Mary: “I may live in France, but I
have the heart of a Scot.”
And Boy, did she prove it!
So Catherine, Henry and Marie
de Guise [for a huge portion of French gold] agreed to include a tiny little clause
in the wedding contract. It was somewhat smart on the part of Catherine and
Henry, heartless but smart. It was a win-win for them, if Mary is not named the
successor to the English queen, Henry could
easily chop her head off and get Scotland. Of course that would
never have happened, since Mary is a central character of the series, but that
was a smart political move.
Whereas I can totally
understand France's
motivation for doing this, I can’t get what was Marie de Guise thinking? She
can’t be that naive, she knows what Catherine is capable for, and still she
basically signed Mary’s death sentence. With a mother like that, who needs
enemies?!
Mary’s elaborate plan to get rid of a contract failed. Of
course it did. No one can keep their mouth shut. But what a beautiful scene it
was when Mary confided in Lord MacKenzie and his men and asked for their help. She behaved like a real Queen.
It was equally shocking to
see those men die. The length Catherine is willing to go to protect her
interests is shocking but at the same time not surprising at all considering the
historical figure the character is based on. That speech at the end about the
necessity of making the hard choice and sacrifice lives because otherwise you have to give up was
a good example of who Catherine de Medici really is. Then again, what do I
know about being a queen, but it has got to be a better choice to make, the one
that doesn’t involve lots of people dying. That is what good queen or king is
in my book.
My favorite
scene of the episode was Mary punching Catherine in the face. It was well deserved, but so sudden;
I certainly didn’t expect her to do that. Go Mary! Then she pulled herself together
quickly and found a way to back Catherine into a corner, get what she
wanted without spilling any blood. Good job!
Mary has grown up, hasn’t she? She is no longer the same young girl that
came to French court to marry its next king. She is the Queen on her own, with
a country, and whereas Francis has no real power, not just yet, his wife does.
Mary was always strongly standing for what she believed in. On numerous
occasions she said that her loyalty is first of all to Scotland. Those
were all strong words, but words only nevertheless. This time we got some
actions. Not only she is now capable to put aside her love for Francis and not
be afraid of his reaction, she is ready to jeopardize France for Scotland and that says a lot. That
took balls. She is becoming more and more worthy opponent of Catherine’s.
Moving on…
The wedding season
continues… Now it’s Lola and Lord Julien turn, who announced their engagement
in the middle of a dance. Come to think of it Lola has the worst of luck when
it comes to finding a proper husband, especially in her predicament; first
suitor was into men, this one doesn’t want children. I was starting to think she won't succeed. And then her luck changed,
when she favored the hard honest truth. Lord Julien must have been extremely
smitten with her since he agreed to raise a child without knowing who the
father is. Anyhow they make for a beautiful couple and are
starting their story with honesty [well mostly]. I wonder how long it lasts…
And finally last, but strangely not
the least, I’d like to talk about Kenna and Bash. I loved them getting married
in the last episode, not because they are so meant for each other, but because
this predicament could produce tons of interesting situations between our main
characters. Also, those who read my reviews know that I’m not a fan of Kenna’s,
but this was probably the first episode when I kind of liked her. This new
couple we have has enough potential to turn into something beautiful. There is
enough chemistry between the two actors, so they certainly can pull off all this
angst, rebellion and romantic gestures.
Historical bits
History knows lots of kings
and queens gone mad for one reason or another from Charles VI of France to George III of England
and some before, after and between. Interesting enough, in most cases years
later it was suspected they were poisoned with arsenic that has been given to
them in small doses over a long period of time.
Why is it relevant? I have no idea. King Henry
II in real life never suffered from mental illness and I have no idea where
they are going with this craziness, but my guess is that someone is poisoning him.
Some observations
Mary looked
absolutely stunning in this dress.
Penelope is
still playing queen and is still stupid enough to challenge Catherine. Can’t
wait to see her head roll.
How stupid
was that what’s his name fool who was flirting with Catherine? Yes, many might
have never seen the king and queen, let alone foreigners, but you can do a
simple math and realize that 18 years old brat could not possibly be the queen.
Memorable Quotes:
Kenna: “You
make it sound as though I'm the most self-centered woman in France.”
Kenna: “What
do you have to complain about? You're now married to a beautiful woman of noble
birth.”
Bash: “Who's
notorious for sleeping with my father. I see no awkwardness there.”
Bash: “This
is our life now, Kenna. It's not what we chose, but we're married before king
and God, till death.”
Henry to
Bash: “You could have a king's son as your firstborn. My gift to you.”
Every time
I think he just can’t get any more obnoxious he proves me wrong.
Francis:
“In France,
the queen is the person who is married to the king. But to those men, you are
their liege lord, the one to whom oaths of loyalty are made.”
Catherine:
“Welcome to being a ruling queen, Mary. Men will trust you and die. These are
the first. But they won't be the last. It'll go on and on, until your death, because
that's the way it works. And a beautiful, young queen, the men are gonna throw
themselves into the fire for you, my dear. They'll shoulder lost causes and
take on risks they should never take. In time, you'll get used to it. You'll
know in your bones the losses you face each time you send men out, and you'll
do it anyway. It'll be a cold choice. It's mathematical, you could say. Because
the only other option is to pull the covers over your head and give up.”
Sol’s
rating: 3,5 out of 5.
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