REIGN on the CW seemed to start off a bit slow but as its’ first season progresses the buzz is getting really good and fans seem to be enjoying it. In tonight’s new episode called, “Liege Lord.” On it, Mary uncovers her marriage contract’s secret clause, which was added by Catherine and her mother, so she and Francis attempt to persuade the people of Scotland to renounce her mother.
On last week’s episode when Francis reluctantly agreed to help Bash uncover the threat in the woods, he ended in grave danger, with only Bash to save him. Meanwhile, the King’s madness caused chaos when a servant won “Queen for the Day,” and the King became obsessed with her. The King also forced a surprising, and unbreakable, union with a new couple at Court. Meanwhile, Greer (Celina Sinden) got caught kissing kitchen servant Leith (guest star Jonathan Keltz), which threatened to ruin her. Adelaide Kane, Anna Popplewell and Caitlin Stasey also star. The episode was directed by Jeff Renfroe and written by Drew Lindo and Wendy Riss Gatsiounis.
On tonight’s episode When Mary (Adelaide Kane) learns of a secret clause in her marriage contract that her mother, Marie de Guise (guest star Amy Brenneman) and Queen Catherine (Megan Follows) orchestrated, Mary and Francis (Toby Regbo) embark on a dangerous plan to turn Scotland against her mother – and Mary gets her first taste of power as the Queen of Scots. Alan Van Sprang, Torrance Coombs, Celina Sinden, Anna Popplewell and Caitlin Stasey also star. The episode was directed by Allan Kroeker and written by Doris Egan.
Don’t forget to come back here tonight at 9 PM EST for your live recap of Reign season 1 episode 17 “Liege Lord.” In the meantime, be sure to hit up the comments section below and let us know what you’re most excited about for tonight’s episode.
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Kenna complains to her new husband Bash about the mirror in his chambers and he promises to get her things brought over soon. Kenna asks where they will fit and asks why she can’t stay in her old chambers and he explains that it’s because they’re married. She keeps complaining and says she was promised someone with lands and a title and instead got a bastard with nothing. He tells her he’s not happy either and she asks what he’s complaining about since he got a beautiful, titled wife of noble birth. He reminds her that she’s known far and wide for sleeping with his father.
Kenna says that’s in the past but he thinks they will continue sleeping together. She tells him she cares about herself and he cares about Mary. She says his love for Mary could destroy both their lives. He says they both need to keep their pasts in the past. He tells her they are married and says he won’t pretend he loves her, but will try to like her.
Mary and Francis receive more wedding gifts. She gets a bridle and Henry jokes that he should try it on his wife to keep her in hand. Everyone laughs and the couple goes off to dance. They worry about Henry’s increasingly erratic behavior and she says France can’t be run by a mad king. The good news is that he’s obsessed by Penelope so he’s distracted while Catherine is secretly running the country.
Lola complains to Greer that Lord Julian isn’t moving fast enough for someone who says he wants a wife and she frets that she’ll be showing soon. Greer says he may need a push. Lola likes that idea and approaches Julian who asks her to dance. He takes her in his arms and says they are well matched. He tells her he’s in a mood for marrying but he’s not the husband most women would want. She tells him she thinks he would make a fine husband. He tells her he was married twice before and that both died in childbirth. He says he doesn’t ever want children and says he doesn’t need heirs. He tells her there are ways to prevent conception. He proposed and she (stupidly) says yes. Julian announces it to the room.
One of Catherine’s ladies brings Mary out of the room and tells her she’s one of the Queen’s spies. She says that Catherine asked her to lure the King away from Penelope. The girl tells her that she doesn’t want to go near Henry since he’s obviously mad. She asks Mary to help her get out of the country and tells Mary she has valuable information if she’ll help her.
Mary comes back in and speaks to Bash who follows her out. Kenna watches them go. They load the girl up and she tells her there is a secret clause that if Mary dies without an heir, Scotland will go to France. Bash rides off with the girl to escort her to safety as she tells Mary that she’s worth more dead to the King and Queen than alive.
