Reign Recap Season 4 Episode 9 Pulling Strings

Director: Andy Mikita

Writers: April Blair & Laurie McCarthy

Original Air Date: 14 April 2017

My head is spinning. This is a bonkers Reign episode, and I write that with a great deal of affection. I kept getting season one vibes as the narrative hurtled from one wtf moment to another. With just a handful of episodes remaining until Reign bids its final adieu, the writers appear to have decided to step on the gas with a song in their hearts. As someone who has been with Reign since 2013, this is a joy to watch.

Though Catherine offered her expertise and assistance in ridding Mary of her misbehaving soon to be husband, Mary found she could not now turn back from the course she set. She was already pregnant with Darnley's child, the baby she believed the prophecy foresaw as the ruler of both England and Scotland. With not at all concealed exasperation and unfailing strength, she plucked Darnley from the chambers where he was plotting with a Cardinal to undermine Mary's power after their marriage, and was on hand to sober him up mere hours from their wedding. 'The Vatican's man,' Mary muttered at Darnley who was passed out on their wedding bed. It was difficult not to throw something at the TV when the Cardinal so clearly preferred a ne're-do-well in power, just because he had man parts, than an experienced and good ruler like Mary. The Cardinal's retaliation over his discovered plot was swift; the Vatican would no longer back Mary's drive to gain the support of border villages that were crucial to her plans to invade England. Vatican support was not needed, anyway. Catherine had Mary's wedding gifts melted down and sent to those villages; they turned quickly enough, or as the plot demanded (all this happened in a span of two days). More border villages declared themselves part of Scotland rather than England, as the Catholic Mary married the Catholic Darnley, whilst Protestant Elizabeth, whose legitimacy has long been in question, sat on the English throne.

It was a marriage of ambition, when one offered love. Of course Bothwell declared his love for Mary. Of course after he kissed her, she kissed him back. Reign has no time to build relationships, it only has a few episodes left. The ponytailed man is somehow less charming when he is trying to sell himself as the love the prophecy referred to, but I do believe Mary viewed him more favourably than I did. A lot more, perhaps, for she now had Catherine's wise words in her head. Catherine quite realistically told Mary that the love she would bear her child would not be enough. She could be driven to seek love beyond her heir, and on that, she must be careful. 

Meanwhile, the ship that announced itself with some Moray nudity moved a few steps forward this episode. Greer's baby daddy, the pirate Martin, arrived in Scotland with some wedding guests, and insisted on meeting Rose. Of course Martin was smitten with baby Rose --- who wouldn't be --- and wanted to spend time with her, at least, when he was in Scotland. Greer adamantly refused at first, but was persuaded by James, who caught on pretty quickly on Greer's secret. I am not entirely clear on what Martin gave James in return for putting a good word about his request to Greer. I will return to this later, if it comes up again. 

James was looking toward happier times with Greer, whilst the woman he has been using for information was ruined. James had been too successful as a spy; it made John Knox suspicious over the repeated wins Mary has been accruing in their duel. By the time James managed to stop Knox's plot to have Kiera's husband Lord White kill Darnley before the wedding, Knox had already had his own house watched. He took Emily to see a female adulterer shamed on the street, her hair shorn. Knox had Emily remove her clothing and shoes, the casting out of a wife he claimed he loved. How Emily ended up at Court, it was not shown, though with the way she watched James's tenderness toward Greer, I recalled again how I once thought her love for James could end in tragedy.

With all that movement in Scotland, Reign still found time to give us a good/ mad scene in England. Rachel Skarsten has been terrific as Elizabeth. Given how little she was in this episode, it was arresting how she still commanded the screen as she railed against her father Henry VIII. She was furious that English border towns declared themselves part of Scotland, and blamed her father. It was Henry VIII who started all that talk about Elizabeth's legitimacy, talk that followed her well into her reign as Queen. Because of it, there were many, too many, who thought Mary, with her unassailable bloodline, was the rightful Queen of England.

Elizabeth and Gideon had been growing closer. I enjoyed their friendship so, though there was talk last week that they could become lovers, I hoped it would not happen. Well, it did, and I am putting a pin on it for now. What I liked about that scene, however, was that it was Elizabeth who instigated it. Earlier, when Bothwell kissed Mary, they broke apart first, then Mary kissed Bothwell. Both couples, I do not necessarily ship, but I liked that these women, Queens, were shown to take, or at least taste, their pleasure.

There will be a two week gap before Reign returns. There is still much ground to cover, but based on what I have seen of the fourth season so far, Reign has managed its final run to be a sprint well worth watching. I am glad, at least, that the cancellation was not abrupt, that Reign was able to give us this fourth season with the knowledge that it was to be its last. I could rant about the cancellation, but I am choosing instead to celebrate the fact that, in the end, we will have 78 episodes of this jewel of a show. I hope the love fans have for Reign will show the powers that be that there is incentive toward supporting shows like this.

Anyway, that's it for me, for now. See you in two weeks, Royals!

Strays

■ James referred to pirate Martin as 'that bejewelled man.' Heh.

■ Martin pierced baby Rose's ears and left her a small fortune in rubies, emeralds and diamonds.

■ Rizzio has been charming the Court, and had clearly won Mary's affection. Rizzio was able to help uncover the Vatican plot with Darnley because he was lovers with the Cardinal's secretary.

■ Please. Lady Lennox is no match to Catherine de Medici. Not even close.

■ Mary: 'I am not as strong as you believe me to be.'

■ Catherine, on her gift of needlework. 'What, you think political manipulation and poisoning are my only skills?'

■ Will Kemp is sooo good as Darnley.