#pattyflayer

Hey #ConformityGate truthers! Here's a list of all the Netflix Puzzled clues so far that support popular ST theories, and maybe spurred some new ones?

ConformityGate aka Vecna Won aka ALT ending

Great Expectations (Bonza, 1/7) + Tickled Pink (Bonza, 1/11)

Tintinnabulation aka the sound during Henry's monologue in Massacre of Hawkins Lab + sound a clock makes (Shape, 1/7)

Land of 7s aka "It was a seven," which meant Will got got by the demogorgon (Starstruck, 1/7)

Triomino Gap resembles DnD dice, but the gap shows something's missing/off, happens when you try to form a loop or bridge with triangular dominos (Sudoku, 1/7)

Clocks were the Jigsaw theme for the entire week of 1/7

Eleventh Hour aka pulling something off at the last possible moment (Bonza, 1/9)

Nines aka Episode 9 (Starstruck, 1/9)

Water ("tend to your thirsty plants") reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors, which had two endings (Keysmash, 1/9)

See-saw aka see-sawing between believing and not believing + playground equipment like in Camazotz (Shapes, 1/12)

Doubt, Suspicion, Uncertainty, Paranoia, and Anxiety (Keysmash, 1/12)

Match Point, Pressure Point, and Tipping Point (Bonza, 1/13)

Irate + V-Sign aka we're mad now, but victory is ahead of us (Crossover, 1/13)

Drive has the clue "take for a ride", which implies deception and stringing someone along (Keysmash, 1/13)

Gears like a clock (Sudoku, 1/13)

Emend: Definition: "To make corrections and improvements"; "alter (something) in such a way as to correct it" (Crossover, 1/14)

Shapes tidbit implied getting "some more" (1/14)

Vision implying the genius to pull a stunt like this off (Keysmash, 1/14)

Negative aka negatives in film/what's left on the cutting room floor (Keysmash, 1/14)

Fan, Candy, Lucky Charm (Sudoku, 1/15)

Lampshade aka narrative device calling attention to narrative inconsistencies (Starstruck, 1/15)

"Why So Shy?" is the title, koi fish is the shape aka being coy about coming out (Shapes, 1/15)

Reason, Rationale, Apology, Excuse, Alibi aka all the things the Duffers, the writers, and Netflix will have to provide to get back in our good graces. (Keysmash, 1/15)

LOOK UP, which makes me think of Netflix's Don't Look Up which was essentially ConformityGate for the apocalypse. Also another way of saying pay attention. (Sudoku, 11/16)

"Don't Sweat It" + lots of 1s featured (Jigsaw, 1/17)

Double-Double theme as in two endings? + Succeed (Bonza, 1/17)

Double Vision (double again + vision reference for the second time this week) Is this to imply the two finales??? (Sudoku, 1/17)

Silver Lining (Keysmash, 1/17)

Sizes 1, 2, 3, 4... as in VOLUMES 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Starstruck, 1/17)

Dane Axe makes me think of the axe Joyce used to take out Vecna... or did she? (Crossover, 1/17)

Trail: The trail of clues the ST creators are leaving for us to figure out. (Keysmash, 1/18)

Before filling in OVEN, the letters were VN, which are also in Vecna (though that's probably a coincidence). (Keysmash, 1/18)

Treasure: The end goal. The reward. What you find at the X.... and, like Dustin says: "Treasures are always hidden in the deepest depths of the dungeon." (Keysmash, 1/18)

Tweak's clue was a "tiny adjustment". (Crossover, 1/18)

Open Middle as in Vol. 2 and 3 are technically the middle of S5, now left wide open for us to solve while we wait (Sudoku, 1/19)

AKA -- we are definitely getting a Vol. 4 with the Actual Ending to ST.

Three Episodes in Vol. 4

"No Three in a Row" (Sudoku, 1/7)

33 (Starstruck, 1/9)

Triplets (Sudoku, 1/16)

Three Compartments (Starstruck, 1/16)

Woven Triples (Sudoku, 1/19)

Looks like Vol. 4 is gonna be three eps! (unless there's another interpretation I'm missing)

Byler Endgame/ST is a Queer Show

Exes + Willy (Crossover, 1/11)

Rainbow Brite and Carebears (Waywords, 1/11)

Love Shack + Peen (Love and Peen being right to each other) (Crossover, 1/14)

Right Triangles aka making a love triangle 'right' (Sudoku, 1/14)

Snowflake featured in the Crossover aka Snowball aka "snowball turns into an avalanche" (1/15)

Lucky Charm as in Lucky Bear as in the green Carebear (Will) (Sudoku, 1/15)

"Why So Shy?" aka being shy about coming out + koi fish represents perseverance and good luck (luck again) (Shapes, 1/15)

Rainbow Flag (+ Roll) (Crossover, 1/16)

Roommate: "And they were roommates...." 👀 (Bonza, 1/17)

Ernie aka Bert's "best buddy" 👀 (Crossover, 1/17)

RAINBOW in the backround of the Jigsaw (1/18)

Four Leaf Clover: Another reference to Lucky Bear aka the Care Bear Noah got for his interview (and the green bear in the Rainbow Brite Puzzle)? Maybe this is the creators' way of saying Will is going to *finally* have some luck on his side.

Fantasy clue references Freddie Mercury, queer icon and singer of "Who Wants to Live Forever?" that was used in the promo of S5 (Keysmash, 1/19)

We're for sure getting Byler endgame -- and even if there's some pain along the way, luck will finally be on our boys' side.

Tharizdungate/"Mother Goose" is Tharizdun(?)

Spiral themes of the Jigsaw and Keysmash (1/7)

Spirals on the Jigsaw (1/11)

Thanks @whieen for sending me the photo!

"Flying Geese" (Starstruck, 1/7)

V Formation aka formation flying geese make (Starstruck, 1/14)

Shapes image for Who's Causing Trouble? was a Goose + the tidbit was "Famously aggressive" and "protecting a nearby nest" (1/16)

Keysmash kept to the bird theme: Incubator implies eggs getting ready to hatch, so another nest reference; Free-Range is another egg reference. Mother Geese lays eggs aka Mama's got babies!! (1/16)

Double Vision -- could this also imply there's two Big Big Bads, not just one (not just the MF)? (Sudoku, 1/17)

Soft-Boiled Egg -- another egg reference (Starstruck, 1/19)

Could Tharizdun be "Mother Goose"? Has "she" been pulling the strings all along for the sake of her lost child, the MF?

After all, ET has been repeatedly referenced on the show, and even the T-Mobile ad highlighted it. I originally thought it was about El, but maybe the MF is ET trying to phone home and find Mother Goose (like Patty is trying to find her mom in TFS, check out #pattyflayer by @henrysglock).

A Snake/Traitor

"That Bites!" formed a snake (Shapes, 1/10)

Snake was the Starstruck theme (1/11)

Agent: The clue went away, but it was "a spy who's a mole" aka a traitor (Keysmash, 1/14)

Snake for Crossover (1/18)

Looks like there's a traitor in our midst, but who could it be? Will? Kali? Robin? Max?

A Double (Someone pretending to be someone else)

Double-Double theme (Bonza, 1/17)

Double Vision (Sudoku, 1/17)

Mimic with clue "To ape or parrot" (Crossover, 1/19)

Fox is associated with tricksters. [@dawnschild pointed out that's what Henry calls Max] (Shapes, 1/19)

My brain goes to the MF/"Patty" first, but I may be wrong here. All I know is that someone is not who they seem to be.

Mike is Vecna'd // Labyrinthgate

Staircase // "Something that keeps going" aka M.C. Escher drawings on Mike's walls (Keysmash, 1/7)

Spade // "Calling a spade and spade" aka Mike having to face his own truths about himself to get out of Vecna's "labyrinth" (Sudoku, 1/7)

Isolated Areas + Stickman aka resident tall person Mike being trapped in isolation (Starstruck, 1/10)

Marked aka Marked by Vecna (Sudoku, 1/10)

Laundry as in "airing your dirty laundry" (also Mike compartmentalizing until now) (Keysmash, 1/10)

"Vacuum" "preys on [Mike]" (Keysmash, 1/10)

Toilet as in Mike's toilet water hair (Keysmash, 1/10)

Wheelie Bin aka Wheeler (Keysmash, 1/10)

V Formation aka Vecna's formation (Starstruck, 1/14)

Coffee: What Mike was drinking a lot of, presumably bc of lack of sleep aka marked by Vecna (Bonza, 1/17)

Tidbit about the Nile River: Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Mike... (Shapes, 1/17)

Meteorology clue talks about Steve Carrell's character. While he was only a weatherman in Anchorman, he does try to become an anchorman in the movie Bruce Almighty... starring Jim Carrey who also starred in The Truman Show about a man who doesn't know he's living in a fake world/reality show about him (okay, that might've been a reach, but one of the puzzle names a few days ago was Six Degrees, so if we're playing that game...) (Keysmash, 1/17)

Staircases like the M.C. Escher art in Mike's room (Starstruck, 1/17)

Asphalt and Sky being reminiscent of Mike's jump at the quarry in S1 -- will Mike have to do it again to get out of the Labyrinth? (Jigsaw, 1/19)

Camus and Sartre both got the same hint "Existentialist you probably read in high school" I have a feeling Mike's going to get very existentialist here. (Crossover, 1/19)

Fantasy clue is lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- the question from the speaker wondering whether this is real life or "just fantasy" (Keysmash, 1/19)

Mike is definitely the one stuck in the Vecna vision, and the only way out is through.

I think he's going to have to have to take a good hard look in the mirror in order and address the truths about himself he's been ignoring (his queerness + his love for Will).

And I think that, like Labyrinthgate suggests, Mike will repeat his quarry jump to get out -- taking a leap of faith for love.

Watergate/Lovers' Lake Gate/Pipegate/Hosegate/ RAINGATE?

