Marie Antoinette season 2 episode 2 recap: a public performance threatens the Crown

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 2.

The episode begins at Jeanne’s apartment. She has bought herself a gown from the donations to Poor Fallen Women. She speaks to Villette about how Marie is staying in her own rooms since the loss of her child and so she can continue to pretend to be the Queen’s new friend. She explains that her plan is to find someone foolish enough to want to buy the world’s most expensive necklace for the Queen, and that’s how she’ll get it.

At Versailles, the ladies are getting Marie ready and Lamballe reassures Marie and gives her a gift, a perfume bottle. Marie speaks of the thief to Breteuil and continues her search for her stolen letters to Fersen. But, there’s no leads. Jeanne arrives at Versailles and Josephine is drunk. Adelaide says Josephine should find a hobby. Lamballe approaches and asks if she knows the Countess de Valois (Jeanne) and asks if she’s friends with the Queen. Josephine drunkenly tells her to get over her crush on Marie.

Beaumarchais is looking for payment for the arms he secured in America and asks Louis for it. He tells him to take it up with Calonne. He then pitches his The Marriage of Figaro play. He pleads with Marie to have it be performed and Marie then asks Louis to accept it. To this, he agrees to look at the script. Beaumarchais promises it won’t attack the social classes and Louis says he’d have to throw him in the Bastille if it did.

Marie sees Fersen across the Versailles gardens and finds an excuse to leave. Louis then spots his arrival. As Marie leaves, Jeanne bumps into her and steals Lamballe’s gift, the perfume bottle. Back at her rooms, Yolande asks what Fersen said and Marie says they didn’t speak. She says she needs to avoid him.

That evening, Yolande asks Calonne for the money to repay the debts, but he says there isn’t enough. He can give her 300,000 for now. She says Saint-James has asked for four. Vergennes comes to get Calonne for the King. Louis is angry that more bills are appearing and Calonne explains he’s investing to show France’s strengths. If they made cuts, it would show weakness. He suggests they increase the loans further and Louis asks to see the plan.

Marie approaches Saint-Georges as he arrives at Versailles. She asks how he is doing at the Palais-Royal but he says he’s well. She says he can return from Chartres whenever he wants. Josephine approaches, drunk still, and says she’s been cast in Figaro, as has Marie. Yolande confronts Lamballe and tells her she can’t be in the play and divides her again from the Queen.

At rehearsals, Saint-Georges is Figaro and Marie plays Suzanne, his soon-to-be wife. Cast as Count Almaviva, who in the play is intent on deflowering Suzanne before she weds, is Fersen. Marie, realising his role, steps outside to get some air. That evening, Louis asks Calonne what happens if he can’t extend the loans. He suggests that he should raise the taxes for clergy and nobility, but Louis says he can’t. Calonne argues that taxation should be fair. Still, he refuses because he knows many of France will be angry.

Back at the Palais-Royal, Beaumarchais reveals he cast Fersen opposite the Queen. Chartres argues the Queen deserves to be played with, though Saint-Georges isn’t happy. A man hands out invitation cards to join Count Cagliostro every night at nine. They discuss how Cardinal Rohan has become Cagliostro's patron to launch him in Paris. He’s described as a cultist, alchemist and healer. Felicite suggests to Chartres that he should invite him to the Palais-Royal.

Elsewhere, Jeanne watches as Yolande continues to leave Lamballe out. She also observes Cardinal Rohan being rejected from a conversation with the Queen. Meanwhile, at another rehearsal for the play, Fersen is instructed to seduce Marie in his role. Their acting is staggered and awkward. Beaumarchais steps in to help and encourages them to become more emotional together. Again, Marie steps out to get some air though this time Fersen follows her.

In the gardens, Fersen says he’ll withdraw from the play. She’s angry that he’d forgotten about her, but he says he never did and that he couldn’t write any letters to her while he was gone because it was dangerous. He says he never forgot her, but she says she’s the mother of the future King. He notes that she’s changed, but he declares he loves her even more for it. Hearing this, she can’t help herself and they begin to act out their scene in the play by a tree out of view. They kiss and begin to undress, but Josephine sees them.

Returning to her room, Josephine is greeted by a woman. She introduces herself as Marguerite de Gourbillon, hired by Beaumarchais to help her learn her lines for the play. Josephine is defensive, but Marguerite says she’s clearly unhappy with Provence and while she has a husband too, she doesn’t let it ruin her life. She tells her there’s freedom, if she wants it, as she stands incredibly close to her.

That evening, Cardinal Rohan has brought Cagliostro to the Palais-Royal to host an event. Jeanne and Villette are there and she reveals they’re there to speak to Rohan as he’d be the perfect mark for attempting to convince someone to buy the diamond necklace for the Queen. Cagliostro, meanwhile, says a “man of the cloth” will meet a woman and he looks directly at Jeanne.

