S03.E02: Chapter Two: The Mall Rats

[Athena]

Quote

Nancy and Jonathan follow a lead, Steve and Robin sign on to a secret mission, and Max and Eleven go shopping. A rattled Billy has troubling visions.

 

[Armchair Critic]

That rat goo was disturbing.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay, Billy's alive! I felt genuinely bad for him when he called 911 and then realized that what happened to him wasn't the kind of thing he could actually report.

I know I shouldn't have laughed but I totally cracked up when Mike yelled at his mom to get off the phone. Ahhh, the olden days before cell phones.

Oh, Mike. Lying to your girlfriend is never the answer. And at least make up a less serious/more plausible excuse than your grandmother possibly dying!

Steve and Dustin's reunion was AWESOME! I loved that Robin told them that she could hear everything they said because they're so loud.

A+ to the costume department because some of the clothes in this episode were perfectly 1985 (particularly the white outfit with the neon paint splatters that Eleven tried on).

I loved seeing Eleven and Max run around and act like regular girls their age just having fun.

Part of me feels a little bad for Mike but gawd, what an idiot. First he lied to Eleven (with one of the dumbest lies possible) and then he kept lying and lying some more. IF you want to get dumped, that's a sure fire recipe!

I'm afraid that between Hopper having to arrest people for protesting, stumbling around drunk at the restaurant, and constantly saying that he's the police chief, they're heading towards him losing his job.

Edited July 4, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Last Time Lord]

I know they used the song in season 2, but this episode had the best use of You Don’t Mess Around With Jim ever. 

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Part of me feels a little bad for Mike but gawd, what an idiot. First he lied to Eleven (with one of the dumbest lies possible) and then he kept lying and lying some more. IF you want to get dumped, that's a sure fire recipe!

Heh, him being bad at lying didn't surprise me -- the only thing about this little squabble that I find implausible is the idea that Mike wouldn't immediately rat on Hopper.

It's not like Hopper can actually keep Eleven away.

[raven]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I loved seeing Eleven and Max run around and act like regular girls their age just having fun.

I did too - I was very happy to just see them hanging out.    Obviously Hopper was still restricting her to Mike and the other kids, since she said she had never been to the mall.  She needs friends, she needs to get out.   She can't spend all of her time in an intense relationship with Mike.   It was great to see her giggle and have fun.  Spying on the boys burping and farting was hilarious.

Hopper needs to lighten up if he wants a chance with Joyce too.  Loved his shirt though.

46 minutes ago, SeanC said:

It's not like Hopper can actually keep Eleven away.

This might be true when Eleven finds out what happened.  Mike's behavior didn't surprise me - he was really caught off guard, panicked and immediately did the wrong thing, than ran to his friends, which compounded it.   

I was a bit worried that there would be too much teen angst but they're doing a good job with it - the actors are all good and the relationships believable.  Still, I would watch the hell out of the Steve/Dustin spy show.

[krankydoodle]

The science teacher playing My Bologna when Joyce showed up was a fun nod to one of the most memorable moments in Reality Bites when Winona and friends dance to My Sharona. Mr. Clarke is great and I hope he plays a bigger role this season.

I really like Sadie Sink and her friendship with Eleven but that scene of her skateboarding wasn't convincing.

Edited July 4, 2019 by krankydoodle

[raven]

18 minutes ago, krankydoodle said:

Mr. Clarke is great and I hope he plays a bigger role this season.

Yes, I forgot to mention this!  He is great.  I love Hopper but I wouldn't mind Joyce and Mr. Clarke together.  Or just Mr. Clarke, keeping the curiosity door open.

[AimingforYoko]

I love that Robin, after pretty much mocking Steve non-stop, jumped right into the Scooby hi-jinks.

[VCRTracking]

One of the things I love about Stranger Things is seeing the different plotlines running parallel where one or more characters has picked up a part of the thread and investigating. Then finally converging in the final episodes. This season. Nancy and Jonathan with the rats, Joyce with the magnets, Dustin, Steve and Robin with the Russian transmission.

I was happy seeing Max and Eleven being friends in the trailer and it lived up to my expectations in the show. The montage of them having fun and El acting like a regular girl was fun. As bad as I feel for Mike I loved Eleven telling him "I dump your ass" as Foreigner's "Cold as Ice" started playing!

Edited July 5, 2019 by VCRTracking

[DearEvette]

The Mike/El romance is old even before it started LOL.  I know it is a natural progression for them, but I am sick of them. I will admit though the twin scenes of El getting advice from Max and Mike getting advice from Lucas was fun.  But by the end I was agreeing with poor Will. 

I enjoyed the Max and El scenes in the Mall.  I feel bad that El is such a prisoner though.  In the end I think hiding her away in a house like she's the scientific secret she is is more suspicious than letting her hide in plain sight at a mall.

I liked Robin so much better in this ep than I did last one.  I am liking the Ice Shop team up mystery the best.  Although I am curious about what Nancy and Jonathan are finding out.  Also, Holy Cow does Maya Hawke's voice sound exactly like her mom's?

Poor Nancy.  30 years later she'll have a load of #MeToo stories.

Awww, Hopper got stood up.  I felt so bad for him.  But I did like Joyce hanging out with the science teacher.

I really want to feel bad for Billy, but I still have such strong residual dislike of him from last season.

Eve two eps in and I am enjoying the structure of the different storylines.  I am sure they'll all converge in the end, but so far I am liking all the different characters.  Except the tortured teen romance of Mike and El.

[RachelKM]

OMG, Guys!!! A Curiosity Door reference!!!!  I loved it so much!

Also, Steven and Dustin, as always, are the best part of any episode. 

Eleven and Max were great together. I remember those silly glamour shots type places in the mall.  

Poor Will.  He just wants to play D&D.

[backhometome]

All I could think about in those mall scenes with El and Max was where did they get money from.

I am liking the threesome of Dustin/Steve/new girl.

I feel bad for Will. 😞

[bettername2come]

57 minutes ago, backhometome said:

All I could think about in those mall scenes with El and Max was where did they get money from.

Theory 1: Max bankrolled this expedition with whatever allowance she has because she was just so happy that Eleven was treating her like a friend.

Theory 2: El telekinetically robbed some ATMs/vending machines.

[Capricasix]

When I was 15, in 1985, I had a romper like Eleven’s (if that’s what you call those garments, sounds like something a baby wears 😄) - mine was red and it had rainbows on it. 

[nodorothyparker]

Cary Elwes!  Yet another '80s icon drops in on our little town.  Mr. Clark got one of the best entrances I've seen in awhile, with the goggles and slowing rising garage door to "My Bologna."  I love how unabashedly geeky he is and that everyone just sort of treats him like a walking pre-Google.

Eleven and Max's mall escapade to "Material Girl" made my own '80s teenage girl's heart giddy, although I too kept wondering how they were paying for everything.  Apparently Eleven still isn't free to come and go with the same freedom as the rest of the kids, so it seems unlikely she has any money of her own.  I'm just so happy to see a friendship between the girls developing.  Has it occurred to Hopper that if he's worried about the intensity of the Mike-Eleven relationship that he's probably only making it worse by not helping her find ways to safely branch out more?  Mike is an idiot, but I can totally buy him panicking after Hopper laid the Big Bad Cop Dad routine on him and then making it worse at every turn, which Lucas was definitely piling on to.  Hee that he and Max have already broken up five times.  That's such a middle school thing to do and still be bragging about how smooth you are.

21 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

One of the things I love about Stranger Things is seeing the different plotlines running parallel where one or more characters has picked up a part of the thread and investigating. Then finally converging in the final episodes. This season. Nancy and Jonathan with the rats, Joyce with the magnets, Dustin, Steve and Robin with the Russian transmission.

