#stranger things clocks

[bylerschmyler]

Funny how we go back in time during the sequence where Shepards gets eaten.

[bylerschmyler]

Stranger Things - Clocks and Watches S1

People who are following me for a while now are certainly aware that I have special interest in Clocks and Watches in Stranger Things.

So recently I finally made a whole ass rewatch dedicated to look more into what the show presents. This was heavily supported by the ongoing analysises by @aemiron-main, @henrysglock and everybody who participates in the detail hunt.

So while I already posted a few "What are the times off this episode" and "Look here this a funny time specific thing" posts I will dedicate this post to patterns rather than specific observations (while the latter will be addressed too. So now worry's).

So are you ready for the ride?

So let me say some stuff about the general basis of these patterns.

These Things aren't production errors. Why am I so certain about it? Well, let me get this right.

The main villain of the show has one very specific artifact that is a fucking grandfathers clock. The same person is shown as manipulating this very clock in order to change the time shown on the clock. We have multiple characters in different situations who are talking about changing time or wrong time. The very introduction to S4 is a letter where one of the main characters talks about how the people within in the show are basically time travelers. We have very deeply rooted parallels to Back to the future - a very famous movie about time travel - since S1. And most importantly, if the show doesn't want us to see the times why are they showing it to us?

It's very specific that each season starts with a date. If you pay attention it is quite easy to make a rather rough timeline off events each season. And clocks and watches a very often shown to us. So if the showrunners didn't want to emphasize the importance of time why are they showing us so many watches and clocks while it's very easy to just not do that? Especially since the very much capable off using techniques to not show the time. I mean every (main) character besides Eleven has a watch. Clocks are multiple times shown as a very focus off a scene. So if they don't want us to pay attention to the time why show it?

Ways of hiding the time to the audience

It is very easy to hide the time from the audience. And the show is very much capable off doing so. I will explain the specifics on the basis off scenes from S1.

Leaving out clocks and watches

The very easiest way off hiding the time is to just not have watches and clocks in the scene. So for characters to not have watches and for inside scenes to not show clocks. Eleven for example doesn't have a watch in the beginning off S1. She is later getting Mike's watch and giving it back towards the end off the season. They basically share the watch equally but for that very reason Mike doesn't have a watch during BOTH quarry scenes and everything happening between E3 and E7. Also have you taken a look at the Wheelers and the Byers house? Have you spotted clocks? Well I almost didn't too. The Wheelers suppusdly only have one clock at the ground floor

While the byers could have a clock in the kitchen too, but I am not sure if that thing is a clock

So the show is not giving us any basis to see the time by clocks in both houses.

It also left out clocks and watches during Steve's pool party.

Both Steve and Nancy usually wear a watch. But both don't have one during/after the pool scene (as if they planned on going swimming). The show left out watches here on purpose to hide the time.

2. Removing the pointers

Regarding the pool scene there is something else which is interesting regarding the lack off time reference. The show sometimes removes or at least hides the pointers off watches to hide the time. What do I mean specifically? Well look at those 2 shots from Jonathans watch during the pool scene:

Notice how Jonathan has a very high contrast watch? It's black with white pointers which is very easy to make out even in dark scenes. And than we see Jonathans watch (more than half of it) in a quite close up scene. And his pointers are nowhere to be seen.

3. Moving the clock away from the audience

It's very easy to hide the time by characters turning their watch away from the camera or hide behind an object or under their clothes.

Lucas turning the watch towards us vs away from us.

4. Using digital watches

another easy way to hide the time is to use digital watches. Because (especially considering the 80s) digital watches are hard to read from most angles. And because most off the times the watches are not shown to us up close we can't read. Even if you normally could read it you can just turn off the watch and nobody will notice because the audience will just think that your looking at it in the wrong angle.

In S1 4 main characters have digital watches

Mike

Dustin

Will

Hopper

Best example for this is Will in S1

If Will's watch would have been analog we would know the time 100% but because it's a digital watch we can't make out a time.

Here is another example brought to you by Scott Clarke

While yes he said what time it is. But we can't confirm if his watch has the same time.

So now that we have established that the following scenes are neither production error nor coincidence let's look at the patterns I noticed in my rewatch.

Lucas the "reliable" time telling source

I wanna start with Lucas. As I pointed out before Lucas has a very high contrast watch. It's black with white pointers and therefore very easy to see even in dark scenes. I could make a whole post about what times he tells us but that's not useful I guess. I rather wanna point out that in most scenes he is giving us a time. I'm using a time and not the time because I very much think that Lucas watch is not working correctly.

This is one of the very rare occasions where we see two clocks/watches in one scene. And Surprise, surprise they are not showing the same time. The wall clock is 9:10 AM while Lucas watch is more like 7:50 or so.

Here are just a few occasions where Lucas watch tell us a time. Lucas watch is very often in the frame and tell us the time. But I don't think the time he gives us is very reliable it's correctness.

Jonathan the unreliable time source

Jonathan - like Lucas - has a very readable high contrast watch. But he hides it from us constantly. Beside the pointer removal thing (which I think happened in S4 too) he often hides his watch from us.

