Wellington waits
on the Spanish border,
gathering his forces to invade France.
But which way will he go?
East or West?
With Major Ducos scheming to thwart the British advance against France and fool the Duke of Wellington, Sharpe and the outnumbered, underprovisioned Prince of Wales Own must defend against a French brigade.
Tropes appearing in this episode:
- Adapted Out:
- Ducos poses as the Mayor of Bordeaux, who is a separate character in the novel.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Hogan's role in the book is given to Major-General Ross.
- The nautical element is removed, making Bampfylde the new commanding officer of the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers and omitting Killick altogether.
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: The Comte's sister is willing to give up her virtue to Sharpe as payment for him giving her the quinine to save her mother's life. Being a newly married man, Sharpe takes the chivalrous option and politely declines, prompting the resentful girl to brand him as an "English monster".
- Big Bad: Major Pierre Ducos.
- Canon Foreigner: The adaptation gave Maquerre a sister, Catherine, who remains behind at the fort when it is captured by the British and serves as a secondary Love Interest for Sharpe.
- Deadly Gas: Mixed with a bit of Improvised Weapon. As the fort's cache of gunpowder has been ruined, Sharpe is told by Catherine that there are oyster shells beneath the fort that they can burn. This puzzles Sharpe, until Captain Palmer informs him this produces lime, which can blind someone if the powder gets in someone's eyes. Sharpe has the men deploy the from the ramparts as a fine dust. Thankfully it wasn't a windy day.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Maquerre's death is altered, with him remaining with the French and being shot from a distance by Hagman, as opposed to returning to British lines with Bampfylde and being killed by Sharpe on his return.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Marquerre visits his sick mother and is broken when his sister, Catherine, refuses to accompany him away from their castle.
- "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: With the shot limited by the ruined powder, the British focus their fire on officers, sergeants and flag carriers, which Calvet picks up on. As the officer next to him gets shot, he remarks:Soon, it will be my turn.
- False Friend: Marquerre lures the British into Bordeaux, telling them that the region are ready to rise in support of the Bourbons.
- General Failure: Horace Bampfylde, the latest in a long line of incompetent noblemen with more pride and authority than common sense. Even after Sharpe has captured the fort for him, he still sends him on his way so he can mess up on his own a second time.
- Groin Attack: Captain Palmer gives Bampfylde one of these for his multitude of screwups in the field.
- The Heavy: General Calvet is the most visible French antagonist.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Maquerre requests permission from Calvet to get his mother and sister out of the fortress before the French storm it: Ducos insists that Sharpe will allow that because "he's soft". Calvet agrees to allow a parley but Ducos refuses to attend, insisting Sharpe will kill him on sight. Calvet retorts that Sharpe can't be that soft if he's willing to murder a man under a flag of truce.
- In the Back: Marquerre gets shot in the back by Robinson and Hagman.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While Bampfylde is a very incompetent commanding officer, he has such a moment. When the Prince of Wales Own Volunteers are on a mission in France, a soldier is killed under rather dubious circumstances. While others are theorizing about it, Bampfylde points out that they are on French soil and literally everyone could have done it, including some random peasant!
- The Man Behind the Man: Major Pierre Ducos to General Calvet.
- Manipulative Bastard: Marquerre convinces Colonel Bampfylde to leave the castle and the wounded men of the Prince of Wales Volunteers behind, along with ruining the gunpowder.
