Russian Doll
Alan's Routine
TV Flash files “Alan's Routine” as a desk essential hour — Russian Doll (2019–2022) on Netflix, season 1, episode 4, aired 2019-02-01, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E04: listed hour 4 of 15 in the Russian Doll guide, hour 4 of 8 in season 1. It aired 2019-02-01 (25 min). The listed hour before it is “A Warm Body” (S01E03). Next is “Superiority Complex” (S01E05).
Essential hour: “Alan's Routine”. Alan's Routine names the other loop: the party not the only sink, the Möbius sharing the bathroom.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Meticulous as always, Alan steadies himself for a rendez-vous with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Nadia's latest discovery sends her reeling.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Alan's Routine sit in the Russian Doll guide?
S01E04 is listed hour 4 of 15 — hour 4 of 8 in season 1, season 1 episode 4.
When did Russian Doll S01E04 air?
Alan's Routine aired 2019-02-01 and is listed at 25 minutes.
Do I need season two?
Season one is the tight time-loop gem people mean. Season two is a multiverse swing. The first loop is a complete weird season; the second is extra metaphysics.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Natasha Lyonne dies at her party and wakes at the bathroom sink until the loop becomes a character study. Downtown Möbius strip: funny, then metaphysical, cigarette-ash soul. Season one's tight time-loop gem — proof a streamer could still deliver a complete, weird season without stretching the puzzle into mush.
The first image is a bathroom sink and a woman who will not stay dead for the party. Natasha Lyonne dies at her birthday and wakes back at the fixture until the loop becomes a character study — downtown Möbius strip, cigarette-ash soul, funny then metaphysical. Lyonne, Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler's Netflix series (2019): Charlie Barnett's Alan, Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez. Tessa's tags will call it a *Groundhog Day* riff and move on. Let them. **Season one is a complete look, not a puzzle stretched into mush.**
Filed against
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- Charlie Barnett as Alan Zaveri
Charlie Barnett played Alan Zaveri on Russian Doll — Natasha Lyonne dying at her party and waking at the bathroom sink until the loop became a character study. Downtown Möbius strip: funny, then metaphysical, cigarette-ash soul. TV Flash…
- Greta Lee as Maxine
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- Yul Vazquez as John Reed
Yul Vazquez’s John Reed walked Russian Doll’s downtown Möbius strip — Natasha Lyonne dying at her party and waking at the bathroom sink until the loop becomes a character study. Funny, then metaphysical, cigarette-ash soul. Season one’s…
- Elizabeth Ashley as Ruth Brenner
Elizabeth Ashley circled Natasha Lyonne's loop as Ruth Brenner on Russian Doll — downtown Möbius strip, cigarette-ash soul, a time-loop gem that still proves a streamer can finish a weird season. Funny, then metaphysical. TV Flash files…