Welcome to Fandom Shmandom, the fandom podcast
that covers everything you love and more. I'm
Sam Williams. And I'm Sierra Obermark. In today's
episode, we will be weekly wallowing about Stranger
Things, Season 2, Episodes 5 through 8. And without
further ado, we will, as Roger Smith says, dive
on in. So get up to 88, because it's time to
travel back to our story recap. Episode five,
things are happening. Hopper is trapped in the
devious vines of the Upside Down. Will can see
him in the now memories. And who is that to the
rescue? It's Bob the Brain. Bob, Bob as we call
him, realizes that all of Will's drawings create
a map of Hawkins. And it's Will, Mike, Joyce,
and Bob on the way. to find Hopper. Meanwhile,
Dustin is in a panic, trying to hide Dart and
his late -night snack. R .I .P. Musa! Cue the
overmark. Dun -dun -dun! From his mother. Code
red! But only Lucas's annoying little sister
is there to hear him, since Lucas is telling
the entire story of last year and last season
to Max, who, understandably, does not believe
him. Lucas' convictions lead her to question
if what he says is real as she speeds away from
the arcade in her jerk racist nut brother's car.
Nancy and Jonathan have arrived at their contact's
home, ready to blow this whole thing wide open.
Oh, and look who it is. Murray! They tell him
everything, but Murray spots something the kids
don't. No, regular person in their right mind
is going to want to believe this insanity. So,
they concoct some vodka sadas and a plan to water
down the story just enough that a layman would
hold those responsible for Barbara's death, well,
responsible. Where is Eleven, aka Jane, during
all this time? She has tracked down her mother
and realizes that Terry is trying to communicate.
Breathe. That means going into labor. Sunflower!
It's on the side of the hospital bed. Three to
the right. Four to the left. Unlocking a safe
where the gun sits. Rainbow. It's painted on
the side of the door where their kids are being
kept. 4 .50. The level the electric shock was
turned up to. Wow. Papa is a bad, bad man. Rescue
mission is successful. As Joyce and Bob drop
down into the vines and follow Hoop's trail.
Freeing him. Just as the lab people in coats
arrive. Cue. We can't afford it. Indiana Jones
reference as Hoop snatches his hoot. AKA Hopper
gets his hat back. The lab people start to burn
the vines and cause Will to seize and scream
with pain. Episode six. Screaming. All the screaming.
Hopper is being decontaminated and Will is burning
from the inside. Dustin and Steve have teamed
up in an excellent buddy comedy to deal with
Dart, who has shed and burrowed out of the basement.
More screams! Joyce calls out doctors for incompetence,
and Murray calls out Nancy and Jonathan for avoiding
their feelings for each other. Lucas is meeting
up with Dustin and Steve, who are of course discussing
girls, to go find baby Demogorgon, but he grabs
Max along the way. The psych shows Hopper the
spreading darkness, and Bob marvels at his new
title, Bob Newby Superhero. Bob. Bob. We learn
that Will is infected by a virus, one that is
communicating through the hosts. But more importantly,
we learn that the key to Steve's hair is ferrofaucet
spray. What? Hopper lays his heart out over the
radio, but Elle isn't around to hear it. Syke,
aka Sam, turns out to not be the worst, planning
to keep Will safe instead of killing him through
the burn. Will shows the lab soldiers where the
shadow monster doesn't want anyone to look, while
Steve and company set a trap for Dart in the
old junkyard. Steve baits Dart with himself,
but oh no, clever girl, there are two Demogorgons
now. Just when they have Steve and the kids cornered,
they are called away to the graveyard where Hop
was found. The fog rolls in on the soldiers,
the screeches from the Demogorgons echoing, but
then the haunting words of Will. I'm sorry. He
made me do it. I told you. They upset him. They
shouldn't have done that. They shouldn't have
upset him. It's too late. You should go now.
They're almost here. But never fear. We pick
up immediately back with Will and Donut all splash
up to Chicago, where - Nope. Maybe one of the
most criticized parts of Stranger Things occur,
which is episode seven of season two. Wonder
what Eleven was up to the whole last episode?
Not really. Well, here we go! Jane is at her
mother's house and tells her aunt all about what
she saw, concluding that her mom is telling her
to find the other girl from the rainbow room.
Good thing the aunt kept all her sister's files,
including a whole folder of missing kids that
Terry had suspected were like Jane. There she
is, the girl, and it's not contrived at all.
Now, if you have forgotten, we saw this girl
back at the beginning of episode one. Callie,
aka Eight, Eleven, aka Janie, tries to find her
using the abnormal methods, but is unable. She
falls asleep and instead dreams of where to find
her. She wakes to hear her aunt on the phone
talking to Hop's assistant and learns that Hop
and Joyce were here. I told you that she would
be mad. I told you. You did. You did tell me.
I didn't listen. Stealing her aunt's money, she
makes her way to Chi -town and finds Callie,
who is part of a sort of Joker misfit street
gang, who kill those who cause their misfortune
in life. Turns out, Elle did hear Hop's message,
but this does nothing to help with what comes
next. Callie starts to train Eleven to harness
her anger in order to tap into the greater part
of her power. Good, Eleven. Good. Eleven moves
a whole dang train by tapping into all the worst
things that happened to her. Sorry, Mike and
Hop, you made the list. Now, to the rest of the
bad men. After getting a makeover reminiscent
of Manson. maybe a little more Marilyn than Charles,
the crew heads to the home of a man who electrocuted
Terry. Unfortunately, during the break -in, they
discover he has two girls, and Eleven decides
to show mercy and forces Callie to do the same,
throwing her gun out the window as the coppers
arrive. A revelation, though. Papa, Dr. Brenner,
that is, isn't dead, as we previously thought.
Back at the hideout, Callie gives Jane a choice
to go back to Hop or stay and fight. Memories
flood Elle of Hop and Mike and all she's left
behind. She sees the trap Will and the shadow
monster laid for the soldiers, but just then,
the cops find them. Callie uses her powers to
help them get away, but Eleven wants to save
her people. Callie and Jane are crushed by this
choice, but Jane... knows what she has to do.
Go home. Episode 8. The Demogorgons have arrived.
The lab is under attack and the group puts Will
out. Knocks him out. He's out. Mike, having noticed
that as the spy, if Will knows where they are,
then so does the Shadow Monster. Good job, Mike.
Bob, Joyce, Hop, Will, and Mike are trapped in
the lab. OMG, Max and Billy actually have parents!
Really horrible ones. Billy's dad is a real piece
of work, and it's easier to see why Billy is
the way he is. It's not excusable, but ew. Steve
and Co. realize that Dart is headed back to the
lab, where Bob has turned full superhero. He
is headed to the basement to reset the breakers
of the lab so everyone else can get out. Nancy
and Jonathan arrive just in time to meet up with
Steve and the kids. Everyone is now so close
and yet so far in classic penultimate episode
fashion. Sam guides Bob through the building
in one of the most anxiety -laden scenes in the
show. It is very reminiscent of Jurassic Park
trying to escape the velociraptors. Cue me yelling
at my TV, Don't you dare kill Bob! How dare they!
They kill Bob. This is why we can't have nice
things. Cue the Obermark! Dun -dun -dun! R .I
.P. Bob. Bob. Back at Joyce's, everyone mourns
Bob, and Mike rallies everyone to help Bob not
to have died in vain. They will find the shadow
monster, Mind Flayer, whatever we are calling
it now, and kill it, thereby killing everything
it controls through the hive mind. Only problem,
the only way to do this is by talking to Will,
who is still being controlled by said Mind Flayer.
Luckily, Will knows Morse code and taps his hand
while the Mind Flayer is distracted by the rest.
