DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Great Season 3 Episode 6, “Ice,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Huzzah! “Ice” is heartbreak personified. Written by Tony McNamara and directed by Jaffar Mahmood, the outing bids farewell to our Peter III in an unexpected moment of tragedy. While I admit this season has hinted at his impending death, that didn’t make it sting any less when it happened. On top of that, Peter didn’t perish in battle as he probably would’ve wanted — he died from drowning.
How McNamara and Mahmood tackle Catherine’s and Grigor’s overwhelming grief in the aftermath of Peter’s death is brilliant. This episode is as immersive in that regard as it is a tense, visceral punch to the gut.
Ready to delve into “Ice”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Peter (Nicholas Hoult) and Hugo (Freddie Fox) roasting fish over a fire and dishing about various foods. I’d watch a cooking show with Peter. Move over, Rachael Ray. Velementov (Douglas Hodge) orders the boys to get moving because they must meet their reinforcements soon before reclaiming Sweden. Meanwhile, on the other side of a great icy lake, Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Grigor (Gwilym Lee) wait in a carriage. Clearly, Grigor informed Catherine of Peter’s objective to retake Sweden under the guise of a harmless hunting trip. They’re spying on our fellas.
At the palace, we’ve got another spy, Petra (Emily Coates), who watches Georgina (Charity Wakefield) bathe. Well, Petra is Georgina’s maid. Petra’s got a thing for the ladies, especially George. Archie (Adam Godley) waits in his carriage for Pugachev (Hoult) to return after his latest campaign. Pugy is now murdering nobles with impunity, as one does. However, there’s still work to be done until it pushes Catherine over the edge, and she has to comply with the church. Until then, more villages must burn by Pugachev’s violent hand. Pugy overtly flirts with Archie and eats a peach sensually. But Archie spurns his advances. Hoult’s comedic chops are a thing of beauty.
Then, Peter, Hugo and Velementov spot Catherine from across the frozen lake. He rides his horse across the ice to meet her. Grigor apologizes profusely, but Peter accuses him of being disloyal. Catherine doesn’t like that he stole her army to fight a war she doesn’t endorse. Peter claims it’s a win-win situation for both of them. Catherine orders him to return home with her troops. Peter, being Peter, refuses to turn around. He needs this. He wants to do this for her and Paul. Catherine knows he’s been seeing the ghost of his father and how much that’s affected his mentality. She reassures him that he’s enough as he is. He doesn’t need to “be a man.”
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Their conversation is heartbreaking, especially when Peter points out the double standard of him loving every facet of her without judgment, but she can’t love him in that manner. Peter claims he’s retaking Sweden to save their marriage. Before trekking across the icy lake, Peter reminds Catherine how much he loves her. It’s so achingly poetic. I felt it in my soul. Catherine and Grigor watch Peter ride over the frozen expanse … until the ice breaks. Peter and his horse fall through it into the chilling depths below. Grigor races out to save him, but it’s too late. His foot was twisted in the stirrup, and he could not break free.
The Great — “Ice” – Season 3 Episode 6 — Peter (Nicholas Hoult), shown. (Photo by: Parisa Taghizadeh/Hulu)
During this moment, all we hear is the sound of Catherine’s ragged breathing as the tears streak her face. It’s a wonderful example of white-knuckled tension by using sounds to immerse us in the scene. It also represents how we tune out the rest of the world when tragedy strikes. Hugo and Velementov watch the tragic sight from the shore while Grigor tries in vain to pull him from the waters. At the palace, Georgina asks Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow) if Catherine is available to chat. Suddenly, an unseen, intense force strikes Elizabeth from within. I assume she feels the moment Peter dies.
Outside, Catherine falls back onto the snowy ground, her eyes gazing skyward without seeing. Grigor lays down beside her. Both close their eyes for a spell, hoping to dream away what transpired. Hugo persuades Velementov to continue on their mission to retake Sweden. Velementov wonders if he should be by Catherine’s side. However, after some pressure courtesy of Hugo, Velementov agrees to soldier on. Plus, Hugo will let Velementov have some fun with Agnes, so there’s that.
Meanwhile, Archie asks Marial (Phoebe Fox) to whip him in the back. He must atone for the sin of almost succumbing to sexual temptation. Marial learns of Archie’s crush on Pugachev; however, there’s still the Catherine thing to contend with, and she might decide to kill him. Speaking of the empress, Catherine wakes up on the ground. She notices the hole in the ice is gone. Ergo, it never happened. Peter is still alive. Oh, honey. The “denial” stage of grief is kicking into high gear: that and her dissociation. The mind is a powerful thing, especially when it’s experiencing trauma.
