The Reel Rejects - REJECT RECAP: Stranger Things 4, Chapter 7: "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" Review!

Episode Date: June 1, 2022

VECNA IS REVEALED! Crazy Twist Ending Explained In Our Stranger Things Season 4, Episode 7 Review... After Hopper fights the Demogorgon, Dustin dissects Vecna's motives -- and decodes a message from beyond. Meanwhile, Eleven finds the truth about 001 and takes on Vecna as she finds strength in a distant memory... We share our thoughts on the episode and the season as a whole! REACTION HIGHLIGHTS on YouTube & FULL LENGTH (Sync-Up) WATCH ALONGS at Patreon.com/TheReelRejects!! 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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There's nothing really more I should say in this intro than that. If you want to check out the reaction highlights, come on over to our YouTube channel, YouTube.com slash the real rejects, get your reaction highlights with footage included over there. Or if you want to sync up, bring your own copy, and enjoy the full experience with us. That's over at patreon.com slash the real rejects. We'd love to have you. We've got a bunch of stuff over there. Strange Things, three reactions as well.

A whole bunch of other exclusive shows with highlights and watch-alongs included. A couple watch-alongs exclusive shows as well. But yeah, for right now, thank you so much for joining us on this. journey if you've joined us it's been a very fascinating i think probably very memorable season and i'm i'm fascinated what to see what lies ahead so uh anyway appreciate all your love and support and uh we'll see you for part b in a couple of months and whatever else we got going on check out the obi one stuff check out uh you know the boys we got coming up miss marvel this so much anyway appreciate you all enjoy the review

That was a hell of a finale. Yes, sir. Speaking of time travel from the time this is uploaded, because we are shot way in advance. Yes. We are at, we are 408 subscribers away from a million. So I'm assuming we'll be there by the time this video is up. So thank you guys in advance.

If one person in every continental United State were to pledge, right or to subscribe right now we would hit it yeah there's a way to do it and then you know get alaska in hawaii just for good measure and i weirdly have a really big headache coming on for some reason and a nosebleed starting right yeah and i'm not a dizzy you're going to see some trauma from the past that you haven't yet resolved and then you're going to start levitating i've seen it all um well i was a hell of an episode that was a fine nail or a mid-season that did not feel like an hour and 40 minutes. I know, right? It really flew by. I flew by really

quick. Surprisingly. It was gripping. I thought I would feel an hour and 40 minutes. It's weird because, like, I guess it's, maybe it's something to do with the proportions, because it feels like you're still getting just as much like both character and science fiction,

you know, high concept action. But I almost wonder if it's just the effect of it's just a bit expanded on all fronts. And so instead of moving, it's like this season has been very cinematic, but instead of moving drastically differently, maybe it's just that they're giving each scene a bit more time than they normally would in 42 minutes or something like that. I found myself at one point getting a little frustrated because I was going, why are we taking

forever to build up to 11 massacring these kids? We already know she does it. What's taken so? I already know where it's going. Just get to it already. And yeah, Then when they had the Waki reveal with one on there, which was really obvious. I think what wasn't obvious was that he's Vecna. That wasn't obvious at all. Way to go show. That wasn't obvious whatsoever. I mean, I don't know.

It wasn't obvious for me, at least. It was obvious for you. Good morning, children. Interesting. That's Vecta. Yes. That's right. Origins.

Because when he gave the speech about one, I was like, he's probably one. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. No, I mean, I always from the start thought that there was something more to that memory that 11 has of the massacre. Of course. Yeah, I'm like, there's some reason why she didn't massacre these kids or they maybe had it coming or something. But moreover, I was like, I don't think she killed any of these kids. And so... You really thought she didn't kill any of them?

I thought something else might have, like, propelled her. Well, the fun thing to me is that my initial thought was that was, I don't think she did it. I think there's something beyond that mirror that holds the context. But then what I appreciate is they got me from there, then into a place of limbo where I was like, well, damn, though, these kids are terrible. And they all seem to be like that. So maybe it is something where she's pushed too far. Like they got me wondering whether she actually did it or not. And then, yeah, I thought it was going to be some type of thematic compliment thing, which they were.

