#izzy liveblogs

We start where the previous episode left, with the police talking to Joyce and Jonathan. She most likely told them about the demogorgon appearing through the wall, because then they seem to be looking for something in the house and they look on said wall, before telling her about the body found in the quarry.

Joyce doesn’t believe it’s Will, once again she’s right and once again nobody believes her. I mean, can’t blame them for not believing she talked to Will through the Christmas lights, but it’s frustrating when you know she’s right. It’s so well done.

I like Hopper trying to comfort Joyce. And then he goes to his car and just. Stays there. He’s a good friend and I appreciate that a lot.

Jonathan cries in bed with his earphones on, and Joyce goes to his room but at the end she decides against relying on him. And she doesn’t listen to Hopper and doesn’t get any sleep. She just goes to the shed and gets an axe and sits on the couch. She’s showing how she cares about her son more than she cares about herself and her own health :(

Mike looking at Will’s drawings, so fondly and sadly, he even caresses them, it’s heartbreaking. A kid should never have to think his best friend is dead ;;

El’s face when he scolds her is so sad, and she doesn’t even have the resources to explain what’s actually happening. Poor girl. But then she channels Will and it sounds terrible, but Mike recognizes his voice immediately. He probably didn’t want to get his hopes up and he asks her, and her tiny smile when she confirms it’s Will is ADORABLE. BUT TELL ME WHAT’S THEIR CONNECTION. WHY DOES SHE KNOW HIM. I AM ASKING QUESTIONS DUFFERS.

And cut to the credits.

Then there’s Joyce sleeping on the couch with the axe in her lap, and she sees and hears Will, and hear me out, that’s not Will when he disappeared. He’s pale, he has eye bags and that’s surely not like he looked when she last saw him. It’s like he contacted her in her dreams. When she wakes up it’s Jonathan the one in front of her. Waking her up on time to go and see the body. Taking care of her, being like a parent to her instead of the other way round. This season is so fucking hard on Jonathan.

I really really like Karen. She’s trying so hard to be the best mother possible, and she’s so understanding and sweet to Mike after what happened.

I noticed Mike has a Rubik cube on his nightstand, which makes me think of Bob bringing one to Will in s2.

The fact that Lucas doesn’t even want to talk with Mike until Mike says it’s about Will *sobs* “Screw his funeral” is a hilarious line.

Hopper takes like two seconds to start suspecting the state people. The fact that they don’t let Joyce and Jonathan inside the room with the body is also really suspicious, and I think Joyce notices, because she asks them to show a birthmark Will has, and it could be her wanting to confirm it’s another kid, or her wanting to confirm it’s a fake corpse. Jonathan doesn’t notice anything, but he’s a teen and he shouldn’t have to go through this, poor child. He does believe Will is dead and is grieving and suffering so much. And judging by what he said in episode 1, he also feels guilty and it breaks my heart. I want to hug him.

I really admire Joyce and Mike for believing Will’s still alive after seeing the body. We know it’s not his body, but they don’t and it’s amazingly made, especially because they had like what, a day to make it?

Nancy talks to Steve about Barb’s disappearance and what she saw when she went back to his house and he asks her “why didn’t you just talk to me?”. SHE DID YOU DUMBASS. But you were with your asshole friends and didn’t pay attention to her. Dump those idiots already, Steve. You’re better than this.

Joyce and Jonathan’s argument on the street is just terrible. We know Joyce’s right, but Jonathan doesn’t. For all he knows, he’s a kid who’s just lost his little brother, who he was taking care of for years and loves more than anything, and his mom is going crazy and talking about monsters in the wall and Will being in the lights. He must feel so alone and scared. Almost as much as Will in the upside down.

Then we have a direct parallel to this scene when Mike repeats to his friends basically the same Joyce says to Jonathan. I like how Dustin starts being hopeful so fast, while Lucas looks for the most logical explanation (“you just tapped onto a baby monitor”). And Mike being so sure that Will’s just alive and it’s not his ghost? He warms my heart. He loves Will so freaking much.

El’s makeover scene is great and Mike is adorable telling her she looks pretty. I think he remenbers her saying Nancy was pretty in the photos, and wanted her to feel good about herself, and it’s so cute.

The cut from this cute moment to the lab and this Shepard guy going to his death is amazing. Way to change the atmosphere.

Also, why this guy, with his suit and being tied so he doesn’t get lost or whatever, dies after like ten minutes, and Will survives for a whole week? CARE TO EXPLAIN DUFFERS??? DO TELL US PLEASE.

Nancy being interrogated by the police because of Barb disappearance and then by Karen because she slept with Steve makes me sad. The poor girl is worried sick and Karen is there like “you didn’t tell the police you slept with your boyfriend”. Nancy’s right Karen, that’s irrelevant and you only care because it’s your daughter. No need to tell the police private stuff that’s not related to the case.

I like that she sees the demogorgon in Barb’s photo because she had already seen it before.

The kids talking to Mr Clarke and pretending they’re sad and all, that’s a really fun scene, but the assembly looks like bullshit imo. Get a psychologist from the church of whatever ugh. Why not a true psychologist?

Then Mike confronts Troy for Will, he never did for himself, but he does for Will. El getting him to piss himself is great because he deserves it. Slay queen.

Jonathan looks so lost when she’s trying to purchase a coffin ;; I’m glad that Nancy comes in that moment because she helps him piece things together so fast. Now he can believe Joyce about Will being alive.

We have a flashback of Brenner making El spy and then she’s channeling Will with the big radio. This scene is another thing that makes me think Will has powers, because he contacts Joyce again AND he almost gets to open a gate to go back. So... is it El who burns the radio, or is it Will?

I didn’t remember that Jonathan does apologize to Nancy for taking the stalker photos.

And then we have Hopper, who, after investigating a bit (and beating a guy up), gets into the place where the body is kept and finds out it’s fake. I actually noticed a weird thing when he took it out of the freezer: it didn’t have any cut. You can’t perform an autopsy without cutting lol it’s so obvious they wouldn’t let anybody get close.

So he’s gonna sneak into the lab and find out more interesting stuff!