S02.E07: The Prince of the Blood

[PinkRibbons]

NOTE: Reign airs on Wednesdays in Canada, meaning that the episodes are very often viewed a day before they have aired in the US. Therefore please be aware that this thread will almost definitely have spoilers for those who wish to wait until Thursday night to view the new episode.

 

Quote

 

Princess Claude makes an unexpected visit home and exasperates her mother. Meanwhile, Narcisse uses threats to try to get Francis to betray his ethics; Mary and Condé become allies; Greer returns from her wedding tour early; and Kenna befriends the wrong person.

 

Trailer:

 

http://youtu.be/lzInQG-8alA

 

Producer's Preview:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8JlVDmjpk

[dirtypop90]

I am so done with Mary tbh. Poor Francis. Mary is a fool and has zero loyalty. She's as flighty as they come. I mean Conde admitted his family wanted her husband's crown tf? I do look forward to watching her precious Conde, who's been lying to her since the day they met, play her for the fool she is. Better yet, I wish she would hop on that boat to scotland because her dumb actions sure to come will lead to the Amboise conspiracy.

 

Loved Princess Claude. She added much needed spark to the show. Not surprised they're starting to dirty up Bash now that they've got his replacement in Conde. Although Bash is much more likeable than Conde. It's funny I actually like Bash more now that it's being hinted at that he had sex with his baby sister.

 

I don't enjoy Narcisse and Lola as much as I thought I would. Narc comes off way to creepy with this bath stuff.

 

The writing for this episode was just poor overall. 

Edited November 13, 2014 by dirtypop90

[brisbydog]

I on the other hand am shipping Narcisse and Lola like a 12 year old. I am ashamed.

 

What names did Catherine call her creepy dead twins? Because pretty sure not their actual names of Joanna and Victoria. I rewound a few times and thought I heard Henrietta. Why??

 

Has show erased Catherine's actual living daughter who should be at court (Margot) from the show? Cause the twins should be haunting the one who is actually there, shouldn't they?

 

Stupid me applying history logic. Will go back to leering at Bash's pretty eyes and laughing at Francis' stupid hair.

[marko988]

Hi, does anyone know if it aired tonight on canadian tv networks?

 

Because I can't find the episode anywhere, whilst in the last weeks it was online around 10/11 am (in my timezone, gmt+1 time)

 

Maybe it'll be out tomorrow, after it'll air on the cw...

Edited November 13, 2014 by marko988

[brisbydog]

Yup it aired at 8 like usual

[dirtypop90]

There's been a very noticeable decrease in interest in reign this season, so it doesn't surprise me it's taking longer and longer for links to come out. 

 

I on the other hand am shipping Narcisse and Lola like a 12 year old. I am ashamed.

 

They had phenomenal chemistry this episode I must admit.

Edited November 13, 2014 by dirtypop90

[PinkRibbons]

What names did Catherine call her creepy dead twins? Because pretty sure not their actual names of Joanna and Victoria. I rewound a few times and thought I heard Henrietta. Why??

 

Has show erased Catherine's actual living daughter who should be at court (Margot) from the show? Cause the twins should be haunting the one who is actually there, shouldn't they?

 

I don't think she called the twins anything. I rewound several times myself and Catherine mumbled a bit, but I think what she said was, "you're wrong, Henry had...". I'll need to see with closed captioning. They were my favorite part of the episode (cause called it! Woo!), though I wonder about that red flower. I know the story of Joanna and Victoria is gruesome and sad but this is one place where Catherine can be considered blameless, unless they somehow tweak history (which, of course they will, right?). Even Henry would be almost blameless as well, if it was he who ordered the physicians to save Catherine's life as opposed to the babies'. It was an awful decision to make but it was justified.

 

Speaking of names, ever since I heard they were bringing Claude in, and the direction they were going with her character, I've suspected Reign would pull a Tudors and merge the two sisters. The real Claude was Catherine's favorite, and Margot was a handful and a half. They might be waiting on introducing Margot (although considering the timeline of the show, they have little time left in French Court to do that) because she's so infamous, but I suspect strongly that the producers, again, pulled a Tudors and melded the two because "Margot" and "Mary" sound too alike, and so they decided to use Claude. Maybe. Goodness knows after the whole ladies-in-waiting naming idiocy they've proved they certainly think the audience won't put up with names repeating or sounding alike (they renamed Mary's uncle too, as I recall.)

