[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to Investigating, a movie and television rewatch podcast, where we're currently analyzing each episode of Stranger Things with no spoilers. We are your hosts, Leah and Sarah.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: And if you love Stranger Things, this is the podcast for you.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Foreign.
Hey, guys. Welcome back to Investigating Stranger Things. Today we're talking about season one, Chapter seven, the Bathtub, written by Justin Dobol, directed by the duffers, and aired July 15, 2016.
And again, I have to tell myself every time I start the podcast, gotta. Gotta remind myself, we have a guest. You guys just heard him right there.
That is Brandon.
This is his first and last time on the podcast.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: I'm just kidding.
[00:01:09] Speaker C: Stop. Listen. I had to bring the cat feeder over from Revamped. You can mute that part.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: This is Brandon and Brandon. We were talking just before we started recording about how you said this is your first time ever guesting, not just for us in Investigating, but ever on any other podcast.
[00:01:30] Speaker B: It's. It's just right that you came.
[00:01:31] Speaker C: I know. I'm happy that I'm breaking the cherry with you guys. Popping the cherry, whatever the you want to call it. I knew Leah was going to do that to me.
[00:01:38] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll. We'll be gentle. We'll be. We'll be kind. Actually, no. What am I saying?
[00:01:42] Speaker C: This episode is very.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: It's gritty, it's rough. We're throwing you into the deep end.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: What?
It's just stranger things. What are you talking about?
[00:01:51] Speaker A: You and Barb in the deep end.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: Barb.
[00:01:56] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:01:57] Speaker A: Speaking of Barb.
Yeah. We're glad you're here. And I was just saying how crazy it is how you and I have been talking for a couple years now because you started your podcast when we were on our last year of doing Becoming Buffy, and you'd been listening to us for a few years before that. And how I feel like I have recorded with you a ton because we talk a lot and we video chat and I've been over on your podcast, but I just realized that you've never been on mine. So how does this feel? After listening to my voice for years, how does it feel to be on my podcast?
[00:02:26] Speaker C: I got over that really quickly whenever we did Becoming Part two over on my podcast the first time, just because I had only, like, voice chat with you and did all that stuff I told you then going back and editing that episode was intense because I was like. Like, where are they? Like, they're not actually in here. Like, I'm not listening to on my phone. I can't pause it. Do the same Thing it was a weird occurrence. But then after that, even just podcasting in general now feels super organic. Like, I don't feel as green to it anymore. So just getting in front of people, I feel less nervous. Like, whenever I had Ian Carlos come over on the podcast, I remember like, being a little twitchy and shaky before he came on because I was like, oh, my God, what if this person thinks I'm like a crackhead or something? I know I'm not like. And that's the most harsh degree of what I could be.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: But, you know, like the intrusive.
[00:03:04] Speaker C: You just don't vibe with somebody and you're like, what if your chemistry isn't there? And what if, like, they're bored the whole time that they're with you? Or something like that. And I know you guys are not boring because I would. Was already listening to you. So this feels good to be here. I'm excited.
[00:03:15] Speaker A: Yeah, it's just. That's hard when, like, you don't vibe quite with the person and then you're like stuck with them for three hours or whatever and you're like, oh, I'm so sorry I'm boring you to tears. But yeah, no, we're glad you're.
And I'm so, I'm so glad that all of the guests we've had on, who are also our friends from when we did angel and Buffy, also love Stranger Things, which makes it really fun to continue to like, develop and cultivate these relationships. And we get to see all our friends again talk about something new.
[00:03:41] Speaker C: So we just all like, good tvn.
One man.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Yeah, that's right.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Non binary people. Trans folks.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: One man.
[00:03:48] Speaker C: All the people.
[00:03:50] Speaker B: What did Rihanna say that one time
[00:03:53] Speaker C: we found love in a hotel?
[00:03:54] Speaker A: I don't know.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: I don't know.
[00:03:56] Speaker B: No, she did this interview where she was like, saying, well, they. And then she's like, they, them, everybody. She was like trying to include everything.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: She went on a five minute tangent literally down the track, naming all the colors off that rainbow.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: That's the joke. That's the joke. Like, you could see her like, pull herself back and be like, oh, I gotta.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: I gotta lock in.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: And then she's like, she took the
[00:04:22] Speaker C: plus a little too literal. Like,
[00:04:27] Speaker A: starts naming all the colors of the rainbow. That's so funny.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: I love it.
[00:04:30] Speaker A: No. Okay, so what did you guys. There's no way to segue from that, so we're not going to try. What did you guys think?
Yeah, we're keeping like, okay, Stranger Things. This is how this entire episode's gonna go. I can just tell.
What'd you guys think of the episode?
[00:04:46] Speaker B: What I thought was that we're getting some stuff. Steve. Redemption. Finally.
No, this episode was so good. I'm so glad that we're finally all the characters are together now. They're all on the same page. And it's crazy to think that there's only one episode left in this season, because I feel like there should be more, because I feel like we've been building up to this moment, and I don't even remember what happens in the next episode. I'm going to be so for real.
[00:05:16] Speaker A: We know you thought Barb died in season two.
[00:05:18] Speaker C: I had to watch it. After I watched this for taking my notes, I went right into the finale because I was like, I can't leave off on this.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: I really wanted to.
[00:05:25] Speaker C: Now I'm in the middle of season two.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: I wanted to.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: I just had to know what happened after the next one. So I went right into it, and I haven't stopped since.
[00:05:35] Speaker C: Yeah, I literally haven't.
[00:05:36] Speaker A: You're like, I'm actually still watching right now.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: I have to watch the episodes right before we record because, like, I just need it to be fresh in my mind. So I really wanted to keep watching, but I'm like, if I watch it now, I'm gonna have to watch it again next week.
[00:05:48] Speaker C: And, like, what's different for you?
[00:05:49] Speaker B: I don't want to watch it again.
[00:05:50] Speaker C: Anything else for a while. I'm good to go.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, this was such a good episode, and I'm excited for the next one. This. This episode made me excited for, like, to know what happens next. I think out of all the episodes, this is the one.
[00:06:05] Speaker C: So I agree. This. Yeah, this one is really good.
Watching it back is crazy because I haven't watched the Earl, maybe off and on, but I haven't watched them as much as I did whenever it first came out. Honestly, the original run was, like, a good first track. And I remember watching, like, the show when it aired on the first season. I fell asleep on, like, episode three in the middle of the night, and I woke up and it was in the middle of, like, episode seven. And I was like, what did I miss? Like, because it was completely different than what it was in episode two or three. I was like, hold on. And I had to backtrack and watch the whole season essentially over again versus, like, the. Without the, like, first couple of two episodes or so. But watching it back, like, leading up to this episode to cover with you guys, I Was like, oh, my God. And then, like, just coming off of season five, like y' all were saying, like, that was intense, like, seeing all the connections that are already happening. There's some big ones within this one and stuff like that. That kind of set up future stuff, honestly, like, on a whole scale. Like, I wrote notes about it and stuff like that, too.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: But have you watched. Is this the first time you're watching this season since it came out?
[00:06:59] Speaker C: Basically, yeah.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: Like, I've seen, like, 10 years ago
[00:07:01] Speaker C: episodes here and there. Like, I've watched them with other people, like, but I feel like once the original run started, I just kind of, like, kept following it all the way through. I didn't want rewatch a whole lot. I watched random episodes with my niece because she restarted the series. So I'd be over at their house and they'd be watching, like, season two, episode four or something like that. I'd see that again or something like that, but in chronological order or anything like that. No, I haven't revisited it, really, since the. The original ones.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: It's been 10 years, Brandon.
[00:07:25] Speaker C: Like, that's insane.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: I know. Like, that's why I'm. That's why I asked you, because I didn't realize how long it had been. And then Sarah was like, oh, it came out in 2016. I was like, damn, that's literally 10 years ago. And I haven't watched any of it in 10 years. So it is really nice to, like, go back and watch.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: Yeah. All the gaps in the seasons, it sometimes just makes it hard to go back and re watch it, because I think there's almost this that you've forgotten so much, and then you're just kind of like, okay, well, I'm caught up, and then I'll just move on to other things. There's always just new content coming out, too, which I think has also hampered the rewatch ability of the show. But it is a very rewatchable show. When you actually sit down and look at it, it's. It's. It's great. And it's really fun to just. I'd be excited to, like, go through, which I guess we are doing now, to go through and watch all five seasons. And we're gonna be like, every time we get to the next season, it's like, oh, my gosh, everybody's three years older. Like, and it's just gonna be kind of wild to see everybody grow up.
[00:08:17] Speaker C: I took notes, like, honestly, as I was watching a little bit here and there to remember stuff leading up, because I Was like, I can't believe this. Or, like, even down to the music that eventually changed because they don't do the. Like, that one.
I'm gonna totally do it. But it's like the brown bow. Bow, bow, bow. You know what I'm talking about.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: Like, yeah, the upside down music that's kind.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: Not so much in the later seasons. No, that's on my po. That's a brown. Ow. Now. Now everything's bow, bow, bow. But it's very specific.
I don't know. It's weird watching it back through and seeing some of that stuff that isn't the same in, like, later seasons, too, because I remember, like, season four and five, so much more fresh, even though, you know, the transition between four and five was 1,000 years, 300,000 years. Y' all brought me on for a good episode, though. Y' all gave me a van flip. Y' all gave me Barb's fate. Like, yeah, I came off a good one.
[00:09:05] Speaker B: Steve, Redemption.
[00:09:05] Speaker C: Redemption, like you said. And, like, that's so funny, because in my notes later, I talk about Steve's redemption. I'll talk about, like, the. The final scene towards the end where they're all, like, they're trying to do the walkie talkie call and get into contact with everybody, and that's when the group's really kind of starting to form and stuff like that. So it was awesome to see that, because everybody's kind of been on their little solo adventures, like, groups of twos or groups of fours. Poor Will all by himself, like, ain't even in the show.
[00:09:27] Speaker B: Well. Well, is just in that damn tent just shivering,
[00:09:33] Speaker C: literally.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: Poor Will, should I stick or should I go?
[00:09:40] Speaker C: I feel so scared for him. I'm, like, so happy now. Like, I'm watching it back and knowing what happens because, like, I mean, I can't talk about next episode anyways. Continue.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: Exactly. You see how hard it is?
[00:09:57] Speaker B: Listen, it's podcast magic. We can cut out anything. Okay, guys, We. And it's Sarah.
[00:10:03] Speaker C: Okay, guys.
[00:10:05] Speaker A: Okay.
I don't know how it happens. I don't know how things happen.
[00:10:10] Speaker B: Hey, yeah, I edited all of Angel. I know how it happened.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: You did, and you did a fantastic job. So thankful. So thankful. This episode, I thought it was the slowest of all the episodes so far. And that makes a lot of sense because it's the penultimate episode. This is usually the episode in every show where it's the one where everybody takes a minute, the characters all kind of resolve things.
Everything's getting, like, set into place. So that you can have the big action stuff that happens in the next episode.
And I thought it was so funny how it was kind of backwards in format. Like, it. You start off like pedal to the metal. Like, just immediately you've got the van flip, all that stuff, and then it slows way down for the majority of the episode. And then you have that last little bit at the very end. So it was very different. But honestly, like, every single episode this season has just been so good. Like, it's been fun having guests on too, because I feel like every single. We could just basically assign everybody an episode and they would be so happy with it because there's always something that happens and there's something unique about each one, and this one is obviously no exception. So. Yeah, I mean, this season is like a 10 out of 10 for me. Like, there's not a single episode that I'm like, oh, this is really boring, and I wish we didn't have to cover it. Like, no, this is that season.
[00:11:23] Speaker C: That pulls you in, though, like, watching it through. That's why I'm saying, like, even re watching it, just going back right into season two, I couldn't stop. Like, I was just like, it's so needy. Like, there's something new happening every elite. It's not always a cliffhanger ending, but you kind of want to know what's continuing in the story into the next episode. So that's what makes the episodes.
[00:11:42] Speaker B: Well, a lot of the episodes pick up. Like, they. They finish and they pick up immediately where the last one finished, which is. It's like one long movie.
[00:11:51] Speaker C: It really is, too, though, because I noticed the outfits this last couple of episodes that people were wearing them way longer than I thought they were. Like, Nancy went in this damn brown jacket and freaking burgundy looking sweater for, like, three episodes. Like, what the. Her hair's been in that ponytail for forever. And I was like, girl.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: Well, I'm pretty sure season one is what, over the course of, like, what?
[00:12:12] Speaker A: I think it's like, four days. Is it really?
[00:12:14] Speaker C: Will's only missing four days throughout the whole span of that. Shut the up.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: That's crazy.
[00:12:22] Speaker C: Can y' all tell me, like.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I was like, surely it's been a week.
[00:12:26] Speaker C: Barb looked like she'd been laying there for longer than four days.
[00:12:31] Speaker A: It's that upside down juice she got.
[00:12:35] Speaker B: She has slugs coming out of her mouth. She's rotten.
[00:12:39] Speaker A: Yeah. That was, like, pretty disturbing.
[00:12:41] Speaker C: It's not like a hell dimension where it goes. More time goes by, like, differently there, right like, it's the same amount of time. Days pass like hours wise.
[00:12:49] Speaker B: That Demogorgon sucked the life out of her. Just Voldemort.
[00:12:55] Speaker C: Clearly she wouldn't barb anymore.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: All right, okay. So this episode title is an homage to old horror classics. It's reminiscent of the famous bathtub sequence in the Shining. The plot device of a sensory deprivation tank was also used in the 80s horror classic Altered State with Drew Barrymore. The character Eleven is based on Firestarter. This episode, I thought this was crazy. It has the shortest run time of all the episodes in the series. It is the shortest episode of the series.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: I saw that.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: And it's still longer than minutes. Buffy isn't that crazy.
