Stranger Things 3: Chapter 8 Recap

Battle of Starcourt Mall
It’s time for the conclusion of Stranger Things season 3. I need to take a moment and collect my thoughts before this season comes to an end. Why are these seasons so short? Now, it’s gonna be a year or more until season 4. This show takes me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Episode 8 is titled The Battle of Starcourt. So strap yourselves in and get ready because there’s no turning back now. 

If you recall the end of Episode 7, El has something really nasty crawling around inside her leg. Jonathan starts searching for a wooden spoon, gloves, and a knife like he’s MacGyver. He proceeds to cut into her leg like some kind of surgeon and get the mysterious object out!  No way I’d ever let him do that. What kind of medical training has he ever had in his life? He’s a photographer! When he tries to pull the object out, El says she’ll do it using her powers. It’s a brutal moment. I don’t handle any medical scene well so this can’t end soon enough. Hopper, Joyce and Murray find them just as she gets it out of her leg. Title credits begin. 

Make a Plan
Will explains to the adults that the Mindflayer built the monster in Hawkins to stop El and kill her. It almost did, but the piece in her leg was just one tiny part of the massive monster. The group plans to close the Gate to cut the brain off from the body. Dustin and Erica explain their newfound knowledge of the underground Russian facility to Murray so he will be able to access the key and close the gate. Walkie talkies won’t be strong enough to help them navigate properly, so Dustin realizes he will have to use his radio tower to help Hopper, Joyce, and Murray. Steve takes Robin, Dustin and Erica to the radio tower. 

El tells Hopper her battery is low, but will recharge. She can fight. He tells her that he needs her safe from the monster, especially considering it’s after her. She’s going to leave the mall with the group while Hopper, Joyce, and Murray close the Gate. El and Hopper share a hug and he tells Mike to be careful as the group sets out to find a safer location.

Finding the Key 
Joyce, Hopper, and Murray descend the Russian elevator preparing to close the Gate. Greeted by several guards, Murray tries to speak Russian with them, but encounters a misstep when he doesn’t know an answer to one of their questions. Instead of waiting out their response, Hopper takes them all out with a machine gun. This is very morally grey territory, but it gets them uniforms to wear so they can blend in. The trio reaches the air vents just as Dustin successfully contacts them. Murray is the one who takes on the air vent crawl while Joyce and Hopper wait. The Terminator realizes the Americans are there and he’s not happy! 

Hopper and Joyce think this is the perfect time to a deep conversation. Just go ahead and date because everyone knows you should. Hopper asks about Joyce’s plan to move. She tells him if they make it out of the underground facility, they deserve to celebrate by going to dinner at Enzo’s! It’s a date! Finally. Murray finds a power grid and turns off the power in the control room. Joyce and Hopper head to a tunnel where they type in a special code from Alexei into a keypad. It doesn’t work. Oh well, guess they’ll all die. This was a fun 3 seasons. Hopper gives it one more shot and calls Murray. While picking up on the radio feed, Dustin hears that the code is Planck’s constant. He doesn’t know it, but knows someone who will.

Trapped in Starcourt
Nancy, Jonathan, Mike, Max, Lucas, and El get in the car to get as far away from the Gate as possible when Nancy’s car won’t start. The ignition cable is completely gone. Well, guess who’s facing the car, ready to cause a full on collision? It’s Billy! The group evacuated the car forcing them to run back into the mall.  Nancy has found ANOTHER GUN. When asked if she’s going to kill Billy, she says “it’s just a precaution.” Sure, Nancy. 
While looking around the mall food court, the group spots the beat up car that El threw across the room. Jonathan realizes they don’t need it to drive, they only need the ignition cable. As they fail to lift it, El tries to use her powers, but is unsuccessful. She finds a can of NEW COKE! Thank goodness, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen one. Maybe Lucas can come over and explain how delicious it is. She stares at the can to see if she’s able to crush it with her mind, as she was able to in season 1. There’s no success. Maybe her battery really has been drained. 

Something is tapping on the glass of the mall ceiling. Please be rain. It’s never that simple on this show. It’s the monster searching for El. The glass ceiling shatters as the monster falls through. It’s grown even bigger than before and is ready to attack

The group takes cover behind the mall car hoping the monster doesn’t see them. Could there be a worse time for El’s powers to be gone? El finds that there’s another way out of the mall through the Gap. She runs out with Mike and Max as quickly as possible. Just as the monster is about to get the 3, Lucas uses a slingshot to distract it, making it safe for them to get to a staircase. Steve and Robin hear the monster through Dustin’s radio monitor and immediately run to the mall to provide backup. Jonathan puts the new ignition into Nancy’s car as Lucas and Will get into the car. Nancy tries to shoot Billy with her trusty handgun. 

Billy isn’t stopping though, he’s driving straight for Nancy’s car and it looks like he’s ready to kill. Right before a collision, Steve drives into Billy’s convertible taking him right out. I don’t know a better character on the show, always saving the day without fail. Steve and Robin get in Nancy’s car and they drive away with the monster on their tail. 

Salt Lake City, Utah
A young girl sits in a nice house as her radio goes off, “Suzie, Do You Copy?” it’s Dustin radioing in to his girlfriend from camp! Dustin gets her to change frequencies so everyone can hear their conversation. He asks her about Planck’s constant. She tells him she won’t give him the numbers until she can hear it. No one knows what she means, until Dustin breaks out into a musical number from the Never Ending story and Suzie joins him in a theatrical duet. Everyone is confused by this moment of musical hysteria especially considering there’s a massive monster on the loose chasing half the group. It does add a moment of humor to the episode that takes some of the tension away. Good for Dustin, having a real girlfriend! After their magical duet, Suzie gives up the numbers for Planck’s Constant so Joyce and Hopper can break in. The code works and they get a briefcase out of the locker. 

Closing the Gate
Billy gets out of the wrecked car feeling LIVID that he missed out on the season’s only musical number. Boy is ready to FIGHT. He sees El, Mike, and Max and chases them into the mall. The monster runs back to the mall to follow Billy. Max tries to reason with Billy, but he slaps her. That was just uncalled for! She’s a good sister! He grabs El and takes her to the center of the mall where the monster makes its way towards her. Just as El is about to be attacked, Lucas begins hurling fireworks at the monster. This is America. Obviously, 4th of July wouldn’t be complete without hurling fireworks at an evil monster!
Billy pins El down, but when she touches his hand she talks about his past memories of his mother from Episode 5. Just as the monster is about to kill El, Billy stands in front of her to stop it. The monster kills Billy dramatically in the middle of the mall. What a way to go out.

