Russian Doll uses the tired trope of reliving the same day again and again after dying. It’s been done most famously with Groundhog Day, and also Before I Fall (the book AND movie). But the recycled narrative is completely revived by none other than Natasha Lyonne. We know and love her as Nikki from OITNB, and she’s still a badass hot mess as Nadia Vulvokov in Russian Doll. This time, with an existential twist.
Existential dread is the new trend for television shows. There’s The Good Place with Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, and the new Miracle Workers on TBS with Steve Buscemi. It isn’t a sudden fascination, it’s always been there. Everyone wonders about life and death, no matter your background. Television has evolved into such a heavily produced and favored medium that it can now tackle these heavy topics. Russian Doll is the perfect example of a show about the big life and death questions- done right.
Nadia wakes up again and again reliving her 36th birthday party. I think they wrote it that way to comment about the partying lifestyle. Sometimes, a party can be really fun. Other times, an interaction with a friend can ruin it for you, or you’re not in the right headspace. But spending time with the same exact people doing the same exact thing can get really mundane no matter how exciting the situation is.
Some other things I picked up on:
-Nadia’s obsession about finding out what was in the joint is a comment about drug culture. She exclaims: “It has to be the drugs because if it’s not the drugs it’s me, and it can’t be me.” A lot of people view drugs as the problem, but really they are symptoms of a problem: what led to drug use in the first place.
-Motif of religion: “Isn’t it kind of fucked up that we’re partying where Yeshiva students used to study the Talmud?”
-LIGHTING! In every scene there is always stunning lighting, usually surrounding Nadia’s bright red, curly hair. Sometimes she talks to someone and she’s in blue and they’re in a white, softer light. When it’s her and Alan, they’re usually in the same light because they’re operating on the same wavelength (waking up in the same spot, reliving the same day over and over again).
I have a few episodes left, but I think the show is going to lead to finally addressing the continuity of Nadia and Alan’s deaths. Like what’s the deal with the rotting fruit?? And certain objects are disappearing from time jumps, like the mirrors and Alan’s engagement ring. I NEED ANSWERS.