Stranger Things

[DEagle7]

Say what you will about this season, but the music selection remains on point.  They launched Kate Bush back into the charts internationally, and that Master of Puppets part of the finale was  great.  I'm not even a metal head and that scene had me amped.

[NOTW]

6 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Is it just me or does anyone actually like the Murray character? I feel like he’s the Jar Jar Binks of Stranger Things. Someone the writers love and think is hilarious but is just annoying and forced. Would have been better off with just a small role in Season 3. 

I can't stand him, cringe & super annoying. Yuri, pizza stoner, nerd hacker neverending story girl, Lucas little sister...all annoying and unnecessary characters. 

They took the main cast and turned them into supporting cast. Too many characters you don't care about.

They tried to develop characters and then did absolutely nothing with them for closure.

The guys didn't share the news with the rest of the Hellfire club so they could mourn Eddie.

Will being closeted, I guess they'll do more with that in future season. They introduced that for the purpose of...?

The angry mob from the town hall: never saw them again after that, except 2 basketball players. What happened to the guy Lucas knocked out? What's the Sheriff doing all this time? 

Did anyone resolve that it's not the Hellfire Club cult responsible for the murders? I get that the "earthquake" is now a distraction. 

They spent 8 episodes on long drawn out filler then rushed episode 9 and left loose ends.

[NOTW]

21 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

Say what you will about this season, but the music selection remains on point.  They launched Kate Bush back into the charts internationally, and that Master of Puppets part of the finale was  great.  I'm not even a metal head and that scene had me amped.

Agree, and the Kate Bush song fits the tone of the show very well. 

[DEagle7]

6 hours ago, NOTW said:

I can't stand him, cringe & super annoying. Yuri, pizza stoner, nerd hacker neverending story girl, Lucas little sister...all annoying and unnecessary characters. 

They took the main cast and turned them into supporting cast. Too many characters you don't care about.

They tried to develop characters and then did absolutely nothing with them for closure.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The guys didn't share the news with the rest of the Hellfire club so they could mourn Eddie.

Will being closeted, I guess they'll do more with that in future season. They introduced that for the purpose of...?

The angry mob from the town hall: never saw them again after that, except 2 basketball players. What happened to the guy Lucas knocked out? What's the Sheriff doing all this time? 

Did anyone resolve that it's not the Hellfire Club cult responsible for the murders? I get that the "earthquake" is now a distraction. 

They spent 8 episodes on long drawn out filler then rushed episode 9 and left loose ends.

 

 

Spoiler

The guy Lucas knocked out is ripped in half as the gate opens. 

 

[LeanMeanGM]

 

I wish they had the balls to actually kill off Max. I was actually shocked when her arm and leg snapped and was one of the most wtf moments of the season. It would have also finally taught them all a lesson that they probably should stop trying to directly interfere/fight other worldly, super natural enemies unless they are willing to have real consequences.

[The_Omega]

I think Murray’s amusing. Far more so than the main character who’s so useless that they had to come up with some reason for him to even be there, ’You’re the heart Mike!’’ , and Will, who they’re so desperate to hide his age that they made him look like Simple Jack. I didn’t hate Eddie,

 

but I am glad that they killed him off

so that now we can get back to Dustin and Steve.

[NOTW]

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

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I wish they had the balls to actually kill off Max. I was actually shocked when her arm and leg snapped and was one of the most wtf moments of the season. It would have also finally taught them all a lesson that they probably should stop trying to directly interfere/fight other worldly, super natural enemies unless they are willing to have real consequences.

Agree. 

They did all that buildup and she had plot armor. The others died within minutes. He toyed with her a loooooong time - both times - to give time for her to be saved.

Had she died it would have had real consequences, heightened to situation with the basketball captain seeing it in person again, and driven the other characters forward. Actually killing her the first time would have made more sense to motivate the kids to risk their lives that much.

[devpool]

This season sucked, all that hype about splitting the season just for the last 2 episodes to be an absolute mess

[DBW]

Eddie rocks on the guitar but if you’re gonna do heavy metal and relate it to bats, why not Ozzy?  
 

 

[DBW]

The hopper/Russia arc this season was completely pointless.  Other than weakening Verna a little bit it was stupid.  

I thought they were going to kill off max initially and then they copped out and caved to the fans who didn’t want any main characters dying.  They took Eddie instead but I like how they did that whole thing.  And why does anyone in this town still not know what the actual F is going on.  Earthquake? Come on! Nobody is buying that!  I guess Lucas got all his lumps from the nick backs falling on him. And max broke every bone in her body when she fell down some stairs while the house shook.  It’s a littl but if a stretch to have every adult in this town clueless as F and not asking any questions!

 

[LeanMeanGM]

2 hours ago, DBW said:

Eddie rocks on the guitar but if you’re gonna do heavy metal and relate it to bats, why not Ozzy?  
 

