For five seasons and nearly a decade, Stranger Things has paid homage to pop culture from throughout several decades, but especially from the 1980s. And the long-anticipated finale, “The Rightside Up,” was no different. As the Hawkin heroes headed into the home stretch, these are our ten favorite pop culture defences and Easter eggs we spotted from the big series finale:
Rambo
When the group takes the fight to Vecna in the Abyss, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) has a new look. According to the Duffer Brothers, Sylvester Stallone’s appearance in the Rambo films inspired Nancy’s attire.
Halloween: H2O
It is a fed-up Joyce Wheeler (Winona Ryder) who delivers the killing blow to Vecna. And she does so by chopping his head off with an ax. (Look, she’s had enough, ok?) In part, this is a callback to her using an ax in season one. But it also recalls how Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, tired of running from slasher Michael Myers for twenty years in Halloween: H2O, finds her inner resolve and takes an ax and chops off his head.
Purple Rain
One of the most iconic albums of the ‘80s, Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain, gets two songs played in the finale. We hear them play as the group leaves the Upside Down, rigging it to blow for the length of time it takes Side B of Purple Rain to start and finish. Famously, Side-B starts with “When Doves Cry,” and ends with “Purple Rain,” which plays as Eleven makes her big sacrifice. Prince almost never licensed out his music for film or TV. Especially his signature biggest hits. But the late icon’s estate has less strict rules regarding that. Ever since the finale dropped, streams of Prince’s music have shot up significantly.
Stephen King
Since the start, Stranger Things has channeled as much Stephen King as it does Steven Spielberg. But the finale was filled with more King references than ever. Vicki refers to the Demo Dogs as “mutant Cujos,” referencing King’s killer St. Bernard book. The Mind Flayer’s form in the Abyss resembled a giant spider, reminiscent of Pennywise’s final form in It. Mike growing up to become a writer is not only reminiscent of Bill Denborough in It, but also Gordie in Stand By Me (and a few other King protagonists). The sign for Silver Bullet Beer in the bar we see Will at in the future is likely a reference to King’s werewolf novel Silver Bullet.
The Breakfast Club
In Dustin’s graduation speech for the 1989 class of Hawkins High School, he mentions how cultural forces divide the school into several social castes, the jocks, the nerds, and the freaks. This seems like a very direct callback to Brian’s letter to Principal Vernon in the finale of The Breakfast Club.
Montauk
When Hopper (David Harbour) proposes to Joyce at Enzo’s restaurant, he mentions getting a job offer in Montauk, New York. This is a reference to the Duffer Brothers’ original pitch for Stranger Things, titled Montauk. It was loosely based on the mysterious Montauk Project, a series of experiments allegedly conducted by the U.S. Government in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Despite the name change. Much of the urban legends surrounding Montauk would serve as inspiration for season one.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
As an indicator of where we are in the show’s timeline, the “18 months later” segment shows the local Hawkins movie house is showing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This sets the events firmly in the summer of 1989. As this was the “last crusade” of the Hawkins A.V. Club and their allies, it’s a fitting movie title to display.
Ghost
According to the Duffer Brothers, when we see Max and Dustin together in the near future on a date, they’re watching the 1990 supernatural romance Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
The biggest sci-fi event of 1987, when season five takes place, was the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although not given a shout-out by name, the final scene of Stranger Things had a strong similarity to the finale of TNG, “All Good Things.” Both feature our main characters playing a game around a table. In Stranger Things, it’s D&D, in TNG, it’s poker. It’s a “full circle” moment, showing the characters playing a game that’s been important to them throughout the series run. Both bittersweet endings show flash forwards to the future lives of the characters as well.
Joyce and Karen’s Frantic Phone Call
One of the most memorable Easter eggs in the finale was Stranger Things making a callback to itself. In the first episode of the first season, Joyce Beyers frantically calls Karen Wheeler looking for her missing son, Will. In the final episode of the series, it is Karen who calls Joyce, looking for her missing son, Mike. Luckily, he wasn’t abducted; he was just sulking on a park bench, and not sucked into another dimension.
Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Manual
Stranger Things wouldn’t be Stranger Things without a Dungeons & Dragons reference, and appropriately enough, the show ends with one. As the credits roll over David Bowie’s “Heroes,” we see the group’s adventures over five seasons drawn like the black and white illustrations in the Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook. The “cover” of the manual even looks like the kind you’d see published by TSR back in the ‘80s.
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Source: Kiat Media
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