I’ve seen a few interesting posts about these mysterious 11 tapes here and here, and it’s got me thinking & digging…
Did you know it looks exactly like the Limited Edition Season 2 tape?
(same yellow sticker and everything!)
This was Season 1 for comparison:
Like it’s been mentioned, the Snowball ‘84 being crossed out is literally Season 2 being overwritten.
And the definition of red tape might as well be the definition of what conformitygate feels like 😭
There was also this interesting 80s RCA/Columbia Home Video anti-piracy campaign:
We’ve all theorised that the colour red is like an alarm. A symbol of the corrupted truth, screaming to be looked at closer.
Let’s apply this “if it isn’t red, it isn’t real” rule:
Most of Season 5 clips uploaded to YouTube has this red border around it. (could be just a style choice…or maaaybe not)
And to me it’s asking us to question, “am I real?Am I as real as I’m claiming to be?”
If it isn’t red, it isn’t real:
If it isn’t red, it isn’t real:
If it isn’t red, it isn’t real:
The yellow “be kind, rewind” sticker on the tape also has implications of its own.
Surveillance but also corruption (see link in this post):
And also connects to the Watchmen:
This S4 teaser included a nod to The Watchmen “Doomsday Clock”, which symbolised the looming apocalypse with the time stuck on 5 mins to Midnight:
(A user on Reddit clarified the exact time on the clock:)
Once it reaches Midnight, Game Over. And that’s exactly what happened in S4 - they lost.
So S5 continues to not make sense:
Most of us think the signs are pointing to “re-winding” the proverbial tape to S2 and The Snowball, where everything literally went Upside Down:
It’s interesting because The Snowball is also the same episode when they “closed” the Mothergate:
(Erica said it!! We have to go back…)
El closing “the Mothergate”:
Does this possibly imply that something went wrong when the Mothergate was closed? Will’s connection was severed but still dormant. In S5, Will even mentioned himself that closing the gate didn’t work for him. Does this mean they need to go back to the Snowball, and also rewrite events of closing the gate??
And speaking of S5 maybe all being in Mike’s head, Mr. Whatsit seems to be a manifestation of himself at the Snowball 💀
Something about that night continues to haunt him:
There are also some Matrix connections:
(if it isn’t red, it isn’t real)
It’s been pointed out by Kelly on TikTok that a lot more CG edits are leaning into The Matrix hints:
People who accepted the ending took “the blue pill” (comfort and happiness)
People who thought S5 felt off took “the red pill” (conformitygate)
And if you saw the “black cat” twice in The Matrix, it means there’s a glitch in the simulation:
Their realities seem to be looping over and over again. And by the time we got to S5, no one in Hawkins seemed to have noticed.
That’s why the inconsistencies like shifting colours and false memories (Will’s speech) suddenly became more obvious. It’s begging us and the characters to notice the truth of their realities.
If it’s not red, it’s not real:
I think the painting is part of taking “the red pill” and waking up to the truth.
Can’t help but notice their red & blue ties here 👀
I’d say it’s time to “be kind and rewind”
And if their memories are corrupted…in order to go back and remember the truth, they possibly have to “unplug” from the Matrix and Go Dark.
I have made an edit involving “Be Kind, Rewind” and The Snowball here:
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s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
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