Another great chapter.

I'd have loved to have seen something from Bob's perspective when he went into the house and got a look at all the drawings. I mean, he's already guessed that this is not in any way normal. (I always loved Nancy's reaction in S1, when she sees all the Christmas lights and just goes "Whoa!" LOL) And, he DOES have a valid point that he'd need more information if he was to actually find a solution. I'm of the opinion that Bob would actually be fascinated rather than scared if he was told the truth. He strikes me as someone who's probably wanted to actually a big adventure in his life.

Looking forward to more.

Nice chapter.

I've always wondered why nobody ever questioned why Hopper moved from his trailer -which seemed pretty nice for his needs, closer to town, and was right on a lake- to his grandfather's old cabin in the woods, which seemed much more...rustic...for lack of a better word (I'm surprised he had electricity, a phone and running water there if it was that far in from any road). Although living in the woods has some nice attributes (fresh air, being in touch with nature), it was likely more distant from town would have seemed out of the blue.

When you think of it, Joyce strikes me as the type who would've brought him some sort of housewarming gift (a casserole maybe...or a six-pack) after he'd moved...where she'd have surely discovered El. LOL

It seems Hopper has already mentally decided Joyce is who he thinks should look after El if something happens to him.

Ah, the first page of the "treasure map".

Looking forward to more. :-D

I like how Joyce realizes that Mike is definitely still hurting from the apparent loss of El. In a way, he has it even worse as he has nobody to open up to. (Nancy has her own problems and the other members of the Party likely wouldn't relate to what he's going through) Mike has to tough things through on his own.

The problem with the vines came BECAUSE the lab was burning away anything from the Upside Down that came through. The gate at the lab was being blocked, so the vines went in another direction.

I know it was required for the plot, but Hopper really was carrying the Idiot Ball by going down into the tunnels without telling anyone where he was.

Hopper really seems to be his own worst enemy when it comes to his personal relationships. I've always wondered what his reaction would've been if he had realized El was gone over the two days he was in the tunnels/at the lab.

I haven’t start reading, but the moment I opened the story „Time after Time“ played in the radio and exactly the line, you quoted in the beginning, was playing. I think this isn’t just a coincidence...

Emotional chapter.

To answer Hopper's question, it had all gone wrong when he opted to essentially treat her -even with the best of intentions- as a prisoner. He didn't think through what that would do to a girl who'd been previously been captive her whole life in a lab. I mean, the first month or two, it was acceptable. But eventually, he clearly didn't realize that El was going to start cracking sooner or later. (I read one fic that had Hopper, after their big fight, admit to himself that it was primarily his fault for locking her away like he did, that he really can't blame her for wanting out, and is surprised it hadn't happened months ago.)

It didn't help either that he let his emotions get the better of him. I think he's also underestimated El's willpower too. She clearly can give as good as she gets if they go head-to-head. I think he also might never have appreciated just what she's capable of with her powers and what damage she can do.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

Love it! please continue!

Great chapter.

When I saw this episode, the part that felt really true to life was Joyce's struggles to hook the tape from Bob's player into her VCR. (I wonder if getting the VCR arranged by the Lab as part of their apology? In 1984, VCR's were still a lot more costly (back then, video stores would still rent out machines along with the movies), not to mention really big and heavy. I loved how Bob lapsed into techno-babble, which is utterly true to character for any tech-savvy person trying to describe a fix, while forgetting that most people wouldn't understand a word he's saying. LOL

I liked Joyce's reactions to watching the tape. She clearly is more aware than Hopper of what the events of the previous year did to the other Party members -specifically Mike. As Will was rescued safely, I'm sure Joyce has put it to together that El is the reason Mike's perpetually in a down mood.

The part where Joyce traces the image on the tape and realizes it matches Will's drawing...awesome part.

Good chapter, if uneventful.

Nice that Hopper clued onto the connection to the lab so quickly. That definitely would've been a good time to talk to El, as she's literally the only person around who might have a clue of insight into it.

Should he really be surprised that El left the cabin after their argument following 326 days of confinement and "soon"?

Nice chapter showing a quiet moment.

Jonathan seems to be emotionally hard to crack with everyone except Will and -now- Nancy. My take is that came from years of Lonnie. (On the TVTropes website, their take on S1 where Nancy makes up with Steve as being "Reality Ensues". Even though she and Jonathan clearly have something between them, Steve made amends for his past behaviour and came through in a very tight situation. Meanwhile, Jonathan is an emotionally unavailable -at least he comes across that way- whose only real friend is his younger brother.)

Bob's driving Will to school was inadvertently that start of everything going to hell. Bob, with the absolute best of intentions, gave Will the worst possible advice he could have. Of course, to be fair to Bob, he didn't have all the facts in the case. (I mean, I'm guessing a shadowy monster actually being real isn't something that crossed Bob's mind.) The story Bob told Will in the car about HIS childhood fear...that's like something out of "IT". LOL

Joyce is definitely a mom you don't want to mess with. (It's a big reason why she's the perfect surrogate mother for El.) I get the feeling even Hopper -despite her barely reaching his shoulder- gets bullied by her.

Again, with moving to Maine...I have a feeling with Joyce's luck they'd end up in a town slowly being taken over by vampires...plagued by a werewolf...or just having a killer clown in the sewers. LOL (If you're a fan of Stephen King, you'll get the references. LOL)

Looking forward to the next chapter.

Great chapter.

Hopper definitely screwed up on Halloween. The irony is, if he'd known what was really happening, and told El, she'd likely have understood. (She, of all people, knows how serious a threat the Upside Down is.)

