delusions of grandeur - Skull Rock Broadcast Episode 1 Transcript
Jul 1
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Episode originally posted on January 1, 2024
Delusional, us? No, never. Join Meghan and Stacy as they sit down to talk about meeting at Fan Expo in Philadelphia, their journey to becoming huge fans of Stranger Things, and their shared love of Steve Harrington.
Listen here or anywhere you find podcasts.
STACY
All right. Hello, everybody. This is the Skull Rock podcast. This is your co-host Stacy, and I am joined by…
MEGHAN
I am Meghan, the other co-host for the Skull Rock Broadcast, a Stranger Things podcast. Hey, how are you?
STACY
I'm good. Darling, how are you doing?
MEGHAN
Okay. Winter break is nice.
STACY
It's very, very nice, I must say. And I'm so glad that we were able to get a chance to finally sit down and record our first episode.
MEGHAN
We've been so excited to do this for like months now, I think. Right?
STACY
Yep, this has been in the works for a while, guys. We are two really hard-core Stranger Things fans, much like everybody, and we thought this would be a little bit of fun, especially as we're counting down to the final last hurrah…
MEGHAN
Season five! Yeah. Super exciting. Great timing, I think because the strikes are finally over as far as I know, and filming is set to begin. So, we are super excited to start talking about season five and just talking about the show in general. Like Stacy said, we're huge fans.
STACY
Absolutely. I agree, we're just, we're huge, huge fans. You know, this is, can be a fantastic, you know, community. It's almost like a family. That's how we met. And I just I cannot believe that we're on the verge of season five, that this is it.
MEGHAN
Right? Let's talk about that. So, we met on Instagram. Nice little Stranger Things community on Instagram. And I think you were probably one of the first people I met when I started my account. So that was super exciting. But we have met in real life also.
STACY
We have, yes.
MEGHAN
We met in Philadelphia, at Fan Expo Philly, where we were there to meet Joseph Quinn, Eddie Munson. So that was very exciting. And you also have been to a couple other Fan Expos, I think.
STACY
I have. The first one I was ever at was the Fan Expo in New Orleans, which is crazy to believe that this is going on almost a year ago. It was in January, early January of 2023. I've never been to New Orleans before. Great town, great party town. And I went with my friends Andy and Brandi and my friend Jeanette, and we went down there, and it was if you honestly didn't, like, wrap your head around how big of a show this is and how big of an impact this season and this character Eddie Munson was, I've never, you know, I'm 35 years old. I've never all my life seen a character join any popular show in its fourth season and make that big of a worldwide impact. But it was chaotic but fun in the best way. And I was fortunate enough a few months later, in June of this past year to go to Fan Expo Philadelphia, and that's where I met you and, met Joseph again and Grace.
MEGHAN
Oh, yes. That was super cool. Was she in New Orleans also?
STACY
She was, I was able to meet her. Sweet as pie, of course. I was able to meet the two of them. And just overall really great interactions. I've been attending conventions probably since, like, I was 15 or so. And I have to say, even though, you know, the crowds were very overwhelming, there were a ton of people who were waiting in line for a while. The actors… they are definitely… The reason why the lines took so long was the actors really take their time to talk with you, which was so surreal and so cool. So, I'm dying for them to start doing some Stranger Things, like themed conventions where it's just straight up Stranger Things guests. Maybe they'll happen after the fifth season wraps, but I'm hoping, you know, like they've done in the past with like, Walking Dead and other, you know, franchises that they'll just do Stranger Things. I believe they have done that over in Germany. So, fingers crossed that they'll come to the US because there's so much of the cast I'd like to meet. And so far, the only ones I have met out of the entire cast are Grace, Joseph Quinn, and Robert Englund. But that was at a horror convention. Now, who have you met?
MEGHAN
Just Joseph Quinn. So, I am brand new. That Philadelphia convention was my first ever convention. Yeah, but it was a great experience. And I think it was so fun when we met because we knew each other, like, and we knew we were going to be there, but we didn't even, like, message each other. I just saw you and I walked up to you.
STACY
Zeroed in.
MEGHAN
And you're like, wait, who are you? Because I don't post my face on my account.
STACY
I was like, Meghan!
MEGHAN
And then we got to hang out.
STACY
Like meeting a celebrity. By the way… Guys, I literally was like, I was more excited to meet Meghan than anybody else. I was like, Instagram celebrity. And she's like, stop that. I'm like, man, internet friends.
MEGHAN
No, that was so cool. And I know what you mean. I think The Vampire Diaries, which I also enjoyed that show. They have the conventions for like just The Vampire Diaries. I was just talking to Brandi about that the other day. It would be so cool to do one of those sometime. But I hope Stranger Things does something similar also. Like you were saying, because it would be cool to get to meet more of the cast and just be around fans of just Stranger Things, even though it was super cool to be at the Fan Expo because, I mean, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Hayden Christensen was there, and I got to see his panel and, oh, Sean Aston, I watched his panel in Philadelphia. So that was, that was a really cool experience. And it was a great experience, I think for my first convention, even though it was a little overwhelming and like you said, with the crowds, but it was cool. Everybody was so friendly.
STACY
They did do a really good job in Philly, even though, I'm sure people know that something went on with JQ’s passport. So basically, everything had to be shoved into one day. And I honestly, I have to say I think they kind of like knew that, you know, this was just one of those things that it was out of everybody's hands, and they handled it really well. The waits weren't that long. It was June and they were cranking the AC, and the wait times weren't that bad. And also, like kind of the good thing about these conventions, especially I noticed this in New Orleans, like you said. The community is so welcoming. Like, you know, in New Orleans, I was waiting like 3 or 4 hours in line and I'm a little social butterfly, so I'd like, turn towards strangers and I'd be like, so what's your theory for next season? Your favorite character? And like some people, a little weirded out, but other people, they'd be showing me their tattoos and their cosplays and just deep diving on, you know, the show. So, it's really cool to be surrounded by other fans who kind of get it, you know, and that can talk for hours on end about this show.
