#i actually have not said that (about mike getting max's storyline). i however have answered an ask that said that: in march

[maddy-ferguson]

when i said i don't think mike is getting max's storyline next season i was being very literal just like i was when i said mike isn't getting will's storyline. i meant that regardless of what he's dealing with i don't think mike is gonna be tormented by vecna like max was and i don't think he's gonna be kidnapped by vecna/be revealed to have been possessed by vecna like will was either. which doesn't mean i don't think he can be gay (like will) or have suicidal tendencies (like max)

[natashasfilms]

Chapter Fifteen - An Old Friend

Summary: After fighting monsters from a different dimension the year prior, Aria is soon to find out that this was just the beginning. As she and her friends work together to close the gate to the Upside Down, Aria has to deal with her secret feelings for her best friend.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Original Female Character

Warnings: This story contains mature themes such as sexual content, strong language, violence, mentions of alcohol and drugs, blood, gore, and death.

Note: I imagine Aria Kaul as South Asian but I have decided to let you, the reader, imagine her appearance, hence the reason why I have not given her a face claim. However, her race does not affect the story, whatsoever. You, as the reader, are free to imagine her however you want. If you don’t see her as South Asian, then that’s fine. It won’t affect the storyline.

Series Masterlist

Eleven.

She was back.

Aria’s mouth was slightly agape at seeing the girl that was supposedly gone in front of her.

She saw Mike and Eleven embrace each other, missing one another after not seeing the other for so long. Everyone in the room was in awe of seeing the girl, staring at the two kids.

“I never gave up on you.” Mike told her sadly. “I called you every night. Every night for—“

“353 days.” Eleven finished for him. “I heard.”

Mike was shocked. “Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?”

“Because I wouldn't let her.” Hopper said, stepping forward. Aria understood now. Hopper took care of Eleven to protect her and didn’t tell anyone in case the authorities found her. Hopper walked towards Eleven and hugged her. “The hell is this? Where you been?”

“Where have you been?” Eleven asked him in return, hugging him back.

Mike looked at him angrily. “You've been hiding her.” Mike shoved Hopper, not being able to control his anger. “You've been hiding her this whole time!”

“Hey!” Hopper raised his voice, grabbing Mike. “Let's talk. Alone.” Hopper took Mike into one of the empty rooms and closed the door and Aria could hear Mike screaming at him, angry and hurt that he hid Eleven for the past year.

She turned her head towards Eleven and met eyes, the little girl waving at her. Aria stepped forward and waved back, bringing out her arms to hug her. Eleven quickly wrapped her arms around her waist and squeezed her, happy to see the older girl once again.

“Hey, how’ve you been, El?” Aria asked the girl.

“Good.” The girl answered softly, a small smile prominent on her face. Aria let her go to her friends, knowing they all missed her a lot this past year.

She watched the kids converse with each other and she was glad to see them get along so well already. She noticed Eleven ignored Max when the redhead tried to introduce herself which confused Aria. Maybe she was a little cautious about meeting someone new. Eleven then moved on to hug Joyce and the girl asked if she could see Will. Aria then realized Eleven had never actually met Will before and only communicated with him through her powers.

Joyce took her to Will’s room where he was still unconscious and the others waited in the living room until Joyce brought Eleven to the dining table and showed the message that was written from Will’s tapping.

Everyone gathered behind them, listening to what Eleven was saying. Joyce pointed at the “Close Gate” message to the girl. “You opened this gate before, right?”

“Yes.” Eleven answered, looking at the words.

Joyce took a deep breath. “Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?” Eleven turned her head towards Joyce, thinking about what she said.

Steve tapped Aria’s shoulder, making her turn her head towards him. “So, that’s Eleven?” He whispered only for her to hear. Aria nodded her head.

Once again, everyone gathered around the dining room, coming up with a new plan on how to close the gate. Now that they had Eleven, it would be easier.

“It's not like it was before. It's grown.” Said Hopper. “A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs—“

“Demo-dogs.” Dustin decided to say.

Hopper sighed. “I'm sorry, what?”

“I said, uh, Demo-dogs.” Dustin repeated. “Like Demogorgon and dogs. You put them together, it sounds pretty badass—“

“How is this important right now?” Hopper asked frustratedly.

“It's not. I'm sorry.”

“I can do it.” Eleven said, causing everyone to look at her.

“You're not hearing me.” Hopper told her.

“I'm hearing you. I can do it.” The little girl insisted.

Aria put a hand on her shoulder and spoke up. “Listen, even if El can close it, there’s still another problem.” The group looked at her, waiting for her to finish. “Like the kids said, the brain dies, the body dies.”

“I thought that was the whole point.” Max questioned.

“It is, but if we're really right about this…” Mike cut in. “I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army—“

“Will's a part of that army.” Lucas said, the realization hitting him.

“Closing the gate will kill him.” Said Mike.

Everyone looked at Joyce who was deep in thought. The Byers couldn’t lose Will. Aria couldn’t lose Will. There had to be some other way to get it out of him.

Joyce had an idea and they all followed her to Will’s room. She looked at the open window. “He likes it cold.”

“What?” Hopper said, confused.

“It’s what Will kept saying to me,” Joyce said, looking at Will. “He likes it cold.” She wakes towards the window and closes it, not letting any of the cold air get through. “We keep giving it what it wants.”

Aria glanced at Will’s unconscious form. “If this is a virus and Will’s the host, then…”

“Then we need to make the host uninhabitable,” Jonathan finished for her.

“So if he likes it cold…” Nancy started to say.

“We need to burn it out of him,” said Joyce.

“We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time,” Mike stated.

“Yeah, somewhere far away.” Said Dustin.

Everyone had their parts set, Joyce, Jonathan, and Will were going to Hopper’s cabin to get rid of the Mind Flayer inside of him, while Hopper and Eleven were going back to the lab to close the gate. The rest of the kids, Aria, and Steve, would stay back at the Byers house and wait.

Aria hugged Jonathan, rubbing his back. “Everything will be okay,” she told him. He hugged her back, breathing heavily. “Please be careful.”

“You too.” He said, breaking away from the hug and getting into his car, giving her one last glance. Aria exhaled deeply and noticed Nancy standing, looking at Jonathan.

She tapped her on the shoulder and the shorter girl turned around. “You should go with them, Nance.” Aria said, to which Nancy just looked at her surprised.

“What?” She asked. “No, no, I-I can’t just leave Mike—“

“Nancy.” She cut her off. “I’ve been taking care of these kids for years now, don’t worry. Plus, I have Steve, and believe it or not…” Aria turned her head towards Steve who was talking to Dustin and a smile was on her face. “He’s a pretty good babysitter.”

Nancy noticed the look she gave Steve and her lips turned up. “I’m glad you guys are together now.” She said, Aria’s head turning toward her again. “You’re good for each other.”

Aria smiled at the girl. All of a sudden, she wrapped her arms around Nancy, which shocked her to an extreme, but she hugged her back tightly. “Be careful, Nance,” said Aria, letting go.

Nancy nodded her head and ran to Jonathan’s car, getting in. The girls waved goodbye and Aria crossed her arms, watching Jonathan drive away. Hopper came over to her and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid, kid.”

Aria scoffed. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” She told him, a playful smile on her face. “But, you and Eleven, be careful.”

“We will.” Hopper nodded, hugging her. Aria hugged him back and then eventually let go. She watched Eleven speak to Mike until Hopper called her to get in the car. Eleven waved at the older girl, Aria waving back. She felt the presence of Steve and the kids around her, watching Hopper drive away as well.

This was it. Now they wait.

[sattlersquarry]

Gonna send you another thing I hope you don't mind.

🍹What I want to see in s5 is Steve having an actual arc that isn't solely about his love life. I want him and Dustin to have deep conversations and finally give us a hug. I want Steve and Lucas to bond because they are fundamentally the same person, especially because we got robbed in s4. Kinda wish we get a conversation about popularity and their love for basketball, but realistically that won't happen. Still bitter it wasn't in s4 tho. And I want Steve to show emotions about Max, I need to know what's in his letter. In general I need to see him break down and finally acknowledge the trauma he went through since '83.

