The Last Czars is a 2019 Netflix docudrama series charting the last years of Romanov rule over Russia. It examines the events that led to the royal family's downfall and annihilation during the Russian Revolution, beginning with the death of Alexander III and ending with the execution of Nicholas II.
Told through flashbacks experienced by Pierre Gilliard, a Swiss academic previously employed as a tutor to the Romanov children, the framing device also features him being called to a hospital in Berlin, where an amnesiac patient is claiming to be the last surviving heir of the deposed royal family, Anastasia...
Tropes in this series include:
- Addled Addict:
- Czarina Alexandra (called her birth name of "Alix" among the family) begins to rely more and more on drugs in order to cope with the stress of her son's illness, the politics surrounding Rasputin, and the war effort. At first, it's just a generous shot of vodka, but then it's escalated to pills, then to injections supervised by her doctor, until at last, she's taking sniffs of cocaine (though this was back when cocaine could still be legally prescribed). As a result, her judgement becomes even more questionable and even less accepting of advice from anyone other than Rasputin. note
- Czar Nicholas begins to drift towards this while separated from Alix on the front line, becoming dependent on pills to cope with the stress. note
- Agonizing Stomach Wound: Grigori Rasputin is almost killed when a mentally-ill stranger stabs him twice in the belly, resulting in absolutely agonizing wounds that leave Rasputin sprawled on the ground, howling at the top of his lungs. Incredibly, Rasputin survives and recovers, albeit with more pain: after discovering that Russia is at risk of entering the World War, he tries to leave his sick bed to advise the royals, only to end up in so much pain from his still-healing stomach wounds that he collapses.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: A protagonist version of this when Czar Nicholas II and his family are the Ural Bolsheviks' prisoners in The House of Special Purpose. Nicholas tells the Bolshevik prison commander, Yakov Yarovsky, "I've never met people like you, and I hope I never do again." Yarovsky then tells him that they have technically met before, back when Nicholas was making his progress through the Russian Empire in 1891, back when he was a Grand Duke. Yarovsky was ten then, and he was excited when then-Grand Duke Nicholas passed through his village because he got the day off from school to watch the procession. He waved a flag as Nicholas's carriage passed by. Nicholas says nothing as Yarovsky recounts this, but he clearly has no memory of this moment, and Yarovsky acknowledges that:Yarovsky: Of course you don't remember. There were millions of us, and only one of you.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Nicholas and Alexandra are prone to smoking heavily as the calamities stack up, especially when it comes to the health of their only son.
- Cool Old Lady: Nicholas' mother, the Empress Dowager, who not only tries to help advise her son out of dangerous courses of action, but also assuages Alexandra's fears on her wedding day by welcoming her to the family. Sadly, the friendship she shows to Alexandra is not returned.
- Defiant to the End: Rasputin is so drunk by the time he notices Yusupov taking aim at him, he can only point and laugh. Even after getting shot and finding himself unable to escape, he spreads his arms wide, daring Yusupov to finish him off.
- Desperate Plea for Home: On the night of his murder, Rasputin proceeds to get absolutely hammered until he drunkenly confesses to Yusupov that he wants to go home to his village in Siberia... but thanks to everything he's said and done to get this far, he can't: the royal family is now critically dependent on his presence, and the Tsarevich might die without him.
- Did Anastasia Survive?: The focus of the framing device. Over the course of this plot, "Anastasia" demonstrates several traits suggesting that she might be the real princess after all, even knowing a few details that only the real Anastasia would have known. In the end, it turns out that she's just an imposter who picked up most of the facts through people who knew the Romanovs, and even practiced replicating Anastasia's signature for months on end.
- Downer Ending: In the A-plot, Nicholas and his family are executed in the House of Special Purpose. Meanwhile, in the present, Gilliard uncovers proof that "Anastasia" is just a deeply-troubled young woman posing as the girl he knew, dashing all his hopes in the process; though he promises to see her again soon, it's clear that Gilliard won't be coming back to the hospital ever again... and judging by the heartbroken expression on her face, "Anastasia" knows that she's once again alone in the world.
- Even Evil Can Be Loved: Sergei is undoubtedly a nasty piece of work, but both the Dowager Empress and Sergei's wife Grand Duchess Ella are left utterly inconsolable by his brutal assassination. Having relied on his advice for many years, Nicholas is also deeply shaken by the loss of his uncle.
