S04.E03: Chapter Three: The Monster and the Superhero

[paulvdb]

Quote

Murray and Joyce fly to Alaska, and El faces serious consequences. Robin and Nancy dig up dirt on Hawkins' demons. Dr. Owens delivers sobering news.

[bettername2come]

"No, no, never again. Please, anybody but you, no." I absolutely loved Steve's reaction to the possibility of Max driving the car. 

Did Lucas and the basketball team spend 36 hours at the abandoned Benny's? Like, he definitely woke up there on day 2 of Mike's trip, and they got there the night of the basketball game and were there hung over the day before. It seems super weird, didn't they go home? 

"Jail? You're gonna put her in jail?" "A detention hall for juveniles." "That's jail!" Well, when Mike's right, he's right. 

"I'm missing collarbones not eyes." Hee. "I'll punch you so hard your teeth will fall back out." "Whoa. Too far." "Not cool. Sorry." I love their weird little friendship so much. 

So in all the speculation about El in the back of a van I don't think anyone called her being arrested on legitimate charges as the reason. I loved the speech Dr. Owens gave her. I like how he's always been the good government guy they can trust. Fate of the world at stake and he's still gonna trust El to make that decision and respect her free will. Yes.

I cannot wait for Lucas to rejoin his friends. 

[Harvey]

I don't like this storyline with the self-righteous needlessly aggressive jocks. I wish that wasn't included and the show spends so much time on them. Unnecessary.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, Harvey said:

I don't like this storyline with the self-righteous needlessly aggressive jocks. I wish that wasn't included and the show spends so much time on them. Unnecessary.

I agree, they suck.

“Always the godamn babysitter!” LOL.

Edited May 28, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[peridot]

I agree about the jocks too.  At first, I couldn't believe that Lucas would be so weak to use the information from Dustin to join those psychos.  I'm glad he got the hell out of there.

It's pretty interesting that the demon appeared before Eleven opened the gate.  I guess Hawkins has always had a weak spot between worlds?

I don't get why Joyce keeps leaving the kids on their own, when she knows shit goes down when she's away from them for an extended period. 

The gore is really ramped up this season, I had to look away from Jim moving the chain off his mangled foot.

[tennisgurl]

I freaking loved Steve's reaction to the prospect of Max driving his car again. Anyone but her! Always the goddamn babysitter is right. I liked Robin and Nancy getting to investigate together, even is there was a bit of a weird awkward energy between them. Possibly because Nancy thinks that she and Steve are dating, or just because the whole "we're part of the Hawkins monster hunters club and also your my ex boyfriends best friend" is kind of a weird dynamic. Or just because Nancy was frustrated that her idea might not be very good and her anxiety made Robin anxious, but hopefully now the ice has been broken. I also hope that Steve isn't still hung up on Nancy, even a little bit, I want him to find someone who will really appreciate him, and Nancy is still clearly in love with Jonathan, even if they're in a rough patch.

I should have known Dr. Owens would show up when El got arrested, no way is he not keeping an eye on her. It was nice to see him again, he really is a decent person, giving El a real choice in what she wants to do even if her deciding to stay home could lead to mass destruction and giving her a much needed pick me up speech. Of course El will try to get her powers back to help save the day, but its nice to have options. 

The monsters have been active and killing people since the 50s? I guess Hawkins really has always been cursed, even before the laboratory broke a hole into the upside down. Do we think its time to evacuate Hawkins, tear it down, carpet bomb it, salt the earth where it stood, and then just call it a day? 

Looks like the monster has its eyes set on Max next, I was worried about her ever since we heard a clock ticking when she went into the counselors house. Of course, if the monster feeds on trauma, he certainly has a lot of options in Hawkins.  

Edited May 28, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Spartan Girl]

Need to add that Jonathan and Argyle being stoned at the dinner table was comedy gold. And of course Murray could tell right away. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Maybe Joyce should have told them the truth, but then again, El had been through so much that it was wise not to get her hopes up about Hopper, just in case it turned out to be wrong. 

