S03.E01: Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?

[LeGrandElephant]

I thought El would only have a nosebleed after doing something intense and draining. If she has it on every little casual use of her powers, what does that mean? That she shouldn't be using them at all, that its bad for her? Or that the show thinks we need that visual cue? 

[maczero]

On 7/4/2019 at 9:05 PM, nodorothyparker said:

LOOK at the time, and all the inverted subtle nods to Fast Times at Ridgemont High were nicely done.   He's got the Rob Lowe haircut and muscle car and badder than bad boy tattoo.

Is that what they're going for with Billy's look?  I always thought his style was oddly feminine.  He seems more pretty boy than bad boy.

On 7/5/2019 at 11:47 PM, Miles said:

Also there better be a supernatural explaination how that dude could hold and choke that 80+kg scientist with one arm for over a minute. He didn't have the arms for it. Hell, I'm not sure if the mountain from GoT (TV version) would have the arms for it. That's some hard lifting.

I'm guessing Russian henchman is a nod to Dolph and Arnold.  Both of them played human characters that had feats that bordered on superhuman.

On 7/8/2019 at 11:48 AM, Dirtybubble said:

I was a bit surprised how busy that mall was.  I am assuming it was a Friday or Saturday night when this was shown but too see it THAT FRIGGING CROWDED was weird.  Those escalators were PACKED with people!  I do have memories of teens hanging out at the mall on Fri and Sat nights but holy cow it looked like it was shoulder to shoulder there.

Not really surprising since the show wants to make it seem like the mall is the biggest thing to happen to Hawkins in years.

[Dirtybubble]

14 hours ago, maczero said:

Not really surprising since the show wants to make it seem like the mall is the biggest thing to happen to Hawkins in years.

Right now I see.  I didn't realize until the next episode that this mall had just opened as well so the crowds are understandable. 

[Snorfbat]

Is it just me or is the character of Bruce (the blond reporter) supposed to remind us of an upside down version of Robert Redford from All the President's Men (1976)?

[kieyra]

On 7/9/2019 at 7:02 PM, maczero said:

Is that what they're going for with Billy's look?  I always thought his style was oddly feminine.  He seems more pretty boy than bad boy.

I mentioned it in another thread, but Billy’s look is pure Rob Lowe in St Elmo’s Fire + Jason Patric in Lost Boys. Then they slapped an uber-bully characterization on top of it. 

(Rob Lowe’s character in St Elmo’s Fire was sort of a “bad boy”, in terms of partying too hard and breaking hearts. And, you know, playing the saxophone.)

[echo.Echo.ECHO]

On 7/4/2019 at 3:22 PM, DearEvette said:

I enjoyed this first ep.  Although I have to say I don't remember hair quite that teased and huge in the 80s. was it really tha bad?

Yes, yes it was.

[Cheezwiz]

On 7/4/2019 at 12:22 PM, DearEvette said:

I enjoyed this first ep.  Although I have to say I don't remember hair quite that teased and huge in the 80s. was it really tha bad?

Yep, it sure was! I was a teen in that era and I tried many times to get the elevated mall bang look, but my smooth slippery hair would never cooperate. I am now eternally grateful it didn't pan out. My class photos are not too horrific.

Follow this link for some real-life honest-to-god examples:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-photos-of-80s-hairstyles-so-bad-theyre-actually-good

Edited July 14, 2019 by Cheezwiz
because, reasons.

[Taryn74]

10 minutes ago, Cheezwiz said:

Yep, it sure was! I was a teen in that era and I tried many times to get the elevated mall bang look, but my smooth slippery hair would never cooperate.

I wasn't allowed to wear hairspray until about 8th grade. My mom was convinced it would make my hair fall out. I swear the day she finally caved in was one of the happiest days of my life. Not gonna lie, I frigging loved my 80s hair. It was actually a good look for me, framed my face well.  I'm still sad that by the time I grew my hair out long enough to feel like I could do a spiral perm (my hair takes curl VERY well and I always ended up with poodle hair when I got perms because it wasn't long enough to pull the curls down) they were no longer in style so I never got one.

I remember one friend in about 10th grade willingly took an in-school suspension because it had rained on her waiting for the bus and her hair fell.  Another ran out of hairspray and used perfume to get her bangs to cooperate. You could smell her a mile away.

