‘Reign’ Season 4, Episode 1 Spoilers: “With Friends Like These” – Mary Tests James for Loyalty After Meeting John Knox

‘Reign’ season 4’s episode 1, titled “With Friends Like These,” will feature Mary as she tests her brother James for his loyalty after she finds out about his meeting with John Knox. Mary is set on avenging Lola’s untimely death as ordered by Elizabeth and would need steady alliances to follow through with her plans.

The synopsis for “With Friends Like These” posted on TV Guide states, “In the fourth-season opener, Mary (Adelaide Kane) tests her brother after he meets with John Knox (Jonathan Goad), because she's unsure about whom she can trust. Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) schemes to sabotage Lord Darnley's (Will Kemp) relationship with Mary.”

The upcoming season is set to feature Mary’s promise to settle the score with her cousin Elizabeth after the latter ordered Lola’s (Anna Popplewell) execution in the third season’s finale. Much of season 3 followed Mary as she dealt with Francis’s declining health and eventual death. It also introduced the court of Queen Elizabeth, who plotted against Mary.

In the season 4 opener, Mary is set to test her brother James (Dan Jeannotte) to ensure his loyalty after he met with John Knox. It was previously speculated that John was the culprit behind Lola’s beheading. Mary will need to be careful around who to trust to ensure the secrecy of her strategies and plans to exact revenge.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth will attempt to sabotage the relationship between Mary and her powerful suitor, Lord Darnley. Lord Darnley is set to become Queen Mary’s second husband. It looks like the Queen of England will stop at nothing to put her own plans into action.

According to Yahoo! TV, showrunner Laurie McCarthy hinted that season 4’s theme will explore power and its implications, especially on women. McCarthy said, "The constant theme of the show is what do you give up to maintain power? And then the sub-theme of that is what’s it like to be a woman in power?... And I feel like it could not be more timely."

‘Reign’ season 4’s episode 1, titled “With Friends Like These,” is scheduled to air on The CW on February 10, 2017. It was directed by Stuart Gillard and written by Wendy Riss and Drew Lindo. It will be followed by episode 2, titled "A Grain of Deception," scheduled for February 17.