Friend of the show Alex Gendler (@achilleselbow) joins us to discuss Adam Curtis's latest BBC docu-series, "Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone: What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy." Lacking the distinctive voiceovers and musical cues of Curtis's other films, this series relies solely on footage captured by BBC film crews as the Soviet Union collapsed and was swiftly replaced by a hyper-capitalist, authoritarian oligarchy. Did he get it right? Is it art? Do we miss the Nine Inch Nails interludes? Our resident former Soviet citizen unpacks.

NOTE: Aaron's internet went out, so he had to drop off early.

Outro: Gold Panda, "Same Dream China"

Watch the series on YouTube