Reign: Multi-Episode Experiment
October 2, 2014 6:09 PM - Subscribe

With the kind permission of cortex, this thread is an experiment with multi-episode thread formats for FanFare. As a multi-episode thread, IT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Each week, when the episode starts to air in the Eastern and Central US time zones, I will post a notice that the new episode is airing, so that people seeking to avoid spoilers can stop reading at that post and rejoin the thread after they have seen the episode.

Reign is not a very spoiler-intensive show (all possible combinations of characters will have sex! Some of them will die! Catherine will be awesome!), but part of the experiment is to see how spoilers work in a multi-episode thread and we will have a rehash thread later on to talk about how it worked or didn't work for people.

DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS THREAD IF REIGN SPOILERS WILL UPSET YOU! Participate in the regular FanFare threads instead.

But you should definite watch Reign because it is crazy, and awesome, and therefore obviously crazy-awesome. Wikipedia summary:
“Set in 1557 France, the highly fictionalized series follows the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, at French court while she awaits her marriage to the future Francis II of France, to whom she has been engaged since they were six. At court, Mary has to contend with the changing politics and power plays, as well as her burgeoning feelings for Francis and the romantic attentions from Francis' bastard half-brother, Bash. Francis' mother, Catherine de' Medici, is secretly trying to prevent the marriage following Nostradamus's confidential prediction that the marriage will lead to Francis' death. The series also follows the affairs of Mary's Scottish handmaidens Kenna, Aylee, Lola and Greer, who are searching for husbands of their own at court.”
posted by Eyebrows McGee (43 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wow, Nostradamus really lost some weight during the off-season!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:11 PM on October 2, 2014


Lola has the worst baby doll I have ever seen.

I love how Mary and Catherine just hang out on their thrones when nothing's going on.

"Take that to you grave when the hungry rise up ... and kill you."

"I've only had one instinct ever!"

Husband and I spent 2/3 of last season stating, at the end of every episode, "Kenna, you stupid bitch!" but now she's all sympathetic and stuff.

These people are absolutely terrible at quarantine.

(Seriously the worst newborn baby doll ever. ... and the real baby is like three times the size of the doll!)

Bash learned nothing from his last breaking of quarantine.

Let me just sit alone on my throne in my throne room ... thinking thoughts ...
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:00 PM on October 2, 2014


So is this for live-bloggy type stuff and general discussion goes in the individual thread?

I'm real curious about where they're going with the dead child vision.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:50 PM on October 2, 2014


No, go ahead and general discuss here if you like! I was just watching and commenting at once because I was on my own watching and had nobody to offer my brilliant commentary to :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:56 AM on October 3, 2014


Yay!
posted by ChuraChura at 5:03 AM on October 3, 2014


I was very taken with Mary's earrings in this episode, and luckily there is a whole tumblr devoted to telling me where these things come from so here are Mary's $220 earrings. I don't like them $220. But I like them!

Not totally sure how they got away with this on Kenna, though, it's such a modern silhouette ... but I confess it didn't jump out at me in the show so I guess it worked.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:44 AM on October 3, 2014


This is a show that once dressed Greer in this blue faux-fur nonsense, they're not really concerned with whether they get away with it or not, they're doing it anyway.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 9:40 AM on October 3, 2014


Yeah, the anachronistic clothing really threw me out when I tried watching it during the first season. I wasn't expecting absolute sartorial excellence but the appearance of clothing that clearly came from dELIA*s was more than I could take.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:52 AM on October 3, 2014


It's definitely a deliberate aesthetic choice (and why I often call the show "ren faire fan fic as dressed by Hot Topic"), and I've read a couple of reviews with the costume designer who has a lot of interesting things to say about the choices she makes in getting the look she does ... and of course it's on the CW so the fake-medieval-y thing with actual accessible pieces from places they can shop is only to the good for the CW.

But yeah, I think either you love the crazy clothing because of its craziness and the way they're so spot on with "what teenaged girls wear as self-selected costumes to perform Shakespeare, as selected from their existing closets and the local mall," or you don't, and there's no ignoring it either way.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:41 PM on October 3, 2014


I didn't know how much I missed this ridiculous show until it came back. Never leave me again, show.

I have chosen to embrace the ridiculousness of every aspect of the show, including the blue muppet fur and the fact that there is a handmaiden named Lola. The only thing I can't hand-wave away is that Francis is insipid and terrible and I cannot understand why he inspires any sort of love in any of the characters whose lives revolve around him.
posted by Stacey at 9:08 AM on October 4, 2014 [3 favorites]


Oh god, should I start watching again? I was gung-ho about it for a while then never picked it up again after the winter hiatus. (No particular reason...I just forgot about it.)
posted by Kitteh at 6:21 AM on October 5, 2014


The only thing I can't hand-wave away is that Francis is insipid and terrible and I cannot understand why he inspires any sort of love in any of the characters whose lives revolve around him.

