S01.E03: Holly, Jolly

[Athena]

Description TBA

[SeanC]

Winona Ryder is acting the hell out of this part, but the character really doesn't have much range.  I guess it make sense for her circumstances, but it gets a bit dull after a while.

The flashbacks with Elle and her "dad" are effectively creepy.

Edited July 16, 2016 by SeanC

[Valny]

13 hours ago, SeanC said:

Winona Ryder is acting the hell out of this part, but the character really doesn't have much range.  I guess it make sense for her circumstances, but it gets a bit dull after a while.

The flashbacks with Elle and her "dad" are effectively creepy.

Yeah, it is repetitive and I get that, it's what they wrote for the character...but wow,...watching her after four eps is exhausting. But when I first heard she was going to be in this show, I thought, ok sign me up, I'm in.  I still enjoy her acting overall.

The kid that plays Eleven looks so familiar, so I looked her up thinking I'd seen her in something else, but I didn't. I found she was in The Intruders, the BBCA series but I only watched one ep and I didn't remember.  But I did find out that what I always seem to find out when researching actors that I don't know much about and that she's BRITISH!  Damn,they're all over American tv! And they fool me all the time with there great accents, even though she doesn't say much I would never have guessed she was.  She's a good little actress,especially in those scenes at that Hawkins place. That Papa! Papa! scene was really impressive.

But I actually thought she might be the sister of an actor, Remember the brother in Adventures in Babysitting? I know the years are too far between,but they look like brother and sister. Here's a pic of him. Come on, she looks like him right?!!

[Anela]

This is reminding me of so many movies, like ET, Poltergeist, the book "Watchers", etc. 

[tennisgurl]

Damn, Winona is just running some sort of acting marathon. She is just go hard or go home. I admire her energy, but I would like to see her have some more quiet or subtle scenes. 

Still like this pretty well. I really like the music they are using. 

[Primetimer]

These two hopeless weirdos are about a billion times more entertaining than Nancy and Steve. Plus, while El's the one with magic powers, she's still 100% less creepy than Steve is.

View the full article

[DrLar]

I guess that's like a year's worth of salary advance, all those lights, a cordless phone, etc.. electric bill thru the roof.

[kermitmissesjim]

Holly is Karen Casserole-bringer's child, and the youngest sibling of Mike and Nancy. She's not Joyce's child, nor Will's sister.

[spaceghostess]

Holly is Karen Casserole-bringer's child, and the youngest sibling of Mike and Nancy. She's not Joyce's child, nor Will's sister.

Thanks for pointing that out so I didn't have to. I was getting Poltergeist vibes when she wandered into bulgy-wall room. Actually, this whole show gives me Poltergeist vibes--which isn't at all a bad thing.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 7/17/2016 at 8:17 AM, Anela said:

This is reminding me of so many movies, like ET, Poltergeist, the book "Watchers", etc. 

Little Holly looked like the little girl in "Poltergeist", didn't she?

The music in this series is perfect...it's like I've been transported back to the 80s!

[KaleyFirefly]

On 7/17/2016 at 0:32 AM, Valny said:

Yeah, it is repetitive and I get that, it's what they wrote for the character...but wow,...watching her after four eps is exhausting. But when I first heard she was going to be in this show, I thought, ok sign me up, I'm in.  I still enjoy her acting overall.

The kid that plays Eleven looks so familiar, so I looked her up thinking I'd seen her in something else, but I didn't. I found she was in The Intruders, the BBCA series but I only watched one ep and I didn't remember.  But I did find out that what I always seem to find out when researching actors that I don't know much about and that she's BRITISH!  Damn,they're all over American tv! And they fool me all the time with there great accents, even though she doesn't say much I would never have guessed she was.  She's a good little actress,especially in those scenes at that Hawkins place. That Papa! Papa! scene was really impressive.

But I actually thought she might be the sister of an actor, Remember the brother in Adventures in Babysitting? I know the years are too far between,but they look like brother and sister. Here's a pic of him. Come on, she looks like him right?!!

