Is The Great woke?
TV Show · 2020
The Great has a wokeness score of 7/10, which we rate as Strongly Ideological. Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key points
- Feminist revisionism portrays Catherine as enlightened progressive overthrowing patriarchal tyranny.
- Toxic masculinity critique caricatures men as cruel idiots, women as superior moral rulers.
- Anachronistic diversity, LGBTQ hints, and empowerment themes feel forced into historical satire.
Wokeness analysis
The Great presents a highly fictionalized, anachronistic portrayal of Catherine the Great's rise to power, emphasizing progressive themes through a modern feminist lens that reshapes historical events to critique patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Catherine is depicted as an enlightened outsider pushing for education, science, art, and serf emancipation against a barbaric, male-dominated Russian court led by the depraved Emperor Peter III. This narrative frames women as inherently superior rulers and moral forces, while men are caricatured as impulsive, violent buffoons, serving ideology over nuanced character development. The show's creator, Tony McNamara, infuses it with a female gaze, subversive revisionism, and contemporary sensibilities, such as Peter's overt cruelty symbolizing systemic oppression that Catherine must overthrow. Subtle diversity appears via actors of color in court roles, and hints of LGBTQ elements like the relationship between Archie and Elizabeth, expanding representation in a non-historical manner. Audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb highlight irritation with this 'superficial feminism,' 'forced empowerment,' and ahistorical progressive messaging, where Catherine's ideals feel shoehorned to lecture on gender dynamics rather than drive organic comedy. Later seasons amplify this, portraying Catherine's rule as a struggle against backward male influences, with crude humor often masking heavy-handed ideology. Critics praise the bold satire, but for viewers weary of culture-war infusions, the agenda overshadows the escapist fun, turning a period romp into a vehicle for modern social commentary that prioritizes female triumph over historical fidelity or balanced entertainment.
Plot
The Great is a satirical black comedy-drama loosely inspired by the early life and coup of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning). Arriving in Russia as a naive bride for the volatile Emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), Catherine confronts a depraved court rife with violence, debauchery, and backward traditions. Disillusioned by her husband's infidelity, brutality, and incompetence, she allies with servants like Marial (Phoebe Fox) and idealist Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) to plot his overthrow. Amid absurd escapades involving bear fights, poisonings, and court intrigues, Catherine evolves from romantic dreamer to ruthless empress, introducing Enlightenment ideas like education and science while navigating power struggles, lovers, and betrayals. Spanning three seasons, the anti-historical series revels in vulgar humor, exaggerated characters, and deliberate inaccuracies, culminating in Catherine's consolidation of rule amid personal turmoil and external threats like pretenders and wars.
Analyzed by AI on April 25, 2026