They get the message, close gate. But then, the
phone rings and they have been found! Demo dogs
closing in, they prepare for a fight. Suddenly,
a Demo dog screams, flies through the window,
dead. How? Elle enters in all of her BA glory.
Mike and Elle lock teary eyes. Ugh, cue my asphyxiation
with how much I hate Mike. Great, kid, you got
your girlfriend back. He has some good moments.
He does. He actually does. We'll talk about him,
I promise. Ugh. Find your donut holes. It's time
for our Knives Out category, where we sleuth
out which three storylines are the most vital
to pay attention to. Number one, The Dart. storyline
number two nancy and jonathan number three will
and mike the dart storyline okay uh first of
all muse poor muse and also stupid stupid dustin
we do not blame dart we don't blame dart but
we do blame dustin who lies through his teeth
To get his mom both away from Dart and also to
get out of there so that he can completely work
with Dart the dog. He now sees that Dart is like
actually demo something, but he can't reach the
gang for help. And so is that Steve's bat soundtrack
I'm hearing? Because Dustin and Steve in what
is absolutely my favorite pairing in the entire
series. finally comes to life uh yes steve fascinatingly
doesn't really buy into the whole what dart is
until dustin's like hey he ate my cat and then
steve's like okay and then we get classic steve
in his jacket plus his bat and nails and and
those little yellow Rubber gloves, and I have
a pop of him just like that, and it's amazing.
Dart, we find out, has molted again, and dug
a tunnel out of Lucas' bunker. Dustin finally
gets Max and Lucas to join him, but not before
Steve and Dustin dispense a ton of meat with
their yellow kitchen gloves, and Dustin gets
much sage advice from Steve on romance. Fabergé
organic shampoo and conditioner, plus, as we
said, a TheraFacet hairspray. Not when it's dry.
Not when it's wet. When it's damp. When it's
damp. When it's damp. Max, Lucas, Steve, and
Dustin set a trap in the old vehicle scrap hill
yard thingy. Don't know why it's at the top of
a hill. Seems ludicrous. Max's disbelief is dissuaded.
And Steve takes one demagogue. Two demagogues.
No, wait, that's three. And shoot, that is a
lot. So, mid -fight. With these demidogs, they
all run. And as Steve says, they're going somewhere.
And much to Max's grin, they follow them to Hawkins
Lab. What is important about this storyline,
Sierra? So I think the first thing that's important
is Dustin and Steve. Yeah. Dustin has been kind
of ditched by all the rest of his friends throughout
this season. And so he really needs someone to
rely on and to be there for him. And so I think
that that's a really key thing here. And I so
I think that that's kind of the main. Yeah. It
also brings in just the development of the darts
into Demodogs, into Demogorgon. Yeah. And that
everything is connected no matter how far away
they are. They can all still be called and drawn
by the Mind Flayer. Yeah. So I think that those
are kind of the most important factors. Elements,
yeah. Plus this junkyard, which... Will come
back up. It's a great... Has been there, will
be there. Will be there. He's always a part of
the seasons. It's interesting here, because we
get a little bit of fandom information in terms
of, like, the Pokemon evolutions of Demo -whatsits.
Because, you know, little tiny Toad turns into
a little bigger Toad, turns into a dog, rat thing.
Then it's a full dog, and then we never get to
see them turn fully into bears, which I suppose
is a good thing, because... boy, was just one
hard to kill. Yes. And also, Steve and Dustin's
relationship, I feel like, is one of the main
charm points of the season. It keeps everything
light and frothy in what is normally kind of
a very bitter coffee or very bitter tea. And
this is sort of the whipped milk that you get
to pour in to help. make everything a little
bit more swallowable, which is not a word, but
is something that I've said. So it sounds like
a word. And also this is here and I approve this.
But also I get to blame Mike for another thing.
So Lucas, I excuse for not being in contact because
he's actually taking it upon himself to include
somebody that is. acted awesome been interested
and shown herself very smart he's in the midst
of getting max involved because you know what
she is involved and it's not fair of them to
keep her out of the party just because mike's
being a little gremlin about this whole thing
mike but then also it's not will's fault because
he took bob's advice and sucked in a monster
into his soul so he's excused as well so of all
the friends that are to blame the only one left
is mike who's just like standing by will and
being like i have perfect idea after perfect
idea and that's the only thing that i ever do
and i just talk and i get mad and i get pissy
and so mike's the one who doesn't think about
even contacting dustin because he kind of hates
dustin and lucas because of max so it's mike's
bitterness that we get steve And Dustin, which
is a good thing, but I still blame him. I don't
give him credit. I just blame him. Blame him
for the circumstances that led to this great
circumstance. Great circumstances. It's great.
Anyways, I think that's I think we covered everything
on that storyline. So then we've got Nancy and
Jonathan storyline. Yes. Single or double sharing
a room, are we? They bond over the world, maybe
almost ending, and having a scar from the stupid
hand cutting in season one. Seriously, why do
we insist on cutting the palm? I hate it. I hate
it. I hate it. Interestingly, Nancy asks Jonathan,
what happened to us? Because she thinks that
Jonathan kind of disappeared on her. Okay. Wild.
You were with Steve? Sure. I mean. What does
she even mean when she says, I waited? And he's
like, yeah, only for like a month. She waited?
Like. Waited for what? Waited for what? To kiss
Steve again? To go to third base with Steve again?
To go even farther with Steve again? Like, it's
not like they waited for marriage. No, it weirdly
like almost made me. think that like they were
alluding to some past like before before before
like that we didn't even see like something at
the beginning of high school or something that
they'd like maybe tried to date and then she
got a little bit more popular or something or
but she's not really but she's at least more
popular i my belief on that is that they're they
are alluding to something that got cut from the
show like a scene that a previous thing that
had already gotten cut from the show whether
it was season one or season two and probably
season two or else they wouldn't have written
this line but in fact it makes no sense for it
to have been in season one so sorry listeners
uh so but that ending is so powerful of her then
turning over and saying i want the lights off
that they couldn't really cut that section and
it kind of still makes sense even though you're
you and i are like i'm immediately taken out
of that scene by that line yeah but i love that
scene still yeah it's so great then we get to
murray He's such a fun character. He thinks he's
trying to solve this mystery. He's really giving
it a good effort. However, Nancy and Jonathan
hop in there going, you have some things that
you're missing. Your timeline's wrong. Here,
we'll just tell you the entire story. So Murray
believes the entire story. Good on him for immediately
jumping on board with the lunacy. To be fair,
he wasn't that far off to begin with. He does
believe that they need to water down the story
for the general public, which is fair. He then
gets Jonathan and Nancy drunk slash drinking,
which totally in no way plays a part of the night's
events. That's fine. After the night's events,
they return to the buyer's house to find it filled
with the vine drawings. Jonathan finds a Polaroid
cartridge, which he doesn't shoot and realizes
that someone else has already been to the house
and has taken photos of all the drawings. That
wasn't him or his family. And then they go to
Hawkins Lab. They go where they meet up with
Steve, his bat, Dustin, Max, Lucas, and woeful
optimism. Yes. Yes. So what are we finding important
about this storyline? I just said. That the Steve
and Dustin part are where the charm is. And with
Murray, it's where the comedy is. Because it's
- It really is. He's so funny. I mean, just from
the opening of where he identifies them via the
camera. And then he's like - Up. He's like -
Up on your right. Up on your right. No, don't
look at that. That's a, like, whatever, fire
monitor. Look at the actual camera, you idiots.
I love it. And then he's in there and he's like,
alright, come on in and I'm gonna figure out
what happened to your friend Babs Barb. Sorry,
I can't even remember her name. R .I .P. Barb.
And then they're like, they hold my beer him.
Nancy's just like, oh, hold this. I'm gonna show
you what's really up. Which I just... Loved.