Water ("tend to your thirsty plants") (Keysmash, 1/10)

Toilet as in toilet water ref. S5 Pipegate

Bathtub (Shapes, 1/11)

Fountain + Well (Bonza, 1/12)

Headwaters (runoff) + Rainwater. ie. "Here Comes the Rain Again" is on the WSQK vinyl. (Crossover, 1/17)

Stardew Valley (water symbolism). (Waywords, 1/17)

Weather-themed Keysmash: Cloud (containing rain), Moisture (1/17)

River (Starstruck, 1/18)

Bathtime + "What you do in the bath with your own dinner is up to you." (Shapes, 1/18)

CCR refers to the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, best known for their song (which was the clue) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (Crossover, 1/19)

Clue for Adventure talks about whitewater rafting (Keysmash, 1/19)

As we know, water equals feelings on ST. And the UD has none, but we do know liquid causes the wall in the UD to freak out.

Will our people finally realize that water is the ultimate weapon there? Instead of fighting with fire (fear/hate), they're fighting with water (love).

And we're getting an *actually* romantic rain scene -- call it a feeling.

BirthdayGate

Accompanying Shapes tidbit was a quote from director Aki Kaurismäki, who made the film The Man Without a Past about a man who gets amnesia and must rebuild his life with the help of a marginalized community (1/11)

Birthday Candles (Bonza, 1/12)

Birthday Suit (Bonza, 1/14)

BALLOON (Bonza, 1/17)

Dreamlight Valley (dream symbolism I've noticed w/ both "Patty" aka MF/the Creels, Dream a Little Dream, etc) is a life simulation game by Disney where the characters are under a curse that makes them lose their memories of their life in the valley. (Waywords, 1/17)

Meteorology clue talks about Steve Carrell's character. While he was only a weatherman in Anchorman, he does try to become an anchorman in the movie Bruce Almighty... starring Jim Carrey who also starred in ESOTSM (okay, that might've been a reach, but one of the puzzle names a few days ago was Six Degrees, so if we're playing that game...) (Keysmash, 1/17)

Abandoned clue was "Alone in the woods" like how Will vanished (Keysmash, 1/18)

"Upon A" as in Once Upon a Time, the show where the fairytale characters are cursed to forget who they really are. (Crossover, 1/19)

Birthdaygate is real, and it is likely that it will be affecting everyone's memories of Will (the way it affected Henry).

But memories can come back, and even if they don't, like in ESOTSM, if the love is strong enough -- love will prevail.

Time Travel

Clocks were the Jigsaw theme for the entire week of 1/7

Eleventh Hour (Bonza, 1/9)

Hourglass (Sudoku, 1/12)

Gears like a clock (Sudoku, 1/13)

Waywords themes cruising through different decades.

Waywords theme was Y2K but had Gameboy, which came out in 1989. Deliberate anachronism? (1/16)

Definitely getting a BTTF moment.

Lettergate

The First Letter was a Starstruck theme (1/11)

The Last Letter was a Starstruck theme (1/12)

Either Max's letters will finally come back into play, or we'll learn Mike had written letters to Will.

Return to Dimension X + USS Aldridge/Project Rainbow

Vast Land was a Starstruck theme (1/12)

Dimensional (Keysmash, 1/13)

Magnetic Field re: Project Rainbow using magnets to render the ship USS Eldridge invisible, sending it to Dimension X (Starstruck, 1/13)

You Sunk My... theme featured military ships like the USS Eldridge (Bonza, 11/16)

UNNUMBERED X (Sudoku, 11/16)

"Incubator" implies eggs getting ready to hatch, so another nest reference; "Free-Range" is another egg reference. (Keysmash, 1/16)

Two Gates: That seems obvious -- gates to the UD and the Abyss/Dimension X (Sudoku, 1/18)

Ben Grimm: As in the big, orange "Thing". But there's another "The Thing" that's been referenced a lot on ST. The beginning of that movie actually reminds me a lot of the beginning of The First Shadow -- with the USS Eldridge's failed mission sending them to Dimension X and being attacked by its creatures. (Starstruck, 1/18)

I think that not only are we going to see the real Abyss/Dimension X, but it's going to feature the wreckage of the USS Eldridge.

And, like the documentary suggested, we're going to get a big battle facing all the scary demo-creatures, including maybe some demo eggs that hatch ala Aliens???

SignalGate

Ham Radio (Crossover, 1/14)

Lightning Bolts on the Jigsaw (1/15)

Dungeon clue was "place with terrible cell service" (Keysmash, 1/19)

Signals will play a big role in:

Mike/Labyrinthgate of it -- did El, Henry, and/or the MF tap into Mike's signal that night Will disappeared?

Byler -- unclear signals between them that will eventually be made clear

Creelby (Bob/Henry) -- with the MF/"Patty" deliberately scrambling the signal to erase Bob and replace herself in Henry's memories

BobGate

Mermaid Diving aka Henry's Little Mermaid moment (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)

Heat Seal aka what selkies turn into (see above) (Crossover, 1/9)

Up, Up, and Away! aka Superman's catchphrase (Shapes, 1/13)

Ham Radio (Crossover, 1/14)

Emend: Definition: "To make corrections and improvements"; "alter (something) in such a way as to correct it" (Crossover, 1/14)

Love Shack + Peen (Love and Peen being right to each other, the shack looking a lot like Creel House) (Crossover, 1/14)

Right Triangles aka making more than ONE love triangle 'right' (Sudoku, 1/14)

BALLOON aka Mr. Baldo reference (Bonza, 1/17)

TVADs are wires used for TVs and other cable equipment (Crossover, 1/17)

Eek's clue was, "It's a spider, RUN!" Again, I think of Creelby: The spiders/MF for Henry, and "RUN!" for Bob.

Treasure: Reminds me of when Dustin says: "Treasures are always hidden in the deepest depths of the dungeon." And then Steve finds a Rubik's cube in the Rainbow Room. + Sean Astin played treasure-hunting Mikey in The Goonies. (Keysmash, 1/18)

Dungeon clue was "place with terrible cell service", which was a reoccurring problem in TFS that Bob had to fix. (Keysmash, 1/19)

Pleasantly surprised by the Bobgate confirmations (but I'm biased).

I think that not only will we be seeing Mr. Baldo, but Bob may have a role in Mike's quest out of the dungeon (that Bob is also stuck in since he was killed my the MF).

Thanks to these new clues, and this post about the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess (by @kirrroh and @imjustheretowastemytime), I now believe Bob may be on his own quest as "Rob the Relentless", trying to get Henry back and reverse his curse as the Fallen Paladin who broke his vow when he rejected Henry in 1959.

I think Bob is finally going to own up to his mistakes, face his own fears, confront Mr. Baldo, and fight this time, not just tell him to "go away". Bob's own big romantic gesture (with El's help) will allow him and Henry to reunite (even if it's in death).

Fairytales (Byler/Bobgate Adjacent)

Goose references tying back to Mother Goose Rhymes+ stories

Mermaid Diving (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)

Genre (Crossover, 1/18)

Ben Grimm as in Brothers Grimm, kind of like the Duffer Brothers (Starstruck, 1/18)

Theme for Keysmash was Hansel and Gretel by... the Brothers Grimm! (1/18)

"Upon A" as in Once Upon a Time (Crossover, 1/19)

Fantasy (Keysmash, 1/19)

These clues suggest that maybe this isn't a sci-fi (or just a sci-fi) after all -- maybe this story is also a modern fairytale.

This is the genre-bending the Brothers Duffer are up to...

Separated Lovers (Byler/Bobgate Adjacent)

Mermaid Diving as in The Little Mermaid/selkie myth (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)

Heat Seal aka what selkies turn into (see above) (Crossover, 1/10)

Plus Six Degrees aka six degrees of separation (Starstruck, 1/15)

Degrees of Separation (Bonza, 1/18)

"Split" pea soup re: separation being hinted at? (Bonza, 1/19)

If you've read my Bobgate series, you know there's been multiple interrelated texts that have had a common theme: Separated lovers.

TFS: Henry and Patty (but actually Bob) being separated.

Pagliacci: Canio/Pagliacci slaying Nedda and Silvio on stage.

Nina: Nina going mad after believing her lover's been killed.

Akhnaten: Akhnaten and Nerfertiti being slain because their love for each other, and Akhnaten's to his God, blinded them to the chaos raining outside their palace walls.

The real-life story of Abelard and Hélöise, both forced to take the cloth after their affair resulted in a love child (and the former being castrated).

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Joel and Clementine break up and choose to have their memories of each other erased.

Dark of the Moon: The Witch Boy and Barbara Allen destroyed by the religious fervor by her small-town community, with the former forced back into his witch form, helpless to stop the community from killing Barbara and their child.

Selkies (when they're actually, mutually in love with their human suitors) having one night with their lover, to then be separated for seven years.

Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid: The mermaid, refusing to kill her lover, lets him marry another while she turns into sea foam.

It's what ended up happening to Creelby, and it's quite possible that may be what lies ahead for Will and Mike.

But what all these stories also give is hope: The "songs" always end with the lovers being reunited (eventually, somehow).

While I think Bob and Henry will reunite in love in death (therefore being "rejuvenated with life for love"), I think Byler's end will be more like:

Nina: Where Nina's "dead" lover is revealed to actually be alive, curing Nina's madness (which btw I think will be the case for Creelby too)

ESOTSM: Where J&C reunite, are immediately drawn to each other even though they don't remember why, and decide to try again

Or Abelard and Héloïse: Kept in touch the rest of their lives through letters

RPG/ARG

Cereal (Waywords, 1/9) as in Life Cereal (He likes it -- hey Mikey!) as in Game of Life

DND (Crossover, 1/14)

Stardew Valley is an RPG game about inheriting a plot of land [ppl have been bringing up the references about the "uncle" the Creels inherited the house from]. Also RPG implies a fake world. (Waywords, 1/17)

Dreamlight Valley (dream symbolism I've noticed w/ both "Patty" aka MF/the Creels, Dream a Little Dream, etc) is a life simulation game by Disney. (Waywords, 1/17)

Keysmash theme was Role-Playing Games (1/19)

Dungeon again, a DnD reference (Keysmash, 1/19)

Quest is what we're all on right now, and our characters too (Keysmash, 1/19)

These clues are being left on purpose.

