The Seduction
Original title: Merteuil (French)
Genre: Period drama
Created by: Jean-Baptiste Delafon
Based on: Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Director: Jessica Palud
Stars: Anamaria Vartolomei (Isabelle de Merteuil (née Dassonville), Diane Kruger (Madame de Rosemonde), Vincent Lacoste (Vicomte de Valmont), Lucas Bravo (Comte de Gercourt), Noée Abita (Madame de Tourvel), Julien de Saint Jean (Louis de Germain), Fantine Harduin (Cécile de Volanges), Samuel Kircher (Chevalier Danceny), Sandrine Blancke (Madame de Volanges)
The series is available for streaming on platforms including HBO Max/Max, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
* * *
Season 1 – Episode 5
Episode title: The Saint and the Whore
Original release date: December 12, 2025
Episode plot: When Valmont fails to conquer Madame de Tourvel, Isabelle seizes the chance to gain her trust – despite Rosemonde’s fervent cautioning.
The Seduction – S01E05 – The Saint and the Whore | Transcript
My dear and gentle little Marquise…
MADAME THE MARQUISE DE MERTEUIL
…you have asked me for news of my nephew, or should I say, of your wager.
As Madame de Tourvel did not reply to his letters, Valmont attempted instead to meet her, by the most extraordinary coincidence at Dalbert and Contini.
He had planned one of those passionate declarations that are his signature.
Apologies, I…
But his prey fled before he could open his mouth.
Madame…
Rumors of his failures are spreading through Paris and bringing joy to his enemies, on fears that his reputation will not emerge unscathed.
You must be quite pleased.
Tourvel resists.
You triumph.
And soon our vainglorious Vicomte will have no other choice but to admit his obvious defeat.
Cécile. What is so captivating?
Just some bad news regarding poor Valmont.
You seem glad about it.
It really ought to make me even gladder.
I think Tourvel’s pride is unbearable.
Although…
You don’t want Valmont to triumph?
In my own way.
Does she love Valmont?
That woman, she will love him.
I’ll make it my personal business.
[priest chanting in Latin] In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi.
Amen.
Corpus Christi.
Marquise, what a wonderful coincidence.
I wanted to talk to you, and I feared that if I wrote, you would have refused.
I’ve already come to your home.
I was watching you earlier, and you were acting sincerely.
Well, quite simply, I was.
I won’t claim my devotions as vast as yours, madame, but I was brought up in a certain way.
And the Lord…
He does remain my partner, if only once in a while.
So, madame… may I count on your presence at my side?
And if you help me, I offer what your husband failed to obtain for me.
Like what?
My confession.
[chuckles softly]
[theme song playing]
[man singing] ♪ Deep in the ocean
Dead and cast away ♪
♪ Where innocences burn in flames ♪
♪ A million miles from home,
I’m walking ahead ♪
♪ I’m frozen to the bones
I am a soldier on my own ♪
♪ I don’t know the way
I’m riding up the heights of shame ♪
♪ I’m waiting for the call ♪
♪ The hand on the chest
I’m ready for the fight and fate ♪
I would add that, without ever boasting about it, that the Comte de Valmont has always shown himself to be very generous to those of little means.
Is this boring you, madame?
On the contrary.
But we find ourselves alone, just women, so I imagine that…
That you might discuss his other qualities.
Is it true that Valmont’s the most fantastic lover?
[chuckles]
I didn’t imagine you would find yourself shocked.
I hope you won’t hold it against me.
I was only attempting to play with you.
You were?
Playing, as in the way that you and members of your tribe have chosen to live their lives, right?
Playing?
There are some limits to the game, though.
I’ll tell you.
There is one rule. That’s all.
Just one. Sit, please.
Knowing when you’ve been defeated.
A defeat that’s always delightful, I assure you.
Though only if you allow yourself to give in to it.
Do you believe that it’s…
That it’s difficult for me to put up a fight against Valmont?
Well, aren’t you just the ultimate bulwark of virtue against vice?
