A Family in Turmoil: 'Whirlpool' Review

I'm a total sucker for shows about the wealthy and famous, and 'Whirlpool' is right up my alley. It's like a train wreck that you can't look away from - you know it's wrong, but you just can't help yourself. The show's got all the ingredients of a classic melodrama: love triangles, family secrets, and a healthy dose of scandal. But what sets 'Whirlpool' apart is its engaging detective plot, which keeps you guessing until the very end.

The show centers around Alena, a doctor who's always on the go as an emergency medic. She's got her life together, or so it seems - she's engaged to be married and is ready to start a family. But things take a turn when her fiancé, Kirill, goes missing, leaving her with a huge debt to pay off to some pretty shady characters. To make ends meet, Alena takes a job as a caregiver for Viktor, the wealthy patriarch of the Vetrov family, who's recently suffered a stroke. That's when she meets Pavel, Viktor's son, and sparks fly. But not everyone in the family is thrilled about Alena's arrival - especially Viktor's wife, Ludmila, and his sister-in-law, Oksana, who's got her sights set on Pavel. As Alena navigates this complex web of relationships, strange things start to happen in the Vetrov household, and before long, a series of problems, mishaps, and even deaths begin to pile up.

One thing that caught my attention was the number of episodes - 16. That's a lot of drama to unpack, but I was hooked from the start. The show's got a great cast, including Alexandra Nikiforova as Alena, Vladimir Bolkhovitinov as Pavel, and Tatiana Lyutaeva as Pavel's mom, Lyudmila. The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and they bring a level of authenticity to their characters that's hard to find in other shows.

But what really stood out to me in the movie were the veteran actors - Nikolai Chindyaykin as Viktor Vetrov and Vladimir Sterzhakov as businessman Timofeyev. Timofeyev is a former friend and current competitor of Vetrov's, and their interactions are some of the most compelling moments in the show.

The rest of the cast includes Kristina Blokina, Anton Seymkin, Kamill Yusipov, Alina Suhorukova, Vladimir Sterzhakov, Anastasia Stezhko, Andrey Gorbachyov, and Yelena Polyanskaya. At first, I was really annoyed by Kirill, Vladimir Kurzeby's character. I just can't understand people like that... I'm not even sure if life can change someone like that or not. It's like a magical transformation, almost like something out of a fantasy movie.

But what really threw me off throughout the movie was Polina, the superwoman chef. She totally stole the show! I just can't wrap my head around what the scriptwriters were thinking when they came up with Polina's storyline. We've already met Polina in the first series, and here she is, in her crisp white uniform, laying out the table in the living room.

Just think about it - Polina works in this massive, opulent house with six residents: a cook, a maid, a housekeeper, a personal shopper for the gentlemen, and she even cleans the rooms and collects their belongings for them! She's an incredibly capable woman, not just a person. This isn't like 'Downton Abbey' with its bloated staff, where everyone has their own personal valet and butler. Polina's the one who takes care of everyone, and she does it all with style - just look at her in her makeup and heels!

The kitchen is always spotless, and she's always whipping up something delicious. And on top of all that, Polina's got a son to take care of, so she's always driving him to school and picking him up. She's also whipping up pastries and taking him to school, and then she's off to host a massive banquet for dozens of people. Who's going to accompany Viktor Vladimirovich to his business trips? Of course, it's Polina.

But that's still not all - despite all her responsibilities, Polina's got plenty of free time to sit down and play cards, or try her hand at fortune-telling... I thought that was the end of the functionality for Polina? Think again! When the investigator asks who the last person was to visit the hunting cabin, I'm guessing who it was? Yep, Polina! As it turns out, she's also cleaning up at the hunting cabin! When does she find the time? I wish I had her superpowers. She's like Arkady Parovozov, not Polina.

My impressions are that the beginning of the movie is really slow, but when the chain of mysterious events picks up, it gets more interesting. In general, who the mysterious Alecto is and why they're seeking revenge on the Vetrov family is pretty predictable, but I'm curious to find out the reason.

It was uncomfortable watching the bullying scenes of Pavel's daughter and how Matvey's pushing her towards retaliation. Often, the logic behind the characters' actions is unclear. Take Alena and Pavel's daughter, for example, when they decided to hide the info about who leaked the photo and pin the blame on someone else. What did they achieve by doing that? It just made things worse, in my opinion. They even managed to make me feel betrayed by my own son. What's the point of that? I just don't get it...

