| Acts of War | |
| Season 2, Episode 9 | |
 | |
| Air date | December 4, 2014 |
| Written by | Laurie McCarthy Nancy Won |
| Directed by | Fred Gerber |
| <font-family:Trajan Pro;font color="white">Episode Guide | |
| previous Terror of the Faithful |
next Mercy |
- " My loyal subjects. I reassure you that your King, and your Queen, remain untouched. These murderous traitors who invaded the castle tonight have achieved nothing. Have altered nothing. And will die, for nothing."
- —Queen Mary
Synopsis[]
Is Another Royal Wedding in Sight?
With a holiday celebration around the corner, Bash uncovers what could be the answer to Francis finally escaping the oppressive thumb of Lord Narcisse, and the two formulate a daring plan. Meanwhile, Mary proposes the radical idea of marrying the Protestant Lord Condé to the Catholic Claude, a scheme that she believes a viable path forward to peace, but Claude has other plans in store. As preparations are made for the upcoming feast, Greer discovers that she may be more involved with the Protestant movement than she originally thought.
Plot[]
While a peasant is on his way to get water, he is tied up by the legs and pulled toward Sebastian. According to him, the man is going to change the face of France. In town, King Francis and Lord Condé are handing out supplies to their subjects, but the people are not so forthcoming after the hanging of the Minister. Meanwhile, the ladies are having a dance class. They take a break to refresh themselves, during which Princess Claude approaches them. She inquires about Lord Narcisse. When Queen Mary overhears them, she tries to talk Claude out of pursuing Narcisse, as he is not a suitable for her. That gives Mary an idea. The idea is to marry a Catholic Claude to a Protestant Condé. An interfaith marriage as such would ease tension between Catholics and Protestants and exemplify religious tolerance. However, Francis doesn't believe it a good idea on the basis that the nobles will rise against him. He has fallen completely to the nobles, as Mary suspected. Sebastian and Francis meet with the man whom Bash ambushed earlier in the tower. It is Father Michael, the priest Catherine was going to use to poison Henry. Narcisse had found out about the plot and hid Father Michael away, ready to take him out again and have him indict Mary and Catherine of attempted regicide. They learn of a guard named Balfont who is in charge of watching Narcisse's witnesses and who will lead them to Lord Montgomery. Francis realises he has to push Narcisse to the brink and he decides to use Mary's idea of Claude and Condé's engagement as the catalyst. He gives Mary his permission to go through with the plan, and although she is hesitant to trust him, she takes the chance. Mary asks Condé if he will marry Claude. She's not his ideal wife, but he seems amenable to being a symbol for France. Not so easy to convince is Claude, who is not eager to get married. Catherine is not on board with the idea either. She doesn't want a Bourbon in the family and since Claude would stay at the castle if she married Condé, it would solve nothing for Catherine. Castleroy has invited his Protestant friends to his house, including Jacob Rivell, men who he has collaborating with on bulding a school by funding them. Greer realises that the gathering is also an attempt at converting her, which Castleroy soon admits to. Claude likes what she sees as she pans up and down on Condé. She brings up his repute of sleeping with married women and asks if she would be able to have lovers too, but he hopes that if they marry, they will commit to each other. Narcisse goes to Francis upon hearing that he has blessed the engagement between Condé and Claude. He yet again dangles the threat of removing Francis from the throne should he go ahead with this union, but Francis doesn't care anymore. He appears to be going insane from the guilt, but as soon as Narcisse leaves, he goes back to normal. It was a performance he put on to provoke Narcisse and it worked. Narcisse goes to Claude behind Francis' back with a proposal of marriage of his own. He tries seducing her into accepting it. Claude, worried about her safety if she married Condé, bemoans the union to Francis. But he urges her to go through with it for France. This is her opportunity to do something in support of her family like she always wanted to do. Claude listens to her brother and rejects Narcisse's proposal. Narcisse immediately goes to Balfont and tells him to retrieve Montgomery. He wants to overthrow Francis before he can make decisions Narcisse cannot reverse. Francis and Bash have an escape plan in place for Mary's safety. She may be exiled if Francis is killed, but she will be safe and alive. Before leaving on his mission to trail Balfont, Francis tries to make amends with Mary. He asks to gaze upon her. After a while, she asks if it is enough. Not nearly, he replies. The Feast of St. Nicolas takes place that evening. Mary and her ladies enter the ballroom, while Narcisse and Catherine talk in a secluded corner. Narcisse derides the engagement of Claude and Condé. Catherine is not pleased about it either, but she's not the King. Mary wonders how long the moment of peace after all the strife will last. As Greer and Castleroy are dancing, Greer tells him that she's considering converting to Protestantism in order to unite their home. Castleroy is beyond overjoyed at the news. Mary announces the engagement of Princess Claude to Prince Louis of Condé. One can barely hear the sound of people clapping. Meanwhile, Bash and Francis follow Balfont on horseback. They eventually catch up to him and kill him. When they enter the house, they find Montgomery strung up. They untie him and try to get him to sign a confession for killing Henry with Francis' pardon. A group of intruders disguised as guards are granted entrance into the castle. They intend to kill the King. In another part of the castle, Condé is prepared to leave the castle, but has a message sent to Mary first. He must get distance from her. At the house, Bash kills Montgomery when it becomes clear he knows Francis was the real killer. |
Quotes[]
King Francis: It is the season for giving. Not judging.