A lot of them feel like teases, some feel like straight up spoilers. But we're being given time to piece things together from all these different sources for a reason...

Before the "finale" dropped, I'd never ONCE participated in ST discourse. I kept my theories to myself. I didn't interact with anyone. And then ConformityGate happened, and I was so pissed off I decided to write Bobgate to process my thoughts and all the dangling clues I knew HAD to be paid off somehow.

And through that, I've gotten that much more sucked into the fandom and have gotten to talk to so many cool, smart, passionate people on here.

Maybe that's the reason Netflix/The Duffer Brothers have taken so long to drop Vol. 4. They get to pull a crazy stunt/social experiment on conformity, fandom, and storytelling that goes down in history, but they also stage one big game for the most devoted fans to enjoy, form community, and figure out the ending for themselves.

In a way, we are witnessing an elaborate DnD campaign/ARG and WE are the players trying to figure out how the game will end.

Some of the GA are either still blissfully unaware of what's afoot, or don't have the imagination to think it's real. Some members of the fandom have dropped off because they've lost faith that everything we've seen might actually just be coincidence. Just bad storytelling.

But us? The ones still here, still playing? WE'RE a bunch of nerds. Like the Party, we peek behind the curtain. We don't just accept things for how they appear on the surface. We're curious, we question things and dig deeper. We care to figure things out. We seek the truth behind the lies.

So we may not know *when* the game will end yet -- so what?

I'll start with Bobgate theory that's going viral right now. I hate it. No offense to all fans of this theory, but I don't like its implications. Making Henry gay is perhaps the biggest blow to the LGBT community the Duffers could do (which is why there's a chance that it might be real). Yes, Henry was once a sweet boy, but now he's a villain who SA a 12-year-old. The internet is already full of jokes with pedo context about Henry and memes about Vecna turning Will gay. Just no. We've already seen people's reaction to a simple coming out scene. It's scary to imagine what will happen if they make their main villain, who's known for child abuse, gay. Also, going back to season one, when Will went missing, the adults in town were gossiping that he'd been kidnapped and killed by another queer. And they blamed Will and his sexuality for what happened to him. It's just disgusting. If somehow this homophobic crap turns out to be canon, the Duffers better sleep with their eyes open.

"When the red light is on...

....That means I'm on the air."

Part 24: The Monster Mash

PART 1 HERE | PART 2 HERE | PART 3 HERE | PART 4 HERE PART 5 HERE | PART 6 HERE | PART 7 HERE | PART 8 HERE PART 9 HERE | PART 10 HERE | PART 11 HERE | PART 12 HERE PART 13 HERE | PART 14 HERE | PART 15 HERE | PART 16 HERE PART 17 HERE | PART 18 HERE | PART 19 HERE | PART 20 HERE PART 21 HERE | PART 22 HERE | PART 23 HERE | PART 25 HERE PART 26 HERE | PART 27 HERE | PART 28 HERE | PART 29 HERE PART 30 HERE | PART 31 HERE

I know what you must be thinking: Wait a minute. It's not Halloween... But it is Super Bowl Sunday 😉

And V-Day is just around the corner -- the other major holiday that's all about candy.

Speaking of candy:

Last night's "Islands in the Stream" post led me down a new path of curiosity re: Season Two that's actually going to be very helpful in framing the next couple of posts that I have planned.

Because to understand what flowers are going to bloom, you need to understand what seeds were planted long before we even realized they were seeds.

And it all starts with this moment from S2 Ep 2:

Bob is cracking a joke to get Joyce to literally loosen up here, but his question proposes an interesting, perhaps unexpected pairing (to some) that at once makes sense and is "kinda hard to beat" --

Dracula and "Frankenstein"

The Vampire and the Monster

Like Bob and Henry...

Like Mike and Will.

Note that with this reading, "Shock Jock" might imply the demogorgon wasn't the only one who got "Frankensteined". Also, per the Duffers, vampirism is apparently very lame.

What's interesting is that the parallels don't end there, because as we've already established, Mike and Bob fit the vampire allegory for repressed queer desire rather well (credit again to @smalltown--byler!!).

So how do Henry and Will fit into the story of Frankenstein's Monster?

For starters, in the same Halloween episode we see El watching Universal's 1931 adaptation of Frankenstein at home:

Specifically, this scene from the movie (note this is movie-specific; it doesn't exist in Mary Shelley's novel). Warning, it's a sad one:

Here Little Maria's father (who wears a hat very much like Hopper's), leaves his daughter home alone with their cat while he's off to run some errands.

As Maria goes off to pick flowers by the pond, the Monster stumbles upon her. Even though she's initially shocked by his appearance, her manners take over and she introduces herself to him and asks if he'll be her playmate.

She then takes his hand and offers him a flower from the batch she's picked, which the Monster accepts with a cute little smile 🥹

If you read Part Seventeen, you know who I think the "flower" is. Also you'll notice even though El's favorite color is purple, the bouquet Mike brings has more of Will's yellow in there.

As they play, Maria tells the Monster she can make the flowers into boats, because they can float on the water. Here the flowers are compared to a method of transportation, much like El can open gates that allow people to travel between Hawkins and the UD. Not just that, the flowers can float on water.

The Monster is delighted by this discovery and does the same with his share of flowers... until he runs out.

And tragically -- not knowing any better -- the Monster throws Maria in the water, thinking she'll float too. Only she doesn't -- she drowns. The Monster has accidentally killed his only friend.

[Again, another hint that maybe Mike will have the fakeout death in Vol. 4, although this could be a parallel to Creelby/Bob's death. In the novel, the Creature actually saves a little girl from drowning, even though his actions are misinterpreted.]

In the movie, Maria's death is the catalyst for an angry mob that forms to go after the Monster, who they trap inside a burning building where he's presumably destroyed.

Meanwhile *Henry* Frankenstein (as he's named in the 1931 version) -- the real monster -- gets a happy ending: married with a child on the way.

But this is the Universal version of Frankenstein --

What about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Or, the Modern Prometheus

The idea for Mary's novel (with which she would found the sci-fi genre at only nineteen) came from a discussion with her husband Percy Shelley and their friend Lord Byron about creation and human nature.

The conversation stemmed from the theories of anatomist and contemporary William Lawrence, who believed that "the origins of life were based in Nature, not divine will. Lawrence argued that there was no such thing as a 'super-added' force like the soul, and that human beings were made of bone, muscle, blood, and nothing more."

[Source: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon]

While the men found the prospect of this Promethean theme of “Man” creating life exciting, "Mary would later say, in a preface to her revised edition of Frankenstein, that she found the principle 'supremely frightful'[...]" (Gordon, 187)

This makes sense, given Mary knew firsthand as a woman and a mother. She had grown up haunted by the knowledge she'd "killed" her brilliant mother, writer, philosopher, and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft (who died of childbed fever). When Mary wrote Frankenstein (again, aged nineteen), she was already a mother twice over and had lost one of those babies two weeks after birth. She would later go on to lose two more children to illness -- her son William aka Willmouse, and daughter Clara.

So, while the men in her life reveled in the idea of creating life without really pondering its consequences, Mary was all too familiar with the burden, the risks, and the horror of growing and carrying a life within your own body, only to have to force it out into (and onto) a dangerous world.

Imagine how frightful she'd find the works of Dr. Martin Brenner, who not only foolishly tried to find proof of life in other dimensions* and caused a hole to rip in reality in the process, but did so through abusing a traumatized child (already possessed by the MF) and using him to create more children like him, who he would also abuse in hopes of turning them into weapons. Monsters.

*It should also be noted that the Project Rainbow sequence at the beginning of TFS is not dissimilar from the framing device of Frankenstein, where we see Victor end up on an expedition ship in the Arctic, in a revenge quest to find the Monster.

Dr. Martin Brenner isn't just a Modern Prometheus, he's a modern Doctor Frankenstein.

At the very least though, Brenner isn't frightened by his "creations" the way *Victor* Frankenstein is (and Victor Creel, it would seem). Rather than turning away from Henry and El, he sees them through their most "monstrous" moments, viewing it as "progress" (to what end is still a mystery).

Although it took four seasons to finally learn Henry's story (even though it was clearly in the works since S2, if not the the end of S1??), we see El embodied as "the Monster" for much of the show.*

*Subbing in for Henry/Will once again.

Like the Monster in Shelley's novel, we see El learning how to speak, read, live, and think for herself... all building to this crucial confrontation with "Papa" in S4:

Of course, "Papa" isn't the only Monster -- El's other "papa" is too.

Henry Frankenstein Creel, who has been creating his own Monsters to presumably continue the Mind Flayer's work --

Starting with Will.

What drives Frankenstein's desire for revenge (leading him to the North Pole) is the Creature killing his best friend *Henry* Clerval (who's been interpreted as being a little more than a friend 👀), his fiancee Elizabeth Lavenza, and (indirectly) his father Alphonse.

The quest leaves Victor so weak he dies from the exhaustion. When the Creature finds out his creator has died, he mourns him -- telling the captain of the North Pole expedition, *Robert* Walton, that he plans on self-immolating on a pyre before exiting the ship.

The Creature's actual fate is left unknown.

One more detail from Shelley's Frankenstein worth mentioning: The female Creature. The "Bride of Frankenstein".

Midway through the novel, the Creature asks his creator to make him a female companion. Someone like him -- to give him the company and understanding he needs. Frankenstein consents to it, but while he and Clerval are working on her, he is suddenly struck with fear over the possibility the Creatures might reproduce, and destroys the female Creature before she is even fully realized. FYI, this is the act that triggers the Monster's murder spree.

A male Monster is fine, but a female one is heinous. "Male" creation is miraculous, but "female" creation is grotesque.

Yet, like Hopper points out to El in S2, “Of course you have a mother. You couldn’t really be born without one.”

