The Stranger Things Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Hey there, Strangers! Many of you have sent us written or audio feedback during this very long off season, and we're back to share your thoughts with the community. We tried to keep things a little extra casual in this episode as we go through all of the feedback submissions, and we also give a few podcast updates along the way. We kick things off with some news items about Millie's wedding and latest movie project, as well as some news about Finn's upcoming SNL movie project.

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Eddie Munson wore a jacket all season that shared his love for the rock legend, DIO.  The music of Ronnie James Dio not only inspired and influenced the fictional character of Eddie Munson, it also inspired and influenced the lives of many in the 70s, 80's, and even today.  Although Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010, his legacy and memory live on through his music, fans, friends, and family.

Fully authorized by Dio's estate and executive produced by his widow, Wendy Dio, the documentary, "DIO: Dreamers Never Die" comes to theaters worldwide for TWO DAYS only on Wednesday, September 28 and Sunday, October 2. Click to find a theatre near you.

The film delves deep into Dio's incredible rise from a '50's doo-wop crooner to his early rock days in Elf and Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, and finally cementing his rock star status with his own band, DIO.

In this exclusive interview with Wendy Dio and the film's directors, Don Argott and Demian Fenton, Darrell and Jason talk with them about  Dio's role in Stranger Things 4, the influence of Ronnie's music, Dio's charity work, the world of metal music, and more.

Don't miss "DIO: Dreamers Never Die" in theaters for two days only on September 28 and October 2.

Brenner is back! While his return is not really a surprise, the events that unfold in "The Nina Project" with Brenner, Dr. Owens, and Eleven do bring quite a few surprises.  We see the appearance of Peter Ballard the Friendly Orderly, and we can not agree on whether or not he is truly friendly, or truly creepy.  In Hawkins, the exploration of the Creel house has us asking new questions about how many dimensions are at play in this story, and how the gang will find their way to Vecna's lair on their own.

Darrell throws out a few new theories involving 002, Henry Creel, and Peter Ballard, listeners share in some really insightful comments and theories, and we share an opportunity for a special bonus episode we're hoping to pull off at the end of this season.

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Are we the only ones who think "Dear Billy" might just be the best episode of Stranger Things yet?  With Sadie Sink's impeccable performance, this episode has us heaping praise upon praise.  Robert Englund's performance as Victor Creel also stood out and his story gave us chills.  Is his story to be believed?  We have our doubts.

The shootout at the Byers home was one of the most impressive scenes of the series with the one-shot steady cam action, and left us on the edge of our seats.  While Yuri's double cross is one we saw coming, the depth of his double cross is NOT something we foresaw! 

Every story element of "Dear Billy" was excellent!  Nancy and Robin faking their way into Pennhurst was hilarious, and the nods to "The Silence of the Lambs" were excellent.  Capping the episode with Max's flashback memories of the kids and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" were absolute perfection!

We have much to discuss, listeners once again flooded our inbox with incredible insights, and Darrell has put together such a long theory that at least one (hopefully) thing has to be correct!

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We saw major developments on every front in, "The Monster and the Superhero."  El is arrested for assaulting Angela with the skate, but ends up rescued by Dr. Ownens and given the option to return to Hawkins, undergo training to restore her powers, and save everyone.  Murray and Joyce make their way to Alaska.  In Hawkins, Lucas finds himself in a delicate position as he tries to provide a layer of protection between Dustin's group and the basketball bullies.  Robin and Nancy find themselves hunting for clues together, unsure how each of them feel about each other or Steve.  Meanwhile, Steve, Dustin, and Max break into the school to examine student records in Ms. Kelly's office.  While there, Max hears the voice of Vecna, wanders out to the hallway, and sees a grandfather clock embedded into the wall.