YES. Mary choosing him over Bash for apparent love was maybe the most unbelievable thing about the entire last season. Nobody's choosing Francis over Bash, sorry. I do like his and Kenna's developing relationship, though; Bash definitely came out ahead on that deal.

I barely even recognized Nostradamus. Good thing he always talks in that unmistakable breathy whisper.
posted by something something at 1:12 PM on October 8, 2014


The Sutherland voice seems to be a family trait. Pity Kiefer will never fall so low as to guest star on Mary Tween Of Scots.
posted by Stacey at 2:00 PM on October 8, 2014


You just blew my mind! I had no idea he was Kiefer's brother.
posted by something something at 4:02 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]


They're half-brothers, so either the voice comes from Donald, or it's a learned family behavior. Either way, it makes me laugh to imagine they all sit around the dinner table at holidays whisper-growling at each other. (Although I've been to a Q&A with Donald and he doesn't talk like that at all, but I like to imagine maybe he does when he's with family. Like how you pick up discarded accents when you're around others who have them.)
posted by Stacey at 5:21 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]


Okay, Royals!

Reign season 2 episode 2 -- "Drawn and Quartered" -- is now airing! Comments below this one may include spoilers from episode 2 -- do not read on if you don't want to be spoiled!

Episode Summary: "A vengeful lord blames Mary for the death of his son. Meanwhile, Francis, Lola and their newborn return home; Lord Castleroy's anger toward Leith puts Greer in an awkward position; and Kenna pressures Bash to have his new role formally recognized."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:04 PM on October 9, 2014


I think Francis's purpose is to be empty enough that teenaged girls can project their own visions on him ... and pretty enough for the skin scene right at the start of this episode!

(And good thing Bash knows to wear gloves when handling the dead! He's like a medieval CDC expert!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:08 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


They took Greer the full Cersei in hair and makeup ... it's a little uncanny.

Yeah, Francis is just here so Mary and Catherine can argue about the kingdom while he stands there looking dopey. Francis's look of TOTAL PANIC when Narcisse and this other guy argued in front of him was HILARIOUS. "HAAAALP I don't make decisions!"

My husband spent part of the episode complaining about the inadequacy of the legal procedures. I was like, "It's a show about the middle ages on the CW, dude!"

OMG THE POSSESSED WET NURSE WUT.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:00 PM on October 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


SO EXCITED FOR GHOSTS

Someone who knows more about booze than me: Catherine called specifically for whisk(e)y in that one scene. Would that be broadly available in france at this time in history, would it be something available only because of the large Scottish presence? I assume the show doesn't care either way.

Poor Leith.

Conde is I guess our new dreamy single dude (hi Kenna), but I'd say Narcisse is cuter in a slightly older, villainous sort of way.

(ghosts!)
posted by vibratory manner of working at 12:55 AM on October 10, 2014


It's a long shot, but I hope Ghost King means we might get a reprise of Alan van Sprang, as a ghost or a flashback or whatever. I felt like he really got the loopy splendor of this show.
posted by Stacey at 10:58 AM on October 11, 2014


██████ Okay, Royals! ██████

Reign season 2 episode 3 -- "Coronation" -- is now airing! Comments below this one may include spoilers from episode 3 -- do not read on if you don't want to be spoiled!

Episode Summary: "Mary wants to feed the people affected by famine, but her actions could displease Lord Narcisse. Meanwhile, Francis fears his father's spirit is haunting him; Catherine plans an opulent coronation ceremony; and Bash confronts France's harsh realities."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:12 PM on October 16, 2014


Excellent Jean ValJean references, all he did was steal some bread ...

The girls' dresses in this episode are a bit too extremely hot-topic-y. so so many very thin tight silhouettes and collars that require modern fabrics. Also BAD TIARA WEEK.

Queen Catherine is a little sidelined, disappointingly. She needs a new cool plotline involving poison and evil and dramatics.

Too many men in this episode. The male plotlines are always dumb because the men in this show are just pretty cardboard cutouts with soulful eyes.

I'm ... not sure I understood the plot this week at all. Also why has this VERY WEIRD LOOKING BISHOP WITH THE CURLED MUSTACHE not shown up before now? Shouldn't he be, like, politicking? And shouldn't Mary's ladies be attending to hr train, not some random maids?