I’m starting to wonder if social media is right and Will does have deeper feelings for Mike. 

[Redrum]

8 hours ago, peridot said:

At first, I couldn't believe that Lucas would be so weak to use the information from Dustin to join those psychos.  I'm glad he got the hell out of there.

I agree up in a small town in the 1980s.... the lines between the jocks and the freaks so to speak were not this firmly drawn. I will say something called The Hellfire Club wouldn't have been in the high school year book as a sanctioned school club.

I did like the references to the Satanic Panic.

I call bullshit at Benny's being overtaken by the high school basketball team complete with running electricity. 

[Taryn74]

Hubby and I got through ep 3 last night.

Things are still feeling a little disjointed with many of our main characters split up, but it's starting to come together more now. I wasn't feeling the first episode much at all, which was really disappointing, but it's getting better. I'll be glad when Lucas is back with the Hawkins crew, though. I understand him wanting to fit in with his basketball buddies (even though they're pretty stereotypical jerky jocks) but I don't want him losing his friendship with the others. He needs to be able to be himself, and he can't with the jocks.

Please, show, give Will something other to do than stand around looking mopey. Although you kept the effing bowl cut so I'm not hopeful.

El, sweetheart, do something else with your wardrobe. I don't even know what that is you've been wearing. Was that really California fashion in the mid 80's? I grew up in a town way smaller than Hawkins so maybe we were just that far behind.

[moonb]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Need to add that Jonathan and Argyle being stoned at the dinner table was comedy gold. And of course Murray could tell right away. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Joyce, you are supposed to be a bit scattered and anxious, not completely oblivious to what's going on with Jonathan (and apparently,  lacking a sense of smell too, lol).  Then again,  she has tended to treat Jonathan as another adult instead of her teenage son, so maybe not.  

[Blue Plastic]

Jonathan looks like a hard 50 if he's a day.

I'm not sure how things were in California in the 1980s, as I lived in a smaller town in Texas.  Was it usual for teens and young adults to go around high on MJ in front of their parents or other adults?  They are sort of making it seem like Argyle is driving while stoned, too.  I don't know.  I was just a nerd in the 1980s and never used drugs, but they are making MJ use seem a lot more normalized, kind of more like it is now, in a way that I don't think it was back then.  At least in my experience in the 80s.

[TiredMe]

4 minutes ago, Blue Plastic said:

I'm not sure how things were in California in the 1980s, as I lived in a smaller town in Texas.  Was it usual for teens and young adults to go around high on MJ in front of their parents or other adults?  They are sort of making it seem like Argyle is driving while stoned, too.  I don't know.  I was just a nerd in the 1980s and never used drugs, but they are making MJ use seem a lot more normalized, kind of more like it is now, in a way that I don't think it was back then.  At least in my experience in the 80s.

I graduated high school in 86 and my senior year I remember it ramped up, being everywhere. 

[Taryn74]

1 hour ago, Blue Plastic said:

Jonathan looks like a hard 50 if he's a day.

For real tho.

1 hour ago, Blue Plastic said:

I'm not sure how things were in California in the 1980s, as I lived in a smaller town in Texas.  Was it usual for teens and young adults to go around high on MJ in front of their parents or other adults?  They are sort of making it seem like Argyle is driving while stoned, too.  I don't know.  I was just a nerd in the 1980s and never used drugs, but they are making MJ use seem a lot more normalized, kind of more like it is now, in a way that I don't think it was back then.  At least in my experience in the 80s.

I grew up in an extremely small Arkansas town (population around 325) and one of my classmates was stoned ALL. THE. TIME. In fact, you could tell the (very few) days he wasn't stoned when he came to school because he was nasty mean. Being stoned mellowed him out. He would still pick on you but it was more reasonable picking and not just OTT mean.

[BlackberryJam]

3 hours ago, Blue Plastic said:

Jonathan looks like a hard 50 if he's a day.