- Nepotism: The inexperienced Colonel Horace Bampfylde is put in charge of the expedition in Bordeaux instead of Sharpe because the Duke of Wellington has to placate Bampfylde's father, a general.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Ducos ordering Calvet to march his troops to assault the fortress for the sake of his grudge with Sharpe leaves a massive gap in Napoleon's flank that Wellington immediately exploits. Calvet is both horrified and enraged to the point of nearly throttling Ducos when a courier from his superiors informs him what happened.French military courier: General Calvet? [Calvet nods] Marshall Soult's compliments. You are to march immediately to support him. Where were you when Wellington forced his flank?Calvet: His flank? Where is his flank?Courier: Fifty miles east.Calvet: (in horrified realisation) Where I was?Courier: Yes! Had you stayed, you could have saved Soult! Why did you move? [Calvet gets to his feet, laughing humourlessly, then seizes Ducos' lapels and bellows in his face]
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: A restless (and, well, clearly horny) Catherine enters Sharpe's chambers and offers him the choice between some cash or her virtue. In one of the series' funniest scenes, he (being newly married to Jane Gibbons) chooses the former and she storms off indignantly.Catherine: ... you'd prefer to have the gold than my virtue?Sharpe: If you don't mind.Catherine: If I don't mind? You Monster!! You English monster! Pig!Sharpe: Close, Sharpey. If she came back, I doubt you'd stand!
- Oh, Crap!:
- Initially Bampfylde feels highly offended by Sharpe who is in his eyes just an upstart and calls him out for a duel! But after hearing from Frederickson and Palmer that Sharpe is a favourite of the Prince of Wales, saved the life of Wellington and captured a French eagle at Talavera, Bampfylde is more than willing to back out and apologise.
- He has another one when, after giving a glowing report of his and Maquerre's actions as well as claiming Sharpe to be dead, Wellington informs him that Sharpe is alive and back in camp.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Sharpe gets in a true zinger when the Comte de Marquerre's attempt at a triumphant homecoming is rejected by his sister:Sharpe: You make your bed, Marquerre, and then you lie in it. Without complaining. Trouble with you is you wanted it all. You wanted to go away, be a spy for years, then come back, have everyone pat you on the back, tell you what a big hero you are. The world's not like that, Marquerre. You made your bed with Bonaparte. Maybe he'll give you a medal. Maybe not. As for me, next time you're in my sights and outside of a flag of parlay, I'll shoot you.
- Screw Your Ultimatum!: Maquerre, by order of Ducos, offers the British soldiers safe passage from the fortress if they surrender Sharpe. However, because Maquerre killed a British soldier while sneaking out to meet with his French contact, the soldier's comrades tell Maquerre he can shove his offer and they'll fight to the death.Robinson: One question. Did you kill Riley?Maquerre: One night, I had to leave the camp to make contact. He challenged me upon my return. I had no choice.Sharpe: So what do you say, Robinson?Robinson: Fight 'em to the finish, sir.
- Sniper Duel: Hagman gets into a rivalry with Robinson, the sharpshooter from Captain Frederickson's company, over who gets to kill the Comte de Maquerre. Hagman wins.
- A Taste of the Lash: Sharpe elects to have Rifleman Robinson flogged instead of executed after learning that the French girl Robinson slept with was willing.
- Tempting Fate: Harper tries to argue against having his tooth pulled out by pointing out that Sharpe does not have the pincers needed to do so. Sharpe doesn't. Frederickson, however, promptly brandishes a set.
- Villain Respect: Calvet gives some to Sharpe: when Ducos derides Sharpe as merely lucky with his military successes, Calvet replies that Napoleon himself considers luck an important quality among his generals.
- Villainous Friendship: For a given value of villain, at least. Calvet and his adjutant Gaston (with whom he served in Moscow) are close friends and comrades.
- Why Are You Looking at Me Like That?: As Harper ponders where they can find blood to make the Chosen Men's False Flag Operation convincing, he eventually notices the others looking quite pointedly at him.Harper: You want my tooth?! Mother o'Jesus, no way!
- The Women Are Safe with Us: Sharpe almost hangs Robinson when he's caught with a girl, only relenting when the girl says it wasn't rape. Even then, he has the man taken behind a building and beaten for "making free" with her.
- You Are a Credit to Your Race: As Maquerre informs Calvet and Ducos that he has weakened the British hold over the castle, Calvet declares that Maquerre has done well, for an aristocrat.
