Major Spoilers Ahead.
Russian Doll is a show can everyone will probably love, but the hype over sells the show. The stellar pairing of Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland indicates that there should very little to dislike about the show, but it also means that — if the show is anything less than mind-blowing — it’s a bit of a letdown.
In Russian Doll, Natasha Lyonne plays Nadia Vulvokov, a character who shares many traits with Lyonne’s Orange is the New Black character, Nicky Nichols. Both Nadia and Nicky are self-destructive and not to be messed with. They also surround themselves with people who simultaneously want what’s best for them yet enable the character’s worst habits.
In the case of Nadia, we are treated to watching her relive the same party over and over again. Fortunately, she makes different decisions each time. Unfortunately, they aren’t better and all end with her death.
The execution is fascinating. However, I couldn’t shake the idea that this feels like an MFA film project that someone got handed a million dollars to make. Sure, the first episode, “Nothing in This World is Easy,” was amazing, but it’s extremely artsy and runs the risk of becoming pretentious. With the exception of Nadia, the rest of the characters are glorified set pieces who are there to guide Nadia through her thoughts.
The best description of Russian Doll comes from The Daily Beast’s Natalia Winkelman who called the show “a Darker, druggier Groundhog Day.
Considering the series was released the day before Groundhog Day 2019, Netflix had to have known what it was doing and hoping to capitalize on the comparisons. After all, what better way to celebrate Groundhog Day than watching someone repeat their bad decisions with other less bad, but still terrible decisions.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
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