Chapter 8: Papa

hi im. im bored lets finally get back to stranger things
in the last episode: uhhhhhh
well we know vecna is a guy now! so theres that.
this episode is called papa! here he is.
what have you done he says to el
Rikki: beautiful image he even says it twice just in case u didnt hear it the first time. el is cg in these shots cos the actress is obv too old now as this is a flashback and eesh sometimes it doesnt look great.
oh we flashback even further now to henry bein tattoo'ed with 001 oh vecna is showing this to nancy btw for the reasons of we want vecna to go "nancy" cos he sounds like freddy krueger.
and no you cant convince me theres another reason. there isnt.
Rikki: god
Rikki: the cgi tho theyre trying to break nancy out of the dream (cos i guess this is like a max style dream where she could die) and robin's listing the music she can find in nancy's upsidedown!room
ikr its. god its something AH YES MUNSON LETS WAKE NANCY UP WITH SOME METALLICA SHE SURE LOOKS LIKE THATS HER FAVOURITE BAND
Idk if thats metallica. that looks more like black sabbath. or something ugh hold on
oh no wait. iron maiden maybe?
lemmesee if i can up the quality lol
i forgot giphy would probably have it.
but yeah looks like its iron maiden lol sry i gotta rely on the quality of my illegal websites
anyway. i dont think you'd make nancy v happy with that. WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED THEYRE IN EDDIE'S HOUSE
That explains the metal. ignore me
hes just offended robin didn't consider his music music i guess lol
got so preoccupied with trying to identify the casette i didnt notice the giant slayer flag in the background... meanwhile vecna is like nancy i showed u my past pls respond 'nother subtitle for moe. hes like i wanna show u where im going
idk like. where that is
im also not sure why he can talk to nance but i figure her traumatic experience is probably barb
or like. all of the previous three seasons
so idk if shes like a surogate for max at this point
oh nvm hes just using her as a messenger to eleven. shes awake now and steve is here to catch her cos the show wants u to ship em, or something, idk. its russia! you can tell cos its snowing and this guy has a funny hat.
anyway. el is lifting up nina but idk why.
they took her out of it cos she remembers everything. but idk why shes like. levitating it now
oh might just be a show of power, i forgot she lost her abilities
yeah i think it was cos she just put it back down ah yes, the ultimate nightmare for millenials and gen z alike
boomers
(i think the kids in this are actually gen x. but still. boomers were like, mean to all generations after them. or at leasti n the netherlands they complained gen x wasnt revolutionairy enough and nicknamed them generation nothing. so there)
wait peepaw might be too old to be a boomer... ugh WHATEVER old white dudes it still goes oh look jonathan is driving the pizza van! like how it shoulda been from the start this is a plot point. they even have argyle calling it out, because heaven forbid they somehow end up in a joint owned by his pizza chain without the show calling attention to it beforehand, that'd totally break the audience's immersion.
oh nevada is landlocked.
well you coulda just not named the place surfer boy then. geez its time for another will suffering scene!
i stg the only music they play in the van is by. whoever the fuck did pass the dutchie
i probably shouldnt complain but ugggggghhhhh
ARGYLES A STONER YALL DO U GET IT
HES FROM CALI AND A STONER
DID WE MAKE THAT CLEAR???
Majo: omg really??? Majo: I had the tiniest lil suspicion
i know right he comes across like an absolute scholar and i coulda sworn he was canadian cos hes got like the thickest newfie accent ive ever heard
but nah man hes a cali stoner. this show is a master at subtlety mike's like what if el doesnt love me anymore when we save her cos shes so powerful and will is visibly bracing himself to once again rip his own heart in half to save mike's lil feefees id like to note he goes into this without interruption
ive said it before but barring some of the characters who are a little too on the nose generally the character writing is one of stranger things strongest points. Will starts reassuring Mike without hesitation, not just to make mike feel better but also because he knows el (as shes hes sister now) and he has faith in what he says. It just happens that he has to say this at the expense of his own feelings
i mean i did kinda make fun of it cos its fuckin sad like give will a break
but they dont destroy wills character to establish this which i think a lot of shows would do
i used a lotta words to say this doesnt feel unnatural haha oops
Salsa: it also helps that noah is like, genuinely an amazing actor
oh yes hes very good!
