Netflix's Russian Doll: What Does The Ending Really Mean?
6. The Significance Of Horse And Oatmeal
One of the strangest characters in Russian Doll is Horse, a homeless man who Nadia thinks she knows the first time she sees him.
Speaking to Polygon, creator Leslye Headland described Horse as such: "Horse was always the moon tarot card to her tarot reader. He’s the subconscious self. He’s this other part of her that she can dip into at any time and join at any time, and he’s both dangerous and a positive, kind of protective character. But he’s neither creation nor destruction."
That's quite a compelling idea, and going further into the idea of him being the moon tarot card it begins to make more sense. The card is said to represent the idea of peace, and illumination and ultimately calming of the animal nature within oneself, as well as reflecting an intellectual light beyond which is a great mystery. That ties into the larger themes and imagery of the show: the use of mirrors, i.e. importance of reflection, and going beyond, as when she sees Horse at the end, it's when she's finally able to move on.
Then there's Oatmeal, who is always with Horse (again, there's the idea of animalistic nature). But Oatmeal also represents the one thing Nadia has been able to rely upon, and indeed projected upon. If we go back to the idea of the series as being like a maze, then finding Oatmeal represents the key to finding her own sense of self. And aside from that, it's just a really cute cat.