BWW Recap: REIGN Gets Gory in 'Drawn and Quartered'
By: Nicole Ackman Oct. 10, 2014
King Francis has returned to court and the nobles are restless. This episode of REIGN was jam-packed with seemingly endless plot lines from Leith's continuing misfortunes to Mary and Francis's differing ideas about how to deal with Narcisse. It was somehow more shockingly gory than normal with Nostradamus's drawing and quartering being stopped at the very last second and a live person being found amongst the deformed bodies of the plague victims.
Narcisse, Nostradamus, and Nobles, Oh My!
Narcisse returns to play a bigger role in this episode when he arrives at the castle to find out how his son, Edward, died of the plague. When it becomes clear that his son was healthy when he was put into a cell with diseased commoners, Narcisse blames Nostradamus and tells Francis that Nostradamus must be killed or the nobles will rebel. Uh oh, Mary, I bet you didn't see this one coming!
Eventually, Mary and Francis are able to come up with a clever plan to stop Narcisse by forging letters to the Vatican with knowledge of his shady past. But Francis has to betray a friend to save Nostradamus's life. At least it looks like Francis and Mary have solved their problems and #Frary is back on track.
As Mary and Francis fight over whether or not they should give the nobles what they want, one thing becomes clear. Just as the characters spent much of last season trying to satisfy the pagans, they'll be spending this one trying to satisfy the nobles, who aren't too pleased with King Francis and Queen Mary. And honestly, why would they be? No one like a king who abandons his castle to battle an epidemic by themselves.
It's rare for a show to keep the audience convinced that a character is going to die until the moment they're spared and REIGN certainly achieved this tonight. I actually thought that we were going to lose Nostradamus and I'm certainly glad we didn't. Partially just because I was afraid to actually see someone drawn and quartered. #nothankyou
The Love Triangle Continues
Poor Leith. Castleroy and Greer ride out to Leith's lands to confront him over the death of Yvette. Not only does Castleroy accuse Leith of choosing Yvette just to get back at Greer and accuse Leith of being the cause of Yvette's death, he also punches him. "Stay away from my family or I will destroy you," he warns.
Not that Leith wants to be anywhere near Castleroy's family. When Greer comes to him to apologize, he tells her not to come back. Is this the end of #Greith? (I doubt it.) When Castleroy discovers that Greer went to her former lover, he leaves on business and to visit his other children. (How many kids is Lord Peppercorn hiding?) He refuses to say how long he'll be gone and it looks like it might be indefinite. Greer started out with two men and seems to have lost them both. #oops
Meanwhile, Leith just can't catch a break. When Narcisse asked for lands in exchange for Nostradamus's life, it seems the lands he wanted were Leith's. His rise to good fortune was fast, but nothing compared to his fall from it.
While it typically takes a backseat to bigger drama, I thought that the love triangle stood out in tonight's episode as something real amongst the madness. Many of the moments that were emotionally touching, rather than just shocking, came from our trio.
Baby Drama
Though Mary starts the episode by urging Francis not to claim Lola's baby as his child, a conversation with Lola changes her mind. Lola has no interest in being Francis's mistress and doesn't care about anything other than being with her son. At the end of the episode, Mary urges Francis to claim the baby as his own and vows to welcome him with open arms because she doesn't want them to be like Catherine and Bash. At least someone at this court knows how to learn from past mistakes.
Mary isn't the only one urging a formal recognition of the baby however. As they visit Henry's grave, Catherine tells Francis that he ought to claim the child, as he doesn't know if he will have another. She says, "He will never be King, but he might be your only chance at being a father and I can promise you that raising him will be the singular joy of your life." What a surprisingly touching moment between mother and son.
Meanwhile, the Reckoning looms in the distance. Though Sebastian does have a strange encounter with a peasant lady who warns that the door between the living and the dead has been destroyed by the plague, it doesn't just pertain to him anymore. In the closing moments of the episode, Francis comes face to face with his father's ghost in the form of a servant woman who demands while in a trance, "Don't you recognize your own father, usurper?" Watch out, Hamlet, it looks like Daddy has something to tell you.
Catherine wins the best line of the episode with her zinger: "One chamber for husband and wife. Good luck to both of you with that."
How will Conde's semi-Protestant beliefs influence his friendship with Francis? Are we about to see the return of Clarissa, who wasn't as dead as we thought? How will Bash and Kenna's lives change now that Francis has given Bash the title of the King's Deputy?
Maybe we'll get answers to these questions in next week's episode of REIGN. In any case, we'll get to see Francis and Mary officially crowned King and Queen of France. And the trailer for next week's episode certainly confirmed one thing: never steal bread in France. #24601
Check out this video about Mary and Francis's challenges as a new king and queen:
What did you think of this week's episode? What are you hoping next week will bring? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @nicoleackman16.
Check out a sneak peek for next week's episode titled 'Coronation':
Photo Credit: REIGN's Official Facebook Page
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