What I’m Watching: Russian Doll (Season Finale)

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 7 “Matryoshka” (B+)

It’s not easy to find an end to a time loop or some other sort of time travel story, both when you’re in it and when you’re writing it. That set high expectations for this finale, which needed to find a way to resolve things that made sense and also left something to potentially be explored in the future. As Alan expressed his displeasure with Nadia bringing her baby self to the present, they ended up back at her birthday party from season one, but quickly ended up moving through illogical spaces as non-playable characters, including an encounter with a rabbi and many Ruths coming up the stairs to see Nadia as she was leaving the party. Nadia was so sure when they followed Horse to the stopped train in the middle of the tunnel that things must work out if she was still standing, but her attitude changed entirely when they got on the train and she realized that she had missed Ruth’s death. Getting separated and dropped into separate pools of water in some sort of timeless train station was a poignant representation of their re-acclimation to reality and their gradual acceptance of having to say goodbye to people that they failed in some way. Showing up arm in arm at the wake happy to celebrate Ruth’s life was a great way to say goodbye and to send off this season. It’s been quite a ride, one that only this show can offer and which I’d be happy to board again in whatever new form season three and beyond might take.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Natasha Lyonne

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 6 “Schrödinger’s Ruth” (B+)

Delivering on the subway platform was a dramatic turn of events, and we got a sense of how much she’s losing her grip on what time she’s in by the arrival of everyone she knows to help, even people who shouldn’t have been there in that moment. Waking up in the hospital next to Chez smoking a cigar was a strange comfort since at least he was relevant to that era, though he was quickly ushered out by an angry Vera. Ruth was there advocating to give Nora a chance to raise the baby herself, and Nadia made a very puzzling decision to take the baby on the subway with her, a real “Thelma and Thelma,” as she described it. Upon returning to her present with the baby intact, she saw how things began to unravel and she kept jumping in time a week back, seeing Ruth in the hospital in various conditions based on what had brought her there on that date. Finding multiple corpses of herself and then of Alan was extremely worrisome, and Alan also started to see his own stable reality begin to crumble. Getting asked for his grandmother’s papers in 1962 was the first unfortunate step, and then getting off the subway in Nora’s 1982 was deeply concerning. Seeing his friend’s dad who had been dead for years and meeting the three Oatmeals got him spooked, and it does at least seem like both he and Nadia with baby in arms have found each other in the same timeline, whatever that will mean for their ability to correct things.

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 5 “Exquisite Corpse” (B+)

I should have expected that, on this show, Nadia traveling back to the middle of the Holocaust in Hungary wasn’t going to involve her getting caught or anything traumatic, but instead her walking around, smoking a cigarette, and smuggling out a good portion of her family’s jewelry felt quite casual and rather easy. Having her speak Hungarian for the majority of the episode was also somewhat trippy, but this show, for all that’s sometimes predictable about it, has the capacity to surprise in entirely unexpected ways. Things got very intense and disorienting towards the end when she kept walking from car to car and seeing a different version of herself, but the biggest realization is one that hedges closer to Alan’s perspective about not wanting to change things, or in this case, not being able to since they always happened like that. Nadia’s reaction to the insistence on the particular currency for the valuables made her realize that this was always a part of her history, and that nothing she had done had made any difference since events were still fated to play out the same way. What that suggests, to me, is that this theory of time travel is one in which time doesn’t play out in a linear way, meaning that Vera and Nora both shared a consciousness with Nadia at a certain point, and while Nora may have been more aware of it, especially since they separated for a time, that likely contributed to the diagnosis of mental illness. I’m not sure how that will lead to resolving anything, but it does provide plenty of food for thought.

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 4 “Station to Station” (B+)

Well, this is certainly interesting. I was right that there was German written on the subway doors when Alan got on them, and it turns out that he’s been living in his grandmother’s life, which is a considerably different experience than the one that Nadia has been having with her mother. He also has a radically different perspective from her about what to do with that incredible ability, which he’s basing in the same way on the movies that he’s seen: don’t try to change anything. Of course, he only felt that way when he thought it was an idyllic existence and that happiness might be possible, but upon learning that his grandmother was part of an operation to tunnel under the Berlin Wall, all he could think about was trying to change the past. I was surprised that Nadia just abandoned 1982 to go to Hungary, where she was mission-driven but Maxine was intent on accomplishing something else, eager to be impregnated by the grandson of the Hungarian Nazi while Nadia searched for clues. They did wake up by that grave of the priest, but then we got a great and somewhat disconcerting surprise at the end of the episode: Nadia’s train destination changes depending on where she is. I imagine she’s now in the body of her grandmother, which is going to be a wild ride and one that might be quite precarious and chilling, especially considering she’s still herself and isn’t likely to try to fly under the radar.

