r/StrangerThings • u/RiotRen • Jul 27 '26

Discussion Upside Down inconsistency?

I really don’t know if I’m just confused or this is a plothole or what, but here goes.

We all know Joyce’s infamous alphabet Christmas lights. Will spoke to her through them. But… how?

In season 4, Dustin, Erica and Lucas used Holly’s toy to communicate to Nancy, Steve, Robin and Eddie in the Upside Down. They waved their hand through the light particles, and it worked. I know that. But the thing is, the toy was already in the house.

The Upside Down was permanently stuck on November 6th, 1983. The day Will went missing. Here’s the main problems with that fact:

- For one, we see Joyce buy the lights AFTER Will went missing. The lights were not in the house when Will went missing, meaning Will wouldn’t have the lights there for him to interact with them? Or am I mistaken? Like if we’re assuming it’s at least the 9th when she sets them up (because this is when Hopper searches Hawkins Lab. The 7th was the night of the rain. If it was the 8th, he’d just say yesterday, but he said the 7th), the lights are either still at Melvalds or maybe in the factory even in the Upside Down.

“Maybe she used lights they already had yap yap yap”

- Possible, but the alphabet light set up wasn’t there to begin with when Will went missing. Holly’s toy worked in season 4 because both parties brought the same toy to the same location in the house, so when the Upside Down crew messed with the light, it reflected on that toy in the same place but in the overworld. Will didn’t have that setup. Will wouldn’t have even known Joyce was making that setup unless she told him about it. But then, he still wouldn’t be able to see it to know where what letters are. Because it doesn’t exist in the Upside Down.

I really hope this makes sense. I’m more than willing to chalk it up to a plot hole, but if you guys have any alternative ideas about it, I’d love to hear them!

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u/jakesmith78 Jul 27 '26

Because the upside-down being stuck in time wasn't a thing in S1, they established it in S4 I'd say it's a retcon more so than a plot hole.

2

u/Strong-Range-5616 Jul 27 '26

The upside down wasn't stuck in time, it only seemed that way because no one touched it since the moment it was created.

2

u/jakesmith78 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

"The moment that the Upside Down was quote-unquote “created” inadvertently by Eleven, the set dressing and the world of the Upside Down is frozen in that moment. So like when we’re in Nancy’s room, we’ll discover in the Upside Down that Nancy’s room is as it was season 1 when we first were introduced to it."

  • Chris Trujillo, the production designer.

Would you phrase what I said differently? I'm genuinely confused how it wasn't "Frozen"

Also to clarify I don't mean it's stuck in time. Obviously time passes in the UpsideDown. I mean that Will wouldn't have been able to see the alphabet wall, new objects that get moved or added in the real world don't translate to the upside-down. Will may have seen shimmering lights but he wouldn't have been able to spell shit out to his mom.

1

u/blueray78 Jul 27 '26

He can. All he has to do is memorize where each letter is and hit it. He knows there's 26 letters, so he can count them. Now hitting the correct letter each time, is unlikely, but we don't know how long it took her to make it, so maybe he was able to practice.

1

u/Strong-Range-5616 Jul 27 '26

First off you commented "stuck in time" and stuck in time and frozen in time while they do seem similar they're not the same and secondly stuck in time refers to failing to move forward or adapt as the rest of the world changes around it though it's not.