Reign, “The Lamb and the Slaughter” was written by the team of Laurie McCarthy and Adele Lim and directed by Sudz Sutherland. This was the episode we’d been waiting for and it began in joy and ended in qualified sorrow. Both Adelaide Kane (Mary) and Toby Regbo (Francis) deliver wonderful performances. Given the importance of the storylines, I’m not surprised to see exec producer McCarthy’s name. Sutherland should be familiar from season one, but Lim is new to the team and has also written for Star-Crossed, Private Practice, Life Unexpected, and Life on Mars among others.
As the episode begins, the court is getting ready to baptize Francis and Lola’s (Anna Popplewell) baby. Catherine (Megan Follows) is not pleased because Lola will not make her the baby’s godmother. In true Catherine fashion, she has taken over all the preparations for the baptism and celebrations. Lola continues to be wary of Mary’s understanding even though Mary says that she could never resent a baby. Eventually, of course, Mary does give in to her anger and sends Lola away. Their estrangement doesn’t last long, and soon Mary is asking Lola to stay and Lola asks Mary to be godmother. In point of fact, the disagreement between them seemed like unnecessary drama.
Of course, Mary has her own good news to share with Francis. I loved how she told him she was expecting and the obvious joy of both characters. Catherine, of course, was closely monitoring the situation and likely knew even before Mary! The scene in which she bursts into their bed chamber with gifts and advice was hysterical – as was Francis’ discomfiture! While I love Follows doing comedy, I hope the show never relegates her to that role only. It seems unlikely that Catherine will ever cease to be politically active, but I’d hate to lose her as an adversary for Mary too. Actually, I’d love to see the two Queens united (something spoilers promise we may see in the very near future!).
It would seem far too soon for Mary to give Francis an heir and settle that question, so it seemed inevitable that she would lose this baby. One thing you have to give the writers credit for is moving plots along at a quick pace. Pregnancies are most vulnerable early, so it’s not surprising that she lose the baby at this early stage. I had to love Mary more for soldiering on and not allowing the baby’s baptism to be overshadowed by her own tragedy. I do have to wonder at whether Francis will be upset that Mary turned to Conde (Sean Teale) and allowed him to help and keep her secret. Could there be something brewing between these two?
Francis’ final gesture is beautiful as he arranges for thousands of fireflies. The scene itself is beautifully shot. In addition, it is structurally a wonderful parallel to Mary’s announcement to Francis at the beginning of the episode. Mary emphasized how much the castle had meant to their childhood, and Francis does the same. But he tells her that he cherished the waiting with her as much as anything, and that their baby will be sweeter for the waiting now. Both sentiment, gesture, and cinematography make the scene as romantic as anyone could want.
Greer (Celina Sinden) meanwhile decides that she can’t make a life on passion alone. She needs certainty in her life. I actually wondered after Conde danced with her whether that might be a new pairing or whether her dance with Leith (Jonathan Keltz) might sway her. However, I was happily surprised to see her turn up at Castleroy’s (Michael Therriault). I’ve had a fondness for this pairing, but when Therriault wasn’t made a regular and Keltz was, I thought we might have seen the last of Therriault. Their meeting gets off to an inauspicious start as Castleroy declares that he will no longer put her ahead of his own happiness. But Greer then surprised me by being fully committed to the relationship. She has finally seen his worth and suggests they discover exactly what is between them. I just loved this scene!
One of the themes of this episode really is that not everything is as it seems. When Narcisse (Craig Parker) shows up with Estelle (Camille Stopps) as his new bride and under heavy guard, everyone, and especially Lola, assumes the worst. He must have coerced her and murdered his first wives! Estelle’s hidden note “Help me” certainly don’t help Narcisse. Lola “rescues” Estelle only to free Estelle to commit suicide. Lola is disturbed by Estelle’s death but listens when Narcisse tells her that he’s not the soulless animal others make him out to be. This is quite a nice scene, showing us that there may be more facets to Narcisse’s character. Perhaps, he’s simply lacked the truly civilizing influence of a good woman! This could be quite an interesting pair. Imagine Narcisse helping to raise the son of the king – that would surely earn him the ear of the king…
The final storyline also touches on what is real. A shepherd is visited by emissaries of the darkness. Conde and Bash (Torrance Coombs) visit him and he seems shaken but otherwise alright. However, he ends up murdering his entire family and going mad. Is it truly the darkness revisiting, or is it something else? Bash is convinced that it’s the beginning of the reckoning. Francis also appoints Leith to help Bash as Francis has no additional lands to bestow upon him to replace those he was forced to give Narcisse.
I thought this was an excellent episode – with the manufactured drama aside. Hopefully we will see Mary carry a baby to term in the not too distant future. I’m hoping that Greer and Castleroy will discover their own passion and solidfy their relationship. What did you think of the episode? Should Narcisse and Lola become a couple? Are you more disposed to like Narcisse after his sad tale – or do you even believe him? Are you pulling for Greer and Castleroy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
