Story by Mekyla Rose Forbes
“Dying is easy; it’s living that’s hard.”
Russian Doll is a wonderful eight-episode Netflix series which magnificently tickles the mind of the audience. It makes one laugh, sad, frustrated, and desperate, among others. The plot is well-written and has mind-blowing twists and turns which are really unexpected. Personally, it made me question my own sanity. That is how intense this series is. It also makes me doubt my own existence as well as the presence of the people and things around me. It made me think of the infinite possibilities of how I am living today in the infinite universes with numerous concepts of “time.”
The series was created by Leslye Headland, Amy Poehler, and Natasha Lyonne, the latter playing the role of the vivacious main character, Nadia Vulvokov.
The first scene was Nadia in front of the mirror of an odd-looking comfort room with a giant clam shell design on the door and a gun door handle. Behind the door occurred her 36th birthday party where she talked to her friends about her midlife crisis and her lost pet cat, Oatmeal. Eventually, she met a guy and they flirted with each other. After a few drinks and conversation, they both left the party to, supposedly, hook up. However, it did not happen. On her way back to the party, Nadia saw Oatmeal at the other side of the road. As Nadia was about to cross the road to get her cat, she was hit by a car. The next scene cuts to Nadia disoriented in front of the mirror of the same comfort room. She was at her party once again.
The story revolves around Nadia’s repetitive misadventures in the mysterious time loop of her 36th birthday. Every death or fatal injury brings her back to the bathroom mirror on the night of her birthday party.
As Nadia desperately exerts efforts to figure out what was going on, the exhaustion is palpable on-screen. The desperation and the feeling of insanity were accurately portrayed as Nadia tried to fix the situation she was stuck in. The musical score and soundtracks used added to the feeling of paranoia and insanity due to things being done over and over again.
Russian Doll is effective in its portrayal of feminism. It rejects stereotypical female characters and shows a more nuanced and detailed female personalities; for instance Nadia was never portrayed as the stereotypical “hot red-head”. She would always confront catcallers and counter them with savage comebacks. Likewise, Russian Doll also deviates from the stereotypes of machismo. The portrayal of male characters does not subscribe to the hypermasculine stereotype and were actually shown battling complex and deep emotions.
Further, there are scenes on Nadia’s interesting background which sensitively talk about mental health. Ruth, a counseling psychologist who took care of Nadia since she was young, would always say that “we do not use the word ‘crazy’ in this house; never did, never will.” This statement breaks the stigma that mental illnesses should not be equated to insanity. Moreover, towards the end of Russian Doll, it was revealed that Nadia’s birth mother suffered from a mental illness. Nadia, as a little girl, saw the condition of her mother. She even saw her mother’s violent tendencies which greatly affected their relationship. Nadia also resented her mother as she was growing up. Therefore, Russian Doll delivers the moral that there is a reason why people act the way they do and, therefore, there is a need for a safe space and respect for all. Further, Russian Doll presents the thought that there is a way out when a person feels stuck in his/her past which greatly affects the way they see themselves and the way they communicate with other people.
As Nadia relived her 36th birthday over and over again, certain clues that mark the passing of time were presented such as the rotting of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Eventually, as time — or so the idea of it— passes by, things and people also started to disappear. As a result, Nadia’s physical existence and everyone around her hung on a balance. The race to correct reality intensified. As Nadia pursued her search for the answer to her seemingly never-ending 36th birthday, she learned how to feel empathy towards people and how to, one way or another, help them get through a difficult situation.
Gradually, Nadia thought of another idea, one of the many she has already tried, in order to fix the problem that she was in. Towards the end of Russian Doll, Nadia kept on seeing her young self and whenever this happened, something bad would happen to her. This stopped her from executing her idea which also stopped her from solving the dilemma. It was as if her young self was a ghost from the past which she was terrified to see, let alone encounter. Nevertheless, Nadia tried to overcome that and, eventually, she did.
Russian Doll seems to be a metaphor of how Nadia gradually understood and unraveled her way out of the situation she was in— from the obvious and observable facts to the minute details, like a Russian doll. Further, this also seems to be a symbol of a gradual understanding of one’s identity and characteristic as a human being and, just like Nadia, let go of one’s fears, resentments, and demons.
Russian Doll is truly a must-watch. Personally, I give this series a solid 9 out of 10. What makes me like the series more is that it has an open ending. It did not give away an absolute ending, but lets the audience comprehend on what the last scene really means. I recommend you to watch this. How much time do you need?
This article is based on an earlier version that the writer submitted for the course Journalism 111.
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