S02.E08: Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer

[Athena]

Quote

 

An unlikely hero steps forward when a deadly development puts the Hawkins Lab on lockdown, trapping Will and several others inside.

 

 

[SeanC]

R.I.P. Bob.  You went out like a hero.  It was smart for the writers to build the central tension in the building sequence around the one character in the group who could conceivably die (well, I guess Reiser could also die, but he hasn't been given as much attention and doesn't mean much to the other characters), as opposed to the plot-armoured heroes.

The one false note in this that stood out to me was the whole sequence at the Byers house, because at that point there is no reason at all for Hopper not to bring Eleven into this (she, of course, is not where Hopper thinks she is, but he doesn't know that).  Given what they're facing, she's their best and maybe only bet.  That he doesn't bring her up feels like a pretty transparent attempt to make us forget about Eleven until her dramatic entrance.

[SnoGirl]

Gah! Bob! Why would you stop running? I would have run right outside. Never stop moving. I did like that Bob got his big damn hero moment.

Still love Hopper. 

[afrocorgi]

Oh man, the scene where Mike and Eleven reunite again is the moment of the entire season for me. The look in his eye, the look in her eye, the Eleven theme playing in the background...these kids are disgustingly, criminally talented.

[Bec]

That doctor always jinxes everything. "Don't worry, they can't get through the glass!" Monsters promptly gets through the glass. "You can make it, Bob, you're almost home free." Bob dies.

[EarlGreyTea]

5 hours ago, afrocorgi said:

Oh man, the scene where Mike and Eleven reunite again is the moment of the entire season for me. The look in his eye, the look in her eye, the Eleven theme playing in the background...these kids are disgustingly, criminally talented.

For real. Biggest payoff of the entire season for me. It was also criminal to keep them apart this damn long, and on pretty flimsy pretext too. I understand it's a big moment that belongs near the climax of a season, but come on. This moment cemented for me that Mike and Eleven are the emotional center of the show (for me, at least). I'm really annoyed that we missed out on the development of Eleven's relationship with the other kids as well. That was the one dynamic that I was really looking forward to this season.

Finn has a future as a romantic lead. He consistently hits all the right notes as a kid experiencing first love. Goes without saying that Millie is extremely talented as well. They have chemistry that many onscreen adult couples don't.

[CheetaraThunder]

9 minutes ago, EarlGreyTea said:

For real. Biggest payoff of the entire season for me. It was also criminal to keep them apart this damn long, and on pretty flimsy pretext too. I understand it's a big moment that belongs near the climax of a season, but come on. This moment cemented for me that Mike and Eleven are the emotional center of the show (for me, at least). I'm really annoyed that we missed out on the development of Eleven's relationship with the other kids as well. That was the one dynamic that I was really looking forward to this season.

Finn has a future as a romantic lead. He consistently hits all the right notes as a kid experiencing first love. Goes without saying that Millie is extremely talented as well. They have chemistry that many onscreen adult couples don't.

Adults could learn a thing or two from those 2.  The way you can see them experiencing love through their eyes alone is brilliant.

[Last Time Lord]

I may have squeed when Eleven walked into the house. I am not ashamed of this.

Oh, Bob... :(

It was especially cruel of them to show the Demodogs feasting on him. We get it, show. He's deader than Disco.

I have to say I simply adore that all the big bads are named after D&D creatures. I played D&D when I was 14, and the one campaign that I instantly recall is one where the main villain was a Mind Flayer, but the party was in this weird food-centric kingdom of it, and it was constructed from rotten food, so it was the Mind Filet-er.

There was also a Pillsbury Doughboy inspired creature called the Poppenfarce Dough Gollem, and the party had to fight Dough-Pelgangers.

I wasn't even born until 1985, and this how is just bringing out all of the memories.

[UNOSEZ]

I get he was missing eleven.. But gah mije has been insufferable most of this season.. And a grade A Dick to max

[snowwhyte]

Not Bob! Bob was awesome. I'll miss Bob. If anyone else is going to die a gruesome death i'd like it to be Max's stepfather. I now see where Billy gets his charming personality from. I'm dreading what will happen when Billy finds Max.

