Why I Love 'Reign' - A Recap and Analysis

Credit: The CW

It's Occasionally Hokey, It Knows It, and It Doesn't Care

There's a lot to be said for how much better a soap opera can be when it knows it's a soap and doesn't bother trying to steer away from it. Reign can occasionally be a hokey show, with its supernatural elements and its immediate inclination to play fast-and-loose with history. But the show benefits with its wink-and-nod approach to its own subject matter. It's a show that knows it's silly a lot of the time, and it allows the audience to be in on the fun. Although the slow descent of King Henry (Alan Van Sprang) into madness is dramatically engrossing stuff, there's a kind of mad genius to the plan Catherine (Megan Follows) hatches with Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) in an attempt to facilitate his recovery, as well as oust Penelope (Kathryn Prescott). At Catherine's behest, Kenna teaches Penelope a special sex game to keep Henry's attention: the Standing Cross. She ties his arms to the bedposts and places him on an elevated platform to simulate Christ on the cross, while she ravages him with TV-14 sensuality.

However, Henry sees a Holy Cross on the wall and begins to feel pangs of guilt about his actions, and pleads with Penelope to let him down. Things get worse for Henry, as Catherine waltzes in with a cardinal sent by the Vatican, who is utterly shocked at the blasphemy he sees in front of him. Basically, the cardinal shocks Henry into deep remorse over his actions, while also prompting him to blame Penelope for his madness and descent into general hedonism. Catherine's plan works, and Kenna and Bash (Torrance Coombs) get an estate of their own in payment for Kenna's efforts. Sweet deal. I mean, it sucks for Henry, since he's still being plagued by visions of a young man holding a tennis racket, but when you're crazy in the 1500s, I don't imagine there's a whole lot that can be done for you. But hey, it makes for interesting TV for us, since Reign continues to indulge the excesses of its soap opera trappings. Henry's madness can be played in any variety of ways, from sinister (forcefully kissing Kenna on the mouth in open court) to silly (tossing away his crown because it's "itchy" or getting bound from head-to-toe because BDSM is his favorite). And that makes him a valuable wild card for the show to have in its arsenal. In fact, the only crazy thing this week I loved more than the Henry storyline was the glorious string quartet rendition of "Royals" that gets played at (yet another) ball. Seriously, so many parties you'd think the palace was named Mystic Falls.

In short, Reign is great at balancing its manifold absurdities with its more serious plot elements, and it's something that not a lot of shows are capable of doing, whether soap opera or high-minded drama. Which brings me to my next bullet point in the list of reasons I love this show...

Credit: The CW

Anyone Could Be the Lead

Alright, so maybe it's a stretch to say "anyone," especially since this is an ensemble show that isn't meant to be anchored by any one individual, not even the ostensible lead, Mary (Adelaide Kane), or co-lead Francis (Toby Regbo). But I feel there's a version of this show that can work with a variety of different characters plugged into that lead role, as the entire show fundamentally changes based on who's the focus at any given time. And I think each different, potential version of the show could be great.

If Bash were the lead, the show would be about the bastard of a mad king who must juggle a tenuous relationship with family and a blossoming affection for his brother's wife, all while negotiating the tumultuous politics of court life -- a place he doesn't belong because he isn't meant to.

If Kenna is the lead, the show becomes the story of a woman under constant threat from her ex-lover...who just happens to be one of the most powerful monarchs in the world. Meanwhile, if the show is about Greer (Celina Sinden), it's the tale of a highborn woman who must find a way to salvage her ruined reputation after a scandalous relationship with someone beneath her class -- someone who just could be the love of her life. If Catherine is the lead, it's a story similar to Kenna's, but with far greater stakes. If Catherine fails to keep Henry in line, she could lose her head, and see her children dispensed with just as easily.

If Lola (Anna Popplewell) is the lead, it suddenly becomes a show about a woman who is secretly carrying the child of a king, a secret that could destroy a marriage that carries with it an alliance between nations. And within that story is this week's peculiar tale, which seems to imply that Lola's new husband, Lord Julien (Giacomo Gianniotti), has a dark secret of his own that he's hidden away. Could it be that his first two wives didn't die in childbirth, but rather, through more nefarious means? It's hard to say, although he does seem awfully invested in getting Lola to advance her dowry to his account, despite supposedly being independently wealthy himself. Still, even with how sinister he's acting, he's pretty convincing at being the good guy when he wants to be. And for all we know, he is a good guy, but just misunderstood. It should be interesting to find out what secret Julien is hiding, and what effect it will have on Lola and the child she's about to have -- a child Julien has already shown a willingness to take responsibility for. Is he a decent guy, the devil incarnate, or something in between? Maybe Reign wouldn't be the best show if Lola were the lead, but I'd argue it would still be an interesting one.

Same goes for if the show were centered on Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland). Here's a guy who is not only chained to royal service by his Queen, who sees his gift for precognition as an invaluable tool, but who is also a prisoner to the visions themselves. No sooner does he embark on his relationship with Olivia (Yael Grobglas) than he receives a vision of her, dead as a doornail. He plans on leaving the palace with her and starting a new life, but Catherine refuses to let him go, so Nostradamus lies to her and says that he saw a vision of her, happy with someone else. Olivia sees through the lie, but can't convince the sightseer to change his mind. It's a bittersweet love story, and while I'm not sure it was ever the most compelling narrative, I think it could have benefited from being allowed to run a little bit longer than the two episodes it lasted. There's potential in Nostradamus as a bigger character than he is now, and I believe it'd be in the show's best interest to make better use of him. Supernatural silliness notwithstanding, there's a lot he could add to the palace intrigue, and there's genuine pathos to his plight as a man cursed by his visions and by his Queen's need of them.

