Yep, it’s round about that time that all the various threads and arcs that are buzzing about The Boroughs like moths round a bug zapper need to start coming together. I mean, if they don’t come together now, we’re not going to have enough episodes of all the disparate characters coming together to finally figure all this sci-fi shit out. As it stands, we’ve got quite a varied selection of avenues to merge together that encompass aliens that suck brain fluid out from the back of your throat, peach trees that give the elderly a taste of their youth back and members of the Boroughs’ staff who are not only far older than they look, but have far more sinister secrets under their metaphorical hats. One by one, our plucky cast of golden oldies have uncovered these strange, connected conspiracies without having the slightest clue that their peers are also stumbling on otherworldly shocks, but now it’s time for some major communication – and it’s about time too.
After discovering that the alien that’s been feeding on their brain fluid has been gaining entrance to their homes via trap doors located in their ovens, Sam, Judy and a very nervous Wally have given chase after the avenging reporter in their midst pumped a couple of bullets into it. They discover a maze of tunnels that exist under their homes that connects their entire neighbourhood and ultimately leads out towards the dessert and after catching up to the mortally wounded creature, Judy puts it out of its misery. However, while they think that Jack has finally been avenged, Sam realises that this is actually a different alien and the sounds coming from where they’ve come from clues them in to getting a move on.
Meanwhile, chief of Boroughs security, Hank, is desperately trying to plug a leak that’s seen Renee and Paz discover that he actually died in the 70s. Chugging back a revitalising gold liquid, Hank takes both Renee and Paz hostage with the intention of driving them out into the desert and faking their suicides – but even more alarming than this is the discovery that Art has made.
After that revitalising peach wore off with violent, gastric side effects, Art awakens in the hospital with Anneliese Shaw for company. But after Art circumvents her questions, he returns to the mine to collect more miracle fruit only to discover that the tree has withered and died. Even more disconcerting is that Anneliese has followed him and reveals that she and her husband bought this very mine back in the late 19th century before equiring further about the peach. After Art offers up the stone as all that it left of the wonder fruit, Anneliese suddenly swallows it, causing an inhuman transformation to transpire, but it’s at this point, Sam, Judy and Wally arrive via their tunnel, shoot Art’s attacker and flee in his car. Picking up Renee and Paz on the way after they’ve managed to vanquish Hank, it seems that everyone has some serious explaining to do – but they soon find that a very pissed Blaine Shaw is already set his retribution in motion.
As we rattle past the halfway point, we reached that moment in Stranger Things inspired media where everyone finally gets their acts together and has a moment to indulge in some exchange of information. I have to say, even in their production capacity, The Duffer Brothers have gotten their timing down after delivering pretty much the same format five times before back in Hawkins. But with the coming together of the characters, that means the veil gets lifted off a number of the secrets, which leads to that all enticing drip-feed of info. However, without a Dustin to excitedly spell it all out for us (or Steve Harrington), let’s see what we’ve discovered so far…
For a start, those creeping aliens have been sneaking in at night and draining the residents, but it seems that these beasties aren’t even close to being the main threat. Oh, they’re a sizable threat to be sure, but with Paz’s revelation that the Shaws and Hank have a room of them caged up, it could be that the multi-legged crawlers may be just as much victims as they are dangerous. To be fair, the Shaws have mostly been kept by the wayside aside for the odd, isolated scene, but here we get to spend some revealing time with them that confirms that the owners of the Boroughs are indeed dar older than they look and may not be entirely human anyone – if they ever were. We get this from the lips of Alice Kremelberg’s Anneliese who confirms some of our suspicions with a brief history lesson – and then confirms the others by having a full on body horror attack after gulping down Art’s peach stone. While it’s unclear if the Shaws are aliens masquerading as humans, or are humans transformed by whatever it is they’re doing with their reserves of extraterrestrial goo (eating it, bathing in it – anything goes apparently), they’ve definitely cashed in their villain chips, which is further highlighted by Hank going full psycho killer.
Yes, Hank’s murder plan is oddly complex but choosing to stuff Renee and Paz in the trunk of her car, drive them out to the dessert, gas them into further unconsciousness with exhaust fumes and then set them up to look like an elaborate murder suicide – but it’s totally fucking worth it when you realise it’s all in service of an utterly unnecessary (but truly magnificent) nod to Thelma And Louise, much in the say way Alfred Molina came face to face with the idol from Raiders Of The Ark a couple of episodes ago – any chance of mechanical octopus tentacles showing up anytime soon?
Anyway, “Another Beautiful Day” emerges as one of the strongest episodes to date, purely because we were waiting for a lot of these exact things to occur – even Stranger Things prioritised stretching out the build up a bit too long in order for the pay off to be even more joyous. Plus those little details are still paying off beautifully, such as Judy naming her gun Ethel in honor of her journalistic inspiration, Ethel Payne (first lady of the black press), or the group’s failed attempts to stay hidden at a diner at closing time. But with only three episodes to go, we’ve thankfully still got lost of details still to iron out – obviously it seems that Shaw has the upper hand as he and a small army of goons arrive to forcibly take the gang back to the Boroughs and no doubt indulge in a spot of expositional monologue-ing, but the fact that Anneliese alluded to them needing a new way to replenish themselves means that our heroes may have a few cards left to play – and I’m not talking gin rummy…
We’re well on our way to the finale now, with clearer lines being drawn while the overall mystery is still being cultivated. However, for all the freakish transformations, violent vomiting and alien euthanasia, the real draw is that the gang is now fully together for the first time since that BBQ from the first episode and it’s here that shows like this start to really come alive – if everyone stays alive, that is.
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