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Ready to dive deeper into the Upside Down? The final season of Stranger Things is packed with clever references, Easter eggs, and potential foreshadowing! From Eleven's Goonies-inspired outfit to Jonathan's ominous t-shirt, we're examining all the hidden details you might have missed in the first four episodes.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 20 fun easter eggs and references throughout the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5.
00:18As we will be discussing all four episodes, a major spoiler warning is in effect.
00:30I can make my bus jump sooner. That'll save me two more seconds. That gets me under 12.30.
00:34Did you catch Elle's major fashion statement in episode one?
00:37While running her training exercise, she's donning a gray tracksuit, red shorts, and a blue bandana.
00:43This was a pretty basic exercise outfit back in the day, so it's a fun little period costume detail.
00:48But it's also a near-perfect replica of the outfit that Josh Brolin wears in The Goonies.
00:53Only he's wearing blue shorts and a red bandana, so Elle just reversed the color scheme.
00:57This is a massive nod to the childhood adventure genre that helped influence the show.
01:02But it cuts even deeper when you remember that Sean Astin, who played Bob Newby back in Season 2, also happened to play Mikey in the movie.
01:09It's a touching meta-tribute to the ultimate Adventure Squad.
01:12But now we're sad. We miss Bob.
01:14Easy peasy, right?
01:17Easy peasy.
01:19Just like that.
01:21Number 19. Hopper and Miami Vice
01:23You know what I think? I think we still have some more of that waffle mix.
01:29And I think we should celebrate this record time with a stack of those.
01:34And then, maybe we could watch a Miami Vice marathon.
01:38Jim Hopper has certainly evolved from his dad bod days, but he hasn't forgotten them.
01:43During the aforementioned training segment, Hopper suggests going home, making waffles, and watching a Miami Vice marathon.
01:49This is a fun nod back to the Season 3 finale, when Hopper mentions that he and Elle watch Miami Vice every Friday night.
01:56Elle likes to watch Miami Vice on Fridays.
02:00It starts at 10, so I can't be out late on Friday.
02:03It's a fun character moment, but also a sad one.
02:06It signals that Hopper has somewhat resorted back to his overprotective Season 3 self when he was refusing to let Elle grow up.
02:13And judging by the nasty look that Elle shoots him, we think it's safe to say that she doesn't like overprotective Daddy Hop.
02:19It's time he lets her grow up, just as his touching letter suggested.
02:23I can beat the time. Reset it.
02:26You're tired. You're going to injure yourself.
02:28Reset it!
02:29Number 18. The Poltergeist References
02:31Baby, are you okay?
02:39They're here.
02:40Season 5 doesn't shy away from the movie references, and Poltergeist is everywhere.
02:46A major one occurs at the beginning of Episode 2 when the Demogorgon attempts to kidnap Holly Wheeler.
02:51It grabs her by the ankle and drags her towards the ceiling, prompting her to grab onto the bedpost.
02:56This exciting visual is a perfect replica of Poltergeist, when Carol Ann grabs onto the bed to prevent being sucked into the closet.
03:03And who can forget Will muttering,
03:05They're here, when the Demogorgons arrive at the military base.
03:08They're here is not only the most famous line from Poltergeist,
03:11it's arguably one of the most iconic lines in the history of pop culture.
03:16They're here.
03:18Number 17. Will's Vecna Kill
03:21Chrissy, wake up! I don't like this! Chrissy, wake up!
03:25In the thrilling climax of Episode 4, Will taps into the hive mind and goes Super Saiyan.
03:30And, while he's in the Avatar state, he violently prevents the Demogorgons from attacking his friends by lifting them in the air and snapping their limbs like twigs.
03:39If you watch closely, the way the creature's limbs snap and their bodies contort is pretty much identical to how Vecna killed his victims throughout Season 4.
03:47This makes sense considering he's so close to Vecna and is literally picking up his psychic radio waves.
03:52He's channeling the villain's own power and abilities and using them against him, destroying the Demogorgons just as Vecna destroyed the lives of Chrissy and Patrick.
04:00Who knows? Maybe he'll give Vecna a taste of his own medicine.
04:04You were the first.
04:08And you broke so easily.
04:13Number 16. Derek's Room
04:15Disgusting. Mom wants you down for dinner.
