This episode should've been the whole plot for the second season. The creators missed out on having a really good second season. Nonetheless the actors are good and the writing is there, but the plot falls short. Second season should've been then trying to get out of this loop.
19 Reviews
Intelligent & Entertaining - S02 Review
JoshuaMercott25 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
There were several notable points in Season two of "Russian Doll". They didn't rush through the seven episodes that comprised it, and the dialogues were great.
Directors included Natasha Lyonne and Alex Buono, both of whom did good work rendering this season delightful in a dark way. In addition to starring and directing, Natasha Lyonne worked on the screenplay with Allison Silverman, Zakiyyah Alexander, Alice Ju, Lizzie Rose, and Cirocco Dunla.
Good musical scoring, clever costume and production design, as well as keen cinematography all worked in season 2's favour. Editing and sound effects did great work, not to forget VFX.
Nadia Vulvokov, played by Natasha Lyonne, was outstanding. Maxine, played by Greta Lee, was good. Ruth Brenner, played by Elizabeth Ashley, was notable. Alan Zaveri, played by Charlie Barnett, was great. Chezare "Chez" Carrera, played by Sharlto Copley, was memorable. Young Ruth Brenner, played by Annie Murphy, was quite good.
This bizarre story was all about an NYC woman stuck in a time loop and having to relive her own birthday party over and over as she strives, and fails, to find a way out of the maddening cycle. This plot and theme carried over into season 2 of "Russian Doll", with a good dose of key pacing and twists included.
I loved how subtly they introduced the fact that Nadia time-travelled - time-commuted, rather - back to the 80s. The comedic confusion and sinister possibilities that followed more than made season 2 a delight to watch, especially considering that Nadia became an entirely different woman, namely her own mother (Lenora Vulvokov, played by Chloë Sevigny) - and she was pregnant with herself (!).
The series took off from there and had me hooked. Nadia went to other eras too, and it generated great intrigue. Wonderful soundtracks and captivating plot-twists kept the show going. They set up quite the finale in preparation for season 3 of "Russian Doll". I can't wait to see what Nadia Vulvokov experiences next.
Directors included Natasha Lyonne and Alex Buono, both of whom did good work rendering this season delightful in a dark way. In addition to starring and directing, Natasha Lyonne worked on the screenplay with Allison Silverman, Zakiyyah Alexander, Alice Ju, Lizzie Rose, and Cirocco Dunla.
Good musical scoring, clever costume and production design, as well as keen cinematography all worked in season 2's favour. Editing and sound effects did great work, not to forget VFX.
Nadia Vulvokov, played by Natasha Lyonne, was outstanding. Maxine, played by Greta Lee, was good. Ruth Brenner, played by Elizabeth Ashley, was notable. Alan Zaveri, played by Charlie Barnett, was great. Chezare "Chez" Carrera, played by Sharlto Copley, was memorable. Young Ruth Brenner, played by Annie Murphy, was quite good.
This bizarre story was all about an NYC woman stuck in a time loop and having to relive her own birthday party over and over as she strives, and fails, to find a way out of the maddening cycle. This plot and theme carried over into season 2 of "Russian Doll", with a good dose of key pacing and twists included.
I loved how subtly they introduced the fact that Nadia time-travelled - time-commuted, rather - back to the 80s. The comedic confusion and sinister possibilities that followed more than made season 2 a delight to watch, especially considering that Nadia became an entirely different woman, namely her own mother (Lenora Vulvokov, played by Chloë Sevigny) - and she was pregnant with herself (!).
The series took off from there and had me hooked. Nadia went to other eras too, and it generated great intrigue. Wonderful soundtracks and captivating plot-twists kept the show going. They set up quite the finale in preparation for season 3 of "Russian Doll". I can't wait to see what Nadia Vulvokov experiences next.
last two episodes
vacila28 April 2022
Second season should be like those last two episodes. Them trying to get out of this loop that happened on her 40th birthday.
1st episode- should be the birthday and creation of the loop and starting from episode 2 - them finding out what it's about and trying to get out of it But instead we got really bad first 5 epiosdes so by the time you get to episode 6 you don't care anymore.
Such a shame and such a waste. Season 1 was AMAZING ... 2nd could be so good ...bu we got what we got. RIP Russian Doll. You left me with a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.
1st episode- should be the birthday and creation of the loop and starting from episode 2 - them finding out what it's about and trying to get out of it But instead we got really bad first 5 epiosdes so by the time you get to episode 6 you don't care anymore.
Such a shame and such a waste. Season 1 was AMAZING ... 2nd could be so good ...bu we got what we got. RIP Russian Doll. You left me with a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.
Absolute bonkers!
utkarshraj-9872020 April 2022
I really don't understand these reviews. 1 star? Seriously??
They managed to bring up time travel, space time continuum, parallel universe, schizophrenia, schrodinger's cat, comedy, nazism, wormhole, holocaust, berlin wall, butterfly effect, multiverse collisions, body swapping, grandfather paradox, communism, twin paradox and time collapse in a single season???!!!! And you didn't like a single thing???
