In season two of her hit Netflix show “Russian Doll” actress and writer Natasha Lyonne delves deeper into existential themes, sending her character Nadia and her friend Alan to explore their pasts via a New York subway time portal.
Nadia and Alan embark on a new journey spanning different eras after successfully escaping a time loop that saw them die repeatedly in season one. They will, however, have to find a way out once more.
When “Russian Doll” was released in 2019, it was a critical and audience success, giving co-creator Lyonne the freedom to expand on the story.
“I primarily desired to create intriguing works. I was thinking to myself, “Who am I?” What am I passionate about? You know, what are the real conversations we’re having?” In an interview with Reuters, Lyonne stated.
“And as you get older, your personal experience moves you…to someone who is genuinely concerned about mortality and the finite nature of time. That, for me, is distinct from the specifics. It’s a remarkably universal feeling.”
Season two takes place four years after the first, and some of the episodes are set in 1982 in New York’s East Village. Nadia’s late mother Nora, played by Chloe Sevigny, is given more screen time.
“We get to really delve deeper into the Nora-Nadia relationship…explore that mother-daughter dynamic and just have more clues as to why Nadia is the person that she is and what she’s struggling with and how she’s trying to overcome certain things,” said Sevigny.
Nadia’s friendship with Maxine, played by Greta Lee, is another relationship that is further explored.
“She’s a very present person who’s up for anything, so she’ll be traveling this season. She’s literally along for the ride “Maxine was mentioned by Lee.
“I really like that portrayal of that couple; it’s one I don’t think we get to see very often. When you think of classic film and television duos, you think of Bonnie and Clyde, but you see more male versions of that. It was nice to have our own interpretation of what that might be.”
The second season of “Russian Doll” will be available on Netflix on April 20.