So I don't know if it undercuts that theme of you know, because it seemed like what they were doing was like trauma repeating itself and because she has repressed trauma that she is taking this out on her life as Jane Hopper in school and then she's doing what she did when she was younger, which was like kill the bullies. Yeah, the bullies when really what she's always done is is try to help the, you know, benevolent or the weaker, you know. But fucking Brenner's got to know the truth then, right? He's got some little video too. Yeah. How many times has that dude come back from pretty much being dead? I mean, he's, I'm saying that, like, he, I don't know what he wanted one to, he wanted 11 to remember it this way. Well, yeah, I think he needs, it's, it's interesting because there's so much in both the Vecna perspective and in this Nina perspective that are about, like, walking head on into some kind of guilt or trauma or whatever that might be. And so, yeah, I don't know exactly what the scientific mumbo-jumbo is, but I do get that it's like, yeah, he knows what happened, but it's more about her needing to walk through it to go back and unlock those muscle memories and find her capabilities once more. Yeah. And yeah, I thought they made a really nice dovetail. I think the other thing, too, like, is that early on, I was thinking, okay, a lot of the motifs are similar in that you have the flickering lights and you have all the kids with their limbs twisted and their eyes gout.

So there must be some kind of direct connection, but I never would have guessed that it is one who becomes, you know, who is basically launched into and imbued with just the essence of the upside down and that becomes him, which is a really sinister, like I'm still processing it because in this moment, you know, it's fresh, but at the same time, it feels like a really cool bookend because so much rides on 11 and so much is put on her involvement

in opening up that gate and kind of creating this scenario. And yeah, you do have this sort of equal opposite in Vecna and an antithesis to her. And it makes it a very sort of personal thing between her and the upside down, which there's always been a quality of. Oh, yeah, the upside down's always been after her for a reason. Yeah, and I think this is, at least right now, like I need some time to chew on it. But I think this is a pretty compelling reason, you know, and to go to support the hive mind and just that power of... Yet Vecna's never been after 11. I know.

And that's something, too, that I kept wondering, like, that was my theory. theory frequently was like, oh, maybe he, you know, was there, you know, earlier, you know, and tried to pray on her then. And maybe. Or maybe that's why he's building all the gates because he knows he needs something stronger to take her down since 11 seems to stop it all the time. Also that too. Yeah, possibly for sure. Because, yeah, it makes me wonder like, yeah, why wouldn't he have, you know, tried to pray on her? But maybe it's just that. It's like, I can't pray on her till I am like megazord power. And he's probably, I bet, collecting the kids and putting them on his ritual clock totem thing to do some kind of massive

energy surge or absorption or something, you know. Yeah, yeah. So because, yeah, the mind fler is the one who's ultimately the top talk. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. One is the five-star general. So, yeah, not like the origin of the upside down, but I think definitely sort of a big slingshot in its sentience and malevolence. It is fascinating what they're doing here.

I think what season, it's not complete yet. It doesn't feel complete. Right now, I mean, I rewatched the first three seasons a couple months ago, now, then immediately swinging into this. And this definitely feels like it's, in a lot of ways, it's feeling like this could be the final season when I know it's not. They said they have one more season after Part B is done. But so far, I'd be like.

like this is probably my second favorite season thus far like i think cinematic wise it is the best by a long shot um just like season one story is just it's just a perfect tale like it's a perfect that that is just perfect it's just the right size it's the right size and it's the and like the the the way they flesh out all the characters you know whereas here you know it's like i i I have to wait and see what part B is like, and then I might declare this my favorite season. But right now, I'm like, oh, it's already definitely taking the cake for spot number two. Yeah, it's got aspects of my favorite season for sure.

And I'm curious to see how they stick the season four landing because it's paced interestingly in the way that they've released this. And I've seen a lot of people online echoing the sentiment of like, guys, go to a weekly model, especially if you're going to do these feature-length episodes so that we can really gather around them. And it's interesting to watch as they've split it up because this right here and now doesn't feel like it's complete, which is fine. That's what a mid-season finale is supposed to be. And I get why they broke it up here because you do get such a huge bit of context and a big revelation, and now we get to stew on that.

But it is sort of interesting that we have just two more installations long though they may be. And I wonder how that's going to feel as a wrap-up. And I appreciate them giving us the space. But yeah, I'm very curious to know how this is going to feel. as a complete season once it's done, but at least right now, there are, like I said, aspects of the filmmaking and of the themes and of the tone that are some of my favorites. I mean, you can look thus far at the season overall and say, yeah, I mean, you know, like Jonathan and Mike and Will and Argyle, like they just kind of trailed off right now.