And here his pointers are removed again.

Mike and El sharing a watch

Mike give his watch to EL at the beginning of E3 (10 min in). She gives it back in E7 when she goes in to the bath (~11 min left). So she basically wears it for 4.5 Episodes (So Mike wears it for 2.5 episodes).

While both characters are very important to the plot and the exchange of the watch is both time very prominent to the audience we are never shown a time on Mike's watch. It is always (as far as I can tell) unreadable.

Characters not showing the time

As far as I can tell there are only 6 characters who's watches don't tell us the time.

Mike

El

Will

Hopper

Karen

Ted

Possibly there are more small characters which I didn't count in here because they are not important enough for me here or I didn't pay attention to them.

Timiline shenanigans

Remember that one scene from my Lucas part above where his watch doesn't add up with clock on the wall?

Here you have a similar situation. Earls watch shows us something 11:40 while the clock on the wall says 6:00 or 12:30

I also talked about other timeline shenanigans like this in those posts:

Going back in time during Shepard scene

Jonathans watch and Nancy's alarm clock

But there is more.

The Library clock shows different times when Joyce goes to Melvald's

Nancy's alarm clock seems stuck at 9:00 o'clock

(The second pic is from the morning after they have the encounter with the demogorgon when Karen lockpicked Nancy's door.

Lucas watch seems stuck at 7:10 during E1 and E2.

I think that's all I have noticed in S1. I could post more pics where you can see the times so if you want to find things for yourself just give me a hint and I will post my screenshots.

[bylerschmyler]

Source @kaliprasad

This quote keeps me up at night.

Stranger Things gives us an unimaginable amount of clocks and watches in every season and I am pretty sure they are messing with us sometimes without us noticing because the clocks and watches are mostly not even obvious.

Or it's foreshadowing time fuckery of some sort in S5 I don't know.

But it makes no damn sense that they make this specific remark and then do nothing with it.

[bylerschmyler]

Why the hell are they up so early?

It's a fucking SUNDAY during Spring Break?!

And it's 8am.

Why is everybody awake?

Sleepyhead Will (S2)?

Sleepyhead El (S4 - Lab)?

Stoner Jonathan (S4)?

Nah. They would all sleep in.

I get Mike though. Indiana is what 4 hours ahead (timezone)? Probably Jetlag.

[bylerschmyler]

Ok guys this weird.

When Mike arrives at the airport in Lenora we get short look on Argyles watch.

It reads 12:30

which seem a little off for a few reasons.

What you need to keep in mind is that Indiana (Hawkins) in 3 hours ahead off California (Lenora) because off different timezones. So if you do the math it would be 3:30pm in Hawkins right now. Which would either mean that this episode is not close to be chronological at all. Or that Argyle's watch isn't showing us the Lenora time but the Hawkins time.

There is a whole plot point off Mike's flight going off at 6:30am in S4E1. A flight (supposedly) from Indianapolis or Chicago to Lenora Hills might take about 5 hours. I checked Indianapolis to LAX and it´'s 4h 40 if it's a direct flight.

So if Mike would get their on a direct way it shouldn't be a 9 hour flight.

The weird thing is that El talks about Burritos for breakfast. 3:30pm is pretty late for breakfast don't you think? (Not judging you my night owls).

So if you consider that it's the Hawkins time it would be about 09:30am in Lenora.

[bylerschmyler]

Timings S1E1

The campaign is ended by Karen at 8:15pm (we all already know that)

When Joyce calls the Wheeler's the next morning it ~7:20 AM

The boy's arrive at school at 8:10 AM when the school bell is ringing

It's 8:40 AM when Nancy and Steve make out in the school bathroom.

You can't read the time 100% but I guess it's 9:00AM when Hopper makes the incident report with Joyce.

She has been waiting for an hour. (so ~8 AM)

It's ~2:15 PM when the boys are in the AV room with the knew Radio station

According to Dustin's watch it's 2:23 PM when Hopper interviews the boys

It's ~2:55PM when Benny talks to El.

Hard to read but it should be around 7:25 PM when Joyce get's the weird phone call.

[bylerschmyler]

Timing of Chrissy's visions

Chrissy's second vision in S4E1 is about 2:30 pm.

This is Eddie when they talk about the talent show and his band

His watch reads 2:37. Since they are at school and it's daytime it 2:37 pm. A few minutes before Chrissy had her vision where she saw the grandfather clock. The grandfather clock is at 2:52

Considering that she had her first vision right after Max got out off Ms Kelly's room and she was there at 12:06 pm.

The vision came shortly after one another. There is around 2 hours between them.

Her death is about 9:50pm. Here is Max's house while the lights flicker during Chrissy's death

The clock on the right is a bit blurry. But you can make out the position of the pointers. And knowing that Mike had to be at home at 9 and Eddie and Chrissy had to meet up and drive over to Eddie's trailer the time being around 10 makes a lot of sense

[bylerschmyler]

almost the same time