| "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" |
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"Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American supernatural horror-science fiction Stranger Things. It premiered on July 15, 2016, when it was released along with the rest of the first season on the American streaming service Netflix. "The Flea and the Acrobat" was written by Alison Tatlock and directed by series creator and co-producers The Duffer Brothers.
Set in '80s, it is highly-influenced by its culture and features uncanny resemblances from 1980s film industry.[1][2] The series is inspired and aesthetically informed by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George Lucas, among others.[3][4]
Will's father Lonnie Byers (Ross Partridge), comes to town and convinces Joyce (Winona Ryder) that she has imagined everything since Will's disappearance. Later, she discovers he is only interested in suing the company responsible for managing the quarry where Will's body was found, and she demands him to leave.
After Will's funeral, the boys ask Mr. Clarke (Randall P. Havens) about dimensions: He says that inter-dimensional travel is presently impossible for humans due to energy beyond threshold, but a [[|space-time continuum|space-time tear]] could create a gate for passage. Returning to Mike's (Finn Wolfhard) basement, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) reveals to Mike and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) that if the gate was created it would disrupt the electromagnetic field, throwing off compasses, and that by following their compasses they should be able to find the gate.
During the search, Eleven remembers being weighed down in a sensory deprivation tank to relay information from a Russian spy, but while under she comes across the creature. Scared of finding the gate, Eleven directs the compasses away from the laboratory. When Lucas notices the distortion, he confronts her. Mike defends her, and a fight ensues between Mike and Lucas. Seeing this, Eleven telekinetically flings Lucas off Mike, but Lucas is knocked unconscious as a result. He recovers and runs away.
After looking at Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) photo which shows Barb (Shannon Purser), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) realizes the Monster is also present in the photo. She is convinced that the monster is responsible for Barb's disappearance. Nancy and Jonathan decide to search for the creature on their own, using the Byers house, Steve's (Joe Keery) house and where they found Will's bike, to triangulate the creature's position.
While searching, Nancy and Jonathan find a wounded deer. As they are about to perform a mercy kill on it, the creature drags it away. Upon following the trail of blood, Nancy comes across the flesh-like substance from the portal in the base of a tree. She is able to crawl through to the other side and after entering, she sees the creature feasting upon the deer. She tries to flee but steps on a root, alerting the creature to her presence. The creature gives chase. Hearing her screams, Jonathan looks for her as the hole starts to close.
The Duffer Brothers return to direct after taking a gap from two episodes and was written by Alison Tatlock. It was co-produced by Duffer's along with Dan Cohen and Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment.
Episode along the entire Stranger Things season was released on July 15, 2016 on Netflix as a part of its original programming.[5][6]
According to Symphony Advanced Media, within the first 35 days of release, Stranger Things averaged around 14.07 million adults between the ages 18–49. This made it the third most-watched season of Netflix original content behind the first season of Fuller House and season four of Orange Is the New Black.[7]
In a lauded review of San Francisco Chronicle, Dave Wiegand wrote, "Stranger Things reminds us of a time marked by a kind of no-strings escapism. And as it does so, we find ourselves yearning for it because the Duffers have made it so irresistibly appealing. There may be other equally great shows to watch this summer, but I guarantee you won’t have more fun watching any of them than you will watching Stranger Things."[8] Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club also reviewed it positively saying, "Balancing style and substance is always challenging for a series like Stranger Things, but the show is perfectly calibrated. It feels like watching a show produced during the era in which it’s set, but with the craft of today’s prestige television."[9] Reviewing for HitFix, Alan Sepinwall said, "Over the course of the eight hours, the story and characters take on enough life of their own so that the references don't feel self-indulgent, and so that the series can be appreciated even if you don't know the plot of E.T. or the title font of Stephen King's early novels (a huge influence on the show's own opening credits) by heart."[10]
Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker also applauded the series and said, "This is astoundingly efficient storytelling, eight hours that pass in a blink, with even minor characters getting sharp dialogue, dark humor, or moments of pathos."[11] Television critic Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times said, "For the most part, and in absolute defiance of the odds, Stranger Things honors its source material in the best way possible: By telling a sweet 'n' scary story in which monsters are real but so are the transformative powers of love and fealty."[12] The Wall Street Journal's Brian Kelly said, "Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, brothers and the show’s creators, have done their homework when it comes to ’80s cinema. Whether you’re a fan of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” or “The Goonies” is more your speed, there’s plenty to like in Stranger Things."[13]
