Stranger Things - The Pollywog

* * * / * * * *
Truth be told, this rating above isn't necessarily for the entire episode which has a foundation based on a slimy creature vomited from Will's mouth when he "escaped" the Upside Down. But there was two scenes featuring Sean Astin that just won me over big-time. His lovable, geeky Bob Newby has been showcased as the love interest for Joyce, a soft-hearted Radio Shack employee who bends over backwards and goes out of his way to earnestly and sincerely appeal to her sons, Will and Jonathan. In the previous episode he donned the Dracula costume and offered his video recorder to them during Halloween trick or treating. He mentions to Joyce during lunch (she works a department store) that he noticed on his video recorder Will being bullied by dicks in scary masks, commenting about how he was done similarly at that age. Admittedly, while a middle-aged Radio Shack employee commiserates to the new woman in his life warm feelings of how better his life is now as opposed to them, I couldn't help but hear the voice of his Mikey from The Goonies. The little asthmatic boy looking for adventure, grown up and feeling as if he hit it big landing such a special woman. She sort of looks off with a worried reaction, as if perhaps she isn't as sure. He mentions to her that he cares about fitting in the family and bonding with him, putting for the effort, speaking confidently about how Will seems to be responding, while Jonathan is a bit tougher to earn such trust. There is another scene where Bob is voluntarily driving Will to school, talking to him about a dream, regarding Mr. Baldo, a creepy guy at a carnival who haunted him. Will listens intently to how Bob speaks of finally having enough of Baldo, telling him to go away. At the very end, Will, as the Upside Down's shadow monster appears to be on the verge of enveloping him, the kid tells it to go away. While Baldo left Bob alone after he "quit running" and "took a stand", the episode concludes with Will seemingly doomed to be consumed by whatever that smoky creature is. Hell, even Joyce sees the damn thing (drawn by Will in the previous episode) in that Halloween tape recording when Will collapsed, sketching it with black crayon. She must find her boy, that mother's instinct kicks in.

The episode does also give flashbacks to when Hopper cleaned up the cabin and made some rules for Eleven to follow so she would remain safe. I think we didn't necessarily need this because the previous episodes did enough to sort of clue us in to all of it. But it does move back and forward in real time with Eleven in curls, differentiated from the past when she had no hair. Hopper finally convinces Dr. Owens to survey and investigate the plagued crops/pumpkins but he cavalierly acts as if the experiments with the Upside Down aren't the reason behind all of it. Hopper tells Owens that he has kept his mouth shut about all of that as long as his county/countryside/locals isn't/aren't effected.

The slimy creature Dustin takes affection to after finding it in his garbage can gets top billing and a lot of focus as the gang react mostly cautiously concerned and a bit unsure that it should be given such freedom to remain alive and active outside the Upside Down. Will, obviously, recalls puking it up and is afraid of it. Max continues to be an intruder in Mike's opinion, although he starts to warm up to her, as Eleven spots them in the gym of the school, not happy at all...with mere thought, Max flies off her skateboard as Mike feels she might be around somewhere, not locating her. So the show continues to build this eventual meeting. Hopper promises she'll get to see Mike again, while Eleven questions the validity of it due to how long it has already been without contact.

The new guy, Max's "brother" (he doesn't claim her as a sister), is emerging as Steve's rival, becoming popular with the high schoolers and even undermining him in a game of basketball in the gym. Steve wrestles with what Nancy told him at the party, while she blows it off as being drunk. But to Jonathan later, she ponders how she really does feel about Steve. So the love triangle melodrama continues. She feels that telling Barb's parents about what happened to her (somehow explaining that won't be easy!), so Jonathan reluctantly goes along with it.