MEGHAN
And that's exactly, I think, kind of the inspiration that we had for the podcast. We like sat down together and we just felt like we could have talked for hours, and then we were like, well, why don't we talk for hours about this show and maybe other people would like to listen too? So it's, I think that is just a great little introduction to how we met and how the show was born, but do you want to share anything else about who you are? Your name is Stacy.
STACY
Sure. My name is Stacy. Everyone I go by staystillreviews on Instagram. I kind of ran a movie blog for a little while. Big, big movie fan. Been a Stranger Things fan since the beginning, which we'll dive more into in a few minutes. I'm from Massachusetts. I work in the school system, which is really, really cool. Like I said, I could talk Stranger Things and movies for hours on end, and I have a little Maltese puppy named Quinn, who I'm sure you can all guess who he's named after. I have to get him a brother and name him Keery. So how about you? And why don't you tell everybody about yourself?
MEGHAN
Okay, so I'm Meghan, obviously, steddiestories on Instagram. And I live in Maryland, close to Baltimore, with my husband, and we have two cats, and we have a husky puppy. She's about ten months old now, and her name is Leia. So, like I said, big Star Wars fan since I was a kid and we're about the same age. You said you were 35 before. I'm 36. Yeah, so Star Wars was a big part of just my childhood. My dad was a big fan, and then the prequels came out when I was in middle school, so that was fun and just I mean, I saw the sequels in the movie theater with my dad, too, so never been like too as into the sequels and the prequels. But the original movies were just so nostalgic and classic for me. So, I love that it has like a resurgence lately. And I'm always kind of looking for the Star Wars connections in Stranger Things, too. I know you love, like, connections to all the horror movies and things like that, to which I think it's fun to talk about, and we'll definitely dive into that on the podcast and later episodes. Yeah. So that's me, I think.
STACY
Very nice, very nice. So, I think a good way for our audiences to maybe get to know us a little bit better. And these are questions we can ask further down the road to them, but, Meghan, could you tell me. When was the first time you ever watched Stranger Things, and what was your like first opinion about it when it first aired?
MEGHAN
It's so funny because so on Facebook there's like Facebook memories, obviously. And, oh, what month was it when it came out?
STACY
July.
MEGHAN
So, July 2016. I was going to, like, look up these dates or it was so that I could, like, talk about it. So July 2016, I was living in an apartment with my husband. Now husband? He wasn't my husband at the time, and I remember watching it and posting on Facebook. So, like every year around that time, like my posts comes up like, and I can't, I can't remember exactly what it said. I think I saved it last time to like, share on Instagram or whatever, but I was just like hooked from the first episode, and I wanted to talk about it with everybody. But I never really got into sort of the fandom aspect of it in between the first three seasons.
So, I mean, I watched immediately, I loved it. But then in between the seasons, I wasn't really like thinking about it or talking about it with anyone, really. I think when season two came out… I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself with like the little journey here. But when season two came out, I remember talking about it with friends again a little bit more and trying… I remember being in Pittsburgh with my friend, and it was my friends from college, and we were all trying to get our other friend to watch it, because we had all watched it. So, season two was already out. So we watched most of the first season with her and then she was supposed to continue watching season two, but I don't know if she ever did.
STACY
That's great.
MEGHAN
But her husband is actually a big fan too, so she has watched all of the seasons now at this point. So, yeah, so I mean, I've watched it every year when it came out. Season three. I remember loving, but I think season four was when I kind of got hooked and like, it got stuck in my brain.
STACY
What was it about season four that really hooked you?
MEGHAN
So, I watched it immediately when it came out in May, but I hadn't been, I hadn't been paying attention much to like the lead up to it. So that's why I'm super excited for like the lead up and the in-between with season four and season five. Like, I'm bummed that it's taking so long, but it's just been so much fun. Like to be a part of this. Like during the time in between season four and season five. So, I watched it in May. I just loved it so much. I loved everything about it, like the connections to the previous seasons, the new character development. I remember going to school and oh, and I. I didn't say that I also work in a school, so both Stacy and I are on our winter break. That's what I mentioned earlier. I remember going to school. I just wanted to talk to the kids about it, too, because I work with, like, the age kids. They're like middle schoolers for the most part. And they, a lot of them watch the show, too. So, I was like, oh, who is watching Stranger Things and talking about that with the kids.
And it was when? I think it was the I think, I guess episode seven. It just like blew my mind. So, everything kind of like came full circle and I was so excited for volume two. I didn't rewatch it during the time between volume one and volume two. I was like, okay, I'm excited for these last two episodes. But then I watched volume two. And. I couldn't stop watching it. Like I immediately finished volume two and I put season one, episode one back on. I was like, I need to see this from the beginning to kind of like, incorporate all of this new knowledge of the lore and things that now we know were happening from the very beginning. Hmm… So, I think that was like my initial like, thing that got it stuck in my brain. Sidebar to that and we can talk about our favorite characters. I'm sure we'll, like, definitely get into our favorite characters a lot throughout this podcast. But yes, Eddie Munson, huge fan, loved him, of course, but our boy Steve…
STACY
Our boy Steve, he's number one forever.
MEGHAN
I was like. I want to watch it from season one for this character development, because he by the time season three, he was like, yes, he was like a new person. He was so cool. Season three, Steve.
STACY
Ah, chef’s kiss.
MEGHAN
Exactly, but season four, it kind of again came full circle, and you got that full character development of who he is now and seen from the beginning to now, that kind of like arc. I just wanted to rewatch it over and over again just for that.
