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

2. “Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”

Episode: 7

Context: When Eleven reveals she can find Will “in the bath,” the boys know just what to do next.

Dustin hops on the phone with good old Mr. Clarke, who we can see from the cutaway is actually spending his Saturday night on a date. Although Mr. C. puts up a little resistance, Dustin works hard at wearing him down to get him to reveal the details needed to build a sensory deprivation tank.

When Mr. Clarke hits back hard with “Why don’t we talk about it Monday? After school, okay?” Dustin comes back with his very best line: “You always say we should never stop being curious, to always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”

Commentary: Can we all just agree that Mr. Clarke is the best teacher ever? Who answers their phone during a Saturday night date and then stays on the line to answer some kid’s science questions? I love him.

But on a more serious note, this line does a great job at reminding viewers that the Stranger Things world is grounded in science. It doesn’t have to make total sense to us; we just have to follow along with some basic rules and get to enjoy a righteous heroine and scary monster as our reward.

Curiosity is rewarded in the Hawkins universe. For instance, the boys find Eleven and take her in; as a result, they go on an adventure. Dustin is simply a good kid pursuing science as a means to expand his world.