“For those yet to fall for its ample charms, ‘The Great’ plays hard and fast with the rise of Catherine the Great, Empress of all Russia,” said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian.
“Newcomers should not start with season three”, however, but go back to the start to see “how everybody got to their positions”. It’s worth the effort: “every episode romps along at speed, fuelled mostly by those twin engines of every good story, sex and death”.
In the first two seasons, Catherine (Elle Fanning) and her husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult) had “an on/off relationship”; but they begin this season “very much together”, to the bitterness of their acolytes. As ever in “The Great”, no character is safe from the chop, which keeps things lively. But “nestled in among all the killing and sex” is a “sneaky cerebral streak”; plus plenty of humour and silliness. In sum, it is a “rich treat” of a series.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first two seasons have ended up on Channel 4, but for now this one is only on Lionsgate+, said Hugo Rifkind in The Times. “Wait if you must, but I wouldn’t.” Yes, the plot is far from historically accurate, but the revisionism is “part of the fun”, and the performances are wonderful. Hoult, for instance, brings “the same vibe you might expect if Hugh Grant were starring in a whimsical romantic comedy about Pol Pot”.
“This is history at its most horrible – and most enjoyable,” agreed Nick Hilton in The Independent. “If it does run out of momentum before Catherine can reach old age and infirmity (and the horse sex rumours), then it will still have been quite the ride to get there.”
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
Samurai: a ‘blockbuster’ display of Japan’s legendary warriorsThe Week Recommends British Museum show offers a ‘scintillating journey’ through ‘a world of gore, power and artistic beauty’
-
BMW iX3: a ‘revolution’ for the German car brandThe Week Recommends The electric SUV promises a ‘great balance between ride comfort and driving fun’
-
Arcadia: Tom Stoppard’s ‘masterpiece’ makes a ‘triumphant’ returnThe Week Recommends Carrie Cracknell’s revival at the Old Vic ‘grips like a thriller’
-
My Father’s Shadow: a ‘magically nimble’ love letter to LagosThe Week Recommends Akinola Davies Jr’s touching and ‘tender’ tale of two brothers in 1990s Nigeria
-
Send Help: Sam Raimi’s ‘compelling’ plane-crash survival thrillerThe Week Recommends Rachel McAdams stars as an office worker who gets stranded on a desert island with her boss
-
Book reviews: ‘Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind’ and ‘Football’Feature A right-wing pundit’s transformations and a closer look at one of America’s favorite sports
