We’ve known why Edmund has wanted revenge on The Count of Monte Cristo. People have ruined his life with false accusations. However, why not just kill and be done with it? This is something Episode 4 gets into, as Edmund makes his plans clear.
Now that he has his freedom and money, Edmund is able to enact his revenge plan. This may have changed a little after he learned about his father’s passing, and it looks like he is even including Mercedes in his plans for revenge. Is it possible that he blames her for moving on after hearing of his death?
Edmund Comes Face to Face with Those Who Betrayed Him
The Count of Monte Cristo Episode 4 starts with Edmund learning some details about what has happened in 15 years. He learns about Mercedes’ new life and about a house available for sale in Paris that is sure to hurt a certain individual.
Photographer: Claudio Iannone
Courtesy of Palomar and MASTERPIECE.
I do have to admit that the timeline is getting thrown off, and I guess we’re jumping to 20 years or so after he was arrested? After all, we learn that Mercedes has been married for 19 years, so that means another four years have to have been added on from when Edmund was sent to prison on false charges. We also learn that she has an 18-year-old son, and Edmund decides to use him to enact his revenge plan.
He even makes it clear to the son what his idea is. As the two watch an execution about to happen, he brings up that death isn’t revenge. Why should someone get to see an end to the revenge so quickly, and Edmund is clearly a man after my own heart. I’ve always said that if you want revenge, it’s not death that you actually want. It’s to cause pain.
That’s what Edmund is planning, and he’s clear about it to the teen he ends up “having kidnapped.” It’s all a ploy to “save” the kid and make him feel like he is indebted to him. This is perfect to get in with the right people in Paris — Mercedes and all those who put him in prison.
Edmund Isn’t Afraid to Hurt People on The Count of Monte Cristo
Edmund is always five steps ahead of everyone else. He knows things that he shouldn’t, and that’s thanks to being willing to help other people who have been wronged. When he learns that there was a midwife who was locked away in an insane asylum for trying to blackmail Villefort, he manages to get her out.
Photographer: Claudio Iannone
Courtesy of Palomar and MASTERPIECE.
Unfortunately, it means the death of an innocent, and Edmund isn’t happy about that. While he wants the people who hurt him to pay, he doesn’t want innocent blood to be shed, and there’s a respect in that choice.
However, he will hurt everyone else, and he does it by buying a house that once belonged to Villefort’s mother-in-law. It was selling for pennies due to an atrocity that happened in there — the birth of an illegitimate and unwanted baby that is supposed to have been murdered.
Well, this goes a lot deeper, and I’m curious about how Edmund will react as he gets all of the information. Sure, Villefort arranged for the “murder” by placing the very much alive baby into a cardboard box and burying it in the ground — don’t worry, the baby was saved! — but the woman who gave birth was Hermine, Dangler’s wife!
She had an affair with Villefort? This plot thickens, and it’s clear that Edmund knew all of it. Or he had his suspicions
Photographer: Jean-Claude Lother
Courtesy of Palomar and MASTERPIECE.
On top of that, does Edmund know that the midwife took the baby? He knows the box was empty when the gardeners dug it up, so he must know that the baby is somewhere. It’s not clear just how long ago this took place or where the baby is right now, but Edmund likely knows. As I said, he’s five steps ahead of everyone else.
One thing is clear, though, Edmund is willing to play the long game. He wants people to suffer, and this is what makes The Count of Monte Cristo one of the best revenge stories ever told!
What’s funny is that Edmund has shared his plans with people, if only they’d listen. At the same time, Villefort knows that Edmund lived, and he likely knows he escaped. It won’t take long for him to figure out why this count is suddenly after him, will it?
The Count of Monte Cristo airs on Sundays at 10/9c on PBS.
