So it seems in the midst of this summers historical movie,
miniseries craze, all of which total are my cup of tea, the CW network has
created a new series called “Reign.” Now I have to admit, when I first saw the
trailer for the show I was like “Oh YES! This will rock!” but when the show
finally aired about 3 weeks ago, I had some very mixed feelings.
The idea and the theme for the show is excellent but as we
approach episode 4, there are some hitches that I hope are neatly stitched up
before the season finale.
The costumes. Umm I could really tear the show to shreds
over the costumes, but I am going to gracefully decline and tell myself, this
is art, and this is the CW’s producers interpretation, let them knock their
socks off. Also, the show is geared
towards a younger audience and I applaud them for this move. History is
important, kudos to the CW in making the story of Mary Queen of Scots appealing
to the younger generation. I know I can let my girls watch the show, and its
overall pretty clean.
Scenery, based in Ireland and Toronto I am told is
beautiful, that alone makes up for the missing pieces. The musical score by Trevor Morris of course
is superb. Mr. Morris has a lengthy score bio including some recent works The
Tudors, and the new show Dracula.
The story. It is believe able yes. Does it fit historical
accuracy, not entirely. I haven’t found any source that states she was hidden
in a convent, even wiki states otherwise. She did live in France for 15 years
after the age of 5 before returning to Scotland to claim her birthright. She was very much French as she was Scottish,
as most her tutelage was learned in French court. As the show progresses, what historical
versus artistic interpretations remain to be told. We will see what the screenwriters have in
store for us.
Now to one of the most important factors of any new show;
the acting. I really like the girl who is playing Mary
(Adelaide
Kane)
. She is a gem, very pretty girl. But you
can tell she is green. She doesn’t quite captivate you yet. We will have to
watch. The king of France, he might be a
good actor, but the person does not fit the part at all. I am having a hard
time believing a medieval King of France; Henry II would look like a football
player. Bash (Sebastian, Torrance Coombs) and Francis (Toby Regbo) are lots of
fun to watch. Then Queen Catherine, who is played by Megan Follows. I did not
recognize her at first, but I have to admit she does play a very good snooty
Catherine. Overall, the cast is okay, not superb and nowhere near the caliber
of say, “The White Queen,” but it is
not supposed to be.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how
the ratings fair out with this show. For the fans, and for those who want a fun
history based show it would be nice to see it make a second season. Kudos to
the CW and their writers for having the integrity taking on the medieval times.
~Andrea C. S. McMillin, BA Medieval
Studies w/ History U.C. Davis and current scholar
November 5, 2013
image source: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDY4NTgzNjQyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTgzNDIxMDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg
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