Joyce and Hopper clear the control room for the Gate. They’re gonna SHUT IT DOWN. Time for this to end. They get ready to turn it off, but the Terminator shows up. We get a Terminator vs. Hopper fight. I think that’s the 5th one of the season. Hopper and Terminator are fighting right next to the massive reactor machine. It a very dangerous area and either one could be killed instantly at any second. Dustin tells Joyce she has to close the gate. Joyce, do not close the gate with Hopper in there. You already skipped your date with him once. You two have dinner plans later this week. Don’t do it! 

Hopper throws Terminator into the reactor. I’m sure he’ll still find a way to come back. Joyce closes the Gate with Hopper still inside and he gives her a nod of approval. No no no no. Give yourself a second to get back in the safety zone! You can still live, Hopper! When she presses the button, everything in the room is completely wiped out. The monster falls over and dies. There’s no trace of Hopper. WHERE IS HE? Maybe he didn’t die. There’s no confirmation of death.

The Aftermath 
After the Gate is closed, Dr. Sam Owens shows up to the mall to investigate what was going on in the Russian facility. Will is reunited with Joyce in the parking lot in an emotional moment for the two. They see El looking for Hopper, but unable to find him. She’s crying. Stop making her suffer! She’s been through enough this season.

A few months later, Robin and Steve are interviewing at a local video store where they’re asked about their 3 favorite movies. Robin’s are 

1. The Apartment

2. Hidden Fortress

3. Children of Paradise 

Steve’s favorites are 

1. Animal House 

2. Star Wars (the one with the teddy bears)

3. The movie that just came out with the DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton 

Robin is hired on the spot, but Steve doesn’t initially doesn’t secure the position. However, Robin assures Keith that women will come in to the store just to see Steve. So that gets him the job! Why would anyone not hire Steve?

Max and Lucas are sitting in a packed up house making fun of Dustin’s Never ending story duet. Poor Dustin, he’s never gonna live it down. Who’s moving? No one is allowed to move in this show! It’s illegal. I need everyone to stay in Hawkins. Ugh, it’s Will and Joyce. Why is Joyce breaking the kids up? Is it because every man she loves dies and traumatic events happen to her children in the town? Joyce, I’m gonna need a better reason. You can’t make WIll leave his friends! He’s gonna have to go to a new school and then the show will introduce more new characters and I don’t have the energy for that. Jonathan is moving away with them. I wonder if he and Nancy will break up. EL IS MOVING TOO?! Why can’t she stay with another family in town? That means she’s leaving Mike. Look what you’ve done, Joyce! This poor girl has lost everything this season. Mike says he’s going to call her all the time and visit for Thanksgiving. Well, he better do that! Before saying goodbye, El tells Mike she loves him too and they kiss. This relationship is so sweet.

When going through Hopper’s things, Joyce finds the speech Hopper wrote for El and Mike. It’s filmed as a voiceover of Hopper giving a speech overlapped with images of the group saying goodbye and its heart wrenching. Will is sobbing. Nancy and Jonathan are sad. I’m crying. “I don’t want things to change” he says as Joyce’s car passes a sign that says Leaving Hawkins. “Keep growing up, don’t let me stop you. Make mistakes, learn from them and when life hurts you, because it will, remember the hurt. But please, if you don’t mind, for the sake of your poor old dad, keep the door open 3-inches.” El cries reading the letter as Joyce tells her it’s time to leave. Peter Gabriel’s Heroes plays in the background and Joyce takes one last look at her house and closes the door to say goodbye. How I feel after this episode:

It’s not over yet! There’s a small clip in between the end credits in a Russian prison where a guard goes up to a cell and says, “No. Not the American.” They grab another prisoner and drag them to a locked room. A door slowly begins to open to unveil a Demogorgon about to attack the prisoner, A lot of people are theorizing that the “American” the guards are referring to in the clip is Hopper. I’m skeptical, because I don’t see how he possibly got out of that room before the explosion. We’ll see what happens though.

That felt like a series finale. What a rollercoaster of emotions. That montage was the perfect way to end the season. It was emotional and poignant. Season 3 did a really good job highlighting the kid’s changing friendship dynamics. Once you become a teenager, your tight knit group of friends often begins to disband. It’s a sad time, but a natural part of life as people grow and change. Hopper’s speech highlights that so well. There’s no denying that the effects and set design of Season 3 were better than ever as well. From the Starcourt Mall to the Fun Fair, every single scene was bursting with 80’s nostalgia in the best way.

Overall, I loved this season and have enjoyed recapping it. If there’s one request I have for season 4, it’s that the show doesn’t add too many more characters. There’s plenty of storyline going on in each episode and it doesn’t need any more.
Thank you for reading along with me as you watch. I hope you enjoyed these recaps. What were your favorite moments of season 3? Who were your favorite characters? What do you want to see in Season 4?

Episode MVP: Lucas for saving everyone 2 separate times
Best scene of the episode: Hopper’s speech/the final montage
Did Steve live? Steve lived through the whole season! Every fan theory I read about his death was a lie!

Stranger Things 3: Chapter 7 Recap

The Bite
Only two more episodes left of this season and I can tell because of all the drama that’s unfolding! That last episode was intense! Gotta know what happens next. Episode 7 is called The Bite and begins at the Hawkins Fourth of July Fun Fair. The Ferris wheel is functioning, the neon lights are glowing, kids are eating funnel cakes all set to the tune of “R.O.C.K. in the USA.” All is right with this wonderfully 80’s world, or is it? 
Mayor Kline takes the stage to address his town. This man is serious about a re-election campaign! 
Karen, Ted, and their young daughter enjoy the fair by getting on the Ferris wheel. I always forget Mike and Nancy have a younger sister. Has she ever spoken a line of dialogue? Does she know she has two older siblings? As Karen, Bob, and their rarely shown third daughter get to the top of the Ferris wheel, a huge fireworks show is displayed to showcase Hawkins patriotism. Mike’s sister notices something ominous lurking in the trees. (The Monster) She tells Karen, “Mom the trees are moving.” Karen doesn’t even listen. She tells the 3rd child to look at the fireworks instead! No wonder we never hear from this character. Karen doesn’t even listen to her. Title credits begin. 

