Eclectic Pop

Reign delivered a mightily unexpected blow in the season's sixth episode, “In a Clearing”. Following his brush with death last week, a slight reprieve seemed in order for Francis, only for him to lose his life after saving Mary from a kidnapping attempt. Despite his death being a major theme of the season, the historical foresight of knowing it was right around the corner and the pervasive push and pull of his near death experiences, when it actually happened it came as a shock.

"The Last Kingdom" is BBC America’s answer to “Vikings” and “Game of Thrones”, an ambitious action-adventure series based on Bernard Cornwell’s extensive tome of novels. The series reached its fifth episode last week and it was a strong installment, fraught with tense showdowns and testy loyalties. The show is zooming through at a steady and progressive pace, whilst maintaining a sense of intense suspense; a sort of dance on knife’s edge.

Reign returned with “The Price” and made quite a few waves in the process. While the previous episode focused solely on French court, the follow up returned to the third season’s splintered focus between England and France. The result was a pretty even episode which featured Elizabeth considering a new suitor/potential husband, her continued fixation on Sir Robert Dudley and the revelation of a shocking rumor that’d been making the rounds.

Back in French court, Mary’s mother beckoned for reinforcements in Scotland to which Francis consented, Catherine began her quest to secure the vote as regent and newlyweds Lola and Narcisse happily honeymooned until a deception threatened to ruin their bliss. All in all, there was a lot of activity.

Wicked City took viewers back to the 80s and reminded them that no matter the time period, some people's mode for wearing two faces is a timeless act. There’s good news and bad news when it comes ABC’s provocative new anthology series. The good news is that Ed Westwick makes for a compelling antagonist (as expected) and he is the top reason to tune in. The initial outing was high on atmosphere, capturing an era filled with shoulder pads and great music.

In Nancy Meyer’s “The Intern,” Robert De Niro stars as a 70-year-old retired widow who’s looking for purpose and a fresh direction for his life. He winds up finding that in an unlikely place, when he answers an ad placed by an online apparel company seeking seniors for an internship program. It is there that he meets the high-strung Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), a self-made businesswoman clawing her way through simultaneous crises in her career and personal life.