Hulu's The Great and the Necessity of Historical Inaccuracy

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2 weeks ago, I was looking for a new show to watch and I stumbled upon Hulu's "The Great". A, sometimes true, history-inspired tale of Catherine the Great; Tsarina of Russia. The Tsarina is, an awe-inspiring figure who should be remembered for her penmanship of the Velikiy Nakaz - one of the most remarkable political treatises published that enshrined enlightenment principles like the rule of law into Russian Law - but is instead remembered for her sexual exploits, including an alleged tryst with a horse (a rumour addressed in the eponymous TV show and a recurring joke in which Catherine believes no-one will remember it). 

What can I say, except that history does not treat its' women kindly? But then again, it has been said that rarely do well-behaved women make history, and Catherine the Great was not "well-behaved", for the standards of the time.

But I digress. As I was watching the show, I was struck by how much the writers got right, and how much they got wrong. They did get her general character right; a blond, charismatic woman who was an avid reader, and wanted to change Russia for the better. But they got the historical context wrong (at this point, I figured it might be easier to list the inaccuracies than to describe them):

  • Her husband was not Tsar when they wed. It was, in fact, their relative, Peter's Aunt Elisabeth.
  • The show neglects to mention the fact that they were cousins. 
  • Unfortunately, the one bright spot in TV Catherine's life, Count Leo Voronsky, was not a real person
  • They were married for almost 20 years before the coup that thrust Catherine to become the Tsarina.
  • Peter was, according to historical records, nowhere near as Pro-Russia as the show makes him out to be. 

In fact, when researching the making of the show, I learned that Hulu had actually characterised the show as "anti-historical". In its early development, creator Tony McNamara "jotted down some names, relationships and a few historical bullet points, torn up the paper and started writing." As it is with many things, the thing itself is not as interesting as the reason behind the thing or the implications of its existence. Therefore, I would wager that in McNamara's insistence on an "anti-historical" narrative, he created a whole new history; one which subverts our expectations and challenges our preconceptions. Consequently, McNamara coerces the audience into further suspending its disbelief and fully immersing themselves into the world, its rules and its unique stories. Still, the way McNamara uses history to coax the audience into various narrative plots, only to digress so blatantly is a smart use of history.

McNamara neither attempts to hide the historical inaccuracies nor tout their veracity as just another historical perspective that is just as valid as the historical truth. Instead, history does not matter. He treats history as a narrative prompt that he is free to disregard, and simultaneously employ, as he sees fit. While the real Peter was dull, boorish and obsessed with Prussia, to the exclusion of Russia, McNamara's Peter is charming, entertaining and mercurial; characteristics which force Catherine to use all the weapons in her employ to unseat him if she wants to overthrow him. Equally, while the real Catherine was a realist who understood the realities of her position and used them to her advantage, McNamara's Catherine is an idealist and humour often ensues in the juxtaposition between this hopeless idealism and the realities of her situation. Furthermore, this idealism leaves her utterly incapable of communicating her vision for Russia, and the ways she will make it happen; something the real Catherine was all too capable of doing. Ultimately, the historical inaccuracies make for compelling viewing. 

Moreover, embracing the historical inaccuracy allows McNamara to embed, and explore, modern themes within the narrative. Specifically the emergence of modernity and how, or if, it should be embraced in a society. 

Ultimately, The Great demonstrates the necessity of historical inaccuracy when done well. Without an eye for obscuring historical truth because, in his eyes, it does not matter. 



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