Reign “A Bride. A Box. A Body.” was written by the team of April Blair and Robert D Doty and was directed by Andy Mikita. The series begins to tie up some loose ends, but it’s hard to believe that they can really do justice to the rest of Mary’s (Adelaide Kane) story in only two remaining episodes. Fingers crossed that they are either planning for a movie or mini-series to wrap it up – or maybe they’ll wait a few years until everyone is older and come back and finish the story then!
The episode picks up where we left off last week. Mary gathers her troops to take back her castle and get revenge for Rizzio. She is determined to lead her army – pregnant or not! – but Bothwell (Adam Croasdell) convinces her that it’s too dangerous, and she does agree to keep a safe distance from any actual fighting.
Ruthven (John Ralston) doesn’t even realize that he’s lost both Darnley (Will Kemp) and Mary. Once he realizes that he has nothing to bargain with he gives up, but he refuses to give up Knox (Jonathan Goad). Mary finally tires of him and knocks the platform out from under him herself to hang him!
Eventually, after months have passed, Knox comes to Mary to try to get her to ease up on him. He points out that it’s been months and she still has no evidence against him. He warns her that he is not her biggest threat, Darnley is. He warns that Darnley is gathering the Privy Council against her. Mary looks worried.
Meanwhile, in France, Narcisse (Craig Parker) is planning a diplomatic mission to Scotland. He’s moving against Knox because the Protestant leader is causing religious turmoil in France too. I loved this scene between Catherine (Megan Follows) and Narcisse. It’s not the passion that Narcisse had with Lola, but there’s no denying the chemistry between these two exceptional actors. Catherine worries that Nicole (Ann Pirvu) won’t be as easy to manage with Narcisse away. Spain has chosen brides for Charles (Spencer Macpherson), so Catherine will be busy trying to get him to choose.
Mary tells Bothwell that they must find Darnley. She tells him that she wants to be free of her marriage and she wants to be with Bothwell. I have to admit that if I were Bothwell, I’d be fed up by now with Mary waffling back and forth between getting rid of Darnley and insisting she needs him.
Bothwell comes to Mary with Darnley who’s brought them one of the conspirators. Darnley swears he’s a new man because Mary’s words that Knox was using him really hit home. He tells her that he wants her to be happy and he just wants to know his child. Mary tells him to prove it by finding the other conspirators. When they are alone again, Bothwell tells Mary that he doesn’t trust him, and Mary says that Darnley will lead them to the others and they’ll arrest Darnley with the rest of them.
Narcisse arrives in Scotland and tells Mary that he plans to exact revenge on Knox for Lola’s death. Mary tells Narcisse that Knox will pay for Lola and his other crimes, but she won’t give her consent for his plan. She insists that justice can’t be seen as personal retribution. She reiterates that Knox will die, and she’ll enjoy watching him die.
Darnley is shown to be roping the conspirators in by telling them that Elizabeth is backing them to form a ready made government when she invades Scotland. It’s a ploy so that he can get them all together in one house – and then burn it to the ground! I like how his pyromania comes back into the plot! Bothwell is sure that Darnley did it because of his history of setting fires to get what he wants. Bothwell insists that Darnley is a threat to her and asks her what she wants him to do with Darnley. She won’t allow him to do more than throw him in the dungeon and question him.
Mary thinks that Knox has once again escaped justice, but in fact, Narcisse has him captive and is torturing him and exacting revenge on him. Knox insists that it was all Elizabeth’s doing, and Narcisse tells him that everyone will pay in their own way.
In England, Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) and the Archduke Ferdinand (Steve Byers) have been spending their days and nights together. Gideon (Ben Geurens) is due to return, having been sent on endless diplomatic missions, and Elizabeth insists that she can’t keep sending him away. She can’t banish him from Court because he’s invaluable due to his knowledge of France and Mary. The Archduke isn’t happy, but he says that if Gideon is nothing to her, he’s nothing to him.
