A Trail of Crumbs: Netflix Puzzled Trends (as of 1/19)
Hey #ConformityGate truthers! Here's a list of all the Netflix Puzzled clues so far that support popular ST theories, and maybe spurred some new ones?
ConformityGate aka Vecna Won aka ALT ending
Great Expectations (Bonza, 1/7) + Tickled Pink (Bonza, 1/11)
Tintinnabulation aka the sound during Henry's monologue in Massacre of Hawkins Lab + sound a clock makes (Shape, 1/7)
Land of 7s aka "It was a seven," which meant Will got got by the demogorgon (Starstruck, 1/7)
Triomino Gap resembles DnD dice, but the gap shows something's missing/off, happens when you try to form a loop or bridge with triangular dominos (Sudoku, 1/7)
Clocks were the Jigsaw theme for the entire week of 1/7
Eleventh Hour aka pulling something off at the last possible moment (Bonza, 1/9)
Nines aka Episode 9 (Starstruck, 1/9)
Water ("tend to your thirsty plants") reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors, which had two endings (Keysmash, 1/9)
See-saw aka see-sawing between believing and not believing + playground equipment like in Camazotz (Shapes, 1/12)
Doubt, Suspicion, Uncertainty, Paranoia, and Anxiety (Keysmash, 1/12)
Match Point, Pressure Point, and Tipping Point (Bonza, 1/13)
Irate + V-Sign aka we're mad now, but victory is ahead of us (Crossover, 1/13)
Drive has the clue "take for a ride", which implies deception and stringing someone along (Keysmash, 1/13)
Gears like a clock (Sudoku, 1/13)
Emend: Definition: "To make corrections and improvements"; "alter (something) in such a way as to correct it" (Crossover, 1/14)
Shapes tidbit implied getting "some more" (1/14)
Vision implying the genius to pull a stunt like this off (Keysmash, 1/14)
Negative aka negatives in film/what's left on the cutting room floor (Keysmash, 1/14)
Fan, Candy, Lucky Charm (Sudoku, 1/15)
Lampshade aka narrative device calling attention to narrative inconsistencies (Starstruck, 1/15)
"Why So Shy?" is the title, koi fish is the shape aka being coy about coming out (Shapes, 1/15)
Reason, Rationale, Apology, Excuse, Alibi aka all the things the Duffers, the writers, and Netflix will have to provide to get back in our good graces. (Keysmash, 1/15)
LOOK UP, which makes me think of Netflix's Don't Look Up which was essentially ConformityGate for the apocalypse. Also another way of saying pay attention. (Sudoku, 11/16)
"Don't Sweat It" + lots of 1s featured (Jigsaw, 1/17)
Double-Double theme as in two endings? + Succeed (Bonza, 1/17)
Double Vision (double again + vision reference for the second time this week) Is this to imply the two finales??? (Sudoku, 1/17)
Silver Lining (Keysmash, 1/17)
Sizes 1, 2, 3, 4... as in VOLUMES 1, 2, 3, and 4 (Starstruck, 1/17)
Dane Axe makes me think of the axe Joyce used to take out Vecna... or did she? (Crossover, 1/17)
Trail: The trail of clues the ST creators are leaving for us to figure out. (Keysmash, 1/18)
Before filling in OVEN, the letters were VN, which are also in Vecna (though that's probably a coincidence). (Keysmash, 1/18)
Treasure: The end goal. The reward. What you find at the X.... and, like Dustin says: "Treasures are always hidden in the deepest depths of the dungeon." (Keysmash, 1/18)
Tweak's clue was a "tiny adjustment". (Crossover, 1/18)
Open Middle as in Vol. 2 and 3 are technically the middle of S5, now left wide open for us to solve while we wait (Sudoku, 1/19)
AKA -- we are definitely getting a Vol. 4 with the Actual Ending to ST.