But I think also, too, that they bring a little
bit more of the real life into the situation.
Hopper did a lot of that in season one. And now
we've got Nancy and Jonathan sort of actually
doing the, like, okay, this is getting sent out
to the Chicago Sun, to the Chicago Tribune, to
all of these other major newspapers and stuff.
And I find that really, really good and interesting.
And, of course, then they hook up with everybody
else. But we also get major romance. There's
no Elle and Mike. No, well, we have some tension
between Hopper and Joyce, but it's mainly romance
established from Bob and Joyce. And now we've
got this wonderful tension of Jonathan, Nancy,
and the pullout. I agree. I think they bring
this kind of trio or duo, bring the romance and
the comedy to the situation. And also, I think
from a story standpoint, the importance is being
that they're going to expose Hawkins Lab in whatever
way that they can. Because general public is
not going to believe this story. This is absolute
lunacy. And if you don't see it with your own
eyes, you're never going to believe it. And so
it's just going to get written off. And that's,
I'm sure, how... Hawkins Lab and other places
like it have been able to get away with so many
things is it's all just written off as crazy
talk. And so they're going to put it in a way
that everybody will believe because they're acting
on pre -existing fears and whatnot. So I think
it's also a lot of the kind of high level intelligence
comes out in these characters because They're
really thinking and have time to think and plan
and formulate. Whereas so many of the other storylines
are just acting on impulse. Yeah. That's such
a phenomenal point. Absolutely. So true. And
speaking of acting on impulse, we have the Will
and Mike of it all. Which you would think Will
would have more willpower. And that's a terrible
pun, but it's also very true. So thanks to Mike.
Mike's like, spying. That's a good thing to do.
Do that, Will. All right, thanks, Mike. Great.
Awesome. So Mike's got this idea that because
the monster is inside Will, that they're going
to be able to use Will as a spy to inside the
Mind Flayer, which is true and also immediately
pays off because that's the only way that they
save Hopper. Since Will can see into the vines.
Which, as we've noted, there's Indiana Jones
references, and then there's this Indiana Jones
reference, which is Hopper is just straight up
dressed like him. Yes, exactly. Torch and all.
Torch and all. But in order to find Hopper, they
need Bob the Brain, who is really, really, really
good at solving things. And he gets them to the
upside down vine hole thing where Hopper is encased
in plant matter. But when the plants are burned,
the Will goes crazy. Well, Will goes to the hospital,
and it's not great, and neither is Hopper. The
Upside Down has been growing into Hawkins, creating
a labyrinth of tunnels, right? And also, they
managed to poison Hopper, who now needs to get,
like, sort of nuclear scrubbed, like when you
have too much radiation kind of thing. So there's
these labyrinth of tunnels, and they'd like to
burn at those scientists, but that might kill
Will. And then no one is really sure what to
do after Will wakes up and becomes, as I call
him, Creepy Will. So Creepy Will wakes up in
the hospital remembering very little, which will
always be effective for me. Yes. Oh my gosh.
He's infected with a virus, according to Dr.
Sam, and if you burn any of the Upside Down,
it burns Will. The white -cloaked men think it
might be time to just kill Will with the burn.
But as they deliberate, Will thinks he knows
how to destroy the Mind Flayer. But you see,
the Mind Flayer uses Will to lure the burners
to Hopper's graveyard, and then to have all the
Demodogs eat the burners, and then come for the
rest of them in Hawkins' lab. Is this the best
sequence the show has to offer? Okay, number
one, everyone is dead. The lab is overrun. What
wouldn't I love to play this as a video game,
first of all? And then the entire lab is on lockdown
because the power goes off. Dr. Sam knows the
process of how to get out, but only Bob knows
the computer language basic, and so he can program
the computers to get them out. Bob sneaks through
the halls, opens the exit, and leaves his gun
behind. Dr. Sam then stays behind and guides
Bob through a rather crowded hall of... Demo
dogs. In an excruciatingly slow and painstaking
series of events, Bob runs for it and makes it.
We think. And even when Bob is attacked, we think
Hopper might have a chance to save him. R .I
.P. Bob. Again, cue the overmark. The sad overmark.
And then everyone gets together. And with the
Mind Flayer analogy, we now have a means of moving
towards an endgame. They throw Will in his shed,
disguise it -ish, tie Will up, and question him.
Hopper realizes it's Morse code that Will is
using, and he tells them to close the gate. But
the phone rings. Will recognizes the ring. And
here come the Demodogs. But wait, is that now
L's 80s? Punk soundtrack I'm hearing. Okay, so
before everyone gets together, what do you think
is the huge, important deal with this storyline?
I think before everyone gets together, the biggest
deal is Creepy Will. Yeah. Essentially. Right.
Just him as an entity. Because we see what the
Mind Flayer can do when it affects, infects all
of those things. One specific person. Yeah. Which
comes into major play season three and – major
play season three and potentially later on as
well. So we see how the mind flayer essentially
can take over a person and then that person is
almost trapped inside. Yeah. Which is pretty
crazy. And then also because of that, we have
– The trickery of the mind player. So you have
this intelligence that's going on. So it's not
just something that's vines growing and feeding
and demo dogs that are just running around and
doing their. Yeah, exactly. It's not a mindless
growing. It has a plan. It has feelings. It has
emotions. It has communication skills. It has
communication. Yeah. And it's very much. A lot
closer to human than we ever thought before.
So fascinating. And such huge implications for
season five. I know, we know Vecna is an actual
human, but we, we still don't know a lot about
the mind flare because in that last scene in
season four, which we'll talk about a lot, there's
that like, oh, does Vecna just like use the mind
flare? Is it just a tool or is it its own? Is
it its own intelligence? And I think this creepy
will means it's, it's its own intelligence. So,
Will being this creepy and also being inside
is really interesting to me. Next episode, we're
going to talk about Dart and Dustin a little
bit more. And I'll have more to say in terms
of what implications that means for the rest
of the creatures in terms of are they infected
or are they actual literal children or creations
of the Mindhive? But we'll see. We'll see. It
was really cool to see Will still in there, but
that the Mind Flayer can kind of take him over
whenever he wants. Yeah, I think that's really
interesting. I also think the other main part
is that this is where all the stakes are really
high for a long time in this episode series.
And that's really good. That sequence of being
inside Hawkins' lab is ridiculously good. It
is. As I kind of said in my story recap. It is
one of the most anxiety inducing, even though
you know exactly what happens after a rewatch.
Yeah. Rewatching it. I was still so high anxiety,
anxious, watching every moment. How many steps
can he take? Can he make it into the room? Is
the demo dog going to find him? Is it going to
break down the door? Oh no, he left the gun behind.
All of those moments just really get you right
in the gut. as you're as you're watching and
those stakes are so so high because if bob doesn't
make it down there none of them get out if he
doesn't make it back up that has implications
for the rest of the people and who he's interacted
with uh i have dr sam staying behind i know so
kind and so good I have this marked down as my
best sequence of the show thus far. Better than
anything that we got in season one. What are
your thoughts about that? I think I'd agree.
I can't think of a full sequence. I can think
of maybe some small moments or iconic character
lines or imagery that I would maybe put higher.
