DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Great episode “The Devil’s Lunch” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Huzzah! The Great‘s fourth episode, “The Devil’s Lunch,” changes the game for many moving players, and I’d say it’s the most pivotal outing of the season thus far. Catherine continues to forge ahead boldly, laying the groundwork for a boundary-breaking rule as empress. Peter meddles in Catherine’s affairs, jeopardizing her position by having Ambassador Sunduk murdered while leaving her palace.
Catherine even goes from vehemently proclaiming she wouldn’t touch Peter with a 10-foot pole to asking him to go down on her in the final minutes of the episode.
“The Devil’s Lunch” is all about sex, baby, and baby showers. As usual, the writing is top-notch, the repartee is engaging and the performances “slap,” as the kids say. I’m not entirely sure I used that correctly.
Ready to delve into “The Devil’s Lunch”? Let’s get to it.
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We open Catherine (Elle Fanning) masturbating at the breakfast table. When that doesn’t scratch the itch, she tries incorporating her chair into the mix. Peter (Nicholas Hoult) walks in, narrowly missing the self-pleasure session. He wants to visit Paul’s nursery with her, and she agrees to the trip.
Catherine hosts an intellectual lunch, wherein attendees discuss reading material assigned by the empress. Marial (Phoebe Fox), Archie (Adam Godley), Grigor (Gwilym Lee), Aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow), Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi), Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach) and Father Basil (Anthony Welsh) are present for the event.
Unfortunately, nobody volunteers to share their thoughts regarding the subject matter, so Grigor reads aloud a pamphlet written by Peter. Peter misses the court and all of the shenanigans that transpired under his rule.
After the salon, Catherine confronts Grigor. While Peter didn’t ask Grigor to read his musings, Grigor thought it would lift his pal’s spirits to learn about how much the court adores him. We discover that Georgina decided to travel to Paris without Grigor.
Archie wants to get on Catherine’s good side, so Marial suggests he gauge the empress’s interests and find common ground with her.
Meanwhile, Peter and Arkady shoot darts at fruit sitting atop a pair of guards’ heads when Grigor tells Peter he read the pamphlet to the court. Peter plans to “help” Catherine fail and make her fall in love with him.
Then, Aunt Elizabeth tends to Catherine while the latter lies on a settee with her feet in the air. Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) and Velementov (Douglas Hodge) are uncomfortable seeing Catherine like this, eating dirt and sucking on nails with her feet pointed toward heaven. But it is what it is.
Velementov mentions the encroaching Ottoman soldiers. He’s a fan of going to war, but Catherine would prefer to test the waters of diplomacy. So, she’s meeting with Ambassador Sunduk. According to Orlo and Elizabeth, the Ottomans look down on women.
Thus, Catherine seats Marial and Elizabeth on either side to greet Sunduk (Raphael Alcoque) when he arrives. Talk about a power move!
Orlo, Velementov and Archie sit on the sidelines because this is a woman’s game.
Initially, the all-women greeting team offends Sunduk’s delicate sensibilities. However, Catherine wins him over with her charm and sunny disposition, and she invites him to dinner that night, just the two of them.
Later, Archie approaches Catherine about Father Basil, noting his concern about the “simple” priest. Catherine reasserts he’s there to stay. Archie takes Marial’s advice and tries to connect with Catherine intellectually; however, she sees through the ruse.
Next, Velementov rolls in the hay with Antonia Svenska (Danusia Samal), an unexpected move, considering he shot her husband. But people process grief in different ways. He lets slip that he and Catherine worry about the Ottoman soldiers marching into Russian territory. Of course, she twists what he says and will undoubtedly gossip about it later.
Doctor Vinodel (Julian Barratt) checks in on Catherine while Elizabeth places a frog on the empress’s bulging stomach. Catherine confesses that her sexual urges have increased tenfold, and Vinodel offers to “supervise” her while she masturbates. You know, because he’s a doctor of self-pleasure (eye roll).
After the doc leaves, Elizabeth suggests Catherine get a f**k buddy. But those are difficult to come by when you’re in charge of everyone.
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Antonia tells Peter and company what she learned from Velementov regarding the Ottomans and potential war. Peter knows Sunduk, so Operation: Make Catherine Fail seeks to dismantle the burgeoning alliance between him and Catherine.
