This week on Reign: a new princess, the return of the creepy ghost girls, and Francis continuing to lie to Mary because that’s been working out so well for them. Also, Lord Narcisse has a thing about baths.
Where did Francis little brothers go?
This week on Reign, Princess Claude, Francis’ little sister who’s dressed like a freshman invited to senior prom, is back, and she employs the 10 Things I Hate About You method of getting stuff done. Claude’s return looks likes it’s going to cause more long-term drama than the plague, but her presence serves as a reminder that Francis’ little brothers have pretty much disappeared. You remember them from season one- cute kids, almost captured by the murderous Italian, sometimes thrown into Catherine’s justification for offing Mary (for my son, er, sons!) Are they in some kind of royal daycare outside of court? In boarding school? Chilling with their new nephew in the nursery?
Has “I’ll find this nanny?” ever sounded so menacing?
French court is getting a little better about telling the truth. Faced with an edict given to him by Lord Narcisse that would force all French citizens to publicly declare their faith (and not so the royalty could show how cool they are with the Protestants) Francis by-passes a still pissed off Mary (must keep her safe, blah blah blah) and confides in Bash. Bash, being the awesome big brother that he is, takes the news that his little-bro offed their father in stride, offering to track down the jouster and even the nanny to get Narcisse off Francis’ back. Elsewhere in the castle, Mary finds an injured Greer and demands answers (Mary went to the “you’ll feel better if you tell me, or else” school of therapy). Greer explains they were attacked by Catholics who heard about her husband’s Protestantism. Knowing her friend is in danger, Mary decides to step up her game as far as stopping Francis from signing the edict.
What is Kenna doing with all her free time?
With Mary off queening, Greer a newly wed with some serious marital complications, Lola trying to figure out her love life post baby (and I don’t think the 16th century women’s magazines were really covering that yet), Kenna is feeling a little left out. In between some good-natured whining to her husband, Kenna suggests she makes Claude her new bestie, though Bash makes it clear there is not going to be manicures and hair braiding sessions in their future.
Can the ghost kids be any creepier?
Catherine hands Francis an English spy cipher, explaining anyone found with it would instantly be convicted as a traitor and executed (cue a little lightbulb labeled Narcisee going off over Francis’ head). Looking after her son with a proud, my baby’s going to do something deceitful, look, Catherine is surprised by the sudden reappearance of the ghost girls, one of whom seriously needs some Ricola. As Catherine tries to figure out exactly why she’s being haunted, the little coughing kid hacks a rose pin into her hand and pins it on her sister. That particular moment of creepiness is interrupted by a maid coming to inform Catherine Claude is getting very biblical with a priest.
What is it about Lord Narcisse and baths?
Francis, who to his credit doesn’t directly play the “I make your baby a baron” card, asks Lola to be the one to plant the cipher on Lord Narcisse. When she stops by to make the drop, Lord Narcisse asks her to take a bath again (I almost hope we find out it’s not a sex thing, he’s just a germaphobe). While Narcisee gets the tub ready, Lola manages to stick the incriminating spy tool behind a picture frame. After the bath Narcisse invites Lola downstairs for a chat, maybe some wine, and a general discussion of Francis’ act of regicide. Pointing out that he was the one who was upfront with her, not Francis, Lola decides to tell Francis she wasn’t able to plant the cipher.
Is Conde crushing on his Queen?
A question pretty quickly answered: yes. Conde teams up with Mary to try to get a Protestant noble to stand up against the edict, and in between their scheming he gives her some pretty obvious adoring looks. And I don’t think it’s just his love of justice that gets him to risk life and limb when he steps up to Francis and claims to be a Protestant standing against the edict. With a few extra Protestant nobles to back him up, he convinces Francis to forget the edict, even if it means Narcisse will have his head. His one rule: Bash has to get Mary out of France before the royal heads start to roll. Unfortunately Narcisse has found out about Mary and Catherine’s plan to kill Henry (he was a really unpopular dude) and tells Francis they, along with his brothers and sons, will surely be killed if he doesn’t sign it. Also: Bash totally slept with his sister before she left court. Not really a question there, but important information.
Why Francis? Why?
In the continuing journey of Francis lying and messing everything up, when Mary comes to confront him about the edict, he makes some more stuff up. While before he was protecting her from the dangerous knowledge of his plot, now that Narcisse has blackmail about Mary’s own actions there’s literally no reason not to clue her in, but he’s on this lying train and he’s not getting off. The epic Frary fight ends with Francis angrily telling her to leave France (which I guess is the royal way of saying get out of my house).
Next week on Reign-things are not going well for the Protestants. Will Francis keep lying? Probably.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Je-q_ZnC8&w=560&h=315]
