drunkalice

I want to quote so many of you guys but I have to get back to my books as soon as possible, even watching the episode was a transgression

The show really did everything in its power to shove Mideon down my throat until literally the very end. Unfortunately I still find them repulsive together. Glad he's off to England now and I'm lowkey hoping Elizabeth finds out what he's doing and executes him so I won't have to behold this terrible pairing again, but I'm starting to think Gideon will be the Rizzio figure and it'll be Darnley who kills him.

As for Lola, I wasn't particularly upset. Anna's acting was on point and frankly worthy of better shows, but the character managed to be unsufferable and preachy even in her last moments. Has lecturing a queen on how alone and pitiable she is ever worked well for anybody? I even thought she might have gotten away with her life if she had shout her mouth for one second. Plus her execution scene was so OTT, it did nothing to look believable in any way. So an angry armed guy can apparently hang around the queen and stab his way to the scaffold. Besides, it makes no sense that Narcisse of all people wouldn't figure out Lola was up to something when she gave him that teary goodbye and her son. I thought they were supposed to have a connection?
And what does this mean for him now, will he join Mary in her lost cause for revenge's sake? Because that would be boring af.

I don't know he wants to avenge his wife which makes me think he'd turn to Mary but I hope not?? but what did he expect Elizabeth would do, braid his wife's hair? It's hard to make a prediction. I sure hope he goes back to France.

But let's talk about Leith. Now that was something I shed tears for. To have him call Claude's name with his dying breath while she layed out her wedding dress?Where do I apply to unsee it? This couple was an actual ray on sunshine and a much needed one at that. We hardly expected them to end happily ever after because this is Reign and because they had a scene every four episodes, but even if we knew the clock was ticking as soon as Catherine gave her blessing it still hurt like a bitch. I'm not even sure what I want for Claude now, I don't know if she has the gravitas to carry storylines for herself. I kind of saw Cleith as one thing and now it's gone.

Catherine stole the show as usual. I understand her methods weren't delicate but this is a century with no Freud and no idea of PTSD: even if they wanted to express the concept, they wouldn't know there is one. And this is the same person who was raped and went on and told Mary to do the same; she's not coming from a place where she had it easy. She did try to comfort Charles but she also obviously reminded him that he carries responsibilities for a nation, but he refused to listen to her before proceeding to make the same mistake his siblings keep making: leave her powerless. Why and how did that make sense for him? When will they learn that they'll have it much worse without her? Irregardless of her own lust for power, she's working for all of them. Repeat with me, boys: YOU DO NOT CORNER CATHERINE. It's always going to be too late for you when you realize that.

Speaking of great queens, even with the terrible writing she gets Elizabeth continues to be better than everyone around her. Of course she kicked off Robert, he proved a whiny and spineless idiot and marrying one of her relatives is adding insult to injury. She was even too good to him. I don't think it's over because it's never over with those two, but it's not going to make any of this any easier and I wish he hadn't married, he wasn't supposed to lose faith for a few decades yet.
Overall the show didn't make Elizabeth and Robert any favour. They were soulmates and they had it all apart from, you know, the ring on it. What an incredible waste, I won't forgive them easily.
Still, I emerge from this season on #teamElizabeth.

On to Bash. Or not. I have nothing to say about Bash, it was a ridiculous way to write off a character but hopefully Torrance is done with it for good (I do believe he'd guest star but please Torrance don't).

The Scottish department didn't particularly intrigue me and I suspect it won't until I get to see Bothwell. I also think Mary is in need of new LIW because no matter how hard I try I can't find myself supporting her, not as long as she keeps sleeping with annoying guys while Elizabeth is lectured and dragged left and right to prop her character. Show, nice try, but no thank you.
That said, James is eye candy enough to keep me interested and Knox, while a terrible person, is a good character.

This season was fine, the show sort of got back on track after the trainwreck that was season 2. I used to hope Laurie would get fired in dishonour, but if she keeps going like this and if she gets her **** together about Elizabeth I may forgive her for the Conde/rape/Kenna disaster. One day.

BryceLarkinFanForever

Children are suppose to be foolish, that's why they're children, the lack of sympathy for a traumatized child is rather alarming

Yes that time period isn't well versed in PTSD, and yes Catherine has her own traumatic past, but that doesn't mean the actions are okay, it isn't an excuse

If anything, the fact that she was stripped of her powers should have been a wake up call to her on how her words were sounding to a traumatized boy, she wanted him to listen to her didn't she? She told him that he's the King and should act like it, she made that very clear while slapping him - so there he is, doing what she said, to be a King, to act like a King - Catherine dug her own hole with her words then just like she is afterwards in bringing back Henry and saying those words to Charles

All she is doing is pushing him further and further away and teaching him a lesson that she should never be trusted to not plot against him, all she has done is to put more cracks into an already fragile psyche of a boy who now thinks he can't trust his own family

Charles is a foolish child, but that's what kids are foolish, what is Catherine's excuse

drunkalice

I'm sorry he's traumatized. But you don't get to hide from being king. It sucks, I know, but it comes with the package of being royals. You get to bathe and have a fireplace and people cook for you, then you need to show up. Catherine merely tried to put that into his head and he reacted in the worst way possible. He doesn't want his mother among his councellors? Fine. We'll see where it gets him.

De Medici Queen

THIS! I couldn't agree more with you Alice! It's not the time of FREUD and Charles is not a son of a kitchen boy or so ... he is the future King!