Cabin in the Woods
El is recounting her disturbing trip inside Billy’s mind with the group at Hopper’s cabin. They come to the conclusion that Billy is building the army to stop Eleven since the Mindflayer knows she can stop it. As they speak, strange noises are heard around the cabin. Will tells them the Mindflayer knows where they are. They run outside to see the monster charging at the cabin. Time to run away! They don’t take my advice to run. Instead, they stock up on weapons. Nancy, as per usual, grabs her shotgun and Jonathan gets a hatchet. They lock themselves inside the cabin and board up the doors and windows. The camera does a great circular pan here as the tension builds and the characters anticipate what could happen in the next few moments. It’s a great parallel to the final moments of Episode 8 in Season 2. All I can say is a battle takes place on this Fourth of July evening at Hopper’s cabin.  The monster is unrelentingly aggressive and will not leave El alone. After several attempts by Nancy’s shotgun, Jonathan’s hatchet, and El’s powers, that thing still isn’t leaving. It tries to pull El away from the cabin until a team effort gets her back. As she is pulled back to the ground, a tiny portion of the monster has grabbed onto her leg. It’s pulled away leaving her in pain. She faces this creature again using all of her power and energy. The group FINALLY runs to the car. Why didn’t they do this earlier? 
They’re on the run and break into a grocery store to clean up El’s leg wound. Lucas stumbles upon a fireworks stand that he believes will come in handy when defeating the monster. He says El is gonna need some backup. The kid is a planner and I admire his ambition. 
Mike is trying to tell El that he loves her. He says he’s never felt this way about anyone. COME ON, MIKE. SAY THE WORDS TO ELEVEN. Just as I thought they were gonna get their moment to shine, it’s ripped away. Dustin radios in on the walkie talkie to tell Mike they are stuck at the movie theater and need a way out. 

Have you had your New Coke today? 
In potentially my favorite product placement moment ever, Lucas takes out a New Coke in the middle of the grocery store as El is about to go into the Void. The label is very clearly facing the camera. Mike asks him, “How do you even drink that?” First of all, Mike, this is all a blatant commercial for the show. Thats how he drinks it! Think of the $$$$ it’ll bring in! Don’t you want a 4th season? Lucas replies, “because it’s delicious. It’s like Carpenter’s The Thing. The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake *takes a sip* sweeter. bolder. better!” Okay, Don Draper! When did you come up with that ad campaign?

Lucas and Mike get into an argument about New Coke with Mike claiming it’s certainly NOT the same as regular. This is such a bizarre scene because it’s simultaneously making fun of the New Coke disaster of the 80’s yet sneaking in a commercial at the exact same time. (Stranger Things and Coke have made a deal to sell New Coke for the new season) Watch the scene here to check out some unique product placement. After we get our New Coke fix, El has found Dustin in the Void. The group makes their way to the mall to find them. 

Mission: Impossible- Breakout
Dustin and Erica drive the drugged up Steve and Robin out of the Russian facility in the golf cart. The Scoops Ahoy Troop manages to find their way out of the underground lair all thanks to Erica and Dustin. Steve and Robin are almost too high to walk. The troop breaks into a theater showing of Back to the Future to lay low so they won’t be found by any Russian guards. As Dustin tries to tell Mike all of the details about being trapped underground, the Walkie Talkie cuts out. Where are cell phones when you need them? When asking Erica for more batteries, he finds Steve and Robin have officially left the building. The two have stumbled out of theater to discuss what the heck is going on in Back to the Future. Steve is finding the film to be a very confusing experience, especially after being drugged by the Russians. After gazing at the mall skylights, the pair immediately gets sick in the bathroom. 
The two think the drugs are out of their system after throwing up and begin asking serious questions in a segment we’ll call #deepbathroomtalks. Robin asks Steve if he’s ever been in love. He says he has been in love with Nancy. When asked if he’s still in love with Nancy, he says no, because he likes someone who’s better for him. The girl he likes is hilarious, smart, and everything he’s been looking for. If you’re unable to read between the lines, Steve likes Robin. Not a shocking development considering these two have been seemingly set up for each other since the first episode.

When Steve confesses this to Robin, she says that he doesn’t even know her and if he did he wouldn’t want to be friends with her. Could Robin be a Russian spy? Is that why she cracked the code so easily? She’s not like Steve’s other friends and “not like Nancy Wheeler.” She brings up the story about being obsessed with him in class. Robin says it isn’t because she had a crush on Steve, but because “Tammy Thompson wouldn’t stop staring at Steve.” PLOT TWIST. Robin is gay. I never saw that coming. Based on the last episode, she made it sound like she was in love with Steve in high school. She knew so many details about him…including what he ate for breakfast! Apparently, she only knew those things because Tammy was obsessed with Steve and it frustrated her that she only cared about him. Steve is shocked, “Tammy Thompson’s a girl.” he says as he tries to register the news. After he gets over the initial shock, he handles it very well (showing how much he’s grown as a character from season 1.) He tells Robin that she can do much better than Tammy and the two go right back laughing and joking around. Dustin and Erica find them in the bathroom and get ready to leave the mall. There are Russian guards at every entrance so they’ll have to find another means of escape.

Fourth of July Fun Fair
Joyce and Hopper get into another argument which has been constant all season. Murray is TIRED OF IT! Can’t blame him. He says they need to just stop it and admit their feeling for each other. He’s right! There’s some major denial from Joyce and Hopper, but it’s obvious these two have had feelings for each other since the first season. They arrive at the fair and Hopper can finally let loose, get a funnel cake, and get on some rides! He’s got his Hawaiian shirt on and he’s prepared. It’s the summer of relaxed Hopper. Don’t kill his vibe. So he’s actually not there to do any of that, but I’d love an episode of him having fun at the fair! He tells Alexei and Murray to stay in the car as he and Joyce go find the kids. 
Alexei and Murray decide to forget the rules, they want to go to the fair! So they leave Hopper’s car and take in the sights of the Fourth of July spectacle. Alexei tells Murray all the fair games are rigged, but he wants to try one out anyway. He finds a game to play and wins! Maybe these games aren’t rigged after all! He wins a Woody Woodpecker doll and begins walking toward Murray who’s waiting for him with fair food. At this moment, Alexei is on top of the world. In just one quick moment, the Terminator is in the frame. Go away, you evil man. We don’t want you here. The score quickly changes to ominous music as he walks towards Alexei. Don’t you dare. Not right after he won a game at the fair. The evil Terminator shoots Alexei and calls him a traitor. 

