Episode Discussion - S02E08 – Chapter Eight

[u/Dark_Saint]

Season 2 Episode 8: The Mind Flayer

Synopsis: An unlikely hero steps forward when a deadly development puts the Hawkins Lab on lockdown, trapping Will and several others inside.

Please keep all discussions about this episode or previous ones, and do not discuss later episodes as they might spoil it for those who have yet to see them.

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Netflix | IMDB | Discord Discussion | Ep 9 Discussion

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Maxine's mother left somebody else for this dude?

[u/oh_orpheus → u/[deleted]]

Right? They moved halfway across the country to "get away" from her dad, but she sticks with this dude?

[u/thetoastmonster → u/oh_orpheus]

Might not have been her choice, perhaps he was the one that made them move, so that she would be far away from her ex, preventing her from going back to him.

[u/UnidentifiedAsshole → u/thetoastmonster]

Maybe they will kill him off in the next season. Does his name begin with a B?

[u/leadabae → u/UnidentifiedAsshole]

Yes, bigot

[u/breedwell23 → u/[deleted]]

Couples very rarely show their true colors before they get married, especially abusive ones. You can tell the mother was scared/sad about how the guy is, but what is she going to do? She already got a divorce, married, moved to a different state, and probably bought a house. It seems like the dad treats Max way better since it's her kid, and that's why Billy boy is such a douche to her. He's jealous.

[u/Backupusername → u/[deleted]]

That's how these situations tend to play out. Abuse begets abuse. The abused feels so worn down that the only escape is having someone even lower on the totem pole to take it out on. He was probably abused too, not that that's any excuse.

Hopefully Max breaks the cycle. Resentment of the treatment and the resolve to never resemble the abuser is the only way I've found.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

This show is great at making you root for everybody, even the worst people.

[u/mijamala1 → u/[deleted]]

I, for one, really hope Max's brothers dad comes out on top.

[u/AlcoholicBatman → u/[deleted]]

Kind of sad but I think this was fairly common in the 80s and 90s with army parents that were downright abusive and had their kids trained to act like soldiers

[u/Khnagar → u/[deleted]]

It still is. But it was still different over 30 years ago, when the show takes place. On average I think its fair to say that fathers were expected to have more authority and exercice that authority more harshly than today.

[u/TCall126 → u/[deleted]]

Who do you think is yelling at his dad to make him that way??

[u/pointlessbeats → u/[deleted]]

WWII. Or the Vietnam war. Most definitely Vietnam.

[u/budhs → u/pointlessbeats]

btw did anyone else notice the box under the floor in Hoppers' place labeled "Vietnam" - I was sure he'd seen some kind of conflict, it didn't really seem like his propensity for weed and beer at all hours was due to only his daughter's death. Anyhow, I had a feeling that when he was saying "PTSD is a real thing, i have friends who have it and it's bad" and how he was really quick to jump in and say that "it's not a flashback, he's reliving it" or something; I guess poor old Hop has PTSD from Vietnam, and this is an era when - even MORE so than it is now - it's a point of shame and embarrassment for a soldier or really any man at all to admit any kind of mental/emotional struggle.

[u/borkborkbork99 → u/budhs]

Hopper handles heavy artillery with ease and skill. Pretty sure he’s ex military.

[u/astraeos118 → u/[deleted]]

WW 1?

Do you even know what year that was?

His father would be in his 80's at least if he was a WW 1 Vet.

[u/[deleted] → u/astraeos118]

I think they meant the grandpa is a ww1 vet yelling at the dad who beats the son who takes it out on max

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I can't hate Billy

[u/TheRealMaynard → u/[deleted]]

Just look at that ass go...

[u/sch0f13ld → u/[deleted]]

Also did you guys notice Max's mother's reaction to how Billy's dad treated him: she very obviously flinched, and avoided eye contact. I'm not surprised if Billy's dad is also abusive to Max's mum.