Some of the dialogs with the characters feel a bit awkward. For example, Viktor Sr. gets into the car and tells the driver, 'Come on, what's wrong with you? You're as sleepy as a fly.' The cook, Polina, who's also riding with them, asks, 'Viktor Vladimirovich, do you need anything? Everything's okay?' Viktor responds, 'No, I don't need anything. Let's go.' I'm still trying to figure out the logic behind that. What made her think something was wrong with him? He just told her to hurry up.

But, if it weren't for Polina, I'd probably wouldn't have finished watching the series 'Omud'. I'm still trying to wrap my head around her mysterious abilities – they're even more puzzling than a secret avenger's.

The one positive thing I'd like to mention is the overall winter atmosphere and New Year's vibe. It's like the show's trying to tell us that even in the midst of all this chaos, there's still room for some festive cheer.

I wouldn't say I thoroughly enjoyed the movie 'Omud'. The language just doesn't do it justice. However, it's worth watching once, especially for background viewing. If you have the option, I'd recommend checking out one of the other movies I mentioned at the beginning of this review instead.

What's the movie about?

I was hooked from the start when I met Alena, a doctor who's always on the go as an emergency medic. She's got her life together, or so it seems - she's engaged to be married and is ready to start a family. But things take a turn when her fiancé, Kirill, goes missing, leaving her with a huge debt to pay off to some pretty shady characters. To make ends meet, Alena takes a job as a caregiver for Viktor, the wealthy patriarch of the Vetrov family, who's recently suffered a stroke. That's when she meets Pavel, Viktor's son, and sparks fly. But not everyone in the family is thrilled about Alena's arrival - especially Viktor's wife, Ludmila, and his sister-in-law, Oksana, who's got her sights set on Pavel. As Alena navigates this complex web of relationships, strange things start to happen in the Vetrov household, and before long, a series of problems, mishaps, and even deaths begin to pile up.

One thing that caught my attention was the number of episodes - 16.

So, what's the story about?

At the center of it all is Alena, a doctor who's always on the move as an emergency medic. She's got her life together, or so it seems - she's engaged to be married and is ready to start a family. But things take a turn when her fiancé, Kirill, goes missing, leaving her with a huge debt to pay off to some pretty shady characters.

I had to take on a part-time job as a caregiver for a wealthy family, the Vetrovs, to pay off my partner's massive debt. Check out their stunning mansion - it's like they're hiding secrets and scandals behind closed doors:The family's patriarch, Viktor, looks like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders, but I knew I had to get to work and turn things around. My goal was to get him back on his feet, and I was determined to make it happen.Meanwhile, I started to develop feelings for Pavel, the son of my client. It was like I was stuck in a soap opera, but things took a dark turn when the family started to get picked off one by one.What could have been a cheesy melodrama about a wicked mother-in-law and a love rival turned into a gripping crime story as the Vetrov family members started to die off one by one, and a string of unfortunate events befell them. It was like they were trapped in a never-ending nightmare.I'm still trying to figure out who thought it was a good idea to submerge this family in the 'Omertà' world. It's a question that keeps me hooked until the end, and by series 14, I finally get my answer, but the curiosity remains!

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💥 Cast and Characters💥

Alexandra Nikiforova as Alena

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Meet Alena, the doctor who's a walking angel of mercy and kindness. She's always ready to forgive and help, but what she's really doing is abandoning her duties to care for her patient. I mean, who needs a dedicated nurse when you have a 24/7 caregiver, right?What's up with this sitter who's always MIA, gallivanting around at nightclubs, chatting with her ex, and leaving her patient unattended? You'd think she'd be more concerned about her patient's well-being than her own social life. And why is Victor V. taking his cook and her son to work, but not his actual caregiver?

The caregiver, meanwhile, is at home, gallivanting around, trying to figure out what's going on with her daughter Vika. 'Mind your own business!' Vika tells her, and I'm right there with her. It's like, hello, you're supposed to be taking care of my grandfather, not snooping around and getting involved in family drama.

I've gotta say, watching Pavel's wife deal with his antics was a real challenge. She's signed over a power of attorney to him, and he's blown through 9 million rubles on who-knows-what. And she's still chatting with him like they're BFFs! 'They've decided to stay friends,' she says, like that's a thing. I've seen her pick up pizza for him and even got him a job at her workplace. She's willing to take the fall for him, too.

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Vladimir Bolkhovitinov as Pavel Vetkin

Pavel's not as repulsive as Alena, but he's still got some weird habits. Like the time he kept seeing his psychologist, Oksana, after finding out she'd been dishonest with him. It's just weird. He doesn't seem to care about her moral character.