Elizabeth wishes Archie a happy birthday while delivering a meal for him. She always remembers his birthday because hers is a few days later. Oh, and she knows he’s the one behind the Pugachev mess. She’s okay with Archie’s insidious tactics so long as Catherine changes her mind regarding Paul’s ordaining. Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach) and Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) watch while Georgina and Katya (Jane Mahady) giggle in the corner. Katya wrote a play, which Georgina just read. George encourages her to share it with the world, even though Katya believes it’s pretty incendiary, especially toward Catherine. Arkady wishes he was invited on Peter’s hunting trip.
While in the carriage en route to the palace, Catherine rattles about inane things like a giddy schoolgirl. It seems she has a new lease on life. When Grigor mentions Peter’s death, Catherine’s demeanor instantly shifts to aggressiveness. She orders Grigor to keep quiet about that. Why? Because if they don’t address it, it didn’t happen. It’s not real. So heartbreaking.
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Marial and Maxim (Henry Meredith) chat about the Pugachev-shaped elephant in the room. If Pugy squeals and reveals Marial’s name as a co-conspirator, Catherine will never forgive her. Maxim proposes he kills Pugachev for his wife. Her birthday’s coming up anyway. Birthdays at the palace should be easy peasy because everyone was, apparently, born around the same time. When Catherine and Grigor return, Catherine reiterates the importance of staying silent about Peter. She asks her servants to arrange a big breakfast for everyone.
The Great — “Ice” – Season 3 Episode 6 — Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow), shown. (Photo by: Christopher Raphael/Hulu)
Grigor finds Georgina asleep. He’s about to tell her about Peter when he stops himself, remembering Catherine’s words. Marial and Maxim prepare for a trip to Murder Pugachev Land. Grigor enters their apartment, so Marial fibs about her departure, claiming it’s merely an excursion to the family estate. Marial notices something’s amiss with Grigor, so she urges him to lie in her room for a while.
A few hours later, Catherine stands a the head of a massive buffet. She looks disheveled. She invites the nobles to breakfast and informs them of Russia’s plan to reclaim Sweden. Of course, she didn’t want to do this while Peter was alive, but committing to it is a way to keep his memory alive. It makes it even more gut-wrenching when one of the last things he told her was that retaking Sweden was something they could do together—my heart. Naturally, many of the nobles are outraged, including Elizabeth.
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Catherine asks Archie to lead them in prayer, followed by a rousing rendition of a Russian tune from everyone at the table. Catherine reunites with Agnes (Grace Molony), who’s ecstatic that the empress is on side. Catherine urges her to dream of Stockholm because she’ll return there soon. However, it sounds more ominous than anything. Spooked, Agnes returns to her quarters and whips out her rifle.
Archie and Catherine chat about Pugachev. Perhaps she could meet him, and they could apologize to each other. Well, Catherine has half a mind to kill him, which would give Archie one less person to fantasize about. Problem solved. Catherine then plays badminton by herself. Grigor finally tells Georgina about Peter and how Catherine refuses to inform everyone else. They don’t seem to understand that she’s not purposely concealing it from the masses for her own selfish reasons but because she’s grief-stricken. I can see the wheels turning in George’s mind. She might even think Catherine killed Peter herself. Regardless, Georgina joins Catherine on the badminton court, and the two play together.
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“Ice” is a tipping point for Catherine as we see her dig her heels into the sands of denial. She’ll undoubtedly spiral until the gravity of her husband’s death hits her like a ton of bricks. She witnessed a traumatic moment to boot. No wonder her brain shut down. It’s a great analysis of how trauma changes the body. Elle Fanning and Gwilym Lee deliver primal, raw performances brimming with nuance and verve. They should both be submitted for Emmys this year for their sublime work.
RIP, Peter. I’ll miss your mischievous ways. He was a man who contained multitudes. Peter loved his wife and son unconditionally. Speaking of Emmys, throw one Nicholas Hoult’s way, too. His work on this show is divine. He displays his versatility as Peter and Pugachev, proving he’s got perfect comedic timing and dramatic chops.
He took Peter, who could’ve been a boring one-note villain and fleshed him out into a beautifully imperfect human being who tried to be better. We saw so much growth from him in the first half of this season alone. I loved watching him develop as a doting father. He became the dad Peter the Great never was. Additionally, much of The Great‘s humor comes from Peter, so we’ll feel the sting of his exit from here on out. I’m feeling it now.
The Great Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu.
Movie Review: RENFIELD
Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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