Catherine can’t stop him from spreading the pamphlet around the palace though. That is, without going back on her values of freedom of expression. Round one goes to Peter, then. But the empress has bigger fish to fry. ..
Later, she has to meet with Sunduk, the Ottoman ambassador. Velementov insists the Ottomans won’t come around to Catherine as the empress. But of course, when does she ever listen to him?
Elizabeth met with the Ottoman Sultan for the first time last week. She claims he spat in her face and called her a “pig slut” for reaching for some cake. ..
Orlo understands that culture is a major factor in the negotiations, and suggests that he lead them. But Catherine always has her own ideas.
When Ambassador Sunduk walks into the room, he doesn’t find Orlo at the advisors’ table. Instead, he finds Elizabeth and Marial - a front to make him think Catherine’s chief advisors are women. ..
This act by Sunduk has been labeled as insulting by him, but he seems not to be put out at all. He maintains that there is nothing he can do about the violent intent of his people, but he agrees to have dinner with Catherine to discuss the issue further.
Elizabeth offers her opinion on how Catherine should choose a guard for her Russia’s ruler. She suggests that a guard be chosen who is experienced in the art of war and has a strong sense of self-defense.
While the Empress worries about getting laid and preventing a war, Marial and Archie are concerned with Father Basil. They both distrust him. However, Marial convinces the Patriarch to cooperate with Catherine for the time being. He tells the Empress he’s in fact overjoyed to share his responsibilities with Father Basil. Still, Marial urges her to lose the new Archbishop. ..
Meanwhile, Lady Svenska is sleeping with Velementov despite the fact that he killed her husband. But it seems she’s more interested in feeding his information to Peter than she is in the general himself. When she learns about the Ottomans, she immediately tells the ex-emperor.
Sunduk and Peter discuss the recent events. Sunduk admits that he is still unsure who should rule the kingdom, as it seems that both Peter and Catherine are not following God’s will. Sunduk suggests that either Peter or Catherine might still be swayed to either side, depending on the situation.
Orlo’s Uncle Varnya returns. Although grateful for the new road Catherine granted them, they want more from Orlo: riches. Orlo finds himself in a compromising position. When will these “favors” subside? ..
Peter holds a party under the guise of throwing a baby shower for Catherine. Catherine misses dinner with the empress, leading her to the bawdy gathering.
Sunduk sees that the court loves Peter more than the empress. Catherine determines not to let Peter outdo her, however. She assumes responsibility for the party and ends up showing that she can be even more fun than her foppish husband. She even persuades Sunduk to go hunting with her tomorrow.
In the lead-up to the Ottoman Empire’s annual celebration of Ramadan, tensions are high between Russia and Turkey. Catherine II, Empress of Russia, and her son, Peter III, Tsar of Russia, are both pursuing diplomatic relations with the Ottomans in a way that many believe is too lenient. Meanwhile, Grigoriy Velementov, a school teacher in St. Petersburg, is having difficulty connecting with people due to his depression. Velementov complains to Elizabeth about how he feels out of place in the world and how everyone seems to be moving forward without him. ..
He also reveals that he was present at the meeting with the Sultan that Elizabeth mentioned earlier. Curiously, he tells her that he doesn’t recall the Sultan insulting her at all. ..
Catherine manages to turn the hunting trip to her advantage and shows off her strengths as a leader.
Sunduk is beheaded on his way home after asking a favour from Arkady and Tatyana. Peter becomes jealous of the attention he’s receiving from Sunduk and asks a favor from Arkady and Tatyana in order to make sure Sunduk is killed.
Elizabeth’s affair with a guard falls through, and she is left feeling frustrated. She subtly prods Catherine towards Peter, who is the only one she can trust. At the end of the episode, the empress makes a surprise visit to her husband’s chambers for a sexual favour. All the while, she’s completely unaware of his indirect murder of the ambassador.
The Episode Review
Catherine may have had the upper-hand last episode, but Peter takes advantage of her recent leniency to plan a semi-coup of his own. This whole episode is an entertaining tug-of-war between the royals to see who will win over the Ottoman ambassador’s support.
Peter can’t best his wife when he’s trying to match her wit. But he’ll of course ruin all of her plans when he acts on impulse, out of his supposed “love” for her. ..
This season’s exploration of Peter’s “love” and how it consistently negatively affects Catherine has been interesting. Case in point: Leo. And now the ambassador. I’m looking forward to seeing how his misplaced affection comes to blows. Although it looks like we’ll be seeing Catherine growing closer to her foolish spouse before she cuts him off for good. ..
This episode has a lightness of tone that we haven’t seen before with season 2. Of course, there’s still the beheadings, betrayals, and mommy issues—but all of this is handled with a casual flippancy that characterized season 1. I’m glad to see the show maintaining its unique style and still growing in new and compelling plot points.
Catherine is finally ready to face the reality of war. I predict that this will happen in the upcoming episodes. Meanwhile, Peter’s alliances pose an interesting threat to inner palace life!
