As I enjoy my final couple of weeks of winter break, I like most college students have been watching Netflix in my free time, and by free time I mean when I’m home doing nothing because my mom and sister have gone back to school. In one of my earlier articles, I wrote about Netflix’s “The Crown” and why I thought it was a good show. Anyway, while I was home I started watching “Reign” with my parents who were already on episode 6, so I went back and re-watched the beginning. My mom thought that I would like it since I enjoyed “The Crown.”
So “Reign” is different from “The Crown” in the fact that it seems more of a drama than “The Crown,” there is more love triangles and betrayal. “Reign” follows the life of Queen Mary of Scots, and although the show follows some realistic events, it is hard to say that it is completely realistic. When I started watching it, I Googled the show and looked at the actors like I do for most shows, and I learned that Adelaide Kane (Queen Mary) actually is a descendant of the real Mary Queen of Scots.
The show has a lot of drama and everyone is plotted against one another, and there is literally never a time where everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. From the very beginning Mary’s life is in constant danger, specifically from the English who want to take Scotland back and from her future mother-in-law Catherine Queen of France.
I enjoy these shows because they’re usually about the Kings and Queens that we never got to learn about in school. Both shows also focus on strong female rulers, probably a reason why schools don’t teach about them. Queen Mary is a ruler that gets skipped over in the history books and is never mentioned in American history classes, and Queen Elizabeth II, possibly because she is still living, does not ever get much attention in schools either.
Although I haven’t made it through the whole first season, I have to say if you’re interested in “The Crown,” you’ll probably like watching “Reign.” If you’re someone who likes to watch somewhat historical dramas, “Reign” is a show that you will definitely enjoy. I will warn that there are many deaths and know that no one is ever safe in this show and there are so many plot twists that you'll never expect.
