DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Russian Doll season premiere episode “Nowhen” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome, time prisoners! Russian Doll finally returns for Season 2, three years after Season 1 rocked our socks off. Folks, it’s worth the wait. This time, the series explores new sci-fi phenomena — a time portal Nadia finds in the subway station, transporting her to 1982, where she lives life as her mother. Since Nadia and Alan solved their death loop dilemma last season, the time-traveling element is a delightful way to keep things fresh.
Natasha Lyonne continues to carry Russian Doll with her tour de force performance, infusing the wry, sharp-as-a-tack Nadia with equal parts pathos, humor and vulnerability. The scene with her realizing she’s living as her mother in the past is award-worthy in my book.
Ready to dig deep into “Nowhen”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with an older woman with red hair, hammering away at the wall of a subway tunnel. She gleefully procures a duffel bag from within a hole. Then, we see Nadia (Lyonne) walking down the street with purpose. She takes the subway to Lenox Hill Hospital, wherein Ruth (Elizabeth Ashley) sits in the waiting room after enduring a car accident, or, as she puts it, a “fender bender.”
Nadia assists Ruth with filling out the requisite paperwork and sees her godmother off while nurses whisk the latter away in a wheelchair. Nadia vows to pick up Ruth later.
Later, Nadia chats with Maxine (Greta Lee) on the phone regarding our fave redhead’s 40th birthday bash. Nadia claims she only wants to spend time with Alan, which slightly rankles Maxine. So, we’re four years past the events of the death loop.
Next, Nadia waits for her subway train on the platform. She reunites with her enigmatic homeless pal, Horse (Brendan Sexton III), while he’s standing on a different platform. When Nadia’s train approaches, Horse wildly cackles while flipping her off. Uh oh. Something’s about to go down.
Nadia boards the train, but something’s amiss. There’s a poster for Sophie’s Choice, and everyone’s collective clothing style appears antiquated. After spotting a Travis Bickle-esque man and snagging someone’s newspaper, she spies the date: 1982, a.k.a. the year she was born.
Then, Nadia exits the train and observes in bewilderment while passengers flee to the stairs. She meets a Guardian Angel, and we see a horde of them escorting folks off the platform.
Once she’s above ground, Nadia encounters someone who shoves a nuclear weapon pamphlet in her hands. She withdraws a small matchbook from her coat pocket where her phone should be, with a note to meet Chez at 8 pm. Nadia asks the nuclear literature man to point her in the right direction.
Later, Nadia wanders into a pub where she’s supposed to meet the mysterious Chez. She chats it up with Danny (Malachi Nimmons), who learns she’s from the future. Suddenly, Chez (Sharlto Copley) rounds a corner after a drug deal gone wrong and whisks Nadia out the door with him. He appears to know her very well, notably since we see him give Nadia “black beauties” and “ludes” before making out with her.
Next, Chez breaks into someone’s home and steals a duffel bag. It looks like the same duffel bag from the beginning of the episode. They return to his abode, wherein they crank up the foreplay. Nadia briefly pauses the steamy action for a pee break. While in the bathroom, something peculiar regarding her reflection catches her eye.
Nadia sees her mother, Lenora (Chloë Sevigny), staring back at her in the mirror.
Not only that, but Lenora is very much pregnant with Nadia in said reflection.
Nadia experiences a visceral reaction to spotting her mother, or rather, being her mother, in 1982. She quickly grabs her things and leaves Chez in the dust. Thankfully, Nadia boards a subway train that transports her to 2022. The time-prisoner nightmare is over!
Later, Nadia tells Alan (Charlie Barnett) about her time-traveling misadventure. Alan isn’t keen on boarding a train to relive his mother’s past. Nadia muses they must have unfinished business, hence why she lived vicariously through her mother’s younger years.
Alan reminds her that Nadia’s past three birthdays haven’t yielded anything science-fiction-esque, so they must be in the clear.
Nadia returns to the hospital to check on Ruth, who appears to be in good spirits. Nadia asks Ruth about Chez, her mother’s former fling. Ruth claims he was bad news. Chez was around when Lenora lost the family fortune — a bag full of gold coins, a.k.a. Krugerrands.
She gets on the train again and revisits 1982, while Alan toys with boarding the subway himself. We see the doors open, and he reluctantly steps forward.
Nadia finds Chez in bed, post-coitus. He asks where she went, still thinking she’s Lenora. After they kiss, Nadia heads to the bathroom for a tinkle sesh. She emerges to find Chez and the duffel bag missing. Nadia chases down Chez, who stole that bag of gold from her grandmother. Unfortunately, she doesn’t catch him in time.
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In true Russian Doll fashion, “Nowhen” is fast-paced, whacky and darkly funny. It lays the groundwork for a new, intriguing mystery ripe for exploration.
Do you think we’ll see Alan living as a relative in the past? Will Nadia get the Krugerrands back from Chez? What other decades will our heroes visit? Stick around for episode two while I recap Russian Doll, only on Geek Girl Authority.
Russian Doll Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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