The Reel Rejects - REJECT RECAP: Stranger Things 4, Chapter 6: "The Dive" Review!

Episode Date: May 31, 2022

VECNA HAS MORE GATES TO THE UPSIDE DOWN?! Behind the Iron Curtain, a risky rescue mission gets underway; Meanwhile, the California crew seeks help from a hacker and Steve takes one for the team... Here are our THOUGHTS!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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the real rejects, or if you want to sync up with your own copy and enjoy the full experience with us, come on over to patreon.com slash the real rejects. We got one more to go after this, and then a little bit of a break, and then we'll be back for 4Bs, so I hope you've enjoyed the journey thus far. Keep on running up that hill, and yeah, we'll see you for the next one, for the last one in just a little bit. All right, well, I mean, the thing about this episode that I think is very different, discussion will probably be pretty short, is that the other episodes, what I've really admired

about season seven, so, you know, it might as well be with the length of these episodes. By the way, it's going to be a too far for the next episode. Yes, season four. It was season four so far is that each episode has truly felt like a, a complete chapter and you know what I mean yeah like it's all felt like a complete episode where it's the first time I'm watching Stranger Things really feeling like this could have been a week to week show uh whereas the prior seasons have been very like it's a binge show yeah yeah for sure and uh the the way these episodes have been done where this is not a slight at it because i'm used

to Stranger Things being the way it is is that this one really feels like a major setup for the next episode yes Yeah, it's still a great episode, but it still feels like more of a setup episode. Yeah, it feels the most like a kind of transitional or connective piece rather than its own contained chapter, yeah, like you said, I think that's a good way to put that. But it's still great. There's still some great stuff. Still super gripping. And something about you were saying before, it was like, you've been waiting for Steve to have something that's more just like his own thing or something a little more juicy and he gets it here. Oh, yeah, I mean, they heard me and now I'm afraid. for Steve's life but uh yeah you know you wanted him to have something more

meaty to chew on and now he's the meat being chewed on that's right man be careful what you wish for monkeys paw season yeah dumb ass yeah I put Steve thanks for that I never forgive myself but yeah that only for him to touch it come on you clearly found it it's either lava or the upside down come on man yes and you're not anywhere near who boom yeah yeah yeah yeah don't ever turn your back on a portal, no matter what size, fun, king, or otherwise. But yeah, I mean, like they are good at every time I feel like we bring up something. Usually the next episode has something to say about that.

And I am, you know, excited to see how the four of them handled this together because, you know, it seems like they are going to have Dustin and Lucas and max at least separated with the cops. And then you'll have our, you know, teen cast, our older teen cast in the upside down with Vecna having to at least sort out. You know, whatever the next part is, you know, the mid-season finale leave-off part is. Well, I mean, the satanic panic quality of this was really gripping, you know, as kind of predictable as it would be that, I think his name is Jason. Yeah, the basketball player, yeah, Jason. Speech guy. Speech guy.

Basketball saved us all. Speech man, no matter how much pain I'm in. Oh, he's got a rousing. I've got a rousing five minutes for you. No matter how traumatized I am, I was born for public speaking. He really is that character. Yep, he's the great. You can see why he's the top of the school.

First scene is a big speech to the auditorium. Second scene. And then, when Chrissy's dead, speech to the basketball team. Speech to the community of Hawkins. He's going to run for senator or something. I tell you. You can motivate, man. Yeah.

Because, yeah, I mean, capturing that era of, say, Tatic panic is best. I thought it would just be solely strictly to find Eddie. I think it does raise the stakes a lot when you include the rest of the kids, you know, like the the fear of the situation really rose when you're looking at the parents and you're seeing the worry in them, the fear in them of like my children. I think that's why the fear was so good is like they might kill my kids, you know, and that's a really scary feeling and knowing I mean, it's like, I feel like my condescent will probably be alive. Sure. But I think that fear is a very real feeling, especially just knowing the kind of sick world. I'm talking like a real world. Like we live in a messed up world.