Saint Madame de Tourvel for eternity.
Could it be that one day you’ll grow bored of playing this character who’s so proper and righteous?
Are you, yourself, madame, not at all bored of that crown?
Princess Libertine?
Well, this rank of mine offers several fabulous advantages.
You lie to me, Marquise.
You don’t believe in pleasure?
More, I don’t believe in power.
Your beauty is a formidable weapon, but it is fleeting.
You’ll certainly win a few of your battles, but you won’t win the war.
Oh, well, that’s a relief.
We absolutely agree on that fact.
A secret war is underway.
You’re the saint, but I’m the whore.
We’ve just chosen our armor and our masks for making men obey.
You are so pessimistic with regards to humans.
On the contrary, you’re mistaken.
I love my epoch.
I embrace it.
I wish also to subdue it.
But in hopes of what?
That by losing faith, I’ll submit to Valmont?
You are the sort of woman that desperately needs love.
And to love. And if your husband is incapable of that, Valmont will know how to take you and reveal you.
You love yourself more than you love God, madame.
And you need something a little more… unusual.
Forbidden. I was similar.
I wasn’t always who I am today.
I know now.
Only abandoning yourself to carnal love will unlock who you really are.
[laughs] I’m sorry.
My answer to your question was a little long.
My question?
Is Valmont the most fantastic lover?
Monsieur Comte de Gercourt, madame.
Madame.
Ah, what a surprise, my dear Comte.
I’ve come in peace.
In peace, monsieur?
The Pax Libertina.
[chuckles softly]
I am weary of our fights.
Nostalgic for a past friendship.
You never visit me in my home anymore.
It all feels a bit desolate.
You exaggerate, Comte.
Do go on. It’s enjoyable.
Do you know what everyone is saying at Versailles?
That the King is bored.
My word.
How infinitely sad.
Word around there is he wants to get out of the palace for a trip to town.
But alone I’m powerless.
I’m in need of your aid.
[chuckles softly] Let me be your servant as I once was.
We used to be so wonderful.
You and me, Paris at our feet.
If only we could be what we once were.
What you were.
You once possessed every secret in France.
You unfortunately ruined that. Completely.
No.
I’m sure it’s not ruined.
Imagine we return the sparkle to Paris.
We could.
However… Hmm.
I must be sure of the sincerity of your commitment to the Pax Libertina.
Your loan won’t suffice.
I need you to offer a gesture.
Some kind of disavowal.
Like perhaps your protégée, the Marquise de Merteuil.
People are tired of her arrogance and her taste for domination.
I won’t be able to be your friend if that woman is still around.
Well, only that. That’s not much.
Isabelle’s like my own daughter.
I can’t have her winning.
Hatred has driven her mad.
But soon everyone at court will know of her antics.
Stop her in this moment.
And keep her clear of the devils of Versailles.
Or they will use her to go for our thrones.
[gasps softly]
And then it’s over, madame.
All this beautiful liberty we defend so bravely.
Duplicitous.
What?
You heard me.
How dare you talk to me about freedom?
I know you can already sense the winds are turning.
Every time you crawl out to try to hurt her, Isabelle always humiliates you.
And soon she’ll defeat you for good.
That’s enough!
[cries out]
What are you thinking?
I’m taking the trouble to speak to you with respect.
Don’t force me to bare my fangs.
[chokes, exclaims]
No! [cries out]
[breathing heavily]
[exclaims]
Your skin. Your smell.
You have only one way to make peace.
[exclaiming]
[knocking at door] Enter!
[door opens]
[Jacques] Your carriage is now ready, madame.
That’s fine. I’m finished with Monsieur Comte.
[Jacques] Madame.
[sighs]
[door closes]
[hyperventilating, sniffles]
Do you recall Monsieur Chevalier de Danceny?
The fiancé of Mademoiselle de Volanges?
Fiancé.
Nothing official yet, though.
The poor man doesn’t even possess an instrument, but has to prepare an audition.
