When the CW unveiled its 16th-century soap opera about the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots, the creators no doubt knew that their overripe speculations about conspiracies, plagues, and supernatural forces would occasionally have to take account of the historical record. It was one thing to transform Mary and Prince Francis of France—whom Mary wed in 1558 when both were in their mid-teens—into gorgeous twentysomethings played by Adelaide Kane and Toby Regbo, but it was inescapable that Francis died in 1560, only 17 months after being crowned as king. So relatively early on in this third season, Regbo's Francis departs, although he does so in a heroic fashion that is at factual odds with the real monarch's more mundane end (here, he actually dies twice, after first being magically restored to life!). In any event, Francis's death only accelerates the machinations at court, where Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici (Megan Follows)—once Mary's bitterest enemy—will now need the latter's help to secure the throne for Francis's younger brother. And Queen Elizabeth of England (Rachel Skarsten), who sees Mary as a rival to her rule, becomes an increasingly important player in the royal skullduggery, aided by her secret lover, Robert Dudley (Charlie Carrick). A slew of other characters, friend and foe (sometimes both in rapid succession), are added to the mix, and another main character is eliminated at the close. One could never mistake Reign for a history lesson, but it remains a handsomely mounted and decently acted (if also decidedly absurd) wallow in period passion and politics—a continuing guilty pleasure. Compiling all 18 episodes from the 2015-16 third season, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)
Reign: The Complete Third Season
Warner, 4 discs, 748 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 February 6, 2017
Reign: The Complete Third Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: