Possibly the best TV series I’ve seen so far. Also, a side-note, I love Natasha Lyonne.
So, just to be cautious about it, I ain’t a guru and neither I’m watching TV shows on a regular. I watch very few shows because I’m picky about the time I’m giving watching. The regular shows for me that I pend to watch every season for are American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Scream Queens, Orange is the New Black, Black Mirror and maybe more, but I can’t recall any more.
Premise
I’m a sucker for realistic-fantasy type of TV shows. Russian Doll is just that.
It mainly happens on a Sunday, when it’s Nadia’s birthday, when she’s having a good time with her best friend Maxine and few other friends. She goes out with a guy which has a daughter, that has been married and had an affair with Nadia for few months before, then they broke off at the time his wife found out and (obviously) dumped him.
While they’re walking by the street, Nadia notices Oatmeal💖 across the street, then she gets hit by a car from neglecting attention. Suddenly, mysteriously, she spawns in the bathroom where the episode starts, a moment of her washing her face before going back to the party. She’s confused and everything seems to happen again exactly the same as the first time, and she’s not having it to re-experience everything, completing people’s sentences and such.
She struggles with focusing on her life and the supernatural thing she’s experiencing until she realizes how it works, so she attempts to prevent certain things from happening. E.g Preventing Ruth, her grandma/aunt from turning that damn stove on because she was going to die from the gas leak explosion, so Nadia calls the authorities or some gas-leaking services before morning, when she wants to heat up her tea/coffee.
Oatmeal
He’s just an icon, I love this show 96% because of Oatmeal, the cat.
Look how cute he is?!?!?!!
Fascination
The moment I realized the show is so good, was when they introduced Alan, such a singular character which instantly became one of the main characters for the rest of the season. He is also looping when dying, but not on a happy day as Nadia’s; he’s having one of the worst nights, right before he finds out his girlfriend was cheating on him while the at the same time he wanted to fuckin’ propose.
The way Alan and Nadia meet is quite smart thought and definitely fitting – satisfying to think about. They met in an elevator while there’s other people as well, and then the technical issues start to begin, the elevator loses control and it falls off. While the other ones are panicking, Nadia says the catch-phrase “Did you get the news? We’re about to die.”, then Alan says “It doesn’t matter, I die all the time.”. They die and meet again in the elevator, they both say the same thing, then Nadia says “Me too.” and Alan is weirded out, then 💥. Then they search each-other and try to figure out what’s the thing they’re going through and see if there’s a reason why they both experience the same thing.
Turns out they don’t find out but they like each-other more and stuff. Also, wicked fact is that when they die to re-spawn, they always do die at the same time.
It’s also fascinating how Nadia later on dies just for existing. Who falls down the stairs that easily? I mean cmon bitch.
Ending
It was honestly satisfying, but also confusing.
The 2 different timelines merge, one is when Alan and Nadia never met, the “real” one, and the other is the messed up one. So, Alan from a timeline does not remember Nadia, but she does, and vice-versa. There’s some nice quad-split screen going on.
They pressure each-other even though they didn’t meet in the merged timelines to prevent each-other’s deaths, because they would die for real if they actually would die from an accident (forgot how they found out that that’s how that works, but idk). Nadia prevents Alan from jumping off the building (because his girlfriend cheated on him) and Alan prevents Nadia’s car accident. (The ways they first died.)
They become friends (again) and uh, there’s some protesting riot going on that they walk with some artistic clothing and bikes, somewhere for something (I didn’t really get that yet, let me know in the comments).
Meaning
As read and watched few interviews of Natasha Lyonne, the backstory of the show is about her previous addictions, as of whenever she would die in the show, she’d die because of it. She directed, co-wrote and co-starred in the show, and that’s fucking amazing. I’ve always loved her unique performances and (so you could tell) her self being, on OITNB as well (at the time I’m writing this, I’m at season 6, episode 10).
What I learned
Give Alan alcohol if you want him to fuck you better than anyone.
Trailer
I’m sure there will be a Season 2, and I am more than excited to watch it.
PS. I love Natasha Lyonne.
