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Post by elaine on May 17, 2020 2:57:21 GMT
On Hulu. OMG. We watched the first 2 episodes tonight. It is awesomeness!  |
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Post by cmpeter on May 17, 2020 3:04:24 GMT
I just started watching today...such a fun show!
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Post by birukitty on May 17, 2020 3:09:03 GMT
I just found this last night and I was so happy! I watched the first two episodes and I loved it.
I've been searching for a great series about Catherine the Great for some time. She was an amazing figure in history and I've been wanting to learn more about her. I haven't been able to find any historical fiction books about her yet which I really want to do. Actually looking at my Goodreads account I realized I did read one but it was awful. I should just read the Robert Massie biography I have which I'm sure will be wonderful, right now though I'm in the middle of rereading my Connie Willis sci-fi time travel novels and having a blast with that.
As far as series I first found one in Russian which was just okay. Then there was "Catherine the Great" on HBO which starred Helen Mirren which I had high hopes for, but they started the story line much too late instead of starting it when she was a young bride coming to Russia and meeting Peter and getting married. Instead they started that series when Catherine was much older. I didn't like that and mostly I didn't like the series at all-it was very boring. Such a disappointing fail.
Last night DS and I were watching Survivor Season 1, Episode 1 (for fun, it was great to compare) and I saw a flash of what was The Great, as we scrolled by. I wondered if it was about Catherine the Great so as soon as he went to bed I checked it out and cheered. Yippee! I loved what I saw and can't wait to see the rest. I think Elle Fanning is very talented and is doing a great job with the roll. I hope it turns out being a great series.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on May 17, 2020 5:01:40 GMT
I just started the show after seeing this thread and I find the show disturbing. Was Peter really that much of a jerk? Why do people allow leaders to act that way (then and now)?? ETA that during the second episode I realized that it isn’t supposed to be a serious re-enactment of history like I thought it was.  . |
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Deleted
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May 11, 2024 12:29:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2020 15:48:02 GMT
I just started the show after seeing this thread and I find the show disturbing. Was Peter really that much of a jerk? Why do people allow leaders to act that way (then and now)?? ETA that during the second episode I realized that it isn’t supposed to be a serious re-enactment of history like I thought it was. . It may not be a serious reenactment but there is truth in Peter's personality traits from historical reports that I've read. I've watched The Great and it seems like it is taking real accounts and then weaving a satire story thread around them. |
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Post by elaine on May 17, 2020 17:27:30 GMT
I just started the show after seeing this thread and I find the show disturbing. Was Peter really that much of a jerk? Why do people allow leaders to act that way (then and now)?? ETA that during the second episode I realized that it isn’t supposed to be a serious re-enactment of history like I thought it was.  . It may not be a serious reenactment but there is truth in Peter's personality traits from historical reports that I've read. I've watched The Great and it seems like it is taking real accounts and then weaving a satire story thread around them. Yes, that is my understanding as well. |
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Post by ntsf on May 17, 2020 23:11:23 GMT
my dh put it on ..and the costumes and hair bothered me so much.. I turned it off. I have read the Massie bio.. and this is takes, according to the reviews, lots of leeway with history. peter had serious issues. she was 15 or so when married.
