You could be forgiven for thinking that Netflix’s Bridgerton has the monopoly on lavish costume based TV series this year. Yet, away from that Downtown Abbey-esque soap-opera, Tony McNamara brings us the garish comedy-drama, The Great.
Enjoyed Bridgerton? Read our review here.
The Great tells the story – “ an occasionally true story” as each episode bills itself – of Russia’s Catherine the Great, however, it doesn’t follow the strait-laced approach of the Helen Mirren led 2019 series, Catherine the Great. Instead, it takes its style cues from The Favourite movie, also co-written by McNamara.
The series begins with a swooning 19-year old Austrian, Catherine (Elle Fanning) arriving in Russia for an arranged marriage to the emperor, Peter III. Very quickly, we are introduced to the acerbic wit that will carry us through ten episodes. Peter asks, ”she’s not an inbred, is she?” as his bride-to-be hands him a spruce love token. Catherine’s romantic dreams soon come crashing down as she endures the crass brutality of her new husband. His idea of love-making is sex while conversing with others in the room. He buys her a bear as a wedding gift and then promptly shoots it. Her husband lives in the shadow of his famous father, but this Peter is no Great.
Catherine briefly descends into despair as she realises that she is trapped in an impossible situation. She is married to a man who treats the Russian court as a frat-house and his bride is just a vessel to bear his children while he jumps from one mistress to another. Gradually, despair gives way to survival. She slowly starts to hatch a plan to overthrow her husband and lead Russia into a new period of greatness. As the series progresses, Catherine starts to build a team of allies; including her maid Marial (Phoebe Fox), one of Peter’s brighter and gentler advisers, Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) and Leo (Sebastian De Souza) – the lover she is gifted by her husband. Together, they plot the coup d’etat that will, ultimately, make her Empress.
One of the pleasures of watching The Great is that not only is the casting so perfect, but the viewer can sense the fun they had in making it. Nicholas Hoult has rarely been as good as he is here in playing the petulant man-child Peter. His performance is a scary reminder of what happens when you have a narcissist, sociopath, with a total lack of self-awareness, in a position of power. You can sense the undercurrent of fear within the St Petersburg court. His male gang of advisors try to judge the direction of Peter’s unstable moods, timing their laughter to save their honour or their lives! Yet, such is the tour de force that is Hoult’s performance, he also brings touches of humanity and humility to add to the complexity that is Peter.
The rest of the cast is no less impressive. Fanning beautifully captures the different shades of Catherine’s transformation from sweet teenager, through naive political plotter, to a woman who is cleverly able to read the nuances of the St Petersburg court. Whilst Hoult plays Peter with the campness of Blackadder crossed with the unhinged maniacal tendencies of Heath Ledger’s Joker, Fanning is much more understated. Her lines are measured but razor-sharp, contrasting her intelligence with Peter’s crassness. When Peter asks her about her day, Catherine calmly replies, “It is marvellous – you are marvellous. You gave me a bear and have ceased punching me. What woman would not be happy?”
Adam Godley shines as the religious zealot, Archie: “People underestimate the joy in suffering”. Belinda Bromilow beings wild eccentricity and horniness to the role of Aunt Elizabeth. Yet, the real scene-stealer is Phoebe Fox’s Marial who brings grounded humour to proceedings and shares some brilliant exchanges with Fanning. When Catherine asks Marial how her night was, the dry response is, “Avoided rape. You?” Later, when Catherine is asked how her night was and replies, “To be honest, it was brief”, Marial responds with a “ Brief is often a relief”.
The Great plays out like a brilliant satire, often evoking thoughts of Shakespeare’s most madcap moments. The humour also tries to reference more modern events; when the Chernobyl Girl’s Choir visits, someone compliments them with the lines “ they glow!” It can also be dark; Catherine feeding dainty macaroons to a battle-weary soldier who had lost all his fingers.
However, it is not without its failings. At times, the one-hour episodes can feel overly long. Occasionally, the gore and bodily fluid levels are ratcheted up so high that you yearn for some visual respite. The subject matter can get very dark and the profanities to award-winning heights.
Yet, ultimately, The Great is carried through by the brilliance of the performances and a real sense that, despite the historical inaccuracies and messed up timelines, it is a story about growth and hope. We see occasional moments of tenderness from Peter, the love between Catherine and Leo, and the growing self-belief in the future Empress. Even Catherine starts to see some good in Peter and in the final episode, as she plans her coup, she tells him: “I’m fond of you”
The ratings may suggest Bridgerton was the winner in the costume based TV competition, but the choice is whether you prefer your costume dramas to be gentle strolls through the park or a f**ing satirical rollercoaster ride through a warped history. I raise a pinky held teacup to the news that Netflix has commissioned season two of Bridgerton. The Great season two is also coming; to that, I raise a glass of vodka and yell a loud “Huzzah!”
Season one of The Great is now streaming on All 4.
Words by Andrew Butcher
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