Reign, “The Plague,” was written by showrunner Laurie McCarthy and directed by Fred Gerber. Gerber last directed episode 13 of the first season. The action essentially picks up right where it left off last season as the castle receives news that the plague has broken out. One of the things that I really like about this show is its relatively fast pace as they don’t drag out the action – we immediately begin to see a body count. The episode also sets the tone for what promises to be an even more intriguing season. Mary (Adelaide Kane) is a very different woman from the girl season one introduced us to. This season promises to be full of political intrigue and what it really means to be a ruler.
Kane does an exemplary job of pulling off a regal demeanor and clearly demonstrates why she was cast as the lead. The scenes between Kane and Megan Follows (Queen Catherine) were simply magnificent. I’ve had my quibbles about the costuming and even the historical “fibs,” but their acting makes this a compelling show. It's hard to choose whether I like them working together, Catherine as mentor, or them at odds!
Francis (Tony Regbo) makes his way through the plague-infested countryside to Lola’s (Anna Popplewell) side. When he arrives, he finds both she and their baby boy are fine. He (wisely!) refuses to hold the baby, but vows to see Lola and the child safely back to court. Along their perilous route, they encounter two nobles. They are taken in by Louis (new regular Sean Teale) and his entourage. Presumably, this is Louis, Prince of Conde – though he’s billed as Prince of the Blood – and it’s interesting to take a look at the history of his family and how it fits in with the show’s storyline. Conde (in history) goes on to become a Huguenot (Protestant) leader and plot to kidnap Francis II and usurp the power of the de Guises.
In this episode, however, Conde appears to be a friend and urges Francis not to subject his son to Bash’s (Terrance Coombs) fate. For her part, Lola also wants more out of life than to be the mother of the King’s bastard. She doesn’t love Francis and wants a better life for both herself and her son. In the end, what seals their fate is when Francis is finally forced to pick up his son. Once he holds his own flesh and blood in his arms, Francis is unable to part with him. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do better by his son than Henry managed. It’s also an interesting contrast to Mary and Catherine to watch how even a noble woman like Lola is completely at the mercy of the whims of the men around her. Francis even tells her that the baby will be whatever or whoever he says the baby is.
Francis also meets Lord Narcisse (Craig Parker) on the road while Narcisse’s son (Lord Eduard (Kjartan Hewitt)) is causing problems at the court. Conde tells Francis that Narcisse is acquiring property at an alarming rate under suspicious circumstances. Narcisse reveals to Francis that Conde actually has a ship waiting to take him to safety away from the plague. Narcisse tells Francis that “A new king needs to know who his real friends are.” In the end, Conde isn’t escaping from the plague but sending his mistress to safety and he offers passage for Lola. The nobles are already vying for favor with the new king! So far, it would seem Conde is to be the good noble, and with famine already looming, Narcisse’s huge holdings of land will no doubt play a big role in upcoming episodes.
Mary tries to resist becoming the kind of Queen that Catherine is, yet at every turn, the harder she tries to spare one life, the more people die. Catherine tries to explain the necessity of sacrificing one person to feed many. Catherine also tries to explain where Mary’s power truly come from, telling her “a favor for a favor keeps you on the throne.” By resisting bowing to Eduard’s demand for one life, Mary inadvertently causes the deaths of the noble’s entire family – and then sentences Eduard to the same fate he’d proposed for his rival. She will no doubt have also sealed the fate of many who will now starve without the supplies from Eduard. And helped to secure his father as an enemy of the court as well. No doubt, Catherine will blame her and remind her of it, but will Francis hate her for it as Eduard prophesizes?
Leith’s (Jonathan Keltz) attempt to find happiness away from Greer (Celina Sinden) is doomed to failure as Yvette is caught up in Eduard’s plot and she dies with the family he poisoned. Greer tells Castleroy (Michael Therriault) about Leith’s pledge to gain status and happiness and worries that that’s his only interest in Yvette. She maintains that it’s over between her and Leith just as Leith swears to Yvette that he no longer wishes to be with Greer. However, as soon as Greer asks him not to, Leith abandons Yvette. Her death will no doubt have ramifications between Castleroy and Greer, and it’s likely that Leith’s guilt over her death will seal the end of his interest in Greer.
Bash and Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) both have close brushes with death. Pascal (Lucius Hoyos) succumbs to the plague as a direct result of Kenna not being able to protect him because she has no respect from the nobles due to her past as the King’s mistress. Bash has a vision of the young girl (Ella Ballentine) killed in Eduard’s plot. She warns of a reckoning. I have to admit that I was hoping that we’d move away from the more supernatural elements, but it seems like this will be a way to bring Bash back to his pagan roots.
The proximity of death affects all of the characters in different ways. We see more sides to Catherine. When Nostradamus returns with the possibility of Francis being dead, Catherine immediately turns her thoughts to solidifying the throne – and her place as regent to his younger brother. Mary is appalled. One of the biggest and most delightful surprises is that Nostradamus works with Mary to dupe Catherine into believing she is dying of the plague.
Catherine’s “deathbed” confession that she “didn’t want to be me either” is an interesting revelation – though not wholly unexpected. I wonder if we won’t see Mary continue to learn from Catherine and through necessity become more like her. We also see that Catherine doesn’t relish the lives she is forced to take in the name of ruling. I really liked that this scene really resonates with the scene in the finale when Catherine says goodbye to Henry. Catherine warns Mary about the excruciating pain that accompanies being a Queen unloved by your King. Interestingly, she reveals that she knows about Lola and the baby! She urges Mary not to become a guest in her own court.
I thought this was a great first episode. It sets us up for a number of interesting storylines going forward – both politically in the court and personally for the characters we’ve come to care about – or even love to hate. What did you think of the episode? Do you think Mary did the right thing in condemning Eduard to death in the name of justice? Will Francis regret bringing Lola and his son back to court? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