We'll see them again. But, you know, like, that's, there are things that are maybe a little less refined here and there. But what is refined is so good. Like, this could be my favorite, especially as, like, this, this could be my favorite, especially as, like a fan of horror and a fan of just when they're able to balance out more character meet with all that you see here. And I think that also the plotting has been pretty satisfying as far as I'm concerned. What was the thing that I was trying to figure out was, are they implying that there is

some type of deeper connection genetic-wise with one and 11? That's what I was trying to figure out. Because they were saying like Brenner wanted more sort of labeling. So are they some type of, are they given powers? Are they genetically cloned? Are they, what are they? They do refer to them as brothers and sisters. But I thought it was more of like an umbrella academy thing or just a title thing.

Actually, more than an umbrella academy. Professor X. Yeah. Yeah. Or is it just a title thing of, you know, you have, like they're the ones of powers. So we call them brothers and sisters because he didn't seem attached to any of them. No, not at all. I mean, he didn't care about his own family either.

Yeah. I mean, yeah, he's got that sociopathic detachment. But I don't... Why did Vecna show Nancy every... Is it just for us, too? I think it's just for us. Just a title. Yeah, I guess so.

It's like she... I mean, I... It's a good thing you're showing in this, well, we're going back to this storyline. Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. And that's one... There are aspects that I want to go back and watch again for the clarity's sake.

Right. Because, yeah, I mean, I believe it thematically because she is the investigator. and she's the one who, you know, goes and gets in and talks to Creel, et cetera, et cetera. So, like, there are dramatic reasons I appreciate it. And at the time it was happening, I sort of took it as, okay, she's, because she's stumbled upon his, you know, layer, right? She there, yeah, yeah, yeah, the spot where, yeah, yeah, because they said, like, Max, they didn't, Max didn't want to, she didn't want Max to see that spot either, or Max implied that, yeah. So she's back in his, like, layer or whatever.

So I almost wonder if, like, because he's a little more, like, disconcerted when people show up there, if it was like she's kind of peering in on or given a channel to something that he's probably not even aware yet that she's seeing. And maybe that's how he becomes aware enough to be like, oh, you're next on my list for, you know, trauma camp for recruitment. But I would have to go back yet and check because it is convenient to see all that. But, I mean, I still like that. That was just a great twist. So, yeah, I mean, we got that cover. and who is this guy he's the guy I don't I know I've seen him in other stuff I know he was in like

immortal instruments or whatever and other things but I most associate he doesn't look American he's British yeah he sings Joanna I feel you he's the young sailor yeah sweetie Todd yeah

I think that's him yeah the young sailor guy who yeah who's in love with Joanna that's that's my biggest association with you know all he seems far from American I know he's He's got like, he's got the accent down, but at the same time, I'm like, you, you seem like a British actor is really good to keep in this accent. He's got, uh, he's got Bill Scarsguard thing on. Yeah, totally, absolutely done.

Um, I, yeah, I thought he was great because it always came across like a little creepy, but the show had me sold that he was nothing more than some disturbed orderly. Yeah, exactly. After a while, even though you initially guessed that, as most of us probably did. Yeah. You're probably number one. Um, the show kept going for a while where I was like, no, I guess he is just a guy. Yeah, sure, why not? Just a guy who has a lot of compassion. And I think that's a benefit of the longer sort of storytelling is you can mislead really well.

Yeah, and you can suggest things without being obvious about it, you know. That was pretty obvious. Without being overly, without the kind of obviousness that comes with being confined to 42 minutes alone. Well, I think it was cool how they also were able to visually realize a lot of things. Of, you know, like, what with the, with the gates. when they go through the upside down. Oh, I love that. The way they'd mess with perspective, the physics of it all.

Like, I was like, I don't, I'm not really wrapping my head around how this works until they, like, go through it. And I'm like, okay, now it makes sense. I was like, it does look fun. Yeah. It does look at, like, it's a very cathartic thing to watch because you can feel it. Yeah. And then you see the flip side, like, how it must have been for Will when he was in the upside down. And they advance their technology or communication skills about how to communicate through the lives I thought was really smart.

