1 00:00:05,756 --> 00:00:08,425 This Episode 7 is traditional 2 00:00:08,509 --> 00:00:11,428 in the sense that we have all our characters reuniting, 3 00:00:11,512 --> 00:00:14,056 sharing information, and developing a plan, 4 00:00:14,139 --> 00:00:17,351 but it's a little less action- and plot-heavy, 5 00:00:17,434 --> 00:00:22,105 and more emotional, I think, than most of our episodes. 6 00:00:22,189 --> 00:00:27,861 It is this pivot point towards the end game. 7 00:00:32,449 --> 00:00:34,159 And… now! 8 00:00:42,626 --> 00:00:45,879 Stay with me. All the way, Max. 9 00:00:47,714 --> 00:00:51,510 Finally, after having been in this coma/trance 10 00:00:51,593 --> 00:00:53,220 all season long, 11 00:00:53,303 --> 00:00:55,472 Max awakens. 12 00:00:55,556 --> 00:00:59,560 I can't feel… much. 13 00:01:00,143 --> 00:01:02,688 Do you feel this? Do you feel my hand? 14 00:01:02,771 --> 00:01:06,275 Right before this scene, I remember Shawn calling, "Action," 15 00:01:06,358 --> 00:01:09,945 and then the energy switched, and changed, 16 00:01:10,028 --> 00:01:13,740 -and then I looked into Sadie's eyes. -…eyes to Sadie, and… 17 00:01:13,824 --> 00:01:14,741 Action. 18 00:01:14,825 --> 00:01:15,951 Yeah, that's it! 19 00:01:16,034 --> 00:01:18,036 -Stay with me, Max. -Yes. 20 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,581 When we finished the scene, everyone was quiet. 21 00:01:22,833 --> 00:01:24,334 The crew was quiet. 22 00:01:24,418 --> 00:01:27,337 Then, like, Maya and Amy started crying, 23 00:01:27,421 --> 00:01:28,714 then Sadie started crying, 24 00:01:29,298 --> 00:01:30,507 then I started crying. 25 00:01:30,591 --> 00:01:34,761 -And, cut! -Tail sticks. 26 00:01:34,845 --> 00:01:36,513 Everyone felt the presence of, 27 00:01:37,097 --> 00:01:38,932 I guess, what we brought to the table. 28 00:01:39,016 --> 00:01:40,142 The whole time… 29 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:43,061 I just needed you. 30 00:01:45,814 --> 00:01:47,316 Just you. 31 00:01:48,191 --> 00:01:50,986 With something like that, when a scene is so beautifully written 32 00:01:51,069 --> 00:01:54,448 and the moment is just as touching as that is, 33 00:01:54,531 --> 00:01:58,535 then it kind of makes my job easier 34 00:01:58,619 --> 00:02:00,662 to, like, really connect with Max, 35 00:02:00,746 --> 00:02:03,957 and when Caleb is giving such an incredible performance, as well, 36 00:02:04,041 --> 00:02:07,961 I just felt very lucky to be in that room. 37 00:02:08,754 --> 00:02:11,423 -Every now and then as an actor… -Action! 38 00:02:11,506 --> 00:02:13,634 …a spell is cast in the room. 39 00:02:13,717 --> 00:02:15,802 And that day, 40 00:02:15,886 --> 00:02:17,846 the spell was cast, 41 00:02:17,929 --> 00:02:19,973 and I 42 00:02:20,057 --> 00:02:22,184 went home feeling so inspired. 43 00:02:25,771 --> 00:02:27,230 And cut. 44 00:02:28,565 --> 00:02:30,025 Very good. 45 00:02:39,534 --> 00:02:41,953 Holly has escaped Camazotz. 46 00:02:42,037 --> 00:02:45,874 So she wakes up in something that we call the Pain Tree, 47 00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:48,585 and it's where Vecna, or Henry, 48 00:02:48,669 --> 00:02:51,713 is keeping all of his kidnapped children. 49 00:02:59,888 --> 00:03:01,598 As far as the Pain Tree goes, 50 00:03:01,682 --> 00:03:04,393 we wanted to design something that had these really 51 00:03:04,476 --> 00:03:07,354 sort of arachnid characteristics 52 00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:10,732 and then also something that looked like Vecna. 