Reign on the CW continues tonight with an all new Friday January 22, season 3 winter finale called “Bruises That Lie,” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Mary’s (Adelaide Kane) feelings for Gideon (Ben Geurens) are hard to suppress, but she does her best as she seeks political allies.
On the last episode Mary (Adelaide Kane) became suspicious of Prince Don Carlos’ (guest star Mark Ghanimé) true condition and relied on Gideon (Ben Geurens) to help her uncover the truth. Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) made a shocking discovery which could change the course of her reign over England and forced Dudley (Charlie Carrick) to make a tough decision.
Meanwhile, Narcisse (Craig Parker) forced Claude (Rose Williams) to marry someone of his choosing, against her wishes. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it we have you covered with a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the CW synopsis, “Mary (Adelaide Kane) struggles to resist her feelings for Gideon (Ben Geurens) as she works to align herself politically with potential allies. Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) and Greer (Celina Sinden) find themselves in similar heart-wrenching situations with the potential for very different outcomes.
Catherine (Megan Follows) and Narcisse (Craig Parker) continue their vicious power struggle over the Regency, while Claude (Rose Williams) finds herself in the fight of her life on her wedding night.”
Don’t forget to come back here tonight at 8 PM EST for your live recap of Reign season 3 winter finale. In the meantime, be sure to hit up the comments section below and let us know what you’re most excited about for tonight’s episode.
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#Reign begins with Elizabeth playing in bloody water then brushing her hair. Her maid comes to get her linens. She spots the blood – Elizabeth is faking that she has her period so no one suspects her pregnancy.
Lola has an audience with Elizabeth about the Scottish prisoners. She asks if she plans to keep her there and Elizabeth says she just wants to get to know her so she can report back to Mary that she’s not the monster she assumes.
Elizabeth is annoyed and sends her back to her chambers. Mary finds King Charles and she asks if she can keep hosting suitors at the castle. Narcisse comes in and says beware. Narcisse says the war has cost France too much already.
He says he and Charles are discussing French business and they walk away from her. Greer brings a report from Lola to Mary. Narcisse tells Charles that he needs to marry off his sister for much needed money for French coffers.
Charles says Claude and his mother don’t like the match but Narcisse says Duke Boinel has one of the largest estates in France and has lots of gold. Greer tells her not to confront the English ambassador.
Mary sees the ambassador Gideon arguing with someone and Greer begs her to listen to what else they found out from the encrypted letters. Charles and Claude argue about her marriage. She accuses him of selling her off to a fossil.
He says Narcisse told him they need the money and he’s decided. Mary shows up and says Narcisse wanted her. He asks where is the gold that the Duke paid to marry Claude. He accuses Catherine of stealing it to soil his regency.
Charles asks if she did it. Catherine says she doesn’t like Narcisse marrying Claude off to a friend of his. Narcisse says the gold was taken after the deal was signed so Claude has to marry him anyway.
Charles threatens Catherine with punishment if she took the gold. Narcisse threatens Mary as well. Narcisse walks off and Charles follows at his heel. Catherine says her son the King is following him like a dog and they can’t trust him.
Mary finds Gideon in a courtyard working out his frustrations with his sword on a practice dummy. Mary calls out to him and says she is also frustrated with Elizabeth. She says she knows that she’s toying with him over his daughter.
She says she read letters from his queen ordering him to seduce her. She says they also found letters to Jeffrey, his sidekick, ordering him to watch Gideon. He tells her to let it go. She says he knows his mission is doomed to fail.
Mary says perhaps she’ll let him seduce her so they can both get what they want. She says Jeffrey is returning to England and he can take news back that he seduced her so he can bargain to get his daughter back.
Mary says Elizabeth has broken promises to her too. Leith talks to Claude who is in a panic over her wedding that is coming very soon. Leith says she should be able to marry for love – marry him. Claude holds him close.
Dudley brings Elizabeth more pig’s blood to keep covering her pregnancy. She worries how long she can keep this up. She says she doesn’t think she can marry fast enough to cover it off. Dudley says he’s being brought to a tribunal to answer for his wife’s death.
