Brief

After immigrating to Miami from the defunct USSR, a Korean Russian woman kisses a lot of frogs in hopes of finding a prince. Here, she details the worst of them, chapter- by-chapter, until deciding to stay single for the foreseeable future.

What We Liked

Although there are several moments that could be considered offensive (i.e.- when the writer is deciding whether she is attracted to Terrence, a Black man, and exclaims that ‘once you go Black, you never go back’ or when she discusses her belief that depression is not a serious mental health issue), the memoir, at its core, appears to be an indirect commentary on the immigrant experience in the dating pool of America, specifically Miami. The perceived cultural issues are interesting, especially for what would likely be a mostly American audience, and there are certain female empowerment moments that are attractive as well, like when she tosses aside a boyfriend for suggesting she lose weight, or when stands up to her male bosses. While the source material is lacking a progressive plotline, there is potential in some of the anecdotes, especially when the writer juxtaposes the expectations of her parents against her own life in America.

Film: Depending on how it’s framed, it feels like the story could present an interesting message. Although it’s not conclusive – the protagonist doesn’t find love in the end-things could be tweaked a bit to emphasize that women don’t need a partner to feel fulfilled, thus delivering a solid truth to audiences. That said, the source material would require a bit of finessing. It would have to be farmed for the best, non-offensive, anecdotes to patch together to create a solid throughline supporting that message of female empowerment.

TV: There are several interesting anecdotes to choose from, most of which feel like they could be elongated enough to warrant a full season. There’s also an incomplete quest by the end of the source material. The protagonist does not find love, and essentially vows to continue her search, which leaves room for further development and expansion. And lastly, there are a few solid supporting characters present, though all could use elevation and development.

Key points:
Female lead.
Explores gender roles.
Explores the experiences of an immigrant.
Explores sexuality.
Female empowerment.

Synopsis

After the collapse of the USSR, a chance encounter leads ALEXANDRA KHAN to a sales manager job at the local Sheraton. That, in turn, led to a move to New York City, where Alexandra hopes to find someone who aligns with her Korean cultural and family values, all while climbing the ladder in the luxury hospitality industry. After three years in New York, and no boyfriend, Alexandra moves to Miami. There, she meets OSCAR and quickly falls in love.
They marry, and soon Oscar reveals that he is depressed. Despite Alexandra’s urging to stop taking his medication and pick himself up by bootstraps, his depression leads to adultery, which leads to Oscar mixing anti-depressants with alcohol, which leads to several suicide attempts. Alexandra becomes frustrated with Oscar and urges him to end his life. Oscar’s family turns on her, and the marriage dissolves.

At a travel conference in Baltimore, Alexandra meets TOD. They communicate long-distance, until Tod visits Miami. Alexandra becomes upset when Tod doesn’t offer to pay for all their dinners, or buy her expensive, designer gifts. After they part, Tod asks about Alexandra’s financial situation. Alexandra becomes enraged and breaks things off. Soon after, she meets RICHARD. All appears well, until he becomes unable to maintain an erection in bed. He tells Alexandra that he has cancer, and is moving home to England. But Alexandra sees him riding his expensive bike, insults his appearance, and throws a bagel with cream cheese at him. Next up is ALEX, whom Alexandra speaks with on the phone for hours at a time. But when they meet in person, Alexandra notices that he is shorter than she is. She struggles to make it through the dinner, and never sees him again. At a club with her friends, she meets JB, but ditches him when she discovers that he doesn’t like to order food that he will not finish, and insists on taking to-go boxes containing leftovers.

Alexandra decides to date a man named TERRENCE, to decide if she is attracted to Black men.
When she discovers that Terrence refuses to see his child, she breaks up with him. Terrence continually begs her for another chance, but soon Alexandra has had enough and bids him farewell for good. Meanwhile, she gets fired from her hotel job by a ruthless manager. Still, she refuses to be defeated. Alexandra meets JEFFREY, a model, online. Everything goes well until she learns that he doesn’t have access to his trust fund. Soon enough, she realizes that his ex-girlfriend is supporting him, and begins to suspect that he’s using his model looks to con a whole host of women. Alexandra calls it off. She then begins seeing CHRIS, a doctor getting his degree in the Dominican Republic. After four and half years of long distance, Chris moves back to Miami for good. But he soon tells Alexandra that he has a child, and a second on the way, with his wife.

A relationship with a German, MATTHIAS, ends when he tells Alexandra to lose weight. A relationship with DAVID ends when his ex-wife begins stalking them, and he refuses to commit. ANDREW, with a squeaky voice and small penis, is on the chopping block next. He is followed by DMITRI, a stigmatic who listens to folk music and smells bad. And then JOHN SMITH, who eats her food on their first date. Alexandra meets JONATHAN, and promptly dumps him when she discovers that he claims to be in an open relationship, and invites her to lunch instead of dinner. And JUAN is dumped when he asks to split a bill, fifty-fifty. She meets BORIS online, as she’s going through turmoil at her latest hotel. She resigns, both from her job and from the relationship when she deems Boris’ marijuana use to be a dealbreaker. Soon after, Chris comes back into her life. Things are going well until his wife refuses to sign the divorce papers. Alexandra swears of him for good, and dating for a while.

About The Author

Alexandra Khan is a Korean Russian born and raised in Uzbekistan. In 1999, she got discovered by Starwood Hotels in Tashkent, where she fell in love with the hotel business. She moved to the US in 2001 and is a MAGA enthusiast, currently residing in Miami.