Three Episodes in Vol. 4
"No Three in a Row" (Sudoku, 1/7)
33 (Starstruck, 1/9)
Triplets (Sudoku, 1/16)
Three Compartments (Starstruck, 1/16)
Woven Triples (Sudoku, 1/19)
Looks like Vol. 4 is gonna be three eps! (unless there's another interpretation I'm missing)
Byler Endgame/ST is a Queer Show
Exes + Willy (Crossover, 1/11)
Rainbow Brite and Carebears (Waywords, 1/11)
Love Shack + Peen (Love and Peen being right to each other) (Crossover, 1/14)
Right Triangles aka making a love triangle 'right' (Sudoku, 1/14)
Snowflake featured in the Crossover aka Snowball aka "snowball turns into an avalanche" (1/15)
Lucky Charm as in Lucky Bear as in the green Carebear (Will) (Sudoku, 1/15)
"Why So Shy?" aka being shy about coming out + koi fish represents perseverance and good luck (luck again) (Shapes, 1/15)
Rainbow Flag (+ Roll) (Crossover, 1/16)
Roommate: "And they were roommates...." 👀 (Bonza, 1/17)
Ernie aka Bert's "best buddy" 👀 (Crossover, 1/17)
RAINBOW in the backround of the Jigsaw (1/18)
Four Leaf Clover: Another reference to Lucky Bear aka the Care Bear Noah got for his interview (and the green bear in the Rainbow Brite Puzzle)? Maybe this is the creators' way of saying Will is going to *finally* have some luck on his side.
Fantasy clue references Freddie Mercury, queer icon and singer of "Who Wants to Live Forever?" that was used in the promo of S5 (Keysmash, 1/19)
We're for sure getting Byler endgame -- and even if there's some pain along the way, luck will finally be on our boys' side.
Tharizdungate/"Mother Goose" is Tharizdun(?)
Spiral themes of the Jigsaw and Keysmash (1/7)
Spirals on the Jigsaw (1/11)
Thanks @whieen for sending me the photo!
"Flying Geese" (Starstruck, 1/7)
V Formation aka formation flying geese make (Starstruck, 1/14)
Shapes image for Who's Causing Trouble? was a Goose + the tidbit was "Famously aggressive" and "protecting a nearby nest" (1/16)
Keysmash kept to the bird theme: Incubator implies eggs getting ready to hatch, so another nest reference; Free-Range is another egg reference. Mother Geese lays eggs aka Mama's got babies!! (1/16)
Double Vision -- could this also imply there's two Big Big Bads, not just one (not just the MF)? (Sudoku, 1/17)
Soft-Boiled Egg -- another egg reference (Starstruck, 1/19)
Could Tharizdun be "Mother Goose"? Has "she" been pulling the strings all along for the sake of her lost child, the MF?
After all, ET has been repeatedly referenced on the show, and even the T-Mobile ad highlighted it. I originally thought it was about El, but maybe the MF is ET trying to phone home and find Mother Goose (like Patty is trying to find her mom in TFS, check out #pattyflayer by @henrysglock).
A Snake/Traitor
"That Bites!" formed a snake (Shapes, 1/10)
Snake was the Starstruck theme (1/11)
Agent: The clue went away, but it was "a spy who's a mole" aka a traitor (Keysmash, 1/14)
Snake for Crossover (1/18)
Looks like there's a traitor in our midst, but who could it be? Will? Kali? Robin? Max?
A Double (Someone pretending to be someone else)
Double-Double theme (Bonza, 1/17)
Double Vision (Sudoku, 1/17)
Mimic with clue "To ape or parrot" (Crossover, 1/19)
Fox is associated with tricksters. [@dawnschild pointed out that's what Henry calls Max] (Shapes, 1/19)
My brain goes to the MF/"Patty" first, but I may be wrong here. All I know is that someone is not who they seem to be.
Mike is Vecna'd // Labyrinthgate
Staircase // "Something that keeps going" aka M.C. Escher drawings on Mike's walls (Keysmash, 1/7)
Spade // "Calling a spade and spade" aka Mike having to face his own truths about himself to get out of Vecna's "labyrinth" (Sudoku, 1/7)
Isolated Areas + Stickman aka resident tall person Mike being trapped in isolation (Starstruck, 1/10)
Marked aka Marked by Vecna (Sudoku, 1/10)
Laundry as in "airing your dirty laundry" (also Mike compartmentalizing until now) (Keysmash, 1/10)
"Vacuum" "preys on [Mike]" (Keysmash, 1/10)
Toilet as in Mike's toilet water hair (Keysmash, 1/10)
Wheelie Bin aka Wheeler (Keysmash, 1/10)
V Formation aka Vecna's formation (Starstruck, 1/14)
Coffee: What Mike was drinking a lot of, presumably bc of lack of sleep aka marked by Vecna (Bonza, 1/17)
Tidbit about the Nile River: Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Mike... (Shapes, 1/17)
Meteorology clue talks about Steve Carrell's character. While he was only a weatherman in Anchorman, he does try to become an anchorman in the movie Bruce Almighty... starring Jim Carrey who also starred in The Truman Show about a man who doesn't know he's living in a fake world/reality show about him (okay, that might've been a reach, but one of the puzzle names a few days ago was Six Degrees, so if we're playing that game...) (Keysmash, 1/17)
Staircases like the M.C. Escher art in Mike's room (Starstruck, 1/17)
Asphalt and Sky being reminiscent of Mike's jump at the quarry in S1 -- will Mike have to do it again to get out of the Labyrinth? (Jigsaw, 1/19)
Camus and Sartre both got the same hint "Existentialist you probably read in high school" I have a feeling Mike's going to get very existentialist here. (Crossover, 1/19)
Fantasy clue is lyrics to "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- the question from the speaker wondering whether this is real life or "just fantasy" (Keysmash, 1/19)
Mike is definitely the one stuck in the Vecna vision, and the only way out is through.
