A Gentleman in Moscow: Should You Watch It? (Limited Series Review)
A Gentleman in Moscow, an eight episode limited series on Paramount+, is a very good, rarely great, yet never bad, fictional historical drama. The show, more than anything else, is a showcase for an interesting, creative character who finds himself in a most peculiar circumstance.
The character in question is the (fictional) Russian aristocrat, Count Alexander Rostov. In 1921, in the midst of the Russian Revolution, Rostov is spared from execution. Instead, as punishment for being a member of the aristocracy, he is sentenced to spend the rest of his days imprisoned in the Hotel Metropol.
If you’re going to be imprisoned somewhere, you could do a lot worse than this grand, expensive hotel. Even though Rostov is given old servants quarters to live in, he still has access to the rest of the hotel, and he eventually discovers a secret room attached to his quarters. (The sort of cool secret room that only exists in stories such as this one.)
From here, we see what happens to Rostov over the course of his time in the hotel, covering not just days or months, but years. A Gentleman in Moscow is, at times, a dark story, but this magical-feeling location helps alleviate what would otherwise be a much heavier story.
The political situation in Russia serves as the backdrop for what’s happening to Rostov in the hotel, and we’re told the goings on in the country from other characters Rostov interacts with.
Such characters include an officer tasked with keeping tabs on Rostov, a girl Rostov befriends named Nina, and a film actress Rostov develops a strong relationship with over the years. All of these characters are only somewhat interesting. The show seems most concerned with spending time with Rostov himself, and these other characters are merely players in his story.
Luckily, Rostov is a creative character capable of holding a viewer’s attention. His optimism and kindness despite his difficult circumstance make him easy to root for. Ewan McGregor plays Rostov, and he does a great job here – he’s just extremely likeable. The actor creates a lead that is endearing and never annoying. He also has a great repore with the young actors who appear on the show.
With episodes often taking place years apart, sections of the show do feel slightly distinct from one another, and I felt like episodes do vary somewhat in terms of quality. I thought Episode 5, “An Arrival,” was the clear standout as the program’s strongest episode. Still, there’s never a significant dip in quality, and I was always curious to see what would happen to Rostov next.
Though I don’t think A Gentleman in Moscow is, overall, a great show, it’s still a quite good one that feels different from much of what is on TV. I think that viewers who find themselves interested in the story after an episode or two won’t be disappointed in this limited series as it goes along. As a commoner in New York, I know that I certainly enjoyed it.
Grade: 8/10