Reign - Recap: The Bachelorette
Recap and review of Reign - Episode 13 - The Consummation:
The key to a genuinely great love triangle is to make certain that both romantic pairings within that triangle are distinct and well-rounded in their own right. Mary (Adelaide Kane) has a unique relationship with Bash (Torrance Coombs) that is different from her equally profound connection with Francis (Toby Regbo). Without this level of commitment to both pairings, Reign wouldn't be able to sell us on the drama of Mary's choice. But "The Consummation" manages to provide some measure of suspense as to which brother Mary will choose, as the show has gone out of its way to give each pairing its own distinctive characterization: Mary and Francis have a connection as defined by their headstrong personalities as it is by its emotional intensity; meanwhile, Mary and Bash have a relationship that is centralized by duty, but enlivened by a sort of reckless, rule-breaking passion that gives the pairing a certain intensity of its own. And yet, while Mary loves both men, there is a choice to be made. As Catherine (Megan Follows) explains to Mary, "I know you think you love them both, and while that may be true, I argue that you love one more." "The Consummation" is a tale of choice, and of sacrifice. And I would argue it's the most intense, compelling episode of Reign this season.
Credit: The CW
Mary and Bash decide to elope, and spirit away to a nearby village to seal the deal. Yet the matter is complicated by two occurrences: Not only does Francis suddenly return to court to plead for his mother's life, he learns from Catherine that the prophecy of his death might not be true. It all comes from a realization by Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland) that the prophecy referred to the death of Catherine's "first born," terms which were satisfied by the death of Clarissa. When bringing himself to the brink of death in order to force a vision, Nostradamus sees a happy future for Mary and Francis, in which they discuss their children while lying in bed together. It's enough to give hope to both Catherine and Francis, who stops the secret elopement and brawls with his brother in a snow-covered cemetery. This is merely one facet of a confrontation that's been a long time in coming. Sure, Mary is able to break up the fight before things get too bloody, but now she's faced with having to choose between the brothers -- and she's given a window of only a few hours, since the English Queen has suddenly died, and King Henry (Alan Van Sprang) demands she make her choice that very night. To make matters worse, Mary's mother, Mary of Guise (Amy Brenneman), has arrived. And she's up to some scheming of her own.
Credit: The CW
In fact, everyone is scheming. Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) looks to secure herself a noble husband by promising to be Henry's on-call mistress in exchange, while Catherine attempts to sway Mary's heart by producing what she claims is the letter from the Pope. The letter threatens to make Mary's choice for her: if Bash's legitimacy is verified, she must pick him; if not, she must pick Francis. But unlike the scheming of her mother, in which she had a messenger fake news of the Queen of England's death to force Mary to wed, Catherine's manipulation is simply intended to force Mary to recognize what's already in her heart. The letter is blank, and it essentially adds up to a clean slate for Mary, and all thanks to Catherine's relatively selfless approach, as she openly declares that she isn't trying to manipulate Mary for her own benefit (even going as far as to slash her own wrists to prove she's telling the truth, which is pretty much the most extreme version of a lie detector test in the history of ever). "Now you're free to go to the man you love," Catherine declares, and in the next scene, we have Mary solemnly break the news to Bash that they can't be together. Echoing Catherine's words, while she loves Bash, Mary tells him that she simply loves Francis more. And so it is that Mary and Francis are brought back together, with Mary tearfully declaring, "It's you. It's always been you."
Credit: The CW
The resulting wedding is a breathtakingly lovely setpiece sequence, set to Gabrielle Aplin's cover of the 1980s Frankie Goes to Hollywood tune, "The Power of Love" (embedded below for your enjoyment. Seriously, it's great). I pretty much audibly gasped when Mary appeared at the top of the aisle in her wedding gown, as Adelaide Kane is the kind of gorgeous where you wonder if she's even a real person that actually exists. It's a real credit to the costuming department, and the entire sequence itself, including the subsequent reception, is similarly a credit to the show's production design. It all plays like one lavish fairy tale that echoes the pilot, in which rose petals fell from the ceiling in a sumptuous moment of celebration. Yet the circumstances of the wedding involve breaks with family: Francis essentially banishes Bash by saying he has no intention of protecting him at court, should he choose to stay; meanwhile, Mary banishes her mother back to Scotland out of anger at her manipulation, ordering Mary of Guise to rule in her stead until she either fails or dies in the effort.
