Ep 4. Episode 4

Nadia wakes up once again at her 36th birthday party, but this time it's in a different location. She tries to keep her cool, but as she realizes that she is still stuck in the time loop, her anxiety and desperation only grow stronger. Nadia starts encountering people from her life who have traumatic pasts and emotional baggage, and she tries to help them while also looking for a way out of the loop.

One of these people is a man named Mike, who works at a corner store that Nadia visits. Mike reveals that he has a son whom he hasn't seen in years, and Nadia decides to help him reconnect with his son. She goes to see the son, who is working at a club, and tries to encourage him to forgive his father and build a relationship with him. Nadia's own experiences with loss and estrangement are clearly influencing her actions.

Meanwhile, Alan is struggling to adapt to Nadia's world. He is shocked by the way that she lives her life, and he finds it hard to keep up with her energy and impulsiveness. He is also still dealing with the pain of his breakup with Beatrice, and it is clear that Nadia's presence is stirring up emotions that he has been trying to suppress. Alan decides to go to a therapist, hoping that he can learn to understand his own issues and work through them.

As the episode progresses, Nadia and Alan continue to intersect with each other's lives in strange ways. Nadia has a conversation with Lucy, the homeless woman who she encounters in the first episode, and learns that Lucy has her own complicated backstory. Meanwhile, Alan has a chance encounter with Nadia's ex-boyfriend John, who gives him some surprising information about Nadia's past.

Through all of these threads, the central question of the episode remains: why are Nadia and Alan trapped in this time loop, and what is their connection to each other? As they try to find their way out of the loop, they are also forced to confront their own traumas and face the pain that they have been avoiding. Even as they work to help other people, they begin to realize that the only way to escape the cycle is to face their own demons.

Overall, Episode 4 of Russian Doll is a riveting and emotionally charged installment of the series. The show's themes of trauma, connection, and self-discovery are front and center, and the writing and performances are excellent throughout. As the mystery of the time loop deepens and Nadia and Alan's paths continue to intersect, viewers will find themselves eagerly awaiting the next episode to see where the story goes next.