The Great: Gillian Anderson is Joanna in first-look photos from Season 2

In a pair of first-look photos for The Great, Gillian Anderson has transformed into Joanna Elisabeth Holstein Gottorp. A glamourous socialite from Germany, Joanna is also known as the “maestro of marriage” for her ability to arrange high-profile partnerships for her daughters. Per a Fandom-powered wiki for The Great, Joanna has heard rumors of her daughter’s coup and come to Russia to see it for herself. Though the apple of Catherine’s eye and a doting mother, it soon becomes clear Johanna has more sinister intentions to save her family’s reputation.

Famously known for playing Dana Scully in the fan-favorite series X-Files, Anderson has stolen the show for several series, including Hannibal, American Gods, The Fall, The Crown, and one of my personal favorites, Netflix’s Sex Education, in which she plays sex therapist, Dr. Jean Milburn. She’s an absolute marvel when it comes to playing sinister characters on-screen, making her a great fit for the scheming Joanna.

You can see the new photos of Gillian Anderson as Joanna below:

Per Hulu, here is the official description for The Great Season 2:

In season two of The Great, Catherine finally takes the Russian throne for her own — but if she thought coup-ing her husband was difficult, it’s nothing compared to the realities of ‘liberating’ a country that doesn’t want to be. She’ll battle her court, her team, even her mother in a bid to bring enlightenment to Russia. Meanwhile, she’ll also battle her heart as Peter slowly transitions from a much-hated husband to a prisoner? Ally? Lover? Ultimately Catherine will learn that to change a country, you must let it change you, that there is a fine line between idealism and delusion, and that becoming ‘Great’, will ask more of her than she could have imagined.

For The Great, Gillian Anderson isn’t the only cast member looking incredible in her high society finery. The period comedy also stars Elle Fanning as Catherine, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Bayo Gbadamosi, and Belinda Bronilow.

The Great is created, written and executive produced by Tony McNamara and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff, and Andrew Spaulding, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, and Matt Shakman.