Following a successful first season in 2019, the comedy-drama series Russian Doll returns has returned to Netflix. A gap of three years is child’s play compared to the leaps in time that Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) must make in order to mend the trauma of her family’s past. There are many layers to peel back, so let’s waste no time getting to the center of Russian Doll season 2.
For the uninitiated, Russian Doll season 1 introduced us to Nadia, a sardonic Manhattanite celebrating her 36th birthday…over and over again as she gets caught in a time loop; cursed to die and relive the same day unless she can get to the core of her inner trauma and come to terms with her past. Each repeat of the day uncovers more of the mystery. Along the way she befriends Alan, a troubled young man caught in the same temporal dilemma. Without spoiling things, Nadia and Alan manage to set the clock right again…or at least that’s what I took from the mind-bending ending of season 1.
If you remember the ending of the first season, it didn’t exactly set itself up for a second go-round. And that’s not a bad thing; I much prefer a self-contained story to a lame teaser of an ending to come (looking at you, Squid Game). But still, I questions where the story would go from here. Now that I’ve watched season 2, I was pleased with the answer.
Russian Doll season 2 is as good as season 1
A big component of season 1 was the exploration of the characters’ traumas, which may have been responsible for the time loops. In Season 2, Russian Doll further iterates on that theme, this time expanding its focus to the characters’ families. We see this in Nadia’s mission to recover her inheritance, which is constantly being stolen by someone in whatever time period the 6 Train drops her off in. Nadia always acts in place of a woman from her family, which underlines the theme again. Though time might past, the consequence of our actions linger, affecting those who come after us.
Russian Doll season 2 gets off to a running start. When it comes to stories about time travel (especially ones with open-ended conclusions), writers may feel tempted to include a lot of explanation and exposition. Not Russian Doll. The show wastes barely any time getting into the adventure, much less trying to explain it. And Nadia herself doesn’t seem to care; sure, we get some humor out of her bemusement, but none of that tired “How is this happening!” dialogue that inevitably crops up in time travel stories. Nadia just accepts it, so we do too.
The second season is as good as the first. Every episode is concise and focused, with the ending of one setting up the beginning of the next. Each episode feels a bit like a detective story as the characters uncover the mysteries of their families’ pasts. Natasha Lyonne does a fantastic job as Nadia, giving us a funny, relatable, empathetic protagonist with the perfect amount of edge to her. Her wit makes every interaction with other characters engaging and interesting.
I could say more, but it’s worth finding out some of the secrets for yourself. I love the theme of family trauma, the blend of comedy and drama, and the depth of all the characters. Russian Doll is a show with a lot to offer.
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