by Pa Rock
TV Junkie
For those of you who have not yet seen the new Netflix series Russian Doll, consider this your official challenge to do so. The first season is just out - eight, thirty-minute episodes - which could be easily binged in an afternoon.
Russian Doll is one of the most original shows that I have stumbled across. The central character, Nadia (the Russian doll), is a young and very hip computer game programmer living in New York City. The first episode begins as she is emerging from the bathroom of a friend's apartment in the midst of a birthday celebration in which she is the guest of honor. Nadia leaves the apartment in search of her cat, "Oatmeal," and, later that evening is hit and killed by a car as she darts into the street to reach the runaway cat.
Moments later Nadia comes to standing at the sink in the friend's bathroom. As she leaves the bathroom, she finds that she is back at the party at the very same point in time at which she exited the room earlier. A few more accidents ensue as Nadia starts figuring out that she is stuck in some karmic time loop, one that always begins with her death and ends with her back in the bathroom at the party.
Yes, it sounds a bit like Groundhog Day, but this show is at best a distant relative, one who has grown up in a whole different world from Bill Murray's weatherman.
Nadia is a strong-willed and very brash independent woman who, although significantly scarred by a well-meaning but psychologically abusive mother, is succeeding in conquering life on her own terms. She regards this sudden time loop phenomenon as a personal challenge and sets out to figure out why it is happening to her as a first step in getting it to stop. One evening she is on an elevator which suddenly begins to fall. All of the other passengers in the elevator begin going crazy with fear, except one young man and Nadia. She casually informs him that they are all going to die, and asks him why he is not panicking. He replies, calmly, that he has died many times.
When Nadia comes to in the bathroom of her friend's apartment moments later, she sets out to find the mysterious stranger.
I have heard the expression that certain dialogue "crackles," and that is a perfect word to describe the fast paced humor and action in Russian Doll. The dialogue of the characters, in particular, leaves one with the sense of an electric line that has been severed and is whipping around on the ground like a crazed snake. It bites, and pops, and shocks with abandon. This show is very, very funny - in an irreverent and adult way.
Russian Doll stars Natasha Lyonne as Nadia, the off-the-wall central character, and Charlie Barnett as Alan, the young man who is trapped in the very same time loop as Nadia. The show's creators and writers are Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland, and Elizabeth Ashley - and together these four ladies have come up with a dynamite concept and a rollicking good television show.
The following is a snippet review that I borrowed from a contributor calling himself "bluesinab" at the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB). I thought that he (or she) captured the essence of Russian Doll more succinctly than I ever could:
And that about says it all. I haven't enjoyed a show this much in a long damned time - and I highly recommend it for your viewing enjoyment!
TV Junkie
For those of you who have not yet seen the new Netflix series Russian Doll, consider this your official challenge to do so. The first season is just out - eight, thirty-minute episodes - which could be easily binged in an afternoon.
Russian Doll is one of the most original shows that I have stumbled across. The central character, Nadia (the Russian doll), is a young and very hip computer game programmer living in New York City. The first episode begins as she is emerging from the bathroom of a friend's apartment in the midst of a birthday celebration in which she is the guest of honor. Nadia leaves the apartment in search of her cat, "Oatmeal," and, later that evening is hit and killed by a car as she darts into the street to reach the runaway cat.
Moments later Nadia comes to standing at the sink in the friend's bathroom. As she leaves the bathroom, she finds that she is back at the party at the very same point in time at which she exited the room earlier. A few more accidents ensue as Nadia starts figuring out that she is stuck in some karmic time loop, one that always begins with her death and ends with her back in the bathroom at the party.
Yes, it sounds a bit like Groundhog Day, but this show is at best a distant relative, one who has grown up in a whole different world from Bill Murray's weatherman.
Nadia is a strong-willed and very brash independent woman who, although significantly scarred by a well-meaning but psychologically abusive mother, is succeeding in conquering life on her own terms. She regards this sudden time loop phenomenon as a personal challenge and sets out to figure out why it is happening to her as a first step in getting it to stop. One evening she is on an elevator which suddenly begins to fall. All of the other passengers in the elevator begin going crazy with fear, except one young man and Nadia. She casually informs him that they are all going to die, and asks him why he is not panicking. He replies, calmly, that he has died many times.
When Nadia comes to in the bathroom of her friend's apartment moments later, she sets out to find the mysterious stranger.
I have heard the expression that certain dialogue "crackles," and that is a perfect word to describe the fast paced humor and action in Russian Doll. The dialogue of the characters, in particular, leaves one with the sense of an electric line that has been severed and is whipping around on the ground like a crazed snake. It bites, and pops, and shocks with abandon. This show is very, very funny - in an irreverent and adult way.
Russian Doll stars Natasha Lyonne as Nadia, the off-the-wall central character, and Charlie Barnett as Alan, the young man who is trapped in the very same time loop as Nadia. The show's creators and writers are Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland, and Elizabeth Ashley - and together these four ladies have come up with a dynamite concept and a rollicking good television show.
The following is a snippet review that I borrowed from a contributor calling himself "bluesinab" at the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB). I thought that he (or she) captured the essence of Russian Doll more succinctly than I ever could:
In semi-typical fashion it started a little slow in interest for me but I watched the first episode and said,"Ok, one more..." And then of course you get the obligatory, "Well, I HAVE to see what happens next.." which is followed by, "Well, who the hell is THIS character?" And then of course the reaction of, " Oh Hell Naw!" Which proceeds the ever popular, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?" But then you get the "Oh I got this" episode. Only to be smacked by the " Whoa.... didn't see THAT coming" show. Which all is summed up with "More please.."
And that about says it all. I haven't enjoyed a show this much in a long damned time - and I highly recommend it for your viewing enjoyment!
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