TV Rundown: Week of Jan 3 | 'Reign' & 'The Blacklist' Make Their Winter Returns

Reign returned from its plot packed fall finale with even more twists and turns. Catherine and Mary banded together to prove the former’s innocence after last year’s cliffhanger found the Queen Mother falsely accused of poisoning the fallen Francis. Narcisse arose as the hour’s major power player, conniving his way to a personal pinnacle before falling to his greatest low.

By the end of the episode, his carefully crafted manipulations were catching up with him and by the time “Our Undoing” came to a close; Narcisse had lost his wife, (presumably) his position, killed an innocent man to futile ends and earned the eternal wrath of Catherine. The way fates swings on “Reign”, one shouldn’t be surprised to find him dusting himself off and regaining his handle on things rather quickly. How quickly he can find redemption (if ever) is another story.

With Lola set to transition from French court into English, Mary has lost her last lady. While it’s true Greer is still in the vicinity, she isn’t a part of court anymore. Speaking of the blonde madam, what exactly is going on with her baby drama? Who is the father and why is she keeping everything a secret? Yes, she’s in a precarious position given the time period.

However, she’s also away from the watchful eyes of court and that independence should allow her more personal freedom than the average woman of her day. It’s a tad confusing. Unless, you consider that Leith may be the father of her baby, which would mean she is keeping it a secret to either keep the baby to herself so she can maintain her autonomy and prevent Leith from proposing marriage. Or she could be taking Leith’s blossoming relationship with Claude into consideration, not wanting to rock their boat. Only time will tell on this front.

The show continues to grow, branching out into unexpected directions, the court exit of Lola being the most surprising. We know Mary’s days at French court are also numbered and that means the end of her incredible relationship with Catherine on a direct level. Yet again, their magical bond impressed as the hour showcased their canny partnership via Adelaide Kane and Megan Fellows’ impeccable chemistry. “Reign” has had many line in the sand moments over the course of its three seasons but the saddest of all, will be when these two amazing women have to part ways. It will be a tough transition, that’s for sure.

The Blacklist roared back from its fall finale by picking up right where last year's cliffhanger left off - with Liz's arrest by Ressler. While Red might've been on the outside looking in when it came to Lizzie's predicament, he proved to be anything other than helpless; recruiting a recently ousted Samar to help in securing a key item in Liz's exoneration. Elsewhere, Ressler finally realized the truth about the Cabal's infestation and worked with Tom to bring in Karakurt.

Yes, Tom and Ressler shared some truly bromantic moments which hinted at a begrudging respect developing between the embittered rivals. It's always a rewarding move to have two characters’ spiteful relationship grow from pure hatred into something more and that appears to be where Ressler and Tom’s bond is headed.

The shining star in the first half of "The Director (No. 24)" was undoubtedly Aram, who used his intellect and every other weapon in his cerebral arsenal to keep Liz from being taken into the custody of Cabal agents. He went to the absolute brink for his BFF and his dedication and loyalty were awesome to behold.

A tremendous performance by Amir Arison brought Aram’s plight to a dramatic peak in a turn filled with gritty determination, frantic tension and a final scene of poignant resignation. Aram has always been a marvelous supporting character and it was great to see him utilized on a larger scale. Hopefully, it’s a trend that continues. The great thing about “The Blacklist” is when it comes to its supporting cast and characters, there isn’t a weak link to be found and the recent focus on Aram, Samar and Dembe’s arcs have more than proven that point.

Photo Credit: "Reign"/CW