Reign: "The Consummation" Review

Source: cwtv.com

Remember when I wrote that The CW's new show Reign sounded perfect for the network - just without the vampires? It seems I may have spoken too soon, because its first season has been full of supernatural visions, prophecies, druid-like curses, good luck charms hidden inside decorative tchotchkes, and now, zombies?!? Ok, not really. I'm sure Clarissa, the creepy bastard child/ghost who lived in the shadows until she kidnapped her half brothers only to be bludgeoned by her only friend was never actually dead. Wow, I guess this show does belong on The CW after all.

If I were going to fault Reign for a single point that's weakened the show's entire first season, though, it wouldn't be the inclusion of the fantastical. I'd fault Reign for overplaying its hand, both in the development of storyline, and in the way it pushes the envelope with what's allowed on network TV. Case in point, this past week's episode, "The Consummation" (with a creepiness factor adeptly and amusingly described by Lily Sparks over on tv.com), which featured Mary's choice of a husband, her wedding, and their subsequent, well, you read the title, should have been a finale - both to the season, and to a carefully crafted love-triangle story. Instead it was a missable midseason yawn that only served to highlight just how unimaginative and hastily-crafted the Francis-Mary-Bash triangle really was.

I would have liked to see Mary and Francis and/or Mary and Bash develop a believable relationship, perhaps giving the viewers a reason (more significant than muscle tone) to cheer for one brother or the other. Instead the plot got sidetracked by an overbearing Portuguese prince, that ridiculous affair between Kenna and the King, who looks like he's old enough to be her grandfather, Francis's uber-blonde ex-girlfriend with the indecipherable accent, and Bash's pregnant cousin. It's like the writers tried to cram every possible subplot into 13 episodes, burying the main selling point of the show in the process.

And if they really wanted to hurt the viewer - or Mary - by pairing Francis with Lola in a moment of infidelity, or at least indiscretion, they should have given us reason to care for or trust Francis to begin with. He was always a bit of a scoundrel, and Mary knows that. So when the Lola/Francis rendezvous truth comes out (and it will, because Kenna is malicious), Mary shouldn't be the least bit surprised.

In the end, I guess we have to believe that Mary chose Francis simply because she loved him more. And I'll buy that, if only because Queen Catherine finally used one of her psychological mind games for good, forcing Mary to make up her mind through a fake papal letter. Catherine remains my favorite character on the show because Megan Follows's acting skills tower so far above the rest of the cast. I want to re-watch her plan her own beheading. It was elegant. Seriously, if her suicide in "Royal Blood" hadn't been a ruse to escape captivity, and she was actually gone, I'd have stopped watching.

Ability to give the stink eye must be genetic.
Source: eonline.com

The real reason Mary chose Francis is, of course, that that's what really happened, although with costumes as anachronistic as Reign's, I wouldn't exactly have been surprised by a revisionist history that led Mary Stuart to marry King Henry's bastard son. So does this mean Bash is gone for good? And just how long can this show survive now that what should have been the ultimate moment, the big decision, the grand finale of this first season has past without much fanfare?

What Reign doesn't seem to be lacking is a fan base. The show has one loud enough that Adelaide Kane had to take to twitter to prevent them from boycotting when several episodes didn't include Francis. So if I were to bet, I'd say this show gets renewed, especially since the best shows on the network don't seem to. But I wouldn't bet that it gets any more interesting, even if Clarissa does reappear undead.

Reign: "Pilot" Review

I suppose it's time I post a review of Reign, a show I was looking forward to for awhile. Last week's premiere did not disappoint, although I did feel like I'd seen most of it already in the previews and promos. (That's my own fault though, right?)

Let's start off by getting some numerical facts straight. The year is 1557. That makes our heroine just 15 years old. Hunky prophet Nostradamus is actually 54, and the young (yet bearded) Prince Francis is 13.

