STRANGER THINGS: HOLLY, JOLLY (2016)

STRANGER THINGS: HOLLY, JOLLY (2016)

STRANGER THINGS takes place in Hawkins, Indiana in 1983. One night on the way home from his friend’s house Will Byers suddenly disappears, and now the town’s coffee and contemplation driven Sheriff Jim Hopper, is going to try to figure out what’s behind it. There are also some awesome kids in this show.

In this episode we kinda get the hint that Will’s mom Joyce, might be going freakin nuts and she is just crazy about Christmas lights. We also find out that Nancy’s mom Karen Wheeler (played by Cara Buono who was David Banner's mom in THE HULK) makes a mean casserole. So mean, that after kicking her out of her house, Joyce Myers just decides to keep it. Nancy’s is getting worried about Barb and she is a terrible liar. After the party the night before no one has seen her.

Hopper is starting to do some research on the Hawkins Lab and is finding out the lead dude, Dr. Martin Brenner is up to some shady, shady stuff. Apparently everyone in this town never got nosy about that lab before now. Background on the lab and Eleven is also done in flashbacks during this episode. Another episode where Millie Bobby Brown’s acting is a tour de force. Jonathon Byers’s  character (played by Charlie Heaton) is starting to develop some more as we find out he’s at the very least eccentric and at the most, your typical 80’s stalker. The friendship between Eleven and Mike also starts to grow. We even find out what a “mouth-breather” is. I am not sure this is the episode that launched Stranger Things into the stratosphere, but it is the episode that sparked almost every depiction of Joyce from the series (her with Christmas lights or an axe) but it also exposes how brilliantly thought out the series is just in the little details, even down to how Joyce is going to use the Christmas lights to her advantage.

Some of the interactions also give some breathing room to the other kids in the show acting wise as tension rises between Eleven, Mike, Dustin (played by Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas after receiving some devastating information. This episode also ends with some incredible emotional scenes.

Note: I know the graphic below says "movie" but just replace that with the word "episode" in your head and you will be fine.