WiC Watches: Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great: “Episode Four”

RECAP

The series finale opens with Catherine’s court being disrupted by news of Turkish aggression. Potemkin is aging and ill, so Catherine resolves to recall Grigory Orlov to help him with preparations for war. Potemkin and Catherine clash and spark, as usual, and she begins an affair with his attache officer, Valerian Zubov (Adam El Hagar). Catherine infuriates Prince Paul when she refuses to accept his contribution of four German regiments, and insults Orlov by placing him under Potemkin’s command.

Having largely raised Paul’s son, Alexander, Catherine prepares to have him bypass Paul and take the throne upon her death. Now sequestered in Catherine’s bed, Zubov (in league with Paul and Orlov) attempts to poison her feelings toward Potemkin as he lays siege to the Turkish stronghold at Ochakov, but Countess Bruce suspects Zubov of treachery. Potemkin takes Ochakov by storm and returns home a conquering hero.

The English and German ambassadors arrive and demand that Catherine immediately return Ochakov to the Turks or the two countries will declare war on Russia. The world-weary Potemkin and Catherine argue, make up and finally find some quiet time together. Potemkin leaves to negotiate with the Turks. Catherine refuses to return Alexander to his parents, and Paul learns that his son will succeed to the throne instead of him.

The Germans and British withdraw their ultimatum as Europe becomes wary of events in France. Succumbing to his illness in the field, the dying Potemkin dictates a letter to Catherine. When Catherine learns of his death she is grief stricken. The rapidly aging and despondent Catherine, still in the company of Zubov, finds herself beset by court schemers and the rising tide of the French Revolution. She looks back upon her legacy and great love affair with Potemkin. Upon her death, Paul ignores her command, takes the throne and attempts to delegitimize her reign and erase Potemkin’s memory. It turns out that Catherine and Potemkin were secretly married.

REVIEW

How you feel about Catherine the Great probably depends on what you expected from it. If you were looking for gorgeous settings and cinematography, lavish costumes, aristocratic debauchery and a wildly careening love affair, you might have loved it. If, however, you were hoping for a darker, grittier and more cunning political narrative along the lines of 1998’s Elizabeth, then you may be rather put off. Catherine the Great is first and foremost a romance, an old fashioned parlor game saturated with melodrama, and quite proud of it.

Because of this, the whole enterprise feels lightweight and fleeting, lacking the gravity necessary for a serious foray into the life of the great Russian Empress. Yes, Catherine has plenty of visual flair — it’s stunning, really — and superb casting, employing fine actors skilled at their art who make the most of the material, and that’s a big bonus in a stagy production like this one. Personally, I was hoping to experience a deep dive into the life and times of one of history’s most accomplished and interesting female monarchs, but I got something akin to a Faberge egg: magnificent on the outside and full of nothing.

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Catherine the Great has now completed its four-episode run.

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