History isn't always dusty books. Sometimes, it’s a high-budget fever dream filled with silk, arsenic, and really good hair. If you’ve watched Versailles season 2, you know exactly what I mean. The show doesn't just lean into the drama; it basically does a swan dive into a pool of 17th-century chaos.
Honestly, the first season felt like a warm-up. By the time we hit the second outing, King Louis XIV isn't just building a palace; he’s building a gilded cage. And he’s starting to lose his mind.
The Affair of the Poisons was Way Scarier in Real Life
You’ve seen the show. People are dropping dead after a sip of wine or a touch of "inheritance powder." It feels like a soapy plot twist, right? It wasn't. The "Affair of the Poisons" was a massive, real-world scandal that rocked France between 1677 and 1682.
Basically, the Paris police chief, Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, uncovered a massive underground network of fortune tellers, alchemists, and defrocked priests. These weren't just people reading palms. They were selling poisons—often called poudre de succession—to nobles who were tired of waiting for their parents or spouses to die.
In Versailles season 2, we see the fictionalized version through characters like Madame Agathe. But the real "La Voisin" (Catherine Deshayes) was even more intense. She reportedly performed "Black Masses" and sold toxic love philtres to the highest bidders at court. When she was finally caught and burned at the stake in 1680, she didn't go quietly. She implicated everyone.
Louis XIV vs. His Own Sanity
George Blagden plays Louis with this sort of brittle intensity that’s fascinating to watch. In season 2, the King is an insomniac. He’s sleepwalking through his own gardens and waking up in the middle of a lake.
You’ve got to remember the context here. This man was 28 when he started this project. He was obsessed. He moved the entire court from Paris to a marshy hunting lodge because he didn't trust the nobles. If they were in Versailles, he could see them. If they were in Paris, they were plotting.
But this level of control comes with a price. The show does a great job of showing Louis’s isolation. He stops listening to the people who actually care about him—like his brother Philippe—and starts listening to the whispers of the ambitious.
Philippe is the Real Star (Let’s Be Real)
Alexander Vlahos as Philippe, Duke of Orléans, is arguably the best part of the whole series. While Louis is brooding and obsessed with his "Sun King" image, Philippe is out there being a war hero and a fashion icon.
The sibling rivalry in season 2 reaches a breaking point. Philippe returns from the War of Devolution, and he’s a hero. The soldiers love him. The people love him. And Louis? Louis is jealous. He can’t handle anyone else being the center of attention.
That New Marriage
We also get the arrival of Princess Palatine (Liselotte). If you’re used to the "delicate English rose" vibe of Henriette from season 1, Palatine is a total 180. She’s blunt, she eats like a horse, and she doesn't care about court etiquette.
Surprisingly, she and Philippe actually work. Historically, they had a very strange but functional relationship. She knew about his lovers—most notably the Chevalier de Lorraine—and she just rolled with it. It’s one of the few genuinely human dynamics in a show where everyone else is trying to stab each other in the back.
Madame de Montespan: The Rise and Fall
Anna Brewster’s Montespan is a masterclass in "mean girl" energy. In Versailles season 2, she is at the height of her power. She’s the official mistress, she’s influencing politics, and she’s making life miserable for the Queen, Marie-Thérèse.
But the show doesn't hide the dark side of her ambition. As Louis starts to pull away—becoming more religious and looking toward the more pious Madame de Maintenon—Montespan gets desperate.
This is where the show and history get real messy. In the series, she’s heavily involved with the poisoners to keep Louis’s love. In real life? It’s debated. La Voisin’s daughter claimed Montespan participated in dark rituals, but Louis actually suppressed the evidence because he didn't want the mother of his children to be executed for witchcraft.
Talk about a cover-up.
Why the Sets Look So Good
You might think it’s all CGI, but a lot of Versailles season 2 was filmed in actual French chateaus. While they did film in the real Palace of Versailles (specifically the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens), they also used:
- Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte: This place is actually what inspired Louis to build Versailles in the first place.
- Chateau de Maisons-Laffitte: The famous white staircase you see in those dramatic transitions? That’s here.
- Chateau de Lésigny: Used for the grittier, lower-noble quarters.
The production values are honestly insane. The costumes alone—the corsets, the wigs, the gold embroidery—cost a fortune. They wanted the show to feel heavy. You can almost feel the weight of the fabric and the stifling atmosphere of the court.
The Spy in the Palace
Thomas Beaumont, the royal historiographer, is a major player this season. He’s basically a Dutch mole. It’s a great plot line because it highlights how vulnerable Louis actually was. He built this massive palace to be safe, but he invited his enemies right into his living room.
The ending of the season is pretty wild. Between the poisonings coming to a head and the reveal of the traitors, it’s a lot to process. Fabien Marchal, the King’s chief of police (played by Tygh Runyan), is the MVP here. He’s the only one who actually knows what’s going on, even if he has to do some pretty horrific things to keep the peace.
What You Should Do Now
If you’ve finished the season and you’re feeling a bit lost, here’s how to actually get the most out of this story:
Look up the real letters of Liselotte (Princess Palatine). They are hilarious. She wrote thousands of letters to her family in Germany, complaining about the hygiene (or lack thereof) at the French court and the weird habits of the King. It gives you a much more grounded perspective than the show's melodrama.
🔗 Read more: Why If I Ever Fall in Love by Shai Still Hits Different Thirty Years Later
Check out the "Chambre Ardente." This was the special court Louis set up to deal with the poisonings. Reading the actual transcripts of the trials makes the show look tame.
Don't skip Season 3. It introduces the Man in the Iron Mask, which is another historical rabbit hole that the show handles in a very... creative way.
The real takeaway from Versailles season 2 is that power isn't just about having the biggest palace. It’s about surviving the people you’ve invited inside.
If you're interested in the actual history, start with Antonia Fraser's Love and Louis XIV. It covers the mistresses and the Poison Affair with a level of detail that puts most TV scripts to shame. Or, if you just want more of the vibe, look up the filming locations and plan a trip to Vaux-le-Vicomte—it's actually more beautiful than the real Versailles in some ways.