53 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:14,444 You know, it's, like, an extension of him. 54 00:03:15,028 --> 00:03:18,073 The sculptural base of it all is a foam, 55 00:03:18,156 --> 00:03:20,867 and then that's when our scenic department comes in, 56 00:03:20,951 --> 00:03:24,496 and just experimented endlessly with all these different materials, 57 00:03:24,579 --> 00:03:27,666 layering them, and then, like, stretching them and pulling them. 58 00:03:27,749 --> 00:03:30,210 There's so many different layers that went into that. 59 00:03:30,794 --> 00:03:36,091 The level of detail and the talent that goes into all of it 60 00:03:36,174 --> 00:03:37,759 is just mind-boggling. 61 00:03:37,843 --> 00:03:42,389 Any set that's, like, that big, you want to be able to walk onto it, 62 00:03:42,472 --> 00:03:45,183 and feel like you own the space. 63 00:03:45,767 --> 00:03:48,311 It was nice to just feel, "Okay, this is my home." 64 00:03:48,395 --> 00:03:50,522 "This is where I'm residing." 65 00:03:58,029 --> 00:03:59,448 We've always assumed the Upside Down 66 00:03:59,531 --> 00:04:01,074 is another dimension opened by Brenner, 67 00:04:01,158 --> 00:04:03,535 but it turns out it's actually 68 00:04:03,618 --> 00:04:04,911 a bridge. 69 00:04:04,995 --> 00:04:06,538 That's like classic Dustin. 70 00:04:06,621 --> 00:04:10,709 So that was like when that felt really fun to jump into, 71 00:04:10,792 --> 00:04:13,420 and Dustin's had a few of those, like, 72 00:04:13,503 --> 00:04:16,131 expository science-y monologues over the course of the show. 73 00:04:16,214 --> 00:04:19,259 And so it felt like home getting to do stuff like that. 74 00:04:19,342 --> 00:04:21,803 This wormhole connects Hawkins to here, 75 00:04:21,887 --> 00:04:25,265 another world that I've coined "The Abyss." 76 00:04:25,348 --> 00:04:29,269 I remember, it was part of the way through season one that Netflix 77 00:04:29,352 --> 00:04:32,189 asked us for, like, a mythology document, 78 00:04:32,272 --> 00:04:35,525 and we explained exactly what the Upside Down was, 79 00:04:35,609 --> 00:04:38,904 and why it was frozen in time and all this, 80 00:04:38,987 --> 00:04:40,655 and we wanted to keep the mystery, 81 00:04:40,739 --> 00:04:44,159 but this being our final season, we said we should just 82 00:04:44,242 --> 00:04:47,996 have our characters figure out exactly what this place is. 83 00:04:48,079 --> 00:04:52,209 Okay, this flashlight is the Squawk radio tower, and this Slinky… 84 00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:54,544 is the Bridge. 85 00:04:54,628 --> 00:04:57,130 When you have a friend as smart as Dustin Henderson 86 00:04:57,214 --> 00:04:59,174 you're always kind of a little behind the ball 87 00:04:59,257 --> 00:05:00,759 so you're always playing catch-up. 88 00:05:00,842 --> 00:05:03,720 Wham. Voilà. You've got a beanstalk. 89 00:05:03,804 --> 00:05:05,806 Usually, I'm sorta trying to figure out the plan 90 00:05:05,889 --> 00:05:07,265 that's being delivered to me, 91 00:05:07,349 --> 00:05:09,434 rather than, you know, delivering the plan. 92 00:05:09,518 --> 00:05:11,937 -I like it. -It's not totally insane. 93 00:05:12,020 --> 00:05:13,730 That's a very important moment, 94 00:05:13,814 --> 00:05:16,691 because I think Steve never really believes he's very smart. 