First Things First…
We ended last time on a cliffhanger, with Will getting “invaded” by the monster he keeps seeing in his visions.
Was that real? How will he be affected?
I’m curious about that. And I’m curious what kind of havoc Dart will continue to wreak.
Oh, and with El having disobeyed Hopper and gone to the school, seeing Mike actually enjoying himself with Max for the first time and turning her powers against Max, how will that play out?
I’ve been less enthusiastic about this season so far than I was about Season One. But now that we’re reaching the halfway point, they’ve set the table with some exciting possibilities. I’m hoping it starts to pick up.
6 Things I Like
6. Searching for Mom
With all the things Hopper is pissed at El for, he doesn’t even realize she’s searching for her mother.
El finds his files from Hawkins Lab in the crawlspace under the cabin. And she recognizes—probably a little too quickly—the article that’s about her being abducted from her mom.
She uses her powers to visit her, and her mom even seems to “awaken” from her dementia and recognizes El, but then the vision evaporates. I’m not sure what to make of that yet. But this is another step in El figuring out who she really is as a person, and where she comes from.
5. Will’s Fear
“It came for me, and… and I tried. I tried to make it go away. But it got me, Mom… I felt it everywhere. Everywhere. I—I still feel it. I just want this to be over.”
Will
This is a strong acting episode for Noah Schnapp. Will’s terror and desperation are written all over his face every time he tries to explain to his mom what he’s going through.
And it’s no wonder. We ended last episode with Will having the shadow monster invade his mouth, nose, and eyes. We see more of that at the start of this episode. But it’s actually much freakier to see what his mom and the other kids see—him standing in the field, eyes closed but fluttering, unresponsive, like he’s in a different world (which he kind of is).
4. Max Stands Up for Herself
Max has every right to be pissed at the boys. And even though Mike is the one who doesn’t want her in their party, the rest of them go along with him.
If Lucas and Dustin really like her as much as they seem to, they’re gonna have to stand up to their friend.
In the meantime, Max is growing on me. Especially because she realizes this situation as it’s currently playing out is bullshit. And she’s not afraid to say something about it.
3. Dart the Demogorgon
Of all the ways I was thinking Dart might continue to wreak havoc as he grows and mutates so rapidly, this wasn’t one of them.
He’s actually a Demogorgon.
It was predictable that he was going to escape the fish tank Dustin was keeping him in. But it was pretty gnarly seeing him feeding on the family cat. And then when his face opened up like the Demogorgon—holy crap, that was a cool reveal!
This also raises the question—if that’s what Will was spitting up when he first came back from the Upside Down, are there others out there? In the sewers, maybe?
2. Digging Down to the Upside Down
And we’re going back to the Upside Down!
When Hopper realizes that Will is drawing vines, he figures it must be related to the rotting pumpkin patch and trees and farmland.
I said earlier in the season it seemed like the Upside Down was bleeding into their world. I guess that kind of is what’s happening. But in this case, Hopper starts digging… and digging… until he goes deep enough that the ground starts gurgling and sinking… and when he goes through the hole he’s dug, he’s in the Upside Down.
Can he get back out the way he came in? Maybe… but hopefully he’ll spend some time there in the next episode.
Either way, I loved the way this plays out, with the music cue and the picture spinning until it’s clear where Hopper now finds himself.
1. The End of the Road?
“I don’t lie! I protect and I feed and I teach! And all I ask of you is that you follow three simple rules. Three rules. And you know what? You can’t even do that!”
Hopper
Even with two major reveals related to the Upside Down, this scene steals the episode.
When El arrives at the cabin at night and lets out a big sigh when she sees Hopper standing outside in the dark, smoking a cigarette, I thought they might go inside, make some hot cocoa, and have a heart to heart.
Nope. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
He storms in after her. He says, “’Friends don’t lie.’ Isn’t that your bullshit saying?”
And it gets way more vicious from there than I expected. It’s uncomfortable to watch. It feels raw. It actually feels like he might hit her.
Neither one is willing to give an inch, and they keep escalating until El actually uses her powers against Hopper.
She also says he’s like Papa, so he threatens to send her back to the lab.
And he breaks the TV, which is much crueler than it sounds, considering she has nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to see.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. A New Cliché for Billy’s Bingo Card
Billy starts to come around just a little bit in this episode. He seems like he’s trying to find at least a little common ground with Steve. I’m not sure why, but one could consider it an effort.
Then he sees Max getting upset when she’s talking to Lucas. And for the first time, he shows some protectiveness and concern toward her. But it’s for the worst possible reason.
Billy says, “There are a certain type of people in this world you stay away from.” And he thinks Lucas is one of them.
I don’t know… on one hand, Lucas really does stick out as one of the only Black kids in Hawkins. It would be unrealistic if he never had to deal with racism. And this could give him the chance to really grow as a character.
On the other hand, Billy is already a walking cliché. Adding “racist” to his Bingo card just feels like lazy writing.
I’m willing to see where it goes, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to this.
1. Bringing Down the Schmuck?
“The point is, mistakes have been made. Yes… Abundant mistakes, but, the men involved with those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to your brother and Miss Holland’s death, they’re gone. They’re gone, and for better or worse, I’m the schmuck they brought in to make things better. But I can’t make things better without your help.”
Dr. Owens
Obviously I get that things are different today than they were in the mid 80’s in terms of portable technology and the ubiquity of recording devices. Nowadays we all carry phones that can record conversations at any time. Back then that wasn’t the case.
But isn’t this one of, if not the, most top-secret labs in the US? They really just bring these two teenagers in, show them around, explain why they need their cooperation, and let them go—without ever searching them?
That seems terribly unrealistic. And again, I’m not sure this storyline is going anyplace worthwhile.
Tim Matassa
