As every episode passes by I find myself trying to figure out what differentiates Mary from Katherine. It seems that they are becoming more alike as time passes by.
Does being a Queen really require you to abandon your morals and integrity in order to protect and serve your country? Mary seems to have become convinced that this is the only way to do so.
Then again, Katherine has once again put her in a tight spot. She tried to do things the nice way and asked her dear mother-in law for money to save her mother who is being ambushed by Protestants in Scotland. Katherine did give her useful advice, a Queen never begs.
Fair enough. This just caused Mary to pull the gutsiest move as of yet. She hires a mercenary to steal Katherine’s secret stash of gold. This guy is a pro! As Katherine is confessing her sins to a priest, the mercenary sweeps in and kidnaps her.
Meanwhile, Francis is at war with his men, probably giving more orders than he ever has in his lifetime. Guess who is part of the group of men? Our dear Leith! Yay!
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We’ve missed him so! It was a clever way that he was brought back into the plot. It’s looking like Francis is gaining his men’s trust and gaining a friend in Leith. Crossing our fingers for BFFs in the making. After all, Francis doesn’t really have anyone to truly count on. Sure, Bash is his brother, but he’s also in love with his wife, so his trust can only go to a certain extent.
Back at the castle, news has arrived that Katherine has been kidnapped. Katherine is so intelligent it never fails to leave me in awe. She has an uncanny ability at connecting the dots in any situation as she immediately figures that it is Mary who’s responsible. Even this skilled mercenary is impressed. Katherine offers to multiply what he’s been offered along with the head of whoever is responsible for hiring him. This just upped the stakes. Mary needs to find someone to sacrifice! The mercenary points out that the easiest thing to do is to frame someone else for the crime. But this means that someone must die. Mary will officially have someone killed for her for the first time. That’s a big deal for a Queen who prided herself on her integrity. Well at least she insists that it can’t be innocent blood, so there’s that.
Luckily for Mary, Katherine’s cousins were in French court. Cousin Hortenza isn’t the most innocent soul. She was Henry’s girlfriend before he dumped her for Katherine. She also nonchalantly tells Mary about how it was her men that Katherine borrowed to kill the Scottish man a few weeks back. With the deaths of her countrymen still heavy on her heart, Mary has no problem in having Hortenza be killed.
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This is a big deal. Even manipulative, conniving Katherine hasn’t done such a thing. The first time she killed someone was at the age of 30. Mary has just crossed into the darker aspects of being Queen and from this point forward there’s no going back. It’s been interesting to see her character change, but I can’t say I like it much. I love a woman that is empowered, but I hate a woman who becomes manipulative to get what she wants. Granted, us women tend to gravitate towards manipulation to get our way, but it’s certainly not an attractive trait. What I loved about Mary since the beginning was that she was a different kind of Queen. I like that she is making sure she’s not taken advantage of but I just don’t agree with some of the choices she’s made in regards to going behind Francis’ back. It will be interesting to see more of Mary’s struggles in the following few episodes we have left of this season. I hope they show more depth to the inner struggle she’s having as she decides what kind of Queen she wants to be.
Her husband Francis has certainly matured since we first met him. He is showing leadership and courage for his country’s men, fighting right beside them. His men have his back, and he has theirs. Leith saves Francis in the middle of a fight, and Francis swears allegiance with him. Saving a prince does pay off indeed. Francis was able to return the favor later on when Leith gets severely injured and wants to be left behind to die. Francis pushes Leith to fight for someone he loves, and Leith mentions how it can never be because of difference of classes (obviously talking about Greer).
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So Francis promises Leith property and a title if he pushes forward so he can give the girl of his dreams the life she deserves! Done deal because Leith finds the strength within to get up and keep on. Guys, this means Leith and Greer could have a chance! My heart is giddy! But then there’s also the fact that Lord Peppercorn is an amazingly nice old guy who has been so extremely kind and compassionate to Greer. How could she push him to the side after all he’s done for her? It’s going to get interesting, folks.
Lastly, Lola suspects that Lord Julian wants to make a run for it and leave her penniless, without a father for her unborn child. Kenna gets help from Bash to get some info on Julian and his intentions. It turns out that Julian’s “hunting trip” was truly a voyage to escape. As Lola confronts Julian, she pours out her heart to him, as does he. He admits to being penniless and being in dire need of her dowry hence his agreeing to marry her despite the fact that he was pregnant by another man. No wonder he was so quick to reject Greer for her indiscretion, she didn’t have any money that would make it worth staying. As much as I appreciate his honesty and even though I believe that he is also falling in love with Lola, I can’t trust him completely. There are more secrets to Julian, and I’m sure they’ll start leaking out in the next episodes as Lola gets closer to giving birth. He always avoids the topic of his family, as they’re not good people—I’m quite interested in his family as I’m sure they’ll be an important piece of him.
Things will only get worse in the following episodes as King Henry’s madness escalates—not to mention Mary’s acquisition of Hortenza’s group of heartless men, her little monsters.
Next week’s episode is looking like there will be a return of the darkness as well as a tag team between Katherine and Mary to kill Henry as his madness has escalated. Poor Francis is hopelessly trying to save Henry.
There are only a few episodes left until the season finale! What are you most excited to see? Comment below!
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