On Friday, July 12, 2019, I caught Stranger Things 3’s “The Flayed” on Netflix. This installment left off with the Stranger Things kids in the elevator, which was speeding to the bottom of the Starcourt mall. As well, Joyce and Chief Hopper ran into Gregori, a dead ringer for the Terminator of the 80s movies. Further, Hopper takes his friends to meet his crazy, extreme friend Murray Bauman, who is a journalist. These are some of the story lines that popped out to me after watching this episode of Stranger Things 3.
Here’s an idea from the 80s which most people forgot: In the 80s, people mostly used actual locks and keys. Maya had to explain what an electronic key and card lock were to the Stranger Things kids, saying, “Yeah, if we had a key card. It’s an electronic lock. Same as the loading dock door. If we don’t have a key card, it won’t operate.” Unlike today, electronic locks with key cards were not the norm in the 80s.
Also, here’s another idea from the 80s: Some people thought police don’t shot people because of policemen rules. Gregori expressed this believe to Chief Hopper, saying, “No! You won’t do that. Because you are a police man. Police men have rules.” However, today, officers used deadly force, which seems to be very common.
That being said, Joyce believes the government shoots people. Hopper makes a comment to Joyce, “Still think it was our government?”
Nevertheless, Joyce is the one who realizes she’s committed a crime with Chief Hopper: Kidnapping.
“The machines at Hess farm where we kidnapped you.”
At this point, Joyce realizes nobody speaks Russian in Indiana. Joyce asks: “Is there someone in Indiana that speaks Russian?”
Meantime, the Stranger Things kids come to a conclusion about the Mind Flayer. Will concludes: “We don’t just have to stop Billy. We have to stop the Mind Flayer.” The Mind Flayer is Billy, too.
As if right out of the movie Red Dawn from the 80s, Dustin sends out a distress call to anyone in Hawkins. Dustin screams into his walkie talkie, yelling, “Code red. Anyone copy? This is a code red, I repeat… We are children, and we are trapped in the Starcourt mall. The Red army has infiltrated Hawkins, and if we are found, they will torture and kill us.”
During “The Flayed,” the Stranger Things kids have company while stuck in the elevator under the Starcourt mall. Robin informs her friends, “We got company.” Some Russian laboratory workers are coming to enter the elevator.
Back at Mike’s house, the Stranger Things Kids discusses the power of the Mind Flayer. “She’s flayed. Just like Billy. The Mind Flayer. He flays people. He takes over their mind. Once they do that, they basically become him.” So far, Billy, Heather, Mrs. Driscol, and Tom Holloway have been possessed by the Mind Flayer.
According to Will and Lucas, the Mind Flayer seems to be some collective monster composed of individual parts, which operate like one living, breathing organism. Will states, “If there are two flayers…” Lucas adds, “We have to assume there are more.”
Eleven backs up the fact that Billy is part of the Mind Flayer. Eleven says to her friends, “Heather. Billy was doing something to her. She was scared. She was screaming. Bad screams.”
After watching this episode, it dawned on me, Gregori is the Terminator from the 80s. He’s got the gun, gloves, boots, and jacket, which looks like a leather one. He tracks Hopper, Joyce, and Alexi, as if they were John and Sarah Connor.
When Chief Hopper and Joyce are running from Gregori, Chief Hopper commandeers a private citizen’s car, which maybe legal for police. Hopper explains to the citizen, “All right, hop in. Come on, get in. Hey, you hey. This is a police emergency, all right? I need to commandeer your vehicle. What is your name, sir?” After seeing this scene, I am pretty sure the Fourth Amendment prevents soldiers from commandeering property in the Constitution; that being said, recent law cases support police commanding homes in the event of a tornado, so it might be possible for police to commandeer a citizen’s car, which may also be theft, too.
As well, we learn Dustin is impressed with the construction of the secret Russian laboratory under the Starcourt mall.
“You have to admit. This is a feat of engineering alone. This is impressive.”
However, Steve points out the secret Russian laboratory is violating state safety regulations.
“What are you talking about? It’s a total fire hazard. There is no stairs. There is no exit. There is just an elevator that drops you half way to hell.”
Furthermore, Erica points out some labor practices of the Russians.
“They’re commies. You don’t pay people, they cut corners.”
Not to be out done, Robin chimes in about the Russian comstruction job.
“To be fair to our Russian comrades, I don’t think this tunnel was designed for walking.”
As the Stranger Things kids walk the tunnel, they talk about the stranger green liquid in the cylinder, which the kids found in the elevator. Dustin comments: “It’s got to be much more valuable like Promethium or something.”
Robin comes with a hypothesis about the green liquid: It’s a fuel. Robin states, “It’s what Victor Stone’s dad used to make Cyborg’s bionic and cybernetic components.” Later, it’s comfirmed a fuel when lab workers pour the fluid into a power generator to power the generator.
Elsewhere, Nancy realizes that they need to get to the source of the Mind Flayer to stop it. Nancy says, “There must be a place where all this started, right? The source. If we can find the source, maybe we can stop him.”
Meantime, Joyce, Hopper, and Alexi visit the home of a crazy, gun wielding journalist. Joyce turns to Hopper, saying, “I though you said this guy was a journalist.” Hopper tells Joyce, “Yeah, he was…. A little bit eccentric but completely harmless.” Furthermore, Joyce replies, “He’s not eccentric. He is certifiable.” That beings said, Murray Bauman resembles Alex Jones, the radio talk show host, and far-right conspiracy theorist.
At this point, the journalist goes all conspiracy on Chief Hopper.
“No, no, no, you do not qet to question me. You have dragged an enemy of state into my home as periless as a child drags in shit on his shoe. I will search him as I am satisfied.”
Besides the Mayor and the Russians, honestly, after watching “The Flayed,” I can’t believe other people didn’t know about the Russians in Hawkins. Look at all those new pipes in the underground facility. An Americah contractor must have provided those steal pipes. And what about all the concrete needed to build such an underground facility? An American company had to supply these goods. There must of been a paper trail with more Americans knowing about the Russians in Hawkins.
One other thing I realized during this episode: Eleven’s bleeding nose comes from the movie Scanners. In the movie Scanners, when Cameron and Kim use their telepathic and telekinetic powers, they get bleeding noses. The producers of Stranger Things got the bleeding nose thing from Scanners.
It was this broadcast where Stranger Things made fun of commercials from the 80s. Mike smile at Eleven, asking: “Does your species like M&M’s,” says Dustin. Here, they parody the M&M commercials of the 80s. Perhaps, the producers of the show did it to get sponsorship from M&M.
Here’s another thing about this broadcast: the scene with the chemicals in the kitchen was a statement about the US drug culture in the 80s. This scene suggested crack was being made in the homes of Americans; particularly, kitchens were the laboratories. That being said, the 80s crack epidemic was the opoid epidemic of the 1991, which began with the first wave of three waves.
Notably, it’s this segment, Steve finally becomes a psycho. He beats up a Russian guard in the undergrand laboratory and leaves a bloody mess. Moreover, Dustin congratulates him on winning his first fight.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this episode. Gregori, the Russian enforcer, really was a good terminator. Plus, I like Hopper’s friend, the extreme journalist Murray Bauman. As well, I was wondering what that green flued was in the cylinder. Also, I loved picking out the 80’s references in the episode. “The Flayed” was a pretty good show.