04:18Newcomer Derek quickly became a fan favorite, and his bedroom is an absolute treasure trove for eagle-eyed viewers and Easter egg hunters.
04:26It's like a museum piece of the late 1980s.
04:29Derek is playing Ghost and Goblins, which was released on NES in 1986 and was a huge hit.
04:35He's also a fan of motorsports, judging by the hang-on arcade cabinet and NASCAR blanket.
04:40The toys are here, including Rock'em Sock'em Robots.
04:42He likes movies and TV, judging by the posters for G.I. Joe and Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
04:47He's sitting right next to a retro Domino's pizza box.
04:51And come on, he's even sitting on a beanbag chair.
04:53What kid from the 80s didn't have some kind of cheap vinyl beanbag chair their parents got from Sears?
04:58Hey!
05:01Tina! Give it back, Tina!
05:03Number 15. Holly's D&D Outfit
05:06Holly Wheeler finally joins the fray this season, and her wardrobe tells a big story.
05:19In the season opener, Mike gives Holly a small figurine of Holly the Heroic for protection.
05:24The cleric is wearing blue and a yellowish-brown cape.
05:27It's a cute scene, symbolizing her induction into the party.
05:30But fast-forward a few episodes to when Holly is playing dress-up in Henry's old house.
05:36She picks up a blue and white dress, more on that later,
05:39and dons a yellowish-brown cape for her adventure in the woods.
05:42And just like that, she's Holly the Heroic.
05:45The show is visualizing her transition from a background toddler to a brave hero in her own right.
05:50It's a bona fide passing of the torch moment,
05:52the spirit of D&D having trickled down to the next generation.
05:55She'll keep you safe. I promise.
05:59Number 14. Running Up That Hill
06:01Here's a good one.
06:09Lucas plays Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill for Max while she's laying in the coma.
06:13This is the same song she continuously listens to in season 4.
06:17No, of course that's not the real entry.
06:19Max leaves the map for Holly in Henry's mailbox,
06:21and one of the waypoints says to walk uphill.
06:23This seems like a superfluous detail, doesn't it?
06:27If there's a hill, chances are Holly will think to just walk up it.
06:31Of course, this cute little gag has meant less for Holly and more for us eagle-eyed easter egg hunters,
06:36who are well aware of Max's connection to the famous song.
06:39The Max we know may be gone,
06:41her consciousness trapped inside of one of Henry's memories,
06:43but her love of Kate Bush remains.
06:45Running Up That Road
06:47You're Running Up That Hill
06:49You're Running Up That Building
06:51Number 13. The Oklahoma Poster
06:55Joyce! Is that stupid play of yours?
06:58Better see you there, Harrington.
06:59Friday night? You wish.
07:01We are once again entering flashback territory,
07:04this time to 1959 when Henry Creel was in high school.
07:08While there, we get a brief glimpse of a poster for the school's production of Oklahoma.
07:12If you pause and zoom in on the cast list,
07:15you will see a familiar roster of names.
07:17James Hopper Jr., aka the Hopper we know and love.
07:20Alan Munson and Patty Newby,
07:22who are characters in the stage play The First Shadow.
07:25Karen Childress.
07:26And wouldn't you know it,
07:27even her future husband Ted Wheeler is there.
07:30We didn't peg Ted as an extracurricular kind of guy.
07:33Yeah, it's a cool easter egg,
07:34but don't let it overshadow the most important thing here.
07:36They all know Vecna.
07:38Well, they knew Henry Creel, but still.
07:40Somehow, I was in another time, Hawkins.
07:4630 years ago.
07:48Time trap.
07:49Number 12. The Turnbow Billboard.
07:51He'll send his demos to grab him.
07:53Only he won't find Derek.
07:55He'll find us.
07:56And we'll be ready.
07:57Episode 3 is titled The Turnbow Trap.
08:00And as it turns out, that title has more than one meaning.
08:03Of course, it mainly refers to the trap that the kids set for the Demogorgon
08:06inside the Turnbow house.
08:08Sorry, the Turnbow mansion.
08:09Look at that thing.
08:10But there's a fun detail that some may have missed.
08:13While Hopper and Eleven are hiding from the military guys,
08:16they take refuge behind a billboard advertising Turnbow land development and realty.
08:20This certainly explains where the family got their money.