- Evil Chancellor:
- Sergei Alexandrovitch, a close adviser of Nicholas during the early years of his reign, ensures that Russia remains an absolute monarchy and enforces some of the worst political decisions of "Nicky's" reign. Worse still, he also manipulates the Czar into going to war with Japan.
- As he becomes more trusted by the royal family, Rasputin gains more and more influence over governmental decisions, especially once Nicholas decides to join his troops at war and Alexandra begins acting in his stead.
- Evil Uncle: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovitch, AKA "Uncle Sergei", who not only encourages his nephew's hard-line conservative politics, but also causes the Khodynka Tragedy through poor management, advises Nicholas against making a PR-motivated appearance at the site of the tragedy, and even insists on Russia's declaration of war on Japan.
- The Good Chancellor: Prime Minister Stolypin, who consistently tries to steer Nicholas away from the worst excesses of the autocracy and does his best to reform Russia into a more modern nation - albeit not without bloodshed. His assassination is nothing short of disastrous, as without his influence, autocracy continues unabated and gradually paves the way for the revolution.
- Head-in-the-Sand Management: As the documentary segments point out, Nicholas and Alexandra live in a bubble; they believe themselves universally loved by the people, and that any protestors or revolutionaries belong to a small but vocal minority. As such, their decisions are often made without taking public opinion - or indeed the public good - into account, alienating the people and encouraging further outrage.
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: Rasputin's first (unsuccessful) assassin, Khioniya Guseva, is portrayed as a relatively ordinary-looking woman. In reality, Khioniya was missing her nose.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Downplayed in the case of Rasputin; though the series depicts the Mad Monk as a hedonistic, loutish and sometimes sinister individual responsible for events that are now believed to be little more than rumours - such as the Yar Restaurant incident - he's actually given a much more sympathetic portrayal. Plus, rather than make him directly responsible for anything truly horrific, the series portrays him as an enabler of Nicholas and Alexandra's neurotic behaviour.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Fresh from narrowly avoiding an attempt on his life, Rasputin hits the booze hard.
- Jerkass: Sergei Alexandrovitch is not a pleasant man, to say the least; foul-tempered, manipulative, brutally conservative, warmongering, and arrogant, it's not much of a surprise when his carriage becomes a target for angry mobs - then assassins. Truth in television, by the way: his own cousin once wrote, "Try as I will, I cannot find a single redeeming feature in his character."
- Papa Wolf: Prime Minister Stolypin erupts with rage when he finds Rasputin slipping a hand up his comatose daughter's skirt, and though he's forced to back down when it turns out that he's acting with the Tsar's permission, he's determined to force Rasputin out of royal affairs from then on.
- Poor Communication Kills: The series argues that Nicholas and Alexandra's downfall really began picking up speed once they made the decision to hide their son's haemophilia from the public. Consequently, the decisions made in pursuit of Alexei's wellbeing come across as completely bewildering to anyone not in the know, increasing the royal family's distance from the public, making them look even more backward and uncaring, and eventually leaving them dependent on the guidance of Rasputin - the only man outside the innermost circle they believe they can trust.
- Rasputinian Death: Ironically downplayed despite featuring the trope-namer! Through he proves to be immune to the poisoned wine, Rasputin only survives the first gunshot due to Yusupov's poor aim, the bullet not hitting anything vital; the second kills him instantly.
- Really Gets Around: Rasputin is, as per his common perception, portrayed as sexually adventurous to the point of being widely regarded as a Sex God. Returning to his apartment after yet another wild party, he finds that an entire queue of women of varying ages is waiting for him, and he gleefully agrees to accommodate them one at a time. However, he doesn't extend his tastes to the Czarina, and even seems a little bit uncomfortable when she rests her head on his shoulder... but that doesn't stop the press from spreading the rumour of an affair far and wide once the extent of the royal family's dependence on him becomes clear.
- Tragic Keepsake: Following Uncle Sergei's assassination, Nicholas is seen keeping his ruby ring on his desk as a memento.
- While Rome Burns:
- One of the earliest mistakes of Nicholas I's reign is his reluctant decision to carry on with the post-coronation celebrations instead of making a compassionate appearance at Khodynka, where thousands of people have just been killed in a stampede - during festivities in the Czar's honor. Needless to say, Nicholas ends up coming across as callous and uncaring.
- He makes the same mistake again during the Russo-Japanese War; when protests break out in the capital, he opts to leave his palace for a country retreat and leave behind his guards to handle the unrest. As such, while petitioners are being shot dead in the Bloody Sunday massacre, Nicholas is playing games with his children.