I really love this about this show too, how all the different character groupings get a piece of the pie to puzzle out that only makes sense at the end.  Joyce has seen enough shit go down by now that of course she's immediately going to start poking around the minute she notices something is off with the magnets.   I love that for as deprecating as Robin has been about Steve's weird friendships with seemingly all the younger kids in town, she jumped right into the mystery too.   Once I got over the novelty of seeing a functioning phone booth in the middle of nowhere, I also liked the utter metaness of Billy not being able to articulate just what the emergency he was dealing with was.  So much of what goes on in Hawkins really is beyond the scope of the routine 911 call.

[tennisgurl]

The Material Girl sequence was so amazing, I want to watch it a billion times over and over. The guy working at the photo place that is super into his job, El using her powers to get some minor revenge on a mean girl, the boys looking into a Victoria Secret style store and running away in horror, it was just a delight. Max and El are so cute, I am really glad they had them bond more this season. 

I like Robin, giving Steve shit but also jumping right into the adventures with Dustin and Steve. Speaking of, the dynamic duo is reunited! They're friendship is so adorable, and they make such an endearingly awesome team. Robin seems like a good fit with them, I hope that she can meet the rest of the gang, even if the whole story is probably a bit...much. 

Mike is such an idiot, but it all seems very realistic for a 13 year old with his first girlfriend, especially one he has such an intense relationship with. Really, they're handling the kids entering their teens really well. They make dumb choices and can be little shits, but in ways that come across as really natural for kids their age, especially after everything thats happened. 

The budget this season must have increased by about a billion dollars just in music licencing alone! 

[Lady Calypso]

I loved the Material Girl sequence. Who knew I needed loads of Max/Eleven? Both girls had some really great moments. Contrast that to pouty Mike, enabling Lucas, and "I just want to play D&D" Will, who weren't having as much fun. I mean, it's definitely realistic for Mike to be such a bratty teen, but hopefully it isn't an all season thing. I did cheer for Eleven dumping Mike.

Mr. Clark and Joyce teaming up because she knew something was off with the magnets! Magnificent! I'd always love for more Clark. He's been so great to the kids, so I'm always happy for him to interact with the adults. I can't say I'm thrilled with Hopper's behaviour this season so far, though. I see he'll also need to be knocked back down to reality at some point. But damn if David Harbour isn't brilliant.

So, Billy's now connected to the Upside Down. I'm marginally interested in how, but I also don't like his character so whatever ends up happening to him, I can't say I feel THAT bad. I guess they realized that his character served no real purpose last season so he gets to be part of the Upside Down this season. 

I, too, love the interwoven storylines that will obviously come together by the end of season. Jonathan and Nancy's plot is only good because it'll connect the whole story. 

Dustin, Steve, and Robin teaming up! The Russian stuff doesn't interest me, which is probably why they paired it with one of the strongest aspects of the show. Robin is also a great new character.

[Anela]

43 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

Cary Elwes!  Yet another '80s icon drops in on our little town.  Mr. Clark got one of the best entrances I've seen in awhile, with the goggles and slowing rising garage door to "My Bologna."  I love how unabashedly geeky he is and that everyone just sort of treats him like a walking pre-Google.

That's who that was! I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

Oh wait, I was thinking that about someone else i got him mixed up with. 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Anela

[tennisgurl]

I love how Mr. Clark is basically everyone’s go to science expert, and how excited he is to help even without any context to the other stuff going on! He is so lovably geeky and I love how they use him in the show. 

[LittleIggy]

15 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Yay, Billy's alive! I felt genuinely bad for him when he called 911 and then realized that what happened to him wasn't the kind of thing he could actually report.

I know I shouldn't have laughed but I totally cracked up when Mike yelled at his mom to get off the phone. Ahhh, the olden days before cell phones.

Oh, Mike. Lying to your girlfriend is never the answer. And at least make up a less serious/more plausible excuse than your grandmother possibly dying!

Steve and Dustin's reunion was AWESOME! I loved that Robin told them that she could hear everything they said because they're so loud.

A+ to the costume department because some of the clothes in this episode were perfectly 1985 (particularly the white outfit with the neon paint splatters that Eleven tried on).

