The Reign drought is over, for now. The final 8 episodes of season 3 are finally upon us, and while we may know that this is not the end of the series, (a season 4 has been confirmed by The CW already http://premieredate.tv/tv-series/2295-when-will-reign-season-4-begin-release-date.html) there is still much anticipation over the path the show will continue on.

As regent Catherine said in the beginning of this episode, now that the mourning time for Francis has passed, things must look brighter, and this episode did seem to shake off the nostalgia of Francis’ death at last. Even during the many references to Francis within the episode, they had a lighter impact; they recalled a nice memory without recalling the tragedy of the death. The break from the show did soothe some lingering sadness that was cast over the show after his death, I’ll admit.

The main arc surrounding this episode was the preparations for Charles’ coronation. Charles’ fluctuation between a well behaved young man and a trouble-making scoundrel makes him erratic, and I begin to doubt his capabilities as simply even a figure-head. But thankfully we received the well-behaved soon-to-be-crowned monarch this episode, who offered to break tradition and have Queen Mary walk in his coronation procession, to show France’s support for Scotland. Well if that doesn’t melt your heart like it did mine then I don’t know what will. Oh, that’s right, Mary putting aside the pain from remembering her recent coronation with Francis to reassure Charles and give him his brother’s handkerchief for strength. Mary is letting her inner mothering show, and I find it beautiful that her care brings a smile not only to  others, but to her as well.

On the topic of Mary’s mothering, Gideon’s daughter Agatha’s sudden introduction seemed like an obvious push to bring Gideon and Mary together once again. Gideon’s constant pursuit of a widow, who truly loved her husband, is unsettling, especially as she clearly keeps refusing him and he won’t quit. As I’ve said, I still don’t trust what he says at all, and his daughter proved that by seeming to just be a ploy in his game to capture Mary’s attention. First the mistaken identification of her as Agatha’s mother, then Agatha saying she wishes she was her mother, all too on the dot. I find it disgusting to trap Mary with her desire to mother, as she never had the chance to be a mother before, like she truly desired. By the looks of it, Mary adores the mothering she can give to others, whether it’s to Charles or to Agatha, and I simply hope Gideon isn’t exploiting these feelings for his own covert mission from Queen Elizabeth.

Mary has more pressing matters this episode, as matters aren’t looking well for her imminent return to Scotland. Mary’s solution to these problems will surely stir up more trouble between her and Queen Elizabeth, but as Mary so cooly told Gideon, she would not back down against England or any other threat to her country or rule. That is one fierce queen, and I love the strength all of these tribulations have brought Mary in shaping her as a capable ruler. But the introduction of a common enemy to both Scotland and England’s female rulers to possibly unify them is an exciting plot point that I hope is further explored. Maybe we’ll get the chance to see Mary and Elizabeth team up yet.

The scenes in England were still lack-luster for me, even the development of Lola as a possible confidant of Queen Elizabeth (now that her old advisor has been dismissed for “poisoning” his queen) evoked only a shoulder shrug from me. These scenes in England are starting to detract from the rest of the show as a whole, they are not entertaining and make Elizabeth seem like less of a threat to Mary, which is an underestimation by a long shot.

Making up for the detrimental scenes of English Court was Charles’ coronation, with Mary following in the procession, making it just spectacular. Regent Catherine is facing struggles in her rule already, but I’m hopeful that her strong nature will assure she does what is right for her country. I give this episode 3.5 long train dresses out of 5.