Does Catherine find out about her mother’s death?
Grigor urges Marial not to tell Catherine Peter’s secret. It will only lead to unnecessary death.
Catherine tells her friend Marial that she is in love with Peter, a man who has hurt her mother. Marial retorts by telling Catherine what Peter did to her mother.
She’s immediately heartbroken after visiting her mother’s grave. She goes to Peter, but he’s with another man and she can’t get a good look at the dagger on the dressing table. She assumes he’s going to kill Paul, but he turns around with his son in his arms and interrupts her plan. ..
Peter asks Catherine to let him go with her to see the Sultan so that he can protect her. The grief in her eyes is so intense, it’s a wonder Peter (even as obtuse as he is) doesn’t pick up on it.
How does everyone respond to the secret being out?
Catherine is on her way to see Russia’s troops when she slaps Elizabeth. It’s pretty apparent she doesn’t take the news well.
She insults Velementov for letting the war be “bloody and pointless.” She throws his plans into the fire. Why should she need them? She’s going to meet with the Sultan and resolve things her way.
When Peter finds out that Marial told Catherine about Joanna, he nearly kills her. Then his face crumples in pain as he realizes how he’s hurt Catherine’s feelings. ..
Georgina encourages him to kill Catherine before she kills him first.
Catherine tells Elizabeth she knows how Elizabeth helped Peter keep his secret. Elizabeth has a note sent back to the palace, with just one word for Peter: “Run.” ..
Peter decides to run with his allies and take Paul with him. However, he can’t go through with it.
Does the empress make peace with the Sultan?
Catherine asks a drunk Velementov to come with her to see the Sultan. He refuses, informing her that he awaits her death.
Orlo tells her she’s crazy to see the Sultan, but she doesn’t care. She tells him she’s not angry at him for stealing. She’s upset about what it meant: that Orlo did not believe that she could change things. Brushing past Orlo, she enlists a random guard to accompany her to the Sultan.
The Sultan has drawn up new borders for their countries if Catherine will just end the war. But she proposes that they share the region, creating an experimental zone as a “beacon of peaceful revolution in Europe.” ..
He stabs her in the hand and shoots her soldier. Catherine stabs him in the neck. Elizabeth arrives just in time to shoot the Sultan’s soldier.
When they return to camp, Velementov pledges to help her push back the Ottoman forces. ..
While Russia now has the upper hand, they haven’t yet won the war. Velementov does note, however, that the Ottomans will now be at each other’s throats. We basically have our answer on who wins the war.
Do Catherine and Peter prepare to fight each other?
Catherine tells everyone what Peter did to her mother. She knows she must kill him, but she loves him. Orlo encourages her to kill him. Velementov promises to be by her side, as he should have been with the Sultan.
Peter’s allies are staging a coup, even as it remains unclear what Peter wants to do. They ask for Archie’s support, and Tatyana hides guns under the table in preparation for a showdown at Marial’s wedding feast. ..
Hugo unsuccessfully tries to persuade Peter to take back his country and help him take back Sweden as well. Peter is upset. He says he was trying to change. “It doesn’t work,” says Hugo. ..
Catherine and Elizabeth have an argument on the way back to the palace. Catherine says she will have to kill Peter, but Elizabeth insists that both having sex with Catherine’s mother and “killing” her were accidents. She insists that Joanna repeatedly came onto him and that she unfortunately fell out of a window. She says Peter loves her. And she has changed him. ..
Catherine tells her that she knows Elizabeth loves both of them, but that she’s going to have to choose one of them. Elizabeth says that she already has. Today. By choosing to tell Peter to run and not to fight, I assume she means she chose Catherine.
Catherine walks outside the palace and sees Archie. He’s been waiting for God to tell him who to back: Catherine or Peter. But he feels like God has abandoned him. He pledges to stand by Catherine because she believes in something. ..
Does Peter stage a coup?
At the wedding feast, relations are tense. Everyone waits to see what Catherine and Peter will do.
They both stand up to give speeches on the nature of marriage. Though they address Marial and Maxim, they’re actually speaking to each other.
Peter breaks down and tells her he’s sorry for what he did. Catherine surprises everyone when she ruminates that maybe great love isn’t perfect love. Perhaps they should embrace their failings. ..
Dancing begins as Catherine walks toward her husband and kisses him. She takes Paul to put him to bed and tells Peter she will see him in his chambers. ..
Marial and Grigor celebrate their victory over love, thinking that “love conquers all.” Everyone gets drunk, no longer worried about taking back the throne.
When everyone is several cups deep, Velementov and Orlo stride in, arresting all of Peter’s allies. And Marial too! ..
What are Hugo’s and Agnes’ plans?
The two former monarchs, Peter and Catherine, are still intent on regaining Sweden. When Peter starts to flee, they suppose they’ll have to back Catherine. When Peter decides not to run, Hugo tries to convince Peter to turn against Catherine (which obviously backfires). ..
As the season progresses, we see that these two people are not really who they seem. They are only there to help set up conflict and create drama for the show.
What happens to Catherine’s allies? And why is Marial arrested?
Orlo apologizes to Catherine, but insists that he needs to have a voice if he’s going to be part of her team. Velementov seems to have put their season-long differences behind him. Archie, too, commits to serving the empress. It looks like these three will be some of Catherine’s strongest allies going into the next season. Elizabeth is also on Catherine’s side, but their foundation is looking shaky.
It’s unclear why Marial was arrested and Georgina wasn’t. Catherine may trust George if she believes her lies from the last episode. And if she’s learned of Marial’s role in covering up Joanna’s death, she may not trust her friend any more. Alternatively, the empress may have a plan up her sleeve that involves blurring the lines between her allies and her enemies. ..
How Does The Great Season 2 End?
This season ends with Catherine rushing into Peter’s quarters after putting Paul to bed. While Peter’s back is turned, she stabs him repeatedly in the back.
He falls to his face, and she falls over him. She sobs over the fact that she’s caused him pain. ..
Catherine realizes that she stabbed her lookalike, Pugachev, who made several cameos this season. She rushes up to Peter and embraces him.
Pugachev gets up with a groan, and walks away. Catherine and Peter are left staring at each other awkwardly, as if unsure what happens next.
The Episode Review
In the span of one episode, Catherine’s life comes crashing down.
Catherine has forgiven Peter for more than he deserves, but she’s still angry and upset about his actions with her mother. She doesn’t want to cover up her death that he indirectly caused, and she’s not happy about how much sex she has with him.
Catherine and Peter have to work against each other again, but this time it’s more emotional than before. They’re both struggling with complicated feelings for each other, and the story is powerful and heartbreaking.
This series finale isn’t as action packed as season one’s events. This episode and season 2 as a whole are a lot more character-driven. That may not be for everyone, and some may miss the sheer rage that fueled Catherine’s coup against Peter.
This episode expertly draws together season-long themes and closes a curtain on huge character-development arcs. It is a heart-wrenching, satisfying end to an intense and compelling season.
As the season finale came to a close, many questions remained about the future of Catherine and Peter. The civil war between them has left them in a difficult position, and it is unclear how it will play out next season.
The season finale of “The Crown” was a success, with viewers tuning in to see how the development of Catherine and Peter’s relationship would play out. While some may have been disappointed with the ending, others were excited for what is to come in the next season. Let us know what you thought in the comments below!
