BWW Preview: REIGNing in a New King and Queen

The last episode of REIGN's first season left us with a shocking death, a new set of monarchs, a baby in the process of being born, and a country about to be ravished by illness. After a cliffhanger ending, I have high expectations for the series when it returns on Thursday, October 2.

Tides are changing in France as Francis and Mary take the throne. In the last episode of Season One, Francis secretly killed mad King Henry with a jousting lance to the eye to prevent him from causing more destruction. Classic. Meanwhile, Sebastian finally overcame the Darkness, the mysterious pagan creature who had been killing characters all season, only to unlock the horrors of the plague. Servant boy Leith returned to court with money and titles, but Greer continued to reject him, leading him to seek solace in the arms of Lord Castleroy's daughter...Do I sense a love rhombus forming?

And who could forget the closing scene of Season One with Francis riding out of the castle to reunite with Lola for the birth of their child? Or even more shockingly, Mary ordering the castle gates to be closed so it could be quarantined against the plague, despite her husband leaving? Clearly, Mary is no longer the innocent lovesick girl that she was when we first saw her. Is Francis right about Mary's heart turning cold?

The Season Two trailer raises a lot of questions: Will Bash die of the plague? How will Francis deal with the guilt of killing his father? What is Catherine planning next (because we know by now that Catherine is always planning something)? Will Francis and Mary's relationship survive Lola's baby and court politics?

The CW Network website promises that the new season will be filled with murder, the plague, and ghosts. For now (or at least until guest stars are announced) we can only guess who might be returning to haunt the living. I'm certainly hoping it's Alan Van Sprang as the ghost of King Henry.

We do have a lot of exciting new cast members to look forward to this season. I'm personally very happy about Jonathan Keltz becoming a season regular, as it implies that the Leith and Greer storyline will continue to develop. Sean Teale will be joining the show in the mysterious role of Prince Conde. There's been little word on what his character will be like, but he's certainly handsome. We will also meet Princess Claude, the mischievous sister of King Francis who will apparently cause trouble for her mother, played by Rose Williams.

As a history major myself, I'm always fascinated by the REIGN Writers' Twitter as they post photos of the timeline that they use. I noted that King Henry died in July of 1559, which would be the time of Season One's closing. However, Francis only lived until December of 1560, which suggests that Nostradamus's prophecy may come to fulfillment sooner than expected...

If you can't wait any longer to see the beautiful faces of Torrance Coombs (Sebastian) and Toby Rego (Francis), you can always check out the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that they did on set of the series. I think Toby's a bit more amused by it than Torrance. In any case, you'll hear from me again on October 2 when I'll continue asking the important questions about REIGN (like if Francis is ever going to get a haircut).

Photo Credit: REIGN's Official Facebook Page

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