Russian Doll 2.07

Matryoshka

Nadia and Alan argue in the bathroom over what to do. She wants to keep the younger version of herself. He insists that she needs to return her younger self. She opens the door and sees the birthday party. She closes it and reopens it and sees a classroom of Jewish boys.

Nadia, Alan, and the baby (which he is now holding) wander through the classroom and make it back to the party where they continue to debate. Nadia is steadfast until Ruth shows up. Everything seems kind of normal until Alan notices that there are multiple Ruths. Nadia gives in and agrees that they need to return the baby, in order to set things right again.

They enter the Astor Street train station. They wait but the 6 train doesn't show up. They follow a guy down into a tunnel. It turns out to be Horse. He shows them where their train is. They board it but something is wrong. There are lots of people on the train that they know including Maxine. Nadia learns that a month has passed and that Ruth is dead. 

Nadia wants to stay on the train. Alan insists that they need to leave. He picks her up with the arm that isn't holding the baby and walks to the end of the train car. They get off before the train leaves. They walk down the tunnel. They get separated by some unrevealed force which looks like trains coming from opposite directions.

Alan meets his grandmother. He talks to her about his experiences in Berlin. Nadia meets her mother on a train. Nadia has the baby with her. Nadia gives her younger self back to Nora, her mother, after they talk.

Nadia gets off the train. She heads to Maxine and Ruthie's place. There is a wake ongoing for Ruth. The episode ends where the first season began, in the bathroom, with Nadia looking at herself in mirror.

Thoughts

I didn't notice it until this episode but there was a subway worker who showed up in a couple earlier episodes. She is also in this episode. She is Alan's grandmother. She only interacted with Nadia in the earlier episodes when she was back in 1982.

I'm not sure what message the ending is supposed to convey. There is definitely something there about not trying to change the past or get too caught up in past mistakes.

I wasn't sure if it would satisfy me but it did. It didn't all make sense but it rhymed enough for me. It even got me a bit misty-eyed towards the end.