Reign - Recap: The King or the Husband

I've occasionally gotten on the show's case in the past for not doing enough with the politics of the era, but "Blood For Blood" puts that concern at bay by crafting a fairly interesting story centered on the rising conflict between Catholics and Protestants. It all comes to a head when Catholics raid a Protestant church service and murder the nephew of Conde (Sean Teale). Demanding blood for blood, Conde forces Francis (Toby Regbo) to choose between punishing men of his country's faith, or allowing the murder of Protestants to go unpunished. For Francis, it's the choice between forging his own path as king, and being a hypocrite who rules in the exact same manner as his late father. And that's a really compelling conflict, since it gives us a window into the burdens taxing Francis, beyond just the loss of his child with Mary (Adelaide Kane) last week. However, the power of this storyline is somewhat undercut by taking the power away from Francis. Catholic supporter Narcisse (Craig Parker) catches Francis in the perfect blackmail scheme: turns out that Caroline (Jane Spidell), the nanny who was allegedly possessed by the ghost of the late King Henry, was just an actress in the employ of Lord Narcisse. Her goal? To get Francis to confess to murdering his father, which is exactly what he does. Narcisse learns the truth and, suddenly, he holds all the cards, since Francis can't afford to let rumors get out about the alleged regicide, lest the entire legitimacy of his rule come into question. In essence, it doesn't matter whether or not Narcisse has proof, he just needs to plant the idea in the heads of the king's subjects, and all Hell will break loose. And that means Mary's head will likely wind up on a pike as well. So Francis reluctantly gives in to Narcisse's demands to release the Catholic prisoners, a decision that creates ripple effects in his own marriage.

Credit: The CW

Mary doesn't understand why Francis would allow the Catholic men to go unpunished when, just hours earlier, they had been discussing the proper punishment for the men. Mary, who recalls Francis telling her at the coronation that they would rule as partners, can't fathom the thought processes that would lead her husband to this decision. She knows something is up, and Francis knows that she knows. So, in order to keep her safe, he allows her to think that the reason he's shutting her out of his decision-making process is because he's upset over her inability to give him an heir. It's one of those cruel "I'm treating you like garbage in order to protect you!" moments, and Toby Regbo does a tremendous job at depicting Francis as someone playing a role, but also showing that he's disgusted with himself for having to play it. And Adelaide Kane is just devastating, as Mary virtually falls to pieces upon hearing this from Francis', struggling to maintain a dignified posture as she leaves the room in tears. It's among the most powerful scenes of the episode, and the notion that he could cause this amount of damage between Mary and Francis makes Narcisse all the more loathsome. Narcisse really has been a shot in the arm for the narrative, since it's been a while since this show had a villain who inspires this level of disgust and hatred. In that respect, Parker is doing a great job portraying Narcisse as a man of great tact and precision who has virtually no redeeming qualities outside of those attributes.

Credit: The CW

Speaking of Narcisse, was there even the slightest chance he wasn't going to turn out to be the mystery hunter with the butterfly mark? Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) confiscates an erotic journal from two lady's maids who are getting it on during preparations for Greer's wedding. Kenna is titillated by the book, which I guess is the closest thing to Fifty Shades of Grey you're going to get in 1558. However, she's far more obsessed with ascertaining the identity of a mysterious, handsome lover who supposedly has a butterfly-shaped mark on his wrist. She feels she can set this man up with Lola (Anna Popplewell), who is in desperate need of someone to help her through her loneliness, since her reputation as the mother to the king's bastard has made her a bit of an outcast at court. Catherine (Megan Follows) briefly helps out with the search, and we even get a misdirect when it's implied that a kindly, handsome sailor might actually be the lover in question. But nope, it's Narcisse. And he makes his play for Lola, offering a standing invitation for tea. I really hope the show doesn't have Lola wind up being seduced by this guy, if only for the damage it'd do to her as a relatively sensible character. But this show appears in desperate need to have Narcisse in everyone's gumbo, so I could easily see it happening, even though Lola firmly rebuffs him this week. Regardless, I'm guessing we'll be getting a lot more soap-tastic drama, and I don't particularly have a problem with that, really.

Credit: The CW

But hey, it wasn't all doom and gloom this week! Greer (Celina Sinden) gets married to Lord Castleroy (Michael Therriault), and it's a lovely departure from the severity of this week's storyline. The production is understated but beautiful, with the heavenly accents of the aisle (cloudy backdrop with rays of sunshine) to the lovely way they styled Celina Sinden, who's downright stunning in her wedding gown. Greer and Castleroy have been a nice surprise this season, as it's become one of my favorite relationships on the show. And their marriage ropes back around to the sacrifice theme, as Greer must sacrifice her qualms about Castleroy's conversion to Protestantism in order to have the stability she seeks. That said, she notes that part of what attracts her to Castleroy is his refusal to compromise his beliefs, so maybe it's not as big of a sacrifice on her part as we're led to believe. At the very least, it's not as big as the sacrifices Francis must make to protect Mary, and to protect the legitimacy of his rule, and the stability of his kingdom. "Blood For Blood" is a great follow-up to last week's show, and adds to the momentum Reign is building for Season 2.