S02.E01: Chapter One: MADMAX

[Athena]

Quote

As the town preps for Halloween, a high-scoring rival shakes things up at the arcade, and a skeptical Hopper inspects a field of rotting pumpkins.

 

[thuganomics85]

Breakout the 80's nostalgia, because Stranger Things is back, baby!

Decent opener, I thought.  So, Will seems to still have some connection to the Upside Down world, and is having visions off possibly an even worse creature showing up to cause shit.  Poor Will!  The kid just can't catch a break!

Looks like Mike is also lashing out as well (I'm assuming over Eleven's disappearance?), and doing things like stealing money from Nancy and cheating on essays. At least Dustin and Lucas seem like they're normal selves.  In fact, they're already trying to hit on the new girl, who is apparently one hell of a gamer!  Curious to see what her deal is and what is going on with her older brother (who was Jason in the Power Rangers reboot!)

Joyce has got herself a boyfriend in the form of Sean Astin!  He seems like a nice, normal, if nerdy guy, so he's either going to die by the end of this or being evil (and he might still die then as well!)  Speaking of new characters, of course, Paul Reiser's character ends up being shady as hell.

David Harbour continues to be perfect as Jim Hopper.  And Hopper not only found Eleven, she's hiding out at his home!

So, in the opening bank heist: the woman who made the cop think the tunnel collapse, had an Eight tattooed on her arm just like Eleven has her number on hers, right?

Steve and Nancy's dinner with Barbara's parents was as awkward as expected.  Still crazy to think I disliked him when he first appeared, but he's slowly become on of my favorites.  Of course, I noticed looked wistfully at Johnny when he left, so I don't think the relationship will last.

Glad to see Mr. Clarke; the most awesome teacher ever; is still around.

I continue to enjoy the look and feel of this show.  If I didn't know any better, I still would have thought I had stumbled upon some kind of rerun from an 80s show long forgotten.

[2727]

Oh, Barb. Still breaking our fucking hearts. Poor parents. Poor Nancy and Steve. Intriguing moral dilemma for Hopper.

[kokapetl]

Were they calling KFC “KFC” in 1984?

[Miles]

I wonder if they would have had the interlude with Barbs parents if the fan reaction to her death wouldn't have been so strong. I kinda doubt it. But I'm glad they did it. It makes the show stronger. Her friends should have a strong reaction knowing that she is dead and they can't tell anybody.

 

So eleven has been with the sheriff this whole time. That's kinda nice.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Miles

[SnoGirl]

I wish they hadnt spoiled El in the previews, I spent the entire episode waiting for her.

Loved her with Hopper. I wanted them to have a connection because of his dead daughter. Plus, they are both pretty bad-ass. It woud be nice for Eleven to have another human connection beyond Mike and Papa. 

Poor Mike and Will. They both definitely have PTSD. And poor Nancy. I wonder if she was crying more about Barb or the weight of everything that happened last year.

Im so happy its back! I just finished binging last night. I never have perfect timing, but this time it just kinda happened! 

[blueray]

I was also waiting for Eleven to appear, and was surprised at the end when she was just living with the sheriff. I wonder why she could just tell Mike that she's okay. He's clearly upset from what happened and which why he's acting out. The only thing I can think of is that she doesn't want to drag them into it again.  His parents of course are clueless about that. And poor Will is suffering from after effects from being in the upside down for so long.

I think Nancy is really sad because already knows Barb is dead and can't tell her parents about it. She is morning the loss of her friend and has to pretend to not know anything. And even if she did tell them, it wouldn't accomplish anything but cause them pain. I do think they threw this in for the fans.

Edited October 27, 2017 by blueray

[SeanC]

Mike's face when his father asked what he would do if his friend jumped off a cliff was hilarious.

I didn't see the twist with Eleven coming.  That's neat, and should make for some interesting character stuff, considering Hopper's history with his daughter.

Period dramas often have trouble bridging the gap between period-appropriate hairstyles and what we think looks stylish today, so I liked that Max's brother Billy is very unironically shot like his very dated 80s hairstyle is actually super-cool.

[ghoulina]

Great opener! I watched none of the previews, read nothing online. Totally pure going in and I was not disappointed. 

I was glad they didn't drag out where Eleven is. When I saw her little curly-headed self sit down with Hop at the end, I legit started tearing up. 8-1-5. Perfect. 