Needs Moar Evil Catherine, but I assume Catherine is poisoning Mary to prevent her pregnancy based on the cut from Catherine looking smug to Mary and Francis having sex.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:59 PM on October 16, 2014


I think they've forgotten that Kenna, Lola, and Greer are supposed to be Mary's ladies. I think they've actually forgotten this.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:48 PM on October 19, 2014


I'm ... not sure I understood the plot this week at all.

Boy, I am glad to see someone else say this. Granted, I wasn't paying super close attention, but I have absolutely no idea what happened at all.

However! I thought the dresses were the best yet. If by "best" I mean "not at all period appropriate but really pretty and fancy."
posted by something something at 1:49 PM on October 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


something something: " I thought the dresses were the best yet. If by "best" I mean "not at all period appropriate but really pretty and fancy.""

I think this must be a really fun show to be a costumer for! And it sounds like the directors/executives understand the importance of clothes to the show. About the coronation gown for this week:
"Mary's gown includes an exaggerated train. ''I wanted something that really went above and beyond anything we've seen Mary wear before,'' says Markworth-Pollack, who cites photos of British Queen Victoria at her 1838 coronation as royal inspiration. But before diving into the design process, the costumer needed assurance that the train would be given the royal treatment. ''The director promised that if we built it, she would shoot it, which I find is not always the case,'' she says. ''You end up putting a lot of labor into something that because of the nature of TV, you don't always get to see the full effect of.''" EW gallery with several pics and tidbits
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:28 PM on October 20, 2014


██████ Okay, Royals! ██████

Reign season 2 episode 4 -- "The Lamb and the Slaughter" -- is now airing! Comments below this one may include spoilers from episode 4 -- do not read on if you don't want to be spoiled!

Episode Summary: "A shepherd's attack is investigated by Bash and Condé. Meanwhile, Mary reexamines her complex bond with Lola; Greer focuses on her future; and Lola's suspicions are aroused when Lord Narcisse presents his new bride."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:02 PM on October 23, 2014


overbearing, delighted Queen Catherine is hilarious.

Oh, sure, Narcisse, your wife is conveniently insane, and the prior two have very convenient explanations for their terrible deaths.

Some good man-clothes in this episode. Mary's first multi-tiered skirt was eh.

Are all of these flame cauldrons new? I thought they mostly had candles.

That was actually a pretty nice episode. I don't have a whole lot of snarking to do.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:59 PM on October 23, 2014


What was Catherine trying to do when she asked Louis to dance with Greer? It seems like it was designed to get Greer to run into Leith on the dance floor, but I don't know why Catherine cares about that. Are we supposed to take her at face value when she says she's doing it to liven up the banquet?

Maybe the answer is that Catherine was just feeling bored and decided to start fucking with Greer's love life for the hell of it. That seems plausible, actually. If it was goal oriented, I don't think she could have predicted that it would send Greer to Castleroy, so that's a backfire.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:52 PM on October 24, 2014


Mary's first multi-tiered skirt was eh.

That was significantly worse then eh.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:52 PM on October 24, 2014


██████ Okay, Royals! ██████

Reign season 2 episode 5 -- "Blood for Blood" -- is now airing! Comments below this one may include spoilers from episode 5 -- do not read on if you don't want to be spoiled!

Episode Summary: "Greer's wedding nears as fighting intensifies between the Catholics and Protestants. Meanwhile, Bash and Leith uncover a secret about Castleroy; Francis gets an unwanted gift from Henry; and Kenna finds a journal describing the best lover at court."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:04 PM on October 30, 2014


WAY TO NOT WEAR A BRA KENNA. Also she's way tolerant of lesbianism right until she finds the smut. ... this is the most acting Kenna has done all season, and it's with a book. I'm so much more invested in the slutty, sexually-empowered Kenna plots than in anything to do with Catholics and Protestants.

Way to loudly confess in front of Narcisse to the fake ghost, Francis, you're such a dumb ass. I'm unclear on why Narcisse still has his head. ... end of episode, OMG, Francis, you suck so bad. You are a strong argument against heredity monarchy.

Half these male actors look the same, they're very hard to tell apart. I'm a Lord Castleroy fan just because I can tell which one he is. (Even if Greer's monologue makes no sense.)

Did they have tea in 16th century Europe?

Awwww, sad Leith with all his failed gambits.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:59 PM on October 30, 2014


Also she's way tolerant of lesbianism right until she finds the smut. ... this is the most acting Kenna has done all season, and it's with a book. I'm so much more invested in the slutty, sexually-empowered Kenna plots than in anything to do with Catholics and Protestants.