Because, as of now, birth is the one thing that can't be taken from women people with uteruses. They are essential to the act of human creation. And while that seems beautiful in concept, this is actually an unfortunate reproductive reality given the world we live in. Brenner knew this, which is why he and, allegedly, Dr. Kay had to recruit pregnant women to create their human weapons.

However, once El discovers she has a "Mama", she immediately tracks her down and seeks to make contact with her long-lost mother, much like a certain TFS character (who may also be a "Bride of Frankenstein")...

Sorry, I couldn't find any pics of Patty's Mother aka Mother Goose in TFS, so I used her substitute mom Queen Ella Fitzgerald.

...Only to discover Terry had her child and the literal act of birth ripped away from her (as Brenner performs a C-section and pulls baby Jane out himself). She's then treated as "crazy", dispensable to the scientists at Hawkins Lab -- her brain fried by Brenner when she finally fights back and returns for her daughter. A woman now trapped in her own mind, stuck in a carousel of memories (for now).

But what does Terry decide to do for her daughter in that moment? Send her Kali's way.

That'll be another post. But first, I want to continue on the topic of the supposed "Monster Mothers", the women who actually birthed "Frankenstein's" monsters....

Stay tuned.

Part Eighteen: The Green Knight: A New Year's Tale

PART 1 HERE | PART 2 HERE | PART 3 HERE | PART 4 HERE PART 5 HERE | PART 6 HERE | PART 7 HERE | PART 8 HERE PART 9 HERE | PART 10 HERE | PART 11 HERE | PART 12 HERE PART 13 HERE | PART 14 HERE | PART 15 HERE | PART 16 HERE PART 17 HERE | PART 19 HERE | PART 20 HERE | PART 21 HERE PART 22 HERE | PART 23 HERE | PART 24 HERE | PART 25 HERE PART 26 HERE | PART 27 HERE | PART 28 HERE | PART 29 HERE PART 30 HERE | PART 31 HERE

In the last part of #Bobgate, I went on a journey via Mike's "Hunt for the Thessalhydra" campaign, only to receive a full-blown lesson on the Arthurian legend of doomed lovers Sir Tristan and Isolde, and realized they could be the key to the Lost Knight and Proud Princess aka Bob and Henry.

But this odyssey had me thinking of another Knight of the Round Table, and a legend that brought me back to freshman English lit:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

The first reason for this was, similar to the way Sir Tristan is both the quest giver and also helps the Party under the guise of the Lost Knight in Mike's campaign --

The Green Knight has two identities -- the mysterious, aforementioned knight who poses a challenge to Sir Gawain (more on that in a sec) and (spoiler alert) Lord Bertilak de Hautdesert, Gawain's generous, sexy host.

The other reason was because, at the end of the day, Sir Gawain's quest was more a journey into his own psyche, values, and sexuality than it was about the challenge itself.

What the hell was this challenge, you ask?

It all starts one New Year's Eve in Camelot. Remember that.

King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and his Knights -- including nephew Sir Gawain -- are celebrating the holiday when in comes:

A gigantic GREEN man on his GREEN horse, swinging his big axe in one hand and a bough of *holly* in the other.

Immediately I made connections to ST due to the prominence of the color GREEN (blue + yellow together) in this poem, and how the Green Knight is commonly interpreted as a symbol of 'wildness' in a world of chivalric code. Even in a late 14th century poem, we see themes of:

Conformity vs nonconformity

Natural order vs society's made up rules

Raw + open sensuality vs chaste, 'courtly', purely heterosexual love

The Green Knight is here to get folks in the Christmas spirit, so he proposes a fun little game, with his axe as the prize: Any one person can strike him once with the axe, on the condition he can do the same to them a year and a day hence. Remember that.

King Arthur is about to accept the offer, when Gawain (youngest ergo greenest of the Knights) steps in and volunteers.

The Green Knight bares his neck, and Gawain, thinking he's so clever, strikes right and true -- taking the knight's head clean off.

After all, if the Green Knight is dead, Gawain won't have to worry about being struck in return.

If only it were so simple.

The Green Knight -- very much alive -- picks up his head and reminds Gawain that he is to report to the Green Chapel (#churchgate) in a year and day's time to receive his blow. The Green Knight rides away, with Gawain and King Arthur admiring the sick new axe they just got.

Time skip nearly a year later: It's All Saints' Day and G-Day is nearing! Gawain begins his journey toward the Green Chapel, decked out in his armor and carrying his shield bearing the "endless knot" aka pentangle, which was Gawain's "token of fidelity".

Dr. Grace Hammon explains in her article "Games, Gifts, and Icicles on Armor: Fitt II of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" how the five points of the pentangle represented fivefold sets of five:

"1. Gawain’s five senses, in which he strives for perfection. [...] 2. His five fingers, symbolic of his actions, also in which he strives for perfection. 3. His faith, found in the five wounds of Christ. [the stigmata] 4. The five joys of Mary in her son Jesus [the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Assumption] 5. And finally, the last and perhaps most significant symbol of the Pentangle are five virtues that Gawain takes as his own. Friendship [loyalty], fraternity [fellowship], purity [cleanness of body and mind], politeness [courtesy], and pity [mercy toward women, the needy, and the oppressed] are how Simon Armitage translates them." "It’s a “token of fidelity,” of faithfulness, because each line links to the next. So it is eternal, and when one side of the star is taken out, it collapses."

"It’s also significant that these virtues are on Gawain’s shield. They protect him as knight; they are what he faces out to the hostile world as his representation of himself. Remember, the emblem on a knight’s shield identified him in battle to both his friends and his enemies. So the pentangle, to Gawain, encompasses his identity and protects him from his enemies—it’s more than just a meaningful symbol to him."

Here, we see that Mike's Gawain's shield is emblematic of the strict, elaborate chivalric code his society (the nobility of Camelot) used to hold themselves above those of "lower" status. In all fairness though, many of these values, especially the final five virtues are certainly noble ones to live by.

Sir Gawain's voyage leads him to a fine castle inhabited by Lord Bertilak and his lady wife. Lord Bertilak invites Sir Gawain to stay for the remaining time, before he has to go to the Chapel. Gawain agrees, but Lord Bertilak adds a condition (he calls it a Christmas game ~wink~):

Bertilak will offer up whatever he hunts each day to Gawain, but Gawain will be expected to exchange it for whatever he received that day at the castle. Whatever that means.

✨ Now here is where things start to get a little freaky... and a little fruity ✨

As soon as her husband is away, Lady Bertilak is ready to play. She tries to seduce Sir Gawain, but he -- ever-the-"chivalrous" knight -- rejects her advances.

Okay, he allows *one* kiss. It's the courteous thing to do.

The same kiss that Gawain, being an honest man, gives right back to Lord Bertilak in exchange for the demure deer he hunted. He doesn't kiss and tell though, so Lady Bertilak's secret (and his) are safe.

The next day, Lord Bertilak hunts a fierce boar while Lady Bertilak hunts herself an increasingly uneasy Gawain, who has to double his efforts to turn down her offers of sex.

But, knowing it's impolite to leave a lady hanging (esp one who calls his straightness knightliness into question), Gawain still ends up accepting two kisses from her, both of which ofc he gives to Lord Bertilak.

It's here I'll include this VERY interesting observation Dr. Hammon makes about Gawain in "The Hunter and the Hunted: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Fitt III":

"But Gawain, like any of us, can become so aware of, so enchanted with, this ideal, wonderful version of himself that he presents, that it becomes the driving force behind all his actions. Gawain so desperately wants to live up to his reputation as the perfect knight that he can resist this breathtaking woman who so clearly wants to sleep with him—up until she invokes that very identity as the perfect knight."

Sound familiar?

On the third day, Lady Bertilak tries to give Gawain her gold ring, but Gawain shuts that shit down (methinks the knight doth protest too much).

Someone free my poor girl from this man.

Realizing the man will never fuck her (for ~reasons~), the lady changes tactics and offers him something else: Her *green* sash, armed with a *protection spell*... which also happens to double as her girdle.

Gawain doesn't seem too bothered about accepting her underwear though. Not if it saves him from becoming Sir Gawain the Headless. He accepts the sash, along with -- fine -- three kisses.

Three kisses Gawain has no problem giving the Lord of the castle (in exchange for the cunning trickster fox). Gawain, however, keeps the sash to himself, having promised Lady Bertilak he wouldn't tell.

A decision that starts to eat him up inside.

G-Day arrives and Gawain rolls up to the "Green Chapel" -- which is really just a cavern. His guide tells him it's not too late to turn back and save himself, but unwilling to risk his honor (and wearing his green sash of protection that he totally doesn't feel guilty about not having disclosed to super cool and dreamy Lord Bertilak), Gawain goes in.

The Green Knight is already waiting for him, sharpening his axe.

I'm starting to think the axe might be a metaphor for something else that's big and loves head...

Gawain, being 'brave', sticks his neck out for his blow. Again, he's wearing a sash of protection. Granted, he doesn't know if it'll actually work, which is why he flinches at the Green Knight's test swing, much to the latter's amusement. On Round Two, Gawain stays still, but the Green Knight is still playing with his food.

By now, Gawain's pissed and tells the other knight to fucking do it already. The Green Knight obliges, swings a third time, and only just skims Sir Gawain's neck, giving it a small nick.

With the debt now paid, the game is officially over.

Hm. That was anticlimactic (and awkward AF because it just goes to show Gawain didn't need to be whacking heads off in the first place).

But WAIT --

The Green Knight transforms before Gawain's very eyes into none other than... sexy Lord Bertilak!

But how?

Turns out, the game was a set up all along -- orchestrated by none other than the enchantress Morgan Le Fay, who'd been creeping around Bertilak's castle disguised as an old lady the whole time.

For those who might not know/remember, Morgan Le Fay (King Arthur's sometimes stepsister, sometimes half-sister) is best known for her abilities in warping reality and creating illusions.

Who's ST & TFS's resident dreamspinner???

