Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat

Season 1 was a very promising first season to 'Stranger Things', and to me it's one of the show's better seasons. Of the previous four episodes only "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" disappointed a little while still being good. "Chapter Four: The Body" was especially outstanding, with everything that made the previous episodes as good as they were while executing the good things even better while managing to progress the plot.

While not quite as great as the third and fourth episodes, "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" is still great and the plot and character progression has far from stalled. If anything they expanded with each episode, and "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" once again does incredibly well at building upon what was set up from the very beginning, adding more layers and setting up what was to come in later episodes.

"Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" is not quite perfect, with a few lapses in logic. Including a big one mentioned by others that did strike me as rather silly and naive.

Everything else is done absolutely brilliantly however. The acting continues to impress, Millie Bobby Brown especially gives acting beyond her year and El is a character that is interesting and rootable. Finn Woolfhard is also on the road to great things if he keeps giving acting as good as in 'Stranger Things' and in 'IT'. The chemistry between the younger cast is beautifully handled, and has a 'Stand By Me' like nostalgia, one of the things most striking about 'Stranger Things'. Winona Ryder can be too melodramatic in some episodes and fine in others, she's fine here.

The production values are superb. Very stylish and atmospheric, with some truly beautiful images that one can't believe such high quality comes from a Netflix show. Not to mention the highly impressive special effects that put a good deal of big budget films in recent years to shame. The music has a wonderful 80s nostalgic vibe while also being quite haunting, enhancing the atmosphere beautifully.

Writing is thought-probing and has a lot of brains and heart. The humour is gentle but very subtly witty and funny, while there is a poignancy (without being too sentimental) and tension. Throughout "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" has creepiness, intriguing mystery, inventive sci-fi, affectionate nostalgia and emotional impact. The mystery again is even deeper and more complex than before but is always intriguing and never confusing. The ending is suspenseful and makes one excited for what happens next in subsequent episodes.

In summary, great. 9/10.

Hopper breaks into the Hawkins laboratory and finds the gate; however he is attacked and wakes up home. He searches his home and finds a bug hidden in a light. Jonathan teams up with Nancy to investigate Barb´s disappearance and blows up his photo. They find the monster and decide to search the creature. Lonnie comes to Joyce´s home apparently for Will´s funeral but she finds he wants to sue the quarry to make money and she expels him. Mike, Dustin and Lucas ask Mr. Clake how to cross dimensions and decide to seek out the gate and Will following their compasses. However El interferes with the compasses. When they discover, El flees. Nancy finds a gate and crosses alone.

"Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" shows three groups investigating the same event: the boys, Hopper and Jonathan and Nancy. Joyce learns that she is not crazy about Will. El is scared with the possibility of returning to the lab. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat"

The plot of the 5th episode was super intense and very suspenseful. The storyline is amazingly well-written, there aren't any plot holes and everything is explained really well. Nancy and Jonathan were both the highlight of that episode. I have to admit that, Nancy and Jonathan were an unexpected duo, that I really liked and I can't wait to see more of them! The ending scene was epic and totally unexpected. Episode 6, is gonna be epic. Winona's Ryder acting was astonishing as always (she's a perfect example of a mom). Moreover, I'm so happy that the "Upside Down" is seen more and there are many scenes taking place there!

'The Flea and the Acrobat' continues the "holy crap" series of suspense endings, but it wasn't my favorite aspect. As good as this is, there's no topping that cold open. Hopper charging into the lab and ending up going full-on paranoid ... I don't want to spoil much here, but Joyce finally finds out about Will's fake body - after having just buried it - and I really hope he doesn't actually turn up dead at the end of the season; this woman's been through enough.

The search for Will continues (as intensely as always) but I found myself more interested in Hopper and Joyce. Didn't expect that.

7/10

This episode just committed three plot flaws that ruin a show for me.

1. Let's not tell anybody. Nobody will believe us.

2. Let's explore in small, easily defeatable groups.

3. I'm a plucky teenage girl and I am going to explore the blood dripping tree where an animal corpse has disappeared that opens up into an ethereal world with that great anti-monster device, the flashlight.

Combined with the tropes of "evil scientist". " government cover-up" and "Bullies and nerds", the show has a lot of lazy writing.

There is a photograph with a shadowy faceless figure right where the friend disappeared by the swimming pool. That would be sufficient to, at least, get someone's attention.