Mary speaks to Francis and tells him what she’s learned. He’s not happy and says it’s typical of his family’s trickery. The contract was pages long and in Latin. Mary says his parents did it to keep the upper hand. Francis says that once they get Scotland from her death they can invade England. She begs Francis not to tell his mother yet and says she can get access. She goes to Kenna and asks her to go into his chambers and find the marriage contract. Kenna says that Bash won’t like it but she explains to her why it’s important and what Charlotte told her.
Kenna is appalled and says they must do something. She goes off to the King’s chambers and tells the guards he asked her to wait for him there. She bravely goes in. She starts the search immediately. She finds keys in his desk and unlocks a trunk to look there as well. Kenna finds the contract but then Henry is there. He comes in and says he knows why she’s there. He grabs her and says that she misses him. She plays along and kisses him.
Mary shows Francis what Kenna got. It’s a copy without her signature and Francis says it’s a contract for them to kill her. Mary says she will write to her mother but Francis reminds her that her mother helped write it and says that the treasury gave her mother a large payment on the day the contracts were issued. She wants to force their parents to change it. Mary thinks they can give this info to the Protestants in Scotland and that would force their parents to destroy the other copies of the contracts so there is no evidence of their hijinks. Francis says this will give her mother a hard time and Mary says as Queen of Scotland, it’s her duty.
They plot on how to get a letter out because Catherine will stop any letters going to Protestants. Mary suggests they host a party.
had to invite so many Scots. Then she asks if she’s seen her lady Charlotte. Catherine says her ladies can be temperamental. Mary says the girl spilled her drink on her and apologized. Mary talks to Francis and they wonder which will take the news public rather than going to her mother Marie with the plot. They discuss one man in particular that used to serve Mary’s father.
Catherine approaches Penelope who tells the Queen that he’s adding diamonds to her crown. Catherine calls her your majesty and insults her terribly. A Scotsman approaches the Queen and calls her saucy. He calls her a beauty and tells her she must serve the Queen of France. She tells him she does serve the Queen.
Henry finds Bash and mocks him then asks how his marriage is. He tells Bash that Kenna can teach him a few things about sex and then tells him that she was only a day or two married when she came back to him. He says disgusting things to Bash then tells him he could have a king’s son as his first born and tells Bash it would be his gift to him.
Francis pulls the Scot they’ve targeted – MacKenzie – and allows him to bring his men into the room while they talk. They come in and he asks why he’s there. She reminds him he fought beside her father and asks how it was. He says many men died in that battle. She asks if he misses her father and he snaps at her for not being in Scotland these many years. She tells him about the secret contract her mother signed. She says she has the heart of a Scot and says that France has betrayed them. She charges them to take the news and tell the world – especially Lord Hardy – the Protestant leader.
MacKenzie asks if she would defy her mother Marie and she says she would defy anyone to protect Scotland. She says she has nothing to offer him except her gratitude. He and his men lay their swords at her feet and bow and he calls her your majesty and kisses her hand. He says they have waited a long tie for her to rise.
Francis tells her it was amazing and says she’s a liege lord to those men. She says no one has ever looked at her like that. Mary says she’s been used as a chess piece for too long and he tells her she should claim and keep her power. Catherine meets with the flirty Scotsman and says he’s traveling with Lord MacKenzie back to Scotland tomorrow. She tells him she can’t leave France because she serves the Queen. She asks him about Scotland and he flirts heavily then kisses her hard. She allows it and kisses him back.
Kenna comes into Bash’s chambers and he confronts her about being with the king. She says she didn’t have sex with him. She told him she was there at Mary’s beck and call but he thinks she was there for fun. She says she’s terrified of Henry and never wants to be alone with him. She tells him that Mary sent her there to get a document to save Scotland. She says Henry came in and she had no escape route. She tells him that Henry’s touch makes her sick. She cries and says their marriage is based on nothing and Bash says what a pair their father tied together.
