DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Great episode “A Simple Jape” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Huzzah! In The Great‘s sixth episode, “A Simple Jape,” Catherine’s simple jape morphs into a catastrophic event with devastating consequences. It’s one of the show’s most action-packed outings, and it deftly applies pressure to Catherine’s almost too idealistic view of her countrymen.
Bolstered by blistering performances from Phoebe Fox, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, “A Simple Jape” presents a vital lesson for Catherine and emphasizes the ugliness displayed by the nobility. Fanning showcases her knack for comedy and visceral emotion in equal measure.
On another note: RIP Shakey. She was a real one.
Ready to delve into “A Simple Jape”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Peter (Hoult) eating Catherine’s (Fanning) peach in the downstairs parlor. If I could insert a winking emoji here, I would.
Unfortunately, Peter ventures upstairs before Catherine finishes. He wants more from Catherine, emotionally and mentally. However, Catherine only wishes to put Peter’s gifted tongue to good use.
He refuses to cater to her whims, so he storms out. Peter eavesdrops as Catherine “finishes” herself, but we see she’s merely moaning on the other side of the door to infuriate him. God, these two are so funny together.
Meanwhile, Marial (Fox) teases Grigor (Gwilym Lee), and you know it won’t be long until these two start forking. Sure enough, they flee to Marial’s quarters, and the foreplay commences. But Shakey (Ninette Finch), ever the cucumber block, wanders in while things heat up between Grigor and Marial.
Marial notices her servant sports an eye patch, and she dismisses Grigor for the time being. She promises a night of wild adventures lay in his future.
Later, we see a carriage parking in front of the palace. Catherine and Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow) observe a bevy of seemingly drunken merchants spill out of the said carriage, dressed to the nines. Elizabeth reveals Peter the Great worried about the rising merchant class, so he made them pay to be nobles. They shell out a pretty penny for the title alone.
Next, Katya Velcra’s (Jane Mahady) students gather to sing a beautiful choral arrangement. One of the girls throws cake at Catherine, hitting her in the face. The schoolgirls express their concerns regarding Catherine’s reign thus far. They feel she isn’t doing enough to shake things up, to change Russia from the inside out.
Then, Catherine tells Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) her grand plan: she wishes to free the serfs of Russia. Not over time, but on that very day. Orlo, bewildered, informs her they can’t change things willy nilly — significant reform takes time to enact and careful strategizing.
Later, Peter calls Grigor to his chambers with a revelation — he doesn’t love Catherine, after all! He just wanted to bone her! Grigor delights in his friend’s change of heart, and the pair plan their next step in dethroning the empress.
Meanwhile, Marial reveals she cares about Shakey and her heartbreaking situation. Catherine feels an innovative experiment taking shape in her mind. What if they dressed Shakey like a noblewoman and invited her to the upcoming luncheon for the merchant-nobles?
While the women give Shakey an aristocratic makeover, the older servant reveals she’s donning the eye patch as a fashion statement.
We see Marial and Catherine introduce Shakey to Antonia Svenska (Danusia Samal) and Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach), who are none the wiser regarding Shakey’s identity. Antonia invites Shakey to sit next to her.
Catherine unveils her “simple jape” to Orlo, who disapproves, especially since Shakey was, at one point, a wet nurse to many of the nobles in that room. Elizabeth applauds Catherine for her bold statement.
Then, Catherine gives a speech to the room, revealing Shakey as a serf, not nobility. This statement horrifies Antonia, among others. Catherine wishes they’d see things from her perspective — serfs are people too, and they can contribute significantly to making Russia great. That’s why she’s freeing all of the serfs in the country.
Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) and Grigor hatch a scheme to dismantle Catherine’s new serf law.
Next, we see Orlo and Katya having intercourse and literary discourse. Orlo is ever the multitasker who requires stimulation on all fronts.
Suddenly, Grigor and Arkady barge into his quarters, brandishing pistols (not a euphemism). Grigor demands to see Catherine’s written plans regarding the serf law. So, Orlo hands them over and follows the pair out of the room.
