Nothing truly escapes observant fans – no matter how small, inconspicuous details. Anyone planning to hide something from them probably won’t get away with it. A glitch in Stranger Things season 4 has made the bosses of the hit Netflix show realize just how well their fanbase’s long-term memory works — and that it’s able to pick up on details that even the creators of the series don’t even know about with near-detective -like ambition have stumbled themselves.
In episode 2 of season 4 of the retro fantasy series, there is a scene where Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are skating at the Rink-O-Mania Center. At one point, antagonist Angela’s (Elodie Grace Orkin) boyfriend holds a video camera on Eleven. Through his eyes or the video camera, we briefly see what is happening, and a date indication is clearly visible at the bottom of the image: It is March 22, 1986.
That alone would not be problematic in itself – If only the screenwriters themselves had not given a special meaning to the date…
What about the date?
In addition to recording the date, recording the error is a reminder of a line from Season 2: That’s when Will’s mom Joyce (Winona Ryder) mentions that her son’s birthday is March 22 – the same day the skating scene takes place.
Alone: Neither Mike nor Eleven serenades their friend, and there are no presents and no birthday cake from Joyce either. So has everyone around Will forgotten his birthday? Rather unlikely…
After all, Will should at least know for himself that it’s his birthday. But he also doesn’t show anything – either he doesn’t know his own date of birth, or he’s one of the few people who doesn’t care if their own mother congratulates them on their special day.
But there’s a more obvious theory: It wasn’t Will’s friends or family who forgot his birthday – but Ross and Matt Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things. Of course, the excitement over the forgotten birthday didn’t escape the brothers’ attention — and in one interview, they even spoke privately and somewhat sheepishly on the subject:
“Obviously it was a mistake and we’re sorry,” he said Ross Duffer in conversation with Variety. “We apologize to the fans!” His brother added, “And especially to Will! It’s so unfair!” Will there be a catch-up birthday party in the fifth season, with no date set yet?