If I had to guess, America's mind's-eye conception of Russia looks like a grey building under greyer skies, atop which sits Vladimir Putin, ever stoking Sauron's flaming eye. For those caught up in the twenty-four-second news cycle, it's easy to confuse "The Russians" with "Russians", which is why Johnny O'Reilly's Moscow Never Sleeps is not only refreshing, but important. Imagine a less sappy Love Actually, pulsing with Victoria's heightened emotional undercurrent, and you'll understand why this story of strangers' lives intersecting on Moscow City Day is so effective. From the dying comic legend trying to make peace with his wife and mistress; to the architect juggling a crumbling relationship and a government takeover of his greatest project; to the bickering teen step sisters working out their own messy definition of "family", these characters are as relatable in their disappointments, drudgeries, and dreams as any ensemble in a mainstream American drama.