In the inaugural scene, Rahima stumbled upon Ruggieri in the dense woods, uncovering his crude imitation of Queen Elizabeth's official seal. This was the crucial missing piece, yet its full significance remained veiled until the ultimate revelation. Continuing from the cliffhanger of "The Serpent Queen" episode 7, Francis's kidnapping, masterminded by Catherine, was inadvertently foiled by Francis himself. His health abruptly deteriorated, prompting Catherine, in a state of panic, to devise a hasty plan. She halted the carriage before the designated spot, stepped out, and drew the attention of the attackers, igniting an instant chaos.
Amidst the turmoil, Catherine swiftly mounted a steed and fled, thwarting Montmorency's attempt to assassinate Antoine by stabbing him herself. It's uncertain whether Catherine concocted this scheme on the spot or had it as a contingency plan. However, throughout "A Queen Is Made," it's evident that her plan was intricate indeed.
Catherine instructed Antoine to hide at a riverside farmhouse, keeping his whereabouts a secret. Francis's prognosis was grim; he was suffering from "consumption," a bygone term for tuberculosis. With his demise imminent and his younger brother Charles IX too young to rule, the reins of power would fall to the regent, currently Antoine. Ordinarily, succession should follow its prescribed order, but Cardinal Guise believed that under the current circumstances, the French people would accept Montmorency as regent instead.
However, the transfer of power required both the regent's signature and the endorsement of the king. Given Montmorency's stability, he posed a threat of revealing Catherine's involvement in stabbing him. Aware of this, Catherine devised a countermeasure. She covertly struck a deal with Louis, offering him leniency in exchange for Antoine's location, though she already knew it. After securing the agreement, she revealed the plan to Mary and suggested making her regent, blaming the entire scheme on the Cardinal. She dispatched Mathilde to assassinate Montmorency, threatening expulsion from court if she failed, and coerced Antoine, who was under Aabis's watch, to cede the regency.
Antoine, however, refused to relinquish his power, throwing a wrench into Catherine's plan. Undeterred, Catherine manipulated Mary into torturing Louis and sending Antoine a severed finger to coerce his compliance. Montmorency, narrowly escaping Mathilde's assassination attempt, found his way to Antoine and coerced him to sign over the regency to Catherine, recognizing her as the only one capable of steering France safely and thereby protecting his loved ones.
With all obstacles cleared, Catherine convinced Francis to endorse her as regent and then coerced him to take his own life with an opiate procured from Ruggieri. She had stealthily seized power, and when Mary discovered the truth, her fury was indescribable.