[00:13:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: How many minutes is it? I didn't even notice.
[00:13:27] Speaker C: Well, I wrote that somewhere in my notes. I was like. I was like 25 minutes and into it, and I was like, oh, there's surely only, like 13 minutes left of the episode. I push pause. And it was like 38 minutes left. I'm like, what the is happening?
[00:13:37] Speaker B: Like, yeah, yeah.
[00:13:39] Speaker C: Like what?
[00:13:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: As the seasons, like, go on, the episodes are just going to get longer and longer too.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: This is the only episode of season one which does not feature the Demogorgon and which I thought was pretty. And then I was like, oh, yeah,
[00:13:51] Speaker B: we hear him though.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: We hear him. Yeah, it's. Yeah. Them abc.
I got to go.
[00:13:59] Speaker B: Where's Rihanna?
[00:13:59] Speaker A: Plus plus plus yeah, exactly.
Purple.
The showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that this episode was their most purely fun, they say in quotations episode of the season because of featuring the bike chase scene with the kids and then following up with a crazy van flip sequence. Originally, they didn't have a bike chase plan for the episode, but opted to go for it as they felt it featured. Fitting for the plot, aside from recalling the famous chase scene in ET and they say this. We feel a lot of affection for this episode because it's a little bit bonkers. And at least for us, it's the most purely fun episode of the season. Our three disparate story times collide as our teens, kids, and adults are all finally teaming up. After spending six hours trying to keep these storylines separate, it was incredibly satisfying to merge them into one. At last, we could Explore new dynamics. 11 and Joyce, Dustin and Hopper, Nancy and 11. And then they said that is that my dress is one of their favorite lines. If anything, this episode is also just a showcase for our three wonderful boys, Finn, Caleb and Gaten. They really grew as actors over the course of the season. And we love them in this episode, but it wasn't easy to get them there. We were several months into shooting at this point, and their nervousness had, at that point, all but totally evaporated. The end was near and they were getting relaxed, even a little cocky. Focus. If we could get a dollar every time we said that to them, we'd be rich right now.
Yeah.
[00:15:19] Speaker B: They were so good in this episode, the boys. Yeah. Especially Gaten. And like, all of them, really. I mean, Mike has been like, a presence, I think, in every single episode. He's very much like the main character along with.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: I think 11 like him and 11 kind of share the spotlight. And Nancy.
[00:15:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: But they all really stepped up this episode. So I really like that because you know how much I love Dustin.
[00:15:42] Speaker C: He's just my Will. Mike is an expressive character with his face out of everybody that I've noticed as far as the actors go. Like, he's always scrunching his, like, fur and his brow and, like, articulating his, like, facial features way different than the other characters are. Like, Will always looks petrified. I get it. He's in the upside down. But even in, like, just the opening sequence, like, he looks like he's this timid little boy, which is probably the point. But he plays that really well, you know what I mean? Like, they all have, like, their own little, like, niche of what they can do, I feel like, and what they're grown into so quick as well.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Well. And even just going from the first part of the season to now, you can tell they're more comfortable with who they are. And they've all kind of felt fit into their little places. Like, you're talking about their little niches and. And they're all, like, bouncing off of each other really well. Like, I just. You can tell that the actors and everybody's just so much more comfortable about who these characters are, which is always really fun. It's a sweet spot when you're watching that.
So understandably, Millie. Bobby Brown was getting very frustrated with the boys.
The duffers say boys are just so immature. Case in point. We're shooting a scene in the abandoned bus and one of the boys decides to fart more than once. It becomes so toxic in the bus that the crew had to temporarily evacuate. What do you want to bet it was Gaten? I bet you it was Gayton.
[00:16:51] Speaker B: I think it was all of them, man.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: It was all of them.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: The one that plays Dustin.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:55] Speaker C: Okay, then that makes sense. Yes.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: Yeah, we had a pep talk the next Day that basically boiled down to, we're right at the end, don't drop the ball. Let's bring this home. Generic middle school sports coach speech. We know, but it worked. After our little talk, the boys rallied together, focused, and did some of their best, most emotional work on the show. We're proud, proud of them for so many reasons and this is one of them. It's such a great group of future stars. Farting aside, oh my God.
[00:17:22] Speaker B: So just little like 11 year old boys, like they're just the most annoying humans.
[00:17:27] Speaker C: You're trying to wrangle these people up to work.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: No offense. 11 year old boys. If anybody's listening to us right now,
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Isaac's listen, first of all, poor Chrissy's son.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: Second of all, oh, Isaac.
Oh, Isaac.
[00:17:40] Speaker A: It's fine. I mean, if he's been listening up until this point, you've said far worse. So Isaac.
[00:17:45] Speaker B: I didn't say that.
[00:17:47] Speaker A: Isaac's like, I'm 12 now. It's okay. Yeah, yeah.
All right, so with that, we're gonna head into the episode.
I don't actually have any other notes. It's not great. Leia's like, oh, thank God.
I know, wow.
All right, so now we're at the Wheeler's house in the basement bathroom. Mike is wiping the dirt off Eleven's face. She looks at herself in the mirror and touches her wigless head. And you can tell she's just like really bothered by the fact that she doesn't look as girly or as normal as she did before. Mike says, you don't need it. And Eleven looks at herself saying, still pretty. Mike's like, yeah, pret pretty. Really pretty. And Elle looks back at herself and smiles. It's so cute.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: It is honestly affirming for herself too. Like the fact that she has to look in the mirror and say, like, I'm still pretty. Like everybody's making her short haircut a big ass deal this season too. Like, I got some comments later.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:35] Speaker A: And Mike's all awkward. He's like, I'm happy you're home. Elle says, me too. Before she moves closer to him. We're like, oh, are they gonna kiss before. Before Jonathan and Nancy do what the hell.
[00:18:47] Speaker C: That's better not. I better not see no lock and lips between on my watch. That's all I'm say. If I do, I'm throwing children.
No, not them too. I'm talking about Jonathan and Nancy.
[00:18:56] Speaker B: Oh, Jonathan. Oh, you're not a Jonathan and Nancy enjoyer. Oh, damn.
[00:19:02] Speaker C: Maybe I'll change my Perspective. Watching back through this time around. Damn.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: Okay, okay. I mean, I'm. I don't. I'm not really, like. I don't think I ship anything in the show, but we'll see what happens. I ship Steve with me.
[00:19:17] Speaker C: Me, too, actually.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: No, no, sorry, I'm rewind. I ship Hopper with me.
[00:19:24] Speaker C: Okay, you can have.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll have Steve. You can have Hopper.
[00:19:26] Speaker B: What? Okay, girls.
[00:19:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I got time for this, our podcast. Brandon, get in line. We take seniority here.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: Who are you taking?
[00:19:36] Speaker A: Yeah, you can have Mr. Clark.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: He seems really great, I guess since I comment on his little things later. I don't know what his name is. What's Steve? Do you not. Do you guys know Steve's friend's name? The dude that he like?
[00:19:46] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, Tommy. Okay,
[00:19:50] Speaker C: listen. So the actor himself, I like his freckles all across his face. Like, he has a really cute, like, natural. Like, I like the freckles on his face. I'm not saying he's Die Hard.
[00:19:58] Speaker B: What about the science teacher guy? Mr. Clarkie Pie?
[00:20:02] Speaker A: That's what I've got going on, woman.
[00:20:05] Speaker C: So he won't want me.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: Listen, you'd never know.
[00:20:11] Speaker C: Damn. I'm out here getting the scraps of the show now. It's okay. No, he's not the scraps. Listen, me and my literally.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: What are you talking about?
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Mr. Clark is literally an OG. Like. Like, badass, okay? If you know, you know him.
[00:20:24] Speaker C: Give Hopper to her, and then I'll just hop her hands.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: Me and Hopper have history. Me and Hopper have a history.
[00:20:30] Speaker C: Whatever. I'm staying with Nancy then. I'm just in the trenches.
I'm back to liking women again. Okay.
Doesn't make sense.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: So you can have Karen.
[00:20:41] Speaker C: No, I want Bar. I want Barb. Because I see what that throat can do.
[00:20:44] Speaker B: Girl. Barb is dead.
[00:20:47] Speaker C: I guess it doesn't matter.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: Don't disrespect Barb like that.
[00:20:49] Speaker C: Listen, she knows how to get upside down.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: Poor Barb.
[00:20:55] Speaker C: Just kidding.
Only if she transitions. Well, if she becomes a he, good luck with that. I got it.
[00:21:01] Speaker B: I think she's becoming a demogorgon at this point.
[00:21:05] Speaker A: Yeah, literally.
[00:21:07] Speaker C: I'm not gonna refrain from my creepy uncle comments for now.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:15] Speaker A: All right, so Dustin bursts in, says that, you know, it's Lucas. He thinks he's in trouble. The script says for Mike's response to Dustin. It's Dustin. Of course it's Dustin. He takes them to the walkie talkie where you can hear a garbled Lucas yelling something frantically. Dustin reminds them and us that Lucas was going to go find the gate and is like, what if you found it? They can't understand what Lucas is saying. With Dustin saying he's out of range. We flash over to Lucas racing down a street with his walkie talkie strapped to the bike, yelling for them to get out of the house. That they know about 11 that the bad men are coming. Dustin's like, mad hen. Mad hen. What do we know about mad hens? Does that mean anything to you, Mike? Finally someone's on top of this. Is like, okay. Bad men tells Elle to stay downstairs. And he and Dustin race upstairs to look out the window.
And they see the white van that says Power that Lucas saw initially when he was leaving his house next door. And they're like, oh, that looks really suspicious because they just seem to be watching the house. So then Mike races into the kitchen where Karen's on the phone with Steve's mom. Poor Karen. This woman is so stressed out just trying to manage where her children are at all the time. Who's staying in her house.
[00:22:19] Speaker C: Like, she had time to roll her set.
[00:22:20] Speaker B: That was Joyce Summers.
[00:22:22] Speaker C: Same for her. Joy Summers had time to roller set that hair too.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: What I was trying to say, though, is that Joyce Summers wouldn't have asked a single question about Buffy's whereabouts.
Joyce Summers would have been like, buffy who?
[00:22:39] Speaker A: So true. But Karen is like, where's Nancy? Trying to figure out who was sleeping on the floor in her in her room last night. Mike's like, mom. Karen's like, michael, I'm on the phone. And he's interrupts and is like, did you schedule any repairs? And she's like, what repairs do I need to schedule repairs? Dustin sees. Sees a whole row of the vans coming up the street now. And they're all looking straight at the house he runs in. Karen and Mike are just like fighting back and forth. And Dustin is like, mike, we need to leave right now. And then Mike's just like, takes off. And Karen's like, michael. And he's like, if anyone asks where I am, I've left the country. And she's like, what?
[00:23:16] Speaker C: I would just have to like, be like, whatever. Because kids say the stupidest, then run out the door half the time anyways. So I'll just be like, okay, sweetie. See it eight when the lights are go down. Like when the sun sets and the lights, like, whatever. Karen Wheeler's hair, by the way, I really like in this season more than later because I don't really fancy her as a blonde. I agree Like, I don't think it looks bad. I like the styles more later seasons, like the fun little clip ups and things they do with it. But just this classic, modern, like 80s mom. I like this, I like this style on her. I was.
[00:23:44] Speaker B: Her hair looks really healthy this season, I think, because I remember her as a blonde from later on and I was kind of shocked. I like it just she looks so young in this season and I think the hair contributes to that. Like the darker hair and it just looks like so shiny and well, in
[00:24:00] Speaker A: the volume around her face too. I think it, it makes her face look a little rounder. You know how you get older and you just lose a lot of volume in your face. Some people like that, but I think as we age too, like you want more volume in your face. But also I think some people, their skin tone doesn't really, especially if they have a warmer skin tone. Blonde doesn't always work for them. I think she's one of those people
[00:24:19] Speaker C: that like, they went too icy Lacey with her hair and toned it.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. You're the hairdresser.
Yeah, she, I mean, she look, she's still hot. She still looks great. But I, I agree with you. I also think the Brown is very like 80s suburban mom versus the blonde kind of pulls me out a little bit. That's one of my, like, bigger critiques of the later seasons, is it becomes more cosplaying the 80s than actually feeling immersed in the 80s. And a lot of that hairstyle and makeup and yeah, everything else, but. But we'll get to that when we get there.
All right, so Elle, Dustin and Mike race out the basement door onto their bikes. A few yards away, Brenner and his men are walking up towards the house and he and Elle make eye contact with Elle looking just so scared. The script says father and daughter hold each other's gaze. It's the first time they've seen each other since she escaped from the lab.
So Dustin's like, go. He and Mike begin to pedal hard while Brenner and his men race for the vans begin to chase. I gotta say, Mike has. Has excellent thigh strength to be able to pull l and himself on this bike.
[00:25:18] Speaker C: His seat's long as hell. I was waiting to look at that because I saw her riding around with him like on the rest of the season. And then specifically in this scene, I finally, like, took a seat at his. Took a seat, took a look at his seat and I was like, damn. I was like, three people could fit on that.
[00:25:32] Speaker B: Like, Hopper was not wrong. When he said that, this is like. What did. What did he call it?
[00:25:37] Speaker A: Like, their bikes are like, Cadillac.
