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The Great Episode 1 recap: 5 things we loved in the series premiere

By Mads Lennon

Pictured: Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great in Episode 101 ‘The Great’ of The Great, Courtesy of Hulu
Pictured: Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great in Episode 101 ‘The Great’ of The Great, Courtesy of Hulu /
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Nicholas Hoult in The Great Episode 1
Pictured: Nicholas Hoult as Peter III of Russia in The Great Episode 101, Courtesy of Hulu /

The Great Episode 1 immediately dives into the marriage of Peter the III and Catherine the soon-to-be Great, just don’t expect any historical accuracy here.

Hulu‘s new satirical historical drama is nothing short of brilliant. It’s hilarious and the performances are fantastic. The Great Episode 1 wastes no time in getting into the meat of the story by shuffling Catherine (Elle Fanning) off to become the empress consort to the hedonistic craven that is Peter the III (Nicholas Hoult).

If you were anticipating a backstory then you’re watching the wrong show. The Great is more interested in focusing on hardening Catherine from porcelain to steel to prepare her for the vigilant ruler history remembers her as.

The following list details the 5 things we loved most in The Great Episode 1.

5. Everything about Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal.

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It’s hard to pinpoint just one excellent portrayal in this show because Fanning and Hoult are both exceptional, as is scene-stealer Phoebe Fox (who plays Mariel). But Hoult’s performance is truly impeccable as he introduces us all to his horrible incarnation of Peter the III.

As someone who doesn’t know all the ins and outs of Catherine’s real story, I can’t tell you how much of his characterization is true-to-life, but Hoult is very adept at playing a charming a**hole.

He veer dangerously close to sociopathic territory and yet something about the way Peter cheerily introduces Catherine to his mummified mother in a glass display case or retells his jokes to his men to ensure he gets a laugh is endearing.

It’s not that we like Peter but we really love watching Hoult portray him — he is clearly having the time of his life in the role.

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