firewall

lemon tart

Thanks for the thread, Rachel.

sourburst

Thanks for creating this thread earlier for us

b4dark

TFTNT, I admit, that as nonsensical as it may be, little Dauphin in the battlefield is pretty hot.

ScarletCourt

TFTNT! Getting excited!

Iloverrary

TFTNT I'm so excited.

sourburst

He looks so cute in armour

lemon tart

Except Henry led men to battle in 7 and he's unable to now. So it's already been established that the monarch - or in this case his fill in & heir - lead men to battle on Reign. Also, it makes sense as it was established last episode that the Duc acts in his own interests. Francis was going with him to Scotland to look out for Mary's/Scotland's interests, he's going now to look out for his own/France's. It makes perfect story sense, I think.

b4dark

You have a point, but it was said that Henry and Bash have been doing this for years. It is still very nonsensical to me to have Francis, future King of France--whom hinted himself that he wasn't allow to do anything to take that kind of risk without some proper training and even worse have Catherine let her baby (she would kill for)go.

Surely there had to be a trained knight they could trust and could have sent in lieu of him; also there is also the risk of him being captured and held hostage.

Pretty much lazy writing for me. But hey what else is new here?

lemon tart

But he has had training. He's been shown sparring with both Henry & Bash and shooting arrows at target butts. That's combat training for this day and age. It shows he has skill with both a sword and with a bow. Which is what warfare involved till gunpowder was introduced from China.

It can even be interpreted from the actions in ep 3 & what Bash says in 18 that Francis is perhaps the more skilled swordsman while Bash is the more skilled rider. Bash seems to think he bested Francis because Francis's mind was elsewhere.

Also, Francis has strategic training, sense and instincts that are required of a field commander. Does Bash, we really don't know. We saw it first in ep 3 and it's been more apparent as we've shifted to politics in 16-18. Mary's rising was 17, these eps are about Francis's and his coming into his fullness before he becomes king. He has to take command at some point and it's not like Henry doesn't have other sons, nor the show isn't going to put Francis through death scares before he actually dies. Also, would the Duc listen to anyone who wasn't Francis? I doubt it. His loyalty is to his own ambition, not Francis or France. Francis is going to look after the interests of France and France alone.

Idk, this just seems logical to me. Francis's stories are related to the political storylines of the show - of which this is one. Bash's tend to relate to pagans/the Darkness - which this isn't. Only reason Francis crossed into that sl in 16 was because Bash framed it as a menace to Francis's people and his duty to protect them. I'm sure given the mention in last episode that he'd been out in the woods for a couple of weeks it's going to be picked back up as we reach the climax of the season.

Iloverrary

I totally agree with your post and it makes sense for the writers to go there.

ScarletCourt

In War, there are many different roles. I see Henry's and Francis's strength to be strategy, leadership and melee combat. Bash reads to me as someone who does scouting in advance of the army with some knowledge of melee combat. Two completely different roles, but both required in a war. Hence I'm not surprised by Francis doing what he does in this episode.

firewall

This was a fantastic episode.

Loved that Mary was worried for Francis (everyone was worried for Francis ) But, he was doing just fine out there one his own. LORD, was it awesome to see him ride up on horseback, strip out of his Fleur de Lis banner and fight with his men. This episode truly shows what a great leader he is. We've always known that he is a wise strategist but this episode really hammered it home as his plan came together and the canon was blown to hell. Also, fire-arrow. DAMN.

But, best of all, was his consideration of Leith and his desire to reward him for his duty and courage. The speech he gave Leith to survive practically moved me to tears. And as he helped Leith to the medic, we see the men on the road to Calais, staying in line with history, that the Duc de Guise was the war hero, not the Dauphin of France. Well done, Reign:.

Mary, meanwhile, was embodying Catherine in every way this episode, and succeeded in outsmarting her which is a miracle in and of itself. It certainly speaks to the darkness in Mary when Francis isn't around to temper it. Not that I think she was wrong in sacrificing Hortenza, who clearly wasn't a great person and who would have murdered Beatrice, but it's a moral grey area.

Wasn't surprised to see Mary consult Bash about "killing innocent people to save yourself." It is an area he's familiar with. Interesting that he mentions the guy he killed in the woods, but no the man he threw off the cliff. Is the subtext there that he is still bothered by that killing? I just don't know.

In other news, Kennash are the cutest. They look like a real couple now, thoroughly. He makes the sweetest faces at her. I really, really liked them this episode, even though there wasn't a whole lot to see.

And Julien/Lola... slay me, why don't you?! I really fell for them in this episode, so I hope him being broke is where the secrets end. He did, however, mention that his family is bad news, so it's possible they will cause more trouble in the future. For now, he has himself to offer, and he really loves her. My heart.

Loved it all. (Except for Tahmoh's atrocious accent. ) Now I want more!

kostilicious

I loooved the episode...

I love Franics how he's handling battle.. and when he was trying to get Leith back to his feet

Mary.. she definitley learned from the best I'm not fond of her decision but on the other hand, she has to do the best for her country.. So I get why she did it

Julian and Lola.. they were very sweet.. and I loved that he returned to her..
I guess Lola will lose the baby soon, snce she already has cramps..

I was surprised so many months already went by and Greer still isn't married. I guess that's the sign for a big traingle somthing stuff at the end of the season

I loved Kennash.. they really are very sweet

BTW when that dorr in Mary's chambers was open, was I the only one who expected Clarissa??

Freckles87

I enjoyed the episode quite a lot.

I must admit I was so happy and curious to see Francis and Leith interact and they didn't diappoint me. I have so many feelings, and Francis' speech to convince him to fight was just amazing. It's pretty clear that he was thinking about Mary, how happy he is for marrying her and being her husband. And it's worth it for how long it lasts.

He was AMAZING at being the leader, he's gonna be a great King when times comes for him. And he saved the day

Mary and Catherine scenes, and their dynamic is always a pleasure to me. It's so interesting, they compete against each other but they end up on the same path for some reason. I think Mary has been facing so much hard stuff, and she's alone now, Francis is not even with her. She's a Queen, and even though she's young, and naive, and impatient, what was she supposed to do? Catherine's cousin wasn't that innocent, but anyway I think she needs to learn how to move without sacrificing. Time will make her learn.

Kennash are actually more and more closer to each other and I like that very much. It was good to see Kenna having concern for Lola. I don't know how to feel about Lola's storyline. I can't say I'm interested but Julien makes it interesting. I wanna trust him, but I've had the feeling he's not saying everything.