08:22So, in a way, this is a little Turnbow trap of its own.
08:26Even then, it has dual meanings,
08:28with Hop and Elle being trapped behind the billboard,
08:30and then Hop springing a trap of his own with the grenades.
08:33The layers here are crazy.
08:37This literary nod is likely way more than just some fun character building.
08:55There are numerous times throughout the first two episodes
08:57that we see Madeline Lengel's seminal sci-fi novel A Wrinkle in Time.
09:00For those in the know, the book's plot mirrors the season's stakes perfectly.
09:05Lengel's classic book features a young girl traversing time and dimensions
09:09to save her father from a dark and spreading evil known as the Black Thing.
09:12How did you get here?
09:14It's dangerous, Lengel.
09:15You can't be here.
09:16How did you get here?
09:17You called out for us.
09:19We came for you.
09:22We're here to bring you home, Dad.
09:24Perhaps this will mirror a future journey in which Holly embarks to save Ted.
09:28Or maybe it's a reference to her being inside the 50s Creole House.
09:31But there's more.
09:33With the book containing heavy themes of time travel,
09:35the flux capacitor reference,
09:37and with Mr. Clark teaching about wormholes in episode 3.
09:40Could we have a bit of foreshadowing on our hands?
09:43Only time will tell.
09:45And, uh, just think of all the places mankind could go.
09:50Another galaxy.
09:51Another time, even.
09:53Number 10.
09:54The Tesseract.
09:55What are you talking about?
09:57Just that there really is such a thing as a Tesseract.
10:01Speaking of A Wrinkle in Time,
10:03Derek can be seen making a fun little model in the classroom.
10:06That model is a Tesseract.
10:08Or, if you'd rather, a Hypercube.
10:10Derek seems like a smart kid,
10:11so this seems like the kind of science-y thing that a kid like him would do.
10:15But it's also a direct reference to A Wrinkle in Time,
10:18as Tesseracts are what characters use to travel across space and time.
10:21Sorry, but at this point,
10:23the time travel signs are just way too obvious to ignore.
10:26And with these kids all being connected by visions of Henry Creole,
10:29there's a very good chance that he got them all on the book in the first place.
10:33Now, why would Vecna want his victims reading A Wrinkle in Time?
10:37We don't need rockets, we don't need spaceships, we don't need anything.
10:40To utilize a Tesseract, all you need is to tap into the right frequency.
10:45Number 9.
10:46Holly in Wonderland.
10:48Are the others here yet?
10:51No, not yet.
10:53You will save them too, won't you?
10:56Save them from the monsters?
10:59Yes, Holly.
11:00Don't you worry.
11:02I'm going to save your friends.
11:04You may as well call this 1950s thing Wonderland,
11:06because Holly sure is Alice.
11:08Episodes 2 and 3 are chock full of references to the iconic book and 1951 film.
11:13Holly is taken through a mysterious hole into another dimension.
11:16A very technicolor dimension with bright hues and a popping larger-than-life color scheme.
11:21There, she meets Henry Creole,
11:23who looks mighty pale and has both a brown vest and a pocket watch.
11:27Pocket watch.
11:29Tall?
11:31Vest.
11:32Okay, he wears a vest.
11:34He is gentle and kind.
11:38She sits at a long table and has tea with Henry.
11:41She gets a handwritten note in the mailbox.
11:42She dons a blue and white dress, which is a clear nod to Alice.
11:47And just in case you missed all these references,
11:49there's a poster for Alice in Wonderland hanging in the bedroom,
11:52just to drive the point home.
11:53I understand.
11:55But you cannot offer them comfort in Hawkins, Holly.
11:58The only comfort they have is knowing that you are here, safe.
12:02With me.
12:02Number 8.
12:04Will Singing
12:04Get your tissues ready, because this callback hits us right in the nostalgia.
12:18In the season opener's flashback to that fateful night in 1983,
12:21we see Will hiding inside Castle Byers and hiding from the Demogorgon.
12:26He shakily sings the clashes Should I Stay or Should I Go to himself,
12:29which fans will remember had a prominent role throughout season 1 as Will's safe song.
12:34So, come on and let me know.
12:38Should I stay or should I go to...
12:40It's not just a callback.
12:41It's a narrative anchor.
