Explaining and unpacking the transcendent ending of 'Russian Doll'

Warning: Major spoilers for Russian Doll: Season 1 lie ahead.

Russian Doll is a freaking phenomenal bit of television. I laughed. I cried. I got nervous about my cat's whereabouts, called a friend to say I love them, spent hours curling my hair.

What more could a girl ask for? Well... some answers would be nice.

Natasha Lyonne's heart-wrenching story of a "broken man" and a "lady with a death wish" traversing numerous timelines to solve a metaphysical mystery sucked me in the moment it started—and its many unsolved mysteries have hung with me ever since.

Russian Doll's meticulously crafted details create a mystifying universe with quirks that felt, if not entirely novel, fresh and newly perplexing in a been-there-done-that genre. Each new enigma left with me a sprawling flowchart of questions, some of which are still troubling me.

For example: What do we make of the disappearing fish and people? Puzzling decaying fruit? Oatmeal and Horse's bizarre connection? The social acceptability of regularly shouting "sweet birthday baby" in a public setting? That vagina door?!

There's a lot to unpack. And while most of my theories are probably best saved for the Reddit threads I fully intend to obsess over, there are a few big topics we should all get on the same page about right now. Having binged Russian Doll three times back-to-back—like I said, great show!—I humbly offer my flimsy "expertise" to answer (read: wager a guess at) a few big series questions.

What's the final reality?

If we go off of the "life is like a box of timelines" thesis, both Alan and Nadia lived out each of their deaths in some sense. But after the credits roll, what should we consider the final chain of events in their respective narratives?

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

As I see it, both Nadia and Alan live at the series' end. However, their inexplicable metaphysical linking does not allow them to both survive in the same universe. On the night when Nadia gets hit by the cab, Alan does not jump off the roof. On the night Alan does jump off the roof, Nadia does not get hit by the cab. Put plainly: For Nadia to live, Alan must die. For Alan to live, Nadia must die. And if neither acts to save the other, they will both experience yet another hard bathroom restart.

Presumably in the final reality, Nadia(s) and Alan(s) both live and die although the methods of their deaths are unclear. (I would personally argue they are certainly linked to the first and last iterations of the loops as stated above, but to each their own.) In considering that final scene, however, it doesn't seem to particularly matter.

What's going on in the final parade scene?

Russian Doll begins with a party and ends with a party. As the final moments of the season crescendo, Alan(s) and Nadia(s) walk down the street, finally converging at a tunnel. There they are greeted by a large parade, complete with massive puppets, costumes, lanterns, and our old friend Horse. Nadia and Alan become singular again, passing themselves from other timelines in the crowd to charge bravely into the night. Roll credits.

This final scene is unquestionably vague and has already sparked debate between me and a friend who has seen the series. That being said, if you go by the scene's visual cues—heavily reminiscent of a Day of the Dead celebration with a few puppets of Nihilist philosophers mixed in, maybe?—this is likely representative of Alan and Nadia crossing over and accepting their deaths together.

So... Is there any chance of a Season 2?

God, I hope not.

Yes, Russian Doll has been widely praised by critics (Mashable's Proma Khosla included) and fans would love to see more of Lyonne's fantastic character. But in my mind, a large part of what makes this series so effective is its willingness to walk away from its own "day repeated" premise.

On Nadia's final day on Earth, she saved Alan from dying by suicide, loved her friends fully, and spoke kindly to an elderly man about his deceased wife. On Alan's final day on Earth, he saved Nadia from getting hit by a cab, flirted with a stranger on the street, and righted some wrongs involving Mastiff puppies.

While it might seem a bit abrupt, the finality of Russian Doll's conclusion is quite fitting. Unlike the ending to the obvious comparison of Groundhog Day, in which Phil Conners thwarts his repeated deaths and goes on to live an improved life, the passing of Nadia and Alan emphasizes the show's simple, but profound message: Life is far more about the journey than about the destination — and just one shot at it? Well, that should be more than enough.

Russian Doll: Season 1 is streaming on Netflix now.