THE GREAT Recap: (S03E04) Stag

Melody McCune

Catherine and Peter wear elaborate antler crowns and costumes while standing outside and smiling in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Great Season 3 Episode 4, “Stag,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

Huzzah! “Stag” reveals more cracks and tears in Catherine and Peter’s marriage as the topic of Paul’s ordaining by the church becomes the talk of the town. Catherine’s modernized way of thinking and her subversion of traditional royal rules drive a wedge between her and Peter, who wants to save his family name by ensuring his son will become emperor after Catherine dies. It culminates in introspection from both parties: Will Paul become Peter 2.0? Will he even want to rule? It also brings autonomy to the fore and the question of allowing people to make choices for themselves. 

Peter not going through with the ordaining behind Catherine’s back is progress. It’s concrete character development for our little psycho. I hope it sticks. Written by Tony McNamara and Fiona Seres and directed by Sheree Folkson, “Stag” finds our crew doing lots of scheming and stewing. 

Ready to delve into “Stag”? Let’s get to it. 

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We open with Velementov (Douglas Hodge) coaching Peter (Nicholas Hoult) while holding baby Paul. A guard ties a “wine bladder” to a stag, representing Paul. Peter must shoot said stag in the head and avoid the wine bladder. Unfortunately, the stag moves, causing Peter to send a bullet through said wine bladder. Meanwhile, Catherine (Elle Fanning) is in a foul mood after learning about Simitz’s murder. Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow) reassures Catherine they had to kill him. We discover baby Paul is to be ordained and submitted to a “stag ritual,” hence Peter’s training with Velementov. The stag ritual was invented by Peter the Great. 

Archie (Adam Godley) emerges, excitedly going on about his speech for Paul’s ordination. Expect a lot of freeform from him. It’s Archie’s chance to give us a taste of what’s on that holy mixtape. Elizabeth brings in a few glasses of delectable vodka, which we learn contains Catherine’s placenta. It’s sweet and strong (and a bit yeasty). Catherine receives a letter from her sister Angela, and she looks concerned. I see the word “Mutter,” which is German for “mother,” so I assume Angela’s asking about their mother. Uh-oh. 

Velementov, Grigor and Arkady stand with baby Paul while Peter crouches next to them with a gun in hand in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Velementov (Douglas Hodge), Grigor (Gwilym Lee), Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)

Catherine visits the NAKAZ salon, where Voltaire (Dustin Demri-Burns) is going on about the failure of the empress’s Russian conference. When Catherine enters the room, Georgina (Charity Wakefield) instantly jumps in to defend her quite loudly. The salon attendees seem to think the “monkey in every village” thing will backfire. Elizabeth and Archie enter the space right as Peter barges in with Paul in tow. Paul said his first word: pussy! The room erupts in cheers. Catherine is furious. She fears how else her child’s vocabulary will expand with Peter as a father. In her abject anger, she cancels Paul’s ordaining and the stag ritual. 

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After the couple’s explosive fight, Archie and Elizabeth fear the repercussions of a child of royalty not ordained by God. Elizabeth notices her hands are shaking, so she lets out animal-like screeches to ground herself. I love Elizabeth. Archie and Elizabeth agree to persuade Catherine to reconsider canceling the ordination and stag ritual. Georgina finds Grigor (Gwilym Lee) and Marial (Phoebe Fox) enjoying sensual fun in the bath. She informs them about Catherine and Peter’s public argument and how dejected Peter looked afterward. Grigor rushes to his bestie’s side while Marial and Georgina exchange insults. Marial emerges triumphant, seemingly getting under George’s skin. 

Archie tries talking sense into Catherine, citing that a necessary qualification for ascending the throne is it’s all in the family. Catherine might not be related to Peter by blood, but she married into it. Catherine refuses to change her mind. Meanwhile, Hugo (Freddie Fox) brings Peter tasty treats while Grigor arrives late with a carrot cake. Peter’s a king, Grigor. Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) rushes into the room, too. Peter suggests they “run at bags.” We see the quartet barrel into four hanging punching bags before collapsing on the ground. Hey, it’s a good way to channel your rage. 