So that's where I've seen her before, I thought she looked so familiar! She is playing a character very different than the one on "The Intruders." That was an interesting one-season show. I guess I also didn't recognize because of the hair.

Anyway, so far I'm enjoying this show, though I agree that Winona Ryder could turn it down a few notches with the overacting.

[spaceytraci1208]

On 7/17/2016 at 8:17 AM, Anela said:

This is reminding me of so many movies, like ET, Poltergeist, the book "Watchers", etc. 

And Firestarter! With the evil pseudo-government folks, and the way Eleven's nose bleeds when she uses her power 

[CofCinci]

That is the best acting with a ball of Christmas lights while hunched into a cabinet that I've ever seen. 

But seriously, she's acting the hell out of that part. Hope she gets recognized. 

[AuntiePam]

The alphabet on the wall/electric Ouija board was a brilliant idea.  I couldn't figure out what she was doing when she started writing the letters. 

I agree about Winona's acting.  She's frantic in most of her scenes, but the quiet flashbacks show her range nicely.  I think this is the only movie I've seen her in, except for Beetlejuice and Heathers. 

Her look in this reminds me of Meryl Streep as Karen Silkwood -- it's probably the hairdo. 

[Misstify]

Quote

Jonathan eventually understands his Mom a bit more after taking his creeper party photos to the dark room. While Barb's disappearance isn't fully explained, he does see a monster lurking in the background, fitting the description of the monster that Joyce witnesses coming out of the wall. 

Wait, he did??  I was waiting all episode for someone to spot a monster in the background of the photos, but I never saw it.  Maybe it's my TV.

[AuntiePam]

Misstify, it's not just your TV.  The monster was hard to spot.  It was mostly an outline of "something".

A brother-in-law has a photo of a dark shape in his basement -- it looks more defined than the one in Jonathan's photo. 

[stillshimpy]

Quote

That is the best acting with a ball of Christmas lights while hunched into a cabinet that I've ever seen. 

But seriously, she's acting the hell out of that part. Hope she gets recognized.

 

Edited July 30, 2016 by stillshimpy

[stillshimpy]

Oy, sorry.  I battle it the hell out with those quote boxes and never win.  Sorry for the double post, but I could not get my cursor outside of that quote box for love nor money.  Or swearing, lots of swearing.  I suspect it's my own fault because I type codes rather than click on the boxes and there's no way to reveal codes any longer, as far as I know, so I'm mucking up the works.  Anyway:  

That was officially the scene where I turned the corner from "This is starting to feel kind of one note" into "This? Is MADE of awesome."   

It had to be an utterly exhausting shoot though.  

Edited July 30, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Capricasix]

Another dialogue note - in the scene with the boys behind the shed at school, looking for the perfect stones to sling at the monster, one of them used the phrase "back in the day". I was 13 years old in 1983, and I certainly didn't use that phrase! Also, when Steve and his crew confronted Jonathan about the pictures, he (Steve) referred to it as stalking. I don't recall "stalking" being used in that manner at the time.

At any rate, this is a good series, creepy without being overtly so. It does remind me of Poltergeist, and even Signs (which is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen!).

[Capricasix]

11 hours ago, doram said:

Well, in the 80s Sweet Valley High books I read, "stalking" was very much a recurring trope in those books. There was always some rando coming into town and falling in love with one of the beautiful, golden Wakefield twins and stalking them appropriately. 

Ah, Elizabeth and Jessica! Sure, I remember the creepy randos, but were they called "stalkers", or something else? I'm just wondering when that use of "stalking" became common. Because I tried to block the 80s from memory as soon as they were over :D

Edited August 2, 2016 by Capricasix

[mahree]

13 hours ago, doram said:

The whole series has vibes of Stephen King. Even the title card font is eerily like many of his book titles. 

It's the same font.

