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Stranger Things season 5 almost included a very specific shoutout to a classic 1980s action movie from an unexpected source

Let's face it, who else wanted Mrs. Wheeler to channel Ellen Ripley while fighting that Demogorgon in Stranger Things 5?

An image of Cara Buono in Stranger Things 5
Image credit: Netflix

Warning: spoilers for Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 are ahead. 

Volume 1 of Stranger Things 5 has dropped on Netflix, and your mileage may vary when it comes to your enjoyment of it. However! One thing can be accepted as an objective truth that we can all agree on: Mrs. Wheeler is a certified badass. 

Karen Wheeler's moment of heroism came in episode 2 of the season, when a Demogorgon entered the Wheeler home from the inside and terrorized the youngest member of the family, Holly. While Holly was fighting and running for her life, Karen had just drunk a bunch of wine and was trying to run a bath (honestly, valid, considering everything going on in Hawkins). However, Karen mobilized at the drop of a hat when she saw the monster threatening her daughter, stabbing the Demo multiple times with a wine bottle. We love an improvised melee weapon here in the Popverse

In an interview with Vulture, actress Cara Buono spoke about the experience of going toe to toe with a Demogorgon. Aware of the scene's similarities with the Sigourney Weaver classic, Aliens, Buono got an idea for a battle cry that Karen could deploy. "I asked, 'Can I do a line where I say, ‘Stay away from my daughter, you bitch’? Let me do it!' I did one take, when I knew we got it, where I said, 'Stay away from my daughter, you bitch,' just in case the editor said, 'Actually, let’s use that.' It exists somewhere."

For context, Aliens came out in 1986, and Stranger Things 5 is set in 1987. It makes sense that Mrs. Wheeler would get her badass mom moment, because perhaps thee badass mom of the 1980s - Sarah Connor - was played by Linda Hamilton in 1984's The Terminator. Hamilton is in Stranger Things 5 as the villainous Dr. Kay, so it all comes full circle. 


Jules Chin Greene

Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.

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