REVIEW: Stranger Things, Episode 106
Stranger Things is back with the sixth episode of the season entitled “Chapter Six: The Monster” and in this episode we unexpectedly found out a few things about Eleven.
In the aftermath of Nancy’s arrival in the Upside Down and after she sees the Demogorgon, this young girl fears for her life. I really did like this first scene of the episode. I don’t know why, but it was cool watching Nancy and Jonathan in different dimensions but still hear each other calling. I was really glad Nancy turned out to be OK. After they headed home, Steve finally realized he was an asshole and decided to sneak into Nancy’s room to apologies, and that is when he saw her with Jonathan. I was actually really glad this happened. Even though I prefer Steve rather than his annoying friends, I still don’t like him at all. On the other hand, Nancy and Jonathan really do make a very nice match and they totally seem to have a lot more in common than Nancy and Steve.
Having no idea Steve saw them, Nancy and Jonathan realize the Monster is drawn to blood, so they intend to make a trap to try to catch it, which I must still say that it seems like a bad idea, but let’s wait and see how it turns out. Unfortunately, the trap had to wait, because these two crossed paths with Steve and his friends writing bad things about them on walls. When they were about to leave, Steve starts insulting the entire Byers family, so he and Jonathan started fighting and I am very happy to say that Jonathan kicked Steve’s ass. Of course there is usually a downside when amazing things like these happen and this time was no different: Jonathan was caught by the police while Steve, the Chicken, ran away. Hope it doesn’t take long for Jonathan to be released, so that he and Nancy can go back to monster hunting.
After realizing Will might still be alive and after going to Joyce’s to tell her this, Hopper describes exactly what he saw in the Lab. Together the two of them find out the kid whose room Hopper saw isn’t probably Will, making Hopper realize he was chasing another child the whole time. Hopper then remembers a woman, Terry Hives, who used to say the lab took her child, so they both go speak to her. When they got there, they became disappointed because she doesn’t talk at all, so they spoke to her sister instead. And this was definitely a big moment of realization. When she was younger, Terry volunteered for some study in which the people involved wanted to “expand the boundaries of the mind”. This study really did have some crazy parts and Terry didn’t know she was pregnant at the time, but this totally affected her child. This was when we found out Terry is Eleven’s mother, and these experiments on the mother are the reason why she has powers. The official story is that the baby died, but we, Hopper and Joyce know better. It was great seeing, in the end, right before leaving, Joyce giving Terry a long look. I think in that moment Joyce saw herself a few years from then, in case Will never shows up, just like Terry’s daughter didn’t.
Meanwhile, Dustin convinces Mike to shake Lucas’ hand, but this last one refuses to do so, unless they stop wasting their time on Eleven. The two friends don’t agree with him, so they split up. I really don’t like seeing the Stranger Kids (yes, that is what I call them) apart. Plus, I think Dustin and Mike are right, and not just because I like Eleven nor because I like seeing her and Mike together. Eleven has powers, so she is definitely their best weapon to help them fight the monster and get Will. But I also kind of understand Lucas’ position. As Dustin said, Mike and Lucas are best friends, so Lucas, even though he will never admit it, is a bit jealous of El.
Like I said on my review of the pilot, this show is inspired on some of Stephen King’s works and that was totally present in this episode, and not just because Terry’s sister mentioned this author to Hopper and Joyce. Firstly we can totally see the parallels between Eleven and Carrie, two young girls with powers they don’t really understand (let’s hope Eleven’s end is different from Carrie’s). Secondly, because Troy’s stupidity and ruthlessness can only be compared to Henry Bowers, especially in this episode, because seeing him running after Mike and Dustin with a knife in his hand definitely brought back some memories. The only difference is that Mike had a little help from Eleven. I really have to say that she was so amazing in that scene alongside the ravine, even more amazing than in the fourth episode when she made Troy piss his pants. And that group hug in the end was so satisfying. Of course that it would have been even more if at least Lucas (I am not going to ask for Will too) was there. Hope they make amends real soon, because the Stranger Kids’ team isn’t complete without him.
Lastly, we found out how the portal inside the Lab was created. Continuing the experiment we saw in the previous episode, they sent Eleven to “along the side of the rope” like Mr. Clark put it in last episode, which means she was between dimensions, so she could see both the Upside Down and the world we know. Eleven saw the Demogorgon and when she touched it the portal to this other dimension was created. As I said on my last review, this is exactly what happens when people mess with things they don’t understand.
This episode was really amazing as usual. The most frustrating thing is that every one of the main characters now knows there is something wrong going on, and if they started working together, and telling each other what they found out, they would definitely be able to find Will much faster. But as viewers, we only have the power to stand by and watch. I am giving this episode a 9.3/10.
There are only two more episodes left in this season, and the seventh episode is entitled “Chapter Seven: The Bathtub”, so don’t miss my review.