Before Stranger Things returns, it's important not to forget some important details from the first episode that foreshadowed certain things.
Stranger Things launched to the top of everyone's favorite Netflix show list almost as soon as the first season became available. The mix of Stephen King meets Goonies was just the perfect combination of terror and comfort--throw in some 80s nostalgia, and apparently fans got what needed, even if they themselves didn't know it until then.
There are now three seasons of the show available on Netflix, and a fourth season rumored to be underway soon. Now, fans know a lot can change from season to season, but one thing they know for sure is that they'll be there to find out what's next. And what better way to prepare for the next stage of a show than to review some aspects of the very first episode of Stranger Things?
At the beginning of the episode, the four boys sit playing Dungeons and Dragons. The game ends with a precarious roll of the dice which determines how the game will end, although Mike doesn't see it.
In a charged moment that foreshadows the event that will come soon after, Will admits to Mike that the roll was a seven. Simply out, this means that the Demogorgon got him -- which is exactly what would happen.
Gatin Matarazzo, the actor who plays Dustin, shares with his character the fact that they both have a condition called Cleidocranial Dysplasia. Dustin reveals his condition early on in the first episode, explaining to bullies, who cruelly refer to him with the nickname "toothless", that his lack of front teeth is due to a condition and that he's explained it to them before.
Matarazzo also takes time to explain the condition in real life, advocating for CDD when he isn't busy acting.
For how devoted Hopper is during the rest of the show, it's surprising to look back on episode one and witness his rather blasé attitude in how he greets the news that Joyce Byers' son is missing and that she's been trying to get a hold of him for a long time.
Hopper simply yells over his assistant who relays Joyce's missing persons report, telling her that mornings are exclusively for coffee and contemplation and he can't be bothered with a case so early in the day. Little does he know, Joyce is already in his office.
Trying to explain to Hopper why Will wouldn't have tried to escape to his father Lonnie's house, Joyce ends up touching on several things about Will that cause him to be bullied -- even at the hands of his own father.
Will apparently stands out from other kids and is even the subject of homophobic insults based on how people interpret his fashion sense. All of this set the groundwork for understanding Will Byers.
Winona Ryder hits the ground running in inhabiting the character of Joyce. Ryder imbues the character with the utmost liveliness -- even too much, some might say.
Her intensity is there from the very start of the show and is particularly notable for the fact that she actually mellows out a bit after the first season, lessening the manic behavior and becoming more measured and sturdy.
The first person that Eleven encounters outside of her confinement is Benny, from Benny's Burgers. He's played by Chris Sullivan, the actor best known for his starring role as Toby on This Is Us.
She is found sneaking into his kitchen and scarfing down a small pile of fries left out. Watching Benny try to sort out what's going on with her is a touching scene, until it all comes to a sad end on Benny's part.
The first episode is always good for taking a look at what the writers find important to communicate about their characters and the relationships characters share and in this episode, it's interesting to note the dynamic that exists between Joyce and Jonathan prior to Will going missing.
Jonathan is first seen hurriedly making breakfast for the house, just to quickly be admonished by Joyce for not waking up his brother on time. Joyce clearly got used to thinking of Jonathan as a co-guardian, something that's curious to watch play out in the rest of the episode.
Joyce makes her first contact with Will from the Upside-Down when her old yellow phone rings just to greet her with the eerie, ragged breath of who she insists to be her son.
Viewers later find out that she was, in fact, right, but the entire incident is creepy and makes viewers wonder whether or not it's really Will. Either that, or Joyce is losing it.
Fans eventually learn about Hopper's traumatic past in greater detail, but it's only hinted at from the moment fans meet him. Hopper is shown waking up late and haphazardly getting into his morning routine. As if it was an automated movement at this point, he throws some pills from an orange prescription container into his mouth.
It's clear that Hopper is fighting some demons within him long before any of those from the Upside-Down come his way.
The climax of the episode also comes as a cliffhanger, with the boys running into Eleven while out searching for Will in the rain.
After following along with the increasing narratives introduced in the episode -- the most subtle and intriguing of them being Eleven's story -- having the worlds of Eleven and the boys mix together is the perfect ending to leave fans excited for more.
