Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s 1782 masterpiece, has been a source of fascination for centuries—for good reason. Its venomous, manipulative, backstabbing anti-heroes, the Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, were emblems of the excesses of the French aristocracy, in which corruption was commonplace and libertinage was doctrine.
A new French-language HBO Max drama inspired by the book, The Seduction, tackles the idea that these monsters were made, not born. As the French title, Merteuil, suggests, the plot focuses primarily on the backstory of our future marquise, here portrayed as an orphan named Isabelle who is raised in a convent before encountering the duplicitous Sébastian de Valmont. Under a fake name, Valmont (played by Vincent Lacoste) woos and marries Isabelle (Anamaria Vartolomei), as part of an elaborate ruse to get in her bed. When she wakes the next morning to find him gone, realizing that she has nowhere else to turn, she tracks down his aunt, Madame de Rosemonde (Diane Kruger). The aging demimondaine agrees to take her under her wing and set her up as a courtesan to the “Prince of Libertines,” the Comte de Gercourt.
Fans of Emily in Paris will have to recalibrate their expectations for heartthrob Lucas Bravo, who plays the slimy, cartoonishly villainous Gercourt. The Count quickly becomes Isabelle’s number one hater when she marries the Marquis de Merteuil and attempts to rebrand herself a second time, now as a member of high society. New to the wicked games of the French aristocracy, Isabelle is put to the test, reluctantly taking Valmont on as an ally against society’s greater evils.
‘The Seduction’ Rewrites History
The Seduction can be viewed as somewhat of a feminist reinterpretation of Dangerous Liaisons, as it shows the abuse and humiliation that Merteuil would have had to endure to reach her ultimate place at the heights of the French court. (Though not specified in the original source material, it is briefly referenced that the marquise came from humble beginnings, which can likely be interpreted as her having been a courtesan.) This lends a certain amount of justification to her cruelty and manipulative tactics. In this world, the show posits, men do what they can, and women do what they must.
This is a highly relevant commentary on the original story, in which Valmont is ultimately redeemed, while Merteuil is villainized and her reputation destroyed. Despite them both engaging in equal acts of cruelty (likely more, on Valmont’s side), his ability to eventually fall in love with the saintly Madame de Tourvel—and thus make himself vulnerable—earns him forgiveness. Merteuil, we are meant to understand, does not have the same privilege of vulnerability; the only way that she has been able to survive in this world as a woman is by making herself impenetrable. Unlike Valmont, who is a rich, titled man, she does not get second chances. She can’t afford to let her guard down for a moment, or she will be trampled.
The Seduction ultimately succeeds in making this point, offering a satisfying (if not necessarily happy) alternative ending to Valmont and Merteuil’s tragedy. However, the road to get there is undeniably bumpy. Though billed as a prequel to Dangerous Liaisons, many of the original characters and plotlines find their way into this retelling, leaving the impression that its creators ran out of imagination partway through. It winds up being half-adaptation, half-original, a big budget piece of fanfiction.
The part of the story that feels truest to the original, without being a direct copy, is the mutual obsession that Valmont and Merteuil have with one another. While Laclos’s characters were jaded former lovers, sometimes friends, and perpetual rivals, these younger versions are still raw and in love with one another—though neither of them would ever admit it. Merteuil takes on some of the characteristics of Madame de Tourvel, in that Valmont initially derides her before falling hard when he realizes that he can’t have her. (It is for this reason that the appearance of a version of Tourvel in this show is infuriating, pulling focus from the Valmont-Merteuil relationship.) A match made in hell, you can’t help but hope they find a way to break through the walls they’ve put up to shield themselves, even as you understand why that’s a risk Merteuil can never take.
While I think the show has something to say, the execution left me wanting more, and I wish the creators had trusted themselves to push further past the original source material. It’s certainly an improvement on Starz’s 2022 Dangerous Liaisons prequel, but at least that version gave us a few new characters to work with.
At the end of the day, you could just watch Cruel Intentions instead. But if you want to watch a lushly designed and costumed show with a lot of heaving bosoms and poetic dialogue, it’s not a complete waste of time.
The Seduction premieres on HBO Max on Friday, November 14, 2025.
Catherine Rickman is a writer, professional Francophile, and host of the Expat Horror Stories podcast. She is currently somewhere in Brooklyn with a fork in one hand and a pen in the other, and you can follow her adventures on Instagram @catrickman.
