Reign on the CW continues tonight with an all new Thursday October 16, season 3 episode 2 called “Betrothed,” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Catherine (Megan Follows) is imprisoned when she returns to France, and Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) faces a political backlash for sheltering her.
On the last episode, in the third-season opener, Mary faced struggles in Scotland as Elizabeth and Catherine united against her. Meanwhile, Elizabeth lost focus because she grew tempted by her first love; and Francis’ fate remained uncertain. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it we have you covered with a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the CW synopsis, “Catherine is imprisoned when she returns to France, and Elizabeth faces a political backlash for sheltering her. Meanwhile, the fate of Scotland’s future forces Mary to make some tough choices; and Lola feels torn regarding Narcisse.”
Don’t forget to come back here tonight at 8 PM EST for your live recap of Reign season 3 episode 2. 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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#Reign begins with Catherine waking in the dungeon. She has her gown stripped off of her. Catherine curses her jailer and says she wants to see Francis. The jailer says Francis is the one who put her there and who she is does not matter there. They leave her and she flops down then prays for help from God. Mary tells Francis that he needs to sentence his mother to death for treason but he says that can’t be his last act as king and says he will be dying soon. Mary says she’s not pregnant again.
He says it’s all right and she says she wanted a part of him for when he’s gone. He says he would love to see her pregnant but says fate has other plans. He says Charles will inherit the throne and says he’ll need a Regent. She asks if he wants her to marry Charles and he says yes and she says marriage and politics are different. She says they love each other and Francis says they always will but says she knows it makes sense. She looks at Charles playing ball outside. Francis says it’s just a legal agreement.
He says later she could move back to Scotland later unless she decides to stay with Charles. She agrees it’s best for both France and Scotland but says marrying his brother will break her heart. He says they must share the plan with Charles. In England, Elizabeth is criticized by her council for plotting with Catherine. They tell her the attack on Mary is an attack on all Catholic monarchs and has put them in danger with France and Spain.
They say that Elizabeth must blame Catherine for her actions and make herself innocent. They tell her they need to send a new ambassador to France. They nominate Robert Dudley, Elizabeth’s paramour. The nomination is seconded. Elizabeth can do nothing but says she’ll consider it. Amy Dudley hears from her lover that Robert will be sent to France and the man who nominated him asks Amy for something more depraved sexually.
Lola soaks in a bath and then finds a dead rat in her tub. She asks if he shared secrets about her with Catherine. She says the rat was planted there and a note says – one rat down, two to go. Lola says it’s a message from Catherine. She says word of his public request to court her has obviously reached Catherine. She says she has feelings for him but this is why they can’t be together. Francis tells Charles, Bash and Claude who asks if Catherine knows. Mary says Catherine can’t know.
He tells Bash that John can’t be king and Bash promises to protect him. Charles says he should have studied what his tutors said and says he never thought he’d be king. Francis asks to talk to Charles alone. The others leave but Mary stays. Francis says he wants him to marry Mary. Charles says she loves Francis and he wants someone his own age. Francis says that’s not possible and says Mary will serve as Regent unless he marries a queen. Charles says he wants to know what Catherine thinks.
Mary says he doesn’t understand who Catherine really is and Charles says make me understand. He asks if it’s just that she went to England. Charles says if he’s to wed Mary, Francis must die then he will be king and he won’t have to marry her. Francis tells Mary that no one can know the extent of Catherine’s crimes. He says they need Charles to cooperate. Mary says Catherine will keep scheming even when a tray of food is delivered. Mary says Catherine will lie to Charles and says they should tell him their side.
She says Charles is a scared boy who wants the love of his mother. Francis says he’ll talk to her first. Lola is in the woods picking raspberries for her son. and sees rose petals on the ground. She follows them. She finds Narcisse with a picnic and wine. He says he loves her and he pays attention to what she does. He says if Catherine will punish them anyway, they should just get married and be together. He says he knows she doesn’t just want an affair from him. He says they can have a real family.