Rather inappropriate dancing for ladies of the Court.
Source: cwtv.com

I got all that from wikipedia, so it may not be accurate. Of course, accuracy is a moot point with CW's Reign. The pilot episode of this new show was full of anachronisms. Clearly, the ages of the historical figures have been blurred a bit for the sake of the show's plot. And I know it's set in France, but even there, ladies of the 16th century didn't wear sleeveless dresses. Nor did they style their hair in beachy waves. And the love triangle - er, quadrangle - that's been set up between Mary, Francis, his brother Sebastian ("Bash"), and Francis's girlfriend/mistress/whatever will make for quite the romantic intrigue, despite the fact that it's entirely fictional. And that's not even the soapiest aspect of the pilot's story. One of Mary's ladies-in-waiting (in the completely out of place strapless dress) has begun an affair with the king. Because that won't lead to trouble with his wife. Or his mistress.

Star-crossed lovers?
Source: pinterest.com/thecw

Adelaide Kane captures Mary's doe-eyed naiveté quite well. While Mary's innocence makes her somewhat one-dimensional (for now, anyway), the character of Francis already seems complex. He's clearly torn between his desires and his responsibilities. And to make things more complicated, it seems he doesn't even know what his true desires are.

The pilot episode very neatly foreshadowed coming disaster. I lost count of the omens and harbingers of doom - i.e., "don't go into the forest," "don't drink the wine," "there are ghosts there," "she will cost Francis his life," "this was an assassination attempt." And I don't think that's even half of them. This drama will have very little - if any - of the comedic flair of the more popular CW shows. That's ok, though, as long as it continues down the intriguing path it's started.

I had no doubt that Megan Follows would blow us away, but I didn't have any idea just how villianous the Queen would be. Getting your son's fiancé's lady-in-waiting's boyfriend to roofie the future queen in order to ruin her reputation and thus secure your son's political future is wicked. Beheading said boyfriend when he fails is diabolical. And Follows delivered the treacherous performance seamlessly. I can't wait to see what she does next.

One final note: I'd keep watching this show just for the music. I'm miffed that I can't seem to find a downloadable version of The Lumineers "Scotland," which was the perfect opening number for the pilot.

Reign: Totally CW, But for the Lack of Vampires

The CW will be adding several new shows to its line up this fall, and most of them are as supernatural as you'd expect. They've got the Vampire Diaries spinoff, the Romeo and Juliet with aliens thing, and the sci-fi standards. But then there's Reign:

My first thought when I saw ads for Reign was, "This is Gossip Girl. It's Gossip Girl, but with a dash of Downton Abbey." Apparently, I'm not the only one. Huffington Post's Alex Moaba called it "a Game of Thrones meets Gossip Girl thing." Let me be clear, I think this is a good thing. Yes, the plot and setting make it ripe for historical inaccuracy and anachronism, but I will ignore those if Reign proves to be as intriguing a political drama as the trailer promises.

Source: cwtv.com/reign

And I suspect that it will. Here's something interesting: the creators of the show aren't your typical CW stock. Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta's past credits include several formula police procedurals like Ghost Whisperer, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Law and Order. (For what it's worth, Sengupta is leaving the show before it even premieres.) I have to wonder if their experience will result in Reign being a mystery-followed-by-solution heavy show, which I believe would greatly benefit the plot. This might balance out the romance/seduction side that's ever-present on this youth-focused network.

As for the cast, I'm most excited to see Megan Follows, who plays Queen Catherine de' Medici. Since her breakout role as Anne of Green Gables (a personal favorite of mine) in the 1980s, Follows has become quite the accomplished actress, both on screen and on the stage. I suspect her stage experience might translate nicely to regal nature of her role on Reign. Again, if the trailer is any indication, this show will be full of some genuinely good acting, which is not always a sure thing on the CW.

The final reason this trailer has me excited for Reign is the music. One of the great advantages to telling a historical story today is that it gives the creators a chance to interpret it through a (literal and figurative) modern lens. The soundtrack of the trailer comes across as classic, but the drumbeats and energy give it a present-day twist.

Reign won't premiere until October. You can catch it Thursday nights on the CW. I know I will.