Stranger Things: Episode 5

5. The Flea and the Acrobat

Joyce’s ex comes over for Will’s funeral and suggests that she consult a shrink. The boys try to figure out what’s happening and come up with the idea of alternate dimensions. They end up quarreling trying to find the upside down, after discovering that El has been misleading them on purpose because she thinks it’s not safe. Chief Hopper breaks into the lab, sees the alien specimen thing on the wall, and ends up being tranquilized by the lab staff. He then wakes up back at his lake house as if nothing happened, but he discovers that his house has been bugged. He heads over to Joyce’s to tell her that she’s been right all along. Jonathan and Nancy team up to find the creature back in the woods. They encounter a mortally wounded deer, but something drags it away before they can euthanize it. She then finds a huge hole on a tree, where she squeezes in and follows a hidden passageway leading her to the creature feasting on the deer’s corpse. She tries to back away but the hole closes down on its own, trapping her inside.

THANK YOU, El, for using your powers on Lucas. That kid is really getting on my nerves. I know he’s just a kid, but he’s annoying AF. I like the development of Chief Hopper’s character. He’s gutsy, and I’m sure his role is going to be pivotal in the resolution of many plot points here. But he got caught, which I guess is just normal when you go trespassing somewhere. Anyway, they just introduced the concept of alternate dimensions. Wow. Parallel universes, eh? This is getting interesting. And complicated! This show is so indulging everyone’s inner geek! This particular episode is so full of scientific mumbo jumbo I think I got lost in all the nerdy discussion. I just couldn’t keep up. BTW, I also love how the characters are not idiots, even the kids. Actually, Mike comes off as a little too wise for his age, to the point that his random epiphanies start to seem contrived. But at least they are all getting somewhere. And I just hate Daddy Byers. He suddenly comes around acting like the boss. Dude, didn’t you walk out on them?

"You’re asking if the weirdo is acting weird?" –Dustin Henderson

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