The Great - General Discussion

[kieyra]

Huzzah! Hulu's The Great renewed for season 2

This happened months ago but it’s been a weird year.

[methodwriter85]

On 11/10/2020 at 5:14 PM, kieyra said:

Huzzah! Hulu's The Great renewed for season 2

This happened months ago but it’s been a weird year.

I'm a fan of both Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning. It's such a perfect show for both Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning. It appeals to both stars acting strengths while challenging them. Elle can really cut her teeth and transition into more adult roles, and Nicholas is clearly having a ball. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Golden Globe nominations!

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY

BEST ACTOR TV SERIES – COMEDY - Nicholas Hoult

BEST ACTRESS TV SERIES – COMEDY - Elle Fanning

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SAG Award nominations!

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series - Nicholas Hoult

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nomination!

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES - Nicholas Hoult

[ruby24]

I really liked this! It's funny and you don't know where it's going exactly since it's not really following the history.

But it does give me questions, because it's kind of hard to imagine the show without Nicholas Hoult, yet we know that Catherine has to take over pretty soon, since they already revealed the coup. And yet in my opinion, the scenes between them are the best of the show and the twisted marriage dynamics, etc.

In real life Catherine and Peter were married as teenagers, and were married for 16 years before he ascended the throne, with her taking over six months after that. 

So here they're following the 6 months to coup timeline, sort of, but it's six months after she arrives. Yet, if they wanted to they have plenty of leeway to extend the marriage, since the two were married for years. But you also can't see that happening if she's already taken over either.  

[PinkRibbons]

I say recast Nicholas Hoult as Potemkin and keep the laughs coming.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Writers Guild of America award!

Episodic Comedy: Tony McNamara ("Pilot", The Great)

[jackjill89]

I am loving this show. It is irreverent and fun. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are having so much fun with their roles. 

I am dying with some of the sly anachronistic lines -- like the whole Moscow Mule thing and saying the choir from Chernobyl was glowing.

I want to know how many glasses they went through filming this! Huzzah!

[utahfuntimes]

Ok is question. Does anyone remember the joke about the donkey? I was trying to remember it but can't.

[chitowngirl]

Season 2 premieres November 19-Huzzah!

[ProudMary]

I've watched the first two episodes of the second season, which dropped on Friday. No sophomore slump for this show! Will definitely be watching more.

[chaifan]

Any chance we can get separate threads for Season 2 episodes? 

[Glade]

I find the first two episodes of S2 really boring--it feels like everything is being dragged out for as long as possible with contrived filler.  I'd much rather they flash-forwarded 5 years and have Catherine surrounded by new characters and suddenly Peter's ghost showed up or something. 

[Riplet68]

I really love this show.  Just blew through season 2, time to rewatch!  Historical inaccuracies usually make me twitch, but as this is a comedy, and they pretty much disclaim it as true, this one does not.  I actually kind of like when a weird truth is thrown in.  For instance, Peter really did think he was awesome on the violin when he wasn’t, and he did force people to listen to him.

I have an issue with last epi of season 2, but I’ll wait to give people more time to watch.

[BooBear]

I got Hulu to watch this series, I enjoyed season 1 but season 2 imho was just too dragged out. I feel also like the final episodes of the season jumped the shark with a crazy plot twist which seemed insane.

Too much Peter.

[Jeddah]

I haven’t finished Season 2 yet, but I’m liking it so far. 

I used to watch Reign and I can’t believe there’s another show with a storyline

Spoiler

where someone falls out a window while having sex with a monarch.

Edited November 25, 2021 by Jeddah

[ProudMary]

Gillian Anderson has probably acted her way to another Emmy. 

I have two episodes left to watch. 

[pasdetrois]

Just started season 2. Is actress Charity Wakefield pregnant in her scenes as Georgina?

[chaifan]

On 11/25/2021 at 3:35 PM, ProudMary said:

Gillian Anderson has probably acted her way to another Emmy. 

I have two episodes left to watch. 

I just watched episodes 6 and 7, and you're right!  Wow!  She is amazing in this role!  I hadn't seen any trailers or previews with her in it, so I never would have even expected her if it weren't for your post. 

Alas, her character's real history is far, far, far less exciting than that portrayed on The Great:

Spoiler

https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a38298713/who-is-joanna-elisabeth-holstein-gottorp-catherine-the-great-mother/

 

[Zima]

Finished watching season 2. The first couple of episodes did drag a bit IMO, but it got much better. I enjoyed it about 99% as much as I enjoyed season 1.  I wondered if the actress who played Georgina had to leave for IRL reasons. 

