I watched a few episodes of this limited series and have some thoughts.

The nice things I can say are that it is entertaining, well acted and directed, and sometimes beautiful. I don’t regret spending the time to watch.

Beyond that, the premise and execution of the story is a sloppy work of anticommunism and lofty pining for a return of monarchy.

The story establishes itself early on: the Bolshevik revolution happens, and the new government is deciding what to do with all of the old aristocrats. Most of them are imprisoned or killed. But Count Rostov is saved by a mystery party official who advocates to spare him under house arrest, instead, at the luxury Metropol hotel in Moscow.

Thus begins a pattern unbroken for the rest of the show: the Count is a true gentleman, the embodiment of all culture, which the Bolsheviks continually destroy for a false desire for progress. The Count is written as James Bond, an infinitely “cool”, charismatic, and attractive Übermensch who ought to be allowed to explore the limits of human excellence.

Every dialogue between the Count and his jailers can be summed up in an emoji:

The series doesn’t pretend to be historically accurate. Still, it falls flat with trite sentimentality absent any substantive interaction with the outside world. One might say the claustrophobia is inherent to the Count’s confinement to the Metropol, but really it seems that showing the conditions outside the hotel would have too much undermined the premise that the Count is a heckin’ cool dude who wasn’t hurting anyone.

I almost forgot to mention that there is a sort of shoehorned side plot designed to create some dramatic sympathy between the Count and one of the party members who is outspoken against the old aristocrats. This character was cast as a black man, so most reviews on make vague allusion to the “casting” which supposedly detracts from the show. I haven’t watched all the episodes yet, but it seems to be preparing a twist à la the ending of God’s Not Dead; except instead of atheism being caused by a hatred of God, the Bolshevik character’s communism is caused by a personal grievance with the Count.

I could say more on the anticommunism, but really it speaks for itself. In spite of everything, in the right directorial hands, it could make for a great story if it managed to present the Count’s nobility brainworms in a negative light which would automatically validate the actions of the Party.