 

https://blog.nelsoncash.com/the-typography-of-stranger-things-e35771f40d31#.8dngk8taq

[nodorothyparker]

Yes, Nancy.  Yes, you were a bad friend and now the monster has Barb.  Luckily or unluckily for you, Steve is proving to be a monster too.  Voyeur Jonathan is certainly creepy but you're not helping any.

Ryder has been kind of exhausting in this role but cranking the crazy up to 11 here really blew the doors off.  That was some terrific virtuoso work with the Christmas lights, although the rational part of my brain is still wanting to yell at the screen "have you had an electrician out to the house to check the wiring?"  

Microfiche!

The young actress playing Eleven continues to impress and the kid playing Mike is doing some nice work as well in his scenes with her.

[Jade Foxx]

Quote

Microfiche

Microfiche - I swear it seems like FORTY YEARS AGO!! (Or is it?)

I'm here for the 80's nostalgia. It was the best of times...it was the worst of times....?

[Capricasix]

Mostly worst ?

[nodorothyparker]

Eh, I'll admit the '80s nostalgia was my initial draw.  As a kid at the time, I found some of these movies a little too scary and was only able to appreciate them for what they were later.  If the show wasn't so completely nailing the relative innocence and freedom of being a kid then and just the time period in general I'm not sure I would have so enthusiastically embraced this.

[Danny Franks]

Well that was unexpected. Will's dead body in the reservoir? I assume there's going to be some sort of sleight of hand going on, because his mother was just 'talking' to him, in an extremely creepy scene. Either he's been taken out of his body somehow, or him communicating with his mother got him killed.

Nancy really seems too together to keep falling for douchebag Steve's lines, but I guess people do stupid things when they're young and their sexy parts are in control. But yes, she did leave Barb on her own, and now Barb is gone.

It was inevitable that Jonathan's pictures would be revealed, and it is weird behaviour. But it's not like he deliberately went out to take photos of them. Again, people do stupid things when they're young.

The flashbacks have been very well utilised so far, whether showing Will's family and their dynamic, or showing Eleven being tested by Modine and co. They don't ruin the narrative either by giving away too much or by being overly ambiguous. 

The glimpses of the monster are very creepy. I'm not a fan of horror, but I do much better when it's actual monsters, rather than monstrous humans. In this case, it's clearly some kind of fantastical creature that's behind the disappearances.

[Princess Sparkle]

I have to say, I normally don't cry that often at tv shows or movies, but I'll be damned, I burst into tears when they found Will and his friends were all crying. And then when Mike ran to his mom at the end and collapsed into her arms - ugh, I was ugly crying. Whoever did the casting for this show deserves a medal, because I usually can't stand kid actors (with few exceptions), but these kids are pitch perfect. 

I keep having to remind myself that the girl who plays Nancy is not Emmy Rossum.  They should play sisters in something; they look exactly alike.

[thuganomics85]

Damn, it was hard watching Barb trying to escape, even though it was likely she never had a chance.  Still not sure what is going on.  It looked like she was in an empty swimming pool; the same one they were partying at, so is there some kind of parallel universe thing going on?  Like the creature takes its victims to another dimension?  That might explain why Will is apparently still able to communicate with Joyce through the bulbs. But they now found his body, so I don't know what to think anymore.  Hopefully, we'll get answers soon!

Jonathan was being inappropriate and should have ripped that picture, but instead of reporting him or anything, Steve and the rest of his gang had to bully and destroy his stuff instead, so no one is really coming out looking good in this.  At least Nancy saw the picture of Barb (and the shadow?), so she told her mom what really happen.  Still hope her character moves past the typical teenage drama, because I really enjoy the actress.  And after it was brought up in the past threads, I have to admit Steve really does look like a younger Jean-Ralphio from Parks & Recs, and I can no longer take him seriously.

The casting of the bullies are spot-on and I will not want to be in those characters' shoes, once Elven gets ahold of him.  I so think they are setting that up, after she out Mike is being bullied.  A few dead guards will attest to how bad it is to get on her bad side.  Still can't believe Matthew Modine tried to make her kill a cat.  Man, this is nuts!