He says he wants her forever. She says Francis has forbidden their relationship. She says he can’t hold out for an impossible marriage. He kisses her. Claude goes through her things and complains about her sable being missing. Leith is there and she complains that the carriage is the only place she hasn’t looked. She orders him to find it and Leith says no and it’s not his job. He walks out on her. Catherine tells Francis it must be poison that’s killing him.
He says it’s not – it’s a real illness and incurable. She says she wants to comfort him and he says she’s there for her betrayal. She says she raised Mary too and then Mary weakened him. She says she will protect him but to let her out. She says Charles will need her when he’s king then asks if he’s there. Francis says he wants Charles to wed Mary but he knows she’ll try to poison against the plan. Donatella is with Elizabeth drinking wine. Elizabeth asks her a favor.
She says it will require a tiny fib. She says she wants her to tell the privvy council that she’s a distant cousin of Catherine’s and that she hosted her at court as asylum so that Elizabeth didn’t even know she was there. Elizabeth has Dudley shackled playing sex games. She tells him he’s not going anywhere and she says the ambassadorship is a plot to separate them. He says she can’t fight it but she says she can and will give him a better title to raise his station and keep him there.
He says they whisper about them and she says whispers are treason. William tells Elizabeth that nobles saw her with Catherine at the castle and says she’s been challenged to clean up her mess. She says Donatella was responsible for bringing Catherine there. William says they council knows that her affair with Robert is back on and says if she refuses to make him ambassador, she will be at risk. He says she has to remain pure and look available for a strategic marriage.
William says this is a larger issue and says her life changed when she was made queen. He says the mistakes of Robert and Catherine will cost them all. She says she’s like a prisoner and he says it’s some prison. Claude tells Charles that Francis promised not to force her to marry and she asks Charles to make the same promise. Leith listens. He says Francis wants him to marry his brother’s wife after he’s king. Charles tells her she will marry who he commands her to. Leith sighs.
Catherine tells Charles that Francis is right about the threats to his crown once Francis dies. Catherine says the Scottish alliance is a drain. Charles says he wants to protect himself not Scotland. Catherine says to agree to the engagement then he can decide what to do once he’s king and he’s installed her as regent. Charles says she’s in prison and Catherine says he can exonerate her. She says she would die for him but Mary would not. She tells him to visit her regularly.
He says he hasn’t been studying as he should. Catherine says to reach out to Lord Germain and asks for a full reckoning of the realm’s accounts. She says use that phrase and it will impress him. Bash tells Leith that Delphine left a message in his room – it’s about a kitchen servant being the next murderer’s victim. Bash says he doesn’t think she’s the killer and tells him to investigate if anyone is missing. Bash says he will seek justice either way whether Delphine is the killer or not.
Lord Germain gets the message from court and asks if the phrase “full reckoning” is certain. Germain says they need to go shed some Bourbon blood in Navarre. Charles comes to tell Mary that he’ll marry her. Charles says Mary has been fair to him and so has Francis who says he will still counsel Charles. His brother says everything Francis wants to hear. Leith reports back that one serving girl skipped out on work – a girl named Annabelle but says she’s eloping.
Mary tells Charles that Francis wants them to meet him in the village. He asks if he sent a message to Lord Germain. Charles lies and Mary says they’ve been listening to Catherine in her cell. Mary says he lied and has no intention of marrying her. Charles says he wrote to her to request the crown’s accounts. Francis shows him that Germain is a trained killer and it was a coded message to send assassins to Navarre to kill the entire line including young children and a baby girl.
Francis says that baby’s blood would be on his hands. Mary asks if that’s the kind of king he wants to be and the first lesson from Catherine. Mary and Lola walk and talk and Mary says Catherine will be dealt with for her tricks. Mary asks what future she could have with Narcisse. Lola says she thinks he will protect her. Mary begs her to be careful of him and says she has to tell her something that must stay secret. She says Francis wanted to tell her himself then says he’s very ill and is dying.