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Tatiana Lyutaeva as Pavel's mom, Lyudmila

I immediately disliked the sitter. She's got no regard for anyone else. Everyone around her is just a servant. Her son's in jail, but she's out shopping for clothes and planning a party for her kids. Tatiana Lyutaeva did a great job of playing her character realistically. The way she yelled at the maid, 'Look me in the eye, you wicked witch,' was hilarious!

And you almost believe she's changed by the end of the movie.

What really stood out to me in the movie were the veteran actors - Nikolai Chindyaykin as Viktor Vetrov and Vladimir Sterzhakov as businessman Timofeyev. Timofeyev is a former friend and current competitor of Vetrov's.

The rest of the cast includes Kristina Blokina, Anton Seymkin, Kamill Yusipov, Alina Suhorukova, Vladimir Sterzhakov, Anastasia Stezhko, Andrey Gorbachyov, and Yelena Polyanskaya. At first, I was really annoyed by Kirill, Vladimir Kurzeby's character. I just can't understand people like that... I'm not even sure if life can change someone like that or not. It's like a magical transformation, almost like something out of a fantasy movie.

But what really threw me off throughout the movie was Polina, the superwoman chef. She totally stole the show!

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Irina Knyaznedelina as Polina

I just can't wrap my head around what the scriptwriters were thinking when they came up with Polina's storyline.

We've already met Polina in the first series, and here she is, in her crisp white uniform, laying out the table in the living room.

Just think about it - Polina works in this massive, opulent house with six residents: a cook, a maid, a housekeeper, a personal shopper for the gentlemen, and she even cleans the rooms and collects their belongings for them! She's an incredibly capable woman, not just a person.This isn't like 'Downton Abbey' with its bloated staff, where everyone has their own personal valet and butler. Polina's the one who takes care of everyone, and she does it all with style - just look at her in her makeup and heels!

The kitchen is always spotless, and she's always whipping up something delicious.

And on top of all that, Polina's got a son to take care of, so she's always driving him to school and picking him up. She's also whipping up pastries and taking him to school, and then she's off to host a massive banquet for dozens of people. Who's going to accompany Viktor Vladimirovich to his business trips? Of course, it's Polina.But that's still not all - despite all her responsibilities, Polina's got plenty of free time to sit down and play cards, or try her hand at fortune-telling...

I thought that was the end of the functionality for Polina? Think again! When the investigator asks who the last person was to visit the hunting cabin, I'm guessing who it was? Yep, Polina! As it turns out, she's also cleaning up at the hunting cabin! When does she find the time? I wish I had her superpowers. She's like Arkady Parovozov, not Polina.

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My impressions are that the beginning of the movie is really slow, but when the chain of mysterious events picks up, it gets more interesting. In general, who the mysterious Alecto is and why they're seeking revenge on the Vetrov family is pretty predictable, but I'm curious to find out the reason.

It was uncomfortable watching the bullying scenes of Pavel's daughter and how Matvey's pushing her towards retaliation. Often, the logic behind the characters' actions is unclear. Take Alena and Pavel's daughter, for example, when they decided to hide the info about who leaked the photo and pin the blame on someone else. What did they achieve by doing that? It just made things worse, in my opinion. They even managed to make me feel betrayed by my own son. What's the point of that? I just don't get it...

Some of the dialogs with the characters feel a bit awkward. For example, Viktor Sr. gets into the car and tells the driver, 'Come on, what's wrong with you? You're as sleepy as a fly.' The cook, Polina, who's also riding with them, asks, 'Viktor Vladimirovich, do you need anything? Everything's okay?' Viktor responds, 'No, I don't need anything. Let's go.' I'm still trying to figure out the logic behind that. What made her think something was wrong with him? He just told her to hurry up.

But, if it weren't for Polina, I'd probably wouldn't have finished watching the series 'Omud'. I'm still trying to wrap my head around her mysterious abilities – they're even more puzzling than a secret avenger's.

The one positive thing I'd like to mention is the overall winter atmosphere and New Year's vibe. It's like the show's trying to tell us that even in the midst of all this chaos, there's still room for some festive cheer.

I wouldn't say I thoroughly enjoyed the movie 'Omud'. The language just doesn't do it justice. However, it's worth watching once, especially for background viewing. If you have the option, I'd recommend checking out one of the other movies I mentioned at the beginning of this review instead.