He says maybe he deserves to be punished since he wished Amy dead. Percy staggers drunk into Greer’s tavern and Martin asks if she always acts as barmaid. He reaches to touch her and feels her stomach – he says she’s pregnant then asks if it’s his.
She says she’s arranged an adoption and he is annoyed. She says the child of a pirate and a peddler of whores is no future for a child. He says he can visit twice a year and send gold to support the child. He tells her to do what she wants and he will support her.
The wedding takes place. Claude cries as she is married to the Duke. The Cardinal declares them man and wife. The Duke takes her to his estate and says he thinks she’ll be happy there. She gets into the carriage but looks for Leith and gives him sad eyes.
Leith goes to Greer’s tavern to vent his woes. He thanks her for the beer but says alcohol can’t fix it. She says he has to forget since Claude married. He says he has to forget that he could love someone who loves him back.
He says goat herders sons don’t get to marry princesses. She tells him not to let go of his dream. She says she has to believe who we are matters more than our station but he says that’s just pretending and the world won’t accept it.
Gideon comes to Mary’s chambers and she tells him they need to hurry so Jeffrey can see them together. They go onto her balcony with some wine. He looks around and she tells him to act less suspicious. He suggest she smiles and she does.
Then Mary says she has to convince someone that she has lost her heart to a spy and fraud instead of ruling two kingdoms like she once did. He says they’ll find a way to get Lola released and his daughter back.
It starts to rain and he says fate has a sense of humor. They grab the wine and run inside. She says they need to get to window. He knocks gold loose from a cushion and asks if it’s hers. She says no and kisses him quickly.
She asks if that’s enough to convince him. He says likely not and they kiss again – this time more slowly and with real passion. Mary tells him well done and says Elizabeth will get the news. She locks him out of the chamber and rants that Catherine put the stolen gold in her chambers.
The Duke brings Claude into his bedchamber and he asks if she has nothing to stay. He says her family was right to hide her and calls her an embarrassment. He says a wife this costly should be better behaved. She asks if he’s serious and he backhands her.
He bloodies her lip and she gets up and boxes with him like Leith taught her. She punches him in the throat and he goes down gasping for air. She tells him – I’m a princess – and storms out angrily. He’s stunned.
Mary has Timothy deliver a bag of gold to Catherine’s chambers and says she’s not surprised. She says this could have destroyed her. Catherine says sorry. Catherine says Claude was sold off and Narcisse is manipulating Charles.
She says Narcisse is making a move for King and will cut off the heads of Valois children. Mary says she gambled on her life. Catherine says she knew Narcisse would search her chambers first. Mary says she doesn’t want to know what she’s doing with the gold and walks out.
Greer greets Ellen and her husband Lord Thomas Campbell. She’s faking a pregnancy so she can take Greer’s child as her own. Greer says she can hide it here. Thomas asks if the estate she rented is worthy of him.
Ellen apologizes and says after they lost the dowry money her hubby promised, Thomas acted out and wants to raise the child in Scotland. Greer says she wants the child close by so she can see it occasionally.
Ellen says she’s lying to her friends at Court and says they’re all paying for her mistakes. Greer says she’s the one who lost everything but is paying her expenses, giving her a house and giving her a child since she cannot conceive.
Greer says she needs to raise the child in the way they were not and needs to know there are more important things in life. She says she will be there to make damned sure the child is raised properly.
Gideon is in the market and Mary joins him and asks if he’s shopping for a toy for his daughter. He says Jeffrey reported their “tryst” and he may soon get a visit with his daughter. He says it’s vague promises like before.
Gideon says he’s at his limit with Elizabeth’s lies. An unseen man pours a potion into a tea pot that is brought to Elizabeth. The maid pours her a cup of tea. William comes in and says the news of suitors is dim since she spurned so many before.
He asks why she’s so interested in marriage now. He says to please tell Dudley he can’t come and go. She says he won’t and sips the tea. William leaves. Mary finds Narcisse in her chambers and he says he searched them.
He snaps his fingers and he shows her the hand of a serving man Timothy who tried to spend gold in the village. Narcisse says the magistrate cut off his hand and he says the servant threw himself off the castle wall.