[00:25:39] Speaker B: Yeah, they're like Cadillacs. That's how they got around.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: And you can tell they do this a lot because Dustin has his headset. He's prepared. He's trying to contact Lucas. And then they agree to meet at Elm and Cherry a couple streets over, and they cut through a couple yards. This scene, I don't know if you guys have ever seen the MCU's Black Widow, but I'm pretty sure this backyard was used in that movie as well. That also has David Harbour in it. And there's an 80s scene with a young black widow and their whole family. And I'm pretty sure this is like the same backyard. It's the playground where, like, Yelena falls and hurts herself.
[00:26:14] Speaker C: How many times did you see that movie, Sarah?
[00:26:16] Speaker A: Twice.
[00:26:17] Speaker C: I only saw it once. I hate Black Widow's movie, though, so I don't remember anything from it except I'm going, oh, Hopper's in this. Oh, Hopper's in this. Oh, they're falling from the sky. Is this over yet?
[00:26:27] Speaker A: I like the idea of the movie. I think it has really great thematic ideas. It just miss. It misses the landing for sure.
[00:26:34] Speaker C: But I wish I remembered the scene. But good call, though.
[00:26:37] Speaker A: Yeah. There's just that one scene. And then this same backyard is going to show up again in the next season, too. So anyway. All right. So they finally meet up with Lucas and they're like, okay, I think we've lost them. And then only. Only for three vans to appear racing behind them. They take off down the street with the vans gaining only for the fourth van to appear in the front, hemming them in, not slowing down. Dustin's like, like.
And then we see Elle, like, a look of concentration. So cool. I just love how subtly they do l. There's no big expressions. There's no big, like, hand movements. It's all very subtle. And it's so badass in a way
[00:27:12] Speaker C: that stupid, like, prove from charm squinting her eyes at everything.
[00:27:18] Speaker A: So then we get, I think, one of the coolest possibly of the entire series moments where Elle just jerks her head and the van lifts into the air and flips completely over the kids. And we get that amazing shot of the kids on their bikes on the street with the van over them in slow motion.
So good lands behind them and then cuts off the rest of the vans and they're able to keep going.
So the behind the scenes, how they did this, the duffer said that it was very stressful but very fun. Like with the monster, we wanted to achieve the effect practically without the use of cgi. Our plan was to shoot the kids with a locked off camera as they biked across the street and then merged that with a separate shot of a van flipping. So they set up three cameras. You have the camera that shows the kids riding their bikes horizontally with the van over them. And then you have a camera in the middle of the street, which is supposed to be the kids POV looking at the van as it flips up. And then you have another one that's from the POV of the van. So three different shots and three different angles.
So initially they were told there was no way that they could flip a van of that size that high into the air because they needed to get it high enough to be able to composite the kids underneath. They said they kept pushing, and their stubbornness eventually wore down the line producer and he agreed to give it a try. The first parking lot test was arousing success. Explosives went off under the van, sending it rocketing high into the air. But it was just a test. Now they had to replicate it on location with the cameras rolling. Easy, right? Not quite. One of the explosives. Explosives didn't go off and the van skidded headfirst into the camera in the middle of the street, destroying both the camera and its lens and costing the production thousands of dollars. Our line producer was understandably loath to try the stunt again, but we eventually wore him down again by promising that it would be heavily featured in the trailer. Sorry, Ian. And also. Thank you. Thankfully, the second time was the charm. The van soared high into the air. Our cameras captured it in all its glory, and it made the trailer, as has promised.
[00:29:13] Speaker B: And God, I love practical effects, so it's so cool.
[00:29:16] Speaker C: Did you guys see the. The Instagram videos or, like, tick tocks of people that lived on that street that were filming from their, like, front door while the scene went on?
[00:29:24] Speaker A: Because it was like, that's so cool.
[00:29:26] Speaker C: Like, that's a total thing. I've watched some videos of that. Yeah, People just chilling, like, four houses down, being like, they're straight. They're out here filming stranger things. They've told us to stay in our homes. And it's dangerous outside right now because they're about to do this whole, like, van flip thing. Yeah, there's people talking about it online. You can find Reddit, I think, forums about it too.
[00:29:42] Speaker B: That's so funny because, like, you wouldn't think that people like, I didn't think that this would be, like, a real neighborhood. Then people were just, like, living there. Like, you think that that's crazy. Like, you're just sitting in your house and you look outside.
[00:29:53] Speaker C: What if they didn't come knock on your door and tell you? And all of a sudden you're. That you see that and you're like, calling. They're like, yes, we know that's fake. And they're like, no, a van really just flipped over. These. Like, they're just not little kids. Never mind. I wouldn't call 91 1.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: I'd go out there with my robe.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: With your white sheet ma, like, in her curlers.
[00:30:12] Speaker B: What's going on out here?
[00:30:16] Speaker A: Well, I mean, if you're going to do things with practical effects, you would. You can't just composite a neighborhood behind. You have to have an actual one. But I wonder. I mean, I don't know the logistics of all this stuff, but I wonder, like, if you would have to go door to door to get the permission from all of the people in.
[00:30:30] Speaker C: You could be disturbing the peace. Yeah.
[00:30:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:33] Speaker C: To get cited with a lot of stuff.
[00:30:35] Speaker B: I'm sure they get, like.
Maybe they get, like, some type of monetary something.
[00:30:40] Speaker A: Yeah. Especially for their trouble featured in it, too. That's pretty cool. Maybe. But apparently, like, what they did in order to lift it into the air is they put two nitrogen cannons and a nitrogen sleeve that fired a high density plastic slug out of the bottom and it pushed it into the air. And then what ended up happening is one of them was hitting a little harder than the other, which is why it ended up going end over end the way that it was supposed to. And then one of them ended up breaking. And then that's why it ended up not working and killing the camera in the middle.
But yeah. And that's why they were able to eventually convince the line producer and just be like, hey, we fixed that mechanical flaw. It's not going to happen again.
But, yeah, it's just pretty crazy. And they also had to fix up the truck, too, before they reshot to make sure that it didn't look all dented and everything. But it. Yeah, right. So worth it, man.
Yeah.
So now we're at the junkyard, the kids arrive, and Mike's helping an exhausted l on the ground. Dustin's like, holy, did you guys see that? And Mike deadpan is like, no, Dustin, we missed it. Dustin's like, that was. But then Lucas interjects, awesome. And Elle kind of looks up like, hang on. You've never given me A positive word ever. And Lucas reiterates that it was awesome, and then gets down on his knees in front of Ellen, says, everything I said about you being a traitor, I was wrong. I'm sorry. And he puts his hand on Elle's shoulder, and she says, friends don't lie. I'm sorry, too. And then Mike says, me, too, and holds out his hand, which Lucas takes. And I just was like, I don't know what your thoughts and feelings on Lucas this season are, Brandon, but I remember, like, the first couple times I really struggled with liking him the first season. This time around, I feel like I've been a little bit more understanding of where he's coming from and kind of seen, like, he's just a scared kid who wants to find his friend.
But I have to say, like, he's. This moment solidifies that he's a good guy, that he's not just picking on Elle because she's.
[00:32:35] Speaker C: Well, I think he thinks she's part of the problem, too, in the beginning. And that's something that he's not paying attention to, like, on the outside spectrum of that he's just seeing. This girl came into our lives. Our friend went missing. She's almost his replacement in a way as well. Not that he was viewing it that way, you know, in his mindset, but I think it gives off that energy of that because I, like, Like, the same as you. I didn't really on the first time, but watching the first few episodes, I'm like, you're kind of annoying me with everything you're saying in this moment right here. Like, especially when everybody apologizes after, like, the fight and stuff like that they had.
I feel like that solidifies that Elle herself feels connected and safe with these people, where she didn't feel safe and isolated the same way with. She did with Dr. Brenner and everybody else. Like, her whole life has changed up. So, like, now she's learning to talk and speak and do things differently, operate differently, like this girl navigating differently. So it's a cute little scene.
[00:33:23] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just.
[00:33:24] Speaker A: It's.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: Again, I've been saying this, like, every episode, but I think this works so well because they're children and there's such an innocence to them. Like, yes, they're going on these adventures and they're doing these dangerous things, but there's just such a. Like, it makes sense that this would happen. It makes sense that he wouldn't hold a grudge, especially knowing how close he is with his friends. And, like, I totally agree with you guys about how, you know, Elle came at a time when he had just. They just lost Will. And she's, like, taking Mike's attention away from, like, the boys and all this stuff. And she's weird, and weird things keep happening with her being around. So, like, I totally understand why he's very against her in the beginning,
[00:34:08] Speaker A: but
[00:34:08] Speaker B: I think it also makes sense at this point for him after seeing everything. Like, it makes sense for him to kind of soften and be like, no, actually. Actually, especially these kids. They're so adventurous that it's like, he needs to be on board. Like, the two, like, Mike and Dustin are already on board.
And then Lucas is now, like, okay, I'm going to join this, like, crazy ride. And I don't know, I just love it. I just love the innocence of, like, their childhood and how they. Like how they're kind to each other, I guess, because I don't think adults would be able to get to this. This space as quickly.
[00:34:44] Speaker C: Yeah, I feel like kids can't. Kids don't hold grudges quite as much. They're ready to get on to the next thing most of the time. It doesn't mean there's a rare exception, but your average kid is just kind of like, okay, cool, look, a bug. Let's go play with it.
[00:34:56] Speaker B: Like, yeah, exactly. There's, like, this innocence to it that's, like, really endearing. I love it.
[00:35:02] Speaker A: Yeah, well. And I think it's what. This moment was important because we already saw the moment of acceptance for Dustin in the last episode with Elle. And you had that moment where he and Mike and Elle have that group hug. But this is the moment where Lucas accepts her and they all become kind of a found family in a lot of ways. And this is underscored by the music that plays. Right here is the kids theme. And that's the same theme that we heard at the very, like, the first shot of the kids playing dnd. So it's like this underscore of Ella's now a part of the team.
They're all a unit, you know, I
[00:35:34] Speaker C: didn't notice that, like, the score playing at the same time. I've heard and listened to the music and stuff, but I didn't even realize that they had their own little score for, like, their friendship and stuff. But I hear it now in my head now that you're saying it. You know what I mean?
[00:35:45] Speaker A: All right. So in the police precinct, Joyce and Hopper pull in, and Joyce is like, what happened, Jonathan? She sees him still handcuffed he's got ice on his hand. She's like, why is he cuffed? Take those off. Callahan, as monotone as ever, is like, I'm in charge, ma'. Am. And, like, your boy assaulted a police officer. Having to, like, talk about himself in the third person, you know, because he's. He's got to make himself bigger and stronger and more macho. And then Joyce is like, take them off. Callahan is like, I'm afraid I can't do that. And Hopper's like, you heard her. Take them off. And Pal's like, hey, I know we're all emotional, but think there's something you should see. Takes him to Jonathan's truck and. Or in the trunk, and there's a bunch of weapons that they all got from the store in a box in the back. And then Joyce is looking through them like, what in the world? When Hopper brings them back in and just, like, slams them in front of Jonathan. And you could tell Hopper's suspicious now. He's like, we found it in his car. Why don't you ask Jonathan this?
[00:36:37] Speaker C: Are you guys in a gang? And he's like, yeah, we're the slayers.
[00:36:41] Speaker A: Yeah, you wouldn't believe me. I'm a vampire slayer, Mom.
[00:36:49] Speaker B: What's that? What's that joke that Prophecy Girls has the white boys on pcp. White boy games.
[00:36:59] Speaker A: White boy on white boy crime. Yeah.
[00:37:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:04] Speaker A: So then back in the basement, Karen just finally goes. I think this is the first time she's been down the basement in four days. Comes down, calling for Mike, notices the blankets underneath the desk where the fort was, and then sees one long strand of blonde hair.
[00:37:17] Speaker C: Someone's sleeping upstairs and downstairs. Who the hell is
[00:37:22] Speaker A: she is strange. No, this is where she goes, Maybe
[00:37:25] Speaker C: I would look good like this. And then goes and takes this, the mirror, and puts it up to her head. She's like, I think this could be a mood. This is a vibe we'll see next season.
[00:37:34] Speaker A: Literally.
[00:37:34] Speaker B: I didn't even think of that. That's such a good point. Literally, she finds us sleeping back upstairs in Nancy's room.
[00:37:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:41] Speaker B: She's like, who's in my house?
[00:37:42] Speaker A: Literally, like, who else do I have to call now?
[00:37:44] Speaker C: I just assume those kids are staying over. You know what I mean? Like, they. They have to. My friends used to just, like, hang out and, like, never leave my room and, like, stay with me the next day.
[00:37:52] Speaker A: But Dustin doesn't have that blonde hair.
[00:37:55] Speaker C: None of them do. To be fair. Maybe they're playing.
[00:37:57] Speaker B: Playing dnd. And they're like, really? Committed.
[00:38:00] Speaker A: They have to wear a wig from,
[00:38:02] Speaker C: like, wasn't it, like, Adam?
Exactly. How does she not know that? That that wig is in the house? Like. But I don't know. I can't imagine what's going through her head right now when she's finding some long ribbon, this blonde hair strand, chunk.
What was Elle doing with that wig?
She's sleeping rough.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: Yeah,
[00:38:23] Speaker C: that's why they shaved her head. She was having problems. She got alopecia.
[00:38:27] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:38:29] Speaker C: Anyway, let's keep going.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: All right. So upstairs, Brenner is incessantly ringing the doorbell. We have Ted. Can't be rushed for anything. Wheeler just heading to the front like, Jiminy Christmas. Hold your horses.
And then outside, we're met with the same female agent. And we're like, Ted. Not Ted even. You know, we're all attached to him, even though he's, like, the worst.
