“The Regime” Review: Kate Winslet Shows Off Her Comic Powers Playing an Out-of-Control Tyrant

The 'Mare of Easttown' star's third HBO series isn't perfect — but she is

The Regime is Kate Winslet’s third HBO limited series, after Mildred Pierce, for which she won an Emmy as a tough, ambitious waitress, and Mare of Easttown, for which she won another Emmy as a hard-bitten, small-town detective. Here she’s a bullying, empty-headed European despot, Elena Vernham. It's — once again — a remarkable performance.

The role is something of a glow-up since Elena — unlike Mildred and Mare— has gleaming blonde hair, flawless makeup and a showy wardrobe. She also speaks with a posh but uncultured British accent that has just a hint of a baby-doll lisp.

It’s as if she were a conflation of Princess Margaret and Anna Nicole Smith.

Related: Kate Winslet Says She's Recognized More for The Holiday Than Titanic: ‘It's Lovely'

Elena is a comedic-satiric part, but Winslet, 48, attacks it without a wink of humor. Which is right, since Elena is mentally unstable, endlessly demanding that the mold levels in her palace be tested and measured.

That duty falls to Herbert (Matthias Schoenaerts), a brutal soldier who has the soul of a Rasputin and the physique of Joe Manganiello. He and Elena become lovers, then ruin the country.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The drawback with Regime — and it's not a negligible one — is that the story is essentially a setup for Winslet but not much more. What is this show trying to say about politics, about Europe, about authoritarianism, about Putin, about anything?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ HBO series Veep had a very basic, even facile, comedic thrust: Politicians are children — cunning, evil, profane, egomaniacal, ridiculous, brawling, horrible children (who happen to rule the world). But Veep made its point with a battering, swift insistence. Regime seems to think it has all the time in the world. The Romanovs made that same mistake.

Related: Kate Winslet Says Filming The Regime with Hugh Grant After 29-Year Break Was ‘Amazing’

Winslet, though, is enough—more than enough. She has an expansive power and force that are well-suited to these broad narrative arcs. She exerts an undeviating emotional pull, whether she's going for laughs or tears (or both).

Her performance could be considered a coup.

The Regime premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.