But it broke my heart watching Mike still trying to contact her after all this time. 

I was also really glad this show didn't forget Barb. A lot of shows kill someone off, or have someone disappear, and they just act like said person never existed. Except the audience rarely forgets and it's annoying. Not everyone knows Barb died in the Upside Down. Her parents certainly didn't. So I liked that they made their continued search part of the story. And not only that, but I think it speaks to Nancy's character that she makes sure to have regular dinners with them. It must be so hard for her, though, to see them all optimistic about finding Barb, knowing that can never happen. 

I continue to love the relationship between Will and Jonathan. Bowie vs. Rogers indeed. And Sean Astin is perfect in his role. He's making me laugh so hard. 

Overall, I'm so glad this is back and I can't wait to watch the next episode. 

Edited October 27, 2017 by ghoulina

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

Were they calling KFC “KFC” in 1984?

Yep. It wasn't officially the name, but that's how we referred to it. 

2 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

I wish they hadnt spoiled El in the previews, I spent the entire episode waiting for her.

I figured she'd be back, but I was a smidge annoyed that the closed captioning identified her voice before she appeared. Even though it was clearly going to be her.

I love having Sean Astin in the mix. He and Winona did one film together (and I think they might have had a little insider's joke about it - but I didn't see the film, so I don't know), and I loved him saying he didn't like scary movies, which is also a call back to his career, right?

I like that Max is beating them at the video games, and that they are more respectful than angry. Boy, I'd forgotten how stupidly sexist Dragon's Lair was.

At first I was unsure what I thought about having 008 introduced, but I've decided I like expanding that part of the story. I also like that she only projected the tunnel collapse. It's interesting that only the driver seemed to have seen that. So she's pretty precise.

I knew Will's tests were being monitored, but I was suckered in by Reiser's genial doctor. At most I thought he might be working for them, but didn't expect he was in charge. I like having the bad guy (or so we think) be less visibly evil and callous.

[bunnyblue]

3 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

Were they calling KFC “KFC” in 1984?

 

17 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Yep. It wasn't officially the name, but that's how we referred to it.

Interesting. I remember still calling it Kentucky Fried Chicken in my neck of the woods in the mid-80s. That's why I was surprised to hear Steve call it 'KFC'.

Anyway, I absolutely loved the reveal that Hopper has been taking care of Eleven all this time. I was sure she was still in the Upside Down and her return would be drawn out for half the season. It should be interesting to see Hopper play father to a preteen girl with a shit-ton of issues. Is that Hopper's same house from last season or is he keeping El in some other location deep in the woods? It looks different to me.

So Barb's parents still think their daughter is alive and are selling their home to finance the search for her. That's really sad. That was one uncomfortable dinner and Nancy is going to crack. Was the guy questioning Hopper in the police station the PI that Barb's parents hired or is he just a conspiracy theorist? 

How many love triangles do we have this season? Lucas/Max/Dustin; Hopper/Joyce/Bob; Steve/Nancy/Jonathan. There's a triangle for every generation, it seems.

[ghoulina]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

oyce has got herself a boyfriend in the form of Sean Astin!  He seems like a nice, normal, if nerdy guy, so he's either going to die by the end of this or being evil (and he might still die then as well!) 

It did cross my mind that maybe Astin could be a government plant, meant to keep close to Will and Joyce. But then I remembered they all went to school together and he runs the electronics store, so......No, I'm not overly paranoid. Why do you ask?

 

3 hours ago, SeanC said:

Mike's face when his father asked what he would do if his friend jumped off a cliff was hilarious.

That was the best. I was like, "Welllll....."

 

32 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

Is that Hopper's same house from last season or is he keeping El in some other location deep in the woods? It looks different to me.

That's definitely not his place from last season. I think that would be too risky. But I do wonder if he keeps it, so no one else is onto the fact that he's moved into the woods with El?

[VCRTracking]

We're off to a great start.

I was unsure of this new girl Max but her note to the guys "Quit watching me, creeps!" endeared her to me.

Seeing Lydia Deets from Beetlejuice make out with Mikey from The Goonies was wieeeeeeeerd.

Poor, poor Will.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

 

Interesting. I remember still calling it Kentucky Fried Chicken in my neck of the woods in the mid-80s. That's why I was surprised to hear Steve call it 'KFC'.

Was the guy questioning Hopper in the police station the PI that Barb's parents hired or is he just a conspiracy theorist? 

