Mercy

“	You're my puppet now. And should you outlive your usefulness, I'll have you slaughtered in the dead of night.	”
	— Francis II

Mercy
Production Information
Air Date	December 11, 2014
Writer	Wendy Riss Drew Lindo
Director	Rich Newey
Episode Guide
Previous	Acts of War
Next	Getaway

Mercy is the tenth episode of Season Two and thirty-second episode of Reign overall. It aired on December 11th, 2014.

Synopsis

MARY SEEKS RETRIBUTION — In the aftermath of an attack on the castle, a blood-thirsty Francis makes a startling decision that will forever change his rule as the King of France, causing him to track the missing Narcisse with a newfound lust for revenge. Meanwhile, Mary is stunned to discover the truth behind Francis’ recent decisions and embarks on a treacherous mission of her own with Lord Condé. Leith urgently pleads with Greer to flee the country after violence erupts across the land. Catherine receives an unexpected and erotic visit in her chambers after making a final decision regarding the fate of her daughter Claude. Sebastian, Lola and Kenna also appear.

Plot

Mary heads to the balcony outside her chambers and watches as Bash leads in a swarm of chained Protestants. The men were caught trying to flee the country after the roads were sealed and Francis gives him the okay to question them and use any means necessary to get information about the attack on the castle. Unfortunately, though, Narcisse seems to have disappeared, so Francis' prime suspect is currently blowing in the wind. After Condé pledges his loyalty to Francis, with the king asking him to get the Protestant leader to help find the culprits, Mary comes down to the courtyard and eyes the men chained and standing against the castle wall. She wants to believe that her rapist is there, that she can get the closure she needs by finding him, but she doesn't recognize anyone in the lineup and becomes fidgety when Francis tries to console her. Over at Greer's, she tries to convince Castleroy to go to mass with her, believing that he needs to separate himself from Protestantism or face being hanged for what happened at the castle. However, still clinging to the intention of his donations and the comfort that the religion brought him after his daughter died, Castleroy rejects his wife's offer, even as she claims that he's dragging her down. Back at the castle, Mary blames herself for what happened; she thinks she should have known the guards who entered her room that night weren't castle guards. Francis assures her that none of this was her fault and apologizes for his actions that led to the cycle of violence plaguing the country. He then goes on to confess that the choices he made were a result of blackmail from Narcisse. Later, as the dungeons become too full to accommodate the men that Francis needs to hold, he tells Bash that he can't go back to the man he was before he was crowned. He has to instill fear in those who seek to trespass against him, so instead of moving the freezing prisoners somewhere warm, he demands they stay outside and suffer. As a result of the incident, Mary moves her things out of her chambers, which draws the attention of her ladies. She comes clean about what happened to her, making Lola and Kenna tear up in the process, and says that she only wants two things - no talk of an heir until she's sure she isn't carrying her rapist's baby, and the deaths of those responsible. Not ashamed of what happened to her, which she views as a strike against the monarchy, Mary is waiting on Francis to kill the men who attacked her. While Lola goes to Francis with the knowledge of a countryside villa that Narcisse would seek refuge at in trying times, Leith bursts in at Greer's to tell her of the Protestant witch hunt going on. However, Greer can't turn to Mary this time, so she's forced to confront the possibility of losing the man she thought would bring her a greater sense of security. Elsewhere, Francis learns that the prisoners have begun rioting out of fear due to his order to stay outside, and orders every man in that part of the castle, amounting to about a dozen, hanged in the courtyard as a warning to all those who dare protest. Catherine goes back in the castle and finds her two girls in the room with Claude as she practices the harpsichord. After unsuccessfully convincing Claude to leave, Catherine smacks her daughter in order to get her away from the girls who seek revenge. They then try to convince Catherine that Claude deserves to be murdered, that they deserved to be chosen instead of her this time, but when she remonstrates, they warn her that if she doesn't get rid of Claude, they will. While out in the country, Condé arrives at the home of Hugo, the man who supplied the attackers with the money necessary to buy their weaponry; however, it turns out that Hugo killed himself rather than face the punishment of being involved in something so heinous. When he tells Mary what he found, she inquires about Hugo's wife and stresses the importance of getting the names and information necessary to put something like this to rest. Meanwhile, Catherine interrupts Claude's conversation with her friends to try to get her daughter out of the castle, this time offering her a sack of gold and urging her to go anywhere she wanted in Europe. However, Claude is through taking orders from her mother and dumps the money out before threatening her if she dares touch her again. When Kenna approaches after overhearing what happened, Claude snaps at her, calling her "nothing" and reminding her that Catherine will do anything for her blood. Francis finds Narcisse at the villa and during