Credit: The CW
It's incredibly cold, but not nearly as cold as Henry forcing Bash to watch the consummation, in which Mary's ladies-in-waiting, guards, nobles, and other assorted dignitaries watch the newlyweds seal the deal. Henry intends to drill it into Bash's head that Mary belongs to his brother, so that he doesn't get any ideas about rising up in rebellion. And Francis is all too happy to oblige his father, continuing to ravish Mary even once it becomes clear Bash is watching. Of course, Lola (Anna Popplewell) is watching too, and she doesn't seem too thrilled about it. But she has other reasons for possible concern, since Kenna has deduced what Lola and Francis were up to last week. I'm still convinced that Lola ends up pregnant from the whole deal, to further drive a wedge between Francis and Mary's otherwise happy union. But then, it's not as if they need help in that department, as Nostradamus gets another vision...
As it turns out, Nostradamus sees the rest of his vision of Mary and Francis happily in bed together. However, we now see that this happiness is, itself, a goodbye. They're talking happily about their children, but it's only forced optimism, as Francis is dying from an illness that is ravaging his body. He slowly passes away, with Mary pleading with Francis not to go, and Nostradamus suddenly realizes he's made a terrible mistake. Worse, he recognizes that this also means Clarissa is likely still alive, a theory he confirms by rushing out to her grave site and finding a pair of bloody footprints leaving the scene. It's all wonderfully chilling, and deeply moving stuff, particularly the complete vision of Francis's death, as it's contrasted with the euphoric happiness of the newlywed glow. The realization also builds to a thrilling conclusion, as Bash is banished and escorted to the border by two armed guards...who then try to kill him. But on whose orders? Is it Francis? Henry? The restored, vindicated Catherine? The shoe is now on the other foot, as Bash is in exile and Francis stands to ascend to the throne. It's a classic reversal that builds on the character-focused drama at the center: it's not that Francis doesn't have cause to be a little darker, but his personality has added a bit of a sinister tint, while Bash has acquired a certain dogged determination to strike back against those who've wrong him. And caught in the middle is Mary, who's made her choice but seems ill-prepared to recognize the depths of its consequences, as she stands to lose both men she loves: Bash if he's successfully killed, and Francis if the prophecy is true.
Credit: The CW
"The Consummation" is the episode that is famously too hot for The CW, and will air uncensored online, yet I don't feel a more salacious depiction of the various sex scenes (the consummation, Kenna and Henry, and Nostradamus and some girl) would have improved the episode. This was already a stellar episode of Reign, and is as adult as anything The CW airs, even without tawdry sex scenes. It helps that the series features some of the more mature plotting and acting of any teen drama on TV. Megan Follows, in particular, has a stellar week, as do Torrance Coombs and Toby Regbo, who really imbue the sibling rivalry with an extra layer of resentment and anger. In many ways, their scenes make them appear more like the hotheaded King Henry than they've ever appeared before, and it's a welcome characterization.
Credit: The CW
Adelaide Kane is also far more than a pretty face, as she shows real monarchical fire in her scene banishing her mother. I'd also be remiss if I didn't single out Amy Brenneman, whom I hope returns in some fashion, since she has terrific back-and-forth with Follows. I might be giving the cast a tongue bath, but that's mostly because this was my favorite episode of the season. I genuinely feel like everything here worked, and that's exceedingly rare for a teen drama in its first season. Is Reign perfect? No. But it's slowly developing into the perfect mix of historical suggestion and melodramatic, primetime soap opera angst. It's an authentically addictive show, and that counts for a lot in an age of TV that privileges compulsive watchability.