That night at the dinner table, I informed my parents that
they – and my entire ancestral line – had failed me. How could I be expected to
compete with such greatness? I mean, Disney made an entire movie about
Pocahontas. And what did I have? There were certainly no colors of the wind in
my background, that’s for sure.
My dad tried to make me feel better by informing me that I
was related to Mary Stuart – aka, Mary, Queen of Scots – but I was less than
impressed. Did Disney ever make a movie about her? I think not.
Then I got a clue.
I started reading about Mary, researching her, doing a
little fact gathering. Suddenly, I couldn’t read enough, learn enough, hear
enough about her. To say that I warmed to the idea of sharing a bloodline with
this woman, this queen, would be an
understatement. I was so infatuated, in fact, that when I had the incredible
fortune to be in Scotland 10 *cough* years ago, I made it my mission to immerse
myself in all things Mary. (Not so surprisingly, there are a lot of Queen of
Scots things to immerse oneself in while in the Land of the Scots.) In fact, my
traveling companion and I even spent the night in a castle Mary once honeymooned
at, where we encountered a snoring ghost – but that’s a story for another day.
The point is, I have grown to love her. And, consequently, I
love pretty much everything to do with her. That said, I was still slightly
skeptical when the CW started airing their Mary-centered show, Reign. First, it’s on the CW, a network
that exists solely for the benefit of adolescent girls; and second, I knew that
it was bound to be an historically inaccurate, brain atrophying, total cheese fest
of a viewing experience.
I wasn’t wrong.
But last weekend, on the recommendation of a good friend, I watched it anyway. And now, I can’t stop watching it.
 |
| Who do I talk to about bringing back the corset? |
But last weekend, on the recommendation of a good friend, I watched it anyway. And now, I can’t stop watching it.
I’m addicted. And ashamed.
It is absolutely, without a doubt, all of the things I
thought it would be.
It’s also awesome.
There are castles, and jewels, and cute(ish) boys, and
beautiful gowns. And Mary. It’s kind of amazing. It would definitely fall into
the category of “so bad it’s good,” but I don’t think that makes it any less fantastic.
Plus, it’s got Anne Shirley, from the
80’s Anne of Green Gables miniseries,
playing an evil(ish) queen. Who doesn’t love that?! It’s brilliant!
 | |
| From orphan girl to Queen of France. Nice that they let her keep the same hairdo. |
I do wonder how long the show can go on considering that,
spoiler alert, most of its characters met premature and/or unnatural deaths in
real life, but I guess that’s where the historical inaccuracy works to its
advantage. Plus, if the 90210 kids
can spend approximately 17 years in high school without anyone batting an eye,
I guess anything is possible in TV land.
Listen, if you’re looking for a legitimate history lesson,
look elsewhere (although, obviously, some of it is historically accurate). If
you’re looking for Oscar-caliber performances, or highbrow entertainment, keep
going. But if you want some mindless entertainment served up on a platter of
historical “fiction,” you should definitely check Reign out. It’s sloppy and silly and melodramatic – and absolutely
delicious!
And, although many of its plot lines are entirely fictitious,
it does give one a good sense of what it was like to be a royal back in the day
– when your land, your crown, even your life could be so easily taken; when
royals had to actually stand – and fight – for something, as opposed to just
being the well-dressed dolls that we see today. It’s fascinating.
It’s also a great way to kill an evening and a nice way to
get to know my family a little bit better. In case you’re curious, we’re a
kind, generous and regal people, but if you cross us, we may just have you
killed.
It’s a Stuart thing.
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