Can’t believe that happened. Can’t believe I’m so sad about a character that was only featured in two episodes. Murray rushes to his side as he collapses and runs off to get help. Someone get this man a cherry slurpee before he dies. 
Murray tells Hopper that Alexei was shot. Hopper and Joyce around the fair to find a way out but are confronted with Russians at every turn. Hopper runs into the most sophisticated fun house I’ve ever seen where he meets up with the Terminator. This fun house has the world’s most fancy mirror hallway and a ceiling made up of triangular glass. Hopper outsmarts the Terminator thanks to this fancy funhouse and gets into the car with Joyce and Murray. Alexei didn’t survive the gunshot wound. RIP Alexei. You’ll never be forgotten.

Final Moments
The Russians have locked down the mall with Steve, Dustin, Erica, and Robin still stuck there. Just when it seems like all hope is lost, the mall display car’s alarm signal starts going off. There’s no one in or near the car. You could say that it’s just a strange thing. As the guards look up to the center balcony, they see Eleven is setting off the car alarm with her powers. She throws the car back several feet to knock out the guards. She’s accompanied by Mike, Nancy, Jonathan, Lucas, and Max. The group is reunited at last!!! They all try to exchange stories as quickly as possible when El collapses to the floor. Something is moving inside her leg. She screams in pain. End of Episode 

Episode MVP: Alexei
Best Scene of the Episode: The grocery store scene
Is Steve Alive after Episode 7: YES!!!! This is crunch time though. He just has to make it through one more episode.

Stranger Things 3: Chapter 5 Recap

The Flayed
After the intensity of The Sauna Test, it’s time to keep things going with Episode 5 called The Flayed. The episode kicks off with Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Erica stuck in the Russian elevator descending rapidly. The elevator comes to a sharp halt and the group sees no way to get out through the doors. Dustin finds a way to climb out. Things aren’t looking promising when climbing out when he discovers they’re trapped in a massive elevator shaft with no escape.

Hopper and Joyce continue on their quest at Hess Farm, attempting to figure out what caused the power surge in Hawkins. They find two Russian men who can’t understand them when they attempt to make contact. The man from the motorcycle suddenly walks into the farm with a gun loaded, ready to meet his Hawaiian shirted foe. Hopper sneaks up on him and holds motorcycle man at gunpoint. Right before he can shoot, the two men get into a fight. These two love fighting! When Hopper knocks him on the ground for a minute, he and Joyce grab one of the Russians and bring him along with them. They run out of the farm and drive away while the mysterious motorcycle man gets up and fires his gun at the car. Is this guy the Terminator? Nothing can keep him down. Opening title credits begin

Wake Up Call
Jonathan is just trying to get some rest after a frustrating week at work. The Byers’ house phone will not stop ringing so he gets up to answer it to find Nancy is calling at 6 AM. “Do you realize what time it is?” he frustratingly asks her. I may not be a big Jonathan fan, but I’m in his corner on this one. There are certain times you don’t call people and 6 AM is a big time NO. Good for Jonathan for actually listening to her at that hour because I wouldn’t have answered the phone. She tells him that she’s at the hospital with Mrs. Driscoll and she needs to speak to Will.

A Walk in the Woods
Hopper’s car completely breaks down then blows up after the high speed getaway from Hess Farm! So he and Joyce begin a trek through the woods with their new Russian companion, Alexei. Joyce tries to tell Alexei all about her obsession with magnets. He conveniently acts like he doesn’t understand her due to the language barrier. Nice try, Alexei. You’re still gonna have to hear about the magnets. She’s never gonna stop talking about them. They walk through the woods for a long time until Alexei begins running. At first glance, it would seem he’s running away, but he’s just running towards 7/11! It’s time for some more New Coke advertisement! I’ve lost count at how many times it’s been advertised, but I know I’ve seen at least 6 cans. Alexei gets a strawberry slurpee and I’m a little shocked he didn’t just start speaking English then and there stating, “New Coke is my favorite part of America.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m an American. Coke is my favorite drink, but there’s no need to be so blatant about it in every frame of the show.

After buying some NEW COKE at the 7/11, Hopper commandeers a car from a guy pumping gas who looks like a slick 80’s investment banker. He uses the “I’m a cop and this is a criminal” excuse with Alexei. The 3 drive away and show up to the home of Murray Bauman. You may remember Murray from last season as the private investigator hired by Barb’s parents to investigate her disappearance. (RIP BARB. Gone, but certainly never forgotten.) Murray opens the door to speak to Alexei and the two begin communicating in fluent Russian. This is sure to take an interesting turn. He searches Alexei with a metal detector to be sure it’s safe to have him in his house.
The Terminator is on their tail! Shortly after they drive off, he shows up at the gas station asking for information about their whereabouts. What’s going on? There’s no New Coke in this scene at the 7/11?! Why didn’t the Terminator guy buy any! What’s his problem! Doesn’t he understand when in a place of business one must purchase a New Coke!

Group Investigation
Mike, El, Max, Lucas, and Will are still together after the Sauna Test. Mike thinks it’s weird that Hopper is gone and that Dustin isn’t with the group. (I agree Mike. It is weird!) Nancy and Jonathan join the group to give their story some pizzaz. They tell the kids all about their research on Mrs. Driscoll and the rabid rats. This helps everyone realize that Billy and Mrs. Driscoll’s attacks happened at the exact same time. Research is so helpful! While talking, everyone puts the pieces together that Heather and Tom are father/daughter. They head to Heather’s house to do some investigating. No answer at the doorbell. If only someone could get the door open! Thankfully, El remembers she has powers and uses them to their advantage. Inside the house, they find a bunch of chemicals on the kitchen counter indicating Heather’s family has been taking part in the Ammonia craze that’s sweeping through Hawkins. Mike suggests they may be making something with the chemicals. Somehow Nancy pieces together every single moment of Billy’s dinner with Heather’s family just by looking at the scene of the house. What a detective! Sherlock Holmes wishes he had that kind of skill!