Maybe we were just trend setters. :) or too lazy to say the full name.

I think the guy is a conspiracy theorist - of course, most of what he said actually had some basis in fact (though he was blaming it on the Russians).

But boy, they get their patter down. I had the misfortune of waiting in line this morning with one of them talking non-stop on his phone. It was all "Rothschilds" "Illuminati" "Goverment Puppets" - amusingly enough, we were at a government office. We had some major eye rolling up and down the line.

2 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

I was unsure of this new girl Max but her note to the guys "Quit watching me, creeps!" endeared her to me.

Me too. 

[tennisgurl]

Welcome back, show! Its been WAY too long! I dont even have any 80s nostalgia (I wasn't born yet!) but even I love seeing how much they spend on period details and how much they commit to the spirit of the films of the era. 

The scene with Nancy and Steve at Barbs house was both super sad and super awkward. Poor parents. Poor Nancy and Steve. Poor Barb. Now Nancy has to mourn her friend while not letting anyone even know what happened. I guess her parents will probably never know, unless all this come out. Also, glad to see Steve's fabulous 80s hair is still as flippy as always. 

Poor Chief Hooper. Stuck dealing with possibly imaginary farmer feuds and conspiracy theorists writing the plot of Red Dawn a few years early, he is probably kind of wishing for a monster to fight or something. At least he gets to hang out with El, who is living in a shack in the woods hiding out. I hope she can get in touch with Mike soon, he is clearly not doing well. 

Also not doing super well is Mike, who is seemingly still connected to the nether world. Will this poor kid ever catch a damn break? 

This is perfect for some good old fashioned Halloween viewing fun!

[Lady Calypso]

Solid start to the season. 

It does suck for Will to have such side effects from the Upside Down. It sounds like they've really manifested recently for him, but we also know he started showing side effects as early as a couple of weeks after his return. Either way, it's going to suck when the Upside Down visions he's getting start coming true, as I assume they will.

So, we get Barb's parents still searching and Nancy feeling incredibly guilty and sad over her friend's death. It is nice that Nancy and Steve seem to go for weekly dinners. I honestly am surprised and happy that Nancy and Steve are still going strong. I've really grown to like Steve.

Jonathan/Will's scene in his bedroom was perfect. I really like that, with Will back, we get to see their brotherly relationship.

It's sad that Eleven can't even contact Mike to let him know that she's ok. Just a small sign, because the boy has been lashing out for a year now. I'm surprised Hopper hasn't tried to help Mike, but it is nice that he has taken Eleven in. 

As for the new characters, I already find Max intriguing and fun. I loved her note to the boys, because they weren't being subtle about their spying. I wonder how she'll factor into the season. Same with her brother, who seems to be a bad boy, judging from the music and screeching car. 

I'd like to think that Joyce has found some happiness with Bob, but I'm fully expecting something to go wrong there sooner rather than later. Though it's not enough that her youngest son is going through some serious PTSD symptoms? 

[Kel Varnsen]

I like that Will has been sharing what he has been seeing with people and they have been trying to get him help. In a lot of shows he would keep quiet and it would get out in the worst way possible at some point midseason. Although i do wonder if his mom and or Paul Reiser just think it is all just in his head or if this is actually something from the upside down.

Also between this and Red Oaks on Amazon Paul Reiser is becoming the go to 1980's jerky authority figure guy.

I also like that apparently Steve is kind of ok with Jonathan and Nancy being friends. Or at least not a total agressive asshole about it.

[Danny Franks]

Well, that was a wonderful surprise to end the episode on. Eleven is alive and living with Hopper! I wonder how he's convinced her to stay away from Mike... or if it's her choice.

Hopper seemed even more down at heel, and I initially thought it was because he's having trouble adjusting back to being a boring, small town cop. But turns out it might be because he's keeping this secret from everyone.

Otherwise, this was a leisurely start to the season, just getting us caught up with everyone. The boys are all still dorks, with Will back in the fold, and probably with Max to join them, as the cool girl and object of Dustin and Lucas' affections. 

Loved the tropey introduction Max and her bad boy brother. Muscle car, hair metal and pathetic porn-stache. Not sure what the point of him will be yet, unless he's an 80s bully to replace the previous 80s bullies.

