I really liked the first season of "The Great", a gloriously foul-mouthed comedy drama (very) loosely based on the arrival of Catherine the Great on the Russian throne. This second season is more of the same, but its consistency has me elevating the show to one of my all-time favourites.
Having taken the seat, if not necessarily the country, Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult) are at war. Eventually Peter concedes and begins house arrest within the Palace, whilst Catherine resists calls from all sides to have him executed. With her pregnancy coming to a conclusion, she and her supporters come to realise that change will not come easy to Russia.
I said in my review of the first season that the performances are all note perfect. This remains true of the cast in this second run, with Julian Barratt taking a larger role, Gillian Anderson with a feature part and a short, but perfectly cast cameo from Jason Isaacs as Peter The Great. There is a standout performer though with Berlinda Bromilow elevating Elizabeth from being just another quirky court character to the heart of the whole show, as she tries to balance her affections for both of the leads.
It's still just as rude, course and devilishly funny as it was before though there's an oddly touching love story at the centre of the show now, as Peter discovers his true feelings for Catherine and she struggles to decide whether to kill him or not.
Season three is confirmed now and if it can be anything close to the standard that this season has been, "The Great" may go down as one of the all time ...... bestests.