Stuck in an Elevator
Dustin is desperate to get out of the elevator so he sends out messages on his walkie talkie. Sadly, no one is listening. In a miraculous turn, the elevator doors are opened by two Russian workers. Steve uses the Troll 2 neon green tube to keep the elevator door open so they can slide under and get out of the confined space. As soon as he gets out, the tube explodes and melts like some kind of acid. As they get out of the elevator, they’re faced with the task of walking down an infinitely long hallway. The hallway walkers finally reach the end to find some kind of Russian facility. The 4 make it into a room with an open door. Guess what, it’s not empty! Robin begins speaking the code to the man in the room, but he’s not buying it. He starts to take out a gun, but Steve charges at him. They start fighting…Steve, it’s only episode 5. It’s too early for you to get beat up. To my surprise, Steve knocks him out. Do my eyes deceive me? Did STEVE JUST WIN A FIGHT WITH A HUMAN CHARACTER?

Robin brings the group to the control room. We’re back to that Chernobyl life! The men in the Hazmat suits are walking around the nuclear reactor trying to open that gate. Okay, this part is pretty unbelievable. How would these teens and children with bright neon clothing walk around this highly secretive facility with no one to stop them? If there was a key card just to use the elevator, there would definitely be a key card to get into the most dangerous facility in the city.

Final Moments
After hearing the story about Mrs. Driscoll, the group believes she will lead them to the source. So they return to her hospital room. She’s disappeared from her room, but Tom is there with blood on his shirt. The lights begin flickering as Nancy and Jonathan run to the hallway to find Gary Busey’s clone son chasing them. Nancy defeats him with a fire extinguisher which leads to a domino effect, knocking out Tom. The two begin shaking on the floor and melting basically. It’s very gross. They turn into a pile of sludge on the floor The melted floor sludge begins moving and forms into one unit as the lights go out. The lights turn back on to reveal a huge monster screaming at Nancy and Jonathan. End of Episode 5

Lingering Questions: Is everyone who turns into the monster officially dead?
Episode MVP: Nancy
Best Scene: Steve winning a fight
Is Steve Alive After Episode 5: Yes, and he won a fight!

Stranger Things 3: Chapter 4 Recap

Somehow we’ve already made it to episode 4 which means this is officially the halfway mark for season 3. How do these episodes go by so quickly?

Episode 4 is called The Sauna Test and begins with El having a flashback to the recent traumatic events with Billy. Max is unfazed by the night’s events. She tells El that Billy and Heather seem perfectly fine so why worry about them. El can’t shake the feeling that something more sinister is at play between the two. I’d listen to El on this. She’s witnessed a lot of strange events.
Heather’s parents are tied up in the garage, begging for Heather to let them go. She’s clearly not herself anymore. There’s no use even trying to talk to her. As they beg to be set free, a massive monster comes out of the shadows towards them, attaching it’s arms? Tentacles? I don’t know the correct scientific phrasing here? So I’m just gonna say arms...to their faces. The title credits begin.

Search for the Motorcycle Man
Hopper wakes up on his couch after being beat up by the mysterious restaurant patron. Joyce was there to help get him home. She’s ready to get back to the case as soon as he gets up. Hopper puts on his Hawaiian shirt as he gets ready for the day (his new uniform, I guess) and the two prepare to track down the motorcycle that drove away. Their first stop is the Mayor’s office where Hopper asks about the man on the motorcycle. He remembers that he saw him leaving the office just two days prior. When the mayor doesn’t cooperate, Hopper begins to blackmail Mayor Kline with personal information about his affair. This is getting dark, especially for a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt! Mayor Kline hits right back with details about Hopper’s past drug and alcohol problems. After the mayor brings up his daughter who passed away, Hopper slams him into the door and breaks his nose. The mayor tells Hopper the strange man works for people who own Starcourt Mall. They wanted to expand, so he sold him the property. The Mayor takes hopper and Joyce to his house to show them land deeds from the buyers of Starcourt Mall. He doesn’t know why this agency is buying up the property, but he says they’re bad news. Joyce believes the machine affecting the magnets exists at one of the properties bought by the Starcourt corporation.

Code Red
Mike and Lucas call the gang together for a “Code Red” meeting. Max and El put their grievances behind to meet back up with the boys where Will tells them the Mindflayer is back. Even though El closed the gate, Will wonders if it’s possible that it never left and they locked it out in Hawkins with them. The group goes to spy on Billy at the pool and hatches a plan to find out if he’s become a “host” for the Mindflayer. They’ll wait until the pool closes and lock Billy in the sauna to see if he can handle the heat. If there’s anything the Mindflayer hates, it’s being hot! I have to admit, the moments that the core group are together in the show are some of my favorites. It makes me a little sad that Dustin isn’t involved in these scenes, but I do love his dynamic with Steve and Robin this season.
The group prepares to try out the sauna test on Billy. Before facing the possibility of death by Ammonia man, Mike tells El that he lied to her because Hopper wanted them to stop spending so much time together. He says she’s the most important thing to him in the world. Alright, El this is your chance for you two to get back together! Instead of talking through the situation, El just replies, “What if he’s right?”. Seriously? She doesn’t think it’s a little wrong that her 40+ year-old guardian lied to and threatened her 14-year-old boyfriend? Eleven, there’s so much to learn! She hits back by bringing up his comment about boys being a “different species” than girls. That was a messed up comment, but it shouldn’t even be admissible in this argument because she got that info from spying on him! Poor Mike, he just can’t win.

Scoops Sleuths
After finding out that Russians are meeting in the mall, Steve, Dustin, and Robin want to find out what they’re hiding. Steve figures he can just “take out” the Russian guard, but Robin is skeptical of that possibility. Robin, you’re clearly new here! Steve is used to being beaten up, then rising from the ashes of defeat to become an unlikely underdog of victory! Dustin asks Steve if he’s ever actually “won a fight.” It’s a bold question. Steve has lost several fights. But he beat the demodogs when it mattered most, so technically he has won a fight. Robin gets a map of the mall and finds that the best way to get to the secret Russian passageway is through air ducts. Dustin tries to fit through the tiny air vents, without success. They enlist the help of Lucas’ sister, Erica, to crawl through the vents since she is just small enough. Before agreeing, Erica wants to know what’s in it for her. If she’s not getting free ice cream out of it, she’s not interested. She gets her way and crawls through the vents, successfully making it to the secret location opening the door for Dustin, Steve, and Robin.