What I think we get tho is him still running after Nancy and how they set up s5 he will spend some time proving to Jonathan that he's a changed person because the Duffers can't let him move on and have to remind him he was the worst in high school. I think we'll get a good fight scene, but I don't think he'll die. Finn said every character gets the ending they deserve, and while I don't have high hopes for a meaningful Steve storyline, they will give one to Dustin. And Dustin wouldn't have a happy ending without his brother. There will be a scene where he'll do everything to keep Steve safe so he won't have to repeat the Eddie situation. The Duffers confirmed Dustin will be grieving Eddie, to take away Steve would be too cruel.

As for the general ending I have zero clues other than almost no main character (not sure about El and Jonathan) will die because Stranger Things was never a show where it ends in a massive massacre. I do think the show will be set in an apocalyptic setting and that the monsters from the UD will get to the real world. Kinda wish Nancy's vision comes true because idk why it was included otherwise. But yeah idk about the general ending bc I mostly care about Steve and his closest friends. I do wish he leaves the show with Robin and Dustin, everything else would be unacceptable lol. And lastly the Kas theory is complete bullshit and I hope Eddie stays dead.

I don't mind at all! Send as much as you want!

OOH my thoughts on all this below the cut!!!

I agree that I want Steve to have more of an arc. I'd love if he did find someone special though, but I don't want that to be all he does. He and Dustin definitely need to have a real heart-to-heart, especially now that Dustin's lost Eddie.

Steve and Lucas have so much in common! I think they could be as close as Steve and Dustin honestly. We deserved to see them bond more for sure, and I hope ST5 rectifies that.

WHAT IS IN STEVE'S LETTER?!!?! I want each letter read, but I especially want to know what Max put in his. I feel like we should've seen more of them bonding as well. One thing that really bugged me about Season 4 was Steve complaining about staying behind with the kids while Nancy and Robin went to the asylum. I feel like that's out of character compared to the Season 2 Steve that went so far to protect the kids. However, one could argue that Steve was so adamant to go to the asylum because he's so desperate to get answers for Max, which feels more in character.

The Duffers absolutely are going to try and force Stancy and I'm not happy about it :( Steve has changed sooo much and if Jonathan doesn't realize that at this point, he never will lol.

I also don't think Steve will die. I feel like the Duffers like his character so much. I think they'll tease his death, like how they did at the end of Season 4 Ep 6, but I don't think it'll actually happen. I agree that Dustin's happy ending includes Steve being safe.

I really really hope that no one dies, but that's probably wishful thinking 😅 My theory is that they'll kill off primarily side characters. For example, I think if Murray is in the season, he's going to be killed. I also could see them killing Karen Wheeler or something, if only to motivate Mike and Nancy in the final fight with Vecna.

I'll be furious if El dies—she deserves the happiest of happy endings! Jonathan dying would be so sad but he's been sidelined so much. I hope he gets a real proper storyline in Season 5.

I'm so down to see an apocalypse. I want Hawkins in shambles, as fucked up as that might be lol. I totally could see Nancy's visions coming true, with the monsters killing soldiers and flooding the town. Maybe that'll be the big final battle.

OOOOH I'm actually not even sure how I feel about the Kas theory. On one hand, the Duffers love to reference D&D creatures, so it makes sense to me. However, they follow the rule that if someone dies on screen, they're dead for real. (That's how they could bring Brenner back, because he only ever got attacked off screen.) I guess Eddie coming back as Kas would still follow that formula, because the theory hinges on Eddie dying completely and being resurrected, but I just don't know if the Duffers will go that far, you know? Also the cast is already insanely big, so they might keep him dead.

One thing I think about a lot is how is it even worth it to bring Eddie back? Like, if he comes back as Kas, what sort of happy ending could he even get? Or would they bring him back to just die again? That would suck, so I absolutely hope they don't do that.

[wigwurq]

WIG REVIEW: STRANGER THINGS 3

Stranger Things season 3 is here!!!!! Bust out your 80s nostalgia and demogorgon attitude because I fully don’t remember where we left off but Netflix kind of reminded me in a very extended recap that was definitely too long? Whatever, let’s just discuss the wigs! (AND MUCH MORE).

As with last season (and any season of TV I review) I will be adding each episode to this post and then changing my wig verdict as the season progresses. 

CHAPTER ONE: SUZIE DO YOU COPY?

We begin with two tweens making out and YUCK I really don’t want to live through this! I share this opinion with Sheriff Hopper who has to live through these make out sessions that are scored by 80s soft rock music. Even more insulting: THESE HAIRCUTS. I don’t know at what point these kids are gonna outgrow their bowlcuts but the answer seems to be a resounding: NEVER. Also Elle’s hair has finally grown out! TO THIS?!?!?! What overprocessed curly nightmare is this?! I feel like they were going for a Jennifer Grey situation but if that’s the case, I’ll be needing like 110% more hairspray and like 200% more dancing ability, please.

Anyway, the real news in town is: THERE’S A MALL NOW! It’s called Starcourt which is the most 80s sounding name ever and it is home to SCOOPS AHOY ice cream shoppe where Steve and Uma Thurman/Ethan Hawke’s daughter works. This whole storyline is incredibly Fast Times at Ridgemont High themed but Steve’s hair is still very wonderful. Also he can get all the tweens into the movie theater which is showing Day of the Dead and I get it Stranger Things: YOU ARE MAKING ALL THE 80S MALL REFERENCES. 

Also: Dustin is back from camp! It was a science camp called Camp KNOW where and I am definitely gonna see some assholes in this shirt this summer. Anyway, this storyline was all about Dustin forcing his friends into helping him with a radio tower to talk to his possibly fake girlfriend named Suzie and truly: meh.

Meanwhile: WINONA’S SEASON 3 WIG! I’ve gotta say, this season is the best season of wig for Winona. Sure, it is still very much a mess (as is she after the untimely death of her boyfriend Rudy Reuttiger!) but it’s the best wig she’s had so far so MAZEL!

Elsewhere, the most boring teen couple in America (aka Nancy and Will’s brother whose name I won’t learn) are working at the local newspaper and Nancy’s whole job seems to be fetching hamburgers for an entire room of #MeToo examples. Her hair is business chick 80s which is to say: on brand but I could use about 90% more Working Girl, please. 

And now let’s get to the only storyline I truly cared about: Nancy’s mom Karen Wheeler (aka Carla Buono). Every season, her wig brings the drama and glamour I crave in an 80s-based TV show. The arc of her wig story is truly the story of America - from 70s disco queen to bored early 80s housewife to the wig we see today - 80s mall glamour queen. AND I AM HERE FOR IT. She and the other ladies of the Hawkins Town Pool are unfortunately here for the worst character on this show: BILLY.

UGH BILLY. I will give this show major props for having his entrance to the same music playing when Phoebe Cates gets out of the pool in Fast Times (second Fast Times reference in this episode tho) but it’s a gender reversal I can definitely get behind. HOWEVER BILLY IS THE WORST. Within 2 seconds of his entrance, he fat shames a tweenager and also HAS THE WORST WIG.

Nothing has changed much from last season on this wig front. It is still very much a curly dried out MESS which is very much trying to reference Rob Lowe in St. Elmo’s Fire yet this bish has yet to wail on a saxophone or talk about granny panties so truly: no redeeming qualities here. 

This does not dissuade Carla Buono from falling under the spell of Billy’s terrible wig. To be fair, her husband is a constantly napping Reagan supporter of indeterminate middle age. Anyway, the episode ends with her getting 80s GLAMOUROUS for a latenight rendezvous with Billy at a fleabag hotel. Billy, however, is run off the road by falling/exploding rats (?) and then dragged into a dirty warehouse full of said exploding rats which truly is the fate I wanted for him and his bad rattail so: COSIGN.

