The Truth Will Out & Marie Antoinette's Reputation is Ruined

The proverbial merde hits the fan in Marie Antoinette’s sixth episode of Season 2, “Hated, Humbled, Mortified,” as the trial against Cardinal Rohan begins. This will be the trial of the century (until eight years later, when the king and queen themselves will each be tried – months apart – and subsequently executed by guillotine). For now, the stakes of the trial could not be higher for Antoinette, whose reputation is on the line. She will endure a formal character assassination in court.

The groundwork was already laid by the libelles and the fiery rumors they spread, but the trial and its outcome will inflict permanent damage from which the queen and crown will not recover. Even Antoinette’s marriage will be on shaky ground at the end of the hour.

The trial is a circus from the outset. A mob outside the court supports the cardinal, while others side with the queen. Among the aristocratic spectators in attendance is matriarch Madame de Rohan-Soubise (Dearbhla Molloy), who is not amused by the trial being co-opted as propaganda for Orléans’ “radical” agenda. Since Orléans supplied the lawyer, Madame makes it clear that her nephew must be acquitted, or she will denounce Orléans as a traitor. Hidden, Antoinette views the proceedings from a shielded balcony.