They inspect the strange area that looks to be a shipping room filled with boxes. Steve opens the first box to find a strange tube filled with a glowing green liquid. How very Troll 2! As soon as Steve picks up the tube, the room begins moving and suddenly drops. Looks like the Scoops Ahoy team is stuck in an elevator that’s quickly moving underground.

Nancy and Jonathan No More?
Mrs. Driscoll gets transported to the hospital after eating fertilizer in front of Nancy and Jonathan. 
The next day at the Hawkins Post, Heather’s dad, Tom, is noticeably different. He is angry with Nancy and Jonathan for trespassing on Mrs. Driscoll’s property without permission. Apparently she is a paranoid schizophrenic, which has not been revealed until this point. Clearly the rats were not a delusion! She was right about that. Tom will not listen to reason and he fires the two. This leads to a big fight between Nancy and Jonathan. Life was so much easier in high school. After their fight, Nancy comes home to to talk to her mom. Mrs. Wheeler actually gives Nancy great advice telling her that she’s proud of her daughter. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen these two have a deep conversation like this. 

The Sauna Test
When the pool closes, the group locks Billy into the shower area. With the help of a mannequin and El’s powers, they lock him in the sauna. Billy tries to gain Max’s sympathy, to no avail. She wants to know what’s going on with her stepbrother! They turn the temperature up to 220 degrees. How is Billy not supposed to go crazy in there? I think I’d just cry until I passed out in that kind of heat. That’s a brutal temp to be exposed to for anyone. Billy sits on the ground crying and repeating, “it’s not my fault.” He says he’s done bad things that he didn’t mean to do. “He made me do it”. When they ask who he’s referring to, Billy replies, “it’s like a giant shadow.” Max is shaken up by Billy’s emotional plea. Just as she tries to reason with Billy, he picks up a sharp piece of metal to break through the window of the door. The lights begin flickering like crazy and Billy’s skin starts to turn purple. At the same time, Nancy visits Mrs. Driscoll in the hospital where she mimics Billy because he is “the host.”
El and Billy fight with Billy almost chocking her to death. Mike saves the day by hitting him over the head at just the right moment. This is why Mike needs to be around! El uses her powers to throw Billy out of the building and he runs away as quickly as possible.

Final Moments
Billy tells Heather that El could have killed him, but Heather says “not us”. The frame pans out to reveal a huge group of people that the two have assembled in the abandoned garage. This looks to be the army for the Mindflayer. End of Episode 4.

Lingering Questions: What are the Russians up to?
Episode MVP: Eleven
Best Scene: The Sauna Test
Is Steve Alive After Episode Four: Yes! He’s alive, but stuck in a Russian elevator

Stranger Things 3: Chapter 3 Recap

The Case of the Missing Lifeguard
Time to find out how these strange events continue in episode 3, titled The Case of the Missing Lifeguard. The episode begins at Hopper’s cabin as Max and El have a sleepover and looking through some teen magazines dreaming of Ralph Macchio. The two wonder what Lucas and Mike are doing and realize, they can find out. El puts on a blindfold and goes into The Void (using her powers) to see Mike, Lucas, and Will who are discussing the breakup of episode 2. Lucas tells Mike that women are a “totally different species”. Meanwhile, Will has built the perfect dungeons and dragons game board that is all ready to play. He encourages them to play and forget about Max and El.
Hopper storms in the cabin, Hawaiian shirt and all, thinking Mike has made his way back to El, ignoring his request. He’s surprised, but relieved to see Max over instead.
The girls make a spin the bottle wheel with the names of different guys in Hawkins. They spin the bottle on Billy’s name which means El is going to watch him with her powers in the Void (the dark space in her mind). I don’t know how I feel about this spying subplot. It feels pretty of invasive of people’s privacy, but at the same time, someone does need to put a stop to Billy’s weird activities. El sees him whispering to the other lifeguard. She can hear the girl screaming and suddenly snaps out of the Void. The title credits begin.

Will’s Wake Up Call
It’s a stormy day in Hawkins and Will has decided he will no longer be ignored by his friends! Sporting a cape and wizard hat, he tells the boys they’re gonna play D&D without any talk of girlfriends, and that’s that! As they play the game, Will points out that a horde of zombies is attacking and “bites your arm”. Seems like another parallel for what’s happening in the show with Billy and his “army.” Mike and Lucas can’t take the game seriously and give up as soon as the phone rings. Will doesn’t handle this well and decides to bike home in the rain. Will laments about how the party is just not the same anymore...not even Dustin is around these days. He says it’s Mike’s fault for breaking up the group because all they talk about is girls. Mike hits back with a brutal statement saying “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” You can tell he immediately regrets saying it. He continues by asking if Will thought they’d just sit in their basement and play games for the rest of their life. This is a really sad scene to watch play out considering Will has had a major portion of his childhood stolen from him in seasons 1 & 2 due to his disappearance in the Upside Down. He just wants to have fun with his friends yet the struggle of adolescence is taking that away from him. He goes to his tree fort to mourn. Now he’s having flashbacks to season 1. He looks at all of his artwork and pictures with his friends. Now he’s holding the picture with the group dressed as Ghostbusters. That was my favorite episode. He’s really emotionally scarred about the D&D game gone awry. He rips up the picture AND destroys the fort. Will, stop making me sad.

Lab Exploration
Joyce goes to see Hopper to tell him about the magnets! Very bold of her to show up after blowing off their dinner date! He’s understandably annoyed with the situation. She doesn’t even say she’s sorry. Joyce is 100% focused on the magnets and she believes the lab is behind the strange phenomenon. The two decide to go to the lab because why not? What a fun place to go! They arrive at the lab and it’s completely abandoned. Joyce has a flashback to Bob being attacked by the demodogs. I didn’t need to see that kind man get killed again. Just gonna think about the time he confronted his fear of nightmarish clowns. Joyce and Hopper see that all of the portals to the Upside Down are safely closed off in the lab. Hopper reveals he knows she’s fixing up her house to put on the market. Joyce, don’t you dare sell that house! I know your family has been traumatized for years in that house, but you can’t separate Will and his friends! The two hear someone break in the lab and Hopper investigates. Suddenly a man who was seen in the Italian restaurant with Hopper in Episode 2 begins beating him up. *fight scene ensues* He drives away on a motorcycle when Joyce runs in the room.

