Dig Dug

"**Chapter Five: Dig Dug**" is the fifth episode of *Stranger Things 2* and the thirteenth episode of *Stranger Things* in total. It is directed by Andrew Stanton and was released with the rest of season two on October 27, 2017.

## Synopsis

Nancy and Jonathan swap conspiracy theories with a new ally as Eleven searches for someone from her past. "Bob the Brain" tackles a difficult problem.

## Plot

As Joyce Byers finishes putting together her son's maze of drawings, Will explains to Mike Wheeler that he can see everything the shadow monster is doing, both in the Upside Down and Hawkins. He expresses fear over this, but Mike states that it may be a good thing, as now Will can be their "spy" against the monster. Will asks what happens if it spies back, but Mike assures that they will not let him. In the tunnels, Jim Hopper hears screeching before being sprayed by a growth in the wall with spores that make him cough severely. As he collapses, the way out above him begins closing itself up with vines.

Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler get a motel room together. Jonathan asks Nancy if she wants the light off or on, and she starts laughing. She explains the question gives her a sense of déjà vu. They open their hands to compare their scars from last year, and she states that hers is bigger than his. After a moment, Nancy asks why he became distant after that, and he mentions Will and his family. She insists that she waited for him before deciding to get back with Steve Harrington, but he points out she only waited a month. Upset, she turns away from him and tells him she wants the light off.

Will awakens in a panic and tells Joyce he saw Hopper in mortal danger. Hopper awakens in the tunnels and vomits, realizing the air is making him sick. He fashions a makeshift facemask out of the sleeve of his uniform and begins walking, leaving broken cigarettes to mark his trail. A tendril slithers after him.

Lucas Sinclair asks his father for advice on what to do when one upsets a girl. He tells him to apologize, then do what she wants. He leaves and bikes past Claudia Henderson, looking for her (deceased) cat. Dustin lures her away from the house by claiming the cat was spotted somewhere outside of town. When she leaves, Dustin armors himself in hockey gear and leaves a trail of bologna slices that lead to his storm cellar. He opens the door to his room, where he has locked d'Artagnan inside and hides in the shed in his yard. Dustin hits Dart into the cellar with a hockey stick when he takes the bait and locks him inside.

Meanwhile, Eleven hitchhikes to the Ives house, and Becky Ives recognizes her as Jane when she opens the front door with her mind. She finds Terry still in her chair, murmuring the phrases "rainbow," "three to the right, four to the left," "breathe," "sunflower," and "four-fifty"" repeatedly.

Nancy and Jonathan drive to Murray Bauman's bunker in Illinois. He shows them his conspiracy board regarding the events of 1983, which Nancy immediately begins to poke holes in.

Lucas bribes Keith to label the Palace Arcade's *Dig Dug* machine as out of order so he can get Max Mayfield alone in the back office. He promises to tell her the truth about what happened the previous year, but only if she accepts the risks of the knowledge that comes with it, which she sarcastically does.

Will draws the place where he saw Hopper in his vision, but it is just another blue line. As Joyce and Mike find its place in the drawn maze, Bob Newby arrives to check on Will. Realizing his love of puzzle solving can help them, Joyce invites him in on the grounds that he asks no questions. Bob pulls her aside, concerned for both her and Will, but trails off when he recognizes a heart shape in the drawings that outlines a distinct lake in Hawkins. He realizes the lines are pathways that do not go over water, and that Will has charted out the entirety of the town.

Hopper stumbles across an open area full of bones and dead animals. When he pulls out his lighter, he realizes the vines around him retract from the heat. He fashions a torch out of a bone and his jacket and begins to cut at the vines, trying to find a way out. Dustin buries his cat and calls on his Supercom for his friends to come help him, only coming across Lucas' sarcastic sister Erica, who hangs up on him.

