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Physics

Russian Doll: To escape the multiverse, think like Einstein

In Netflix's sci-fi smash Russian Doll, Nadia uses multiverse magic to break out of an endless loop of death – a reminder that it pays to remember your physics

By Chelsea Whyte

27 February 2019

Natasha Lyonne — Live, die, repeat: foul-mouthed but endearing Nadia (Natasha Lyonne)
Russian Doll/Courtesy of Netflix

, streaming on Netflix

THE latest hit on Netflix turns out to be a magic trick in eight parts. As Russian Doll begins, everything looks fairly ordinary for a TV drama – a party, a woman floundering in her mid-30s, death – then, with a single twist, it becomes extraordinary.

This dark comedy stars as Nadia, a foul-mouthed New Yorker who we soon learn is stuck in a time loop, repeatedly living through the night of her 36th birthday. She dies, only to be resurrected…

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