Rachel Weisz’s Vladimir makes an unforgivable yet common mistake – it cheats the audience

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*Warning – contains spoilers for all eight episodes of Vladimir.*

Last year, I interviewed Dennis Kelly, the writer behind shows like Utopia and Pulling. He was discussing his excellent BBC drama, Waiting for the Out, when he said something interesting:

Right now, what really bothers me is that we’re confusing intense excitement with genuine emotional depth. We seem to believe they’re the same thing, but they absolutely aren’t.

It’s common in shows like those on Netflix to start with a dramatic scene – someone waking up at a crime scene, for example – and then use flashbacks to explain how things got there. But honestly, it feels a bit predictable and weak. It’s like the show is saying, ‘This part might be slow, but hang on, there’s a payoff coming with someone’s death.’ It just feels uninspired.

Kelly wasn’t referring to any specific show, like a particular drama or Netflix series. He definitely wasn’t talking about ‘Vladimir,’ as that wouldn’t come out for several months. Still, the way he spoke, it felt like he was talking about it anyway.

The new Netflix erotic thriller, Vladimir, featuring Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall, begins with a captivating opening scene and is inspired by the novel of the same name.

Throughout the series, the professor, played by Weisz, directly addresses the viewers. This begins immediately, in the very first scene where she’s shown writing in a cabin. She shares that her students think she’s out of touch, her daughter sees her life as pointless, and she’s concerned about losing her attractiveness.

She enters the cabin, revealing Vladimir, the main character, tied to a chair. This is our first glimpse of him – he’s unconscious and restrained with chains. As Weisz exits, Vladimir awakens and is horrified to realize he’s been captured and is partially unclothed.

He shouts in fear as the opening title appears. The series then flashes back to the moment Weisz’s character first encounters Vladimir, and the story unfolds from there.

Over the course of the series, Weisz’s character becomes increasingly captivated by Vladimir, all while dealing with the infidelity of her husband, John. John, also a professor, has been having affairs with students, a scandal that has shocked the campus. However, she believes the situation is being exaggerated, as she understands the relationships were all consensual.

My feelings about the series changed as I watched it. Initially, I thought it wasn’t exploring its complex themes deeply enough, but it did start to address them more fully in the later episodes.

The scenes between Weisz’s and Vladimir’s characters were painful to watch, but surprisingly humorous. The acting was strong overall, with Weisz delivering a particularly outstanding performance and essentially leading the show.

The show’s use of fantasy sequences – switching between what was real and what was in the character’s mind – felt both excessive and then strangely absent. I even started to suspect a major twist, like the character’s connection to Vladimir was all in their head, but that possibility never came to fruition.

I felt uneasy and kept wondering how and, more importantly, why the story had led to the opening scene, where Weisz’s character had bound an unconscious Vladimir.

Even though the character developed a strong obsession with her colleague, it felt unbelievable that she would resort to kidnapping and abuse. The escalation seemed too extreme.

The pivotal moment arrived at the close of episode 7. While John faced disciplinary action, Weisz’s character confessed to Vladimir that she didn’t want him to leave, sharing this revelation as they had a drink together at her cabin.

She continued to give him alcohol and secretly added a drug to his drink to keep him from leaving. After he passed out, she used his phone to text his wife, Cynthia, a false message claiming he knew about an affair with John – a lie, but a separate problem entirely – and told her not to reach out to him.

She restrained him by chaining and zip-tying him to a chair, then sat close, gently stroking his legs. He was only in swimming trunks, having just come from the pool. She calmly settled on the sofa with a book and waited for him to regain consciousness. When he finally woke up at the end of the show, he was deeply confused, disoriented, and frightened by what had happened.

The show was building towards a huge finale where anything could happen. I honestly didn’t know what the outcome would be or how everything would wrap up.

It was pointless to worry about the increasingly high stakes because the show didn’t actually delve into them. The momentum completely disappeared by episode 8.

Early in the episode, Weisz’s character quickly clarified a confusing situation. He said they’d both been drinking, he’d expressed a desire to be submissive, and she had subsequently passed out. He insisted it was all a big misunderstanding, and she confirmed that nothing sexual had happened before untying him.

The episode then focused on what happened after she texted Cynthia and told Vladimir about her affair with John. Interestingly, this was the only part of that storyline that hadn’t been hinted at in the first episode.

After that, the disappointing ending unfolded, but even if it had been more captivating, I still would have felt unsatisfied.

The first episode used a flash-forward technique that was important for the story. While some might appreciate how Weisz’s character hinted at something that turned out to be unimportant, it was frustrating for many viewers.

It’s confusing why the show introduced such a major shift and heightened the tension, only to resolve it so quickly and easily. It feels like a wasted dramatic moment.

Honestly, watching this felt a little manipulative. It’s like Netflix and the creators were teasing a bigger payoff, hinting at something more thrilling just around the corner, as Kelly pointed out. And to be fair, in a few of the situations Kelly was talking about, that promise is actually kept. It’s not a total false start, but it definitely feels like a bit of a trick.

I was so invested in that scene, eagerly waiting through eight episodes to understand what was happening with Weisz and what her plan was. I really wanted to see how Vladimir would respond! It was incredibly frustrating when it turned out to be…nothing. Just a throwaway moment they quickly moved on from, like it didn’t matter at all. It felt like a waste of all that build-up.

There were essentially only two choices for the show. If it wasn’t going to build up to the intense conflicts hinted at with things like chains and restraints, those elements shouldn’t have been included at all. Introducing them otherwise feels like misleading the viewers.

If the story requires a darker turn, embrace it and explore the consequences fully. Show viewers how Weisz’s character spirals out of control and genuinely becomes a threat.

When a show relies on shocking moments for initial impact but then avoids exploring the consequences, it feels unsatisfying and ultimately disrespects the audience. It prioritizes a quick thrill over meaningful storytelling.

This isn’t a new storytelling technique – as Kelly pointed out, it’s a common trope in many shows. It’s unfair to focus solely on any single flaw. The show has plenty of enjoyable parts, particularly a complex and fascinating look at morality and relationships, and a brilliant performance by Weisz.

Honestly, the error felt really unforgivable to me. It was such a blatant attempt to deliver something the show just couldn’t, and I really hope future seasons learn from it. It just felt like a really obvious misstep, and it left a bad taste in my mouth as a fan.

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at the international production company Fremantle. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies and a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-03-06 01:06