Things have gotten infinitely more complicated for the party in Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3 “The Turnbow Trap.” Because evidently none of these kids have been taught about stranger danger and trust this mysterious friend who talks about monsters and takes them away from their parents. Nevertheless, Holly was taken advantage of and her adventures in the Upside Down are a glamorized version of what our party went through in previous seasons. But it led us to Max so I guess I’m good. For now.
This episode had a lot of guilt as well moving along the narrative.
You have Nancy and Mike taking the guilt that they feel in not protecting their parents and transforming into this masterful trap at the Turnbow residence. You also have Joyce’s guilt when it comes to Will’s kidnapping evolving into trusting her son a little bit more to take care of things, primarily himself. And you even have Hopper setting aside some of his guilt and fear at losing El and coming to a compromise. It’s called character development. And I’m glad that we’re only in Episode 3 of Season 5 and already I can see progress for everyone. But will it be enough?
MORE: Already watched the next episode? Read our review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4!
The Return of Max
Firstly, is it just me or did Max look a little bit CGI? She was giving a little bit uncanny valley. But I wonder if this uncanny valley aspect of her is because of the wonderland that Henry has put Holly in. Because we’ve seen what the Upside Down looks like. We just saw El and Hopper being attacked and capturing one of the soldiers in this desolate world. But Vecna knows that a world like that is going to scare Holly. He made that mistake with Will. He won’t make that mistake again.
As a viewer, I find it to be really interesting that everything that Holly is experiencing is being told through the same glossy, fantasy-like, ethereal look that movies from the ’80s in this style looked like. This is an adventure for her. There is no real danger because Henry said so. And because she still has that child-like wonder that our party has lost because of the monsters they’ve faced, she’s brave enough to go into these woods and go and help Henry. But instead she found Max.
Our lost party member might look ethereal in Holly’s vision of the Upside Down, but Max has been there for months. She has been alone and somehow surviving a darkness that most people haven’t. And I’m really curious how Stranger Things is going to shatter the illusion that Holly is seeing Max through to show the wear and tear that this world has done on Max. Because yes, she has survived and yes, she has been probably trying to find her way home; Holly might be her newest way. But the kind of pain that Max experienced in the Upside Down, I hope we get to see it in some sort of flashback in Episode 4.
Stranger Things has made me care for these characters like if they were my own friends or family. And me wanting to see what Max went through isn’t because I want to see her pain. It’s because I want to see her perseverance. She’s always been a survivor. And last season we saw her struggling with being the one who lived. So I want to know as a viewer what kept her going and if she actually heard Lucas’ voice and “Running Up That Hill” through the void. Because if Lucas kept her grounded, I will cry. I’ll still cry for Max, because the strength of this young woman is unparalleled. But I will cry even more if Lucas’ perseverance kept her going…
MORE: Can we talk about Karen Wheeler’s bravery? Read our review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 2!
Handing the Baton to Their Kids
In my review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 2, I made it very clear that I was really annoyed with all of the parents. Hopper was being really rude to El. Joyce was protecting Will so much that progress wasn’t being made. And the only one that kind of escaped my annoyance was Karen because she was taking care of business. Nevertheless, I was really frustrated with the parents not acknowledging that their kids aren’t kids anymore. They’re young adults.
In “The Turnbow Trap,” we finally saw some real development but also letting go when it comes to the parents. I really loved how Joyce was a presence through the episode. But she wasn’t shutting Will down. Because Will is an extension of her. And if she trusts herself then she has to trust the way that she raised her son and his ideas when it comes to taking down Vecna. Also, I don’t think I realized how much those 8 hours of Will missing must have been eating at her this entire time.
On the Hoper and El front, compromise is the name of the game.
El’s the hero of this story and the one that’s going to take Vecna down in the final moment. But I think both El and Hopper have reached this place, especially with Hopper, that they’ve realized that the only way that they’re going to take down Vecna is together. This is a team effort. No one does it alone. That fact has been clear when it comes to Stranger Things since day one. But I think it’s different now because our party is all grown up. They can handle things. And their parents need to buck up and be ok with that as we get to the real battle.
That’s how things are going to actually get done.
The Turnbow Setup Was Masterful
Like I mentioned in my review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1, it’s kind of startling how old the party is. We still remember watching Season 1 and seeing baby El, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will. Now they’re all grown up. And being grown up means coming together and putting together masterful traps like what happened in the Turnbow residence. And it reminded me of one of my favorite survivor movies, You’re Next. Everything was set up to a T thanks to Mike’s simple yet effective planning, they weren’t arguing about who was right, and everything within the house went off without a hitch.
I especially liked how Nancy was a force of good that supported this operation alongside everyone, including our Queen Erica. Nancy is on a mission. Not just for her parents. But for Holly and her family, those by blood and those not. And she’s doing it with her brother Mike leading the charge, who still gives me vibes that he’s going to die. And they’re joined by a party who loves and trusts each other despite the little arguments they might be having along the way like the one that Dustin and Steve seem to be finding themselves in.
Considering all of that, I have to admit I’m really scared for one party member in particular: Will.
He’s taking control of his life in a way that he never has before. And in a lot of ways I see the strength of his conviction echoing that of El’s. She’s further ahead in getting things done and being a force to be reckoned with. A lot of it has to do with her powers and how she’s continuously stepped out of her comfort zone. But Will isn’t El. He doesn’t have her powers. Instead he’s a vessel for Vecna. And what better way to tear the party apart, and Will taking control of his life, than by having Vecna take over Will and have El face him?
Additional thoughts about Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3:
- If Will can see through Vecna’s eyes, then wouldn’t Vecna be able to see through Will’s?
- I didn’t clock that immediately, if I’m being honest.
- But I’m not the one facing Vecna and I thought they would see this obvious point a little sooner, especially after Vecna has done this before to Will. Season 2 Episode 4 “Will the Wise” anyone?
- Erica my goddess, it’s great to see you again. I’m glad that in the middle of all of this madness, you still have your priorities in line; an education.
- I also love the dramatic framing of Erica getting up from the Turnbow table like she’s the dramatic villain in this story. It was shot beautifully and I support Erica’s wrongs and rights.
- Talking about stranger danger again, the entire time I was watching this episode I was side-eying these kids. Because I do understand that predators prey on the vulnerable. And kids are vulnerable. But I remember being that age and I was never that trusting. But I guess that’s what happens when you don’t grow up with the kind of trauma and hypervigilance that I did. But at least I’m not in the Upside Down? 😅
- I really liked that conversation between Robin and Will about kissing Vickie. It felt like the show allowed these characters to see each other. Robin might not have an 100% idea about Will being queer, but she’s got an inkling. I would have an inkling after that smile from Will.
- I really still can’t get over Max being back and I hope that Episode 4 gives us a glimpse of what she’s been through!
Stranger Things Season 5 Episodes 1 through 4 are now available on Netflix.
What did you think about Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3 “The Turnbow Trap”? Let us know in the comments below!
Read all our reviews for Stranger Things Season 5 below:
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 Review: “The Crawl”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 2 Review: “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3 Review: “The Turnbow Trap”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 Review: “Sorcerer”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 5 Review: “Shock Jock”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 6 Review: “Escape From Camazotz”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7 Review: “The Bridge”
