DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Great Season 3 Episode 9, “Destiny,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Huzzah! “Destiny” finds Catherine contemplating her legacy as a ruler and whether she truly is destined to serve Russia. She even employs a totally harmless game of Russian roulette into the mix to determine if her fate and Russia’s are aligned. Thankfully, it is. Her recklessness and lack of caring for her safety are symptoms of her deeply entrenched grief for Peter. We also find Hugo and Agnes searching for someone else’s coattails to ride on while Grigor bonds with baby Paul. Admittedly, he’s a better parent to him than Catherine in this outing, although leaving him in a box suspended from a tree in the woods isn’t going to win them any parenting awards.
“Destiny” is equal parts bitingly funny, brimming with The Great‘s dark wit, while it propels the narrative toward the season finale. Written by Tony McNamara and Fiona Seres and directed by Tricia Brock, this penultimate outing finds our characters at the crossroads of introspection and making the right choices for themselves to move forward.
Ready to delve into “Destiny”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with Catherine (Elle Fanning), Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow), Marial (Phoebe Fox) and Georgina (Charity Wakefield) in a carriage as they travel through Russia, scoping out the damage inflicted by Pugachev. Elizabeth tries to get Marial and Georgina to bond over something. Funnily enough, they laugh in tandem about something Grigor does in bed … that Elizabeth taught him. Catherine clambers out of the carriage at one stop and quickly returns after her appearance angers the public. They’ve all been brainwashed by Pugachev posing as Peter. Suddenly, one irate villager dives into the carriage and reaches for Georgina. Marial shoots him as he tries to pull George out of said carriage. Marial to the rescue.
Meanwhile, Agnes (Grace Molony) blames Hugo (Freddie Fox) for their failure to retake Sweden. Hugo attempted to take back his home country, and all he got was gunshot wounds in the leg and shoulder. The former Swedish monarchs have been sequestered in their apartment for days for fear Catherine might kill them. However, Hugo’s had enough. Much to Agnes’s terror, he barges out of his room and intends to explore the palace. Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) and Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach) contemplate their next moves. They decide to join Pugachev, who’s currently seized control of Moscow. That’s quite the pivot.
When our quartet returns to the palace, Georgina pulls Elizabeth aside and reminds her that they need to ordain Paul. Catherine’s losing it. Speaking of, Elizabeth walks in on Catherine putting a gun to her head and pulling the trigger. It’s a game of Russian roulette. Catherine explains to a bewildered Elizabeth that she orders her guards to place a bullet in a different gun each morning while she puts one against her temple. If she tries to fire it and it’s empty, then it’s her destiny to lead Russia. Elizabeth chastises her for playing with her life like that.
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Then, Elizabeth asks where Paul is, which Catherine won’t reveal. However, she does say he’s safe. Elizabeth presses for Paul’s ordination yet again. With Pugachev and his followers in Moscow, they could easily make a beeline for the palace and behead Catherine. Paul must be ready to rule. Meanwhile, Marial refuses to remove Maxim’s (Henry Meredith) restraints. He’s tied to a chair. She’s afraid he might try to kill Pugachev again. Next, we see Pugachev (Nicholas Hoult) screwing Tatyana. She demands he claims she’s the best lay he’s ever had. Tatyana’s always had a thing for Peter, so this is the next best thing for her. Pugachev and Tatyana head downstairs to reunite with Arkady and the Pugaheads (my nickname for Pugachev fans). Well, they think he’s Peter III, but still.
Later, Georgina tries to talk sense into Grigor (Gwilym Lee), who’s solely thinking about Paul. Marial enters and tries to win Grigor back, but he claims he’s no longer interested in either of them. He walks out, still in a daze. Suddenly, Marial and Georgina wind up in a physical fight. Petra (Emily Coates) trains her gun on Marial and orders her to step away from George. After Marial storms out, Georgina gives Petra her reward. She lies on the ground and pulls up her skirts while Petra eagerly sits before her. Either Petra’s going down on George or merely gazing at the latter’s vagina. Taking it all in.
Next, Grigor removes Paul from an ornate box suspended from a tree. Paul’s living there, away from the palace, so that Catherine can determine her destiny. What if someone tries to steal the baby? Grigor feeds Paul (and hopefully changes his diaper). Meanwhile, Pugy delivers a rousing speech full of hate for Catherine to the crowd. Arkady and Tatyana are on the wrong side, y’all. Arkady’s upset that Tatyana has screwed Pugachev more than once more. But it’s in Peter’s honor and for the good of the cause.
Velementov (Douglas Hodge) chats with Dr. Vinodel (Julian Barratt), who reveals that, after conducting tests, Velementov isn’t dying. In fact, his condition can be cured in a month with a new medication. He’s going to live! Velementov has a new lease on life. He runs through the corridors and loudly exclaims it for the world to hear. Then, he takes Agnes in his arms and gives her a passionate smooch. After Velementov departs, Hugo notes how Agnes used too much tongue (don’t be jelly, Hugo). He tells her Pugachev has seized control of Moscow. Since Catherine’s not in the right frame of mind, perhaps someone else below her might assist them. Who could that be, I wonder?
We see Vinodel going down on Elizabeth, but she’s not enjoying it this time. She gives him notes to improve his performance. Then, Vinny asks her to marry him, as one does after being critiqued. He urges her to give it thought before he leaves. Hugo and Agnes slither into Elizabeth’s quarters with a proposition: the former Swedish monarchs utilize their talents to help Russia. Hugo assumes this means he’s pleasuring Elizabeth to save the country, but alas, she wants him to look for Paul. However, Agnes can stay.
