Written by Grave Reviews Staff
Plot
Russian Doll was released on February 1, 2019 as a Netflix original series. This is a story about a middle age woman (let’s say youngish lady instead) named Nadia, played by Natasha Lyonne, who is stuck is a never-ending scenario. Nadia is a character whom distrusts people and is very skeptical of most if not every situation. Throughout the first season of Russian Doll, she discovers that when she dies, her day starts from the day of birthday. Along the path to discovery, Nadia meets a young man named Alan (played by Charlie Barnett) who also has experiences the same situations. Together, they try to figure out how to break the cycle of death and rebirth. This dark-comedy resembles elements from movies such as Groundhog Day and more recently, Happy Death Day.
Impressions
Being from New York, we appreciate that Lyonne is also a native of New York. In fact, most of the scenes that were shot for the show, were places in New York City or the surrounding boroughs. But what we enjoyed most about Lyonne’s performance is her sarcastic and forward speaking manner that she exemplifies in Russian Doll. Her character portrays the typical no-nonsense New Yorker that we have are familiar with. Her ability to captivate an audience as a main character is exceptional and she is pleasant to watch.
As to the story itself, the story line is very slow paced. However, given that each episode lasts between 25 and 30 minutes, you will still be enticed to watch the next episode. The plot is rather simplistic and does not open up the opportunity to expand the series that much further. However, Russian Doll would a great miniseries and it will be interesting to see what direction the producers take this in.
Death Scenes
Although Russian Doll does not fall within the horror genre, we wanted to make an honorable mention of this series for its death and blood aspects. There is no shortage of deaths in this show. From being electrocuted to breaking your neck, I imagine the writers had a fun time in thinking of different ways in which both Alan and Nadia could die. There is one scene at the end of the first series which is particularly good. Can you spot it?
Overall
A fun experience overall. The snarky dark humor and the death scenes, combined, will provide enjoyment to any morbid-minded individual. And yes, this show can be binged in one night. My only prediction and critique, is that this series will be short to the nature of the plot. Do you agree?
Where to watch it and when will season 2 come out?
The series is only 8 episodes long. Each episode spans about 25-30 minutes as previously mentioned. Russian Doll is currently streaming on Netflix. Given that the series was released two days from this posting, sources predict that season 2 of Russian Doll will most likely come out in February of 2020.
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