When Russian Doll was released on Netflix on Friday, February 1, that entire weekend my Facebook and Twitter feeds were absolutely dominated by praise for the show. It was a chorus of "So good!" and "I can't stop watching!"
The only thing I knew about Russian Doll was that it starred Natasha Lyonne. I have been a fan since her role as Jessica in the very first American Pie movie back in 1999. I also think she's had some excellent material on Orange is the New Black (also on Netflix).
After two weeks of resisting, I decided to give it a go. The series has eight episodes, each is about 25 minutes long. The premise is that Lyonne's character, Nadia, keeps dying. Each time, she comes back to the exact same spot - the bathroom in her friend Max's apartment, in the middle of her own birthday party.
The first time Nadia came back, I was like, "Ok, this could be interesting." But as it continued to happen again, and again, and again, I found myself getting pretty annoyed. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That is this show.
It got better for me in the fourth episode, when Nadia met Alan, another person experiencing these deaths and subsequent re-starts. Alan is played by Charlie Barnett, who you may recognize from Chicago Fire, Secrets and Lies, and You.
In the story, Alan is engaged to a woman named Bea, who is played by Dascha Polanco from Orange is the New Black. This was such a polar opposite look for her, I was totally taken aback when she came on screen!
In episode seven, we flash back to Nadia's childhood, where her mother is played by Oscar-nominated actress Chloe Sevigny. Sevigny and Lyonne are very close friends in real life. In an interview with INSIDER, Lyonne says, "She's like my sister. She's been a very specific figure in my life and it's like the decades keep flying by and we stay that close."
As the episodes roll on, you find yourself wondering, "Why is all this happening? Will it ever end?" In the final episode, we get our answer. Without giving anything away, I thought the eighth episode was the best of the entire series. Though the ending didn't make any sense to me, my favorite critics on NPR's podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour called that final moment, "incredibly satisfying."
Fun fact: in addition to starring in the show, Lyonne is one of the co-creators, along with Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland. It's incredibly exciting to me that there are more and more female creators and show runners in 2019.
Tell me, were you one of the early binge watchers and rabid fans of Russian Doll? Or were you perplexed like me?
*Images courtesy of J Weekly, Vox, and TV Insider.
Comments
M imran saifi
Fri, 09/03/2021 - 15:39
Super-Duper site! I am Loving it!! Will come back again, Im taking your feed also, Thanks. visa de turista canadá
saba 033
Sat, 09/04/2021 - 07:14
Kunjungi website kami untuk mendapatkan data SGP akurat yang Anda butuhkan secara real time berasal dari sumber terpercaya. Kami menyediakan prediksi agar Anda bisa melakukan bet agar Anda bisa menang dengan mudah. Kami juga merekomendasikan situs bandar togel terpercaya yang selalu terbukti membayar semua kemanangan bettor sehingga Anda tidak perlu lagi melakukan bet. Segera kunjungi website kami Layanan4D.com untuk mendapatkan informasi Data SGP anda sekarang juga. data sgp
mahnoor faiz
Sat, 09/04/2021 - 07:25
Your articles are inventive. I am looking forward to reading the plethora of articles that you have linked here. Thumbs up! 홀덤사이트
mahnoor faiz
Sun, 09/05/2021 - 03:58
I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post. fb88
M imran saifi
Sun, 09/05/2021 - 12:32
Your article has piqued a lot of positive interest. I can see why since you have done such a good job of making it interesting. W88
Ruth Dean
Mon, 09/06/2021 - 04:33
Thanks for sharing this information. I really like your blog post very much. You have really shared a informative and interesting blog post with people.. Joker888
mahnoor faiz
Mon, 09/06/2021 - 05:57
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice practices and we are looking to swap solutions with other folks, please shoot me an e-mail if interested. เกมสล็อต
M imran saifi
Mon, 09/06/2021 - 12:07
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is extremely helpful for me. Kanadan viisumi
mahnoor faiz
Mon, 09/06/2021 - 12:42
The guidelines you provided allow me to share extremely precious. It been found such a pleasurable surprise to possess that looking forward to me once i awoke today. They may be constantly clear easy to understand. Thanks a ton for the valuable ideas you’ve got shared the following. เกมสล็อต
M imran saifi
Tue, 09/07/2021 - 07:33
It was a very good post indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in my lunch time. Will surely come and visit this blog more often. Thanks for sharing. dmt cart
muhammad ali
Wed, 09/08/2021 - 06:11
Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. Please do keep up the great work. detectives sevilla
Ruth Dean
Wed, 09/08/2021 - 06:35
Your website is really cool and this is a great inspiring article. 토토사이트
นายวาทิต วงษ์วิรัตน์
Thu, 09/09/2021 - 02:02
IGOAL88
IGOAL88 The best online gambling sites With every bet To meet all needs of the gambler with a complete range
M imran saifi
Thu, 09/09/2021 - 13:15
This article was written by a real thinking writer without a doubt. I agree many of the with the solid points made by the writer. I’ll be back day in and day for further new updates. dmt cart
M imran saifi
Thu, 09/09/2021 - 13:15
This article was written by a real thinking writer without a doubt. I agree many of the with the solid points made by the writer. I’ll be back day in and day for further new updates. dmt cart
ayan shah
Fri, 09/10/2021 - 02:08
I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to understand. Unlike other blogs I have read which are really not that good.Thanks alot! hotmail login
muhammad ali
Fri, 09/10/2021 - 03:29
It's late finding this act. At least, it's a thing to be familiar with that there are such events exist. I agree with your Blog and I will be back to inspect it more in the future so please keep up your act. https://topuniversitieslist.com/national-sports-academy-vasil-levski/