I'm not sure how things were in California in the 1980s, as I lived in a smaller town in Texas.  Was it usual for teens and young adults to go around high on MJ in front of their parents or other adults?  They are sort of making it seem like Argyle is driving while stoned, too.  I don't know.  I was just a nerd in the 1980s and never used drugs, but they are making MJ use seem a lot more normalized, kind of more like it is now, in a way that I don't think it was back then.  At least in my experience in the 80s.

There was the fear of drugs brought on by Just Say No and rumors about everything being laced with PCP and I grew up in a small Midwest town. Some kids used, but damn if there weren’t a ton of us terrified by the stories of kids becoming brain dead in comas from drug laced temporary tattoos. 

Jonathon is a waste of screen time. I now like Argyle more.

[SeanC]

I like the detail that since only Steve knows that Robin is gay, everybody else seems to assume they're dating and/or should date.

[Lady Calypso]

I'm glad that El is getting help from Owens, as she definitely needs it. Part of me hoped that she would regain her powers on her own, but I'm gonna guess this is going to help her get there. And nice that Owens truly gave El a choice. She needs more allies like him on her side.

The jocks are just annoying and a waste of time. They're gonna get in the way and most of them are really just sacrifices for the show down the line. 

I had a feeling Max was going to be cursed by Vecna too. I got the feeling last episode, with the headaches and I figured that was too noticeable of a detail to be just a headache. Hopefully, she can get out of it.

Robin/Nancy teaming up is nice. Nancy IS being harsh toward Robin, but is it really about jealousy? I know Nancy/Jonathan are having problems, but still.

Speaking of, nice comedic moment of Jonathan/Argyle being stoned at the dinner table and Murray noticing. Also, Joyce lying to her kids has to come back to bite her. Joyce, you know your kids have been through hell and back. They can handle the truth. I get not wanting to tell El until you knew for sure, but at least tell Jonathan!

Steve The Babysitter is back! Hooray! But poor guy just wants to hang out with the older teens.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I presume we are building up to one or more of the jocks being Vecna fodder. We have seen one of them have a nosebleed and daydream about being called out about his drinking. I don't like having to see Lucas go through peer pressure, but it is a flipside to what Elle has experienced. 

I'm rooting for Lucas to get back together with Max. Maybe he will rescue her from Vecna?

[backhometome]

I love Steve the babysitter! 🤣 Poor guy.

I hope Mike and Will get to do something worthwhile soon. It sucks to see them in California when the others are already deep in shit. 

I really hope they dont go down the Steve/Nancy route again. Ugh. 

[thuganomics85]

Not surprised that Eleven would end up getting arrested, since Angela is not only someone who would press charges but knowing her (and her buddies), they probably made it looks like they were innocent victims and El was just a crazy person.  Thankfully Dr. Owens has finally returned and he might have a way to give her back her powers.  Too bad she has to go straight away which means the rest don't know about it or where she has gone.  Really sucks for Mike since they didn't leave on the best of terms.

Joyce and Murray are in Alaska now, and it looks like Hopper is already starting his escape plan.  Which involved having a fellow prisoner break his foot so that he can slip off his chain.  Yikes!

Stoned Jonathan and Argyle at the dinner table was hilarious.

Steve the Babysitter is back and already having hilarious exchanges with Dustin again.  Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo really got a great rapport to say the least.  Nancy and Robin were pretty fun together too.  It does seem like they might be possibly setting something happening with Nancy and Steve again, which I'm not sure about.  It just didn't work out the first time, and I don't see it working out a second time either.  I guess we'll see.  I do like that everyone else assumes something is going down with Steve and Robin, because no one else knows that she's a lesbian.

Lucas needs to keep on running from Jason and those crazy jocks.  Whatever legit feelings Jason might have had for Chrissy, he's now just using her death as an excuse to go medieval on those he thinks are "weird."  Don't see that group making it through this in one piece.

Looks like Max is the next potential victim for the monster, which is quite troubling.  But Lucas' nose was bleeding as well, so I guess he's another potential target as well?  Uh oh!

