We follow Tony as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and the challenges that come with it. We see how determined he is to succeed, even though his hearing loss has limited his ability to hear certain things.
Tony is very close to his family. His mother and sisters are religious, but they’re not extremists. They are rather rational and rooted. Tony’s bond with them is something we end up getting attached to.
Tony’s friend Rico’s sudden death serves as an eye-opener for him. He begins to realize how fleeting life might be, which drives him to become independent. He realizes that he still has dreams that he needs to fulfil before the end of his existence. He decides to relocate to Madison, which is intended to serve as a stepping stone for his eventual relocation to New York.
We see Tony’s mother having doubts about his decision to move, particularly given his hearing impairment. Tony succeeds in persuading her that he can excel by himself and that his hearing impairment cannot stand in the way of his goals. We perceive a fierce desire within him; a drive and a refusal to use his illness as an excuse. The audience is compelled to respect him for his spirit, personality, and morals.
Tony’s persistence and hard work led him to success in his career. He also pursued modelling and appeared to be making an effort. His family visited him when he went over to his house, and they accepted. His sister named her soon-to-be-born child after him, further showing how close he is to his family.
Tony tells his mother that he’s leaving to go out and that he’ll be late, asking her not to stay up. Sadly, we witness Tony and Jeff making eye contact when they are in a gay bar. We can’t help but hope for nothing to happen. Tony lets Jeff buy him a drink. They exchange introductions before starting to dance. As they dance, Jeff feels Tony’s heartbeat and has unsettling thoughts, but he ignores them and keeps dancing. Tony then goes on to kiss Jeff passionately on the lips in a private corner of the club before leaving with him in tow. ..
Tony initially declines his offer of a second drink, but after Jeff prods him, he agrees. Tony shows up just as Jeff was about to mix pills into his drink, so Jeff is unable to complete the job. After dancing, Jeff tells Tony that he likes him, to which Tony responds that Jeff is intoxicated. Tony refuses Jeff’s request to accompany him home and tells him to “Earn him”. ..
Tony and Jeff spend a lot of time together and engage in emotional conversations. Due to their shared, albeit distinct, struggles, Jeff genuinely seems to warm up to Tony and can identify with him. Jeff appears to genuinely enjoy Tony’s company too.
Jeff’s father and stepmother visit him in his apartment and are impressed with how he has changed his life. Jeff paints a positive picture of himself which was partially true as he hadn’t killed anyone for a while. He continues by telling them that he has a new friend (Tony) and that he is truly happy, which gives his father some relief. ..
Jeff convinces Tony to visit his apartment. Once there, Jeff ponders over putting pills in Tony’s drink but decides against it. This further supports the notion that Jeff truly did have a soft spot for Tony and was making an effort to establish a bond with him. It is clear from the game Jeff plays with Tony that he was subtly trying to tell him that anyone who gets too close to him vanishes forever. Tony misunderstands and interprets it in a different way than Jeff intended. Insinuating that he wouldn’t just vanish and leave Jeff, he tells him that they can change the rules of the game. ..
Tony and Jeff spend quality time together and eventually spend the night. Tony rushes to leave early in the morning as he is running late. Jeff freaks out as he’s leaving him and asks when he’ll return, to which Tony responds that he’ll return next week and that he should trust him. Jeff considers killing Tony briefly but decides against it.
We witness Tony’s mother filing a missing complaint and reporting Tony missing at the police station. She goes on to tell the officer that Tony was supposed to stay with her the previous day, but he didn’t show up, and he didn’t show up to work either. She also informs the officer that Tony didn’t even get in touch with her or his sisters, which is unlike him since he is a man of his word. Where is Tony? Where did he disappear to if Jeff didn’t kill him? Or was he killed by Jeff?
Tony’s mother, her family, and some other people hand out flyers urging people to look for Tony and pray for him. Jeff places money in their donation box. ..
Jeff calls Errol Lyndsey’s family and tells them that he may have been another one of his victims. He also tells them not to look for Tony because he has gone into the vortex and then hangs up. Just to back this up, Jeff’s flashbacks confirm that he killed Tony with an axe.
Jeff takes a piece of meat from the refrigerator, which is most likely Tony’s organ. He fries it, seasons it with pepper, and serves it to himself. We see him take a bite, and as he does, a wave of relief washes over him. Almost as if he feels that he’s become one with Tony after consuming his organ. ..
The Episode Review
This episode is different in that it focuses on the victim’s point of view. We see how close his family is to him, including his mother and sisters. We are not getting into the details of the victim in the previous episodes, so we cannot empathize with him as much. But here, you can’t help but wish Tony would have survived.
The sixth episode of “Stranger Things” cleverly shifts our interpretation of Jeff as an antagonist, after making us develop some sympathy for him. This is a well-executed strategy, executed without rushing things. ..
Jeff’s need for attachment and companionship is beautifully demonstrated in this episode. However, Jeff takes this need too far, even consuming the organs of his victims to keep some part of them with him permanently.
