Catherine:
“That was a very expensive mistake. What jealous tantrum did that necklace pay
for?”
Well, this was bloody brilliant!
I believe the review will be
a long one, so bear with me!
The episode was packed full of all sorts of goodness. Diane was back.
Greer’s gone. Twins and Henry were still there/here/wherever. Mary’s dog from
the pilot is still alive and the King is sleeping on the couch.
The most brilliant part of the episode was Catherine. Of course she was!
The twins didn’t disappear when she forgave Claude for killing her other
daughters. In order for them to go away, she had to forgive herself for
punishing Claude, for not asking questions she didn’t want to know the answers
to, for constantly forgiving Henry when he didn’t deserve it.
At the beginning of the episode, when she was playing house with her
ghosts I was thinking: “Haven’t we been there and done that already with
Henry?”, “Are they establishing a pattern of having one crazy character per
season?”. But I was wrong. Catherine’s craziness was of a different kind. She was somewhat
aware they are the figments of her imagination born out of enormous guilt. It was
her way of working through things. Still, it could have cost her her life, if
Bash didn’t find her in time.
Bash refused the duchy and opted for the barony instead to be able to stay
King’s deputy. Bash was never an ambitious one, plus life as a Duke would be
too boring for him, so it was a smart choice. Not sure Kenna thinks of this
title business the same. She could have been a Duchess! But she took it better
than she would have before. Bash is a good influence on her.
The return of Diane caused some troubles in little life that Bash and
Kenna have built together. I understand why Bash is so rightfully upset with
her choices, but Kenna did change a lot, so maybe she deserves a second chance.
We will see how they go forward with this. Though I appreciate a good conflict
in relationships, I do hope they resolve it, because I’ve come to love this
couple.
I’m tempted to call Bash and Kenna the local Sherlock and Watson. They
seem to figure out pretty much everything. With little help from Catherine and
his childhood memories Bash was able to put two and two together and got Diane.
Sometimes I see things a mile away, sometimes I don’t. When I don’t, I’m
the prefect audience. I did not see the twist with Diane coming. I, much like
Catherine, ‘was slow to put it together’. In my defense I was so caught up in
the episode, I barely had to time to wonder. I did think however that the story
with the nanny was a bit too clean.
Diane has no business at court anymore, so I knew she’d be gone by the end of the episode, but I
didn’t think she’d be ‘gone’ gone. Catherine killing Diane wasn’t a surprise
considering Catherine’s state of mind at the moment, but at the same time it
was a surprise. Throwing Diane in the dark dungeon and then throwing away the
key felt like a better revenge for a character like Catherine. Yet, killing the
woman that took so much from her, was also very much like Catherine. I’m aware I’m
contradicting myself. What can say? She is that complex.
Will the habitants of the castle ever find out what really had happened
to Diane? Will Bash think she just left like he told her to? Maybe for awhile,
but I bet he will find out sooner or later.
The investigative skills are not surprising in Bash’s case, but when did
Kenna become so perceptive and intuitive. Last week she figured out that
Catherine was poisoning Claude, this week she was quick to realize that Francis
and Conde are fighting because of Mary. So, Watson it is.
Let’s talk about the almost a triangle. If the episode “Acts of War” never happened, I would entertain the idea of an
affair between Mary and Louis. But I don’t think it would’ve been plausible. I
don’t believe Mary had any romantic feelings for him. She was certainly
flattered and perhaps sometimes flirty, but I believe she would never go any
further because she still loves Francis. Now, after what happened to her, the
affair is even less likely. Still it felt they [the writers] were going in that
direction, so when they made a 180 degrees turn and shoved Conde and Lola
together it felt very sudden.
Conde blaming Francis for what happened to Mary and Francis jealous of
how close Mary and Conde have become, led to a fight in front of entire court.
Conde shouldn’t have baited Francis. Francis shouldn’t have taken the bait.
Instead they went on like two insensitive roosters too proud to stop and think
what they were doing. I felt so sorry for Mary. She was so fragile, so
beautiful in that moment, I would’ve killed them both for putting her through
this, especially after everything that happened to her.
So, where does that leave Mary and Francis? Nowhere that is good. To keep
the appearances and avoid rumors they paired Conde and Lola, but that doesn’t
solve the problem. Though I feel Mary is irrational in her distrust of Francis,
I understand she needs time. The problem is the more time they spend apart the
bigger is the gap between them. It’s getting bigger and bigger with every
episode.
Is it good bye for Greer? Are we that lucky? It certainly was a mistake
not to confide in Mary. Sure, after what happened, she might not have been very understanding,
but Mary has always protected her friends no matter what. Especially when they
are innocent and Greer is. Both of them, Lord Castleroy and her, were caught up
in the war that none of them understood very well. To make things worse she made
a deal and left the ledger – the only thing that could keep her out of jail –
in someone else’s hands. How stupid was that? Still, Mary and Francis found a
way to save her life, but only her life. Where will she go now? Will she try
and join her husband? Or will Leith hide her
in his chambers? Does he even have chambers? Where does he live? And now, when Francis
is giving away Narcisse’s property wouldn’t it be appropriate for him to give
one parcel to the man who saved his life? I know Francis thinks he paid that
debt when he freed Lord Castleroy, but still.
Historical bits
After Henry's death Diane de Poitiers - who by the way did not murder
Henry’s daughters - was banished by Queen Catherine to the Chateau de Chaumont. Here Catherine ‘banished’ her
quite literally.
The term ‘duchy’ was/is used almost exclusively in Europe, ‘barony’ on the other hand ‘belongs’
to Scotland, Ireland and outlying parts of England.
Some observations
No opening credits, just the title card.
“Duke” would be a more
appropriate title for Bash, him being the King’s son and all, and not “Baron” - one
of the lowest ranks.
Fighting
with the King is never a good thing. You loose if you loose and you loose if
you win.
Wardrobe department
The “Worst Dress of the
week” Award goes to Diane
The “Best Dress of the week”
Award goes to the whole ensemble.
Memorable Quotes:
Mary: “Lord
Narcisse. So good to see you cooperating in carving up your empire. What crime
did you confess to in the end?”
Narcisse: “I'm
guilty of embezzling from the Crown, Majesty.”
Mary: “Ah,
embezzlement. Excellent choice. If you had been guilty of blackmailing us... unthinkable,
really... we would have taken your lands and your head.”
Wasn’t she great?!
So true.
Catherine:
“I haven't properly mocked you for saving the life of your mother's worst
enemy.”
Lola: “Perhaps
you think you're some gallant defender of Mary's, but look around. You've
spawned harmful gossip with your male pride, and she's doing everything she can
to stop it.”
Good! I wish Francis heard that too, because it
applies to both of them.
Bash: “Some
things are too unforgivable. When a person is willing to sacrifice lives for
their own petty interests... that is one of those things.”
True, but I still think he should forgive
Kenna.
Catherine:
“Oh, indignation instead of groveling? I suppose that'll do. This is for
killing my babies. This is for taking my husband. Tearing my family apart. And
this... is for turning my daughter against me.”
Diane: “I
did it for Henry. All of it.”
Catherine:
“How perfect! He did it all for Henry, too! You loved him so much?
He's...
all...
yours!”
Sol’s rating: Well written, well executed, well acted. 5
out of 5!
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