he second series of The bigHulu’s “antihistoric” show about the rise and reign of Catherine the Great is back and premiering today on Channel 4. And fans, you can hold your breath now: it’s still a true delight of sparkling dialogue and frenzied storylines.
Set in late 18th-century Russia, the show is loosely — and the showrunners really lean into the loose part — based on the relationship between Russia’s Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) and his ambitious wife Catherine II (Elle Fanning).
Season 1 ended with Catherine overthrowing her husband and so she spends Season 2 picking up the pieces: she’s pregnant, trying to navigate life in the palace, trying to decide what to do with her husband – now her prisoner—and pondering how best to implement some of the social advancement policies she promised when she advocated her coup.
For those who were nervous about whether a second season could be sustained, when the show’s formula is already so deeply entrenched, you’re right to have reservations. Some moments in the first half of the new season are quite puffy simply because everyone is so stuck in their ways (Peter is lewd, the court is lecherous, Catherine is haughty but well-intentioned, General Velementov is drunk, Orlo is confused).
Even though the Russian ruler may have changed and there are several new events at court, characters seem to be stuck in a strange limbo where there isn’t enough action to catapult their storylines forward into new territory, but there aren’t enough either. emotional singers to go deeper and deeper. make a dent in their funny dispositions.
The big season 2
/ Channel 4There are also some awkward storylines, such as the show’s obsession with the couple’s sexual exploits, particularly the way Peter serves Catherine (she says he’s doing a really good job). Sure it’s all satire and the repetition is part of the joke, but it gets a bit annoying: do we really need to see it take place literally every episode while also being a topic of conversation between the pair? You can have too much of a good thing.
But as the season progresses, it all gets bigger and bigger. If you crave real excitement and hilarity, it gets easier in the second half of the show. Think Gillian Anderson as Catherine’s scheming mother, Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin) as the ghost of Peter the Great, and Freddie Fox returning as King Hugo of Sweden. Phoebe FoxThe Empress’s best friend Marial is always brilliant and it is a joy to watch her relationships develop with her young nephew, her new boyfriend, serf Shakey and her old friend the Archbishop.
Other chaotic drama adds to the mix: Without giving too much away, the Archbishop (a gloriously sinister Adam Godley) returns to his old antics in the woods, while someone else has sex on a windowsill, what a horrible idea. The Great season 2 was certainly as much fun to make in the writer’s room as it was to watch.
The show was created by The favorite co-writer Tony McNamara, who inevitably invokes a series of not always friendly comparisons to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning historical drama. But this is a mistake. The Great is bolder, grittier and less profound – as it should be.
The show is best when dialogue moves with dashing His Girl Friday energy and when characters are so scathing and candid that viewers are truly made to mock and chuckle. So if things seem to be drying up, plow on. Once Season 2 kicks off, it will return to its crazy business as a thrilling and hilarious romp in a historically neighboring Russia.
The Great Season 2 premieres on Channel 4 on July 27