‘The Romanoffs’ Lavishly Anthologizes Supposed Descendants of Russian Royalty

Alci Rengifo

Amazon’s “The Romanoffs” is a strange but nonetheless interesting anthology series. The premise on its own sets itself apart from the usual peak TV fair. Created by Matthew Weiner, the mind behind “Mad Men,” it is another show elegant in its imagery, but this time shifting from the corporate world into a den of oligarchs. It imagines a group of Russians (or people who consider themselves Russians) living around the world who trace their lineage to the Romanovs, the last Tsarist monarchy overthrown during the Russian Revolution in 1917. The rich have sure been having a rough time lately on television, with shows like “Succession” and “Billions” reminding us that having it all doesn’t always mean a good time. But “The Romanoffs” is a lighter, darkly comic take on the ways of the privileged.

The season one premiere, titled “The Violet Hour,” follows an iron-willed matriarch, Anushka (Marthe Keller) who plows through maids like a scythe with her acidic tongue. Her nephew Greg (Aaron Eckhart) expects to soon inherit a lavish, historic apartment owned by Anushka which has hosted everything from Prussian lords to Nazi generals. But Anushka despises Greg’s wife Sophie (Louise Bourgoin), who is desperate for the old woman to die in order to get the inheritance. Into the picture comes Hajar (Inès Melab), a Muslim who has been hired to be the new maid. At first Anushka panics, the simple sight of an Arab sends her into a frenzy (“take your bombs and go!”). Greg warns her Hajar comes highly recommended and so she will have no choice but to accept her. With time Anushka opens up to Hajar and starts to feel she can trust her more than even her own kin, no matter the purity of their bloodline.

With its classy season premiere, scored to Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” “The Romanoffs” introduces itself as a drama about specific personality types, even as it boasts a highly expensive production budget. Episodes will take place (and were filmed) around the globe and run at about an hour and 20 minutes, essentially feature length. Weiner writes and directs “A Violet Hour” and sets the tone beautifully, taking us into an opulent world where his characters walk around as if a silver spoon is the most natural thing to be born with. Anushka loves to reference history to make excuses for her own behavior, waving her supposed lineage to the Romanovs despite the fact that she admits she’s never actually been to Russia. The writing gets particularly biting when the old woman scoffs at Hajar for her culture, continuously trying to make her aware that, in Anushka’s eyes, she is not French. It wouldn’t be surprising if she voted for Marine Le Pen. Yet it becomes obvious Anushka hides a more welcoming, tender heart with her pride. It is Sophie who is the real virago. She openly tells Greg in front of Anushka that she wants her dead. Behind the high manners and fancy clothing these people can get pretty barbarous and cruel. Weiner seems to be a delivering a refined critique of the elite, curiously observing their obsession with status and a sense of perceived heritage.

But while Weiner can cut deep, he’s also not a full pessimist. The episode soon takes an interesting turn when Anushka falls ill and makes a bombshell decision, prompting Greg to get close to Hajar and develop sudden feelings both of them would risk a lot by following. Unlike “Succession,” where the wealthy are eternally damned and vicious, Weiner implies that romance and kindness can overcome class divisions. Lenin might disagree, but in the show it works nicely. Maybe it’s because while these are people of privilege, it’s a privilege based on hollow claims. Being related to the Tsar has about as much worth as being related to Marie Antoinette at this point in history.

This is an anthology series, and “The Violet Hour” is a self-contained little drama. It has the feel of a short story taken from an anthropological fascination with characters of this sort. It runs a little too long. With all the talk of television surpassing movies these days in terms of quality, it shouldn’t then try to match the runtime of a feature. 10 minutes less and this could have been a tighter, even funnier episode. But it’s not bad and leaves us wanting to see what else “The Romanoffs” has to offer. For those of us who cannot claim such lineages, there’s something fascinating and fun about watching the pitfalls of those who claim royalty for the sake of mere status.

“The Romanoffs” season one premieres Oct. 12 on Amazon with new episodes streaming every Friday.