#Stranger Things Rewatch

[gay-episode]

"what's wrong? Are you hurting again?"

guys I am literally going to stop breathing

[x-azier]

“There’s nothing wrong with nana, but there’s something very wrong with this thing between you and el”

Even Hopper knows they’re not compatible

[cutemothman]

Stranger Things 2.01 "Chapter One: MADMAX"

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Rewatching that scene with the party at Steve's house, and all I see from Nancy is a teenage girl having fun. Tommy and Carol are definitely assholes but I think it's something they're going to grow out of. I don't think Nancy should have tried to get Barb to drink, but I think she was caught up in the moment. She was genuinely having fun. Barb and Jonathan would have gotten along great, sitting there judging people with their view on the outside of things. I say this affectionately because I could see them being like Steve and Robin. Unintentionally, Barb and Jonathan look at Nancy like someone who needs to be saved from herself. In some cases, yes, but in this moment, no, because Nancy knows exactly what she wants. She had a plan. Barb wasn't wrong for trying to protect her friend, though, because in the end, she let Nancy make her own decision even if she hated it. Jonathan, however, watched from the bushes for the entire thing. That was weird. He had to have been in a fugue state or something. He forgot what he was doing and where he was. Only explanation for it.

Okay, but imagine: Steve, Nancy, Tommy, Carol (after doing some growing up), Barb, Jonathan, and Robin becoming friends. Bitchiest, judgiest group ever and throw in Eddie as well.

[evarosen]

One Byler thing that's at the same time the best and the worst about Mike is that he would definitely go 'scorched earth' about Will every time.

Like, that 'if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and them myself' meme? That's Mike.

He will go with everything he has for Will and expect the same for everyone around, which is not so great sometimes for everyone around (like when he kept poking El and the rest of the party to get in danger in season 1).

His entire season 1 and 2 character description might as well be 'no heterosexual explanation'.

[steviesbicrisis]

Stranger Things S2 rewatch thoughts

I finally finished rewatching S2 and this is everything I've written down as I was watching lmao

KEITH USED TO WORK AT THE ARCADE?? Also the arcade is right next to family video so Keith just moved next door in season 3 lmao

Steve omg you’re so cute stop

FINALLY MAX IS HERE

Okay Billie is bad, yes? We all agree Billie is bad, right? But Dacre IS SO HOT I CANNOT HE TOOK A “PORCA TROIA” OUT OF ME LIKE IT WAS NOTHING

Honestly they’re so dope for dressing up as ghostbusters and going to school with matching outfits

Ugh Nancy and Steve are so terrible for each other

Steve’s face during the bullshit scene really broke my heart 🥺

People being annoyed at Joyce for being super protective of Will like what?? That boy was proclaimed dead, they had a funeral and he turned out to be in another dimension??? I dare you to not be at least a little paranoid

I’m getting the gayest vibes ever from this basketball + shower scene I’m not even joking, Harrington 100% felt what it is like to be a girl objectified in a nightclub

Billy calling Steve pretty boy is so fucked up like are you Eddie Munson? No so imma need you to back off ✋

Jfc no wonder Vecna chose max she’s a walking gold mine for therapists

One drive with Billy would be enough for me to become a target for Vecna I swear

A part of me will always blame Dustin for the cat’s death 🥲

Stranger things is so good I cannot fucking believe my eyes sometimes

First Nancy, now Hopper… can they like, stop going inside creepy ass portals all by themselves? FFS

OH MY GOD ERICA WAS SO SMALL HOW CUTE SINDFKJDF

Lucas telling Max “if I tell you the truth, you could be arrested or killed. Do you accept the risk?” Hits different now

FINALLY THE DUSTIN/STEVE DUO IS BORN

I was today years old when I realized Nancy broke up with Steve in S1 for a month but then she got back with him because she got tired of waiting for Jonathan

Dustin’s proud smile when Steve told him “good call dude” I CANT IM WEEK IM CRYING ON THE FLOOR

I will never get over Dustin’s pure adoration for Steve in this season

JUSTICE FOR BOB

BOB NEWBY THE SUPERHERO 😭😭😭

Everyone: it’s like the mind flyer! Steve&Max: don’t speak nerd in my presence pls

I’m sorry but Mike holding that small trophy as a weapon LOL

I CANNOT BELIEVE THE KIDS WERE AT THE WINDOW WHEN BILLY CAME ARE STUPID

I cannot believe they wanted to leave a beaten-up and concussed Steve behind, are you crazy???