[00:38:50] Speaker C: I think I like. I think I like him.
[00:38:52] Speaker A: Oh, Larry, he's so funny.
[00:38:54] Speaker C: He talking about Jiminy Christmas. I said, what the Jiminy Christmas Christmas?
[00:39:01] Speaker A: I like how he's like, what I do in, like, the first episode or whatever. He's just so funny.
Gosh.
[00:39:08] Speaker C: Actually, he's the man I want, Steve. I want to.
[00:39:11] Speaker B: He's just a man that's there. Like, I don't know what you guys are talking about. He's literally just a man that's, like, there.
[00:39:17] Speaker A: Hilarious.
[00:39:19] Speaker C: I wrote so many notes randomly about him. Later, though.
[00:39:22] Speaker A: He's so funny.
[00:39:25] Speaker B: Him and his damn glasses.
[00:39:26] Speaker A: So we next see the agents going through the house with boxes. A nervous Karen is holding. Holly pacing next to Ted. Brenner's going through the basket of clothes that Mike pulled the pulled out for Elle in the basement, finds Benny's Burgers T shirt and is like, okay, so she was here.
[00:39:40] Speaker C: Did he see her in that?
[00:39:41] Speaker A: No, but he saw the name Benny's Burger.
[00:39:44] Speaker C: Okay. I didn't even pay that no attention. I wrote my notes. How does he know that she wore this yellow shirt? Did he smell her? That's gross. Is he a pet? A file? Ew. Like, that's what I literally.
I didn't even pay attention that I had print on the shirt because I wasn't in that. Being that analytical. Okay, thank you for clearing that up.
[00:39:59] Speaker A: So then at the kitchen table, Brenner and the female agent show Ted and Karen a picture of Elle on top of a file. And Karen's like, you think my son is hiding this girl? Which it's so funny because she found the hair, so she's got to have Some suspicion. And I love that she doesn't rat Mike out. It's great. Ted, you know, always getting to the heart of the issue of every issue is asking the important question.
[00:40:18] Speaker B: Mike, my stupid son having a girl in his. In the house.
[00:40:22] Speaker C: I wrote, what happened to her hair, bruh? Like, you just coming out here, like, out of pocket with this comment about us girls hair. We. There's bigger things at stake here. Not someone's haircut.
[00:40:31] Speaker A: That's Ted. That's really important to him, though. She has to look normal. And I think.
[00:40:35] Speaker B: And then he dogs on Mike.
[00:40:37] Speaker A: I have to say, like, the one consistency with Ted, and I think it is kind of what we've been talking about Leia, with, like, the nuclear family. This idea of appearances and how that's more important than the actual relationship with Ted, there seems to be a super amount of importance and attention put on keeping the status quo, keeping things normal. Like, he cares about the language the kids use, but, like, he doesn't care. His kids are out doing whatever. He's just not as concerned about having an actual relationship with his children. He just wants to make sure that they look like the perfect family.
And you see that. Like, this question of, like, what's wrong with her hair? He's going, this. This isn't normal for a girl.
[00:41:15] Speaker C: I don't want to.
[00:41:16] Speaker A: That's the thing that people should be most concerned about, you know?
[00:41:18] Speaker C: So can I say, before we, like, get into the next scene, just because it finishes with this one, I have two things. One, how do y' all not be on edge every single time we see this blonde lady? Like, when they open the door, it's that blonde lady that, like, popped the cat. What did you say? Carol or whatever the. Her name is. Like, I was like, oh, my gosh, she's gonna kill the Wheelers. Like, the first time watching it, even this one, I was like, thankfully, I know that that's not happening, but, like, damn. Like, I'm really scared of this lady. And then when she started yelling at her from across the table, I was like, girl, she got a gun in her pocket. You better stop.
[00:41:43] Speaker A: Like, she's gonna Han Solo.
[00:41:46] Speaker C: Then in the scene when she was in the basement, too, I had it in my notes, and I just was, like, going past it. There's the Thing poster in the background over by Elle's bed and stuff like that. Just picking up on some of the stuff. I wanted to, like, call that out for, like, later on in the episode when we get there.
[00:42:01] Speaker A: Yeah, well, John Carpenter is super influential In Stranger Things. Like, yeah, well. And I just. What you were saying about that blonde lady, it was so scary when she showed up at Mr. Clark's house a couple episodes ago. Yeah, because that was the one. I was like, oh, she's gonna kill Mr. Clark.
[00:42:18] Speaker C: Well, every time she shows up. That's what I'm saying. She's been putting me on edge all season because, like, what she did to Benny in the first episode, I was like, oh, my God, she's gonna shoot everybody. Like, that's how they handle this stuff. But I feel like it's gotten different as the episodes have gone on. That was, like, the severity of the situation. Then I'm like, you could have left Benny a laugh if that's the case. You could have just like, Men in Black his ass. If that. Like, I just shoot him, but nobody else. Like, if that's the case, then Nancy Wheeler should be dead. Like Jonathan.
Poor Joyce. Like, Hopper, they just dropped him back off in his house after he made it out of the thing in episode five. Like, he kicked ass up in there, found answers, and then they still took him back home and dropped him.
[00:42:54] Speaker B: So why did they kill.
[00:42:55] Speaker C: Why did they kill Benny and not everybody else?
[00:42:58] Speaker A: Well, okay, so the only people who legit know about them at this point is just Hopper and would have been Benny. So I understand why they killed Benny because that's. It's so easy. They just clean suicide. And everybody bought. Everybody bought it, Hopper, that you kill. You kill the chief of police, you're gonna get swarmed by other cops. You're gonna get things like that, making Hopper think that maybe he was on drugs and all that other stuff. And they. They've also been bugging his phone, so they know that he drinks a lot because he had his call with his ex wife. So it's the easiest solution to do that. That makes sense to me. But from a story perspective, they did a fantastic job by having them kill Benny in the first episode, because every subsequent episode now you've already know what the stakes are. And now you understand why Elle and the kids won't tell the adult, because you're like, somebody else is gonna die. So they did a great job because now you understand for the rest of the series what the cost is, or at least the rest of the season.
[00:43:51] Speaker C: So schooled by Sarah, you guys.
[00:43:53] Speaker B: You know what is funny, though?
It's so funny because I feel like this show, like, its reputation with fans online, is, like, akin to Game of Thrones for some fucking reason, where everybody thinks that everybody's just gonna die at any given moment. And I don't feel like. Like, it's. This is that type of show, you know, it's like, really not.
But I feel like people online talk about it like it is, which is, like, really interesting to be watching it again now.
And obviously, we're only in season, kind of looking for it, but I just. That I don't. It's not this kind of show, I don't think, where they're gonna just have, like, a red wedding and just kill everybody off in one episode. Like, the way people talk about it, I'm like, damn, guys. Like, why are we wanting to see all these characters die?
[00:44:39] Speaker A: I mean, to be fair, I did because I like, well, we're getting this boiler territory. We'll talk about it later on. But, like, you need stakes. You have to have stakes. And if you're gonna be. If it's. If we're talking about, oh, my God, the whole world is gonna end, you have to see people die, because that's part of it anyway. All right, so then Karen and Ted are, like, not sure about Brenner. He's coming in there, trying to reassure them, saying, you know, your son is in danger, but, like, we want to help him. We need you to help us. Brenner's like, I give you my word, but in order for me to do that, you have to trust me. Will you trust me? Karen nods, and he's like, good. Now, do you have any idea where your son might have gone? Now we're back in the car junkyard, and Lucas is creating a crude map of the lab and tells them the gate is inside. Dustin asks who owns the lab, and Mike's like, the government? Military? Lucas confirms, with the soldiers out front. Dustin's like, well, then why does it say energy? Do they make light bulbs or something? Like, not. Not quite registering and computing that this is, like, a very severe situation. Mike's like, no, they make weapons. Weapons to fight the Russians. And then they all look at Elle and they're like, oh, after seeing the van flip, they're like, ah, weapon. We get it now. Then they're like, this is really bad.
Mike says they can't go home. They're fugitives now. And then that's when they see the helicopter approaching, and they're like, oh, yeah, bad men.
So then we're at the precinct in Hopper's office. Joyce and Hopper are looking at the enlarged, enlightened photo of the monster in the photo of Barb that we all still cannot see any monster in that photo. But we're going to take Nancy and Jonathan's word at that.
[00:46:10] Speaker C: You don't see them. You don't see monster.
[00:46:12] Speaker A: It doesn't. It looks like a tree.
[00:46:13] Speaker C: Oh, I see the dumb.
[00:46:15] Speaker B: Like a blob.
[00:46:16] Speaker A: Damn.
[00:46:17] Speaker C: I see it a little bit. I. I can get it.
It's there. It's clearly there.
Snatch Barb up.
[00:46:28] Speaker B: You can definitely see Barb. And then you.
[00:46:32] Speaker C: It's there.
It does kind of. It does kind of look like a tree standing there, but it's there.
[00:46:40] Speaker A: It looks like Groot is what it looks like.
[00:46:41] Speaker C: Literally. Gray Groot.
[00:46:46] Speaker A: So Hopper's like, you're saying that blood draws this thing? And Nancy's like, we don't know. It's just a theory. And then in the hallway, Jonathan's apologizing to Joyce for going off alone and doing all that stuff. And she's angry. She's like, sorry doesn't cut it. What if this thing took you two? And we're like, joyce, you actually care about Jonathan.
[00:47:03] Speaker B: I was shocked.
[00:47:04] Speaker C: She only cared about yelling at him. And this cute ass leather jacket.
[00:47:07] Speaker B: She's been neglecting this kid.
[00:47:12] Speaker A: And Jonathan's like, I thought I could save Will. I still think I could. Joyce is like, this is not yours to fix alone. You act like you're all alone out there in the world, but you're not alone. You're not. Damn it, Jonathan. I mean, and then I'm like, girl,
[00:47:25] Speaker B: he kind of is.
[00:47:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
Yeah.
And then she, like, pushes and then hugs him, and we're like, oh, yay. This is like, the first time that's happened for like. Like, episodes. And then we hear Troy's mom shrilly asking for an apology. And Callahan being like, for what, exactly? She's like, I demand to speak to Hopper. Hopper comes out and is like, stay here.
And then he. He's like. You could tell he's wishing for the days of coffee and contemplation. He's like, so over everything, just constantly being an emergency.
So Troy's continuing to be a little. And hiding behind his mom as she acts like a real Karen. No offense to the real Karen here, demanding Callahan's name and badge number. Hopper comes in. Troy's mom is like, these men are humiliating my baby. Callahan is like, no, no, no, that's not true. Pal's like, there's some kind of fight. Troy's mom interjects, saying some psychotic child broke his arm. Callahan's like, a little chief. A little one. And then she's like, see? Do you hear that? Tone, that one.
[00:48:24] Speaker C: This mom was killing me. This mom was killing me. These two officers, I fell in love with them, like, 100.
[00:48:31] Speaker A: They're so bumbling.
[00:48:33] Speaker C: I love them. They. The way they feed off each other, too, as little side characters. It's like, I don't know how Hopper gets down around there with them working for him.
[00:48:42] Speaker A: He doesn't.
[00:48:44] Speaker C: This little kid, though, too, that plays. Is it Troy?
I thought he was in something else, and it didn't end up turning out to be what it was. So I can't remember now because I got stoned. But currently, as we've been going through this, the pins and. But I thought the little kid looked familiar, but he was on a goose. The second Goosebumps movie. And apparently he paid. Played a bully on that as well. And I was like, oh, so you're getting, like, a little look, like. Yeah. And apparently they got the perfect mom to come up with him, too, because we see why this kid acts like that. That's his mother.
[00:49:17] Speaker A: So then Troy mentions that the girl had no hair. And Hopper's like, hang on. What did you say about her hair there? Troy's like, her head is shaved. She doesn't look like a girl. She can do things he talks about, like making her pee himself. And Pal's like, what? And Hopper's like, shh. And he's like, was she alone? Troy says that she hangs out with those losers. And Hopper's like, witch losers. And then we have. The music that's playing right here is. Starts to Rain. It's the same music that played when Mike, Dustin, and Lucas arrived at Mirkwood in the first episode and found Elle. So it's giving you kind of just a little audio, little clue, a little thematic callback emphasizing how Hopper's kind of connecting all the dots and stuff. Super satisfying. So at the general store, speaking of losers, Steve is sitting on the trunk of his car looking seriously messed up. I don't know. Okay. I don't know how he's still alive at the Demogorgon, is attracted to blood because. Come on, Steve.
[00:50:06] Speaker C: Because he's sexy. His hair keeps him impenetrable. Except for me.
Listen, though, like, high key, though.
Jonathan.
[00:50:15] Speaker A: Sorry.
[00:50:16] Speaker C: Jonathan. His face up like, he's over here looking like when Buffy beat him up. And dead things like he's. The next episode. It lingers for a couple episodes. Like we saw it in, like, with the house episode where they're stuck in the house that I'm not thinking of right now.
[00:50:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:50:31] Speaker C: Is it older and far away or Something like that.
Like they're all trapped in Buffy's birthday house or whatever.
[00:50:37] Speaker B: Yeah, he really pummeled him and Steve
[00:50:39] Speaker C: let kind of of a bit.
[00:50:42] Speaker B: Well, I mean, Tommy almost got him too, so I'm starting to think that Steve just.
[00:50:47] Speaker C: It's a front. It's a front.
Anyways. Yeah, his face is up right now, so he needs a band aid or two and some alcohol wipes.
[00:50:53] Speaker B: He needs some kisses on his.