CHAPTER TWO: MALL RATS

We begin with Billy in the rat-infested warehouse being very much alive, so already: I’M ANGRY WITH THIS EPISODE. However, Billy and his awful wig have definitely been through the ringer and he’s about to high-tail it out of there when he comes face to face with: HIMSELF?!?! I don’t know what sort of US crossover this is supposed to be...can we get Jordan Peele on the horn about this? Anyway, he drives out of there in his now somehow completely fine car that didn’t work about 5 minutes ago and then stops at the most bizarrely situated telephone booth literally in the middle of nowhere. I thought this might be a Bill & Ted crossover but nope: he just tries to call 911 before all the electricity bails on that plan.

In other telephone news, Mike has been shook to his core by Sheriff Hopper and tells Elle that he can’t see her and makes up some lies about his grandma. Queen on the scene/his mom Karen and her GLAMOROUS PERFECTION WIG are somehow listening in (KAREN!!!!) and she’s concerned about grandma now too. Everyone back at the pool is concerned about Billy/”Billy” (not sure if he’s the real thing or a mole person version or a possessed alien version - probably the latter) and he is straight up RUDE to Karen so definitely: EFF YOU BILLY ALWAYS. There are also a bunch of shots of the back of his nightmare wig that gave me the shivers. Oh, and he fully kidnaps the other lifeguard as a human sacrifice to a demogorgon blob so definitely: EFF YOU BILLY x100000.

This episode also introduced MAYOR CARY ELWES! This is very good casting and this whole storyline seems like an homage to Jaws so: OK! Also Sheriff Hopper asked Winona’s season 3 wig (which is still good!) on a date/nondate which she definitely didn’t attend because she had far more important lessons to learn about magnets and that’s probably the best reason to stand up a dude ever.

Elsewhere, boring couple is investigating some weird rat/fertilizer situation at an old lady’s house and basically I didn’t pay attention to this part because it was boring and it involved exploding rats so: hard pass. Nancy’s hair looked fine. Jonathan’s hair is a mess. The end.

The rest of the episode was devoted to the only kind of rats I like: MALL RATS! Over at Scoops Ahoy, my favorite bromance between Steve and Dustin was rekindled and truly it is a beautiful thing. 

However, Maya Hawke and her language skills (which are romance based, not Russian but whatever!) come into play to translate the Soviet message Dustin intercepted. They somehow translate it (SURE?) and also Maya’s hair is about as 80s as John Travolta’s 70s costumes were in 50s-set Grease. This hair is pure 2019 and you do you Stranger Things. THE DEMOGORGON’S IN THE DETAILS ALWAYS. 

Meanwhile, Mike is BUMMED about having to lie to Elle so he brings Lucas and Will along with him to the mall to...buy something for Elle to erase the lie he told her? The whole time Will kept asking when they could leave and play D&D and the whole time I wanted these boys to not have bowl cuts anymore.

In the most important storyline, Elle teamed up with Max to have a LADIES DAY AT THE MALL AND I WAS HERE FOR IT! Max does not seem like the kind of chick who is into fashion or commercialism but her overriding guidance of finding yourself through consumerism and forsaking any sad feelings about boys is just good TV. Retail therapy is great!

And I’m sorry but there is absolutely no better cinema than an 80s makeover montage to effing MATERIAL GIRL. YES PLEASE.

Elle also used her powers to prank some asshole chicks at the Orange Julius and this whole part of the show felt very Girls Just Want To Have Fun (the movie but I guess also the song) so VERY YES PLEASE.

THEY EVEN TOOK EFFING GLAMOUR SHOTS. CAN YOU EVEN?! THIS IS EVERYTHING! I don’t know who funded this amazing afternoon at the mall since Max’s parents seem like pretty absentee wrong-side-of-the-tracks types and clearly this whole mall fiasco goes against everything Sheriff Hopper stands for but whatever logic: YAY MALL!

In the end, Elle calls out Mike on his lie and DUMPS HIS ASS! GIRL POWER! MALL POWER! ICE CREAM POWER 4EVER!

CHAPTER THREE: THE CASE OF THE MISSING LIFEGUARD

My favorite bromance, Dustin and Steve, are on the hunt for Russians in the mall! This whole plot is ridiculous and wonderful. They think they’re really onto something here (and maybe they are?) and just need to find some guy with blonde hair and a duffle bag (like all Russians!) When they find someone who fits that description, he turns out to be a FABULOUS aerobics instructor and I like what everyone has done here with the gay or European? trope.

Meanwhile, Hopper comes home from being stood up with bottle of Chianti and general sense of hopelessness when everything takes a turn for the GREAT because Elle isn’t making out with Mike - she’s found a great galpal and they’re having a sleepover. Halleluj all over the place! Elle deserves a great galpal and Max is pretty awesome and can ALMOST land an ollie so I say amen. Winona’s season 3 wig (still great!) shows up and explains about magnets and then they go back to the lab and find an actual Russian (not an aerobics instructor!) but then he hightails it out of there with no other explanation other than the fact that he might be the Terminator and/or just a motorcycle enthusiast.

Anyway, Elle and Max have the best sleepover EVER by using Elle’s sensory deprivation skills to spy on the boys and truly this is the What Men Want crossover no one wanted but sure! (PS the answer is Doritos belches and farts UGH BOYS). 

Beyond that, what Will wants is to just play D&D IN THIS GODDAMNED ELEGANT CAPE, OK?! Mike and Lucas go along with it for a bit, but they are just too girl crazy to concentrate on being a nerd for long. Mike yells at Will, “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” which is interesting phraseology since the internet really wants Will to be gay and only time will tell but honey: the cape eleganza story you’re serving is pretty fabulous, just sayin! (THE DEMOGORGON’S IN THE DETAILS ALWAYS). 

Anyway, after some fun sensory deprivation visions of the guys doing stupid stuff, Elle and Max decide to invent a whole spin-the-bottle inspired game to see what other dudes in Hawkins are up to and dammit if the bottle didn’t land on my wig nemesis BILLY. Elle sees that he’s up to some pretty effed up nonsense involving kidnapping that other lifeguard so they decide to investigate IN THE RAIN.

The rest of the episode is mainly devoted to fabulous 80s raincoat fashion and I WAS HERE FOR IT. Beyond these great raincoat lewks, most of the rest of the cast also rocked some fab 80s raincoats (excepting Will who got soaked destroying his childhood fort and Steve who OF COURSE was wearing a members only jacket but jokes on him bc that rain totally dented his ‘do). 

Anyway, Elle and Max go over to the missing lifeguard’s house and OF COURSE her dad is the #1 asshole that boring couple works with (oh also they did more boring investigating which resulted in an old lady eating fertilizer. Meh). But shocker: BILLY AND HIS AWFUL WIG WERE THERE TOO.

LOOK AT THE SIDE OF THIS DAMN WIG. Truly, this wig IS the demogorgon of this season.

Anyway, double shocker: THE LIFEGUARD ALSO WAS THERE! Or I guess a possessed version of her since this plotline is getting less US and more Invasion of the Body Snatchers (no need to return my call anymore, Jordan Peele). Also possession or not, this chick’s side pony and wispy bangs are the true terrors (second only to Billy’s wig). 

Also can we talk about Billy’s mustache for a second? IT IS SO DISGUSTING. That’s all I have to say. I don’t want to look at it any further.  Also look at how dried out this wig is and this whole episode involves torrential rain. I DEMAND MORE WIG HUMIDITY DAMMIT.

Anyway, Max and Elle (smartly) hightail it out of there right before Billy and the lifeguard attack her parents for further demogorgon possessions and we get one last terrifying view of Billy’s wig. HORRIFYING.