Again, in NYC, with it's staggering crime rate of the late 1970's, Hopper could be excused for coming home late. In Hawkins, an occasional emergency (a bad traffic accident, or something else not Upside Down related) aside, there's no reason why Hopper wouldn't be able to get home on time most days.

Heh. I have this image of the kid describing to his parents how Hopper desperately bought candy off of him...And the adults thinking that Hopper must have a serious problem with sugar addiction. LOL (And Hopper should've known there's no way a kid would part with candy without cold, hard cash in the deal. LOL) I guess his next recourse would've been to see if Joyce had any leftovers. (I have this funny image of Hopper desperately knocking on Joyce's door, begging for any leftover candy. After he leaves, Joyce just shakes her head and tells Bob that Hopper needs to seriously look at his dietary choices. Heh.)

If Hopper REALLY wanted to try and get El to forgive him, he should've tracked down Mike, shanghaied him into his car, and brought him out to the cabin. I have a feeling El would've instantly forgiven everything if he'd done that.

Yes, there's no real fix to the situation. Hopper took a girl who'd been a captive in a lab all of her life...and then pretty much made her feel like a captive in the cabin for approaching a year -it would be especially harder for El since she now has friends -especially Mike- that she misses.

Will Hopper ever reflect that -in hindsight- he should've at least told Mike that El was alright and allowed some contact between them? (Even if he didn't want Mike to know the location of where El was, in case the lab was watching, he could've set up a way for El to get messages to Mike; meantime Mike could've used his nightly calls to actually respond to her messages. It wouldn't be ideal, but I'm sure both would've been able to endure it if they knew it was temporary.)

Looking forward to the next chapter. Will it be Joyce or Hopper's POV?

Nice chapter.

I'm half-surprised Joyce wasn't trailing behind Will the whole time on Halloween.

One thing I was always curious about with the NDA forms Joyce had to sign. If she HAD told anyone, then what? Unless someone saw it for themselves, (as Joyce realized with Bob), there's no way they'd believe it. (For that matter, what would Hawkins Lab do if someone violated the agreement? Take them to court? Then the whole story WOULD come out. I mean, I totally understand Joyce being instructed to keep quiet -in exchange for financial compensation and free treatment for Will- but I don't see them going the official NDA route.)

Bob put on a country and western record? He must've brought it from home, as I don't see Jonathan sleeping under the same roof with any country music record. LOL (I have this funny image in my mind of Will "coming out" to Jonathan that he's actually become a fan of country music...And Jonathan stages an intervention. LOL)

I wonder if Bob was the one who planted the idea in Joyce's head about leaving Hawkins? And Maine...? I read this one post-ST3 fanfiction where Joyce has moved her, El and the boys to the town of Derry, Maine. LOL (I personally think that would be funny, as Joyce realizes she's discovered the one place in the country that makes Hawkins look safe and normal.)

Will the next chapter be Hopper's epic failure with El on Halloween?

Can't wait to read more.

Nice chapter, although not too much happened.

I wonder if Hopper suspected that something bigger was up than flashbacks, but he just didn't want to tell Joyce.

In hindsight, he should've seen if El could find out anything with her powers.

Looking forward to more, as always.

Nice chapter.

Police work as a rule, isn't too regularly scheduled a job.

HOWEVER, Hawkins isn't New York or Chicago. Hopper himself even said it, nothing big ever happens there (aside from Demogorgon incidents). Getting home on time shouldn't be a big problem for Hopper. The only thing he'd have to really keep him at the office is paperwork. Of course, they'd have things like traffic accidents and whatnot, but those would be rare enough that getting off on time wouldn't be a continuing problem. Any of the other routine problems, Hopper could delegate to Powell or Callahan (Or, as I call them, the Eddie and Lou of Hawkins. LOL) if it's close to the end of the day.

I always loved that scare Hopper has when he turns around to see El in the sheet and she just says "Ghost" as though he isn't aware of what she's supposed to be. LOL

I'm also guessing that Hopper isn't aware of how close to a breaking point El has reached with being cooped up in a cabin for over ten and a half months, following twelve years of confinement in the lab.

I'm sort of surprised Will didn't react with more surprise when Joyce kind of bursts in on him peeing. Or, has she done this more than once in the last year?

I love Joyce getting Egon's name wrong. LOL (I wonder if he and Dustin flipped a coin to determine who was Ray and who was Egon.)

And tragically, Will WAS one year past when he should be wearing a costume to school...He just didn't know it yet. LOL (That was one of the funniest bits of the episode.)

Can't wait for the next chapter.

Nice chapter -and long too. :-D

I have a feeling Joyce didn't think the whole driving thing through too well. LOL (I have this image of it hitting her once she realizes the implications of it.)

I like that Joyce is aware of how badly Mike is hurting over El, almost a year later. I'm guessing she's realized that Mike had developed feelings for her.

I always thought Owens came across as the perfect image of a children's doctor. Yeah, I think that the lab really doesn't know what to do to help. I mean, there's literally no base of knowledge for dealing with what Will went through.

PTSD was definitely new territory in 1984. It had only been diagnosed and named about four years earlier and this was LONG before it had entered the general lexicon through the media. Of course, it was REALLY bad luck that Will actually became possessed by the Mind Flayer at the same time everyone was expecting his to have worse symptoms from PTSD.

Interesting that Hopper was aware of PTSD. I'm presuming he either went through it himself post-Vietnam (or had close friends who did). As well, he likely has realized El could be going through that in her first year free of the lab. (Maybe hearing what Owens said caused something to click and he realized that was what El is going through.)

A McDonald's hot fudge sundae doesn't fix everything...but definitely does NOT make things worse. LOL

Looking forward to the next chapter. :-D