12:43By returning to the song Jonathan used to bond with him,
12:46the show emphasizes that the series is ending where it began,
12:50with the Byers brothers' connection serving as the only light against the dark.
12:54It's a bit of an obvious one, but we had to include it for sheer nostalgia.
12:58Definitely.
12:59Number 7.
13:07Murray's Engagement Pun
13:08Santa's brought a full sack today!
13:18We can't overlook the cheeky bit of foreshadowing
13:21from everyone's favorite conspiracy theorist, Murray Bauman.
13:24If nothing else, Murray loves stirring the pot
13:26and digging into everyone's personal lives.
13:28During his drop-off in episode 1,
13:30he gives Jonathan a John Coltrane cassette tape,
13:33saying that he'll find it, quote,
13:35quite engaging.
13:36You can immediately tell that something is off,
13:38given Murray's cheeky delivery of the line and Jonathan's panicked reaction.
13:42I know you're allergic to jazz, but just give it a whirl.
13:45I think you'll find it quite engaging.
13:50Indeed.
13:50We later see in episode 3 that Murray has used the cassette to smuggle in an engagement ring.
13:56Murray's pun is easy to miss, but it's there.
13:58Because why would Murray pass up a chance to make a stupid pun?
14:01It won't be the first time he's made one to Nancy and Jonathan.
14:04Remember the iconic pull-out line from season 2?
14:07So, Jonathan, how was the pull-out?
14:14I'm sorry.
14:16The sofa.
14:17Number 6.
14:18The 88 decibels readout.
14:20Hey, anybody know how the Henderson's wheelie thing works?
14:23Uh, any ideas?
14:24There's a safety lock.
14:25Look for a small switch under the wheel.
14:27There should be a safety lock under the wheel.
14:30Safety lock.
14:31Real necessary.
14:32Great Scott.
14:33The Duffers love their 80s movie references, and this one is tons of fun.
14:38In the first episode, Steve and Jonathan are tuning the new cerebral radio device in order
14:43to track Hopper's location in the Upside Down.
14:46Jonathan lets it build and build before finally telling Steve to drive once it hits 88 decibels.
14:51Should I move?
14:52No.
14:54Hold.
14:56Hold.
14:57Hold.
15:00Hold.
15:02Go.
15:04This is a clear and loving tip of the hat to Back to the Future,
15:07where the DeLorean must hit 88 miles per hour to travel through time.
15:11But as we've discussed, this season is dealing heavily with references to time travel,
15:16so the number isn't just a random digit.
15:18Could it be a visual cue suggesting that this van is going to be the key to traversing through time and space?
15:24A new DeLorean for a new generation?
15:26Wait a minute.
15:27Wait a minute, Doc.
15:28Are you telling me that you built a time machine?
15:32Out of a DeLorean?
15:35Number 5.
15:36Will's Coke Classic.
15:37You want to play the tape?
15:39I'm just, I'm going to go grab a Coke or something, caffeinated, because it's going to be a long night.
15:44You want one?
15:45No.
15:46I'm going to think so.
15:47The Cola Wars were a prominent aspect of 80s culture, with new Coke being an enormous fluff.
15:53In season 3, we see Lucas drinking a new Coke and waxing poetic about its qualities, much to the disappointment of his friends.
16:00But the remake?
16:12Sweeter.
16:13Bolder.
16:15Better.
16:16You're insane.
16:17Sorry, Lucas, but you're on the wrong side of history here.
16:20Will buys a Coke in the hospital, and we see that it's a Coca-Cola classic.
16:24This is a subtle way of grounding us in late 1987, as the classic branding was reintroduced after the new Coke backlash.
16:31But maybe it goes even deeper than that.
16:33Maybe it represents a return to form.
16:35Just as the world rejected the new formula for the original, this season sees the show rejecting the epic cross-country dynamic to return to their classic season 1 roots.
16:45How much longer?
16:47What do you want me to do, Ted? Huh?
16:49Kick him to the street?
16:51Is that an option?
16:53Number 4.
16:54Austin Milbarge
16:55I'm at Fitzhume.
16:57Austin Milbarge.
16:59Murray Bauman is back with another fake identity, and this one is a bit of a deep cut.
17:03When trying to bluff his way through the military quarantine checkpoint, Murray gives the name Austin Milbarge.