Salsa: will could so easily be a bad character if he wasn't portrayed so dazzlingly well
i hope they give noah his way and let will have abetter haircut next season.
like its so obvs they gave him dumb hair cos hes too pretty for what they had in mind
its so mean
Salsa: oh man i have thoughts about the hair
Salsa: like. good thoughts. not that its a good cut but
he looks like joyce put a bowl on his head and went "thisll do"
and thats why jonathans hair is so scraggly. he cuts it himself cos no way is he gonna subject himself to that bowl
or argyle does it for him. heheh. probably not but i like that idea
thank u subtitles
im glad u called it out
Salsa: I feel like will is in that stage of life where he is starting to accept things are changing but the doesn't know how to change himself, but hes not a little kid anymore so mom isn't just getting it cut for him, so now he's stuck in that awkward stage of I've had this hair cut since I was a kid and I'm scared of changing it because I feel like the only one who doesn't want to change. and also he's possessed by a monster.
oh damn salsa that's a great point
i really like that analysis of why he has that hairstyle, that makes a lot of sense
i didnt go beyond "haha funny will hair"
Salsa: it is really helped by the fact that will is by far the most compelling character in the show
he is kinda the only one of the og cast that still has an arc to go through
Salsa: its not easy being the gay autistic monster vessel of the group
that isnt just nancy/jonathan/steve love triangle
or. eleven, i guess
oh or max!
and i guess kinda lucas... but lucas' arc is just sports friends or og normal not believe in satan eddie friends so, dunno if i'd count that
Salsa: and then there's dustin whos busy being the best character in the show bye
oh yeah dustin has some of the best lines
mike has a case of main character syndrome so i think of the main group i think hes the least interesting but u know with dustin ur gonna have fun when hes on screen
Salsa: dustin instantly makes any scene better
Salsa: mike is. there
mikes there to go omg el u superhero! and for will to be like fuck why are you my first crush ugh
not literally but mike is so oblivious its annoying
lets get back to will hurting himself for the sake of his besfren this is a painting will is showing mike. he made it because el asked him to. hes using it to show mike that hes always important to them cos hes their leader wills like mike if we were captain planets disciples you would be ma-ti. you'd be the heart!! if we were the digidestined even tho thats not a thing yet cos it 1986 youd be sora. the heart is so important!!!! hi i like this shot cos it doesnt just look nice its purpose is that we see that jonathan sees his lil bro talk to mike and how he sees el. and how el needs mike. its nice. tumblr delivers in the gif department once again
will explains he thinks el acted aloof cos she was afraid she was gonna lose mike (i cant find that gif'd)
she didnt want to, she just thought it had to happen. so shed rather it be like rippin off a band aid than a slow painful process. will follows it by saying: mike feels reassured and also painfully oblivious to the double meaning of that whole monologue meanwhile this is will.
:( at least jonathan notices
we cut to el's sotry which is basicaly "wow el strongk also papa is there omg" so, sorry, im gonna skip, idc i already knew el strongk. i saw season one. nancy talks about what vecna showed her in the nightmare. which is hawkins gettin like. lovecraftian possessed, basically meanwhile eddie's here like god damn that'd be a great premise for my next campaign steve is like sorry nance but thats really unsexy of you shes like vecna showed me gates
omg. could this be. why vecna is killing people with clocks, or something huh i never noticed. neat. el's doing that telekenetic thing where she sensory deprives herself mentally into places she physically isnt at nancy's all like lets get back into the upside down and steve is like no and eddie is also like no i was introduced in this series this is not a good idea im too expendable
robin describin vecna accurately (preferaced by 'hes like eleven-') everyones like robin ohmygoooood even tho everything she says is true
except dustin. dustin's like yeah shes right! thank u dustin. so they talk out the plan, max is like i can tell vecna still wants to kill me, now we know eleven also know cos shes doin her sensory mind thing. so there ah yes dire synth music, as opposed to emotional and determined, indicates the character on screen is ready to sacrifice herself if needed to lure the big bad.
oh synth music u are so versatile. Russia! idek whats goin on here but i dont care. lets skip back to the US. wherever it may be. perfect. eddie;s just talkin about hotwiring a vehicle here but the shippers stopped listening the moment eddie had the balls to lock eyes with steve.
lets check giphy why dont we. i cant read that but i'll take it.
eddie basically goes it aint mine but i know a vehicle dead by daylight????
(eddie asks max if shes got a mask, we never hear her reply but she was dressed as michael myers in season 2 for halloween so its a callback, basically.)
sry small text but this is the next bit. the munsons are not great at raisin their kids i guess thus eddie bein raised by his uncle trying to learn him some good things. but also explaining why hawkins is comfy going OMG THE MUNSON BOY IS SATAN in general
i eddie also complains about being accused of murder so hey why not hot-wire a vehicle. robin says uhhhh idk if im ok with u driving this thing eddie (based on nothin. but whatever.) eddie responds with this: and then ad libbed this line.
people loved it. gj quinn.
not the other two. they just go huhhhhh cos they dont know what to do with it.
we see more ad libbing from him later. with an actor who actually knows how to handle it.
lets move on hi the man on the floor there is the owner of the camper. rip steve clearly doenst know how to drive it so idk why robin was like oooop i sure hope eddie doesnt drive the caravan even though he grew up in a trailer park and is more likely to know how to drive the damn thing than steve,
but whatever. hilarity ensues! nevada.