This episode gave us a lot to think about and we loved it.  We feel like it not only moved each of the story lines forward in significant ways, but it set up the stories in ways that they can carry momentum throughout the rest of the season.  We're very intrigued and concerned about what will happen with Max, excited that it looks like Lucas has abandoned the basketball boys to rejoin his geeky friends, and intrigued by the thought of Nancy and Steve rekindling their relationship.  We're also quite concerned for El as we wonder whether Dr. Owens trip to California has tipped off the government to her whereabouts, or if her arrest record will tip off the government posse.  Either way, we're quite sure El is in danger! 

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"Vecna's Curse" is now haunting the residents of Hawkins, just as they beginning to heal from the events of season 3. With the news of Chrissy's death spreading around town, the Hawkins kids begin their own investigations as to what happened?  What the culprit Eddie, the leader of The Hellfire Club, or are their worst fears coming to life and something far more sinister is the cause?  Fred becomes the second gruesome victim of Vecna, and his death gives us more clues to how Vecna chooses his prey.

Out in California, El continues spreading her lies in an effort to bamboozle Mike into thinking her life there is great.  Her lies catch up with her though, and she's once again the focus of Angela's bullying.  Mike watches on in horror as El is humiliated in front of the entire skating rink.  El has had enough, and smashes a skate into Angela's face, bringing back memories of the massacre in the Hawkins Lab we saw in "The Hellfire Club."

Season 4 continues to be thrilling and more horrorific than ever before.  We have lots of thoughts, some new theories, and a great time discussing, "Vecna's Curse" in this week's episode.

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"The Hellfire Club" starts season 4 of Stranger Things off with a bang (or should we say, crack)?  With a significantly darker and more horror tone than previous seasons, the group of Hawkins kids are more splintered and dysfunctional than ever before.  Max is facing significant challenges with her family and personal feelings after the death of Billy and breakup of her parent's marriage, El, Will, and Jonathan are trying to adjust to a new town in California, while Lucas, Mike, and Dustin adjust to life in high school which has them pursuing interests that are testing the limits of their friendship. We also meet new characters, Jason, Chrissy, and Eddie, which even after one episode, have each given us reasons to form strong opinions about them.  

This episode looks like it could be the best season yet, and in this episode we break down each of the events from "The Hellfire Club," make new predictions based on what we saw in this episode, and try to work through some of the confusion we have about the various character ages.

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Stranger Things 4 is just a couple of days away, arriving on Netflix on May 27!  Earlier this week we dropped part 1 of our season 4 prep episode, and now we have part 2 for you so that you can be full prepared when Stranger Things 4 arrives.

Check out the MeUndies Stranger Things collection! Save 15% at www.meundies.com/strange

Here in our Season 4 Prep Episode Pt 2, we do a detailed breakdown of episodes 5-8 of Stranger Things 3.  We also share our favorite moments from Stranger Things 3, unanswered questions we have, what we hope to see in Stranger Things 4, and make some season 4 predictions.  We top it all of with some listener feedback!

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The wait is almost over! Stranger Things 4 arrives on May 27, and we are here to help you get ready!  We know it's been a loooong time since Stranger Things 3, so we don't blame you if you've forgotten a thing or two.

Check out the MeUndies Stranger Things collection! Save 15% at www.meundies.com/strange

Here in our Season 4 Prep Episode Pt 1, we cover a few items from seasons 1 and 2 that we think are going to be relevant in season 4.  Then we give a detailed breakdown of episodes 1-4 of Stranger Things 3.  We'll cover the rest of season 3 and share some listener feedback in part 2 which comes our later this week!

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Season 4 of Stranger Things is almost here!  Netflix dropped a new trailer on April 12th, and it is LOADED with all sorts of tasty morsels.  Addi and Darrell break down every single moment of the trailer and share some observations from the trailer that lead to some new theories on what might be in store for season 4. If you don't want to know anything about the upcoming episode, then this episode is not for you and this is your spoiler warning. But if you want to know about the main villain of the season, new characters, and who might be the secret to fighting the big bad of the season, then hit that play button and journey to the upside down with us!

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• Voice feedback: (304) 837-2278