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Seeing this scene right after Joyce’s season 5 panic over Will leaving with Robin completely reframes her overprotectiveness. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that she once believed her son was already gone.
She more or less outright says when she’s talking to Will about Robin outside the barn “she hasn’t seen what I’ve seen”
The dead will, him with an interdimensional tentacle feeding him god knows what, sweating the mind flayer out of him. She’s seen some shit with that boy
Every time I hear Heroes by Peter Gabriel on this show I bloody tear up.
They used it again with Hopper’s note in Season 3 and that scene just trainwrecks me. It’s such an emotive cover. Damn. Really cinematic and it works so well in those big moments.
Then you’ve got Joyce & Jonathan hugging each other and poor Mike needing his Mum. 😭
YES! This scene killed me. I can't even think about it without getting a little misty- but also my son was just a couple years younger than the characters when season 1 first came out, so it made it feel a little more real.
Jonathan got a raw deal for sure. But the big difference isn’t that he had Joyce vs Karen as a mom. Where he got screwed is in having his dad instead of Ted.
It’s the deadbeat dad that creates the problem. People hate on Ted for being boring, but he’s there. He works and provides a stable home for the family. Jonathan doesn’t have that, and his mom has to work full time to keep the kids housed and fed. Give Joyce credit for that! Karen doesn’t have to work or worry about providing - which is why she has time to drink, lounge at the pool, and have the whole thing with Billy. Joyce is on the edge all the time, but it’s not because she’s a bad mom compared to Karen. It’s because Joyce is carrying a load that is too big for anyone to carry successfully.
Lenny also dismisses William disappearance, even Hopper was like "the weird kid dissapeared" ... when Joyce was like "wtf?" at the station.
Its clear the Wheelers are the ones with more economical and social stability... which ended up looking boring to Karen and she ended up , you know ... into Billy .
The Millennium Falcon *was* a rich kid toy. My brother and I had plenty of toys growing up, but that was one we wanted that our parents simply could not afford. My mom was a public school teacher and my dad worked a blue collar job, so not destitute but still not able to afford that.
I agree. The reactions felt real, like what someone IRL would do if their friend or family member was found dead. This element went out the window pretty quickly, like when Joyce and Bob rescued Hop from the tunnel in S2. They cut Hop free, he's catching his breath/throwing up, Joyce is cracking from the the stress like she does, and Hop and Bob are like:
"Hi, Jim."
"Hi, Bob."
What a weird little moment. Disclaimer, I'm only through S2 so Idk how much weirder these guys get with stuff like that.
I think S1 has a Spielbergian quality to it that the other seasons don't quite reach. They all do a great job of fun 80s adventure, but a bit of the real dramatic heart (that really shines through in this clip - I agree with you that it's a standout) gets somewhat lost.
Some of Sadie Sink's scenes get really close though.
I remember watching this for the first time. The music, the uncertainty, everything was perfect. Scenes like this made S1 the best season - and the simplicity in the shot, but the complexity of the multiple different stories (boys see the body, blame 11 for "lying", Joyce talking to the Christmas lights and the Demogorgon coming through the wall but not really knowing what that was, Jonathan meeting his Mom for a hug.)
The show never reaches this emotional level ever again. Either everyone is spread too thin, or too many things are happening at once, or their pacing is just off, or you can really see them working to manipulate the audience (artificial stakes). This really feels like real people dealing with unreal events and how it's all breaking them.
I watch S1 with my media studies class and the end of this episode gets everyone every damn time. Kids who've never seen the show are shocked that Will is dead.
Yeah at this point I still thought maybe Joyce was just seeing stuff, or that El was actually the demo/controlling it. Which was why she was evasive. I thought maybe she had killed him somehow. Anyways, it was a great moment that made me really invested in the story.
Same this is my favorite scene in the whole show. Also In season 1 Johnathan and Joyce arguing about wills body is so powerful. Great scenes all around.
It shouldn't be this weird to see Joyce and Jonathan hugging. I had to doubletake but wow it feels so nice to see them hug, seeking comfort within each other. It's not fair how Jonathan is neglected even by the writers. I wish we get a impactful scene or at least a sweet scene between Joyce and Jonathan in Volume 2.
i totally get where you're coming from, im rewatching the entire series, before christmas, and i was thinking the same, i think the music choice really amplifies the scene, but also, i feel like theres this weird sense of change in the show, because again at this point you're not sure what's happening, so the lights now make you think he's actually a ghost, and it really just kinda kept your on your toes a bit longer.
And then after that episode it gets strange again, so forth.