[Spartan Girl]

50 minutes ago, SeanC said:

I like the detail that since only Steve knows that Robin is gay, everybody else seems to assume they're dating and/or should date.

I’m really glad Steve hasn’t told them the real reason why. It’s not his secret to tell, and it’s nobody’s business.

[redpencil]

2 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Looks like Max is the next potential victim for the monster, which is quite troubling.  But Lucas' nose was bleeding as well, so I guess he's another potential target as well?  Uh oh!

Pretty sure that was one of Lucas's teammates, not him.

[DoctorAtomic]

There's no way police question a minor with no guardian even in 1986. I can't imagine there's no public defender there on that. Come on. 
One thing I like about the show is the casual trash talk. It is so refreshing. People get so bent out of shape nowadays.

I do like they got the kids investigating right off the bat now. Given what's happened, there's no need to waste time. I mean, the kids are like war veterans at this point. It's unspoken. Time to get back to work. 

The basketball jock wanting revenge on his dead gf is plausible, but it seems like he had issues with Eddie prior to all of these events. 

If that monster thinks it's getting Max, it best tread lightly. 

On 5/27/2022 at 3:54 PM, Harvey said:

I don't like this storyline with the self-righteous needlessly aggressive jocks.

There wasn't a word for it in 1986, but now it's called 'manpain'.

[tennisgurl]

I know a lot of terrible stuff is happening here, but do you know the real crime? Will’s bowl cut, it hurts my eyes. Joyce, I know your busy, but take that poor child to a hair appointment as soon as possible. 

[DearEvette]

The Hopper stuff is a needle scratch.  I am really not interested in it.

But Joyce and Maury stay fun.  I liked Maury loudly wondering who Argyll was.  Also their cover story needed work.

56 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

There's no way police question a minor with no guardian even in 1986. I can't imagine there's no public defender there on that. Come on.

They can and they do.  The Central Park 5 for instance.  But what doesn't ring true here is that it is rare they would not only do it but also be so hard core when it is a 14-ish y.o white girl.  I also wish we would have gotten a good reaction shot of po-po realizing they have no idea what tiger they got by the tail once the G-men rolled up to take El. 

I really wish for once when you have belligerent pretty boy athletes/frat dudes etc. who roll up on a group of less popular/freak/stoner types that is is actually the belligerent popular dudes are the ones to get their asses beat.  It would be nice for once for them to seriously underestimate people. That would be  nice subversion of a typical trope.

My Husband (wiseguy who doesn't watch this show happened to watch the tail end of this episode) when hearing Vecna call Max's name: 'Hey that sounds like Reverse Flash, is he on this show too?"  Sigh.

8 hours ago, Blue Plastic said:

Jonathan looks like a hard 50 if he's a day.

Again, my husband: 'Hey I didn't know Daryl from the Waking Dead was on this show."  Double sigh.

[DoctorAtomic]

3 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

But what doesn't ring true here is that it is rare they would not only do it but also be so hard core when it is a 14-ish y.o white girl. 

I suppose who Angela's daddy is; the franchise has been about class, so I would concede the point there, but it's still a bit much. To be fair, when the cops arrived, they did ask where Joyce was. Questioning El alone though was a bit much with no one there.

[Arynm]

Just now, SnapHappy said:

I simply don't buy that they could ARREST, handcuff, fingerprint and then transport a FEMALE minor to a detention facility without a single official adult taking part in safeguarding her rights.  ESPECIALLY not in California in the 80's.

AND they turned the lights and siren on to transport her! I was fuming, there was no way that would happen. Nevermind the perpwalk in front of all the neighbors. I mean, come on!

[Redrum]

4 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

My brain was saying "Bullshi!, Bullshi!, Bullshi! the whole time they were taking El. 

I simply don't buy that they could ARREST, handcuff, fingerprint and then transport a FEMALE minor to a detention facility without a single official adult taking part in safeguarding her rights.  ESPECIALLY not in California in the 80's.  

I'm going to be honest, I just assumed they skipped the arraignment a court appointed guardian ad litem talking to her because we've all seen Law and Order and El being charged isn't really that relevant to the plot. 

