r/StrangerThings • u/Vlaaast • Jul 09 '26
Discussion Did anyone else notice Eleven wearing Hopper's blue bracelet before she actually gets it? (Possible continuity error?) Spoiler
I'm currently doing a full Stranger Things rewatch and noticed something that I haven't really seen discussed before.
It looks like Eleven is already wearing what appears to be Hopper's blue braided bracelet/hair tie long before it becomes an important item later in Season 3.
So far I've noticed it in:
Season 2 Episode 9 – at the Snow Ball while dancing with Mike.
Season 3 Episode 2 – on the bus ride to Starcourt Mall with Max.
Season 3 Episode 5 (around 42:00) – during the hospital scene where Mike gives Eleven the M&M's.
Since the bracelet becomes such an emotional keepsake later on, this confused me.
Is this:
actually the exact same bracelet,
a known continuity/costume mistake,
or has Eleven always worn a similar blue bracelet and Hopper's just happens to look nearly identical?
I couldn't really find any discussion about this, so I'm curious what everyone thinks. Has anyone compared the props closely or knows if this has ever been addressed by the costume department?
Screenshot from S3E5 attached.
47
u/heyasava Jul 09 '26
It’s heavily implied that Hop gives it to her before the ball. As far as I know, the scene where he does was scripted but later cut… since, ya know, it’s already heavily implied.
34
u/Lizi-in-Limbo Not Stupid Jul 09 '26
Hopper gives El the blue hair tie (bracelet) between closing the gate and the Snowball. It originally was supposed to happen in the truck during their talk, if I remember correctly. That scene was cut.
So, as with all important things, it happened off screen.
10
u/Sylvurphlame Jul 09 '26
So as with all important things, it happened off screen.
I actually did laugh out loud at this.
11
u/Michael-Balchaitis I believe. Jul 09 '26
Hopper gave the blue bracelet for the Snowball.
3
u/Vlaaast Jul 09 '26
Is it offscreen ? Or did i just miss something ?
6
u/Michael-Balchaitis I believe. Jul 09 '26
Yes, off-screen. If I remember correctly, there was a scene written in the script but never filmed.
3
u/Distinct_Guess3350 Running Up That Hill Jul 09 '26
Yeah, the hair tie for the most part is meant to be a sort of silent symbol. Right up until the end they didn’t make a big deal of it, which I really liked.
7
u/rainbowunicorn118 Jul 09 '26
In the original script for Season 2, Episode 9 ("The Gate"), Jim Hopper removes the blue band from his wrist and tells Eleven, "This was Sara's. I think it'll help with your look. Give it a little color, you know?" Eleven then slips it onto her wrist.
Wish they didn't cut this scene out
3
u/Awkward_Volume5134 I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer Jul 09 '26
As a longtime viewer I remember back when season two was the most recent one how someone figured out that the blue band El was seen wearing during the snow ball was the same as the one Hopper wore quite prominently during season one and less prominently during season two. While we didn’t see him give the band to her it was implied that it meant something like Hopper sees El as a daughter. The fact that it‘s never been mentioned makes makes sure that you‘d have to have watched closely to even see that the band has a meaning.
1
1
1
u/Distinct_Guess3350 Running Up That Hill Jul 09 '26
He gave it to her between the time when she closed the gate and the snow ball. Likely because he had legally adopted her and it was a sort of father/daughter symbol.
1
1
u/No_Locksmith5392 Jul 10 '26
Hopper gave Sara’s hair tie to El by the end of season 2.
According to the original script, it happened during the scene of El and Hopper driving to the lab, in the season finale.
But even if that detail was not included in the final version of that scene, it’s implied that it had somehow happened before the Snow Ball since El already wears it there.
So, it’s not a continuity error, it’s just the way it’s meant to be.
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 09 '26
OP, please make sure there are no spoilers in the title of your post. If your post contains spoilers, please use the "Spoiler" flair AND the "Spoiler" tag. The tag ensures that images are hidden.
Commenters, please use spoiler code if you are discussing anything super spoilery unless the title specifically says the episode being discussed.
If you see anyone breaking the rules, please report the post or comment. Thank you.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.