But in terms of an actual full sequence or full
scene, I think that this is the best one. When
I hadn't seen, when I hadn't started rewatching,
this sequence is what I always think of when
I think of Stranger Things. Oh, me too. So this
and then some, a couple of sequences later on
in the show, but this is definitely in the top
three of things that I picture. The finale sequence
of season one where you've got the mix of Hopper
and his kid. dying with will is really a really
good sequence that is right emotional but i i
think because the stakes are so high for so many
characters and we've only grown to love them
even more with an additional season i think this
one it's just so tight too there's it's man it's
just so good and then when everybody gets together
what do you think is the big I think it's the
same thing, right? It's the mind flare and Will
still being alive inside. Right. With the Morse
code. I think it's mainly that. And also, we
get another moment of them all working together
for a common goal. Yeah. Which... Again, in kind
of penultimate episode fashion, we get that moment
in last season. We get it when they all come
together to make the salt bath for L to go into
and they're all in the gym. And then here they're
all in the shed and they're all trying to get
one specific thing accomplished. So I think that
from a character development standpoint. That
is the key part of when they all come together.
It's that not only are they all physically in
the same place, but they're also all working
towards one specific goal. And it's nice to see
them all overlap and interact because we do get
so many of these separate little storylines throughout
that it is nice when they all come together.
Totally. And they're all on the same page. Totally,
totally, totally. Keep your finger on the pause
button and rewind that tape. It's time for the
prestige category. For what did we notice on
this watch through? Okay, what is the function
of the pulsating boobo tuber pus thing in the
upside down vine that Hopper's in? Because it
just spits at him. The one that spits the spores?
Yeah. I think it's just to... It's pollinating?
Yeah, pollinate and infect and it's just spreading.
the spores out i i have to imagine that it's
close to pollination where they'll touch down
and then more will grow okay okay fine i just
like it's just so convenient that it like looks
at him and it's like and he's like fine it is
a very convenient thing but so was having a demogorgon
come straight through a paw in a wall That's
so true. Okay, just to be clear, the vines are
definitely part of the hive mind and we think
the mind flayer or Vecna controls the vines too?
Yes, but I think it's because they're not an
intelligent thing. Yeah. So I think that the
vines operate more on kind of an autopilot. Oh,
okay, like a defense system. Yeah, exactly. So
I'm thinking like... We said boo -bo -tuber,
and now I'm going to bring in devil's snare,
where a person touches it, and then it's natural
instinct. A Venus flytrap, if you will. Yeah,
there. A real plant. A real example. We bring
in real life. It's not just fandoms and fandom
-sh -fandom. What? We know real things, too,
you guys. You know, a Venus flytrap isn't thinking,
oh, I'm going to catch this fly. A fly touches
it, and its natural instinct is to snap shut.
To close up, yeah. So I think it's a similar
situation with the vines, is that they're essentially
just there, and when it senses, through feeling,
something there that's not supposed to be there,
it's supposed to grab, absorb, feed, whatever
the case may be. I gotta say, I'm really happy
that there aren't Venus fly traps. type things
in the Stranger Things world. I'm very glad that
we've never gotten into the swallowing things
whole horror, like Pirates of the Caribbean or
even Arkham. The Arkham games, when Poison Ivy
takes over at one point, the plants start eating
people and there's a whole man that you can rescue
from it. It's terrible. Okay. Really big question
for you, Sierra. Does Dustin play hockey? He
might. It seems like it. He's got goalie gear
and he has a sweet little slap shot there. Yeah,
I would have to imagine. I'm not sure what the
general population of Indiana do for sports.
We've only seen basketball. So I would have to
imagine they've got a hockey team as well. Don't
often see them doing things. Also, potentially,
he used to play and then got into nerd stuff
and stopped playing. But I can see Dustin doing
both as well. Also, I'm going to say this very
quickly. I don't blame Dart for eating Muse.
I blame Dustin for putting Muse in that position.
Because Dart is just doing what an animal does,
which is grows big and needs to eat a lot of
things. I feel a lot for Dart when Dustin bursts
out of there and slaps him into the basement.
I do too. Because he gets scared and starts to
scamper. And that's his owner. Like he, he has,
we know he has little bit of feelings. We see
this in the finale. He has little bit of feelings
for Dustin. He has a connection. And that's,
I, I know, listen, I, I understand for all the
people that are being like, wow, what a, what
a. stupid person Sam's being right now. I get
that he's like, could turn into a bear and Dustin
has no idea if he's going to hurt him or not
or anything like that, but it's just really heartbreaking
to see him be so scared and turn around. It is.
It is. I am right there with you. I do find it
very upsetting. Obviously, we know what he can
become and so it's hard to fully empathize. However,
At this moment, he's just a small animal in a
weird situation. Yeah. Not in his home. Yeah.
And the only person that he's really known is
scary. Yeah. I mean, it turns out he probably
could have just lured him down there with not
meat, but three musketeers. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways.
Bummer, bummer, bummer. So, on to another character
that... I have a little confusion over this.
So Billy is mad at Max and at life and because
his dad married Max's mom and they had to move,
which are two separate things because later we
find out that they became a family back when
Billy had to have been maybe 11 or so. And so
I have so many questions. Why couldn't he have
stayed with his mom? We find out later that the
mom kind of left. But still, why couldn't the
mom have taken him? He's clearly old enough to
emancipate himself by now. Why couldn't he do
this? And then also, why is he blaming Max for
all of this? Because his dad is the horrible
one. It's not like Max came along with an abusive
parent. that i would maybe understand a little
bit more and if he had the nice sweet mom and
then here comes this girl who has this abusive
dad but his dad is the one that's horrible and
max and max's mom are just dragged into this
situation just as much as billy is so i don't
fully understand his specific disdain for max
and hatred of her and everything that she stands
for i think it's i think it's classical like
uh blame avoidance for the thing that's real
and blame assigning for something that's easy
to control because he can control max much easier
than he can control anything else so i i think
it's simply down to that factor which is unfortunate
yeah all right so This was an interesting thought
for me. As Lucas is telling Max everything, I'm
sitting there going, you know, I don't think
this is just because of a crush. I think he recognizes
something deeper. But what are your thoughts?
Why does Lucas tell Max everything? I think he
somehow knows she's going to be helpful. Because
I do think there is something deeper there. Maybe
it's just because he is... Happy that there's
somebody else who's interested in this whole
situation and that they can potentially bring
somebody else in and explain a little bit more
of what's going on. And it's not so tied into,
you know, the 10 people who are involved, but
also, yeah, I just don't see him fully acting
on just a crush to tell her he's got to have,
because. You know, Dustin has a crush on her
too, but he's not all gung -ho to tell her about
it. So I feel like Lucas is picking up on maybe
her continued interest is really showing that
she could be an asset to them. Yeah, totally.
I think so. I think so. Also, last thing on episode
five. I just think it's funny that Steve's going
back to ask for Nancy's forgiveness and to try
and get back together. It's not a detail that
I'd noticed. on other rewatches. It's not something
that I never remembered that he like actually
tries to go back after she's like, I don't love
you. This is all BS. But he does. And I think
that's just so funny, but that's why Dustin finds
him. Right. So good. But moving on to a more
serious note on episode six, I just got to say
the like horrors, Grey's Anatomy stuff is so
good with Will in the hospital. And when they're
like, where does it burn? And Will's actor is
just, phenomenal in these in these scenes of
escalating and i don't ever tire of it right
the the ramps up into screams and this horror
and everything is just so so good but his when
he screams everywhere it is chilling and harrowing
yes it is i it's one of those moments that really
just blow you away for for a moment you kind
of just have to sit with that moment and almost
wish it didn't cut yeah yeah but it needs to
cut because you need a little bit of relief from
what just happened exactly so crazy crazy and
i just another thing i keep going back to max
and billy because they are honestly fascinating
to me they're great but where are their parents
We are now six episodes in and they have yet
to make an appearance, a mention, a hey, I have
to get you back because dad said so, a anything.
Anything at all. We know nothing about them.
We find out, but we know nothing about them up
to this point. And just where have they been?