 

"Master of Puppets” is basically the whole seasons story 

[DBW]

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

"Master of Puppets” is basically the whole seasons story 

Yeah I get that part.  When they said we’ll draw the bats, I was expecting a tribute to Ozzy there but it’s all good that scene still kicked ass.  Also, did anyone else wonder how they got electricity in the upside down? 

[DBW]

Also

huge fan theory that Vecna is Elevens dad.  Her mom joined the experiments in 1969, El was born in 1971. Henry/Vecna was shown in the lab in 1959 at around 12 years old.  So when Els mom gets there, henry is around 24.  Brenner knew One wasn’t strong enough so he made him breed with Henry and voila, superpower girl was created.  I can buy into this.  

[UK Eagle]

4 hours ago, DBW said:

 

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The hopper/Russia arc this season was completely pointless.  Other than weakening Verna a little bit it was stupid.  

I thought they were going to kill off max initially and then they copped out and caved to the fans who didn’t want any main characters dying.  They took Eddie instead but I like how they did that whole thing.  And why does anyone in this town still not know what the actual F is going on.  Earthquake? Come on! Nobody is buying that!  I guess Lucas got all his lumps from the nick backs falling on him. And max broke every bone in her body when she fell down some stairs while the house shook.  It’s a littl but if a stretch to have every adult in this town clueless as F and not asking any questions!

 

I wish that part of the story had a point, but it drifted onto a pointless diversion to keep certain actors busy.  My feeling is they did it because one of the characters may not have been intended to be in the story as long as they have been. 

[Bwestbrook36]

On 7/3/2022 at 11:57 AM, The_Omega said:

I think Murray’s amusing. Far more so than the main character who’s so useless that they had to come up with some reason for him to even be there, ’You’re the heart Mike!’’ , and Will, who they’re so desperate to hide his age that they made him look like Simple Jack. I didn’t hate Eddie,

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but I am glad that they killed him off

so that now we can get back to Dustin and Steve.

Funny thing is Will is actually the youngest out of all of them in real life lol

[NOTW]

Will's little speech was so over the top  no one talked like that back then. We get it Netflix, we get what you're forcing. But way too extra. 

[JBENT87]

On 7/1/2022 at 6:01 PM, NOTW said:

Started ep 8

 

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The fate of the world is at stake, we have 2 episodes left, but let's go ahead and explore not 1 but 2 LGBT relationships.

Let's also repeat the same dumb plot points from the Russian story: deceiving about flight arrangements, phone calls, waiting for reply phone calls, etc.

And 11 is still not ready? She kicked ass in prior seasons, spent forever in part 1 getting them back and they're stretching things out more. 

 

yeah putting a bow on Will with the "is he/isnt he gay" with the Jonathan conversation was fine with me, but the way it all wrapped up in the last 10 minutes/"two weeks later" with a reference to Robin flirting with that girl again was insane. Every single person in that town would have PTSD/still going through the motions after what just went down.  Getting back to teenage relationship angst two weeks after one friend died (Eddie) and another is a vegetable in Max was brutal writing to me.

On 7/2/2022 at 5:46 PM, DEagle7 said:

I like him as a small side character. Agreed he's too much of a caricature to be as big of a a role as he was this season though. The whole Russian subplot was weak and unnecessary. 

One of my takeaways after watching this season was realizing this show marries itself to the set pieces way too much. I think they were so impressed with this Russian prison they built that they just wanted to hang out in there as long as possible. Same with the lab El was in all season, the Starcourt Mall season 3, the callback to the Snow Ball dance auditorium the end of this season, etc. IDK, obviously these places are necessary to tell a story, but I still feel like almost all of them wear their welcome out. A truly elite show (the way this is categorized)  wouldn't make the viewer so aware of that and so anxious to move on to whatever is next. To keep El in that lab for as long as she was, as well as teasing Hopper finally getting out of the prison to just put him right back in, was awkward and annoying.  

On 7/3/2022 at 12:25 AM, NOTW said:

I can't stand him, cringe & super annoying. Yuri, pizza stoner, nerd hacker neverending story girl, Lucas little sister...all annoying and unnecessary characters. 

They took the main cast and turned them into supporting cast. Too many characters you don't care about.

They tried to develop characters and then did absolutely nothing with them for closure.

 

  Hide contents

 

The guys didn't share the news with the rest of the Hellfire club so they could mourn Eddie.

Will being closeted, I guess they'll do more with that in future season. They introduced that for the purpose of...?

The angry mob from the town hall: never saw them again after that, except 2 basketball players. What happened to the guy Lucas knocked out? What's the Sheriff doing all this time? 

Did anyone resolve that it's not the Hellfire Club cult responsible for the murders? I get that the "earthquake" is now a distraction. 

They spent 8 episodes on long drawn out filler then rushed episode 9 and left loose ends.