Princess Claude: What is he, a whore chaser?
Princess Claude: The only alliance I'm interested in is temporary, delicious, in bed.
Louis of Condé: You know you could sell the ocean a cup of water, don't you?
Princess Claude: I don't need a husband. I already have a mother to make me miserable.
Queen Catherine: Do not lay a hand on her future.
King Francis: Do you think he was convinced?
Sebastian: I'm not sure I want you to be king anymore.
Princess Claude: A look is not a purchase.
Princess Claude: No one forces me to do aything.
Lord Narcisse: As king, he trumps us all.
Lord Narcisse: If you want something to die for, I can give it to you.
Princess Claude: I'll think about it. As I trust you'll think about me.
Princess Claude: I care about me, not France. That's your job!
King Francis: I'm asking you to step forward in a way you never had to, never been asked to.
Lord Narcisse: Are you prepared to die for this marriage?!
Princess Claude: At least my family will cry at my funeral.
Queen Catherine: Stay away from my daughter!
Queen Mary: They say that marriage is like a promise, and it is that. But the best ones are based on certainty. An inexplicable faith in someone else.
Queen Catherine: One can barely hear the sound of people choking on the news.
Queen Catherine: I know you don't want to be touched, that's all right. But you're safe. I don't know how you managed to escape, but you did. You are alive. You will survive this. I know this because I survived. You know that too. They tried to destroy you by taking your pride and your strength, but those things cannot be taken. Not from you. Not ever.
Queen Catherine: These next moments of your life will either define you as a victim or a powerful queen, untouched by a failed assassination attempt. They will define who you are perceived to be, your place in history. Do not let them win.
Queen Catherine: Take my hand. Trust that I can get you through this, because I swear to you that I can.
Queen Mary: My loyal subjects. I reassure you, that your King, and your Queen, remain untouched. These murderous traitors who invaded the castle tonight have achieved nothing. Have altered nothing. And will die, for nothing.
Lord Narcisse: What happened tonight was reckless. It was the act of a people who feel that they have nothing to lose. To rob people of hope is a dangerous mistake, and I suspect it may have been my doing.
Lord Narcisse: I feel this nation is burning and I am the man who lit the match.
Notes[]
- This episode marks Lord Montgomery's first appearance since Slaughter of Innocence, as well as his first appearance of Season Two.
- King Antoine and The Minister are both mentioned, but do not appear.
- The House of Valois and the House of Bourbon are both mentioned.
- The Saint Nicholas Feast is celebrated.
- Queen Mary is shown to have two new Ladies-in-Waiting while walking in the garden with King Francis.
- Louis of Condé agrees to marry Princess Claude.
- John Philip was mentioned multiple times, and later shown on screen.
- Greer Castleroy is considering converting to Protestantism.
- Greer is referred to as Lady Castleroy instead of Lady Greer.
- Queen Mary is raped.
- The song that plays while Mary gives her speech at the end is called Take Control by Kodaline.
Death Toll [1] [2]
- Unknown Number of Castle Staff
- 4 Castle Guards
- Royal Driver
- Lord Montgomery
Trivia[]
Goof
While Mary was giving her speech after her rape, she informed her court that she was unharmed. Two of the women gave thanks to God by forming a cross on their bodies. The woman in white did it incorrectly.
Historical Notes[]
- The Saint Nicholas Feast is actually called St. Nicholas Day and is celebrated on December 6th across Europe even now.
Gallery[]
| Official Pictures from each episode, and an additional 50 pictures gallery is available here. |
Characters[]
| Actor | Character | |
|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Kane | Queen Mary | |
| Megan Follows | Queen Catherine | |
| Torrance Coombs | Sebastian | |
| Toby Regbo | King Francis | |
| Celina Sinden | Greer Castleroy | |
| Caitlin Stasey | Lady Kenna | |
| Anna Popplewell | Lady Lola | |
| Sean Teale | Louis of Condé | |
| Craig Parker | Lord Narcisse | |
| Guest Staring | ||
| Rose Williams | Princess Claude | |
| Michael Therriault | Lord Castleroy | |
| Mac Fyfe | Jacob Rivell | |
| Oliver Becker | Severin | |
| Cameo | ||
| James Downing | Assassin #1 | |
| Justin Dassin | Assassin #2 | |
| David Dantes | Assassin #3 | |
| M.E. Lewis | Balfont | |
| Andrew Church | Lord Montgomery | |
| William Mathews | Hugo | |
| Adrian Beaty | Francis' Guard | |
| Character debut | |
| Speaking debut | |
| Episode debut |
Videos[]
Related Pages[]
Pages related to Acts of War are the following:
• Adelaide Kane •
• Mary Stuart's Fashion Style • Fashion • Ladies-in-Waiting
• Mary and Catherine • Rape • Francis and Mary