[00:50:55] Speaker C: He still looks cute though. I got him on the kiss. Boo boos.
[00:50:58] Speaker A: I just am wondering if like Jonathan had rings or something on his fist because how in the world is he like steal, literally pull out his keys, put them between his knuckles or something. I don't know.
But Tommy and Carol toss him some pain meds and coke and are like, hey, you owe me a $20 and I forgot to put this in the last episode. Where did they toss him a coke, A Coca Cola?
[00:51:20] Speaker B: Not like, I'm like, okay, okay. I'm like, why? Here you go.
[00:51:24] Speaker A: Snort this up your bloody nose. Like that's pretty cool.
[00:51:26] Speaker B: Where did you see that, Sarah? I didn't see.
[00:51:28] Speaker C: That's what Elle's been doing the whole damn time.
[00:51:31] Speaker A: Yeah, literally.
[00:51:34] Speaker B: That's why her nose is always bloody.
[00:51:36] Speaker C: The vampire.
But adrenaline boost though, the.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: I forgot to mention it in the last episode, but during the filming of the Steve and Jonathan fight scene, Charlie Heaton actually ended up hitting Joe Keery in the face by accident.
They were going to remain. They were going to keep it in the series because Joe and Charlie were like staying in character and kept going and following the script, but it ended up being removed. And I, I remember seeing an interview between Charlie Heaton and Joe Curie where he was like apologizing for it and Joe Kerry was like, nah, man. Like you got to do what you gott do. Like, it's fine.
[00:52:12] Speaker B: He's so cool.
[00:52:13] Speaker A: They're just best friends too. Like he's written songs about him. They hung out. Like, what did you say about it? No, it's coke, not meth method.
[00:52:23] Speaker C: I said, I was like, wait, they got meth?
[00:52:25] Speaker A: Now I know. Like drugs on the brain.
[00:52:29] Speaker C: Literally. I watched her take those two pills a little bit ago.
[00:52:31] Speaker A: She's like, yeah, I've been seeing a
[00:52:34] Speaker B: lot of euphoria, like promo red carpet.
[00:52:37] Speaker C: That's why I have drugs on the brain. Yeah, they're all blending together.
[00:52:43] Speaker B: That's so funny.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Okay, so then this scene happens where Carolyn, Tommy are just like, oh my gosh, just wait till Jonathan, you know, has us going after him and Then they start making fun of the look on his face. They're like, same look that he had when he killed his brother. Carol's like, ugh. That's probably the face he makes when he's screwing Nancy.
Steve has had it. Yells at Carol. He's like, for once in your life, shut your damn mouth. Which you know, we know Leia's cheering over there. She hates Carolyn.
[00:53:09] Speaker C: I hate her, too. This talking about the with a heart of gold. I was like, that is crazy, girl. Her hair color is pretty, though. We'll give her that.
[00:53:17] Speaker A: It is very pretty. Yeah.
[00:53:19] Speaker B: No, she's ugly.
And so is that. So is that boy Tommy, too.
[00:53:24] Speaker A: And then Tommy's like, what's your problem, man? Steve's like, you're both. That's my problem. He gets up, says he's serious, that Tommy shouldn't have done that. Tommy says, done what? You mean call her out for what she really is? Oh, that's funny, because I don't remember you asking me to stop. Steve instantly responds and is like, I should have put that spray paint right down your throat. Carol's like, what the hell, Steve? Seriously. You know, neither of you ever cared about her. You never even liked her. Because she's not miserable like you. She actually cares about other people. Carol responds the with a heart of gold. Steve gets in her face. I told you to watch your mouth. Tommy shoves him back against the car and is like, hey, I don't know what's gotten into you, man, but you don't talk to her that way. And then Steve shoves him back, saying, get out of my face. And Tommy shoves him back harder and is like, you gonna fight me too? And he's like, you couldn't take Jonathan, so I really wouldn't recommend fighting me now, too. And so then Steve gets away, gets into the car. Tommy slams the door after him and is, like, yelling at him as Steve takes off. And he's like, that's right, Steve boy, Run away. Just like you always do. That Nancy's turning you into a little.
So. All right. Thoughts about the scene.
[00:54:27] Speaker B: Damn.
[00:54:28] Speaker C: Well, this is like the point where I first saw that Steve is starting to, like, step towards the future. See that we're gonna see, like, progressive wise. Like, his character development is unfolding the force. Because Nancy has done a number on him. Honestly, she's the good girl in the school, and she's also the girl that's still trying and whatnot. So she's kind of like, I feel like winning him over. She does have A heart of gold. She's doing cool. Like, we see this Nancy, like that this is present here and it's still the same Nancy we still. Later on, she does have like, like an unfolding there, you know what I mean? But at the same time, like, she starts off as a badass and just becomes more of a badass as it goes on with a level head. And I think that's rubbing off onto Steve as he's with her and he's seeing how much he doesn't have in common with his friends as they're kind of like trying to call out about him right now and stuff like that. But I like, just like what it does for him moving forward. Because this is like that subtle acknowledgement now that he's like going to be changing. He's not going to be this dick dude. Because I. I don't know how y' all feel about it. I haven't listened to it because it hasn't come out yet. But, like, the whole camera breaking situation, like, so many people were on the fence about that when it happened. On who Sad We Are, Is Steve a Dick? Blah, blah. I was like, he deserved to get his little camera broken. That's why he beat your face up. Because he was thinking about that camera every two swipes, like he was irritated with that shit.
But you deserved it because you out there taking pictures of people when they're undressing and windows and like, no, we don't do that. Like, so sorry your camera got broken. I broke your camera, not your face this time around. I didn't resort to violence. I took your toy away way.
So anyways, sorry, that's a little thing because I. I wasn't going to get to say that because I wasn't in that episode. But, like, it changes how Steve has went from even just at that point, you know what I mean? Because he was kind of still acting like a little snide dick and getting up under his friend's belt. Now he doesn't seem to want to be a part of them anymore. And that's helping move him towards the gang more so as well.
[00:56:09] Speaker B: No, I agree. I think it's definitely. I mean, I've been saying this for the last like six episodes how I'm not sure about Steve. Like, he seems very much like. Like, does he care about Nancy? Does he care more about the fact that Nancy's kind of ghosting him and he thinks that she should be wrapped around his fingers because she's like, he's cool and she's kind of, like, a loser or whatever, you know? Like, I just feel like we. We haven't been able to get a good feel about Steve, and he's done some things that are, like, really questionable.
Like, even the camera incident that you were just talking about, like, yes, Jonathan deserved to have his camera broken, but Sarah and I were talking about how it felt kind of icky on Steve's part. Like, it felt more like they were bullying him because they don't like him, rather than holding him accountable for something bad that he did. So there's always just been this, like, air of, like, maliciousness. I feel like, to Steve, that you couldn't quite put your finger on. And I think that's because we've been kind of seeing him from Nancy's perspective, and Nancy's not sure about him, so we're not sure about him.
[00:57:12] Speaker A: Him.
[00:57:12] Speaker B: But I feel like now, like, especially this scene, we're seeing Steve not from Nancy's perspective. We're seeing him as, like, his own person, and it's like, oh, he does care about her. It wasn't all just an act. And the one thing I will say, and I. Again, I don't really know what happens next, but I wish we had kind of seen how he got there, like,
[00:57:35] Speaker C: in his own head.
[00:57:36] Speaker B: Like, was it.
[00:57:37] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:57:37] Speaker B: Like, was it it. Like, the conversation he had with Nancy in the last episode because they kind of had a blowout. Like, was it him getting beat up by.
By Jonathan that kind of made it click in his head that these people that I'm friends with are pieces of. And, like, I actually really like Nancy. I feel like we're kind of missing that journey a little bit.
But, I mean, there's still an episode left of the season, and, like, obviously, see what happens. But. Yeah, I think this is great. And. And I think this kind of solidifies that Steve is gonna be present more in his own right.
[00:58:12] Speaker C: I think he's just starting to care. You know what I mean? Because even the care. Just to go help clean the letterboard later on the movie theater sign.
[00:58:19] Speaker B: Yeah, like, it was so decent.
[00:58:20] Speaker C: That's different. That hasn't. That was written about Nancy, but it had that situation. He didn't have to go show up there and say, hey, I want to help clean up what we messed up. Like, he's just seeming to.
[00:58:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:58:29] Speaker C: Like, he feels he's taking accountability for, like, his actions and saying, like, I actually need to. To be perceived completely different than what I've been putting out. You know what I mean?
[00:58:38] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, like, what you were saying, Leia? It's so interesting because I think if Steve were simply just a plot device for the show, we would not have seen him after Jonathan beat him up. That would be the end. The show would move on. We'd assume, okay, he and Nancy never, ever talked again. It would have been a natural segue for him to leave the show. But this moment right here, this is the first time we've seen Steve on his own without Nancy.
Apart from that one scene that we saw, I think last episode where they were driving up to Nancy's house. But even then it was like on his way to go to see Nancy. This is completely independent of Nancy. And so I think it is the first clue that we're getting that, oh, they're actually doing something with him and he's probably going to become a bigger character.
Yeah, either that or setting him up to die. We don't know at this point.
But I, yeah, I kind of. That point you were bringing up Leia, because I was going to ask you guys what you think is the reason for his heart change? Because it's really ambiguous at this point. We, we see that there is a heart change. We see that he's sorry for what happened. But when your guys's mind, why do you think that is? Just from like a piecing together what you've seen or just headcanon, I must
[00:59:44] Speaker C: say, plant the seed like that. Like, when you hang around better people, you. It tends to rub off on you. Like I kind of said in my initial statement, that's how I operate my life. I don't hang around with negative people. So his friends, like, I wouldn't have had. My tolerance levels for them would have been very low already. As the person that I am, I can't even go around my family to this day and time because I feel that low vibration as soon as I get back around them. I can't relate to them on that same, like, wavelength. And I think he's just growing up. He's not able to relate to them the same way. And like I said, perspective has changed within his mind just because of being around Nancy. I don't think it's because he likes Nancy because I don't think he ultimately, like you were saying, Sarah is fully, like, in love with Nancy. Like himself, he likes the idea of Nancy.
[01:00:21] Speaker B: I think if I had to think of, like, I feel like it was the last, last the, like when him and Jonathan were going at each other and like, he maybe saw how hurt like Nancy was and that kind of made him reconsider. And I think maybe it kind of speaks to the way that he deals with, like, he doesn't have toxic masculinity almost, because it's like he just got beat up by another guy over a girl. And, like, if he were, like, a bad person, he would have doubled down. Like, if he was a guy who was all about, you know, keeping up appearances of being, like, the popular, strong guy, why, he would have doubled down on. Kind of took them what he was fighting about.
But he almost, like, took that opportunity. Like, he. He took that experience, and he almost went like, oh, like, I should. Like, that's not how I want to be. Almost, like, he thought. He thought that to himself Again. I wish we had seen a little bit more of that.
[01:01:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:01:20] Speaker B: Of, like, how he got there.
But I think there's been hints because, like I said, like, I think his feelings for Nancy or, like, his care for Nancy have been ambiguous enough where it could go either way, where it's like, he does like her, but also, does he like her? Because it's like a conquest for him. But, like, I think this particular moment, on top of all the other little moments, it, like, makes sense that, no, this is just. Just Steve is actually a good guy. He's just hanging out with, like, people that bring out the worst in him and getting the beat out of him maybe made him reconsider.
He got the sense beat into him maybe. I don't know.
[01:02:04] Speaker C: What do you think?
[01:02:05] Speaker B: What do you think, Sarah?
[01:02:06] Speaker C: Sarah has the answers waiting. She's just, like, seeing if we got them.
[01:02:09] Speaker A: Yeah, Yeah, I. I really don't. I just was. I genuinely was curious. I have a theory.
So we've. Leia and I have talked a lot about, like, how this show is or the season in particular, is about, like, othering and how there's the normal people, quote, unquote, and then there's the people that are othered or the androgynous or the queer people.
And we talked about this a long time ago back in Angel Season 1, specifically with the faith arc about Sartre's look. And I thought it was so incredibly interesting for Steve in this moment. And not just for Steve, but I would say it even works for Nancy's arc and for so many other people, that moment where the character has to step outside of themselves and out of what they deem to be normal and the normal experience and is forced to step in someone else's shoes and see their life. And I think that's a big part of what's going on with Steve. So I have this quote here. I think it's just absolutely beautiful. So Sartre's look is the outside view that causes a person to redefine themselves from the perspective of the other. And I mean, not just from Nancy's perspective, but John, Jonathan's too. I think it's so interesting that this happened after Jonathan beat up T. So I think that's why we're all kind of like he could. Like Nancy could not. But it also seems like Jonathan's the catalyst in this situation.
