By now, you'll have heard of Russian Doll, Netflix's latest streaming sensation. Fans and critics alike have spent the weekend bingeing Natasha Lyonne's Groundhog Day meets Bandersnatch show, and the general reaction has been extremely vocal and very positive.
But, because it's so intricate and complex, it's left some fans scratching their heads.
For them (and you), we've decided to break down exactly what happened in the final moments of the show, with a complete explanation of what it all means. You could just watch Russian Doll again (and again, and again, and again), but who has time for that?
SPOILERS FOLLOW BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DO.
Related: Russian Doll season 2: everything you need to know
Part of the problem people have had with the ending is how swiftly it shifts tone. The show goes from a dark comedy (with elements of hipster satire – with 'Jodorowsky's Dune' as a password to a drug-lab being a particular highlight) in the style of Groundhog Day, to a disturbing exploration of trauma that's occasionally as scary as The Haunting of Hill House. But, thematically, the shifts make complete sense.
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The show's central premise involves a woman named Nadia who dies and comes back to life, repeating the hours that led up to her death. She's trapped in a resurrection loop, like she's some kind of Punxsutawney weather presenter.
Eventually, Nadia meets someone else who's trapped in the same loop, Alan, and together they try to solve the mystery of what’s happening to them.
This journey leads to the penultimate episode 'The Way Out', which is as terrifying as any horror movie, where Nadia is faced with visions of her childhood, forced to confront the memories, and ghosts, of her past.
One of the ways Nadia tries to find the answer to her problem is through discussions with her therapist former guardian. That's appropriate – Russian Doll is essentially a metaphor for therapy; a process which uses analysis to create 'breakthrough' moments, that allow clients to move forward with their lives with a fresh perspective.
These breakthrough moments often come through examining habits (or repeated patterns), allowing clients to 'break the cycle'.
Both Nadia and Alan are broken people, they're both unable to face their own self-destruction. For Nadia, it's an inner self-loathing, rooted in her childhood. (Or "You ARE the f**king abyss!" as her ex so charmingly puts it.)
On the day she outlives her toxic mother, she has so little self-regard she gets run over by a taxi. For Alan, it's a literal self-destruction: he became stuck in his loop after dying by suicide.
In order to escape the repeating patterns that'll ultimately destroy them, they have to face their trauma. It's why the loop begins with both characters looking into a mirror – one at night, one in the morning. To escape, they have to find the answer within themselves.
It's why the show gets more disturbing towards the end – facing your own inner demons is terrifying, and tough. The deeper you dive, the darker the water.
Nadia's mother never manages it – in her lowest moment, she can't face herself. It's why she smashes all of those mirrors, a metaphor for denial and avoidance.
But overcoming your darkest impulses ultimately leads to major catharsis, which is what the final episode, 'Ariadne', represents. By facing their own self-loathing, Nadia and Alan open themselves up to being loved.
As with any kind of self-improvement, it's not that simple. After Nadia and Alan have their respective awakenings, the timelines separate, with Alan going back to the start of his loop (complete with a troubled Nadia) and Nadia going back to the start of hers (complete with a suicidal Alan). They find each other and attempt to pass on what they've learned about life, each using their new-found strength to support and help the other.
This ties it even further to ideas of therapy – which is a one-on-one process, with one trained individual attempting to send their client on a path of self-discovery.
The show uses split-screen techniques to demonstrate we're dealing with two timelines, which was also confusing for some. But it's actually one of the biggest triumphs of the series.
By using the dual timelines, we get to see just how far both characters have progressed. By allowing the 'strong' versions of themselves to help the other, it reminds us of how far they’ve come. We see how they are at the start of their journey in stark contrast with the changed versions. It also creates a powerful tension: can they save each other?
But, beautifully, they do connect, and we feel like they're going to be okay from this point on, they're going to support each other. In finding solidarity, they've found freedom. As this feeling hits us, the timeline merges, and Nadia and Alan are subsumed by a glorious parade, with homeless people dancing in homemade masks.
On a purely metaphorical level, this is a smart ending. In many ways, Nadia and Alan wore masks to hide their trauma. Nadia used humour to protect herself, Alan was the control-freak. Now, they walk free of their masks, Alan jumping and shouting, and Nadia with an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. They were lost, now they're found. They scream because they've achieved catharsis – and so have we.
We'll leave the last word to Natasha Lyonne, co-creator, star and director of that glorious finale.
"I think, especially in putting together these final episodes, it started to crystallise in a way that the show is commenting on just that," Lyonne told Thrillist. "From the end of six through the end of eight, it almost becomes a show saying, 'Hey kids, don't take yourselves out. Give yourself a chance.'
"Emotionally, Nadia and Alan were two characters who were very self-destructive in very different ways, but sort of find this common ground in each other of a reason to continue to show up for life, if not only for themselves then for each other."
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Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