STACY
Shows you what amazing writers the Duffer Brothers are, and what one hell of an actor Joe Keery is, because we all know it was originally going to be Lonnie, Jonathan and Will's dad, who he's an actor that I've known from other horror movies and stuff. I was excited to see him actually pop up, the guy who plays their dad. So, he was supposed to be the one to have the baseball bat with the nails and help Jonathan and Nancy. And Steve was supposed to be like the James Spader kind of, you know, jerky boyfriend who, like, assaults Nancy. And supposedly the Duffer Brothers were like, this kid is charming, and I can. I don't know about you, Meghan. I couldn't imagine the other seasons without them. No. You know, like, I'm sorry. This is just my opinion. But whenever they were like, Mike, you're the heart. I kind of, like, looked at the screen like, you sure about that? And I'm like, it's either Dustin or Steve.
MEGHAN
Yeah, they're, I love them so much. Dustin. Dustin and Max are my favorite. Like, children. Like, not that they're going to be children much longer once again. But those are my favorites of like the kids. Yeah. Dustin for sure, but I mean, I don't hate any of the characters. I don't hate Mike. I think they're all great and they all have a purpose. And, I do trust the Duffer brothers, but…
STACY
I'm hoping we're all trusting them because they have ripped our hearts out and stomped on them. But I remember like, this was when I was like, wow, these guys are really great writers. When I first watched season one, I remember I kept going, they're going to do the stereotypical thing, and this is going to end up Jonathan at the end of season one. And when that didn't happen, I like did the Leo pointing meme when I saw them, Steve and Nancy still together and I went, look at that. They're still together, you know, and it makes sense with how the storyline went for season two that they would end up together. And obviously the two actors have really great chemistry together. But, yeah, I was like, wow, these Duffer brothers, like, they know how to make such great characters and I, I forced my sister and her husband last year to finally binge watch it. I was like, you guys will thank me. And I remember I brought up the whole, and I'm sure like every hardcore Stranger Things fan knows this, but the journey of Hopper's daughter’s hair tie. Yeah, you know, the little blue hair tie and how you see it in the flashbacks with his daughter, and then how he starts wearing it after she gets sick. And then you notice in season three and four, he gave it to El because she's now his daughter. Just little subtle things that only viewers might or might not pick up on. That's fantastic writing. And that's the Duffer Brothers 100% being like, we're going to put in these little details where you do notice things that do link back to the past and make these characters more human. And it's been years since I've seen a show where a group of kids and teenagers and adults truly feel like this big family. And, you know, going back to what you said about the character arc of Steve, so, so well written. So I'm glad they went the route they did, because I honestly couldn't see season four with any of the kids or any of the, you know, pre-teens, teens or young adults missing from the entire group, you know? So really great writing.
MEGHAN
Yeah, no, those little details are so fun to notice. And I think that's why it's fun for me to, like, watch it over and over. And I haven't watched it in a few months. It's like it's been…
STACY
Can’t say that with me.
MEGHAN
17 days. No, I'm just kidding, but that's also, I think you like to put it on and just kind of have it on in the background, which, when I put it on, I like, want to, like, pay attention to every single little detail. So, I can't. Like I'll try to put it on his background, but then I'm like, wait, no, I need to pay attention to this. I need to take notes.
STACY
I noticed with especially season four, that's the one probably. I probably watched the first season the most out of all of them. I could probably do a one woman show of it at this point, but like I noticed a few weeks ago, I was trying to fill out bills because, you know, I'm a 90-year-old woman, apparently, and fill out bills and I'm in front of the TV and I had season four, and I kept noticing. I was looking up, looking up, looking up at my TV. I'm like, no, Stacy. Like, come on, you know what happens? But you're absolutely right. There's so many little details. Even if it was something on a bulletin board or a poster in one of their bedrooms, there's so many little Easter eggs and so many little homages to different things that it really is a treasure chest for fandom fans like us, you know?
MEGHAN
Yeah. And it was funny because I was watching it on a loop after season four finished, and I got multiple coworkers to watch it and talk about it with them. And then I made sure that my dad watched it. He had always watched it from the beginning too, and I would talk about it with him. My college friends were great. They would like, listen to me. We went on a girl’s trip like the in the summer of 2022, after it had come out and my we were... I was driving with my one friend, and she like literally let me read from my notes in my phone about the show to her. But at this point, or after a couple of months, like the people in real life did not want to talk about Stranger Things with me anymore, so I needed an outlet for that. Right? So that was when I... Well, that was around the time when I started reading fanfiction, which we could talk about a little bit too. But, that was when I also made my Instagram and I was like, okay, I need people who want to continue to keep talking about this with me. And that's why I will be here for anyone who is like us and wants to continue talking about it, and anyone who's getting back into it now that the excitement of season five starting is ramping back up a little bit.
STACY
We're keeping the Stranger Things Eternal Flame alive right now. We're carrying that torch. We're not going to die. We are here.
MEGHAN
And we, I think, try to be. We try to be positive about it. I think it's so much fun to just look at it with positivity and with that excitement for the new season. And yeah. So do you want to? I guess I didn't ask you. You said a little bit about your journey, but when did you first start watching?
STACY
I remember, one of my late friends. They were like, there's this new show coming out. This was like in 2015. And they're like, Winona Ryder is in it and she's crazy and her son goes missing. And that was the synopsis I got. So, I'm like, okay. And then I was, I believe I was housesitting for my sister summer of 2016. I saw it was on and two of my friends actually worked on the first season. They, uh, helped, I believe, do mold making for the Demogorgon. And they were like, it takes place in the 80s, there's monsters in it. That was all they could really say. So, I was housesitting, and I watched it and of course. Are you really a Stranger Things fan if you skip the intro? Which my sister skipped the intro when we were rewatching an episode this past summer, and the side eye I gave her, I was like, no, you have to watch the whole thing.