95 00:05:16,775 --> 00:05:18,276 And I don't think that's true. 96 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,489 And to be able to have a big moment of strength there, 97 00:05:22,572 --> 00:05:26,243 where it's kind just like, "Holy shit, he did it," 98 00:05:26,326 --> 00:05:29,246 is really needed and earned on his part, and 99 00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:32,582 I think it's a good moment for Joe. He is so talented. 100 00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:35,168 I think he had fun doing it, and I loved watching him do it. 101 00:05:35,252 --> 00:05:39,714 The Abyss, the Demos, the Mind Flayer, all of it, gone. 102 00:05:40,549 --> 00:05:42,801 Game, set, match. 103 00:05:45,929 --> 00:05:49,766 Great. And just a slight push-in, please, because why not? 104 00:05:49,850 --> 00:05:50,976 In my face. 105 00:05:51,685 --> 00:05:55,313 Okay, and split the difference on this one, please. 106 00:05:57,107 --> 00:05:58,733 I remember having a blast that day. 107 00:05:58,817 --> 00:06:01,444 It felt light-hearted. It felt fun, 'cause it was 108 00:06:01,528 --> 00:06:03,488 energetic, and the flow was really great. 109 00:06:06,074 --> 00:06:09,703 That was a really fun scene to shoot, just working with everybody. 110 00:06:09,786 --> 00:06:12,539 Honestly, the vibe was a really fun set. 111 00:06:12,622 --> 00:06:16,877 Seeing it all meld together and watching these personalities 112 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,172 and suddenly really realizing what a good job 113 00:06:21,256 --> 00:06:25,427 Matt and Ross did with the casting of all those individuals, 114 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:29,890 that was the funnest day I think I may ever have had on a set. 115 00:06:33,977 --> 00:06:37,480 Have you thought about it, what it all means? 116 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:42,736 I'm really trying to convince her that this is more important 117 00:06:42,819 --> 00:06:46,656 than her friends, than Mike, 118 00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:50,619 than the life that she has. 119 00:06:51,202 --> 00:06:55,123 Because if she doesn't do it, they will all die. 120 00:06:55,206 --> 00:06:56,291 So we kill her. 121 00:06:56,374 --> 00:06:59,169 She replaced Papa. Another will replace her. 122 00:06:59,753 --> 00:07:02,756 This situation just keeps getting reinvented, you know? 123 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,634 If it's not Papa, it's Kay. 124 00:07:05,717 --> 00:07:08,929 There's always going to be somebody chasing, 125 00:07:09,012 --> 00:07:15,101 trying to use them for their own nefarious reasons. 126 00:07:15,185 --> 00:07:17,979 Don't you see, Jane? It's a cycle. 127 00:07:25,779 --> 00:07:27,864 These babies are deadlier than they look. 128 00:07:30,909 --> 00:07:32,243 You sure? 129 00:07:32,327 --> 00:07:35,246 My character's struggle for the season 130 00:07:35,330 --> 00:07:40,710 is feeling like his friend is kind of closed off, and shut off, 131 00:07:40,794 --> 00:07:47,592 and maybe acting rashly out of, like, an emotionally insecure place. 132 00:07:47,676 --> 00:07:50,261 You know, him giving me the Eddie spear and shield 133 00:07:50,345 --> 00:07:52,931 is kind of like calling a truce and waving the white flag 134 00:07:53,014 --> 00:07:55,642 and gives my character a moment of pause, 135 00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:57,936 which kind of brings upon an apology 136 00:07:58,019 --> 00:08:01,147 for maybe how things sort of have been dealt with. 137 00:08:01,231 --> 00:08:02,607 I miss my best friend. 138 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:05,777 Yeah, I miss my best friend too. 139 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:13,493 And action! 