I loved seeing Eleven and Max run around and act like regular girls their age just having fun.

Part of me feels a little bad for Mike but gawd, what an idiot. First he lied to Eleven (with one of the dumbest lies possible) and then he kept lying and lying some more. IF you want to get dumped, that's a sure fire recipe!

I'm afraid that between Hopper having to arrest people for protesting, stumbling around drunk at the restaurant, and constantly saying that he's the police chief, they're heading towards him losing his job.

I had a black outfit (long jacket and skirt) with neon splatters on it. Loved that outfit! ☺️

[Melina22]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

guess they realized that his character served no real purpose last season so he gets to be part of the Upside Down this season

I'm totally blanking on his role last season. Everyone else is familiar, but not him. Who was he again? 

[Melina22]

2 hours ago, Anela said:

That's who that was! I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

How many British actors in this season? So far I'm counting El, Mike's brother, Cary Elwes... are there others? I'm fascinated by how excellent their American accents are. 

[blueray]

Quote

I really want to feel bad for Billy, but I still have such strong residual dislike of him from last season.

I totally laughed when he was calling 911 and the thing grabbed him. I guess I still am not over the dislike from last year. That being said he clearly isn't himself, or is processed as he obviously wouldn't have kidnapped anyone last year.  My husband and I were thinking his whole storyline in the episode reminded us of the Lost Boys. Mainly part where it's all echo'y and saying the character's name over and over again. Except this time it's Billy instead of Michael.

While I like Mike and Eleven together, Mike shouldn't have lied and I was glad Eleven ended it.  He could have suggested they hang out with the group instead. I did really like Eleven and Max hanging out together. It was nice to see Eleven do something normal. I do think at this point it would be better for her to go out more and make connections with other people (then just Mike), while remaining safe. She now just blended into the mall crowd.

I also felt bad for Will.

Edited July 5, 2019 by blueray

[blueray]

4 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I'm totally blanking on his role last season. Everyone else is familiar, but not him. Who was he again? 

He's Max's asshole brother. He basically was rude to everyone, he tried to run the kids over with his car, hook up with Karen Wheeler and was verbally abusive and racist. Basically a horrible person. And yeah, didn't really have a purpose last season.

Edited July 5, 2019 by blueray

[backhometome]

I agree that ST does the different groupings and then they will come together at the end of the season. The only thing is that Nancy/Jonathan are always on their own and its gets boring. Their strand is always my least favorite one. 

[Kel Varnsen]

So if El was worried about being in big crowds does that mean she isn't going to school?

I did love that Dustin had the tape of the Russians. A lot of shows/movies would have just had him tell the story and a bunch of dumb hijinks as no one believed him, until he finally got a big reveal. That would have wasted a bunch of time and been annoying. This show just got right down to business.

Also what is up in Hawkins where the penalty for protesting without a permit is actually getting arrested, put in cuffs and taken to the police station?

[methodwriter85]

14 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The budget this season must have increased by about a billion dollars just in music licencing alone! 

Yeah, you can really the see the money being put into this show as opposed to the first season or even the second season. Also, I'm guessing Netflix's cancelling binge has freed up some money.

Absolutely loved the mall sequence.

[DearEvette]

6 hours ago, backhometome said:

The only thing is that Nancy/Jonathan are always on their own and its gets boring. Their strand is always my least favorite one. 

Yeah, I think it would have been Nice for Nancy and Jonathan to have had at least one other person on their team.  They always seem to be isolated with each other.

I think their storyline usually starts off slow and they are typically relegated to doing pure investigative work.  But I thought in S1 and S2 they roared in strong at the end.  They are the ones that made the spike bat and Nancy is a dead-shot and they figured out how to lure the monster into the house so they could try and take him out in S1.  I hoping they come through again this season.