I totally forgot that Steve, in a span of a couple of hours, pushed his girlfriend to be with another guy, got beaten up defending kids he barely knows and then went down - all beaten up and concussed - the upside down tunnels just for said kids?? ARE U EVEN REAL MAN?

Will turning to Mike when that girl asked him to dance 🥺

Nancy is so fucking right, those girls are so stupid turning Dustin down like fuck you who do you think you are????

Jopper at the end, I love my parents so much

Here my thoughts on S1!

[talkingstrangerthings]

While rewatching S1, EP5:

okay this is just a small weird detail i just noticed but when lonnie comes over to "help" joyce, he sits down on the couch with her, pours her something to drink and says smth like "here drink something, it'll calm your nerves and help you think straight". i never payed close attention to it and just assumed he got her some water but he literally put some rum (or other strong liquor?) into her glass?????!!!!! tbh that's really damn fcked up...

(sorry for the horrendous photo quality, had to take a pic of my ipad for this bcs netflix doesn't allow screenshots ☠️)

[elkdiaries]

no but seriously how did el know who will was when she pointed at the picture in season one

[i-promise-i-am-not-on-drugs]

Okay, rewatching 06×02 today! Let's go!

(future me here: this episode is 52 minutes long, why the fuck did I take ≈1h30 to write all of this. ;-;)

1) Hospital

Holy shit, I forgot how intense that whole scene is.

My poor baby's dying here. :((

2) Dustin and Steve

They're so awkward lol--

Feels weird to watch them like that after two and a half season of them being beasties, plus the whole fandom "mama Steve" thing.

Also,

Dustin: How do I know it's not a lizard? Because it's face opened up and it ate my cat.

THE WAY STEVE NODDED LIKE "yeah, fair enough" I CAN'T

I like how Steve middely belived Dustin about Dart tho, it shows how his character development is starting to actually happen but isn't really advanced yet. Idk.

3) Hospital

(the way Mike is just next to Will and watching at him like he's going to disappear if he stops looking makes me so happy TuT)

Joyce is such a badass protective mother I love her.

These damn scientist better be scared.

4) Nancy, Jonathan, and Murray

Badass detectives and journalists ✨

Love how Jancy got Murray'd. His talk is just SO iconic, I love it so much. 😌

Also, "Oh. Steve. We like Steve." THAT WAS SO UNNECESSARILY FUNNY HELP ME

5) Nancy and Jonathan

Oh my gosh just kiss already.

(kiss scene happens)

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT I DIDN'T MEAN THAT LITERALLY WHAT THE FUCK JUMPSCARE 😰😰

(I actually forgot that they did, in fact, kiss here, and I was NOT prepared help me)

6) Lucas a Dustin (+Erica and Steve)

Love Erica's sassy self, but as an older sibling myself I would NOT like to have her as my sister. She's nosy as fuck.

Anyway, love how Lucas immediately apologize and how Dustin explain the situation so clearly. Love my boys. :)

7) Hopper and the scientists

Hopper: Why aren't you burning it?

Owens: There's been a complication.

Uh. That's one way to put it I guess.

8) Joyce and Bob (+ Will and Mike)

Love how Bob is still hella confused, but is trying to be supportive of Joyce. He would've been such a great dad and husband... Just, not the the Byers. :(

(Mike sleeping in the chair next to Will's bed and waking up right after him ToT💕💕)

Will is already forgetting things, my poor baby. :((

9) Nancy, Jonathan, and Murray

The breakfast scene is so funny help me--

Poor Jonathan has no idea what's going to happen once he gets back home. :(

Murray is so "weird oncle that you see once every ten years and has no idea what he's up to the rest of the time" coded lmao

10) Lucas and Max (+ Billy(ew))

I'm still mad at Billy for breaking Max's skateboard by the way this guy's a grade A asshole.

Anyway, I like how Lucas immediately went to bring Max with him, it's pretty cute. Tho, it's definitely the raison for many other problems after that so, maybe not his best idea. :(

Love that Max is hiding Lucas from Billy, she knows his racist ass would beat the shit out of him.

