Catherine sanctioned this “take Paul away for his safety” thing, but it’s unclear if she knows he is living in a tree box that occasionally bears attack. It’s clear that Grigor is losing it, though his main goal is to keep Paul safe and not let him be ordained since Peter didn’t want it. He’s in what looks like a bear costume, and Grigor brings the box down via a rope multiple times a day to feed him and play the violin for him. Paul is living in a box in a tree, and it’s absolutely batshit. She is seen as a very successful monarch, though, which I’d definitely believe of the Elizabeth we know and love, butterfly training and all. Because Elizabeth was empress! That happened! It gets a little weird, though, with the show’s moving around of family members, as Elizabeth was Peter the Great’s daughter and not his love interest. We’ve touched on this in previous seasons, but this conversation between Elizabeth and Catherine feels like two alternate realities coming together, as Catherine asks Elizabeth why being empress isn’t Elizabeth’s destiny. When Elizabeth insists that Catherine has a destiny, Catherine says that it is true, according to today’s guns. Her logic is that if it is her destiny to rule, she will never pick up the loaded gun. To determine whether Catherine actually has a destiny or has just been deluding herself this whole time, she lays out three guns every day, only one of which is loaded, points one at her head, and shoots. Side note: While Catherine instituted many reforms, she was not pro-democracy in her own country! Very much the opposite! I’m sure many of us have been there, but we weren’t governing a country being taken over by an angry mob of its citizens. Thanks.” Saying she is depressed is a gross understatement, as it is more of an existential fugue where she drifts through life with nothing meaning anymore. Catherine’s realizing that the people really do hate her, which can’t be a good feeling at any time, especially not right after you’ve lost your husband, and the people you govern are flocking to a man you stabbed a bunch who is now pretending to be him. It does not go well, and Marial saves Georgina’s life, although she later regrets it. Marial, Georgina, Catherine, and Elizabeth go to the town where he’s currently speechifying to try to calm the rebelling peasants. This Pugachev plot of Archie’s has really gotten out of hand. I want to stay angry about this! But I can’t, because wow, these characters have really gone Through It and emerged even more interesting and complex. There are not many shows that I have enjoyed as consistently as The Great. Despite Tony McNamara’s partiality to animal cruelty, his writing is so sparklingly funny and clever that, three seasons in, I am still delighted by it even when he kills my favorite character! I think I will not get over it, but I do.
0 kommentar(er)