Gillian Anderson is great, but there is something about her voice that gets on my nerves. To me, it always sounds like she needs to clear her throat or something; as if a cough is stuck in there, but she refuses to get it out. 

Nicholas and Elle are still the standouts for me. Especially Nicholas. 

[ursula]

Marial is officially the worst. Remind me why she's still alive. 

[ruby24]

So, having finished the season, I don't think there's any way this show kills Peter off before the series finale, because the show is too much about the two of them together. Not that it was following real history much anyway, but kinda sorta, as the title implies each episode.

So even though Catherine's already the ruler, I think they're grabbing onto the fact that the actual Peter and Catherine were married for 15 years (before even Peter was Emperor though) as I heard Tony McNamara describing the events in terms of history as taking place all out of order, but not necessarily made up altogether. So in reality they did have a long marriage, it just mostly took place before either of them were on the throne. That gives them an excuse to keep Peter around I guess, as the show is definitely about their marriage as much as it is Catherine's rule.

[cardigirl]

Just finished series 2 and loved it. The writing and the acting were superb.

 

Spoiler

When Elizabeth found out that Peter's mother had drowned her son ... my goodness, the acting was a revelation of grief and rage. 

I'm very much looking forward to season 3! 

 

[blixie]

Marial is absolutely the worst, but I still like her. Being busted down to serf in the court of an narcissistic sadist is not get overable in the course of a year or so, still there isn't a single person she claims to like/love whom she hasn't fucked over royally betrayed, except Archie and I am not exactly sure why he's the one she is loyal to the end of time for? 

Overall while the subplots were bit at loose ends I found the writing and the chemistry of this season so sharp, and their repetitious jokes never get old and get funnier all the time (the horses, "i was hungry", german bitch) I am glad to see them embrace it being a now entirely untrue story, an acknowledging the amazing push pull love hate Greatness between Peter/Catherine. Very much looking forward to S3 and do very much hope it's a shorter window of time between 2/3.

 

[whiporee]

I'm only six episodes into season 2. There are parts of this show that make me laugh out loud, and I actually find the historical touches pretty cool. Like how Catherine still had to have the blessing of the nobles to actually try to do anything. 

But I do find the constant roundabout not as much fun. At some point Catherine needs to deal with Peter seriously, and she needs to simplify what she wants to do. The characterizations are fun, but I would like to seee at least some narrative movement. 

[tennisgurl]

This show is hilarious, I think I liked this season even more then the first. Probably because it focused a lot on the weird but also weirdly sweet at times relationship between Peter and Catherine. Nicholas and Elle are great together, I cant blame the writers for wanting to come up with reasons to keep them together. I guess that this is their acknowledgement that real life Peter and Catherine were married for years before his death, although its not like this show has much interest in actual history and is very upfront about it. 

Hopefully the various messes this season were a bit of a wake up call for Catherine, who has a lot of wonderful ideas, but she tends to see problems more through the lens of philosophy, not policy. Freeing the serfs is great, but without any kind of plan as to how things would keep running, it was always going to be a mess, especially considering it was done with Catherine just announcing it. Finally cleaning house at the end is rough but probably the best way to keep her throne. Of course, real life Catherine also struggled with reconciling her interest in progressive philosophy and being a hardass absolute monarch, so that actually kind of lines up. 

Huzzah!

Edited January 8, 2022 by tennisgurl

[MaiaH]

Renewed for season 3.

Source.

[chitowngirl]

Huzzah!

[Bort]

[MaggieG]

I enjoyed season 2. I was rooting for Catherine and Peter to get together, those two crazy kids. There were so many random scenes that made me laugh, I can't remember them all. I did crack up in the last episode when Elizabeth, Orlo and Velementov took a pee break on the side of the road. 

I can't stand George. She's probably the character I hate the most. I was happy when she left and annoyed when she came back.

[Lady Jane]

 

On 5/20/2020 at 1:44 PM, vavera4ka said:

Madam Svenska’s husband is colonel Svenska? Svenska? Let me put it this way svenskA??? Never mind that it’s a Polish last name, but I guess there were Poles in the close proximity to the royal family. They would most likely be addressed using Russified version of their last name. So madam Svenskaya. But it’s still a femminitive version of the last name: Polish or Russian. Colonel would be Svenski or Svenskiy.

I just assumed it was a joke, since Svenska means "Sweden" and they talk endlessly about the war with Sweden.