11) Will and the others

("That' my friend. Mike." MIKE'S TINNY SMILE AAAAAHHHH!!! TOT💕💕)

The fuck is wrong with that guy?? He told you he could feel it, why did you have to actually burn this God damn vine thing??? What is wrong with him???? That's literally just torture!! And toward a child!!! I hate them so much.

My poor son. :((

12) Joyce, Hopper, Owens

That was honestly pretty interesting.

13) Dustin and Steve

Honestly Steve's love advices are pretty... Uh. Mid. Honestly. But I guess it works for him because he's hot and popular or something. (Well used to work, but yk)

But I love this line in particular:

Steve: She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit.

He's speaking from experience here. He's talking about Nancy.

You know, he was saying how she's "different than other girls" (probably because he actually fell in love with her a little), and Dustin started saying that Max's different too. And Steve was like: "Wait. You're not falling in love with this girl right?" And when Dustin told him that he isn't, he says "Good. Don't." A d then this ligne that I highlighted earlier. Because Steve is going through a heartbreak, and he doesn't want Dustin to feel like he does.

Which is actually pretty sweet if you think about it! :)

Anyway, the hair advice is also just so sweet, it's adorable how Steve's trying to help Dustin with girls, I love them they're so siblings. TuT💕

14) Hopper and "Eleven"

That whole scene was just so :(((

He's going to have such a bad breakdown when he'll be back :((

15) the scientists

I am calm. I am very calm. I am absolutely not rooting for the death of these assholes. I. Am. Calm. Relaxed. Chilling. Breathing. 🙂

16) Joyce, Bob (+Will)

We love a (trying to be) supportive boyfriend..! Yay. :')

(Honestly Noah did such an amazing job in this whole season, the way Will is just blankly starting at the celling without blinking is so unsettling and impressive)

17) Will and Mike

WE LOVE AN (ACTUALLY) SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND!! YAY!!! >:'D

But seriously, you can see the difference between how Bob and Mike handle this whole situation so clearly it's crazy.

Bob is trying to comfort Joyce by giving her a possibility to be "normal" once all this is done, which is clearly not helping much and is also involuntarily dismissive of her fears.

Meanwhile, Mike is helping Will by trying to understand what he's experiencing, and he is never dismissing him. He uses the terms that Will put on what he sees. And, especially, he is not scared of him. He's treating him like he normally would, just with a bit more worry in his eyes and caution is his mouvements, but that's it. And that's exactly what Will needs. I love them so much.

18) Dustin and Lucas (+ Steve and Max)

(Dustin and Steve are so siblings kskdjqldkbdb I love them sm)

Love that they talk about stuff and how Lucas extend his hand first because he "drew first blood". It's sweet. :)

19) Jonathan and Nancy

Our favorite detective/journalists couple are on the way!!

20) Will (+others)

(the way Mike is almost always the closest person to Will jdkdodksj ToT💕)

You know, I kinda like Dr Owens. He's the most decent out of all these assholes scientists.

21.1) Scientists

Random scientist: Alright, let's see if this kid's a wizard of a schizo.

This line has no right to be this damn funny. >:(

21.2) the vehicle graveyard (or smt)

Whoa, they're doing all that so fucking fast :0

It's pretty cool!!

22) Steve, Dustin, Max

Rip Dustin's crush, it was fun while it lasted 🫡

23) Lumax

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGJHHLJDTLUTDDRULLXUULHFLUTDOYRSOGYOGOYGIYLUXTIDYFDIYDYI MY CHILDREN I LOVE THEM SO FUCKING MUCH THEY'RE SO ADORABLE I'M DYING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!! ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽💕💕💕

Anyway, sorry. But seriously, lumax is my second favorite couple/ship of ST and I love them so much. This scene is definitely on of my favorites!! :)

Also,

Lucas: I like talking with you, Mad Max.

Max: And I like talking with you, stalker.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDINGS FOR MY BABIES *pterodactyl scream*

(Sorry.)

24) The vehicle graveyard

HOLY SHIT I FORGOT HOW AWESOME THAT SCENE IS!!

