Reign Review: Love and Other Catastrophes

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Packed with all the murder, poison, prophecy, and all the high-stakes premarital sex, you'd want in a mid-season finale, Reign Season 1 Episode 8 brought the first part of the season to a satisfying, chewy climax.

Who fornicated, who died, who treasoned and how? Let us dig in, fellow Bag Face-heads!

Nostradamus Prophecy

First and foremost: we finally learned why they never really developed Aylee as a character. Goodbye, fair Lady. You go now to that great Free People catalog shoot in the sky. And then there were three!

Aylee's death was perhaps the most mysterious intrigue in an hour full of mysterious intrigues - she drank Kenna's poisoned tea, but why the hell did Bag Face the Ghost push her to her death? Does Bag Face the Ghost have a hidden agenda? Or did she simply have a thirst for blood that only a girl in a gown could quench?

And speaking of Bag Face the Ghost: so, she's not a ghost at all. I am not quite sure who she is, but definitely not a ghost because ghosts don't get pushed around so easily by guys in fur vests. I assume that all will be answered after the hiatus! Or, eventually.

And speaking of fur vests: Nostradamus (my second favorite habitual fur vest-wearer, after Kim Kardhasian, of course) got his own prophecy all wrong! In fact, it appeared to beĀ  one of those ironic prophecies, where all the damage seen in the prophecy is actually the result of the havoc created by the revelation of the prophecy.

Oh, well, I'm sure he'll be totally fine and suffer zero consequences or fallout, so let's not worry about him.

And speaking of consequences: while it's obvious that Mary's run from French court won't be permanent, it's an interesting turn, and a good chance to finally see a little more of Bash, and a little more of Mary interacting with him.

I had expected more of a standard love triangle between those three crazy kids at the beginning of the season, and while it's always nice to have your expectations upended by a soap, I still want my love triangle, dammit!

And speaking of love triangles: guys, I am worried about Kenna. Now that we know being a Lady does not ensure your safety, I don't know how she's going to make it through the rest of Reign Season 1 safely, no matter how charming she may be. She's got a target on her pretty little head, and yes, it is sort of stressing me out.

I've really appreciated Kenna showing her slightly-less-charming side in this episode and Reign Season 1 Episode 7 - it's given her greater depth, though her pathetic scheming is (intentionally) hard to watch. So, hopefully that depth (as ugly as it may be) will be enough to save her (or at least get her to the next season).

And speaking of...Queen Catherine: Queen Catherine! Keeper of the poison, flinger of the disdain, spewer of the best Reign quotes each week. As much as I enjoy the antics of all the adorable young folks on this show, I wait every week for Queen C's monologue, wherein she will inevitably drop truth-bombs, show total disregard for human life, and be archly hilarious and captivating while doing it.

As we see a little bit more of the actual emotional life of Queen C in each episode, I'm most excited to see where the second half of the season takes her.

Official Reign FashionWatch: 8/10. I want the dress Aylee was wearing when she died, does that make me an immoral monster with no feelings? (don't answer that)

And that's what we'll have to think about til January. What are you going to do with your break? I'm going to spend my time searching the Internet for the perfect elegant-yet-casual velvet cloak; something everyday that you can wear to work or a poisoning...you know, chic but basic.

What do you think will happen between Mary and Bash? What do you think Francis will do while Mary's away? Do you think they're going to replace Aylee with her identical cousin, a la Twin Peaks?

Fated Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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Reign Season 1 Episode 8 Quotes

Mary: You do realize what laying claim to England could cost me?
Francis: Yes I do...it could cost you your head.

If servants are gossiping about your unmade bed, it is too late to rectify the situation.

Francis

Reign Season 1 Episode 8 Music

  Song Artist
Song Until We Get There Lucius
Bones MS MR iTunes
Song Set No Sun (feat. ELLE J & Joel Cadbury) Unkle