Russian Doll season 2 recap guide: Episodes 1 to 7

Russian Doll season 2, episode 7 recap: Matryoshka

We pick up right where we left off at the beginning of Russian Doll season 2, episode 7, with Alan and Nadia back in the same time loop they were stuck in throughout the first season, well, sort of. Maxine’s apartment appears to be split before the birthday party and what the apartment used to be years ago before it was remodeled, a Jewish school, so you have the party and then random schoolchildren running around.

Nadia and Alan start arguing over what to do with baby Nadia. Nadia isn’t entirely sold on bringing the baby back to the 1980s because she wants a chance to have a better childhood and a better life, overall. But Alan tries to make her see that she needs to fix things, how can people live like this with time completely caving in it on itself?

It’s not until Ruth arrives at the party and Nadia greets her, only to see that an endless loop of Ruths are coming up the stairs, does she realize that Alan is right. They return to the train station and plan to board, but the train never arrives.

Horse helps them find it, but when they get on, Nadia quickly realizes something isn’t right. Lizzy and Maxine are onboard and they’re dressed for a wake, Ruth’s. It’s April 30, a month after Ruth died in the hospital. Nadia is devastated that she didn’t end up being there for Ruth in the end and quickly gets off the train with Alan.

They start walking down the tracks and Alan tells her how he couldn’t save Lenny. Nadia tells him that this whole thing, it’s a Coney Island. And then another train arrives, slamming into them (and the baby) and sending them into a weird void in separate places. Alan finds his grandma there, who is the same lady who helped Nora give birth and found her on the train in the 1980s, in case you didn’t recognize her.

She tells Alan that he didn’t do anything wrong. Lenny was always going to go to West Berlin and she was always going to stay behind and continue building her life. Alan admits he’s been lost, basically, since he tried to kill himself and Agnes tells him he’s just like her, afraid to live.

Elsewhere, Nadia wades through the tunnel, now filled with water, with the baby and sees the bag full of Krugerrands float towards her. She tries to take it with her, but she’s clearly supposed to choose between the bag and the baby. Nadia chooses the baby and the bag sinks.

When Nadia reaches the stairs, she climbs them and boards another train. This time, it’s just Nora there to greet her. Nadia gives her the baby and sees all the different versions of Ruth and Vera there, too. It looks like she has finally accepted that she can’t change how things happen.

After that, Nadia goes to Maxine’s for Ruth’s wake and sees Alan there. They watch a slideshow of old photos of Ruth and honor her memory. Nadia goes into the bathroom we’ve seen so many times before and looks at herself in the mirror as the season comes to a close.

Stream Russian Doll season 2 on Netflix.