The CW hit Reign and HBO's juggernaut Game of Thrones may seem like they only have a similar genre in common, but on closer inspection, they actually have a lot of similarities. The political intrigue on Reign has always struck me as Game of Thrones lite, but there are some very specific details that are so close, it's eerie.
Mary resembles another TV queen who is readying herself for ruling: Daenerys Targaryen. Both strong young women have been used as currency by others until the present moment, when they are both starting to be in full possession of themselves and their power. It's also interesting to note that both women have married a man of power; in Daenerys's case, her husband has died, while that's exactly Nostradamus's vision for Mary's new husband, Francis.
Game of Thrones clearly has the more graphic sex — it's HBO, after all — but Reign has had some steamy is-this-The-CW? moments. Reign's King Henry is always bedding a new woman, Mary and almost all her friends (supposedly pious teenagers) have had premarital sex, and there's infidelity galore. We don't need to cite how much sex there is on Game of Thrones, but what it does have on Reign is that it's much more depraved. Aren't you glad we used this somewhat innocent picture of sibling lovers Jaime and Cersei to illustrate our point?
Game of Thrones' White Walkers are terrifying and add another dimension to the story, right when you think it's just about a battle for power. Same with Reign; most of the time it's a melodrama about the love lives of Mary and her friends, but recently "the Darkness" has become a bigger threat. And let's not forget that Clarissa seemed like a ghost when she was first introduced.