"I don't know you that well, kiddo, but I'm betting the fate of the planet that you're one of the good ones."
— Owens
Eleven's brutal attack on Angela at the roller rink causes her to get taken into police custody. The gang arrives just as Nancy finds out about Fred's encounter with Vecna, and they try to put together the clues about what happened. Joyce and Murray board a plane for Alaska in an attempt to reach Russia.
This episode provides examples of:
- Analogy Backfire: Dustin compares their school break-in to Watergate by coining it Hawkinsgate. Steve is not happy with the analogy because those guys got caught.
- Bait-and-Switch: It appears that Lucas rats out Eddie's hiding place to the basketball team. Instead he leads them to Hopper's cabin, which is far away from Eddie's real hideout, and books it.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Murray's list of the things the kids might get up to when left at home alone.Murray: This way, what? They play too much Nintendo, eat too much junk food, smoke some ganja, pound some beers, experiment sexually? I mean, really what's the worst that can happen?
- Call-Back: Steve is extremely against the idea of Max driving his car. He also complains about being stuck with the younger group. Again.Steve: Always the babysitter. Always the goddamn babysitter!
- Mike attempts to cheer up Eleven by calling the bullies "mouth-breathers". It doesn't work, sadly.
- Contrived Coincidence: Robin and Nancy got lucky that there really was a story exonerating Victor Creel in favor of something more inhuman in the conspiracy theory magazine in the library.
- Cruel Mercy: The news report about Victor Creel says he claimed that Vecna let him live for punishment. Nancy notes how convenient this sounds given he committed the Pater Familicide himself.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Dustin tells Steve that his line "punch you in the face until your teeth fall back out" went too far.
- The Easy Way or the Hard Way: Colonel Sullivan threatens Dr. Owen by giving him the option to rat out Eleven or get the Cold-Blooded Torture treatment.
- Foreshadowing: Max sees a ticking clock in Miss Kelly's house, much like the one Chrissy hallucinated and Fred heard before Vecna killed them. Vecna goes after teenagers who have traumatic experiences he can play on to weaken them, so of course kids who've been seeing the counselor are prime targets. Including Max herself.
- Hollywood Law: Zig-Zagged when Eleven is arrested for assaulting Angela. To note:
- The police do ask if a parent or guardian is home when they arrive at the Byer's home, but they arrest her as soon as they see her and then interrogate her without a guardian or lawyer present. That last part definitely seems wrong, but minors in California did not have any special protections during interrogation in California until 2020. They had the same rights to remain silent and to request a lawyer as anyone, but they would have needed to specifically exercise them just like an adult. Most minors wouldn't know to do this, and it goes especially true for Eleven, who didn't have a typical upbringing.
- Although still a senior in high school, Jonathan has had a driver's license since his sophomore year; therefore, he is now likely 18-19 and a legal adult who could potentially have served as Eleven's "guardian" given the situation. However, the police (and later the clerk at the station's front desk) dismiss him outright.
- The officers are clearly prejudiced and seem convinced that Eleven was trying to kill Angela. They fail to notice that she is clearly unwell, unable to answer their questions, and even mock her for "not seeming upset", ignoring that she has a classic thousand-yard stare and is clearly choked up. Unfortunately, this sort of thing does happen in real life. Angela and her friends almost certainly gave the cops a very one-sided version of events, so the cops are probably already thinking that El is mentally disturbed and assaulted Angela for no reason. They also don't appear to have interviewed Mike or Will, who were both present and close to the suspect.
- It all happens way too fast as well. In the time it takes for Mike, Will, and Jonathan to hitch a ride to the precinct, El has already been questioned, processed, and shipped off to juvie, a process that would take weeks at minimum.
- Taken together, it ends up coming across as the police being aware of the laws they themselves have to follow, but choose not to follow them in favor of incarcerating what they see as an "obvious" villain.
- I Am a Monster: Eleven clearly believes this of herself, and expresses the sentiment to Mike
- Jump Scare:
- In universe, Eddie jumps when Dustin and company return with food, announcing themselves by suddenly shoving the door open.
- The final shot of the episode. Max hallucinates a grandfather clock in the school hallway, just like Chrissy and Fred. She hears Vecna calling her name in a quiet growl... then we cut to his eyes suddenly opening. Cut to credits.
- Kinda Busy Here: When Robin phones Dustin to tell him that she and Nancy found out about Victor Creel, Dustin tells her that it's not the perfect time for such talk since he, Max and Steve are in the middle of a break-in at the school.
- Landing Gear Shot: Used when Joyce and Murray arrive at the Alaska airport.
- Let Me Get This Straight...: Robin recaps some off-screen conversation with Nancy about Victor Creel this way before they enter the library.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Since he was hanging out with the basketball team instead of his old friends, Lucas is unaware that Eddie is innocent and they are instead dealing with something from the Upside Down again. They even tell him how hopelessly behind on the facts he is.
- Make It Look Like a Struggle: Hop and Enzo have a secret conversation away from the crowd under the pretense that the former gets punished by the latter for disobedience. When they are done talking, Hop lets Enzo punch him in the face to have a wound to show for it.
- Mistaken for Romance: Steve's the only one who knows Robin is gay, so everyone else thinks she has a thing for him, or the only reason he's not dating her is that he still has a thing for Nancy.
- Not So Similar: When Mike tries to relate to Eleven by telling her he's been bullied a lot too, El shoots this down by saying that he's always had friends and a place to belong, unlike her.
- Oh, Crap!: Max looks through Chrissy and Fred's files and notices they share the same symptoms as hers.
- Perp Walk: When El is escorted out of the Byers' house in cuffs under the eyes of the neighbors.
- Poverty Food: The prisoners in Kamchatka are shown being served a sloppy soup and some bread as a meal.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Eleven gives one to Mike, accusing him of not loving her and thinking she's a monster, while pointing out that he hasn't used the word "love" in any of the letters he sent her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After seeing the basketball team resorting to more extreme measures to find Eddie, Lucas abandons them as soon as he has the chance.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Hopper's warning to Eleven of how "there are consequences to your actions" proves quite true indeed, as the morning following the roller rink incident, Eleven gets arrested by the police for aggravated assault.
- Later, when Mike, Will, and Jonathan want to see their incarcerated friend, the bailiff tells them they cannot without a parent or adult guardian.
- Teens Are Monsters: The basketball team basically torture the rest of the Hellfire Club in an attempt to learn Eddie's whereabouts. They don't know where Eddie is, but they do give up that Dustin might. Not to mention what the basketball players actually plan to do if they get their hands on Eddie...
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: El and Owens order waffles and a club sandwich, respectively, at the café and then leave before the waitress delivers them to their table. Thankfully, Owens does leave money for the food.
- Wham Shot: Max searches through Fred and Chrissy's counseling documents to learn that prior to their deaths, they were both experiencing chronic headaches, nosebleeds, and nightmares; symptoms that she herself had been dealing with. Then she hears a demonic voice call out to her.Vecna: Maaaax...
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Not that they will be missed, but after Angela is seen being treated by a paramedic, she is never seen again, and neither are her friends.
