Early Review: Reign Premieres Tonight on the CW

By Jamie Ruby

ReignTonight, following an all new episode of The Vampire Diaries, The CW will premiere it's new series Reign. The show follows Mary Stuart, played by Adelaide Kane, as she is taken away from the convent where she has been hidden growing up, and brought to France for her arranged engagement to the King's son, Prince Francis (Toby Regbo). Will she secure the engagement for Scotland or follow her heart? They have been engaged since she was six. This becomes more complicated by the presence of Francis's handsome bastard half-brother Sebastian "Bash" (Torrance Coombs), who is interested in the future queen, and Queen Catherine (Megan Follows), who believes Mary will become a problem for her son Francis after Nostradamus (Rossif Sutherland) predicts she will cause his death. The queen will stop at nothing to protect her family. Mary must learn to navigate the French Court and decide who she can trust.

ReignI wasn't sure what to expect before watching this series. It's full of historical inaccuracies, but that isn't really the point. It's a soapy drama in CW style - full of hot young actors, and the not unfamiliar love triangle the network has played before. That being said, I did enjoy it.

A younger audience will be captivated by the teenage struggles and problems of love, yet I believe there are parts that a slightly older generation can enjoy as well. It's not true to life, but it's interesting to watch how a girl of Mary's time may have lived in such circumstances. It's also not all fun and games and seems like it is likely to get fairly dark at times.

The cast was chosen well and the actors are believable for the most part. Unfortunately some characters, such as Mary's friends/ladies-in-waiting fell a bit flat, and will hopefully be a bit more developed as the series moves on.

The costumes are also gorgeous and the sets are grand as expected, and make you feel like you are really there. Just don't expect a history lesson. As long as you can accept the series for what it is, it's quite enjoyable.

If you like The CW's other series, you probably will enjoy the quasi-historical romp, along with all it's intrigue and drama. I think that if done right, CW could have another hit on its hands.

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