Meanwhile, Petrov (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), Archie (Adam Godley) and Elizabeth brainstorm their next attack plan with Catherine. Do they move to capture Pugachev in Moscow or kill him on the spot? Velementov bursts into the room bearing good news about his prognosis. Everyone congratulates him. He apologizes to Catherine for not giving his best self to his job. He offers advice regarding Pugy. They should capture him and make him admit he’s not Peter III. Then, he trades his life for a tour where he tells everyone he’s a fraud, thereby disintegrating his hold on the country. That’s precisely what Catherine proposed, even though Petrov wants to kill Pugachev. Velementov is back, baby.
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Later, we see a bear discovering baby Paul in the woods as his box is tied to a tree branch. Said bear tries to knock down the box containing Paul. Uh-oh. Catherine, your son is about to become bear chow. Count Smolny (Alistair Green) gives Hugo and Agnes a cadaver dog to sniff out little Paul. Well, that’s a bit morbid. He’s not dead. Catherine announces to the court that, yes, there’s panic about what’s transpiring in Moscow with Pugachev and his violent campaign, but whatever happens, happens. That’s life. Georgina and Marial try to soften the blow of Catherine’s language by reminding the crowd that Pugachev is not Peter, and Catherine will prevail.
Hugo and Agnes offer their condolences to Catherine regarding Peter’s untimely passing. They assumed she would kill them, but Catherine’s not worried about that. They all failed in their endeavors: Hugo and Agnes in their attempt to reclaim Sweden, Peter in his quest for self-respect and Catherine in her mission to bring her husband home alive. They can all stew in their failure together. Huzzah? Meanwhile, Smolny puts arsenic on Catherine’s cake in a bungled assassination attempt. Thankfully, Catherine recognizes it’s arsenic even though she still consumes some of it. Add Smolny’s endeavor to the failure list.
Hugo and Agnes find Maxim tied to a chair in his chambers. Maxim asks them to untie him, but the former monarchs would rather not get involved in other people’s marriages. However, before Agnes departs, she removes Maxim’s restraints. In her room, Catherine vomits up arsenic and chocolate cake, as one does. Grigor reassures her that he’ll check up on Paul again. Catherine notes that Elizabeth and possibly others will search for him. She asks Grigor to tell her a story about Peter. He regales her with an account of the first time Peter told Catherine he loved her. Well, what happened after, at least. Catherine smiles as Grigor recounts how Peter acted after his confession. They truly, deeply loved each other till the end.
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Hugo and Agnes spot Grigor out and about after the latter leaves Catherine’s apartment. Hugo sneaks up behind Grigor, with a gun poised at the ready. However, Grigor turns on Hugo and threatens loudly to kill him. Hugo simply wants them to mend fences. It’s all water under the bridge. Hugo smacks Grigor in the head with his weapon before fleeing the scene. Meanwhile, Marial stares at the empty chair where Maxim used to sit. The little dude grabbed his gun and left, as he apparently plans to kill Pugachev for real this time. Catherine asks Marial to accompany her to Moscow so they can sneak into Pugachev’s big speech there.
Grigor finds the bear batting at the box while Paul cries within it. Thankfully, he fires at the massive creature, which sends it running in the other direction. Grigor scoops up sweet Paul and embraces him. I can see Grigor taking care of Paul in the coming years in his continued devotion to Peter’s memory. Elizabeth slaps Archie when she sees him preparing to flee the palace. Archie, our lil freak ordained by The Most High, enjoys that slap a little too much. He states that he started the Pugachev fire to bring Catherine to heel; it’s his job to extinguish it now that it’s raging out of control. He’s traveling to Moscow to do just that.
Grigor believes Paul shouldn’t be ordained because it’s not what Peter wanted in the end. Vinodel finds Elizabeth sitting in front of the imposing Peter the Great statue. They discuss marriage. Vinodel believes Elizabeth needs to cut emotional ties with Peter the Great. He’s been dead a long time. Finally, Elizabeth acknowledges it’s time to make her own way. Oh, and she promises to consider Vinodel’s proposal. How sweet.
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Later, Marial and Catherine arrive in Moscow, disguising themselves as peasants so they blend seamlessly with the roaring crowd. Pugachev takes to the stage to deliver his incendiary yet somewhat motivating speech to his followers. He’s putting himself in the running for emperor — well, as Peter III. He wants to overthrow Catherine. Catherine is taken aback by how accurate Pugachev’s Peter impression is. Also, he throws Peter’s lemon salt into the crowd and provides them with sumptuous food, meaning Peter’s chef is among Pugachev’s party.
Meanwhile, Archie arrives in Moscow to knock Pugachev off his pedestal while Velementov and Petrov butt heads outside the Peter imposter’s headquarters. Petrov’s the general of the army now, but Velementov appears to want his old job back. Peter tosses the heads of nobles and prominent politicians he killed into the audience. It’s his version of a t-shirt cannon. One of the heads knocks Catherine to the ground. Marial tries to find the empress as the riled-up peasants almost squash her underfoot. It’s all out of control now.
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“Destiny” boasts a terrific turn from Elle Fanning, who, as usual, steals every scene she’s in, with Gwilym Lee hot on her heels. Their depictions of Catherine’s and Grigor’s grief processes are as fascinating as they are moving. Freddie Fox seems to be filling the comedic shoes Peter left behind. While he’s not filling them entirely, Fox has proven to be consistently funny as Hugo, with sharpened comedic sensibilities to boot. Douglas Hodge also injects Velementov with so much life “Destiny.” The scene following his visit with Dr. Vinodel is hilarious.
Do you think Catherine will successfully capture Pugachev and make him admit he’s not Peter? Will Hugo and Agnes take back their country? Will baby Paul finally spend one night in his bed? Only time (and one more episode) will tell.
The Great Season 3 is now streaming on Hulu.
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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.
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