Marie Antoinette season 2 episode 1 recap: France's reputation hangs in the balance

Marie Antoinette season 2 marks the return of the thrilling BBC historical drama telling the tale of the Queen and her life in the court of Versailles.

Focusing on the real-life events of the time, Marie Antoinette depicts the eponymous Queen as she navigates her life by the side of King Louis XVI.

In season 1, she moved from Austria to France as a young girl, meeting Louis for the first time. She birthed his children and, most importantly, a son and heir to the throne. And they took the throne themselves as King and Queen of France. But, there's plenty more of their historical tale left to tell in season 2.

Here's a recap of everything that happened in Marie Antoinette season 2 episode 1.

The episode opens 10 years after Marie Antoinette took the throne alongside Louis. Her son was born in season 1 and the words on screen express: “She has won the hearts of the ordinary French people”. Now though, she must face powerful enemies as she will enter a battle for her reputation. It is Paris, 1783.

Marie Antoinette holds her son closely in the back of a carriage with Lamballe and Yolande. The people of Paris are building snow statues to praise Louis and Marie's aid efforts. Marie notices a man lying on the steps, unwell and cold. As she approaches him, she’s told they have nothing else to give out, but more people appear begging for help. Overwhelmed, they clamber back into the carriage and depart.

Later, Cardinal Rohan is holding a church sermon, praying for warmer weather and more food. Marie quips that none of them are starving at the palace. An unknown woman arrives as the Cardinal continues his sermon. The Cardinal is seen pushing his finger into the women’s mouths as they approach for bread and wine. The woman, with her hood up, bumps into the other women as they return to their seats, robbing them. Marie is upset by the Cardinal’s actions and speaks to Louis about it.

Afterwards, the court are asking her and Louis questions of politics. Marie answers and then they're told Lafayette is waiting to meet. Louis goes to leave, but before he does, Marie asks him for more money for the aid effort, especially now the war is over. He says she can spend what she needs. They speak pleasantly about her being pregnant again and he sends his wishes to his children before he leaves.

Then, her children arrive, but she bids them away as people of the court overwhelm her with demanding requests. She hurries away with Yolande. Afterwards, the woman from the church is eating the sweets she stole and looking at what other wares she managed to grab. She notices men moving a chest up the stairs of the palace. In a private room, a man opens it and pulls out some dazzling jewellery. Marie arrives to meet with the man, introduced as Mr Boehmer, the court jeweller, and he shows off a diamond necklace. She says she can’t spend two million on a necklace. But she allows Yolande to pick something out for herself.

Again, Marie and Yolande push through people with their demands and Cardinal Rohan joins the crowd. He pushes his foot in the door as they try to close it. Yolande refuses and he insults her, then Marie turns up at the door and shuts it in his face. Marie sits with her children and asks to see the jewellery Yolande picked for herself, a ring. Marie says she’s rewarding her for being a great Governess to her children. Yolande takes the children for a nap, but before she goes Marie asks her to stay with her that night, but she can’t as she has to see Vaudreuil and Jules.

Marie sits down to work at her desk. She opens a letter from Austria, looking for help. Then, she opens a secret pocket in her desk drawer to read a letter only readable under a candle burning below it, a letter to Fersen. She screws it up and throws it in the fire. Meanwhile, Lafayette meets with Louis. He says he’s returned from America and George Washington and that they want a donation to help France’s reputation. Louis tells him France doesn’t need help with reputation.

Louis’ brother, Provence, offers to be his economics advisor as the markets are concerned. He says he wants to serve the crown, but Louis says Provence just wants to get to the royal money so he can pay off his own debts. Back in his room, Louis moans to Vergennes that everyone’s trying to get money from him. He asks Vergennes if his brother was telling the truth about the concerned markets and he admits that they’re worried he hasn’t picked a financial controller. To which he says: “Who can we trust with a secret that could destroy France?”

