how unlucky we are to be alive right now

Wish Upon a TV Star -- part 1 --

[ Part 2 ] -------------------------

Wish Upon a TV Star -- part 2 --

[ Part 1 ]

And it's done!!! took a little longer than I was hoping but it's finally finished! I really hope you enjoyed it and that it at least brings you a smile while reading!

the wsqksync breakdowns aren’t just “oh fun easter egg.” the way they’ve mapped the music cues across episodes is the kind of patterning you usually only catch when you’re studying paratexts and off screen storytelling. and when you line that up with the idea that the radio might be telling the real story, the emotional truth, the narrative spine the visuals are deliberately obscuring, it suddenly stops feeling like a crack theory and starts feeling like intentional design.

because if the soundtrack is doing that much heavy lifting, and the radio broadcasts are the only diegetic element consistently commenting on the world, then yeah… the possibility that the radio is the actual narrative and the show we’re watching is the misdirect? that’s not just plausible. that’s the kind of structural twist you write essays about. that’s “this gets taught in media theory modules” territory.

so robin has been a big part of the story, bigger than i actually expected. (don’t get me wrong i was pleasantly surprised) i would argue she’s been used more than once to communicate codes/messages from the writers (wsqk spotify, snowball>avalanche) and i always wondered if there was something about her code in episode one that i needed to figure out. so let’s unpack it.

“the supremes had 10 songs at the top of the charts”

i think this line is talking about volume 1, sorcerer, the second highest rated episode in all of stranger things.

“she tried to make it big in the movies with the wiz which was a colossal floparoonie”

this line is a direct attack on volume 2, the bridge, which is now stranger things’ lowest rated episode of all time. it mentions the movie “the wiz” which was largely controversial, widely hated, and, as robin said, a colossal flop. robin then says she still liked it, and to give it a chance.

here’s where it gets kind of crazy.

“make sure you bring your supersized popcorn, because this movie has a runtime of over two hours.”

yes, that’s right, our stranger things finale that’s just over 2 hours is going to be in theaters where you can watch while eating your supersized popcorn. robin is telling us that you need to give the finale a chance to explain everything. the writers are aware volume 2 isn’t good, but they’re also confident you’ll like the finale.

oh, and one last thing. there is one other character that mentions “wiz” in this very same episode.

yeahhhh… we usually see mike late in his opening scene. this is the one season we don’t, because he’s “gonna take a whizz”. mike is about to screw up the entire story.