[Quilt Fairy]

14 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The Material Girl sequence was so amazing, I want to watch it a billion times over and over. The guy working at the photo place that is super into his job, El using her powers to get some minor revenge on a mean girl, the boys looking into a Victoria Secret style store and running away in horror, it was just a delight. Max and El are so cute, I am really glad they had them bond more this season

El picked out some really cute clothes (I assumed the ones she wore from then on were from that shopping trip), and the one thing that would have finished that sequence off nicely would have been El with a ton of shopping bags like Julia Roberts after her shopping trip in Pretty Woman.  I was really surprised to see her with only one bag which could have contained her old clothes. 

How did they pay for these?  I think perhaps Max had a credit card from her (absent) parents for emergencies. 

[MisterGlass]

I was really glad to see El get to be a teen for a while.  Her friendship with Max is a good thing.

I feel bad for Hopper getting stood up, but he made an ass of himself.  It is not a good look for him.  He could use some humility.

I should know better than to eat while watching this show, but gah, the exploding rats.

Edited July 5, 2019 by MisterGlass
Wrong ep.

[Aliferously]

You go, Nancy Drew. Missed her so much.

Loved the Material Girl scenes. Especially the coke exploding because I'm secretly 12 and have a weird sense of humour.

"I dump your ass" Yay. You do that.

Look at Hopper and his Magnum PI impersonation. Too bad he got stood up though.

Aww, Steve and Dustin. I laughed so hard.

Everything is just so deliciously 80's. Love it.

[ganesh]

On 7/4/2019 at 7:04 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Part of me feels a little bad for Mike but gawd, what an idiot.

Also when you know you're in trouble, don't yell at your girlfriend the next time you see her. 

As a man now, who was actually a boy at 13, I can confidently confirm Max's assertion that boys are stupid. 

I do feel a little bad for Billy because it's not like he was trying to mess with the Upside Down or anything. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:47 AM, SeanC said:

Heh, him being bad at lying didn't surprise me -- the only thing about this little squabble that I find implausible is the idea that Mike wouldn't immediately rat on Hopper.

I agree with you. I wish I heard what Hopper said to Mike on the way home that would keep him from telling El.

I couldn't help but get a kick out of Hopper dressed liked Magnum P.I. and the restaurant scene, sorry he got stood up but it was for a good reason, Joyce is on to something. 

I like Robin joining the Steve and Dustin team. I think her banter with Steve is funny and yes I think they will end up together. I warmed up to her sooner then I did Max last season, I don't know why but it took me more then 2 episodes to like Max.

Poor Will he just wants to play D&D with his friends.

Every time they say Nancy Drew it takes me back to the 70's when I used watch Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys show with my cousin.

I would be happy if I don't hear that Foreigner song Cold As Ice ever again. 100 years ago when I was married and fight my ex he would play that song and sing it loudly towards me. Jerk!

On to episode 3 :-)

[Turtle Wexler]

20 hours ago, Melina22 said:

How many British actors in this season? So far I'm counting El, Mike's brother, Cary Elwes... are there others? I'm fascinated by how excellent their American accents are. 

Also, Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy, is Australian.  I agree--I'm impressed by their American accents. I only discovered by accident that they weren't American.  (I just started with S1 a few days ago, so I've been catching up.)  

[Cthulhudrew]

I'm feeling a bit of a disconnect. On the one hand, I'm enjoying the season more thus far than S2 (which I still think dropped the ball big time by keeping some of the main characters away from one another until the finale), on the other hand, it feels a bit superficial to me.

We're getting kind of one-dimensional, caricaturesque bits rather than real moments, for the most part. The girl montage; the boys trying to buy a gift; the conniving mayor; the nervous father; etc. A lot of them (esp. in Ep1) are even just homages to classic 80's movies like Fast Times and Ridgemont High, devoid of any real meaning without the context of those films.

There are a lot of good ideas- like Elle's first experience with the mall and a girl friend; but they aren't really allowed to breathe and come to life. The best "real" moments so far are with Dustin, Steve, and Robin.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Cthulhudrew

[Clanstarling]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:11 AM, Last Time Lord said:

I know they used the song in season 2, but this episode had the best use of You Don’t Mess Around With Jim ever. 

