Reign - Recap: Never Give Up A Crown to Anybody

Considering that part of season one explored the notion that people don't actually know what their royals look like, I'm kind of surprised it took this long to get an episode in which the kingdom is accosted by impostors. So last week, Francis (Toby Regbo) pretended to be upset with Mary (Adelaide Kane) over her inability to bear him an heir. This week, Mary acts out by going on a trip with Catherine (Megan Follows), both of whom disembark from the castle under false pretenses: Mary claims she's going with Catherine for fresh air, but she actually plans on meeting with a fertility doctor; similarly, Catherine claims they're going to Beauvais for a diplomatic meeting of some sort, but she's actually going to a small French village to bathe in the adoration of the common folk. And so we continue with one of the overarching themes of the season so far, that deception doesn't simply extend from a royal to her enemies, but rather from one royal to another. And the deception and secrecy results in hardships for both Mary and Catherine, as their carriage is besieged by angry villagers, upset over what the crown is purported to have done to their farms. Mary and Catherine escape, wondering what they could possibly be so upset about, and it doesn't take long for the truth to come out...

Credit: The CW

Yes, we've got royal impostors, "royals" for whom secrecy and deception are far more paramount. A pair of actors named Jenny and Roger have taken to pretending to be Mary and Francis, collecting payments under the guise of the crown, and burning down the farms of anyone who can't pay. It's an interesting direction for the story to take, largely because it places Mary and Catherine in dangerous territory. This is the one situation where their royal standing is actually a detriment to their well-being, as opposed to an advantage. And with no immediate rescue coming, they have to rely on their wits to scrape by. That's what I loved about the story, actually. It allowed us to see the resourcefulness and ingenuity of both Mary and Catherine, who decide to play the role of lady's maids/actors in order to secure safe passage to a more friendly village. Megan Follows really indulges in the part, since her cover story to Jenny is that she once played the part of Catherine de Medici, adding an extra layer of irony on top of all this double-dealing. Her "seen it all" approach to every situation is great, as Follows has this look on her face when she's around Mary that just screams, "Let me handle this, will you?" It provides a nice contrast to Mary's more regal approach, since she actually adopts the formalities of a lady's maid in order to come across as someone who actually has spent time at court. And once her identity as Queen Mary is revealed, she is able to strike a balance between kindness and authority with Jenny that illustrates the difference between this fake queen and the real deal.

It all builds to a pretty solid conclusion, as Francis' guards find Mary and Catherine, but are revealed to be traitors under the employ of Queen Elizabeth Tudor of England. Mary and Catherine come up with a plan to kill Gifford, the captain of Francis' guard-turned-traitor, by providing Jenny with a knife and details on what to do once she gets up close. But, tragically, the plan backfires and Jenny gets killed in the process, leaving Mary to come up with a pretty genius solution: stab Gifford's horse. The reaction sends the horse kicking, which knocks Gifford off his feet and onto the ground, where he's trampled to death. And just like that, royal ingenuity wins the day. It's a great story because the women essentially solved their own problem. They weren't damsels in distress. They fought out of their situation through cleverness and resolve. And although this ultimately resulted in the death of the naive Jenny, it provides one of the more insightful lines of the episode. As Francis and his men come upon the scene, Catherine reaches down and takes her crown back from Jenny. When Catherine sees that Mary is slightly perturbed by this, she tells her daughter-in-law, "My dear, never give up a crown to anybody." In essence, while you might be able to fool commoners into thinking you're a queen, the difference is that a true queen owns her role and its responsibilities, and won't allow anyone to take it from her without a fight.

Credit: The CW

It's a useful theme to explore too, in that it contrasts with the ongoing rise of another royal pretender, of sorts. Narcisse (Craig Parker) is looking to accrue more and more power at court, but even aside from his plans to blackmail Francis, he's also looking to steal away the mother of his child. Yes, we have the continued seduction storyline, as Lola (Anna Popplewell) has tea with Narcisse, practices arching with Narcisse, and almost takes a bath in front of Narcisse. It'd be less creepy if it weren't obvious that Narcisse is simply playing a part. I continue to feel that this does more harm than good to Lola's character to have her potentially fall for someone so transparently evil, although Craig Parker is doing an outstanding job of at least making it somewhat plausible that someone might find this guy attractive. He can actually be a perfect gentleman when he's not being a raging jerk. I suppose the same could be said of Francis, who simply plays the part of a raging jerk to protect the ones he loves. That's what he did last week, after all. But unlike Narcisse, he's not as good at maintaining the facade. By the end of the episode, he breaks down and admits to Mary that everything he said last week was a lie. He doesn't resent her, and he plans to stay by her side for the rest of his life. And yet...he still can't tell her what's really wrong. He claims it's the pressures of being a king, but Mary doesn't seem entirely sold on the notion. Francis promises he'll fix what's wrong, all while Mary notes that continuing to shut her out like this, to continue in all this secrecy, is a form of betrayal. However, Mary insists she and Francis won't become like Catherine and Henry, which seems way easier said than done, considering how the responsibilities of being a royal taxes any relationship.

Credit: The CW

This marriage storyline is more interesting to me than similar storylines in other shows due, largely, to that aspect of royalty. It's hard to be in love when you need to love your kingdom first. "Three Queens" is another fine Reign, and one of the more focused episodes so far this season.