| "Chapter Six: The Monster" |
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"Chapter Six: The Monster" is the sixth 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 Jessie Nickson-Lopez 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]
Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is able to follow Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) voice and escape the "Upside Down" to get back to the real world. The two go back to Nancy's house, while Jonathan sleep in her bed to comfort her as she is scared of the monster. However, Steve (Joe Keery) arrives and sees them sleeping together through Nancy's bedroom window.
Later, Hopper (David Harbour) describes seeing a child's bed in the Hawkins Laboratory and a drawing on the wall, which he thinks its of Will's but then later realizes its Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) bed and not Will's, because Will was a great artist and the drawing was nothing but stick figures. Hopper thinks to himself he may have found another missing kid while searching for Will.
Meanwhile, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) apologizes to Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) at the urging of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Kids are unknown about the whereabouts of Eleven after the incident, however she is still in woods where she slept on the ground. In a flashback, Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) is seen telling Eleven that she is going to make contact with the Monster and that she doesn't need to be afraid because Monster can't hurt her. In real time, Eleven goes into a grocery store and steals boxes of Eggo waffles. Eleven uses her powers to break the sliding glass doors, which leaves a trail for Dustin and Mike to follow in hopes of tracking her down.
Elsewhere, Hopper and Joyce (Winona Ryder) try to track down Will, which leads them to a woman named Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins). Hopper and Joyce realizes that Terry is in a catatonic state. Terry's sister explains them that Terry was a subject in Dr. Brenner's testing and would take LSD and get in a sensory deprivation tank to "expand the mind". Terry didn't know it, but she was pregnant at the time and was told she had a miscarriage in her third trimester. Terry believes her daughter will come back and have special abilities.
Jonathan and Nancy purchase weapons for Monster hunting, before they can go back into the woods. In an alley, Steve confronts Jonathan and Nancy about them two sleeping together. Nancy tries to explain it isn't what it looked like, but Steve doesn't listen. Jonathan and Steve get into a fist fight, leading to the cops appearing and arresting Jonathan.
While trying to find the gate to the "Upside-Down", Lucas rides his bike and finds that true north lies within Hawkins Laboratory. Before Lucas is able to tell Mike and Dustin what he found, the two boys are cornered on a cliff by Troy (Peyton Wich) and his friend. Troy taunts Dustin with a switchblade and threatens Mike that he will cut Dustin's remaining teeth if Mike doesn't jump into the lake.
In a flashback, Eleven succeeds in making contact with the monster. She touches the Monster's back, but the Monster turns around as Eleven screams for her life. Back in the present, Mike jumps of the cliff into the lake. Suddenly, he freezes in mid-air and levitates back to safety. Eleven appears on the road and uses her powers to break Troy's arm before he can cut Dustin's teeth. As the bullies run away, Eleven apologizes to Mike for opening the gate to the Upside-Down. Eleven says she is the monster, but Mike comforts her, saying she isn't the monster because she saved him.
It was directed by The Duffer Brothers and written by Jessie Nickson-Lopez. 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]
