In episode six of Russian Doll, Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) tells Alan (Charlie Barnett) that the first video game she developed is based on Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon, but with Nadia’s hairdo. “They call that an Easter egg,†Nadia says.
If you’re into Easter eggs, you’ll find that Russian Doll lives up to its multilevel moniker in that respect. Here are just 39 of the hidden images, inside jokes, clever references, and tiny details to keep an eye out for when you’re ready for a rebinge of the outstanding Netflix series. We’ve even noted the time stamp where each one appears, so you won’t be thrown for a (time) loop.
Episode 1, “Nothing in This World Is Easyâ€
3:53: Mike receives his first text from Beatrice at Nadia’s party.
5:22: The first time we see Horse, he has no shoes on, which Nadia will notice in episode three.
5:44: On the bodega counter sits a plastic table tent advertising “Yep,†the ersatz Yelp platform that Nadia will use to track down Alan in episode four.
6:28: The first time Nadia encounters the Wall Street dweebs at the bodega, she tells them to “take a left at Disneyland.†She will tell them the same thing in episode eight when she’s trying to get Alan to remember her.
8:27: As Nadia sits at her desk working on code, a red-and-black poster on her wall reads, “The Legend Ariadne.†“Ariadne†is also the title of episode eight.
10:04: Episode 2’s wilting flowers make their first appearance in the background. They look vibrant and healthy.
11:20: Mike hits on Nadia while discussing John Updike — who is, we learn in episode four, the subject of Beatrice’s dissertation.
12:25: Ruth makes her first appearance. In real life, Natasha Lyonne’s godmother is also named Ruth.
15:00: The red scarf that Alan will wear in episode eight makes its first appearance around the neck of Lizzy’s lady friend.
16:00: The camera follows a couple walking through a doorway at the party; the woman is wearing a red shirt and a ticked-off expression. In episode three, Nadia will encourage John to go home with “that chick with the red shirt who’s about to get in a fight with her boyfriend.â€
22:36: Mike references the getaway that Alan and Beatrice are supposed to take when he says into the phone, “Call me when you get back into town.†He also lies and tells Bea, “I’m at a work thing.â€
Episode 2, “The Great Escapeâ€
3:01: A bodega customer buys a lottery ticket, requesting the numbers “23, 14, 21 — no, 22.†There are 22 deaths on the show.
4:54: Nadia goes to her code meeting. Three of the four code bros at the meeting are played by the same actors who played the Wall Street dweebs in episode one. (Hat tip to the redditors who spotted that!)
20:38: At Ruth’s house, the camera pans across a table to reveal several pictures of her with her deceased husbands. The last photo shows her with George Peppard. (Another Reddit catch!) In real life, the actress who plays Ruth (Elizabeth Ashley) was married to Peppard from 1966 to 1972. They also co-starred in 1964’s The Carpetbaggers and played husband and wife in 1965’s The Third Day.
20:56: Nadia stands in Ruth’s kitchen eating rotisserie chicken. Nadia will later die from choking on a chicken bone. (Let’s also not forget Maxine and her birthday chicken.)
21:00: Ruth offers Nadia some tea — an offer that will later kill Nadia in a gas explosion.
23:53: The ambulance crew is likewise played by the same three actors who played the Wall Street dweebs and the code bros. The ambulance driver notes that his mother “loved me very much.†That actor also played Bob at the code meeting, who likewise told the others at the meeting as Nadia entered, “My mom loves me.â€
Episode 3, “A Warm Bodyâ€
6:26: John talks to Nadia on the phone while holding … a bag of fast-food chicken.
15:00: We see Alan (whom Nadia’s not yet met) from afar as he walks through Tompkins Square Park.
19:41: Head down, Alan walks right past Nadia while she’s on the phone with John.
22:32: Nadia tells Horse she’ll just “sit and play my crosswords†while guarding his shoes. In real life, Natasha Lyonne is a confessed crossword addict.
Episode 4, “Alan’s Routineâ€
10:10: Alan tells the old man who lives in his building, “There was a woman on the elevator.†The old man replies, “Women don’t like to take the stairs.†After dying on them three times, Nadia doesn’t like to take the yeshiva stairs.
16:15: Alan’s Yep page reveals that he’s written 175 reviews with a three-star average. He gave Garrett’s jewelers three stars. He gave one eatery five stars because “the shawarma is incredible.†A second eatery earned only two stars. “I wish they had more shawarma,†Alan wrote.
Episode 5, “Superiority Complexâ€
3:34: At the party, Lizzy stands next to the woman Mike will later hook up with (the one who has to catch an early flight to Sweden).
4:55: Nadia mentions Emily of New Moon for the first time. As Screen Rant has noted, in the book, Emily has an aunt named Ruth.
21:45: Nadia tells John he doesn’t want to meet Lucy because “I could die right in front of her†— which she will do in episode seven.
Episode 6, “Reflectionâ€
1:45: Nadia pulls her video game off Alan’s shelf. It’s called The Legend Ariadne — the same as the poster in Nadia’s apartment in episode one.
4:11: Ruth sets out a plate of rugelach for Alan and Ruth. It’s the same plate or rugelach that was on her counter the first time Nadia visited her in episode two.
19:22: At the bodega, Nadia buys what appears to be cottage cheese — suggesting she wasn’t lying when she told Beatrice she eats it to “maintain my figure.â€
20:49: One of the photos Alan puts in up Nadia’s bedroom is a picture of Young Nadia and her mom (Chloë Sevigny).
Episode 7, “The Way Outâ€
2:13: There’s a framed piece of art on Alan’s wall that shows the top of a building. Alan originally died by jumping off the top of his building.
5:16: On Maxine’s kitchen island, the chicken is gone — and Nadia’s birthday cake, while still there, no longer has writing on it.
11:48: In a flashback, Nadia’s mom can be seen wearing her Krugerrand.
Episode 8, “Ariadneâ€
9:50: At the back of the bodega, there’s a sign near the basement steps that reads, “Employees Only (and Oatmeal).â€
15:15: In the Odessa Diner’s doorway, there’s another Yep sign.
18:38: After Alan sends her a pic of Mike cheating, Beatrice’s texts to Mike include:
“Mike I know you’re with another woman, but I need you to call me.â€
“Who is this person in this photo?????â€
“I’m not mad be decent, call meâ€
“This is bullshit and you are bullshitâ€
“Pick up the phoneâ€
“I’m such a fucking idiot, of course you fuck around.â€
“Go to hellâ€
“There’s a pattern here you might want to consider!â€
“Delete your accountâ€
“After everything, you’re gonna play it like this?â€
“Fuck you!!!!â€
“On second thought, don’t call meâ€
“Delete my numberâ€
“Die aloneâ€
“Your kid hates you and now so do Iâ€
19:45: Horse takes Alan over to where his friends are hanging out in Tompkins Square Park. “We got one,†Horse says — to the person who tried to steal his shoes in episode three.
21:15: When Original Nadia returns to the bodega to meet up with Looping Alan, she buys the condoms that Mike passed on earlier.
28:28: The person who tried to take Horse’s shoes at the shelter walks besides him in the parade.