I completely forgot I invited him to rehearse here tonight.
Oh, I hope that’s not a bother.
Merci.
[classical piano music playing]
I’m exhausted. I’m going to retire.
Stay. Enjoy yourself.
I’m off as well.
Good night, madame.
Does she please you?
Madame, I accepted your invitation.
Out of my friendship to you.
What friendship?
The two of us are associates, my dear Chevalier.
It’s always been that way between us.
Because you need money and I need to use your charm.
You forget, though, madame.
We met and since I have found Cécile…
Cécile. Yes, I know.
And tomorrow you’ll find her once more.
You’ll love her the same as you’ve done.
And rest assured, you will be able to count on your associate and friend.
But as for tonight…
You shall go upstairs and rap on the door for Madame de Tourvel.
You’ll explain your doubts, as well as your confusing trouble in her presence.
How you hate that you are forgetting Cécile.
Let her speak.
You’ll explain you wish to turn toward the Lord.
Or whatever you want to tell her.
You’ll listen to her again and again.
Through the night.
You’ll be just as you are.
Perfect.
Stand your ground because so much is possible.
And I trust she’ll be yours before dawn.
Remember, Chevalier, helping me will help Cécile.
Without me, your dear love would already be Comtesse de Gercourt.
You acted out of a noble heart, and I’ve thanked you.
I acted as I’ve always acted.
Because I must.
She looks good enough to eat.
There are worse favors to do in this world.
[grunts] Go on.
No, madame.
I prefer not to betray her tonight.
Do as you wish.
[Rosemonde] My dearest Marquise, your silence confirms my worst fears.
I believed you were in love, but I was mistaken.
You’re prey to the most violent of poisons.
Pride.
We must discuss Gercourt.
We must prepare and organize your defense.
Instead, you are concerned about Tourvel, who is of no importance at all.
Out of pure vanity, out of cruelty, you play, madame.
When you should be fighting.
Neither you nor Valmont are in control here.
I can see you getting lost in the labyrinth you’ve built.
Madame?
What’s the matter?
I think I’m out of the game.
You’ve won.
And that’s just fine.
Who is this woman?
Valmont bet that he would be able to tempt you to bed quickly.
And I was to be the prize for this bet.
I don’t believe it.
So he wants me, but it’s…
But it’s out of his love for you.
[scoffs] Love for me?
Are you really so blind?
He never loved me. But he loves you.
It’s unfair, but that’s how it is.
Do you believe libertines are a joke?
Not for Valmont. Not for Valmont.
This philosophy of life has become his prison.
His inferno.
He can’t bear to be what he’s been turned into.
A man in love. And weak.
So he invented this ridiculous wager.
Only so he could hide his feelings.
Madame, you are free not to respond to his love. But I am begging.
Don’t pretend you don’t notice it.
[sighs]
My Rosemonde, my guardian angel.
I had forgotten it.
The art of manipulation is nothing without a timely use of the truth.
I know what I am doing.
I therefore took the risk of revealing to Madame de Tourvel the wager that bound me to your nephew.
And that is how I managed to instill in her this wild illusion, without which she would have remained forever impenetrable.
Valmont’s absolute love for her.
[chuckles]
[Tourvel] “When she leaves her home, her eyes are struck only by pleasant objects.
When she returns, she finds other pleasing ones still.
And everywhere she might venture, pleases her heart.
and this soul, so insensitive to love of self, learns to love itself through its blessings.”
[Isabelle] But in order to accept becoming what she is meant to be, she, like so many other mediocre people, needs to believe she’s loved.
I welcomed a triumphant woman into my home and let her depart a woman bereft of support or compass, consumed by the most formidable of viruses, the fear of missing out on one’s true self.
[Isabelle] What a pleasure to see you again.
I hear that Danceny is causing you concern.
I adore Danceny.
Mademoiselle Cécile de Volanges.
Forget him.
Pardon?
Your chevalier.
Forget him.
Give him your body, or steal his, if that’s what you want.