[kokapetl]

Careful, Winona, you’ll end up killing your son Michael Jackson style. 

[Lady Calypso]

Oh man, no, not Bob! Why? Why couldn't they have a twist and keep him alive? Darn it! I get it, though. Part of the reason is that they need to make way for Joyce and Hopper, so Bob had to die. At least he went out a hero. I seriously could have done without the shot of the Demogorgons eating his body, though. 

Hi Will Chase! I didn't expect him to be the abusive stepfather, with an odd obsession with his son being nice to Max. I thought that was an interesting twist of the stepfather wanting his son to be good, respectful and responsible. However, still an asshole, and seeing Billy's fear in that one scene almost made me feel bad for him. But then I remember his treatment of people in general, so my sympathy disappears. They're going to need to work on his redemption, if that's what they are planning.

Nice of Jonathan to be reunited with his brother. I thought all of Will's scenes, even as The Monster, were really great. That kid actor is spectacular in this role. Hopefully, though, he does get a bit of a break next season. He's really been to hell and back. 

I really loved the morse code solving scene. It was really smart of Hopper and the group to distract The Monster while Will communicated with them. 

I love the reminder that Nancy, too, is a badass with a gun.

But also, Finn did a great job with his last scene with Mike and Eleven reuniting. That kid has also got a very bright future ahead of him. That last scene really pulled on my heartstrings.

[suzyq8017]

All this time I’ve been seeing Max’s brother as trying to channel Rob Lowe in St. Elmo’s Fire and I only just realized Max’s brother’s name is Billy! 

[secnarf]

I was taken aback by Will knowing Morse code (while the other kids had to look up the alphabet), but I suppose I could go with it. It just seemed too convenient.

[SeanC]

Minor touch I really liked:  when everybody is arming themselves at the end and bracing for confrontation with the Demodogs, Lucas aiming his big slingshot is filmed no differently than Hopper and Nancy with their guns.

[kitcloudkicker]

When they introduced Bob, I guessed that he was going to be the Barb of this season. He was, as the kids say, "too pure for this world." That death scene though, ugh. Even seeing it coming, and even when I rewatched the episode with a roommate, you were rooting for him to make it. I liked that they made him useful, and not a bumbling idiot, where they could have easily taken his character. 

RIP Bob, you beautiful cinnamon roll. 

[nodorothyparker]

And that, boys and girls and Bob, is why you don't stop for a big dramatic moment until you're actually safe on the other side of the glass.  At least Sean Astin gets another hero's ending to add to the Samwise Gamgee pile.  You could see that coming when only he could go to the basement because only he knew Basic.

I loved how things snowballed back at the Byers house with each character building on whatever ridiculous thing the previous character said as if any of this was the most natural normal thing in the world.  Of course, they've got another D&D monster analogy that perfectly coincides this with, complete with the guide book for reference.  It's a sign of just how much shit characters have seen together that they all just accept it.  Oh, we're going to disguise the kid's own shed to the point he wouldn't recognize where he is?  Sure, why not, even if it looks suspiciously like you just got a bunch of kids to clean out the shed for you.  

Mike and Eleven finally seeing each was indeed everything and I get why they saved it for the big penultimate moment, but I have to agree that this is one of the very few instances over the course of the season where we really did have a case of a character not relaying critical information for seemingly no reason other than to delay the suspense of that big moment.  No, Hopper hasn't actually talked to Eleven for a few episodes now, but as far as he knows she's still at the cabin.  This would be the big moment to mention that he just happens to have someone stashed away with a particular set of powers that would come in useful in the fight they know is likely coming.  Or at the very least clue her in to what's going on and get her over there.  It wouldn't have made for the big swelling music reunion, which really was lovely as these kids are just so terrific, but it would have made more sense in a show that's generally been pretty smart about having the characters actually convey needed information the way real people would.

Steve's own adventures in babysitting continue to be a hoot.

