Reign - Recap: Mashable
Recap and review of Reign - Episode 10 - Sacrifice:
While I often expect Reign to deliver examinations of sovereignty and what it means to be a ruler, I'm not sure I expected the series to offer an exploration of religion. But that's what "Sacrifice" does, in broad strokes. Of course, the theme itself doesn't really crystallize until the end of the episode, but I felt the episode was effective in exploring two themes that are often inextricably linked. So much of sovereignty is tied into religion, as hardly anything can be done without a dispensation from the Pope, yet even the rulers in the castle are not of uniform faith. Not entirely, anyway, as there remain secular divisions within the court that run every bit as deep as the differences in opinion between characters such as Mary (Adelaide Kane) and Catherine (Megan Follows). Bash (Torrance Coombs) can profess to Mary that he's a true Catholic; he can profess it until he's blue in the face. But paganism remains a very real part of his heritage, as much as the blood that is placing him in a position to ascend to the throne. "Sacrifice" is among my favorites of the season so far.
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So Bash is settling into his role as acting regent while King Henry (Alan Van Sprang) is away meeting with the Pope, and his day-to-day responsibilities involve meting out justice to capture peasants accused of crimes against the crown. Bash, with his generally warm disposition, seems particularly ill-suited to the task, but he has a naturally regal sensibility that makes him at least appear to be a fitting king in the making. However, this all changes when one of the peasants brought before him, a pregnant thief caught in the house of one of the villagers, is revealed to be Bash's cousin, Isobel (Amy Forsyth). The daughter of Bash's bastard uncle, who has been vilified as a traitor to the crown, Isobel grew up with Bash and viewed him as an older brother, and although it's been some time since they've seen each other, the fondness still remains. In fact, Bash is willing to risk his reputation to accompany Isobel to a midwife in the village, an act which Mary correctly surmises would start rumors and give Bash's detractors the ammo they need to call his potential reign into question, as all sorts of noblemen seem intent on bringing Bash down. Not the least of these enemies is Queen Catherine herself, who orders a hit on the would-be king by sending a woman with a poison blade to attack him.
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Of course, the attack doesn't work, thanks to the presence of Bash's new bodyguard, Alec (Daniel Fathers). It doesn't take long for Mary to surmise that Catherine was behind the attack, looking for a way to remove Bash from the equation so that Francis (Toby Regbo) could once again be heir to the throne of France. But even if the plan had succeeded, Francis is nowhere in evidence this week, presumably having gone on a nice vacation of sorts, in order to make use of the "freedom" now afforded him. While I missed Regbo this week, I didn't really feel the episode suffered for his absence, as Coombs and Kane were more than able to carry the dramatic weight of the episode. However, I did find it odd that we get no update on Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland), who was stabbed in the neck by Clarissa only to completely vanish from the narrative this week. Even an off-hand remark about him would have sufficed, as that was a pretty big cliffhanger from last week. And aside from the lack of resolution, the presence of Nostradamus could have really helped elucidate the theme of religion, and the differences between mysticism and faith. But really, that's my only big complaint, as the plot is among the more compelling of the season, despite largely being centered on a character whom we've only just met...
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Mary surmises that Isobel is due to go into labor at any moment, and so she teams up with Bash and Alec to whisk Isobel away from the castle to safety. However, their journey is fraught with peril, as they're trailed by a group of guards Catherine has paid off. And so the party must cut through the Blood Wood in order to avoid capture. This has the unfortunate effect of placing them in pagan territory, as the cult that harassed Mary and Bash earlier this season is an ever-present threat. The group erects a tent in order to allow Isobel to give birth, and it's here where things start to get a bit out of hand. As night falls, Mary discovers a pagan trinket left on their tent, and removes it. Bash admonishes her for doing so, since he left the trinket in order to keep the mysterious group away. Ultimately, Bash, Isobel, and Alec must partake in a weird, ritualistic chant to keep the pagans away, all while Isobel struggles to deliver her child. An animal is sacrificed outside the tent, mortifying Mary, who condemns Bash for his unorthodox faith. But Bash insists that this is not his religion, that he simply memorized chants as a child without knowing what they meant. In a telling comparison, he likens the chants to the Lord's Prayer, arguing that “Most pagans are just like us, Mary. They live and they pray and they struggle, exactly as we do. They just happen to see something different when they picture God.”
Credit: The CW
Mary and Bash are able to safely deliver the child, but tragically, they are unable to save Isobel, who bleeds out due to complications from childbirth. Bash promises that he'll see that Isobel's daughter is taken care of. In a touching visual, Mary looks on while Bash clutches the child as if it's their own, telling the baby girl that if she has a heart like her mother's, she'll add a lot of joy into this world. It's an achingly sweet moment that borders on saccharine, but it's beautiful all the same. Bash has the child delivered into the care of a villager he can trust, while he returns Isobel's body to the castle and covers up his role in her escape by claiming he'd killed her for fleeing capture. When Queen Catherine's henchman attempts to intimidate Bash by implying that Isobel was trash and he along with her, he gets in the man's face and threatens to have him tossed in the cell with Catherine. It all builds to the conclusion, in which Bash and Mary commit Isobel to the earth, and poignantly offer their blood as sacrifice. It's a pagan ritual, but Bash explains that it's a sign of respect for the earth that bore them, as we all inevitably return to the earth.
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Earlier in the episode, Mary had warned Bash about the enemies he would make as king, and how those enemies would attempt to exploit his weaknesses, such as his love for his family. She essentially offers him a free out, saying that it would be okay if he were to decide he didn't want to marry her and become king. But here, at Isobel's grave, Bash commits himself to Mary while casting aside partakes in the ritual as Bash admits that he's no Francis. “I’m not Francis. My duty will never be to some country, some land, some throne. If I’m married to you, you’ll be my family. I’ll be in it for you, only you,” Bash tells her. And, in a moment that's sure to set the hearts of "Mash" shippers thrilling, Mary responds to this pledge by kissing him. Before long, it's a full-on makeout session in the middle of the fields. I half-expected Francis to reappear out of nowhere just in time to see this kiss, because seeing his brother makeout with his love seems to be the poor lad's lot in life. The show is certainly doing a good job building a potent love triangle though, as I could easily see the case for both matches.
Credit: The CW
"Sacrifice" is mostly effective for its interwoven themes of religion, family, and sovereignty, and it works largely thanks to the strength of the writing. Although I have to add that this was an excellent showcase episode for Torrance Coombs, who's been underappreciated for far too long (he was pretty damn great on The Tudors). So I was glad to see him finally get an episode that allowed his character to take center stage. And he was hardly the only standout, as Megan Follows proves that a snarky Catherine is the best Catherine. Her angry retorts to Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) were great, as were her barbed exchanges with Lola (Anna Popplewell), who still hasn't forgiven the Queen for her role in Colin's death. All told, everything here worked for me. It wasn't the best episode of the season, but I feel "Sacrifice" came pretty close. Reign has found a comfortable rhythm and eased my concerns about the transition from the first half of the season into the second half. There's more than enough story of interest here to make the journey worthwhile.