![]() It isn’t enough to merely have a good plot, an intricate script and exceptional acting anymore - series need to have a life outside its own parameters, to find an existence online and in our conversations. Better Call Saulwas littered with nods to Breaking Bad (although the eventual appearance of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman was more a referential smack in the face than a subtle Easter egg) and House of the Dragonhid plenty of Game of Thrones secrets in its seven episodes (that Valyrian steel dagger happens to be the same one that makes it into the hands of one Ayra Stark).Ĭynically, Easter eggs might just be a ploy to set the internet on fire with theories and secrets - more online hype ostensibly means more viewers. With more series based on books and games and even other TV shows, the opportunity to cross-reference has grown exponentially. ![]() The care and attention it takes to create a good Easter egg makes for richer, more enthralling TV. I can’t remember the last time I made it through an hour-long drama without even glancing at my phone (yes, even while watching The Last of Us). Now, according to research by Microsoft, it’s only eight. In the year 2000, our attention span was about 12 seconds. More and more, TV shows are competing for not only our time, but our attention. Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon (Photo: HBO) It’s an addiction, but one that only serves to enhance my enjoyment. I trawl articles listing all the tiny details, however inconsequential they are. After each episode, I log onto YouTube and search for the ones I’ve missed. ![]() Most come straight from the video game the series is based on: the gas masks, the landmarks, the music, even some of the actors are the same. The Last of Us is jam-packed with Easter eggs. It feels like a secret language between you and the characters, or you and the creators - like you are a part of their world. Even better is rewatching one of your favourite series and finding an Easter egg you would only recognise after you’d seen the whole show. A little something to thank you for paying enough attention and not spending the duration of whatever you’re half-watching aimlessly scrolling through Instagram. But the real beauty of these little extras is that while they can dazzle those in the know, they aren’t essential to enjoying the series or film.Įaster eggs are like a reward. Easter eggs invite viewers into a special club that requires a high level of knowledge and interest to join. The internet is full of fan-made videos and investigations into Easter eggs, and discovering secrets you missed only adds to the thrill. Is it fan service? Yes, but the best shows and movies do it subtly enough not to distract from the magic. Something as simple as watching Walter White cut the crusts off his sandwich can bring meaning to those paying close, meticulous attention (he only started doing that after he killed drug lord Krazy-8, who had the same bread preferences, signifying the chemistry teacher’s transformation to the ultimate bad guy). In TV, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Good Place, I May Destroy You and Atlanta are only a handful of series that are littered with Easter eggs. In fact, Disney is notorious for them: Flounder from The Little Mermaid makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in Moana, Aladdin’s flying carpet pops up in The Princess and the Frog, and The Lion King villain Scar turns up as a rug on Hercules’s floor. cutie Boo owns a Jessie doll from Toy Story 2. It’s something Pixar does all the time: look closely and you’ll notice that Monsters, Inc. You might have heard of “Easter eggs”, the small details in films and TV shows recognisable to only a certain faction of invested viewers: they might be subtle in-jokes, anachronistic visual references, or a delicately placed message to fans. “You do that in the game!” I shrieked, pointing and beaming at the screen. To the average viewer, this was nothing to get excited about, simply a tall character helping out a shorter one. While watching episode four of Sky Atlantic’s zombie action series The Last of Us, I got animated when Joel ( Pedro Pascal) boosted his young companion Ellie (Bella Ramsey) up into a vent.
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