Hulu’s The videos of college gay group sexGreathas the perfect tagline: “*an occasionally true story.” It’s certainly a correct summary of the show, which treats “real” history like its least favorite chocolate in a candy assortment of better and tastier options. It’s also a clever way to undercut pedants who might take issue with those ahistorical choices. The tagline helps The Greatcome off confident and winking, ensuring its viewers that it will never let a silly thing like the truth get in the way of a good story.
Luckily for those viewers that confidence pays off. The story is, in fact, good. One could even say it’s great.
The Greatis the second recent high-profile limited series about the life of Catherine the Great, the first of which was the four-episode HBO miniseries starring Helen Mirren that premiered in October 2019. That two shows on major networks share a fascination with Catherine is a testament to how interesting she was as a unique character in history.
Catherine the Great began her life as Sophie, a lowly German princess who married Peter III and was expected to fill the role of a meek, apolitical baby machine. She instead seized control of the Russian military, instigated a coup that deposed and killed her husband, and proceeded to rule over what historians refer to as the Golden Age of the Russian Empire.
SEE ALSO: The 12 best period dramas currently streaming, for all your social distancing needsWhile The Greatmore or less follows the arc of her story, it peppers the transformation of the naive and newly married Catherine (Elle Fanning; also, the show ignores the bit where Catherine’s name used to be Sophie) into the woman who would be Empress with a series of hilarious and illuminating realizations that harden her resolve to change Russia for the better. It helps that Catherine’s scientific mind and capacity for love has a perfect foil in her husband Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), whose ass-backwards hubris and cruelty escalates in a way that makes Game of Thrones’ King Joffrey seem like someone you’d proudly take home to your mother.
Hoult and Fanning are excellent together in The Great, portraying an increasingly complicated relationship that begins with rejection and indifference and changes to reflect the jealousy, hatred, and unfortunate fondness that blooms between the Tsar and Tsarina. By focusing on their dynamic, The Great avoids the historical trap of writing towards the inevitability of Catherine’s future success. It does not treat Peter as doomed and Catherine as hyper-competent — they’re an asshole and an idealist forced into a marriage neither of them can escape without resorting to homicide.
The Greatis written and executive produced by Tony McNamara, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing 2018's The Favourite. The Favouritemined comedy gold from the royal whims of Queen Anne, and The Greatdoes the same with the court of Peter III. The nobles are out-of-touch caricatures whose indifference to human life and acceptance of Peter’s bizarre behavior embraces the absurd (moose lips, weird sex, and beating the crap out of each other are a few of their favorite things) while Catherine’s servant Mariel (Phoebe Fox) is a quick-witted observer who cuts everyone down to her size.
Some jokes fly by so quickly they're easy to miss, but others are as hilariously simple as Peter III dropping multiple f-bombs at a military meeting and shooting a frog out of a gun. It's shocking and wacky, but The Greatearns its tone by staying consistently comedic even in its darkest moments.
Some historical television shows entertain by name-dropping and referencing actual events to make sure the audience knows it's well researched. The Greatentertains by doing the opposite: It twists history to serve its own purpose, rather than let facts dictate its narrative. The result is a refreshing interpretation of royal drama that's great enough to get away with rewriting the story of Catherine The Great.
The Great is streaming now on Hulu.
Topics Hulu