I Noticed A Cool Terminator 2 Easter Egg In The Stranger Things Finale, But There's An Earlier One I Missed

It’s been about a week since the Stranger Things series finale turned my world upside down with all those big moments, revelations, and unanswered questions. I could go on and on about my theories about Eleven’s fate, where those spinoffs could go, and just about everything else under the sun. Instead, I have to talk about something else, something far nerdier than all of that, as surprising as it may sound. I’m talking easy-to-miss Easter Eggs, specifically those from one of the best sci-fi movies ever made: Terminator 2: Judgment Day!

This is nothing new for Stranger Things, which has referenced all kinds of movies, shows, and other pop culture references over the course of its run, but the one I’m about to discuss left me feeling like Leonardo DiCaprio in that one hilarious movie meme (you know the one).

There’s A Scene In The Stranger Things Finale Referencing The Icoinc Teminator 2 Hospital Sequence

Spoiler Warning: I’m going to get into some spoilers for the Stranger Things finale, so make sure you’re all caught up with your Netflix subscription before proceeding.

About 18 minutes into the Stranger Things Season 5 finale, “The Rightside Up,” I watched as Linda Hamilton’s villainous Dr. Kay walked around the WSQK radio station looking for those meddling kids. As she was walking through the nearly empty building, I noticed that the floor (as seen in the picture above) looked just like the black-and-white checkered linoleum seen in the legendary mental hospital sequence in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

You know who else was in that icoinc scene from one of the best action movies ever made? You guessed it, Linda Hamilton. Though it was a bit of a role reversal in Stranger Things, and she didn’t turn into a liquid metal cyborg sent from the future to kill her son, I can’t help but think that this is a little Easter egg added by the Duffer Brothers. It’s just too obvious, right?

It Turns Out, There’s An Earlier Nod To Terminator 2 In Stranger Things 5 Part 1

When I finished the finale, I did what everyone in my position would do: I went to Reddit to see if anyone noticed. Though I couldn’t find anything at the time, I came across another Terminator 2 Easter egg that I completely overlooked. In a post on the Stranger Things subreddit, someone pointed out that in the scene in the Part 1 finale, “Sorcerer,” where Dr. Kay is torturing Hopper, she was holding a control panel that looked remarkably similar to the elevator control panel Sarah Connor used to drop the T-800 into the molten steel.

Like the nod in the series finale, this is a short and easy-to-miss moment, but that’s what makes it so much fun. It’s also funny seeing Linda Hamilton referencing those famous scenes as a villain this time around.

I don’t know when I’ll get around to making this happen (maybe when my kids are old enough), but I definitely plan on rewatching Stranger Things at some point in the future. I can’t wait to pick up on other Easter eggs and references I missed this first time around.