Heather Needs Help
Max and El go to find Billy, but he’s not at his house. They find a bunch of ice in his bathtub...which could mean 1 of 2 things. Billy is just into the ice bath craze or it’s the Mindflayer. Also there’s blood on the cabinets near the missing lifeguard’s fanny pack, so he might be the Zodiac. (Mrs. Driscoll is not off the hook though!) The two head to the pool to investigate what in tarnation is going on. The two workers say that the fanny pack belongs to Heather who hasn’t been seen all day. While El tries to use her powers to find Heather, she sees a red door with a bathtub inside. When she approaches, the tub is filled with ice. Heather pops up from the tub screaming until she is pulled underwater into the dark depths.

Hawkins Post
Nancy pitches the rabid rat story to the Hawkins Post. She’s got a solid story together with pictures and everything! Gary Busey’s clone son has to ruin it by being obnoxious. All of the people in the writers room totally reject her idea. They start planting fake rats in the office for Nancy to find. So these guys will definitely get killed by the rabid rats. Side note- Why are Nancy and Jonathan even a couple? It’s like they only have chemistry when they can’t be together. They just bicker all of the time and get on each other’s nerves. Their storyline is one of the weaker elements Season 3. Well, it’s weak until they go visit Mrs. Driscoll. That’s when it starts to get more intriguing. They arrive at Mrs. Driscoll’s house and she won’t answer her door, so they just let themselves in. Don’t do that! The mystery solving duo hear something in the basement so they decide to check it out. They find a crazed Mrs. Driscoll standing in the corner eating fertilizer…

Spying on the Spies
Dustin and Steve are spying in the mall for “evil Russians”. While working on their espionage skills, Dustin tells Steve he should go out with Robin. He says she’s not even in the ballpark of his type because she’s “hyper and plays in band at school.” Dustin tells Steve he needs to date someone he enjoys being around, not someone who makes him cool. Wow, so wise for a teenager. During their chat, they find a man carrying a duffle bag with long blonde hair. Evil Russian has been spotted! James Bond, who? Steve and Dustin have the art of espionage down to a science.

The man walks into Jazzercise. What kind of game is he playing? He takes a radio out of his bag and starts teaching the class? He’s a jazzercise instructor. Never mind! Sometimes that happens to even the greatest spies. Your first lead isn’t always correct. Shake it off, boys! Get back to work. Robin is having more success with the Russian codes. She gets a delivery from LYNX transportation, a company with a silver cat logo. This leads to a total breakthrough in the code as she runs through the mall finding clues that lead her to a large clock in the middle of the food court. That night, the trio does some recon on the roof when they see a suspicious shipment coming into the mall. They confirm there are Russians sneaking things into Starcourt.

Final Moments
Max and El break into Heather’s house to see if she’s okay. It’s revealed that Heather’s dad is Nancy’s boss at the Hawkins Post! What kind of Love Actually plot twist moment is that? Heather’s parents are sitting at the table for dinner with none other than Mr. Ammonia, Billy! Heather walks into the room seemingly fine, shocking El (since she just witnessed her screaming for help). Since everything seems ok with Heather’s family, Max and El leave the house. Billy has a vision of El closing the gate in season 2, and Will tells the group that the Mindflayer is “back”. Heather’s mother blacks out at dinner and Heather proceeds to violently hit her father with a bottle of wine. She and Billy knock him out with chloroform as she tells her father it will “all be over soon”. The shot focuses on Billy’s face as the soundtrack plays American Pie. End of Episode 3. Wow, that was one of the most disturbing episode endings of the show. It’s interesting how every episode so far has ended with Billy. I guess they’re focusing on him building his army for the Mindflayer.

Lingering Questions: Will Mrs. Driscoll join Billy and Heather now that she’s been infected? What’s the next step for Steve, Robin, and Dustin?
Episode MVP: Eleven
Best Scene: Eleven finding Billy in the Void
Is Steve Alive in Episode 3?: He’s alive and a key to decoding the Russian side plot!

Stranger Things 3: Chapter 2 Recap

I’m back to watch more Stranger Things and it’s time to get to Episode 2! The episode kicks off right where episode 1 left us hanging, in the den of rat infestation. In a bit of a surprise, Billy is still alive and even drives his car away from the sketchy place, finding a telephone booth to make a call to 911. He recounts a horrifying memory where a monster attached itself to his face. Suddenly, he steps out of the telephone booth to find he’s in a place that looks just like the Upside Down. He approaches a large group of shadow people that reveal themselves to be Billy clones. This would be the perfect moment for all of them to break out singing Bet on It from High School Musical 2. Hate those missed opportunities. Cue the title credits.

Friends Don’t Lie
Eleven is nervously pacing on the front porch of Hopper’s cabin waiting to hear from Mike. Fun fact, I’ve been to this cabin! It’s at a place called Sleepy Hollow Farm. They do tours in the Fall/Christmas season. It’s the same location that they filmed the pumpkin patch in season 2! The exterior of the cabin is just an outdoor set. They film all of the indoor scenes on a soundstage.
Back to the show, Eleven calls Mike only for him to say he can’t see her because his grandma is sick. Obviously a lie! He’s afraid to see her after Hopper’s threat from the last episode. El is sad about a day without Mike, but Hopper is having a full on celebration that includes singing in the car. Hopper goes to visit Joyce to share his good news and asks her out to dinner. He tells her it’s not a date. Joyce clarifies they will not be riding in the car together, but meeting at the restaurant because it’s not a date. Then one little moment changes everything. Some magnets fall off of a board in her store. If you thought she didn’t have anything to obsess over this season, don’t worry. The moment has arrived.

Nancy and Jonathan on the Case
Gary Busey’s clone son is back to annoy Nancy. She just wants to go see the diseased rats. I don’t think you do Nancy, they blow up. It’s that time of the season. Nancy and Jonathan are off to solve another mystery! They arrive at a woman named Mrs Driscoll’s house. She lives alone because her husband died many years prior. Mrs. Driscoll tells the two about the strange rats then proceeds to open her basement door. This is just like that scene in Zodiac when the strange man makes Jake Gyllenhaal go in the basement. Ok, maybe it’s not like that because they’re just looking at some bags of fertilizer that have been eaten by the diseased rats. So far, Mrs. Driscoll does not show any signs of being the Zodiac killer. Time will tell her story! She tells Nancy that there’s something very wrong with these rats, she suspects rabies. She “forgot” to mention that she caught one of the rats in a cage. Really? Forgot to mention that little tidbit, did you, Mrs. Driscoll? That’s convenient! The rat is going crazy, just like the ones from episode 1. Jonathan takes several pictures of it, making it more upset. As soon as he and Nancy leave, the rat explodes, turning into a pile of sludge that gets out of the cage. So that’s a gross new development.

