Reign: 2x19 “Abandoned”

Francis: “Well... you were planning to abandon our marriage, flee France and run off with my cousin, so... I no longer care what you do.”

Except I think that he does. How is he still sane and haven’t killed Conde is a mystery to me.

Three weeks have passed since Mary decided to stay in France. Taking Conde’s absence as a sign of hope that things are over between him and Mary, Francis' heart was crushed once again [if that even possible at this point!]. Mary hadn’t broken it off with Conde. They were still together, having a long-distance thing while Conde was visiting whatever it was he was visiting.

The plot to frame Conde worked and failed at the same time. Francis once again believed in his innocence, or rather Mary’s word for it. Conde unaware of their conversation did what he does best – making rushed decisions without thinking it through. If he had, he would have put a condition, for example, to marry in England where he would have been perfectly safe. Instead, in a matter of minutes after meeting some guy who claimed to be Elizabeth’s envoy he went off and married the queen. By proxy. But still. The whole thing was so rushed, it felt unbelievable and staged. When things started unraveling the next morning, I even suspected Elizabeth’s envoy to be a fake and working for Catherine who came up with this elaborate trap. It turned out however that she [or Narcisse] was only responsible for killing the participants and destroying the evidences after the fact. Who do you think was it? My money is on Catherine. True, Narcisse was in the village that night and he is brazen and bold, but he probably wouldn’t dare do something like without first running it by Catherine.

Whoever was behind it, the marriage was real and Conde is now King Consort of England. Except he isn’t any longer. Or is he? It’s still not clear. The ceremony and the wedding night ritual were legitimate, but it appears that if no one is left to tell the tale it is not valid. The proxy and the priest were murdered, the documents were destroyed; but Elizabeth’s envoy was a witness and he was alive. Can’t he confirm the legitimacy of the ceremony?

Either way Conde has now committed treason. Francis delivers the news to Mary only to learn that she knew about this possible alliance. Caught up in heart affairs and trusting Conde completely Mary never ever took a moment to think what this would actually mean for France, for her husband the King and for her. Francis has all the rights to feel betrayed, not only as a man and a husband, but as a King.

He is also starting to regret his decision to send troops to Scotland. No wonder. At first sign of trouble there was no one capable to defend these poor children. The two thousand soldiers were sent to Scotland purely as a demonstration of strength, so they could have sent anybody. Yet, they sent the most skilled soldiers. Well, that was a bad strategic move. What if the castle was suddenly under attack?

Thankfully, General Renaude is quite capable, and ruthless – what with saving the child of wealthy parents over the poor one. If I was Kenna, I’d run the other way. Then again, maybe she finally found her man, the one that she deserves. Her jealousy was selfish and piteous, she was the one ready to run off with another man, and now she is jealous that Bash has found someone she’s not even sure he’s involved with romantically. Which he isn’t. Yet. Delphine saved him and saw him commit a murder. People get close under less dramatic circumstances. We’ll see.

Historical bits

Well, only the obvious: Conde and Elizabeth were never married. Not even by proxy.

Some observations  

Geer has gotten very knowledgeable about this new job of hers. Hmm…

The cat and mouse a.k.a Catherine and Narcisse keep playing the game that is starting to give me a bit of a yak feeling. Maybe it’s because it’s all about power and lust, and nothing else. Maybe it's because there is absolutely no chemistry and as good actors as they are, they can't sell it properly. Whatever it is, they are getting very unpleasant to watch. Two interesting details however I'd like to point out: Narcisse still cares for Lola and Catherine is surprisingly jealous about it. 

Wardrobe department:

Watching this one I noticed how very often they change Mary’s crown, so today wardrobe department section is dedicated to this royal jewel.

The “Gorgeous Crown of the week”

The “Absolutely Hideous one” 

Memorable Quotes:

Kenna: “We're all basically fallen women... an unwed mother, a divorcée... eventually, and now a madam. So I say to hell with what people think.”

Annabelle: “Must be hard to sleep on one's first night as a king.”

Conde: “Lying next to a sharp broadsword doesn't help either.”

Sol’s rating: 3 out of 5.