The Stranger Things Podcast Folgen

Earlier this month we visited Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.  Featured among this seasonal attraction are haunted houses, or mazes, from some of our favorite TV and film franchises.  The biggest franchise for us is the Stranger Things maze.  While not much changed with this years maze vs. last year's maze, we still found the experience to be very enjoyable.   We also enjoyed mazes themed for Ghostbusters, Jordan Peele's "Us," Frankenstein vs. the Wolf Man, Pandora's Box, Holidayz in Hell, and we enjoyed some delicious Stranger Things themed food! The best part of all was spending the day with Katrina, one of our podcast listeners! We spent the next couple of days at Disneyland with podcast listeners Jeremiah, JJ, Blake, and Rachel.  While no Stranger Things tie-ins could be found at Disney, we still spend time discussing our time at those parks and the fun times we shared with listeners.

Eleven is weak. The parasite inside her leg is making things worse. They have to get it out. Jonathan springs into action and finds a knife. The small creature burrows deeper into her tissue. Eleven pushes through the pain and takes control of the situation. She uses her mental might to rip the tiny terror from her flesh. Can they all live happily ever after now? Unfortunately, no, this is only the prelude to the battle to come. Team Bald Eagle rushes to the Mall. The Scoops Troop heads to Weathertop which is the highest point in Hawkins. It is also the location of the only radio with a strong enough signal to permeate the vast layers of the Russian base. Murray tries to reason with the Russian soldiers. Hopper becomes agitated and takes them down with a machine gun. Mike and the gang fail to make their escape. Someone has tampered with Nancy’s car. They must seek refuge back in the Mall as Billy speeds at them in his car. Within moments the gigantic spider like creature is crashing through the Mall roof. It has periscoping tentacles that relentlessly pursue the kids around corners. Just when it appears Eleven may be captured, Lucas saves the day with his wrist rocket. A balloon pop was enough to divert the Monster’s focus and allow them to escape. High on the hill, Steve spies that there is trouble at the Mall and speeds off to help. Murray grudgingly accepts the kids help navigating the vents. He finds the vault but then can’t remember Planck’s constant. They must have it to retrieve the keys. Dustin quickly changes frequency to contact Suzie. Back in the food court Eleven tries to flip the car. Her battery is just not recharging. Mike and the gang uses the laws of physics to turn the car over to retrieve the part they need. Nancy’s car is hesitant to start and Billy is reving up to ram them. Then Steve comes to the rescue. Billy is knocked out and the Monster begins pursuing our heroes. Grigori has infiltrated the base under the mall. He only has one thought in mind. He wants to take out Hopper. Billy regains consciousness and begins to search the hidden hallways of Starcourt. He quickly finds his target and gets Max and Mike out of the way. Nothing will stop him from bringing his Master what it desires. Billy subdues Eleven and carries her away to present her to the Mind Flayer. Down below Grigori and Hopper are locked in a battle. At first it looks as though the Russian will win. In a final moment of strength Hopper shoves Grigori into the laser. Did I mention that Dustin got the answer from Suzie? That’s right! She is indeed real and she knows Planck’s constant. A problem still remains. There are two keys that have to be turned at the same time. Hopper is fighting with Grigori, leaving Joyce alone in the control room. She ties her belt to one key and reaches her fingers towards the second. Back in the Food Court, the boys are hurling fireworks at the creature. As Billy lays Eleven down she tries to reason with him. She reminds him about the boy on the beach and the pretty woman. She reminds him of his life before the Mind Flayer came and consumed his existence. He was just a little boy who wanted to make his Mother proud. Billy straightens up and stands tall. He puts himself between the kids and the gruesome entity. He takes the entirety of its wrath. Its tentacles pierce his body. At that same moment Hopper gives Joyce a slight nod. Without words he tells Joyce it is time. She has to activate the explosion and close the gate. Dr. Owens and a fleet of helicopters come flying in. The government backup is here. Is it too late for the beloved Chief? Three months later, the newscasts are still seeking answers for all that has happened in Hawkins. The Byers are packing up. I think it is just too painful for Joyce to stay here. She will take El and care for her. In the midst of packing she finds the speech that Hopper wrote for Eleven and Mike. It is so sad that he is not here now to deliver those poignant words. Mike promises to see Eleven at Thanksgiving. I am happy to see that this young love has survived the Monster mayhem. Maybe Nancy really could hide Johnathan in her basement. Mr. Wheeler is not very observant. It is Holly they would have to look out for. That little girl knows what’s going on. Questions still remain. What is the fate of all the Flayed? Are they all gone? Will Eleven regain her power? Is Hopper gone forever, reduced to dust by the giant laser? We have seen Hopper and Will both survive the Upside Down. Jim wrote that having Eleven in his life brought him back to the light. I hope he climbed into that sliver of light before the explosion had the chance to reduce him to molecules.  

Did you hear that? Was that the fireworks? Did you see that? The trees are moving. Billy said the Monster can see Eleven. I think he is right and it has found the kids! Seconds later the creature’s vast tentacles burst through the walls of the cabin. El uses her considerable power to push the Mind Flayer back over and over. Her friends fight to help her. They shoot and chop at the vicious thing. They use all their might to tug El away from the grasp of its jaws. Ultimately they succeed and the Monster retreats but not before it manages to take a bite. Team Scoops Ahoy is on the run. Using a stolen key card they are finally able to rise to the surface. They sneak through back corridors and slip into a packed theater to make a plan. They need to buy some time. The eldest among them are still suffering the effects of the drugs given to them by the Russians. Elsewhere in Hawkins, Mike and the gang break into a grocery store to treat Eleven’s wounds. In a moment alone Mike apologizes to El for being jealous. He is so tongue tied he cannot say the word love out loud. This sweet scene in interrupted by Dustin calling a code red. The batteries give out on his walkie talkie so Eleven must return to the void to find him. Hopper hopes the government will come and provide backup. He is angry with Joyce for the way she spoke to them. What if they don’t come now? What is so dangerous about the Fair? Why did Joyce insist their children need saving from it? Alexei is able to communicate details about the Russian’s base. You need two keys that are kept in a vault. You need to know Planck’s constant to access it. Someone call Erica and offer her a sundae, She is a math genius. Alexei warns that people must not be near when the laser explodes. He has seen it turn people to dust. Hopper and Joyce arrive at the Fair and start investigating. Murray decides to purchase Alexei some tickets and show him how fun American Independence Day can be. Unfortunately Grigori catches sight of his former comrade and shoots him for being a traitor. Hopper follows the murderous man into the hall of mirrors. Due to a bulletproof vest Jim is unable to defeat Grigori but gets information on the location of the children. One of the fallen Russians radio provides the clue they need to find them. Back at Starcourt Robin tells Steve who she really had a crush on. Erica and Dustin track down the giggling pair in the bathroom. The plan to escape is to blend in with the crowd as the mall empties for the night. On their way to the bus they are spotted and have to run. Before long Team Scoops Ahoy is cornered. Time is running out. A car alarm begins to blare. Eleven, Mike and the gang appear and El launches the car at the enemies. Finally the kids are reunited but the joy is short lived. This “Red Dawn” situation is certainly related to the gate. The how and why remains a mystery. Billy is tracking El through the blood she shed in the grocery store. I fear he is closing in and the creature he serves won’t be far behind.