A Simple Jape
Catherine and Peter’s marriage is in trouble. Peter accuses her of using him for sex, and she doesn’t have an answer. She loves him, but that’s all. He calls her heartless, leading them to call off their current arrangement.
Marial and Grigor are flirting and Marial accuses Grigor of never acknowledging her while she was a servant. He assures her that he was always aware of her. They are about to have sex when Shakey interrupts them. ..
Shakey is a new servant who is old, sassy, and her hands shake too much to properly pour a cup of tea. None of the other ladies would have her, so Marial took her on to save her from a worse fate than becoming a lady’s maid.
Catherine, a Russian schoolteacher, receives a cake in her classroom as a surprise. The students at her school make fun of her and say that she is only talk and has not done anything for Russia. ..
Catherine is discouraged after hearing Orlo talk her down about freeing the serfs. She thinks the solution is to free all the serfs, but Orlo tells her that this plan is a long game.
Peter has been thinking about how to end his wife and move on for a while. He realizes that he doesn’t really love her and it’s time to end things.
Catherine has a grand or foolish idea, depending on who you ask, of dressing up her maid as a lady in order to impress the court. She and Marial present her as Lady Anastasia. ..
Shakey is a mysterious old woman who only appears to Elizabeth. Lady Svenska, in particular, is fooled and charmed by Shakey.
When Catherine reveals to everyone who Lady Anastasia really is, there’s an uproar. She gives a small speech about human potential and poses her little experiment as “an interesting question” and “a fun jape.” Not everyone sees it that way, however.
Grigor wonders what other ideas he has for the serfs. He and Arkady threaten Orlo at gunpoint to obtain Catherine’s plans.
Father Basil visits Archie’s chambers. The empress relieved him of his commission, leaving him feeling used by both Catherine and Archie. ..
Archie tells Archie he is a brilliant man, but there is a darkness in him. Archie kisses him, then tries to spin this as an act of “pure love.”
After Catherine’s clever joke with the nobles, the serfs have a newfound respect for her. The Empress even gifts Shakey with her own quarters. ..
The nobles are angry after Grigor shows them Catherine’s plan to free the serfs. Elizabeth tries to convince Catherine to play it off as another fun experiment, nothing serious.
Instead, she argues for the rights of servants. When her court gives her an ultimatum, she declares all the serfs to be free and equal. ..
Now that the nobles have turned against Catherine, Peter escapes to speak with them in order to urge them to assemble in the halls tomorrow and scream for her to abdicate. ..
Lady Svenska thinks that this plan is underwhelming and decides to enter Shakey’s new chambers herself. She slits the maid’s throat, spilling her own blood on the floor. This makes a statement to the empress and shows her that she is in control.
The next morning, nobles can’t find their servants. But Marial finds Shakey. A civil war breaks out in the palace.
Catherine’s advisors, especially Elizabeth, plead with her to put an end to it, but she doesn’t want to turn guns on her people. Her naive optimism that everything could simply work itself out recalls Catherine of season 1, episode 1. She forces everyone out of the room and begins to cry uncontrollably. ..
Peter then bursts in, planning on capturing her. But when he sees her crying on the floor, he falls to his knees and hugs her. Defeated, she asks him if he’s going to take the throne. “Not today,” he says, holding her to him.
Catherine, desperate for a solution, turns to Velementov for help—his way. ..
Peter goes back to his room and asks the guards to lock him in. And Catherine lays down for the night to the sound of gunshots.
Lady Svenska is shot in the head by Marial at the end of the episode.
The Episode Review
The show’s premise is intriguing, but it quickly falls apart. The first few episodes are great, but then the show starts to lose its way. The jokes don’t always land and the plot feels too convoluted. There are some great moments, but overall I was disappointed with the finale.
This episode is a reminder that Catherine’s impetuous nature can sometimes lead to her making rash decisions that can have serious consequences. This is also shown in the way that her optimistic commitment to change Russia for the better is framed as her biggest flaw. While this has been explored thoroughly in the show, this episode uses that trait to bring things crashing down on her and to potentially finally teach her a lesson about pacing herself.
This is an odd episode in that it has a huge impact on the series and the characters - but only if the following episodes actually see consequences of these events. Time will tell if Catherine actually learns and grows from the challenges she’s created for herself. ..
Since the end of their relationship, Peter has shown himself to be a much more caring and understanding man. He has forgiven Catherine for her past mistakes and is now looking out for her well-being. This has been a huge change for Catherine, who was used to being the one in control of their relationship.
In every episode so far, Elizabeth seems to act out of self-interest. But I have to wonder whether Catherine will always be able to trust her.
