Those who felt invigorated by the acerbic courtly intrigue offered up in the Academy Award nominated The Favourite should turn an eye towards Hulu’s latest prestige drama The Great. The comparison between the two is unavoidable, as creator Tony McNamara brings many elements to The Great that earned him an Oscar nomination for writing The Favourite. Both projects share the same cynical observations of aristocratic privilege as shown through a heightened lens of near-anarchy. Billed as an “occasionally true story,” The Great casts aside the need for painstaking accuracy in favor of capturing the spirit of events. This Russian tale is filled with English accents, anachronisms and presumably countless scenes that would make historians dizzy in anger. The artistic reasons for this are apparent once you watch the show, as it manages to give audiences a fascinating insight into what would drive a person to save a country from a path of destruction.
This satiric series focuses on the early life of Russian empress Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and her husband, Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) as it traces how the German-born Catherine fell in love with her new homeland enough to feel she had to save it from her irresponsible husband. Catherine starts out as a slightly naive romantic whose family has lost their fortune, which makes her marriage to the King of Russia, Peter, a fortuitous new venture for her. Fanning plays Catherine like the R-rated fairy princess that she is with her vulgar vocabulary and healthy amounts of sex. Her new home in Russia is one that is not very welcoming to strong females. Women are expected to be without thoughts and generally subdued as the lunkheaded dudes behave like fraternity bros. Fanning has an excellent sense of comedic timing to pinpoint the absurdity of everything that is occurring around her. Catherine is not completely alone emotionally as she has her maid Marial (Phoebe Fox) and Peter’s put-upon advisor Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) to lend a sympathetic ear. They all know that Peter is an awful ruler, and their plan for a coup is one that naturally runs throughout the season.
As good as Fanning is as Catherine, Nicholas Hoult is the highlight of every scene in which he appears. The core of Peter is built with a sociopathic framework that reeks of childlike insolence to all who surround him. When you have grown up having unchecked power, you lose any sense of empathy needed to not be cruel. While he can be outright atrocious, the majority of the time his awfulness is brought about by a general obliviousness. He has forced his country into a pointless war and he violently enforces arbitrary laws that suit his particular desires. Do you have a beard? Well, you do not want to find yourself in Russia at this period of time. This character would be a King Joffrey-esque chore to endure if Hoult was not so darn charming in the role. The way he imbues Peter with a pathetic need for approval makes you almost feel sorry for him before he does something incredibly horrific. The dynamic he has with Catherine is a fascinating one to watch. He is not particularly interested in being a faithful husband, but he makes sure she is taken care of in the bedroom department by selecting a sterile lover for her. Peter is equal parts hilarious, blundering and wicked, and you completely understand why Catherine feels Russia would be better off without him.
Period pieces can be a stuffy endeavor, but McNamara makes sure to keep things light and energetic throughout. The combination of whip-smart dialogue and outstanding performances make this one a treasure to watch even for those who do not typically enjoy period pieces. If there is something to lightly criticize about the show is that it does start to feel quite long at ten 50+ minute episodes. You enjoy Catherine’s evolution from sweetly naive to revolutionary, but somewhere in the middle it starts to feel slightly meandering in a way that might have you wanting to check your phone for a second screen experience. The show is often providing a commentary on the dangers of excess, which makes it a shame that it falls into such a trap with its own narrative. Nevertheless, The Great offers up some delicious moments of regal ridiculousness throughout the season that will have you both rolling your eyes and cackling with laughter. McNamara has proven that he is particularly adept at making modern audiences relate to these periods in history. The show may diverge from truth more often than not, but you cannot deny that the anachronistic nature of the series makes it feel fresh. If you want a show with vicious dialogue, self-aware opulence and some incredibly fun performances, The Great will more than hit the spot for television fans.
Video Quality
The Great comes to DVD with 10 episodes over 4 discs, which offers a fair amount of room to avoid compression issues. This new series unfortunately is not provided with a Blu-Ray option to showcase the royal opulence. Due to the limitations of the format, these episodes are not going to look as good as they do in high definition, but the presentation is top notch within the DVD format. Even without the added definition, this is still a sleek show with fine details easily visible. Skin tones look natural, and close ups look quite good. Black levels are a little more problematic here, as nighttime and shadowy scenes lose some of the outlines of objects within the shot. Colors are rendered favorably, and there is a fair amount of texture in the clothing. This is the type of show that you want to see in the best quality possible, but consumers are increasingly less likely to spring for a Blu-Ray of a television show that is not a big special effects spectacle. If you want to physically own these episodes, this set still offers up a pleasing presentation.
Audio Quality
This DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that sounds pretty great and brings the show to life well. Dialogue is rendered clearly with a focus in the center channel. The playful score for Nathan Barr is presented beautifully here. Amongst all of the arguing and sniping, environmental effects and background chatter never overpower the dialogue causing lost information. The rear speakers create a dynamic atmosphere as the sound of various outdoor environments envelops you at all of the appropriate times. The mix has a good sense of directionality so that nothing ever feels like it is coming from the wrong place. This track executes all of the key elements of a dialogue-driven drama perfectly.
Special Features
- Bold and Brash – Inside The Great: A 12-minute look at how Tony McNamara wanted to rescue Catherine from history by exploring some of the more complex aspects of the ruler. The cast and crew discuss the show as a female empowerment tale, the anarchic nature of the tone, the fun table reads, Fanning’s experience adapting to television, the lack of attention paid to historical detail and more. This is a fun look at what makes the series so unique.
- Palatial Panache – The Style of The Great: A nearly 16-minute look at the costumes, production design, hair and makeup and more that brings the period drama to life. The cast and crew give some really interesting tidbits that makes you appreciate what they accomplished on screen even more.
- Gag Reel: A six-minute collection of flubbed and forgotten lines, ruined takes, uncontrollable laughter, barking dogs and more. This is a lot of fun, and one of my favorite features included in the set.
Final Thoughts
The Great is a show that breaks free of the traditionally stuffy period shackles to deliver up something that is bitingly hilarious and quite engaging. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are incredible in their lead roles as they bring an undeniable presence to their characters. The season as a whole can feel a bit overlong, but the show mostly maintains its momentum throughout. Paramount Home Entertainment has delivered up a solid DVD release of this first season with a pleasing A/V presentation and some fun special features. If you are on the fence about this series because you typically do not like period dramas, be aware that this is an atypical entry into the genre. Recommended
The Great: The Complete First Season is currently available to purchase on DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