Does that mean Bob is King Arthur in this analogy? Is Joyce supposed to be Guinevere? Does that make Hopper Lancelot? Could Merthur *actually* become canon? OMG my head is spinning...

So... what was Morgan's plan here?

In Arthurian mythology, Morgan is something of an outcast -- always trying to push the envelope and call the high-ranked folk of Camelot out on their BS. Because, despite their courtly manners, they get up to all sorts of "uncivil" things behind closed doors... (cough~cheating!Guinevere and Lancelot~cough).

However it's not the flaws and personal failings Morgan gets fired up about. It's the fact that everyone lies about it and then presents themselves as holier-than-thou in public.

Similarly, you have the MF (same initials btw) who, through Henry/Vecna, tries to "restore balance to a broken world".... by exposing people's secrets and the lies through terrifying illusions (and gruesome murders).

Illusions, might I say, that are also lies! Morgan Mindy's not necessarily as righteous as she thinks she's being, valid as her reasons might be.

In the case of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Morgan's goal was to test the bravery of Arthur's Knights (none of whom stepped forward save for Gawain fyi), and to see Queen Guinevere die of fright over a chopped off head.

Welp, this Guinevere didn't so much as squirm.

But Mike Sir Gawain certainly did, and the nick is the proof. He finally admits to lying about the green sash, beyond ashamed of having betrayed his principles, his oath, himself due to his cowardice. How can he still call himself a paladin knight after this?

The Green Knight laughs it off. He respects Gawain for even showing up to the chapel and, in his eyes, he is "the most blameless knight in all the land." After all, he didn't lie due to lust or malicious intent -- he only did it to save his own life. He gets it. In fact Lord Bertilak happily invites Gawain back to his home as "friends":

From Simon Armitage's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:

"'[...] make merry in my house; you're much loved there, by me more than most, for as God be my maker, your word holds more worth than most anyone in this world,' But Gawain would not. No way would he go. So they clasped and kissed and made kindly commendations to the prince of paradise, and then parted in the cold, that pair."

The red was the ending we got; the green could've been another... I'm not crying, you are!

As I noted in red, Gawain chooses not to go back to Bertilak's castle. He's still too ashamed to face everyone there (including Lady Bertilak and Morgana). Instead, he ties the green "love lace" around himself as a sign of his transgression and returns home to Camelot, ready to face the music and his peers' judgment.

Speaking of tying things: There's one more detail to this story I forgot to mention. There's so much focus on Gawain's shield when he takes off for the Green Chapel, and not nearly enough on line 612 that describes --

The "true-love-knots" embroidered into his neck-support, aka the thing literally protecting his neck. You know, the very place he separated the Green Knight's head from his body? That the Green Knight spared for love of Gawain?

True lovers' knots which, you may remember from Part 16, also play a major role in the Ballad of Barbara Allen, as well as the Ballad of Lady Margaret and Sweet William (the name alone + the colors mentioned in the lyrics will tell you why I think it's relevant).

Both of these songs are featured in Shirley Collins' album The Power of the True Love Knot. [Another album about love.]

What am I (and the ST writers) getting at here?

I'll quote Dr. Hammon once more:

"You probably have noticed that I have yet to mention the poet’s name. That’s because we have no clue who wrote this. There are theories but nothing close to definitive. It’s likely that the poet was a cleric of some kind, because he had an education and knew Latin quite well. I do say he, though we don’t know for sure, because of the poems’ content and the high level of education evident in the poetry—sadly, women just did not have the same access to books and education that men did."

This unknown maybe-cleric: Did he have a paladin knight of his own? Is it possible *he* too wrote a story of forbidden love between men -- one that was true but unfortunately still very much in society's control, and therefore could never be, except as a poem or "Christmas game"? Did he too wonder what could've been, had Gawain stayed?

There's no way to know for sure. But here is how Sir Gawain's tale ends:

He returns home to Camelot, bearing a just-healed scar on his neck and a green girdle tied around him --

"laced in a [dare I say, true love's?] knot looped below his left arm, a sign that his honor was stained by sin."

All his faults, laid bare for all to see: "I was tainted by untruth," Sir Gawain says. Because for him, the greatest sin was having lied to Lord Bertilak.

However, instead of his Party fellow Knights rejecting him, they laugh and immediately absolve him because, if Morgana is right at all, they've probably allll been guilty of breaking the chivalric code at one point or another.

However, young Sir Gawain was the only one brave enough to ever admit it openly.

What does the color green represent in both this myth and the world of ST?

Openness with the truth and oneself, even if it's "queer". And also, love, *especially* if it's queer.

And because of Mike's Gawain's bravery, the Knights henceforth decide to swap the endless knot of chivalry with the green sash, both as a symbol of honor and as a reminder to be honest.

A reminder that "friends don't lie."

~~~~

Now, if there's anything else I've learned from this story, it's that New Year's Eve is a very important holiday indeed.

Not only because it was the night the Green Knight Vecna was beheaded, but because it may also mark the day he will return (plus one day).

When did the Fake!Finale drop? On New Year's Eve. One year + one day means we might just get Vol. 4 on New Year's Day -- Jan. 1st, 2027.

Still the Year of the Horse, while being far enough off to make people lose hope. We *will* be deceived in 2026, but we will like it. Sorry, I don't make the messages, I just read them.

[BTW, here was my original prediction because I DID NOT want to wait that long for it:

As many have speculated, the Year of the Snake is coming to an end, making way for Year of the Horse on Feb. 17th.

Hopefully, when that day arrives, some of our characters will be able to shed old skins, close out toxic cycles, and make way for an era that's more free-spirited.

Let's hope this *Lunar* New Year is an emotional one, rather than having to literally wait a year (and a day) for the next one... After all, "a trip to China sounds nice." 😉 ]

~~~~

ISTG, I'm learning new things about old stories that I'd never considered before. This really has been a crash course in intertextuality for me, as I hope it's been for all of you.

We'll see what pulls me out here again, but until then --

Stay tuned.

OH MY GOD -- the references keep coming and the story beats keeps repeating themselves. I should be working on Parts 25, 26, and 27 of Bobgate, but this was too good to pass up.

Warning: If you haven't read the other parts of that theory, this post is going to sound like a bunch of nonsense.

I was on Twitter and randomly came across this post with a trailer for Filmnation's 1989 Snow White "sequel" Happily Ever After.

Already it's giving Byler with the Snow White/Florian parallels @fishygeekblog.

Because the Duffers seem to love referencing cheesy 80s animated content, I decided to look up the plot --

So...

Our heroes think they were victorious over the villain, but it turns out they weren't?

The Evil Queen/Lord Maliss = the MF/Mother Goose (and Vecna)?

And they transform into a dragon Thessalhydra???

The kingdom becomes a wasteland = Hawkins becomes Hell?

So if you've read Part 17 + 22, you know that means Mike is Snow White here, and Will is the Prince who's been kidnapped...

Snow White goes to the "Dwarfelles" for help (and to avoid getting sued by Disney)...

BROTHERRRR. The 80s loved their rainbows and Bylers love rainbow symbolism.... 👀 🌈

FYI this beat is *exactly the same* as the Ponies going to the Moochik in Rescue at Midnight Castle.

Mother Nature zaps Maliss with lightning and makes him return to human form...

Mother Nature = El || Lord Maliss = Vecna/Henry?

From my Captain Midnight post:

Then, Maliss briefly takes the role of the Proud Princess (Part 17):

+

Snow White and the Dwarfelles encounter another mysterious character called the Shadow Man:

Who sounds very much like:

Hold onto that.

Two things here:

We see a case of a double/mistaken identity with the villain masquerading as the hero's lover ie. Patty replacing Bob in Henry's memories. And now I strongly believe something similar may happen with Byler.

There's been numerous references to doubles/doppelgängers in the Netflix Puzzled clues/answers.

The Little Mermaid, The First Shadow, and ST S4 have all dealt with characters making declarations of love to the wrong person. In all cases it was because they were deceived in some way: Eric thinking Vanessa is the girl with the voice/saved him, Patty making Henry say "I love you" to her, when really she's replaced Bob in Henry's memories (okay so this is a Bobgate post), and Mike saying "I love you" because he thinks El commissioned the painting.

In instances of wrong declarations of love, the object of the declarer's affections is usually the one who's doomed by it. Take this scene from Swan Princess (1994):

Ugh, loved this movie as a kid. It's a fandub, but you get the idea.

2. When the Maliss tries to kill Snow, she's saved by the Shadow Man, who seems to take a mortal blow because of it.

So if we were to theoretically map this plot onto the theoretical finale's, we have the Party Members with their own hero moments, but who get taken off the board by the Thessalhydra.

All except for Thunderella.

Who do we think Thunderella is?

Sometimes two characters can be two sides of the same person, so I'll assign Thunderella to El because, per my theory in Part 13:

I have theories I'm going to be putting out very soon about how El does this, but to fast forward:

SHOCKER: The Prince and the Shadow Man Sorcerer were one and the same and he's brought back to life.

Ugh, there's so much here that I wanted to cover in the posts coming up, but screw it -- here's the preview:

Mother Nature = Mother Goose (does this confirm El is Tharizdun's avatar??) = Oz (for my #Ozgate folks, @lilialunaa 👀 ).

Although she and the MF have always been painted as villains, I think they've been judged a bit unfairly and there's a bit more to their story than meets the eye [I'll get to that eventually through my Bobgate posts, but I'm sure some can already guess based on Puzzled clues and TFS].

Since Mother Goose was the one who came up with the second riddle challenge in Mike's campaign (Part 17), this supposes that Mother Goose is the real DM, not (just) Mike. Which means she's the one who distributes gifts at the end. And if this movie + Wizard of Oz are any indication, it means our heroes will be reaping some major boons:

What will the Magic Item be? And who will receive it? My guess was something that can restore memories (multiple characters could use/share that gift), but that's one of my weaker theories....

2. Mother Nature Goose takes on the minions Batso and Scowl, who've been reformed (not that they were good minions to begin with).