I love to rev up with that song. I still miss Croce, after all these years.

On 7/4/2019 at 7:47 AM, SeanC said:

Heh, him being bad at lying didn't surprise me -- the only thing about this little squabble that I find implausible is the idea that Mike wouldn't immediately rat on Hopper.

My take is that Hopper scared him shitless, and he's not going to give him a reason to focus his anger on him again - at least until the memory fades.

On 7/4/2019 at 5:25 PM, backhometome said:

All I could think about in those mall scenes with El and Max was where did they get money from.

I am liking the threesome of Dustin/Steve/new girl.

I feel bad for Will. 😞

Me too, to all of the above.

On 7/4/2019 at 9:45 PM, tennisgurl said:

I love how Mr. Clark is basically everyone’s go to science expert, and how excited he is to help even without any context to the other stuff going on! He is so lovably geeky and I love how they use him in the show. 

This show loves its nerds. RIP Bob *sob*

13 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I would be happy if I don't hear that Foreigner song Cold As Ice ever again. 100 years ago when I was married and fight my ex he would play that song and sing it loudly towards me. Jerk!

No wonder it won't be in your playlist. What a _________(fill in the blank).

[Danny Franks]

So Billy isn't dead. He's worse. If he can really get much worse. Telling Karen to stay away from him actually seemed to be him looking out for her, which was surprising. And it appears Magneto, or maybe anti-Magneto, is in town.

Mike actually heeding what Hopper said to him is good. Mike boneheadedly lying to Eleven without having thought about it is bad.

I did laugh at Hopper so clearly on top of the world because he 'bested' a fourteen year old boy. Not realising that he's probably just made everything worse. But sorry, Hopper, Joyce just likes the intellectual types.

Eleven and Max actually hanging out was cute as anything, and I want more of that. It's sad that El has still been living as a hermit, though. I thought she'd have been better integrated into normal life by now. Which, by the way, would make her less reliant on Mike for emotional connections. The fact she can dump him is reassuring, to be honest.

Lucas is still the most dramatic of the four boys. Talking about relationships as though they're battles, to be won. And poor Will just wants to play D&D.

So Steve and Dustin are unabashedly close friends now. As I said, it's sweet and it's good to see Steve integrated with the rest of the cast, but the dude needs to expand his horizons and start thinking about his future. Robyn seems to be into him, and Maya Hawke is an unholy combination of all the best features of her parents.

Jake Busey is good at playing a complete asshole. He always has been. Not as good as his dad, but no one is. I hope Nancy and Jonathan aren't going to be caught up in their own adventure all season. I want to see them interacting with other characters as well.

That oblivious old lady who "forgot to mention" that she caught a demon-possessed rat? She was great.

I forgot Cary Elwes was in this. He's ageing pretty well, but he'll always be the Dread Pirate Roberts to me.

The show does feel like a collection of 80s-inspired set pieces at the moment. There's an inconsistency to the tone and pacing that feels a bit jarring. I don't mind them juxtaposing comedy with serious, but there needs to be more of a carry-through that I've seen so far. Hopefully, with the plot progressing so quickly, it will come together.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Danny Franks

[Mezzaluna]

Didn't buy the translation of the radio broadcast from Russian AT ALL. In the days before the Internet - and Google - the teenager who knows some romance languages and has an English-Russian dictionary translates audio into written language AND break the code? A big NOPE from me.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 7/4/2019 at 1:07 PM, VCRTracking said:

As bad as I feel for Mike I loved Eleven telling him "I dump your ass" as Foreigner's "Cold as Ice" started playing!

Perfect song choice! And hilarious scene. I was very taken aback with how much El and Mike were kissing--I was a teen in the '80s and older HS kids kissed like that but middle schoolers/soon-to-be ninth graders did not. 

On 7/4/2019 at 9:24 PM, bettername2come said:

Theory 2: El telekinetically robbed some ATMs/vending machines.