#Imissthe80s #bestdecadeever

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

Yep, it sure was! I was a teen in that era and I tried many times to get the elevated mall bang look, but my smooth slippery hair would never cooperate. I am now eternally grateful it didn't pan out. My class photos are not too horrific.

Follow this link for some real-life honest-to-god examples:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-photos-of-80s-hairstyles-so-bad-theyre-actually-good

My hair was also smooth and slippery, as well as fine. Teasing it just made it break, and I hated inhaling hairspray. Plus, I hated (and still hate) spending any  more than a few minutes on my hair. A blow dry was as much as I could stand. But I did get an 80's perm - which wasn't quite as poodley on me as most. It was the first time I looked like didn't have thin hair, and it was so easy to maintain. I loved it.

[DearEvette]

11 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

Follow this link for some real-life honest-to-god examples:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-photos-of-80s-hairstyles-so-bad-theyre-actually-good

Oh.... dear.

[spaceghostess]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:48 AM, Dirtybubble said:

Oh and nice little nugget to the horror fans to have our gang sneaking in to see Day of the Dead as it takes place in a SHOPPING MALL!  I am a huge George Romero fan (RIP) and he said the movie really was about consumerism and malls taking the business from small hometown stores.  Love how everything ties in together!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who though Mike and El were behaving like little snots.  Whispering in front of Hopper like that!  NO SIR!  Glad Hop ditched the nice guy heart to heart speech for a more aggressive tone. 

 

Cueing Comic Book Guy voice again to point out it was DAWN of the Dead that took place in the mall, but since that one was released in 1978, I guess TPTB figured Day of the Dead (released in 1985), would make more sense timewise. Anyway, it still stands as a roundabout homage . . .

Spoiler

 . . . but now that I'm almost through bingeing, I realize it works perfectly as foreshadowing of this season's plotline.

 

I always like the music references on this show, but it felt kinda heavy handed this time? A song playing over what felt like every other scene was too much of a good thing for me.

Weirdly, this episode made me appreciate my parents' strictness with us more than I generally do. I was the exact same age as the Stranger Things kids when this takes place, with my brother just a bit older than Jonathan and my sister a couple years older than that. And yeah, the mall was a thing, but my hanging out there at thirteen/fourteen would've happened over my mom's dead body. She was sure I'd be corrupted (morally and/ or materially) and possibly kidnapped. So my early-teens summers were wholesomely spent at sleepaway camp, riding my bike, babysitting (any of which would have gotten me brutally murdered in an '80s horror movie) and reading (yup, nerd). I'd log plenty of time in the mall within a couple years, anyway, working at (a) one of those stores with the giant tubes of candy people would gorge on without paying and inevitably spill all over the floor and (b) at The Limited (where female employees were required to dress like low-budget Heathers). Any girls who drove would walk each other to the parking lot after work for safety's sake; the rest would hang out together 'til our rides (and/or boyfriends) arrived to pick us up. Because there were some skeeeeevy characters hanging around up in there. Mom, you were right.

ETA: I feel Steve and Robin's pain: I worked summers and after school at no less than eight different retail jobs, including bakery, pharmacy, movie theater (the best!!), the aforementioned candy store and The Limited (the worst!!), and three different bookstores. The major difference, fortunately for me, is that I did get to go to college--locally, so I could work and save my parents' dorm costs--but still. I get the feeling this is just a summer gig for Robin. Poor Steve, tho. 😞

Edited July 19, 2019 by spaceghostess

[foxfreakinmulder]

Okay, I just finished my rewatch of 3-1 and didn't pay much attention to this the first time but in the beginning when we see Alexi and the other Russian turn the keys to start the machine they are in Russia. After the machine stops working the Colonel has the terminator guy kill the one Russian and tells Alexi he has 1 year. Then you see the Colonel and terminator guy walk out of the building to a chopper and you see the Russian flag.

Spoiler

So what does that mean? That room with the machine in Russia looks exactly like the room Joyce and Hopper are in at the end of episode 8. Are they somehow in Russia when they go down in the elevator? Is the elevator a portal of some kind? That doesn't seem to make any sense, or does it? Could that be how Hopper ended up in Russia? I'm confused now.

I think Mrs. Wheeler looked prettier in seasons 1 & 2 without all the heavy eyeshadow and hair product.

If I was in a mall and the power went out I would panic, it would be pitch black in there.