Right. They just go on a trip and just leave
these kids alone? Right. Or, I mean, I get it.
babysit max for long stretches of time boy does
he get annoyed by that i've been i've been watching
her all week exactly but where have they been
yeah yeah it's a good question shoddy parenting
shoddy parenting indeed speaking of well not
parenting but shoddy adults with kids yes why
is murray getting minors drunk because it's the
80s That's the only answer I have. I hope that
everybody that lived in the 80s just went, yep,
she nailed it. She got it. That's why it's the
80s. He's a fascinating character. And I think
from a story standpoint, it's quite entertaining
that they're drinking vodka and Nancy can handle
it and Jonathan can't at all. And they're kind
of showing the difference between their maturities
as well. And we've already seen them drinking
alcohol, but, like, Murray just, like, straight
up pouring two minors vodka is crazy to me. When
he knows so much, he's gotta know their ages.
I, in my head, though, I really do think that
Murray just doesn't interact with non -adults.
Yeah, absolutely. And barely interacts with adults.
And so he's just like, well, people came to my
house. What do I do? I offer them a drink. What
do I have? I have vodka. Those commie bastards,
I think is what he says, really know how to make
some sort of thing. A spirit. A spirit, that
was it. A spirit, yeah. A spirit, yeah. I just,
it's so funny. We'll get more to Murray. I have
a lot of him coming up in the episode. So, episode
six, great, awesome. Episode seven, which we
talked nothing about Eleven's storyline, which
is the fourth storyline throughout all of these
episodes. But in all honesty, why is it that
I and many do not like Eleven's Chicago storyline?
I think the main reason is because it doesn't
seem to really have an impact on anything else
going forward. It just happens and then it's
done. Yep. We barely learn any new information.
The only new information that we kind of learn
is that her mom tried to break her out. There's
a rainbow room, and there's more kids out there
who may potentially still be alive. Yeah. And
Dr. Brenner's still alive. And Dr. Brenner's
still alive. That's, like, the one actual piece
of, like, important moving forward in the story
until we get to Vecna and all the different kids.
But, like... Right. She... It really doesn't
seem to impact... It impacts, like, soft parts
of the story, right? Dr. Brenner's alive. That's
not doing anything with this particular season.
There were other kids. Okay, that's, like, world
-building but not... to the actual storyline.
So that's frustrating. But also, I think part
of it is that the attempt to do 80s punk is completely
oversaturated. So, you know, like people who
are taking photos as beginner photographers,
they get into the editing studio and they're
like, wow, look, I can ratchet up the colors.
Look how pretty this photo is suddenly. And so
you see a lot of like beginner photography is
saturation without the eye for what's required
of high saturation. So you just get like really
impossible color. And that's to me is what this
feels like for the punk scene is like, all right,
I like Callie. I think she's an interesting character.
And then her like group of friends is we're like
tittering into comic book in a way that doesn't
sit with. Stranger things. Because, like, okay,
comic book villains like the Joker work with
brooding Batman because they're constantly there,
but they fit with Batman's whole sort of vibe.
Versus this is like, I've got a switchblade,
and I'm gonna cut off your locks, honey. And,
oh, and now I'm covered with spiders, and I'm
jittery, and I'm doing all this stuff. But, like,
you never get to know any of the characters,
and they all seem rather kind of stock. They
really do feel like people from Joker's gang.
Yeah. In a way that I'm just like, what is happening?
And that oversaturation, I think, really kills
that story for me. Because otherwise, there are
some interesting moments. Yeah, there are some
interesting moments. I really do think it's the
oversaturation, but also just that there's no
follow -through. There's no follow -through.
All of the information that we gather could have
been weaved into... Any number of other storylines.
Also, like... We didn't need her leaving and
going and finding this new look and blah, blah,
blah. Learning the word bitchin'. Yeah. And also...
Unnecessary. She... Like, it's... Okay, so she
saves the guy, but we already kind of know that
she's a good person. But I think this might have
been an overcorrection from... She smashed everybody's
brains in the finale of season one. Right. Which
show that she has humanity in her. Which is like,
okay, I... Cool, I'm glad she does, but I feel
like we knew that about our character without
having to save the one dude. But also, if you
are juxtaposed in those two positions, it almost
feels a little unearned. Suddenly, you've got
kids, and the kids are the things that saved
him. I think that it's not necessarily that it's
the kids that save him, but I almost feel like
she sees herself and Callie as the kids. Oh,
interesting. While the dad may have done something
terrible, the kids don't deserve to suffer because
of it. And so she had her real mom taken away
from her. She had Papa, who was not a nice man,
and therefore she and Callie suffered. And if
they were to kill these girls' dad, then they
would suffer. So I read it as that way. her seeing
herself in them and that's why she doesn't want
to go through with this because she doesn't want
to ruin their lives so i just i feel like the
reason why i say it's there's kind of this oxymoronic
feature going on where it's like it's both feels
unearned and it feels like we kind of already
know is that in the show she's been completely
empathetic the entire time what we don't know
is that in a moment of high tension would she
kill or not kill And, but this feels like it's
not quite the right answer to season one's brain
smashing because she's not actually in a threat
in any way, shape or form. Like she is the threat.
She's not being threatened. And so, okay. So
we've answered what this humanity question kind
of, but not really. And then when they are threats,
it's Callie, the one that says saves everybody
by making them all invisible and then rage, you
know, raising a big giant wall. in front of everybody
as well. I don't know. All of those reasons put
together, it just is a really uninteresting storyline
and it's almost a completely different feel the
way they shoot it. It is very different. The
costuming. And I know that's part of the point
is to give her a sense of ownership and she chooses
to come back to Hawkins. Cool. I just wish it
had been done in a more compelling way. Yeah,
I agree. I think the only other potential The
thing that we can get through this and only through
this type of storyline is seeing the juxtaposition
of how she has ended up and how Callie has ended
up and how she could have become this very bitter
person who goes and just murders for revenge.
And instead, she has slightly more noble reasons
for murdering. Yeah, that's true. I guess is
also interesting, but I think it just leaves
us with so many more questions than answers.
For example, Callie and Elle feel that something
was missing and now they're one again. Why? Why?
Why? Is there something that specifically connected
the two of them? Is this something that Dr. Brenner
created in them? Right. Is this just, I forgot
how much you used to mean to me type of a thing?
But it's never answered. Shouldn't they still
feel like part of them is missing due to the
fact that 1 through 7, 9 and 10 are also still
not around them? I mean, if you're thinking that
all of the kids have this sort of connection
with each other, shouldn't they also still feel
like they're missing other parts of them? It
really just was very confusing to me. Also, speaking
of the kids. This is a pedantic question, but
do you think Dr. Brenner always tattooed three
numbers on the special powers children? Is that
like branding best practice? Or do you think
once they got to number 10, they were like, ah,
dang it, we've got to go back and add another
zero in front of all the numbers. Because she's
008. Right. And then 11 is 011. But I'm like.
Wouldn't you just tattoo one? Like, why are we
tattooing three numbers on it? Are you thinking
you're going to get to 999? I mean, potentially.
Or at least just 100. If he's thinking potentially
he could end up with 100, essentially, test subjects.
Yeah, maybe. It just seems weird. Someone in
science. Someone in science, let us know. Test
subjects. Or in cattle, I guess. How many numbers
do you go into? If you're a cattle rancher. That
too? Anything that requires numbering of individuals
or specimens or anything like that. The other
thing that I think that we do get from this is
there's some new progressions in Eleven's powers.
So instead of being able to find Callie, she
dreams about where to find her. And another thing
that also doesn't make sense, and I do not believe
we ever see again. So she's not able to find
her through her normal way, but then she dreams
that she finds her and that doesn't fully make
– is this connected to the why they feel like
they were missing and now they're whole again?
Is part of them calling out to each other? It
doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense.
