Low Life: Seriously, officer, we don't go to jail for domestic violence here.note Domestic violence is a serious issue in Russia, and in 2017 was officially decriminalized in cases where it doesn't cause "substantial bodily harm" (such as broken bones or a concussion), causing the problem to rise to epidemic levels.
Officer: But you beat up your neighbor!
Low Life: Nah, he's like a brother to me. I promise.
While working his way though a list of possible leads, Grom interrupts a man cooking meth, who accidentally sets himself on fire. The man spends several minutes stumbling around, still ablaze, while Igor sits calmly and studies his list (before finally directing Dima to a fire extinguisher).
Fan-Preferred Couple: While Igor/Yulia is canon, Igor/Sergey is more popular due to their numerous Foe Yay Shipping moments (including Sergey's seemingly jealous behavior when Igor accepts Dima as his partner and thanks him for saving his life).
Igor/Dima is also popular due to their endearingly awkward interactions and Dima's desire to please and impress Igor (to say nothing of the Shirtless Scene when he visits Igor's apartment).
Fridge Brilliance: The art in Sergey Razumovsky's office has a lot of clever hints about the film's themes, plot details, and characterization. On the wall behind his desk is a re-creation of the Gigantomachy frieze: a fragment of the Hellenistic Pergamon Altar. The particular fragment depicts the mythological battle between the good, wise Olympian gods and the brutish chthonic giants for control of the cosmos; a story of Brains Versus Brawn, in which the powers of the mind (and a lightning bold from Zeus!) defeat monsters. It speaks volumes about how Sergey sees himself, and how he thinks his story (and especially his final fight with Igor Grom) will play out. However, his ego is so great that he didn't anticipate his physically strong opponent also being brilliant in his own right, which makes for a rather different ending to the story!
The panels of the frieze are also assembled in the wrong order, causing the buttocks of the fit, male figures to be prominently displayed: another hint about Sergey's Ambiguously Gay nature (especially since though most of the film, he's seen in that office with Oleg — his closest, and male, friend) and that Sergey might not be as smart and sophisticated as he pretends to be.
Magnificent Bastard: Yulia Pchelkina is a journalist and blogger who will do anything for a story. With the emergence of the Plague Doctor case, Yulia poses as a rape victim to steal police officer Igor Grom's documents on the killer and posts videos on her blog for a massive view count. Allying with Igor, Yulia shows her chops fighting back against the devotees of the Plague Doctor and even manages to break an arrested Igor out of prison before taking down the villain with a hidden tape recorder as he boasts of his crimes.
Ship Tease: Sergey and Oleg are very close, life-long friends; Oleg acts as Sergey's Living Emotional Crutch, and often encourages him by rubbing or resting a hand on his shoulder. It's also revealed that Oleg's reported death was Sergey's final push into insanity. Some viewers noted parallels between Sergey and Oleg and the pairing of Igor and Yulia: a more slight, well-groomed, wealthy redhead in a technology-related profession who is paired with a dark-haired, physically fit man in a traditionally masculine field. It's worth noting that in the comics books on which the film is based, the two relationships were written to have the same emotional weight.
. The particular fragment depicts the mythological battle between the good, wise Olympian gods and the brutish chthonic giants for control of the cosmos; a story of Brains Versus Brawn, in which the powers of the mind (and a lightning bold from Zeus!) defeat monsters. It speaks volumes about how Sergey sees himself, and how he thinks his story (and especially his final fight with Igor Grom) will play out. However, his ego is so great that he didn't anticipate his physically strong opponent also being brilliant in his own right, which makes for a rather different ending to the story!