If you’re watching Common Side Effects the regular way—eyes front, popcorn in hand, just vibing with the story—you’re missing half the fun. This isn’t just a show about rogue mushrooms and shady pharma giants. It’s a playground for background details, inside jokes, and deep-cut references that creators Joe Bennett and Steve Hely clearly sprinkled in for their most eagle-eyed fans.
So, whether you’re a casual viewer or the type who rewinds scenes to read every label, here’s a spoiler-light dive into ten wild, weird, and wonderful Easter eggs hidden in Season 1.
1. Marshall’s Psychedelic Plant Power Move
Let’s start strong. During Marshall’s showdown with Reutical’s cold-blooded CEO, he’s clutching a potted vine. Not just any vine, either. That leafy companion is none other than Banisteriopsis caapi, one of the key ingredients in the traditional Amazonian brew known as ayahuasca.
This isn’t some random decorative plant. It’s a nod to real-world shamanic medicine and hints at Marshall’s grounding in alternative healing. The vine’s presence says a lot, without him saying anything. It’s symbolic, subtle, and smartly placed for the trippers in the back.
2. That Reutical Logo Feels a Bit… Familiar
Next time you see the Reutical Pharmaceuticals logo flash across the screen, pause it. Now squint. Ring any bells?
That sleek, stylized “R” carries a suspicious resemblance to Pfizer’s own branding. Coincidence? Probably not. It’s a cheeky little design Easter egg that adds a layer of visual satire, slipping in commentary on corporate mimicry and branding dominance.
3. DEA Duo: Copano and Harrington
Every good chase needs pursuers. Enter DEA agents Copano and Harrington. They sound like the kind of guys who show up in dusty detective novels—and maybe that’s the point.
Their names feel lifted from noir paperbacks or classic procedural scripts. It’s a wink to old-school crime stories, planted in a show that thrives on genre mashups. And honestly, it makes their awkward misadventures even more entertaining.
4. Frances Goes Meta With Her VR Headset
When Frances slips into a VR headset, it’s not just a moment of escapism. There’s a name on that headset: “Scavengers Reign.”
Fans of co-creator Joe Bennett will instantly recognize this. Scavengers Reign was his earlier animated sci-fi project—moody, alien, stunningly detailed. This blink-and-you-miss-it detail connects the two worlds, or at least hints at a shared artistic DNA. It’s a fun nod, and a gift for the fans who’ve followed Bennett’s journey.
5. The Blue Angel’s Real-Life Doppelgänger
Okay, fungi nerds, this one’s for you. That magical mushroom at the heart of everything? The Blue Angel? It didn’t just sprout from the writers’ imaginations.
Its design looks a lot like Psilocybe azurescens, a real and seriously potent psychedelic mushroom known in the mycology world. It’s not just fantasy; it’s grounded in a rich tradition of ethnobotanical knowledge. So yeah, you might not want to lick your screen, but the authenticity is there.
6. Kruger and the Farming Simulator of Doom
Rick Kruger, Reutical’s high-strung CEO, doesn’t exactly scream “earthy realism.” But there he is, obsessing over a farming simulator in the middle of a corporate meltdown.
It’s a surreal moment. But it also works as a sharp jab at tech-bro detachment. The man’s kingdom is burning and he’s harvesting pixelated corn. It’s darkly funny and painfully on-brand for a show that thrives on contradiction.
7. Hildy’s Lab of Fungal Wonders
Hildy’s hideout isn’t just a science bunker. It’s basically a love letter to mushroom lore. In between flasks and microscopes, sharp-eyed viewers might spot a particular book: The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross.
This real-life text links early Christian symbolism with psychedelic mushrooms. Controversial? Absolutely. But also right at home in Common Side Effects. It adds a scholarly, slightly heretical flavor to Hildy’s obsessive quest for truth.
8. The Tortoise Named Nietzsche
Marshall’s pet tortoise doesn’t do much. He’s chill. He’s slow. But his name? That’s where the fun is. Nietzsche.
Yes, as in that Nietzsche. The one who wrote about eternal recurrence, moral frameworks, and God being dead. So what’s a turtle doing with that kind of philosophical baggage? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. It’s a tiny joke, a quiet flex, and oddly fitting.
9. Frances’ Mom’s Meds: PlaceboMax
There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where Frances’ mother’s pill bottle gets a close-up. The label reads “PlaceboMax.”
Satire doesn’t get sharper than that. The name skewers the pharmaceutical industry’s obsession with placebo-controlled trials and the not-so-secret art of marketing non-essential meds. It’s fast. It’s funny. And it’s brutally on-brand.
10. That Final Song? You’ve Heard It Before
As the season closes out, the score drops into something eerily familiar. If you’re a Rick and Morty fan, your ears probably perked up.
That ambient melody is actually a slowed-down version of “Goodbye Moonmen,” a track first featured in the episode “Mortynight Run.” It’s dreamy, haunting, and perfectly placed. This musical nod ties Common Side Effects into the greater Adult Swim multiverse. Cosmic sadness meets pharmaceutical dread.
Keep Your Third Eye Open…
Common Side Effects is a show that plays out on multiple levels. The characters might be hallucinating, but the clues? They’re real. The creators clearly had a blast hiding them.
So if you’re rewatching, slow things down. Linger on backgrounds. Read the labels. Study the posters. Because just like mushrooms in a dark forest, the good stuff often grows where you least expect it.