No, it doesn't make sense at all. I couldn't
figure out if this was a progression or if this
is something we haven't seen, but then we never
see it again, so it's not really answered, which
is very frustrating. Yeah, from a world -building
perspective on her powers, this is one of those
moments where this reads to me as a script -working
area that was probably sussed out a bunch of
different ways. It just has that feel to it.
Obviously, that's speculation. I don't know for
sure. But it feels like they were like, okay,
she's not going to be able to find her for this
reason and this reason and this reason. But then
they couldn't really come up with another better
way. And then when they did, it feels a bit contrived
just to get her up there. And then it's never
fully explained in a way that feels satisfying
to me anyways. Yeah. So, weird episode all around.
I can see the bullet points. We want her to choose
to go back to Hawkins. We want her to train a
bit more with somebody else. This is her Yoda
situation. We want her to know that Dr. Brenner's
still alive. We want her to make a decision for
good so that we kind of clean up what we did
in episode one. All understandable. If I was
a critic who'd watched the episode before, I
would put rewrite. Which is harsh. And I'm not
a TV writer, but that's my note on that episode,
which is I think you need to redo the way that
this goes. It's the way I feel about Attack of
the Clones, right? Is all the big bullet points
I like, rewrite for strengthening your movie.
Yeah. Episode 8 starts with Will freaking out
because he's creepy Will. And Mike is going,
oh my gosh, oh my gosh, he tricked us, it's a
trap. Right? Which is this little, like, Princess
Leia reference. It's a trap! And Will just, you're
lying! You're lying! You're lying! You're lying!
Over and over and over again. Just this little
kid's scream with the voice breaking and all
this stuff. It's just an incredible way to start
off a hugely compelling sequence in the Hawkins
lab. That's it. That's the observation. Nailed
it. Yeah. No notes. Thanks. Absolutely no notes
because it is fantastic. It is so much. Just,
there is so much that is given to this episode
just by starting with that. For real. And then,
okay, do we slightly excuse Billy's behavior,
minus the racism, so not including the racism,
because of how awful his dad is? So just to recap
to everybody. I don't know that it's excused.
Dad comes in, is immediately the energy of a
dangerous man. You're like, this guy murders,
for sure. He's quietly angry. And Billy, we can
see, is internally struggling. And he lashes
out. Well, if you guys weren't three hours late,
blah, blah, blah. But it's an entirely different
anger than what he does with Max. He's powerless.
Yeah. And then this guy, his dad, takes him and
shoves him against the wall and calls whoever
he's going to date a whore. And then, which actually
I think is a bit over the top for the character.
I think he, it just, it reads a little too melodramatic.
But does do that and then makes him say, yes,
sir, louder for everybody to hear. And we see,
actually, Billy might be a better person than
his dad. Now, again, Billy's 17 years old. He's
a child. He's a literal child, even though he's,
the actor's definitely not. No. But what do you
think? He's not that much older, but he is. So
I have a hard time with excusing bullies and
explaining bullies. So it explains why he is
the way he is, why he lashes out the way that
he does, why he's angry at the world around him,
why he acts out with fear and with anger. And
most often the people who feel the most fear
need to combat that somehow. And so. He is then
turning that around into, well, I'm so afraid
I will make other people fear me. Therefore,
I will be powerful because my dad has power over
me. So I have to have power over somebody else.
So it explains it. I don't think that it excuses
it because I think that there are ways to still
be a better person despite the situations that
you're in. However, he is still a child and most
children do not have the capacity to figure that
out. Yeah, totally. So it's hard. If he was a
number of years down the road and removed from
that situation, I would say absolutely not. It
does not excuse his behavior. Given that he is
still in a dangerous situation on a regular basis,
I can give him slightly more of a pass. And as
we see... a little bit more of billy's storyline
come to light yeah later on we can have a we
can have a little bit more grace with billy that's
the word i think that's the word for me it's
not pass it's grace because i like you're saying
i can't excuse it it's obviously more explained
i don't give him a pass but i give him a little
bit of understanding grace and a little bit more
empathy because of it i think it's a really effective
tool in this last episode to do that yeah it
always really kills me when this moment comes
around between billy and his dad because you
see the stepmom just shrinking into the background
with you know she's not going to stand up for
billy you know that if billy is not the target
she probably is yeah you know that this whole
situation is super messed up and probably between
i'm having an epiphany right now Billy is probably
mad at Max because he takes the brunt of it so
she doesn't get any of it. Yeah, certainly. He
takes all of the danger and hides her from it.
Yeah. And she probably doesn't even realize how
much he's protecting her, and so he's resentful.
Which is one of the reasons why he's the one
that's like, you were late, you were late, you
were late, because he's the one who gets in trouble
for being late. Exactly. Like his dad, not her.
Yeah. Where is your sister? Where is your sister?
Yeah. I don't know. You're supposed to be watching
her. Well, it's not his fault that she snuck
out through the window. How is he supposed to
know where she is when she's actively defying
what she's supposed to be doing? And he's going
to get in trouble for it and he's going to get
potentially, I mean, beaten probably. Yeah, certainly.
Given the natural reaction for his dad is to
walk in and immediately physically assault his
child. there's definitely more going on than
just that. That's the tame version. So, wow.
Okay. There we go. We've answered the whole universe.
I feel like I need to, I feel like I need to
rewatch all of Billy now with that in mind. Yeah.
Well, season three, here we go. Yes. So a couple
of quicker things that I noticed on this go around.
Max is the only one who would survive a horror
movie. With the quote, why are you headed towards
the sound? Logic, my friend, logic. I love it.
I love it, love it. Speaking of love, I love
that when Hopper and company escape Hawkins Lab,
they have no questions as to why Jonathan and
Nancy are there or why Steve and the babies are
there. They're just like, all right, come on,
guys, let's go. Everybody pile in. We're used
to all meeting up at a random location. Let's
go. No questions. Yes. A more serious note. How
does Will slash the Mind Flayer know where the
phone is ringing? And how can they hear it? They're
not in the house. And they even point out like
it could be any phone. Okay. So. Joyce has replaced
the phone. I'm aware. At least two times. So,
you can't even say it's the same ring he's been
hearing his whole life. That's true. Because
last year, she got multiple different phones
because they kept shorting out when she was trying
to talk to Will. So, all that being said, first
of all, the phone is super loud. They can definitely
hear it in the thing. Because if you remember
those landline days, they are a – That's true.
Especially those ones. Because, like, you and
I were – grew up a little bit in the 90s. We
still had some of the 80 technologies in our
house. And, like, those phones – are super loud
that being said you still hear that you hear
that phone ring a lot all the time multiple times
a day again there's no texting so that's a sound
that will is looking forward to all the time
because he's out of range his house is out of
range from the radio signals so everybody has
to call and so that's a sound that he's looking
forward to and so i think because the mind flayers
in his head looking for any information will
recognizes even it on the on the briefest glimpse
He's going to recognize that because you think
about, you know, people when they would move
with landlines used to talk about the nostalgia
of like, man, I really wish the way my old phone
sounded. And even though, yes, it's been a year
and Joyce has replaced it multiple times. That's
still something for a kid who's like, well, they're
in eighth grade. So he's 13, 14. A year is still
an eternity. So, yeah, I think that's why. I
still find it fishy. Because how many other people
have the same phone? Come on. There's not that
many phones. But also, I will say, they're in
the shed that he got captured in. Which I know
they made it look very different. But I too feel
like if I had been captured and sent to an alternate
dimension, would know, not to make a pun on the
word dimension, but I would know the dimensions
and where the beams... of the shed are or the
support the support columns of the shed are and
he's tied to one of them and i just feel like
we'll just put it all together at that point
he's been in that shed before when that phone
rings and he's heard it and he's had to go out
to go to go find the phone from the shed so the
the distance the level of volume that is at plus
the dimensions of everything with the support
beams all of it put together i think i think
you got an okay explanation not a perfect one
but an okay explanation I still don't love it,
but I will acknowledge that there are some good
points. Speaking of things you don't love. A
very, very, speaking of things I don't love,
this very, very, again, pedantic thing. Why is
one of Elle's pant legs tucked into her sock?