I think he's going to have to have to take a good hard look in the mirror in order and address the truths about himself he's been ignoring (his queerness + his love for Will).
And I think that, like Labyrinthgate suggests, Mike will repeat his quarry jump to get out -- taking a leap of faith for love.
Watergate/Lovers' Lake Gate/Pipegate/Hosegate/ RAINGATE?
Water ("tend to your thirsty plants") (Keysmash, 1/10)
Toilet as in toilet water ref. S5 Pipegate
Bathtub (Shapes, 1/11)
Fountain + Well (Bonza, 1/12)
Headwaters (runoff) + Rainwater. ie. "Here Comes the Rain Again" is on the WSQK vinyl. (Crossover, 1/17)
Stardew Valley (water symbolism). (Waywords, 1/17)
Weather-themed Keysmash: Cloud (containing rain), Moisture (1/17)
River (Starstruck, 1/18)
Bathtime + "What you do in the bath with your own dinner is up to you." (Shapes, 1/18)
CCR refers to the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, best known for their song (which was the clue) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (Crossover, 1/19)
Clue for Adventure talks about whitewater rafting (Keysmash, 1/19)
As we know, water equals feelings on ST. And the UD has none, but we do know liquid causes the wall in the UD to freak out.
Will our people finally realize that water is the ultimate weapon there? Instead of fighting with fire (fear/hate), they're fighting with water (love).
And we're getting an *actually* romantic rain scene -- call it a feeling.
BirthdayGate
Accompanying Shapes tidbit was a quote from director Aki Kaurismäki, who made the film The Man Without a Past about a man who gets amnesia and must rebuild his life with the help of a marginalized community (1/11)
Birthday Candles (Bonza, 1/12)
Birthday Suit (Bonza, 1/14)
BALLOON (Bonza, 1/17)
Dreamlight Valley (dream symbolism I've noticed w/ both "Patty" aka MF/the Creels, Dream a Little Dream, etc) is a life simulation game by Disney where the characters are under a curse that makes them lose their memories of their life in the valley. (Waywords, 1/17)
Meteorology clue talks about Steve Carrell's character. While he was only a weatherman in Anchorman, he does try to become an anchorman in the movie Bruce Almighty... starring Jim Carrey who also starred in ESOTSM (okay, that might've been a reach, but one of the puzzle names a few days ago was Six Degrees, so if we're playing that game...) (Keysmash, 1/17)
Abandoned clue was "Alone in the woods" like how Will vanished (Keysmash, 1/18)
"Upon A" as in Once Upon a Time, the show where the fairytale characters are cursed to forget who they really are. (Crossover, 1/19)
Birthdaygate is real, and it is likely that it will be affecting everyone's memories of Will (the way it affected Henry).
But memories can come back, and even if they don't, like in ESOTSM, if the love is strong enough -- love will prevail.
Time Travel
Clocks were the Jigsaw theme for the entire week of 1/7
Eleventh Hour (Bonza, 1/9)
Hourglass (Sudoku, 1/12)
Gears like a clock (Sudoku, 1/13)
Waywords themes cruising through different decades.
Waywords theme was Y2K but had Gameboy, which came out in 1989. Deliberate anachronism? (1/16)
Definitely getting a BTTF moment.
Lettergate
The First Letter was a Starstruck theme (1/11)
The Last Letter was a Starstruck theme (1/12)
Either Max's letters will finally come back into play, or we'll learn Mike had written letters to Will.