And you know that like people got to this point, they would do it. So I think. Especially now. Especially now. Yeah. So emitting that fear in here, I think is a very like kind of a real feeling to latch on to. And I appreciate that because, I mean, I said it a couple episodes ago that this season has captured this 80s world of supernatural horror and serial killer horror. And while it's

way more supernatural horror than serial killer horror, there's still like these undertones that really grip at that. You know what I mean? They latch into that, and I think that's a quality of it. I think that's why the satanic panic motif works so well is because it does represent represent this convergence of the very human, you know, horrific serial killer kind of capability mixed with the belief that, yeah, you are some kind of conduit for otherworldly malevolent spirits and, you know, as much as we were joking about it last time, about Jason, but it basically coming to the conclusion that Eddie is some kind of conduit for that, you know, it, it does kind of track well in that 80s kind of heightened sense. Definitely. through today you'd be like you're a fucking idiot yeah he'd be like come on it's something is clearly going on just dungeons and dragons yeah but but no in the 80s oh most definitely well and they make that point of touching on like dust it's an agnostic you know to

clue you into it's also a much more religious time i mean i still remember what it's like growing up as a as a 90s as a kid yeah and and being you know being told like that's satanic yeah i still know them now it's like i mean there's still this point parts of the world to give me wrong. There's a lot of that out there, but at least in the California world I grow up and now there's way less of that, where now people gock at that and roll their eyes like you're, come on, you're being silly. But no, I still definitely remember what it was like when that was kind of a norm. I've been like, that's satanic, that's evil, that's perverse, you know. Yeah, it's taboo and it's dark and it's something

yeah, you shouldn't even get, it's it's forbidden. Yeah, yeah. I'm like going to Hot Topic was a scary thing. And there's like a gothastro. Yeah, you see like a heavy metal shirt with some vaguely religious iconography. And you're like, oh, God, Jesus is going to send me to hell for looking at this. So capturing that is cool. And it is when they went with neckbeard guy is the one to be like, come on, what are you all waiting for? You know, it was like, they're doing commentary, but it is small town.

It looks like a lot of people who will be in Hawkins. Well, and it is that, yeah, it's that, like, what are you going to do, arrest all of us? Yeah, we're tired of listening to you, basically, placate us, and, yeah, I mean, I think that it's funny, I liked getting to see all of the main kids' parents together taking this in, and I could have, not that it's a gripe, you know, there's a lot to do, but I could have almost used, like, a little bit more of a scene where they're all in the house together, because, like, that does, it struck me. It's like, we see these kids so much. We saw a lot of Mike's family before. But, you know, I think it's, I don't know. There's something that struck me about that that I almost wish we could have gotten a little more of that perspective of the terror of finding out, like, all of our kids are implicated in this Hellfire Club. What does that mean to us, given everything we've just witnessed at Town Hall?

And we know that our kids have been wrapped up in freaking government shit before. Yeah. Yeah. And so, like, what would be all of their responses to that? But even such, I mean, yeah, everything going on at Hawkins is really fun and engaging. And it's interesting the way they've drawn the tone this season because obviously they have the various 80s era slasher horror, you know, supernatural movies they're drawing from. But there is this locked in kind of goofiness or there's during certain scenes, you know, the switch back to being more madcap or more comedy like at the house that Dustin's girlfriend, whose name I'm now blaking on, lives at. Susie, do you copy?

Susie, there you go. Yeah, like, things like that, or things like Joyce and Murray, like, lean more broadly towards comedy than I feel like maybe we did in the past. So it's an interesting kind of tonal evolution they've gone on. Well, the Susie part was, at first, like, at first, though, this is too much for me. This is, like, really, really coming on strong. Coming on strong with your comedy, right? Hey, this house is in a whole other universe.

