The Great on Hulu is so acerbic and funny.
It is about Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia, portrayed by Elle Fanning (sister of Dakota) and Nicholas Hoult, respectively.
Hoult once again joins The Favourite writer Tony McNamara. The show is based on a play by McNamara. It feels very similar to The Favourite due to the subject matter and the sharp humour (and in this show it comes in spades).
And it is so bloody dark! Some of the funniest scenes are Hoult just stabbing someone and I've never known a show to so casualty joke about rape.
The Great is upfront about not being historically accurate, however the way it shows the elaborate parties, regal life and the sheer extravagance of the Emperor's wealth feels genuine to the time. The show can also be viewed as a lavish period piece.
It's wonderful to see Hoult play the baddie. He's shown shades of playing menacing characters ever since Skins, and also in Mad Max: Fury Road and The Favourite. In The Great he steals every scene he is in. I look forward to when he is on screen.
Peter (Hoult) is often playing japes and making ridiculous quips in court. The humour is very dark, thus Peter is mostly cruel in his humour which is very funny.
The rest of the cast are very good. Elle Fanning is really likable as Catherine.
There are loads of recognisable faces...the chap who played the Master in Doctor Who plays a very different character, a virginal advisor to the court, and Catherine's maid is also funny.
I am halfway through and the story so far has been captivating. I have purposefully not looked in to the actual history of what has happened so I can see how the storyline progresses without spoilers.
Without giving anything away, even just in the first episode, we see crazy Russian dinner parties, a Russian bear, and members of the court mocked mercilessly. A lot of comedy also comes from Catherine's desire to introduce progressive values to the court, Peter is an absolute chauvinist - so this doesn't go to plan!
The cinematography is nowhere near as remarkable as The Favourite, however I would say the writing is even better.
I'd say other shows currently on TV that come close to the same levels of funny are What We Do In The Shadows, Rick and Morty and Charlie Brooker's Anti Viral Wipe. However, I have really enjoyed The Great a whole lot more.
Anyway, if you love acerbic British humour, I suggest you check this out, it's on Hulu (a service I really hope comes to the UK at some point).
Submitted May 21, 2020 at 09:05PM by nevereatpears https://ift.tt/2WSL8Z9
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