Don't listen to these negative reviews, Season 2 is absolutely great and a must watch.
They managed to bring up time travel, space time continuum, parallel universe, schizophrenia, schrodinger's cat, comedy, nazism, wormhole, holocaust, berlin wall, butterfly effect, multiverse collisions, body swapping, grandfather paradox, communism, twin paradox and time collapse in a single season???!!!! And you didn't like a single thing???
Don't listen to these negative reviews, Season 2 is absolutely great and a must watch.
"I use the terms 'now' and 'used to be' loosely"
bosporan21 April 2022
From Harry Nilsson to Pink Floyd, Russian Doll is a yellow brick road for Alan and Nadia to uncook the egg and set time's arrow straight. It is a resplendent, rashomon cacophony of matryoshka ideas with nods to Oz, Alice, Escher and Quantum Leap.
Natasha Lyonne does everything from chief cook to bottle washer, but it is her glorious larger-than-life, on-screen presence that makes this so compelling.
Tabula rasa is a state of mind, achieved only by surrendering your heart's desire!
Natasha Lyonne does everything from chief cook to bottle washer, but it is her glorious larger-than-life, on-screen presence that makes this so compelling.
Tabula rasa is a state of mind, achieved only by surrendering your heart's desire!
Lyonne the genius!
alicej-1370624 April 2022
Season 1 was one of the best shows I had seen in a long time when it came out in 2019. I was worried season 2 would be unnecessary due to season 1 having a satisfying ending. Alas I did enjoy season 2 in all its completely trippy beauty and I do hope we have a season 3 to look forward to. Natasha is a unique gem of the industry and deserves serious recognition!
Loved both seasons!
MutantFrogLover21 April 2022
Fascinating, again. (I'll try not to give spoilers)
didorm22 April 2022
The story, the acting, the images, the music! Yes, that music. Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead throughout the second season, and then the Pink Floyd songs in the end, they hit me.
Just like almost every character. You've got to love them all, even the unlikables.
I must admit that it took me the first three episodes to get into the story, unlike season one that gripped me right from the beginning, but once I got into it I didn't stop watching.
Surreal again, but moving and very human. I feel like every character could be someone I've actually met in my 51 years.
I rewatched season one a month or two ago and I was actually not keen on the idea of a new season, as I was afraid it might spoil the great impression it left on me with, but especially the second part of this second season left me with that same feeling.
Just like almost every character. You've got to love them all, even the unlikables.
I must admit that it took me the first three episodes to get into the story, unlike season one that gripped me right from the beginning, but once I got into it I didn't stop watching.
Surreal again, but moving and very human. I feel like every character could be someone I've actually met in my 51 years.
I rewatched season one a month or two ago and I was actually not keen on the idea of a new season, as I was afraid it might spoil the great impression it left on me with, but especially the second part of this second season left me with that same feeling.
What is this
aboalhyjaa30 April 2022
Wow. Ive been waiting season 2 since 2019 when i binge watched the first season and was mind blown not by the idea because its not original but by the implementation of the show itself. Unfortunately, season 2 was not it. It didn't had a single original idea, the writers were just mixing anything hollywood has ever done. Yet, that's not the biggest problem, they were doing it wrong with the time-space travailing as it has no rules!
I know for a fact season 3 is gonna be better but after the disappointment with season 2 I doubt a lot of people will watch it.
I know for a fact season 3 is gonna be better but after the disappointment with season 2 I doubt a lot of people will watch it.
Loved the whole season/series
garabedian12325 April 2022
Sure...season 2 may just be a soft reboot of season 1...but its still highly entertaining to watch...Season 1s ending was kinda silly to me. And even though this ending did not answer much it was better because it did not try to answer "why"?
Why is it happening...it runs in the family.
Why is it happening...it runs in the family.
Truly amazing Oscar level quality the last 2 episodes
dimitrayhoo1 May 2022
It was an amazing journey about trying to learn how to live not how not to die as it was at season 1 full of meanings and amazing emotional journey Natasha did an amazing job and truthfully i wish it was a season 3 but it ended in such an amazing way that I kind of wish doesn't have it was really really amazing a must watch. It talks about loneliness meaning of life and existence in general depression parenting all in such a loose but also deep way. I was extremely emotional at the end of the episode 7 of season 2 it was such an amazing conclusion. Well done it was perfect.
Season Two Review
southdavid1 June 2022
Three years ago I reviewed season one of "Russian Doll" and really liked it. I'm not sure that I felt a second season was really required, as it felt like a contained story, but I did say that if there was one, then I'd be back for it. Having watched it, I'm not sure that I really enjoyed it that much as I felt that the story was sacrificed for surface level ideas.