[mmecorday]

At first when Mike knew what drug to use to knock out Will, I called shenanigans. But then I realized he's seen "Ghostbusters" probably a hundred times and knew what Peter Venkman used to make Dana/Zuul go night-night.

I was worried that Bob was going to turn out to be a government spy. But then he turned out to be such a good guy. I love Sean Astin and I hated to see his character die. When the camera lingered on the games that he brought to Joyce's house, it broke my heart. He was hoping for a night of fun and games and ended up dead.

This is one of those shows that makes your heart race one minute and then surge with sadness the next.

[secnarf]

33 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

I was worried that Bob was going to turn out to be a government spy. But then he turned out to be such a good guy. I love Sean Astin and I hated to see his character die. When the camera lingered on the games that he brought to Joyce's house, it broke my heart. He was hoping for a night of fun and games and ended up dead.

This is one of those shows that makes your heart race one minute and then surge with sadness the next.

Those were my thoughts as well about Bob. I absolutely loved him, which is of course why they killed him.

At least they didn't end up having evil!Will throttle him, which was their initial plan.

[thuganomics85]

Oh, Bob!  I figured he was either destined to die or be a government spy, so I guess I would prefer the former then being bad and breaking Joyce's heart, but that was still hard to watch.  At least he did get his hero moment and was truly brave in his own way.  But if he only just hauled ass out of the building first, before he took a breath.  Sean Astin was great here.

I definitely think Dr. Owens will somehow make it out of there alive.  Credit where credit is due, he continues to actually be helpful and was willing to stay behind to help everyone else.  He might still be part of a shady government organization, but he's alright in my book!

All of the interrogation scenes were perfectly acted.  And I liked how everyone played a part in it.

Get a glimpse over how Billy became Billy.  Basically a case of an abusive dad rubbing off on his son. Still doesn't excuse Billy for a lot of his actions, but from what I've heard, that is sadly common.  Totally didn't recognize Will Chase as the dad.

On a more light moment: I love Nancy and Jonathan both exclaiming "Steve!" at the same time.  Everyone seems surprised that he's along for the ride!  But he's still holding his own!  Even if a lot of it seems to be because they need a guy to ask questions, so that another character can provide exposition.  Love how the first thing that popped into his head Germans for "master race", even though he really meant Nazis and not just Germans in general.  Oh, Steve!  At least you have great hair!

Elven showing up to save the day was on the fan service side of things (and really, Hopper should have tried contacting he earlier or at least everyone know what is going on), but I loved it.  Especially her and Mike seeing each other.  Millie Bobby Brown and Fionn Wolfhard are some talented individuals despite being so young.

Need a few hours to process everything and then I'll finish this season!

[Sakura12]

Was the entire purpose of the last episode to have Eleven show up to kill the demadog looking like a badass with her black jacket and slicked back hair. Max seemed impressed by that. 

Rip Bob, I thought you'd turn out to be a spy, but you were this year's Barb. The nice one that gets killed. 

[benteen]

Oh, no, not Bob!  Really felt bad when he died.

Asshole father or not, I still call Billy Evil Rob Lowe.

If anything annoyed me though, it was Hopper deciding to lean as close as he could to the glass (I know it was poly-whatever) as the creatures are starting to smack their heads against it and wait until the very last second to get out of the room.  Way to go, Chief!

Edited October 30, 2017 by benteen

[tennisgurl]

Not Bob! I should never have doubted you! He turned out to be just a sweet guy who cared about Joyce and her family, and was surprisingly brave and competent when it came down to it. I was really hoping he would make it, but I guess the monsters had to take out some good guy this season, so it was Bob. Sean Astin was really great here, I loved all the humanity and endearing dorkyness he gave the character. Also loved when Mike was talking about how Bob was the guy who started the AV Club back in the day, and my heart hurt when they showed the games he brought over to play with the family. 

