Stranger Things: That Newspaper Clipping From the Finale May Be Really Important

By Maggie Panos
Netflix
Netflix

MAJOR spoiler alert!

The season one finale of Stranger Things ties up a lot of loose ends, some in more subtle ways that others. If you were wondering how the Byers family explains Will's mysterious reappearance (after his funeral and all that), there's a newspaper clipping in a scene toward the end that clarifies what's going on. I was curious, so I zoomed in on it. Here's exactly what it says — except for the parts obscured by the other clipping on the left:

The former missing child Will Byers has been found after a week of searching. He is presently in stable condition in Hawkins General Hospital. Byers' mother, Joyce Byers, alleges Will was the subject of a secret government program run by the Hawkins National Laboratory. The allegation comes amidst a massive investigation into the hidden organization and its elaborate experimentations in perusal of mind control.

The abuse detailed in the first report includes prolonged physical duress and psychological interrogation. This [gove]rnment sanctioned torture has [prov]oked outrage amongst the American . . . In a statement issued yesterday . . . Ives mentioned her "disgust" . . . the organization saying, "our own [Ame]rican people are being treated like . . . we should be directly our . . . to the real target, the Soviets, not . . . own daughters and sons." Under legal . . . Brenner has issued no comment on . . .

There are a few things of interest here:

  • Joyce breaks her promise to the lab that she'll leave them alone if she can just go find Will. She outs them to the public, and the government is investigating. Does this mean they'll continue to come after her?
  • Then again, if the government is investigating a government-run program, will Hawkins National Laboratory actually get shut down?
  • This line — "Ives mentioned her 'disgust'" — is curious. Her first name isn't mentioned, but we can assume that it might be Becky, Terry's sister. Remember, Terry is Eleven's mother. If Becky has been made aware of the situation with Will and, subsequently, with Eleven, will her mother come out of her catatonic state at the glimmer of hope that her daughter is alive?
  • Brenner hasn't commented because he's dead . . . LOL.

You can find us here speculating about season two until a renewal notice and more details come out.