MEGHAN
Every single time.
STACY
Every single time. And as I'm watching it, I was like, you know, I'm watching it. And I'm like, this feels like if Steven Spielberg or Stephen King, two big things that were huge in my house growing up, I'm like, had made a TV show, and the kids reminded me of the kids from like, The Explorers and The Goonies, and it was just so well written and the synth music. And just like I said, all the little homages to different, you know, fandom movies and stuff that we all grew up loving. And I think I plowed through it in less than two days. And next thing you know, I downloaded the theme and I'm like, bopping out of my car to it became a huge fan, and everybody agreed that they loved it. And that was kind of it, you know, and didn't really talk about it. Season two hit. The trailer was amazing. And I remember I watched it, and I was like, that was good. That was good. And I didn't really become a huge, huge fan until summer 2019. I took the summer off and it was, the marketing behind season three was genius. With Baskin Robbins turning into Scoops Ahoy, which one day I will tell everybody about my like, freaking seven-year journey of trying to get that ice cream.
MEGHAN
Yes. Oh my God.
STACY
The marketing behind it. Like I went to a candy store and literally they must have had some affiliation with Netflix. It was all Stranger Things candy. And everywhere you looked, summer 2019, it was Stranger Things. And that's when I became a big, big, big, big fan. Started rewatching the first two seasons and then, you know, Covid hit, and I'll never forget.
They like. Least I want to say it was like November 2020. They leaked a photo of Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, and the only description was drug dealer, Dungeon Master Eddie Munson. And I remember just so smoothly going, good luck trying to be the new Billy. Well, now, who has three Eddie months in tattoos, everyone. You're welcome. So. Oh, Stacy, my sweet summer child. Followed production here and there and started, like, collecting a little bit. A few Pops here and there, which I'm very proud of. My collection, as we know, it's my baby. But then when season four hit, I remember I went out and I bought Domino's pizza because. And that. I'm sorry, guys, I'm a Pizza Hu gal. I don't judge. I love pizza, but Domino's pizza is hot, circular garbage. But I was like the retro 80 boxes, and I was so amped up. And I remember just binge watching it with my late father last summer. And it was, I was hooked in immediately and as soon as the first episode finished I remember pausing it and turning towards my father going, oh my God, this is almost like the Harry Potter series. The audience is kind of like growing up. This is going to be the darkest yet because I feel like I just watched A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot and was it ever. And I just felt like the stakes were bigger. It felt like some of those episodes were as long as a movie, but were this big, epic signs though, where things started making sense. You know, lots of characters were hitting a little bit harder, and I just, like total nerd chills. So, after it ended, much like you, I remember I ended volume two and I sat out on my back deck with a margarita, just so depressed. I was like, it's freaking over. Like we waited forever during Covid because of this. And that's when literally I was like, I need to find people and talk about this. Started collecting everything I could, started nerding out, reading fanfic, meeting people. I mean, I met one of my best friends through this community because she was like, all you would do was post about it. And then I finally got what you meant. And I met you, Meghan, and went to the conventions. And it's such a big part of my life that even some of my students, when they walk by, they're like, Ms. Still Stranger Things, you know? And I'm like, huh? But one day the lights went out at my school. And of course, the kids are like, a Demogorgon is going to get you and I’m like, get to class. But deep down inside I'm like, you're right. But yeah, it's just I've always been a huge fan of horror movies. I do love Star Wars, much like you. You know, I was a fan of the first few seasons of Supernatural. I've gotten semi into fandoms before, but this is consuming. I think as of right now I have 6 or 7 Stranger Things tattoos. I'm just like basically 90% of my wardrobe is Stranger Things. I could talk about this all day long. So, Meghan, when we met in person, we were just, you know, shooting the breeze, talking. And I was like, wow, she's really easy to talk to. And we're not judging each other because we're doing deep dives. About certain stuff about this fandom and, you know, these characters. And that's what we want this podcast to be, guys, you know, we want this to be a welcoming place where you know you're not judged. You know, you're part of the party, no pun intended. And, you know, you can just geek out with us and talk about it. Because like I said, Meghan said earlier, this is an exciting time to start talking about it because this is, as you know, depressing as it is. This is the last time we're going to be amping up before the final season. So, we get to see production and little leaks and this and that. We can theorize what we think is going to be happening. So, pretty excited.
MEGHAN
Yeah. Super exciting. No I love listening to you talk about it. Like I could just like...
STACY
You know, ocean waves.
MEGHAN
And I am so impressed by your collection, so we'll definitely have to get into that more. So did you not start collecting until after season three, or did you have anything before season three?
STACY
Honestly, I think I might have owned like maybe one Stranger Things book beforehand. Okay, but it was season three that hit that I was like, I'm going to start buying some Pops. And I'm so glad that I held on to some of the candy, which is still in its original package. I wouldn't dare eat it now, but it was season four that really amped up me being like, I want to try to get one of the more original, unique collections out there and own stuff that other people don't have. But it was around season three. So, you know, a lot of people are like, well, you're not really collecting VHS tapes or your horror stuff anymore. And I'm like, honestly, right now I just want to focus on my Stranger Things collection because it is my baby. And you know, when they say in Jaws, we're going to need a bigger boat, guys, I think we're going to need a bigger shelf.
MEGHAN
Yeah you’ve got to expand soon for sure. I do not really have a collection, but I've started a little bit. So, I have a few things. I have a few things.
STACY
Girl, that's all that matters.
MEGHAN
It's fun. I mean, I have two Pops now. They're my…
STACY
Which Pops do you have?