CHAPTER FOUR: THE SAUNA TEST

So I’m really liking the whole Elle and Max vibe going along here. I also like that they weren’t dissuaded by the whole Billy being a possessed demogorgon thing to spoil their sleepover. IT CONTINUES! And not only that, Max is literally introducing  WONDER WOMAN TO ELLE. I could watch an entire episode of this also because both of their hair isn’t too offensive and they’ve both discovered scrunchies. Mazel! But of course, the guys call in a code red and they have to hightail it over there to fix everything. Ain’t it always the way, ladies?

I would like to take a moment to talk about bowl cuts. So far, I have just lumped both Will and Mike’s bowl cuts into “awful” territory as all bowl cuts are awful. However, this episode gets a lot of shots of the back of Will’s head (because the back of his neck is always sensing those goddamned demogorgons). Anyway, it became very clear in this episode just how terrible this wig is as opposed to Mike’s terrible bowl cut actual hair. I consulted the internet, and apparently the kid who plays Will CUT HIS HAIR (which he was contractually obligated NOT to do) days before shooting began and the wigmaster had to scramble and make a wig literally out of the childhood cut hair of one of her assistants. READ IT ALL HERE. Despite her hustle, this wig sucks in the way that all man wigs suck: the back taper is just all off!! And with all those closeups of Will’s neck it is VERY DISTRACTING!! Billy officially is not the only one with a terrible man wig this season. But his is still the worst!

It did hide a bit under this sweet NIAGARA FALLS hat this episode. And his oily bohunk body was hidden under this sweatshirt which was a dead giveaway to all the kids that SOMETHING WAS AMISS HERE since Billy can barely keep a shirt on at school let alone the pool. Since Will knows that demogorgons (specifically the mind flayer?) like it CHILL, everyone was all: THIS DUDE IS STRAIGHT UP POSSESSED. Great work, kids! Also honestly, this whole lewk was giving me Weekend At Bernies realness and I was here for it (since it implies that Billy is dead which I would like very much please). 

Meanwhile, Hopper’s anger management issues get PEAK BLOODY when he just beats the shit out of Cary Elwes (who is technically kind of his boss?) in demanding answers about that Terminator/motorcycle enthusiast who beat the shit out of HIM last episode. Oh, and just an FYI: Winona’s season 3 wig was along for the ride and was still looking great! I cannot say the same for Cary Elwes’s face!

Over at Scoops Ahoy, Steve and his superior wigless mane are doing some serious air duct work with the help of Lucas’s precocious sister. This whole plotline begs the question: do any of the parents of Hawkins ever know where their kids are?

Meanwhile, boring couple is on the rocks after having a really boring fight about whether it’s worse to be a woman or poor and they called it a draw I guess? Anyway, I haven’t spent much time talking about Nancy’s hair which is starting to look a little lumpy honestly and the article I read (link above) told me the bizarre fun fact that most of this hair is real and permed (duh) but that part of the undercarriage is remnants from Winona’s season 1 wig which is obviously why it looks so shitty. The more you know!

Anyway, after being fired by the #metoo boss (who is now also demogorgon possessed) for wanting to investigate why that old lady with the fertilizer eating rats is now also eating fertilizer, she turned to her mom - the one and only queen of Hawkins glamour - KAREN WHEELER. LOOK AT THIS GODDAMNED PERFECT LEWK. Mama Karen ended up giving her a very great motivational pep talk that legit made me cry (SERIOUSLY) about how she had to keep fighting and get the world out about this effed up fertilizer situation. She also delivered a sick burn about her constantly napping husband. I LOVE YOU KAREN.

Back at the town pool, all the kids concocted a Home Alone-style booby trap to get Billy into the sauna, crank up the heat, and prove that there is a heat-hating demogorgon inside him. It kind of worked except they also almost died during the battle royale between Billy’s inner demon (literal this time) and Elle. 

Also I know that I demanded wig humidity last time but this is NOT WHAT I MEANT OMG THIS WIG IS A GHOSTMARE. Anyway, Elle saved the day (duh) for now by throwing Billy through a brick wall like he was the Kool-Aid man but seems like he’s forming a demogorgon army of possessed mole people so seems like it’s gonna be one crazy summer, you guys!

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FLAYER

Straight off the bat: this was a weird episode because it included neither my least favorite wigwearer, Billy, nor (SOB) my favorite wig wearer, KAREN WHEELER. So we were left with a bunch of other randos, mainly Soviets. We begin with Winona’s season 3 wig (looking a little rough around the edges in this episode, I am sad to report) and Hopper, fresh off the info he beat out of Mayor Cary Elwes, high tailing it to some farm owned by The Terminator dude. Under his bed, they find a bunker with these two dudes in it. Good morning!

Terminator dude, obvs shows up fairly immediately and lots of yelling, guns, and machismo ensue. In the end, the Terminator is briefly subdued by a fallen bookshelf and Winona’s season 3 wig, Hopper, and one of the rando Soviets escape but not without car troubles because: of course?

After Hopper’s truck explodes, they are all forced to walk through the woods while Winona’s season 3 wig hilariously tries to ask the non-English-speaking Soviet dude about magnets. It’s all pretty silly stuff but I’m here for Winona’s season 3 wig to get some comedic scenes instead of long suffering Christmas light crying scenes.

Anyway, they find a 7-11 where a lot of product placement and caffeine takes place, as well as Hooper yelling a lot for no reason which is essentially his entire character this season. Get some anger management classes, dude! Also the rando Soviet gets a slushie so between that and Billy’s icee last episode: WHAT A TIME FOR FLAVORED ICE WATER!

My absolute favorite part of the episode came next when Hooper commandeered a sweet convertible from this yuppie asshole. I’m not sure how often police commandeer vehicles in real life but I love it when they do it in movies because it’s always taking a car from some pompous idiot who clearly doesn’t deserve to drive (see: Speed, So I Married An Axe Murderer, etc). You can’t get more pompous or idiotic than this yuppie (named Todd, of course?!) with both a popped Polo shirt AND a blazer with zhuzhed sleeves AND white pants. THE NERVE OF THIS GUY FOR EVEN EXISTING! PLEASE TAKE HIS CAR! OMG HIS LICENSE PLATE IS TDFTHR! EVERYTHING IS JUSTIFIED!

Then Hopper, Winona’s season 3 wig, and the rando Soviet drive directly to Murray’s compound in Illinois. I’m bummed we have to suffer through Murray and his existence again since I’ll never forgive him for the gross pull-out couch jokes he made about #boringcouple’s sex romp at his house but here we are. He DOES speak Russian so let’s just get through this translation. Oh and obviously the Terminator dude questioned the 7-11 clerk so he’s probably on his way to Murray’s house now, hopefully to kill him so I don’t have to suffer through any more of his gross sex jokes. 

Meanwhile, the Scoops Ahoy spy crew are still locked in that elevator they took way into the bedrock of earth/logic but somehow manage to escape when some (more!) rando Soviets come to unlock some deliveries. Then they discover the whole Soviet plan to reopen the Upside Down while also not being noticed by one single Soviet (great security, dudes!) except for this one Soviet who Steve beats up (GO STEVE!) I’d also like to say that Steve’s superior wigless mane is truly wonderful in this episode. The lights from the underground labs really bring out his summer highlights and it’s truly a thing of beauty. Uma Thurman’s daughter continues to have a 2019 beach wave blunt instagram cut not welcome in this 80s narrative please but otherwise she’s fine. 

Over with #boringcouple, they got back together I guess? Remember at the end of season 1 when we were all deeply offended that Nancy was still with Steve and NOT Will’s brother (I refuse to believe he has an actual name). How things have changed! If Steve ever took back Nancy, I would be personally DEEPLY OFFENDED so I guess it’s fine she’s just still a #boringcouple but it’s still boring you guys. Even more boring: the actors are a couple in real life and have been for years! I just found this out this week and found it DEEPLY BORING.

