The Great season 2 episode 4 recap: What will happen with Sultan Sunduk?

In this episode of The Great season 2, Sultan Sunduk visits — and presents a big challenge for Catherine. Meanwhile, Marial connects with a surprising old flame, Archie takes great measures to prove his loyalty to Catherine, and Catherine breaks down and becomes intimate with Peter again.

Read on to discover what happened in The Great season 2 episode 4, “The Devil’s Lunch.”

The Great season 2 episode 4: What will happen with Sultan Sunduk?

Catherine is still struggling when it comes to gaining the respect of the court and other rulers. Though she encourages everyone to read philosophy and talk about it over breakfast, it quickly becomes clear none of them have done their homework. Grigory steals the show instead with a letter Peter has written reminiscing on old times, making everyone long for the days when he was in charge.

To make matters worse, Ottoman ruler Sultan Sunduk is also scheduled for a meeting. Not only are the Ottomans encroaching on Russian territory, but Sunduk is known to be highly sexist, and Orlo suggests he take lead on the negotiations instead. Catherine refuses, instead enlisting Orlo and Archie to help her irritate Sunduk on purpose by talking of an all-women governing body. At the end of the tense meeting, she invites Sunduk to have a private dinner with her, and he accepts.

Her plans are foiled, however, when Peter decides to throw a party that same night. His plan is to remind everyone how fun he is so he can win back their support. Peter invites Sunduk — all part of his mission to destabilize Catherine without actually hurting her — and tells him that he is going to retake the throne eventually. When Catherine realizes what’s going on, she’s furious. She gives a speech taking credit for the party before ushering Peter out and inviting herself to go hunting with Sunduk the next day.

Hunting turns out to be an interesting outing. Catherine attempts to impress Sunduk by having Velementov secretly shoot the birds she’s pretending to hunt — a fact Sunduk picks up on but finds charming. Sunduk tells her that her plan to enrage him by talking of women in power didn’t work, and he suggests she simply be honest with him.

Catherine gives him some advice of her own: to keep the mustache. She then simply calls the birds down from the sky instead of hunting them. The two reach a mutual respect for one another — one that unfortunately does not look like it’s going to last, as Peter sends Arkady and Tatyana to murder Sunduk in his carriage.

The Great season 2 episode 4: Will Catherine ever forgive Archie?

Marial is still trying to straddle two worlds and stay loyal to both Archie and Catherine. She tries to advise Catherine to send Father Basil back, but she sees right through it. Marial also tells Archie to try and find a way to work with Catherine — they both like philosophy, so it should be a match made in heaven. Archie heeds this advice, telling Catherine he’s now excited to work with Father Basil, but she’s not buying it.

When this fails, Marial reminds Archie they got off on the wrong foot (or finger) the first time they met and encourages him to apologize for that. Archie goes to great length, even cutting off his offending finger and giving it to Catherine. Catherine, however, remains unmoved. She tells him their visions for Russia are simply too different and there’s no need for her to try and work with him considering she already has someone who shares her vision: Father Basil.

The Great season 2 episode 4: Are new relationships forming?

A few new relationships seem to be forming, while others are being rekindled. First, there’s Lady Svenska having sex with Velementov — a strange sort of grief considering he’s the one who killed her husband. Svenska uses Velementov’s vulnerable position to get him to tell her about his thoughts on the Ottomans. Though he wants to go to war, Catherine is still refusing.

Meanwhile, Orlo and the schoolteacher seem to hit it off at the party, making nerdy jokes and flirting. It’s a nice distraction for Orlo, who is still facing pressure from Uncle Varnya to give his hometown more cash and resources.

Grigory is now back in Russia — sans Georgina. With Georgina now in France, Grigory and Marial unexpectedly reconnect. She’s the person he lost his virginity to, after all — a fact that always made Georgina jealous despite her relationship with Peter. When Marial accuses him of being numb to the fact he’s not with his wife, Grigory admits that he’s scared if he lets himself feel, the pain will crush him. On the other hand, he may find he doesn’t miss her at all, which would mean so many wasted years. Marial is moved by this and kisses him.

Pregnancy is overwhelming Catherine with many feelings — particularly the sexual kind. The doctor and Elizabeth both encourage her to lean into her urges for the health of the baby, but she isn’t interested in having sex with just any random person who can’t refuse her. Though she attempts to get it on with a guard, his beard lice is a massive turnoff.

Elizabeth gently suggests she utilize Peter for this purpose considering he’s the perfect candidate. Catherine has been impressed with some of his actions lately — like his interest in the nursery and French lessons he’s been taking — and ultimately agrees, telling him to go down on her.

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