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Post by birukitty on May 20, 2020 15:29:18 GMT
Just getting back to this now after having a migraine yesterday and not even getting on here yesterday. My migraine is all gone today. I took one of my new prescription tablets (Ubrelvy) and that took it down about halfway and then smoked 1/2 a joint of medical marijuana of a strain called AAA #2. That took the pain down from a 5 to a 0 (on the pain scale) and when I came back inside I felt as though I was floating. Magical stuff. Anyway, after my post I watched the rest of this series and I must say I was disappointed. Disappointed because I have yet to find a decent, historical series about Catherine the Great. So far I have to say, the Russian series I found awhile ago (wish I could find it again) was the best and most accurate. I guess I'm wishing for a British version, although she was a Russian monarch so it makes sense the Russians would make the best miniseries, and I'm not picky about watching a non-English version except that I can't knit while watching because I'm busy reading the sub-titles . The Great did have wonderful costumes and they did say in their title that it was loosely based so I can't fault them. It was a very loosely based version if you know your history, or like me, watched the Russian series. After I watched it I pulled down the Massie biography off my bookshelf and read the first 126 pages. It's not dull at all, in fact it reads very well. I'm reading it now, in between reading Connie Willis' second time travel novel. For those interested in just how bad of a husband Peter was to young Catherine he didn't touch her in their marriage bed (he didn't know how or physically couldn't) for the first 9 years of their marriage and she got blamed (of course) for not producing the much wanted heir that was so badly needed. He was very immature and child like-he preferred playing with toy soldiers and was fascinated with military drill-he'd make his servants drill up and down his quarters and around his bed for hours and hours for his own amusement. He was also very cruel and would beat his dogs. Catherine manages a coup and takes over control. She brings art to Russia and is credited with the creating the Hermitage Museum. The largest art museum in the world after the Louvre. She did many more things but I have to finish reading the biography to remember them. |
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Violette Vixen
Full Member
Jenn
Posts: 292
Location: The Poconos, PA
Nov 27, 2019 19:11:25 GMT
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Post by Violette Vixen on May 20, 2020 15:34:05 GMT
I LOVE this series!!! I was dozing off, and actually turned it off, cause I don't want to miss any of it |
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Post by tara on May 20, 2020 17:30:47 GMT
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be sure to check it out. I remember in the early 90’s there was a movie/miniseries called “Young Catherine” that was pretty good.
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Post by catmom on May 20, 2020 17:35:43 GMT
I’m absolutely loving the series. For Canadians, you can find it on Amazon Prime.
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peabrain
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by peabrain on May 20, 2020 17:42:05 GMT
Is it racy? Like not for kids?
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Deleted
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May 11, 2024 12:29:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2020 17:53:07 GMT
Is it racy? Like not for kids? Definitely not for kids. |
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Deleted
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May 11, 2024 12:29:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2020 18:10:13 GMT
DH and I binge watched 5 of the 10 episodes yesterday. We liked it. I liked the "occasionally based on a true story" so watched it with a grain of salt.
DH noted that she was supposed to have rep for promiscuity. I recalled learning that she brought Russia into the age of enlightenment but she apparently was more ruthless than portrayed in The Great. She had Crimea, Lithuania, Belarus and more absorbed into the empire by force so the whole sympathy for the wounded seemed odd. Macaroons lol.
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Post by elaine on May 20, 2020 18:11:27 GMT
Is it racy? Like not for kids? Very racy. Not remotely appropriate for kids. |
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by likescarrots on May 20, 2020 18:43:53 GMT
I just started the show after seeing this thread and I find the show disturbing. Was Peter really that much of a jerk? Why do people allow leaders to act that way (then and now)?? ETA that during the second episode I realized that it isn’t supposed to be a serious re-enactment of history like I thought it was. . yes I'm having a tough time with this show because I really like it, it's really well done, but I find myself so disturbed that I'm laughing at something that is truly awful (Peter). |
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Post by elaine on May 22, 2020 14:28:18 GMT
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,036
Location: Munich
Member is Online
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on May 22, 2020 17:49:39 GMT
My son posted on FB today that he was watching this and recommended it. I must find where it is showing here.
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Post by elaine on May 22, 2020 17:51:26 GMT
My son posted on FB today that he was watching this and recommended it. I must find where it is showing here. It is on Hulu. Do you get Hulu in Germany? eta: I just checked and saw that the only way to watch Hulu in Germany is to go through a VPN that uses a server in the USA. That seems complicated!  |
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crm1367
Junior Member
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Post by crm1367 on May 22, 2020 19:31:05 GMT
I absolutely LOVED it and finished it a couple of days ago. Elaine, I can't wait to see what you think of the last episode. I don't know how they did it, but I found myself liking Peter more and more as the series went on. Don't even get me started on Leo....loved him!
I really enjoyed how Peter would just tell people to fuck off lol....he was so clueless.