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 3 “Brain Drain” (B+)

This episode was heavily disorienting – not that most of this show isn’t already – and I noticed particularly the effect of the room closing in on Nadia as she spoke to the doctor while she was wearing a straightjacket and started to understand the seriousness of her situation. But this isn’t a show that’s going to find her locked in a psychiatric ward or an asylum but instead one that will easily see her finding a way out the window in mere moments. What she has to endure is that she knows what’s happening to her and that it’s real, but no one is going to believe her. The way that Ruth speaks to her is especially interesting, since she cares very much for her and almost doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that what she’s saying doesn’t make any sense. Having Nora split out of Nadia’s body when she smashed the mirror was a worthwhile development, one that allowed them to have capers together and to feel like partners rather than just a host and a traveler or parasite of sorts. Looking at slides from the Holocaust changed the mood of the episode considerably, but this isn’t about reliving suffering or connecting to heritage, rather the pursuit of something physical that was taken away and the attempt to rewrite history to create prosperity and strong family relationships. Going to Hungary is a new idea, one that feels like a major trip given Nadia’s inability to seamlessly ride the subway, but she seems set on figuring this out.

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 2 “Coney Island Baby” (B+)

It’s interesting to see how Nadia is taking advantage of her ability to travel back to the present to help her get important information, though she’s also seeing the drawbacks to getting on the subway and missing time in the past. Bragging that she could use the World Wide Web, a concept that sounded crazy to anyone listening in 1982, to do in one night what one man could do for her in two to three weeks was indeed productive in finding Chez, who seemed to be very much the same man four decades later, albeit a bit less optimistic about his future. Talking about the idea of a Coney Island didn’t hit Nadia well, and she still seems fervently intent on correcting the past. What she doesn’t seem to see, and which is likely the case, is that events may correct themselves, and just as she was stuck in a time loop before, she may now be fated to try and change the past with no hope of ever doing so. Finding out that, after she tracked him down, Chez had already given her the coins back the night before led her to a series of unsuccessful attempts to get them back, only to lose them on the subway at the end of the episode after she finally found them. I was pleased to see Annie Murphy from “Schitt’s Creek” and “Kevin Can F**k Himself” as young Ruth, who seems to be the best possible influence for the wayward Nora in 1982, and we also got a glimpse of Alan on his own train, though it remains to be seen whether his reflection will also be unrecognizable to Nadia.

What I’m Watching: Russian Doll (Season Premiere)

Russian Doll: Season 2, Episode 1 “Nowhen” (B+)

Wow, this gap really has been long – over three years since season one dropped its eight episodes. I caught up a few months later, in September, but that’s still more than two and a half years. For a show like this with time loops, I suppose that’s not as relevant, but I am glad to be able to get ahead of it this time and watch before or with everyone else rather than after the fact. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen and thought this might just be another time loop, and I’m thrilled to see that it’s something different. Not being able to explain why it happens isn’t all that important since the fun comes in watching it, and there’s something productive about Nadia being able to step back out of her mother’s body in 1982 and into her present situation, so that she can look up clues and figure out what will be most important when she goes back. I didn’t recognize Sharlto Copley, who I interviewed recently for his role as Ted Kaczynski in “Ted K,” as Chaz until I saw his name in the end credits, and I wonder whether he’ll be back or that’s a fixed moment that’s passed without her being able to fix it. I’m still waiting to see what happens when Alan gets on the subway since I was pretty sure I saw writing in German on the doors when they closed, and it would make sense that he would have a slightly different experience, though I have no idea what that means. I wasn’t expecting it, but I very much enjoyed Nadia’s comment that “Purim came early this year” when she got offered a treat.