Father Basil (Anthony Welsh) visits Archie (Adam Godley), informing the Patriarch that Catherine discharged him after throwing her under the carriage in the previous episode. I suppose calling the empress a devilish omen will result in termination.
Basil questions Archie’s faith, considering the latter works in a court pervasive with iniquity and sin. He notices lingering darkness in Archie.
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Archie kisses Father Basil on the lips, and the young priest doesn’t enjoy it. He categorizes the smooch as proof of the Patriarch’s sinful nature. Love is love, bro! Don’t be homophobic!
Marial brings Shakey to her newly furnished, lavish quarters. Shakey notices it’s chock full of her paintings. I’m not crying; you are.
Meanwhile, Catherine finds Peter having a threesome in his apartment. She notes that his “love” for her withered, falling in line with his mercurial nature. Peter tries to persuade Catherine not to enact her serf law. From his perspective, serfs are family, so he treats them like s**t.
Catherine finds Grigor and Arkady holding Orlo hostage in a room rife with angry noblemen. They protest Catherine freeing the serfs of Russia, citing that they feed, clothe and protect them. How will the serfs survive by themselves?
The men toss shoes and boo Catherine at every turn. Elizabeth advises her to “forgive their panic” and try to reason with them. However, even after Catherine points a pistol at them and reasserts her stance, things take a turn for the violent. Orlo, Velementov (Douglas Hodge) and Elizabeth hastily escort Catherine out of the room.
Velementov urges Catherine to refrain from going through with the law, even though she made it effective immediately in front of the noblemen. “They will tear you to shreds,” he warns.
Next, Peter enlists the aid of Pugachev to lay in bed while he sneaks out of his quarters. Peter delivers a rousing speech to his supporters, marking his first return to court. The group will forge ahead with their plan to ensure Catherine doesn’t follow through with her serf reform.
Meanwhile, Antonia barges into Shakey’s apartment on a mission with her servant in tow. Antonia orders her servant to cut Shakey’s throat, but the serf refuses to commit murder. So, Antonia nonchalantly kills Shakey herself. This scene made me uncomfortable; Shakey was so sweet!
The following day, we see the serfs rising in protest, blatantly refusing to serve their masters any longer. Marial discovers Shakey’s lifeless body, while Peter takes advantage of the serf uprising to dethrone and imprison Catherine until she sees reason.
Catherine comforts Marial after she learns about Shakey’s murder. She feels awful for essentially making Shakey a moving target, and Marial vows to bring whoever committed this heinous act to justice.
We see serfs fighting their former masters and Peter and Grigor contributing to much of the violence and bloodshed in the palace. Velementov, Orlo and Elizabeth sequester Catherine away in her workroom. They emphatically urge Catherine to stand down, inform the nobles that she won’t set the serfs free. Catherine feels this move misaligns her integrity, but people are dying.
Sometimes you have to pick your battles. Change, like loads of things in life, takes time.
Catherine orders her cabinet to depart while she thinks alone. She falls to her knees and sobs uncontrollably.
Peter finds Catherine on the floor and embraces her fiercely. His resolve to put her in her place melts away. This scene broke me and provided proof Peter still loves her.
Catherine orders Velementov to announce her plan to denounce the serf law so that the killing can cease.
Grigor chastises Peter for chickening out at the last minute with Catherine, and Peter reveals he couldn’t go through with arresting her because of how sad she looked.
Next, Marial marches toward Antonia’s apartments. Marial sneaks up behind Antonia, procures a pistol and shoots her in the back of the head.
Marial knows Antonia’s responsible for Shakey’s murder.
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Do you think Marial will fall under court suspicion as Antonia’s murderer? Will Peter’s decision to save Catherine win her over? Will we see more of Orlo and Katya’s intercourse discourse?
Keep watching The Great on Hulu, my Greaties, and stick around for more recapping fun, only on Geek Girl Authority.
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