Baby Reindeer Viewers Spot Hidden 'Code' That You Probably Missed

25 April 2024, 12:36 | Updated: 26 April 2024, 15:14

Baby Reindeer viewers spot Easter egg you probably missed. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

Martha's email address includes a reference to another TV series – but what does it mean?

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Baby Reindeer viewers have spotted a very familiar 'code' hidden within the first episode, but not everyone will have been able to spot it right away. Some people might not even have a clue what it means or why it's significant... Did you clock it?

The new Netflix series has taken social media by storm over the past few weeks. Created and written by Richard Gadd, it tells the true story of his experience with a stalker, named 'Martha' in the series. Throughout the show, viewers watch as Martha begins to inundate Donny (Gadd) with emails, texts, calls, voicemails and more.

Read more: Baby Reindeer: What Happened To The Real-Life Martha? Where Is She Now?
Read more: Are Baby Reindeer's Emails Real? The True Story Behind Real-Life Martha's Emails

In the first episode, we see the start of Martha's obsession with Donny as she floods his inbox with emails. At one point, Martha's chaotic email address pops up on-screen: ma4815162342@yahoo.com.

Donny remarks that the email address looks like "a random series of numbers like spam," but there's actually more to it than that. Here's what those numbers mean.

What do the numbers in Martha's email address mean in Baby Reindeer?

Are Martha's emails in Baby Reindeer real? The fake email address includes a 'hidden' code reference. Picture: Netflix

To most viewers, those numbers will also just look like gibberish or spam, but to those who have watched Lost, those numbers will instantly trigger something within your brain.

Yep, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 are not completely random numbers that Richard Gadd whipped up out of nowhere. That string of numbers feature prominently throughout Lost's storyline, and are intricately weaved within the show's 6-season run.

For those who have never watched the show, the numbers (both individually and together) appear in every single episode and are connected to the characters and the overall mythology.

One character, Hurley, considers them to be cursed or 'bad luck' after he won millions on the lottery and then immediately started experiencing a string of bizarre, bad events.

Baby Reindeer: the 'random series of numbers like spam' used in the stalker's email address are, in fact, the cursed numbers from LOST pic.twitter.com/JksoAJwLJs
— Jacob Stolworthy (@JacobStolworthy) April 18, 2024

In Baby Reindeer, there doesn't really appear to be any other reason behind the numbers other than to serve as a nod to the iconic drama series. Richard Gadd hasn't explained why he chose to reference them.

Based on Hurley's 'cursed' interpretation of the numbers, viewers could choose to see Martha's email address as an ominous warning that something very bad was about to happen to Donny.