Looks like there are already cracks in Nancy and Steve's relationship if her lingering look at Jonathan was any indication. But I'm glad that Steve is actually being a good boyfriend, and that there's no sign of Jonathan resenting either of them for their relationship. He's still focusing on his family.

His words to Will about how being a freak was a good thing were nice. And felt pretty apt for both boys. Jonathan clearly has ambitions to do something with his life, and surely clings to this rationale whenever he doubts himself. Yes, it might be "freaky" to stay in reading and listening to music instead of going to parties, but he's clearly happier doing that.

I didn't know Paul Reiser was going to be in this season. Obviously more to him that the jovial, trustworthy doctor.

Sean Astin was fun. He's such an affable dude, and I'm pleased that his relationship with Joyce doesn't appear to be a source of tension for the Byers family. But I guess Hop still holds a candle for Joyce, so things might not work out too well.

[nodorothyparker]

I'm so happy this is back.  A lot of checking in with everybody and table setting, but a fun start nonetheless.

The Byers house is certainly looking a lot better this year with a lot fewer holes in the walls.  I like that they're not skipping over the fact that all of these people went through some pretty traumatic stuff and are still feeling the fallout of that.  I don't really have an opinion on Joyce's new boyfriend in Sean Astin yet beyond appreciating the '80s callback in adding him to the cast.

I could. not. stop. laughing at the intro to Max and her brother screeching into the parking lot in a muscle car to "Rock You Like a Hurricane."  Yes, as hard as it to imagine now, we girls in a small Midwestern town would have been hella impressed by that total package with the hair and the jeans, and the California plates only would have made him seem all the more exotic.  Max could end up being a cliche dream girl for all of these boys but right now she's selling me on it with very little in the way of lines so I'm willing to go with it.   Lucas and Dustin were being adorkably obvious, and yep, a girl gamer who could beat their scores would definitely get their attention.  Loved the old school arcade. 

Barb's parents were kind of breaking my heart.  I don't doubt all the fan attention made them decide to continue that thread, but it's a natural thread to pull that could have easily otherwise been dropped.  Hopper as police chief obviously couldn't tell her parents oh, she was sucked into a shadowy underworld and died there, and Nancy clearly can't tell them either.  So it remains an unsolved disappearance that someone from the outside is now going to go poking into with uncertain results.

Of course Joyce drives the same Pinto I learned to drive in because of course she does.   

[UGAmp]

8 hours ago, ghoulina said:

It did cross my mind that maybe Astin could be a government plant, meant to keep close to Will and Joyce. But then I remembered they all went to school together and he runs the electronics store, so......No, I'm not overly paranoid. Why do you ask?

I definitely thought that too. I still think it’s a possibility. Maybe not with the government, just a minder (like in Orphan Black). Gotta have a cover, right? He was just a little too “golly gee whiz”. We’ll see! And soon since we can watch all the episodes at once! ;) 

[LittleIggy]

Hopper had a daughter who died, right? That makes his relationship with El so natural.

[Thog]

Quote

Mike's face when his father asked what he would do if his friend jumped off a cliff was hilarious.

I had to wonder if this wasn't a nod to Winona Ryder's role in Heathers, when she asks cheerleader Heather this question and the response is "Probably."

[Blue Plastic]

On 10/27/2017 at 9:14 AM, Kokapetl said:

Were they calling KFC “KFC” in 1984?

No!  That was not authentic!  Everything else has been spot on and I love it, but this really jumped out at me.

I too have been wondering if Sean Astin is some kind of plant and up to no good.

It really bugs that El got back out of the Upside Down right away after defeating the Demogorgon yet has still been separated from the group for about a year apparently.

I don't care for the idea that there was another subject besides Eleven!  I guess I don't want new characters stealing the spotlight!  With her being "11" that does indicate there have been at least 10 other subjects, but I don't like it!

[Clanstarling]

4 minutes ago, Blue Plastic said:

No!  That was not authentic!  Everything else has been spot on and I love it, but this really jumped out at me.

May be a regional thing. I was calling it KFC well before 1984 - but it was slang, rather than the official name.

Astin's character went to high school with Joyce and Hopper, so his being a plant seems unlikely (but certainly not impossible).

[Blue Plastic]

Well, they did not call themselves KFC back then like they do now, and I never called it KFC at the time.  I never heard anyone call it KFC, certainly not the company itself, at that time but like you said it may be regional or just personal habit, like some people calling it McD's even though McDonald's does not call itself that as its official name.