Eleven ignores Becky's questions and sadly notes that Ives will not recover from her catatonia. Becky shows her the room that Ives had set up in case Eleven ever came home, and Becky offers to her a home, which Eleven accepts. The lights flicker, leading Eleven to Ives, whose nose is bleeding. The TV channels flip until they change to static, and Eleven realizes her mother wants to speak to her.

Bob charts Hopper's area by marking a map of Hawkins and comparing it to the distance between landmarks on Will's map. Dustin visits the Wheeler house to find Mike but is only met by his unhelpful father. As he leaves, Steve arrives, looking to make amends with Nancy. Dustin stops Steve and asks if he still has the nail bat, telling Steve to drive him back to his house. The tendrils take advantage of Hopper's exhaustion to trap his legs, pulling him down to the ground and constricting him. Max completely doubts Lucas' explanation until she sees that he is genuinely fearful of the consequences of telling her, asking him to prove it. Billy Hargrove arrives to pick her up, and Max warns Lucas (while grabbing his hand) not to follow her out. Billy notices him regardless, and again warns her not to talk to him.

Nancy and Jonathan finish explaining the definitive story to Bauman with the recording of Sam Owens talking about lying to the public. Nancy and Bauman discuss what to do with the information, and together conclude the true story is too outlandish and exposing for the general populace to hear, but a more acceptable yet still damning story of a chemical leak would work. At Hawkins National Laboratory, a scientist shows Owens something strange about the infected soil samples they took: it floats away from the source when exposed to heat, as do all the other samples in the vicinity.

Eleven enters the void using a blindfold cut from a tablecloth. When she approaches Ives and tells her that she is home, Ives grabs her hand and simply says "no." She sees a younger Ives having a painful labor, before learning her story: Ives had a C-section while giving birth to Eleven and had her baby taken from her by Martin Brenner, everyone but her and the people involved being told that she miscarried. She brings a gun to the lab and finds Eleven and a young girl with dark skin playing in a room but is dragged away by security before she can grab her daughter. Brenner puts her in her catatonic state by having his men give her electroshock therapy on maximum intensity, and her memories start to repeat out of sequence and on a loop, the phrases she utters revealed to be components of the memories themselves. Eleven awakens from the void stunned.

Joyce, Bob, Mike and Will drive out to the spot Bob marked, and Will receives more visions of Hopper as they get closer. His directions lead them to Hopper's car and dig site. Joyce gets the vines to move by hitting them with a shovel, and she and Bob descend into the tunnels. They follow Hopper's cigarette trail and find him being choked by the tendrils. Joyce cuts him free just as lab soldiers in hazmat suits arrive to guide them out. As they torch the vines, Will suddenly screams and begins convulsing.

## Cast

* David Harbour as Jim Hopper
* Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
* Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
* Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
* Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
* Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
* Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
* Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
* Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
* Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
* Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove
* Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler
* Sean Astin as Bob Newby
* Paul Reiser as Dr. Owens

Also Starring* Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner
* Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler
* Catherine Curtin as Claudia Henderson
* Brett Gelman as Murray
* Aimee Mullins as Terry Ives
* Pruitt Taylor Vince as Ray
* Amy Seimetz as Becky Ives
* Matty Cardarople as Keith
* Karen Ceesay as Mrs. Sinclair
* Cory Chapman as Lab Technician
* Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
* Paul Vincent Freeman as Security Guard
* Virginia Kirby as Motel Owner
* Arnell Powell as Mr. Sinclair
* Ben Taylor as Friendly Trucker