Mike is being such a little shit!

Billy is just gross!

Edited July 23, 2019 by Athena
Added spoiler tag

[Female83]

9 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

Okay, I just finished my rewatch of 3-1 and didn't pay much attention to this the first time but in the beginning when we see Alexi and the other Russian turn the keys to start the machine they are in Russia. After the machine stops working the Colonel has the terminator guy kill the one Russian and tells Alexi he has 1 year. Then you see the Colonel and terminator guy walk out of the building to a chopper and you see the Russian flag.

Spoiler

So what does that mean? That room with the machine in Russia looks exactly like the room Joyce and Hopper are in at the end of episode 8. Are they somehow in Russia when they go down in the elevator? Is the elevator a portal of some kind? That doesn't seem to make any sense, or does it? Could that be how Hopper ended up in Russia? I'm confused now.

I think Mrs. Wheeler looked prettier in seasons 1 & 2 without all the heavy eyeshadow and hair product.

If I was in a mall and the power went out I would panic, it would be pitch black in there.

Mike is being such a little shit!

Billy is just gross!

Spoiler

No. The Russians  built an exact replica  of the Russian lab under the mall. No, they were in Hawkins under the Starcourt Mall.. If the American is Hopper then he either went through the gate, ended up in the UD and then found a gate to Russia or he managed to escape before the machine blew, found by the Russians, and then taken to Russia. 

Edited July 23, 2019 by Athena
Added spoiler tags

[Athena]

Please do not discuss future episodes in the episode threads without adding spoiler tags. Thank you.

[foxfreakinmulder]

Thank you Female 83. I was confused by that and didn't pick up on it my first time viewing the episode.

Sorry Athena.

[moonshine71]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:22 AM, kokapetl said:

That one boy’s wig is Dora the Explorer.

I know boys shorts in the eighties were short, but they weren’t so incredibly high waisted, were they?

They really push the extreme of nerdish, early/mid 80's clothing and hair to the point the boys are almost caricatures.

I was about the same age, i can't imagine many of us would have had our shirts tucked in, much less so tightly it looked like they were sewn into our pants with a waist that went up to our naval. And don't get me started on running around in full summer camp uniform...

[festivus]

No mention yet of the real star of the first episode, that can of New Coke? I cracked my can open last night as I watched the first episode and it was delicious. I seriously was in heaven. I never thought I'd get to drink it again and it was a $10 can of coke but it was worth every penny. Bliss.

As to the episode, Mike was a little shit, I never knew anyone who would talk to someone else's parent like that. Billy looked like Rob Lowe left his vampire nest in Santa Carla and decided to try the small town middle America life. Bad move dude. Now you're the Upside Down's bitch.

[qtpye]

On 7/6/2019 at 3:58 PM, Danny Franks said:

So there's something in the air in Hawkins. Romance, puppy love and lust all over the place.

I appreciate the tongue being so firmly in the cheek regarding Billy and the lascivious older women. It's more 80s sex comedy than anything else, and it's a nice counterpoint to the rest of the show. The power ballads, the hot, neglected house wife, the ne'er-do-well who is just too tempting - it's a fucking White Snake video.

I thought the opening scene was going to turn out to be a story one of the kids was telling. It was so over the top and reliant on 'Evil Soviet Empire' tropes, that I couldn't take it seriously.

I'm with Hopper and Will when it comes to Mike and Eleven. Spending that much time together is unhealthy, and I remember speculating last year that their relationship could take on toxic qualities, given how closely they bonded as kids. I don't like Mike at all, after how much of an ass he was all last year, and now this. It's possible that El is causing this effect in him, through some kind of unconscious influence. Teen love or not, the thought of so obviously whispering something in your girlfriend's ear while her dad is clearly angry and about to say something, is staggering.

Not too keen on Dustin so far this year either. He reminded me strongly of Cartman in his opening scenes, flipping out because his friends weren't answering his radio call. He's almost as self-involved as Mike.

The transformation in Steve is now complete. He's gone from the alpha dog of the school to the loser who's hanging around with kids and pathetically trying to hold on to his glory days. I don't know if we're supposed to be happy about it or not. He's a more rounded, fun character, but he needs to be more than the town joke.

Poor Nancy, being ignored and mocked by the grizzled old local reporters. Sadly typical of the workplace in the 1980s, I suppose. Not much of her, and even less of Jonathan, in this opening episode. But I guess their job will be handy.

