Puzzlegate x #LoveWinsGate
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.
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?
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.
