Or rather, a pitt stop.
This is not Hawkins.
Okay,nowit’sStranger Things.
Credit: Netflix
And with that, the opening credits roll, and we’re finally in Hawkins.
It’s 1984, about a year after the events of last season took place.
You would be having some extreme emotions and reactions if your kid disappeared!
If not, then, I don’t know, get a fish or something.
(That is where my guesses end.
Turns out, there are basically zero famous people named Max.)
Will is into figuring this out until he gets sucked into the literal darkness.
But it gets the point across: Things are bad for Will again.
(For the record, it’s Reese’s Pieces; E.T.
would be proud.)
Will’s gut instinct is correct, as it turns out Owens is hiding something.
He advises they treat him as they normally would, an idea Joyce thinks is stupid.
Owens is starting to get worried; he sees she doesn’t trust him.
So he says: “I need you to trust me.”
Not buyin' it, Owens.
So, yeah, time for Will to find a new doctor.
They found her, and they have been borderline stalking her.
“STOP SPYING ON ME YOU CREEPS!”
Max has only been here for like two minutes but she’s already a hero.
tells him it doesn’t quite make sense.
This whole scene feels familiar and sweet, a testament to Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery’s easy chemistry.
That chemistry is not to be mistaken for true love, though.
Soon, we see Nancy and Jonathan walking the halls together, playfully bantering.
He clearly like-likes her; she clearly like-likes himand then Steve surprises Nancy by grabbing her from behind.
The two kiss as Jonathan walks away unnoticed.
More specifically, he and Nancy have to go eat KFC with…Barb’s parents.
So not only are Barb’s parents without Barb, but they’re also getting scammed.
And is it really necessary to bring Barb back into this?
Let memes be memes, man.
A few things about Bob: He doesn’t like scary movies.
Hedoeslike the Michael Keaton classicMr.
Also, he likes Kenny Rogers.
That’s when he notices Will is drawing a creature he’s titled Zombie Boy.
Jonathan responds by being real.
“You’re right,” he tells a shocked Will.
“You are a freak.”
“Who would you rather be friends with: Bowie or Kenny Rogers?”
Will doesn’t even have to respondit’s Bowie, obviously.
This time, though, he sees a giant, spider-like creature in the clouds.
Bob reassures her that it’s probably a crank call and encourages her to ignore it.
She does, but it’s clear she’s struggling to.
As the saying goes, even a new boyfriend can’t distract from intense mental distress.
The episode is almost over at this point, and there hasn’t been any glimpse at Eleven.
That’s about to change.
Ah, there she is.
It gets kind of weird from there.
Hopper cracks open a beer and sits down as a little voice cries out, “No signal.
You’re late.”
They unwrap their dinners and eat their turkey and peas in silence like an old, grumpy married couple.
Now, who’s gonna tell Mike?
Bonus ’80s points for his mullet.
Best Quotes
“I only want five minutes!”
Murray
“Yeah, I want a date with Bo Derek.
We all want things.”
Jonathan
“Nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world.”
Jonathan
NEXT:“Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak”
