Image via HBO
Published Feb 5, 2026, 12:04 PM EST
Amanda M. Castro is a Network TV writer at Collider and a New York–based journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, where she contributes as a Live Blog Editor, and The U.S. Sun, where she previously served as a Senior Consumer Reporter.
She specializes in network television coverage, delivering sharp, thoughtful analysis of long-running procedural hits and ambitious new dramas across broadcast TV. At Collider, Amanda explores character arcs, storytelling trends, and the cultural impact of network series that keep audiences tuning in week after week.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Amanda is bilingual and holds a degree in Communication, Film, and Media Studies from the University of New Haven.
Period dramas have never shied away from excess, but The Seduction understands that spectacle alone isn’t enough. The French-language HBO Max show, originally titled Merteuil, dives into the silk, scandal, and sexy themes involved while providing a deeper level of intrigue, which lies in the cost of acquiring power when women only have sex as a means of gaining wealth.
Written by Jean-Baptiste Delafon and directed by Jessica Palud, this six-part thriller functions as both a prequel and a loose reinterpretation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons). The Seduction asks a more provoking question than just retracing the original storyline: What kind of transformation will the Marquise de Merteuil go through before any of the infamous games begin?
What 'The Seduction' Is About
Image via: HBOIn the series, viewers follow the life of Isabelle Dassonville (Anamaria Vartolomei), a girl with no relatives, no wealth or status, and no protection in the French 1700s. Isabelle’s only hope for love and happiness comes from her secret marriage to a handsome young suitor. Unfortunately, she soon finds out that this marriage was an elaborate ruse — her suitor does not even exist. The man she thought to be her husband was the Vicomte de Valmont (Vincent Lacoste), and he only created this elaborate trick so that he could take Isabelle’s virginity.
Disgraced and facing life in a convent, Isabelle claws her way into the orbit of Valmont’s aunt, the formidable Madame de Rosemonde (Diane Kruger). From there, the story shifts from victimhood to strategy: Isabelle learns that Parisian high society operates on desire as leverage, reputation as theater, and survival demands reinvention. Her eventual marriage to the Comte de Merteuil grants her a title, but not safety; rather, a new battlefield. By the time Isabelle reemerges as the Marquise de Merteuil, she’s no longer reacting to betrayal and is instead planning revenge.
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Anamaria Vartolomei Commands the Screen
Image via HBO MaxThe Seduction is most effectively interpreted as an erotic thriller rather than a classic literary adaptation. Sex is not merely an accessory; it is the plot's driving force. Alliances are forged in bedrooms, grudges are settled through seduction, and an individual's social mobility depends on whom they desire and why, a focus that gives the series momentum. The stakes are personal, political, and often uncomfortable, especially as Isabelle begins to weaponize the very systems that once trapped her. The show doesn’t pretend this transformation is clean or empowering in every instance. Power gained through manipulation still corrodes, and The Seduction allows its heroine to become increasingly ruthless without softening the consequences.
At the heart of the story is Vartolomei, who carries the series through her performance from the very start of the series to its end. At first, she showcases Isabelle's journey, developing her character at a very slow pace and allowing feelings such as rage or intellect to build up before they take on another form of power. As the series progresses, she shows how to manipulate these feelings toward some of the men she encounters during the period depicted in the film.
Meanwhile, Kruger's Madame de Rosemonde feels that her place in society as an older woman is diminishing under society's obsession with youth. Both roles exemplify the dynamic of mentor/rival/self-portrait and how those relationships have shaped their understanding of aging, desire, and legacy. With that, Vincent Lacoste's Valmont is depicted more as a male version of a romantic antihero, but rather a male version of a cautionary tale — charming, self-important, and ultimately uncomfortable as he realizes that he will not be able to possess the woman he has chosen for himself.
Why 'The Seduction' Is Worth Watching
Image via: HBOVisually, The Seduction is lavish without feeling museum-stiff. The production leans into modern energy — bold music choices and kinetic pacing while still honoring its period setting. Palud’s direction keeps the story moving, even when the narrative circles familiar emotional territory.
The show isn’t without flaws, however. Its middle episodes occasionally stretch conflicts too thin, and not every supporting arc lands with equal weight. Still, the series benefits from its clear perspective. This isn’t Les Liaisons dangereuses retold beat for beat, nor does it aspire to replicate the bleak finality of earlier adaptations. Instead, it reframes Merteuil as a woman shaped by cruelty rather than born from it — a distinction that gives the story contemporary bite.
Among the myriad of prestige television shows, The Seduction is set apart by its absolute emotional commitment to its worldview. It offers viewers a sexually charged atmosphere filled with cynicism and uncomfortable situations — deliberately complicating simple character arcs by not allowing its heroine, as well as most other characters, to be perceived simply as good or evil.
If you appreciate multifaceted characters with morally ambiguous actions, enjoy watching people compete ruthlessly for power, and would like to see a television drama set in a bygone era that isn't dumbed down beyond repair, then The Seduction is well worth watching.
English (US) ·