Russian Doll is one of the new original series on Netflix. Written by Amy Poehler, Natasha Lyonne and Leslye Headland . They also serve as the executive producers to Russian Doll. The series is a wickedly funny dark comedy on existential crisis. Season 1 of the show premiered on 1st Feb 2019.
The 8 part season 1 has 30 minutes long episodes and has gained quite an attention from the dark comedy lovers. Comedy has become a powerful tool in the hands of the creative makers. Here comedy is used to address issues of childhood trauma, mental health, unfit parenting, unaddressed grief, guilt, insecurity and many more complex but very relevant psychological issues.
We have put together this article on Russian Doll only for you . Give it a read and get all caught up with the first season.
Plot of Russian Doll
Nadia’s 36 th birthday is where it all starts. On her 36th birthday, Nadia..well..dies. In a more weird turn of events, after her death, Nadia wakes up alive just the moments before her death and dies again. It does not take the audience long to understand that she is caught in some time loop. How will Nadia get out of it?
Nadia’s story
This is Nadia’s story. The storyline takes off with her being stuck on the time loop. When she finally realizes that it might be some sort of curse or some supernatural occurrence she goes to meet a Rabbi. The Rabbi tells her that buildings and objects are not haunted; people are. He advises her to surrender herself and stop pretending behind the cynical hedonistic ways.
Alan’s story
Alan Zaveri, another New Yorker, too is stuck in a time loop. For him it is the moment when he proposes to Beatrice, his girlfriend, only to find out she was cheating on him.
Alan meets Nadia
Both unfazed by death, try to figure out what is happening to them. They both set out to investigate what’s going on with them. They both become the co-passenger of the same destination. It’s so fresh to see them take a journey together and try to sort each other out. They serve as a foil to each other. Alan’s sad and nice persona is opposite to Nadia’s hedonistic no-nonsense one. It’s a weirdly sweet journey.
Their journey takes them to confront their insecurities and deepest fears.
The haunting of Nadia’s ghost
Nadia’s mother Lenora was mentally ill. Her way of living was unstable, difficult and strange. A child Nadia was afraid of her mother’s ways. In one scene we see Lenora is breaking all the mirrors.
In the Present, when Nadia is about to cross the street we see a young girl standing on the path across. This girl is Nadia’s child-self. This first and most important clue tells us that some severe form of trauma has scarred her so deeply that she drowns herself in insane ways. The Rabbi was right. It is the people who are haunted; not the places.
We learn later that Nadia told Child Protection Services that she would like to stay with Ruth, the family friend. After losing Nadia’s custody, Lenora killed herself. Nadia blamed herself ever since. She is still haunted. She has carried this horrible guilt ever since. By admitting this to Ruth, she sets her ghost, created by overwhelming guilt, free.
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Time bug, rotten yet ripe orange and Einstein
You read the heading right. These three things together will solve Nadia’s problem.
Nadia explains to Alan that something must have gone wrong in the coding of the universe and that’s why they are stuck in a time loop. If they don’t fix the bug, they will drift further from the original timeline.
Season 2
After supposedly fixing the problem, there seem to be two separate timelines for each of the characters. They end up in this parallel universe. Season 2 will pick from here only.
Russian Doll Season 2: Release
Russian Doll has become pretty popular and hence the season has been greenlit for a second season. Due to the raging pandemic, season 2 is predicted to come out at a much later date. The production of the series began in March 2021. We expect the series in early 2022.
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The cast of Russian Doll
- Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vuvkolav
- Charlie Barnett As Alan Zaveri
- Greta Lee as Nadia’s friend Maxine
- Rebecca Handerson as Lizzy
- Yule Vasquez as John
- Elizabeth Ashley, as Ruth Brenner, Nadia’s adoptive mother
- Annie Murphy is going to be joining the stellar cast in season, along with Sharlto Copley & Ephraim Sykes in season 2.
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Russian Doll Available on
The series is available on Netflix.
Conclusion
The uncommon title itself has been enough to draw attention to the weirdly serious comedy-drama. The series toys with many complex ideas while treating them with a flippancy that will not let your freak out.
Let us know your thoughts on this Netflix series in the comment box below.
