A crocodile indeed roams the halls, causing Archie to claim it is a sign against Catherine's leadership.

The episode centers on a chaotic rumor that a crocodile—viewed as a demonic omen—is roaming the palace. As Catherine attempts to use reason and science to dispel the court's fear, she eventually finds herself forming an unlikely alliance with the Patriarch to maintain control.

Peter continues his relentless (and absurd) attempts to win Catherine’s heart, which include carving a statue of her out of butter and laying out rubies in the shape of a heart on the palace grounds.

In a gruesome display of the show's dark comedy, Arkady and Tatyana deliver a message by stuffing a treaty proposal into the neck-hole of the decapitated Sunduk.