#wench (pr)

Dustin, it’s not like all you did was clap; you kinda lunged at her.  She could be not-deaf, or she could be deaf and have eyes alkdsjf

Okay, look, I guess how people see this as “Oh, look, Mike’s so in-tune with her, he’s realizing she’s scared and cold and drenched and all.”  But.  Also.  Have you considered.  That he’s literally the caretaker of the group?  Steve is the overall babysitter/caretaker, eventually, of course, but, of the kids, Mike is the one who’s always anticipating people’s emotions.  He’s always ultra-aware of Will, sure, and El, but there are other examples.  I’ll start mentioning them when I see them.

Well, there’s one; the other two instantly turn around, but he stops her, points out the bathroom, etc.

Noticing a trend of compromise here; I remember the “compromise” and “halfway happy” scene with Hopper in the later ep, and now there’s Mike going to close the door, Eleven stopping him, and him putting it cracked instead.  I don’t know what this says, but it says something.

Dustin being adorable alkdsjf

“Like Michael Myers”  Foreshadowingggg

DUSTIN.  WE KNOW SHE ALMOST TOOK OFF HER SHIRT.  CALM THY SELF, PLEASE  (but also you’re adorable)

“I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods.”  -Mike, s4.  Buddy, what do you mean???  You legit found her and went, “here’s how we can get out of having to worry about her and her potential backstory from the asylum, and then we go out again, and this time we find Will.”  WDYM YOUR LIFE STARTED WITH EL???  (Shhh.  Not me having spoilers from s4 or anything…)

Oh, look, the yellow phone returns

Ouch

Mike, you’re so subtle

I love the Mike-taunting-Nancy-with-innuendos thing here.  “What’s your test on again?  Human Anatomy”  aka the sibling “I know what you did and I’ll tell if you don’t hush.” 

Okay, but the fact that El's somehow managing to stay in someone's house without any adult ever noticing a;kdsfj;lkadjf

I’m sorry, but this is just… not how a romance would be shot.  Mike is concerned and caring, yeah, but not like a boyfriend, I’m sorry.

All the Upside-Down places being cool-colored, and all the party scenes being warm

WAIT THE JACKET JONATHAN’S WEARING.  I’VE SEEN THAT BEFORE.  YOU’VE SHOWN ME THAT SOMEWHERE BEFORE

The awkwardly hovering blurry figures over her shoulder

She still looks so different

I KNOW.  WAYNE’S WEARING IT.  WHEN HE’S PUTTING UP THE EDDIE POSTERS… not to push my Eddie-lives agenda, but.  I’ve heard about him and I don’t accept the Eddie-dies agenda, so.

Dustin.  Let.  The shirt thing. Go.

“Nice, right?  It’s a 22-inch.”  The contrast between then and now aldskjf

El getting to have some degree of fun with the chair is precious

Love this song.  Even before I watched this show, I loved it, but even more so now.

Jonathan, pushing against conformity for the sake of conformity since season 1 episode 2.

If this shopowner can afford giving her an advance, he sucks for not just giving it to her; if he can’t, I sympathize.  Idk how to feel, tbh.

Nooo, poor Mike. I understand, tho.  I, too, rant about my fixations until the other person walks off.  ‘Tis sad, every time

Mike and Will practically hugging in the photo though (photo post here)

Mike legit almost ran out in front of his mom with El right behind him; y’all ain’t inconspicuous

Um.  Just pointing out the symbolism of Mike suggesting hiding in the closet as a viable defense mechanism

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide anything.”  *thump*  “Is there someone else here?”  “Nope!”  That went well.

Poor El

Poor Joyce

I think I’m gonna write those four words a lot for this show

Poor Benny  (See?)

Um.  *Jonathan shoves Lonnie off him*  “You’ve gotten stronger”  SIR?!  I don’t like that insinuation.

Dustin is adorable.

Oop, spooky door slamming motion.  And nosebleed.

(I’m sorry, but I have to say… It’s a pet peeve of mine that the blood never changes from that same, one-centimeter drip out of her left nostril.  Like, it’s the stupidest thing, but it irks me.)

Lonnie, you’re an asshole.

Oh, he actually tried it: “Look, all I’m saying is, maybe I’m not the asshole, right?”  No, sorry, Lonnie, you’re definitely the asshole.  Many times over, in fact.

Dustin is the only one acting normal; he’s so cute

Y’all ain’t acting normal; it’s a wonder no one’s noticed

I’ve had Dustin’s “spasm” thing in my head ever since I first saw that episode.

Nancy being mean to Dustin again :(

Go Mr. Clarke, finding the clue

Dustin continues to be my beloved

Poor El

“A friend…”  “Is something you’d do anything for.”  “You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards.”  These two answers are not equivalent, btw, and it’s very easy to tell which is Mike talking about Will and which is Dustin talking about Will.  *cough cough* Byler *cough cough*

Dustin and Lucas in the background were quality.

Barb deserves better

“Is that a new bra?”  “...No.”  Mmmhmmm

Who tf is this chick? Hopper had a gf?

Ma’am just wiped off their campaign map; how dare.  Better hope Mike had that written down

Also, how convenient of her to know which miniature was Will’s alkdsfj

Okay, I’m sorry… Look, I love, love, love the D&D stuff, okay.  But the fact that Dustin, Mike, and Lucas are all like oh my god she picked up the demogorgon is kinda ridiculous because it’s not like she knows what it means?  She just saw the mini and was like, ooh, scary thing, that works. (At least as far as we know)

Love the music

Steve, buddy, you are so awkward

Poor Barb

I could neverrrrrr.  I hate trying something new with an audience and then screwing it up, and this was such a doomed-to-fail situation, too

Poor Barbbbbb

Carol deserved getting shoved into the pool for that smirk, just btw.