Lola says she’s sorry. Mary says he won’t be king soon and there won’t be anything in the way for her and Narcisse. Mary says it will seem like a different world when she can make her own choices. She tells her to think long and hard about what she wants and make the right decision. William tells the council about Donatella. She and her husband are to be stripped of her titles and banished from court. Elizabeth says Robert is not the man for the French ambassadorship.
She criticizes Robert harshly and says he’s inexperienced and doesn’t have the skills required. William is not pleased with her. Robert is angry that she belittled him in front of the council. Donatella comes to see Elizabeth and says she’s banished and poor and Elizabeth says she had no idea this would happen. She says she promised to protect her. Elizabeth says she protected England. Donatella says she had no choice then says she’ll recant and will tell the truth that Elizabeth forced her.
Elizabeth says she’ll make sure they have gold to start over but says she needs to leave court now. Elizabeth hugs her then Donatella leaves. Elizabeth tells her men to have her arrested for threatening her and says she must be permitted to keep her head but will be locked up for treason. Mary tells Charles he must take care of this alone and he goes to see his mother then asks if he ordered the assassination of an entire line. Catherine says the Bourbons must die.
She says a family tree must be pulled out from its roots to prevent succession claims. She reminds him when their family’s lives were threatened. Mary tells her they are trying to let her keep her head. Catherine says the Bourbons came after them and Charles says it doesn’t make it right. Catherine says right and wrong don’t matter if you’re dead. Catherine tells Mary that Charles knows she’s right and she has won. Narcisse talks to Lola about their future. She says it’s more than an affair.
She tells him she loves him too and says they will find their way to a marriage and asks him to be patient and trust her. He kisses her and she says they can both get what they want. Narcisse was the one who planted the rat and he tells his man he got what he wanted and now needs to be the man she wants. Robert rants at Elizabeth and says she embarrassed him in front of everyone and says she tore up his reputation in favor of what she wants. He says he can’t do this anymore.
She promises to raise his station and then says the problem is Amy and asks what do they do about her. She says he created the greatest obstacle in marrying her. He says she told him a hundred times they couldn’t marry so he married another. He says Amy isn’t going anywhere and Elizabeth asks, isn’t she? Robert says to be careful and be sure of what she wants. Bash finds the kitchen girl murdered in a boat by the water with the man she intended to elope with. He’s horrified.
Charles comes to see Francis who is feeling poorly. Mary asks where he’s been and he says he was in the nursery. He says John and Bash could be usurpers too but he can’t kill them. He says Catherine is not the mother he thought and can’t be his mother. Francis says he can raise the crown by raising them up and not crushing their enemies. Charles agrees to take Mary as his wife to continue ruling France the way it should be. Francis tells Mary that Charles will need her and she cries about a future without him.
Leith comes to see Claude and wakes her. He says he went looking for her blanket. He says Frederick told her it was a gift from her father and he heard Francis was dying then says he will keep the secret. She says her father promised that she could marry for love. She says before he went mad, she was his favorite and he protected her. She says now there is no one left to protect her. Leith says he’ll sit guard until she drifts off. He sits on the floor and she says to talk since she can’t sleep.
Elizabeth tells Nicholas she needs him but he says he retired from her service. She says she rewarded his allegiance before. She says she needs his special skills and says he needs to go to Queen Mary – she says she’s imported him English ambassador to France. Mary comes to see Catherine. She says Charles agreed to marry her despite her best efforts. She says traitors should pay with their life but Francis can’t kill another parent. She says she could likely convince Charles to make the sacrifice of killing her.
Mary tells her not to cross them again. Catherine demands to talk to Francis and beats on the door that Mary locks behind her. Catherine rants like a lunatic then beats her head against the door until she passes out.
THE END!
