Summary: Mike tells El he can't see her today and makes an excuse but El can tell that he is lying. Mike goes to Lucas for help while El goes to Max for help. They all end up sending the day at the mall but at the end of the day they encounter each other. El dumps Mike for lying too much. Dustin goes to Steve to help decipher the transmission he picked up. Robin helps them and they realize that it's a code. Steve deduces that the transmission actually came from the mall. Hopper sets up a date with Joyce but Joyce doesn't show up because she has gone to Mr. Clarke for information about the magnets that keep falling. Billy returns but he isn't himself. He kidnaps a fellow lifeguard and takes her to the same monster that attacked him. Nancy and Jonathan investigate the mysterious rats.
The Good: The comedy was much better in this episode and I laughed a few times. The same goes for the character work that was done, and even the development of the plot. This episode improved everything that made me dislike the season premier so much and it served as a much better way to get me into this season. The El/Mike/Hopper story remains really stupid (see: The Bad), but it's certainly fun to watch in this episode. The awkward phone call between El and Mike was hilarious, and the reveal that Mrs. Wheeler was listening in the entire time did make me laugh. Mike's lies were quite terrible, and it makes sense that El would figure out that something is up. The branching storylines with the guys and girls were pretty good. I thought that the characters were all defined much better in this episode, and each of them served a prominent role in showing how everyone grew up and what kind of people they became. Plus, the mall sequences were very well shot and I liked the idea of ending the episode at the climactic point of El dumping Mike. It's a really fun moment because it nicely captures the reality of what pre-teen romances are like. Steve, Dustin and Robin definitely steal the show. The team has wonderful chemistry and I really enjoyed their conversations. Watching them decipher the transmission was fun and I liked that all three of them got to inject parts of their character into their conversations without any of them coming off poorly. Billy's story is really interesting, and the editing during his scenes was masterfully done. His insanity is shown really well and it's easy to understand why he is behaving so strangely and we can easily see what it wrong with him. The sequences with him are pretty horrific to watch, but very gripping nevertheless. The return of Mr. Clarke was fantastic, and I lived the use of "My Bologna" when he re-entered the story. His advice to Joyce was good, and I liked that Joyce continually asked good questions to give us the necessary information to try to theorize what could be going on with the magnets. The Bad: There were still problems with this. All of the lies were horribly unconvincing and I was left wondering why many of the characters decided to lie anyways. Mike's poor lies, while funny, felt extremely forced and I don't think he could have convinced my two year old cousin that he was telling the truth. I understand that this is the point, but I find it highly illogical that he would lie so poorly, especially after two seasons where the kids were forced to lie to just about everybody. Hopper's lies to Joyce were also terrible. Surely he understands that she is going to figure out the truth eventually. It's implausible that only Joyce would notice the problem with the magnets. It has happened to Joyce in two different locations, which likely means that it is happening all over Hawkins. Everyone would notice this, so why is Joyce the only one who is reacting? The idea of Dustin hearing a transmission all the way from Russia on his walkie would be nonsensical. That's why I'm confused that the range of the walkie wasn't used to decipher the fact that the transmission happened in Hawkins. It makes much more sense to go that route than to have Steve amazingly realize that one random tune from a ride is the exact sound that was playing during the transmission. Nancy and Jonathan's story is ridiculously dull. We don't learn any new information from their trip (aside from the fact that the rat remains are sentient), and their mission is ridiculously boring. It doesn't further the plot and it doesn't teach us anything new about their characters which makes it a dud of a storyline. Honestly, why is Will even tagging along with the others if he never talks to them and only asks if they can play D&D? The way he is ignored in every scene should really have ended his friendship with Lucas and Mike a long time ago. The Unknown: What happened to Billy? How was there a clone of him in the Upside Down? Are there clones of everyone? What does he plan to do with the lifeguard? Is he trying to raise an army of clones? What exactly is controlling Billy? Is it the Mind Flayer? Could it be tied to the Russians or the rats? What is that goop that the rats transformed into? Does it become some kind of monster? Or something else? I noticed that the rats were eating fertilizer, which I suppose feeds whatever it is that they become. Why do they need the fertilizer? What is causing them to explode anyways? What are the Russians doing in Hawkins? Is it something to do with the rats? Best Moment: The first Billy sequence when he returned and spoke to Mrs. Wheeler was excellently done. Character of the Episode: Billy. Conclusion: This was fine stuff and it improved on the many flaws of the season premier. Still, I feel like this show could use some better writing and more emotional engagement. Score: 58
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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