Stranger Things, Season 1, Episode 7: The Bathtub
Yeah, not the biggest fan of this particular chapter. And 'chapter' it appropriately is called, because it's a big "compare the notes" episode as all our cast members are gathered together. At least they manage to make it interesting by having an E.T.-style bike race against the government, except this time around instead of E.T. they're carrying around 11, who Magneto's her way through government vans, earning the kids a more believable getaway.
The opening scene as Lucas warns the other kids about how the 'bad men' know about 11, and how they're coming is pretty fantastic as we go on a mad scramble for Dustin, Mike and Eleven to get the fuck away, chased by government vans, and there's only so much that their mad bike skillz can get them. Again, thankfully, 11 is around.
On the other side of the story, Jonathan, Nancy, Joyce and Hopper basically compare notes as they meet each other in the precinct, with Hopper getting an extra bunch of information about how the pants-pissing bully had his arm broken by a bald girl with powers that hung out with the losers, allowing the quartet to basically piece together most of the story. After calling the kids, and saving them from the 'bad men', the kids fill them in on the Upside Down, Lucas fills them in on the location of the gate, 11 tells them all about her own experiences and ta-daaaa everyone's on the same page. It is at least somewhat fun where we get there as everyone's trust is tested, but it does drag on a little longer and it can't be helped -- an episode like this or a string of episodes like this was going to happen either way.
There are some neat moments for those among the cast with personal bonds. Lucas makes up with both Mike and Eleven. Mike and Nancy, estranged siblings, joke around and reflect on their situation. Joyce and Jonathan bond over their desire to find Will. Oh, and thanks to Dustin interrupting poor Mr. Clark's 80's-era-Netflix-and-chill moment (seriously, someone give the guy a medal for 'best teacher of the year' already) to build the sensory deprivation tank. "Why are you keeping this curiousity door locked?" Between Lucas's intensity and Mike's main-character emotional journey, Dustin's the light-hearted one of the group and I cannot stress how amazing his presence has been on the show.
Of course, 11's entry back into the Upside Down is a far different journey than what she went through before. Instead of false platitudes and reassurances from Brenner "no one will hurt you, honest!" Joyce tells her how brave she's being, risking her life for someone else, and that they'll be there with her. Instead of ignoring her screams, any time she does so in the sensory deprivation pool people are worried and give calming reassurances. "If it gets too scary, let me know, okay?" It's a choice for 11 now, and that's the diffrence with orders. There is definitely a great comparison between Brenner's treatment of 11 throughout the season with Joyce's.
Of course, 11 finds out that Barbara is dead and rotting with some kind of otherworldly worm crawling out of her mouth (poor, poor Barb... and no one even organized a search party for her!), but Will is alive in the Upside Down version of his little forest fort, and tells them to hurry. Hopper and Joyce goes off to Hawkings Lab to use their portal and literally immediately get caught. Nancy and Jonathan take their 'monster hunting' tools to properly murder the Demogorgon from... somewhere. Oh, and Demogorgon's apparently finally found Will, shattering the walls of Fort Byers.
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