Reign, “Drawn and Quartered,” was written by Wendy Riss Gatsiounis and Drew Lindo and directed by Fred Gerber. Gerber also directed the previous episode and Gatsiounis and Lindo will be familiar from the many episodes they penned last year – both as a team and solo. Perhaps the highlight of this episode was getting to see Francis (Toby Regbo) and Mary (Adelaide Kane) work together as King and Queen. The focus of the episode is on the result of both Mary and Francis’ rash acts – Mary’s condemning Eduard (Kjartan Hewitt) to death in anger and Lola’s baby.
Mary begins the episode by asking Francis not to publicly acknowledge the baby – which makes good sense in light of maintaining the stability of the crown – at least until Mary can provide a legitimate heir. The theme of family, especially children, runs through the episode as Narcisse (Craig Parker) demands an explanation for his son’s death and ultimately retribution. It is also Castleroy’s (Michael Therriault) daughter who, even in death, drives a wedge between Castelroy and Greer (Caitlin Stasey). Lola (Anna Popplewell) just wants to be with her child. She has no designs on either wealth or status at court. Popplewell does a wonderful job conveying her character’s simple joy in motherhood. I do like that Mary has quite normal and expected negative feelings about Francis having slept with her best friend and is jealous of Lola’s conceiving, but she rises above these feelings – as a Queen should.
Narcisse is determined to punish Mary, who as a Queen is “untouchable,” by killing Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland). Parker is terrific and a worthy adversary. He is fully aware of his power through the lands that he owns and the nobles that follow his lead. Mary promises Nostradamus that she will protect him. She also strongly suspects Eduard murdered the Volands for their lands. Conde (Sean Teale) confirms to Francis that Narcisse had murdered other nobles for their lands. It's a nice touch that Nostradamus says the same to Catherine about being untouchable later in the episode.
Greer makes even more of a mess of her situation by actually going to visit Leith (Jonathan Keltz) on her own after Castleroy confronts him. She tells him she now regrets that she ever loved him – though she hopes that she can move beyond that regret someday. For his own part, Leith wisely tell her to let it be when she tries to absolve him of any guilt over Yvette’s death. He sends Greer back to her fiancé.
When Greer returns to Castleroy, she wisely admits that she was with Leith. Castleroy has finally reached his limit, however, and he tells Greer that he has business that will take him away for some time. He also tells her that he needs to visit his younger children to break the news of Yvette’s death to them. Greer asks him if he will ever return, and he answers that he doesn’t know. I’ve really loved Therriault’s work on the show, and this season sees him move beyond a more comic relief role to a serious love interest. I’m rooting for him to come back and be Greer’s one true love – despite Nostradamus’ prediction!
We see that Francis takes action to become closer to Sebastian (Torrance Coombs), inviting him to be a member of his Privy Council. Sebastian’s first assignment is getting dirt on Narcisse. Bash talks to the Gravedigger (Ian Fisher) and learns that it’s pretty common practice during a plague to have people murdered and then bury them with the other plague victims – after all it would be suicide to dig them up to look for evidence! The Gravedigger tells Bash, “Same thing happens every plague. Justice suffers and dies with the rest of us.” Bash also encounters a mystery woman (Natalie Payne) at the graveyard who warns him that if spirits aren’t guided through the door to the other side, the dead will get to the living and there will be a reckoning. It seems we aren’t done with either the darkness or the supernatural element to the show. Of course, superstition was a part of life at the time. The highly visible zipper in the woman’s dress, however, was not…
Bash pleads for his friend Nostradamus for help with the restless spirits. Bash tells Francis that the spirits of the murdered souls want the truth revealed and revenge – he plants the seeds for Francis’ visit from Henry at the end of the episode. What will the explanation for this be? Does Francis have the same madness as his father? Is it simply a guilty conscience? Are we seeing the groundwork being laid for Francis’ eventual demise? Historically, Mary and Francis were not wed for long before his death after all. Laurie McCarthy has stated that that is likely one aspect of history they will definitely change because they like Regbo!