I laughed so hard at Nancy and Jonathan being all "Steve?!" when they saw him in the woods. Like, "how did you end up in this plot?" levels of confusion. I really liked seeing the whole cast (sans El) all teaming up and reacting off each other. Especially as Dustin explains how everything comes back to DnD, while Hop gets increasingly frustrated. Everyone got something to do, and I thought they're plan was quite solid. The only reason it didn't work was because the phone ring, which is a pretty understandable detail to forget. It also meant more of Steve's Adventures in Babysitting, which is just the best thing about this whole season. I also liked the bit of Steve and Nancy talking, but I wish we had seen him and Jonathan talk a bit. I think it was a mistake not to give them more interaction this season. 

The only thing standing between the world and deadly Nazi aliens are a small town sheriff, a stressed single mom, three parts of a teenage love triangle, and a gaggle of kids armed with sling shots and random pieces of pottery! Oh, and they're super powered psychic friend, who came in for the Big Damn Heroes moment, of course! 

Edited November 5, 2017 by tennisgurl

[UGAmp]

Oh, Bob. I’m so sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry I thought you had bad intentions. You died a hero’s death. And I hate that you knew he was a goner the second he said he knew the computer program. But he escaped a few close calls and made it all the way to the lobby, giving you hope that he’ll make it and then wham. Sigh. 

I’m also sad my guess of Max and Billy being the doctor’s kids was wrong. But man does Will Chase look different!! It took me a minute to place him as the dad. 

I loved seeing the whole gang united and ready to fight together. Especially Lucas with his slingshot. 

Will continues to break my heart. If Barb can get an Emmy nom for five minutes of screen time, I really hope Noah gets some love next award season. 

Last thing: For a split second I thought Billy was the one to kill the demo-dog because he had wandered over there looking for Max. Why I thought this, I’m not sure. I think my brain is just desperately searching for a purpose for his character! 

Edited October 31, 2017 by UGAmp

[Mama No Life]

I'm still waiting to see why we had to suffer through Billy and Max.

 

The rest of this has been pretty darn perfect.  I can even buy Hopper leaving El out of this...one, he wants to keep her safe. Two, he thinks she's avoiding him. He doesn't know she got his last apology in her mind...

[LittleIggy]

Poor Bob. ? I adore Sean Astin. I named a cat I had Samwise because of his portrayal of the best friend ever.

[KaleyFirefly]

4 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Poor Bob. ? I adore Sean Astin. I named a cat I had Samwise because of his portrayal of the best friend ever.

I love that.

[LittleIggy]

Samwise, aka, Sami was a great cat, gone too soon at age 10. The name fit him.

[Kel Varnsen]

Man that was intense. I wonder who was calling Joyce.

Sad to see Bob go, that and Eleven's entrance were about the only big clichéd things they have done this season, but they still both worked.

As for Bob on small thing I noticed that i liked was when he was holding down Will, he wasn't just holding down his shoulders and arms like a random person might do. He was actually holding him in his arms like you would do with someone you car about. It was a small thing but a nice touch.

[ajsnaves]

Not since Rose and Bernard has a reunion made me so happy.  I needed that after the gut punch that is Bob's demise.  They should sing many songs about his bravery

Edited November 1, 2017 by ajsnaves

[Last Time Lord]

14 minutes ago, ajsnaves said:

Not since Rose and Bernard has a reunion made me so happy.  I needed that after the gut punch that is Bob's demise.  Thay should sing many songs about his bravery

Over first and second breakfast.

[jane1978]

I quess I´m in total minority, but I really cringe at the way they portray the love connection between Mike and Eleven. It´s like they are soulmates supercouple from a soap, not 13 year old kids. And honestly, Mike seems almost obsessed with her. On the other side, Max and Lucas are portrayed just right, even while Max seems too awsome to be real sometimes. But maybe that´s California.

Whenever the show so blatantly copies some movie plot like this episode did with Jurrasic Park, I never know if I´m supposed to applaud or be annoyed. I quess that´s what make the show so addictive. But it was cruel to let Bob stay alive so long. It almost seemed he will make it and I was already wondering if they will repeat Steve´s plot with him for season 3. But of course then he stopped in the lobby and seemed so happy he´d made it and Hopper with the gun just went out smoking or something... Sorry, Bob.

