The Doll Review: 3.5/5
The Doll offers a genuinely unusual love story set against 1879 Warsaw, led by two flawed, believable characters, though the series struggles when it tries to balance its romance with an arson subplot that never feels as compelling.
| Rating | Platform | Genre | Episodes | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5/5 | Netflix | Period Drama, Romance | 6 | Pawel Maslona |
| Cast | Character |
|---|---|
| Sandra Drzymalska | Izabela Lecka |
| Tomasz Schuchardt | Stanislaw Wokulski |
| Magdalena Cielecka | Kazimiera Wasowska |
| Malgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik | Prezesowa Zaslawska |
| Jacek Braciak | Supporting role |
Netflix’s The Doll takes viewers back to Warsaw in 1879, adapting Boleslaw Prus’s classic novel into a six-episode series about class, ambition, and a romance that never quite follows the rules of a typical love story.
At the center of it all is Stanislaw Wokulski, a self-made businessman who has returned to the city with a fortune, hoping to win the hand of Izabela Lecka, a woman from a struggling aristocratic family desperate to hold onto her social status.
What makes The Doll genuinely interesting is that Wokulski’s love for Izabela never plays out in a straightforward, romantic way. He becomes almost obsessively focused on understanding her, going so far as to hire someone to learn her preferences so he can quietly shape his own home around her tastes. It is a strange, slightly uncomfortable kind of devotion, and the show leans into that discomfort rather than smoothing it over.
Izabela herself is far from a simple heroine. She can be selfish and sharply aware of class boundaries, at one point bluntly telling Wokulski that money will never make him her equal.
Yet she also pushes back against the very social order that constrains her, most notably when she uses her influence to help free Dr. Zofia Dobska after she is detained following a patient’s death during childbirth. That contradiction, someone fighting for her own independence while showing little compassion for people outside her own social circle, is what makes Izabela such a compelling character to watch.
The supporting cast adds real depth to the world around them. Dr. Zofia’s storyline highlights the limitations placed on women throughout the series, while Kazimiera Wasowska becomes something of a confidante for Izabela as she navigates the social games surrounding her.
Julian Ochocki, a character driven by science and invention rather than social climbing, offers a nice contrast to the aristocrats obsessed with maintaining their status, and his conversations with Wokulski about investing in early aviation hint that Wokulski’s ambitions extend well beyond simply marrying into wealth.
The performances carry much of the show’s appeal. Drzymalska plays Izabela with a quick, unpredictable temper, shifting from curiosity to disdain in an instant, especially around Wokulski. Schuchardt, in turn, makes Wokulski visibly uneasy whenever Izabela is nearby, not out of shyness but because he genuinely wants something money simply cannot buy.
Where the series stumbles a bit is in deciding which story deserves the spotlight. Alongside the central romance, there is an arson investigation tied to suspicions around Wokulski, and while it adds a mystery element, it often pulls focus away from the far more engaging romantic and social drama at the heart of the show.
A few side characters and themes around class, gender, and science could also have used more room to breathe, since the show does not always treat every thread with equal care.
Even so, The Doll left a strong impression overall. The period detail feels rich and considered, the performances are excellent, and the awkward, complicated dynamic between Izabela and Wokulski gives the series real emotional texture. Neither character is framed as a simple victim or hero, which makes their story far more compelling to watch unfold.
In the end, The Doll works best whenever it stays focused on these two people, each wanting something from the other while struggling to truly understand what the other actually needs.
If crime dramas are more your pace this week, our review of Waiting Hai, starring Divyenndu and Bhuvan Arora in a gripping railway ticket scam thriller, is also worth checking out.