I'll back to copy a little bit. But then, yeah, but then, it did feel that way of, like, I don't even know what this is right now. He stepped into, like, a whimsical family movie about a bunch of colorful orphans. And then, but I did like the preceding bit with the dad and just how, like, bizarre guy. I was like, it was a lot. Start reason this has cracked me up, even though before I was like, this is a lot. Yeah, it's like it overwhelms you at first, but when they all pay off. at the end it's it is kind of satisfying you know i do think that like yeah mike and will and jonathan

like that camp has just not been super interesting no like it's like even their plot development is like they're just looking for 11 and we see and we're already clued into everything 11's doing and we're not even clued it we know what 11's doing and i'm like what are they going to do when they get yeah it's like i feel like they they space that plot line out literally with geography because it's going to take a while to drive from place to place in the van. And so it is like every time we check in with them per episode, I feel like they get one beat ahead. Yeah, I think, I'm hoping the payoff is rewarding. Yeah.

Because right now, the current journey is not the most engaging to me on what they're doing. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe it's something for them to do. Yeah, maybe when the payoff happens, the journey will then be rewarding. Yeah. You know, because I've had that happen with like we were watching Stranger Things, like some stuff I didn't really care. for as much but knowing where it was going suddenly made it like more enjoyable as I knew what the

payoff would be yeah um so kind of hope that's the same thing because yeah right now I'm like hey you guys are just kind of the whatever part of the show it's fun to check in with you guys but it doesn't feel as vital that we're here right now yeah the least interesting part to me yeah and I mean the Russian stuff is cool I mean the prison is good hopper and yeah I love Hopper and the guard guy. Yeah, even that kind of carried like a religious undertone in some way, like we're going

into the fiery gates of hell in some way. Yeah, it's almost like... Sort of religious table setting last supper. Yeah, it pulls you back to being like they're almost like gladiators in some kind of ancient arena that yeah, are going to be sacrificed to you know, a beast but also to

appease the gods of some otherworldly realm. But I like that like Hopper was like kind of willing to quit but um like give it all up but i think he came to that final like laughing ironic laughing point of enough is enough where he's like but i won't die at the hands of a demigrant yeah it's like any of these circumstances but no uh-uh if there's one thing i refuse to die for it is this it is this great yeah not not after everything of these last three seasons yeah that's why i think that was great and like watching this kind of

natural bond that's forming between him and the I don't know that of the guy's name tag every time and I still haven't committed it to his jock and hagar that's the name andzo Enzo there you go yeah yeah there you go yeah I like him a lot and they have great character casting for all these different Russian prisoners but um but the 11 stuff is probably the most interesting stuff yeah that's That's eerie. Sorry, the dime. Sinister.

Yeah, we got a bunch of some other things to shoot right now. But, yeah, the last thing is probably the biggest thing. Everything with 11. You know, we're unpacking the rainbow room and it dawned on me. For some reason, this is the first time really dawned on me. Like, well, we're really here. Like, we're really dealing with the upbringing and the training process and it with Brenner and everything. Like, this is the first time where it's not just some mysterious look.

Yeah, like we're just doing full-on scenes. We are in it. Yeah. It really hit me this episode of, oh, wow, we're actually unpacking this truly. It's just so natural the way we're doing it and it flows so well and still keeps that air of mystery that it didn't truly dawn on me of like, because usually it's just like quick flashes or little memories or some type of, you know, when she's in the, the, what are those tanks called? Sensory deprivation tank. you know like it's usually not just a clear cut let's just sit here with seeing what the lifestyle was it's a really conscientious way to do your like prequel slash flashbacks but also

keep them very relevant to the current progression of the character and watching how her upbringing with the kids there mirrors her you know when she was trying to start a new life as jane hopper in california and you know like the path that she went down like oh yeah you could have probably killed like angeload. Oh, yeah. Exploded her on the spot, probably. And that makes me curious, like I've been really curious as to

what the payoff is going to be with her as it relates to everything else because there are motifs they use an 11th story that match what goes on in Hawkins with Beckna with, you know, the lights flickering and clearly they've highlighted that she has a very traumatic and guilt-riddled past

with this experience in particular. So I feel like in the next episode or sometimes soon, those things have to collide in some way but either way like the glimpse has been terrific yeah yeah like it could it could easily not be and I think they've used it really really conscientiously amen to that sister amen all right guys let's uh let's end this we got one more episode to go that's gonna be a two-parter yeah that's gonna be a two-parter in fact Thank you.