Dare I say this is Creelby being given a second chance together? Their true love's knot finally entwined forever? Conquering death eternal? [Sorry, this did turn out to be a #Bobgate post lol]

3. Snow White and the Prince share true love's kiss and live happily ever after. 🥹💞 AWWWW

80s sci-fi/horror/adventure flicks don't always get a happy or gay ending, but 80s animation sure does!

I don't think I'm giving a lot of new information here, but it just reaffirms there's a pattern to these stories that repeats itself, just like all good storytelling worth telling over centuries.

Part 29: The Serpent & Spider Women 🐍 🕷️ Symbols of the "Dark" Feminine

PART 1 HERE | PART 2 HERE | PART 3 HERE | PART 4 HERE PART 5 HERE | PART 6 HERE | PART 7 HERE | PART 8 HERE PART 9 HERE | PART 10 HERE | PART 11 HERE | PART 12 HERE PART 13 HERE | PART 14 HERE | PART 15 HERE | PART 16 HERE PART 17 HERE | PART 18 HERE | PART 19 HERE | PART 20 HERE PART 21 HERE |PART 22 HERE | PART 23 HERE | PART 24 HERE PART 25 HERE | PART 26 HERE | PART 27 HERE | PART 28 HERE PART 30 HERE | PART 31 HERE PART ♾️ HERE | PART 🤫 HERE | PART ❤️👬 HERE

Hey guys, I know it's been a minute. I was so excited to write this post, but when I tried to find my launch point I got... stuck.

But then, I randomly had this conversation with a Peruvian artist about Inca symbols that tied things all together. You're thinking -- Inca symbols? TF does that have to do with Stranger Things?

He was pointing them out on this gorgeous painting he'd made, and his comments on the serpent at the bottom struck me, "The snake's a girl. Not because she's dangerous or poisonous, but because she's wise."

In Inca culture, she, along with the Condor and Puma, represented the three dimensional planes of the cosmos: The Condor, with its ability to soar high, represented the world above (the realm of the gods), the Puma (ummm, Mike's shoes???) represented the strength needed for the land of the living, while the Serpent represented the underworld (you could say the world upside down), as well as secret knowledge* -- the secrets of the infinite. [I elaborate more on the symbolism of the bird & snake motif in this Puzzlegate post].

[Connecting this to Greek mythology's Big Three, you have Zeus, who rules the Heavens and Mount Olympus, Poseidon, who rules land (god of earthquakes and horses!) and sea (you'll see why this is important in a minute), and Hades who rules the Underworld.

*Reminder that in TFS, Patty Newby says herself that she knows everyone's secrets -- you could call it her superpower.

With that in mind, I'll pick things up from where we left off in Part 28: George Bernard Shaw's "female triumvirate" from his play Back to Methuselah, and their parallels to another feminine trio in ST:

El as Eve

Mother Goose/Tharizdun as Lilith

The MF/Kali (+ Patty, Nikki, and potentially Max) as the Serpent (and the Spider)

In that section, I did a deep dive on El's parallels to Eve and how, because Mother Goose is still "chained" in the Abyss, El is made to be Mother Goose's stand-in for the purpose of connecting with Lilith's other, more rebellious daughter -- Eve's "sister" -- the Serpent.

From Back to Methuselah:

Eve [petting her]: "Eve's wonderful darling snake. Eve will never be lonely now that her snake can talk to her." The Serpent: "I can talk of many things. I am very wise. It was I who whispered the word to you that you did not know. Dead. Death. Die." Eve [shuddering]: "Why do you remind me of it? I forgot it when I saw your beautiful hood. You must not remind me of unhappy things." The Serpent: "Death is not an unhappy thing when you have learnt how to conquer it."

FYI, the secret knowledge the Serpent shares in BTM is not literal immortality, but the mechanics of (pro)creation.

While BTM does not feature God, the *Father* creator, nor do we see Adam and Eve explicitly punished for "eating the fruit" of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, here's a refresher on the *biblical* story of the Fall, which first brought Adam, Eve, and the Serpent together:

There's a lot to unpack with this story and how it might tie into ST's endgame, and I hope to eventually get to those before Vol. 4 drops (whenever it drops 😉).

But what I DO want to discuss before Tales from '85 drops is how, similar to the Titan Prometheus, the Serpent is punished for sharing her wisdom with humanity -- the ability to discern good from evil and act accordingly, the *truth* about the universe.

And in doing so, she becomes maligned by the very people she wanted to help. [FLASH TO every "villain wasn't actually bad" story that's come out in recent years, including Netflix's upcoming animated film Steps (is this part of #metagate too?)]

However, in Back to Methuselah, Eve and the Serpent stay friends -- or, Eve wants to stay friends with her, anyway:

Eve to Cain: "[...] When I can bear no more, I go to our old garden, that is now a mass of nettles and thistles, in the hope of finding the serpent to talk to. But you have made the serpent our enemy: she has left the garden, or is dead: I never see her now. So I have to come back and listen to Adam saying the same thing for the ten-thousandth time, or to receive a visit from the last great-great-grandson who has grown up and wants to impress me with his importance." 

Adam, on the other hand, acknowledges the Serpent as dangerous, and also acknowledges why:

Adam to Cain: "[...] You have made the beasts afraid of us; and the snake has invented poison to protect herself against you."

This reminds me of another snake-like female figure whose punishment also became form of protection -- Medusa.*

*FYI, Medusa also happens to be the famous logo for the luxury brand founded by queer, visionary fashion designer Gianni Versace.

In the same Puzzlegate post I referenced earlier, I wrote the following about Medusa:

Medusa is literally a demogorgon with snakes for hair (a hive mind of serpents, with multiple heads), who turns her victims to stone (paralyzing them through their fear of her appearance).

She was once a beautiful maiden, punished by Athena (who in this post, I saw linked to Mother Goose) and turned into a monster. Her crime? Being r*ped by Poseidon, god of the sea, in Athena's temple. [No wonder she's been pissed with Mike and Man as a whole].

Likewise, the MF was presumably experimented on when she was whisked away from "Dimension X" when the Philadelphia Experiment was brought back to the "Rightside Up".

And tortured again by the scientists and soldiers at Hawkins Lab, and by our Party, believing her to be an enemy. No wonder she wanted to kill them all.

However, even possessed Will admits in S2 that she never wanted to kill him.

After the Greek hero Perseus cut off Medusa's head (again paying the price for something she couldn't control), it became "apotropaic", aka a type of magic that wards off the "evil eye". In other words -- a protection spell.

See how at the same time the Scarab of Protection is invoked, the MF looms over Will? Is she there to hurt him? Or protect him?

Likewise, which character is reported to bond with Will and become very defensive of him in Tales from '85?

Hmmm.... I wonder what it is about Will that the MF might want to protect? And what is it about her that frightens Will so much?

Also, let's please note the two female characters who, like Medusa, have the most interesting hairstyles (aside from El) that happen to match. And also remember how devastated Kali was when her symbol of individuality and freedom was shorn to a buzzcut in S5.

Moving on...

Although Medusa is traditionally viewed as a villain and monster, feminist readings depict her as a tragic figure, a symbol of female rage and power. A protector of women against the patriarchy.

While we won't know Nikki's story for a few more hours, we do see how Kali hates on El's "Policeman" and punishes the people who were responsible for her suffering in Hawkins Lab one by one, just like the MF does...

Again I ask -- is the MF really as bad as we've been making her out to be? Or has she been painted that way by our characters, still trapped by the very same system?

As Tallent-Lenker describes in "Pre-Oedipal Shaw", the Serpent represents the fear of the so-called *dark* feminine -- ie. the sexually-threatening woman and the overbearing "nightmare" mother.

Now, as the comic panel above (and the still from TFS below) shows you, the image of the Serpent is substituted by the Spider, who shares a lot of the same symbolic traits:

From "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab":

Henry Creel: "Most people fear spiders. They detest them. And yet, I found them endlessly fascinating. More than that, I found a great comfort in them. A kinship. Like me, they are solitary creatures. And deeply misunderstood. They are gods of our world. The most important of all predators. They immobilize and feed on the weak, bringing balance and order to an unstable ecosystem. But the human world was disrupting this harmony. You see, humans are a unique type of pest, multiplying and poisoning our world, all while enforcing a structure of their own."

They are both considered trickster spirits -- luring poor unsuspecting souls to their doom. Where the Serpent has a hypnotic gaze that stuns while she coils into a vice-like grip around you, the Spider weaves a beautiful, but sticky web that traps prey while she wraps them up for consumption later.

Both are considered to have an "insatiable" appetite, both can poison with their venomous bites. They are both crawling creatures of the earth: The Serpent cursed to slither on her belly, while the Spider skitters around with her *eight* legs.

"Viper", "Black Widow", "Man-Eater" -- these nicknames have all been lobbed at so-called "dangerous" women.

But for thousands of years, the Spider -- like the Serpent in Inca and Aboriginal Australian cultures -- has been a positive symbol of femininity too.

She's a weaver* after all, a role that's historically been taken on by women across different cultures. According to myth, she taught humans -- women -- to spin and weave too. In fact, we see Eve doing it in Act II of BTM.

*The name "Creel" means weaver, as several people have pointed out.

Native American nations, such as the Hopi and Navajo, have myths centered around the Earth Goddess and shapeshifter Spider Grandmother, who they believed created the universe with the Sun God Tawa. She spun the cosmos and "attached a thread of her spider silk to each person to provide access to her wisdom and protection." Everyone connected in one string of fate.

Web-shaped *dream*catchers, another apotropaic charm, originated with the Anishinaabe culture and were hung over children's beds to, as the name implies, "catch" bad dreams and shield against any harm that might be directed at the child.

The web design was inspired by the Spider Woman, who they saw as a helper and protector of the people. In one Hopi story, she saved the Oraibi village from burning by spinning a magical web over it and having the people douse it with water. In another, she helps a boy named Tiyo discover where the Far-Far-Below river leads.

