Matrjoschka

S1 seemed so perfect and contained that news of an S2 routinely perplexed people. I think people were right; there was nowhere really to go. Lots of back story filled out here - with the primary magic now being time travel, it's basically all about back story - but, somehow, it feels like we didn't need it terribly much. There are, I guess, good and dutiful points being made about understanding what previous generations went through and how that shaped us, especially our spiky bits, but in practice I just don't feel it all with the intensity and enjoyment that I did S1.

Boy I hated this show so much at the beginning! It was awful, not funny, pretensious, pseudo intelectual! For the first 3 episodes boy I was almost giving up... And then it wasn't! Those first episodes are there for a reason and it pays off. Must watch TV. You will not regret giving it a chance past the first few episodes.

After two episodes I was hooked. I did get a bit scared at a point, but I'm a wuss. Really enjoyable all throughout. Doesn't really have anything to do with Groundhog day, apart from the timeloop thing. Reviewers who claim so haven't watched more than 1 episode and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Season 1 was fresh and worth every minute of full attention, solid 9/10, might even up that to a 10 after a re-watch some time later. But Season 2... is like it's not even the same show. There's barely any hint of a story and most of what happens is uninteresting. I'm only halfway in and I struggle to find a reason to keep moving and to watch another episode.

I wanted to average out the ratings for the two seasons like I usually do, but you know what, people might skip the very good Season 1 if they see that kind of rating, so I'll do what I saw someone else on here do and just rate the good part to draw attention to it.

There is a lot I could have not liked about Russian Doll. I could have taken against it for being overhyped for what it is. I certainly could have been put off by the very confident and brash Nu Yark characters and their very polished lives and homes. Probably the Groundhog Day gimmick would have struck me as uninspired too. All of these things were still there, and a few more, but yet it mostly worked for me, and charmed me into it. Pace and tone are a big part of this as the episodes are just the right length, have good timing throughout, and tend to have the right energy level so you don't feel rushed but yet it has a speed to it that works well.

It does have its heart in the right place too; for all its modern trimmings and cynicism, it is ultimately about connections and people. I don't think it pulls it altogether and makes a great whole in the way that others seem to have felt it did, but it engaged me into the two main characters and made me care for them and like them. The conclusion doesn't matter so much as the journey, and for the characters this is an engaging one. The performances help sell it convincingly, and like everyone says - Lyonne is great throughout. Production-wise, the show looks and sounds great, which helps the energy levels and slickness - it doesn't make the show, but it lubricates it and keeps it moving in the superficial areas, helping the core elements which are more important but harder to do.

It's a lot more "acquired taste" than the critical response would suggest, but even when I could see the weaknesses and shortcomings, I still found it very easy to enjoy.