Stranger Things - Trick or Treat, Freak

 

 

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The second season has continued to prolong certain subplots from the first season (such as the love triangle of Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve, and the separation of Mike and Eleven) while continuing to homage the 80s including the emphasis heavily on that decade’s music, film, and pop culture. Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas, for instance, go to school dressed as the Ghostbusters (when trick or treating, a homeowners calls them exterminators!), Duran Duran is playing (as is the song, Shout Out at the Devil as kids guzzle booze from a keg) during a party, and the ’84 Reagan/Bush campaign sign is visible in yard. Max, the redhead skateboarder Dustin and Lucas have a crush on, scares the gang in an Michael Myers mask and butcher knife. The episode, “Trick or Treat, Freak”.

I just want to go on a slight tangent. I had started to watch Stranger Things right before October last year. I regret that now. This would have been so cool for the month. But I will always consider 2019’s October one of my favorites. It seemed like a brief respite after a rather exhausting year where the political landscape of my country has been draining. I do remember thinking after watching the first episode that this season of Stranger Things would be ideal for any October as it was obviously intended. Max’s scaring them as Michael Myers was just the icing on the cake. Myers was a definite star during Halloween season of 2019. It isn’t surprising that Blumhouse is mulling another Halloween movie.

The subplot with Max and her “ride”, Billy Hargrove, is still a bit elusive. Billy’s unstable, proof when an outburst to something rather minuscule (his fault they are currently relocated to this new school/area) when interrogating and antagonizing Max leads to him nearly driving his “fast car” into Dustin, Lucas, and Mike, on their bikes, after school. Max, although she acts as if she’s too cool for Dustin and Lucas, who go out of their way at school to win her interest in them, eventually hangs out with them on Halloween night. Billy, though, questioned how she felt about them, with her altering the course of his speeding car by grabbing the wheel before he could plow into the boys during a rather frightening moment in the episode.

Paul Reiser has assumed Modine’s villain spot as the doctor who works with Will regarding his “experiences” (Will continues to see a black creature “in the Upside down”, seemingly suffering “excursions” back and forth between dimensions, in this episode shaken by kids dressed as Jason Voorhies and a werewolf, collapsing and returning to the other dimension before Mike’s shrugging his shoulders “brought him out of it”), still heading the research project where scientists/officers in suits continue to investigate inside the Upside Down. But this is brief in the second episode, while a past incident involving Eleven inside the Upside Down, “encouraging” with her mental powers an opening into our reality that allows her to exit kicks things off. Will being able to alternate in and out, at the most awkward of times, Eleven remembering her experiences, and Reiser’s Dr. Sam Owens’ continued experiments there does seem to be repercussions as the crops of farmers are under a “blight” that is killing everything, leaving behind “residue” that is very similar to how our world looks in the Upside Down.

Nancy and Steve are hot and cold, with Jonathan pining for Nancy but backing off because they are an item. But Nancy’s dead friend’s specter haunts her and poisons her romance with Steve. It escalates when enough booze is in her at the Halloween party causes Nancy to say that her “love” for Jonathan—and their relationship—is bullshit. Eventually a heartbroken Steve walks away, with Jonathan taking her home, putting her to bed. Introduced is Samantha (Shea Jones), dressed as a goth before it was necessarily a way of expression and lifestyle, saying hi to Jonathan who tells her his costume is “guy who hates parties”. I would love to see this as a sidebar in the whole love triangle, perhaps giving Nancy a rival for Jonathan’s affections. Especially if Nancy decides to return to Steve and further discourage Jonathan to pursue her. Why not have an alternative to Nancy? Jonathan deserves to be happy, too, not always disappointed.

Will and Mike have their own bonding moment when away from the others. Mike is a bit bummed at Dustin and Lucas for how Max seems to have infiltrated their gang’s idyll. I think it is more about Eleven’s absence. A great moment where Eleven revisits Mike speaking in a walkie talkie, trying to communicate to her, before she returns to Hopper’s living room clearly reminds us that this is an affection that doesn’t disappear. Mike tells Will how he misses her, obviously wishing she were still around while Will shares with him specifically his experiences with the reemerging Upside Down intrusions into his life, along with the creature. Eleven remaining holed away in Hopper’s cabin at his orders, as he emphasizes her safety, is eating away at her. She doesn’t want to be in prison but what if she was to venture outside again? What would be the consequences? An early flashback has the authorities pressing Mike to give up Eleven’s location with the two of them locking eyes momentarily. Their longing to be with each other remains quite strong but forces remain an obstacle. I don’t know how long Stranger Things will last on Netflix but its popularity could extend its run until the kids are teenagers, so the Mike/Eleven kiddie romance might even evolve as they age. Sort of like The Wonder Years.

Whatever is in Dustin’s garbage can, growling and rumbling inside, is used as the hook for the next episode. The Ghostbusters costumes and references are quite substantial. Fans should get a kick out of the callbacks. I especially enjoyed the use of Frankenstein as Eleven remains stuck in Hopper’s home, upset at the sheriff for forgetting to return home to have a happy half-day Halloween fun, not allowed to go trick or treating but promised candy and his time. Hopper serving as a surrogate parent to her makes sense considering he was robbed of his own chance to bond with the daughter he lost. But Eleven will eventually get too restless and long to leave the nest, and Hopper will perhaps once again find himself without a daughter.

The embarrassment of being the only kids at school in costume is played up as are the parents all enthusiastic about their boys all dressed up.