Anyway, #boringcouple teams up with the tween gang to solve this whole fertilizer eating mystery and Nancy totally mommed it up when she put her shitty perm back in a banana clip and told all the kids to buckle up so she could drive her parents’ wood-paneled station wagon and honestly this section felt very Adventures in Babysitting so I’ll allow it. Also Will’s bro’s hair always looks like it was cut by a weed wacker and I’m not sure if this is a comment on his socioeconomic plight but truly Winona’s season 3 wig should get her kids better haircuts please. If her wig can improve so can theirs. In any case, at the missing lifeguard’s house, they vaguely put together some blood-related clues and then decide to visit the fertilizer eating grandma in the hospital.

Only fertilizer eating grandma ain’t there, hunties! Also please return all those flowers to their vase, please. Instead, #boringcouple apologized to each other for their boring fight in an elevator and then had to fight two possessed #metoo bros from the newspaper (which was very satisfying) while Elle and Mike basically starred in an M&Ms commercial in the waiting room. I honestly was hoping that #boringcouple would get possessed too but they ended up being ok (SIGH) and the back of Will’s bowl cut wig sensed danger so I guess Elle is just gonna have to fix everything in the next episode or 3. 

CHAPTER SIX: E PLURIBUS UNUM

We begin, UGH, with #boringcouple who are still battling with (part of?) the mind flayer in the hospital and Nancy gets very Sigourney Weaver in Alien and I thought she was about to get flayed but sadly Elle saved her ass. Back at Hooper’s bunker, the whole gang is still basically relying Elle for both protection and sensory deprivation recon. Nancy gels her hair up for some reason (I hope she used DEP!) and Will keeps getting the tingles on the back of his terrible bowl cut wig. Max and Mike have a battle royale about who cares about Elle more and whether women can make their own decisions about their own telepathic powers which Nancy rightfully weighs in on (you go gurl?) But honestly, no one was protecting Elle from the real catastrophe here: WEARING CRISS CROSS SUSPENDERS THE WHOLE GODDAMNED EPISODE. Suspenders are fine and I’m glad Elle has found fashion, but maybe the kids can elect one of them as Elle’s suspenders advocate to avoid this in the future?

Meanwhile, Terminator dude still hasn’t caught up with Murray (sadly) and everyone in his bunker is still very much alive, at least until they die of lung cancer (ZING!) Anyway, Murray does a lot of Russian translation, rando Soviet dude throws a diva fit about slurpee flavors, Hopper continues his reign of anger management/alcoholism problems, and Winona’s season 3 wig is honestly not looking great. They do somehow figure out what the Russians are doing under Starcourt (they even make diagrams and use a lot of Burger King product placement to reenact nuclear scanarios!) And Hopper calls a secure line to demand backup back in Hawkins. Okay?

Back in Hawkins, Bloody Bloody Cary Elwes seems to have recovered from Hopper’s beating pretty nicely (as long as he keeps those shades on) and is very much invested in the 4th of July county fair he is PRODUCING (he even made signs crediting himself!) The Terminator dude demands answers about Hooper but no matter: JUST ENJOY THIS FAIR RIDE!

Speaking of people getting face beatings, Steve is getting absolutely SAVAGED by the Soviets. It was honestly very heartbreaking because he has somehow become the male MVP of this show, partially to do with his hair god status (EVEN WITH A BLOODY FACE HIS HAIR LOOKS SO GREAT!) but also because he’s become a really sweet guy and I just want him to catch a damn break! (Tho please continue to be broken up with Nancy - dear god!) 

We shouldn’t be too worried about him getting back together with Nancy, though, because if it wasn’t clear from the moment Uma Thurman’s daughter was introduced: THESE TWO ARE OBVS GETTING TOGETHER. Her hair is still a very 2019 distraction but she’s def an upgrade from Nancy. However, after taking some weird Soviet truth serum (probably just LSD, right?) she admits that she harbored a crush on him way back in the 10th grade and also totally undermines her cool outsider status by admitting that all losers want to be popular (I DON’T KNOW IF ALL LOSERS STAND BY THIS GURL I HOPE THIS IS JUST THE LSD TALKING!) This whole section gives a lot of Some Kind of Wonderful realness and honestly that is a lesser John Hughes work so I’m not sure I can give any of this a passing grade. However, Dustin and my new favorite sass machine, Erica save the day with a nuclear cow prod! GREAT WORK KIDS! ALSO YOUR PARENTS DEFINITELY DON’T CARE WHERE YOU ARE! Speaking of parents, yet again the glamour of KAREN WHEELER did not grace itself in this episode and we were all worse for it.

Back at Hopper’s cabin, Elle decides to go nuclear with her sensory deprivation recon and we all have to welcome BILLY (UGH BILLY) and his terrible wig back. Anyway, he pushes her further into the recesses of his memory/all logic on an astral plane that can only be described as the place where Michelle Pfeiffer was in the Ant-Man sequel (IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT HOW VERY DARE YOU). So we get a lot of terrible childhood flashbacks which try to show Billy’s abusive tendencies to be learned from his horrible upbringing and truly: DO NOT MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT BILLY.

JUST LOOK AT THIS IDIOT. NO THANK YOU PLEASE. Despite the humidity of his entire body, his wig remains a dried out hellscape that I would love to never see again for the rest of my days. Also he almost traps Elle in the astral plane they’re on JUST LIKE MICHELLE PFEIFFER IN THAT ANT-MAN MOVIE) but she escapes into the arms of Mike (fine sure) and then Billy explains that he and and his army of mole people have been waiting for Elle this whole time and: REALLY? That seems very specific but you do you, mole people. Oh also all those mole people (grandma fertilizer included!) all file into the rat warehouse and shapeshift into a disgusting mind flayer/demogorgon/blob nightmare. YAY!

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BITE

Welcome to the Fun Fair (a Mayor Cary Elwes production!) Somehow he recovered from his terrible face beating to show some FACE at this thing. The whole town is there and ready for some 4th of July FUN that will definitely not be ruined by Russians or demogorgons. 

Most importantly, this episode gave us the triumphant return of KAREN WHEELER! HER HAIR LOOKS AMAZING! She is bringing full out bouffant glamour to the Fun Fair and damn if she didn’t have this lewk done at Dolly Parton’s salon in Steel Magnolias. IT IS THAT GOOD.  Clearly employing the “higher the hair the closer to god” theory - and not just hair-wise actually because this bish bribed some carnie to stop the ferris wheel at its highest point so that she and her family (at least the part of her family whose whereabouts she knows about) can enjoy some FIREWORKS. KAREN YOU MINX I LOVE YOU! HOW ARE YOU STILL MARRIED TO THIS DUDE IN GOLF PANTS?!

The top of the ferris wheel is also a perfect place to see the incoming demogorgon!! The back of Will’s bowl cut is getting the tingles too. And before Elle can fully explain her trip into Billy’s beach memories, the mind flayer is THERE, y’all, busting through the roof of Hopper’s cabin like it’s straight out of a 50s b-movie. I would like to note that for ONCE Winona’s house isn’t about to get trashed so mazel! #Boringcouple armed themselves with guns and axes but obvs they prove completely useless and the flayer is about to steal Elle away when they make a human chain and are victorious...FOR NOW.

Meanwhile, Dustin and Erica are dealing with a very drugged up Steve and Uma Thurman’s daughter and decide to lay low in a showing of (WHAT ELSE?): Back to the Future! They actually show so much of this movie that I’m assuming the entire wig budget went straight to Robert Zemeckis. 

Over in the TDFTHER convertible, Winona’s season 3 wig is looking a damn MESS as is all the side projection of them getting back to Indiana. There’s a lot of bickering between Winona’s season 3 wig and Hopper and finally my beloathed Murray has to meet his gross sex talk quota for the season and tells both of them to just have sex already and then he and the Soviet dude laugh a lot and OMG GET ME OUT OF THIS CONVERTIBLE.

