Schrödinger's Ruth

**Schrödinger's Ruth** is the sixth episode of Season Two of *Russian Doll* and the fourteenth episode of the series overall. It is also the penultimate episode for the season.

## Synopsis

*After the weirdest subway ride yet, Nadia navigates a puzzling predicament. Meanwhile, Alan desperately tries to find Nadia.*

## Plot

A young Ruth, Vera and Delia are escorting Nadia in Nora's body out of the subway train. Nora’s about to give birth, so they lay her on the platform while a crowd surrounds her. Derek stops by to help out. Unfortunately, there aren’t any doctors nearby.

Then, Nadia gives birth to… herself.

Later, Nadia wakes at the hospital to find Chez staring intently at her. He congratulates her on the baby and urges Nora to sue the MTA. Squeeze all the money she can get out of them.

Ruth, Vera and Delia barge into the room, vehemently shooing Chez. While Nora sleeps, the trio discusses what to do with baby Nadia. Vera believes Nora must return to the mental hospital as she cannot raise a child. Ruth stands up for Nora, persuading Vera to give her daughter a chance. Vera gifts Nadia in Nora's body with the golden family necklace.

After the trio departs, Nadia scoops up her baby self and escapes the hospital. Nadia as Nora boards the train with baby Nadia, while Alan travels through the subway station in 1962 East Berlin as his grandmother, Agnes.

Agnes attempts to pass an armed checkpoint, but a guard stops her. Agnes wishes to go to West Berlin to check on her friend Lenny. Unfortunately, the guard turns her away. Alan leaves in defeat.

Nadia gets bombarded with texts, the most urgent coming from Maxine. Maxine writes that Ruth’s in the hospital, so Nadia calls her. Maxine informs her that Ruth has a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung), and the doctors aren’t sure she’ll survive.

While Nadia runs to Lenox Hill, a few anachronistic background items can be seen,thus indicating that the past is bleeding into the present. Nadia meets with Maxine and Lizzy in the waiting room, wherein Maxine reveals that it “doesn’t look good”.

Suddenly, Nadia spots Maxine and Lizzy returning from the emergency section, donning completely different clothes and betting on when Nadia will arrive. This time, Maxine claims Ruth’s fine, and she’s changing. Nadia gives baby Nadia to Lizzy so that she can see Ruth.

Nadia finds Ruth sitting on a bed, recovering from a “fender bender”. Ruth mentions Nadia’s upcoming birthday and how she has a week to craft the perfect gift. Nadia leaves, approaching another nurse to ask about Ruth Brenner (again).

Later, Nadia finds Ruth in exam bay seven, wearing a different outfit. Ruth says the doctors wish to keep her overnight to run more tests. Nadia closes the curtain and spots Ruth outside, smoking a cigarette while donning a hospital gown.

Outside, Ruth jokes that everyone wants to take pictures of her insides, and Nadia yanks the cigarette out of her godmother’s hands. Ruth wishes Nadia a happy birthday, even though she believes she’s “a few days early.” Nadia reveals her birthday is today.

Meanwhile, Nadia hears someone yell, “Code Blue”! Thinking it’s related to Ruth, Nadia rushes to find doctors and nurses looming over someone else. Nadia pulls another curtain aside to discover Ruth’s belongings, but no Ruth. One nurse informs her that Ruth Brenner isn’t a patient at the hospital.

Then, Nadia watches while a few men take a stretcher with a body bag to the morgue. She follows them and spots a crop of red hair spilling out of the bag. Nadia unzips it to find her corpse.

Nadia notices the other body bags in the morgue contain more Nadias, each bearing different signs of trauma. She also spots Alan on a slab, presumably from the night of his first death.

Later, Alan arrives in 2022. Derek stands on the platform with his fellow Guardian Angels, locked in a quarrel on the precipice of a full-out brawl. Nadia tries to call Alan, while Alan also dials Nadia. However, Alan chats with someone else who complains about Mayor Dinkins who was the mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.

Alan eventually barges into Nadia’s apartment, finding it bereft the redheaded woman. He notices the slew of photos on her bed and wonders aloud what Nadia did this time. Nadia winds up at Alan’s front door, wherein his neighbor apologizes for overfeeding his goldfish. Then, she resurfaces from inside Alan’s apartment, claiming she killed said goldfish.

Meanwhile, Alan asks Farran if he’s seen Nadia at the convenience store. Farran introduces Alan to his father, who passed away three years ago. Not only that, but his dad looks about as young as him.

Farran also introduces Alan to Oatmeal, Nadia’s cat. This introduction transpires three times in a row, almost like a glitch. At one point, three Oatmeals are purring on the convenience store counter.

While Nadia’s waiting for Alan in his apartment, she cradles her baby self, peering at the plethora of antiquated German maps and literature he has. Alan glimpses at himself, sans mustache, walking with Farran in the park.

Nadia and Alan each find themselves in bathrooms, mirroring each other. Alan winds up in the reset point bathroom from his initial time loops. “Gotta Get Up” by Harry Nilsson plays as Alan exits said bathroom.

He opens the glowing blue door with the gun handle to find Nadia on the other side, as if she’s at her birthday party again, while holding baby Nadia.

## Cast

### Starring

* Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vulvokov
* Charlie Barnett as Alan Zaveri
* Greta Lee as Maxine
* Elizabeth Ashley as Ruth Brenner
* Chloë Sevigny as Lenora Vulvokov

### Guest Starring

* Rosie O'Donnell voices the Subway Announcer
* Rebecca Henderson as Lizzy
* Ritesh Rajan as Farran
* Irén Bordán as Vera Peschauer
* Yoni Lotan as Ryan
* Annie Murphy as Young Ruth Brenner
* Athina Papadimitriu as Delia
* Max Knoblauch as Paramedic #1
* Ken Beck as a Paramedic #2
* Sharlto Copley as Chezare "Chez" Carrera
* Ephraim Sykes as Derek
* Mirirai Sithole as Audrey
* Anoop Desai as Salim
* Carolyn Michelle Smith as Agnes

### Co-Starring

* Gergely Csiby as German Officer
* Paige Gilbert as Nurse
* Lisa Wilkerson as Hospital Receptionist
* Wesley Han as Metrosexual Passenger