Russian Doll: 10 Hidden Details That Redditors Spotted
Russian Doll's season 2 is streaming on Netflix and has proven itself to be just as wild and confusing as the first season. The show explores the premise of time, mental health, the afterlife, and the general perceptions of reality, so it's no surprise that it leaves the parameters of typical time and space in the dust.
Season 1 of Russian Doll gave little effort to explain itself, and if fans were hoping that season 2 would shed some light on what Nadia and Alan had been going through, they were disappointed. However, audiences are starting to notice a trend of hidden details between seasons 1 and 2 that might give some clues about what is really happening. Redditors have been pointing out these details from both seasons, and some might paint a clearer picture to start season 3 with, while others make things even more confusing.
Mental health is a common theme in Russian Doll. Nadia's mother, Nora, was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and the show reveals early on that Nadia has fears about inheriting the condition. Russian Doll's main protagonist has above average intelligence, but the anxiety that comes hand in hand with that causes her to worry about following in her mother's footsteps. Redditor I'm2Chicken pointed out that Nadia screams at her friends to not call her crazy, and that later Ruth states that "at her house," that word is forbidden.
Season 2 sees Nadia take over Nora's body back in the '80s and experience what reality is like from her mother's mind. It helps her develop stronger empathy for her mother and put her negative feeling behind her, but it's possible that the mental health theme exposes more at play in Nadia's own life or mind.
In season 1, Redditor Invisibleumbrella notices something strange about some of the characters that surround Nadia. "The three drunk guys at the deli are also the three guys who tell Nadia she has a bug in her code," they said, going on to point out that these same characters are the EMT drivers that try to take her to the hospital.
What is especially strange about this is that they are not just backgrounded characters. The three men are Nadia's coworkers, but she for some reason sees them as strangers when they are in their different roles. This again hints that Nadia isn't just in a time loop, but that her entire reality may not be what it seems.
Redditor Drelos noticed that the items around the characters in both seasons 1 and 2 are much more than just props. "There is a pic of William Burroughs in Nadia's desk," they said, pointing out that there is also a poster of the writer on Nadia's apartment wall.
William Burroughs is a novelist who is known to have written a lot about drugs and time loops. His novels often twisted reality and revolved around the theme that there are no accidents when it comes to the universe. The reference to Burroughs in Russian Doll could just be a nod to the genre, but it could also be a hint to audiences to not take any moment in the show for granted.
"Ariadne" is the name of the final episode of season 1, but it also pops up a few more times. Nadia has a poster in her room that contains the word, and the video game that she designed that Alan claimed was unbeatable shares the title "Ariadne."
Redditor Terminallyelle noticed this and pointed out that Ariadne was the "daughter of King Minos" in Greek Mythology. Ariadne gave Theseus yarn to help him find his way out of a maze, away from the dangers of a monster. This ends up being the premise of season 1, leading this Redditor to feel that Ariadne made "this whole show come together." While Ariadne is never mentioned in season 2, the continuation of the use of time travel may hint that Nadia and Alan are still in their maze.
Since season 2 is leading a lot of fans to believe that Nadia and Alan are not actually living in reality, they are returning to season 1 to search for more clues. Redditor Jziggs228 noticed a great deal of significance with mirrors that may translate over to season 2.
Nadia's mother had an obsession with smashing mirrors, and after Nadia removes the shards of a smashed mirror from her mouth in season 1, her younger self told her "she's still inside you." Jziggs228 asked, "Does she mean Nadia's mom?" If this is true, it becomes even more significant in season 2 when Nadia finds herself in her mother's body, only able to see her true self in a mirror.
At the end of season 1, there are several different versions of reality that join together. The version of Alan and Nadia that remembers going through the time loops becomes separated, but when they save each other, those times merge together, reuniting the members of Russian Doll's best relationship.
However, Redditor Mr.Pleiades noticed that this may not be true. They pointed out that Nadia was wearing a different outfit in her reality, and Alan's reality, but when they are joined, she is seen in a third outfit. They believe that there "is some significance to red, white, and black shirt Nadia," and that the fact that there are three Nadias seen in the final scene hints that the timelines never fully came together.
At the end of season 1, three Nadias are seen in the parade. However, season 2 never addresses this. Redditor Storefront noticed that there were coincidentally only three bodies in the morgue when Nadia accidentally breaks time. Since Nadia dies hundreds of times, there should have been more, but three seems to be the magic number.
Storefront wondered if this meant that each death had "canonically happened," and that when Nadia broke time, she was able to see those three deaths before her. This may also support the theory that Nadia has actually been dead all along.
One of the questions Russian Doll fans still have after season 2 is how Nadia and Alan are connected, but season 2 continues to show that their stories are intertwined.
Shortly after audiences discover that Alan is in love with a man from his grandmother's past, Nadia is seen using books from her mother's apartment to research the missing Krugerrands. Redditor GaiaAnon noticed that among them are books about "bisexuality and homosexuality." The show never makes a big deal about Alan's sexuality, and it is likely not a part of the major plot, but the out-of-place books are another example of how Nadia and Alan are linked, even through time.
In addition to the smaller ways that Nadia and Alan are connected, season 2 reveals that their histories have come closer than either of them realize. During Nadia's time in the '80s, she unknowingly comes in contact with Alan's grandmother, Agnes, on multiple occasions.
Redditor Protoavek12 noticed this, pointing out that Agnes can be seen "during the birth" of Nadia on the subway platform. Viewers do not realize who she is until later when Alan finds her in the tunnels, but her presence there, as well as her job within the subway system, can't be a coincidence.
Redditor Covermeincheese noticed one of the most subtle details in Russian Doll season 2. For the duration of the season, Nadia's coat has gold buttons. However, in the final episode, after Nadia returns her infant self to her mother and heads back to 2022, the buttons are black.
Covermeincheese theorizes that this change "has to do with her letting go of her family's gold," since Nadia ended up having to choose between taking the gold or returning baby Nadia to the past. Whether this is true or not, it's a sign that reality isn't what Nadia thinks it is. But as said in one of the best quotes from Russian Doll, "when the universe f**ks with you, let it."