If You Call This Illinois Number, You Get a ‘Stranger Things’ Character’s Voicemail
A Holiday Treat for Stranger Things Fans
If you are a fan of the Stranger Things franchise, chances are you had a pretty eventful holiday season. With releases on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, I spent a lot of time in my pajamas, snuggled in bed, watching the iconic 80s gang of nerds take on Vecna and the Mind Flayer once again.
Thoughts on the Final Season
I will not spoil anything if you have not watched the final season, but I will say it felt like everyone, from the writers to the actors, had really phoned it in. The overall feel, at least to me, was very much, "Let’s wrap this up so we can all move on with our lives." I have seen plenty of people agree with that take, while others felt it was the most emotional and impactful season of the entire series. Oh, and Kentucky folks lost their minds when Johnathan made the grave mistake of saying LOUIE-VILLE instead of LOO-UH-VULLE.
The Nostalgia That Hit the Hardest
One thing I loved was the use of radio in the final season. My favorite season overall is still Season 3 with the Starcourt Mall and the Hawkins Community Pool. Those settings are pure nostalgia for me, and the radio station scenes did not disappoint.
They took me right back to calling a station and actually talking to a real person to request a song, which was always nerve-racking. It was a lot different than tapping a request into an app. (Oh, you can do that right here!)
Favorite Characters and Standout Moments
Everyone has a favorite character or two. Mine are Steve “The Hair” Harrington, whose character arc has such a big heart, Hopper for his constant grumpiness, and Murray. Murray really aged like fine wine and just kept getting better with time. He was a little irritating in the first season he appeared in, but once they lightened him up, he completely won me over.
The karate scene on the Russian plane is absolute gold. When things get dark and serious, Murray always shows up with the laugh. You just know that truly bad things are not happening when Murray is around.
The Murray Easter Egg Fans Are Loving
And yes, there is a fun Easter egg hidden in the series. You can actually call Murray’s number and listen to his voicemail, which feels like a perfectly on-brand Stranger Things surprise.
In season 3, a 618 phone number flashed on the screen. Fans took note and of course tried it out. To everyone's surprise, you got Murray's voicemail! In a TikTok video, content creator LifeofDevinT calls 618-625-8313 and Murray directly addresses both his mom and Joyce - and then all of the other nitwits that have somehow managed to get their hands on his number.
Hilarious.
618 is a Southern IL Area Code
Coincidentally, 618 area code is part of the tri-state. The 618 area code serves all of Southern Illinois, including major cities like Belleville, Carbondale, Alton, East St. Louis, and Edwardsville. But the actual number is based in Sesser, Illinois, in Marion County which is a two-hour drive from Evansville.
Anyway, enjoy watching the final season and if you are like me, well, I think I'm going to start over from the beginning and relive it all over again with the ending in mind just to see if I can catch a few more Easter eggs along the way.