Afterwards, Felicite speaks with Cagliostro. He speaks of Chartres as her patron, but she explains he’s actually her protege, teaching him about France and the change it needs. Chartres and Provence watch on as they talk. Before Cagliostro can leave, Chartres beckons him over to show them a magic trick. He explains he doesn’t do tricks, but he has a message. He says: “The Dauphin will not inherit the throne of France”. That France will seek a new King, a prince of the blood present in the room. Then he leaves, but both Provence and Chartres consider this message.

Back at Versailles, Provence walks in on Josephine practicing her lines with Marguerite. He tells Marguerite to leave, but Josephine doesn’t want her to. They argue and he leaves instead. When he’s gone, Josephine and Marguerite kiss. At the next rehearsal, Fersen and Marie are connecting better and it cuts to them making love again in the gardens. She kisses him in front of Yolande and Josephine kisses Marguerite in front of them all, but Provence sees from the shadows.

Provence then goes to see Louis and tells him of the play and Fersen’s role. He tells him to stop the play. In Marie’s rooms that night, she is lying in bed with Fersen. They talk of his time away and she asks for him to stay there and she’d find him a position. He says he doesn’t want to want things from her, but if he gets stationed a couple of hours away he will come and visit.

Meanwhile, Villette and Jeanne talk about their plans. He says they could move to a farm right now and not put themselves in danger. But she says they need to be rich. At the palace, Villette, undercover, sits in confessional with Cardinal Rohan and admits he tried to seduce Jeanne, the Countess di Valois. He says she is a descendant of King Henry II, but he wanted to seduce her to get her influence over the Queen since they’re good friends. He explains that the Countess got Calonne his job, to which Cardinal Rohan is intrigued.

Yolande is handing out invitations to the court to come and watch The Marriage of Figaro. Lamballe approaches her and asks why she’s never heard of her and accuses her of raising money for charity when she doesn’t actually know the Queen. She says she isn’t a thief, but the Queen is kind to her. Lamballe notices Jeanne is wearing the present she gave the Queen and says that the Queen had given it to her as a gift instead. Cardinal Rohan approaches Jeanne. He wants to speak to her privately.

That evening, Louis comes to say goodnight to his son and Yolande is there. He admits to her that he feels like he’s too busy to see his own children and wife. Louis asks after Fersen and Yolande reassures him. The play is about to begin and Josephine jokes to Marie that she saw her and Fersen kissing. She says she won’t tell anyone, since she’s enjoying her own privacy there too. Saint-Georges overhears, but he says he wouldn’t tell, but that she should trust those close to her.

Marie pulls Fersen to speak privately. She admits that Josephine knows about them and as they talk, Louis walks in with a bouquet of flowers. Catching them, he tells her the performance is cancelled and that she must remember who she is. To this, he walks out. Marie apologies to Beaumarchais and says she couldn’t go through with the play because she has been too ill. He offers to rearrange, but realises the King won’t allow it. He’s upset, but leaves.

Yolande asks Marie what Louis saw and advises her to go to Louis and show him he hasn’t lost her. So, she goes to his room. She tells him it will never happen again. He asks after Beaumarchais and she suggests that Louis grants him a public performance in Paris with professional actors. He asks her to stay with him and they make love on his desk.

Cardinal Rohan goes to meet with Jeanne. She’s in new apartments. The Cardinal brings a sizeable donation for her. He suggests that she might sin the same way as the women she supports. Acting offended, she asks him to leave and accuses him of trying to seduce her, but he says he wasn’t. Instead, they share a dislike for the Queen.

While he tries to stay, she says he can’t as she’s meeting other benefactors. Before he goes, he wants to know if the Queen will hear about his donation and she says she will, but that he can’t mention it to her. He should receive a note of thanks as repayment. Villette emerges and asks about the donation which Jeanne says will pay for more rent and more ink for Villette to forge documents as the Queen.

At the public performance of The Marriage of Figaro in Paris, the King and Queen arrive. Fersen also sits on the balcony and Chartres is watching. The play begins and they laugh and enjoy. Marie watches Fersen and remembers their trysts in the gardens. But then, a speech begins mocking the King that wasn’t in the script that Beaumarchais shared. Louis instructs his guards to arrest Beaumarchais and they take him from the theatre. The crowd boo as Chartres and Felicitie smile.

Marie tries to speak with Louis back at Versailles, but he won’t involve her. Provence arrives and says an angry mob are outside the Bastille chanting for Beaumarchais. Louis shouts and leaves them both behind. He races off on his horse. Meanwhile, Felicite and Chartres listen to the chanting at Palais-Royal and she instructs him that he should replace Louis as best he can to fulfil Cagliostro’s prophecy.

At Versailles, Provence imagines the same for himself. Then, Louis’s horse returns on its own. Vergennes takes Marie to Louis's office to find Provence is preparing papers to take control. Marie watches out the window as Louis limps back with a sprained ankle. She stands down Provence who was keen to issue a statement taking Louis’s position.

Marie leaves as the doctor arrives. Summoning Breteuil by her side, she says that he was right that Provence would destroy her and her children. That she’d be left with nothing, as it all belongs to France. To hold her position, she says she’ll need to have “real power” and that they should prepare for a fight.

All episodes of Marie Antoinette, seasons 1 and 2, are available on BBC iPlayer.