I was watching Funny Farm, a Chevy Chase fish out of water comedy (not very good) that came out in the eighties. In the beginning Chevy leaves his job as a sports writer for a big newspaper to move to new the country. The other reporters are totally portrayed as an old grizzled mostly white good old boys club that seemed out of touch even in the eighties. They really reminded me of Nancy’s bosses. 

It was also a trip to see a small town newspaper employ so many people. To go back to the heights of malls and newspapers, both institutions that are kind of dying today was also very nostalgic.

On 7/7/2019 at 1:58 AM, Cheezwiz said:

Enjoying this so far! The nods to eighties films are fun and holy smokes, the special effects budget has clearly been increased multi-fold. Great and utterly cheesy eighties music cues - can't imagine what they must be spending on music rights.

My favourite visual effects thus far: the massive perms, and Mrs. Wheeler's eyeshadow.

(I longed to have my eyeshadow look like that when I was a teen in the eighties - my ultimate goal was to have eyes like Donna Mills in Knots Landing).

On 7/14/2019 at 12:51 AM, Cheezwiz said:

Yep, it sure was! I was a teen in that era and I tried many times to get the elevated mall bang look, but my smooth slippery hair would never cooperate. I am now eternally grateful it didn't pan out. My class photos are not too horrific.

Follow this link for some real-life honest-to-god examples:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-photos-of-80s-hairstyles-so-bad-theyre-actually-good

On 7/14/2019 at 1:08 AM, Taryn74 said:

I wasn't allowed to wear hairspray until about 8th grade. My mom was convinced it would make my hair fall out. I swear the day she finally caved in was one of the happiest days of my life. Not gonna lie, I frigging loved my 80s hair. It was actually a good look for me, framed my face well.  I'm still sad that by the time I grew my hair out long enough to feel like I could do a spiral perm (my hair takes curl VERY well and I always ended up with poodle hair when I got perms because it wasn't long enough to pull the curls down) they were no longer in style so I never got one.

I remember one friend in about 10th grade willingly took an in-school suspension because it had rained on her waiting for the bus and her hair fell.  Another ran out of hairspray and used perfume to get her bangs to cooperate. You could smell her a mile away.

#Imissthe80s #bestdecadeever

My mother forbid me any eighties makeup and hair because she thought it looked trashy. I could only dream of pastel frosted eyeshadow, bold streaks of blush and giant teased out hair with mall bangs, like all the cool girls wore.

[Robert Lynch]

I think it was the growth spurt between Noah and Finn which was the reason for those bad hairdos. They grew up so much that they must have been unrecognizable. I hope by next season that the hairstylist would ditch that look because it was ridiculous by 1985! I am not saying that the Mid-West were behind in the times, but I don't think by 1985 that any teenage boy would be caught dead  in that style. 

As for the high waisted shorts, I remember my shorts going by passed the thigh region in 1987! I think the shorts shown here on the show was not that high compare to what we worn in the 80s. There was an 80s film that had Kirk Cameron wearing short shorts going almost practically passed the butt region. 

[azshadowwalker]

On 7/5/2019 at 8:47 PM, Miles said:

There generally weren't any executions in the sovjet union in the 80s, ceertainly not on the spot. Why would you kill your lead scientist who is very close to a breakthrough? That is some shit not even comic book super villians do. I know this is a supernatural show, but the humans didn't use to be cartoon characters, did they?

I just got around to watching this season, and this is what really disgusts me. It's so much Cold War propaganda and completely inaccurate. But I guess the "evil Russians" is still a thing for a lot of dumb Americans, so the Duffers are going to ride the stupidity for all it's worth. Not sure I am going to, though. 

The mall bugged the hell out of me. I can take background score including music that's a couple of years off, but a huge mall in what we've repeatedly been told is a small town? Nope.

I grew up in a small, rural town like that, and you had to drive almost 2 hours to the city for a mall or cineplex. Our town theater had one screen and was built in the 1930s. Over the summer, we also had a drive-in.

If you wanted to buy clothes in town, you went to a small, free-standing J.C Penney's, a Sears in one of two strip malls in town, Yellow Front in the other strip mall, or you ordered from the catalog. A huge mall packed with people? Ridiculous. 

This season tries too hard. 

