Madeline
Russian history is not a topic that comes up a lot. But when I learned about the fall of Peter the terrible, I was intrigued. I know a little bit of Russian historical wealthy families with my recent read of Anna Karenina, but knew nothing about the kings. As I watched The Great, I also did my Google research and learned quite a bit.
The Premise Of The Great
The story starts with Catherine, a German girl from a wealthy family, who is shipped off to marry King Peter of Russia. When she meets her new husband, he is not what she expected and goes down a life of unhappiness, until she gets a brilliant idea. She will plan a coup and take over Russia for herself. A majority of season one is her planning her take over in a hilarious way.
Why It Is Not A Real Story
The story of The Great is all about the fall of Peter the Terrible and that is where the similarity to this story and history end. Entertainment and hilarity is the most important thing for the writers. I would imagine much would be done different if humor was not taken into account. Next, after doing my research, season two would have started much differently with one less character and a huge plot change if it were to follow history. But to keep the most comical character of the whole show, Peter needed to stick around and there needed to be a reason.
Final Thoughts
The Great is wildly entertaining and funny, but does not follow anything that represents the real story of the fall of Peter the terrible. The story brought to life something that I knew little to nothing about and for that, it gets extra points. The entertainment factor is the main reason to watch The Great.
