'The Count of Monte Cristo' Manages to Capture "The Castle"

After a premiere episode full of both extensive exposition and elaborate idiocy by our ostensible romantic hero, The Count of Monte Cristo finds itself on firmer ground in its second installment. Sure, things don't exactly get much better for the wrongly imprisoned and deeply suffering Edmond Dantès for most of this hour, and series star Sam Claflin is forced to exist in a nightmare wig-and-beard combo that's giving homeless more than dashing.

But none of that matters, because Jeremy Irons is here! The acting legend, who either really loves Alexandre Dumas's original story or badly lost a bet, immediately interjects some much-needed gravitas to this entire situation. Dressed in what appears to be a burlap sack, he still manages to convey the sort of prestige performance vibes that make you want to take this entire endeavor a lot more seriously than it probably deserves.

Irons plays Abbé Faria, a kind and intelligent priest who is also being held as a political prisoner. His cell is down the hall from Edmond's, he's managed to tunnel through the wall separating their rooms, and they can visit each other as long as they tidy up after and keep beds in front of the obvious slabs of stone that have been disturbed. Faria has, if you haven't guessed, been in the Castle d'If for quite a long time.