Ekaterina

Its basic gift - it is different. And use the differences in smart manner episode by episode. It is not a pledge but a precise and realistic portrait. The acting is solide, the atmosphere is seductive, the familiar manicheism is absent. A film about power and about a young woman leaning to obtain and manage it. For the admirers of Russian historical series from the last decade - nothing surprising. For the other- beautiful nuances of portraits and the vulnerability of characters. Short, an admirable work.

I'm generally a fan of historical fiction and am not naive as to where most fall in terms of historical accuracy. For Ekaterina, I have heard it is much closer to history than most, though I cannot confirm it for myself as I personally have little knowledge of Russia's history. But the costuming and sets are stunning and the story feels more political with every choice having ramifications on the European field than most tend to go into. They tend to simply seek power for power's sake. But in Ekaterina, the political side feels much more relevant.

And if that's not enough to convince any fan of historical drams, then watch it simply for the character of Empress Elizaveta. The actress dominated every scene as the real Empress likely did in life.

Many negative reviews have nothing to do with the series but with hatred of Russians per say. As a native Russian speaker and a fluent English speaker, I can tell you that a lot of words in Russian can not be translated into English with the presice translation, for a mere reason that they don't exist in English. The series being set in Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1711, and while being one of the youngest European capitals is still older then the whole country of United States of America. So before giving negative comments and low scores, read the history of Russian empire, and perhaps then you will comprehend the series.

My review is based on s1 only. I know s2 is available but in the US. I was watching it in native Russian with English subs. I think subs were above average but still didn't portray the rich dialogue. Many words that I have long forgotten made me smile when they were spoken.

As far as story. I think ep 1 was a bit slow, after that it picked up the pace. I do not know how accurate it was historically as I am no expert, and I def think some things were romanticized, but overall I think it was well done. I also felt last ep could have been full length with much more detail on 2 main events, hence why it's 7/10 not 8/10.

As to what others been saying about the Petr the 3rd, his main undoing was clearly outlined and I have no pity for him for that reason. Whether he got a fair shake or not, who knows, but at least they dealt with it rather bluntly, which is not usual for such a series.

I found this easy to dive into and become addicted to. There are soulful details here and there, a piece of acting, a reply that add depth to the storytelling without adding weight. It moves along sprightly and makes sense psychologically, historically and even in the context of today, politically. The intimate players of the Russian court are shown in a swath of their lives which included periods of boredom, sadness, ambition, fear, powerlessness and also enormous power.