17:09Hey, hey, how you doing?
17:11Austin Milbarge, ID 45289-er.
17:16That's me.
17:17This just so happens to be the name of Dan Aykroyd's character in the 1985 Cold War comedy Spies Like Us.
17:23The reference is hilariously appropriate for Murray.
17:26In that film, Milbarge is a brilliant but overlooked genius who gets recruited as a decoy spy to distract the enemy while the real agents do the work.
17:34It hilariously parallels Murray's role in the group, a conspiracy theorist who is technically a genius,
17:40but who constantly finds himself stumbling through high-stakes espionage way above his pay grade.
17:45We guess that military guy didn't see the movie.
17:47Enough bullets and shells for Hop to start a small war, if he should so choose.
17:52Anyone order a salad?
17:56Grenade salad?
17:58I hid the grenades under the lettuce.
18:01Number three, Holly's an American Tail poster.
18:04Production design tells a tragic story in Holly's bedroom,
18:24as we see a prominent poster for the 1986 animated film An American Tail on her wall.
18:28This movie tells the story of Fievel Mouskiewicz, a young mouse who gets separated from his family while immigrating to America,
18:35and spends the film trying to reunite with them.
18:37Oh, come on. What are you crying for?
18:39I can't get out of here, and I have to, so I can find my family.
18:45You lost your family?
18:48Mm-hmm.
18:49This is a heartbreaking parallel to Holly's arc throughout much of Season 5.
18:53Just like Fievel, she is a small, innocent character who is separated from her family
18:57and becomes lost in a vast and scary new world.
19:00It's a gut-wrenching detail that implies Holly isn't just a prisoner.
19:04She is actively wandering and searching, hoping that somewhere out there, her family is looking for her too.
19:10Somewhere out there, if love can't see us through, then we'll be together.
19:29Number two, the missing person phone number.
19:31I think we still have some more of that waffle mix, and I think we should celebrate this record time with a stack of those,
19:41and then maybe we could watch a Miami Vice marathon.
19:45Netflix marketing went all out for this one.
19:48In Episode 1, we see a missing person poster for Jane Hopper posted in the school.
19:53If you pause the show and look closely, the phone number listed can clearly be seen as 765-303-2020.
19:59Unlike the usual fake 555 numbers that you see in movies and TV, this is actually a working number.
20:06If you dial it in real life, you get a pre-recorded voicemail from the Hawkins Police Department
20:10urging citizens to report sightings of the missing girl.
20:13It's a fantastic, immersive Easter egg that blurs the line between the show and reality,
20:18and it harkens back to the 1980s when cute marketing gimmicks like this were more common.
20:23Remember when Ghostbusters did the 1-800 thing?
20:25Have you or any of your family ever seen a spook, specter, or ghost?
20:29If the answer is yes, then don't wait another minute.
20:31Pick up your phone and call the professionals.
20:33Ghostbusters!
20:34Our courteous and efficient staff is on call 24 hours a day to serve all your supernatural elimination needs.
20:39We're ready to believe you!
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20:55Number 1. Jonathan's T-Shirt
21:00I don't see it.
21:02It's up there somewhere.
21:04It's gotta be.
21:05Taking the top spot is a potential piece of wardrobe foreshadowing that is both cool and terrifying.
21:11During the sequence in which Jonathan and Steve climb the radio tower,
21:14Jonathan can be seen wearing a t-shirt for the punk band The Fall.
21:17I, uh, I actually think this might be a better job for Jonathan Byers.
21:22I don't like one quarter monkey, dude.
21:24I got this, Byers.
21:25Don't sweat it.
21:27On the surface, this shirt fits his music taste perfectly,
21:30as we've known for a long time that he likes punk, specifically The Clash.
21:34But symbolically, it could be a dark omen.
21:37We're just saying it probably isn't a coincidence that Jonathan is wearing a fall t-shirt while climbing a massive radio tower.
21:44A climb that is explicitly mentioned as being very dangerous.
21:48Maybe it's just a fun visual gag.
21:50Hopefully that is all it is.
21:52But maybe, just maybe, it's a bit of foreshadowing.
21:55So, I guess somebody's gotta climb to the tippy top of this bad boy and, uh...
22:00Were there any other easter eggs that you caught?
22:03Tell us about them in the comments below.
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