In this wonderfully dramatic and highly addictive series, the plot follows the life of Queen Mary of Scotland, who after being raised in a nunnery since the age of nine, must travel to French Court and marry the crown prince. Once there, Mary must face political and romantic intrigue as she tries to balance her roles as both a queen and a young woman, still learning the ways of the world and her heart.

The show starts when Mary arrives at French court with the intention of marrying King Henry’s son, Francis, as a way to fully secure France’s alliance with Scotland. They both also happen to be unreasonably attractive and instantly in love with each other – surprise surprise. What could possibly go wrong? Well, it turns out almost everything can go wrong, but what’s a good show without a little (or okay a lot) of drama. Only minutes after Mary arrives, Francis’s mother, Queen Catherine, is told of a prophecy that foretells that Francis’s union with Mary will lead to his death. Obviously, this news causes some problems, and Catherine begins to do everything she can to prevent Francis and Mary’s marriage. She even goes as far as trying to murder her – yikes. But Mary proves to be far stronger and more resilient than Catherine could have ever imagined, and Francis only falls more in love with her than he was at the start. However, a host of events do occur that no one could have foreseen, including Mary running away with Francis’s bastard born brother Bash when she discovers the prophecy, Francis sleeping with one of Mary’s best friends, the king going insane, and on top of all that – the plague. I’m sure you’re exhausted just reading this – I know I am writing it.

When I began watching this show, all I knew is that the story involved a very compelling love triangle and unbelievably gorgeous costumes. That was enough to hook me, but I soon discovered that there was so much more to what made Reign so special.

First of all, Reign is one of the only shows on television that portrays a truly strong yet feminine protagonist. Mary is courageous, kind, and intelligent, and never lets anyone tell her what to do. These attributes are important for any young woman to have, which makes Mary the perfect role model. Secondly, Reign helped me pass a world history test (seriously!). The fact that the show closely follows actual historical events means that one can not only be entertained by Reign, but also educated by it. Therefore, you’re not actually binge-watching – you’re simply studying, and no one can fault you for that!

All in all, Reign is a wildly compelling series that can truly enjoyed by anyone. Whether you’re a history buff or simply addicted to fictional relationships, I promise that you’ll find yourself in love at first watch. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go do some “studying”.