The brilliance of The Great‘s text is almost as if we are listening to music. It brings the paradoxes, ironies, and criticisms of the character in an intelligent and fun way. In the second episode of the third season, we have Catarina (Elle Fanning) still insisting on modernizing Russia without realizing that she is paving the way for the fall of the monarchy and everything it represents. In “Choose Your Weapons”, she is more political, dangerous, and delicious than ever.

It may seem that the episode does not advance much in relation to the drama of last season’s finale, but we still have the nobles trying to figure out how to transit into a Court in which the antagonists understood each other. Unaware that she killed Orlo herself, and following her sociopathy of ignoring the feelings of others, she searches for him in vain. Her happiness with Peter (Nicholas Hoult) is as full as it gets, and the couple honestly tries to get along. The ‘new’ conflict here is to see a Catherine courted by the British and American ambassadors, both seeking resources from Russia to help them win the war for independence from the United States. Elle Fanning is increasingly comfortable in the role, highlighting the maturity of the empress and her rise as a leader. It’s not easy and the chemistry with Nicholas Hoult makes the unlikely couple an addiction. Catherine’s difficulty in reading the environment before implementing changes is always a source of laughter.

With such a finely tuned cast, such a clever narrative, it’s easy to get carried away by the absurdities – occasionally true – of the story. The Great only gets better with time. Glad the fourth is already guaranteed!