Catherine stands outside next to a tree while smiling in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Catherine (Elle Fanning), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)

Elizabeth kicks Arkady, Grigor and Hugo out to chat with her nephew privately. She impresses the importance of preserving their bloodline, mainly because it was Peter’s father’s last wish before he died. Paul’s ordaining ensures the family line will keep on keepin’ on. Archie finds Marial emerging from Grigor’s chambers post-bath. He tries to sniff her because he’s a lil sick freak and wants to inhale some sex smells. Marial initially refuses him. Archie asks her to chat with Catherine, BFF to BFF, to make the latter see sense. It’s a win-win for everyone (especially the church) if Paul is ordained. Then, Marial lets Archie sniff her. 

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Marial discovers Catherine outside her door. The pair head inside, where Catherine vents about the looming choice. Marial and Catherine admit to missing each other and hope to let bygones be bygones. Catherine asks Marial to stop throwing her hatred of Peter in her face. They vow to strike Peter off the list of friendship discussion topics, ending their chat with an embrace. Awww. I knew they’d mend fences. Maxim (Henry Meredith) pops his head in and eagerly moves to grab the fine china since the empress is in their apartments. 

Elizabeth gives Catherine a book about the “science of marriage,” encouraging her to read it. When Catherine reunites with Peter, she addresses said book, but not before bringing up the subject of Catherine’s sister. What are they going to tell Angela? What a way to find out your mom’s dead. In the salon, Katya (Jane Mahady) and Voltaire bicker over something trivial while the latter makes a pass at her. Georgina saves the day and pulls Katya away for an unencumbered conversation. Sorry, Voltaire, nobody wants your d anywhere near them. 

Georgina and Tatyana stand in the salon while holding drinks in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Georgina (Charity Wakefield) and Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach), shown. (Photo by: Christopher Raphael/Hulu)

Meanwhile, Arkady and Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach) help Catherine and Peter perform the exercises in Elizabeth’s book. Firstly, Catherine and Peter play tug-of-war while discussing the issues in their marriage. Then, Peter holds up Catherine with his feet while Arkady and Tatyana pelt them with balls. Lastly, while addressing their problems, one must start with, “You always do this, and I hate it about you,” while the other replies, “I accept what you say. I’m awful. Have me anyway.” What a contemporary look at marriage. So modern! 

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Grigor interrupts the exercise with more food to make Peter love him again. He also suggests they play badminton, which Catherine reluctantly agrees to join. She asks Grigor to fetch Marial for the game. After Grigor and Marial change into their badminton outfits, Grigor urges Marial to refrain from saying anything incendiary toward Peter. Catherine reiterates the importance of this. Marial volunteers to be on Peter’s team while Grigor and Catherine pair up. We learn Marial is incredibly competitive and incredibly bad at badminton. I love her. Agnes (Grace Molony) pops by Velementov’s quarters with a request: they recreate his last battle so he can see it through to completion. 

Of course, we know she wants knowledge to help her retake Sweden with Hugo. After he finishes his campaign successfully, he expects some intercourse. However, Agnes reminds Velementov that she’s married. Velementov blurts out that he’s dying, so she lets him sniff her skirts while she bites his ear. Weird.

Arkady stands in a room and smiles while pulling on a rope in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)

Our sporty quartet has dinner together, which becomes a balancing act for Catherine and Grigor in keeping Marial quiet. Peter recites what he’ll say to Angela in his letter to her, which sounds awful, admittedly. He claims Catherine’s mother was trying to break them up and that if he could go back in time, he’d not have sex with her but purposely push her out of the window. 

