Wow! Now that's what I'm talking about. After a little too much setup, we now have my favorite episode of the new season. It is called "The Turnbow Trap". After you watch, you'll see why.
This is the blend of funny banter, suspense, and action that I had been looking forward to. I hope this isn't too much of a spoiler but the episode centers around our gang of goofballs trying to trap a Demogorgon. Why are they more qualified than the US military to do this? Who knows? But damn it is fun!
Once again, the decision to chop these mega episodes into hour long chunks is rewarded. The show starts in a perfect spot with Hopper and Eleven navigating the upside down. I won't say too much but let's just say you can expect a ton of action even before they roll the opening.
If you were missing Lucas' little sister Erica, don't worry. She is back and somehow has an even bigger attitude... and mouth. She isn't the only returning character but you'll just have to watch to see who that is.
This episode had a perfect blend of setting up a heist (or kidnapping) and action. I love movies that walk you through an intricate plan and then show just how wrong that plan goes. But this time it is with characters I have grown to love (mostly) over the past 9 years.
What still holds true is that the humor is my favorite part of the show, and this episode has plenty of it in-between the suspense and action. I realize many of the jokes border on cringe-worthy but that is part of the charm for me. The show reminds me of the 80s movies that I watched that were aimed at 12 year olds. Looking back, those jokes were pretty bad. So even the bad jokes in Stranger Things make me smile out of nostalgia.
Without spoiling too much, suffice it to say that you will get to see Steve and Dustin rekindle their annoyance filled father/son, brother/brother relationship. We also get the sassy Erica returning to scorch everyone and everything around her. And we are blessed with some new teamups that lead to some amusing dialogue.
Its hard to explain without spoilers, but this was the best episode yet. It was exciting, a bit scary and induced a bunch of chuckles from me and my family. If you were a little worried that the show had lost its mojo and was going a little too slow, this episode should solve that problem. I can't wait for episode four!