So the Sartran account of the look as a theory of dialogue, I know that's wordy by Steve Martinott, I think, is what his name is. So he talks about how Sartre had a problem, which was in philosophy, how can a person view another person as a subject and not an object? Object. Up until that point, philosophy had sought to understand the other through reflection or attribution. But to regard the other as a reflection of oneself ends in everyone just being a reflection of oneself. You're basically looking at someone and just attributing your own attributes onto them. That's not actually seeing them for who they are. To simply define the other as a subject because one saw a person standing there reduces them to object status, not to subject status. And to attribute subjectivity to the other as an extension of. Of experience with oneself as a subject renders one a source of mere doctrine through which one sees others. It's a very wordy way of essentially saying you're putting on your own experiences onto that person, which may not be accurate for who they actually are. So they're talking about how this is super important with relating to the world. Having empathy is you have to be able to see people for who they truly are and love them. And that requires you to go outside of your own experience. And for some people, they literally cannot do that until they reach a certain point. So basically, you can't view people as reflections of yourself or as an extension of yourself. And you can't say that someone is unknowable. And I think a lot of people just go, I just don't understand them. I can't understand them. I just don't get it. And it's like, okay, is that the case, or is it that you just don't want to do the work to put yourself in their shoes and understand who they are? So all of that reduces someone to an object, not seeing them as a subject, as human. So Sartre came up with the look, which is one's visibility to Another. And there's this beautiful quote he says, for Sartre, the other as subject is not a subject known through oneself, but as a disruption of oneself. One confronts the other in a space that is both one's own and not of one's choosing. And in that space, one apprehends the other as subject in one's becoming an object for that other, I. E. Through the other's effect on oneself. In this sense, becoming an object for another that decenters, enters the ego and points to an exterior space between persons where dialogue becomes possible. Basically, you have to be forced in this situation where your entire worldview becomes rocked. Something shakes you out of the norm to the point where you are forced to see how that other person lives and functions. And it allows you to actually see them as a human being and as a person, which I know sounds horrible, but for some people, that is the case. So the other is defined not as the absence of a consciousness in relation to the body, but the absence of the world, which I perceive, an absence discovered at the very heart of my perception of this world.
So, again, very, very wordy. But they said an element of disintegration is hugely, hugely key in doing all of this. Though nothing has changed and the world still exists, it now has other meanings. The objects of my world drain away not into a future, but to a temporal elsewhere. I know it's all really wordy. The other as object transforms a world written by and for myself into what must now be read. And I transformed in turn from a writer of my world to a reader of a world which I think is so beautiful. So it's. Instead of you looking at somebody else and writing what you think their story is, you're now reading their story, and you're now getting to understand who they are. I know this is, like, ridiculous for talking about Steve.
[01:06:48] Speaker C: It's not, though. That's so relatable with people. Like, it happens. And.
[01:06:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:06:52] Speaker C: I can probably identify with moments where people have done that to me. Like, you know. Absolutely.
[01:06:58] Speaker A: Yeah. And you feel seen. That's what the look is in that moment. You feel seen. And I think what Steve is going here. I know it's like, on a much less philosophical scale, I do think Steve is having a moment here where he's realizing that the way somebody else is living and their perspective and their life, you know, Jonathan's family has died. That's why he gets angry at Tommy and Carol, not just for criticizing Nancy, but also Jonathan too. They make two jabs at Jonathan killing his. His. His sibling and then also sleeping with Nancy. And you can tell that suddenly doesn't make Steve as comfortable as he was a couple episodes before. So I think for the first time, Steve, in being beat up, kind of was able to put himself in Jonathan's shoes.
Exactly.
[01:07:45] Speaker C: Literally.
[01:07:45] Speaker A: Yeah, he said it literally.
[01:07:47] Speaker B: Literally.
[01:07:48] Speaker A: Literally.
[01:07:48] Speaker C: She said it, but Jonathan did it.
[01:07:50] Speaker B: Exactly.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. With his fists, I think.
[01:07:54] Speaker A: And I think Steve's having a little bit of a awakening right now because he's realizing he's having. What Nancy had several episodes ago when Barb died or when Barb went missing is I don't belong in this world anymore. So him leaving his friends and going and, you know, taking the graffiti off the sign and all of that stuff, you can tell, like the way they're setting it up, oh, Steve's not going back. That's dead to him. He's no longer that person. He's a new one. And I really do think, think it's because he is now stepped into someone else's shoes, Nancy's or Jonathan's or both, and is now, like, ready to see things from a different perspective. And I think we're going to see that with several. And I bring this up because we're going to see this not just with Steve, but many other characters over the course of the series, because this season and this show is about the marginalized, the people who are on the brinks of society. And it takes somebody inside of. Of the normative experience. It takes them to have something that shakes them out of it in order to be able to put themselves into those people's shoes. And so, yeah, I just thought it was very, very beautiful. So I think that's. That's what's going on with Steve.
[01:09:01] Speaker B: All right, all right. So he got the sense beat into him, literally.
[01:09:06] Speaker A: That's what we have all just collectively.
[01:09:08] Speaker B: And now he empathize with other people,
[01:09:12] Speaker A: and now he can be a better person.
[01:09:13] Speaker B: And.
[01:09:13] Speaker A: But like, Brandon, you'll hear us talk about it in the past couple of episodes, but I've talked about how there's a couple of throwaway lines where Steve talks about, like, his parents, his mom and dad, or his dad cheating on his mom. And like, you know, there's all this different stuff. And I.
With the whole idea of toxic masculinity and like this idea in the 80s of you have to be aggressive in order to be masculine. I think by Steve getting beat up, up, that also kind of broke that toxic masculinity in him where he kind
[01:09:45] Speaker B: of, like, humbled that Weirdo buyers beat me up.
[01:09:49] Speaker A: Yeah, he's like, wow, he's a man.
He's a man.
[01:09:53] Speaker C: That's kind of like a weird energy mirroring each other though. Because like in the 80s, yeah, there were some things like that, especially like the stuff with will later on and whatnot. And just like how they handle that, that what was of the times. Like this is also the era when men were wearing crop tops and doing workout out, like in like hardly nothing, you know, very effeminate clothing. And like you were. I said that as like a jab in the middle. Like wasn't a jab, it was more of like a jab to insert it in that statement you were making way earlier, one of you two were that like Steve is feminine. He's not an overly masculine dude from jump at all. He's suave. Like he likes to pamper and what did they call that back in the day? Like metrosexual. I think in the 90s that term really popped off hardcore for men that like to like, Steve has a nice haircut, he obviously styles it, he dresses clean and goes to school like as a well kept boy because look where his upbringing was, stuff too. Do you know what I mean? So he doesn't give up like overly hard ass. So I think it's just like right on par with who he is too.
[01:10:44] Speaker A: So we're at the Wheelers, we see the agents loading up the boxes, the boys dnd step, the sleeping bag, the various other stuff, while Hopper, Jonathan, Nancy and Joyce watch from the car. A few like block, like up the block or something like that. Nancy's like, I have to go home. My mom and dad are there. She tries to go, Hopper stops hers. Like, listen to me, the last thing we need is them knowing you're mixed up in all of this. Nancy's like, but Mike's over there. And Hopper points at the chopper and is like, well, they haven't found him yet. Tells her to get in the car. Inside the car, he's like, okay, we have to find them before the, the agents do. Do you, does anybody know where we can find them, where they might be? Nancy has no clue. But Jonathan's like, I think I have an idea. So they pull up at the buyer's house. Everyone's like running past the trash, living room, the lights. Except Nancy was like her first time there, she's like, whoa, everyone's tripping out by this.
[01:11:30] Speaker C: And I gotta say, by the way, Joyce needs a ticket because her right tail light is out in her car. And Hopper better jot that down for later.
[01:11:39] Speaker A: The chief of police is literally in the car. I think she'll be okay.
[01:11:42] Speaker C: She needs a fan, too. This is unacceptable.
[01:11:45] Speaker B: Her house is a fire.
[01:11:46] Speaker C: No wonder this city is going.
[01:11:47] Speaker B: She's committing a lot of crimes. No wonder.
[01:11:52] Speaker C: For real.
[01:11:52] Speaker B: Don't say that about my man.
[01:11:54] Speaker C: I'm saying about.
[01:11:55] Speaker A: Just take a bulb.
It's not a city. It's a city.
[01:11:59] Speaker C: First it starts with tail lights, and then it ends with Demogorgons.
[01:12:01] Speaker A: Girl.
[01:12:02] Speaker C: Like, no, exactly.
[01:12:04] Speaker B: Something more than, like, a swamp. Swamp. Like, it's not even a city at this point. It's just a swamp.
[01:12:09] Speaker A: It's three blocks at this point, is what it is. Three blocks in the Upside down, when
[01:12:13] Speaker B: the boys were running away from those vans in the beginning of the episode, I'm like, you guys just literally want to street over, like, what makes you think you lost them?
[01:12:20] Speaker C: And what are they gonna do with this stuff that they have? Like that. That intentional shot on the box of him walking away with it towards the trunk of the car, and it's showing the DND game board and stuff. I'm like, what? What? How is that necessarily relevant? That's just what the boys have been actively doing. Doing. They're like.
[01:12:33] Speaker A: The agents are like, oh, my God. They're gonna find out all our secrets. Quick. Take the DND manuals. They can't know that we. Like, everything from the Upside down is from here. Yeah, exactly. So dumb.
All right, so the they. Everybody heads to Will's room, and Joyce ends up finding the walkie talkie under the bed. Back at the bus, we hear Nancy's voice calling for Mike through the walkie talkie as all the kids are still hiding out from the helicopter. Dustin's like, my lady love. Mike grabs the walkie talkie, and they listen as we hear Nancy telling them they need to answer that it's an emergency. Lucas tries to grab it, and it's like, it's your sister. It's an emergency. Mike's like, what if it's a trick? What if the bad people kidnapped her? What if they're forcing her to say this? And Dustin's like, it's Lando Calrissian all all over again. Don't answer back at the buyers. Hopper grabs the walkie talkie, is like, hey, this is the chief. If you're there, pick up. We know about the girl. The kids are like, how in the world does he know about Elle? They hear Hopper again. He's like, we can protect you. We can help you. And Then they eventually make contact.
And then at the movie theater, we see the worker scrubbing off the slut off the sign while Steve shows up and is like, you need a hand? The worker's like, did you have something to do with this? Seeing his, like, bloody face, Steve says, I just want to help. And then he takes off his jacket and just goes up and starts scrubbing it.
King Steve.
[01:13:50] Speaker B: I love you, Steve.
[01:13:51] Speaker A: I love him.
[01:13:52] Speaker B: Good for you. I'm proud. That's a nice way to, like. That's like, so nice that he, like, held himself accountable and he decided to go and do that. Like, that just speaks to, like, the kind of person that he is, and I love that.
[01:14:04] Speaker A: Yeah. And thing is, is that Nancy will probably never know that he does this. And that's when you know it's, like,
[01:14:09] Speaker C: legit for this stupid fucker.
Anyways,
[01:14:16] Speaker A: hey, we'll bring you back for season two, Brandon. We can talk all about it.
All about it.
It's okay. It means he's single for you, Brandon.
[01:14:28] Speaker C: Yeah, there you go.
[01:14:29] Speaker A: He's like.
[01:14:30] Speaker B: He's like, I don't want Nancy. I want Steve.
[01:14:36] Speaker A: All right, so back at the Wheelers, Ted and Karen are watching the agents load up at the window. Karen's agitated. She's like, we should be out finding the boys. Ted's like, honey, we have to trust them. This is our government. They are on our side. And Karen's like, well, what do you think? Nancy's involved in this too? And he's like, like, Nancy with Mike? No. And we're like, you are so clueless, man.
[01:14:55] Speaker B: You're so stupid.
[01:14:56] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. There's. If you ever need a laugh, there are some Reddit threads from people watching through the series when it first aired. So they literally know nothing that's gonna happen. And it's all, like, from 10 years ago. And the comments were so funny. The comments for this scene were like, holy. Why isn't there more of him in this show? About Ted? I mean, we already got get to see him more than. Than his son does.
[01:15:20] Speaker C: Oh, my God,
[01:15:24] Speaker B: I was dying.
[01:15:26] Speaker A: Oh, there are so many funny comments that I just inserted here. People are hilarious on Reddit.
[01:15:31] Speaker B: When you told me that Ted is in, like, every episode of the show or something.
[01:15:34] Speaker A: Not every episode, but he's in it, I think more than some other major characters, which is crazy.
[01:15:40] Speaker B: Yeah, that's crazy. I don't even notice him in half. Half the. The scenes that he's in.
[01:15:43] Speaker C: How do you not? He's always there popping off at the Mouth,
[01:15:48] Speaker B: he's always saying some.
[01:15:51] Speaker A: So funny.
All right, so back at the bus, Dustin's pacing again. Mike's like, will you stop? He's like, it's been way too long. Starts freaking out that maybe this is all a trap. Lucas is like, this isn't a trap. Why would the chief set us up? Nancy, maybe. And Mike's over there, like, offended. Dustin's like, Lando Calrissian. Dustin's like, I don't feel good about this. Then gets in Lucas's face is like, I don't feel good about this. Lucas just screams back, like, when do you feel good about anything? And then they. They hear.
[01:16:21] Speaker B: He's not one to talk. Exactly. Come on.
[01:16:24] Speaker A: So true.
[01:16:24] Speaker B: We're. We've. We've forgiven you for your attitude. You got an attitude.
[01:16:30] Speaker A: It's so true. Dustin's been the, like, the one keeping everyone together here.
[01:16:34] Speaker B: So positive.
[01:16:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:16:35] Speaker B: Dustin has been like the most positive out of probably all of them.
[01:16:39] Speaker A: No. 100%. Yeah. He's allowed to have a little freak out moment. Okay.
[01:16:42] Speaker B: Don't slander my boy. Dustin.
[01:16:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Leia's like, karen and Dustin. Anybody tries to attack him and she's, you know, she's there. I'm throwing fists in cars and trucks and. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they hear a car pull up. We see agents getting out. They spot the bike, start to head towards the bus, us. And then all of a sudden we hear.
And then the door opens and it's Hopper. And he took out all the agents with guns.
[01:17:10] Speaker C: Daddy, Daddy.
[01:17:11] Speaker A: I don't know how that happened, but we're just going to go with it.
[01:17:15] Speaker C: Listen, it's awesome though.