He says he knew Timothy was terrified of Catherine and she knows it too. Mary says she had no part in stealing it and doesn’t know where the gold is. She tells him to leave. He says he won’t have her lurking around French court and banishes her.
She says Charles won’t allow it but he says he will and she’ll be gone by the end of the week. Bash tells Charles that Claude ran away from the Duke and his men picked her up on the road. Bash pulls her out of the carriage and Charles sees her bruised and bloody face.
Charles says it’s his fault but she says he could not have known. Charles says this is Narcisse’s fault. He says his mother was right about him. Charles asks if she consummated and she says God no. He promises to fix it.
Narcisse tells the council that Catherine had Charles annul the marriage. Charles bursts in and says he wants to discuss his family. Charles tells them that Narcisse put his sister at risk and he won’t have it.
He says Narcisse can’t be trusted to safeguard his family. He says he wants a regent who will protect his family and wants his mother placed as regent. One of the council says it’s not his choice. Charles threatens them when he comes to power.
Catherine tells the council that she would allow Narcisse to stay on the council. One calls it a coup and Charles threatens him physically then calls for a vote. Greer helps Mary pack and Catherine runs in and hugs her.
She says Charles did it and says she’s regent. Mary is stunned. She says Charles was furious at what happened to Claude. Catherine says they’re all safe including Mary. She promises to be there for her. She tells her to unpack.
She says Narcisse can’t banish her and pours them a drink to celebrate. Mary asks where’s the gold? Catherine says it’s better she doesn’t know. Elizabeth meets again with Lola and says she wants personal diplomacy to make things better between their countries.
Elizabeth says royals have a strange sense of family then says her father cut off her mother’s head and her sister jailed her while Lola has the former king’s bastard son. Lola says her son is the joy of her life.
Elizabeth asks if she ever regretted the pregnancy and she says not for a moment. Elizabeth looks pale and Lola asks if she should get help. Elizabeth rushes out. Catherine meets Boinel and she has his gold in hand. He asks why she has archers with her.
She says a regent faces many threats. He also has armed men with him. It’s a French Mexican stand off. He says he just wants her gold – or rather her gold – she says he earned it then says he didn’t have to hit her daughter so hard.
He says he’d never hit a woman so hard and wanted to make sure it was convincing. He says he will stay away and silent and says he just wants the orchards she promised. She says that promise is on her life.
Dudley comes to see Elizabeth and says he heard she was poisoned. She says the pain was awful. She says she miscarried their baby and had to hide so no one would see the blood then says she had to clean it afterward.
Dudley tells her he’s sorry and she says someone did this to her out of hate. She suspects Lola then says William told her that he’s free and the tribunal was deadlocked. He says there was enough doubt to prevent a full trial but he’s not seen as innocent.
She says he’s free but he says he can’t be with her because her people blame him for tarnishing her reputation. He says she has to make her people forget it. She says they are lost to each other and their baby is gone.
She says now she has to grieve the rest of her life and he says he will too. He tells her he’ll always love her. Leith runs into Claude’s chambers and she asks where he’s been. She tells him he should see Boinel then tells him that she punched him in the gut and neck.
She says she’s free, unwed and home again. He says until when. She says Charles swore she never has to marry someone. Leith says she should marry him. He says he will rise in station until he’s a fit husband for her.
He says he doesn’t know how but he will. They kiss and her mouth hurts so he kisses her nose gently. William tells Elizabeth they need to rest at her country estate. She says she wants to know who tried to kill her.
He says Mary and Lola are at the top of his list. Elizabeth says Mary wouldn’t risk Lola’s life and needs peace more than she does. He asks who she should focus on and she says the English did this to her for daring to love who she wants.
Elizabeth says perhaps they were right and she forgot how to be a Queen. Mary finds Gideon and tells him she got the news from Lola today and says Agatha is coming to France. He kisses Mary and she pulls back. She says we can’t.
He apologizes. She says they may be friends but their countries are enemies. Gideon calls to her and she hesitates then says no.
THE END!
