Casey Armstrong

Making this review to warn others of certain graphic scenes. TW - sexual assault Season 2 Episode 9 ‘Acts of War’ about half hour in has this scene, when the castle has been raided. Trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible here. There are several scenes where assault of a woman is insinuated or is about to happen and is stopped but this one is particularly graphic. The assault goes ahead and is shown in more detail than most shows do. As a survivor myself, I can usually manage these scenes but if you’re the same as me, if such a scene lasts too long or is depicted in a certain way then it is impossible for it to not set me off. I found the issue with this was both of those which made it significantly distressing. I did really appreciate how this scene was handled after, which I didn’t watch until a few days later. What was said actually helped to calm my PTSD so for some skipping the scene and watching that next part may be helpful. This show deserves serious applaud for being able to approach such issues in a manner of showing the real side of a woman’s life in that era (though I suspect the true reality of that time was way worse) and with sensitivity. Many of those problems still unchanged today. There are times that this show makes me feel way less alone and provides me comfort as a survivor and that cannot be an easy balance to achieve. A lot of TV shows throw scenes like this around for no reason with no reparations, Reign manages to do this with brutal honesty yet also with delicacy. I’ve become attached to this show in the way that I follow the recovery of the characters and feel as though I’m taking steps in my own recovery alongside them.

As someone who has been through a devastating loss thanks to cancer myself, I couldn’t love this show more. The way Gervais processes and reacts to his grief is just so unbelievably true to form. As much as this show will leave me in a complete breakdown, it also helps me to feel better with my own loss. You really go through the healing process with Gervais, I find that aspect very comforting as you follow him learning how to live again without his wife. I find that it gives me hope and helps me process my own emotions. So appreciative that this show was made