15 Subtle Details in Films and TV Series That Many People Missed on Their First Viewing

Movies and TV series often hide subtle details. Sometimes they help you guess a plot twist, make sense of what’s happening on screen, or make connections to other films or to the real world. Here are a few of these kinds of details that many viewers may not have noticed.

Wednesday

At the beginning of the series, Wednesday manages to unravel an encrypted message, the answer to which is the phrase “snap twice.” When she follows the instructions, a passageway opens, leading to a secret library. The double snap of the fingers refers to another series in the franchise, The Addams Family. In its opening sequence, the characters in the series snap their fingers twice while looking directly at the audience.

House of the Dragon

In the first episode, Viserys tells his daughter Rhaenyra about a prophecy that describes the events of Game of Thrones Season 8. According to the prophecy, when humanity is threatened, a Targaryen must ascend to the throne to unite the kingdom. Viserys begs his daughter to keep the secret with the words “Promise me this, Rhaenyra. Promise me.”

This seemingly common phrase relates to an episode of Game of Thrones, in which Lyanna Stark says the same phrase to Ned when asking him to protect her son Jon Snow, whose real name is Aegon Targaryen.

The White Lotus

In the final episode of Season 2, Tanya wears a floral dress. The same dress can be seen close-up in Episode 3, on a mannequin depicting Michael Corleone’s wife in a famous scene from The Godfather. For the viewers who noticed the mannequin and remembered what happened to Michael’s wife, Tanya’s fate came as no surprise.

Hocus Pocus 2

In one scene, Mary refers to a car as a “very small bus.” This misidentification of a car relates to a moment in the first film in which the sisters first saw modern vehicles and took a ride on a bus.

The Batman

Selina Kyle often uses affectionate pet names. But her choice of terms changes depending on her attitude toward the person she’s speaking to. When she doesn’t trust someone, she calls them “honey.” But with people she really cares about, she uses “baby.”

Everything Everywhere All at Once

In one of the universes, Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, becomes a movie star and viewers are shown a montage of clips from Evelyn’s life. But this montage also contains real-life footage of Michelle Yeoh, including the premiere of one of her previous films, Crazy Rich Asians.

Enola Holmes

The clothes that Enola’s mother appears in at the end of the film can completely change how audiences perceive the character. Pansies are embroidered on her outfit. In the language of flowers, they signify love and sympathy for another person’s pain. This outfit expresses the feelings that Enola’s mother has for her daughter. This makes the character seem less cold.

Scream

While on the phone with Ghostface, Sam declares, “Come and get me.” To which he replies, “With pleasure!” after which he immediately appears behind her and attacks her. For those who remember the movie Scream 2, the villain’s appearance was not such a surprise. After all, he said the same thing on the phone to Sydney before jumping out of nowhere.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

In Episode 6, Bronwyn tells her son Theo, “This shadow is but a small and passing thing. There is light and high beauty forever beyond its reach. Find the light and the shadow will not find you.” Samwise Gamgee makes a very similar speech at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Three Thousand Years of Longing

The number 3 is often shown or mentioned throughout the film. Apart from its use in the title and the fact that the genie offers to grant the protagonist 3 wishes, there are other incidents. For example, in the hotel, she stays in room 333, and on the plane, she has the seat number 33C. At the end of the film, a cloud in the shape of the number 3 can be seen in the sky.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Jane and Thor argue, trying to remember how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other. Jane thinks it’s been three or four years, whereas Thor knows for sure that they’ve been apart for eight years, seven months and six days. Perhaps this confirms that Jane was destroyed by Thanos’ snap, causing her to miss five years.

The Lost City

The protagonist’s book tour is called Romancing the Page. This is a reference to the movie Romancing the Stone, for which The Lost City became a kind of remake.

Elvis

When the main character comes to see his mother, a real picture of baby Elvis can be seen in the frame. The same photo was used for his album cover.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Lady Bagshaw and Mr Carson get mistaken for a married couple. In real life, the actors playing these characters have been married since 1983.

Marry Me

In one scene, Kat’s assistant shows her an expensive necklace in a red box. When Kat reaches out for it, the assistant pretends to slam the box shut, which makes Kat jump, and then laugh. This is a reference to a famous scene from Pretty Woman.

What hidden details have you noticed in films and TV series?