People who are old tell us. What was it like
in the 80s? Did you always specifically tuck
one pant leg into your sock? Because it bothered
me so much when they did that pan and there was
just one pant leg in the sock. And it's not even
the whole pant leg. It's just part of it. And
it's not like her socks are that interesting.
If she had really interesting socks, I could
maybe see it because I have some interesting
socks and I want to show them off. But no, they're
just socks. They're just socks. Just sucks. You
don't always have to face down a horde of angry
soldiers by yourself. Buckle up, Schmisseners,
because it's time for our Sansa is smarter than
John category for most important character moment
in this set of episodes. I have two. Yeah. One
is Sam. Dr. Sam prioritizing Will over burning
the vines. Yeah, that's a good moment. I think
that is a huge character development for him
from what we've seen of him. Because he seems
very detached. And this is the first time we
really see him actually care about somebody.
Yeah, certainly. And we do see more. We do see
more Dr. Sam. The second one is Eleven sparing
the man because of the kids. Yeah. As annoying
as that whole storyline may be. I do think it
is an important character moment for Eleven to
realize that this is not the path that she wants
to go down. I think because of what we were talking
about earlier about that moment feeling maybe
not so earned and also kind of predictable, that
one takes less of precedence over the amount
of character work and heavy lifting that Sam
prioritizing Will over burning the blinds does.
Because, like you said, The Dr. Sam seems interesting,
you know, and then he's kind of playing both
sides of the field a little bit there. And then
we see that he actually really deeply cares about
Will. And this allows us to believe later that
he's going to stay behind and help Bob, which
is awesome and really great characterization.
I will also say, so I would choose that one of
your two. I will also say Steve's character moment
where he... Talks about romance with Dustin.
And describes how to do the hair. Really does
a lot of character development for Steve as well.
Who's already been great. But it's an entire
transformation into the Steve that we know and
love today. Yeah. And so that one's mine. And
I think I'm going to take this one. I think I'm
going to bring it to my side. Because Steve is
cool. And he's not such a bully. And he's great
with Nancy. But Steve and Dustin and the way
that Steve acts and what eventually leads to
Nancy kind of catching eyes for him again happens
in that scene. Yeah. So I have Steve in another
category for a very similar reason, which is
why I didn't put him here for that specific moment.
But I do think Steve is pretty important and
his character development is great here. It's
such an important character moment, though. Yeah,
this is true. I don't know. You want to call
it a push? We tie? Okay, I will call it a tie
this time. I think this is our first tie. Yeah,
but I totally agree with Sam. It's a huge moment.
It's a really huge moment. Okay, you may have
just lost a hand, Sierra, to our tie, which means
I've also lost one. Oh, no! But listen up. It's
the eye. I'm your father. Category four, most
iconic character moment. Here is my Steve moment.
Him walking out. They're going, what are you
doing? Expanding the menu. And then he lures
the Demogorgon on his own. I think this is the
key moment because this is him protecting the
kids with the bat starts his journey as dad Steve.
And. You know, Steve and the kids, dad, Steve,
daddy, all of those things. Daddy -o, Stevie
-o. And I think that that is the most iconic.
The second one that I have for this, though,
I do think wins purely because it is what I think
of when I think of this season, when I think
of Stranger Things, which is Bob almost making
it out and getting taken down at the last second.
Cue me crying for 10 days. I could not nod my
head any harder than what I just did. Listen,
expanding the menu is really good. It's not one
that I think about often in terms of this season.
I think it's a great character moment. And if
you'd put it in character moment, I would have
been right there with you. But in terms of iconic
scene, doors bursting over, Bob being overrun,
Hopper coming to shoot the one that's on him.
Then the other door bursting open and just being
like the feeling of, oh my God, no. Oh my gosh,
they're going to save him. Oh my gosh, you guys
have to leave him behind. And then the return
to him where he's twitching as they consume him
is - Horrible. Iconic. Terrible. And devastating.
But great. Yes. Yes. Yes, indeed. I think also
because - When you see someone who is a bigger
actor join the cast, you think maybe he's going
to stick around for a little longer. You would
think. Samwise Gamgee himself graced your presence.
Everybody, sit down. It's time for our I am Iron
Man. Most iconic and most important scene category.
Okay, so before you get to your stupid choice.
Yeah, I know. I called it stupid. There are so
many better options, and they all are from Murray,
Jonathan, and Nancy's storyline. So my first
question, are we sure it's not the 1950s music
and lines given to Jonathan and Nancy before
they decide to hook up? Okay, let me walk you
through this. They have, like... old school music
on it's we have moved out of the 80s into the
50s where we're splicing between jonathan and
nancy and who's going to do what and it's also
kind of an indiana jones reference because it's
it's the first uh it's the first movie there
which is set in the 30s so you know i'm off by
two decades but fine but they have this sort
of like should i go should she go no we've looked
at each other good night i guess yeah good night
oh Missed it? That was your moment of opportune?
No, none of it. Or, are we sure it's not Jonathan
finally taking some initiative in his life and
being at the door to kiss Nancy? Which is surprising,
and I'm sure for people interested in men, very
attractive to have Jonathan be at the door. Because
we think Nancy's sitting there, cross -armed,
scowling. holding a pillow between her legs,
and then she stands up, and she goes over and
she opens it, and who's there? Jonathan's already
there. Also, bonus points to that, because as
soon as they kiss, it immediately cuts to Erica
making very convincing make -out noises with
her action figures, He -Man and her Barbie, just
making out. Alright, what was your choice? My
choice is Elle moving a train. Nope. No. Just
no. It's from episode seven. I can't. I can't
do it. I can't. I can't do it. I think it's iconic
because it's something that she has never done.
It's this insane feat, which usually ends up
going to Elle because she's the only one who
can do insane feats like this. And then also
important because it is a development in her
powers. And having more going on. I have a little
bit of a hard time because I really wanted her
to instead of tap into anger, tap into love.
But it didn't. Maybe that is just me being so
fandom coded that that is like. It's supposed
to be the light side. You're giving it to the
dark side. Exactly. And I was going. If she gives
into love, she thinks about the things that she
loves, then it'll be more powerful. Let the hate
flow through you. Exactly. I'm not sure why that
was just on my brain. Why is she Palpatine? I've
seen this scene before. I know. I've seen this
scene before. I know that she doesn't, but I
still the whole time was like, why is she not
doing that? Well, okay. So. El moving the train,
in all honesty, it's not, like, season seven,
it's not a disbarred sort of situation. But it's
just kind of a level up from a bus. Yeah. She
flips the van in season one, and then she moves
the train. And I'm like, all right, the training
part is interesting. The moving the train is,
that's funny. I'm stupid. I just realized that
it's a pun. They're training with a train. I'm
an idiot. That's fine. Because it's a pun, we're
removing it. No, we're done. The Incredibles
did it better, I'm going to tell you right now.
Okay, I win. Which Nancy Jonathan moment do you
want? Jonathan being at the door. Yeah, of course.
It's so iconic. As someone who is invested in
their relationship and also is someone interested
in men and... If the man was at the door in that
moment. Yes, it's a very swoon -worthy moment.
Yeah. I'm just going to put it out there. Good
on him. Excellent. Well done. Crack open an encyclopedia.
It's time for our, as Elijah Wood once said,
no, how could we have known category, where we
discuss the most important information disseminated
to the fandom over these four episodes. Elle's
powers are developing. She's dreaming of locations.
