***MAJOR SPOILERS IN MY POST. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THROUGH VOLUME 2***
Finally made it through the Christmas Vol. 2 episodes and a few thoughts:
Episode 5:
- I happen to like Derek, whether he is "Dipsh*t" or "Delightful," he plays the 80s kid quite well.
- The tapping back into the hive mind to try to stab Vecna with his own sword was the next natural progression for Will, imo. It was a badass moment in S5E4 when he killed the Demagorgons. So this "Shock Jock" scene had a nice payoff of saving Max.
- The big thing in this episode for me was the news of why Dr. Kay wants Eleven so bad as Kali reveals they were using her blood to impregnate women to try to recreate another Henry or Eleven. A lot of us were upset that this Broadway play that very few have access to or means of watching was holding a critical plot point. And this kind of resolves that in a small, roundabout way?
- The other thing was Dustin finding Brenner's journals and writings and how it clearly and elegantly lays out what both this sphere and The Upside Down are. It is my understanding that Dustin and the core group of kids are round 17 at this point. Dustin seems to have quick and innate understanding of advanced theoretical physics. Also, Brenner ran MKUltra and his experiments for, what, 30 years? So I guess it is plausible that after such a long period of time, one would gain more understanding of The Upside Down. But if he is a research scientist specializing in psychology and mind control, how much of an understanding of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity are we expecting him to have? The discovery of a wormhole would be a much bigger breakthrough in science than anything he has managed to find thus far.
- Why is Nancy shooting at something she doesn't know or at least hypothesize on the results? Just "yeah, I have a gun"
Episode 6:
- Nancy and Jonathan are caught in a room where everything above them is melting. Yet somehow they are not. No heat, no burns. So they're alive because plot.
- Weird breakup for the two but they were an odd couple to begin with. Plus, they're secondary characters in my book and I don't really care for their relationship either way.
- I'm glad that Dustin and Steve reconcile. This is the only relationship I care about. (Side Note: I am okay if everyone else dies. But if they kill Steve or Dustin...)
- The main plot point for me in this episode is the traumatic memory of Henry that Holly and Max use to escape Henry's mind. This seems to be a major turning point in Henry's life. I find it interesting that Max moves on once he starts bludgeoning the guy but Holly is the one that sticks around and see Henry open the briefcase. [See final bullet points for what I think this could mean].
- Erica is a great character and clearly the second smartest kid in the show after Dustin. All her lines are awesome and she deserves more screen time.
- Lucas, Robin, and Vickie hiding from the Demodogs i a very clear nod to Jurassic Park. But that movie came out in 1993. Regardless, I enjoyed the scene.
- Karen Wheeler is also a badass. Trying to defeat a Demoagorgon with a wine bottle and then detonating a laundry machine with an oxygen tank, the woman has quite a pair of stones.
- Max's speech to Holly as they are about to escape was way more infuriating to me than Will's coming out party. Like the exit is right there and you've been stuck there for two years. How are you waiting? That being said, she did have to psych Holly up knowing that she wasn't really going to safety.
Episode 7:
- I thought Max was blinded? And, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but she wouldn't know that Hopper escaped Russia, much less is alive, right? Or did her fateful encounter with Vecna happen after that?
- Holly is essentially saved by Vecna. He telekinetically (?) brings her back to the Abyss, but without his intervention, she surely crashes and dies.
- I like how Steve is the one to come up with the final plan. He is usually a passenger in the plans, but he has a very formative role in this one. Him acknowledging Dustin's hurt and the two admitting they're best friends was a sweet moment.
- Holly waking up in Henry's home and beaten into submission was a scene. Derek keeping quiet was predictable but still disappointing. His cowardice made me like him a little less.
- Will's coming out party was expected. His sexuality has been hinted at since S1. (Hopper straight up asks Joyce if Will is gay, trying to see if his disappearance could be a hate crime. "He's missing is what he is" is her reply.) The speech was a tad long with him citing every possible thing he has in common with his friends. But if we put it in the context of the 80s, it must have been that much harder to come out of the closet so I understand the rambling. It was also like 4 mins in a 60 min episode. So I think the hate has been a tad overblown. Robin's relationship with Vickie, on the other hand, has been more obnoxious.
- The crucial plot point for me in this episode is when Dustin is explaining what The Upside Down and the Abyss actually are. It starts to tie some of the larger plot points across seasons together. When Eleven banishes Henry in the Rainbow Room, he is sent to Dimension X (which we are now apparently calling The Abyss to keep with the D&D theming). By his own admission, he becomes an "explorer" and wanders throughout this world. I think it's the S4 finale where we see him encounter the Demodogs and eventually give shape to the Mind Flayer. It is still my understanding that the Mind Flayer was always there, but it was Henry and his affinity for spiders that gave the MInd Flayer it's shape. Henry likely would have been trapped in the Abyss had Brenner not forced Eleven to try to find him. Her ability to locate him is what allowed him be able to ultimately leave the Abyss.
- Holly looks like she suffered a concussion or at least some sort of head injury in the final scene. Henry takes control of the kids to set up the finale! I hate the spacing out of these episodes
Speculation/Predictions/Final Thoughts:
- In Brad Pitt's voice: What's in the box (aka briefcase)?" I take it that the guy with the briefcase is somehow a former colleague of, worker for, or a Russian spy to Dr. Brenner. Not sure how but I think he is somehow connected to Brenner and the briefcase is important to him. Maybe the exotic matter matter reminding me of the God Particle in the show Dark (absolutely phenomenal show btw) is clouding my thinking a bit, but could that briefcase work as some sort of machine that allows the user to travel to the Abyss? My thinking is this is how Henry first gets on Brenner's radar and that is why the cave is such a scary point for him, it is when this whole fiasco started for him.
- Also, since Will says that Vecna uses the darkest parts of you to seed doubt, could this be how the core group defeats him?
- Going back to the what I think the crucial plot point of S5E7, Eleven searching for Henry at the behest of Brenner is what allowed Henry to find a way out of the Abyss. Why he keeps returning to the Abyss and ultimately sets up his his "vessel lair", or whatever the internet is calling it, is an intriguing question. They have made a point to say that Henry is still in Vecna. That deep down, under everything, Henry is still human. Which, to me, maintains the door open that the true character pulling all the strings is the Mind Flayer. Could all this be a red herring to throw us off the scent, maybe?! But that is why I keep watching. I want to see how the story.
- I think Eleven will kill Kali. Although, I think the story would be better served if Eleven's story ended with some sort of heroic sacrifice to save the core group who first saved her in S1. I would be disappointed if everyone makes it out alive at the end. Like I said before, I only care about Steve and Dustin. Save that bromance, everyone else is dispensable in my eyes lol Someone important needs to die and not just some secondary character like Eddie, as much as I liked him.
- This has been a top 10 show for me. I wish it hadn't taken 10 years to make 40 some odd episodes but I digress. The subtle and not-so-subtle nods to the 80s pop culture, movies/entertainment, D&D, clothing, etc. is what made me love this show in the first place. Are there plot holes? Sure. Does Joyce wear too much makeup? Probably. Does Robin look like she has aged 10 years since S3? Maybe. I can overlook all this as the overarching story throughout the seasons has been refreshing.
- Last point: No show will ever crash as badly as Game of Thrones did.
