Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Netflix show Russian Doll.
Netflix’s Russian Doll has somehow only gotten weirder, with its second season taking the iconic Nadia Vulvokov on a train ride to the past. Since the show’s first season, viewers have been taking their ideas and views on platforms like Reddit, with some posts and comments being truly unpopular.
The most controversial opinions about the comedy-drama series go against what most fans think about its mind-bending events and the well-written characters who experience them. From the likability of Nadia’s friends to her chemistry with Alan, these hot takes are worth re-examining after the protagonist’s latest adventure into the minds and lives of the women in her family.
The Overarching Narrative Is Weak
The mind-blowing plot of Russian Doll has sparked fan theories about the nature of what Nadia is caught in. LiamGallagher10 isn’t entertained by the overarching narrative, though, saying the series has “fun standalone episodes” but its “overall story” is “weak.”
Most fans would agree that when considered as a whole, the show tells a cohesive and absorbing story about two main characters who are struggling with their own inner conflicts. For Nadia, it’s her far-from-perfect childhood that has affected her adult life, and for Alan, it’s his inability to accept and embrace change.
Nadia Vulvokov’s Friends Are Annoying
Maxine and Lizzy are some of the most likable characters in Russian Doll, as not only are they funny and quirky, but they’re also supportive and caring. A deleted Redditor finds “Nadia’s friends annoying,” however, pointing out that they’re “like exaggerated caricatures of NYC hipsters.”
While the show does admittedly present a parody of New York’s art scene at times, the depiction arguably makes Nadia’s friends more likable. For most fans, the humorous portrayal of the duo is part of what makes them so memorable. Plus, they have to be a little wacky to fit into the absurdity of the premise of the show.
Season 1’s Finale Is Terrible
Season 1’s vague but poignant finale is one of the high points of the series, as it shows how far both Nadia and Alan have come. It didn’t impress FiqoTorres, though, who can’t believe they couldn’t “come up with something better.” In fact, they “absolutely hated” the series in general.
Aside from showing the result of the grueling character development both Nadia and Alan went through, the moving finale also underscores how these positive changes have allowed the pair to repair their individual timelines. The entire scene with the parade and the timelines converging as they exit the tunnel leaves audiences feeling satisfied and optimistic about the future.
Season 2 Is A Mess
One of the biggest reveals about Russian Doll’s second season is that instead of a time loop, there would be time travel involved. Neapola isn’t too glad about how it turned out, saying that “season 2 is a mess” and it seems like “nobody checked to make sure the writing made sense.”
The second season definitely attempted some big swings and not all of its ambitious aspects hit the mark, but it certainly wasn’t a total mess. Most viewers were likely able to appreciate the core message that it certainly delivered, which continues to revolve around Nadia’s mental health and her ability to accept that there are some things she can’t change (and she doesn’t have to).
It’s Unoriginal
The concept of a time loop or time travel has been done numerous times before through films like Groundhog Day or Palm Springs, but Russian Doll offers its own original take on it thanks to Alan and Nadia’s stories. It’s not enough to impress one Redditor, who thinks the “entire show is a played out trope” and doesn’t “understand why it’s receiving such high praise.”
Its unique take on the concept is in the way it applies it to characters like Nadia and Alan who are struggling with their personal lives. The first season showed how they dealt with their problems in the present, while the second one highlighted how they accepted their families’ issues from the past.
Season 2 Got Too Weird
The drama series is known for its strangeness, but for jergens, season 2 got a bit too weird. They detail how it “started out great” but then “quickly got weird for the sake of being weird.” While it’s true that things take a weird turn by the middle of the second season, it was for a good reason.
The way time and space were literally collapsing around Nadia is representative of her mental health and worsening inner conflicts. The fact that she was willing to live in this strange limbo highlights how difficult it is for her to accept Ruth’s death and her inability to change anything in the past.
Natasha Vulvokov And Alan Zaveri Have No Chemistry
The entire show is anchored on Nadia and Alan’s very different lives, and although they have contrasting personalities in the first season of Russian Doll, fans have learned that they actually have a lot in common. The user theplasmasnake believes they “had almost no range or chemistry,” though.
This is certainly disproven in season 2, where they continue to rely on each other during their toughest moments. They may have very different personalities, but they’re on a similar journey towards accepting change, their past, and themselves. The series wouldn’t be the same without their relationship.
The Pacing Is Wrong
The first season has been praised for its near-perfect flow and pacing. A Redditor disagrees with the critics and fans by saying “the first half” of the first season “was so slow and it didn’t really do anything interesting with the premise.” They continue to critique how “it really failed to follow through on any concepts or plot threads.”
Most fans would say that the series is focused more on exploring the minds and lives of Nadia and Alan, and not so much on the scientific reason they’re stuck in a time loop (or time traveling, for that matter). This is what makes the show so compelling, as it’s less about questioning the messed-up world around the characters, and more about understanding how it’s a reflection of their personal situations.
