BuddyTV chats with Reign star Torrance Coombs about what’s ahead for Bash in Season 2, the challenges that Bash and Kenna will face, Bash’s new job for Francis and much more.
At the end of last season, Reign fans were left holding their breaths as they waited to find out who would become a victim of the plague and who would be left alive. According to Coombs, the plague will continue to play a big part of the story in Season 2.
“The plague has struck and chaos ensues, and there [are] a lot of people looking to take advantage of the situation,” Coombs teased. “As in life, when large disasters hit, the disaster itself is terrible but really it’s the powerful people looking to manipulate the situation that is a real danger.”
The Plague Brings Trouble for All
The disease will also hit Bash and his wife, Kenna, on a more personal level. “Well, pretty early on in the plague, [Bash] and Kenna are separated. Obviously people are getting sick all over the place so there’s a lot of stress involved with that and some bad things may or may not come of that.”
There will be some new players on the board, thanks in part to the amount of bloodshed that happened in Season 1.
“We have a couple of new characters coming in pretty quickly because we lost a couple key characters last season,” Coombs said. “So we’ve got a couple of new really great characters coming in, just juicy, juicy parts and some wonderful actors playing them. So that’s exciting.”
Brotherly Love
With the kingdom and those ruling it having to deal with such a serious issue, fans can expect a different tone from Season 1. “The tone of the season overall is a little darker than last year I think,” Coombs shared. “Francis is now in power and he doesn’t quite command the same authority as his father and he’s struggling to find his place. He’s having some trouble so he needs to reach out to some loved ones to help him out.”
Who will Francis turn to in his time of need? His big brother of course.
“Francis needs every friend he can get and Bash proves himself to be a very trustworthy person so Francis starts to lean very heavily on him. There’s a lot of things politically that he can’t accomplish and so he needs his brother. Bash in this season becomes the King’s deputy, so basically Francis’ right-hand man, patrolling the lands and kind of sussing things out,” he said.
Making Season 2
It’s hard to believe after the huge hit that Reign became in its first season, but there was a time when it was just a brand-new show with no guarantee of a second season. Coombs admitted coming back for a second season was something he had to get used to.
“It’s interesting. Yeah, this is my first experience doing that so it’s been fun. It was interesting coming back, how much it felt like we never left. Yet, there’s a little bit of crew turnover and they’ve built some new sets this year, so there’s all this new stuff. We’ve got these new characters. Characters who were important last season are no longer with us. I kind of have to look back on it and take stock of all those changes because the vibe is very much the same. We’ve changed a fair bit of, but it still feels like we’re making the same show.”
The days of no one knowing about the show are long gone, thanks to it become an instant hit for the CW. “Now that it’s been on TV and it’s aired in all kinds of countries and gotten a lot of press, people have just been picking it up, still, in the hiatus and finding the show. So just on the street, everyday somebody will say, ‘Hey, you’re Bash. What are you doing in Toronto?'”
Some fans have a hard time grasping the fact that the show is actually filmed on a soundstage sometimes. “They don’t believe the castle is a studio so I guess that’s a testament to the people who do all that for us,” Coombs said.
The Best Part of Playing Bash
Playing Bash on the series has been a positive experience for Coombs, especially working with the rest of the cast. “It’s all fun,” he said. “What’s amazing is whoever they seem to cast on this show, they just plug right in and we’re family. Just the personalities we have on set, they’re so compatible, it’s quite remarkable. Everybody that shows up is a new best friend. That’s been really wonderful. I’ve made life-long friends from all over the world.”
Another thing Coombs has enjoyed has been “the fan interaction. They don’t have to tell me to do that. Obviously the CW encourages their actors to do that, but it’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. To have people care about a show that you’re doing is a great feeling.”
Speaking of the fans, we asked Coombs if he had a message to give to viewers before they sat down to watch the Season 2 premiere. His answer was short, but sincere.
“Buckle up.”
Reign Season 2 premieres on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 8/9c on the CW.
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