Dustin and Steve: Dynamic Duo
Dustin and Steve are finally back on screen together! What a great duo. As the two catch up, Dustin tells Steve about the Russian code he heard on his radio tower. The two decide to team up to crack the code! What I love about this duo is the natural charisma and humor they bring to the screen. There’s no way Steve would have talked to Dustin in season 1, but because of their character development throughout the series, this has become a genuinely entertaining friendship.

Mall Rats
El goes to Max for advice on her relationship with Mike. She tells El that Mike is definitely lying. Cut to Mike getting dating advice from Lucas while Will just wants to play D&D. Why won’t anyone just hang out with Will? This kid has had half of his childhood ripped away from him. Play the board game!
Episode 2 is appropriately titled The Mall Rats (after a movie of the same name) and it fits based on the amount of time the gang is hanging at the mall. Max takes El to Starcourt after telling her to ignore Mike for awhile. This is El’s first time at the mall and she’s feeling overwhelmed by “too many people.” Max encourages her to try shopping and figure out what she likes instead of having others tell her what her opinion is on everything. The two embark on a shopping spree for the ages to the tune of Material Girl by Madonna. They go to the Gap! Try on sunglasses! Take vintage portraits at the mall studio. This is what I call a montage.
Guess who else is at the mall? Mike, Lucas, and Will as Mike tries to get the perfect gift for El to say “I’m sorry” for lying. What are the odds they’d be in the same place at once? These kids get into the craziest shenanigans! On the way out of the mall, all of the kids run into each other at the same time. That TV timing! El asks Mike why he said his grandma was sick. He sticks with the lie and she calls him out on it. The bus pulls up at the exact moment he’s caught in his lie. So she just dumps Mike on the spot! Well, we got through one episode with them as a couple. It was nice while it lasted. He clearly didn’t see it coming.

The Lurking Lifeguard
The ladies are back at the pool looking out for their favorite lifeguard! Karen is on Billy watch and spots him from across the pool. She walks into a gate marked “dangerous chemicals” hmm maybe not the place you want to be? When she finds him, he’s drinking ammonia. Is this your man, Karen? This is who you want to risk it all for? As she attempts to explain why she didn’t show up to the Motel 6 (thank you Karen!), Billy is imagining what it would be like to star in High School Musical 3.

As Karen continues talking, he violently knocks her against the wall . It’s a shocking and disturbing moment. It turns out, this was some kind of hallucination and Billy is still standing in the same spot just a moment later with Karen unharmed. He tells Karen to stay away from him and stumbles out to his lifeguard tower, sweating profusely. Billy has another hallucination where his shadow clone tells him it wants him “to build”. Build what? When he snaps out of it, his arm looks grossly infected. He immediately goes to the shower where the female lifeguard comes in to ask if he’s ok. Get away, girl! You’re not safe around him! He drinks ammonia in his free time.

Break the Code
At Scoops Ahoy, Steve and Dustin are attempting to break the Russian code first heard on Dustin’s radio tower. They attempt this task with a Russian-English dictionary and nothing else. I admire the dedication. Steve says the background music in the recording sounds familiar. Robin comes to the break room to tell them that she knows all about their plan to unlock the code. She claims to be able to help them out because she’s fluent in 4 languages. Yet none of them are Russian. I’m not sure how that’s gonna help anything.
At the end of the work day, the 3 have decoded a full sentence from the recording “The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west.” Steve is skeptical that this is legit while Robin and Dustin are sure the translation is right. Just as they are about to leave for the night, Steve stops at one of the indoor mall rides called The Indiana Flyer and turns it on. As the song on the ride plays, he recognizes it from the decoded recording. He’s positive it’s the same song playing in the background of the Russian code. That means the code isn’t coming from Russia, but right there in Hawkins. Listen, I love and support Steve. Good for him for putting this all together, but this is one wild stretch. This is a majorly popular piece of music. The odds that a highly secretive Russian recording would trace back to this tiny mall carnival ride in Hawkins, Indiana…

Hopper and Joyce’s Magnetism
Hopper meets with Mayor Kline (Cary Elwes) as several town members protest right outside his office about the Starcourt Mall taking away all of the small town business. The mayor talks about how perfect the mall is and it isn’t hurting anyone! He wants Hopper to arrest the town protestors because they don’t have a permit to protest. Also, he’s trying to throw a 4th of July party in just 4 days and he simply can’t plan it with protestors bothering him. With the promise of a 4th of July party, Hopper shuts down the protests. Okay, he’s hesitant about it, considering he cares about the townspeople, but he does get a delivery straight to the sight of the protest. It’s a Hawaiian shirt?! This is not like him at all, but I love the style choice! He puts it on right away to get to his (not a date) date with Joyce.

Joyce, on the other hand goes to meet with Will’s old science teacher, Mr. Clarke, to ask him about the magnets that keep falling all around town. If there’s a problem, she’s gonna find out what it is. Better make it fast, Joyce because Hopper is waiting for you at dinner! Can I just say probably my least favorite trope in movies and tv shows is people skipping out on dinner plans? Just call! Tell them you can’t make it. Mr. Clarke and Joyce make an electromagnetic field and come up with a theory that there’s some kind of massive machine under the town affecting all of the magnets.
Of course, Joyce missed the dinner. Hopper is upset and leaves the restaurant with a bottle of booze and the crushing blow of defeat in his heart.

Final Moments
Time for the final scene! What will happen this time? Billy is driving back to the same auto garage as episode 1. He opens the trunk of his car and he’s kidnapped the other life guard. Billy, stop being like this, get your head in the game. Don’t take her to the den of rabid rats. He tells her not to be afraid and it’ll all be over soon. Well, she’s got every reason to be afraid. I’m afraid for her. Some kind of monster comes out of the shadows as she screams. End of episode 2.

Lingering Questions: What is the goal of the Russians? How did Robin crack that code without knowing the language?
Episode MVP: Steve
Best Scene: Material Girl Mall montage 
Is Steve Alive After Episode 2: He’s alive and thriving!