Gogol

Thoroughly enjoyed this series. In fact, I enjoyed it more the further on it got. I'd love there to have been a second season, but it doesn't look as though there is. (Despite the final episode appearing to offer a trailer for one). Yes, it's subtitled, but don't let that put you off. There is a wide range of characters revolving around the eponymous lead, most of whom are initially presented as 'local yokels', but soon become more than that. Indeed, some of them are quite surprisingly so. Gogol's fainting spells are at first a bit of a thing, but thankfully he's able to overcome them as the plot moves along. It is very gothic in mood, and with various different aspects coming to light it's difficult to know which are the red herrings. Friends become foes and vice versa, but not in a fast or flashy manner. Who is the killer? Is the child with a tail a witch? Why is the ghost following Gogol? Why are the killings repeating after 30 years? There are lots of questions that need answering, and it all helps to draw you on. There is a small amount of partial nudity, but it's not done gratuitously, it fits with the time and place. There is also some killing, head lopping, etc, but again, it goes with the territory, and is not overly gory. I knew nothing of this series prior to finding it on Amazon, and it didn't disappoint.

Gogol, a psychologic and mystical thriller set in early 19th century Russia. Someone is killing young girls in a village in the boondocks. Gogol goes as an assistant and scribe for a very important investigator from St. Petersburg. He has epileptic fits that show him important information about the crimes they are investigating. This does not please Gogol he cannot control the visions. Demons ? maybe Succubus/ghost women? sure. Murders, plenty and with gore. some sexual scenes but not excessive or played for titulation. Nudity. If you are frightened by the sight of a naked woman don't watch. This is not a show for children or the easily offended.

Well worth a watch. It is on for free at this time on Amazon Prime.

I find myself bored with a lot of the modern shows American gives us with the forced badass Mary Sue heroines and anachronistic diversity in historical eras where none of that was present... Plus often shows have very little plot and drag things out for a lot of episodes with little content.

Gogol is quite the opposite. I wish there was MORE of it! To make it easier to understand for western viewers, imagine Sleepy Hollow - the Tim Burton movie, not the terrible TV show that went nowhere, as usual - but set in 1800s tsarist Russia and what is now Ukraine, with grimy tough cossacks, charming rural villages, rickety wooden orthodox churches, unkempt local clerks and police officials, prim and proper aristocrats from St. Petersburg... It is all so authentic, you know?

For those who don't know, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was a russian novelist known for his bizarre, almost Kafka-esque writings, that often had an esotheric theme and incorporate a lot of local slavic legends and folklore. The Gogol of this show is quite similar to the real writer, but here working as a scribe and assistant to the police. He is pale and prone to fainting, and often sees strange visions that can, sometimes, reveal details about cases he should not know. He has a dark secret he is unaware of - he was stillborn and was given life through a dark deal his father struck with a noseless stranger (implied to be the Devil itself).

Gogol piques the interest of famous and eccentric investigator Guro, working for the Tsar's secret police. He takes Gogol to the ukranian cossack village of Dikanka, where strange murders of young women have been committed by a supernaturally strong dark Horseman. The investigations start to reveal more and more supernatural beings and happenings about Dikanka, as well as the village's past. Witches, rusalkas (water nymphs), warlocks, demons, curses... And for those familiar with the real Gogol's writings, they will recognize how each chapter actually cleverly uses one or more short stories of his as the basis for the plot, while continuing the ongoing story of the Horseman's murders.

We are introduced to many memorable and well acted characters in Dikanka - Binkh, the honest local policeman, suspicious of Gogol's strange connections to the events, Yakim, Gogol's faithful servant, the religious and loyal Vakula and his young daughter who has strange mystical insights into cases, and Lisa, the local noblewoman who lives with her reclusive husband, and with whom Gogol hopelessly falls in love with. But she is not the only woman in his life, as the stunningly beautiful Oksana, a daughter of a local miller who was drowned decades ago and came back as a rusalka/mavka, follows Gogol around invisibly, spying from mirrors, as he is the only one who can see her.

The story has a lot of surprises and twists, and as befitting a gothic dark tale that could almost be considered to be made by Hammer pictures, has a lot of blood and nudity too, but all done tastefully - not in the manner of say, Saw or HBO shows. It is done to set the gothic mood, no more or less than necessary.

I learned of this show - or rather, a set of 3 movies, as it is also aired - thanks to knowing about another adaptation of Gogol's short story, Viy, from 2014 (a movie I can also recommend). While Viy is also a used as a plot point in this show, I think the 2014 and 1967 movies portrayed that story better, since here the novice clergyman is just a guest character instead of being the focal point of the story. However, the church haunting scene is done extremely well in this show too, with the clever use of some glass.

Honestly, given the way this show ends, I could see them making further episodes later down the line, perhaps taking place in other locales in 19th century Russia. I for one, would welcome it!

This TV series is described as based on works of Gogol. That could well mean that Sleepy Hollow was also somehow related to Gogol the writer as there is a very strong similarity. I think that Gogol and the author of Sleepy Hollow were contemporaries.

In this TV series the men wear the best hats and the women often wear nothing at all.

I am three episodes in and particularly enjoying the character Binkh who is well portrayed with some fine, subtle facial expressions.

What a wild mix of characters! Gogol's family servant, the doctor, the "police chief" and of course Gogol himself...all could be hilariously outrageous, including some very witty, sharp dialogue here and there. If they could have maintained the more camp quality throughout it would have worked better. But ultimately, the story, character decisions and development altogether became rather silly and (to me) not so enjoyable...particularly the religious and occult content. I round it up to 6. But it is great to see a quality production from Russia.