As for Hop, his Bronco or Suburban or whatever always had "Chief" painted on it. Was never a sheriff, which is, indeed, a different thing. Police are for a town/city; sheriff is a county official. 

The big hair was a thing, but I never wore it. I hated it even then. I always wore my hair like Nancy in the first episode. Side part with barrettes holding it back on both sides...until I discovered punk rock. 

Edited October 7, 2019 by azshadowwalker

[Gothish520]

On 10/7/2019 at 1:36 AM, azshadowwalker said:

I just got around to watching this season, and this is what really disgusts me. It's so much Cold War propaganda and completely inaccurate. But I guess the "evil Russians" is still a thing for a lot of dumb Americans, so the Duffers are going to ride the stupidity for all it's worth. Not sure I am going to, though. 

The mall bugged the hell out of me. I can take background score including music that's a couple of years off, but a huge mall in what we've repeatedly been told is a small town? Nope.

I grew up in a small, rural town like that, and you had to drive almost 2 hours to the city for a mall or cineplex. Our town theater had one screen and was built in the 1930s. Over the summer, we also had a drive-in.

If you wanted to buy clothes in town, you went to a small, free-standing J.C Penney's, a Sears in one of two strip malls in town, Yellow Front in the other strip mall, or you ordered from the catalog. A huge mall packed with people? Ridiculous. 

This season tries too hard. 

As for Hop, his Bronco or Suburban or whatever always had "Chief" painted on it. Was never a sheriff, which is, indeed, a different thing. Police are for a town/city; sheriff is a county official. 

The big hair was a thing, but I never wore it. I hated it even then. I always wore my hair like Nancy in the first episode. Side part with barrettes holding it back on both sides...until I discovered punk rock. 

The Duffer Brothers used Cold War sentiment and "evil Russians" to great effect. Those types of movies were prevalent in the 80s, and the fear and loathing of Communism and the Soviet Union was very real. And frankly, not all that farfetched for a period of time, either. But whether or not American fears at the time were exaggerated or unwarranted,

Spoiler

I thought the subject was used brilliantly this season. Robin telling off the evil Russian was a highlight of the season.

[DanaMB]

On 7/6/2019 at 9:15 AM, Dminches said:

I guess I am in the minority of thinking "again with the monster?"  I was hoping season 3 would have gone into a bit of a different direction and put Will and his monster in the rear view mirror.

You’re not. I kept thinking it every time one of those scenes came on. Going to keep watching, though.

[supposebly]

Just started season 3. My cats got rather excited with all the rats exploding. 

I found the episode somewhat cringeworthy. Too much teenage embarrassments.

[Taryn74]

Started S3 in my rewatch tonight. Doing a binge rewatch made me realize - what the heck happened to Dustin's teeth? He was so proud in S2 that he had finally gotten his front teeth in ("rrrrrrrrrr!"), now they're gone again.

I swear either I had that gosh-awful hot pink and turquoise swimsuit, or one of my friends did. It's so familiar it takes me out of the show.

Really wish they hadn't amped up Mike acting like a royal jerk to Hopper up so high. You can talk to your friends like that, bucko, but not your girlfriend's dad. You're lucky he didn't clock you one.

Joyce being the cool mom is totally in character, but maybe not be so thrilled that your 18 yo son's 17 yo girlfriend is spending the night and sneaking out of his bedroom window the next morning? Maybe? Maybe? Bueller?

The newspaper guys were disgustingly OTT. I wasn't old enough in the 80s to be working anywhere, but I hope that was an exaggeration. I could handle them brushing off her story idea, but to turn it into a slapping-the-table 'can you believe this dumb broad?' laugh fest was too much.

ETA - Forgot to mention, $1.25 for a (small) single scoop of ice cream seems outrageous for the mid-80s. I worked at a diner in the early-90s and a much larger scoop of ice cream was less than $1. Really stood out to me.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Taryn74

[cleo]

I just started season 3. I'm ages behind, although at this point I will catch up before they finish s.5.

I never liked the Eleven/Mike romance so not really into more of it.

Every scene with the mom was great- Cara Buono is so good. I.mostly didn't want her to sleep with that sleaze bc I thought she would just feel so gross after, like the cheapness of it all would hit. As someone else said- if she is going to do that - there are better options than a bully loser.

Loved seeing Bob. Poor Hopper looks a bit rough all around.