"Russian Doll" debuted on Nexflix on Feb. 1. The macabre, eight-episode series, created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland, is set in the East Village ... with many EV locales, including Ben's Deli on Avenue B, Vazac's/7B/Horseshoe Bar on Seventh Street and Avenue B, and Tompkins Square Park.
Lyonne (who has lived around here and and off through the years) plays the lead character who keeps dying and coming back to life at the same point during her 36th birthday party...
Anyway, I'd been meaning to write about the show — mostly for the use of the EV locales. However, I've only watched the first two episodes (I like it, though I'm not much of a binge watcher. I'm an episode-a-week person mostly). Meanwhile, there have been about 5 million articles written on "Russian Doll," with a few more million to arrive before I get through the next six episodes.
Here then instead, a selection of articles on the show...
• The Ultimate 'Russian Doll' Theory About Tompkins Square Park (Gothamist)
• The Key to 'Russian Doll' Might Be Tompkins Square Park (The New York Times)
• 'Russian Doll' Is Natasha Lyonne's 'Autobiography Wrapped in a Mind-Bending Concept' (The Hollywood Reporter)
• The 'Russian Doll' Map of the East Village (B+B)
• 'Russian Doll': The Story Behind the Song That’s Probably Stuck in Your Head Right Now (IndieWire)
• 'Russian Doll' May Be Perfect, But You Won't Be Satisfied (Wired)
• What Is 'Russian Doll' Actually About? (The Atlantic)
• Why Russian Doll's Co-Creator Would Rather Not Explain that Joyous Finale (Vanity Fair)
• How Natasha Lyonne’s 'Russian Doll' Stunt Double Filmed All Those Death Scenes (Vulture)
Speaking of death... here's flashback to an EVG post from Feb 28, 2018...
Crews were out today filming scenes for "Russian Doll," an eight-episode Netflix series from Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler.
The comedy series follows Lyonne (pictured above) "on her journey as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York," per Hollywood Reporter.
Derek Berg caught this scene outside Vazac's/7B/Horseshoe Bar on Avenue B and Seventh Street...
...as Lyonne's stunt double...
10 comments:
This is such a brilliant and engaging show. I binge watched the entire run last weekend. Each episode is under thirty minutes and there are only eight of them. I live on C and 7th. I remember the production crew, cast, and craft services were stationed for weeks across the street and around Tompkins Square. While it was annoying to have our neighborhood resemble that of a Hollywood soundstage, it is nice to witness the fished product.
One of the best parts of Russian Doll is the writing. The talented actors bring it to life on the screen. It has courage, depth, humor, self-deprecation, sadness, mortality, love, and reckoning. And it's set in our lovely hood. I highly recommend it :)
Yawn.
Hi E.V. Grieve - I just wanted to say thank you for this blog about my hood. YOU ARE THE BEST <3 xo
Yep a yawn! Ground hog day meets an air brushed EV!
Horse is a good friend of mine and also Natasha’s they hung out for years so she put him in the show. Also her friend Liza Colby a nice musician who lived by Ave C had the cameo with the dog at the end. I personally don’t think she is writing about the riots she was busy making film after film as that was her heyday. Before she went down a dark path. I assumed the show was mainly about her own rocky road back to fame as at one point everyone assumed she would just die any day. Never heard her say or tweet a thing about neighborhood politics esp since her bestie is Chloe Sevigny who is also in the show and a controversial neighborhood celeb with her brother and his bars and all that stuff. People are reaching with these theories I think.
Wow. Has the man who posted "Yawn" above even watched the show? I bet you he hasn't, which is why he can only post a snarky yawn. Nice way to dismiss the accomplishments of a female-driven production team!
Ends bee, Natasha and Leslye Headland have addressed the theories about Tompkins on Twitter, confirming the ties. Natasha wrote something about the guy who posited the theories getting into their heads.
I loved learning from you post that they used Horse and Liza.
Yes! To Anon @ 10:39
I don't think "Shawn" ever saw the show or cares to, which is fabulous and entertaining by the way. He also fails to realize how this is indeed a series driven and produced by women. What a shocker. Also, what an accomplishment especially during our current social culture of the ME TOO movement and beyond where women have not been afforded the same opportunities, voice and exposure as their straight white male counterparts. I am delighted they filmed here in Alphabet City. It is imperative to have more programming from a feminine perspective. It cuts through the bullshit and the toxic masculinity of show business that has been shoved down our throats. Can't wait for Season 2. Go Natasha! Good for her. What a comeback.
I saw their tweets about tying the show into tompkins riots but am not really buying it. They have millions of followers on there and and want people guessing and theorizing. Natasha was not part of that era she was not around and was pretty huge as a star then and likely didn't care about a park being closed. She did not squat or go to shows she acted in Hollywood films and then got into drugs in that park. I am not annoyed about the theories I just think they are not based on anything. If a celeb tweeted the show is about aliens and the new world order I think they would say " get out of our heads!" haha.. Its LalaWood. Yeah I enjoyed seeing Horse being used in it and Liza Colby has a band the Liza Colby Sound who are great and everyone should check out. They play locally all the time. That show is definitely an "in the know" thing for Natasha and her best friends as they all seem to be in it. I see it as a tribute to herself and her own bad experiences which were very widely publicized. I think Jane magazine ran an article about her antics which was pretty tacky I thought!
I did not love it as many did but watched for the hood scenes and to see if she used anyone else I vaguely know haha. Her character was basically Nickles from OITNBlack but at least it was something a bit different and interesting. Would not mind seeing her play something other than an addict/ex addict wise cracking New Yorker with the one liners but the show was okay in my book.
Yeah, the guy who shared a yawn clearly didn’t watch the show. If this had been a show starring and created by men he likely would have written more. Even “woke” men don’t see how they dismiss work created by women. But lots of other people who appreciate a take on mortality and the neighborhood and the ongoing distress of having a dysfunctional parent did watch and have gotten a lot out of the experience of watching Russian Doll.
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