After opening on a disconsolate Natasha and dollying out slowly away from her, we get a scene of Metivier (the subtitles name him and we never see his face nor get the scene of Nikolai Bolkonsky kicking him out, which would have happened in the last episode, if filmed) applying leeches to her. Unlike the book, which mainly focuses on the "poisonous" medicine, the modern focus is of course on the absurdity of the leeches. However, without getting the suicide attempt, this sickness has less of an effect, with only a short conversation between her parents showing her "spiritual" sickness. We go into her religious moments with a brief scene of her praying before we go to the War section, which opens with Napoleon crossing the border in the summer of 1812. The scale shots are really quite nice; I assume the soldiers are CGI in the overhead shots, but it gives off a large and powerful. Alexander appoints Boris to give Napoleon the message that no French soldier is to be on Russian soil (this is done in a room with a throne and no other decoration and we don't get the comical party scene). The music escalates as it transitions to Boris waiting in a tent, which is then transitioned into a slight wait before Napoleon comes in. Napoleon is much less ridiculous here, but not quite intimidating (whether that is intent or just the actor is unclear). There is a big deal made out of his ear pull. Rostov breaks the news of the French crossing the Nieman and we get introduced to the older Petya, who immediately wants to join the army (there is a comical scene where he is playing with a sword in the background, which comes off as trying to hard or being too much on the nose). Ilya decides it is best for him to join where he can just look the part. Andrei enters, confronts Bourienne and tells Marya (they do call her Masha) and says he will join the army. There is a conversation Nikolai Bolkonsky has, flirting with Bourienne, about trying to teach Marya algebra and geometry, how ladies are not meant to have higher education, and the people of God that Marya talks to (we never see them, so this there reference).
Andrei then censures his father over Bourienne and Nikolai Bolkonsky kicks him out, refuses to see him, and blames Marya. Marya and Andrei see each other off and Andrei makes his claim that forgiveness is a woman's virtue and that he wants to challenge Anatole. Natasha appears to be healed and her and Pierre have a conversation about her singing and how Pierre has done nothing with his life. His attempt to say that he loves Natasha but fails is played a little awkward and Dano's acting is not strong here, especially considering how it compares with his scene partner Lily James. He tells her straight out he thinks it is better not to see her so often. A confused Nikolai Bolkonsky sends Tikhon to the Governor of Smolensk and Marya realizes that the French are already there. We get a nice little scene of him realizing that he is mistaken and that he is losing his grip on things, but again, the series does not let him get ridiculous. Tikhon plays the Apatuitch role and walks the wrong way through the retreat and sees the already burning city (one suspects those scenes would have been expensive to film, so instead we get a person living outside the town burning a little shack). After angrily yelling at everyone and forcing Tikhon to put on his dress uniform, Nikolai Bolkonsky starts to ride his horse off and then falls off. Again, drama takes precedence over comedy in this scene. Andrei, after telling his soldiers he knows a place they can bathe, has a vision of innocent girls picking fruits while wandering alone. He goes to Bald Hills, realizes it is locked and that they are gone and we get a really nice wide shot that shows just how gigantic the place is. Despite, the first time we have seen Nikolai Rostov in what seems like forever, Nikolai, with the retreating soldiers, telling her that it would be better for her to go to Moscow rather than Bogucharovo, she goes there, prays and has a moment with her dying father. She tells Tikhon out loud that she prayed for her death but that he loved her. We get some arthouse-style shots of her outside weeping, with interesting editing and only the sound of wind (I'm really glad they didn't go with music there). After Bourienne makes a plea for them to stay for the French, Marya takes a strong stand and is told Dron and the peasants are waiting outside. She pleas with them to leave with her to Moscow, but they think the French will set them free. She is strong against them and appeals to authority. In these scenes she is very forceful and Nikolai does not really confront the peasants, instead the show cutting from them meeting to them leaving.
We go from there to Pavlovna and Vassily cynically discussing how rule would be under Napoleon. Bilibin tells Pavlovna straight out that Helene is "in a delicate condition and the child is not Bezukhov's". Helene, with her lover, claims that Pierre never consummated the marriage and that she wants to marry her lover. This brief couple of minutes are the only times we see any of these characters in the episode. Pierre plays a game of patience and discusses going to the war with Catiche and decides it is time to find out about war. Nikolai Rostov updates his family on his being in the reserves and his episode with Marya Bolkonsky, and there is a move-in to Sonya (who I don't think says a word in the episode) before she leaves the room. Nikolai has the conversation about the match with Princess Bolkonsky, but it is interrupted by cutting to Marya being called on by him.
Andrei goes back and sees a Kutuzov that seems even older than previously in the show, one of the few to have seemed to have aged other than Petya. His conversation is less emotional here and more anti-Napoleonic. He even claims, in a complete about face from the book, that he can't let the French get to Moscow and that he will stop them at Borodino. Pierre here is not leading a regiment, but getting bewildered looks, claims he is just seeing what is going on. He sees Kutuzov and some soldiers kneeling as the icons pass, gets off his horse and removes his hat. Dolokhov comes and begs for forgiveness and kisses him before running off before Pierre can say anything. Pierre finds Andrei, who wants him to go while he has a chance. Andrei is very brusk and then it cuts to them at night discussing the battle and how, again, Pierre should leave. Pierre speaks about Natasha, but Andrei reminds him that he promised to never speak of it. He talks about the girls picking the plums and tells the story of the old man in the forest that Natasha told him and the animal of Kuragin. He cuts off the conversation and says that it is time for sleep. Napoleon gives his bulletin, which is delivered, at least in part, by an officer with a pretty bad French accent. This is the end of the episode, with the actual Battle of Borodino, much like the book, being something that happens after a cliffhanger (and in the book, expository chapters about its meaning and the plans both sides had for it).
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