RUSSIAN DOLL Recap: (S02E04) Station to Station

Melody McCune

Natasha Lyonne as Nadia and Greta Lee as Maxine, standing in a cemetery in daylight and looking at a gravestone in confusion on Russian Doll Season 2 Episode 4 "Station to Station."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Russian Doll episode “Station to Station” has spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

Welcome, time prisoners! We’ve reached the halfway point in Season 2 of Russian Doll, and sh*t is hitting the fan. “Station to Station” is more than just the name of the title track on David Bowie‘s 10th studio album from 1976 — it’s a deep dive into the sins of the past. 

We finally get to see what Alan finds in his familial history, and we find that his journey mirrors Nadia’s, as it did in Season 1. Like Nadia, he commits the number one cardinal sin regarding time travel rules: he tries to change the past, to heal intergenerational pain, thereby putting his life on a better track. 

Ready to dig into “Station to Station”? Let’s get to it. 

RELATED: Russian Doll Recap: (S02E03) Brain Drain

We open with Alan (Charlie Barnett), blissfully soaking in a bathtub. Someone knocks on his door, and Alan opens it to Lenny (Sandor Funtek), who refers to him as “Agnes.” We learn that it’s 1962 in Berlin, and Alan stepped through the subway time portal into the world of his grandmother, Agnes. Oh, and Agnes is having a fling with this Lenny fella, and they’re in university. Alan looks quite smitten with Lenny himself. 

Next, we see Alan waltzing through Berlin, cheerfully greeting everyone who walks past him. Agnes (Carolyn Michelle Smith) appears on reflective surfaces as Alan returns home to 2022. 

Carolyn Michelle Smith as Agnes, standing in front of a police officer in a maroon fur coat on Russian Doll Season 2 Episode 4 "Station to Station."
RUSSIAN DOLL. Carolyn Michelle Smith as Agnes in Season 2 Episode 4, “Station to Station.” Cr. András D. Hadjú/Netflix © 2022

Alan partakes in a rousing chess game in the park with Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and regales her with his 1960s adventures in Germany. His grandmother hailed from Ghana and moved to Berlin to study. Nadia asks him what he has to “fix” — Is there a long-lost family fortune in need of retrieving?

Alan sternly advises against meddling with anything in the past. That is what sci-fi warns us about, as tampering with history can have devastating repercussions. 

He insists on merely enjoying his time in the past, gaining insight regarding his grandmother, whom he never met. Well, that and hang out with Lenny. He’s carrying a torch for Lenny. 

Then, Nadia shows Ruth (Elizabeth Ashley) the itemized receipt she found among Nora’s belongings. She doesn’t disclose where she stumbled upon her findings (a.k.a. 1982), but Nadia asserts it’s proof that the Nazis looted her grandmother’s possessions, the Krugerrands, in 1944. 

Ruth suggests Nadia make the trek to Budapest. Perhaps she could take Maxine with her. It’s time for a girls’ trip!

Later, Maxine (Greta Lee) and Nadia arrive in Budapest. Nadia’s enthusiastic about diving headfirst into researching the whereabouts of her family’s missing gold, while Maxine wants to sleep with a Hungarian — but first, she wants to sleep with herself. Jetlag is the worst. 

Meanwhile, Alan revisits 1962 and heads over to Lenny’s for a get-together. He learns that Agnes is instrumental in a plan that involves digging a tunnel underneath the Berlin Wall. It’s dangerous, to be sure, but Lenny and his friends seem hellbent on reuniting with their families. When Alan shows reluctance to participate in the plan, Lenny’s pals wonder if he’s trustworthy. Maybe he’s an informant! 

Next, while Maxine slumbers, Nadia digs deep into the lineage of the Nazi who signed her grandfather’s itemized receipt. She finds his great-great-grandson, Kristóf Halász, owner of an art gallery in Budapest. Bingo!