Not surprised that Hopper apparently is really bad at breaks-ups.  David Harbour is still bringing it.

Speaking of which, while still mainly a bit hit or miss, Winona Ryder really brought it home in the scene with the lights; especially the cabinet.  I do hope they eventually let her get to play quieter scenes.

The girls (twins, according to IMDB) playing Holly are actually really good at facial expressions in all of her scenes.  It must be the name Holly that gives them power, since the babies playing Holly on Breaking Bad somehow end up giving great performance, despite not even be able to talk or go to the bathroom.

Glad to get more Karen in this one.  Cara Buono is actually really doing good as a mother who is trying to protect her kids, but wanting them to open up to her more.  And I really enjoyed her scene with Joyce.

Elven making the Millennium Falcon toy fly was the best fun 80s era moment, followed by the "We Can Be Heroes" end as the best sad 80s era moment.

[methodwriter85]

On 8/1/2016 at 10:06 PM, doram said:

Well, in the 80s Sweet Valley High books I read, "stalking" was very much a recurring trope in those books. There was always some rando coming into town and falling in love with one of the beautiful, golden Wakefield twins and stalking them appropriately. 

The whole series has vibes of Stephen King. Even the title card font is eerily like many of his book titles. 

I think my favorite was the one where Jessica goes on like two dates with some random cute guy because she's playing hooky from her boyfriend, and then the guy goes crazy and threatens to crash the car when they're driving together.

Stalking remained a part of the Sweet Valley universe all the way through Sweet Valley University. The William Saga was awesome.

In the real world, we did have The Night Stalker.

Quote

I keep having to remind myself that the girl who plays Nancy is not Emmy Rossum.  They should play sisters in something; they look exactly alike.

I remained convinced that I had seen Natalia Dyer somewhere else, then I googled her, and I realized that nagging feeling was just because she's VERY reminiscent of Emmy Rossum. This is a part she could have played ten years ago.

[babs]

On 8/21/2016 at 0:08 PM, Princess Sparkle said:

I keep having to remind myself that the girl who plays Nancy is not Emmy Rossum.  They should play sisters in something; they look exactly alike.

Oh totally! Like literally shake my head and say no, that's not her, that's a different, younger actress. I keep forgetting! 

[methodwriter85]

I don't think it's so much that they look alike, but they have VERY similar mannerisms.

[maraleia]

FYI Karen Holly is Mike and Karen's younger sister hence she's not Joyce's kid.

[secnarf]

3 hours ago, maraleia said:

FYI Karen Holly is Mike and Karen's younger sister hence she's not Joyce's kid.

Not sure what this is in reference to, but Holly is the younger sister of Mike and Nancy. I think Karen is the mom's name?

[maraleia]

10 hours ago, secnarf said:

Not sure what this is in reference to, but Holly is the younger sister of Mike and Nancy. I think Karen is the mom's name?

That's what I mean that Holly is the younger sister of Mike and Nancy. Thanks for the correction. The recapper (Karen) of this episode said Holly was Will and Jonathan's younger sister.

[Margherita Erdman]

On 7/17/2016 at 5:17 AM, Anela said:

This is reminding me of so many movies, like ET, Poltergeist, the book "Watchers", etc. 

 

On 7/22/2016 at 8:29 AM, spaceghostess said:

Thanks for pointing that out so I didn't have to. I was getting Poltergeist vibes when she wandered into bulgy-wall room. Actually, this whole show gives me Poltergeist vibes--which isn't at all a bad thing.

Those and all of the other movies mentioned, plus the craziness with the lights reminded me a lot of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, actually. The wonder on Holly's face when the Christmas lights led her down the hall and the lamps were going on and off around her, Joyce's increasing mania — very Richard Dreyfuss and the mashed potatoes, for me.

I was 13 & 14 in 1983 so I am all in with the 80s realness and nostalgia but I also am watching this series with my 13-year-old son for whom this is retro cool. I can't think of another show that we have been able to enjoy together since he became a sarcastic middle schooler, so this is a real treat for that alone.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Margherita Erdman
autocorrect typo

[VCRTracking]

RIP Barb.

