The Garden Ring is a boulevard that surrounds central Moscow. Within it are some pretty swish districts as well as government buildings and squares. The series opens at a chic party full of high-society people being held at a posh address within the Ring.
The conversation there is vapid and boring. These are people who lead superficial lives despite their wealth. Indeed, as there wasn't a storyline on IMDB (until I added one), I was tempted to delete the lot as that first episode was really hard to sit through. However I decided to give episode two a go and I'm not sorry I did so. I stuck with the story right to the end.
I didn't give a higher mark because there really is too much padding in the story. Present and past lovers, "meaningful" conversations between various friends and amongst families, extraneous relationships that didn't move the plot along and which were basically fillers. The whole lot could have been done in eight episodes of forty minutes instead of twelve of fifty five. I guess that there was a hole in the TV schedules that needed filling.
The plotlines were not particularly believable but convoluted enough to keep one's interest. Characterisation was exaggerated to extremes. Unforgivable acts were glossed over by the victims.
I neither recommend this or not. It's watchable but really little more.