Emmy Episodes: Russian Doll

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Russian Doll: Season 1, Episode 8 “Ariadne” (B)

I knew that this episode, the sixth and last of the submissions for Best Comedy Series consideration, wouldn’t be able to provide a satisfactory finish to its narrative, but this attempt was actually decent because not following a clear scientific or explained narrative means that the writers can make up whatever rules they want. Everything was back at the start to the way that it was supposed to be, though Alan noticing something new, while seemingly harmless, didn’t appear to be a good sign. Nadia’s conversation with Joe about life being like a “box of timelines” was entertaining, and it seemed like things might be okay until Nadia went to Alan’s apartment and he went to her party, signaling that their wires were not going to go well. Both Nadia and Alan realized at the same moment, at least as we saw it happening, that they were existing in their own narrative separate from the other’s loop, which meant that they could both die and that they didn’t have each to rely on for assistance anymore. Watching them fight to convince the other that they’re closer than they could ever possibly imagine because the other didn’t remember them was a compelling exercise that demonstrated the connection that they’ve made. Alan trying to get Beatrice away from Mike didn’t work too well until he used her student loan total to get her attention, and there is obviously something lingering between them that transcends whatever simultaneous timelines exist. The ending was sweet but didn’t wrap anything up, and after sampling six of these episodes, I definitely don’t feel like I need to see more, though I suppose it’s more tolerable than other fare. It’s certainly not my choice for Best Comedy Series.

Emmy Episodes: Russian Doll

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Russian Doll: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Way Out” (B-)

I skipped two episodes of this season to arrive at the fifth of the six episodes submitted for Best Comedy Series consideration, and I don’t feel that I missed much. The only real change is that, apparently, things are going wrong in their pursuit of the reason behind their time loops, causing people to disappear. There’s also evidently a whole lot of baggage that Nadia has with her mother, played by Chloe Sevigny, who was both destructive and manipulative in the way that she used her daughter and exploded at others in front of her. Nadia being haunted by the sight of her younger self was definitely disturbing, though nothing compared to the closing shot of her coughing up blood before a rather dramatic death. There is something cool about how she can have a heart attack and Alan will just conclude that it’s fine and they’ll meet up again soon, but I don’t know how this could possibly end in a compelling and satisfying way. Alan going to talk to Beatrice while wearing a helmet felt sort of silly but also intentional, and things ended up going differently than they had in the past. Nadia, in typical fashion, rocked a similarly protective outfit and looked much more ridiculous, far less effective than watching her return to the start of the party to find no one there but Maxine. I hope this finale will provide some closure but I’m dubious that will be the case since I don’t know what avenue would make this trip feel totally worthwhile.

Emmy Episodes: Russian Doll

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Russian Doll: Season 1, Episode 4 “Alan’s Routine” (B)

I liked this episode, the fourth of six submitted for Best Comedy Series consideration, more than I liked the first three, partly because Alan is a solid addition and because Nadia’s interactions with him and others felt more entertaining. Alan goes about his routine differently because he’s not the same kind of person as Nadia, though the day he has to keep experiencing is far from pleasant. I recognized Dascha Polano from “Orange is the New Black” as Beatrice, Alan’s girlfriend who didn’t seem particularly emotional about breaking up with him, a sadder fact since he was going to propose and now has to relive the disappointment over and over again. It’s interesting to see that Nadia showing up changed his experience, finding out that Beatrice was sleeping with someone else (who Nadia met in episode one) and telling his mom that she said yes since he wanted to see her happy for once. I really enjoyed Nadia’s search for the man she met in the elevator, asking the jewelry store clerk what her boyfriend’s name was and then interacting with Alan’s neighbor who didn’t trust her because a murderer would of course say that he hadn’t murdered any people. He didn’t seem happy to meet her at all, and her suggestion that they might be the same person made absolutely no sense despite her repeated assertions. Ultimately, how good this show is doesn’t depend entirely on the “science” or explanation that might eventually be discovered about why this is all happening, but rather on how watchable each episode is. For the next of this show’s submitted episodes, I’ll be skipping to episode seven, which is an acceleration with which I feel totally comfortable.