nevada is a desert with a door.
this is how you visit rikki. im convinced
Moe: Can confirm
some shit happens who cares. they get some shit for the van and omg its robins crush oh noooooo
steve instantly notices cos a course he does. oh no she has a boyfriend. they are both ugly.
sorry its like almost midnight im sleepy and mean
but you go robin chase your heart or whatever ah yes my favourite. pining. AH YEAH JUST LOOK AT HER THATS WHAT WE NEED, GEEZ love how this is the next shot oh no jason is also buying a gun. i guess blinding eddie with 3+ flashlights isnt good enough anymore omg the jocks are all over the gun shop! oh no
theyre gonna shoot eddie so hard. this is bad jason threatens nancy for no reason
i mean they wrap it in hey ur baby brother likes dnd so if we kill him thats cos he likes satan but ehhh
i feel like it woulda been better if jason liked nancy cos she was pretty popular at school and did nothing strange
but eh we gotta make jason as morally black as possible. a bluh bluh
liked as in was friendly or sympathetic towards her, not in love or whatever everyones like we got the guns woo americuhhhh lets go before the jocks kill us and sacrifice us to jesus meanwhile jasons like hawkins is tiny af i can see where ur goin we'll catch up with you in five mins
anyway i get the whole shoot everything in the upside down angle but the show feels weirdly pro-gun. or at least like, pro that aspect of america
again im tired cos its late so im probably reading too much into it but it weird me tf out anyway. were back with the stoner crew. and i'd judge argyle here but fair point to him: I also dont remember why theyre sure nina isnt a human. argyle. dont. like dude i just agreed with u now we both look stupid.
oh suzie (dustins mormon girlfriend) found nina's cooordinates so they kinda know shes not a human or something.
and also shes in the nevadan. nevadean. nev.. nevada desert argyle. argyle please.
jonathan brakes in frustration. argyle hits his head. theyre def in the right location for nina who is a tank and not a small woman hiding behind a tree oh argyle.
i hate him like. 50% less cos hes not wearing an ugly hat or whatever, right now.
and also cos i forgot how they know nina isnt a person.
i also want his shirt. guess what he found her while they were staring at a map. what are the odds.
magical mystical stoner. oh he found tire tracks. i was kinda hoping he was just. sorta right on top of somethin that showed nina was right there. but this makes more sense unrelated to goddamn anything but how does argyle have the best hair out of anyone in this god damn group
like i envy him. thats maybelline level hair oh its loreal not maybelline.
who is that. shit is that a court. i hope that isnt like. a criminal OTL
Majo: 🎵 maybe it's Maybelline 🎵
Majo: I THINK ITS YHE GUY WHO KILLED THE BRAIN JAR GUY?? might wanna uh. take that down)
Majo: when I saw the name I was like :o why does this band sound familiar
(..brain... jar... ok hold on.)
JFC ITS THE MAYHEM GUY
I THOUGHT OH NO WAY ITS THE MAYHEM GUY THATS WAY TOO LONG AGO BUT NAH
jesus.
most aptly named band ever
Majo: RIGHT I was like "oh no that can't be him it's just some guy haha"
whoops. everyones preparin for the upside down which includes:
- fueling the vehicle
- target practice
- whatever dustin and eddie are doing oh also robins like hey steve just so u know i think the script might say ima die soon. lets toast with a molotov cocktail
i mean she doesnt wanna die but shes holding one lol el's story devolves into military shit. sorry but i care about as much about that as russia so. skipping. theyre back together but el has an explosive collar on. papaws got the controller hes also dying. and says hes proud of her boop he calls her family and his child. makes me think of elfen lied. and made in abyss. um.
i mean, it is what it is a muted version plays of the theme el and papa shared. its good um. auditory...? storytelling??? idk what youd call it
papa asks eleven to please tell him she understood why he did what he did, and she holds his hand cos she cant help but care for him cos yknow, human brains are wired that way, but she doesnt say she understands him. she just tells him goodbye, lets go of his hand, and leaves with her friends
i appreciate the lack of dialogue in the scene. gets the point across pretty well. but then they do a tacky spinny zoom with papa when hes like, dying and that takes away from the impact a lil bit.
el tells her friends we gotta go to hawkins or everyone is kill
and theyre all like how tf do we get there were in nevada and theyre in. like. i dont fuckin know, ohio or whatever
meanwhile the other main group is gearin up to get into the upside down the show decides "this calls for hair metal" and it is 100% absolutely correct it most certainly does oh max. lovely shot idk if thats something the dp controls or whatever but it and the music go v well together on second watch so uhhhh a+ from me lads omg its the elm street house. whodaguessed
(we did)
(we all guessed that)
(but with the hair metal its still pretty rad) tudor jones y'all. good ol' tudor jones.
are u ready for the final episode? cos I sure am not.