Steve with the kids is my favorite thing this season, even when his motivation for constantly risking his life continues to make zero sense. I quess he knows as long as he is good with the kids he has a plot armor. 

Edited November 1, 2017 by jane1978

[LilWharveyGal]

20 minutes ago, jane1978 said:

Whenever the show so blatantly copies some movie plot like this episode did with Jurrasic Park, I never know if I´m supposed to applaud or be annoyed. 

In this particular case I was annoyed because Jurassic Park is not from the '80's.  

[Clanstarling]

On 10/30/2017 at 9:36 PM, LittleIggy said:

Poor Bob. ? I adore Sean Astin. I named a cat I had Samwise because of his portrayal of the best friend ever.

Samwise was the best. As was Bob.

[VCRTracking]

"The Bathtub" was my favorite last year because I loved seeing the characters finally all come together and work so "The Mind Flayer" was my favorite this year.

You know I'd probably already feel bad for Bob if he was played by another actor but having him played by Mikey/Rudy/Samwise Gamgee made his death all the more heartbreaking. Then finding out he founded the Hawkins Middle School AV Club? I was already a mess.

Hopper's reaction to all the D&D stuff was great.

Loved Nancy throwing the phone and catching the rifle.

Billy reminded me of Charlie Murphy's intro to his Prince story: "What was wild is that the guy who looked the most like a bitch was getting all the women."

God, that scene when Joyce, Jonathan and Mike was telling all their memories of Will to possessed Will. Everyone was incredible but especially Noah. When the Duffers said it was like they didn't realize they had a Ferrarri in the garage the first season and now they're letting it loose, they weren't kidding!

A fantastic ending and Mike and Eleven's faces when they saw each other was worth the wait.

I like they chose to end on Eleven's face. It would have worked just as well ending on Mike's but Eleven had completely misinterpreted Max and Mike in the gym and so felt hurt that she needed to see that yes, Mike was incredibly happy to see her too.

On 10/31/2017 at 7:49 PM, ajsnaves said:

Not since Rose and Bernard has a reunion made me so happy.

I'll add Jin and Sun to that one.

Edited November 2, 2017 by VCRTracking

[Mrs OldManBalls]

My step father is named Bob, but he'll never hold a candle to Bob Newby Superhero. RIP, I adored you. 

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

You know I'd probably already feel bad for Bob if he was played by another actor but having him played Mikey/Rudy/Samwise Gamgee made his death all the more heartbreaking. Then finding out he founded the Hawkins Middle School AV Club? I was already a mess.

Casting him was a brilliant short cut to making us love Bob from the get-go (at least for those of us who weren't suspicious - but that was understandable too - because he could have been cast to mess with our expectations).

[nachomama]

For the love of Pete, why does no one ever wipe blood off Eleven's nose? She's hugging everyone and Winona is a mom, mom's always do that.

[Taryn74]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

Casting him was a brilliant short cut to making us love Bob from the get-go

Yes! My first glimpse of him in the previews? I may have squealed. Loudly.

 

1 hour ago, nachomama said:

For the love of Pete, why does no one ever wipe blood off Eleven's nose? She's hugging everyone and Winona is a mom, mom's always do that.

Lord, yes! I'm always like, somebody give the poor girl a tissue for crying out loud. Even mom-spit would be better than walking around with blood pouring down your face.

[Danny Franks]

Ah, dammit. Poor Bob. We all knew he was a goner, but that was brutal. Of course he knows Basic, and of course being the smart kid in the room meant death.

This was very Aliens, even with Paul Reiser playing a decent guy, this time around. The Demodogs aren't really as frightening as the Demogorgon was, and I guess that's inevitable when you dilute a monster into multiple threats. The lab turned into some terrifying dungeon, from one of the kids' D&D games. The shots of the exterior, with the sound of the monsters screeching, were very spooky. Noah Schnapp is still giving me the creeps, with how good his performance is. He's got a hell of a future, in horror movies at the very least. They really lucked out, because they surely had no idea he was this good when they cast him in the first season.