It's a great scene, but it has one problem IMHO: it literally shows up as Joyce is fleeing from seeing the actual demagorgon (not just the potential wall intrusion) for the first time. There's zero time for Joyce to even try coping with the batshit insane confrontation she just had. Jonathan tries to console Joyce over the discovery of the body but Joyce is still running on adrenaline from near death. The next episode jumping in w/Hopper and his team examining the house feels jarring alongside the scene.
If I have a single complaint about S1's pacing/execution, it's putting Joyce in both situations at the same time. There's no break for Joyce which means no break for the audience. It's hard to focus on the emotional weight of either event.
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Seeing this scene right after Joyce’s season 5 panic over Will leaving with Robin completely reframes her overprotectiveness. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that she once believed her son was already gone.
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Thank you both for the spoiler covers. Currently on my first REwatch and I just hit season 4 on my way to see the new stuff
I feel like people should still be using the spoiler covers at least until Vol. 2 drops. The show just came out two weeks ago.
I know, I just get that sometimes people don't think of it or they forget the covers so I appreciate you guys making the effort
<3
She more or less outright says when she’s talking to Will about Robin outside the barn “she hasn’t seen what I’ve seen”
The dead will, him with an interdimensional tentacle feeding him god knows what, sweating the mind flayer out of him. She’s seen some shit with that boy
Agreed. And I haven't seen Season 1 in at least a few years. This scene brings it back more than that line in the scene of Season 5. At least for me.
Right of course I was just chiming in because I like talking about the show right now lol
Every time I hear Heroes by Peter Gabriel on this show I bloody tear up.
They used it again with Hopper’s note in Season 3 and that scene just trainwrecks me. It’s such an emotive cover. Damn. Really cinematic and it works so well in those big moments.
Then you’ve got Joyce & Jonathan hugging each other and poor Mike needing his Mum. 😭
Between Heroes and When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die - immediate lump in the throat and teary eyes.
yeah, it SO COOL i completely bypass the Peter Gabriel recording is from the 2000s, but is mostly orchestral so it doesn't sound "modern".
I bloody love it. And I love Peter Gabriel and Bowie 🥰
Me too! I had no idea it was from the 2000s. It’s lovely.
Same. I remembered it specifically from hoppers note and my god it wrecks me
YES! This scene killed me. I can't even think about it without getting a little misty- but also my son was just a couple years younger than the characters when season 1 first came out, so it made it feel a little more real.
It was a pretty scary fakeout death
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first 4 episodes of S1 + the S1 finale are the 5 best episodes of the show
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They delivered something really special on S1.
Let's remember they didn't know if they would get renewed... So everything went there. It was perfect.
Karen grabbing Mike the instant he hesitantly reached out for a hug was an incredibly beautiful moment. She really is a great mother.
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Jonathan got a raw deal for sure. But the big difference isn’t that he had Joyce vs Karen as a mom. Where he got screwed is in having his dad instead of Ted.
It’s the deadbeat dad that creates the problem. People hate on Ted for being boring, but he’s there. He works and provides a stable home for the family. Jonathan doesn’t have that, and his mom has to work full time to keep the kids housed and fed. Give Joyce credit for that! Karen doesn’t have to work or worry about providing - which is why she has time to drink, lounge at the pool, and have the whole thing with Billy. Joyce is on the edge all the time, but it’s not because she’s a bad mom compared to Karen. It’s because Joyce is carrying a load that is too big for anyone to carry successfully.
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Lenny also dismisses William disappearance, even Hopper was like "the weird kid dissapeared" ... when Joyce was like "wtf?" at the station.
Its clear the Wheelers are the ones with more economical and social stability... which ended up looking boring to Karen and she ended up , you know ... into Billy .
It's not like Joyce is evil, she's just poor. 😭
Also, the Wheelers are definitely NOT POOR.
The whole room where 11 hides on the 1st season is basically a playroom, a warm, well lit and ventilated playroom with furniture and toys....
🥳 That's more than all the toys at the Byers...
also, Mike has the Death star toy.... rich kid if you ask me 😅
The Millennium Falcon *was* a rich kid toy. My brother and I had plenty of toys growing up, but that was one we wanted that our parents simply could not afford. My mom was a public school teacher and my dad worked a blue collar job, so not destitute but still not able to afford that.
Can't disagree. Would love a scene where Joyce is forced to confront her lack of motherly instincts towards Jonathan.
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Seems like sadly.
Karen doesnt have to work 🥹.
Joyce has to work and has an idiot ex. And she's already the anxious type.
.
They did this well for sure. I remember the first time watching it my gf and I were pretty convinced he was dead.
Frr. I teared up a little during my rewatch. 'Heros' playing in the background made this scene even more impactful.
