Stranger Things Episode 2

In the second episode of Stranger Things, the directors made a point to emphasize the mental condition of each character, how their mental state affects how they interact with their surroundings, and how their mental state affects how each character interacts with one another.  The first episode, while it was a pilot, surprisingly offered much to the development of each character and the second episode followed much in suit.  While watching, the mental state of four key characters were built upon or explored, these characters include Eleven, Mike, Joyce Byers, and Will’s older brother, Jonathan Byers.  It is interesting to see how the similar events that each character experiences affects them differently.  

Beginning with the interaction between Mike and Eleven and how Eleven’s mental development is explored throughout the second episode, the viewer is able to learn a substantial amount of information about Eleven, which gives clues as to why she behaves the way she does.  First, the almost immediate difference between how Eleven interacts with Mike as opposed to Benny, in the first episode, is significant.  Eleven, seemingly, is much more open to using her words and speaking with Mike, although she and Mike just met.  Additionally, when Mike and Eleven are introducing each other, before Mike goes off to bed, Eleven returns Mike’s “goodnight” by saying goodnight to him.  Continuing, when Mike asks Eleven what danger she is facing, Eleven responds by telling him that there are dangerous people involved.  It is important to recognize that in episode one, Eleven’s interaction with others was extremely limited, and as a result, this communication between Eleven and Mike should be seen as fairly significant.  Lastly, exploring Eleven’s mental psyche, the directors allow the viewer to see inside her mind and memories.  In an attempt to hide Eleven from Mike’s mother, Mike pleads to Eleven and asks her to hide in his closet.  She does so reluctantly, and while Mike is away, Eleven has a severely scarring flashback of her time in the “mental facility”, as the viewer knows it at this point.  She is seen being carried away by two men and then thrown into a enclosed space where the door is quickly shut, trapping her in.  This episode gave the viewer much insight as to who Eleven is by developing her character and sharing her thoughts and how those thoughts affect her interactions.  

Next, exploring the mental interactions and development of Ms. Joyce Byers was a focus of this episode.  From the moment Ms. Byers recognized that her son, Will, was missing she was thrown into an apparent, but very much expected,  downward spiral.  First, while explaining to Sheriff Hopper the mysterious phone call she received the night before, emotion pours out of Ms. Joyce out of fear of what may have happened to her son, Will.  She explains that she distinctly recognized her own son’s breathing through the telephone and also recognized that he was in danger.  At this point, her desperation to find her son is growing quickly, especially going as far as to claim that she can differentiate her own son’s breathing through a telephone.  Next, further delving into her desperation, Ms. Joyce is shown going to the local market that she works at in order to buy a new telephone since her previous one shorted-out.  As she goes to check out the phone, her boss rings her up and asks for payment as expected.  In her haste, Ms. Joyce explains that she has loyally worked at the store for a decade and pleads with her boss that she absolutely needs the phone and a pack of cigarettes.  It is clear to the viewer that Ms. Joyce is facing much mental dissonance as a result of her son’s disappearance and she is beginning to go the length to find any way she can to communicate with him.  

Continuing with Will’s older brother, Jonathan, the viewer is beginning to see how Will’s disappearance affects him and the directors also allow the viewers to see how Jonathan interacted with Will before he went missing.  Early in the episode, Jonathan is seen posting flyers of Will’s missing person posters around the local high-school.  As typical as this seems, it is important to recognize that the first episode depicted Will to be upset about his brother’s disappearance, while this episode shows him taking steps to find him.  Later in the episode, the viewers get to see a flashback of a time before Will went missing.  The shot was of Jonathan and Will listening to music together in their room while their mother argued in the kitchen.  In order to block out the sound of their mother, Jonathan gets up and shuts the door.  This keys the viewer in on the close brother-brother relationship that exists between Jonathan and Will despite Jonathan’s aloof personality when it comes to his peers in high-school.  This episode made it clear that Jonathan only had good intentions when it came to his brother, which can lead viewers to conclude that Will’s disappearance has a distinct effect on Jonathan and his mentality.  

The second episode is crucial in further opening up the characters and exploring who they are.  Eleven, a fairly mysterious child, was explored largely through her mentality and memories.  In contrast from episode one, the viewer may have never learned much more about her obscure past if it was not for how she remembers it.  Ms. Byers, clearly troubled, is seen as slowly descending further into desperation and the actions she takes in future episodes will strongly influence her character for the remainder of the season or until she finds out exactly what happened to Will.  Jonathan, even while struggling with his brother’s disappearance, continues to move forward in his search, which leads to his development as a character.  While the actions and physical appearance of each character is crucial for their development throughout the series, it is important to acknowledge that how they think and remember largely affects their actions and motives.