Hulu’s The Great takes an irreverent look at the reign of Catherine the Great, one of the most formidable women to have ever ruled Russia. While Elle Fanning’s Catherine is obviously the center of the show, it also has to be said that Nicholas Hoult’s Peter is also at the center of the story.
During the two seasons of the series, Peter has shown that he is quite capable of both kindness and cruelty, and thus it is worth taking a look at the many terrible things that he has done during his time on the throne.
Had An Long Lasting Affair With Georgina
One of the series most likable characters is Grigor, Peter’s best friend. However, the fact that they are so clearly close to each other hasn’t stopped Peter from having a long-lasting affair with Grigor’s wife, Georgina, something that causes him a great deal of pain. Even though Peter must surely recognize, even on a subconscious level, that he is inflicting a great deal of emotional agony on one of the few people in the world that actually likes him, it’s not enough to make him change his actions.
Had Leo Killed
There are many great relationships in this series, but arguably one of the best is that between Catherine and Leo, the young man that Peter hires to be her lover. The two form a genuine bond, and he brings out the best in her. For these reasons, it is all the more horrifying when Peter takes Leo as a prisoner and uses him as a bargaining chip in the standoff with his wife. He ultimately has Leo killed, which is a grievous blow to Catherine and an indication of just how low he’s willing to go.
Stabbing Tarzinsky To Death
After the coup largely succeeds, Peter tries to win Catherine back, largely by showing that he is no longer just a violent monster (his change of heart demonstrates why he remains one of Nicholas Hoult’s best roles). Unfortunately, that change of character doesn’t last long, and he stabs a nobleman to death for the crime of calling him a bad name. While it’s relatively in character for Peter to do such a thing, it is nevertheless a potent indication of just how little he has changed and, just as importantly, how little he seems to want to really do so.
Abusing Velementov
Velementov is one of the bravest characters in the series, and despite his indulgence in alcohol he still manages to be a talented general. Peter, however, sees him as nothing more than a contemptible old fool, and he seems to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in tormenting him and humiliating him in front of the entire court. Given how inept Peter is at military strategy, this shows that he is not only capricious and cruel but utterly unable (and unwilling) to acknowledge his own limitations.
Ordering The Whole Court Tortured
For the most part, Peter is a fairly oblivious person, and it takes him a very long time to figure out that someone is working against him. Once he does, he orders that the entire court be subjected to torture, including Catherine.
It’s a genuinely shocking moment, and it shows more clearly than almost anything else just how little Peter actually cares about the lives of his subjects, even the nobility that have shown themselves loyal to him.
Accidentally Killing Joanna
Gillian Anderson has been in many great roles, and she brings her formidable powers to the character of Joanna, Catherine’s mother. She makes it very clear that she sees Peter as more than a son-in-law, and she does ultimately succeed in seducing him. This is not only one of the worst things Peter could do in terms of betraying his beloved Catherine, but he inadvertently kills Joanna in the bargain, robbing the empress of one of the most important people in her life and fatally wounding their relationship.
Burning Down Catherine’s School
From the beginning of the series, Catherine makes it clear that she’s one of the smartest characters in the series. What’s more, she wants to share that intelligence with others, which is why she decided to start a school for girls. Unfortunately for her, Peter did not approve of this and, in typical fashion, he decided to burn it down. It’s another reminder of just how backward and stubborn he is, and how Russia will never change as long as it is under his rule.
Trying To Kill Catherine By Drowning
From the beginning, it was clear that Peter and Catherine were not going to get along. As one of Elle Fanning’s best roles, the new empress is very headstrong and unwilling to follow the rules. Peter, as someone who is as in love with himself as he is cruel, decided that he would try to kill her by having her carriage driven into a lake.
Even for Peter, who is known for his cruelty and his capriciousness, this was quite an extraordinary action, and so it’s no wonder that Catherine overthrew him.
Demoting Marial
Marial is one of the best characters in the series, and she is one of the few who actually seems fond of Catherine. Unfortunately for her, she was demoted from being a noble to being a serf because of her father’s actions. Even though it was clear how much this tormented her and how much she was suffering as a result, Peter refused to reinstate her (it fell to Catherine to do so), showing once again just how much of a monster he can be.
Burning The Serfs
The Russia that Peter rules over is a very backward country that is often steadfastly opposed to change, and this includes the practice of burning the serfs in order to prevent the spread of plague. Even though Catherine gets close to convincing Peter that she shouldn’t do this, he goes ahead with it, anyway. This action demonstrates not just how heartless he is when it comes to the lives of others, but also how Russia will remain mired in its own form of backwardness so long as he remains anywhere near the throne.