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However, Peter inexplicably charms Catherine by the recitation’s end. Meanwhile, Georgina and Katya drink together. Like everyone else, Katya believes George’s devotion to Catherine is fake, but Georgina insists she’s a changed woman since returning from France. The pair become fast friends as they bond over good alcohol. Huzzah! While Peter and Catherine lie entwined with their son in bed (who said his second word: book), an inebriated Velementov barges into their room, gun raised, and claims Peter needs to practice for the stag ritual. Peter escorts the drunken man home. 

Next, Marial finds Archie playing games with her husband on the floor. Archie asks about the mission to bring Catherine back to the light. Marial believes she’ll do as Peter says soon enough. She’s in his thrall. Then, Marial informs Archie about Pugachev being alive and residing in the servants’ quarters. The wheels turn in Archie’s head. Marial visits Catherine in the middle of the night and begs the latter not to go through with the ordination, doing the exact opposite of what Archie wanted her to do. 

Marial sits on Catherine's bed at night while looking emotional in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Marial (Phoebe Fox) and Catherine (Elle Fanning), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)

Later, Elizabeth confronts Catherine regarding the ordaining/stag ritual. She accuses Catherine of filling her vagina with lemons to prevent pregnancy. Then, Elizabeth pushes Catherine to the ground and lifts her skirts, threatening to remove the lemons herself. Okay, this is a full-on assault. Not cool. Catherine stops her by admitting the accusation is true. But she’s still not approving the ordination. What if her son turns out to be a monster like Peter? Catherine may love Peter, but she’s fully aware of who he is. 

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Outside, Catherine watches from afar while Peter successfully shoots a stag in the head instead of the wine bladder. He lifts Paul in the air in celebration. Taken by the display of paternal love, Catherine agrees to reinstate the stag ritual but not the ordaining. Peter is only half happy now. In a rage, he storms into Archie’s quarters and punches the archbishop in the gut. Next, Peter blames Archie for selecting Catherine as a wife. She cannot be tamed. Archie retorts that Peter doesn’t possess the skill of his late father in keeping women under his thumb. Misogyny! 

Elizabeth provides a solution: a tincture that’ll put Catherine into a deep sleep. Peter need only apply a little to her lips while she slumbers. Then, they can ordain Paul that evening, and the empress will be none the wiser. We see Peter give Catherine the sleeping solution. However, once he and Paul make it to the corridor, Peter questions if this is the right move. What if Paul isn’t interested in being an emperor? Peter forgoes the ordaining, leaving Archie and Elizabeth waiting in silence. 

Catherine and Peter wear elaborate antler crowns and costumes while standing outside and smiling in The Great Season 3 Episode 4, "Stag."
The Great — “Stag” – Season 3 Episode 4 — Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)

Marial hangs out with Pugachev (Hoult) in the palace, who exercises his authority as a Peter impersonator. Later, we see everyone outside for the stag ritual. Baby Paul is fastened to the stag. While Archie visits Pugachev, we hear a gunshot followed by cheers. It sounds like Peter successfully shot that stag in the head. Archie presents Pugachev with a proposition: screwing over the empress. God has called him to do so. Uh-oh. 

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“Stag” isn’t The Great‘s strongest episode, but it undoubtedly lays the groundwork for future episodes. That cliffhanger, for starters, spells bad news for Catherine as Archie enlists Pugachev for something insidious. Marial claiming someone should kill Peter seems like foreshadowing. Of course, Catherine tried to kill him before, but in real life, the actual Peter III died the same year Catherine usurped the throne. I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended the season with his death. That said, I don’t want him to go. Nicholas Hoult’s award-worthy performance is the prevailing highlight for me. His comedic timing is impeccable. 

I wonder why the others haven’t paid mind to Orlo’s absence beyond assuming he left the palace. In episode two, Katya was convinced he was murdered. Why isn’t she conducting an investigation? I get it — solving murders wasn’t a walk in the park in the 1760s, but to brush his disappearance/death under the rug feels strange, given he was a main character for two seasons. I hope the creative team is saving a significant development on that front for later episodes. 

I’m glad Marial and Catherine are BFFs again. May they never part ways again. 

The Great Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu

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Melody McCune
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