This show is wildly entertaining and hilarious, but it also hurts my autistic skull about how inaccurate it is. But I did like that it admits it's not entirely true. My guess is that they stretched and changeed some things so that we can actually move the plot along and get Catherine onto the throne by season two.
Some of the things I didn't like about this show were the constant yelling of the following words, in which the magic is ruined for them: f*ck, c*ck, p*ssy, c*** (even though that last one wasn't magical to begin with). Also the smashing of the glasses on the floor really got annoying after awhile.
Despite the inaccuracies, it seems to be well structured as a plausible story line. Even though Peter is actually Peter the Great's grandson, I can imagine that he was still haunted by his grandfather's massive shadow. But the show displays how incredibly stubborn he is in moving Russia forward. Catherine comes in with progressive ideas, and he disapproves all of them simply because it is his god given right. From the very beginning, Catherine knew she was destined to rule Russia, but she isn't waiting for Peter to die. She decides to do it herself.
But of course, she needs help. Mariel, her servant and fallen lady of the court, helps her gain the knowledge of everyone in court: who could be trusted and who needed to go. Through this, Catherine establishes alliances with General Velementov, a decorated, but broken, war hero, and Count Orlo, a bumbling idiot with just as much power as Peter himself. But even then, they come with their own challenges. Velementov is a blubbering drunk with and infatuation for the new empress, and he is troubled with a string failures in the Russo-Swedish War. He is a brilliant tactician who is constantly overruled by Peter, who sends more troops to die, basically. And Count Orlo, likely based on the real life Grigory Orlov, provides Catherine the political knowledge she needs to successfully take over the empire. Unlike his TV counterpart, Orlov was actually quite confident and actually a leader in the coupe. He and Catherine were lovers for a while, and is rumored to be the father of one of her children.
Speaking of lovers, Peter believes Catherine's main purpose to make heirs for the throne, boys particularly. However, he suspects that she is sexually frustrated since he's often getting some with every girl in his field of vision. So he hires a young man as a gift to Catherine. This creates a problem further down the line because Catherine falls for the man and wishes to ascend the throne with him by her side. The season ending coupe spelled certain death for him...maybe.
More on the subject of lovers, Peter has taken in a girl in particular, but she is married to a member of the court, and all he really could do is sit and watch. The situation is doing well for them as it provides security for them, he can accompany the emperor on their many adventures, and she satisfies the emperor. Over the course of the season, Peter begins to fall for Catherine, and that spells doom to them as well. They become one of the few enemies that Catherine have to face in her quest for the throne.
But the one person standing truly in her way is the Archbishop. He envisioned a beautiful woman to marry Peter and give him many children, and that was Catherine. Peter may be emperor but the Archbishop influences the emperor in supporting, often outrageous, laws that Catherine believes are keeping Russia in the Dark Ages. It's hard knowing at this point if he'll support her as empress or if he'll form an alliance with enemy nations to try and bring Catherine down.
I really hope this series gets renewed for a second season. This can't truly be the end.
I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.
Released On Hulu: May 15, 2020
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Charity Wakefield, Gwylim Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas Hodge, Belinda Bromilow, Richard Pyros, Bayo Gbadamosi, Sebastian de Souza
Directors: Matt Shakman, Colin Bucksey, Bert & Bertie, Ben Chessell, Geeta Patel
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (Average)
Some of the things I didn't like about this show were the constant yelling of the following words, in which the magic is ruined for them: f*ck, c*ck, p*ssy, c*** (even though that last one wasn't magical to begin with). Also the smashing of the glasses on the floor really got annoying after awhile.
Despite the inaccuracies, it seems to be well structured as a plausible story line. Even though Peter is actually Peter the Great's grandson, I can imagine that he was still haunted by his grandfather's massive shadow. But the show displays how incredibly stubborn he is in moving Russia forward. Catherine comes in with progressive ideas, and he disapproves all of them simply because it is his god given right. From the very beginning, Catherine knew she was destined to rule Russia, but she isn't waiting for Peter to die. She decides to do it herself.
But of course, she needs help. Mariel, her servant and fallen lady of the court, helps her gain the knowledge of everyone in court: who could be trusted and who needed to go. Through this, Catherine establishes alliances with General Velementov, a decorated, but broken, war hero, and Count Orlo, a bumbling idiot with just as much power as Peter himself. But even then, they come with their own challenges. Velementov is a blubbering drunk with and infatuation for the new empress, and he is troubled with a string failures in the Russo-Swedish War. He is a brilliant tactician who is constantly overruled by Peter, who sends more troops to die, basically. And Count Orlo, likely based on the real life Grigory Orlov, provides Catherine the political knowledge she needs to successfully take over the empire. Unlike his TV counterpart, Orlov was actually quite confident and actually a leader in the coupe. He and Catherine were lovers for a while, and is rumored to be the father of one of her children.
Speaking of lovers, Peter believes Catherine's main purpose to make heirs for the throne, boys particularly. However, he suspects that she is sexually frustrated since he's often getting some with every girl in his field of vision. So he hires a young man as a gift to Catherine. This creates a problem further down the line because Catherine falls for the man and wishes to ascend the throne with him by her side. The season ending coupe spelled certain death for him...maybe.
More on the subject of lovers, Peter has taken in a girl in particular, but she is married to a member of the court, and all he really could do is sit and watch. The situation is doing well for them as it provides security for them, he can accompany the emperor on their many adventures, and she satisfies the emperor. Over the course of the season, Peter begins to fall for Catherine, and that spells doom to them as well. They become one of the few enemies that Catherine have to face in her quest for the throne.
But the one person standing truly in her way is the Archbishop. He envisioned a beautiful woman to marry Peter and give him many children, and that was Catherine. Peter may be emperor but the Archbishop influences the emperor in supporting, often outrageous, laws that Catherine believes are keeping Russia in the Dark Ages. It's hard knowing at this point if he'll support her as empress or if he'll form an alliance with enemy nations to try and bring Catherine down.
I really hope this series gets renewed for a second season. This can't truly be the end.
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I hope you liked this. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment about what you thought or if you want to recommend a movie for me to review. Thank you for reading. I'll return next week with another movie. See you then.
Released On Hulu: May 15, 2020
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Charity Wakefield, Gwylim Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas Hodge, Belinda Bromilow, Richard Pyros, Bayo Gbadamosi, Sebastian de Souza
Directors: Matt Shakman, Colin Bucksey, Bert & Bertie, Ben Chessell, Geeta Patel
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (Average)
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
- Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Tony McNamara) - Nominated
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Matt Shakman) - Nominated