A la Firestarter--Charlie telekinetically robbed the payphones.

As much as I loved it, I was horrified at the reveal of what was in the trunk. That was too real. This is a horror/sci-fi series--yes, we know Billy isn't going to go full Buffalo Bill on her, that the Mind Flayer or some other horror or about to appear but she doesn't know that. Seeing a bound and gagged woman open her eyes and realize what was happening was horrible, way too real.

[Cheezwiz]

6 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Seeing a bound and gagged woman open her eyes and realize what was happening was horrible, way too real.

Agreed - that scene really made me uncomfortable.

Am enjoying the rest of the 80's nostalgia - Max and El having fun in the mall was nice to see. Loved it when El used her powers for a prank on the popular girl. They are really nailing the hair and clothing on all the extras in the mall, but why are Mike and Will still wearing such terrible pudding bowl haircuts? Not really typical of how mid-80's teen boys would be wearing their hair. They should be sporting mullets at this point.

Steve is never not hilarious, and I'm loving his friendship with Dustin. Not really warming up to Robin thus far - Maya Hawke is reminding me of another actress (not her Mom Uma) who I can't quite put my finger on, but who I really dislike. Might be Emma Roberts - more so in attitude & mannerism than appearance. 

[Ravenya003]

I haven't read the rest of the posts yet, so apologies if I repeat anything.

During the hiatus and after seeing the first trailer, I was actually a little concerned about what they would do with Eleven/Max. I definitely wanted the two girls to be friends with each other, but I also wanted there to be a "sizing each other up" period given their cool reception at the end of season two. I was afraid the writing would gloss over their initial awkwardness and leap straight to "besties at the mall". 

So I'm pretty happy with what we got here: it's clear that in the year that passed the two have been in each other's orbit without really interacting one-on-one, and that El's insecurity over Max/Mike has (obviously) passed. When El approaches Max it's as a girl with a genuine lack of understanding over what it means to be a girl, and Max rose to the occasion with a girl's day out. 

Too often female relationships are depicted as either Super Best Friends Forever or I Immediately and Unequivocally Hate You (*side-eyes the last season of Game of Thrones*) and don't take into account the HUGE spectrum of feelings and attitudes that can exist between women. Just like, you know, dudes.

So basically: nicely done, Duffer Brothers.

The wedge that Hopper has put between Mike/Eleven is annoying - yes, I get that he's concerned, and yes, they were definitely being obnoxious, and yes, it's very good that El is interacting with other people (ie Max). But there's nothing you can do about teens in the throes of first love but batten down the hatches and wait it out. Scaring Mike into lying to El? Is just gonna backfire.  

That said, what exactly is the Eleven situation? Because she was a little freaked out at going to the mall ("so many people"), and when they ran into Mike he said that she shouldn't be there. So... is she still being kept hidden at the cabin? Clearly she's not going to school, so where's her education coming from? Hasn't she been legally adopted by Hopper? Are they planning to integrate her into society at some point? I just don't know what the Plan is here - and honestly, if Hopper is that concerned about Mike/El spending every waking moment together, he should enroll her at the local school. 

Maya Hawke fits in nicely - I saw her first in last year's Little Women (the BBC version) in which she instantly became my favourite Jo March. (Sorry Winona). 

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Perfect song choice! And hilarious scene. I was very taken aback with how much El and Mike were kissing--I was a teen in the '80s and older HS kids kissed like that but middle schoolers/soon-to-be ninth graders did not.

True enough - but did they spend a year apart, one in complete isolation/prison, one thinking the other was dead, and then defeat a horrible monster and witness people die? 😉 I'm willing for them to be a little "extra" and ahead of the curve, given that background.

[MyRealName]

Where did all of Erica's black friends come from? At the assembly in season one, I didn't see any other black kids. Is that why she is so sassy, while Lucas is more mainstream?