140 00:08:17,539 --> 00:08:18,790 Ready! 141 00:08:18,873 --> 00:08:20,166 And… 142 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:22,419 God, I hope BTS is somewhere… 143 00:08:22,502 --> 00:08:24,963 Ready! And action! 144 00:08:28,633 --> 00:08:30,301 Action, Noah. 145 00:08:31,928 --> 00:08:33,096 Earlier today, when… 146 00:08:33,179 --> 00:08:34,848 Noah has gotten older in this season, 147 00:08:34,931 --> 00:08:38,101 and to see him grow as an actor has been really great. 148 00:08:38,184 --> 00:08:41,312 And so I had him try on a few things, and we knew we wanted the collar 149 00:08:41,396 --> 00:08:43,815 to feel like the collar from the first season, 150 00:08:43,898 --> 00:08:47,652 when we meet him in his little, like, tan and orange vest. 151 00:08:49,195 --> 00:08:51,781 We just felt like the color tones all worked together, 152 00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:53,199 and Noah felt really happy. 153 00:08:53,283 --> 00:08:55,869 And that's ultimately what I want the actors to feel. 154 00:08:55,952 --> 00:08:57,704 You know, to feel like their character, 155 00:08:57,787 --> 00:09:01,207 to feel comfortable, to feel ready to, like, take on the world. 156 00:09:02,167 --> 00:09:03,168 Wait. 157 00:09:04,544 --> 00:09:06,337 I think you need to hear this too. 158 00:09:07,589 --> 00:09:09,007 Everyone does. 159 00:09:10,925 --> 00:09:12,510 Will and his coming-out scene 160 00:09:12,594 --> 00:09:14,429 was something that we've been building to 161 00:09:14,512 --> 00:09:15,513 for a very long time. 162 00:09:15,597 --> 00:09:18,308 I am. I am different. 163 00:09:18,391 --> 00:09:20,894 It's important that he comes to terms with this, 164 00:09:20,977 --> 00:09:23,271 and once he's able to do that, 165 00:09:23,354 --> 00:09:25,899 he's heading into this final battle 166 00:09:25,982 --> 00:09:30,445 with a confidence and maturity that he hasn't had before. 167 00:09:30,528 --> 00:09:33,114 I… I don't like girls. 168 00:09:34,532 --> 00:09:36,659 From Season 1, if you look in the lookbook, 169 00:09:36,743 --> 00:09:42,248 it says like, he, you know, felt different, and is "queer," and… 170 00:09:42,332 --> 00:09:43,833 It's always been there. 171 00:09:44,334 --> 00:09:48,213 But the Duffers really took their time with that storyline and that arc, 172 00:09:48,296 --> 00:09:50,632 and didn't rush it, and didn't push it in your face. 173 00:09:50,715 --> 00:09:53,426 And that's what makes it so real, because it's like… 174 00:09:53,510 --> 00:09:55,261 That's not his whole story. 175 00:09:55,345 --> 00:09:58,515 There's the struggles of his dad who left the home, 176 00:09:58,598 --> 00:10:00,475 and the mom who's a drunk, 177 00:10:00,558 --> 00:10:03,561 and the traumas of being stuck in the Upside Down, 178 00:10:03,645 --> 00:10:05,939 and his friends who are growing up faster than he is. 179 00:10:06,022 --> 00:10:07,440 And there's so many layers. 180 00:10:07,524 --> 00:10:09,901 It makes it so real and authentic, 181 00:10:09,984 --> 00:10:13,071 and I just… I love it so much, 182 00:10:13,154 --> 00:10:15,740 because they wrote such a great, beautiful character. 183 00:10:18,118 --> 00:10:21,204 I read it every morning, every night, for the month leading up to it, 184 00:10:21,287 --> 00:10:24,207 and then that allowed me, on the day, 185 00:10:24,290 --> 00:10:27,085 to just… to completely forget about the script, 186 00:10:27,168 --> 00:10:29,170 completely forget about remembering my lines, 187 00:10:29,254 --> 00:10:32,298 and that just kind of poured out of me, and what I could focus on 188 00:10:32,382 --> 00:10:34,676 is just tapping into that feeling and that emotion, 189 00:10:34,759 --> 00:10:37,804 and the words will spill out on top of that feeling. 