[festivus]

I need Hopper out of Russia like now. I could not watch any of the foot scenes, I had my shirt over my eyes. Nancy was getting on my nerves. Robin is awesome and adorable. I really hope they aren't going the Steve/Nancy route again. Poor Jonathan does look rough. He looks older than Winona and he's supposed to be her son. The stoned scene was funny though.

[Sarah 103]

17 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’m starting to wonder if social media is right and Will does have deeper feelings for Mike. 

Maybe. If Will was interested in girls, I think he would have shown some sign of it. In the first episode of the season, he didn't seem pleased a girl was flirting with him. I thought it just meant he wasn't interested in her specifically, but it's possible he's not interested in girls at all. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

9 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

There's no way police question a minor with no guardian even in 1986. I can't imagine there's no public defender there on that. Come on. 

I am guessing it was not uncommon for police to question a minor without a guardian in 1986, and it should be pointed out that they were told that her guardian wasn't around. Presumably, they at some point learned Joyce was out of the country and incommunicado. I don't see cops waiting till she showed up to question El.

Of course, the question presents itself: Why bother questioning her at all? There were literally dozens of eyewitnesses to the battery. Also, how was it that El wasn't arrested straight at the roller rink?

Surely at least some of the crowd from the roller rink would have called the cops when it happened? Especially since they were so down for El being bullied, one  would think at least some of the people who were on Team Angela wouldn't just let El walk away. Or the management of the roller rink. 

[mledawn]

3 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Surely at least some of the crowd from the roller rink would have called the cops when it happened? Especially since they were so down for El being bullied, one  would think at least some of the people who were on Team Angela wouldn't just let El walk away. Or the management of the roller rink. 

Yeah this whole part of the plot was super weird and I think done in such a way that the viewer thinks it's got something to do with the military/law enforcement working together to nab El.

[Taryn74]

3 hours ago, mledawn said:

Yeah this whole part of the plot was super weird and I think done in such a way that the viewer thinks it's got something to do with the military/law enforcement working together to nab El.

That's the way I took it. El being "arrested" was a cover for the military guys coming to get her.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I really love Paul Reiser in this role, especially because he is giving El a choice, knowing how much she has been used in the past. I know it's old news but it's such a great use of an actor, subverting expectations from a previous role. (I just hope they don't subvert the subversion and make him a bad guy).

The jock story line doesn't interest me. I get that their alluding to a lot of the moral panic in the 80s connected to D&D, but none of those characters are particularly interesting. I also suspect they are referencing Heathers but still... there is a better way to do that.

[Armchair Critic]

I like Winona but why does she look surprised all the time? I grew up watching her films and her eyes didn't always pop out like that.

[silverstream]

10 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

I like Winona but why does she look surprised all the time? I grew up watching her films and her eyes didn't always pop out like that.

I'm far from an expert, but I'd say different eye makeup trends - a quick Google seemed to indicate that WR's early 90s makeup involved way less black eyeliner.

[BellyLaughter]

3 episodes in and I could live without the ragey, jock avenging boyfriend SL…. Other than that - loving it!

[CeeBeeGee]

On 5/28/2022 at 11:19 AM, Blue Plastic said:

I'm not sure how things were in California in the 1980s, as I lived in a smaller town in Texas.  Was it usual for teens and young adults to go around high on MJ in front of their parents or other adults?  They are sort of making it seem like Argyle is driving while stoned, too.  I don't know.  I was just a nerd in the 1980s and never used drugs, but they are making MJ use seem a lot more normalized, kind of more like it is now, in a way that I don't think it was back then.  At least in my experience in the 80s.

Definitely not my experience at all. The few times I lit up with friends we absolutely hid it from our parents, in highly remote locations.

On 5/28/2022 at 4:06 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I'm glad that El is getting help from Owens, as she definitely needs it. Part of me hoped that she would regain her powers on her own, but I'm gonna guess this is going to help her get there. And nice that Owens truly gave El a choice. She needs more allies like him on her side.

