‘Reign’ Recap: Did the Show Go Too Far with Mary’s Assault?  Rape

‘Reign’ Recap: Did the Show Go Too Far with Mary’s Assault?  Rape scenes on television are extremely tricky things because it’s such a sensitive topic. Reign has skirted around the topic of sexual violence several times before (Mary was in fact nearly raped in the show’s pilot) so I’m not sure why I was so shocked by the events of this episode. The real Mary Queen of Scots might have been assaulted, although that’s a messy and complicated story, and it would have occurred long after her time with Francis.  So it’s not exactly like the writers had their hands tied by historical facts. This storyline was a deliberate choice on their parts and at this point I have no idea if the storyline they’ve set in motion will justify that scene.  Unfortunately, too many shows throw rape storylines into the mix only for the shock factor. Shows will skirt away from the emotional repercussions, use it as a device to inject drama, or even forget to focus on the victim. Reignis going to have to do some work to justify why this particular storyline needed to happen. It will be more than distasteful if it’s only used to create another barrier between Francis and Mary.  Kane’s performance can only take them so far, after that the show has to create a compelling and sensitive narrative around this horrible assault. I’m not sure Reign should have gone to such a dark place. I’m not sure if they’ll stick the landing. I understand and give somewhat more leeway to historical shows, since sexual violence was even more prevalent than it is now, and I’m not sure ignoring that fact is the right way to go either. However, I’m definitely sure I would have preferred for the show to go in a different direction instead. – Read the full recap on BuddyTV HERE -- source link
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