my extreme mega conspiratorial st5 take but hear me out-
There is something that has been itching my brain about The Turnbow Trap. I understand the heroes kidnapping Derek Turnbow is meant to be a parallel to the Vecna/demogorgan kidnapping Holly. The thing is however, the protagonists didnt just drug and kidnap Derek (post edit: accidentally said holly here). They drugged and kidnapped the whole family.
I wouldnt otherwise think anything of it, if we didnt however see the heroes dismiss the idea of only kidnapping only Derek outright, giving the reasonings we see on screen happen with Holly.
"There are a few... holes"
Indeed. There are a few holes in this whole season. And according to Dustin, there are quite a few holes in the heroes plan that resembles what we actually saw on screen during the Wheeler home attack and it would be a miracle for this plan to even work. Yet this is how it works out for Vecna and co? Or maybe, the "villain" that likes to fuck with our perception of things, fucked with our perception. Eg, its just a nightmare-
"What if Derek falls asleep before the Demogorgan attacks him?"
Granted Holly isnt asleep, but she is in bed before the DG attacks and attempts to take her.
"What if Derek wakes up before we [the Demogorgan] grab him her, alerts his her family?"
Holly momentary escapes the demogorgan and runs out of her very rainbow themed room after screaming for Karena and Ted, then alerts Karen, who promptly tells her that this is just a nightmare (st4 NINA rainbow room scene for the hell of it).
So if our protags have the presence of mind to understand kidnapping Derek wouldnt work out the way we apparently see Holly was kidnapped, wouldnt it follow through that, like our heroes, Vecna and co came came up with a better plan as well. One to knock out and extract the whole family, or specifically Karen and Ted.
Lucas: "I'm not so sure this is about punishment... Why send one of his pets?"- and the heroes send Erica with the dogs on her sweater. Erica would be analogous to the demogorgan, but the DG isnt a person the wheeler family trusts by any means. So, again, how much exactly of what we saw is real and how much was a "nightmare"?
In the Turnbow Dining Room, we see a mantleplace that resembles the Wheeler's:
While the Turnbows eat, Joyce asks about how long before the drugs kick in, Robin and Mike mention caffeine and alcohol intake-
References to Ted (coffee dad) and Karen (wine mom). So subtextually implying Karen and Ted were drugged and knocked out. So what does this mean? This parallels back to Chrissy asking Eddie about how long it will take for the Special K to kick in:
Chrissy gets stuck in a Vecna vision after this. Then this season we literally see Vickie get a bowl of Special K (i am assuming) before coming back to find Max in a Vecna vision (sitting in a wheelchair lol lmfao even)
Mind you as well, the first two Vecna victims we see in ST4, Chrissy and Fred, bare resemblance to Karen and Ted (and the names are even similar!)
Then there is this very interesting conversation Henry says about Karen and Ted as the first scene of Turnbow Trap after the title card "The Turnbow Trap", before giving Holly music (Vecna vision kryptonite) and promptly leaving her the house all to herself.
"They are in the best possible hands, Holly, I assure you" oh really Henry? "I'm told that they are improving" by WHO Henry? it needs to be mentioned that during the Creel massacre, both Viringia ( i guess?) and Victor were Vecna'd as well.
Also, I think the inclusion of Ted being in an "induced coma" when the season does the reveal that characters are not in a coma but in a trance, and the Turnbow's food coma-
so all in all the Vanishing of ***** Wheeler
