Who else has felt like they're living in a time loop recently?
For Nadia Vulvokov that groundhog day feeling is very real in this absolute gem of a Netflix show. Being a fan of both sci-fi/supernatural shows and Natasha Lyonne, this series has been sitting on my "to-watch" list for quite some time. Weirdly it was seeing the show referenced in Big Mouth (Another one of my lockdown binges) that finally prompted me to check it out.
Over lockdown I have been doing everything in my power to avoid watching anything that isn't a lighthearted comedy romp. There's nothing wrong with that but I can't tell you how good it feels to finally get back to watching and analysing more interesting content. Even though the episodes are short and the premise is simple there is a LOT to talk about here and from the first episode onwards I've been hooked.
1. Plot
Nadia is washing her face in her best friend's strangely lit bathroom in front of a mirror. This first image is bold and important. She's strangely dressed with a large head of red curly hair and a suit jacket, her makeup a little bit smudged. Her best friends Maxine (Greta Lee) and Lizzy (Rebecca Henderson) are throwing her a 30th Birthday party, a birthday which is especially significant to Nadia since she is now one year older than her own mother when she died. Nadia spends her 30th making some questionable choices. She smokes almost constantly, drinks a lot, takes drugs and ends up hooking up with a random man at the party.
Despite the festivities, Nadia's mind is elsewhere. Her cat Oatmeal has gone missing and after leaving her latest conquest she decides to go on a late night hunt for him. She finds Oatmeal sitting across the road. Just as she crosses to reach him she's hit by a car and killed. When she opens her eyes again she's back in the strangely lit bathroom staring at the mirror. She's back to the start. It's her 30th Birthday all over again.
While the concept of this show may sound familiar (Groundhog day anyone?) there's something very unique to the way Russian Doll uses the time loop premise. Most of the joy of this show comes from our central character and spotting the background details in each loop. From the very beginning the loop is strange and disorientating and there's a constant feeling of impending dread. The less we know about why the time loop is happening the more sinister it seems especially when small details start to change. Flowers in vases start dying, fruit rots even though everything else has reset. The result is an almost horror like tone.
2. Nadia Vulvokov
Nadia Vulvokov has to be one of the most iconic science fiction characters ever written. She is instantly compelling in her oversized coat with her crazy hair and dangling gold necklace. We can instantly identify her as someone who is living life on the edge and who has a very unique sense of style and view of themselves. Nadia wears her butch outfits like armour much like her sizzling sharp wit and self deprecation, often used as a defense mechanism against bullying and depression.
What Russian Doll does so brilliantly is use its time loop as a metaphor for someone suffering with mental illness, in Nadia's case anxiety and depression. She is such an interesting puzzle in her own right that finding out the reason for the time loop almost becomes second to seeing how she's going to deal with it. She is a masterclass in character creation.
I don't want to spoil the show and I know there is a second season on the way but I want to commend the writers on their handling of Nadia's mental illness. Using supernatural forces as metaphors for our own inner demons is nothing new but there is no demonising of Nadia's issues in Russian Doll. If anything this show is about living and dealing with trauma and the cycle of having rough days and working to make yourself well again. Despite it's dark tone and wisecracking the show is ultimately about healing.
3. Horror and Format
As previously mentioned Russian Doll has more of a horror feel to it than science fiction especially as we crawl towards the final few episodes where we get some incredibly disturbing imagery. It's not for the faint of heart! That being said I never felt weighed down by the shows darkness and this might be due to how short the episodes are. This show was designed to be binged. Resisting the "next episode" button becomes an almost impossible task and if I wasn't watching it with my housemate I would have gone through it a lot quicker!
The short but sweet model of making television is becoming increasingly popular leaving us wanting more even though we know it's probably just the right amount. I respect shows that don't stretch out their air time for no reason or outstay their welcome. The mini-series is a craze I can get behind!
Conclusion
Russian Doll is the show that has lifted me out of my trash TV rut. It's funny, entertaining, the cinematography is STUNNING and it's a show that does something incredibly powerful with a very simply, punchy concept. I can't wait to see what they do in season 2!
9/10