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Wow, great move on Netflix to pick up this Russian series gem!

There are many factors why I really enjoyed this series. The directing by Russian TV show director Andrey Dzhunkovskiy is near perfection, and in line with top seasoned Hollywood directors. Every camera shot is well thought out and captures the scene perfectly, creating the amazing tension and drama. I'm not sure if his use of "less is more" in most of the sets was intentional or budget restricted, but it worked perfectly. Who would've thought that a simple bunch of drones flying around would be enough to set the stage for a futuristic sci-fi?! Open unfilled spaces in vacant buildings or the main lobby of a corporation with just a long counter and one sofa - all worked perfectly! I also enjoyed seeing some of the Russian landscapes.

The cinematography was exceptional and really set the tone of the entire series. The score was outstanding and perfect for this sci-fi film, especially that specific set of tones. The Russian actors (we've never heard of) were all cast and performed perfectly. Every characters look and style fit their role, especially Paulina Andreeva as Arisa.

The just under 1 hour run-time per episode was great, although the 2nd half of the series needed better pacing and much better editing.

My only complaint was the writing that had many obvious plot and technical issues, especially the 2nd half of the series. As well, the dubbing was clearly an issue, and lagged most of the time, but after the 2nd or 3rd episode, I got used to it.

Otherwise, an outstanding series that left me wanting more, of which I hope the producers will capitalize on. Mad props to the entire Russian producers and film-makers for creating this little gem, and bravo to Netflix for picking this up. A well deserved 9/10 from me!

I recommended another Russian series (To the Lake) to my son who loves all things Russian and he returned the favor by recommending Better Than Us. This show is a must-see, and I highly recommend you to pass on the dubbing. It's worth the extra effort to read the subtitles. I don't know if I'll be able to sit through another American series after seeing TV done right.

This is well made show and very entertaining. I watched all the episodes in just a few-days-spree. Sure, plot got some holes (starting from where Arisa is coming from in first place), some behaviors are schematic, some scenes make little sense, but the plot is fine overall, with some nice twists. Acting is good, camera is good, sound is good, F/X are good. futuristic vibe is there. I personally noticed a few opportunities for better twist or story development wasted and but overall I enjoyed this show. WARNING: there're are bloopers added to the credits, just after last episode is over. This ruins the whole episode's mood for me, so you may want to pause the playback after last scene.

Also please note that some reviews mention that you should choose native (russian) voice + subtitles. I am not Russian native, but I can speak the language and I definitely disagree. Beside from some odd translation issues that english version adds to this show, voices in English version are far superior and add significant value to the show. The tone of the voice, the sound - Russian Arisa is no that "robotic" as English one. So do not follow the review. Do not believe me blindly - just check for yourself first. IMHO watching the show in English is still better.

EDIT: I've seen the entire season now and I am incredibly impressed. The show is very entertaining, the acting is good for the most part. The visual effects etc are very good. And the writing/story is also great. It's slightly soapy in some moments but well worth it in the end. Many times I found myself furious, frustrated, angry, happy or otherwise emotionally involved with the characters which goes to show the writers did a great job. Aside from a few minor plotholes, irrational things done by some of the characters (people in real life do irrational stuff all the time) it is absolutely an fantastic show that I would recommend to anyone that likes sci fi or just a good intrigue / drama show. The music is very lacking which is unfortunate, they even managed to butcher the wonderful "Scarborough fair".

It's kinda funny that the most advanced robot in the show is actually Chinese made. In the show the big corporations making the robots havent even come close to the creation of this mysterious Chinese scientist that made this robot. I understand why the other robots are so "robotic" but my biggest complaint aside from the music would be that this one super advanced robot should have been more fluid and humanlike on her movements and emotions (as I said previously, more like the robots from "humans")

I am genuinely excited to see the second season and how the story will progress.

Original review

As someone that loves sci fi and dystopian movies and shows it's much better than I expected. Admittedly I've only seen 2 episodes. I dont think I've ever seen any Russian show or movie aside from the original Solaris and Stalker. I expected it to be more "B" quality but it's a great and entertaining show. It's not as good as "humans" (which unfortunately had a terrible ending last season) but it's better than most generic sci fi shows.

The acting is pretty good although that's hard to judge when the language is foreign to me. The acting of the robots is not that great though, it's an artistic choice I'm guessing but it's sorta stupid. They act too "robotic". I mean they should be slightly robotic, maybe a bit cold but there is no reason for them to have such stiff movements.

So far my biggest annoyance is that there is this really pretty pregnant lady in the show. She is like a solid 8.5 or 9/10. Shes short, pregnant but super "cute". Imagine pam from the office, now imagine if pam was super pretty haha. Anyway her fiance, which is this ugly guy, acts like she is worthless and is drooling over these robots that arent even as pretty as his fiance. She also seems to be completely obsessed with this guy and seems to genuinely love him. Meanwhile he seems extraordinary uninterested complaining about how she keeps calling him and saying stuff like I wish I could move to another city where she couldn't find me (she's pregnant with his child).

I guess the point is to make him a very unsympathetic character, but it just doesn't come over as realistic. Also the fact that she seems to be completely oblivious to this guy disliking her so much makes little sense.

Despite this being set in the future I thought it was funny that the corporate bosses act like they are mobsters, they treat male staff like crap while treating girls nice. And corruption seems to be super normal. People bribe others like it's the most normal thing to do Haha. It's very Russian in that sense, at least so far.

Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised with the first two episodes. Enjoyed the story so far and the acting. My only wish is that the robots were more like the ones in the brilliant British show "Humans". These robots, even the most advanced model with "free will" seem to be incredibly "robotic/stiff" in their movement.

Overall, if you lile sci fi and the subject of synthetic humanoid robots / androids etc I would definitely recommend it. But if you havent seen "Humans" yes I would recommend that show over this. (Small edit: although I still think Humans is better, I will definitely recommend also watching this show, and compared to the absolutely nonsensical and terrible ending of the last season from Humans thos show had a very satisfying ending that also left room for a second season)

This was surprisingly good! I watched it in Russian so I don't know how good the dubbed versions are, but I really enjoyed the first season. As it often is with Russian productions it's a bit long and not as fast-paced as similar western-made movies and TV shows, but give it a chance. You won't be disappointed! It is a solid Sci-Fi TV show that deserves to be seen.