I was suspicious of Owens at first but it looks as though he is truly trying to help El.

On 5/28/2022 at 4:20 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Lucas needs to keep on running from Jason and those crazy jocks.  Whatever legit feelings Jason might have had for Chrissy, he's now just using her death as an excuse to go medieval on those he thinks are "weird."  Don't see that group making it through this in one piece.

I'm genuinely scared about that. They're going to kill someone, in the name of "justice."

[meligator]

Mr Meligator is having ankle surgery in a week. He about passed out watching Jim. Ugh that was awful.  
I can’t wait for everyone to reunite

Edited May 31, 2022 by meligator

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/28/2022 at 11:24 AM, TiredMe said:

I graduated high school in 86 and my senior year I remember it ramped up, being everywhere. 

Argyle seems very much a Jeff Spicolli type character. And Spicolli was high in pretty much every scene in Fast Times.

On 5/28/2022 at 3:59 PM, SeanC said:

I like the detail that since only Steve knows that Robin is gay, everybody else seems to assume they're dating and/or should date.

I also thought it was interesting that she didn't tell Nancy as a way to defend herself. Because she doesn't know Nancy at all and if you want to keep your private life private, probably don't talk about it to the editor of the newspaper.

On 5/28/2022 at 4:06 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Robin/Nancy teaming up is nice. Nancy IS being harsh toward Robin, but is it really about jealousy? I know Nancy/Jonathan are having problems, but still.

Is it jealousy, or does Nancy just have a super low opinion of other girls that Steve goes out with?

One thing I am not liking so far was how fast Joyce took off to Alaska. I was really hoping for some Joyce/El parenting scenes. Those types of scenes were always some of my favourites in previous seasons.

I also thought it was interesting that when Nancy and Robin went to the library you saw the General Store that Joyce used to work at in season 1 and it was closed down. Can't remember if it was closed last season, but I would have thought that with the mall being destroyed other businesses might be doing better.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Kel Varnsen

[questionfear]

On 5/29/2022 at 6:54 PM, Armchair Critic said:

I like Winona but why does she look surprised all the time? I grew up watching her films and her eyes didn't always pop out like that.

I feel like she plays it as though Joyce is always a little surprised by how fucked up her life is. Like, she knows intellectually how insane it is, but up until Will's disappearance/mind flayer possession she was just a quiet suburban mom, and now suddenly she's dealt with monsters, dead boyfriends, and now it's the KGB. 

And every time it's something new she's just like "I shouldn't be shocked anymore but what the fuck even is my life". 

[eleanorofaquitaine]

14 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I also thought it was interesting that when Nancy and Robin went to the library you saw the General Store that Joyce used to work at in season 1 and it was closed down. Can't remember if it was closed last season, but I would have thought that with the mall being destroyed other businesses might be doing better.

It was going out if business last season, which is definitely correct for the era. Lots of downtowns across the country were hurt by the building of malls (though malls weren't the only reason).

You do bring up a good point re the Starcourt Mall's destruction but realistically, there were probably other stores like Walmart, etc. in the area that were still hurting main street stores. 

[ch1]

22 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I was suspicious of Owens at first but it looks as though he is truly trying to help El.

I don’t think Owens is really trying to help El.  He’s trying to help her become a weapon again because without her powers they are screwed.

I also don’t think he gave her much of a choice. He told her without her those is Hawkins have no chance.  It’s either try to get your powers back or you’re sentencing your friends to death.

[CarpeFelis]

On 5/28/2022 at 1:20 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Not surprised that Eleven would end up getting arrested, since Angela is not only someone who would press charges but knowing her (and her buddies), they probably made it looks like they were innocent victims and El was just a crazy person.

I was surprised she didn’t get arrested while they were still at the roller rink.

[neptunewaves]

Oh, there were consequences for El. For about five minutes, anyway.

I was rolling my eyes so hard when the Mad About You guy revealed he had a way of restoring her powers. Angela's relentless bullying triggering them at some point, and then a slow recover would have felt much organic. would have felt so much organic. But I guess they needed El gone for a while.

