Reign Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Bruises That Lie
Miranda Wicker
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For an episode featuring shockingly few scenes with Catherine de Medici, the Queen mother certainly figured prominently on Reign Season 3 Episode 10.
Narcisse is out, and Catherine's back on top! It only took one borderline insane plan to make it happen. And yeah, it's totally better that Mary doesn't know. I'm not even sure if I want to know.
But I do know. And so do you. And when Claude finds out? Hooboy.
Narcisse got into Charles' ear and convinced Charles to force Claude to marry Duke Boinel because France needed Boinel's gold.
"It's okay," Narcisse said! "He's totes a good man! Promise!" And then he backhanded Claude across the face on their wedding night prompting her to give him the ol' three-punch knockout before angrily throwing her wedding ring at him and yelling "I AM A PRINCESS!"
I hated that girl when she first appeared, but damn. Claude's growing on me.
As it turns out, Duke Boinel was a good man. Catherine's just a very questionable mother sometimes.
I know, I know. Interviews with Megan Follows have her saying that Catherine loves her family more than anything else. I believe it. I just think that loving your family shouldn't come with putting them in harm's way to prove you love them.
Catherine totally paid Duke Boinel off!
"Hey, hit my daughter! Make it believable! I'll give you back your gold and throw in some vineyards for good measure when I'm made Regent again!"
And he did it. He totally did it, and she totally managed to use Claude's situation to get herself appointed Regent once again. She had no idea assurances it would work and totally just crossed her fingers and hoped Charles would stand up to the council. She should've played the Powerball. #Lucky
She's the one who needs to be in the position since she's the one who really cares about France, and Narcisse only cares about himself and his own power, but dang, lady! Stop manipulating your own flesh and blood like that!
Now that Catherine is Regent again, Mary's safe to continue entertaining potential suitors in France, and her connection to France is arguably stronger with Catherine at the helm than it ever would've been with Narcisse in that position.
However, we know that when Reign returns this spring, Mary will be returning to Scotland. It's time for her to go home and try to regain her rule from her own throne.
But probably not before she has an actual dalliance with Gideon, Elizabeth's spy.
The two agreed to play Elizabeth by pretending to have a secret romance so that Jeffrey, Gideon's servant, could send letters to Elizabeth that her plan to have Gideon seduce the Scottish queen had worked.
It wasn't until Elizabeth lost both Dudley and their baby that she decided to give Gideon his daughter back and release Lola's family, and in the meantime what we have is a very complicated relationship forming between Gideon and Mary.
I'm not sure how much I care about this relationship, to be honest. He's not Francis. (Or Bash!) And we know Mary's next husband isn't Gideon, so it doesn't feel like there's much sense in getting attached to this relationship. I'm glad they were able to use each other for mutual benefit, and if they used each other for a little more mutual benefit, I'd be okay with that.
Overall? Meh. It gets a warm meh. There were some sparks in their kisses and some desperately trying to convince herself in Mary's "no," but still. Meh.
Leith and Claude, however? Oh man. Please make it to a station where you can marry the princess, Leith!
Actually, it doesn't matter to me WHO Leith marries as long as it's someone he loves and who loves him back. That's all. He totally deserves that. That's all he wants, and it's what he should get for being so dang amazing all the time.
I'm calling it now that Greer's not giving up this baby, even to her own sister and her obviously titled husband. Martin's offer of gold and the promise of visits and urging to do what she wants rather than what other people want of her was just too much foreshadowing.
Greer's going to keep the baby. It might mean giving up her position as a Madam, but I just can't see her giving the baby up once it's born. She's come too far and grown too much to continue caring for the rest of her life what people think of her. I love her.
Maybe it's the mom in me, but I had a twinge of pain and anguish for Elizabeth as she lost her baby and told Dudley how she had to do it all alone so no one would find out. Actual real pain in my heart for that scene. And then while she's laying there on the worst day of her life, she also had to break up with her lover forever. Ugh.
No wonder this woman goes on to be so damn fierce and cold.
What did you think of "Bruises That Lie"? Did you want to slap Catherine for having Claude hit? Are you glad Catherine is Regent again? What do you think of Mary and Gideon? Sound off in the comments below and then go watch Reign online!
Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.