#Boringcouple and the kids smash into a supermarket to get Elle some medical help for the leg that the flayer effed up. I’m not sure why a hospital wasn’t an option but it’s probably so there could be more 80s product placement like Mr. T cereal and a whole actual conversation about New Coke. Nancy’s hair is still VERY depped up. Max seems to have the most medical training from skateboard injuries and fixes Elle up pretty well while the dudes prove completely useless other than finding a treasure trove of fireworks. I guess most importantly, Elle was reunited with her ain’ true love: EGGOS. They hightail it out of there with a ton of fireworks that they definitely won’t (lol jk) use later. Oh and Elle’s blood kind of comes alive and Billy and his shitty wig come back to sniff her out. Gross. 

Speaking of gross, Steve and Uma’s daughter left the very confusing (for them) screening of Back to the Future to go stare at the Starcourt ceiling to the point of barfing (which I honestly did not need to see TWICE or at all!) The barf did get the LSD out of their systems so now it’s time for truth talk and LURVE TALK! I really have to hand it to Steve for being completely face beaten and bloody and covered in barf and still having enough swagger to admit to Uma’s daughter that he has feelings for her (despite her 2019 hair) and just when I thought this show was so predictable, Uma’s daughter comes out as a LESBIAN!! What? Okay! To his credit, Steve pivots pretty easily to ally/friend and truly: HE IS THE BEST AND WE DO NOT DESERVE HIM. ALSO PLEASE GET HELP ON YOUR FACE WOUNDS AND YOUR HAIR STILL LOOKS GREAT. 

NOR DO WE DESERVE THIS MUCH GLAMOUR TWICE IN ONE EPISODE. Karen Wheeler may look great but damn if she knows where her (or Winona’s season 3 wig’s) kids are. But let’s just enjoy this space ship ride! Also a rando carnie calls Hopper “Magnum” and: sick burn. Also there is a woman dressed up as Uncle Sam at the fun fair and between this drag king realness, Uma’s daughter, that one Jazzercise instructor, and (maybe/probably) Will, I’m so ready to throw a Hawkins Pride Parade. Karen is already wearing rainbow stripes!

Elsewhere at the fun fair, Alexei is having the time of his damn life winning a Woody Woodpecker with the support of 10000 children. Sadly, his joy is cut short when the Terminator dude kills him in cold blood. HARSH. Also Murray chooses to blame himself for not guarding him like he was supposed to and instead buying a corn dog. I AGREE, MURRAY: THIS IS YOUR FAULT PLEASE LEAVE. Then Hopper has a whole sequence with the Terminator dude (and some other rando Soviet baddies) in the funhouse which is the second time this season which felt like a weird homage to US and I guess I need to get Jordan Peele on the horn again about this. Anyway, Hopper gets ANOTHER face beating and so does Cary Elwes from Winona’s (also beat) season 3 wig. 

Back at the mall, Steve and company are trying to just slip out with the rest of the movie crowd from Back to the Future but the Soviets are totally onto them and it looks like they’re about to be killed when (AGAIN) Elle saves the day by throwing a Chrysler LeBaron on them. GREAT WORK! Unfortunately, Elle is also receiving a threatening phonecall from a mini demogorgon and the call is coming from: INSIDE HER LEG. 

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE BATTLE OF STARCOURT

So this demogorgon situation with Elle’s leg is pretty severe so Will’s brother (again name NOT NECESSARY) prepares for mall surgery based on stuff found at the Panda Express and literally gave her a wooden spoon to bite on as if this was happening during the Revolutionary War. The demogorgon leg removal is not working so as always, Elle just DID IT HERSELF because she may be the only capable person in this mall/town. 

Hopper and Winona’s season 3 wig (not looking great) and (UGH) Murray show up and everyone compares notes on how to fix this whole mindflayer situation. Most importantly, Erica outsasses Murray and wins. Steve (rightly) gets the keys to the TDFTHER convertible to take him, Uma’s daughter, Dustin and Erica (now known as Scoops Troop) to Dustin’s radio tower. The rest of the tweens plus #boringcouple (now known as The Griswold Family because sure) are getting sent to Murray’s bunker and can’t they maybe stop and get Elle some medical attention on the way? No matter: they’re not going anywhere because Billy, possessed or not, still knows way too much about cars and stole their damn ignition cable. DAMMIT BILLY. 

Steve is driving the Scoops Troop up a damn hill to the radio tower while listening to Jackie Wilson’s Higher and Higher which I’m sure is a Ghostbusters 2 reference and also Uma’s daughter looks exactly like her in the convertible driving part of Kill Bill and honestly all of these pop cultural references are getting tiring. Anyway, from the top of the radio tower, they can see the demogorgon closing in on the mall and Steve and Uma’s daughter hightail it back there. 

At the mall, Elle is having some trouble moving that LeBaron to get the ignition cable - she can’t even move a damn coke can. WHAT GIVES? This does beg the question: since she has literally done all the heavy lifting this season, could she maybe call in a favor from her telepathic sister in Chicago? Why did this show even introduce that character - just to check off “punks” on their 80s pop culture list (note: DEFINITELY) But seriously, it’s like when Marvel makes a stand-alone superhero movie after an Avengers movie. SOMEONE GET THAT PUNK CHICK ON THE HORN!!! Anyway, Will gets some back of bowl cut tingles and the damn demogorgon smashes through the roof. Elle, Mike, and Max make a run for it through the gap, where the demogorgon confuses a mannequin wearing Elle’s same clothing and truly: the gap would NEVER sell this graphic eleganza! Did Esprit just not want to be involved in this whole mess because that is where she would have bought that. The rest of the tense gap scene plays out basically exactly like the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park. Meanwhile, #boringcouple is doing boring auto work while Billy just endlessly stalls in his evilmobile but is about to hit them when MVP hair god Steve saves the day and everyone piles into the station wagon. YAY!

Elsewhere, the Terminator dude has made it to the Soviet subbasement where Hooper, Winona’s season 3 wig and (UGH) Murray are now in Soviet apparel. Winona’s season 3 wig (looking great hidden under that hat) and Hopper have a nice talk and make plans for a legit date which definitely won’t be derailed by a demogorgon (lol jk jk). Murray manages to infiltrate the room where all the wires control the nuclear weapon the Soviets are using to open up the Upside Down and why wasn’t this room better guarded? Oh well. Much like sucking at guarding Soviets and not buying corndogs, Murray sucks at remembering important numbers which are the combination for the nuclear keys. 

Of course the code is some nerdy equation that requires Dustin to ask fellow nerd (and girlfriend Suzie who exists!) for help. But not before Suzie demands that Dustin sing....The Neverending Story theme song. This is peak 80s cultural reference and we can all go home now. Also it is mainly an excuse for Galen Matarazzo to sing and sure: he and this chick sound great! Now please get those damn keys! 

Elle,  Max and Mike are confronted with (unfortunately still alive) Billy who beats the shit out of all of them and takes Elle. She’s about to get flayed when Lucas and Will throw all those damn fireworks on the demogorgon. Sure!  Elle uses Billy’s memories to reason with him. This show definitely wants us to root for Billy all of a sudden because he turns on the demogorgon but I REFUSE TO LIKE BILLY WITH THAT DRIED OUT WIG IN THIS SWEATY MALL. 

   Back in the subbasement, Winona’s season 3 wig and Hopper are ready to end this but the Terminator dude shows up. They duke it out very close to a nuclear warhead while Winona’s season 3 wig turns into MacGuyver and uses a belt to try to disarm both keys and bless her. Hopper throws the Terminator into nuclear generator thingie. Byeeeeee. Then Hopper looks back at Winona’s season 3 wig for long enough to definitely make it back into the safe glass room where she is but instead just gives a really long nod, signalling her to disarm the nuclear whatever thing and he definitely (absolutely does not) die. 

