Reign

Reign is a show aimed at girls, there's no arguing about that. It's fiction, doesn't claim to be otherwise.

Season 1 is very light and full of spiralling dresses, and love stories. So light you might loose interest at some point but somehow, I always wanted to give it one more episode. Just one more to convince me to drop it. But just like you stuck with Gossip Girl for Blair & Chuck, you stick with Reign for Marie & Francis. Marie is regal and steals the screen while Francis is honest, and endearing. I have to admit Francis grew in me, wasn't such a fan at first.

Season 2 however, gets much more political (and we thank you for it). The plot twists are unpredictable (at least less predictable than the first season), you will feel thorn by the various love stories that are stretched by politics. You will find matches you're rooting for, and others you hate. Following Marie's ladies from their teenage crushes to their marriages, you will see what life has planned for them. While it still revolves very much around the love stories, the intrigue is not only accessory in this season, it is fully part of the story.

Can't wait to see season 3!

Some parts of this are way too painful to watch. I began watching it because I love Mary, Queen of Scots, but soon found that the historical accuracy of this was blown way out of proportion. Clothing (especially the dresses) - WRONG. Food - WRONG. Dance style - WRONG. Names of Mary's friends - WRONG. It seemed like I had a permanent grimace on my face for the beginning of it.

But then there's my affection for the characters. I love Francis and Mary's relationship (and Toby is such an adorable actor :), I love Bash, I love Catherine (though seeing Anne Shirley on screen put me into shock for a while...had to pause it for a moment...), and I love that strangely mysterious person that keeps giving people hints. I FEEL SO HORRIBLE FOR LETTING SUCH A HISTORICALLY INEPT SHOW SUCK ME IN, BUT I LOVE IT AT THE SAME TIME!

tl;dr: Let's just say it's a fantasy show that just so happens to have the same names as historical figures.

I'll start by saying I'm Scottish with a reasonable knowledge of the times in the drama and this is bunkum BUT it is enjoyable bunkum with a very beautiful Mary and some of the best music I've heard on a TV show since the new Battlestar Galactica. Think 'The Borgia's' without Jeremy Iron's pope and you will be on the right lines when you imagine what 'Reign' is like. It's actually so pretty, and the music is so great, that I really want them to dump the historical narrative altogether and disappear off into a fantasy world where they can make up their own ending and create their own marriages and alliances as they go along. Adelaide Kane is a gorgeous Mary - in fact I keep forgetting it's supposed to be Mary Queen of Scots and getting confused with 'Snow White'. That girl was just born to wear red roses in her hair. Her young French prince is the ringer for the younger of the Borgia sons and is very easy on the eye - and talking about eyes, the 'bastard' brother to the French prince is another honey. And then we get on to the pagans in the woods, the conspiring Queen and the enemies all around. It's quite sumptuous. As I say, it's nonsense; it's absolutely not to be taken seriously, but I will carry on watching it because it is all just so darned enjoyable and glorious in it's wrongness. And the soundtrack is just breathtaking.

If you want historical accuracy do not watch Reign. I repeat. DO NOT WATCH. At no point does this show ever try to be faithful to its settings or historical figures. Instead, it very clearly tries to put Gossip Girl in a 16th century setting. The lavish parties, prom-like dresses, troubled romances, catty behaviour, model actors/actresses - it's all very 90210- esque. However, I must admit it succeeds at doing just that. No matter how laughable the costumes were, I can't say I wasn't at least mildly entertained. It's quite nice to look at and some of the characters are interesting (if completely inaccurate). And with a supernatural twist, it's quite clear that the creators are simply using the characters and setting as a starting point to tell their own stories. I might keep watching, only to see something different from the CW.

People complained incessantly about the "historical inaccuracy" of A Knight's Tale, too. No, they absolutely didn't play Queen at jousting matches in those days or dance to David Bowie, and the young princess probably wouldn't have worn see-through dresses and post-modern hats. Heath Ledger's character wouldn't have been able to pose as a knight. You guys, it's a FANTASY! It's historical FICTION. It's not a documentary!! I loved A Knight's Tale and I love this show so far. It moves a little slowly, but it's GORGEOUS and I love the modern take on the 1550's. I love the hair, and the makeup, and the music! I think all of the elements blend together well and I'm totally hooked. I'll be really interested to see where they take it, and I love the characters. I love the mix of old and new, and the mix of fact and fiction. All in all, I think it's stellar! Again: it's NOT A DOCUMENTARY, people. It's a TV show. And a very pretty one.