The Romanoffs

chrisk

This just got a lot more interesting to me. I wasn't too jazzed about a period drama.

“The Romanoffs,” Weiner’s highly-anticipated follow-up to “Mad Men,” will feature eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family. Weiner created, wrote, directed, and executive produced the series.

Shot on location in three continents and set in seven countries around the globe, each story takes place in a new location with a new cast.

Lots of great, familiar faces here:

rhcoop

chrisk said:

This just got a lot more interesting to me. I wasn't too jazzed about a period drama.

“The Romanoffs,” Weiner’s highly-anticipated follow-up to “Mad Men,” will feature eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family. Weiner created, wrote, directed, and executive produced the series.

Shot on location in three continents and set in seven countries around the globe, each story takes place in a new location with a new cast.

Everything is subjective because after reading this I have zero interest in this project. 

Dummy

I didn't get very far past "From the Creator of Mad Men" before I got excited, but you add Roger and Joan to this? 

chrisk

Getting a Robert Altman vibe from it, but that may be because of the huge cast who won't actually be working together. That's a hell of a cast, though. 

Nice to see Nina from the Americans again.

I like that it's an anthology and wish there were more of them.

vivarosie

Please, please, please tell me that A.Ron and Jim will be covering this show.

I mean, I discovered you guys back in the Mad Men days so it is hard to imagine a Matthew Weiner show without their feedback. Fingers crossed. 

MrX

Full trailer:

Garthgou81

Do we know if that is more of an anthology series? Or are they all connected to a larger narrative. In all honesty both sort of intrigue me. 

Doctor_Nick

I have to say that I like history and this concept strikes me as remarkably less interesting than telling the Romanoff story. 

JaimieT

Doctor_Nick said:

I have to say that I like history and this concept strikes me as remarkably less interesting than telling the Romanoff story. 

This is why I'm excited, because that's how Mad Men feels to me. "What? Half the season is about one of their wives?"

MrX

Reviews are coming out, not exactly glowing. Sounds in-line with a lot of "peak-tv" shows these days - ambitious, looks great, and has a lot of great performances, but has some significant plotting and pacing issues.

Sepinwall: In his much-anticipated (and somewhat fraught) TV comeback, ‘Mad Men’ creator Matthew Weiner achieves moments of brilliance amid unchecked sprawl

Poniewozik: ‘The Romanoffs’ Is Elegant but Frustrating

Darren Franich: The Romanoffs has good actors, fascinating ideas, and dopey stories

I'll still definitely be checking it out when I have time (playoff baseball has eaten up much of my tv-viewing lately) to judge for myself, but from early indications it's probably not a "day 1 drop everything and watch" for me.

Michelle

I might be one of the only people who ignores critics reviews.  All art is subjective, and that includes television.  I prefer to watch it myself before casting judgment.  What I do know is that Matthew Weiner is brilliant at telling a story (The Sopranos, Mad Men) and the casting looks pretty good.  I’ll be day-one watching tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes, but I’m really looking forward to this series.

bennytube

I'm sure the series will give you all of the historic information that you need to know, but if it whets your appetite, Robert Massie's book Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty is a fascinating read.  

The last family of Czars was brought down by a string of really unfortunate and preventable mistakes and with a strong supporting role from the mystic/con artist, Rasputin.  You can draw a straight line from the events in the book through the rise of Communism, the Cold War, and much of the conflict in the world today.

It reads as much like a novel as it does like a history.  You may be interested even if the show isn't your cup of tea.

(No, I'm not the author, related, or being endorsed, lol.)

Michelle

Just started episode 1 and right away, it has my attention.  Mad Men fans will recognize some very talented names in the production credits:  casting by Laura Schiff & Carrie Audino, award-winning costume designer Janie Bryant, director of photography Christopher Manley, consulting producers Andre & Maria Jacquemetton, exec. producer Semi Chellas, and of course Matthew Weiner as exec. producer, creator, writer, and director. 

Really enjoying this episode as it progresses.  I'm all in for this series.  @A_Ron_Hubbard and @Jim I know you have said you've been considering covering this show and I'm pretty much begging you to please do a weekly podcast on it.

JaimieT

I watched the first episode. I loved it. He called her "Hagar" accidentally, and being raised on Bible stories I paid very close attention to that.

Michelle

JaimieT said:

I watched the first episode. I loved it. He called her "Hagar" accidentally, and being raised on Bible stories I paid very close attention to that.

Good catch!  Knowing who Hagar was, it makes total sense except that 'Sarah' would be the aunt and not Greg's ('Abraham's) wife (or in this case, girlfriend).  

Episode 2 was really good also.  I'm liking the construct of this - every episode is its own little short story.  And I loved seeing Noah Wyle (and especially John Slattery) back on my tv for a little while.  

Edit:  Non-consequential, but do you think that gold carriage was still inside the egg when Greg's girlfriend left with it?  His aunt was so protective over it, even going so far as to not allow Hajar to touch it.

JaimieT

Michelle said:

JaimieT said:

I watched the first episode. I loved it. He called her "Hagar" accidentally, and being raised on Bible stories I paid very close attention to that.

Good catch!  Knowing who Hagar was, it makes total sense except that 'Sarah' would be the aunt and not Greg's ('Abraham's) wife (or in this case, girlfriend).  

Episode 2 was really good also.  I'm liking the construct of this - every episode is its own little short story.  And I loved seeing Noah Wyle (and especially John Slattery) back on my tv for a little while.  