That night, Provence goes to see his cousin Philippe, the Duke of Chartres, who was banished from Versailles. Felicite greets Provence, though she doesn’t look from her book and leaves the room. Provence tells Chartres that Louis isn’t making decisions. But Chartres says he’s made one decision, to refuse to expand the arcades. He says he’s doing it to support his children, though Provence says they all have different mothers and asks after his real wife. Provence quips that he is one of the richest men in France, but Chartres wants his reputation back.

Then, the thief arrives home, walking past a man leaving. She calls for Villette, telling him to put his clothes on and help her out of her cape. Villette tells her he got bread in exchange for his services to the baker. He asks her if she got anything, but he’s not impressed with what she shows him. They burn books to stay warm.

Back at the palace, Marie uses lemon juice to write a letter and imagines Count Axel Fersen, her love that Louis sent away, as she writes it. She imagines him coming into her room and making love to her. But, it’s just a dream. She’s awoken with gifts from an admirer, Cardinal Rohan. She’s angry and goes to complain to Louis. He says he’s busy trying to run France, but she asks him to change it by making some new promotions, increasing pensions, to show the entitled families that they don’t always get what they want. Louis starts to name people he feels worthy of a good pension, like the head of his stable or the children’s governess, Yolande. Marie smiles.

Back in her room, Yolande is with Vaudreil, Jules and Calonne. A man brings in a scroll to Jules which says he’s been made a Duke. Yolande hurries to Marie and Louis and is greeted as she calls her the Duchess of Polignac. She thanks them. Louis says they’re giving her rank for her loyal service, not just birth. They wish to upset the court.

Elsewhere, the thief has returned to Versailles and is caught stealing candles by Adelaide and Victoire. When asked to identify herself, she says she’s Countess Jeanne de Valois. They say they don’t recognise her. She says she’s collecting money for poor fallen women. Interrupted, someone comes shouting after Adelaide and Victoire and pulls them away, saying the Queen has done something they need to see. They go and watch the new Duchess Yolande walking the halls alongside the Queen and Louis. Lamballe watches on and says one day the Queen will see Polignac for who she really is. Cardinal Rohan is also angered by her decision and while he says he won’t bow to the Duchess, he does.

As the King rides his horse along with his guards, he comes across the Duke of Chartres alone in the woods. Louis tells his guards to leave him and let him look at what he’s lost. Meanwhile, the Duchess returns to her chambers to find Vaudreuil bloodied. He had a contract stuffed in his mouth from the moneylender, Saint James. If Vaudreuil dies, the debts would go to Jules. Jules suggests asking the Queen for the three million that is owed.

She says she can't, but that Jules should take Vaudreuil back to Saint-Domingue when no one’s watching that evening. Jules doesn’t want to go, but she says they can come back once she’s paid the debt. Calonne suggests she could be the King’s mistress since Madame du Barry is no longer and Yolande says that the King is looking for a financial controller. That Calonne could steal from the public purse to pay off the debts. She says she’ll get him in.

That night, Yolande goes to see Louis. He’s putting his son to bed, but before he goes she makes her bid for a financial controller. He’s not happy with the political conversation and leaves. Meanwhile, Marie speaks to Lamballe and thanks her for not being jealous about the Duchess, but tells her she did it for Yolande's loyalty.

At the party, Yolande is upset to hear Vaudreuil and Jules have already left without saying goodbye. She goes to speak to Marie and Marie is upset about the party, with people making love on the floor and the Cardinal present. She says she’s leaving and wants Yolande to leave with her, but she won't. She tells her instead to write a letter in lemon juice and that she earned her new title. Marie calls her ungrateful and goes back to her room.

Back at the thief, now known as Jeanne’s home, she tells Villette that she saw the court jeweller with his big case the other day at Versailles. He says the diamond necklace doesn’t exist, but Jeanne thinks it does. She says she’ll break into the Queen’s private apartments to look around and steal. She tells him they’re leaving at dawn.