That was very revelatory. that brought it back like a lot of this has felt like it ties in the season one more than the others and uh and the way i mean more than the others they've always tied in the season but uh ties back into yeah that's why i mean my how it feels like a final season because it seems like they're like really going full circle in this one season but when they get to uh when they are in the upside down i like i thought that the flip of it was neat because before it was like preteens now it's the teens even though they are teenagers now the young ones but before they were preteens now they're teens and they're teens but before they were preteens now they're teens going around through the upside down and then watching like Eddie and Steve and how they have this weird kind of bond over the fact that they have Dustin. They're both Dustin's big brother. And they both

like want to be that guy. Yeah. I love them. And I love that they got like little moments like that. Hey, Steve got his wish this episode to finally be paired up with different people throughout. But yeah. The Nancy thing is a little unexpected. Nancy and Jonathan.

I feel like after that like there was something so refreshing in the first couple of seasons about the way that things play out between Steve and Nancy and her getting with Jonathan and Steve kind of having to grow up and shed some of his more you know asshole tendencies like I thought that was all really interesting and now it it is one aspect I can see how and I'll wait to see how they paid off I could see how that might be sweeping and lovely for them to be like no it was you all along but it does feel to me at the moment like they need something or for the personal lives of these characters. We need some type of romance. We always need to put Nancy in some type of romance. And then Steve's always got to be looking for love. And I feel like those are the two main things we've given those characters beyond Steve

always having a new job and Nancy trying to be a reporter. And so, you know, I guess we have to mix up their romantic tension again. And I don't know. It's one of those things where I'm like, it could happen. And there are aspects of them getting back together that would be cathartic. But I'm not like, oh, it's got to be. Like, there's no other way, except for Steve and Nancy.

Well, doesn't even feel like conflicting because you forget about, like, oh, yeah, Jonathan or her. Yeah, Jonathan's... The show doesn't even have, like, a one scene with them talking on the phone. I know. They've made things of their, you know, like, distance from each other. It's like, the show wants you to, like, not care about them. It's kind of... Even though in real life, they are a couple.

They really are? Charlie Heaton and Natalie Natalia... Natalia. Dyer? Yeah, yeah. Wow. Cool. Good for them.

Yeah. I mean, good for them. I would love to see some of that coming to this. Well, I think ever since Charlie Heiden's instances, I think that's really, I think it's the timeline of the way things have worked out with his character and the show seem to line up. Yes. With his legal woes. No, they definitely do. I'm rooting for payoff, but.

So am I. And so I like that. And then, of course, you know, Hopper and Russia, I thought the way, I thought they actually managed to make Murray an actual. badass well and i think that works mainly because you've seen it go the classic rote trope way so many times of like i'm a black belt and and they even bother to bring up like i've never fought a real fight and it's a very uh uh satisfying subversion and his grip on russian you know well and also like hoppers you know um this this mournful state that he's in and pitiful state more than that it's just a really disparate state that he's in to the point where he just feels, like, cursed and then

hopeful, and then to have his prayers answered with his angelic savior. Yeah. I thought it was so beautiful in the bill up to the demigorgon fight, because, you know, you knew that was coming. And to, I even think, like, the way they, they, they, they arc the relationship with Enzo and him is good. Yeah. It's really natural the way they did it.

Um, you see how they became, like, actual friends in the end. but the fight was was so because not only they throw out on the horror in the season they make it's so much more violent

it's so much more violent upside down is not fucking around like it's always this show's always been like pretty violent but this season this time I'm like this is like who's really violent gooey gross

is really R-rated there's a lot of stuff that is really like uncomfortable and and the way they utilize the demigorgan that time around was really intense and it was like the coolest because normally the you fight demigorgias it's like super dark and shaded you can't see what the hell's really going on or flickering lights and here they threw down on the VFX to make this imposing

crazy fight in the bright night sky and the snow and it was so cool like it was it was a cool one and also like shockingly violent at times yeah there's like shockingly There was a couple of moments there that I was like I can't believe they just did that. Yeah, it packs that punch because too, it's been a while since we've seen like a straight demigorgian, you know, so that you got that build up and I love how they just

wrung every last ounce of tension out of that, just push into the doorway because you know what's coming and yet they're good at making you like we're sitting there wondering like, what's it going to be all beefed up and hulked out because it's been just sitting here feasting on prisoners all this time but yes. There was a

one of the earliest pieces of footage they ever showed of this season was one with Hopper and a flame thrower. And I'm like, who'd... Oh, it's coming. Do you remember that image at all? Standing in the doorway. Yeah. And it's like he's ready to flame something but doesn't... I'm like, where's that?

When they're going to do their thing blood tests. And their thing, in their next season where they... I mean, that was the thing, when I hear the runtime of the last episode of this season, which is like two and a half hours or something, it makes me go like, why don't you just divide it? That doesn't make sense.