[Arynm]

I am from Georgia and we called it KFC back then. Maybe it is a southern thing?

I loved how everyone thought Max's brother was SOO hot with his unironic mullet. He would have been hot back then for sure.

[Clanstarling]

15 minutes ago, Arynm said:

I am from Georgia and we called it KFC back then. Maybe it is a southern thing?

Now that may be. My Dad was from Mississippi, and I lived there briefly. I use plenty of southernisms my midwestern husband didn't understand.

[Mabinogia]

New England, and we called it KFC when I was a kid. Was just way easier than saying the whole name. 

21 minutes ago, Arynm said:

I loved how everyone thought Max's brother was SOO hot with his unironic mullet. He would have been hot back then for sure.

I about died laughing when he got out of the car because 2017 me immediately thought "what a loser", but if I'd been a teenager in 1984 I'd probably have been all over that. (I am more the kids' age than the teens' age) because 80s teenager girls had terrible taste in guys. haha

The dinner with Barbs parents KILLED me. I imagine Nancy was dying inside. Here, this couple are selling their house to try to find a daughter Nancy knows they will never find, and then they also won't have their house either. IDK how she kept from telling them, but then again, what, exactly, could she tell them? "You're daughter died because there is this parallel world that..." at that point she'd have been kicked out of the house and never invited back again. 

I like Max so far. It will be interesting to see how she affects the boys' relationship. 

[aliferous85]

1 hour ago, Blue Plastic said:

I don't care for the idea that there was another subject besides Eleven!  I guess I don't want new characters stealing the spotlight!  With her being "11" that does indicate there have been at least 10 other subjects, but I don't like it!

I do. Best part about the robbery and police chase scene which I found otherwise blah. I actually checked to see if I was watching the right show.

I guess the central theme of this episode was about coping with trauma.

Dustin cracks me up, I do hope the new teeth survive the entire season. 

Poor Nancy. I felt for her when she was crying in the bathroom. 

Will and Jonathan are the best brothers. That scene won this episode.

I'm also glad Hopper took Eleven in. It's still a pretty lonely life for a child though. 

I also laughed at New Kid's terrible uncombed mullet. 

Edited October 28, 2017 by aliferous85

[DEM]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

I was calling it KFC well before 1984 - but it was slang, rather than the official name.

I believe part of the reason the company picked up the name was BECAUSE of the popularity of the slang. (Yes, they wanted to downplay the 'fried', but having that popular name already out there made the switch easier.)

[Blue Plastic]

35 minutes ago, aliferous85 said:

I do. Best part about the robbery and police chase scene which I found otherwise blah. I actually checked to see if I was watching the right show.

I didn't even like that scene being in there.  It didn't go with the rest of the show up to this point IMO.  Last season I had just imagined that any other subjects would have died, considering the way they treated Eleven.  They hunted Eleven down when she escaped, so how did "Eight" get away without being found?  Plus she is calling attention to herself by being involved in robberies and police chases that would probably get reported in the news.  I was a little unclear - does this mean "Eight" has some kind of mind control (she didn't actually blow up the tunnel)?  Apparently it wasn't an illusion visible to all since the cop driving was the only one who saw it.

[fredfreddy44]

 I'm watching it with my 18 year old and he is asking a lot: "Was it really like that?"  I'm loving the movie references.  They had me from the get go when I saw the same sheets my mom still uses in her summer house guest room hanging in the windows of the get away van.  I do wonder if they will reference 8 again, or it was just to show there are others out there.

[aliferous85]

1 hour ago, Blue Plastic said:

 I was a little unclear - does this mean "Eight" has some kind of mind control (she didn't actually blow up the tunnel)?  Apparently it wasn't an illusion visible to all since the cop driving was the only one who saw it.

I think different subjects had different outcomes? Perhaps Eleven can do similar things but perhaps she's not aware of them yet. 

[MisterGlass]

I went into this season completely unspoiled, and that ending scene in the cabin killed me.  The two TV dinners and the half eaten Eggo, and then the final reveal of El with her curly hair.  Awesome.

On 10/27/2017 at 5:48 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Also between this and Red Oaks on Amazon Paul Reiser is becoming the go to 1980's jerky authority figure guy.

He was even doing it in the 80s, in Aliens.

[Delwyn]

I can’t be the only one who said “What, Rowsdower’s in this season?”

