Russian Dolls: Recap of Episode 8 "It Take DVA To Tango"

 

If you haven’t already seen it, episode 8 is on you tube.com of all places. I placed the video here for those of you who miss the show and want to see 8 before the marathon on October 7^th at 8AM ET.

The young Russians are all out at a restaurant playing with a Buddha figurine when Anna asks, “How is everyone’s love life?” Anastasia is very happy with Vlad. Anna announces she has found somebody for herself, he is funny, smart, has a great job, great body, he’s every girl’s dream. He is even learning Russian for her! They have been dating two months. This sounds very promising, except in the earlier episodes Anna confessed that she has cheated on every boyfriend she has had. Anna has trust issues and this guy is moving too fast for her taste.

Renata and Boris go out to eat, a date night. They are both believers in keeping their marriage fresh and Boris thinks this can come in the form of a rose or a trip or anything and he hands Renata an envelope. In the envelope is a present…dance lessons, something they can do together. Renata is thrilled and the best part is she can schedule it whenever she wants, so Boris says.

Anthony, Anna’s boyfriend, wants to get a tattoo, the words “I won’t kill you, but I’ll watch you die.” Then Anthony mentions he has to go out of town on business and Anna says good she will go out herself. Anthony starts asking her where she is going. Anna admits she hasn’t been out alone in two months, and she wants to keep her independence.

Renata calls for Tango lessons and the class for the beginners is only given on Tuesdays. Tuesday is the night Boris plays poker for many years. Problem for Renata. Boris comes home and what are the first words out of his mouth? “I can’t wait for Tuesday to go out with the boys.” Now come on, that was so scripted! Renata tells him she has a problem and he can’t say no, she scheduled the dancing class for Tuesday. Boris is not happy and he is even more upset when she says it’s every Tuesday. Boris is flexible, but he does not go dancing on Tuesdays.

Anthony gets his tattoo and takes off on his business trip and Anna is left on her own to go out. She meets the girls at a club. Suddenly they are all friends again. Remember their issues on Russian New Year? Well, they are all cleared up for this episode. She confides in the girls that her boyfriend is planning their future and she is just living in the moment. Anna says she needs space. And then she adds Tommy, a guy she used to date, has been texting her at least once a day. She is thinking of hanging out with him and wants their opinion. Diana is all for it. Diana thinks she has commitment issues because she wants to see Tommy and is afraid of getting serious with Anthony.

I guess Boris changed his mind because Renata and Boris are at the dance school for their first lesson. The first thing Boris says is that he doesn’t like the Tango, it’s boring.  He would rather play cards with the boys, but he wants to make Renata happy. Boris actually enjoyed the lesson.

Anna meets Tommy at the pool hall. She doesn’t think of it as cheating, she calls it harmless hanging out, not a date. It’s one game of pool. No big deal. Then Tommy says if he wins she should give him a kiss and she agrees to the bet…SCRIPTED! All of a sudden Tommy’s balls are all going into the pockets. They kiss. She said it felt completely wrong.

Diana can’t wait to find out what happened with Anna and Tommy and she tells her they hung out and kissed. Anna says she didn’t feel anything for him. She regretted going. She doesn’t know if she should tell Anthony about it. It was a mistake and she has to tell Anthony so she doesn’t have a lie between them. She cares for Anthony.

Anthony and Anna meet at 1001 Nights restaurant. She is going to come clean about Tommy. Anthony confesses to Anna that he is falling for her. He never felt this way before. Anna is pretty serious and tells him she has to tell him something. She went to play pool with another guy. He asks what else happened. She says she kissed him. He asks her to repeat it. She says they kissed. Anthony seems visibly upset and gets up. He takes his jacket and leaves. Anna starts crying. She walks out. Anthony is getting in his car. He speeds off and she is on the floor crying. She just lost an amazing guy. She ends up at Diana’s and Anastasia and Eddie are there. She was upset and needed her “friends.” She tells them she is upset about her breakup. She was hoping he would forgive her but he just walked out.

My two cents: This episode is about two of my favorite cast members, Renata and Anna. Let’s take Renata first. I get the impression that Boris and Renata never fight, so this little tiff about the dance lessons almost makes no sense. Knowing Renata, from watching earlier episodes, it would have made more sense if she had chosen a different ballroom dance offered on another night that would not have conflicted with Boris’ poker game. Renata is a peacemaker and loves Boris. However, if she had done that there would have been no drama, therefore the dance she wants to learn must be on Tuesdays so Boris can raise his voice and then give in. Love Renata and Boris, great couple.

Now too many things were wrong with the Anna script. First of all, all the girls are very chummy after the big fight and words that were exchanged on Russian New Years. You would think they would still be angry if it had been a real fight. Second of all Anna says she has been dating Anthony for two months and yet he was NOT at the Russian New Year’s party. The New Year’s episode (6) aired September 15^th and I am sure this episode was not filmed two or more months later, giving Anna time to date Anthony. Their timeline is a mess. It makes everything they say and do unbelievable. Third, Anna tells Anthony about her date with Tommy. There is no discussion at all, Anthony gets up and leaves. Anna doesn’t say wait, let me explain, or even go after him and make any attempt to let him know that the kiss made her realize how much she cares for Anthony. Even when she went to see her “friends” her emotions were subdued, not like someone who just broke up with the love of her life. I don’t get it. It makes me think these two guys were just brought in to create a storyline and nothing is real. By the way, they could have eliminated all those meaningless confessionals with Diana, Anastasia and especially the ones with Eddie and Albert, who only insult women, and spend more time on the storyline of the breakup. There is only twenty minutes to work with and they should make the most of it, but they don’t. But, who am I? I am not a writer or producer so what do I know? I know a bad show when I see one.

If you don’t want to wait until October 7^th the video is below. Now when have you ever heard of a show airing a new episode on you tube?

Picture and video credit: Lifetime