 

I can't even with Mary, but I think Francis is starting to go too far in keeping the secret. As Narcisse points out, Mary was just as willing to kill Henry herself. I was  getting very pissed at the writers when they said that Caroline had died and Francis freaked because I thought "uh, now it's just Narcisse's word against Francis's, (well, and Montgomery's, but I bet it would be easily believed that Narcisse paid him to tell tales) this is actually a good thing", but they made up for it with Narcisse mentioning Mary and Catherine's plot. Of course, since as mentioned, he has brought up that Catherine and Mary are both dirty, Francis may as well just tell both of them. Catherine could destroy the man with one hand behind her back.

 

I don't know what to think about Lola. The Narcisse thing is still skirting the icky for me. I really like the idea but I'm not quite feeling it onscreen. LOVE how hard Lola slapped Narcisse though. I miss Greer, and was sorry to see that she only appeared long enough to be the face of The Coming Terror Upon the Innocent.

 

As for Bash and Claude, I would love if this show went on contrasting Mary/Francis with Bash/Kenna, showing the latter couple functioning despite all odds, while the "fated" couple falls apart over lack of communication. If Bash just fesses up I wouldn't put it past Kenna to go, "Welp, so we've both done some freaky things in the bedroom." And then turn her nose up at Claude.

Edited November 13, 2014 by PinkRibbons

[HunterHunted]

I do like that Mary's scheme when Conde inadvertently made it that much harder for Conde and his family to seize the throne now that they are out "Protestants." I don't think Mary or the show have figured that out yet.

Narcisse and Lola intrigue me and ick me out at the same time.

Incest! Reign bingo. Last season it was Kenna being an idiot, Mary being imperious, Catherine scheming, Nostradamus' visions, Henry being crazy, Clarissa skulking around the castle, and the darkness. This season it's plague fueled supernatural hijinks, Francis keeping secrets, Mary being imperious, Narcisse scheming, Catherine scheming, and now incest. Bingo!

[PinkRibbons]

I stand corrected, according to the official cw website closed-captioning, Catherine calls the girls "Emone" and "Henriette" (good ear, brisbydog!). Why in the hell those names are better than Joanna (or Joan, depending on the source) and Victoria escapes me entirely. Especially Henriette -- Catherine and Henry already have a son named Little Henry! So there goes my theory of the show changing names so that they aren't similar.

[scarynikki12]

I think the reason we haven't seen Margot yet is because she's still really young.  Claude was a legit teenager during this time but Margot wasn't even ten yet so there would be limitations as to her contributions to the over all story.  I would like to see her very much, as she was the sibling left standing, but a glimpse of her playing with young Henri and Charles every few episodes would be nice. 

 

I do agree, however, that a lot of Margot's personality is being applied to Claude but I don't think we're supposed to think Margot doesn't exist.  We're just going to get to know Claude and see her cause trouble for Catherine and Bash instead.  I do hope we get some loving scenes coming up with Catherine as she was her favorite daughter. 

 

I don't know why they changed the names of the twins but I also don't understand the names they came up with for the Four Marys either so I'll just sit over here and hope we get a reasonable explanation (ie, middle names maybe).

[Featherhat]

There's been a very noticeable decrease in interest in reign this season, so it doesn't surprise me it's taking longer and longer for links to come out.

 

 

I keep worrying this is going to cause a reflaring of the triangle. Reign reached its peak at the height of the Bash nonsense and now that its settled its ratings have tumbled. That might be why they have Conde running around as new!Bash as well. Or maybe the novelty is simply wearing off.

 

Yeah they seem to have applied Margot's personality onto Claude, but I agree it doesn't mean she doesn't exist per se, thought they might be doing a Marygaret again.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Featherhat

[brisbydog]

Claude was a club footed hunchback. Guess that would not work on this show! I also want to see Margot. Boring Condé is the uncle of her future first husband Henri IV I think. Honestly we should just skip to the next generation; Margot, Henri IV and even Henri III (flamboyant younger brother and much more interesting than Francis) would be great TV

 

I've given up on the names. I now accept crap like Lola and Greer into my weekly viewing. First episode it offended me, now 'it's just Reign!"

