Service: Hulu
 Show Title: “The Great”
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Hulu’s “The Great” is a series which comedically and colorfully portrays the rise of the female icon, Catherine the Great. A successful coup and forced abdication of her husband, Peter III, allowed her to claim her position as the empress of Russia. “The Great” begins by characterizing Catherine as a naïve, lovestruck German girl who is thrilled to take claim as Peter’s wife, but it quickly transforms her into a powerful and bone-chilling woman keen on the idea of assassinating her husband for his throne.
Catherine is an optimistic, progressive woman who places a high value upon knowledge and equality. She uses her passions to openly advocate for women’s education, the destruction of the serf system and the progression towards scientific modernization. She consistently proves herself to be the embodiment of strength because of her determination to survive both the brutal realities of an eighteenth century Russia and her immature, narcissistic husband.
While Catherine believes in using her rule to reflect the beauty of Enlightenment ideals and intellectual expansion, her husband’s rule consists of beard bans, unnecessarily vulgar parties and neglect towards the unnecessary war he started in Sweden. The “dramedy” shows its audience the contrasting reigns of both Catherine and Peter to highlight the historically impressive impact which Catherine began to slowly make in Russia once enthroned as empress.
What makes “The Great” so great is the diverse and intriguing characters it introduces and then drastically transforms under Catherine’s rule. My personal favorite is Count Orlo who originally appears as a shy and weak advisee to Peter but reinvents himself as a blunt and courageous man once becoming politically involved with Catherine. The outspoken and flamboyant Marial is worth mentioning as she is first portrayed as a disobedient serf who guides Catherine through her coup plans until she is rebirthed as a respected lady of the court during Catherine’s rule.
Besides the beautiful casting of Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning, this series is a true representation of women’s empowerment and sheer rebellion as it uses Catherine to completely renovate the emotional setting and force Russia towards a new light. The only qualm I can hold against this fantastic series is that there is not more of it. Huzzah, indeed.
Rating: 9/10