Yay or Nay: The Last Czars (Netflix Docudrama)

 

So, this week’s post may be a bit shorter than usual! As September is coming real fast I’ve been trying to get my Ph.D. technicals in order before the online school year starts. That said, this week I thought I’d cover a show I’ve been meaning to cover for about a couple weeks now on Netflix The Last Czars which is a historical drama covering the last years before the fall of the Romanov Dynasty in early twentieth-century Russia. In fact, lately this week a lot of things have been historically themed— I’m even writing this review to the soundtrack of Hamilton (I do not have Disney+ so sadly, I cannot watch it!)

So, with that said, let’s get into this review! This is Netflix’s The Last Czars. 

The Story 

This is a six-part docudrama—fair warning. Meaning, that in between the “drama” moments with the story and the actors doing their thing, the show also cuts to real-life historians, who explain why things happened the way they did, and why certain people were the way they were. It is a complement to the show, and I enjoy that, although for some it can be jarring and distracting. 

Continuing on, the first part of the series documents Nicholas II’s succession to the crown, the outbreak of the Russian revolution, and Nicholas’ eventual fall from grace. Each episode has more than one storyline—overlapping (as real-life obviously does) until the final conclusions. The most notable in the beginning is Rasputin (cue Boney M’s rah-rah-Rasputin here) and the possible “survival” of one Romanov—you guessed it, Anastasia (years later after the assassination of the family). So while obviously not everything in the show is a historical fact, and does take some liberties for dramatic effect, it is somewhat historically correct and has actual experts to explain what was real and what isn’t. 

My Thoughts 

I loved the first few episodes I’ve watched. I’ll be honest and say I haven’t finished it, but it reminds me of a great deal of The Crown but with more historical analysis in the documentary aspect. It’s a dark, gritty drama reminiscent of the newer season of The Crown with characters that are even more, again, darker and grittier. Also Game of Thrones a bit since it does have that “fantasy” feel. Coupled with the instability of Russia, and the looming threat of Rasputin (in the first episode no less), it is hard to look away from the show. It’s fast-paced, engaging, and doesn’t let up. 

As I said, some of the documentary aspects do disrupt the drama side of the show. At some points, it can become annoying because you’ll get into the drama part of the show and then it’ll interrupt you— or you’ll just want to see how it ends! But either way, you’re going to learn a lot throughout this show. The acting is well-done, the storyline (of the drama section at least) is well-paced, and at least in the first few episodes, enjoyable. It’s not a series I could get through in all of one night though— there’s just a lot of things going on, and I needed a break, so it’s not an easy watch if that makes sense. 

While you do have experts and historians discussing the events of the episode I also can’t speak to the accuracy depicted in the show. Like I said, I think it looks historically accurate enough, but my forte is not in Russian history, so I’ll leave whether or not this is “good” in terms of depiction to those who better know it. 

My Rating 

Anyway, as my short thought section clearly shows, I would recommend this show for a stream. It’s a good show—nothing revolutionary or mind-breaking, but if you like historical drama and documentaries, I found this was a good show to start and keep up with weekly. Check it out! 

My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐ 3 (stars) 

                                                                      ~Meghan