[dirtypop90]

 

I keep worrying this is going to cause a reflaring of the triangle. Reign reached its peak at the height of the Bash nonsense and now that its settled its ratings have tumbled. That might be why they have Conde running around as new!Bash as well. Or maybe the novelty is simply wearing off.

 

Yeah they seem to have applied Margot's personality onto Claude, but I agree it doesn't mean she doesn't exist per se, thought they might be doing a Marygaret again.

 

It actually reached its peak right before the triangle got started, episode 1x08, before Mary took off with Bash. The show started to lose viewers once they started with the ridiculous  legitimization plot and got noticeably darker. The show now feels so much different from those early episodes. There's no more joy or even signs of hope and I do believe that's why the show continues to lose viewers. This is the CW. The CW's audience needs some fluff some time. And IMO the show works best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. It just doesn't IMO do serious drama well, so I knew with the focus in season two being on the religious war in France that even more viewers would tune out.

 

And I think the writers just think they're being clever by tricking the audience into believing Conde is Bash 2.0 so when the betrayal happens it's an even bigger deal. Based on the information they're dropped about Conde so far, he is just like his RL counterpart who was also a playboy, so the betrayal's coming.

[scarletregina]

Is it just me, or are Narcisse and Lola very 50 Shades of Grey?

[PinkRibbons]

Is it just me, or are Narcisse and Lola very 50 Shades of Grey?

 

Ew! So no, it's not just you anymore. I can definitely see that and I cannot unsee it now.

[missbonnie]

Is it just me, or are Narcisse and Lola very 50 Shades of Grey?

Nope, I had the exact same thought. I really feel like the odd woman out here, but I am thoroughly enjoying this season.

[scarletregina]

I like it, as well. I am so glad the love triangle is gone. 

 

I really want Queen Elizabeth to show up at some point. Anyone know if this is going to happen?

[Tripp]

So I'm losing interest in Mary this season (except for the awesome scenes with Catherine last week). I am sure Conde is going to wind up being some kind of snake.

 

Yes, I'm loving Lola and Narcisse.  I'm all for villains to have layers and while it's hard to believe there isn't some kind of hidden agenda with Lola he's not admitting too, she seems to sincerely challenge him and they are fun to watch.

 

So glad to finally have Kenna and Bash scenes.

 

I missed Castleroy and am irritated they didn't let him even be in this episode when it came to nobles admitting their protestantism.  

 

I didn't think they would go there with Bash and his sister.

 

Please give Catherine something  else to do than chasing stupid girl spirits around the castle.

[Featherhat]

It actually reached its peak right before the triangle got started, episode 1x08, before Mary took off with Bash. The show started to lose viewers once they started with the ridiculous  legitimization plot and got noticeably darker. The show now feels so much different from those early episodes. There's no more joy or even signs of hope and I do believe that's why the show continues to lose viewers. This is the CW. The CW's audience needs some fluff some time. And IMO the show works best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. It just doesn't IMO do serious drama well, so I knew with the focus in season two being on the religious war in France that even more viewers would tune out.

 

I stand corrected, I thought the peak happened a couple of episodes later. It's hard to pin point what happened. There's less fluff but it was replaced with more meat, and even then its 500% less serious about real life religious wars than even The Tudors. The substituted Pagans in The Woods for Protestants in S1 and it was weird but having actual Huguenots appearing isn't making it less weird/dramatic (the pagans never contributed to the fun or whimsy).  

 

50 Shades of Grey was a wallbanger after 50 pages for me (no to Bella redux even if it is so called "mommy porn" so I can't comment on that with Lola and Narcisse but I'm happy for Anna Popplewell and Craig Parker's sake that they are getting to be Reign's version of complex.

[scarynikki12]

Anyone know if this is going to happen?

 

While I admittedly tend to get a twitch when shows or movies set stories during historical times and then blatantly disregard the details, I whole heartedly want them to ignore history on this point and arrange for Elizabeth to somehow make her way to France and meet Mary.  I honestly don't know if it will happen but I SO want it.

[dirtypop90]

I'd be into Elizabeth showing up and hitting it off with Francis. She can be like "Hey so, let's squash this beef. Since Mary sucks, get an annulment, marry me, and we'll rule france, england, and scotland together!" 

 

Just wishful thinking...

