Reign Review: Clans (Season 3 Episode 16)
Reign returns with Mary and her crew washing ashore in Scotland, though her reception isn’t quite what she’d expected.
After her shipwreck, her crew arrives in the north of Scotland… quite a distance from Edinburgh.
Mary’s return to Scotland is dangerous enough, but landing in an unknown valley, where her fellow foreigners were murdered on the beach out of fear and distrust… it’ll be surprising if Mary is still alive when she returns home to her castle.
Narcisse: Scotland may have been in your mind all of these years, but it is not in your soul.
Would Mary be returning to Scotland, if not for the responsibility she has for the country? France has always been her home; she’s been living there since she was a child. Mary grew up in France (although not with her family, but instead with France’s royal family).
Mary’s actions still don’t show that of a queen. Stopping her journey to save Bash, her last friend standing, makes her a good human being, but usually the two don’t go together. Just ask Elizabeth and Catherine, who’ve sacrificed their lives to ensure their realm is under decent, strict leadership.
How is Mary going to rule a country whose men have turned on each other? These are citizens who attack one another based off of differences of faith, stature, and support of those in power. Half of her country wants her dead, the other half wants the Protestants to convert back to Catholicism to ensure Mary a safe reign as a Catholic queen.
Even Elizabeth fears slightly for Mary’s safety if she were to return to Scotland, though she doesn’t know that Mary survived the mission. Elizabeth believes Mary died in the storm that ruined her ship and stranded them in northern Scotland.
Elizabeth could possibly know that Mary is still alive and is just trying to manipulate Lola, but would she do that? It’s entirely possible the men who are traveling with Bash and Mary now are Elizabeth’s spies, and they’re being led into a trap. Plus, Lola is a loyal friend to Mary, so getting her on her side would give Elizabeth a trusted friend and advisor, obviously.
The group Mary is traveling with is probably going to try taking her life, if given the chance. This is the group that ordered her death and murdered Francis instead.
Poor Mary. Just when we thought she’d be returning home, she is thrown into a deeper mess. Now that she’s able to, Mary is out for revenge on the people who destroyed her heart and her life. And she’s lost the sword that Francis made for her. The last remaining piece she had of him.
Other thoughts:
- Charles getting himself framed for burning all of the town’s grain, after the Red Knights moved their weapons and he played right into their trap, isn’t going to end well. The town already wants a new King, will they see that through before the end of the season?
- Catherine’s children are plotting her downfall for the steps she took to obtain the regency. It’s no surprise Claude wants her gone, but Charles is a bit shocking, considering he’s so young and would have no sense of direction as a leader without his well-experienced mother. Now that his actions have led to turning the citizens against him, will his opinion of Catherine change?
- Charles was kidnapped by the Red Knights! The Valois are falling faster than they planned. Could Charles die? It’s certainly possible. The next of Catherine’s children is what.. 8? She’d have the regency with no threat for years if Charles was murdered, keeping her around in Season 4.
- Leith needs to stop chasing women he’ll never get. It just leads him to trouble. And I miss him and Greer.
- My concern for how Bash will be written off is rising each and every episode. It really looks like he’ll die, possibly sacrificing himself for Mary, now that they’re in Scotland together. He’s her last friend, besides Lola but she’s not around, and she’ll be starting a completely new life. Especially now that Lola thinks she’s dead, but that’ll change eventually.
- Will Lola accept Elizabeth’s offer to stay in English court?
What did you think of this episode of Reign? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Reign airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.
Jay Ruymann
Jay is a freelance writer and a Slytherin, who uses Leslie Knope as a role model, suffering from an addiction to coffee and television that is only encouraged by his professional life. While busy slaving away at the day-to-day, he also enjoys a good binge-watch of Parks and Recreation and Pretty Little Liars.