Love how Dustin thinks that Steve's awesome, it's cute. :)

And Lumax hold handing! :3

Honestly the actors did an absolutely crazy amazing job here, I can't even imagine the scene without the demodogs, and they had to act without them?? Super impressive.

25.1) The scientists + Hopper

That scene is so cool. Love how Hopper immediately recognize the "graveyard" lol--

25.2) Will, Mike, Joyce (+Bob ig)

The way Mike almost immediately understood what Will was saying is crazy. And then assholes are calling him stupid, istg. *eyes roll*

Anyway, my poor baby Will is GOING THROUGH IT, once again. :((

Also, I've said this before and I'll say it again, but Noah's acting is absolutely amazing here. He gave me literal chills!

And Finn too!! The way you can immediately see the exact moment were the realization hits Mike is absolutely incredible.

Loves these guys.

Annnnnddd, here comes the end of this episode. That was a rollercoaster.

[a-shade-of-green]

whatever you do don't think about joyce and jonathan in s1 calling for will out by castle byers and will being able to hear them from the upside down but they can't hear him. and then him being able to hear the search parties but they cant hear him either. and then by the end of the week he cant hear anybody looking for him anymore

[ineffablelvrs]

gasp its feed henclair nation some content oclock

[gay-episode]

OhMY GOD I JUST REWATCHED THIS SCENE ON YOUTUBE AAND I'M BAWLING MY EYES OUT OML I AM NOT OKAY I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT I FORGOT HOW FUCKING SWEET THIS IS

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Rewatch "The Vanishing of Will Byers" (Part 2 of 2)

Disclaimer: This is NOT a traditional review/analysis, but a collection of observations, brief commentary, favorite moments, and so on that I'm noting as I go through these episodes. All of these are just my opinions and/or theories, and can be subjected to change as the rewatch continues.

Observations:

I was under the assumption Brenner used food as a means of getting El to act the way he wanted her to, and would starve her as punishment if she dared to disobey him (hence Benny's comment here about El not being fed enough). This is the same guy who was willing to deprive Kali/Eight of sleep in Suspicious Minds when she refused to tell him something he wanted to know, so I wouldn't put anything past Brenner when it came to the abusive way he treated these kids.

It's hard to tell how much of El's behavior with Benny here is because she's having a hard time processing and understanding what's he's saying, if she's reluctant to trust him because he's the first person she's met outside of the lab, or if she's been conditioned so thoroughly by Brenner to not talk about who she is or what she does with other people who aren't him (or the Orderlies/Lab Staff) that she still can't overcome that mental block despite having escaped.

Also, major props to Benny for being the first adult to show El any kindness. I like to believe that when El killed Connie Frazier in the season finale, she was thinking of avenging Benny in that moment.

The idea of Lonnie dating girls who are underage (or that Joyce seems to think he would) is just.......🤢 🤮 As if this show didn't give enough reasons for why he's a loathsome creep. 😒

I'm curious if the dog was able to sense the presence of the Upside Down, or if it's continuing to bark at the shed because that was the last known location of Will and the Demogorgon. Or maybe he can sense that Will is there somehow, but not physically present, which is confusing him.

Canonically, from this conversation, this is the first time Mr. Clarke and Hopper introduce themselves to one another. They apparently had the same science teacher growing up (Ms. Ratliff), but never interacted with each other while going to school. Hopper explains his distaste for science that Mr. Clarke doesn't share. There's also the implication that social status during their school years played a part in why these two didn't interact prior to this point. Mr. Clarke would likely have been a nerd growing up, and dialogue indicates Hopper was a ladies man and likely popular during his heyday (similar to Steve).

Speaking of Steve.......

This entire interaction between Mike and Steve speaks for itself. 😂

RIP Benny Hammond. You deserved better! 😢

I've questioned the logic of Connie killing Benny, especially because of how it drew unwanted attention (especially from Hopper of all people) when that's likely the last thing Brenner and Hawkins Lab wanted. At this point, Benny was fully cooperating with Connie, and was about to give El to her since he believed Connie was from social services. There's nothing in his conversation with Connie prior to his death that would've made her suspicious that Benny saw something he shouldn't have, or that he believed there was something abnormal about El.