Edited November 15, 2014 by dirtypop90

[PinkRibbons]

I think we'll see Elizabeth if and when the show survives past Francis's death and goes to Scotland. I think even for this show it's stretching too far to have Elizabeth, on her unstable throne, leave England to go to across the sea to a land where everyone essentially wants her dead. There's absolutely nothing that could be worth that risk. If the show had stretched Mary Tudor's life even longer they might have been able to swing Elizabeth being sent to French court as a gesture of her sister's goodwill, but that ship has sailed.

 

Back in Scotland though Elizabeth and Mary will be much closer to each other geographically and could meet under circumstances that could at least make some sense. Peace talks, maybe.

[doodlebug]

 

Back in Scotland though Elizabeth and Mary will be much closer to each other geographically and could meet under circumstances that could at least make some sense. Peace talks, maybe.

At this point, I'd be happy if they jumped ahead a decade or more and had the Virgin Queen drop by the castle where she has her cousin imprisoned for a visit and a chat.  Maybe they can have tea and talk about their various paramours.

 

They really need to drop the anachronistic religious tolerance  they've bestowed on Mary.  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever both in terms of her reign as Queen of France, let alone her later years as Elizabeth's rival for the throne of England.  I guess its supposed to make her more likeable to the viewers, but what it does is make it hard for the casual viewer to understand the actual stakes in the religious wars of the times.  If the monarchs and the rest of the ruling class were so darned ecumenical and accepting of variations of Christian belief, it completely destroys the context for their struggles.

 

 

[missbonnie]

50 Shades of Grey was a wallbanger after 50 pages for me (no to Bella redux even if it is so called "mommy porn" so I can't comment on that with Lola and Narcisse but I'm happy for Anna Popplewell and Craig Parker's sake that they are getting to be Reign's version of complex.

Oh, I need to clarify my post above. Yes, I got the 50 Shades drift. I didn't even read the books. I just read the basic plot lines for the books and punted. I know that a lot of people refer to it as mommy porn, but those books got hot my daughter's last year of high school and the fact that the kiddies were all atwitter about them was enough reason for me to avoid them.

I meant that I am thoroughly enjoying this season because it has less fluff than last year. I realize how history goes, but I really don't want them killing off Francis that quick. I have to wonder what the hell is the deal with Catherine and the ghosts. I much prefer her pulling strings here and there. I also think that she would be a formidable opponent for Narcisse if someone would fricken fill her in. Lola is a freaking idiot, period. I will concede that her scenes with Narcisse are quite good, but damn she's dumber than a post I swear. The Claude and Bash thing was a little too eww for me.

Edited November 15, 2014 by missbonnie

[Featherhat]

They really need to drop the anachronistic religious tolerance  they've bestowed on Mary.  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever both in terms of her reign as Queen of France, let alone her later years as Elizabeth's rival for the throne of England.  I guess its supposed to make her more likeable to the viewers, but what it does is make it hard for the casual viewer to understand the actual stakes in the religious wars of the times.  If the monarchs and the rest of the ruling class were so darned ecumenical and accepting of variations of Christian belief, it completely destroys the context for their struggles.

 

Hah yes. At times it seems like Mary and Francis are more pro protestant than just ecumenical and at other times it seems Mary sincerely does believe that she has a calim to the English throne (which can only be a Catholic claim).  In the episode where it is revealed Castelroy is a protestant I sincerely thought  one of them was going to declare France a country of religious freedom, which it.....wasn't.

 

IRL I'm all for acceptance and tolerance of different denominations and faiths but it makes zero sense for Mary and Francis.  

 

I meant that I am thoroughly enjoying this season because it has less fluff than last year. I realize how history goes, but I really don't want them killing off Francis that quick. I have to wonder what the hell is the deal with Catherine and the ghosts. I much prefer her pulling strings here and there. I also think that she would be a formidable opponent for Narcisse if someone would fricken fill her in. Lola is a freaking idiot, period. I will concede that her scenes with Narcisse are quite good, but damn she's dumber than a post I swear. The Claude and Bash thing was a little too eww for me.

 

 

Fair enough. I'm enjoying Reign's attempt at "semi if you drive by history" in its 2nd season as well. I do prefer it to "the pagans in the woods just outside Fontainebleau" debacle. I'm reserving judgement on Lola and Narcisse until they show where they are going with them.

[Rhetorica]

never mind...

Edited April 24, 2015 by Rhetorica