‘The Great’ season 3 reviews: ‘Delightfully daffy’ with ‘most bonkers premise yet’

The third season of “The Great” was released on Hulu May 12, with Emmy nominees Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult returning as Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia. The series focuses on the power couple as they not only govern but continue their complicated relationship, including marriage counseling, after she tried to kill him last season. The series has received rave reviews from the critics and includes an ensemble of Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, and Sebastian de Souza. Read our full review round-up below.

SEE ‘The Great’ Season 3 trailer: Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult try couples therapy [Watch]

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Lacy Baugher of Paste Magazine praises the series, noting, “In its ten-episode third season, ‘The Great’ embraces what is ostensibly its most bonkers premise yet: Rather than leave Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and her husband Peter (Nicholas Hoult) at odds with one another, it asks what might happen if they were actually on the same side—and in doing so finds its strongest, most human story yet, one that extends beyond its central royal couple in ways both large and small.”

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast says, “Tony McNamara’s manic Hulu hit employs its inaccurate vision of 18th-century Russia for delightfully daffy comedy that speaks directly to the issues at the heart of its, and our, era. It’s yesteryear reimagined as a theater of the absurd, and all the more winning for the way in which its ridiculousness is rooted in enduring personal, social, and political dynamics.” He adds, “Everyone thinks highly of themselves in this arena and yet lusts thirstily for bloodshed and sex, the twin engines and pleasures of their lives, and McNamara generates lunatic amusement from the ubiquitous juxtaposition of arrogant entitlement and sophistication, and unapologetic crassness and savagery.”

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Carly Lane of Collider writes, “While the upcoming third season (of which all episodes were provided for review) continues to lean into everything the show has built a reputation on — and then some — it also proves that ‘The Great’ is capable of growing and maturing in new ways. Season 3 might be the series’ darkest yet, but it’s also the show reaching for more narrative depth to successful returns.” Adding, “McNamara’s skewering scripts lead Fanning’s Catherine into some particularly heavy places — there’s a moment when she bursts into tears, albeit with a mouthful of food, that captures the series at its simultaneously most hysterical and heartbreaking. Yet it’s also proof that ‘The Great,’ for all its black comedy and twisted sensibilities, is still capable of claiming new and exhilarating territory in its storytelling.”

Audrey Fox of Looper also praises Hoult and Fanning and notes, “If you’re looking for historical accuracy, you might want to turn your attention elsewhere. But if you want a witty, irreverent show that somehow manages to capture the eccentric spirit of the Russian aristocracy despite being wildly anachronistic, ‘The Great’ is a perfect fit.” Fox adds, “There are also a few breakout characters who make an immediate impact: General Petrov (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) has charming swashbuckler energy, Marial’s prepubescent husband Maxim (Henry Meredith) is a pure gem, and the always delightful Jason Isaacs turns up as the ghost of Peter the Great, who impugns his son’s masculinity — a particular specialty of the veteran actor.”

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