Natasha Lyonne as Nadia and Greta Lee as Maxine, standing in a cemetery in daylight and looking at a gravestone in confusion on Russian Doll Season 2 Episode 4 "Station to Station."
RUSSIAN DOLL. (L to R) Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vulvokov, Greta Lee as Maxine in Season 2 Episode 4, “Station to Station.” Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Alan attempts to persuade Lenny to abandon the Berlin Wall tunnel plan. His previous reservations about meddling with history are out of the window. Alan reassures Lenny that the wall won’t exist forever; it’ll be a thing of the past come 1989. So, if Lenny holds out for 27 years, he can reunite with his family in due time. 

Lenny starts believing Alan — well, Agnes — is an informant. He cites Agnes’ intense drive for a better life and that she’ll do whatever it takes to succeed. Lenny asks Alan to leave his humble abode. 

Nadia and Maxine wander through the streets of Budapest while en route to Kristóf’s gallery. While Maxine explains how time zones affect us biologically, Nadia utters, “Time zones. What a concept,” a play on “Thursdays. What a concept” from Season 1. It’s perfection. 

Maxine and Nadia meet Kristóf (Balázs Czukor), who doesn’t know much about his Nazi grandfather’s doings. He blatantly condemns his ties to that dark time in history. Kristóf asks Nadia and Maxine if they want to accompany him to a party with his friends. 

At the party, Maxine flirts with Kristóf, who reciprocates the flirtation. He doesn’t seem keen on answering Nadia’s questions about the missing gold, so he wanders off to have some fun with Maxine. Nadia rummages through Kristóf’s belongings, stumbling upon a box filled with Nazi items. 

Meanwhile, Alan calls his mom, Dr. Zaveri (Lillias White), who asks him what happened to the date she set for him. Alan asks questions about his grandmother’s time in Berlin and her dalliances, but his mother doesn’t know much about that. 

Alan returns to 1962 in the hopes of preventing Lenny from digging that tunnel, but he’s too late. 

Next, Nadia confronts Kristóf about the Nazi stuff in his room; however, he’s too preoccupied with snogging Maxine. Kristóf does reveal that his father inherited the items when his grandfather passed, and it’s a shameful part of their family history. 

Kristóf offers DMT to Nadia, which she inhales through a pipe. It’s party time! Suddenly, we see a montage of trippy visuals as Nadia embarks on her drug-fueled journey. Her mom is there, as well as Alan with Lenny. We also see clips from Season 1, wherein Nadia dies from falling down the stairs and getting struck by a taxi. 

Charlie Barnett as Alan, standing in a subway car and looking straight ahead on Russian Doll Season 2 Episode 4 "Station to Station."
RUSSIAN DOLL. Charlie Barnett as Alan Zaveri in Season 2 Episode 4, “Station to Station.” Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Later, Nadia and Maxine wake in a cemetery with no recollection of their arrival. After returning to New York, Nadia and Ruth chat on the phone. Nadia feels she didn’t find anything in Budapest, but Ruth reminds her that breakthroughs can happen internally. So, Nadia decides to revisit 1982. We see her sitting in the subway, waiting to arrive in the past. 

However, Nadia wakes in a much different time — 1944 Budapest. The train pulls into the station, and in the reflection of a mirror, we see it’s a New York City MTA subway. 

RELATED: Catch up on all the time-traveling madness with our Russian Doll Season 2 recaps!

“Station to Station” is another consistently delightful Russian Doll outing that gives more screen time to the always-hilarious Greta Lee and shines a light on Maxine and Nadia’s adorable friendship. Barnett, Lyonne and Lee all sparkle in this episode, their brilliant performances barreling ahead hand-in-hand with snappy writing and delicious plot intrigue. 

Do you think Nadia and Alan’s efforts to change their respective histories will bite them in the ass? What will Nadia find in Budapest’s past? Keep your eyes glued to this space while I recap Russian Doll, only on Geek Girl Authority. 

Russian Doll Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. 

https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/10-tv-shows-with-fierce-women-as-showrunners

 

 

Melody McCune
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