Stranger Things season 3, episode 5 recap: The Flayed

Stranger Things 3 continues with “The Flayed.” Jopper finds something under the bed, The Party gets attacked by a Voltron Demogorgon. We’ve got the recap!

Editorial note: I recapped the stinger of “The Flayed” at the end of my recap for “The Sauna Test.” But, it’s a solid recap. You’ll totally enjoy it. Meanwhile, back to “The Flayed.” The episode was directed by the in-demand Uta Briesewitz (Westworld) and written by newcomer Paul Dichter. If you thought exploding rats that reconstituted themselves as crawling glop were gross, wait till you get a load of this episode of Stranger Things 3.

The Todd Father

Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) don’t get very fair with Dr. Alexi (Alec Utgoff) before Hopper’s ride overheats. They decide to start walking to the only person Hopper knows that speaks Spanish in Hawkins. There’s also someone else in Illinois, but that’s too far to walk. Dr. Alexi starts running. Hopper chases but finds that his prisoner had just realized where the highway was. The group makes a rest stop in a local 7/11.

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At that 7/11, Jopper and Alexi acquire New Coke, jerky, a big ol’ Slushee, and a car. One of those things is not like the other. One of those things just ain’t the same. Hopper commandeers a car from a dude wearing a tragic mid-80s blazer with a pop-collared polo shirt. The guy does not realize his car is being stolen until after the fact. That’s when Terminator Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko) shows up at the same 7/11. He’s hot on Jopper’s trail.

Back in the stolen convertible, Jopper and Alexi reach the man who knew the Russians were trying to infiltrate Hawkins all along: Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman). Of course, his actions to get the United States Government to flee Hawkins at the end of season two paved the way for the current Russian infiltration. But, you know. Whatevs.

Operation Child Endangerment Continues!

The elevator stops plunging and Team Scoops Ahoy does not die. The crew spends the whole night in the Russian elevator until two grunts come to pick up some of the packages. As the grunts leave, Steve (Joe Kerry) places the secret container of ooze from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze as a door stopper. He quickly gets Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Erica (Priah Ferguson) under the door. Steve slides through as the container breaks. The green ooze burns through the floor a little bit like Xenomorph blood.

Stranger Things — Credit: Netflix

Team Scoops walks down a long, long corridor till they get to the Russian Command Center. They sneak into the communications room in hopes of getting a radio. But, there’s a Russian dude in there. He and Steve fight, and, as Dustin notes, Steve finally wins a fight when he knocks the Russian dude unconscious. They take a key card off of the unconscious guard. The new plan is to walk back to the elevator and take it up to where they started. But, the Russians are on to them.

Under total siege, the group runs up a flight of stairs and into the Russian Gate room! Dustin gets close enough to the antimatter beam for his voice to get fluctuated. That green acid stuff is used to fuel the beam. Dustin finds a way out for him and Erica. Steve and Robin are captured while Hodor’ing the door closed.

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It’s nice to have Will (Noah Schnapp) be an active member of The Party. When the group, joined by Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), doesn’t know what to do next, Will has an idea. If Mrs. Driscoll (Peggy Miley) really wants to go to the Mind Flayer, why not let her out of the hospital and follow her?

At the hospital, the receptionist (Chantell D. Christopher) is too busy taking personal calls to notice the sudden group of people that have shown up for Mrs. Driscoll. In order to avoid scrutiny, Nancy and Jonathan follow the two-at-a-time rule and go to Mrs. Driscoll’s room. But, she’s gone. The two are confused. The lights start to flutter. The flayed editor of the newspaper and father to Heather (Francesca Reale), Tom Holloway (Michael Park), shows up. Nancy and Jonathan subdue him, but Bruce (Jake Busey) shows up all flayed.

Nancy and Johnathan split up. Jonathan gets beaten to a pulp. He’s thrown around like the dummy used in “The Sauna Test.” It’s amazing he can walk. In a coming of age moment for Stranger Things, Jonathan kills Tom and Nancy kills Bruce (after making his face look like Erin Gray’s in Friday the 13th Part IX). Phew. But, wait! Remember when the rats exploded and reformed to crawl away as mini demodogs? Well, Tom and Bruce explode into bodily matter and join together as one big blood and bone Demogorgon.

Meanwhile, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) are slowly getting back on good terms. El uses her powers to score free candy from the vending machine. Mike sheepishly asks if El’s species like Reeces Pieces. They start talking. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) are back on good terms, as well. But, when the lights start to flicker and Will gets a tingle, The Party knows Nancy and Jonathan are likely in trouble.

Did you enjoy “The Flayed?” Is Stranger Things 3 moving too slow for you? Let’s discuss in the comments!