2. Frankenstein

[Music] Netflix presents "Surviving Hawkins," starring Maya Hawke and Sean Marr, written by Lauren Chippen. [Music] Yes. Robin. Hey, I have a free period and thought maybe um yeah. Of course of course. Come in. Guess I got lucky that our free period is line up. It is just luck, right? You're not skipping a class to be here. Come on. You know I'm not the type to skip. Too much of a teacher's pet. Robin, I hate to break it to you but you're not a teacher's pet. Are you saying you don't think I'm smart? I'm saying you've never once approached me about doing extra credit despite the fact that I'm pretty sure you've burned through the reading list for every grade. A teacher's pet would be crawling about that. I've done more than just the required reading because the required reading is terrible. It's not all that bad. You liked Lord of the Flies. All right. Yeah. There's some good stuff in the mix but there's so many amazing books that aren't on the list. Like why on earth don't you teach Frankenstein? Frankenstein. Yeah, I just finished it and it's like brilliant. Why would you be reading Frankenstein? Hello secret super nerd over here. Yes. Okay. I meant why Frankenstein of all things. I don't know. I picked it up at the library book sale right before Halloween because I was in the mood for something spooky but I never actually got around to it because I was too busy working on my costume but then I finally started it last week and oh my god. It was so not what I expected but it's it's like completely genius. Yeah, it is. What did you guys for Halloween? What was your costume? Oh, um, I went as any Linux. Really? Are you a big urid mix fan? Is that surprising? No, I guess not. You know, I guess I didn't think you were that big of a music person. I know you're in marching band but your walkman seems to always be loaded up with language tapes. Yeah, because languages are infinitely more interesting than pop music. The urid mix being an exception. No, it's not that I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan or anything but Milton is such a music geek so it just made sense for our costume. You did joint costumes with Milton blood so? Uh, yeah. Is that funny to you? No. No, I'm sorry. I'm not teasing. I just didn't take Milton as a Halloween costume kind of person. He can be pretty surprising once you get to know him. So if you were Annie Linux, I'm guessing Milton went as Dave Stewart? Who? Dave Stewart. The other half of the urid mix. How do you not know who Dave Stewart is? I don't know. Uh, Annie's the one worth knowing, I guess. Anyway, Milton went as boy George. No kidding. I had a culture club song stuck in my head right before you came in here. Do you remember what I said about bringing someone with you to Europe? Yeah. Oh, have you thought about asking Milton? So why don't you teach it? What? Frankenstein, you agreed that it was genius. I did. I mean, we have zero women authors in the curriculum and I get that that's because of centuries of the patriarchy leading to the fact that those authors aren't as well known, but this book is really, really well known. So why doesn't Mary Shelley get the same love as George or well? Well, and before you say anything, I'm not asking just because I'm a girl. Frankenstein is a good book on its own merit. I don't know. I wasn't saying it would be good even if it was written by a man, but you'd also have to be completely clueless to think that she's not left out of the education because she's a woman. I agree. You do? Of course. Mary Shelley was a brilliant writer. She revolutionized an entire genre. Basically invented it. Frankenstein is one of my favorite books from the 19th century. And why don't you teach it? It's not on the curriculum. Hello, you're the teacher. Remember, pretty sure the curriculum is what you make it. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. I have to follow with the Indiana Board of Education outlines for us. And they don't want you to teach women authors. I'm not sure it's quite as calculated as that. I think people are just sexist, small-minded, have terrible taste in literature. I wasn't going to put it quite like that, but yes, people are afraid of things they don't understand. That's pretty ironic. Mary Shelley understood what the real monsters were. Who are the monsters in Frankenstein, would you say? Well, Frankenstein for starters, the doctor. I mean, playing God like that, pretending that scientific innovation is more important than humanity? Pretending. You don't think he actually believed it? No, I think he did, but he was kidding himself. Innovation isn't more important than people knew isn't always better. Not always, no, but innovation usually aids progress. Sally Ride wouldn't have gone to space this year if NASA was afraid of doing something new. Okay, okay, sure. I see your point, but none of this matters if Sally Ride still has to put up with sexism every day, which I bet she does, the way you treat people. That's what matters. Dr. Frankenstein doesn't get a gold star from making another human when he just treats his creation like dirt. So the doctor is the true monster. What about his creation? He doesn't exactly treat people well either. Yeah, but he was scared and confused and left to fend for himself, which doesn't excuse things, but I think the whole point is that pretty much everyone behaves in monstrous ways. And is that what you think Shelley was ultimately trying to say? That everyone is capable of monstrous action? Yeah, I think that she was saying that we're the monster. Any person trying to control each other, like Frankenstein tried to create and control another sentient being, judging each other for being different the way that the rest of the world judges the creation, the fear they feel when they see him just because of the way he looks, that's the true horror. What? Nothing. It's very astute. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You just English-teachered me, making me talk about themes and metaphor. You're the one who brought up the book in the first place. Asking questions about your thoughts on it is just my natural instinct. Well, do you agree that the real monster is humanity? It doesn't matter if I agree with you. That's the beauty of literature. My only purpose as your teacher is to facilitate discussion. Though do not tell the Indian aboard of education, I said that I'm sure they view my central purpose as prepping you to be a productive member of society. So why stay in Hawkins? There are monsters everywhere, downsized to every place. But it feels like I can make more of an impact in a town like Hawkins than some big city. But don't you get bored? Frustrated? Wouldn't it be better to live somewhere where you get to decide what to teach, where there's more to do than watch the same movie over and over and over and over again, because this town only has one movie theater and nothing else? Maybe. But we have to choose our battles in life and our battlefields, I guess. Don't you want to at least try, though? Push back on the board of education. Go rogue. Sign some first of books. Screw all the standardized testing. Yes. Yes. There are days when I would love nothing more than to do all that. But that's a surefire way to rile up the monster. Yes, it's just not always worth it. I hope that's not too disappointing. I don't want you to think you can't demand more from life, but being an adult just means- Giving up? I get it. No. That's not what I- You have to pick your battles, right? But how does that work if you never fight for anything at all? It's not that I'm not fighting. But we have to work within the systems that exist. Even if those systems don't serve us. That's easy for you to say, you're the system. You have the freedom to do what you want. It might seem that way, Robin, but that's not the whole story. There are things I want to do, systems I want to push back on, but I have to do it slowly. Aren't you supposed to be setting an example for me? Standing up for what you believe in, showing me that doing the right thing isn't always easy? If we were in a Spielberg movie, maybe. What? Life isn't full of swelling scores and housing speeches? I am not trying to stop you from standing up for what you believe in. Robin, just- Just be careful. Give the rousing speeches at the right time. Right? I know you understand this, Robin. All your talk of survival and camouflage, that is you working within the system. Yeah, but I have to. I'm a teenage girl with no friends. That makes me the eight-foot tall patchwork of corpse parts in the scenario. There's no system that serves me. All that's left is for me to flee to the Arctic. I think a summer trip to Europe should suffice for the time being. I hope so, because otherwise, if I'm totally honest with myself, I'm scared of really truly rebelling. And it feels like I'm close sometimes, you know? Like I'm almost someone who is unique and interesting and unafraid, but the camouflage is working too well and I'll turn into someone who never fights at all because I never decided who I wanted to be. And I worry that if I- if I don't figure it out soon as someone else is going to decide for me. Maybe that's the real rebellion, deciding who you are before anybody else does. But how do I do that and survive? How do you work within the system and not lose yourself? Focus on the things you can control. Find the things that make you happy in the here and now, things that make the rest of it survivable. Right. Like learning languages? Exactly. Language tapes, reading, your friendship with Milton. Picking the right battles is only part of it. You have to have the right armor too. Does it have to be like that forever? Maybe not. It may be you'll find a place where you don't need any armor at all. Like you're up. Could be. You talked to your parents about it yet? I don't know. Even super weird lately. How so? Well they've never been the typical suburban squares. They're more domesticated hippies. Domesticated? Yeah, like okay. So they used to be total free-wheeling, hippie flower children, types of people traveling around the country in some dorky van, not a care in the world with all their hippie friends, and they're still alive. I mean, they've got that vibe. A lot of the time. They pretty much stay out of my business and they historically have not been too uptight. I'm an easy kid and they're easy parents. You're an easy kid. Of course. I know you find me completely delightful and non-confrontational. Oh yes. Completely. But they're not being that easy anymore. Like ever since the whole thing with Will and with Barb. It's like it set off some deep, formally totally dormant parent panic alarm. They took away my bike. I can't go anywhere and I have to take the bus to school all because my parents are completely wigged out over nothing. I don't think it's nothing. But they found Will buyers. He's fine. No crazy kidnapper is roaming hawkins and still my parents refused to let up on the lockdown. So naturally you're going to skip off to another continent without telling them to really ease their minds. Maybe it will prove that I'm completely capable of taking care of myself and don't need them to hover. Maybe. It isn't fair. They got to do this kind of stuff when they were my age. Sleep on beaches and pick up hitchhikers and travel with no destination in mind. They got to meet people who live life exactly how they want to. That's all I want. To be with people that understand that there's a world outside of hawkins. To see beautiful museums and walk down old streets and live off cheese and baguettes. And Quasant. Okay fine. Yes. I've been calling an operation Quasant. I know it's stupid. I did not say it was stupid. Quasants are a very important culture experience. Have you decided who you're taking with you? Why do you assume I'm taking someone with me? I mean you could ignore all of my extremely good advice but you do so at your own peril. What about Milton? What about Milton? He's the boy George to your Annie