Reign – Review: “Bruises that Lie” (3×10)
The winter finale of Reign wasn’t as strong as it’s previous episodes, but still enjoyable. Elizabeth has been the puppet master controlling Gideon’s every move in French court, making his actions in the series false to an extent, and it was satisfying to discover exactly what leverage she had over him. Despite this, I find Mary’s sympathy excessive. I hope this means she is hiding more cards up her sleeve as she should know by now not to be so trusting. Their cooperation this episode was mutually beneficial, but their trust in each other I find dangerous. Genuine or not, Mary is the Scottish Queen and Gideon a citizen of her enemy country, the outrage if her countrymen knew would not be well for Mary, especially whilst she still resides in a foreign country after her husband’s death.
Claude, as foreshadowed in the previous episode, is faced with danger, but her confrontation is, although a very serious issue, quite comical. Her fearless, unapologetic nature brings lighthearted youthfulness into a series very much about young lives faced with making adult decisions, so her storyline complements the main storyline well. Leith, again, brings a feeling of youthful hope and determination that makes Reign relatable to young people and I truly hope to see him rise even higher in station, he deserves it.
Also, young King Charles is back and his adoration of Narcisse is put to the test with new developments. Catherine is as ruthless as ever, and this episode proves she is not to be trusted, ever (I’ll admit, even I thought she was genuinely innocent this time).
Lola’s integration into English court is a good transition, making English Court feel more palpable instead of a far removed fictitious land on another show, it feels more Reign.
And as always, tragedy has to strike, and the unfortunate party this week was one of our lovely queens. A weekly tragedy this season has caused a roller-coaster of emotions every week, and it gets predictable quite fast what will occur.
What’s been unfortunate is seeing supporting characters be downgraded to minor characters, especially with such amazing plot lines to their names. Greir is one such character, with very progressive ideas and attitude to match, greatly developed from her original attitude and with intreguing struggles to face.
I say Reign should focus more on the plots of minor characters, which it develops so well, instead of forcing the focus onto a subplot/main plot that seems empty so far with Elizabeth. For this, and uncomfortably close scenes with Mary and the sneaky Gideon, I give the episode only 3 golden broaches out of 5.
