What To Know
- Jeremy Irons appears as Abbé Faria in Episode 2 of PBS’s The Count of Monte Cristo, where his character forms a pivotal bond with Edmond Dantes (Sam Claflin).
- The episode closely follows the novel, depicting Edmond’s isolation, his mentorship under Abbé, and their 15 years in prison together.
Jeremy Irons made his debut as Abbé Faria in The Count of Monte Cristo Episode 2 on PBS, which aired on Sunday, March 29. He starred opposite Sam Claflin, who plays Edmond Dantes in the Masterpiece adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s classic. The PBS limited series was a faithful adaptation of the novel in the first episode, which ended with Edmond’s wrongful arrest and imprisonment in the Castle d’If. Episode 2 spanned 15 years, depicting Edmond’s entire jail time and his relationship with Abbé. Will Irons be back in future episodes? Warning: Spoilers for The Count of Monte Cristo Episode 2 ahead.
Episode 2 is titled “The Castle.” In it, Edmond loses hope in prison, but then he meets Abbé Faria, a priest who has long attempted to escape. As time passes and their bond deepens, Faria reveals to Edmond the location of a legendary treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo.
Irons is credited on all eight episodes of The Count of Monte Cristo on IMDb, including the first one, which he’s not in. Given that his character died in Episode 2, and based on his absence from photos from upcoming episodes, it seems likely that Irons only appears in this installment. But it’s always possible that he could appear in flashbacks. The full season is available to stream now through PBS Passport, if you want to binge the series before it airs weekly on Sundays on PBS. Here’s a recap of Irons and Claflin’s episode.
Edmond spent 10 years in near complete isolation in his Castle d’If prison cell. His only company came from the daily check-ins from the prison guards and occasional visits from the governor. Edmond tried to negotiate his release a few years in by arguing that Napoleon’s return to power in France should put an end to his own treason conviction. What he didn’t know was that Napoleon was already unseated, so his sentence stayed the same. Edmond also went on a brief hunger strike to try to end his life.
Edmond didn’t know that his father and his fiancée, Mercedes (Ana Girardot), had been told that he had committed suicide during his first months in jail. The lie was concocted by Villefort (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), the prosecutor who helped frame Edmond for treason to protect his own name.
Paolo Modugno / Masterpiece
A few years later, Edmond heard a scraping noise inside the walls of his cell. Abbé eventually revealed himself through the tunnel he spent years digging, thinking he would reach the castle’s watery edge on the other side. He made a direct path into Edmond’s cell instead, which became their road to friendship.
Abbé and Edmond spent five years meeting in secret. Abbé taught Edmond everything he knew, including, eventually, about the treasure on Monte Cristo.
This information was given after the Abbé fell and was badly injured. They were meant to make their escape the next day, but Abbé couldn’t walk. He told Edmond about the treasure and how to find it, to the best of his ability (some of the instructions on the map were unclear). Abbé succumbed to his injuries and died that night, to Edmond’s shock.
Just like in the book, Edmond took Abbé’s place in the body bag and placed his friend in his own bed. Edmond was thrown into the sea, and he used the Abbé’s blade from the tunnel to set himself free. The guards didn’t notice until Edmond was already on the shore of Marseilles.
In Episode 3, the hunt for the treasure begins.
The Count of Monte Cristo, Sundays, 10/9c, PBS