MEGHAN
Which Pops do you think I have?
STACY
Mm… Let me think. What could it be? Eddie and Steve, our boys.
MEGHAN
So, I have Hunter Steve. Hunter Eddie is coming soon. But I also just got, like, the original Eddie for Christmas from my brother. So super exciting. Look, okay, there were so many things that I wanted to… I need to, like, take notes as you're talking so I make sure that we come back to certain things.
STACY
We will figure this out.
MEGHAN
We will figure this out, guys. But I think you mentioned the music also, which we both love. So. And I do remember I was like, oh, yeah, I did listen to the soundtrack. So, when season three, I think came out, I might have listened to it after season 1 or 2 also because I love music and soundtracks and things like that. But I do remember listening to the soundtrack for season three, like in my car, so good, so into it. And then after season four, I was obsessed with that soundtrack. I would listen to that, like in between volume one and volume two. Like I was listening to that all the time too. And then. My obsession or hyper-fixation, whatever you want to call it, evolved into, like the only radio station I listen to in my car is 80s on 8.
STACY
I love that. Come on now. Some great music, man.
MEGHAN
I never was, like, a fan of 80s music, and I think I don't remember who said this, and I should probably not like, quote things without having like a source, but I was listening or reading something recently that was like, oh, people like Stranger Things because of the nostalgia. But then I think it's the other way around. Like we're nostalgic for the 80s because of Stranger Things.
STACY
I get it and suddenly a bunch of movies started, like calling it back to the 80s and stuff. You know, a lot of Netflix, other Netflix shows, a lot of movies. And, you know, I feel like that's the one decade. If you notice, it's probably the most out of any other decade the 70s, the 60s, you know, the 90s. That's the decade that there's most movies about that are made today. You know?
MEGHAN
Yeah, it's super cool. Yeah. And I mean, like, you and I are just a couple years younger than the Duffer Brothers, too, so I feel like we're kind of the same, like wavelength with them of, like, we weren't really. We don't remember the 80s. Like we weren't. We were, I was born, like at the very end of the 80s. Same as you. So, it's not like we were alive during the 80s, but it's like this nostalgia for a time, like right before we were born or whatever. So, it's kind of fun.
STACY
Yeah, because we were raised on those movies and, you know, music and this and that, where it was simpler times when you could get on your bike and, you know, pedal down the street to your friend's house, you know, and I think a lot of those movies and like we said, soundtracks are what kind of inspired the Duffer Brothers being like man simpler times. You know, I'm sure plenty of people could be like, the 80s were terrible. What are you talking about? We're like, we don't remember. We were
MEGHAN
We just know the good parts.
STACY
Yeah, we only we only know the golden part. So that's all that counts.
MEGHAN
So, I guess maybe we can talk a little bit about what we know about filming right now. We've been talking about oh, season five is starting, and that will kind of be like a regular segment of our show, of any updates that have come out about filming. So, I was watching a couple videos. The Duffer brothers were, Matt and Ross were, doing press for the play, the play in, in London, and they gave us a little bit of information about season five. So, I'm pretty sure based on what they said, that they have done the table read for the first I guess 6 or 7 episodes, like, not the last two. I forget how many there’s going to be in this season, and I know we were all super excited when all the cast members were going to Atlanta and things like that. So, the table reads are done and based on, I guess, Ross is giving us a little bit of like, crumbs on his Instagram story all the time. So, we do know that they will start, I guess, back filming after the holidays. So, kind of the beginning of the month, right? When this episode that we're recording right now will be coming out will kind of correlate to when they start filming. They also, I guess, said that it will not be all a dream. Did you see that video?
STACY
I did see that, which I was relieved, but I for the longest time have been sticking to my guns, being like, it's all a…
MEGHAN
They said it's not that either. So the headline was like it's not all a dream. But I think they also said in the video it's not all a D&D campaign.
STACY
I mean, could you imagine?
MEGHAN
It's so cool. I mean, and do you play D&D? Because I don't.
STACY
No, I don't. Like a rough outline of like how.
MEGHAN
Yeah. So, I definitely want maybe like sometime to have somebody who does have more detailed knowledge to come on and talk to us, because I think we would like totally nerd out about that, because all of the even little references that people talk about, I'm like latching on to like, oh yeah, like, that's so cool. Because it does have like the feel of a campaign, like in a lot of seasons and everything. Anything else?
STACY
They did say, which I thought this was really cool. It's going to take place winter of 1987. Okay. So we're going to get like almost like holiday, Christmas time feels. It’s probably around the time like season one took place because they know that's November, so the, the little bit of like photos that we have seen, they've been hinting towards it taking place during the holidays. And it's interesting to know that it's supposedly going to be 1987. I don't think anything is too concrete yet, but that's a bit of a time jump, but not too much, because some people were like, it's probably going to take place in 1990, and I know it's supposed to be the 80s, you know, but I'm sure they'll think of something clever on how to do it, because, you know, I know a lot of people are saying, well, everyone's getting so much older. If you're a true fan like us, you're unfazed. These people can have wrinkles and walkers throw a Dustin cap on Dustin and he'll be fine. We're like, go, whoa, yeah! Who cares? But yeah.
MEGHAN
Yeah, I think it's going to be great. Do you want to talk about any new merch that has come out recently? That will be another segment that we get into.
