Like the figurine of its name, this show has layer upon layer to uncover. You can binge “Russian Doll” as a dark comedy, full of the acerbic wit of co-creators and writers Leslye Headland, Amy Poehler, and Natasha Lyonne. You can see this new Netflix show as an absurdist fantasy that philosophizes on life itself and other Big Questions. You can think about this series as a catalog of ways to die in New York City (of which, there are many). Or you can watch it as an eight-episode essay on why you too should get bangs because Lyonne’s curly fringe here is her character’s only good decision when we first meet her. But however you choose to see it, “Russian Doll” is a marvel, one of the first premieres of 2019 to cement its place on the year-end Best of TV lists.
We meet rockstar software engineer Natasha on the night of her 36th birthday party, staring into the bathroom mirror of her arty friend Maxine’s (Greta Lee) East Village apartment. Despite Maxine’s generosity, Natasha quickly ditches her own celebration, leaving to have sex with icky Mike (Jeremy Bobb, always so good at playing smarmy) back at her own place. Shortly after – and just 10 minutes into the first episode – Natasha is hit by a yellow cab, killed while she crosses the street. It’s a shock, even if you’ve seen the show’s trailer. But what’s more of a surprise is that she doesn’t stay dead, she wakes up, back in Maxine’s bathroom, staring at the bathroom mirror. “The universe is trying to fuck with me,” she says in the first episode, and Natasha proceeds to die in different ways (all nightmares for New Yorkers), each time returning to that bathroom and hearing Harry Nilsson‘s “Gotta Get Up.” She makes different choices, including visiting her psychologist friend and surrogate mother, Ruth (Elizabeth Ashley), but she can’t figure out why this is happening to her regardless of what she does or where she goes. In the third episode, she meets Alan (Charlie Barnett) and discovers that she’s not the only one stuck in a loop, living and dying in the same night over and over. Together, she and Alan try to unlock what has them in this repeating rut.
Of course, with its focus on death, “Russian Doll” delves into the meaning and makeup of life, as well as free will, but it isn’t content to merely think on those issues. With the introduction of Alan, it also centers on the importance of human connection. Natasha is abrasive, pushing away even the ones who love her – and who she loves – like Maxine (who matter-of-factly calls her the c-word) and Ruth. “No one can do anything by themselves,” Alan tells her, but Natasha is intent on trying. Past trauma haunts her throughout the season, but it comes to a head in the seventh episode, illuminating why she is the way she is.
As writers. Headland, Poehler, and Lyonne are masters of character, developing Natasha and Alan’s depths, as well as giving them the chance to grow within these eight half-hour episodes. The writing is funny and smart, delivered with a dry wit by a never-better Lyonne, but there are moments of poignancy as well, particularly in the final two episodes of the season. It’s easy to see facets of each of the writers in the characters and dialogue, whether in Headland’s hilarious vulgarity, Poehler’s sly humor, or Lyonne’s acidic wit.
Headland’s been primarily known for her big-screen work previously, making “Bachelorette” and “Sleeping with Other People,” but she also directs half the episodes here, with the other half going to Jamie Babbit, who helmed Lyonne’s breakout “But I’m a Cheerleader.” “Russian Doll” pulsates with the energy of female power, both on screen and off, with jokes about menopause and synced periods and a lead character who is flawed but an undeniable badass succeeding in the male-dominated world of video games.
There are elements of “Groundhog Day” and “Happy Death Day” here – as well as two of my favorite “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episodes – but “Russian Doll” still resonates as something new with its particularly philosophical take on someone stuck living the same day over and over. For a show that involves dozens of deaths of a character we love and goes deep on the nature of human existence, “Russian Doll” is an absolute delight that you’ll watch to watch on a loop. [A]