Return to Dimension X + USS Aldridge/Project Rainbow
Vast Land was a Starstruck theme (1/12)
Dimensional (Keysmash, 1/13)
Magnetic Field re: Project Rainbow using magnets to render the ship USS Eldridge invisible, sending it to Dimension X (Starstruck, 1/13)
You Sunk My... theme featured military ships like the USS Eldridge (Bonza, 11/16)
UNNUMBERED X (Sudoku, 11/16)
"Incubator" implies eggs getting ready to hatch, so another nest reference; "Free-Range" is another egg reference. (Keysmash, 1/16)
Two Gates: That seems obvious -- gates to the UD and the Abyss/Dimension X (Sudoku, 1/18)
Ben Grimm: As in the big, orange "Thing". But there's another "The Thing" that's been referenced a lot on ST. The beginning of that movie actually reminds me a lot of the beginning of The First Shadow -- with the USS Eldridge's failed mission sending them to Dimension X and being attacked by its creatures. (Starstruck, 1/18)
I think that not only are we going to see the real Abyss/Dimension X, but it's going to feature the wreckage of the USS Eldridge.
And, like the documentary suggested, we're going to get a big battle facing all the scary demo-creatures, including maybe some demo eggs that hatch ala Aliens???
SignalGate
Ham Radio (Crossover, 1/14)
Lightning Bolts on the Jigsaw (1/15)
Dungeon clue was "place with terrible cell service" (Keysmash, 1/19)
Signals will play a big role in:
Mike/Labyrinthgate of it -- did El, Henry, and/or the MF tap into Mike's signal that night Will disappeared?
Byler -- unclear signals between them that will eventually be made clear
Creelby (Bob/Henry) -- with the MF/"Patty" deliberately scrambling the signal to erase Bob and replace herself in Henry's memories
BobGate
Mermaid Diving aka Henry's Little Mermaid moment (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)
Heat Seal aka what selkies turn into (see above) (Crossover, 1/9)
Up, Up, and Away! aka Superman's catchphrase (Shapes, 1/13)
Ham Radio (Crossover, 1/14)
Emend: Definition: "To make corrections and improvements"; "alter (something) in such a way as to correct it" (Crossover, 1/14)
Love Shack + Peen (Love and Peen being right to each other, the shack looking a lot like Creel House) (Crossover, 1/14)
Right Triangles aka making more than ONE love triangle 'right' (Sudoku, 1/14)
BALLOON aka Mr. Baldo reference (Bonza, 1/17)
TVADs are wires used for TVs and other cable equipment (Crossover, 1/17)
Eek's clue was, "It's a spider, RUN!" Again, I think of Creelby: The spiders/MF for Henry, and "RUN!" for Bob.
Treasure: Reminds me of when Dustin says: "Treasures are always hidden in the deepest depths of the dungeon." And then Steve finds a Rubik's cube in the Rainbow Room. + Sean Astin played treasure-hunting Mikey in The Goonies. (Keysmash, 1/18)
Dungeon clue was "place with terrible cell service", which was a reoccurring problem in TFS that Bob had to fix. (Keysmash, 1/19)
Pleasantly surprised by the Bobgate confirmations (but I'm biased).
I think that not only will we be seeing Mr. Baldo, but Bob may have a role in Mike's quest out of the dungeon (that Bob is also stuck in since he was killed my the MF).
Thanks to these new clues, and this post about the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess (by @kirrroh and @imjustheretowastemytime), I now believe Bob may be on his own quest as "Rob the Relentless", trying to get Henry back and reverse his curse as the Fallen Paladin who broke his vow when he rejected Henry in 1959.
I think Bob is finally going to own up to his mistakes, face his own fears, confront Mr. Baldo, and fight this time, not just tell him to "go away". Bob's own big romantic gesture (with El's help) will allow him and Henry to reunite (even if it's in death).
Fairytales (Byler/Bobgate Adjacent)
Goose references tying back to Mother Goose Rhymes+ stories
Mermaid Diving (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)
Genre (Crossover, 1/18)
Ben Grimm as in Brothers Grimm, kind of like the Duffer Brothers (Starstruck, 1/18)
Theme for Keysmash was Hansel and Gretel by... the Brothers Grimm! (1/18)
"Upon A" as in Once Upon a Time (Crossover, 1/19)
Fantasy (Keysmash, 1/19)
These clues suggest that maybe this isn't a sci-fi (or just a sci-fi) after all -- maybe this story is also a modern fairytale.
