'Marie Antoinette' Season 2 Unveils the Portrait Heard Round the World

A shocking portrait, an open marriage, and a heist, oh my! Marie Antoinette’s fourth episode, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” tackles quite a bit of drama and intrigue. Hold onto your bustles; there’s a lot to address! The public unveiling of the queen’s new portrait challenges her modernity when everyone, including Louis, finds Antoinette’s robe en chemise dress scandalous. Her reputation is already tarnished by Chartres’ libelle, as well as an incendiary performance at the Palais Royal lambasting her adultery.

The Household Committee scolds Antoinette (read: etiquette police), who removes her portrait. It will be replaced with an appropriate one by a new artist, and they have thoughts on her presentation. She pushes back; she’ll bring them her ideas instead. A subsequent fight with Louis about her public image makes Antoinette defensive and angry. Louis is equally angry but tries to gently point out how dangerous it is to be hated.

Keeping her face obscured, Antoinette visits the Palais Royal with Yolande to hear the gossip for herself. She catches some of “The Misadventures of Marie Antoinette,” a musical performance starring Nicole D’Oliva (Margaux Billard) that viciously lampoons the queen. She is shocked and hurt but motivated to make changes she hopes will restore her respectability.

Her first move is to call things off with von Fersen. Then it’s makeover time: She instructs her stylist to cut her hair. It’s short around her face and long in the back – an 18th-century mullet? She goes to court in a new conservative dress and bonnet, only to find the courtiers still hate everything she’s wearing.

With her new look having backfired, Antoinette feels defeated until Lamballe cheers her up. She insists the fickle nature of the queen’s popularity has nothing to do with her and to remember she’s the Mother of France. Antoinette gets inspired to do a group portrait with her children (in the same conservative velvet gown), having Madame Le Brun create concept sketches with which the queen impresses the Household Committee.

Meanwhile, Parliament discovers the crown borrowed from Discount Bank and tries to block Louis’ new loan request, but he strongarms them into approval and lies about the state of the coffers. Louis then goes on an excursion to Cherbourg and spontaneously invites Yolande to accompany him. On the trip, Louis longingly admits to Yolande he’s never seen the sea. Cliffside, he marvels at the construction progress of the new harbor and declares to Calonne he’s convinced they must now tax the nobles and clergy. Along the trip Louis gets closer to Yolande and she enlightens him to Antoinette’s unfortunate position: the king’s critics would normally target his mistress since it’s treason to attack him directly. Without a mistress, Antoinette gets scapegoated instead.

As they’re heading back, Louis takes a detour and gets out of his carriage to run to the shoreline. He strips to his undershirt and wades into the water, finding joy and freedom. Yolande takes this private moment to suggest he makes her his mistress to solve the queen’s unpopularity: “Antoinette’s crimes would become mine overnight.” He’s flattered and possibly tempted but says that if he can be a good king, the people will love him and the queen. Taking a mistress is against his nature.

Back at Versailles, Josephine cavorts with Marguerite, who has just moved into her apartment. She boldly kisses Marguerite in plain sight; Provence and Adelaide spot them. Adelaide frets that Josephine has wholly abandoned the idea of children; what if something happens to the king and his children? Provence concludes that Marguerite is a bad influence and must go.

Upon Louis’ return, Provence and Adelaide present him with a “dossier of evidence” against Marguerite. Her connection to the Palais Royal and Beaumarchais paints her as a spy and banishes her from Versailles. When Josephine discovers her lover has been sent away, she angrily confronts Louis, believing he’s getting revenge for the libelles she wrote years ago. Devastated, she declares Marguerite was her only happiness, and the king made a new enemy in her. This leads to Josephine and Provence, now “partners in crime” again, plotting to take Louis’ throne by spreading rumors of his “erratic” behavior.

After Louis’ trip, Antoinette nervously debuts her new look; he declares her “transformed.” She attempts to unburden herself about von Fersen but Louis stops her, admitting he knows she loves someone else. He talks about the future’s uncertainty and tells her, “We must seize happiness wherever it is found.” With his unexpected blessing, Antoinette and von Fersen restart their relationship.

Over in Jeanne’s corner, her grand scheme to steal the diamond necklace is barely inconvenienced by Rohan’s insistence on an in-person meeting with the queen. Villette hires Nicole D’Oliva – who is already playing the part at Palais Royal – to rendezvous with the cardinal. They meet at night on the castle grounds and when he pledges his devotion, she shushes him with a gesture, never speaking. Villette pretends someone’s approaching and whisks Nicole away before Rohan gets wise. Jeanne’s husband, la Motte, wonders if Nicole will turn on them but Villette insists she doesn’t realize what she was involved in. Privately, la Motte predicts Jeanne will betray Villette, the same as she did to him.

A few final letters are exchanged and Jeanne secures Rohan’s signature on the contract with the court jeweler Boehmer (Richard Earl). The cardinal can’t help himself and reveals the queen is the buyer. The robbery of the necklace itself is rather unspectacular because no one other than Villette knows it’s happening. Boehmer wants his own guards to deliver the necklace and balks at Rohan’s insistence that Villette be allowed to transport it alone. But the cardinal bullies and Boehmer relents; Villette leaves with the jewels and an expectation he will return with payment.

En route to Jeanne, la Motte intercepts Villette and knocks him out, stealing the necklace. After regaining consciousness, Villette goes to warn Jeanne they’ve been betrayed and finds La Motte already there. Jeanne confronts La Motte, who then chokes her in return. When Villette tries to stop him, la Motte stabs Jeanne. She begs Villette to run as she’s dying, and La Motte yells after him threateningly. Once the coast is clear, la Motte laughs, and Jeanne gets up unharmed.

They begin clearing the apartment of evidence, and La Motte discovers the secret of the queen’s stationery after Jeanne tells him to burn the unused pages. He keeps a few sheets but doesn’t tell Jeanne their true nature. Then, he chops the diamond necklace into three pieces, giving Jeanne one-third. La Motte is surprised to learn she’s not fleeing Paris but insists nothing connects her to the crime. She’s certain even if Rohan discovers it, he’ll cover the cost to save face.

Rohan is beside himself waiting for payment while Boehmer hounds the cardinal for the missing money. Rohan winds up confessing his predicament to Jeanne. When she suggests he simply pay the jeweler, he reveals he’s flat-broke from years of extravagant spending. Cagliostro inspects the “queen’s” letters and declares them forgeries, telling Rohan he’s been tricked. Rohan is mortified. At Versailles, Boehmer demands to see the queen about the diamond necklace.

Marie Antoinette Season 2 airs Sundays on most local PBS stations, the PBS App, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel at 10 p.m. ET. All eight episodes of the new series are available on PBS Passport for members to stream. Season 1 is available to stream for members on PBS Passport and on the Prime Video Masterpiece Channel.