Out There

A sad and melancholy episode. Though it still ends on an optimistic note. The episode aired on NTV during a dark time — right after the Dubrovka terrorist attack, when releasing anything cheerful was simply impossible, and nobody was in a cheerful mood anyway. Back then (as strange as it sounds now) there was virtually no censorship on NTV. So Parfyonov called several times, worried about what we were planning to put on air. He was satisfied with my assurances that there'd be nothing fun and jolly. And it really was a bleak period — apart from the terrorist attack, a good friend of mine had actually gotten hit over the head with a bottle right in her own courtyard. In short, the mood was downright gallows-like. And yet Masyanya somehow manages to pull out life-affirming notes even in a situation like that. I don't even understand how myself..