The CW’s “Reign” is loosely based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, beginning in 1557. She became queen when she was six days old following her father’s death. To protect her from her enemies, especially the English, she was hidden away in a convent in France, under the protection of her future father-in-law King Henry II of France.
Since childhood, Mary has been engaged to Dauphin Francis, Henry’s oldest legitimate son. Mary spent some of her childhood with Francis at the palace before being sent to the convent. Now that she is back at court, it is expected that the two be married. Henry and Francis, however, are reluctant to link a vulnerable Scotland to France until France needs help.
The show follows the interactions between the most important members of the royal court: the King (Alan van Sprang), Queen Catherine (Megan Follows), Catherine’s advisor Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland), Francis (Toby Regbo), Mary (Adelaide Kane) and her ladies, and the King’s illegitimate son Sebastian, aka Bash (Torrance Coombs). Between all of them, there’s enough love, lies and secrets to last a lifetime—Catherine wants to get rid of Mary, Henry has frequent dalliances with the ladies of the Court, Mary’s ladies are all trying to find husbands, and Bash is fighting his feelings for Mary. Let’s not forget Clarissa, a mysterious girl who wanders the secret passages of the castle helping and hurting at her will.
Although The CW claims “Reign” comes from the history books, that’s a bit of a stretch. Reign is more based on the fact that the characters lived and interacted with one another. The writers have taken the simplest, most basic facts and then used their imaginations to fill in the rest. Anna Popplewell (Mary’s lady-in-waiting Lola; Susan in The Chronicles of Narnia) describes it as “fantasy history.” Critics, however, still charge that it focuses more on romance and drama than on history.
But really, who cares? It’s a TV show, not a documentary; meant to entertain, not inform. If I wanted to learn the facts about sixteenth-century France, Scotland, and England, I’d ask a history teacher. But I don’t. I want romance, adventure, and drama—which, now that Reign is back from its winter break, there is more than enough of.
One of the most intriguing things about “Reign” is the royal drama. Although the details are fictitious, it cannot be too far from the truth. History books (and common sense) tell us that palaces were indeed filled with mistresses, back-stabbing, and subterfuge, all of which play defining roles in “Reign” and make it unregrettably addictive.
Fashion in “Reign” is pulled from all over the place, not just the sixteenth century. But again, I don’t care. The wide variety of dresses and accessories and decorations make it that much better. I get so caught up in the twists and turns of the show that I almost miss even the most gorgeous dresses, so I end up pretty much watching the entire thing again just to look at the clothes.
And if you need another reason to watch it, “Reign” won this year’s People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama.
“Reign” airs Thursdays at 9pm on The CW.