Although, judging by how steamy that pool is, it doesn’t seem that cold, tbh

Jonathan being creepy

Will and yellowish phones again

FLICKER LIGHTS

Poor Joyce never has working technology

I still love this song

I was waiting for the bulb to burst but it didn’t… at least her tech isn’t not-working that badly

Also, the light-flickering-and-music-combo to show Will still trapped there/get her to go back in is so cool

“Well, you are cleaning the sheets”  The sad bit is, Steve’s parents probably wouldn’t even notice if they weren’t laundered at all

Poor.  Barb.

Steve’s room is so horrible.

“Some… privacy please?”  *he turns*  “Steve?”  *takes off shirt*  Ma’am wot.  (Yes, I know, the first might well have been a test to make sure he’d respect her boundaries, but still.  Ma’am.)

Poor Barbbbbb.

I will say, the photos Jonathan took, for all they’re creepy, are very pretty.

The image of the blood passing through the water was pretty

I love this song too… Hazy Shade of Winter?  Gold.

I ain't never seen an elevator whose doors are this slow to close, I'm sorry

I mean, I guess flickering lights might interfere with elevators, but still

Oof, elevator closing wouldn't have saved him anyway.

YOUNG DUSTIN IS SO CUTE!  MY GOD, HE'S ADORABLE!  I mean, not saying anything against him nowadays but he's so adorable here!!!

Okay, I'm sorry, but, from a DM standpoint, if the players are already guessing what "surprise" monster is coming, that's kinda unfortunate.  Like, they were already bickering about whether the demogorgon were coming before Mike (I think?  idk, DM kid) played his surprise thing

The surprise was well done --- I'd've added something after "that didn't come from the troglodytes"... instead of "That came from something else" I'd've said, "That came from whatever the troglodytes were running from", but it was still well done --- but them knowing the surprise already is still iffy storytelling

They’re all so smol!?!?!? Babies

NOOO NANCY WAS SO MEAN!?  DUSTIN GOES UP ALL CUTELY AND OFFERS HER A PIZZA SLICE AND SHE SLAMS THE DOOR???? RUDE!

Dustin = current beloved of the show

Wait, hold up.  Will just crashed his bike because of a creepy thing standing in the middle of the road, and said thing (about which I'd forgotten the first time) looked like Vecna.  Were they setting this up early, or am I making this up? 

Oh, or maybe not; apparently the Demogorgon was humanoid.  I must have been mixing it up with a different creature... maybe some of the zombie dogs in Resident Evil.  I thought the demogorgon had flower-teeth-face-things... idk

So weird seeing future regulars be listed as “also starring” or something like that

Okay, Hopper looks kinda like shit

alskdjflakdfj Okay, but Will's mom getting on Johnathan is a bit uncool

Dustin continues to be adorable

Well, shit, Steve… that's an entrance

"I'm stealthy, like a ninja" aslkdjf;alksdfj BUDDY Steve, you are not 

Nancy looks so different.  Well, they all do, but still

Well, at least I'm not the only one thinking Hopper looked like hell

Wait, hold up aslkdjflakjsdf CHRISSY CARPENTER?!  Someone had a girlfriend named Chrissy C and decided to run with it

Oop- biohazard, that always goes well

NOT THE DUCT TAPE

Hello there, Eleven

She's awfully calm and trusting for someone in a lab for ages (re. her walking in without any haste whatsoever)

I find it kinda hard to believe that he could see her over that counter when she’s soooo tiny, but oh well

Them geeking out over the radio is so cute

I love Mr. Clarke so much

The Australian accents too

Hopper already done with this shit

Mike’s looking pretty damn laser-focused, just saying.  If they’re all best friends, then why is he so serious compared to the others, hmmmmm?  *cough cough* Byler *cough cough*

"After school, you are all to go home and stay there" Yeah, right.  Hopper, buddy, when does that ever work

I love Joyce so much

El is very… yellow. I'm sure her being in a yellow shirt that looks too big for her and is all ill-fitting while she doesn't look comfortable there at all has nothing to do with Mike's color being blue and Will's being yellow and her and Mike having a thing, of course not. *cough cough* Byler *cough cough*

Wait, that’s right; she’s nearly nonverbal… how tf can she talk so much/well in the s4 flashbacks?

kasjdf I love that scene… she telekinetically turns off the fan and then just goes back to her fries like it was nothing

Oh, look, the Byers’ phone is yellow

Hopper acting like the doorknob hitting the wall is conclusive; buddy, she just said she had two boys, and I’m willing to bet that door gets slammed a bunch

Oop- flickering light and broken wood

Mike’s very… impassioned… about Will’s wellbeing *cough cough* Byler *cough cough*

Oh, Ted.  *sigh*

Not Mike being very.  Concerned.  About Will. *cough cough* Byler *cough cough*

ldkflaksdf Not Steve trying and failing to sneak into Nancy's house.  Yeah, bud, you're sure as shit a ninja, mmmhmm, of course

Also.  Knowing what I know from the future.  “Steve trying and failing to sneak into Nancy’s house” is kinda really sad.  Nancy might be pissed at her parents for putting her on house arrest, but it is at least them caring about their kids, so what's it say that Steve's easily able to wander around?

Oof, this poor dude.  I remember what happens to him and he deserved betterrrr

WAIT HOLD UP Steve's actually helping her study asld;kfja;lskdjf;alkfd

alksdjf;lakjsdf not Johnathan blaming himself for Will going missing and Joyce being all "don't do tht to yourself it wasn't your fault" after ragging on him for it less than an episode ago

The yellow phone is back

Eleven!  Dun dun duuun!