Stranger Things Episode 3 Review – “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly”

Stranger Things Episode 3 “Chapter Three: Holly Jolly”
Written by Jessica Mecklenburg
Directed by Shawn Levy
Premiered July 15, 2016 on Netflix

For an episode that essentially takes 40 minutes to get to two characters saying “something happened”, “Chapter Three: Holly Jolly” is a remarkably strong, dense episode of Stranger Things, filling in the broad strokes of Eleven’s background and her twisted relationship with Dr. Brenner, while also slowly starting to tease out the connections between El and where Will is currently “hiding”; there’s crushed coke cans, monsters breaking through wallpaper, and a lot of subtle tension as Hopper and Nancy dig further into the disappearances of Will and Barb, and the darkness within (and underneath) Hawkins breaking its way through the surface.

There’s an incredible sense of tone and pace to “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly”, which follows a lot of characters as they try to process the losses, both physical and perceived, in their lives. Nancy, of course, feels insecure after losing her virginity to the popular kid – and because her best friend went missing in the process (into a place that is much goopier, tentacled, and monster-filled then ours, a fact Nancy’s still unaware of). She’s trying to hold it together, at least: Joyce, on the other hand, appears to have gone off the deep end, convinced she is communicating with Will through the lights in her house, stringing up Christmas lights and talking to clumps of tangled bulbs – which Jonathan tolerates, but Karen certainly seems a little freaked out about when she brings over a casserole (and almost inadvertently leads Holly right to the monster trying to escape).

Their stories – alongside Hopper’s quickly-twisting investigation and the group’s attempt to gather resources and go find Will – intertwine and overlap with mastery in Jessica Mecklenburg’s script, which uses its most unsettling moments as accents to a brooding episode where ugliness lies just waiting on the fringes. When it breaks through, be it a monster through Joyce’s wall, or Steve’s true nature revealing itself when he breaks Jonathan’s camera after discovering the pictures he took during “Chapter Two: The Weird on Maple Street”.

In doing so, it allows the episode to slowly and deliberately build to its third act, where Joyce connects with Will (he tells her he’s “right there” via an intelligently-designed array of letters and Christmas lights), Hopper learns of a woman named Terry Ives connected to MKUltra and Dr. Brenner, and Nancy discovers Barb’s car, still untouched, after not seeing her in school all day. Though seemingly isolated bits of story, “Chapter 3: Holly Jolly” pulls them together through these allusions to anxiety and loss, tied together by a group of characters – Joyce, Hopper, Mike, and Nancy – looking for answers, and unwilling to accept what they initially find.

Underneath all of that, Stranger Things is slowly starting to build out its larger science fiction story; through Eleven’s flashbacks and Hopper’s brief trip to Hawkins Lab, we learn of a giant rift that’s formed under Hawkins (which has a wetness to it similar to where Barb met her end in the episode’s cold open) and a doctor interested in it – one with an incredibly manipulative relationship to a naive young girl powerful enough to snap a full grown man’s neck using only her mind. Between that and a monster breaking through the proverbial (and physical) wall into Hawkins, “Chapter 3: Holly, Jolly” is already an incredibly busy episode – and yet it is able to layer an impressive amount of worldbuilding groundwork underneath it all (the kind of episode that begs why later seasons needed much longer running times to arguably accomplish less emotionally or dramatically… a discussion for another day, perhaps), grounding both setting and character with nuance and confidence.

“Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly” is more of an episode in between larger plot beats of the first season, but there’s no denying the episode’s absolute mastery of its story and characters – that is, until the final two minutes, when it tries to pull off a random plot twist in rather unconvincing fashion. After the episode’s investigations all begin to coalesce, a body is discovered in the Hawkins lake, which Hopper and others heartbreakingly recognize as Will’s – except the boys are not convinced it was him, even though they’re not completely buying Eleven’s hypothesis that Will is basically hiding somewhere inside his own house.

It’s an interesting plot idea that’s thrown in way too late to make any real impact – even though it forms the basis of the next episode’s story, it still sticks out like a sore thumb how quickly it is introduced and played as an emotional, moving moment even as main characters are already completely undercutting it (and of course, the lack of a closeup shot makes it pretty obvious something false and untoward is underfoot). Bu one abrupt, awkward plot point aside does not ruin an otherwise excellent episode; Stranger Things is displaying a clear ability to deliver strong interpretations of familiar coming of age archetypes and convincing worldbuilding in these first few episodes, building out a remarkable range of interpersonal dynamics, external threats, and inner conflicts into the foundation of its narrative. It makes “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly” sing in its best and quietest moments – and sets quite an effective stage for the five episodes to follow.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

• before pushing Mike to the ground, the local bullies mention that Will “was probably killed by some other queer.” Though it obviously becomes text in later seasons, I forgot just how many different characters alluded to Will’s sexuality in this first season (it’s been three episodes and we’ve had three different characters mention it already).
  
• The juxtaposition of Steve and the Demogorgon in the opening scene is… an interesting choice.
  
• “Space weapons… you know, like Reagan’s Star Wars.”
  
• Steve breaking Jonathan’s camera is such a fascinating moment; Steve isn’t completely in the wrong for confronting him, but breaking his camera is a step too far, one Steve almost seems to acknowledge when he’s done it.
  
• “Incredible.” Dr. Brenner is one twisted fuck.
  
• Eleven can’t use her powers without bleeding from the nose and/or ears. Seems bad!
  
• How Michael responds to his mother never ceases to crack me up. “COMING!”
  
• Chekov’s Wrist Rocket makes its first appearance as Lucas’s chosen weapon of defense.
  
• While I appreciate Lucas as the role of the skeptic, he’s incredibly rude to El and anyone entertaining her presence, a bit of flavor text from this first season I’ve completely forgotten.
  
• Though El’s two flashbacks are great sequences, the strongest moment comes from her looking at the photo collage on Nancy’s wall, realizing the entire childhood she’s been robbed of and will really be truly able to have.
  
• Tommy and Carol are fucking annoying. “The solution of ten plus Y equals blow me.”
  
• Joyce: “Karen – thank you for the casserole, but I need you TO LEAVE.”
  
• Yeah, none of this really looks good for Jonathan, admittedly. Probably didn’t need his camera destroyed, but his defensiveness certainly didn’t help his cause.
  
• Hopper visits the library, has an awkward interaction with another one-night stand (the librarian), and learns of a woman named Terry Ives through microfiche. What a day!
  
• “Will” typing ‘RUN’ out is still a terrifying moment, even knowing it was coming.
  
• The incident that led to Eleven being taken to solitary and subsequently killing two guards (inspiring the first moment “Papa” showed affection to her)? Eleven’s refusal to kill a cat using her mind.
  
• Peter Gabriel’s “Heroes” as our closing song? Sure, why not!