Stranger Things — Series 4 Chapter 6 — The Dive — A Review

2nd August, 2022.

Did I mention it’s Tuesday … ?

It’s Tuesday.

Which means, of course, that I’m going to:

• Eat dinner.
• Watch TV.

You’ve worked out I’ll be watching the next episode of Stranger Things, haven’t you?

You’d be right.

You’d also be right in assuming that I’m going to have my written and video reviews, tomorrow night?

I’ll see you then!

~≈🧟‍♂️≈~

3rd August, 2022.

Chapter 6 — The Dive — opens, not with the usual summary … but with the sounds of Hawkins police cars heading for Lovers Lake: scene of the most recent killing.

We see  the police interviewing Jason Carver (Mason Dyer): about the murdered body he’s holding.

Which he blames both on Eddie Munson: and Satan, himself, the figure Jason claims is providing Eddie with evil demonic powers!

Post titles?

We see Dr Brenner/Papa (Matthew Modine) talking to El (Millie Bobbie Brown).

He explains how her powers will return, once her brain is rehabilitated: in the same way stroke victims are healed.

And that this — like recovering from a stroke — is going to be a long, drawn out, process.

Next … ?

We see a building site: with one worker heading for the toilet, taking off his radio equipped tool belt … only for the walkie talkie to be rapidly stolen by an on the run Eddie Munson.

The scene shifts again: showing us the Hawkins crew — Nancy, Robin, Lucas, Max, Dustin and Steve (Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery) — heading for Hawkins.

It’s only when they’re back in town, they find out two things.

Eddie’s managed to hide at the ominously named Skull Rock

And another killing has been laid at his feet.

Jonathan, Will, Mike and Argyle (Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, Fine Wolfhard and Eduardo Franco*)?   Have headed to Utah, to met Dustin’s girlfriend, Suzie: and ask her to break into the Project Nina computer system.

It’s not as easy as it seems.

Meanwhile, in Russia?   Joyce and Murray (Winona Ryder and Brett Gelman) are having problems of their own.   Their plane has crashed … and Yuri (Nikola Djuricko) tells them they’re miles from the top security prison where Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) is being held.

Hopper?   Hopper, himself is having a fine old time: he and the other prisoners are being incredibly well fed … before being forced to face something … 

Something he suspects he knows well.

And something that makes him suspect he and the rest of the prisoners … are eating their last meal … 

~≈🧟‍♂️≈~

Now … 

Just so you know … ?

The episode’s title — The Dive — is taken from the climax of this weeks story.

The Hawkins crew are hoping to trying to work out if there’s another gate into the Upside Down at the bottom of Lovers Lake: Steve — being an ex life guard — literally takes a dive for the team, and ends up being grabbed by something.

It’s a nice big climax: along side a good bit of word building.   The series is definitely good At that.

But that’s not you’re wondering, are you?

You want to know what I though of the episode, don’t you?   Good bad or indifferent?

I have to say, The Dive is yet another very good episode.

There’s meat on the plotting bones: we’re getting led to the first of a big climax, we’re seeing world building, we’re seeing the characters — literally, in some cases — growing and developing.

We seeing clues being gathered together: for the key episode that shows us what happened at Hawkins lab: which — given the next episode is called The Massacre at Hawkins Lab — is something I’ll find out about, next week.

About my only concern?

Again, is the length of the episode: an hour an thirteen minutes is possible ten minutes too long.

However?

It’s as long as The Massacre at Hawkins Lab: at one hour and forty.

That length isn’t going to stop me watching, next Tuesday.

Just start watching earlier!

~≈🧟‍♂️≈~

At any rate … ?

This … ?

Is where I’ll leave things for tonight.

Bar my usual reminders.   That I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard — Monsters — on Friday, 5th August, and posting my reviews on Saturday. 6th August.

I’ll be catching The Massacre at Hawkins Lab on 9th August, and posting the written and video reviews on the 10th.

I’ll catch you then!

The Dive.

★★★☆

*        I know it’s probably a wig: but he has AMAZING hair!