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Post by Bridget in MD on May 22, 2020 19:57:11 GMT
I just found this last night and I was so happy! I watched the first two episodes and I loved it. I've been searching for a great series about Catherine the Great for some time. She was an amazing figure in history and I've been wanting to learn more about her. I haven't been able to find any historical fiction books about her yet which I really want to do. Actually looking at my Goodreads account I realized I did read one but it was awful. I should just read the Robert Massie biography I have which I'm sure will be wonderful, right now though I'm in the middle of rereading my Connie Willis sci-fi time travel novels and having a blast with that. As far as series I first found one in Russian which was just okay. T hen there was "Catherine the Great" on HBO which starred Helen Mirren which I had high hopes for, but they started the story line much too late instead of starting it when she was a young bride coming to Russia and meeting Peter and getting married. Instead they started that series when Catherine was much older. I didn't like that and mostly I didn't like the series at all-it was very boring. Such a disappointing fail. Last night DS and I were watching Survivor Season 1, Episode 1 (for fun, it was great to compare) and I saw a flash of what was The Great, as we scrolled by. I wondered if it was about Catherine the Great so as soon as he went to bed I checked it out and cheered. Yippee! I loved what I saw and can't wait to see the rest. I think Elle Fanning is very talented and is doing a great job with the roll. I hope it turns out being a great series. I watched the Russian one too - I believe there is a 2nd season, which I need to watch. I felt the same way about the HBO series. I watched the first episode and didn't go back. I'll have to look for The Great! |
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Post by hop2 on May 22, 2020 21:28:22 GMT
I nearly died with the parachute ‘experiment’. I mean the mother was bad enough. The hallway was pretty bad. Then the parachute incident and I freaked out. I was like OMG how could you, how could you.
I haven’t finished it yet I’m recovering first
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Post by birukitty on May 22, 2020 21:32:09 GMT
Just coming back here to say that I tracked down the Russian series and it's still playing on Amazon Prime if anyone wants to give it a try. It's called "Ekaterina: The Rise of Catherine the Great". It's so much closer to accuracy as far as the history goes so if you're curious as to that part of it, but don't want to read non-fiction I encourage you give this series a try. It's pretty good. I enjoyed it very much and after watching "The Great" will probably watch it again.
The problem I had with "The Great" was that they really changed the history part of it completely. Other than Catherine being originally a minor German princess who comes to Russia to marry Peter and eventually stages a coup to take power from him (which they didn't even get to) the rest of it is mixed up and incorrect. Peter (in the film) loved his mother and saved her body from being buried. In history he didn't even know her-she died when he was very young. Peter in the film is handsome and viral. Peter in history is short, not attractive, very immature and had a huge problem with sex when Catherine (who's name was Sophia when she came to Russia) and he were first married. He didn't know what to do in the marriage bed and although they slept together the first 9 years of the marriage he didn't tough her at all during those 9 years.
In fact, marriage had to be delayed twice because the court physician told his aunt (the ruler at the time) that Peter was too immature. Peter was childish and cruel. He used to beat his dogs by having his one servant hold the dog up by his tail and the other by the head suspended so he could beat the dog in mid-air! And you know what they say about people who are cruel to animals. One of his favorite past times was after his aunt went to bed he'd have one of his servants bring out his toy soldiers and they'd play together (of course the servant had to do what he said) recreating battles on the bed while poor Catherine tried to sleep in the bed at the same time! Most of this information came from my reading Robert K. Massie's biography recently but it also echos the Russian series.
I do get the appeal of The Great and since it does say "Loosely Based" right in the title I can judge it on it's own for that merit and going from that I like it. I loved the costumes and Elle Fanning did a great job with her role. I guess it's like "Reign" which is another historical series. "Reign" is based on life of Mary, Queen of Scots but is also loosely based although they don't say that anywhere. It's fun because of the romance, back stabbing court intrigue and the costumes, but as far as learning about the life of Mary, Queen of Scots it's best to look elsewhere. For that I've got a massive historical fiction book by Margaret George which I have yet to crack open but I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I do.
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