STACY
Yes. We'll probably be discussing new merch, guys. And definitely, you know, if you run an Etsy shop or private business or you make your own merchandise, definitely follow us on Instagram. You know, we'll talk about that later. And if you want us to definitely, you know, shout out your store or whatnot, we can definitely do so. But I did notice because the holidays just passed, which was really cool, that some new things have definitely come out that have been on the Netflix shop website. There were a pair of roller skates, which I don't know about you, but like I was a 90s kid. I could not roller skate for the love of my life. Even though I try to own almost everything Stranger Things, I took one look at those and said, that's a young man's game. I'm not going to get the roller skates because I don't want to, you know, break my back. But it's really cool. I think you can get them on Netflix.com. They look like Eddie's guitar. They still have that like cracked red and black marble look to them. Definitely. I believe they've been shipping out and they are available. The Pops of campaign Eddie sitting at his table along with one, it's called the Piggyback Eddie, which it's him behind the poster that was made for that episode, and he's kind of like tinted blue. It looks really, really cool. There's supposed to be a new phase coming out of Pops. Supposedly we're going to be getting a floating Chrissy, so I'm excited. And Max in the cemetery scene. And at your local Walmart, you can also get an item. Uh, you can get a baseball bat that is actually a Nerf gun that looks like Steve's bat, as well as Lucas's, what do you call it? Slingshot. Uh, his monster killer. And there's a few other things that are popping up, like Scoops Ahoy ice cream bowls. They must be affiliated with Walmart because I'm seeing new merch popping up as well as a Surfer Boy, it's like a radio, almost. It's shaped as the Surfer Boy pizza van. So new things popping up here and there. But I think the most adorable thing that dropped this season was the little people sets, which, you know, we obviously know what little people are, but there's three different sets. One is Eddie with the Hellfire Club, another one is the kids from season one and the newest one, which is not available yet on Amazon. But I think you can get it on Netflix.com. It's the Max scene in the cemetery, so it's her floating and the guys all screaming and Vecna. And it's completely adorable. So definitely a must have.
MEGHAN
I mean those, you have to show them to me.
STACY
Yes oh my god.
MEGHAN
Yeah. And I don't know, like what's new because I knew I had seen the Nerf gun and I didn't know if it was new or not. And we're not sponsored at this point or anything, guys. We're just talking about this stuff because we love it. If we ever do get sponsorships, we will let you know.
STACY
Absolutely.
MEGHAN
But yeah, it's so much fun. Cool. Yeah. Oh, there's a calendar. I did get the calendar for Christmas, and there's so much Eddie Munson in this calendar. So, way better than the calendar we both had for last year, I think.
STACY
You know, do you love that? Nothing against that calendar. But I just kept tearing off the other pictures, and I kept it as Robin and Steve, who had been there since February. Well, I have to frame that photo now, but that's really cool that for your Eddie Munson lovers out there, there's basically a calendar with 99% him in the Hellfire Club, which is really cool. Yeah.
MEGHAN
Super cool, lots of my favorite photos are on the calendar, so it's pretty. It's pretty fun, yeah. And I love that you did that with the calendar. Every month Stacy was posting, oh, it's a new month, but let me just use this picture again.
STACY
I was like, I want to look at these two. I don’t care about everybody else. Steven and Robin are amazing. Let me ask you real quick. We're going to do some rapid fire.
MEGHAN
Oh, yeah. I'm bad at rapid fire. So, what do I get? Like, 10 seconds to answer?
STACY
10 seconds. Okay. All right. Are you ready? Ready? Favorite character,
MEGHAN
Steve Harrington.
STACY
Very good. Stacy approves. All right.
MEGHAN
Do I ask you back, or are we going to do it? And then I'll do you. How do you..?
STACY
I do you and then you do me. Well, we are getting our sea legs, just bear with us. Favorite episode?
MEGHAN
Oh. I don't know. Why don't I know the name of it?
STACY
What happens in it. I can say it. Probably.
MEGHAN
It's the, the Winnebago scene is my favorite scene, so like that episode. But I also really like that episode. It's the second to last.
STACY
That's Papa.
MEGHAN
Papa. Yeah. And, oh, you talked about the, what's the Eddie Pop in with the poster in the back? Piggyback. So that's the Butcher Billy poster, right? Love that art, Butcher Billy. He's so cool.
STACY
Yeah. Shout out to Billy. Yeah.
MEGHAN
We love you. Okay, what's my next question?
STACY
All right. Favorite monster slash villain so far?
MEGHAN
Oh, I only have 10 seconds… Vecna, I guess.
STACY
Oh, okay. All right. And to wrap it all up. Favorite moment. You can only pick one moment.
MEGHAN
Okay. I'm going to go with episode seven like the end where we like find out, because that was what I think just blew my mind. Like we found out Eleven's like, connection to sending…
STACY
One to become
MEGHAN
Vecna. Yeah, that was what popped into my head, I think just because that was what kind of got my brain stuck on the show. Yeah.
STACY
Nerd chills every time.
MEGHAN
I mean, I think that you definitely expected me to say some other moments, didn't you?
STACY
Oh, absolutely. You know what?
MEGHAN
Are you proud of me?
STACY
You could surprise me every day. You know what? That's all that matters, okay? Keep me on my toes.
MEGHAN
Your turn. Should I ask the same questions?
STACY
Yeah let's go right ahead. Or come up with different ones, yeah.
MEGHAN
Favorite season. That is a different one, right? Because you didn't ask me that.
STACY
I didn't ask you that. Four.
MEGHAN
Four. Yeah, four. I thought you were going to say three, though.
STACY
I love season three everybody I have to say, if you have seasonal depression pop in season three, I think it's because it takes place…
MEGHAN
During summer.
STACY
Summer. It's so brightly lit. It's just like instantly if I feel anxious, I will pop it in. Season three cures me every time. It's fantastic. That's awesome. Season four is epic.
MEGHAN
Okay. Favorite character?
STACY
Steve Harrington
MEGHAN
We’re Steve girlies. Favorite scene?