Lola calls Julian to her chambers and confesses that she’s pregnant. He sighs and says that’s why Mary was pushing her on him. He asks if she cares for him at all. She says that if she didn’t care she wouldn’t confess at all, but refuses to tell him who the father is. He says she’s been carrying a secret all alone and he tells her they’ve both made mistakes with their lives. He says he won’t ask her about her past if she won’t ask about his. He agrees to marry her quickly before she begins to show. He says he doesn’t need a match made in heaven but can settle for one made somewhere north of Paris.
Catherine lies in bed naked as her Scotsman dresses. He worries that they shouldn’t linger in the Queen’s bedchamber and he assures her the Queen is well satisfied. She puts on a robe and then begins to brush her hair and he finally realizes she’s the Queen. He asks if it’s too late to bow. She tells him that he needs to keep this to himself. He asks if he had known she was Queen would he have slept with her. He reveals that MacKenzie had a private session with Mary and says they changed their travel arrangements to head straight back to Scotland. She asks what the meeting was about but he doesn’t know.
He leaves and Catherine digs through documents in a chest and them slams the portfolio closed and says – Mary knows.
says they’re headed to the village brothel. He declines to go and says he just had a good tumble. He tells him not to be late for when they sail in the morning. He watches them go and then is shocked when he is garotted by an unseen assailant. The other Scots are in the brothel and the one MacKenzie’s lap keeps checking the door. The others are taken off to various private areas. There is a pounding at the door and she goes to answer it. All the Scotsman are murdered and the women too. The attackers bring in torches and burn the place down.
Catherine gets a knock at the door and one of her guard tells her it’s done and that every man of MacKenzie’s is gone. Some whores were paid off and others were killed. Catherine gets pissy with him over killing the girls but then sends him away. She sits at her desk with her head in her hands when Mary comes to see her. Mary slaps the Queen in her face. She sends her guard out. Catherine tells her it wasn’t lightly done and they can’t have a war with Scotland over the contract.
Mary tells her she killed a dozen men because she couldn’t be bothered with the trouble. Mary tells her she won’t forgive her and Catherine tells her that’s the way that ruling works and that these are just the first of many men that will sacrifice their lives for her. She says she’ll get used to sending men out to die for her. Catherine says the only other option is to give up. Francis waits outside the Queen’s chambers. He hugs her as she cries.
Henry comes into the room with Penelope. He stops when he sees a young man with a squash racket looking at him. Kenna sees him staring off and he looks distracted. He looks back and the man is gone. He looks at Kenna then comes over to her and tells Greer to go. He sits by her breathing hard and tells her he gets headaches. She tells him she’s sorry. He lays his head down on her lap and says her touch is soothing to him.
He puts her hand on his head and tells her that Penelope’s voice grates. Bash comes in and tells his father than Penelope is getting jealous. He says you know how women are about you and Henry says it’s a burden. He leaves Kenna and goes to his throne. Bash takes her hand and walks her away. He says he was worried about her and says she’s not safe in the castle but he will always defend her because she’s his wife.
Francis tells his mother he’s surprised that she’s releasing the bodies to Scotland. Mary comes in and demands the contract. Catherine tells her she’s won and Mary tells her that she can hand it over or she will spread the word that Henry is mad. Catherine tells her it will case civil war. Mary says that she is the Queen of Scotland, not France and says she can take Francis with her to Scotland to serve as her consort. Mary says she has sent three riders and unless she sends word saying not to, they will release the news to influential men and the Vatican. Catherine asks Francis if she’s bluffing and Francis backs his wife up. Catherine hands over the original with Mary’s signature and Mary tells her to burn it. She does.
Later Francis tells Mary it was a great bluff and she tells him that she did send the three riders. He’s shocked because it could have destroyed France. She tells him she will be Queen of France one day but says Scotland only has her to look out for its welfare. She tells him she will always choose her own country over his and pats his cheek. He’s a bit shocked. They lie down in bed and she blows out the candle.
THE END!