Make it a crisp three episodes. But then I watched this and I go, I don't know. This was like I wouldn't want to cut it. Even though there were a few times where I thought it ended. But I wouldn't have this episode any other way. Yeah, we've gotten to a point where I trust as much as it does from the outside look a bit like, okay, so we're going to wait a month and then we're going to have just these two additional experiences. But I trust the way that they've decided to do this thus far.

Because aside from, yeah, that theory of I think it would actually actually. benefit this show to go week by week what they've given us here does feel like a satisfying chunk to now skew upon as we get ready for the final countdown. You can't go week by week with the way they want to control the runtime.

You can't just one week have a oh, if you're week by week on Netflix though. Oh yeah, yeah, because it wouldn't matter for some reason I was like, you can't just put this on a network television. No, but the thing is that we don't have those concerns. Yeah, yeah. On Netflix you can mess with that though. Yeah, or release some do arcane

and release him like an act at a time or something like i'm glad that they've split it up to some variety but this is more than ever and i feel like the previous seasons of stranger things even have to me i've been more content with them as a binge as a one kind of big unit but this was like most of these are showstop like literally a few maybe one episode to me right now feels like a transitional or like a bunch of play setting or whatever uh and not in a bad way But just like each of these feels like its own piece. I get that it's part of a bigger story. It feels like that, but each one is a piece.

Yeah. And so I feel like you could, you know, space them out that way. But, you know, that's just a little thing. 100 minutes. Where is this? Where's the 50 minute mark of this episode? What are we got? The chess game?

I'm able to do a part one. Part. Maybe just making it full. Yeah. Yeah. Just cut down in 10 minutes. Yeah. Five minutes of footage from this hour and 40 minutes.

mostly all rainbow room stuff but I don't know is there anything we're missing I don't think so really I mean you know

I mean the Nancy being left there I think that's what I mean Barb is often is like the forgotten one other than Nancy is the only one who never forgets

and this there's a reason why so that's another thing I feel like oh they're really another thing it just makes you think their time

does bring back season one a lot you know like the second she was in the pool and boom Barb's wolf yeah

and with yeah so with Barb with having Having to confront that, like, that's something that's always weighed on her and has been a big motivating factor. And that's a meta thing, too. But they know the secret, play the music. Maybe that's when Jonathan comes in.

That's the reason why he's the one, because he would know what song. Yes, they're going to call him in California. What's her favorite song, dude? I mean, they're on their way to Nina. Maybe Elle can beam it in. But, I mean, even that feels like a little bit of a meta nod, because after season one, I remember people being like, Why is there so little mention of what happened to Barb?

Even though they do, but, yeah, like, I thought even that was a nice sort of way of being like, yeah, we're bringing everything full circle. And I thought it made that better because it's like, yeah, like, you are the one who's like kind of kept her memory alive. And yet also this character has kind of been done a disservice by just the circumstances. True. Yeah, I don't know. Like, we'll see. We're two subscribers away from a million. Ooh, dang.

We have to go live right after this. But yeah, I mean, with Nancy, I guess the thing to circle back one more time is like I root for a love story because I feel like each of these seasons has had that element plugged in and maybe that's the one thing that's kind of missing here is everyone's kind of in relationship turmoil and you get that heart swell when Joyce sees Hopper again, which was really lovely. But I feel like, you know, I feel like they're floundering on finding a love story you can root for, whereas I feel like the previous seasons have had that for some. or for a few people at least and so I hope that maybe the music you know when when that happens could maybe because again this season is good at taking whatever I might have been griping about last time and then addressing it the next time so uh you know maybe the music and everything will bring that story into clearer focus but but uh yeah I don't know it makes sense to have Nancy uh be in the clutches so you know for various reasons now yeah

A lot of good ensemble bits, too. A lot of good dust and working shit out. Eric is fully part of the club. That was refreshing. Yeah. We'll see. I mean, we get the next one in a couple weeks. Yeah.

Well, it's not too far. Yeah, we got to check back in with Jonathan and them, and we also got to check back in with, uh, somebody else wasn't in this episode, too. Oh, the kids. We don't need to talk anymore. Evil dies tonight. We got a, we got to set up. All right, guys.

Hey, subscribe. Thank you for watching. Check back in July. The show comes back, and we come back, and thank you. Love you. Bye.