SOME SPOILERS AHEAD.
Dammit Darnley! I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!
The relationship between Mary and Darnley had been going so well and it looked like the two of them could truly find happiness in it. I didn’t want Keira to mess that up, even though I knew that she would. When he had the conversation with his mother and spoke of his love for Keira in the past tense I was overjoyed. He was obviously conflicted, but the way he spoke about her was a good sign. He even went to Keira and told her that he had no intentions of breaking off his engagement with Mary. All signs pointed to Keira not coming between Darnley and Mary…until she begged him for a kiss.
I thought that they’d kiss and he would send her on her way, having fulfilled her request. But they ended up sleeping together. Keira knew exactly what she was doing; she was using sex to lure him back to her. Although he did sleep with her, he was still set on marrying Mary and becoming king. So in that way her plan backfired. And despite her offering herself as his mistress, he still said no. He had every intention of being faithful in his marriage!
If only James hadn’t caught them. The second that he and Mary showed up at the tavern I knew that Darnley and Keira would have been found out. With James catching him in the act and promising to keep it a secret, there was still some hope of Mary and Darnley’s relationship thriving. Except, the Loyal Watchman had other plans.
It was foolish of Mary to even attempt to call of their engagement. She knows all too well that she can’t. I’d like to think that Darnley was only lashing out when he told Mary that she only cares about what he can win her when they marry and that she could never love him. He was there. He felt the feelings that were growing between them. She was growing to love him and already cared about him greatly. They could have been happy together and he knew that. He said those things, I think, because he was upset with himself for ruining something that could have been great for him.
I would have liked it if Charles had a choice in staying at the farm Catherine and Narcisse found him at. That was the first time in a long time that he was truly happy and fulfilled. Unfortunately, he’s a king whose throne was under threat and he needed to return to court. Then he only made things worse by declaring himself a Protestant to Leeza. I did appreciate how he exerted his power as king in that moment, though, and put her in her place. It was time that someone did. If he plans to continue down this path, he needs to find a way for the crown to make money and fast.
I was suspicious of Nicole when she accepted Catherine and Narcisse’s offer so readily. Even more so when she was right at Charles’ side when Catherine and Narcisse confronted him about his declaration. It was no surprise when he said that she and her family were responsible for his conversion. I didn’t expect her to be a social climber, though. It was very bold of her to throw herself at Narcisse. Poor Charles doesn’t even know he’s being played.
I’m with both Narcisse and Catherine on how to deal with Nicole; she needs to be gotten rid of but they need to get as much use out of her as they can first. She has Charles’ ear and they need her for the time being. Hopefully that means that she can convince him to go back to being a Catholic. If she doesn’t, that won’t bode well for Charles, Henry, the rest of the Valois family and especially for France.
Leeza in her pettiness – and I’d dare say wickedness as well – has essentially forced Catherine to choose between her two remaining sons. Not only that, she’s set one of them up to die. As much as she hates Catherine and wants to hurt her, literally putting the lives of her brothers on the line is incredibly callous. She really doesn’t love or care about her family. In addition to tearing her family apart, she’s setting up France to descend into civil war and upheaval. Laying the ground work for Spain to potentially have a chance to swoop in and take hold of France. Not only is she getting to punish Catherine, she may get to seize France for herself, just like she’s wanted this entire time.
I knew that Agatha was going to die in this episode from the moment that Elizabeth made her queen. That was a very sweet thing for her to do and it was funny and cute to see Agatha make Gideon obey her orders. I also liked the moment when she answered Agatha’s question about what it would be like to die. She’s been a great help to Gideon throughout Agatha’s illness. I really wanted Agatha to get that blueberry pie.
Despite Agatha being Gideon’s daughter, I feel like this little story line was more about Elizabeth than about him. It served to humanise her further and she learned something from it. Because of Agatha’s struggles and her bravery in the face of death, Elizabeth changed her tactics in dealing with Mary. Or at least the plan she had in action at the moment. She learned not to be ruled by her fears, which I thought was a nice, subtle call back to when Lady Lennox said that she never would.
Random thoughts:
- Elizabeth is getting desperate.
- Catherine: “But in the absence of such a man, I must settle for you.” Savage.
- Really Darnley? Keira’s trying to trap you!
- Yes! Leeza’s finally gone!
Reign airs Fridays at 9 PM on The CW.