But remove all thoughts of him from your mind.
That boy is not for you.
What is for you?
A fully grown woman?
Mademoiselle Cécile de Volanges?
I love you so much, madame.
If I might find a way to make clear the depth of my gratitude.
We’ll see about that, won’t we?
Tell me.
He despises you more than I’ve ever seen anyone.
Gercourt? Well, I’m not worried.
The man can’t possibly hurt me.
Trust me. He certainly could.
He could ask the King for your head.
Isabelle.
Tomorrow morning, you must write your husband for aid.
Tell him that you miss him and that you cannot wait any longer for his return.
You need him back, and quickly.
You need his protection.
Everything is over if he returns.
Your exile will go quickly.
And assure you have a future.
My future or your future, madame?
What is wrong with protecting oneself?
I have reached an age where I long for peace.
And I refuse to see destroyed the reputation I’ve worked so hard to rebuild.
But what are you saying?
That’s senseless, madame.
Forfeit any and all freedom I might have for fear of losing it?
Is that not the very definition of cowardice?
I don’t know you anymore.
You were supposed to be the best.
I have no time for your philosophy.
I’ll never give up my freedom.
I’m never going to do it. Do you hear me?
Madame…
Please come in.
Isabelle told me everything.
Your bet.
No more lies, I promise.
[sighs]
My respects, Madame Marquise.
We are with you in your grief, madame.
The entire regiment partakes of your grief, madame.
Your husband was an example and a beacon for us all.
What happened?
Right up to the end, your impressive husband will be known as… an example and a beacon.
How did my husband die?
In the preparation for a terrible and furious battle.
As the enemy troops assembled themselves near Livingstone, having devised a battle plan which, despite our numerical superiority, enabled us to withstand the British offensive.
[mimicking gunshots]
The preparation.
Your husband was an example and a beacon for us all.
Madame.
Send word to Madame de Rosemonde.
You will have this painting removed and placed, um… elsewhere.
With time, perhaps. I don’t know.
The pain’s too great.
Yes, madame.
Madame, I’m delighted to see you.
I heard about your husband’s passing.
My only consolation is knowing that he was an example and a beacon.
For us all.
Of course.
[both laughing]
Please, monsieur, do not force me to pretend to mourn that scoundrel.
Let me look at you.
Your success is becoming.
Tell me about it, will you?
Last night, as she was crossing the threshold to my house, I was so impatient to enjoy my victory, so worried it would slip through my fingers in a twist of fate, that I consumed my prey a bit like a beast, in just a few short mouthfuls.
I immediately regretted my haste.
I thought that once the pleasure had passed, shame would inundate our saintly Madame de Tourvel and make her vanish forever.
But that wasn’t so.
Into the wee hours of the morning, the fire continued to burn.
Indeed, she was in my arms just a few hours ago.
It was as if Madame de Tourvel was made for love from the beginning.
You love her, so…
Last night I loved her like the damned.
But I never forgot you, not even for a second.
You were everywhere, always.
[chuckles] Finally.
What’s wrong, madame?
[sighs]
We’re not finished.
[Valmont] That is why, madame, we must recognize that this night was unique.
And I wish you all the best.
You deserve it indeed.
And I will always cherish the memory.
Ugh. No, Vicomte.
This story of everlasting memories imperishable? Poor thing.
She’ll hold on to hope like that.
We have to put her out of her misery.
Well, it’s my fault she’s convinced you’re in love with her.
However, what was I to do?
The woman needed it.
Go on, then. Get writing.
Say what I loved about you was your virtue and purity.
You disappointed me.
I understand what I loved about you was your purity.
It’s you.
[scoffs] Come on, admit it.
Her refusal made you want her.
So write it down.
You have disappointed me.
Farewell.
Very good. Sign, please.
Have this delivered to Madame de Tourvel.
Now remove that.
What are you playing at?
I will possess you with my eyes first.
Enjoy watching you.
All before watching you release.
I thought we had moved on from that foolish wager.