So yes, I feel anyone could technically be the lead on this show. But if there are any leads at all, there are really only two, at the moment...

Credit: The CW

Mary and Francis and the Plight of Royals in Love

It can be hard for a romance to feel like it has any real stakes unless we're the ones involved in the romance ourselves. But Reign is in a unique position in that the love between Mary and Francis has stakes that could beyond their own personal happiness. Their marriage is a literal representation of an alliance between two nations. And while a lesser teen soap would have the lovers play fast-and-loose with this notion, Reign has Mary and Francis treat their plight with all the gravity it deserves, since the unique circumstances of their position is something they both recognize. Last week, Mary warned Francis that if it came down to picking between Scotland and France, she'd choose Scotland every time. Similarly, while having a brotherly sparring session with Bash, Francis reflects that being a good king can often mean being a lousy husband, and vice-versa. There's an acknowledgment that both have to put their respective countries first, but their affection for one another makes it difficult. Such is the case here, as Mary's half-brother, James, comes to visit with word that Scotland is under threat of attack from an insurgency that seeks to depose Mary's mother. James feels that if Mary returns to Scotland with him and reminds the people that they have a real Queen, a Scottish Queen, they might desist in their revolt. However, when Francis discovers James' footman paying a prostitute with English money, he decides to get to the bottom of the matter.

It's a bit galling how quickly Francis resorts to torturing the man to get the information he wants, but there's always been a certain darkness to Francis and Mary's relationship, with Francis bringing out a more wrathful side to his personality when Mary is threatened. It's some great character work from Toby Regbo, and it makes for an interesting story once Francis discovers that the footman was paid by the English to assassinate Mary on the ship back to Scotland. Naturally, it's a story Mary chooses not to believe, because she's been convinced by James that time is of the essence, and she has to get back to Scotland right this moment. Francis pleads with Mary to wait it out, to give him time to sort things out in France, at which point they'll leave for Scotland, safely on a French vessel, without the threat of a possible assassination. But Mary feels Scotland cannot wait. It needs its Queen, and she needs to show them she's fit to rule. This is at odds with Francis and his concern for Mary's well-being, and so he orders his guards to lock her away in the tower to prevent her from leaving. Being the Dauphin allows Francis to exercise his home advantage, and yet, in doing so, he's not trying to play king. He's trying to be a good husband. Yet Mary, absolutely livid at what Francis has done, makes a salient point about the nature of their relationship. "You love a girl,” she declares. “You don’t love a queen, or you would allow me to be one.” She explains to Francis that she and her country are one and the same, and that if he can't get that through his head, then he doesn't really know her at all. Furthermore, she declares that if Scotland falls in her absence, she'll never forgive him.

Francis, in a manner I'm sure he intended to sound understanding, but instead ends up sounding condescending, tells her he'll be back when she calms down. Mary shouts after him as the sound rings in his ears, as loud and as bold as the power he wields. An illusory sort of power that vanishes the minute you step on foreign soil. Hell, just ask Mary what good being the Queen of Scots did her when the Dauphin told his guards to lock her away. But the nature of this issue isn't really a matter of world politics. It's a case of simple jealousy. In some respects, Francis can't handle that Mary chooses Scotland over him, that in choosing which title means more to her, she goes with "Queen of Scots" over "Francis's Wife". And yet, even though you could say he's being rash, I don't think Francis is wrong for doing what he did. If anything, Mary was being more rash than Francis was. She was all packed and ready to race off to Scotland without telling her husband (as evidenced by the instructions she tells her maids to relay to Francis about all their luggage). Worse, she was doing it on the say-so of a man who would benefit greatly from her death. Sure, he's her half-brother, and he's openly told her about potential attempts on her life before.

Credit: The CW

But as Francis notes, it would be very easy for James to engineer an "accident" that would claim Mary's life and allow him to take the Scottish throne once they're on the ship and out on the open sea. And worse, Francis has actually gotten confirmation of a planned assassination attempt, with the sole motive of placing James on the Scottish throne (apparently, England wants to work with him, not Mary). I don't think Francis was being unreasonable to suggest Mary wait until they could leave for Scotland together, but then, I mostly feel this way because I don't think James made a convincing enough case for why Mary had to leave right that very minute, especially considering that the travel time involved wouldn't exactly mean they'd be there in Scotland all that quickly anyway. So the show establishes that both Mary and Francis are right (Mary, for wanting to protect her country; Francis, for wanting to protect his wife), yet they're both wrong (Mary, for ignoring a death threat; Francis, for not respecting his wife's authority). I'm not just yanking your chain when I say this is honestly one of the most compelling relationships on TV right now. And it's one of the biggest reasons Reign has become a show I love quite dearly. (Well, that and its awesome opening credits sequence. Couldn't have picked a better theme song than "Scotland" by The Lumineers)

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back to my usual Reign recapping duties next week! Until then, stay Royal.