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Reviews
Reign (2013)
Not like The Tudors or The White Queen, but enjoyable for what it is...
Spoilers
If they had went a different direction it could have been much better, and more respectable, but they tried to mix something like The White Queen with a moody teen drama. If you want historical accuracy, this isn't for you. I watched and loved shows like The Tudors, The White Queen, The Borgias, etc and loved them, yes I know of the inaccuracies in those shows, but Reign takes it not just one step further, but down a fleet of stairs.... One episode late in season 1 has the Court Musicians playing "Royals" by Lorde(played by Vitamin String Quartet) ... It's one thing to have the music playing over the scenes, but to have it played IN the show is just showing the lack of seriousness the writers/execs have for this show, it's not the only example. What really gets me is they turned Mary of Scots into a whiny little girl who, for someone who was raised to be a ruler, has absolutely no idea how to rule and acts all hurt and shocked when her husband takes action he had to take, especially after she did the same and lied to him over and over and over to save his life but when he does the same it's somehow unforgivable. On top of her attempts to put Scotland first and nearly throwing France into Civil War by messing with the line of succession, or giving information to messengers that would do the same if she didn't get what she wanted, among other incidents..... Having Nostradomus be the court physician/seer was a good idea on paper, but it didn't seem to flesh out well in execution.
I also really wish they had kept Elizabeth I out of the show, it was so much better with her as an unknown, unseen threat. She came off too much like Henry VIII in The Tudor's, the worst portrayal(not by fault of the actress who plays her, but the way she's written) of her I've seen.
All that said, knowing how it was going to be before watching did allow me to enjoy it enough to want to finish the series. If you don't mind the way they modernized it a bit and the inaccuracies it's a decent period drama. I gave it a 6 for the acting, music(ironic I know lol) and the story is good enough to have kept my interest.
---As I watched further into season 3 I gotta say I like the direction they went with Elizabeth I, and am now glad they brought her into the show, and she's only like her father a bit at the beginning... And it isn't the worst portrayal of her I've seen after seeing the character grow some(I always liked the casting choice). I left my original thoughts up so you can see how they put some effort into the later seasons and the quality has increased in my eyes.
The White Queen (2013)
Very well done, missing lots of smaller details due to being condensed but overall done very well
As someone who loves shows like The Tudors, The Borgias and DaVincis Demons, it's a safe bet to assume I'm a fan of period pieces and I am, The White Queen didn't disappoint. While yes, it's not a perfect historical representation(none of these shows are) it hits the main points and even uses a few theories about unknown events. After watching the pilot, which is easily the weakest episode, I was hooked and ended up binge watching the whole series in one day.... I know, need a life right? I was very disappointed when I heard there wasn't a second season, but ultimately the main story was over so a second season would have been more about after their reign. Finding out about a miniseries sequel called The White Princess perked me right back up though, already in production(started in June '16). Don't want to reveal any spoilers, so I'll just leave it at this, if you are a fan of similar shows as I am, you should love this one, don't pass it up and don't shy away because it's only 1 season, it's wrapped up perfectly.
Perfect Sisters (2014)
It's not as bad as some would like you to believe
It seems the bad reviews are coming from those that are appalled with the concept, so their views may be slightly skewed. They talk about bad acting by the sisters, which would be true if they weren't portraying teenagers, so many times I was reminded of girls I knew in high school. The lack of real emotion, the "zig zagging back and forth" of their emotional states, etc. is all pretty common for teenagers, especially girls... Considering what they were going through, it wouldn't have seemed right if their wasn't some back and forth in terms of intent and how they felt about the whole thing. It was their mom, so of course they would have had second thoughts and maybe searching for some reason or sign to restore a little faith in her.
The character of the a-hole boyfriend was a bit over the top, and should have been toned down and have some build up, instead of having him immediately attack Beth. I mean within seconds he's all over her, it is a bit too much. It felt like the writer used him to make the audience feel empathy for the girls, not small "Well maybe I can see their side" empathy, but a "Whoa! They don't have any choice but to kill her now!!!" type of empathy.
Perhaps it could have been better written and there are some parts that are annoying, but those are likely going to be different for most people, as it is with every movie- personal preference. All in all the movie was very watchable for me, though it felt like they didn't want us feeling negatively about the girls at all, so any situation that could create a little empathy is amped up to create a lot of it. After watching it I thought to myself that if they were my friends I wouldn't hold it against them. I then saw a statement by the author of the book saying that they left out how cold and calculating they were. Then I read a bit about the real story and feel much less sympathy for them now. Though I wish they were more true to the real story, I still enjoyed it.