I really liked seeing the teens all meeting up in this episode. It was a reminder that even though they know each other, live in the same small town, there are separate planes of existence at times. Nancy probably has no clue Steve even knows Dustin's name, Jonathan and Nancy have never even seen Max before, and Steve has never seen Eleven before. There just seems to be a different energy, when the groups of kids are all together.

I also like seeing Joyce around the kids more, because Winona Ryder has a different, less manic energy when she's in scenes with kids. Especially Will, obviously. She's got a really strong maternal presence. The idea of Will being able to 'speak' through Morse Code, even while under control of the monster, was pretty cool.  But the idea of closing the gate wasn't exactly revelatory. We've seen that it was still open, and that stuff was growing out of it, right at the start of the season.

Loved Dustin insisting that D&D isn't a kids' game, but when pressed on how to beat the monster, he had to admit it was. Heh. And Hopper's exasperation at being told that they needed to raise an army of undead to defeat a Mind Flayer. And I love that Steve is a bit dim, and spends large parts of every exposition scene making dumb comments or looking confused. But he's still a really good guy, and you get the feeling he's actually enjoying hanging out with these kids, where appearances and reputation are so much less important. I'm just imagining him with a huge army of loyal 13 year olds.

I get Max's family even less, now. Because her mother seems very together, responsible, nice. But her stepdad is an even bigger asshole than his son, and she seemed scared of him. I mean, maybe he's a thoroughly decent man, but has to be a massive dick to control his son but... it seems more like he's a large part of why his son is like this. Max spoke fondly of her real dad, so what is it that her mother sees in stepdad to make him better? Eh, I suppose that it's nice of them to remind us that some monsters are all too human.

Eleven's surprise entrance was great. Casually killing a Demodog and then strolling through the door, still in full "bitchin'" getup. And Mike genuinely smiled for what might be the first time this season.

[benteen]

Yeah, just seeing how the stepdad operates made me wonder what the hell Max's mother saw in him.

[Clanstarling]

5 hours ago, benteen said:

Yeah, just seeing how the stepdad operates made me wonder what the hell Max's mother saw in him.

Like many women, she may not have had a clue until they were married. And then, maybe not until he'd isolated her by moving her to Indiana.

[Kel Varnsen]

6 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Noah Schnapp is still giving me the creeps, with how good his performance is. He's got a hell of a future, in horror movies at the very least. They really lucked out, because they surely had no idea he was this good when they cast him in the first season.

 

Also super lucky that he didn't  have some kind of growth spurt between seasons. The fact that he was little and looked kind of weak/fragile made his ordeal all the more creepy and hard to watch. If he was a foot taller and 20 pounds bigger it might not have worked as well.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Kel Varnsen

[Danny Franks]

28 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Also super lucky that he didn't  have some kind of growth spurt between seasons. The fact that he was little and looked kind of weak/fragile made his ordeal all the more creepy and hard to watch. If he was a foot taller and 20 pounds bigger it might not have worked as well.

Indeed. What I didn't realise until seeing their original audition tapes on the aftershow, is that Noah Schnapp is a couple of years younger than Finn, Gaten and Caleb. So they had that size difference between him and the other boys this season, which played really well.

The other three look noticeably older now, but he still looks like the same young boy. 

Millie Bobby Brown appears to have hit a little bit of a growth spurt since filming season 2 as well. 

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Indeed. What I didn't realise until seeing their original audition tapes on the aftershow, is that Noah Schnapp is a couple of years younger than Finn, Gaten and Caleb. So they had that size difference between him and the other boys this season, which played really well.

The other three look noticeably older now, but he still looks like the same young boy. 

Millie Bobby Brown appears to have hit a little bit of a growth spurt since filming season 2 as well. 

I figured Millie Bobby Brown would be starting to hit her full adult height, since it seems like the average girls hits it at around 13/14/15. I noticed that she seemed to be as tall or a little taller than Winona Ryder. What surprised me is realizing that Finn Wolfhard is considerably taller than her. I thought it would be kind of be that sitch where the girl is taller than the guy until he hits his growth spurt somewhere in 10th/11th grade.

