Reign

I hoped this show to be the unofficial sequel to The Tudors, since Tudors still were the ruling dynasty when Mary of Scots lived and was queen. But in fact it is a cheap soap for teens with at least no reference to what really happened and who Mary of Scots really was. And it doesn't show history, reality and good actor-ship at all. Not to mention the absolutely ridiculous costumes which don't display the clothes worn in this period of time. I know that not everything displayed at The Tudors was real and some things were fictional since not every piece or word of that period has been written down. But Reign is really a piece of crap with much less substance.

It's 1557 France. Mary (Adelaide Kane), Queen of Scots, has been hidden away at a convent for her safety since age 9. She is engaged to childhood friend Prince Francis, the future King of France. After a failed assassination attempt, she is sent to the French court. King Henry II is tyrannical. Queen Catherine de' Medici (Megan Follows) is a scheming survivor. Nostradamus is her adviser. Sebastian 'Bash' de Poitiers is the King's bastard son. Mary is joined by her friends from Scotland; Aylee, Greer Norwood, Kenna, and Lola. Mary has to navigate the royal court intrigue and the bubbling conflict between Protestants and Catholics. There is the scheming Lord Narcisse, the self-obsessed Princess Claude, and finally Queen Elizabeth of England.

The initial complaint is the myriad of historical inaccuracies. At some point, accuracy be damn. It's a YA romantic drama dressed up in historical costumes. Along with the beautiful and capable younger cast, the show is anchored by veterans Megan Follows and Alan van Sprang. After the departure of van Sprang, others are able to fill the vacuum. Adelaide Kane proves to be a very engaging lead. Eventually, the show does run out of steam and quite frankly history. While it lasted, it has 4 full years of great romantic melodrama.

I'll start by saying I'm Scottish with a reasonable knowledge of the times in the drama and this is bunkum BUT it is enjoyable bunkum with a very beautiful Mary and some of the best music I've heard on a TV show since the new Battlestar Galactica. Think 'The Borgia's' without Jeremy Iron's pope and you will be on the right lines when you imagine what 'Reign' is like. It's actually so pretty, and the music is so great, that I really want them to dump the historical narrative altogether and disappear off into a fantasy world where they can make up their own ending and create their own marriages and alliances as they go along. Adelaide Kane is a gorgeous Mary - in fact I keep forgetting it's supposed to be Mary Queen of Scots and getting confused with 'Snow White'. That girl was just born to wear red roses in her hair. Her young French prince is the ringer for the younger of the Borgia sons and is very easy on the eye - and talking about eyes, the 'bastard' brother to the French prince is another honey. And then we get on to the pagans in the woods, the conspiring Queen and the enemies all around. It's quite sumptuous. As I say, it's nonsense; it's absolutely not to be taken seriously, but I will carry on watching it because it is all just so darned enjoyable and glorious in it's wrongness. And the soundtrack is just breathtaking.

If you want historical accuracy do not watch Reign. I repeat. DO NOT WATCH. At no point does this show ever try to be faithful to its settings or historical figures. Instead, it very clearly tries to put Gossip Girl in a 16th century setting. The lavish parties, prom-like dresses, troubled romances, catty behaviour, model actors/actresses - it's all very 90210- esque. However, I must admit it succeeds at doing just that. No matter how laughable the costumes were, I can't say I wasn't at least mildly entertained. It's quite nice to look at and some of the characters are interesting (if completely inaccurate). And with a supernatural twist, it's quite clear that the creators are simply using the characters and setting as a starting point to tell their own stories. I might keep watching, only to see something different from the CW.

Some parts of this are way too painful to watch. I began watching it because I love Mary, Queen of Scots, but soon found that the historical accuracy of this was blown way out of proportion. Clothing (especially the dresses) - WRONG. Food - WRONG. Dance style - WRONG. Names of Mary's friends - WRONG. It seemed like I had a permanent grimace on my face for the beginning of it.

But then there's my affection for the characters. I love Francis and Mary's relationship (and Toby is such an adorable actor :), I love Bash, I love Catherine (though seeing Anne Shirley on screen put me into shock for a while...had to pause it for a moment...), and I love that strangely mysterious person that keeps giving people hints. I FEEL SO HORRIBLE FOR LETTING SUCH A HISTORICALLY INEPT SHOW SUCK ME IN, BUT I LOVE IT AT THE SAME TIME!

tl;dr: Let's just say it's a fantasy show that just so happens to have the same names as historical figures.