Nadia's (Natasha Lyonne) birthday is approaching again. As she takes the subway she discovers that she has travelled back to the early 80's and is inhabiting her mother Lenora (Chloe Sevigny). Accustomed now to unusual situations, she soon sees the opportunity to improve her lot in life by stopping Lenora from stealing and losing the family heirloom. She encourages Alan (Charlie Barnett) to use the train too, and he ends up inhabiting his own grandmother in segregated Berlin, in 1962.
Lyonne is still great and Nadia is still one of TV's classic characters. Her sardonic non-plussed trip through her family's history is fun to watch. I'm not convinced though that the story holds together as well as it might. The time loop of season one was, admittedly, an easier concept to get your head around than the quirk of this one. The subway train that transports you back into your parents/grandparents depending on which carriage you travel in. Where it gets slightly more confusing is when it then starts transporting people around the world, and not just around New York.
There's then a surface level exploration of a number of themes. Her mum's mental illness, her family's wartime persecution, as well as accepting the past. It's best though in the final couple of episodes, when time starts to cave in on itself. This story also leaves Alan much more of an outsider this time, and truth be told, his storyline could have been dropped entirely, again until the final couple of episodes.
I know they have a three season arc in mind and I'll probably come back for that third season if it's ever forthcoming - but at the moment, I feel like this tarnishes an exemplary first run.
Nadia's (Natasha Lyonne) birthday is approaching again. As she takes the subway she discovers that she has travelled back to the early 80's and is inhabiting her mother Lenora (Chloe Sevigny). Accustomed now to unusual situations, she soon sees the opportunity to improve her lot in life by stopping Lenora from stealing and losing the family heirloom. She encourages Alan (Charlie Barnett) to use the train too, and he ends up inhabiting his own grandmother in segregated Berlin, in 1962.
Lyonne is still great and Nadia is still one of TV's classic characters. Her sardonic non-plussed trip through her family's history is fun to watch. I'm not convinced though that the story holds together as well as it might. The time loop of season one was, admittedly, an easier concept to get your head around than the quirk of this one. The subway train that transports you back into your parents/grandparents depending on which carriage you travel in. Where it gets slightly more confusing is when it then starts transporting people around the world, and not just around New York.
There's then a surface level exploration of a number of themes. Her mum's mental illness, her family's wartime persecution, as well as accepting the past. It's best though in the final couple of episodes, when time starts to cave in on itself. This story also leaves Alan much more of an outsider this time, and truth be told, his storyline could have been dropped entirely, again until the final couple of episodes.
I know they have a three season arc in mind and I'll probably come back for that third season if it's ever forthcoming - but at the moment, I feel like this tarnishes an exemplary first run.
Not as good as season one
edwardeggers1 May 2022
Not as good as season one. Not sure what this was even for. It had some funny moments but season one was great. Season two not so much. It's a bunch of rehashed time travel crap about fixing your past by riding the subway. I guess the lesson is to accept your past? Idk. Just not nearly as good as the first one.
Episode 207
bobcobb30113 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It might be time to wrap the show up after this. There was a lot of interest early in season one, early in this season, but it is just off the rails here. None of this made sense, they just gave us a lot of random stuff.
Just finished Season 2
jonchivers-9619920 April 2022
Wow... and not in a good way.
After the intrigue of Season 1, Season 2 has been nothing short of awful.
The penultimate episode ALMOST suggested redemption for the previous 5, but alas no.... simply a disastrous attempt to cash in on a sleeper hit first season.
And for anyone who's thinking 'You just don't get it!' trust me... i do. It's still bloody awful.
Watch the first season, enjoy its highly satisfying ending and then add it to the pile of Russian themed things you don't much care for anymore.
After the intrigue of Season 1, Season 2 has been nothing short of awful.
The penultimate episode ALMOST suggested redemption for the previous 5, but alas no.... simply a disastrous attempt to cash in on a sleeper hit first season.
And for anyone who's thinking 'You just don't get it!' trust me... i do. It's still bloody awful.
Watch the first season, enjoy its highly satisfying ending and then add it to the pile of Russian themed things you don't much care for anymore.
What happened
killver19 May 2022
Could be better
snoopybear-3100920 April 2022
Eh, there was alot in this season i enjoyed yet everything felt so rushed and underused. Too short, at least it was bingeable. If they make a season 3 i hope they at least make the episodes longer or add more to the story because this felt lacking in many structures. Good visuals though, and i liked the backstories. Some really good concepts overshadowed and underplayed. Thats too bad i really liked season one.
A waste of time
adindapermainan20 April 2022
I love the season 1, but season 2 has the worst time traveling movie.
If you feel the first two episodes are bad , then don't watch them anymore. Because it doesn't get any better. I regret I had watched the entire series.
If you feel the first two episodes are bad , then don't watch them anymore. Because it doesn't get any better. I regret I had watched the entire series.
Soufflé collapse
jpiazza-8643129 April 2022
First season was oh so interesting. The ending could have been better but it was certainly no worse than endings like Dallas or Fringe. It was intriguing and it was fun. Had great music. This had pretty good tunes too. But aside from that This is just a mess.
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