I agree. The reactions felt real, like what someone IRL would do if their friend or family member was found dead. This element went out the window pretty quickly, like when Joyce and Bob rescued Hop from the tunnel in S2. They cut Hop free, he's catching his breath/throwing up, Joyce is cracking from the the stress like she does, and Hop and Bob are like:
"Hi, Jim."
"Hi, Bob."
What a weird little moment. Disclaimer, I'm only through S2 so Idk how much weirder these guys get with stuff like that.
[deleted]
I think S1 has a Spielbergian quality to it that the other seasons don't quite reach. They all do a great job of fun 80s adventure, but a bit of the real dramatic heart (that really shines through in this clip - I agree with you that it's a standout) gets somewhat lost.
Some of Sadie Sink's scenes get really close though.
I remember watching this for the first time. The music, the uncertainty, everything was perfect. Scenes like this made S1 the best season - and the simplicity in the shot, but the complexity of the multiple different stories (boys see the body, blame 11 for "lying", Joyce talking to the Christmas lights and the Demogorgon coming through the wall but not really knowing what that was, Jonathan meeting his Mom for a hug.)
The show never reaches this emotional level ever again. Either everyone is spread too thin, or too many things are happening at once, or their pacing is just off, or you can really see them working to manipulate the audience (artificial stakes). This really feels like real people dealing with unreal events and how it's all breaking them.
I watch S1 with my media studies class and the end of this episode gets everyone every damn time. Kids who've never seen the show are shocked that Will is dead.
Yeah at this point I still thought maybe Joyce was just seeing stuff, or that El was actually the demo/controlling it. Which was why she was evasive. I thought maybe she had killed him somehow. Anyways, it was a great moment that made me really invested in the story.
Even on rewatch it’s an absolute gut punch. The scene basically conveys what’s it’s like to lose someone as a kid. Saddest scene of the show, IMO
I remember how shocked I was when I got to know that Will "died", I needed 5 minutes to process it all. What a show Duffer Brothers, hats off.
Yeah....Season 1 really is the best huh . I bet in 10 years when all the cgi will age...Season 1 will hold up the best and stand the test of time.
It really was lightning in a bottle.
Bro I cry everytime I see this scene. Showing “Wills” body lifelessly get picked it up. And Mike breaking down to his mom
This scene was so sad, even on rewatch
Is this the only instance of a song being on the show that came out after the show is set? This cover of the song came out in 2010
season 1 was a different beast this scene is incredible 😭
Same this is my favorite scene in the whole show. Also In season 1 Johnathan and Joyce arguing about wills body is so powerful. Great scenes all around.
I still have this song on my regular playlist.
The song goes so incredibly hard.
This is one of my favorite moments, too. Just beautifully done
That cover of Heros gets me every time
It shouldn't be this weird to see Joyce and Jonathan hugging. I had to doubletake but wow it feels so nice to see them hug, seeking comfort within each other. It's not fair how Jonathan is neglected even by the writers. I wish we get a impactful scene or at least a sweet scene between Joyce and Jonathan in Volume 2.
with Peter Gabriel 's version of David Bowie's Heroes.
Absolute cinema 🚬😀
The music guy/girl really picked the SO RIGHT with that song. Its incredible.
Why this scene is your favorite?
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i totally get where you're coming from, im rewatching the entire series, before christmas, and i was thinking the same, i think the music choice really amplifies the scene, but also, i feel like theres this weird sense of change in the show, because again at this point you're not sure what's happening, so the lights now make you think he's actually a ghost, and it really just kinda kept your on your toes a bit longer.
And then after that episode it gets strange again, so forth.
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Yep 100% this scene and then the max running up that hill scene are two of my favourite scenes from television, to this date.
Yeah, also up to that point it seemed to all the other characters (including her eldest son) that she had gone mad.
I love when she's telling Jonathan she won't go to the funeral 🤣.
Hopper opening that doll 🥳 it's an exquisite scene.
possibly my favorite cut of all time.
I knew the song from this scene before I unmuted it. Such a powerful moment.
It's a great scene, but it has one problem IMHO: it literally shows up as Joyce is fleeing from seeing the actual demagorgon (not just the potential wall intrusion) for the first time. There's zero time for Joyce to even try coping with the batshit insane confrontation she just had. Jonathan tries to console Joyce over the discovery of the body but Joyce is still running on adrenaline from near death. The next episode jumping in w/Hopper and his team examining the house feels jarring alongside the scene.
If I have a single complaint about S1's pacing/execution, it's putting Joyce in both situations at the same time. There's no break for Joyce which means no break for the audience. It's hard to focus on the emotional weight of either event.