Reign is a 2013-2014 TV series, broadcasting on the CW network, on Mary, Queen of Scots stay at the French court during the 1550s.
Adelaide Kane as Mary, Queen of Scots
Alan Van Sprang as King Henry II of France
Torrance Coombs as Sebastian "Basch"
Torrance Coombs as Sebastian "Basch"
Because Catherine's Medici relatives, Henry is unable to attain a divorce from the Pope. Instead, he intends to have his wife executed on the false grounds of adultery with Nostradamus. The prosecution is to be handled by Richard Delacroix, a man whom Catherine had banished many years ago for calling her an "Italian Horse". Catherine's best bet is to destroy Basch in order for Henry to turn to Francis as the heir.
Catherine discovers the existence of Isobel's baby; it is now a race between Mary and Catherine to see who destroys whom first. Henry offers Nostradamus a chance to save himself if he'd only admit to his affair with Catherine but he refuses. Henry once loved Catherine but felt scorned because he felt that she was only using him to produce heirs as they had not produced a single child in their first 10 years of marriage.
It is revealed that Catherine had an affair with Richard Delacroix and that a child was borne as a result of the affair (it had previously been revealed that the child was Clarissa). Catherine is able to find the baby but the pagan symbol on its foot is gone, leaving Catherine without a shred of evidence. It becomes public knowledge to Henry due to the testimony of one of Catherine's old ladies. Catherine decides to play her hand and reveal the truth about Basch's religion but Henry already knows about it.
Catherine attempts a murder-suicide with Mary but both are saved by Clarissa. Catherine is taken back to the tower to wait her execution.
I give this episode a 1.5/5. Holy Cow, did my historical inaccuracy sense go FLYING OFF THE WALL. Catherine was obsessively in love with King Henry II of France - creepily so. There is a 0% probability that she ever had an affair with ANYONE. But I digress, let's talk about the lack of logic in this episode. If Henry supposedly loved Catherine the 10 years before they had children, why didn't they have children earlier? Wouldn't it be easier to have relations with someone you love rather than someone you didn't? Also, if Catherine was in a precarious position because she couldn't produce a child and then she managed to produce a child, would that be a bad thing? She could have just passed it off as Henry's and then it would be said and done; it was a girl anyways so it wouldn't affect the succession. It would have at least proved that she could produce a child. They try to explain this by saying that Richard has a birthmark and so does Clarissa but I don't think birth marks are hereditary. As the show progresses, my dislike for Mary grows ever stronger and even though I am getting turned off Catherine as well, my dislike for Mary pushes me in Catherine's direction. I get a sadistic pleasure in listening to Mary talk about being the victor in the long run and knowing history like I do...but hey, this show is so historically inaccurate that anything could happen.
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