[VCRTracking]

On 7/7/2019 at 11:03 AM, Ravenya003 said:

That said, what exactly is the Eleven situation? Because she was a little freaked out at going to the mall ("so many people"), and when they ran into Mike he said that she shouldn't be there. So... is she still being kept hidden at the cabin? Clearly she's not going to school, so where's her education coming from? Hasn't she been legally adopted by Hopper? Are they planning to integrate her into society at some point? I just don't know what the Plan is here - and honestly, if Hopper is that concerned about Mike/El spending every waking moment together, he should enroll her at the local school. 

Paul Reiser's character told Hopper to wait a year before letting her go public. The exception being the "Snow Ball" dance. She was allowed to go to Dustin's "Welcome Home" party, so I think anything that involves just the other kids who know she exists is fine.

On 7/7/2019 at 11:03 AM, Ravenya003 said:

During the hiatus and after seeing the first trailer, I was actually a little concerned about what they would do with Eleven/Max. I definitely wanted the two girls to be friends with each other, but I also wanted there to be a "sizing each other up" period given their cool reception at the end of season two. I was afraid the writing would gloss over their initial awkwardness and leap straight to "besties at the mall". 

So I'm pretty happy with what we got here: it's clear that in the year that passed the two have been in each other's orbit without really interacting one-on-one, and that El's insecurity over Max/Mike has (obviously) passed. When El approaches Max it's as a girl with a genuine lack of understanding over what it means to be a girl, and Max rose to the occasion with a girl's day out.  

 They probably hashed out what happened with Mike and El at the gym at the Snow Ball.  El gave her the cold shoulder again and Max demands to know why. El confesses she saw Max and Mike at the gym. Max both laughs and is pissed El made her fall so they didn't fall right away into a friendship especially with Hopper still keeping her in the cabin and Mike wanting all her attention.

20 hours ago, MyRealName said:

Where did all of Erica's black friends come from? At the assembly in season one, I didn't see any other black kids. Is that why she is so sassy, while Lucas is more mainstream?

Spoiler

Hell, where did all the people who filled both Starcourt Mall and the Fourth of July festival come from? Back to the Future played to a packed audience!

Edited July 8, 2019 by SilverStormm
Future episode stuff tagged.

[MisterGlass]

Starcourt could be the first big mall in the county.  If so, it could be a regional draw, especially during the summer.

11 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

They are really nailing the hair and clothing on all the extras in the mall, but why are Mike and Will still wearing such terrible pudding bowl haircuts?

It could be part of the Mid-Western setting with newer styles coming in later than at the coast.  Personally I remember a lot of bowl cuts through to the early 90s, especially on younger boys. 

[Robert Lynch]

At least in the movie It, they did a good job with the late 80s time period as far as fashion and hairdo is concerned. I think Wil's and Mike's are a fashion don't. I hope next time they'll be a little updated.

Edited July 7, 2019 by Robert Lynch

[TiredMe]

I enjoyed the heck out of the Material girl montage. I love everything 80s so it just makes me smile. Also loved the Steve and Dustin scenes. Those two are golden together.

and lastly, Dread Pirate Roberts aka Cary Elwes is still totally tubular. Lol

[VCRTracking]

13 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

Am enjoying the rest of the 80's nostalgia - Max and El having fun in the mall was nice to see. Loved it when El used her powers for a prank on the popular girl. They are really nailing the hair and clothing on all the extras in the mall, but why are Mike and Will still wearing such terrible pudding bowl haircuts? Not really typical of how mid-80's teen boys would be wearing their hair. They should be sporting mullets at this point.

I think it was a way to show visually these are the same boys from the previous two seasons. They've changed so much since last seaon. They're taller, they're voices have changed and so have their faces. If they also suddenly had different hairstyles it would be too jarring. You wouldn't recognize them! Next season I hope they have new haircuts like Gary and Wyatt in Weird Science.

Different but still dorky!

Edited July 7, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Cheezwiz]

37 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

I think it was a way to show visually these are the same boys from the previous two seasons. They've changed so much since last seaon.

Good point! And yes, the weird science look you posted is exactly what I would associate with teen boys from that era!