“It’s funny that everyone’s taking the speech to be political,” Harbour continued, “because I think everything we do is political. I don’t think there’s any separation. And obviously, I’m responding to the times I’m in, but the speech itself doesn’t really mention politics or policy in any way.” Instead, he said, the speech was “my attempt to make people feel not alone," or as " 'freaks' on any side of any aisle in any way. If you are misunderstood, I want you to know that I feel the same way.”

That outsider focus is key to the appeal of Stranger Things itself. Too many films and TV series, said Harbour, are about “extraordinary people doing extraordinary things”—characters who are “so in shape, and they're so intelligent, and they're so capable and attractive. And one of the great things about our cast is that I've got the love handles, and other cast members are skinny and weird-looking—we're all kind of freaks who wind up fighting a monster and doing wonderful things. And I want to watch that arc on television.”

And no, to clarify: Harbour does not plan on actually punching anyone in the face, despite what may be the most repeated line from his barn-burner of a speech: “We will, per Chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, the disenfranchised, and the marginalized.” Although, as he put it, “I think anyone who advocates genocide or any sort of extermination of an entire race of people, you know, probably does deserve a punch in the face.”

Figuratively or not, Harbour’s speech was incredibly moving—particularly, it seemed, to Winona Ryder, who made some very captivating facial expressions behind him as he spoke. Harbour said with a laugh that he and Ryder had not yet had the chance to rehash the evening, but added, “I'll connect with her this week once we get back on set together, and we'll joke about it.” (For what it’s worth, Stranger Things co-star Gaten Matarazzo said Ryder was making those faces because she couldn’t hear the speech.)

“But I just love her so much,” Harbour said. “Her face is just so expressive. What an amazing quality. And it's just so fun to have people—to have this kind of fiery speech, and then to have people also appreciate the silliness and the joy of just like a totally wonderful, sensitive, expressive actress. I love it.”

Harbour may have mentioned getting back to work on Stranger Things, but naturally, he’s sworn to secrecy regarding what, exactly, is coming up in season two. In one word, Harbour described the next installment of the series as “thrilling.”

“I got the first script of season two, and the first five minutes I was on my feet going, ‘Yes! Yes!’ Because they open up the world in such a new way,” Harbour said. “And these characters that I feel like are so iconic, and that we love so deeply, get to really go on different arcs and different journeys and explore these little things that we touched on in their personalities and psychologies. And we get to really expand on that. . . I really do think it’s going to be thrilling. And you can tweet at me that I’m an idiot if it’s not.”