This is the genre-bending the Brothers Duffer are up to...
Separated Lovers (Byler/Bobgate Adjacent)
Mermaid Diving as in The Little Mermaid/selkie myth (Crossover, 1/8 I believe)
Heat Seal aka what selkies turn into (see above) (Crossover, 1/10)
Plus Six Degrees aka six degrees of separation (Starstruck, 1/15)
Degrees of Separation (Bonza, 1/18)
"Split" pea soup re: separation being hinted at? (Bonza, 1/19)
If you've read my Bobgate series, you know there's been multiple interrelated texts that have had a common theme: Separated lovers.
TFS: Henry and Patty (but actually Bob) being separated.
Pagliacci: Canio/Pagliacci slaying Nedda and Silvio on stage.
Nina: Nina going mad after believing her lover's been killed.
Akhnaten: Akhnaten and Nerfertiti being slain because their love for each other, and Akhnaten's to his God, blinded them to the chaos raining outside their palace walls.
The real-life story of Abelard and Hélöise, both forced to take the cloth after their affair resulted in a love child (and the former being castrated).
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Joel and Clementine break up and choose to have their memories of each other erased.
Dark of the Moon: The Witch Boy and Barbara Allen destroyed by the religious fervor by her small-town community, with the former forced back into his witch form, helpless to stop the community from killing Barbara and their child.
Selkies (when they're actually, mutually in love with their human suitors) having one night with their lover, to then be separated for seven years.
Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid: The mermaid, refusing to kill her lover, lets him marry another while she turns into sea foam.
It's what ended up happening to Creelby, and it's quite possible that may be what lies ahead for Will and Mike.
But what all these stories also give is hope: The "songs" always end with the lovers being reunited (eventually, somehow).
While I think Bob and Henry will reunite in love in death (therefore being "rejuvenated with life for love"), I think Byler's end will be more like:
Nina: Where Nina's "dead" lover is revealed to actually be alive, curing Nina's madness (which btw I think will be the case for Creelby too)
ESOTSM: Where J&C reunite, are immediately drawn to each other even though they don't remember why, and decide to try again
Or Abelard and Héloïse: Kept in touch the rest of their lives through letters
RPG/ARG
Cereal (Waywords, 1/9) as in Life Cereal (He likes it -- hey Mikey!) as in Game of Life
DND (Crossover, 1/14)
Stardew Valley is an RPG game about inheriting a plot of land [ppl have been bringing up the references about the "uncle" the Creels inherited the house from]. Also RPG implies a fake world. (Waywords, 1/17)
Dreamlight Valley (dream symbolism I've noticed w/ both "Patty" aka MF/the Creels, Dream a Little Dream, etc) is a life simulation game by Disney. (Waywords, 1/17)
Keysmash theme was Role-Playing Games (1/19)
Dungeon again, a DnD reference (Keysmash, 1/19)
Quest is what we're all on right now, and our characters too (Keysmash, 1/19)
These clues are being left on purpose.
A lot of them feel like teases, some feel like straight up spoilers. But we're being given time to piece things together from all these different sources for a reason...
Before the "finale" dropped, I'd never ONCE participated in ST discourse. I kept my theories to myself. I didn't interact with anyone. And then ConformityGate happened, and I was so pissed off I decided to write Bobgate to process my thoughts and all the dangling clues I knew HAD to be paid off somehow.
And through that, I've gotten that much more sucked into the fandom and have gotten to talk to so many cool, smart, passionate people on here.
Maybe that's the reason Netflix/The Duffer Brothers have taken so long to drop Vol. 4. They get to pull a crazy stunt/social experiment on conformity, fandom, and storytelling that goes down in history, but they also stage one big game for the most devoted fans to enjoy, form community, and figure out the ending for themselves.
In a way, we are witnessing an elaborate DnD campaign/ARG and WE are the players trying to figure out how the game will end.
Some of the GA are either still blissfully unaware of what's afoot, or don't have the imagination to think it's real. Some members of the fandom have dropped off because they've lost faith that everything we've seen might actually just be coincidence. Just bad storytelling.
But us? The ones still here, still playing? WE'RE a bunch of nerds. Like the Party, we peek behind the curtain. We don't just accept things for how they appear on the surface. We're curious, we question things and dig deeper. We care to figure things out. We seek the truth behind the lies.
So we may not know *when* the game will end yet -- so what?
So long as we're still playing and learning and exploring... Is the ST experience really over?
