Reign Season 3 Catch-Up: Can Anyone Regain Control?

Previously on Reign: Mary, Queen of Scots, and her friends/enemies/frenemies at the French Court have seen better days.

After Season 2, where an unspeakable act (and vile scene of television) against Mary leaves her vulnerable, we saw her slowly start to pick up the pieces of her life, which led to an affair with Prince Conde, leaving Francis angry and alone.

Season 3 begins with Mary and Francis in a good place, relationship-wise, but the English queen, Queen Elizabeth, had her sight set on Mary and was willing to do everything she could to eliminate the Catholic threat to her throne.

Francis’ death has shaped the season so far and will continue to do so. Even though his death was heavily foreshadowed, it came as a shock and at a horrible time.

He survived his ear infection, only to be taken out by men trying to kill, kidnap, or harm, he and Mary as they frolicked through the woods one last time. Just as Mary and Francis had rebuilt their relationship and started to settle in their rule of France, it was torn down.

By more than one threat, too.

How could Mary save France when her country has been suffering from hunger, poverty, and uprisings, trying to appoint her Protestant brother to the throne? Her mother died, supposedly in place of Francis from the cost of saving one life, though ranks died anyway, so it doesn’t really matter now, does it Delphine?

As the French throne was thrown up into the air, so were Mary and Catherine’s lives.

Mary no longer had an alliance with France, no longer had protection, and had to think of a new way to save her starving country, while Catherine lost her line of support. She was thrown away because of her manipulative ways, her role as regent taken away by Narcisse, only to be returned by her other son, the new King of France.

Mary had to start looking for new alliances, peaking the interest of a Spanish prince, Don Carlos, who she almost murdered in the process of pleasing him and his S&M fetish.

Catherine is one fearless woman.

This led to a temporarily brain-dead Don Carlos, who Mary attempted to trick into marrying her and being the dominant one in the relationship. Though, when his memory and function returned, he secretly plotted to marry Mary, but assassinate her afterward, taking control of her control and his own.

Luckily, Mary’s alliance with Gideon, one of Elizabeth’s men who is being blackmailed by her with his family, saved her from this disastrous union, but that leaves Mary right back where she started.

As Reign returns, we’ll be split into three different courts: English, French, and Scottish. Mary’s going home.

https://youtu.be/M4CgyG1OuhU

Mary is still searching for a way to save her country and regain control as the Protestants try to take over, while France deals with their own monetary issues, and Elizabeth continues to haunt Mary’s life and deals with miscarrying her child because of poison.

Lola is stuck in England with her family in danger now, while Greer is pregnant and plans to give the child to her married sister. All of their lives are falling apart.

Who poisoned Elizabeth? I’m not sure, but I do believe losing her unborn child will put her straight on the warpath to see Mary’s head on a spike.

We don’t see much of the French court in this trailer, what could that mean for Catherine and her family? Will France be able to survive under their leadership? Everyone has to make alliances and bind themselves with other countries at this point, or there is no recovering from the hunger that plagues their soil.

Will Mary be able to return home and rule her country?

As she’s a Catholic queen and there is a Protestant uprising brewing, it certainly looks like Mary will attempt to lay her claim to the Scottish throne, but there’s also the possibility of her Protestant brother usurping her.

It looks like each court is going down in flames, possibly literally for one after watching that trailer. Can anyone regain control?

Reign returns Monday, April 25th at 8/7c on The CW.