190 00:10:37,887 --> 00:10:39,764 It just felt so real. 191 00:10:39,848 --> 00:10:42,392 It felt so real. 192 00:10:42,475 --> 00:10:43,351 Will… 193 00:10:43,434 --> 00:10:46,312 Noah blew me away, you know, this season. 194 00:10:46,396 --> 00:10:52,026 He had a lot to do, and it was beautiful work. 195 00:10:52,110 --> 00:10:54,571 it was incredible to witness. 196 00:10:57,907 --> 00:11:01,077 And it was done. And everyone was clapping, 197 00:11:01,161 --> 00:11:04,205 which I've never experienced before on the set. 198 00:11:04,289 --> 00:11:07,667 Like, the whole cast got up and clapped for me, 199 00:11:07,750 --> 00:11:10,044 and I felt pretty good about myself. 200 00:11:10,795 --> 00:11:13,423 And it was a really special moment that I'll never forget. 201 00:11:13,506 --> 00:11:17,802 And I'm so glad that I had the whole cast there to watch me 202 00:11:17,886 --> 00:11:21,848 and support me, and experience it with me. 203 00:11:23,516 --> 00:11:28,062 Most of them found out about me personally in, like, news headlines, 204 00:11:28,146 --> 00:11:31,274 and I always felt like I missed out on that chance 205 00:11:31,357 --> 00:11:33,735 to really, like, sit them down and tell them. 206 00:11:33,818 --> 00:11:36,112 And now… It did really help me, 207 00:11:36,196 --> 00:11:39,782 like, I do feel a lot more comfortable in that part of me with them, 208 00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:41,576 because of that scene, so… 209 00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:54,255 Showtime, Snookums! 210 00:11:54,839 --> 00:11:55,882 Mellon. 211 00:11:56,549 --> 00:11:58,885 Murray has, like, a lot of incredible action moments 212 00:11:58,968 --> 00:12:00,011 in this season. 213 00:12:01,262 --> 00:12:03,848 Let's see how you like this! 214 00:12:08,228 --> 00:12:14,150 I hope it's an appetizer for a massive action-hero career to come 215 00:12:14,234 --> 00:12:17,445 where I keep surprising everybody. 216 00:12:18,404 --> 00:12:20,198 Now comes the fun part! 217 00:12:26,037 --> 00:12:29,207 -Still shooting. -Ah, stop that! 218 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,335 This is Matt. 219 00:12:34,212 --> 00:12:36,256 The stakes feel pretty high. 220 00:12:36,339 --> 00:12:38,883 We're, like, in action mode. 221 00:12:42,095 --> 00:12:44,639 The question was always, "How're they going to end this?" 222 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:47,350 I never speculated, even in my own brain, 223 00:12:47,433 --> 00:12:49,811 because the Duffers always surprise us 224 00:12:49,894 --> 00:12:52,063 no matter what you think it's gonna be. 225 00:12:52,563 --> 00:12:55,942 At the end of the episode there's a sense of dread, 226 00:12:56,025 --> 00:12:59,737 or uncertainty, that pervades specifically related to Eleven. 227 00:12:59,821 --> 00:13:03,783 There's a look and a moment between her and Kali 228 00:13:03,866 --> 00:13:07,453 where it seems as though Eleven has agreed to Kali's plan, 229 00:13:07,537 --> 00:13:10,164 to stay in the Upside Down when it explodes, 230 00:13:10,248 --> 00:13:14,502 so even if they are to succeed, there's a big question mark there 231 00:13:14,585 --> 00:13:17,005 in terms of what's going to happen to Eleven.