STACY
Favorite scene. You know, it's funny that you said this, actually. I do have to agree with you. Like, there are so many great moments, which we will definitely deep dive into in future episodes. But I have to say, it's the moment where Eleven banishes Henry/One to become Vecna. And I mean, definitely, you know, I'll do my deep dive on that scene one day, but it's just such like a moment just between the swirling music and it's a music cue. If anybody remembers from the scene of season one, where Eleven saves Mike and Dustin from the bullies, it's called She’ll Kill You. It's a really great score. And just I know her one memory of somebody ever telling her that she was loved. It's so epic, you know? And just the acting in it is amazing. And the fact that Eleven was supposed to only be eight years old when she did that. Total badass moment and just nerd chills every time. That's why I was like, wow, that was a perfect episode. So that moment.
MEGHAN
Absolutely. And the callback to season one, when she kind of does the same thing to the Demogorgon, right? Yeah.
STACY
Exactly.
MEGHAN
We get it with Vecna a little bit in the piggyback, too. So yeah. Yeah. Super cool. So good. All right. Should we wrap it up?
STACY
I think we're good guys, but hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Like I said, we're still trying to find our sea legs, but we have a lot of fun stuff planned in the future, and we just want to geek out with you guys and just talk Stranger Things.
MEGHAN
Yeah, we're so excited to be here. We're so excited that we got this first episode under our belts. Yeah. And follow us on social media. That's what I'm supposed to say, right? So @skullrockbroadcast on Instagram. I'm trying to pretty much make that on every social media, so wherever you like to enjoy your social media, try to find us. We should be there. And if we're not there, we will be there soon. And, yeah. And you can find us also on social media. So, Stacy is @staystillreviews, right? Yep. And I am @steddiestories. So hopefully we'll talk to you guys soon.
MEGHAN
Just kidding. We're not done.
STACY
Wow. Sike!
MEGHAN
Okay, so this is what I was really excited about. Can you tell? I'm like, oh, let's keep talking. So, we're going to do this little secret segment at the end of our episodes, because we know that not everybody likes to interact with the show through fan fiction. And it's not for everybody, which is fine. We have no judgment towards that. So, fan fiction isn't your thing. You can turn us off. We're done. We hope you enjoyed the episode. Right? But… We do enjoy fanfiction.
STACY
We do. We do.
MEGHAN
If you do not already. So, hopefully some of you are maybe listening to this because you do already follow my Instagram or Stacy on Instagram, but my Instagram is pretty much fan fiction based.
STACY
It's fantastic. So, not everybody's into fanfic, but we are.
MEGHAN
So, when I kind of like, was talking about my journey earlier, I was watching the show. Season four. Well, after season four, I was watching the entire show from season one on a loop, and I did that a couple of times, and then I started just watching season four a couple of times, like over and over again. And then I wanted to keep experiencing season four, but I had watched it so many times at that point, probably like ten times, I was like, let me experience this in a different way. And I had been seeing. It was really fun. Last night I looked at… so I had before my Instagram, my steddiestories Instagram, I had a Bookstagram account, so I like talked about… Did you know that?
STACY
I didn't know. Oh my goodness.
MEGHAN
So I, I mean I never it never really got like super popular or anything, but I made a lot of friends on there, yeah. That I kind of neglected after I made my new Instagram, but yeah. So, I started sharing, like, little things on my story when, like, the Stranger Things like, hyper fixation hit. So, I was looking at my story highlight last night. That's like Steddie. So it was, it was edits. Like I was seeing a lot of edits of Steve and Eddie because they were like the guys in season four. And, you know, we were all into them. And then it was edits of them like, together and fan art of them together.
STACY
It's great.
MEGHAN
And I was like, well, I love both of these characters so much. That this makes so much sense to me.
STACY
Yeah. You're like, it was like a light bulb going off.
MEGHAN
Yeah. And again, we're mostly going to talk about.. Well yeah, we're mostly going to talk about Steddie. Right? Which, spoiler alert people…
STACY
Yeah. Spoiler alert if you don't like Steddie.
MEGHAN
Also, you can say Steed-ie if you want. You're the only person I know that says it like that, but you can say it like that if you want.
STACY
Is it steedy or steady?
MEGHAN
Steady. But you say steedy. Don't you say Steed-ie? I was so excited to tell you this, but like, I get it. I've never heard anybody say it except you. But like, Steve has like a long e, so it makes sense.
STACY
I'm glad you told me now. Steady, steady. Not steedy. My God, you were probably staring at me the whole time in Philly. Like what are you talking about? Oh, my God, that's so funny.
MEGHAN
I thought it was cute.
STACY
That's adorable. Listen, that is funny. Leave that in.
MEGHAN
I will leave it in.
STACY
Amazing.
MEGHAN
Yeah. So. I was like, okay, yeah, this makes sense. The fan art had me and then I don't know why I started reading. It was probably like something I probably saw it on as a rec on like Facebook or something in a Facebook group that I'm in. But the first fic I read was The Man that I Could Be..
STACY
Oh, that's a good one.
MEGHAN
So it's super long. I didn't realize that it was a work in progress, a WIP, when I started it. So I read the majority of it, and it's kind of a retelling of season four with, the guys knew each other before season four.
STACY
That's where they meet at the bar, right?
MEGHAN
They meet at a bar. Yeah.
STACY
Yeah. Yep yep yep.
MEGHAN
So. I loved it so much, but then I had to, like, wait for, like, the last few episodes or the last few chapters to come out.
STACY
Well, it’s like an episode. Yeah.
MEGHAN
Right. Which, we're currently waiting for some new chapters. I think of our fave, Sneaky Link, right now, but no pressure. No pressure. I hate, like, putting pressure on the authors, because, you know, if they never wrote another chapter, I would still love that story. So yeah.
STACY
Yeah. It's fantastic.
