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Reign: The Complete Second Season
Score: 97%
Rating: Not Rated
Publisher: Warner Brothers Home
                  Entertainment

Region: 1
Media: Blu-ray/5
Running Time: 915 Mins.
Genre: Drama/Historical/TV Series
Audio: English 5.1 Surround Dolby
           Digital

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish,
           Portuguese, Thai


Features:
  • Playing by Her Rules: A Day on the Set with a Queen and Her Court
  • Deleted Scenes

Reign: The Complete Second Season opens with young King Francis (Toby Regbo) fleeing the castle in search of Lady Lola (Anna Popplewell) and their newborn son, despite Mary's (Adelaide Kane) pleas to the contrary due to the threat of the Black Plague spreading across the land. When the Plague hits the castle stronghold, it sets off a chain of events that will not only introduce a new and powerful character to the series, but will also have lasting repercussions. Lord Narcisse (Craig Parker) is a powerful Catholic noble and a masterful manipulator who sets his sites on getting King Francis under his thumb after his son is killed at the castle. With Francis having murdered his own father, he has plenty of secrets with which to be blackmailed, leaving himself, Mary and his mother very vulnerable, their lives hanging in the balance. However, another very pivotal character also arrives on the scene in the form of a Bourbon cousin of Francis, Prince Louis of Conde (Sean Teale), a dashing man who soon becomes the close confidant of Queen Mary.

As Narcisse pulls strings to manipulate things to his own advantage and those of the other Catholic nobles, Prince Conde works with Mary in an effort to foster peace in France, as he is a Protestant himself. When Francis finally finds a way to rid himself of the threat to his throne and life, he finds himself away from the castle when it is attacked by Protestant radicals dead-set on killing him. Sadly, Mary endures the brunt of the attack and she is left with emotional scarring that causes her to blame Francis and push him away. As the distance in their marriage grows wider, Mary and Conde grow closer, eventually admitting true feelings for one another. However, nothing is ever as it seems, and just when it seems like Mary might have found happiness, the rug is pulled out from under her by her rival, Queen Elizabeth.

In addition to all of the grand scheming that is a constant on Reign, there is also a hefty dose of the supernatural. When Bash (Torrance Coombs) is made the King's Deputy, he sets out to find out the truth behind a series of frightening attacks by a group of "Dark Riders." Meanwhile, Queen Catherine (Megan Follows) finds herself plagued by visions of her dead husband Henry and her daughters, a pair of twins who died in infancy. These apparitions seem to threaten the life of young Princess Claude (Rose Williams), Catherine's willful and impetuous daughter who has recently returned to the castle. Catherine believes the dead walk the halls of the castle following the Plague outbreak, but it actually turns out to be something far more dangerous and sinister.

Mary's ladies also have their hands full this season. Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) can't seem to be satisfied with her life with Bash, especially since he is always off doing one investigation or another. As they drift apart, she finds herself the object of affection of two separate and fairly powerful men. Kenna has bad taste in men and this time, she makes some choices that will affect her greatly in the future.

Greer (Selina Cinden) and Lord Castleroy finally wed, despite her lingering feelings for Leith, but things aren't rosy for the couple for long. Castleroy's Protestant leanings land him in hot water and set Greer off on a career path that is far different than anything she could have ever imagined.

Meanwhile, Lola doesn't want to be seen as Francis's mistress, even though she has birthed his child and she sees a few different men over the course of the season, but none more magnetic and dangerous than Lord Narcisse, who has a particular infatuation for her. This could prove to be uncomfortable for Lola, especially with all of the machinations Lord Narcisse has working in the castle and beyond.

The last few episodes find everyone in very different places than at the start of the season, specifically with Francis fighting to keep control of his throne, Catherine at odds with her son and possibly joining forces with his foe, and Mary trying to piece together her relationship with Francis, but is it too late?

Once again, Reign: The Complete Second Season packs a powerful punch with it's delicious cocktail of historical drama, romance, intrigue and danger. With its breathtaking array of costumes and set designs, it is absolutely thrilling to watch the episodes unfold - and a bit hard to keep up with all of the back-stabbing, as some people keep flipping sides and doing the unexpected. But that's what we've come to expect from Reign and this season certainly doesn't disappoint.

In addition to all 22 episodes of Reign: The Complete Second Season, you'll also find a handful of deleted scenes, along with a featurette that follows Adelaide Kane around the set for a day. It's fun to watch the actors being themselves and to get a peek behind the brocade draperies into the luxurious world of Reign.

If you enjoyed the first season (or any historical drams, in general), you'll definitely want Reign: The Complete Second Season. Pick it up just in time for Season Three.



-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ashley Perkins
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