However, all my hopes and dreams for Billy’s death finally came true! YAY FOR ME AND MY HATRED OF HIS TERRIBLE WIG AND HIS CHARACTER WHICH HAD NO REDEEMING QUALITIES NO MATTER HOW MANY BEACH FLASHBACKS TRIED TO PROVE OTHERWISE. I will say that his exit is VERY METAL so in some ways, this was the only appropriate death for his Metallica and Tank loving character. FINE. Two seconds after he and the demogorgon die, the feds show up with Paul Reiser! I am honestly very mad at this show for not blasting Pat Benatar’s Little Too Late during this entire sequence. OH WELL. Outside the mall Winona’s season 3 wig and Will’s terrible bowl cut wig are reunited in a bad wig hug. Then Winona’s season 3 wig catches sight of Elle and gives her a look that says: I am definitely adopting you.

Three months later, a fake Inside Edition show gets us up to date on the burning of the mall, government coverups, and comeuppance of terrible mayor Cary Elwes. Also Uma’s daughter (now with 80s appropriate updo!) and Steve are trying to get jobs at the video store! Uma’s daughter and her love of Billy Wilder movies make her a shoe-in for the job but Steve's taste in the Ewok Star Wars movie and the 5 minutes he saw of Back To the Future whilst on LSD don’t make him the best candidate. Also he trips over a Phoebe Cates cut-out and truly Phoebe Cates: thank you for your service in being name-checked constantly this season. In the end, Steve’s awesome hair gets him the job. Maybe? 

Meanwhile, Winona’s season 3 wig is moving just like she said she was going to this whole season and no one believed her. Also she put her wig back in a ponytail and: good move it looks ok! Elle still doesn’t have her powers back but eh? She does get a heart-tugging letter from beyond the grave (he’s totally still alive) and all the kids/tweens/#boringcouple sob that they are being separated. It isn’t clear where Winona’s season 3 wig is going or how she could have sold her shitty house in the town that fake Inside Edition show called haunted. And yes, separating her now 3 PTSD kids from their only support group is also shitty but what has this goddamned town ever done for Winona and any of her seasons’ wigs other than stealing her children and killing her love interests and trashing that shitty house at least twice?! I SAY GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE (they will fully be back next season). 

After collectively sobbing all their faces off, the tweens of Hawkins are left only with the ELEGANZA OF KAREN WHEELER and whatever healthy dinner she’s preparing with the help of some white wine. YOU KIDS ARE STILL LUCKY WHO NEEDS FRIENDS WHEN YOU HAVE KAREN WHEELER! Oh and back in Russia, Hopper is like 110% definitely still alive. See y’all next season!

FINAL VERDICT: DOESN’T WURQ (YOU KNOW IT WAS BILLY’S FAULT)

[beingsarahmorales-blog]

Catfishing: A Twist On Cyberbullying - New Work

     Bullying is something that has been around for as far as history goes back, a bigger predator picking on a smaller foe, however, in the 21st century, you don’t have to be big or intimidating at all in order to bully others, all you need is a computer. With the rise of the internet, people gained the ability to meet others all around the world while remaining hidden by the anonymity of blogs, chat rooms, and any other form of social media, thus “catfishing” was born. 

     The term catfishing arose from a documentary film entitled “Catfish” directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman that stars Schulman’s brother, Nev, as he forms a relationship with a young woman named “Megan” over Facebook. Nev is a young photographer who lives in New York City. The story begins when Abby Pierce, an supposed 8-year-old child prodigy artist in Ishpeming, Michigan sends Nev a painting of one of his photos. They become Facebook friends and later Nev also becomes Facebook Friends with Abby's family; her mother, Angela Wesselman, Angela's husband Vince, and Abby's attractive older half-sister Megan. Eventually Nev forms a romantic relationship with Megan over the platform. To make a long story short, events unfold that prompt Nev to believe that he is not being told the full truth from Megan, nor her family, as certain facts do not add up. As a result of this, Nev and his filmmaking companions make the decision to venture to Michigan to confront Megan and the rest of the Pierce family directly. After a web of more lies, Nev is finally met with the truth and learns that the true person behind all of the family’s social media accounts is in fact Angela, the 40 year old mother, and she has been the one talking to Nev the entire time. Megan does not even exist. Abby doesn’t paint, the artwork is in fact Angela’s. Angela made these accounts out of loneliness (and stress due to the fact that she is at home all day with her husband’s two severely mentally disabled children) and tricked Nev into believing he was in a relationship with an imaginary women. 

     The name of catfishing itself comes from a story told by Angela’s husband to Nev in which Vince “relays a story of how when live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish's inactivity in their tanks resulted in only mushy flesh reaching the destination. However, fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active, and thus ensured the quality of the fish. Vince made an analogy of how there are people in everyone's lives who keep each other active, always on their toes and always thinking, suggesting that people should always be alert while socializing through the internet.” People who engage in this online charade of fake relationship building have since been referred to as catfish. 

     Nev’s story allowed insight into why people may go about partaking in such deceitful behaviors, however, whereas his story was wrapped up in a rather positive way as he and Angela were able to talk things out and end up on good terms, the same can’t be said for many others who find themselves in the same situation. In fact, after the documentary in 2010, Nev and his companions went on to create “Catfish: The TV Show” in 2012 which has for six seasons told the stories of individuals who are seeking truth in their online relationships. “Each episode is an investigation into whether or not the other participant in the virtual relationship is legitimate or if they are, in fact, a "catfish". Some couples have been communicating for a few months—others, for years,” says a description of the show. 

     Even though Nev has an entire show dedicated to the stories of people in online relationships, he says that the online world has gotten in the way of genuine human communication. In an article he wrote for Glamour Magazine he says the following: “Now, back in the days before social media, I'd have to decide within minutes of meeting a girl whether to ask her out on a date. I'd have to say something like, "You're cute—can I take you out sometime?" and get her number on the spot. In fact, a guy used to have to muster the [courage] to sidle up to a cute girl, make her laugh, or start an interesting conversation, all in order to get her number. There had to be a human connection and shared attraction in order to agree to go out in the first place. As a result, you cared more, so you invested more time and energy into the date—and the success rate of a first date turning into a second, then a third, and so on, was higher. These days, any jerk with a Facebook page can get a Tinder account, swipe right, and get a date. That's why you have to go on so many first dates. In 2015, a date is a disposable, dime-a-dozen thing that anybody can easily access. Consequently, the value of the date has depreciated.” I’d go as far to save that the value of a human has depreciated. Those who choose to catfish do not care as much as they should for those on the other side of the screen. They do not see them as people, they see them as pawns. 

     An article by Scientific American dives into some causes as to why human honesty and compassion doesn’t always translate into the online realm. “The reasons are complex, but may be rooted in the "online disinhibition effect," where the potential for anonymity in online spaces reduces people's responsiveness to social and moral codes. There is a certain pleasure in deception—in knowing that you’ve managed to fool someone in some way. Online spaces mean that user don’t always have to face the people they fool, so feelings like stress, tension, guilt and shame can be avoided as they explore who they might want to be or how far they can press a storyline. Catfish lean heavily on avoiding offline meetings. They paint a picture of busy-ness or tragedy that keeps them away even while they continue to emotionally feed the relationship with another.” By these means, they avoid facing the reality of the situation and in turn the person they are interacting with doesn’t feel one hundred percent like a real person either. They don’t treat them the same way they would a person who was standing right in front of them. This is a large part as to why some of the people confronted on “Catfish: The TV Show” can come across as so cold when made to face the reality of the situation. Glamour Magazine published an article recounts some of the craziest stories of those who have appeared on “Catfish: The TV Show” and show the complete disregard for true human compassion. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

Jasmine & Mike

What She Thought: Jasmine had been chatting with Mike for two years, and they bonded over their children.

The Truth: "Mike" is really Jasmine's ex-friend Mhissy, who created Mike to keep Jasmine away from her current boyfriend (and Jasmine's ex) Triggs.

Ramon & Paola

What He Thought: Ramon met Paola on Facebook, and after talking for eight months, he was in love enough to give her a couple of thousand dollars—and his bank account information.

