I wanna talk about that chess scene in the s4v1 finale (spoilers for season 4 obviously)
stranger things has established a trope since season one of foreshadowing or mirroring plot events via dnd games, and i think that they may have done it again with the chess match between 001 and 011 so, obviously, i spent way too long researching it and thought i’d report on my findings.
first let’s talk about the plays we see happen. we see 001 playing as white, so he must have started and moved a few of his pawns forward by one space. 011 then moved a few pawns forward by two spaces, before moving her knight forward, which is taken by his bishop, which is then taken by one of her pawns, before the scene ends.
a couple of things of interest immediately come up here:
- 001 initiates play as white, perhaps taking control of the game and situation from the beginning, similar to what he is trying to do in real life
- 001 only moves his pawns forward by one space, while 011 moves all of hers by two spaces, and he doesn’t use a larger piece until after she does. this could be in reference to him letting her assume she has control over their dynamic and choices. 001 doesn’t want to push too far or reach too much for fear that he will lose trust or scare her, while 011 is very assertive and dominant when needed, not hesitating to stand her ground and meet him, but also actually daring to over step the middle ground (also seen briefly in the fight scene, the rainbow on the floor arcs away from her and towards him, almost as if she is pushing it towards him with force). she is also the one who introduces a larger piece, showing her daring and confidence in her level of back up, but also the vulnerability that she faces without that back up
- 001s immediate response to 011s knight is to take it using his bishop, which is then taken by an unused one of her pawns. her attempt and asserting dominance is immediately shut down by his capture, but she also fights back, takes the bishop (a very strong piece), using a pawn (smaller, weak and insignificant piece). this, to me at least, is the first big hint for the future as i think it suggests someone powerful (maybe her) coming into play to try and battle vecna (5 star general being represented by a bishop), but losing, before a weaker piece (one of the four, jon, one of the kids, etc) steps in and finishes him instead. this play also shows how unpredictable yet apparently calculated both players are, and i’m not implying that el dies, i am just saying she may lose at least the initial fight.
now onto the pieces and their birds:
the pawn (represented by the wren)
- pawns are seen as weak, helpless and disposable infantry or foot soldiers. they’re usually used as bait or a sacrifice for a bigger play, which is how brenner sees the subjects, but also how vecna treats his victims
- the wren is a small, carefree, peaceful bird that travels often and has strong family bonds. it represents rebirth, immortality and protection, and is a symbol of the arts. the family bond could represent either the family the main characters have found in each other or the family that brenner painstakingly tries to create. the immortality links to vecnas obsession with time and how trapping it is, but the protection could again be seen as sort of foreshadowing of a sacrificial death of someone viewed as insignificant or ‘weak’ and helpless
the knight (represented by the peregrine falcon)
- the knight was the highest medieval military rank, and is associated with protection and war. it is on equal footing with the bishop in terms of power and status, but it attacks, defends and jumps, being a very versatile piece with few limits. this could be a reference to 011 having to be a warrior and the protector (knight in shining armour) to the others
- the peregrine falcon symbolises ambition, aspiration, power, speed and freedom but also is viewed as a messenger between worlds and an omen to stay alert for possible dangers. this is interesting because it links to both 011s and 001s ability to communicate between worlds, and obviously is a reference to how 011 should be wary in this situation because 001 isn’t what he seems. the falcon is also pretty strongly associated with the egyptian god horus, the god of war, which adds to the idea of a ‘war’ in hawkins and also the idea of victory through various losses
bishop (represented by the horned owl)
- this bishop is on equal ground to the knight power wise (perhaps representing the mirroring of powers between 011 and 001) and represents religion, meaning it would’ve been in court for matters of conflict and next in line to the king and queen, suggesting ambition for power, or the fact that he is beneath brenner (the king) and has no control, as well as showing 001s lack of violence (until he deems it ‘safe’ or ‘necessary’)
- the horned owl is territorial, stealthy, intelligent and vigilant. when it is someone’s spirit animal, it is believed to teach how to protect and defend (similar to 001s intent with 011) and it is often associated with psychic abilities or connections with the heavens due to its ‘horns’ which are actually just feathers (this is similar to the falcon, reinforcing the idea of mirroring both players abilities to communicate between worlds and their power sets being matched). the horned owl is also believed to be able to ‘see into the shadow of our unconsciousness’ and reveal the ‘fears and secret desires that motivate us’ which is scarily similar to vecnas method of operations when murdering people
i love this show and think the foreshadowing in it is done extremely well. i may have looked too deep into it and this might’ve all been coincidental, but i think it’s cool either way. i also think it’s worth mentioning that the chess set used is the same chess set as blade runner, which is potentially just an easter egg but who knows at this point.