The show is explicitly ahistorical, so I can't imagine them paying much attention to the formalities (and confusion of) Russian naming conventions.

[Shermie]

I’m only on ep 5 of season 1, but I find this show greatly entertaining. (See what I did there?)

Although Catherine keeps talking about macaroons when she clearly means macarons. Drives me nuts when people don’t know the difference. And they were clearly Costco macarons, heh.

[Nightshade]

I took my time to watch this season because I knew very few things would make me laugh like this show,

can't wait until season 3.

[Puffaroo]

What's up with the ever-growing lump on Grigor's head?

[cardigirl]

Love this show and am sad and shocked that there is not more love for it here on the forums. So well written and acted!  Kudos for all the Emmy noms they received for this season. Huzzah!

[IntrovertRed]

I'm bored and rewatching for the third time.  Can't wait for the third season, I love this show so much!

[Bort]

Season 3 premiere date set: May 12, 2023.

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, kariyaki said:

Season 3 premiere date set: May 12, 2023.

Huzzah!

 

[Kath94]

Indeed.

[DanaMB]

I lost interest in this season after 

Spoiler

Peter died.

 

[IntrovertRed]

11 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

I lost interest in this season after 

  Hide contents

Peter died.

 

DanaMB, I get it and I couldn't believe how many tears I shed during and after.  All of the actors did a fantastic job, especially Elle Fanning and Gwilym Lee.  The season was hard to finish, but I'm glad I did because it did not disappoint.  That said, I hate Marial, she proves herself to be a terrible friend over and over.  Georgina sucks just as much, but she's not supposed to be Catherine's *best friend*. 

I look forward to season 4 (if it gets renewed).

[DanaMB]

I did like the way it ended. Have we heard of a season 4? This felt like an end of series finale. I guess it could go either way. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by DanaMB

[Dac22]

On 5/14/2023 at 4:01 PM, IntrovertRed said:

That said, I hate Marial, she proves herself to be a terrible friend over and over.  Georgina sucks just as much, but she's not supposed to be Catherine's *best friend*. 

I also felt quite bad for Grigor being caught between the two. Both claim to love him, but neither of their actions made me believe that was the case.

Edited May 16, 2023 by Dac22

[blixie]

I am only one episode in to S3 but I still like Marial, it would always be impossibly difficult to have a true friendship with someone who has that much power over you. I believe she truly loves Catherine, but she cannot trust a capricious monarch(y) with her life. Truly truly bummed about Orlo, never thought Arkady would outlast him. Hoult is off to wonderful start showing himself both blissful and freying at the edges about his status in relation to Catherine and leading. It is hard to see Catherine losing true bonds in favor of keeping her enemies nearer (Archie/Georgina).

[Cementhead]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:41 PM, DanaMB said:

lost interest in this season after 

  Reveal spoiler

This is where I am at the present moment.  Struggling to make it through the episode that followed after that.  I keep stopping it and then going back to it. 

[lasu]

I enjoyed the rest of the season, and I understand this had to happen at some point, but unfortunately I don't think the show is worth continuing.  I hate saying that, because I have absolutely loved this utterly depraved show.  It has made me laugh out loud at some SERIOUSLY non-funny subjects.  If you had told me not only would I watch, but I would enjoy, a show that features having sex with someone's mother's corpse...Well, regardless, I don't think there is enough left to carry the show.  This is not a knock at all against Elle Fanning.  I would have said the same thing if Catherine's character wasn't going to be in the rest of the show.

[magdalene]

I saw a clip of the leads and thought  wow! what chemistry! I was going to watch this but lost the will to do it after I was told a certain thing and now I am not going to bother.

Why would they do something so stupid? And yes I am aware of historical events. But they don't call it historical fiction for nothing.

[Cementhead]

I have two more episodes to get through to see it to the end but had to chime in now to say that Elle Fanning is outstanding this season.  Her acting is stellar.  There are quite a few instances where she is required to go from one extreme feeling to another and the work that she is able to do with just her facial expressions alone is phenomenal. 

[Dac22]

On 5/22/2023 at 6:23 PM, magdalene said:

Why would they do something so stupid? 

While I understand the disappointment, I also get why the show would do it.

Spoiler

How many seasons of Catherine trying to change things and Peter getting in the way can they do? They show was just going to have to recycle that over and over as long as both were around because neither was going to change

So the show opened some new doors and character dynamics with the move.

Now I'm not sure how well it will work out if there is another season, but I get not wanting to consistently repeat themselves as well.