I don't understand how people can't see that Catherine is afraid too. She is afraid that with him becoming a weak King they will have more enemies and again she would have to fight them... she is not afraid for herself but she is afraid for her children too.. It would be easier and a different situation if they were just another family in France but they are the ruling family, targets and every mistake could cost them even their lifes. Mary had to learn it the hard way, Catherine too, Francis too... being a King doesn't mean only good thing will happen to you.. that's what Charles need to know and get over it.





BryceLarkinFanForever, yes, she wanted him to listen to her but we all know that this is not what she meant. I believe that she would gladly give the power over to him if he had the intelligence and right age to rule and be a fierce King who can take responsibility for the country and for his people.. but he can't. We know Charles can't do that... he just failed in this plan to go against her mother and got kidnapped... he is not ready! She knows that... and a King who is not ready to rule is dangerous for them ALL!

BryceLarkinFanForever

He reacted in the way a traumatized person would react, a way that the smart Catherine de Medici should have seen coming that hey her son didn't seem all too put together and maybe screaming at him go get over it isn't going to have him react in the best way

It's not as if Catherine somehow doesn't understand how people works to not even realize what she could drive her son to do something like this

And anyways, it's not as if we don't already know what will happen, Charles is going to decline mentally and physically and die because of all the stress that his mother will ignore and will benefit from eventually

That's where it's gonna get him, her scheming, him distrusting, more stress, and his death

But Catherine will get her wish, she'll get to put Henry on the throne and all will be right again

De Medici Queen

And Catherine de Medici was bringing him back into reality in the way she knows best... by trying to explain him how things really are... like she did with Mary in 2x09 (look at Mary now... fierce and badass taking over her country). Like she probably did herself after what happened to her in Florence and every time she was traumatized.

Reign is not sticking to history so it's now to see if that's how things will work out and if that will be the cause Charles will get mad and die.

Like I already mentioned.. I'm tired of her trying to justify herself in front of her kids and explain them why things HAVE to be done that way. Hope to see her in power again in S4.

drunkalice

But I doubt that's her point. For all her flaws Catherine is never going to want her children to fail or be dethroned. Of course she turned to Henry, he's her backup plan. She's merely reminding people that while they may have taken Charles from them she still has other sons who listen to her and these sons might be kings too. As long as she's safe, so are her children. She let Francis rule alone because she thought him safe, it just so happens that's not the case with Charles.

BryceLarkinFanForever

Personally I don't want her in power, I don't want people who say those things and hurt their children that way get power and just justify that it's because that's how things must be done, it's a flimsy way to excuse emotional manipulation - I'm tired of those kind of people maintaining control, fictional or real life

And given the way Mary's inevitable end will be, I hardly think that's the right example for the Medici school of ruling that Charles should follow

And no, I don't doubt that she doesn't want to see Charles fail, I don't doubt that it's not the point she wants to make, but that is the path she has pushed him toward by her words and her actions, and if she doesn't see that, then she's more naive than she should be given her experience

De Medici Queen

Oh I sooo want her to rule because who else should??? Charles Henry nope


As for Mary's end... we haven't seen that yet and Reign writers are making Mary a strong powerful badass queen in Scotland --- and she was nothing like that in rl. So the Medici school is working pretty well now for Mary. What will happen later.. we shall see.

Anyway..

I don't think Leith is dead... I mean.. Lola is dead 100% but Leith.. I kinda have that feeling that he is gonna show up maybe in 4.2 or so

drunkalice

To be fair, rl Mary's reign failed precisely because she didn't learn anything from Catherine. Don't let the show trick you into thinking she was some inspiring heroine. That idea was born and dead with Romanticism.

BryceLarkinFanForever

I'm not letting the show trick me into thinking she is some awesome heroine, even with the whole badass queen thing, even if her supposedly learning from Catherine, I find her plotting to be meh at best, relatively grandstanding and short term

I say dissolve the monarchy actually

De Medici Queen

I'm trying really hard to get my own picture of Mary as ReignMary not the Mary I've learned everything about at school or read. So we'll see. She is very strong so far. I do think she will die like in history but that a lot of things will be changed that will Mary still a strong clever Queen.

This show is not sticking with history... they are changing things more and more... not sure if I like it or not tbh

drunkalice

I think they're trying to work it out. There is something of rl Mary because she's so impulsive and emotional and constantly (although maybe unconsciously) looking for the support and comfort of some man, whereas Elizabeth is willing to make sacrifices. If you think of it just in this very episode Elizabeth referred to marriage as to something that would diminish her and Robert was so upset. Mary isn't like that. She's idealistic and she likes to tell herself she's doing the right thing whatever it is she's doing, but ultimately she makes pretty speeches and bad choices. I'd say it's not too far away from her rl counterpart. Where they can lose me is if they paint Elizabeth as the bitter spinster villain.

NotDoneAbusingYou

Wow too many posts happened since my last to specifically answer any of them, but in reference to Catherine and Charles, he may have PTSD but as it was said, they didn't exactly know about stuff like that back then, not to mention they really don't have time for Charles to heal. They have the world after them and him being messed up is going to get them all killed. Catherine was being nice to him until he said he had no responsibility to his family or country. PTSD or not that is messed up and deserved a slap in the face. She risked her life for him more than once and he wants to throw her and the rest of his family to the wolves because he simply doesn't want to be king.

De Medici Queen

^ true.


only Mary and Catherine are left now from the original cast in S1 I already miss the show... can't believe we have to wait this long