17 Stranger Things quotes die-hard fans should know by heart

9. “It is right next to you and you don’t even see it.”

Episode: 5

Context: This quote brings us back to full nerd nostalgia, and I totally love it.

As the boys are trying to understand where exactly it is Will went, they find answers in—of all unlikely places—one of their own games. Dustin takes a look at a Dungeons and Dragons guide and finds a passage describing the “Vale of Shadows.” He reads its description straight from the page: “It’s right next to you and you don’t even see it.”

Commentary: Like in my discussion of Will’s “dark and empty” quote from episode four, I find this alternative description of the Upside Down to be absolutely terrifying. In fact, later in the season, Jonathan and Nancy sleepover at her house when the former comments, “Ya know, it can’t get us in here.”

WRONG, JONATHAN. YOU ARE SO FREAKING WRONG.

The “Vale of Shadows” idea is an integral part of what makes Stranger Things work so well. The boys have found real-world answers in their fantasy world. Perhaps this is partly what gives them such incredible bravery.

The Demogorgon? Sure, it’s scary, but they’re familiar with it. They’ve played its character before, they know strategies that work to fight off such an evil force. They’re used to “stranger things,” since they play these games that are rooted in science fiction.

To them, The Vale of Shadows is something they understand more than a secret government lab or even a deadly accident (in the event of Will’s actual death by falling down the quarry).