A Defense of Reign's Mary Queen of Scots

“Life is not a song, sweetling.
Someday you may learn that, to your sorrow.”
― George R.R. Martin



And Mary Queen of Scots has learned this to her sorrow.

I'm not condoning all of Mary's actions in Tempting Fate, or her other missteps in the prior episodes that set the framework for Tempting Fate, but I would encourage you to find sympathy in the tragedy of her circumstances and character.

This is why:

I'm going to throw another quote out, as wiser men have said it best....

 “These violet delights have violent ends. And in their triumph die, like fire and powder. Which, as they kiss, consume."

I will explain both these quotes in relation to Mary. Later.

Mary has done some deplorable things.

She's drowning in her pain, and refusing to see the pain of  the others around her. Some of this pain Mary herself is causing.

In the first season, Mary was often seen putting the needs of others before herself, because not only did she care for them, she is a queen; she had a duty and responsibility to keep the peace among her friends, family, and her kingdom.

I think the traumatic experience Mary suffered made her feel vulnerable for the first time in her young life, unable to find the strength she was so used to drawing from in times of need.

The world seemed scary. She felt broken.
Hardly a source of strength for her people, so she retreated. To her, no one can understand her suffering.

If I could guess, I'd say her hopeful view of the world from season 1, the innocent view of being able to change the world, was shattered as well. It was slowly being chipped away at, but her assault was possibly the thing that killed it.

It makes sense, as she was viciously assaulted as a result of Francis's ill decisions from his being blackmailed. Mary probably felt more betrayed than anything; Francis didn't let her know. In season 1, viewers were so accustomed to Francis and Mary working together. It was basically a prototype of an equal relationship. They found out information together and defeated their enemies with it, even if the odds seemed insurmountable. Mary was right in saying to Francis that, 'you never gave us a chance' as she learned that Francis's decisions up until then to mark and brutalize protestants groups was due to blackmail, which caused the assault on the castle and the subsequent rape of Mary. And now, we will never know if they could have fought Narcisse, that blackmailing royal.

We have to remember the time this is set in, which will put everything in context and explain Mary's dangerous moves, as well as the dangerous moves of other characters.

Royal court was a viper's den. There was nothing particularly romantic or whimsical about it. It's an insane asylum for wealthy people scared of loosing their wealth and the protection it created from the wilderness of the world and frantic to gain some more wealth, in a time where the villages outside the castles were thought of in horror, as something unknown and scary and better left forgotten. Royal court is also a chess game. A big chess game. In this world, it is difficult to trust anyone.

This is where the quotes come in. In a place where its difficult to trust anyone, difficult to even breathe because everyone is watching you and waiting for you to fail, there's hardly any time for compassion, sweetness, love, or anything nurturing for a person. It is hard to continue to remain strong in the face of all the treachery just waiting around the corner. The fact that Mary and Francis fell in love in such an environment speaks to their youth, and the fact that they were probably shielded from the worst of royal court. They had something that few royals possessed, and that was each other. A partner that wouldn't turn on them, and the love that came from it.

PART 2 COMING SOON.....
In Defense of Reign's Mary Queen of Scots-Romanticism, Whimsy, and the Need for Recklessness