Somehow. Somehow. She's moving trains. Yep. She's
killing Demodogs with one fell swoop. True. True.
Yeah. So things are increasing for her. Her powers
are not stagnant, I guess, is the important moment
here. And the other one is what we talked about
at length with Creepy Whale. Yeah. The Mind Flayer
has, like, even more than we were talking about
last episode. It keeps developing our understanding
of what it's able to do from a strategy standpoint.
And it's especially key. As you were saying for
season three. Yes. Keep your horses safe. It's
the I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse
category of best lines. Okay. There's an honorable
mention for Mike's. And I know I hate Mike, but
it's an honorable mention for Mike line because
he does it so well. There's a shout out to Empire
Strikes Back. And it's when Mike says, it's a
trap. It's a trap. And he's shouting it. And
they take one of the takes. Or, as I should say,
one of the takes that they choose to put in the
episode is his voice cracking in a very similar
way to Carrie Fisher's in Empire Strikes Back
when she's telling Luke it's a trap. And it's
just really awesome. And I just love the fact
that it's an Empire Strikes Back moment. It's
not an Admiral Ackbar moment. It's Leia's moment
that they're shouting out. I love, if you need
to reach me again. Don't. I love Murray. But
I will raise you two more Murray lines. So you're
going to take Nancy or you're going to take Jonathan
and I'll take Murray. Okay. Steve. We like Steve.
Yes. But we don't love Steve. So good. So good.
Second line reading. So, Jonathan, how was the
pullout? Um, sorry? The sofa? Yeah, it was good.
I bet. He drops his eggs off his fork immediately.
Oops. I, I, we don't love Steve or oops, I think
are my choices on the lines. So funny. Which
one have you got? If you had to pick one of any
of those things, what are you going with? Oh
my gosh. But we don't love Steve. I think that's
it. It's just so funny. He lines it up. We like
Steve. She's like, yes, exactly. You get it.
And he goes, but we don't love Steve. Lord almighty.
Dust off that card deck and get ready to shuffle.
It's our Joker category for who is the MVP of
these episodes. All right. I've got another stupid
one for you that I'm pretty sure we're going
to talk ourselves into because every time I've
been like in life, not just on our broadcast
because we haven't done it this much, but every
time I'm like pound for pound, I think it's this
person. We go with that person. So I'll get to
him last. Is it Will? Because he breaks through
the Morse code. Right? He is able to circumvent
the mind flayer in some way, shape, or form.
He's able to break through. He Morse codes them.
He tells them what to do. He gets them the endgame.
Or is it Bob for getting everybody out safely?
Or, pound for pound, for the amount of screen
time that he's got, is it the one, the only,
Murray? Because let me walk you through. As much
as I would. Wait. Pound for pound means I have
to walk you through it. Because that's what I
do every single time I say pound for pound. Yes,
yes, yes. Go ahead. So, he shows up in Hawkins.
He's almost right. Boom. Flash forward to these
set of episodes. They go up to him. He's a journalist.
He's got connections. He knows who to send things
to. He comes in and immediately he's like, I'll
figure it out. And then he swallows his pride
and his ego. He listens to Jonathan and Nancy.
He knows exactly the right strategy to actually
make change, and not to spoil next episode, but
that change actually works. He gets the government
on the side of Nancy and Jonathan because of
his watered -down idea. With that, he then spurs
along this love tension that we've been feeling
for forever, finally springing forth the Jonathan
-Nancy connection that we've all been wanting,
and then leaves with, of all of our best lines,
we had one Mike one, and then the rest were all
Murray. And that's four episodes, and he's only
had one. That is just because he's hilarious.
Yes. As much as I would love to talk myself into
Murray. Yeah. I am going to give it to Bob. Yeah,
same. And it's not just because, but it's not
just because he gets them all out safely. He
also figures out that the drawings are vines,
figures out it's the map of Hawkins, figures
out where Hop is, is able to direct them properly.
All of that, everything that he does, Bob Newby
superhero, all the way through to getting them
all out safely. Okay, I also think it's Bob.
I think he's the absolute MVP, like, maybe even
of the whole season. The whole series? Maybe.
Maybe. That'd be crazy if we did that, the character
that appears and dies in season two. That'd be
insane. Yeah, I think it's Bob, certainly. For
all the reasons she named. It's Bob. 100%. Bob.
Clean your evil lair. Ugh. And get ready for
our, I was a turkey all along! Category four,
what is the biggest takeaway viewers should leave
with in preparation for season five? Yeah, okay,
so it's pretty quick, y 'all. Mind Flayer is
a hive mind that can control all demo things
and anyone that has been infected by it. It's
also extremely strategic and smart and has an
omniscient sense of direction and is very duplicitous.
It will use any and all means for victory. And
Will can break through it. Yep. Today's public
service announcement is brought to you by the
Bob Newby Trust, which had no money in it except
for this one public service announcement. Learn
basic, you mindless heathens. It may save your
life. It's not upside down matter that matters.
It's technology that's coming for us all. In
40 years, AI will be ruining the minds of high
schoolers, making them zombies instead of fighting
upside down zombies. Learn to code with a passion
for good. Thank you very much. Thank you, listener
schmisseners, for listening to this episode of
Fandom Schmandom. If you would like to discuss
this episode or any other episode we've done,
please hit us up on our social media channels.
You can find us on TikTok and Instagram at fandomschmandompod
and on X at fandom underscore schmandom. Please
don't forget to rate and review us if you liked
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placing us in front of other like -minded schmissioners
out there. And with that, We're out, y 'all.
Don't forget to tip your psychiatrist. And fare
thee well. And Eleven decides to show Mousy.
Loud have Mousy. Loud have Mousy. And falls to
Scala to do the same, throwing her gun out the
window as the cops arrive. I went French at the
end. What happened to me? Okay, let's redo that
sentence. Quick, he's switching accents. Quick,
he's switching accents. What is he, Gary Fisher?
The lab is under attack and the group puts Will
out, knocks him out. Really, he's out, guys.
Mike, having noticed that as a spy, he... Find
your donut holes. It's time for our Knives Out
category, where we sooth out, suss out... What
three storylines are the most vital to pay attention
to? What's happening there? Why does it say sooth
slash sus? Sus out. Oh, I think I wrote in, is
it supposed to be sus out? Oh, no, I like sooth.
Sleuth. Sleuth. It's supposed to be sleuth. Sleuth.
It's not supposed to be either of those two words.
We've been saying sooth, which is not a word
at all. We've said that for like six episodes
now. No, I mean, there are soothsayers, but it's
supposed to be sleuth. I know. Sleuth. Dear listeners,
smishners, if you're hearing this at the end
of the episode, it's made it into our gag section.
We would like to put out a formal apology for
the fact that for the first six episodes... Five
episodes? Four episodes? I have no idea how many
we've done. We've been saying sooth instead of
either sus or sleuth, which is supposed to be
sleuth. We're just putting them together. So,
our apologies or our non -apologies, whichever
one you'd like. The Mind Flayer uses Will to
lure the Burners to hop... Nope, I can't say
lure like that. That's insane. To lure... With
his Goonie butt. And you killed him. And you
killed him. Yeah, for real. Goonie butt is a
reference to Goonies, y 'all. Not anything else.
Brittany, just scratch, just take out my audio
track on that. Just have Sierra. Don't have Goonie
butt in there. We don't need, I don't need trouble.
Nope. Sorry, you sunk so low in your chair. I
was like, why is Sierra suddenly Gimli? Okay,
anyways. Today's public service announcement
is brought to you by the late Bob Newhart. No.
What? Newbie. Newbie. Bob Newhart. That's the
dad from Elf.