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know I'm supposed to root for the kids because they're our protagonists but going through Nancy's drawers so he could steal money from her piggy bank was a dick move from Mike!

Love that Max knew the guys were spying on her and left them a note in the trash calling them creeps.

I understand that Barb's parents miss her, but who the hell keeps a picture of their kid in the bathroom?

I love that the show puts so much effort into getting the details of the 80s right. That paper cup dispenser in Will's bathroom was the winner in this episode.

Awwww, Hopper and Eleven having tv dinners together warmed my cold dead heart. Wait until Eleven gets older and realizes that it's totally acceptable to have dessert before dinner!

On 10/27/2017 at 10:54 AM, bunnyblue said:

Was the guy questioning Hopper in the police station the PI that Barb's parents hired or is he just a conspiracy theorist?

Yes, it's the same guy. His name is Murray. Hopper referred to him by name when he came to the police staion, and the business card that Barb's mom showed to Nancy had the same name and his picture.

It seems unbelievable that Winona Ryder and Sean Astin never did a movie together in the 80s. I actually got Rudy and Lucas mixed up in my head so I mistakenly thought they had, but I was wrong.

Edited October 29, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[marceline]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:54 PM, bunnyblue said:

 

Interesting. I remember still calling it Kentucky Fried Chicken in my neck of the woods in the mid-80s. That's why I was surprised to hear Steve call it 'KFC'.

Same. Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't officially rebrand as KFC until 1991. I never heard them referred to as KFC before that.

[EarlGreyTea]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know I'm supposed to root for the kids because they're our protagonists but going through Nancy's drawers so he could steal money from her piggy bank was a dick move from Mike!

I understand that Barb's parents miss her, but who the hell keeps a picture of their kid in the bathroom?

 

I thought the photo of Barb in the bathroom was weird too, until I mentioned it to my mother who said, "People grieve in strange ways." Then I got it, kind of. It was still a bit too convenient for Nancy to see while she was there, though. Maybe it was Barb's bathroom exclusively and her parents wanted to keep it as a shrine until she returned. Speaking of Barb's parents, they broke my heart. I loved that it seemed that Nancy and Steve were eating with them on a regular basis. The dad being gruff, the mom smiling through her tears - my God. The casting director already deserves a medal, but they continue to earn the hell out of their paycheck in the casting of the smaller roles.

As for Mike, I was watching the Beyond Stranger Things aftershow - a must when you've finished the season- and Finn said they called him Emo Mike on set. He explained Mike's motivations going into the season as: he's lost his identity. Much of his identity was in saving Will, and then saving Eleven. Keeping the group together, basically, and being the leader. But he's got no one to impress anymore, since the girl he liked is gone. And now his friends are into video games instead of D&D, so the time he would have spent creating scenarios is gone. So he's taking it out in other ways - his mom listed his various misdeeds in this episode. His decidedly cool stance on Max illustrates this.

Did you all notice one of the toys Mike saved was the dinosaur he showed Eleven back in season 1? Nice callback there. Kid is totally sprung on her. She wasn't even all that impressed by it!

Edited October 29, 2017 by EarlGreyTea

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I understand that Barb's parents miss her, but who the hell keeps a picture of their kid in the bathroom?

I have known one of my closest friends since we were toddlers. When we were around seven years old, they moved to a different house (luckily still within walking distance of mine!). Since then, they have had a small photo of each of their kids - ages 4 and 7, around the time of the move - in the powder room on the main floor. There is a small ledge above the sink but below the mirror, and the photos are framed, but without the frame only about an inch or two in size.

A couple of decades have since passed, but those photos have stayed there ever since. Both their kids are alive and well. I never really questioned the idea! People don't really think anything of artwork in the bathroom, and I guess I didn't think of these photos as any different.

[Clanstarling]

43 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I have known one of my closest friends since we were toddlers. When we were around seven years old, they moved to a different house (luckily still within walking distance of mine!). Since then, they have had a small photo of each of their kids - ages 4 and 7, around the time of the move - in the powder room on the main floor. There is a small ledge above the sink but below the mirror, and the photos are framed, but without the frame only about an inch or two in size.

A couple of decades have since passed, but those photos have stayed there ever since. Both their kids are alive and well. I never really questioned the idea! People don't really think anything of artwork in the bathroom, and I guess I didn't think of these photos as any different.

Our guest bathroom has lots of pictures of family trips - both pre children and after. So yep, our kids are on our bathroom walls. But not shrine-like.