In Navajo myth, she helps the twins named -- I shit-you-not -- Monster Slayer and Born for Water defeat monsters and save the "Earth surface people" with feather hoops (aka rings) that protect them. FYI, these twins were children of the Sun God and "Changing Woman" (also known as the Whiteshell Woman, Whitepainted Woman, and Moon Woman -- keep that in mind).

Though going back to the Spider Woman --

While I've only seen the 2025 version (which I recommend, I sobbed so much at the ending. Crazy Creelby-Byler tethers there), the first film adaptation of queer writer Manuel Puig's 1976 novel was released in 1985.

The film, starring William Hurt and Raul Julia, also got Hurt an Oscar for his portrayal of Molina, a homosexual man who uses his love of cinema as an escape while he's imprisoned with a supposedly straight revolutionary -- Valentín -- who he eventually has an affair with.

Based on the summaries, the 1985 version has a very different ending from the 2025 one that I loved. What hit me most about the 2025 movie was how Molina's fear of the Spider Woman (embodied by *her* favorite actress) turns into an eventual embracing of and love for the Spider Woman, and what she represents -- the Circle of Life, which includes life, death, and life after death.

From The First Shadow [Broadway version]:

Henry and Patty return to rehearsals. Joyce: "Okay, okay, there he is! Everyone settle down. Let's rehearse the big kiss scene." Henry: "This kiss scene?" Patty: "Where I die?" Joyce: "Yes, correct. Kiss of death. Is everybody ready?" (Lights start flickering) "Bob, can you fix the set?" Bob: "It's not me. It's some kind of power surge again." Joyce: "All right, okay, fine. Patty, take it from the top: 'Just promise me. Promise me you'll tell me the truth.'"

And here we come back to the topic of truth, that has been so emblematic of our show and our characters' supposed values.

"Friends don't lie."

Yet time and time again, they do, and boy, does it end up biting them in the ass -- Mike, Will, El, Lucas, Dustin, even Max.

Speaking of Max -- what project is Sadie Sink going to be seen in next? (Aside from Romeo and Juliet, the most famous play about doomed love of all time, that she's currently starring in)

Although we don't know what role she'll be playing yet, speculation indicates she'll likely bring Marvel's most iconic redhead into the MCU, Jean Grey.

And diverging for a second, because I know I've yet to make a compelling case about Max's connection to the MF (though there's a lot that points to her potential fate @nuffit), I want to start by making the most obvious visual connection: The color red. The color we've been associating with the MF and those in the Hive Mind per ST coding -- and not only the color of Max's signature locks*, but the color we see her wearing the first time we meet her in S2 --

When she's the new girl from exotic, far-off California: "Mad Max." Named for a character who lives in an apocalyptic wasteland devoid of water. Sound familiar?

Also how can we forget the epic summer Max empowered El, encouraged her to live for herself rather than stupid boys... and got El to *spy* on them using her powers 😬

*All ST redheads are slightly suspicious in my book, they snitch on our characters constantly, but that's for a different post.

Note how Max's tarot card is Strength, represented by the number 8 in this deck. Traditionally depicted as a lion (Lucas the Lion, per his DND character in the comics) being pet by a woman with the infinity symbol above her head.

Could "The Endless Summer" be a metaphor for life after death, definitively making Max another Spider Woman?

One more symbol I'll add to the "Max is the MF" camp before I return to spiders and serpents.... Cherries.

@junos-orbit has an incredible ElMax theory about how the two are related through the Cherry-Strawberry motif, Max being the former.

Why is Max the Cherry though?

Why that *red* fruit of all things, well, aside from living on Cherry Lane? Well, there's a very famous myth associated with cherries: George Washington and the Cherry Tree.

The story goes that when George Washington was a boy, he chopped down his father's prized cherry tree, and when confronted about it, confessed to what he did saying, "I cannot tell a lie."

Ironically, the story is completely made up, but the moral still applies -- the truth (no matter how ugly) is always better than a lie, no matter what.

And I'm afraid *we're* going to face a really ugly truth regarding Max's fate come Vol. 4.

However, what all this emphasizes is that what makes the Mind Flayer so scary to our characters is that she will force out the truth*, even if they're not prepared to face it, and punish lies with illusions that show where an inauthentic life will lead.

*In Byler's case (because it always comes back to them, doesn't it?), that truth is their sexuality and feelings for each other. And since they've both lied about those feelings time and time again, see how they're being punished for it with the Conformity!Ending.

Speaking of illusions, we already know this to be Kali's signature power. And one of Henry/One/Vecna's, which he got from the MF. Coincidence?

Illusions are also a power associated with the Spider in Vedic philosophy, "hiding the ultimate reality with the veils of illusion".

Similarly, the Quechua people of Peru, who have fought through centuries of colonization to keep their culture alive, believe that reality as we experience it is an illusion and everything is interconnected, like the spider's web.

Notice a trend here?

The people from cultures that embrace the serpents, spiders, and all forms of life and nature, good and bad? They tend to be people of color.

And which hegemonic culture finds these symbols, peoples, and cultures threatening? What presents a front of righteousness and purity to hide a history (and present) of violence and oppression? What has forced the rest of the world to conform to its vision?

Yeah, sorry not sorry, but it's Western culture. White, colonial, European, *American* 🇺🇸

From Washington to Reagan to Trump, the United States' myth of exceptionalism and cult of conformity has proven to be the greatest illusion and lie.

With that in mind, let's consider through a different lens why the MF is clearly being represented by the literal "dark" feminine, including dark-skinned women of color like --

Kali Prasad, whose name is appropriately taken from the Hindu goddess of time, death, and destruction, and literally means "the dark/black one" as well as "gift from God"

Patty Newby, nicknamed "Mystery Meat" for her unknown origins

And now I'm suspecting that one girl that made a move on Will in Cali*

FYI: The Mind Flayer's nickname in TFS and WSQK is "Mindy" meaning "dark/black beauty" (Melinda) or "honey" (Melina), the sweet treat produced in a HIVE [thank you @nuffit, @nanas-basement, and @whispering-goat for reminding me that Mindy is another MF identity]

+ Outwardly nonconforming rebels like Nikki and Max**, who is also from CA ("California Dreamin'", anyone?)

*It should be noted that another trope stemming from the dark feminine is the sexually-threatening femme fatale, who tries to seduce the noble protagonist and often is their downfall. While the MF successfully "wooed" aka duped Henry as Patty, she did not succeed in "seducing" Will or Mike as the Cali Girl or Max, respectively. Remember, Max was desperately trying to get Mike to like her and let her in on the Party's secrets in S2, so much so that both Mike *and* El felt threatened by her. But who *did* Max woo? None other than Double Agent Orange himself, Lucas Sinclair.

**BTW, this trend of redheads being truth-spilling operators for the MF kills me and makes me wonder if the Duffers are leaning into the "redheads are an oppressed class" agenda, which kind of makes sense given Ireland's history of oppression by the British, which has been acknowledged via the Proud Princess (based on the story of an Irish princess taken as a spoils of war by the British), and Max literally being the "red-headed stepchild" of her family.

Now, despite their differences, what do all these "dark", "dangerous" women have in common?

They're women who are confident, self-empowered, embrace their shadow selves, and yes, at times are full of rage -- because they know how rigged the system is and choose to rebel against it anyway.

There's one more MF-equivalent character, who I think is not just that (you'll see why in the next posts), but also has a weird association with spiders --

In Akan culture, which spread from Ghana to the West Indies due to the Atlantic slave trade, there is a spider trickster spirit also associated with wisdom and knowledge (+ a symbol of resistance and survival against slavery) named Anansi who, although male, is nicknamed Aunt or --

Sister *Nancy*

Nancy, the rebellious journalist who fights against '80s sexism and seeks the truth at all costs? Yeah, that checks out.

In Anansi's stories, his her mistake causes the wisdom she held in a pot to break and scatter like rain, therefore spreading it to the world; (s)he helps the Sun god Owia gain favor with his father, the Sky-God Nyame; (s)he also has a close relationship with Br'er Rabbit (an animal her ex, Jonathan, is associated with).

Another sister associated with truth-telling? Erica

Wisdom. Knowledge. Truth. They say it sets you free.

And if the Spider's web is the ultimate veil of reality, then it is as beautiful and intricate as it is fragile and dangerous...

She can spin beautiful dreams... or weave a dangerous web of lies.

As much as Kali gets on Hopper's case about telling El the truth in S5 (and in front of Mike too), she's pulled her fair share of illusions to fulfill her own agenda... and keep our characters trapped in their worst, most inauthentic, endings.

After all, had it not been for Kali telling El about her blood potentially being used by the military and showing her the illusion of the captive pregnant women (likely false, peep the red light flashing), El might not have sacrificed her life in the Fake!Finale.

And had it not been for her death, Mike and the rest of our characters might not have "accepted their fate" -- being stuck in the Conformity world of Camazotz.

What was Kali/the MF's goal here?

Well, let's see that conversation between Kali and Hop again.

From ST S5 Ep6:

Kali: "[Jane]'s getting weaker, not stronger." Hopper: "So you're the expert on El, huh? You've known her for what? A day and a half?" Kali: "Longer than you, actually [...] I'm just here to help." Hopper: "You're just here to help? Well, I'm sorry I'm all out of gratitude. I thought you said this fight was pointless. [...] I leave you alone for two seconds with El, and you worm your way into her head. She's probably having trouble finding Will because you've thrown her off track." Kali: "She was off-track when I met her because of you. Because of your lies." Hopper: "Everything I have done --" Kali: "--Is to protect her. Keep telling yourself that, but if you really want to protect her, she needs to know the truth, and she needs to be ready to deal with what's waiting for her on the other side of this. Killing Henry won't end this." Mike: "What does that mean?" Hopper: "It means nothing. She's a child. She has no idea what she's talking about. She's talking a bunch of nonsense." Kali: "I think you know I'm not. But as you lie to Jane, you also lie to yourself... You ask why I'm still here? I'm here to make sure that this never happens again."