It's also notable that El doesn't run when she first sees Connie at the door with Benny. She runs AFTER Connie shoots Benny. That implies that Connie was someone El hadn't seen before, meaning Connie could have gotten El to come with her without fuss (and without arousing Benny's suspicions) and then later hand her over to Brenner before El realized what was happening. If Connie had been ordered to kill Benny just for seeing El and wanting to keep her existence a secret, then at the very least, she should have waited until after they had El in their custody so that she wouldn't be able to run away. Connie really screwed up here.

I love the song choice of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane for the scene where El escapes Benny's restaurant. The lyrics to the song were inspired by the book Alice in Wonderland, and the natural curiosity Alice has when she explores Wonderland (similar to El's curiosity about the world outside of the lab). However, it was also about the type of drug-induced "trips" you take when you get high on psychedelics. Grace Slick, frontwoman for Jefferson Airplane, argued Alice in Wonderland contained metaphorical drug references, like the catepillar on a psychedelic mushroom smoking opium, or Alice eating something that causes her to become "too big for the room." The song itself was written and released in the 60s when psychedelics like LSD were being used, and those same psychedelics were taken by El's mom, Terry Ives, during the experiments she did at Hawkins Lab while pregnant with El. This factored into El obtaining the abilities she has. Symbolically, the song does a great job describing El's situation and how she came to be.

Another song choice I liked was "Africa" by Toto for the Steve and Nancy scene. There's always been a debate about what the lyrics mean (and from what I've heard, the band meant for the song to actually be about the continent of Africa rather than as just a metaphor), but when I first heard the song years ago, I interpreted it as about a man being enamored by a woman, anticipating the moment when they get together, and wanting it to be a special moment. Given Steve's interest (and flirtation) with Nancy in this scene, as well as his insistence to her that he doesn't just see her as another notch under his belt and is truly invested in her, both he (and Nancy) want it to be a special moment as well.

For the people who complained in S4 about how OOC it was for Joyce not to notice that Jonathan was high, they establish from the first episode that Joyce can get distracted when she has other stuff on her mind. Whether it's working to provide for the family, or trying to come up with a convincing cover-story for her kids so she can go to Russia to rescue Hopper. It doesn't mean she doesn't care for Jonathan or Will (not that I should have to say this to anyone who's been paying attention to this show).

Finally, this iconic moment still stands out after all these years:

The moment Mike claims he fell in love with El. And the moment where El met the first people she could truly call her friends.

On an unrelated note, today it rained, similar to how it rains in this episode. That detail is irrelevant to this discussion, but I thought it was a nice coincidence! :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts on the rewatch! :)

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Rewatch "The Weirdo on Maple Street."

[cutemothman]

Stranger Things

1.06 "Chapter Six: The Monster"

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I'm still trying to finish off season one. It's wild. So Hopper and Joyce left the kids alone in the gym, hoping Nancy and Jonathan would look after them. Then they both leaving and the kids are left alone yet again. I mean, I get why Hopper had to leave and why Joyce had to go with him. I also get that Nancy needed to get vengeance for Barb, but it's wild that Lucas, Mike, El, and Dustin were left alone yet again. Nancy and Jonathan didn't even tell them they were leaving. Could have at least given them a heads up. I'm just saying. Steve really should have been added in earlier to Nancy's and Jonathan's investigation. Giving Steve a chance to know both of them but also giving the kids someone to look out for them. I know it was only an afterthought that they stuck Steve with Dustin in s2, but it ended up the best thing they ever did. Those kids really needed a babysitter. I do like that Nancy and Jonathan look after them in s3. It just goes to show, though, I guess, no matter how hard they try in that situation, it's just hard to stick together. But still, not even telling them? I think it just proves that when it comes to revenge, Nancy tends to zero focus only on that. I love Nancy, but that's definitely a flaw. That's what I love about them, though. They're all sort of flawed, but in the end, they do fight for what's right. *affectionately* They're all a fucking mess.

[counting-stars-gayly]

Okay, but in s1e5, when the boys and El are looking for the gate, Lucas, from a couple yards in front of El, turns around for one second and immediately asks Dustin if he thinks she’s acting weird. Meanwhile, Mike is walking RIGHT next to her and doesn’t notice her wiping her nose or anything. Then, in season two, Mike makes the comment, “He was quiet today,” about Will, only for a Lucas to respond, “He’s always quiet.”