So last night was the season finale of Reign and I have a lot of thoughts on the topic.
One of my favourite things about Reign is it’s relatively historically accurate. One of my least favourite things about Reign is that it’s not historically accurate. Which makes last night’s episode so hard on my fangirl heart. There’s spoilers here if you haven’t seen the episode and also spoilers if you’re not caught up on your European history. Though seriously, it happened 455 years ago! And by My Fangirl Life’s Spoiler Guide, historical spoilers are fair game.
We begin the episode with Mary running to Condé and telling him she’s pregnant. I wasn’t worried by this bump in the road. Mary Queen of Scots only has one child, and it’s NOT WITH Condé. And I know that the Conspiracy of Amboise, a plot to overthrow King Francis II failed and Louis, Prince of Condé was arrested. This happens historically. Mary and Condé NEVER run away together. I actually don’t know if they even knew each other in real life.
I love Mary and Francis, definitely my Reign OTP. I was so happy they got back together and were happy at the end of the episode. I also loved that moment where Francis said ‘I’m dying’. I got chills. I knew it was coming. So why did I love this?? Because King Francis II of France died on December 5, 1560 at the age of 16. Francis is supposed to die and it kills me that my OTP is historically destined for heartbreak. UGH! My fangirl heart is broken just thinking about it. But this history nerd loves it at the same time.
I got really excited by the appearance of Queen Elizabeth I at the end. This is the great queen Elizabeth who ruled England for over 44 years. This is the great Elizabethan age of Shakespeare and seafaring exploration. It was the Golden Age. It was the Golden Age for all but Mary. Mary Queen of Scots just does not get a happy ending here. Elizabeth had Mary imprisoned for 19 years and then had her executed.On Reign we are all rooting for Mary. We want he to defeat the villainous Elizabeth and live happily ever after with Francis. BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!! We want her to have Francis’s child and secure the royal line, BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! But then, how is this show going to end?!?! Is next season going to be doom and gloom where Francis is sick and eventually dies? Is the season after that going to be where Mary goes back to Scotland? Will she be briefly happy and get married again? Will she finally have a child? Are we going to meet Lord Darnley? Will she then be captured?? It’s not very sunshine and rainbows! No happy endings for the characters we love. My historical and fangirl hearts are torn. I want it to be historically accurate but I also want everyone to be happy.
There’s one silver lining to Mary’s story. The current line of the British monarchy is directly descended from Mary and Lord Darnley’s child, King James IV of Scotland and King James I of England. Prince William and Harry are more related to Mary than Elizabeth. And I think that would make Elizabeth mad. Unfortunately, this might be the only happy ending we see come out of Reign.
What are your thoughts on the finale? I can’t be the only one who loves Reign but is also obsessed with European history! Let me know in the comments!
– Justine Alyssa
