Catherine had elaborate methods of sneaking out to rendezvous with the likes of Sergei Saltykov (who is rumored to be Paul’s father). The other major difference is Peter did not consent to these affairs, as each one was top secret. In reality, Catherine did have a string of lovers, though none died in this violent manner during the coup. Seeing Leo gift Catherine a ring set the plan in motion and Catherine’s ultimate choice between Russia and Leo only had one outcome.
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When Peter started falling for Catherine it was only going to result in Leo’s imminent death. “I never thought being doomed would feel so pleasant,” Leo observed when he realized their love affair was never going to have a happy ending. A real attraction developed between the pair and Leo’s romantic streak and thirst for knowledge made him an ideal partner. At this point, Peter had no sentimental attachment to his bride and Leo would be her plaything (as he had many). In the first season when carnal relations between Peter and Catherine are at a low, Peter gifted his wife a man with impressive physical attributes. This is a common fictitious thread among the majority of the supporting cast on The Great. Sebastian De Souza and Elle Fanning in 'The Great' (Image credit: Ollie Upton/Hulu) Catherine storms off with his new truffle-hunting dog and her sorrow turns into anger. When Catherine finally relents and gives him the chance to join the truffle hunt, his blunt comments about her part in Leo’s death are ill-timed. Being left alone is not something Peter responds well to, and this punishment is no doubt tied to his role in killing Leo. His wife is furious with him for another senseless killing and orders the guards to beat him before she banishes everyone from his apartment. Unfortunately, his impulsive violent actions at the end of the second episode ensure his relatively easy imprisonment shifts gear.
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Love and truffle season are on the mind of Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) as he continues his ill-advised attempts to woo Catherine. Rather than confront her pain, Catherine wants to forge ahead with plans to breathe new enlightened life into Russia, but the wheel of progress is not spinning quick enough for the empress. It has been more than four months since she sacrificed Leo (Sebastian De Souza) and she is haunted by dreams that suggest how she could’ve saved him. The third episode of The Great opens with Catherine uttering an expletive upon waking and she spends the majority of “Alone at Last” trying to punch the emotions back into her heart.