MEGHAN
Yeah. But we would love to just kind of have chats about what we're reading, some of our favorite fan fictions, like I said, it's just a way to continue experiencing these characters in a different way and hear different people's kind of, take on them. To maybe see them in alternate universes is pretty cool, sometimes. It's just a very creative endeavor, I think, and I have so I have so much respect for the people who write fanfiction because I don't. And yeah. What did you want to say? Anything else about that?
STACY
No, absolutely. No, I'm the same way. I never really read any fanfiction before, but it was summer 2022. I was dog sitting and I was like, am I really going to rewatch that season again? And then I can't even tell you how I stumbled upon Archive, but thank God I did, because there was an author. I think their name is like outofmygourd or something.
MEGHAN
Yeah.
STACY
So well written. They wrote one that was in Steve's point of view, one that was in Eddie's point of view, and then one that takes place at a summer camp that was only like one chapter long.
MEGHAN
I think it’s Not So Bad, is maybe Steve’s point of view. And then Keep it Steady, Eddie. But I have not, I haven't read Keep It Steady, Eddie, which it's a classic. So good. Good writer.
STACY
But it's a slow burn, but, like, it's just so, so well done. And I have. I am reading this, like, kicking my feet like a schoolgirl giggling. Yeah. And it just, you know, thankfully after that I just discovered so many other people and some of these things like they could literally be novels. They are that long, that well written, you know, like, well, definitely. You know, on another episode I want to do a deep dive on Take the Money and Run, You’re Divine, you know, Are You Flagging? There’s so many ones that feel like actual novels that some really great book binders, you know, some really hardcore fans have actually turned them into books because they're as long as a novel. And like Meghan said, if you want to almost like see these characters in different lights, see them interact, see how these two people would be as a romantic couple, it's just so, so cool. And it's nice to see, like, you know, people being like, okay, well, this is what happened to any well, maybe the Kas theory did happen. You know, maybe something else happened. Maybe the government covered up and he lived. And some of these stories are so great. And other ones, they're just, just dirty and smutty. And you feel like you're reading, you know, a romance novel and you're just giggling. But it's so, so much fun. And a lot of the authors out there are very, very talented.
MEGHAN
Yeah, exactly. And I think, I guess the other thing was obviously. You may or may not think that Eddie is still alive in canon, but at this point it's not as, I don't really care as much. Exactly. Because even if he's not alive in canon, like I have all of this. That was like that Fix-It aspect. And I think the ones that you mentioned, like, Not So Bad, was just such a like, fun story. And it was kind of like cathartic, like after I mean, The Man That I Could Be is very angsty and like, not cathartic, but like cathartic in a different way, I think, because he still does live. But, but it's nice to sometimes just see the characters have some fun, you know?
STACY
Yeah. Like, nice to see them live normal lives a little bit.
MEGHAN
Or get to, like, deal with their pain and their trauma and things like that. So yeah, it's definitely a fun experience. The Man That I Could Be is ohstars. And it's so funny because there are some fanfiction authors who write a lot of fanfictions for different fandoms and just kind of like, came into the Steddie fandom wrote a story or two and then like, left. And then luckily there are still so many that are just like cranking out the things…
STACY
Breaking them out.
MEGHAN
Like what, like 18 months later Now, at this point? So, I mean, it's just a gift that keeps on giving, I think,
STACY
And you never know what you're going to find.
MEGHAN
And like I said, I had a Bookstagram. I used to read a lot of books, like, I mean, some people on Bookstagram are like, crazy reading like 200 books a year, but I, I think in 2021 I read 50 books. Something like that and I mean, I can probably count the number of books that I've read in the past year and a half on like, two hands, because I've…
STACY
Been so bad. And our friend Brandi, she's part of a book club. She's a great reader, and I have been like, I was even given the, like, Lord of the Rings books to read. And I’ve got to be honest, I find myself sitting on my couch late at night reading, you know, fanfic. But like I said, they feel like novels.
MEGHAN
You know, there's like amazing authors that could be published writers, but they just do it for free for fun and share it with the world. So, it's such a cool phenomenon. And, , yeah, we're so excited to kind of have a little segment of our show dedicated to talking about that, too. Absolutely. Oh, and Sneaky Link I mentioned earlier is your fave morningberries.
STACY
Shout out! I'm telling you guys; I sat down with Meghan. I was like, Meghan, have you heard of this author? And then I talked her ear off for 15 minutes. Like breaking down every synopsis of every story. The Many Ways to Say I Love You. Sweet Surrender. Currently, right now. What are we reading? Sneaky Link. Right? Yeah. So good. I mean smutty, but in the best way possible, you know? So good. I have to say, some of these have been made into podfics, and they make sitting through traffic a little more tolerable. That's all I have to say for sure.
MEGHAN
And I guess a little self-promo, I just started recording podfics, so that was pretty cool. Did you listen?
STACY
I did. I loved it.
MEGHAN
So, I was like, Stacy's going to crash her car, like, on the way to Christmas.
STACY
I mean, a few times, I will say, it made that drive go by real quick? It was great.
MEGHAN
So, you can, yeah, find me on Ao3. Now, I have two published podfics, so that was pretty cool. Yeah, anything else we want to say about this? Now we can talk about this. I think we could have a whole 45 minutes talking about this, too, but we have plenty of episodes to get into it. And, yeah, we're just going to keep it quick for now, give you a little taste of what we'll be talking about. So, I think this is actually like our real ending this time. No encore.
STACY
Thanks, guys, for listening. Like we said, you know, we have a lot of fun stuff planned, and we just want to geek out with you guys as we start counting down the days, the months, God knows the years until we get season five. But we're just as pumped as you guys.
MEGHAN
So excited to be here! Over and out.
STACY
Over and out.