Catherine (Megan Follows) somewhat surprisingly encourages Francis to claim Lola’s baby as his own. She tells him that if he doesn’t there will always be a distance between himself and the child – as there was between Henry and Bash. Of course, early in the series Bash and Henry were actually quite close. Catherine also tells Francis that this child may be his only opportunity for fatherhood, even if the child can never be king. Catherine does seem sincere in wishing Francis to have that joy in his life. Say what you will, she does love her children. It’s another facet to Catherine that Follows plays so well.
Follows is also wonderful in the scene with Narcisse – I’m looking forward to these two working together more. It’s a nice touch when she asks for lemonade for him, but when it’s clear that he doesn’t come in friendship, she asks for whiskey. As always, Follows is most noteworthy when Catherine is being cold blooded. The scene with Nostradamus in the dungeon is one of the best with the two of them. Catherine essentially refuses to help Nostradamus because she feels he betrayed her when he helped Mary.
It’s almost pathetic when he asks her if she is going to share her plan with him – he’s clearly just expecting that their long relationship will mean something to her. She tells him he will publish his works and erect a statue to him in Paris. For his own part he curses her that her sins will come back to haunt her and intimates that Clarissa may still be alive. Frankly, I hope he’s just tormenting her. There’s a great shot of Catherine outwardly stalwart waiting for Nostradamus death and the camera gives a close up of her fingers which she’s picked bloody.
I’m definitely enjoying the show moving more in the direction of political maneuvering and intrigue over affairs of the heart. To be sure, Lola and Greer will be faced with having to replace or resolve their love affairs, but the other relationships seem stable, and I hope to see them remain so. I enjoyed watching Narcisse try to drive a wedge between Mary and Francis and solidify a place for himself at Francis’ side. I loved Conde showing up to speak for Nostradamus – asserting that he must be innocent simply because it is Narcisse accusing him of being guilty! Narcisse accuses Conde of being a secret Protestant – which historically, he actually turns out to be! However, Conde’s objections to money being funneled to Rome is well founded – and supported by the evidence that Mary and Lola uncover. I adore that the show really shows Mary and Francis taking an equal role in the investigation.
The scene between Francis, Narcisse, and Conde is great one. Regbo plays it perfectly as he remains very still and simply watches the two nobles fight it out. Conde seals his argument by telling Francis to trust no one except himself. He doesn’t try to further his own cause – and by so doing does a better job of winning the king to his side.
The drawing and quartering scene is well done – and quite horrific. It's nicely shot from both above and ground level. Francis and Mary work together beautifully. Francis makes a strong statement as King – telling Narcisse that he will manage his wife and Narcisse must manage the nobles. They also manage to have Nostradamus freed. Francis has rightly surmised that Narcisse will be appeased by land. It’s unfortunate that it ends up being Leith’s, of course, because that means he will likely find himself back at court, serving the King in other ways until such time as Francis can find him more land – making it more likely for he and Greer to be reunited.
I loved the final scene between Bash and Francis. Regbo and Coombs are doing a great job this season developing a serious bromance between these actual brothers. Bash asks to serve as King’s Deputy to enforce the laws of the realm. He kneels to receive his office, telling his brother that he is nothing until he makes him something.
The new King and Queen continue to try to learn from the mistakes of those that have come before them. Mary ends the episode by telling Francis to give the baby his name. She determines that she can’t push him away the way that Catherine pushed away Bash. She also has far too much empathy and compassion not to try to protect the weak. Kane is wonderful in this scene. She really continues to impress by even her body language in every scene – compare her carriage in any scene to those around her. I hope the show will continue to create drama from the ample material surrounding them at court rather than overused and contrived petty jealousies.
I'm sorry to see that Rossif Sutherland is unlikely to be in much of this season - but I was very happy that they didn't kill him off. What did you think of the episode? Do you think there will be a logical explanation for the supernatural elements we’re seeing as there has been in the past? Do you think that Narcisse will be appeased? Can we trust Conde? Do you think Clarissa is alive? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