Lennox. Seems like maybe he'd be a good travel companion. Milton is focused on other things right now. Okay. What about Dash? No. You were telling him the whole plan in class so I just assumed that what? That I like him or something? Do you? I definitely, definitely do not. At all. Okay. Why does everyone assume that all 15-year-old girls are like obsessed with boys? Can't I want to go about my day without trying to date? I mean just because a person isn't interested in dating. Doesn't mean that they're broken or anything. I'm allowed to care more about school and about actually someday getting out of hawkins instead of finding someone it's going to tie me to this place forever aren't I? Absolutely. I understand that a lot of people your age are focused on a little else but dating isn't the be-all-indole of the teenage experience. It doesn't feel like that sometimes. But I don't want. So no. I will not be taking Dash to Europe. I'd actually meant that you could go with Dash as a friend. You're friends, right? Not really. I thought you were in March and get together. Have you been tracking my social movements or something? You're the one who always talks about how boring hawkins is. Small town teacher has to entertain himself somehow. And the lives of teenagers are really that interesting. I'm kidding. It's a small school. It's not hard to notice who's hanging out with whom. Well, you might want to update your intel. Dash, Milton, Kate, they're. I sit next to them in band. That's all. I just don't. I don't know why things need to change all the time. Change is the one constant life. I doubt Heraclitus was dealing with high school social dynamics when he said that. I just. I'm fine. It was moving forward and everything. It's not that I don't want new experiences. I just. I just wish people wouldn't change so much. Last week you were saying how people don't really change. Oh my god, are you quizzing me on my own ramblings or something? I am just trying to get a grasp on all of it. All right, so maybe I was projecting a little bit on Barb. I'm not saying I think something bad happened to her. I still think there's something else going on, but I just. I thought I knew her, you know? What happened between you two? I don't know. She was in the club with Nancy Wheeler and they started to get close and Barb just. she chose Nancy. She cut you out? Doesn't seem like Barbara. No, she wasn't. It wasn't me or anything. I doubt it was even intentional. It was me. I didn't want to be the overachiever that she wanted to be. I wanted to keep dreaming about something more and. I thought Barb did too, but I guess I just. I didn't fit anymore. I'm sorry. It's hard losing a friend. Yeah. But that doesn't mean there aren't people in Hawkins who dream like you do? Who could surprise you? Has anyone in Hawkins surprised you? How about this? If you come up with a few names that people you could travel with by the end of the semester, I'll help you talk to your parents about Europe. What? Really? If you're going to barrel ahead with this plan, I at least want you to be smart about it. Three names. You have to get people in Hawkins a chance. Okay. Okay, deal. Deal. Hey, you did it again. What? You changed the subject the moment I asked you a personal question. I don't know what you're talking about. I bet your parents never called you an easy child. No, they did not. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Ms. Wheeler. Of course. How can I help you? It's okay. I can come back if you're busy. No, it's totally cool. I'll go. Are you sure? Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Thanks, Robin. Yeah, sure thing. Come in. How are you doing, Nancy? I've been better. That's why I'm here, actually. Is everything all right? I was just wondering if maybe I could get an extension on my paper. It's been a stressful time. Yeah. You must be really worried about Barb. Yeah, yeah, I really am. I know that it's been a week since she went missing, but that doesn't mean we need to give up hope. Yeah, I know. Barb is a smart, resilient girl. She's going to be ready. Yeah, yeah. It's not just that. What do you mean? The whole thing was willy. He's my little brother's best friend. So things at home have just been really intense. And then my boyfriend, well, he's not my boyfriend anymore. I think everything just got so screwed up and I just, hey, hey, hey, it's okay. I get it. But that's two weeks. They've been tough for all of us. Yeah. Why don't you and I work in your schedule out for your time? So there's the year. We'll figure it out. Okay, please sit. You know, before she went missing, but where did you go, Barb? Hello? Monsters everywhere. Get a grip, Buckley. Hey, Christ, where'd you come from? And you scuffed my sneakers. No, really, it's fine. I can pick all the stuff up by myself. Have you seen Nancy Wheeler anywhere? What? Nancy Wheeler, Runeette, 15, about gay high came down this hallway a few minutes ago. Why are you asking? Is that any of your business? Random freshman? I'm not a freshman. I don't care. We're in the same history class. So have you seen her? Hello? She's talking to Mr. Hauser. Why? Is that any of your business obnoxious, junior? Whatever. You're welcome. Thanks, random, not a freshman. What a dingus. I cannot wait to get out of here. I never see that guy again. [Music] Surviving Hawkins is a production of Netflix and atypical artists and is a companion podcast of the novel Stranger Things, Revel Robin by A.R. Capeta from Random House Children's Books, starring Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley and Sean Mar as Mr. Hauser. Written and directed by Lauren Shipman. In this episode, you also heard the voices of Shelby Young as Nancy Wheeler and Andrew Noah as Steve Harrington, editing and sound design by Brandon Groogle. Lilian Holman is our production manager. And if you haven't already, go read Revel Robin to get the full story behind Robyn's friendship with Mr. Hauser and how she manages to survive sophomore year. [BLANK_AUDIO]