The next day, Yolande tries to apologise to Marie. She explains about Vaudreuil and Jules leaving to escape the debt and that she was upset. Though Marie threatens to dismiss her, she says she couldn’t let her go and they hold each other. Yolande says she can’t be everything to Marie, but that she’d heard news that Fersen is on his way back from war.

At the palace, Villette walks in and collapses on the floor, frothing at the mouth. Jeanne, dressed as a maid, calls the guards over to help him and as they do, she sneaks instead into the Queen’s private chambers. She steals a perfume. Then, Marie returns. Jeanne breaks into her desk and finds the secret drawer with letters, as well as a letter showing off the diamond necklace. Before Marie can catch her, she disappears, but Marie finds her desk open and her secret compartment emptied. The window is open, but Jeanne is gone.

She reunites with Villette and shows the drawing of the necklace. Before they can leave, Victoire calls at her. She tells her she won’t get anything for the fallen women and suggests she finds help and that she should write to the Queen to ask for aid before giving her a donation herself.

Back at her room, the Queen is explaining that her letters to Axel Fersen have been taken. She's asked if Yolande knows about the letters, but she says no. She calls for Yolande to come and see her. That night, the Duke of Chartres is holding a party at the Palais Royale. Provence arrives and asks why Lafayette and Saint-Georges are there. They come over to talk politics and he warns Chartres of the company he’s keeping. He leaves and they tell him they’re going to get Louis to accept a performance of Figaro.

Meanwhile, Yolande is trying to orchestrate a meeting between Louis and Calonne to make him financial controller. Elsewhere, Marie receives a note that Yolande is not available to come to her. She’s angry and goes to find her. But, she’s suffering in pain from her pregnancy and falls to the ground, unattended. She’s bleeding and tries to crawl for help, but can’t.

Yolande leads Louis to Calonne and they meet. As they speak, Yolande notices through a crack in the door that Marie is lying on the floor. She ignores her. Lamballe begins to watch the conversation secretly down the hall. Yolande closes the door on Marie as Calonne and Louis speak. Louis is impressed and asks him to walk with her. As they leave, Lamballe comes to the door and opens it again, finding Marie on the floor. She runs to her and calls for help.

At Louis’s room, Calonne continues to pitch his financial ideas. Vergennes says choosing him would be unpopular given his social standings with the Polignacs. At this, a guard enters and tells him to come to the Queen who is lying in bed, bleeding and unwell. They lost their little girl. Lamballe approaches Yolande and tells her that she saw her shut the door on Marie. Yolande says she’s mistaken and if she tells Marie, she can see who she believes. Lamballe says she’ll tell her one day when the time is right.

Louis invites Calonne back and confirms his appointment as financial controller. He asks Vergennes to take Calonne to his office and provide him with the information. He says to thank Yolande. As he’s shown to the finance room, Vergennes reveals that they 110 million livres of debt and that there is no surplus. All they do is borrow, pay off debts and grow interest. That only Mr Neckar who made the debt, Vergennes, the King and now Calonne knows. Louis believes Calonne can find a way out.

Back with Jeanne, Villette suggests they use Victoire’s donation to move to the country, but Jeanne wants to get the necklace. She says it’ll be in Boehmer’s vault, but Villette says the only person who can afford it is the Queen and she doesn’t want it. Jeanne's idea is to tell the jeweller the Queen wants to buy it. Villette doesn’t understand, but Jeanne hurries off for ink to forge documents.

Back at the palace, Marie asks why Yolande didn’t come to her when she was bleeding. She says she wasn’t fetched, but Marie argues she should’ve been there regardless. She reveals her secret letters were stolen and Yolande is shocked at the accusation. She exclaims that she wouldn’t do such a thing and says at least the baby wasn’t a boy, but Marie says a girl would’ve been her friend and she needs as many of those as she can get. Yolande says Fersen will be back soon.

All episodes of Marie Antoinette season 1 and 2 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.