The Truth: Turns out Paola is actually Loyda, and Ramon KNEW it—Loyda had Skyped with him and showed him her license, but Ramon "didn't want to believe it." And then, Loyda revealed she used the money Ramon sent her to buy herself an engagement ring and told everyone Ramon had proposed. What the what?!

Joe & Kari Ann

What He Thought: Joe thought he was dating a former Miss Teen USA (eye roll).

The Truth: Max and Nev discover that Joe and Kari Ann share a mutual friend, Rose, who tells them that Kari Ann is real. So imagine Joe and the Catfish team's surprise when they go to meet Kari Ann—and Rose pops out. Turns out Rose has an addiction to fake profiles and a heart as cold as ice.

Mike & Caroline

What He Thought: Mike met Caroline on a dating site, and they bonded over the fact that she was suffering from colon cancer—the same cancer his mom had.

The Truth: Caroline is actually Heather, she does not have cancer, and she has catfished Mike before! When he caught her the first time, she made up Caroline, and then made up the cancer when she thought he was going to leave again.

Artis & Jess

What He Thought: Artis was under the impression he was dating Jess and was ready to ditch his current girlfriend—and mother of his three children—for her.

The Truth: Jess is actually a man who creates fake online dating profiles to teach people a lesson about cheating. He was so creepy even Nev and Max were afraid of him.

Jennifer & Skylar

What She Thought: This shy, bullied 18-year-old fell for a teen named Skylar in San Francisco who, of course, was a model.

The Truth: Not only was Skylar an older-than-advertised guy named Bryan, but he used catfishing to work on his game (talk about creepy). And Bryan was such a cold-hearted jerk that Nev and Max ordered him never to contact Jennifer again (a Catfish first).

     These are some of the more dramatic cases of catfishing that the show has showcased, but apart from the revenge plots or those who are demented enough to do this to people for “fun,” what is something that can be seen as an underlying cause as to why people may enter into such a deceptive relationship? An article by Vulture gives a possible answer, “The cases depicted on Catfish, as well as both participants in these somewhat fraudulent relationships, reflect some of the most damaging messages of American culture: Don't be fat. Don't be poor. Don't be lonely. And if you are, for God's sake, don't tell anyone about it.” So is catfishing the result of the unrealistically high standards that society sets upon itself? The article seems to think so as it goes on to say, “Nearly all of the catfishees, when confronted with the information that their catfishers were overweight, changed their tune about how in love they were.” 

     However, weight is not the only thing that causes people to be deceitful. “Weight is certainly not the only lie on Catfish, though. People lie about how many children they have and with how many partners. A few have lied about their criminal records. (Like the dude who was arrested with a sawed-off shotgun and charged with possession of a WMD.) People lie about their gender, their sexual orientation, their jobs. One of the under-acknowledged facets of Catfish is how frequently poverty plays a role in one or both people's lives. Homelessness and the threat of homelessness have come up on multiple episodes.” For these people, it comes across that they are not comfortable in their own skin, and in many cases their whole lives entirely. They feel trapped in never ending loneliness as a result of the cards they have been dealt. Imagine for a moment that you feel this way. Perhaps you feel you are ugly or not capable of being loved or desired for the person that you are. Wouldn’t hopelessness set in? But then you get an idea. Online you can be anyone you want to be and no one would ever have to know your true identity unless you chose to disclose it. The power is now back in your hands and you can control the person that you are. You can be an amazing athlete or an uber attractive up-and-coming Hollywood Star with the means, however virtual, to make someone fall in love with you. To finally have a confidant who appears to truly care about you. Would you take that opportunity?

     For many, as showcased on “Catfish: The TV Show” the promises of what online anonymity allows is too great of a temptation to deny. In choosing to fulfill their own desires, whether that is to feel like they fit in, that they’re loved or popular, or simply for some twisted form or entertainment or revenge, they completely disregard the impact that they will have on the person on the other side of the screen. The people who make the conscious decision to catfish someone are not thinking hard enough, and in some cases not thinking at all, to the point that it doesn’t even cross their mind the harmful long-term effects that their deception can have on someone. Regardless of the intent of the one doing the catfishing, significant negative results can occur. 

     For some, the results can be as simple of having to work through some serious trust issues, while for others the effects can be much more permanent. An article written by cyberbullying.org tells the story of 13 year old Megan Meier who fell victim to catfishing. In 2006 Megan began a relationship with a boy she knew as Josh Evans over MySpace. The article chronicles the events as follows: “For almost a month, Megan corresponded with this boy exclusively online because he said he didn’t have a phone and was homeschooled. One day in October of that year, Megan received a message from Josh on her MySpace profile saying “I don’t know if I want to be friends with you any longer because I hear you’re not nice to your friends.” This was followed by bulletins being posted through MySpace calling Megan “fat” and a “slut.” After seeing the messages, Megan became distraught and ran up into her room. A few minutes later, Megan’s mother Tina found her daughter hanging in her bedroom closet. Though she rushed her daughter to the hospital, Megan died the next day. Six weeks after their daughter’s death, the Meier family learned that the boy with whom Megan had been corresponding never existed. Josh Evans (and his online profile) was created by Lori Drew, a neighbor and the mother of one of Megan’s friends. She created the profile as a way to spy on what Megan was saying about her daughter.” In this instance the act of catfishing had devastating consequences. Megan never knew that she was being catfished. She believed this boy to have turned on her and suddenly, in the eyes of a teenager, her life was over. 

     People, regardless of their intent when they create fake profiles, can never predict the impact they will have on those they are catfishing and whether they want to admit it or not, it’s a form of bullying. Deceit and manipulating trust under any circumstances is never okay, even if you feel like you won’t be accepted if you present yourself as yourself. No matter what, the end does not justify the means. If only people went online in the same way that they went around in public, not able to hide behind a screen or false pretences, then the internet would be a safer place. Perhaps those who feel the need to catfish need to be reminded of something we were all taught as children; treat others the way you wish to be treated yourself, and if they did that then catfishing as a phenomenon would cease to exist in the future. 

     As far as the future of “Catfish: The TV Show”, Wired.com has some thoughts, “So, how much longer can a show about hiding yourself on the Internet last? What will happen when it becomes too hard to hide, or when new legal issues over assuming false personhood arises, or when our real-life selves are forcibly made to align with our Internet identities?” Nev’s co-star on the show, Max Joseph, who was interviewed for that article with Wired answered the following: “I think it’s harder to be a catfish,” says Joseph. “It’s harder and harder for us to make the show, which is interesting. There will be a moment in time where we’ll look back at this Internet period and say, ‘I can’t believe that was legal then, there was this show called Catfish that explored the weird gray area of Internet fraud.'” Hopefully as the years go by, laws will be put in place to protect people like Megan Meier and the Catfishees on “Catfish: The TV Show” and society will become more aware that cyberbullying comes in many forms and will actively work to put an end to it.  

SOURCES:

1.)"Catfish (film)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.

2.)"Catfish (2010)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 May 2017.

3.)"Catfish: The TV Show (TV Series 2012– )." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 May 2017.

4.)"Catfish: The TV Show." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 May 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.

5.)Eidell, Lynsey. "The 11 Craziest, Most Unbelievable Catfish Reveals of All Time." Glamour. Glamour Magazine, 16 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 May 2017.

6.)Schulman, Nev. "Why Technology Has Killed Dating—and How to Fix It." Glamour. Glamour Magazine, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 May 2017. 7.)Denise Martin Follow @denisemartin. "Here's How MTV's Catfish Actually Works." Vulture. N.p., 21 May 2014. Web. 10 May 2017.

8.)Margaret Lyons Follow @margeincharge. "MTV's Catfish Is the Embodiment of American Shame." Vulture. N.p., 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 May 2017.

9.)McHugh, Molly. "The Life of an Internet Catfish Is Rough These Days." Wired. Conde Nast, 07 July 2015. Web. 10 May 2017.

10.)"Catfishing as a Form of Cyberbullying." Cyberbullying Research Center. N.p., 26 Nov. 2015. Web. 10 May 2017.