## Music

### Soundtrack

* **"Try My Love"** by Carroll Lloyd - Nancy and Jonathan check into a motel.
* **"You Ought To Be With Me"** by Carl Weathers - The Sinclair family sits down for breakfast; Lucas asks his father what he does when his mom is mad at him.
* **"Green, Green Grass of Home"** by Bobby Bare - Eleven catches a ride on a semi to visit her mother.
* **"Can I Do What I Want"** by Shock Therapy - Nancy and Jonathan stop by Murray's place.
* **"Metal Sport"** by Hittman - Billy drops Max at the arcade and tells her to be out in an hour.
* **"Darling Don't Leave Me"** by Robert Görl - Max is shown into the backroom of the arcade, where Lucas is waiting for her.
* **"When the Sun Goes Down"** by The Jetzons - Lucas follows Max through the arcade trying to convince her that his story is true.
* **"Strenght in Numbers"** by Channel 3 - Billy picks up Max from the arcade and questions her about hanging out with Lucas.
* **"Open the Kingdom (Liquid Days, Part II)"** by Philip Glass Ensemble, Douglas Perry, Michael Riesman & Michael Reisman - Rapid flashback montage of what happened to Terry Ives.
* **"No More"** by Billie Holiday - Murray puts on a record to help him contemplate Nancy and Jonathan's revelations.

### Original Score

* **"The Spy"** - Joyce continues to construct the map. Mike reassures Will.
* **"Shadow In The Tunnel"** - Hopper becomes trapped in the tunnel.
* **"Scars"** - Nancy and Jonathan compare the size of their scars.
* **"Biking to School"** - Lucas bikes to the arcade.
* **"Gearing Up"** - Dustin prepares to deal with Dart.
* **"Connect the Dots"** - Nancy and Jonathan arrive at Murray's Warehouse.
* **"Do You Accept The Risk?"** - Lucas begins to tell Max their secrets.
* **"In the Woods"** - Joyce, Mike and Will try to locate Hopper.
* **"Looking for a Way Out"** - Hopper discovers that the tendrils don't like fire.
* **"Crib"** - Becky shows Eleven what was going to be her crib.
* **"The Hub"** - Hopper is overwhelmed by vines.
* **"Photos In The Woods"** - Billy sees Max and Lucas together again.
* **"Birth/Rescue"** - Eleven experiences Terry's flashbacks.
* **"Turn Right & Run"** - Hopper is rescued. Will experiences a seizure.

## Production

"Dig Dug" is the first of two consecutive episodes directed by Andrew Stanton, who is known for writing and directing several Pixar films. Stanton was a big fan of the series and contacted executive producer Shawn Levy to express interest in taking part in the second season.

Filming of the episode, along with "Chapter Six: The Spy" began in early February and continued through late March.

Stanton gave the episode's production crew custom made beanies with images of the player's character in the game *Dig Dug*, which the episode is named after, and binoculars, symbolizing the second episode he directed: "The Spy".

## Trivia

* The title of the episode is taken from the 1982 arcade game, *Dig Dug*, in which the eponymous player's character digs underground tunnels where he defeats monsters. It might refers to events in the episode in which Hopper enters underground tunnels, as suggested by the image from the title reveal representing the episode.
	+ The title of the fifth chapter was originally assumed to be "The Storm" because the announcement trailer for season two listed this as the fifth title. However, the titles in the announcement trailer were out of order and only meant to "provide some hint of where [they] were going in season two without giving anything away." The real title was revealed with an image representing the episode, along with the titles of the six first chapters on October 9, 2017.

## References

1. ↑ "Finding Dory director to helm 2 episodes of Stranger Things 2" *Entertainment Weekly*. February 10, 2017.
2. ↑ Tweet by Andrew Stanton (@andrewstanton) on Twitter. February 11, 2017.
3. ↑ "‘Stranger Things’: ‘Finding Dory’ Director Wraps On Season 2" *Heroic Hollywood*. March 22, 2017.
4. ↑ Tweet by Andrew Stanton (@andrewstanton) on Twitter. October 9, 2017.
5. ↑ "The Duffer Brothers Are Reading Your 'Stranger Things' Reddit Theories" *The Hollywood Reporter*. October 12, 2016.
6. ↑ "The story continues. New chapters on October 27." *Stranger Things* on Twitter. October 9, 2017.