Edit:  Non-consequential, but do you think that gold carriage was still inside the egg when Greg's girlfriend left with it?  His aunt was so protective over it, even going so far as to not allow Hajar to touch it.

She said it was a fake afterward, so I presumed the carriage was too.

I thought the girlfriend was Sarah and the aunt represented either God or Abraham. Although I know the nephew was functionally Abraham lol.

Michelle

JaimieT said:

She said it was a fake afterward, so I presumed the carriage was too.

I thought the girlfriend was Sarah and the aunt represented either God or Abraham. Although I know the nephew was functionally Abraham lol.

Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense.  I didn't think about the carriage being fake also.

I want episode 3 now.  I'm ready to binge this series like crazy.

majjam0770

I really enjoyed the first two episodes.  I wonder if the whole Romanoff-themed cruise was copied from an actual cruise itinerary?  I know obviously themed cruises exist but this one seemed so odd and decadent.  Not sure it would be my cup of tea but was fun to see it in the episode and how the Shelly character reacted to all of the events as they rolled out.  I kind of wish she followed up on the picture of the Romanoff that looked just like Corey Stoll in the Slattery-lecture.    

JaimieT

BRILILANT second episode, "The Royal We." (Spoilers!)

So a surprise murder has kept this family and the people who identify with this family trapped in this psychosis. They have this stunted life where their best years are behind them. And Kerry Bishe (who I forgot how much I LOVE, need to rewatch Halt and Catch Fire) suffers a surprise murder attempt and survives... just like the Romanoffs' ancestors. But to her, it means freedom.

JaimieT

majjam0770 said:

I really enjoyed the first two episodes.  I wonder if the whole Romanoff-themed cruise was copied from an actual cruise itinerary?  I know obviously themed cruises exist but this one seemed so odd and decadent.  Not sure it would be my cup of tea but was fun to see it in the episode and how the Shelly character reacted to all of the events as they rolled out.  I kind of wish she followed up on the picture of the Romanoff that looked just like Corey Stoll in the Slattery-lecture.    

Sometimes they don't rent out the whole ship... it's just a fraction of it. That was my feeling here. There doesn't seem to be enough of them to afford that, but they can afford a little decadence.

JaimieT

Michelle said:

@A_Ron_Hubbard and @Jim I know you have said you've been considering covering this show and I'm pretty much begging you to please do a weekly podcast on it.

I would fucking love that.

Dee

JaimieT said:

Michelle said:

@A_Ron_Hubbard and @Jim I know you have said you've been considering covering this show and I'm pretty much begging you to please do a weekly podcast on it.

I would fucking love that.

I think they are - I’m sure I heard it mentioned in their “what’s coming up” on the Better Call Saul podcast. They said they were doing it on their Bald Move TV one. 

Michelle

Dee said:

JaimieT said:

Michelle said:

@A_Ron_Hubbard and @Jim I know you have said you've been considering covering this show and I'm pretty much begging you to please do a weekly podcast on it.

I would fucking love that.

I think they are - I’m sure I heard it mentioned in their “what’s coming up” on the Better Call Saul podcast. They said they were doing it on their Bald Move TV one. 

Thanks Dee!  I just listened to that segment in the BCS 410 podcast and confirmed, Aron did say that.  Monday’s our day!  

CretanBull

Every time I come on the boards I see the header for this thread and think that it says "The Ramones" and for a brief few seconds my heart is filled with joy.

Doctor_Nick

I think that was supposed to be called Vinyl.

CretanBull said:

Every time I come on the boards I see the header for this thread and think that it says "The Ramones" and for a brief few seconds my heart is filled with joy.

JoshuaHeter

This is probably a weird thing to focus on since I really liked the first two episodes: story telling, performances, etc... but the opening credit sequence is all around *phenomenal*.

JoshuaHeter

Also... I think we can likely agree that the ceiling is much lower on this because it’s episodic: no real world building, long character arcs, etc.

That said, the first 2 episodes are just great Matthew Weiner storytelling.

JoshuaHeter

CretanBull said:

Every time I come on the boards I see the header for this thread and think that it says "The Ramones" and for a brief few seconds my heart is filled with joy.

... I’d watch that show.

Demic

JoshuaHeter said:

Also... I think we can likely agree that the ceiling is much lower on this because it’s episodic: no real world building, long character arcs, etc.

That said, the first 2 episodes are just great Matthew Weiner storytelling.

I completely agree. While watching the first episode, I had an uneasy feeling that the characters were all pretty ridiculous. But that would totally make sense since everything had to be a little louder for the story to make an impact. Once I settled in within the world Weiner has built, actually every character felt so... natural?

I do have a minor quibble, which is that I think Weiner has a type when it comes his female leads. Sophie (ep 1) and Michelle (ep 2) can both be body doubles for Jessica Pare, and how can anyone not see Megan dancing with the Charles Manson look-alike in S7E5 The Runaways when Michelle was slinking next to the jukebox? Not to mention Shelly is basically an even thinner(!) Betty Draper. 

Finally, Michael Romanoff is Pete Campbell-- the entitlement, the weasel-like tactic just to get laid, the obsession over a casual fling, the inability to scheme, and the hair loss. I loved them all! 

CapeGabe

After watching the first two episodes this weekend I get the feeling that Weiner was trapped somewhere, maybe a plane ride, with a Romanoff descendant and thought "What a delusional douchebag, I should do a series on people like this".

Michelle

Loved today’s podcast.  10/10, did not disappoint!  Thanks guys.