Chapter, Chapter five. Whenever he took up the cops in the hallway and like he just walked into the place, like, I was like, damn, I forgot how bad of a. How much of a badass he was. Just from jumping this show, like, I thought he developed later on into more of a badass, but he's just like been on it.
[01:17:30] Speaker A: Like he's taking out these, like, one day, one man. Yeah. Hopper was stylized after Indiana Jones in a lot of ways. And so this scene where he bursts into the bus to rescue the kids was purposely shot to resemble Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom. I don't know the exact shot, but
[01:17:50] Speaker C: yeah, I could see it.
[01:17:51] Speaker A: Find it. But anyway, interesting. The kids are just like, oh, my gosh. In awe. And he's like, let's go.
All right. So they follow him out. We're now at the buyers. It's night time. Jonathan, Nancy and Joyce are Waiting anxiously. They pull up. Nancy hugs bike. Like said, I. I was so worried about you. He's like, yeah, me too. Like, didn't think about her at all.
Then we jump a little bit later where Mike is explaining what they know, including the flea and the acrobat thing. The Upside down, where they believe Mike to be or will to be Mike is like, the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space. And I just want to point out, too, I didn't realize this. Somebody else probably figured this out, but I. That moment, I think a couple episodes or one episode back when we saw 11 touching the Demogorgon. And then he, like, whirls around and stuff. That was the moment where El linked the two dimensions by touching it. And then her fear is what opened the gate. So I always understood her guilt being because she opened the gate, but I think it's also because she recognizes that she's the one that brought the two dimensions together. From my understanding, I think she had to have connected with the Demogorgon by touching it in order for the Demogorgon to be able to come through this world. If she had opened the gate, it's possible that the Demogorgon wouldn't have been able to get through unless she made contact. Because she's the one. Like, they show the paper folding over and then the pen going between. She's the one that not only punched the hole, but also made contact with the other side, too.
[01:19:16] Speaker C: So the Demogorgon didn't even know, like, beforehand that he was just living his, like, little girl life and.
[01:19:20] Speaker A: Yeah, his world.
[01:19:21] Speaker C: And then all of a sudden, this
[01:19:22] Speaker A: girl, his hot girl, Summer, him.
[01:19:23] Speaker C: And he's like, who the are you? So then he's like, okay, let me punch through time and reality and, like, get over in this other world, like, crawl through the hole.
[01:19:30] Speaker A: He now can do that? Yeah, because. Because she brought the other dimension nearby enough so that now he can punch through too. Yeah. All right. So the boys explain that the gate is at the lab and that they know this because the electromagnetic field that affects their compasses. Hopper's like, is this gate underground near a large water tank? And everyone's like, that's oddly specific. And Elle's like, yes. Justin's like, how do you know all that? And then Joyce asks Living if she could reach Will. And Nancy's like, can you find Barbara? So then a few minutes later, everyone is gathered around 11, seated at the table with the radio in front of her. As she tries to. Tries to make contact, the lights Flicker a few times, but then nothing. And Elle says she's sorry, but she can't find them.
So then in the bathroom, Elle's taking a breather, you know, dousing her face with water, sees the bathtub, gets an idea, goes back outside where Mike's explaining to everyone else that Elle drained her battery and that she gets tired after using her powers. And then Joyce and Nancy ask how to make her better and how long they have to wait. And then Elle comes out and says, bathtub, and explains that she can find Will and Barb in the bath. Bath.
[01:20:31] Speaker B: So there's just one thing that I feel like they should have addressed. Like, Nancy was literally in the Upside Down. She crawled through a tree in the woods and went into the Upside Down.
[01:20:42] Speaker C: She's the first one to go there, other than Will.
[01:20:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:20:46] Speaker B: So I found it a little surprising that they didn't. Her and Jonathan didn't bring that up in this little powwow, because, yeah, she's
[01:20:54] Speaker C: seen this other world, they're saying, like,
[01:20:56] Speaker B: she's literally been there. And it wasn't in the lab that they entered. It was through, like, this tree. And they knew that it was because the Demogorgon was, like, drawn to the blood and they were planning on, like, drawing it out again. So it's like, I don't know, maybe I'm missing something, but I wasn't expecting.
[01:21:12] Speaker C: Was already in the woods with the. Had drug the deer back in through that hole. Right. Yeah.
[01:21:16] Speaker A: I think it's implied that Nancy and Jonathan told them that when they showed them the picture of Barb in the sheriff's. In the sheriff's room with the tree, I think. Yeah. About the tree and all that other stuff. They know that that that portal opening up with the tree is clearly closed again, but. Because the Demogorgon was the one that opened it. But this. This one that Hopper saw, that's clearly not closing up and stuff. And it's a different thing.
Yeah. So I think. I think that's kind of. A lot of these conversations are happening off screen. I think some of them need to be clarified a little bit.
Yeah.
[01:21:48] Speaker B: Because I think it would make sense for them to be like, hey, let's draw out. Let's try to draw out a Demogorgon, because that's what they were already planning on doing. And therefore, maybe. Maybe it'll open a portal or like a rift and we can go through that way. Like, that's. I don't know. Maybe.
[01:22:03] Speaker A: But I. I would imagine that would feel like a riskier of option because
[01:22:08] Speaker B: they're kind of running out of time.
[01:22:09] Speaker A: That's true. Yeah.
Yeah.
[01:22:12] Speaker B: You gotta. You gotta get risky sometimes.
[01:22:14] Speaker A: I don't know, maybe. Maybe it'd be like, let's do two things at once or. I don't know, it ends up working out. Well, maybe. Well, the real answer, Leia, is they say let's not do that because we want Jonathan Nancy to have. Have to go after it at the very end and let Harper and Joyce have their own thing too. But yeah, that's a good. That's a.
You should be the one planning, Dustin. Well, well done.
Anyway, all right, so Mr. Clark's. He has got game.
And the. The Reddit thread says, my boy, Mr. Clark, Netflix and chilling with an Asian milf. God damn.
[01:22:48] Speaker B: How do.
[01:22:48] Speaker A: How do they know she's a milk?
[01:22:50] Speaker C: This is crazy.
What? What?
[01:22:53] Speaker A: What?
[01:22:56] Speaker C: Listen.
[01:22:57] Speaker A: So funny.
[01:22:58] Speaker C: He's got her over there on that couch with him snuggling up hard too. Cuz they're watching the thing, which is like another John Carpenter thing.
[01:23:04] Speaker A: He's dropping all his knowledge y. Yeah,
[01:23:07] Speaker C: he's like bubble gum and what did he say? What was the other thing? Can't remember.
[01:23:12] Speaker B: Plast. Melted plastic and bubble gum in the microwave. Oh my God.
[01:23:18] Speaker A: Anyways, see, you and Mr. Clark meant to be.
[01:23:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Then he gets blocked people.
[01:23:26] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. Yeah. So then the phone rings and he's checking his watch like, who the heck is calling tonight? He should know at this point. It's probably Dustin. He calls. He's like, dustin is. He's like, dustin, is everything okay? So sweet. Dustin's like, I have a scientific question. Mr. Clark's like, okay, we can answer it on Monday. Dustin's like, you know, he's trying to put up boundaries as an adult. And Dustin ignores.
[01:23:46] Speaker B: How does barrels number phone? People just have their teachers numbers. Oh, true phone book.
Yeah, that's true.
[01:23:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:23:55] Speaker B: And if he didn't, then there was such a thing as phone books.
[01:23:58] Speaker A: Yep. Wow. So Dustin just ignores him, barrels through, asks about sensory deprivation tanks, specifically how to build one. Mr. Clark's like, what is this for? And then we have the hilarious shot of everyone in the background as Dustin's on the phone and he answers for fun. Fun.
Sweet baby angel. Mr. Clark, as Tabby would refer to him, doesn't blink or even hang up. He just says, how about we talk about it on Monday? Dustin, like you always say, we should never stop being curious to always open any curiosity door find. Why are you keeping the Curiosity Door locked, Mr. Clark? Mr. Clark's like, you got me there. Looks back at his date size longingly, continues on. So then we jump to a few minutes later. Dustin's writing down the notes. Mr. Clark's talking on the other end. He's like, I'll see you on Monday. Then they ask Joyce if she still has her kiddie pool, which she confirms. And then they're like, okay, we need 1500 pounds of salt. And Nancy's like, where are we gonna get that much salt? Hopper has a plan, though. Never fear. So we jump to the middle. Middle school Jonathan and Hopper are going through and getting the deicing salt, which I learned it wouldn't actually work. You would need Epsom salt in order for this to work, which, again, fun fact, apparently they did actually use 1500 pounds of salt inside of this pool in order to get 11 or Millie Bobby Brown.
[01:25:09] Speaker C: Did they test it with an egg? Because I'm pretty sure egg weighs a lot less than a person, and that irritated me.
[01:25:14] Speaker A: Did you see there's a hole in the side of the egg where they.
[01:25:17] Speaker C: So it would float?
[01:25:19] Speaker A: Yeah. So it'll float.
[01:25:20] Speaker C: Yeah, Just put a plastic egg on there. Prom on props department.
[01:25:23] Speaker B: I feel cheated.
[01:25:24] Speaker C: I feel cheated with these. Damn.
They took duct tape and wrapped them all around the swimwear. Said here at 11.
[01:25:31] Speaker A: Anyways, also, you. You can't go in a sensory deprivation tank with that itchy dress on and wet. Like, she's going to be feeling that the entire time.
[01:25:40] Speaker C: You know when her and Joyce are having that conversation? In a minute, I wrote somewhere, I'm like, notes. And I was like, it drives me crazy knowing that she's about to get in this tub with this damn dress on. They don't even give her a swimsuit or anything. Like, she's going in full dress. Like, give her the wig. Like, so that way she can go float with the wig hanging out. Like,
[01:25:57] Speaker A: give her the wig.
[01:25:59] Speaker B: If you're gonna do it, do it right.
[01:26:00] Speaker C: Like, this extra. Like, who's getting in there with a dress on? Like, come on. She has no other clothes either. Now her dress is wet the rest of the episode.
[01:26:08] Speaker A: Yeah, that was me favorite dress.
[01:26:11] Speaker B: That was me only dress.
[01:26:13] Speaker A: That was the only dress.
It's like a call and answer. Marco.
[01:26:18] Speaker B: Kendra, we miss you.
[01:26:20] Speaker A: All right, so Jonathan and Hopper have this conversation where Hopper tells him, you know, you're done. You're not doing anything about, like, going after Will. I don't want you anywhere near this thing. Your mom's been through enough. Jonathan's like, he's my brother. Hopper puts a hand on his shoulder and is like, listen to me, I'm gonna find him, all right? You gotta trust me. And I think obviously they did this scene so that you could have the setup for Nancy and Jonathan at the very end. To be like, heck, no, we're still going after it. But I thought it. It was interesting that Hopper's being kind of like a paternal figure right now in a season where Lonnie has been a crap father and Jonathan has really had to step up and be that father figure for Will in a lot of ways. And here he's being told by an adult, no, be a child. I will take care of it. And that's really hard for parentified Jonathan.
[01:27:05] Speaker B: Jonathan's just having the craziest day ever. He beat up his mom, hugged him.
Him and Nancy, there's like, vibes going on between them. His mother hugged him. Him. A man who's older than him told him, hey, hey, guy, don't worry, I'll
[01:27:18] Speaker A: take care of this.
[01:27:19] Speaker B: I'll take care of it.
[01:27:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:27:20] Speaker C: He's used to being loser. That's off in the, like, dark with nobody paying him no attention. Now he's. He's sleeping in girls bed.
[01:27:26] Speaker B: He's like, am I in the upside down?
[01:27:28] Speaker C: He's like, damn, my brother should go miss him more often.
Cuz his whole life is turned upside down. Once his brother goes away, he's in the limelight all of a sudden. It was all about Will beforehand.
[01:27:38] Speaker A: Yeah. His mom's like, you're my only son. I can't lose you. Will comes back, she's like, never mind. Jonathan then what? Jonathan who? Jonathan who?
My gosh. All right, so back at the gym, Lucas and Dustin are prepping the kiddie pool. I love the annoyed Dustin's getting because it just keeps flopping over. It's one of those that has, like, the hard side.
[01:27:57] Speaker C: Start filling it up.
[01:27:58] Speaker A: Just won't stay up.
[01:27:59] Speaker C: Right. You gotta come back out later and pick up certain pieces and stuff. I looked at it and I was like, damn if I don't remember.
This was obviously like a 80s, but it transitioned into the 90s before we got like the plastic.
[01:28:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:28:09] Speaker C: Like hard.
[01:28:10] Speaker A: I remember using those.
[01:28:11] Speaker C: And then eventually it was the blow.
[01:28:12] Speaker A: I missed those pools.
Well, they hold.
They didn't pop. And they held a lot of water in them too.
I love those pools. You cannot find them anywhere now. And it's so annoying. Ugh. And I've looked. All right, so outside of the shed, Mike and Nancy are trying to get the hoses and other supplies, but Then Nancy pulls out a Karen, grabs the rock and breaks the lock. Mike's, like, shocked.
Karen 2.0.
[01:28:37] Speaker B: That scene made me literally think. Exactly. I was like, karen's kids take after her, not Ted, of course. They get their spiciness and, like, their bravery. And, like, anyone think that, they take after 10 from Karen completely.
[01:28:52] Speaker A: And I love how that moment contrasts the boy's assessment of Nancy in the first episode about how she's no fun anymore, she's a stick in the mud. And we're going to see little glimpses of who she used to be when she was younger and probably who she actually is. But, like, you know, as time goes on, you change a little bit to adhere to what society Maddie expects of you.
