen’s side when she finally delivers a son.