It took me until this episode to realize Mike's mom is Dr. Faye Miller from Mad Men! When I saw Cara Buono's name in the credits I thought "That name's familiar..."

I admit to being relieved Eleven didn't kill the cat but cheered when she killed the two orderlies.

Loved the scene with Hopper and the pissed off librarian he "hit and quit".

The little girl(Mike and Nancy's little sister) is beyond adorable.

Edited November 19, 2016 by VCRTracking

[iMonrey]

I must have missed how Steve and his jerk friends found out Jonathan took pictures of them.

[OnceSane]

3 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I must have missed how Steve and his jerk friends found out Jonathan took pictures of them.

A redheaded girl (IDK her name) walked into the (school?) darkroom while Jonathan was hanging his photographs and saw the one he took of Nancy in Steve's bedroom.  When Steve & the "cool kids" confronted Jonathan, she was standing with them.

[iMonrey]

Thanks!

[Babalooie]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2016 at 0:32 AM, Valny said:

The kid that plays Eleven looks so familiar

Just began binge-watching.  She reminds me of Kristin Wiig, except that I can't stand Wiig.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

So Hopper has only been living in Hawkins for four years but he's apparently slept with every female in town. I guess A for effort (or at least keeping himself busy) in his off hours).

The girl playing Eleven has had very little dialogue so far but she has done such a great job conveying emotions with just her facial expressions.

The other kids were perfectly cast too. Their acting is effortless so they really just seem like four kids talking to each other (as opposed to four child actors who are ACTING). The looks on their faces when the body was pulled from the reservoir - oof.

I initially thought that Eleven recognized Will because she somehow consumed/ate him in the shed in order to take on a human form (hey, I ha no idea just how supernatural this show was going to go). But if she isn't the one who attacked him, why did she recognize him in Mike's photo?

Loved the scenes of El sneaking around the house when no one was home. She really likes that La-Z-Boy! And high five for showing He-Man.

I agree with both assessments about Winona Ryder and her character. She's been non-stop frantic and hysterical for all three episodes so far, but (1) that's what she was given to do and (2) it seems like a natural reaction for a mother to have when her child is missing. I'm okay with her not being one of those repressed parents who sits in a wing chair silently drinking and staring out the window while waiting for news about whether her kid is dead or alive.

So is the thing that's talking to her through the lights really Will? Or is the monster thing just trying to lure her in so he can eat her too?

I have mixed feelings about Steve in this episode. On the one hand, he was a total dick for breaking Jonathan's camera. On the other hand, if I found out someone had been stalking me the night before and taking pictures of me and whoever I was dating, I'd be pretty tempted to break something too. It's not like Steve broke his camera just for fun.

Heh, I wish I could have seen the look on Nancy's mom's face when she started confessing everything she lied about doing the night before. "So, mom, don't get mad but I didn't actually go to the assembly last night. Barb told her mom she was spending the night here and then we both skipped the assembly and went to Steve's house. No, mom, there's MORE."

[punkypower]

I know it's not her, but El brings another bit of 80's nostalgia for me. She's a dead ringer for the Empress from "The Never-ending Story."

[Linderhill]

On 7/10/2017 at 9:48 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It's not like Steve broke his camera just for fun.

that's not how read it at all, like all bullies, Steve took pleasure in hurting the weird kid and breaking his camera.  The stalking thing was bad but breaking the camera the way he did, that was plain mean.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 2:55 PM, CofCinci said:

That is the best acting with a ball of Christmas lights while hunched into a cabinet that I've ever seen. 

I just finished my rewatch last night and had forgotten how great this episode was with the Christmas lights.

I want to know how they were able to flash one light at a time to lure Holly down the hallway.   I also got the Poltergeist vibe from the scene with Holly looking at the wall and when Joyce had the ball of lights and was communicating with Will.

I love season one!