"I do not judge your predilections, in fact I'm rather impressed"

Impressed that two random female servants at court are having sex with each other? Is that impressed like "I thought only upper class types had non-normative sex like that"? Or maybe impressed like "huh, I never thought of that but now that you mention it..."

And well, Bash *has* been awfully busy solving crimes lately. She says she's not looking to stray, but this is the couple that once spent an entire episode in bed, and we haven't seen them together much this season.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:41 PM on November 1, 2014 [1 favorite]


Also Narcisse + Lola: I can ship it.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:42 PM on November 1, 2014


██████ Okay, Royals! ██████

Reign season 2 episode 6 -- "Three Queens" -- is now airing! Comments below this one may include spoilers from episode 6 -- do not read on if you don't want to be spoiled!


Episode Summary: "Mary and Catherine hide in the woods, masking their identities in the midst of a peasant uprising, and a concerned Francis forms a search party for them. Elsewhere, Lola seeks financial independence, but then she ponders Lord Narcisse's tempting offer."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:02 PM on November 6, 2014


Kenna has gone from by far the dumbest lady-in-waiting to by far the smartest. Lola is totally failing to understand how to turn jewelry into money. (During season 1 my husband and I had a Kenna drinking game where every time Kenna acted like she didn't understand why mistresses were kept secret, we'd say "Kenna you stupid bitch!" and drink. BUT NOW SHE'S THE SMARTEST!)

Queen Catherine needs to start hiring fully armed guards who can fight off a few peasants with pitchforks. That was pathetic! I think this whole series is based on incompetent servants; lots of it depends on servants being there overhearing things when you'd rather they'd not, but not being there when someone tries to kill you.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:59 PM on November 6, 2014


Oh Lola, not only too stupid to turn jewels into money but now engaging in flirting with Narcisse who has manipulated Francis into a confession that could cost him his life. I wonder how Mary and Francis will react to that revelation especially Mary. Or are they going to go the boring route and have Lola turn Narcisse into a faithful subject?
posted by miss-lapin at 1:47 PM on November 11, 2014


This was a great episode.

The main plot was full of great Catherine material. Did I imagine it or did she put on a pretending to be a peasant accent?

I would have loved for the actress to actually have ended up back at court, she was great.

The other plot was also great. I staked out my position on Narcisse's attractiveness several episodes ago, and this show is going good places with it.

"When you make mistakes in this sport-" *tightens leather strap* "-it can hurt."
posted by vibratory manner of working at 12:56 AM on November 13, 2014


There's a new episode on but I'm too sick to make a fancy post or even watch the show. Carry on discussing episode 7, I'll watch tomorrow!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:31 PM on November 13, 2014


Looks like the new drinking game isn't when Kenna does something stupid, but when Lola does.
posted by miss-lapin at 6:43 PM on November 13, 2014


There's a new episode on! I'm too lazy to look up the summary!

I still didn't catch up on last week because I have strep throat :( but I'm sure the plot hasn't move forward that much.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:05 PM on November 20, 2014


Claude's clothes are totally different from all the other ladies'.

Are the pagans coming back or are we on to Protestantism now? Also, yay for the Swiss Guard wandering around questioning people.

"Free from the tedium and responsibility of court life"??? What responsibilities does Lola have?

Francis's spine transplant is going well. And at least we know who the children of the corn are now. Man, Catherine has some screwed-up children.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:21 PM on November 20, 2014


██████ Season 2, Episode 9 spoilers below this line ██████

Just caught up on the last three episodes!

Claude is a fun addition. Although: She's younger than Bash or Francis, right? And she's been away for years? How old was she when she was sleeping with the guards and Bash before she left, exactly?

What's funny to me is that protestantism seems like a bigger deal than paganism was. Like, the catholics didn't like the pagans, but there weren't ongoing purges to try and root them out either.

Narcisse has been in amazing form. Every scene with Lola, amazing. I love it so much.

Francis failing to bring Catherine in on Narcisse plots was the dumbest thing. And once Narcisse revealed the priest whose information could kill Mary, there's no longer any justification for keeping her in the dark, but he continues to do so anyway.

Kenna's pout is delightful, forever.

Of the most recent episode: So I heard there was a rape scene before I watched the episode, because my partner saw that Jezebel had a post about it. We didn't know who it was though, so I was glad that it wasn't Lola being raped by Narcisse, which would have spoiled a fun relationship. The other possibility we came up with before watching was Greer because she married a protestant.

Anyway, I thought it was well handled, especially Catherine's reactions. The quotes from the showrunners in the Jezebel article are pretty rough though.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:45 PM on December 5, 2014


Also I hope you're feeling better, Eyebrows McGee.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 10:46 PM on December 5, 2014


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