Emmy Episodes: Russian Doll

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Russian Doll: Season 1, Episode 3 “A Warm Body” (B-)

This is the third of this show’s six submitted episodes for Best Comedy Series consideration, and also got nominated for Best Writing in a Comedy Series along with the pilot. I’m not entirely surely why, since I’d argue that the first or second installments were actually better than this one. The Jewish content on this show is indeed weird, and I wasn’t overly fond of the portrayal of Shifra and the rabbi. Some quick research indicates that actor Jonathan Hadary, who portrayed the rabbi here, also played big time Jewish donor Sherman Tanz on “Veep,” hardly a commendable representation of Jews on television. I also know the synagogue, Town and Village, that was shown, which definitely is Conservative rather than Orthodox as indicated by the nature of the people inside it. Nadia quizzing Shifra on prayers before sort of asking for help was moderately intriguing, while John got his own spiritual awakening of sorts during his conversation with the rabbi. Meeting the shoeless and homeless Horse seemed to be helpful since he took her for who she is. I was excited to see that Horse is played by Brendan Sexton III, who was actually the very first actor I got to meet up close when I attended a two-week film school program in Brooklyn fifteen years ago. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Nadia was going to meet someone else who is experiencing the same thing she is, and though I expected it to happen eventually, I am curious to see how it changes this show and Nadia’s outlook on her short repeating life.

Emmy Episodes: Russian Doll

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Russian Doll: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Great Escape” (B-)

This is the last show I don’t regularly watch that I’m catching up on and marathoning for Emmy purposes. I actually rewatched the pilot about a month ago with my mom because she was moderately interested, and my opinion was about the same as it was when I first watched it when it premiered back in February. This is an intriguing concept and star Natasha Lyonne is undoubtedly magnetic, but I’m not sure why it is that it merits an entire series. That’s still not clear after this episode, the second of the six episodes submitted for Best Comedy Series consideration, which, in typical fashion with any film or TV show that features a day happening over and over, fast-forwarded through some of the misery endured by Nadia as she died repeatedly, unable to even descend the stairs without falling to her death. I’m waiting for her to start talking to people to find out something that could prove to them that she’s had this conversation before, beyond just getting a retroactive password from her drug dealer so that she could ask him questions during her next iteration. Inquiring about her mother’s diagnosis led her to nearly commit herself, something that she evidently wasn’t going to do and, in this particular circumstance, was able to reverse by causing a crash and sending her back to the beginning. I don’t know what comes next, but I’m continuing on to the next episode to see how Nadia keeps investigating now that she’s past the drug angle.

Pilot Review: Russian Doll

Russian Doll (Netflix)
Premiered February 3

I imagine most people tuned I to watch this show because they figured Natasha Lyonne staring in anything sounded like a superb idea. I certainly did, and it’s true – the “Orange is the New Black” star and Emmy nominee is extremely charismatic. She has a way with words, with the way that she pronounces every sentence adding tremendous depth and hilarity. I think I read a description of this show’s premise some time before sitting down to watch the opening installment, but I had forgotten it by the time I actually started. If there was anyone who was going to be stuck in a time loop, Lyonne is likely one of the funnier choices, and it’s a bit strange to see it in a setting that’s so distinctly set apart from science fiction, though I guess “Groundhog Day” is one of the most classic examples which is certainly more rooted in comedy than it is in genre tropes. There have been other shows with this premise before, though they’re rarely comedies, and “Daybreak” was one particularly lamentable one that went downhill immediately. It shouldn’t take too long for Lyonne’s Nadia to start saying the words she’s heard those around her utter before or while they say them, and for now, she’s making connections to the people who seem most important to her to determine how they can help her get through the night or at least stop living it over and over. It’s appealing, but this opening half-hour didn’t entice me enough to watch Lyonne do it again and again before maybe figuring out how to escape this cycle.

How will it work as a series? Lyonne has always had a way of expressing things literally when no one around her seems to understand them, and that skill should prove enormously useful here in pointing out the absurdity of her situation that no one else is able to see. Is that enough to fill eight episodes? I’m not sure, but it should at least prove entertaining.
How long will it last? The reviews are very good, and it’s just a question of what happens at the end of episode eight, whether Nadia is dead for good or if she has a new chance either to live life or rope someone else into experiencing this repeating night with over countless times. Given Lyonne’s popularity and appeal, I predict this one gets another round in some form.

Pilot grade: B