And there you have it. Kali -- the Mind Flayer -- in her own twisted way, was trying to protect El from the same fate she suffered, even if it meant self-destruction at worst, or a lifetime of loneliness at best.

But whatever her intentions were, for all she purports of truth, the MF/Kali's illusions are still lies.

The Mind Flayer is still one of the main antagonists of our story, after all. Just as flawed and guilty as everyone else -- and she will have to have her own reckoning if there's to be any chance of healing.

Circling back to ancient Peruvian symbols, here's another one:

This is the Spider (la Araña), one of the mysterious geoglyphs from Peru's incredible Nazca Lines that have survived for thousands of years.

While Swiss pseudoscientist Erich von Däniken theorized in 1969 that the lines were made by ancient astronauts (aka aliens), they were very much created by the Nazca people -- humans -- using nothing but simple tools, surveying equipment, and teamwork.

The real question was why did they make them? Why was the Spider among them?

Now, textiles are also a huge part of Peruvian culture and weavers are revered, but according to recent speculation, this Spider was made to summon water.

As you can see, the area is pretty dry. New theories posit that the lines were created as a way to irrigate the land and/or serve as ritualistic glyphs to *make it rain*.

Similarly, the Aboriginal Australians' Rainbow Serpent -- the Rainbow herself -- could either bring the rain, and with it, abundance and fertility, or take it away -- and cause the land to dry up and the people to suffer.

We know that Mike will need to confess his feelings for Will to summon the rain, but what about the MF/Serpent/Spider?

Whatever it is, I do think it has to do with her mom --Tharizdun, Mother Goose, Lilith.

~~~~~~~

Before I go, I want to set up the next section with this shot from TF85:

I remember someone on Twitter theorizing that because Nikki's mom, Anna Baxter, looked a lot like El, it meant she could potentially be El from the future.

Well, if Nikki is the MF and El is supposed to represent Mother Goose... Maybe that theory isn't so far-fetched.

And perhaps the Apple of Knowledge of Good and Evil doesn't fall far from the ELDER TREE of Life....

And with that, I think I've sufficiently teased the next section about Mother Goose -- Mother Earth -- herself.

Stay tuned.

Netflix Puzzled 3.16.26

Procrastinating again, so I thought I'd analyze today's super-juicy Puzzled clues --

Bonza was "In the Mood" by Joe Rodini

The answers themselves feel pretty standard tbh, though Climate/Atmosphere stand out as being more science-y, while Ambience, Vibe, Aura, and Feel are giving more woo-woo/metaphysical.

The name of the Bonza feels like it's referencing the idea of romance in general, but there are many pieces of media associated with that phrase:

Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love (2000) about two married people caught up in an emotional (eventually physical) affair.

The 1987 film In the Mood starring a young Patrick Dempsey, Talia Balsam, and Beverly D'Angelo based on the true story of the "forbidden romances" (ie. pedophilic relationships) of a teenage boy with older women. Aside from the year the movie was released, a lot of symbols/locations in the movie tie to ST.

Alphaville's 1984 song "In the Mood" from the album Forever Young: The song's subject, "Jacky", reminds me a lot of our lonely "Smalltown Boy" Mike Wheeler #wakeupmike!

2. Speaking of "Jacky" -- here's the Jigsaw Off Grid by Sean Scott and Frankie Stankiewicz:

Lots to unpack, but the most obvious is the boy on his bike. I mean, how much more ST can you get?

What's he biking toward? I reverse-searched the image, which I found on Shuttershock. Here's the description:

"Alien-like structure"? I said I'm sure....

But doesn't it also look like it could be a beanstalk? Jack and the Beanstalk has come up a couple times on Puzzled before, and ofc in ST5 with Operation Beanstalk (the plan which leads to our ConformityGate ending fyi).

For the sake of not having to type about it again, here's what I wrote on it back on 2.20:

Now, since this concept was coming up yet again, I decided to dig a little further...

GUYS -- Matthew Modine (aka Brenner/Papa) AND The Jim Henson Company?!

What's this "more ethical, humanist" version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" about, you ask?

FYI, "Ondine" means "Little Wave" and is associated with water nymphs.

So we've got the protagonist: Stuck in an alternate dimension ✅ Realizing the "villain" of their story isn't actually villainous ✅ The humans' actions have cursed both the "monster" and themselves ✅ A stolen GOOSE ✅

I wonder what the Harp of Harmony is re: ST?

+ The character who committed the original sin is cursed with immortality [cough-Brenner is actually Brenner Sr.? -cough]

All I'm saying is all the hints seem to be pointing to the Duffer Brothers' plans to create a more humanist ending to ST than people might expect.

NEXT --

3. Crossover #111 by Amanda Rafkin and mon dieu! It's so French!

French Fry: "One might be curly, crinkle-cut, or shoestring". There was that 2023 promotion Shannon Purser did as Barb for McCain Food French Fries: "Sometimes when things go away, they never come back. Like me. But when we come together, we can bring back anything -- even the land we rely on." This was referencing the environmental practices the company was implementing to restore soil quality fyi. #BringBackBarb 😉

French Dip: "Sandwich served with au jus" Au jus means with juice. Like this?

Dieu: See #3.

Fine: "If you insist" On ST5 Vol. 4? I do. I really do.

Reese: The hint refers to Reese Witherspoon and her role in the Netflix movie Your Place or Mine about best friends turned lovers who repressed their feelings for decades before Reese's character discovers Ashton's box of mementos from their friendship, which makes her realize she's in love with him. Also Reese's Pieces are Will's fave candy!

Yurts: "Circular tents" Just say circus tents. You know you want to...

Top: Referring to the rehearsal phrase "Take it from the top." ST5 up till now has been the rehearsal; we're still waiting for opening night of the real show.

Inert: "Not exactly moving..." Sounds about right re: this wait. But it makes me think of the word innate (the meaning of which has nothing to do with inert btw)

Pesto: Referring to Jimmy Pesto from Bob's Burgers. Which reminds me of that time Patty stole her brother Bob's burger in TFS 👀 (pssst -- the burger was never really a burger #bobgate #pattyflayer)

ESP: "Psychic's 6th sense" Includes telepathy (El) and second sight (Will's True Sight??) + you can't forget that epic twist from Sixth Sense (iykyk... who's Bruce Willis in this scenario?)

4. In addition to Boxes by Ashish Kumar, Sudoku had some notable titles 👀

Aside from the obvious 333 #tharizdungate, there was Four Rings and I'll be darned, it's another reference to Wagner's Ring Cycle!

Siegfried also happens to be the name of the Jon Voight's character in the Jack and the Beanstalk miniseries btw!

You can look up the plots of these operas to see for yourself, but it should be pointed out that not only does it bear striking similarities to LOTR, but it was direct inspiration for the Green Lantern ring.

Ofc, my boy George Bernard Shaw had something to say about these operas (which I think might speak to a potential reading of ST): "Shaw interprets the Ring in Marxian terms as an allegory of the collapse of capitalism from its internal contradictions."

Conformity as well, methinks.

5. Starstruck's themes were "Square Clusters" and "LIFE At the Bottom", both by Serkan Yürekli. The latter reminds me of The Game of Life, the board/simulation game of chance where there's endless variations to where you might end up #bandersnatchgate --

While there's a scattering of good and bad things all around the OG checkerboard, the bottom row is basically all bad: Infancy (lol okay, yes and no), disgrace, jail, and prison. [Basically where our characters are all trapped]

The modern version of the game we know today is set up to look like a road.

6. And speaking of boardgames, the Waywords today, by Jennifer Frazin, was Chess (who's surprised?)

I know nothing about chess as far as playing goes, so if there's anyone who does and is able to decode a hidden message in the selected words, please shout it out! However, what we do know for sure is that ST loves chess...

Speaking of birds and their meanings.... FYI, they used the same chess set as the movie Blade Runner. In that movie, they're replicating the most famous chess game of all time: The Immortal Game.

7. For Shapes, we have Cooped Up by Thu Nguyen and Khoa Thuong

Another GD bird!!! Specifically a hen that's apparently "cooped up." In Camazotz???

Why do I suspect our anxious Joyce as the Mother Hen to counter Mother Goose?

Also, I guess the tidbits are gone from Shapes forever because there was none for the 9th day in a row.

8. Finally, the Keysmash: "Lunar Links" by Neville Fogarty

Funny that the tides and lunar energy are brought up again after this weekend's Puzzled clues...

Tides: Again, were referenced in "Rime of an Ancient Mariner". Specifically that they were controlled by the Moon... (#mothergoose)

Eclipse: Referencing the YA saga and its love triangle -- the writer in question favoring the werewolf

Werewolf: And speaking of... ANOTHER werewolf reference (there were more awhile back). Who could our werewolf be???

Oh snapppp -- fyi, this same signage was seen in Kali and her crew's digs in "The Lost Sister" (#kaliflayer)

Need more proof of Will (who's also Zombie Boy/Frankenstein's monster mind you) being our Teen Wolf? There's the 1985 film Silver Bullet based on Stephen King's novela Cycle of the Werewolf (bc everything always comes back to Stephen King on this damn show):

#EyeofVecna #Void!Will #PhineasGageGate all remain in the chat.

I pray a silver bullet to the eye isn't poor Will's fate (note how in this version, a boy named Marty and a girl named Jane end up together immediately after this). Plus, the character named Red (MF's signature color).

Gibbous: 🌖 I don't know how to interpret "bulging" without my mind instantly going into the gutter, but when I looked up "gibbous", Google said the term stemmed from "hunchbacked" -- so like Igor? Hunchback of Notre Dame? Shout out anymore ideas if you have 'em.

Apollo: While these are lunar links, here we have a reference to the moon landing mission Apollo 11, named after the Greek sun god (more #Pelor!Will references) and our very own El 😉 Also this particular mission has been the center of many conspiracy theories (wasn't it mentioned during one of the ST5 cast interviews???)

And there we have it -- another day full of juicy clues! Nothing is ever quite what it seems. All you gotta do is dig a little deeper.