Naturally, Elizabeth plans to pick up right where she left off with Gideon. He returns ill and angry at the pointless trips, but he understands that she needs the marriage. When Gideon tries to sneak into Elizabeth’s chambers that night, he finds the Archduke waiting for him. Gideon is finally ready to call it off with Elizabeth, telling her he can no longer tolerate her lies.
Jane (Megan Hutchings) is now Elizabeth’s firm confidante, and she brings Gideon to an abandoned chapel. He finds Elizabeth waiting for him, and she tells him that she wants him to be happy and that she told the Archduke that she won’t give Gideon up. The two bind themselves to each other is a touching ceremony only to have Gideon drop dead upon leaving the chapel. Narcisse has taken his revenge on Elizabeth.
I had a moment when I thought Jane might be in on it, that she’d been friends with Lola and was corresponding with Narcisse. But she pulls Elizabeth away from the body, comforting her that Gideon loved Elizabeth and wouldn’t want to see harm come to her. It was sad to lose Geurens who delivered an excellent farewell performance in the episode – but then, we are drawing to a close anyway.
In France, we learn a startling fact about Henry (Nick Slater) – he likes wearing women’s clothing – and jewelry! There is some historical evidence of this which also suggests that it was Catherine’s Flying Squad who introduced him to the practice. I’m disappointed we never really got to see much of the Flying Squad in recent seasons. There are also rumors that Henry was homosexual, but those are disputed.
Luc (Steve Lund) sees Nicole with Henry in the village and tells Catherine, who asks Luc and Claude (Rose Williams) to talk to Henry. Henry gives in quickly, saying he was about to call it off with Nicole anyway. Presumably, he’s gotten cold feet after she saw him playing with her earrings. However, Nicole proves to be a sweet girl at heart. She tells Henry that she doesn’t want to hurt Charles because he’s been kind to her, and she is completely non judgmental with Henry.
Henry goes to break it off with Nicole, but she doesn’t let him get that far. She says that it wasn’t the first time she’d seen him with her jewelry and has also seen corset marks on him. He defiantly tells her he likes wearing women’s clothing. She gives him her earrings as a sign of acceptance, and instead of calling it off, he declares that he loves her!
Charles (Spencer Macpherson) is meant to be choosing a wife from Spain, but he keeps turning down every woman the French Ambassador (Pierre Simpson) shows him. Claude has asked Luc to attend the party with her, and he thinks she may be willing to give them a chance. However, when he mentions it, she runs away. This prompts Luc to ask Charles to annul the marriage so that Claude can be happy and marry the man she loves. This appeal to Charles has unexpected consequences as he suddenly announces he’s ready to declare who his bride will be – and it’s Nicole!
In Scotland, Narcisse presents Mary with a box. Inside the box is the thing Knox most valued as a man. Mary is horrified as Narcisse has castrated Knox. Narcisse tells her that “Revenge is not meant to ease the pain, it’s meant to balance the scales.” Mary also realizes that Narcisse is behind Gideon’s death – of which she’s been informed. Narcisse tells her that Gideon didn’t deserve to die – and weren’t they friends!!!! – but everyone is going to feel his pain. Elizabeth now knows what it feels like to lose love.
Mary tells Bothwell that she can’t life in this cycle of bitterness and revenge, and against Bothwell’s recommendation, she sets Darnley free.
In the final scene, Lady Lennox (Nola Augustson) comes to visit her son. She finds him strangely happy. He tells her that he did burn down the house with all the conspirators in it – because Keira told him to do it! He’s clearly mad, and Lady Lennox is horrified.
With only two episodes to go, I’m both eager to find out what happens next – will Narcisse be brought to task for what he’s done? Will he find love somewhere else? Will he seek revenge against Catherine? What can be done about Darnley? How angry will Knox be? What is Nicole going to do? What are you hoping to see in the final two episodes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
