Regin - 1.14 - Dirty Laundry - Review: Just another day at French court.

‘Just another day at French court.’
‘Politics, backstabbing, murder, just another day at French court.’
- Mary

Hey, Royals! I just want to say, don’t let the ratings get you down. We are renewed for another season already. I don’t think our demo or viewership numbers were all that bad, all things considered. Let’s just say that it was a perfect storm of low viewership.

First of all, in most places in US the weather has been pretty nice this week after a pretty hard winter coupled that fact with Daylight Savings Time and more people were bound to be out and about enjoying themselves. Next, it’s March Madness, so tons of pre-emptions for basketball games. Finally, The Vampire Diaries was a re-run and only managed a .3 in the demo, if I’m not mistaken. So, when it adjusted down to a .5 in the demo, I didn’t bat an eyelash.

I have every confidence we’ll be right back at a .7 in the demo next week.

One last thing I must say, the Frary moments were off the charts this week. Francis is seemingly making Mary very happy at the moment and since I’m here for Mary, I’m happy for the moment as well. But of course the Mash ship is not yet sunk and it seems Bash will still be around to have special moments with Mary so don’t fret just yet.

Well, let’s just jump right into this week’s episode of Reign…
=====================================================================
Title: Dirty Laundry | Story by: Drew Lindo/Teleplay by: Edgar Lyall | Director: Norma Bailey =====================================================================

Long Story ShortSynopsis: Mary and Francis return to court after their two-month honeymoon, arriving while the Archduke Ferdinand of Bohemia (Jonathan Higgins) is visiting. Henry is having an affair with the Archduke's sister, and while they're having sex she accidentally falls out a window. Henry asks Catherine for help, and they work together to successfully make the Duchess' death look like a suicide. Bash is hunting in the woods when he meets Rowan (Hannah Anderson) and her brother who live there. They come across Olivia, who is traumatized and has mysterious bite marks on her arms. Bash takes Olivia to Nostradamus, and while under the throes of a nightmare she stabs and kills a priest. Bash visits Mary to tell of his suspicions that Francis tried to have him killed. Francis denies this when Mary asks. Lola thinks she's pregnant with Francis' child. Mary stops her from getting an abortion that could kill her, and, despite being heartbroken, agrees to keep her pregnancy a secret from Francis. Mary tells Bash to stop caring for her but Bash refuses. Bash goes to Rowan, who convinces him to stay in France, and they kiss.

Character Contemplations
Bash – Why did Bash not just run far, far away from France? If his brother, the crowned prince of France and future king, did indeed want him dead what would he gain from staying around and waiting for confirmation? Bash is a wild thing that lets his heart and desires control him so we know he just wanted to see Mary one more time, to talk to her one more time and to ensure she was safe because if Francis was truly willing to commit fratricide then who knows what evil he could be capable of (I’m just trying to figure out Bash’s train of thought here is all). But let’s talk about Bash’s new lady, Rowan. Rowan is a hunter and another seemingly wild thing that could be a kindred spirit. I loved how sassy Rowan was and capable. She’s definitely a BAMF because let me tell you, finger tattoos hurt and I can only imagine what getting a tattoo in medieval times would be like. I shudder to think. I hope Rowan has no ulterior motives and can take Mary off his mind for a while. At the end of the day, especially since I’m not a shipper, I just want to see my favorite characters have a little bit of happiness whenever they can because drama is always right around the corner.

Catherine – I’m sorry but Megan Follows is a scene stealer. I love the character of Catherine so much. I’m glad she is trying to put the past behind her and keep it there. I’m not sure that I trust her fully yet but at least she is reminding Mary of her duties and even trying to help her conceive. But let’s just be real, her main priority is Francis and she is and will forever be looking out for her children’s best interests, just like a good mama bear should. I was skeptical of her and Henry working together but it was a highlight of the episode. I love it when a person is willing to get their hands dirty.

Francis – Francis was not my favorite person this week but I agree that Mary is now wed to him so either she trusts him or they face the world together or be miserable and end up like his parents. I’m still firmly in the camp that Francis was not the one who put the hit on Sebastian. They are steering us towards Catherine but I hope it turns out that it was Mary of Guise (if only so that she returns to France or we head to Scotland for a confrontation). I loved the opening scenes of Francis and Mary being happy together, I knew it wouldn’t last long but it was still nice to see.

Greer – I didn’t know what to make of Greer this episode. She did not hug Mary upon her return. She was very blunt and casual with Mary as well wholly unimpressed with the fact that Mary had found her a potential suitor. But she still came off as the best lady-in-waiting this episode (of course that’s not saying much due to the low bar her competition set). Greer’s fashion game was also stepped up a notch this week as well.

Henry – Oh Henry! Whatever are we going to do with this man? Seriously, it’s either time for them to bring back Diane or make him and Catherine reconcile. Or better yet, go back to focusing on his strong suit, politics and teaching his son how to be an effective leader not beholden to his carnal lust. Maybe even show him with his younger sons sometime. Henry still feels very one dimensional right now, basically he’s caught in the ‘horny old goat’ trope right now and that’s a shame because I think Alan van Sprang would kill it if they gave him something more to work with, though I loved his comedic timing in this episode. There might even be something sinister lurking in that heart of Henry’s if we are to take that little scene with Keena at face value. I sure hope so…

Keena – I am, once again, absolutely impressed with the turnaround they have done with Keena. She is sultry, wise, manipulative and scheming. She is also practical and funny in her own way. I don’t find Keena annoying anymore but I do find her life a tad bit sad. I want something more than the scheming, social ladder climbing sex kitten from Kenna. I also want her to have more meaningful interactions with Mary. But I will give the girl credit where credit is due; she now knows how to play a man like a fiddle and that makes it seems as though she won’t be taken advantage of anymore, so at least I can be happy about that.