the physical altercation that follows, the latter uses his resources and loyalty as leverage to save his own life. He notes that if he were to die, his money and men would fall into the hands of the Protestants and that if Francis were to spare his life, he would work for the King. Impressed at Narcisse's survival instinct, Francis lets him live, just as Mary opts to spare Hugo's wife's life if she divulges any necessary information that will help catch the men who attacked the castle. The woman tells of Severine, the man who attacked Mary – a farmer who became radicalized after the death of his son. He and two other men came to Hugo for money after the attack and Hugo agreed to put it in a peasant house up north. Mary wants to take the opportunity that just presented itself, perhaps the one chance she has at catching those who hurt her, and Condé eventually relents, though he argues that it's dangerous and that they'll be outnumbered. Back at the castle, Catherine drugs Claude's soup and uses a forced apology for everything that she's done to hurt her daughter to get her to eat it, all the while her two deceased daughters watch in approval. Leith arrives at the castle and tries to talk Francis into letting Castleroy, who had been arrested by the guards due to mounting suspicion, go, citing his knowledge of the man's character. When Francis gently refuses, Leith calls in the favor he was owed when Francis took his lands and gave them to Narcisse, which ends up securing Castleroy's freedom. Condé and Mary make it to the peasant house before the man and hide in anticipation of their arrival. Not a moment later, the men come into the darkened room and note that Hugo came through for them, as what they wanted was on the table. Mary then emerges from under the table and uses her dagger to cut two of their Achilles', with Condé bursting out of the curtains to subdue to third man with his sword. Mary confronts Severine, who she injured, and he tells her that she deserved what happened to her; angrily, Mary hisses that she's going to live and be remembered while he will die a forgotten death. When he insists that God will forgive him for what he did, she throws the lantern down, setting him (and the rest of the cabin) on fire, before urging Condé to kill the three men and let them burn with their sins. She and Condé proceed to watch as the house burns before them. The following morning, Mary notes to Condé that she thought she would feel better after getting the justice that she was owed. He tells her that she can't let this defeat her, citing that France is now her home and that her people need her, while back at the castle, Claude is decidedly woozy, almost as if she were drunk. She approaches Bash and tells him of her lost suitors before nearly collapsing in front of him; unfortunately, when he catches her and hoists her into his arms, with the intention of bringing her safely back to her room, Kenna catches an eyeful of them and presumes the worst, knowing how Claude is. Meanwhile, Greer decides not to join Castleroy in leaving the country, citing that she can't leave Mary at a time like this as a reson. Her plan is to stay behind and make up an excuse for him after he leaves with his children, so that it doesn't look so suspicious. As they part, he embraces her and tells her that he prays he'll see her again. Mary and Francis reconvene after their separate sojourns and exchange information about what has transpired. He's killed nine of the conspirators in the attack; she killed the man who raped her and two accomplices. Even though the murder should have exorcised the demons that have been haunting her since the incident, it only highlighted the fact that she blames him for what happened. However irrationally, her mind ties the act to Francis and she can't have a relationship with the personification of the worst thing that ever happened to her. Since he didn't give them a chance by being honest with her about Narcisse, she doesn't feel as if there's anything to hang onto in her relationship, so she wants them to live separate lives. They can work together as rulers, but that's all they can be. When he tells her that he loves her, she replies that their love hasn't exactly brought us to a good place and walks away. As a result, Francis goes to Narcisse and tells the Catholic that he belongs to the crown now; anything and everything Francis asks of him will be done or else Narcisse will be killed and disposed of promptly. While in her chambers, Catherine receives a visit from Henry, who crawls into bed with her, tells her that the twins found him, and gets her to say that she wants him back. While Condé's brother Antoine, who he was going to visit before turning back, presses him to remain loyal to the family over the royals, Mary receives the letter she was supposed to get the night of the incident. In it, Condé says that he cannot marry Claude, as he has fallen in love with a queen.

Cast

Main Cast Adelaide Kane as Mary Stuart Toby Regbo as Francis II Torrance Coombs as Sebastian Anna Popplewell as Lola Celina Sinden as Greer Castleroy Caitlin Stasey as Kenna de Poitiers Megan Follows as Catherine de' Medici Jonathan Keltz as Leith Bayard Sean Teale as Louis of Condé

Guest Cast Ben Aldridge as King Antoine Special Guest Alan van Sprang as Henry II

Soundtrack

Theme - The Lumineers (Wesley Jeremiah) - Scotland

2x10 - Stefano Torossi - Harpsichords Theme, Part 1

2x10- Broods - Medicine

Gallery

Trivia

• Leith uses his favour with Francis from Drawn and Quartered, when he has to relinquish his lands to Narcisse to free Castleroy.
• King Henry makes his return.