Marial attempts to turn Catherine against Father Basil to help her cousin Archie, but Catherine isn’t falling for her scheming. She meets with Peter in Paul’s nursery, and the pair agrees their future son will be extraordinary in every way.
Peter wishes to throw a baby shower for their child, and, initially, Catherine rejects the idea. However, Peter utilizes his beatdown courtesy of her guards as fuel for the manipulation fire. Eventually, she approves.
Then, Peter finds Sunduk and Grigor having sexy times with their respective partners. Grigor (and little Grigor) aren’t into it, but Sunduk is having a blast (nod, nod, wink, wink).
Peter reconnects with his old buddy and persuades Sunduk that Catherine’s not technically in charge. Sure, he abdicated his throne because he was famished, but who hasn’t succumbed to the enemy on an empty stomach? I bet countless political figures made awful decisions while “hangry.” She’s temporarily keeping the seat warm while he weasels his way back to the top.
Uncle Varnya (Ramon Tikaram) congratulates Orlo on getting the road approved. Ottomans are invading Orlo’s home region, so Varnya hopes this helps. Oh, and Varnya has one more favor — cash for everyone at home. They are the poorest part of the country, after all. Orlo reluctantly grants Varnya’s wish.
Later, we see Peter and his pals are partying like it’s the 1700s. Everyone’s donning vibrant pink and blue clothing and dancing the night away. Catherine learns Sunduk stood her up for dinner, so she makes the trek to Peter’s quarters for the big shindig. Peter claims the party is the baby shower for Paul, but Catherine sees through his trickery.
However, she decides to make her court love her and convince them she’s the fun one, not Peter.
Archie complains to Marial about his lack of headway with Catherine, and Marial reminds him of how he first met the empress — he stuck his fingers up her hoo-ha. That kind of experience might sour one’s view of a person.
After playing various games with her people, Catherine appears to win their affections. Marial encounters Grigor, and it issues forth memories of how they both lost their virginity to each other. Grigor asks to join Marial, and she lets him.
Catherine brings a guard back to her quarters for some coitus, but he has beard lice, so that’s a no-go.
Finally, Catherine gains the upper hand with Peter by ordering her guards to send him back to his room in front of Sunduk. She asks him to join her on a hunting trip the following day; Sunduk, taken aback by her boldness, accepts the invitation.
Marial informs Grigor she won’t sleep with him because he “doesn’t feel anything.” Grigor divulges that he chooses to feel numb because the alternative is reconciling with the fact he misses Georgina terribly. This confession turns on Marial, and the pair make out. Grigor claims it’s not “terrible,” but the fun bus stops there.
The following day, Catherine and Sunduk hunt ducks. Catherine’s keen aiming abilities impress Sunduk; however, Velementov takes all the shots behind some bushes. Sunduk eventually realizes this, but he still tips his hat to Catherine’s strategy prowess.
Catherine urges him to keep that handsome mustache.
Arkady reports to Peter regarding Catherine and Sunduk’s duck hunt. He reveals they looked friendly, even walking arm-in-arm. Peter asks Arkady and Tatyana to do a favor for him.
Next, Archie gives Catherine a present — the offending finger he inserted in her vagina. Yes, he cut off his digit. Still, it’s not enough to endear him to her. Catherine reminds him he stuck two fingers up there, not one.
Catherine passes Archie’s finger off to Elizabeth, who pockets it for, um, some alone time (presumably).
Meanwhile, Arkady and Tatyana brutally stab Sunduk while the latter rides home in his carriage. Peter also tasks them with decapitating his former friend.
Earlier, Elizabeth suggests that Catherine have Peter scratch her sexual itch. Catherine barges into Peter’s room and asks him to do that thing with his tongue. Naughty, naughty!
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Do you think we’ll see Georgina again, or is she gone for good? How long until Catherine learns about Peter’s part in Sunduk’s murder? If sex is “the devil’s lunch,” then what’s the devil’s breakfast and dinner?
Keep watching The Great on Hulu, my Greaties, and stick around for more recapping fun, only on Geek Girl Authority.
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