This season would flow so much nicer without the jocks and Hopper's subplot. They bring the whole story to a halt every single time, and we already know the outcome of at least one of them so why don't have Hopper's rescue happened off-screen and save us all the problem?

Will was so pissed when Mike finally decided to abandon that funeral of a breakfast to go check on El. I know he desesperately wants to work things out with Mike, but he's dead wrong if he thinks getting El out of the picture it's going to do the trick. Honestly, I very much doubt Mike has any interest in putting in the work, he has totally moved on.

When did Mike become this emotionally constipated? It would be hilarious if it wasn't doing a number on both El and Will.

This show penchant for telling instead of showing is going to give me a bloody ulcer. You don't need to have half the cast making snide comments to Steve and Nancy to imply they might still harbor some feelings for each other (just as you don't need Shipper On Deck Murray to bully her and Jonathan into embracing theirs, but I disgress), I pinky promise! Steve's frustation with not being able to be there for her in the way he used to, some lingering looks, maybe Nancy actually showing a little jealousy? (I don't think she was, she and Robin just have clashing personalities. I also can totally see Nance ditching Jonathan, but not for Steve. Not yet, anyway. Steve... He obviously has lingering feelings for her, and I believe his determination to get a himself a serious relationship is related to that.). Oh well, at least we got some golden Dustin-Steve, Nancy-Robin interactions out of it.

We alll saw the previews, I've been drearing this season since Chrissy levitated.

[methodwriter85]

On 5/31/2022 at 12:05 PM, eleanorofaquitaine said:

It was going out if business last season, which is definitely correct for the era. Lots of downtowns across the country were hurt by the building of malls (though malls weren't the only reason).

You do bring up a good point re the Starcourt Mall's destruction but realistically, there were probably other stores like Walmart, etc. in the area that were still hurting main street stores. 

I figured people just started going to a different mall that was in the same county. One of the reasons why malls are failing now is that they were overbuilt. You would have a small city of like maybe 30k people and there were like two or three malls built.

*raises head* I'm a dead mall enthusiast. One area that got a SHOCKING amount of enclosed malls built was Pittsburgh. LOL

Edited June 2, 2022 by methodwriter85

[Anela]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:32 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I agree, they suck.

“Always the godamn babysitter!” LOL.

That was my favourite part.  I was waiting for him to complain about it again.  
why would the Russians have a prison in Alaska? 

[CeeBeeGee]

14 minutes ago, Anela said:

That was my favourite part.  I was waiting for him to complain about it again.  
why would the Russians have a prison in Alaska? 

I don't think they do--but parts of Alaska are very close to the beginning of the Russian mainland. A puddle jumper like that would just have to do a quick jaunt over the Bering Strait and they'd be on Soviet territory. (Although the stupidity of kidnapping two American citizens...why would the KGB bother?)

[Anela]

25 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I don't think they do--but parts of Alaska are very close to the beginning of the Russian mainland. A puddle jumper like that would just have to do a quick jaunt over the Bering Strait and they'd be on Soviet territory. (Although the stupidity of kidnapping two American citizens...why would the KGB bother?)

Thank you.  I’d totally forgotten about that.  

[EarlGreyTea]

Not sure why Eleven suddenly thinks Mike doesn't love her. Aside from just signings his letters "from," is there any indication that his feelings have waned? Or is this a natural consequence of her insecurities getting the best of her, plus distance?

Did I miss some subtle scene that indicates why she might feel that way?

[Redrum]

22 minutes ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Not sure why Eleven suddenly thinks Mike doesn't love her. Aside from just signings his letters "from," is there any indication that his feelings have waned? Or is this a natural consequence of her insecurities getting the best of her, plus distance?

Did I miss some subtle scene that indicates why she might feel that way?

You didn't miss anything. I'd chalk it up to her insecurities and her all around lack of socialization. Eleven really is not equipped to handle being out in the world. Mike was a bit of a clueless douchebag but he wasn't being bad or unloving.