So after loading up the hoses in a wheelbarrow, they wheel it back to the school. Nancy asks about 11. And then she's like, I knew you were acting weird, but, you know, I thought it was because of Will. And Mike's like, well, I thought you were acting weird because of Steve. Nancy's like, all right, from now on, we tell each other everything. No secrets, okay? Mike's like, okay, bet. Do you like Jonathan now? Nancy's like, what? No.
Well, do you like 11?
He's like, E. Gross. EW
[01:29:39] Speaker C: jokes aside about that.
[01:29:40] Speaker B: So you're both in denial.
[01:29:41] Speaker C: This scene is cute, though, for them.
Their growth as siblings kind of connecting back to each other because, like, they now have a shared common goal and interest, like, there. And then they say the fact of, like, no more secrets. I really like that because the show is, like, founded on secrets. Right now you can only tell, like, them on the phone with Mr. Clark. They were, like, trying to come up. And I like shows with this kind of element where you have to. With certain people, you're. You got your Nick group. It's just like Buffy. You can tell your core group this issue, but whenever you're trying to explain it to mom or whoever, you got to, like, beat around the truth. We got to be like, oh, this is for science fun. Not for, like, anything devastational that's about to happen and stuff, too. So I like this little connection that we get between the siblings coming back. Cuz, I mean, even their dad just said, nancy and Mike together. Yeah, right. Like, he knows his kids don't hang.
And now they're slowly coming together as, like, this unique unit again when everybody's starting to collectively come together for this common goal anyway, so that's really cool. But I like how they double down on. Do you like this person? Well, do you like this person? Like, they've been watching, apparently, but they're also trying to, in the show, like, for us, put it out there that, like, clearly, Mike and L might be a thing. Clearly, Jonathan and Nancy are, like, shifting towards potential. Like, that's all.
[01:30:50] Speaker B: And you're seething on the inside.
[01:30:52] Speaker C: Bring it up. Because in my notes, after I, like, initially said say that that statement, I was like, Nancy, clearly like Jonathan. And that's irking my nerves. Steve forever. So capital letter Steve.
[01:31:04] Speaker A: Well, it's like, you know, after this whole season where we're talking about how the nuclear family, often it thrives off of appearances. Right. Not actual true connection between the families. And I like how Mike and Nancy are reconnecting and even though, like, they're both in denial. And I think it says more about where they're actually at about, you know, discovering their feelings than trying to lie to each other. But I, like, there's a new sense of open there. And I think both Nancy and Mike are kind of done with the BS that comes with appearances and trying to look a certain way. And I. I just really love that.
[01:31:35] Speaker C: And that's rubbed off onto Steve.
[01:31:36] Speaker A: And. Yes, and now Steve is a better man because of it. He's the. Was it the Mary sue of the. The series?
So in a school room, Joyce is making some goggles for 11 so it can mimic the darkness of the water tank. She tells Eleven that she's a very brave girl, that everything she's doing for Will, for her family. Thank you. 11 doesn't seem to know what to do with all this.
Joyce grabs her hands and says, listen, I'm going to be there with you the whole time, and if it ever gets too scary in that place, you just let me know, okay? Eleven says yes. Then Joyce asks if she's ready, and Eleven gathers herself before saying, ready. And this is so important, because I think if 11 said, no, I don't want to do this. No, I can't do this, Hopper and Joyce would be like, say no more. We're not going to force you. That's it. And this contrasts all the scenes with Brenner where he says, are you ready? And it's very clear there is no choice there. Yeah, yeah, there's no choice. And so everything, I mean, even the way that, like, Joyce is making the goggles for her, helping her out, holding her hand, she's showing her what true connection looks like versus Brenner was just using it for manipulation and control.
And it's just.
[01:32:44] Speaker C: She's also Promising that she's going to be her anchor through this situation, too. She's like, if things get bad, like, we're right there with you. Whereas, like before, she's getting shut alone in the deprivation tank and sealed off to where she can't see anything. And she's left essentially all alone in her eyes. And she already feels all alone when she goes to that bedroom. That's what I'm saying. The connection between these people. They're showing her what affection and, like, openness is and connection, whereas she's not being weaponized anymore either, because that's clearly what they're trying to do with her. They're. She's acting out of pure love. She wants to help out Joyce, help find her son, because she feels this connection to Will, too, because she knows this awful, terrible place that he's in in firsthand.
Nancy does, too, at this point. Like.
But, yeah, I like the fact that Joyce is the person, the maternal, like, figure. To connect with Elle and tell her all this stuff, too, is very important.
[01:33:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Which again, highlights everything I've been saying about the monstrous womb this entire season. The fact that it's the mother. The connection between a mother and not necessarily her daughter, but a mother and daughter. And she's doing it for Terry. She had a connection with Terry. Yeah. Yeah.
[01:33:48] Speaker B: I was gonna say this. In this scene, I was thinking about the fact that Joyce and Hopper had just gone to see Terry and saw her in the state that she was in. So it's like she has Terry's daughter right in front of her right now. And it's almost like she feels a responsibility to keep her safe because her son is not safe also.
[01:34:08] Speaker A: And she saw how Terry looked for her for 12 years, and now she's like, I understand. Hand.
Yeah. Yeah. Well. And in the script, too, there was a lot more emphasis on Eleven's fear and panic later on, after she finds Barb's body and everything. And it's not really shown in the episode, but in the script, Joyce makes a decision to reach into the water to hold Elle's hand when she's freaking out, which you're not supposed to do in a sensory deprivation tank, but in doing that, that's what calms Elle down and allows her to find Will. And so this creates this really cool connection, since Eleven's making contact with Will and she touches him as Joyce is touching, watching Elle. And we have that whole thing where she tells him that his mom is coming for him. It creates this beautiful, like. Ls the bridge and we see L being the bridge a lot in this season, and it. It helps with, like, the bridge of the dimensions, and it contrasts her touching the demogorgon and opening the gate. So now we see connection in a positive direction. So there's just a lot of parallels and mirroring here, and it's just. It's very beautiful.
So anyway, yeah, she gets into the water, and I love the shot where she gets in, because it's interesting that it's Joyce and Hopper who both hold a hand to help her get in, like the. The mother and the father of the group.
She ends up finding Barb's body with the slug coming out of it. Probably the most graphic and gruesome thing we've seen.
Well, I won't say this whole season, but we've seen so far for sure.
And then Joyce comforts her, says that she's right there. That's when Elsie's Castle Byers. She goes in, sees Will. He's very pale and unconscious. And then Elle tells him that his mom is coming for him. And then Joyce says for him to stay where he's at. And then all of a sudden, she hears growling. And then Will and Castle Byers disappear. Elle hyperventilates, but wakes up. And Joyce comforts her, telling her she has her and that she did so good, asking if she's okay. A few minutes later, Elle is wrapped in a towel, leaning on Mike. Lucas is rubbing her shoulder. So cute.
Hopper, Jonathan, and Joyce are game planning. Hopper asks where the fort is, Joyce tells him. And then Hopper just like. Like, yeets out of there, and Jonathan and Joyce are like, hang on, wait a minute. They chase after him, and Joyce is like, the hell? You're not going without me. I. You know, if anyone's staying, you're staying, and I'm going. He's my son. And then she turns around and goes, jonathan, honey, you have to stay here, sweetie.
He's like, but he's my brother. I'm his father. And then Hopper's like, joyce, come on.
[01:36:34] Speaker B: He's so annoying.
[01:36:36] Speaker A: He's like Joy, so efficient. My gosh, Joyce, drive.
[01:36:43] Speaker C: I'm letting you come now. Come on. Like, yeah.
[01:36:46] Speaker A: So come. Yeah.
So then they take off, leaving Jonathan just standing there, super frustrated. Inside the school, Jonathan joins Nancy, who's by herself in the hallway. Morning, Barb. She tells them that they have to go back to the station, that Joyce and Hopper are walking there like bait because that thing is still in there, and they can't just sit there and let it get to them, too. Jonathan's like, you still want to try it out? Out? And she's like, I want to finish what we started, and I want to kill it a. Yeah. Yes. So in the lab, Joyce and Hopper roll up on the fence with the bolt cutters. Joyce is like, this is your plan? He's like, worked once before for me. She's like, did it.
Which, I mean, she's not wrong. And then in the station, Jonathan and Nancy sneak the weapons out, take a fire distinguisher for good measure.
And then in the lab, they've now updated their cameras now or something, because they catch Joyce and Hopper, like, instantly. And they just circled them with guns and lights and Joyce's side, eyeing Hopper the entire time. He's like, let me do the talking. She's like, yeah, that's what got us in this mess in the first place here, man. Like, I would trust him.
[01:37:48] Speaker B: He's done.
[01:37:49] Speaker A: Oh, God bless you.
[01:37:51] Speaker B: Sorry.
[01:37:52] Speaker A: It's fine. I can edit it out. You're all good.
How dare you sneeze. Leia. Oh, yeah. Get it all out. I knew it.
[01:38:01] Speaker B: I think
[01:38:04] Speaker C: she said, while we're here.
[01:38:06] Speaker A: I was like, we literally have 30 seconds left of the episode. Just get it out now.
[01:38:10] Speaker B: I don't have anything else to say.
[01:38:13] Speaker A: You just interrupted the idea.
[01:38:17] Speaker B: I sneezed.
[01:38:17] Speaker A: You were talking about how Hopper has been really trustworthy, and she should trust him.
[01:38:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, yeah, we should trust Hopper. Let's trust him. He knows what he's doing, period.
[01:38:26] Speaker A: Just punch people. He took out three guys with guns. He could take these guys out no problem.
[01:38:31] Speaker B: I would trust him with my.
[01:38:32] Speaker C: Anyways, I know we're not in that episode yet, but they just, like, go on up in there, and they're like, let's go give you this cure. Good luck. Bye.
[01:38:37] Speaker A: All right, so in the Upside down, we're at Castle Buyers. This is the first time we've seen Will in the Upside down since, like, all of this has gone on. And he's shivering. He just does not look good. The script says that it's only a matter of time.
[01:38:50] Speaker C: No.
[01:38:51] Speaker A: And he's singing, should I stay or should I go?
[01:38:54] Speaker C: That makes it so much worse. Talk about, should I stay or should I go? It's his little song, too. Oh, my God. Now you open. In this whole world of contemplation of what's going on, like, the juxtaposition, should
[01:39:05] Speaker B: I stay or should I die? Like, is that what.
[01:39:10] Speaker C: That's, like, crazy.
[01:39:11] Speaker A: You know how we said there was no. There was nothing really to that song? What we actually Meant is should he stay or should he go?
[01:39:17] Speaker C: I mean, seriously though, like, when you look at it with that perspective, like analytically, like, that makes sense.
He's singing about his like, demise like it's fun. I love subtext.
[01:39:26] Speaker B: His device.
So they're gonna rescue him soon is what you're saying.
[01:39:33] Speaker A: We have one more episode at the
[01:39:35] Speaker C: very, very end, though. We don't know.
[01:39:38] Speaker A: Yeah, because. Because.
And the. And the walls cave in. And we were this close to having a demogorgon in this episode.
[01:39:46] Speaker C: Literally though, like smashes. We know what it is because we hear it outside and stuff. That's so scary. But listen, like, this is my little spoiler I mentioned in the beginning and it's not really a spoiler. You can clip it if you need to. But like, the final reason I'm really glad y' all brought me on for this episode is because it's a standout one. Like it being the cold open for season five. Like what happens directly as this episode ends. You never see it again until then. So we pick up from this and we get to see it carry out like right back to this moment and it. That helps wrap and connect everything back up. But I don't know, I was like. I'd forgotten. You know what I mean? Like after watching it all that time, I was like, this was a. This is in season one. Like Will got attacked.
[01:40:23] Speaker B: He did.
[01:40:23] Speaker C: He. I. I do want to breadcrumb people too. Just say. Because I forgot this is the literal last thing in my actual notes. But like I saw my him singing should I stay or should I go? It's foreshadowed too for the future of how like the connection to music will keep people like in. In. I don't know, like connected to their back home life. You know what I mean? Just like memories and movies or stuff like all found love or whatever. Like you think of hope and stuff like that renewal, the happiness and things. You don't turn evil because. Because you found the light with inside you. That's always been their type. Bull crap. Like, it's kind of like that thing that keeps you holding on so really, truly.
[01:40:55] Speaker A: Well, we.
[01:40:55] Speaker B: We've been saying like the soundtrack of this show is basically like its own character. It's like so carefully thought out and fitting.
[01:41:05] Speaker C: I can't wait to listen to like yalls other stuff that y' all recorded to like hear what y' all are because I don't know. I'm not paying that that much attention.
[01:41:11] Speaker A: There's some stuff that I didn't even know too.
[01:41:13] Speaker B: Music is great.
[01:41:14] Speaker A: That has been really, really interesting to learn about. So I'm excited for you guys to. To. I mean, at this point, everybody will have heard it, but I'm excited for you to go and listen to it, Brandon, because there's some pretty interesting stuff there, too, so. Yeah. But thank you for joining us. This was so fun. Yes.
[01:41:28] Speaker C: I thought. I forgot. The episode's over now.
[01:41:31] Speaker A: Well, I know now we have to say goodbye. Should I stay or should I go?
[01:41:36] Speaker B: You'll have to come back for season two.
[01:41:38] Speaker C: Yeah, we'll be up in there somewhere.
[01:41:40] Speaker A: All right, well, thank you so much, listeners. Thank you, Brandon. Hope you guys enjoyed this episode, and we will talk to you all next time.
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