Nothing in This World Is Easy

The episode begins with Nadia Vulvokov in her friend Maxine's loft, where she is celebrating her 36th birthday. Talking with Maxine and her other friend, Lizzy, Nadia reveals that she is suffering from a mid-life crisis and that her cat, Oatmeal, has gone missing. At the end of the party, Nadia flirts with Mike Kershaw, a college literature professor who has recently gone through a divorce. Walking home, Nadia sees Oatmeal and chases after him, only to be run over and killed by a taxi.

Somehow, Nadia awakens in Maxine's bathroom before any of the events prior to her death occurred. Instead of meeting Mike, Nadia talks with Ruth Brenner, a close friend, and therapist, who Nadia talks with to explain her situation, believing to have amnesia. She later meets John Reyes, her ex-boyfriend, and together they search for Oatmeal. She once again sees the cat and chases after him but is stopped by John as the taxi from before passes the street, saving her life. Angered about how careless Nadia seems to be, John leaves her by herself. Now alone, Nadia searches for and finds Oatmeal. At night, Nadia and the cat sit together on a bridge, only for Oatmeal to disappear from Nadia's hands, causing her to fall off the bridge and drown.

Once again, Nadia awakens in Maxine's bathroom, this time spitting out a large amount of water. Realizing that she's in a time loop, Nadia decides to spend the rest of the night with the advice given to her by Mike, to simply "Be careful."

Produced by Universal Television, Paper Kite Productions, Jax Media, and 3 Arts Entertainment, the first episode of Russian Doll was written by co-creators and executive producers Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland. The latter also directed the episode.[2][3][4]

• "Nothing in This World Is Easy" on Netflix
• "Nothing in This World Is Easy" at IMDb