Sometimes shows that borrow inspiration from other television series succeed by blending together separate elements to create something entirely new and enjoyable. The CW’s new drama, “Reign,” certainly bears resemblance to past shows, with a cliched love triangle reminiscent of “The Vampire Diaries” (2009-present) and the same political maneuvering style of “Gossip Girl” (2007-2012). Unfortunately, “Reign” fails live up to these predecessors.
“Reign” follows the teenage years of Mary, Queen of Scotland, as she moves to France to wed Prince Francis and secure an alliance between the two countries. She takes care to guard against her enemies in England, who attempt to steal her throne numerous times. The characters in “Reign,” however, are reactive instead of proactive. Rather than being character-driven, the plot is propelled forward by events — something that greatly reduces the show’s potential. With a ghost loose in the castle, a mysterious and deadly forest and assassination attempts on Mary’s life, the plot could have been engaging, but instead loses its focus.
Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane) is altogether too sweet and caring to be the steely queen she needs to be, but her devotion to the throne is apparent. Most importantly, she appears to have her priorities in order and usually prefers to err on the side of caution, instead of recklessly putting her life in danger.
Her betrothed, Prince Francis II (Toby Regbo), is France’s rightful heir. His character is uninspired and rather meaningless, except to provide romantic tension for the show. Thankfully, Mary recognizes these qualities and eschews him fairly early. If his character develops over the course of the season, Francis could become a likeable, redeemable man — but seems uncertain.
As the illegitimate son of the French king and his mistress, Sebastian (Torrance Coombs) is one of the show’s best-written characters. With witty dialogue and a fun, easy personality, Sebastian is a highlight of “Reign.” He has a variety of talents but lacks the seriousness that Francis, as the future king, must exhibit. Instead, his playful yet knowledgeable demeanor is a breath of fresh air.
Viewers who have studied Queen Mary will be sorely disappointed, as the series is far from historically accurate. The show takes many creative liberties that may be unpalatable to those who actually want to see a factual snapshot of history. Indeed, this historical deviance is quite noticeable: The fashion is decidedly modern, new characters have been invented and many historical facts — especially those concerning Mary’s death — are blatantly untrue. “Reign” doesn’t necessarily need to rigidly follow the facts, but it does seem strange that so many of show’s details are fictitious. For viewers who only have a rudimentary familiarity with Mary’s life as queen, the lack of accuracy will be a non-issue, but “Reign” is definitely not for the history buff.
One of the only outstanding qualities is the show’s soundtrack, which features beautiful and catchy songs. With songs by The Lumineers and other popular bands, “Reign’s” music is an exquisite mix of pop and alternative folk. Another respectable aspect of the show is its cinematography. Instead of boring facial shots during a break in dialogue, the angles are edited in such a way that the footage appears fresh, original and uncontrived.
“Reign” will delight fans who want a candied version of Queen Mary, rife with romantic struggles and pseudo-politics. It seems to work best as a guilty pleasure, but for those viewers who want an intelligent drama and historical accuracy, be sure to steer clear of “Reign.”