Lola – Do I feel for Lola? Sure, I do. But score one for Keena when she said if she didn’t know how to take precautions to not get pregnant then she shouldn’t be having sex. I know Lola was caught up in the moment and that it’s not fair for me to be placing the blame solely on Lola and I assure you I’m not but in this specific time and place that Lola is in, the world would certainly place all of the blame on her. She came to court to serve Mary, marry well and most importantly not bring shame upon her family. Well she failed on all three fronts as far as I’m concerned at the moment. Her brother is a ne'er-do-well and apparently always has been so she knew it was up to her to secure her family’s well-being. I would have preferred it if she ran away and wanted to keep the baby and ran into Bash and broke down and told him and he returned with her and married her. Sure Bash is a bastard but at least he is a royal bastard with money, land and wily mother who loves to cook up a good plot that could keep her safe.

Mary – At least Mary got to be happy for two months. Poor Mary! But in all honesty, I’m not sure who side with in all of this. Mary made a very valid point about Lola knowing that she still loved Francis and how it was wrong of her to sleep with him and made plans to come back to be in service of her and look at her every day knowing what she did. On the other hands, Mary was well on the way to be wed to Bash and even slept with him before Lola had sex with Francis. But I still say Lola broke the girl code and Mary is the better friend. Breasties before testes, case closed (women so need a better line to compete with bros before hoes). Mary is eventually going to tell Francis because she was absolutely heart broken and seething in the bed watching him sleep. I wonder if this will make her more incline to believe Bash about his theory that it was Francis who made an attempt on his life, whether the case be true or not. Should Mary keep the secret? Probably… if Catherine catches wind of this, things might not end well for Lola. The biggest thing I hope they don’t do is make Mary fake a pregnancy and raise Lola’s child as her own.

Nostradamus – Getting real tired of the ‘Dr. Nostradamus: Medicine Man’ show. I love that he is a healer and wants to help people and all but there has just got to be something more to this man. In the beginning of the season they made him very mysterious and a seemingly gray character. Now, they’re shying away from it and I haven’t a clue as to why. If any of the higher ups are reading this: give Rossif Sutherland something more to do, I beg of you.

Awards
Character of the Night – Mary
Best Character Interactions – Henry and Catherine were just priceless co-conspirators, weren’t they?


Line of the Night – Archduke Ferdinand of Bohemia (to Keena): You must meet my sister you two are cut from the same cloth.
Scene of the Night – Catherine gives Mary tips on how to get knocked up successfully.
Favorite Lady-in-Waiting – Greer, she’s about the only one I can stand at this point in the story, to be honest but she is a bore, time to spice her back up.
That Awkward Moment Award – That awkward moment when Reign channels it’s inner Game of Thrones and sends someone hurtling to their death, too bad the sister didn’t just wake up a paralyzed like Bran, that could have been very interesting.

Highlights
Memorable Moments
1. Francis and Mary being genuinely happy at the beginning of the episode.
2. The servant girl calling Lola out about being the one looking for the information
3. Bash and Mary racing off to save Lola
4. Seeing Olivia all feral
5. Francis doting on Mary in the carriage

Laudable Lines
1. Mary: Politics, backstabbing, murder, just another day at French court.
2. Mary: I hope he’s safe and that he finds happiness.
3. Rowan: Didn’t you think it was strange that there were leaves on a patch of snow surrounded by evergreens?
4. Nostradamus: Nature isn’t malignant. Nature does not care. Only humans are malignant.

Superb Scenes
1. Catherine and Henry trying to clean up the blood and wondering how their clothes get clean.
2. Mary asking Francis if they have to go back to court.
3. Mary racing to stop Lola from getting an abortion and then Lola pleading with Mary to not tell Francis.
4. Keena congratulating Lola on getting knocked up by Francis and explaining all the perks.
5. Keena and Henry discuss the list of her suitors and Henry proposes the Archduke of Bohemia.

Biggest Surprises of the Episode
• Bash got a new love interest so quickly.
• Olivia killing a priest.
• I like Rowan.

Style Spotlight: Nothing really struck my fancy this week. If something struck your fancy, leave it in the comments below.
Tasty Tidbit: Henry sure does have a type, doesn’t he?

Fun Fact: Well, the writers sure did exceed my expectations for how long Bash was going to be gone. I guessed about an episode and a half and we get him in the very next episode.

Lowlights
• I hated Olivia’s “return” to court. It just felt like a plot device to help cover up Henry’s foul deed. Unless, of course, they are finally going to really get started on the creepy Supernatural elements. They keep teasing me and now it’s either time to poop or get off the chamber pot on this front. You guessed it; I’m just really ready to have Nostradamus in the forefront and not just as some healer, a major player with lots of screen time.

Burning Questions
•Does it feel a little too late to be ramping up the supernatural element of the show?
•Do you believe Francis?
•Does Nostradamus really not believe in the supernatural? He gets visions, which is pretty much reveling in blasphemy is it not?
•Will Lola actually give birth to the baby? We were introduced to our out in the form of those suspicious herbs that Catherine has…

Grade: B-

Side Notes: A little birdie told me gif recaps are all the rage. If you’d like me to give it a whirl next week, let me know in the comments below. Also, looking for fellow Royals to connect with on Twitter, so if you add your handle in the comments, I’ll follow you.

Friendly Reminder
Don’t forget to live tweet with the show (@CWReign) and me (@lilithhellfire) every Thursday night at 9 pm EST.
=====================================================================
Well, now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

PS: Don't forget to promote this and all interesting Reign articles in all the social media you can. For instance be sure to click the like button, retweet this and +1 this article if you like it and appreciate this reviewer's hard work.