Welcome back for the eleventh installment of the Summer TV Binge of Stranger Things, looking back at season two, episode three, released October 27, 2017:
“Chapter Three: The Pollywog”
Written by Justin Doble
Directed by Shawn Levy
On this episode, Dustin has discovered the titular larval demogorgon that Will vomited up at the end of the first season. Christening it d’Artagnan (or Dart for short) after the 3 Musketeers bar it likes, he brings it to school to show to his friends. Eleven decides to leave Hopper’s safehouse.
1. El’s New Beginning(s)
We finally see when Hopper found Eleven in the forest, and brought her to the secluded old house his grandfather owned to hide her from the federal authorities. The early days of their arrangement, where they cleaned up and secured the house to the tune of Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim,” is contrasted with Eleven’s anger at Hopper over his broken promises, which is raw after he forgot to spend Halloween with her. She perfectly recalls the number of days he previously said she’d be able to see Mike “soon,” and winds up telekinetically launching his breakfast at him.
After he leaves, El mulls using the TV to reenter the Void, but she changes her mind, and leaves the house to find Mike directly. Jim establishing the rules is intercut with her rebellion to the sound of Tones on Tail’s post-punk song “Go!,” which does a great job of scoring El’s young adolescent rebellion after the easygoing charm of Croce’s song. It also brilliantly transitions us to the next scene of Billy and Steve playing basketball, as Billy would absolutely love that music.
2. Hopper’s Precarious Deal
It’s made clear here that Hopper keeps El isolated because he doesn’t trust Dr. Owens: he confronts him after realizing the rot in the fields can be traced back to the lab, which Owens finds hard to believe since they burn the portal to the Upside Down regularly. Hopper persuades him to run tests on the infected areas, but Owens is otherwise unconcerned by the matter. It’s really apparent the doctor is a jovial man who tries to maintain an upbeat atmosphere, but for someone who takes his job as seriously as Hopper, that makes him appear to be an evasive, and suspicious character — it’s no wonder the Duffers cast the former Carter Burke in the role.
3. Trauma Changes a Boy
Mr. Clarke gives a lesson on the life of Phineas Gage, a 19th century railroad construction man who survived a iron rod being accidentally driven through his head. Despite his survival, the destruction of Gage’s left frontal lobe caused changes to his personality and behavior that made him unrecognizable to his friends. There’s something off about the way Will sees Dart, and doesn’t share with his friends that he recognizes the creature, until he decides to tell Mike. Likewise, Jonathan tells Nancy his brother hasn’t been the same since he returned from the Upside Down, all strong, thematic foreshadowing for Will’s storyline this season.
4. An Ironic Misunderstanding
After Dart escapes from the A.V. room, Max finally confronts Mike over his dislike for her while they go searching for the critter in the gym. Mike mentions Eleven for the first time, and basically admits she reminds her too much of the girl he misses. Eleven sees them, and becomes jealous enough to psychically push Max off her skateboard. When Mike helps her up, El becomes heartbroken and flees, though Mike is able to tell someone was spying on them. It’s interesting how Mike and El both fall prey to sexist notions like girls being interchangeable, and boys only being nice to girls because they’re interested in them: I think we can blame El’s misreading of the situation on her abusive upbringing though, as someone like her is liable to mistake any kindness as a sign of affection (especially after Mike kissed her.)
5. The Road to Hell…
Continued belowEarly on in the episode, Bob tells Will about how, when he was a boy, he suffered night terrors after a clown snuck up on him at a fair. He finally got over it by standing up to his imaginary tormentor, and yelling at him to “go away.” When Will finds Dart in the bathroom, the creature screeches at him, and he’s transported back to the Upside Down, where he flees after the great smoke monster begins flooding through the corridors. Remembering Bob’s words, he turns and takes a stand against the entity, which simply enters his body. Perhaps Will’s possession was inevitable, but it also demonstrates Bob is just too good and pure for a world where this monstrosity exists.
Other Things:
– Don’t have much to say about Nancy and Joyce’s storylines in this episode, since they’re more about table setting than characterization (Nancy learning that she broke up with Steve while drunk, deciding to arrange a meeting with Barb’s mom to lure out the feds, and Joyce discovering the monster Will drew on his camera recording.) Still, it’s great how protective Joyce is when Bob tells her that the video showed Will being bullied.
– Is it weird that Dustin’s first inclination about d’Artagnan isn’t that he’s another creature from the Upside Down? Perhaps, but then everyone’s first instinct has been to assume it’s all over, and it’s so much fun seeing him go to the library to look up what animal it might be.
– Hopper is heard reading Anne of Green Gables as a bedtime story to El, the same book he read to his daughter in the hospital.
– Why does Jim Hopper like Jim Croce’s “Don’t Mess Around with Jim”? We may never know.
– Billy tells a girl he doesn’t consider Max his sister, informing us they’re not blood relatives.
– Dustin refers to Mr. Clarke as “my lord”: my lord he’s a dork.
See you all next week for “Chapter Four: Will the Wise.”