Had I won, would you have locked yourself up in a monastery?
No matter to me, madame, you’ve lost. I won.
You have not won. And I have not lost.
It was me.
I wooed Madame de Tourvel.
You enjoyed the flavor of it, did you not?
Well, I feel a great deal of joy for you, Valmont.
You are my friend.
I’ll always be there for you.
Willing to help you in all the ways I can.
You have no honor, madame.
You promised me.
Me? Promised?
The cruel lessons of life have taught me to always be wary of words.
Or promises.
So all of this was vengeance.
Everything we’ve done and lived through.
Here and elsewhere.
Was it all for revenge?
This humiliation. This cruelty.
I don’t think so, Marquise.
You’re exactly the same as poor Madame de Tourvel.
You believe in some things, then others, then in others still.
A life of only fantasy.
Come on, Sébastien. All this was a game.
You should go find her.
Unless you’re afraid she won’t forgive you for your letter.
[door opens, closes]
“On that final awakening, my terror was so fierce I was unable to find solace awake.
I flung the covers from me, not knowing what I was doing.”
[knock on door]
[door opens]
“I began wandering about the room, terrified as a child is by the shadows of night, believing I was surrounded by phantoms, and my ears still ringing with that plaintive voice, whose sound I never heard, without emotion.
The twilight, as it began to illuminate the objects, only transformed them according to the whims of my imagination.
My fear doubled on itself and robbed me of judgment.”
You have disappointed me.
After a long while of struggling to find my door, I fled from my room and burst suddenly in.
[gasps]
[sniffling]
Farewell. Valmont.
[door opens]
Ah.
Do come in, please.
Do you know Marshal Castellet?
Madame.
Monsieur.
My friend is about to be named the Counsellor of Justice for the King.
I’m in your debt, monsieur.
Of course, our France isn’t some place like England.
Power seems to reside in the hands of the King, ultimately.
News of the Vicomte de Valmont’s exploits with Madame de Tourvel have already spread throughout Versailles.
Some more devout cry sacrilege.
Their discontent goes all the way to the King’s ear.
Valmont must be publicly sanctioned.
My nephew is beyond reproach.
Yes, of course.
The Vicomte is a smart man.
He certainly did his best to cover up all his mistakes and ensure the witnesses kept quiet.
Except that once.
Not my concern.
No, madame.
I’m afraid that this affair of his is your trouble.
I mean the marriage between the Vicomte and Isabelle Dassonville.
Now Marquise de Merteuil.
This case was handled by Judge Tourvel.
Just be forewarned, madame.
We have evidence that directly incriminates you.
However, if you agree to speak to the court, I could promise that no consequences would affect you, my dear.
Although, if you don’t, you’d be humiliated, banished, as for your nephew.
Monsieur, in memory of the friendship we held…
Don’t you worry.
I’m imagining some trial that would be so modest and discreet that your nephew would walk away with a sentence that I’m sure he would be able to cope with.
Like, for example, a few short months in a prison where he’d be taken care of rather well.
And comforted in the same measure as his stature.
At the same time, It would be established Isabelle, having married the Marquis de Merteuil, Isabelle would be found guilty of bigamy and thus her noble alliance was a deception.
And thus forfeits her title as Marquise and all of her wealth.
[laughing]
How can we possibly rejoice that this poor Marquis de Merteuil can’t be a part any more of this decadence?
You demand my desertion of my nephew and my dear friend.
I’ve asked for nothing.
What we propose here is…
Sacrifice the prestige of your precious friend.
A woman whom… just a few months ago, you didn’t even know.
For your shared purpose.
To save your situation.
And the life of your poor nephew.
[Ecuyer] Oh, it’s a very lovely dress to be sure. Very lovely indeed.
But I don’t know.
How does it look from behind?
Quite nice.
Yes.
[exhales] What is your horse called?
César.
Perfect.
My dear Cécile, you look ravishing.
Isabelle?
Madame Marquise sent me.