Did not realize that was Will Chase. I hope Sadie and her mother get the hell away from him. I don't think the "go find your sister" bit came from any real paternal feelings. It was about controlling Billy, and it was about feeding into the abuser's delusion that he's a good father and that what he does is right.

[Cheezwiz]

Awww... RIP Bob. You were a good one and a hero. It turns out Dr. Owens is a good guy too. Hope he makes it out of the lab.

The whole time I was watching this I kept thinking about how exhausted and wrung out Noah Schnapp must've been after shooting all of his scenes. Just non-stop super intense stuff for such a little guy.

The whole episode was entertaining (on par with episode 6).

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Like many women, she may not have had a clue until they were married. And then, maybe not until he'd isolated her by moving her to Indiana.

Yes, THIS. Some abusers are clever enough to look relatively normal or even charming until they've totally wormed their way into someone else's life. Then they work on isolating them. Now we know where Billy gets his assholish behavior from. Poor Max & Max's Mom - I hope Stepdad is not going to start directing his abuse at them now that he's got them moved away from their home.

Only two more episodes to go!

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Did not realize that was Will Chase. I hope Sadie and her mother get the hell away from him. I don't think the "go find your sister" bit came from any real paternal feelings. It was about controlling Billy, and it was about feeding into the abuser's delusion that he's a good father and that what he does is right.

 

7 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

Poor Max & Max's Mom - I hope Stepdad is not going to start directing his abuse at them now that he's got them moved away from their home.

Maybe this storyline is also partly a nod to the 80's movie The Stepfather. Which was pretty chilling.

[Ellaria]

On 10/31/2017 at 0:19 PM, LittleIggy said:

Samwise, aka, Sami was a great cat, gone too soon at age 10. The name fit him.

So sorry about Samwise. What a wonderful name for a kitty!

On 10/31/2017 at 10:49 PM, ajsnaves said:

Not since Rose and Bernard has a reunion made me so happy.  I needed that after the gut punch that is Bob's demise.  They should sing many songs about his bravery

Yes to all of this. Just like Rose & Bernard, Mike & El was the reunion that we were waiting for.

Sean Astin was perfectly cast as Bob. Always the unlikely hero...

This episode clearly demonstrates why this cast won the SAG award. Every single character delivered alone and together. I loved having all of them in one place determined to save Will and fight evil.

Steve has been the unexpected highlight of the season. However, my heart still belongs to Hopper.

While I now understand why Billy is a miserable person, I’m still not sure why he is in this show. And I can’t imagine that his purpose will be explained in the final episode. 

Can we assume that Paul Reiser survived somehow?

Edited November 4, 2017 by Ellaria Sand

[Kel Varnsen]

With all the 80's references i wonder if the inept soldiers is also a kind of a reference. It seems like i saw a ton of movies and shows (nd lots of 80s cartoons) as a kid where you had nameless soldiers/guards/mercanaries/goons who were basically incompetent cannon fodder. Here at the lab they know how deadly one demigorgon is yet they still seem to underdesign the facility (i mean why use glass at all?) and just give that guards standard looking rifles rather than bazookas or something more powerful . And even Jonathan and Nancy figured out that booby traps were a good idea against those things so why not set up traps or mines or something incase of attack..

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwww, Bob. As soon as we got the Jurassic Park plot about someone having to leave the group in order to turn the power back on and restart all the security stuff, I knew someone was going to die. As terrible as this sounds, better Bob than Hopper.

One of the cutest things was seeing Hopper and Nancy with guns, Steve with his nail bat, and then Lucas with his slingshot.

Okay, I get everyone freaking out when the phone rang because they didn't want Will/the Shadow Monster to figure out where they were, but how about ANSWERING the phone instead of just hanging it up and then ripping it out of the wall? Did anyone consider that whoever was calling might have important information or was calling about Dr. Owens and the lab?