Reign Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Fight or Flight
Miranda Wicker
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Here's what I want to know. Are we going to need tissues and waterproof mascara for every episode of Reign for the rest of the season? Because Reign Season 3 Episode 6 definitely made me cry once or twice. Or maybe even three times.
And not because Bash STILL doesn't have anything to do. This whole Dead Francis thing is just SAD.
Dear Elizabeth and England, no one cares that you're losing Dudley. Signed, ALL OF THE REIGN FANDOM.
Seriously. Does anyone out there care AT ALL about what's happening with that bitter beyotch across the pond? No. No one. She's just being selfish and going to war and making Amy the Keeper of Swans and sending Blackburn to break Mary's heart (again) because she's bored.
Meanwhile, Mary's grieving the loss of her one true love AND putting her country into a precarious political climate in order to support a woman who would have seen her dead simply because it's the right thing to do for France.
If Elizabeth is supposed to be the villain and not just another court of intrigue and drama and sex, the writers are not really doing their job. She was a much scarier threat before we knew anything about her beyond what we learned in World History.
Anyway. (I just had to get that off my chest. It's not even what I really paid attention to during "Fight or Flight.")
Let's talk about Catherine de Medici for just a minute. Specifically that stunt she pulled with Narcisse and his subsequent shunning of Lola when she had warmed up to the idea of being more aggressive like he asked.
I want to like you, Narcisse. I do. I want to like you with Lola and as John's protector 1) because I believe in his ability to keep John safe and 2) because I want him not to suck as a person. But COME ON, dude.
First of all, he's, what, 30 years older than Lola? 20? I don't know how old Narcisse is supposed to be, but it's clear he and Lola are from a different generation. Secondly, he knew what he was getting into when he fell in love with her (and yes, I do believe he loves her).
He knew that Lola's experience level was vastly different from his own, and I think her innocence is what drew him to her in the first place.
Get it together, Stephan. Stop being a prick. Ugh.
And Catherine? Stop meddling. The fire boy, while offering no political advantage, is hot too. You don't need Narcisse. You're fine.
Leith, however, is probably not fine. He keeps falling for these women who are above his station and this time, he's definitely outdone himself in falling for a princess. But there's something sort of sweet about it where I really want this to work out for them even though I know there's no way it can. Except Claude doesn't have much to lose by falling in love with a member of the Royal Guard and for Greer, doing so meant disgracing her family in a different kind of way.
Both women had/have their reputations on the line for loving him, but Claude doesn't care about what disgrace she may bring to her family. None of them really seem to expect much from her anyway whereas Greer had to think about her sisters and their futures as well as her own.
There's just no way this ends well for Leith unless Charles is somehow even more benevolent than Francis was, and since he's so young, it's hard to see that being the case. His youth is not affording him any sort of idealism about love and the world.
As much as I'm hot and cold about Catherine, I loved seeing Mary working for and with Catherine tonight, but I loved her turning to Catherine for comfort more. France is her home. It's effectively the only home she's ever known, and Francis was her first love. Moving on from both of those things is going to be tough, but Mary is tough and so she'll do it.
We'll all (probably) hate it because it will mean watching Mary be with someone other than Francis, but Mary understands the nature of political alliances and through her we do too. We can all unite in favor of seeing her win battles large and small.
Mary put away her youth tonight when she put away Francis' jacket. She packed her love away and now she's on the path to becoming a political queen. She's good at being a political queen, but will she find another man as willing to listen to her as Francis was, or will Don Carlos only want to form an alliance for the good of Spain, Mary as a person be damned?
Anyone who comes to call on Mary needs to understand that this is a strong woman with an equally strong opinion and some tricks up her sleeve. She's not afraid to use any and everything she has when it comes to getting things done.
That's our Mary. She's why we watch. Long may she reign (on our televisions).
What did you think about "Fight or Flight"? How much do you (not) care about what's going on in Elizabeth's court? Would you like to punch Narcisse in the face for being a jerk? Reign Season 3 Episode 7 returns on December 4. You can watch Reign online right here at TV Fanatic to get caught up!
Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.