[nodorothyparker]

I grew up in neighboring Illinois at this time period and we always used KFC as slang.  I remember being surprised whatever year it was that it officially rebranded from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC that they'd even bother to make any sort of big deal about it because didn't everybody already know it as that?

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, marceline said:

Same. Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't officially rebrand as KFC until 1991. I never heard them referred to as KFC before that.

I read somewhere that KFC isn't allowed to call themselves Kentucky Fried Chicken because they use factory-made chicken, basically.

 

Quote

I about died laughing when he got out of the car because 2017 me immediately thought "what a loser", but if I'd been a teenager in 1984 I'd probably have been all over that. (I am more the kids' age than the teens' age) because 80s teenager girls had terrible taste in guys. haha

His look really reminded me of Jason Patric in The Lost Boys. (Although Jason's mullet was much better.)

I wonder if Tommy H and Carol are still dating? They seem like a nasty match made in heaven.

Edited October 29, 2017 by methodwriter85

[secnarf]

1 minute ago, methodwriter85 said:

I read somewhere that KFC isn't allowed to call themselves Kentucky Fried Chicken because they use factory-made chicken, basically.

There is a commercial airing right now with chicken farmers aimed at dispelling that rumour. It was the first time I had ever heard it, and don't really care enough to look into it more, but I wouldn't take it at face-value.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I just wouldn't want a picture of a missing teenager staring at me while I was pooping, the same way I wouldn't want a picture of my parents facing towards me while I was having sex. I'm all for family photos, but I prefer to keep them elsewhere.

I have artwork in the bathroom, but nothing that I love dearly because I know the constant humidity from the shower means at some point, they're going to have to be replaced.

If one of my friends or relatives went missing or died, I wouldn't put a photo of them in my bathroom. Different strokes for different folks. If that's what you want to look at while you're brushing your teeth and lotioning up after the shower, that's fine.  I just know that I wouldn't do it!

I really do feel for Barb's parents though. It's so much more complicated for them because Barb is missing so they have hope that she's alive. Nancy, on the other hand, knows that Barb is dead and isn't coming back. She has no hope of seeing her friend again.

18 hours ago, EarlGreyTea said:

I loved that it seemed that Nancy and Steve were eating with them on a regular basis.

I got the impression that Nancy was having dinner with Barb's parents pretty regularly but that Steve was not going as frequently. I could be reading the vibe incorrectly though.

[RadiantAerynSun]

Interesting aside, why did Kentucky Friend Chicken change to KFC?

 

https://www.snopes.com/lost/kfc.asp

[Racj82]

On 10/29/2017 at 10:33 AM, marceline said:

Same. Kentucky Fried Chicken didn't officially rebrand as KFC until 1991. I never heard them referred to as KFC before that.

Abbreviating names has been a thing for a long time. KFC as a term has existed before the rebranding.

[MaggieG]

I loved Steve saying "It's finger-lickin good" to break the tension.

[Dobian]

23 hours ago, secnarf said:

There is a commercial airing right now with chicken farmers aimed at dispelling that rumour. It was the first time I had ever heard it, and don't really care enough to look into it more, but I wouldn't take it at face-value.

The whole KFC controversy was just urban legend.  They weren't made to stop using the word "chicken" because they were manufacturing mutant chickens or whatever, they just rebranded themselves to stop identifying the company with just "chicken" since the company has long since diversified (they own Pizza Hut and Taco Bell).

I don't know if that scene is entirely wrong because the bucket itself looks like it spells out Kentucky Fried Chicken, they just say "KFC" which technically people might have occasionally done shorthand even back then.  Though I don't remember saying that until the company renamed itself in the 90s.

They were spot on with the rest of the cultural reference though, like baby Fae and the baboon heart, which was in the news in exactly October of 1984.

[Dev F]

1 hour ago, RadiantAerynSun said:

Interesting aside, why did Kentucky Friend Chicken change to KFC?

 

https://www.snopes.com/lost/kfc.asp

Heh, actually, that's an entry in the "Lost Legends" section of Snopes, which consists of parody articles.

[benteen]

Fun return for this show, with Will still being put through the ringer.  Like Astin as  Bob and Paul Reiser's a nice addition to the cast as well.  Really enjoyed the arcade scene and I remember when Dragon Lair was the big new video game at the arcade when I was growing up.