 

 

well said here as always. The narrative was totally lost in all of the muck/the scale of how big the show has gotten, similiar to GoT. 

Toward the end of GoT you couldn't walk down the street without seeing an advertisement that the biggest show in the history of the world is coming to a close, make sure you watch it or be forever ostracized at the water cooler at work the next day. 

Meanwhile, the narrative went to absolute crap. Nothing made sense and everything was sped up to bring it to a close. Not saying that's what's going to happen here because this is very apples to oranges in everything other than that one comment on the popularity of the two shows.

But there was a fine story in here to be told, centered around Will being the only person to go into the Upside Down and survive, and come back with some intel/power that can be used to take down the big bad once and for all (which would have come in handy at a time when El lost her powers, for example). But the writers moved this character to the back and made him a one dimensional closeted gay character instead, swapping him out for a minor character instead (Erica, Robin, Murray, pick your poison).  They could have spent a little more time throughout the last two seasons focusing on him (especially after Noah Schnapp's stellar performance in season 2) but instead we're going to get a condensed version of all of this in the final season. It just absolutely seems like the story was sacrificed to check off a bunch of 2022/Netflix inclusivity requirements, which is annoying. 

[Mike030270]

Part 1 was boring to me. Part 2 was good but

Spoiler

 

I'm still annoyed by them completely forgetting that he broke both of his ankles to flee the prison

Lucas getting his ass kicked and then suddenly getting the strength to beat him up was laughable. Same with El getting told she's loved and has the strength to overpower Vecna

She broke all 4 limbs and went blind. Are they actually going to have her survive?

I don't understand why the prison guards didn't just kill that monster with fire instead of shooting him

 

 

[Gannan]

I enjoyed it. However, it needed more editing. Lots of pacing problems due to slow pointless dialogue as others have pointed out. That last episode didn’t need to be nearly as long as it was.

[NOTW]

46 minutes ago, JBENT87 said:

 

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yeah putting a bow on Will with the "is he/isnt he gay" with the Jonathan conversation was fine with me, but the way it all wrapped up in the last 10 minutes/"two weeks later" with a reference to Robin flirting with that girl again was insane. Every single person in that town would have PTSD/still going through the motions after what just went down.  Getting back to teenage relationship angst two weeks after one friend died (Eddie) and another is a vegetable in Max was brutal writing to me.

 

One of my takeaways after watching this season was realizing this show marries itself to the set pieces way too much. I think they were so impressed with this Russian prison they built that they just wanted to hang out in there as long as possible. Same with the lab El was in all season, the Starcourt Mall season 3, the callback to the Snow Ball dance auditorium the end of this season, etc. IDK, obviously these places are necessary to tell a story, but I still feel like almost all of them wear their welcome out. A truly elite show (the way this is categorized)  wouldn't make the viewer so aware of that and so anxious to move on to whatever is next. To keep El in that lab for as long as she was, as well as teasing Hopper finally getting out of the prison to just put him right back in, was awkward and annoying.  

well said here as always. The narrative was totally lost in all of the muck/the scale of how big the show has gotten, similiar to GoT. 

Toward the end of GoT you couldn't walk down the street without seeing an advertisement that the biggest show in the history of the world is coming to a close, make sure you watch it or be forever ostracized at the water cooler at work the next day. 

Meanwhile, the narrative went to absolute crap. Nothing made sense and everything was sped up to bring it to a close. Not saying that's what's going to happen here because this is very apples to oranges in everything other than that one comment on the popularity of the two shows.

But there was a fine story in here to be told, centered around Will being the only person to go into the Upside Down and survive, and come back with some intel/power that can be used to take down the big bad once and for all (which would have come in handy at a time when El lost her powers, for example). But the writers moved this character to the back and made him a one dimensional closeted gay character instead, swapping him out for a minor character instead (Erica, Robin, Murray, pick your poison).  They could have spent a little more time throughout the last two seasons focusing on him (especially after Noah Schnapp's stellar performance in season 2) but instead we're going to get a condensed version of all of this in the final season. It just absolutely seems like the story was sacrificed to check off a bunch of 2022/Netflix inclusivity requirements, which is annoying. 

 

Agree.  And your points make me also think about the chemistry between the original characters. 

Spoiler

 

They separated them into groups and added too many new characters so there wasn't much screen time with the original friends together.  There wasn't much closure or reunion when Lucas leaves the basketball lynch mob, his friends never apologized for missing his championship game or I don't even recall them congratulating him.  Lucas also had this buildup about riding the bench on the team, has to play due to injury and ends up playing well and making the winning shot for the championship....and that's it.  What was the purpose of that?  To give him confidence that would payoff later in something he does for the larger Vecna story?  

Dustin formed a bond with Eddie, and it was a nice little moment that he informed his Dad but then not the other members of the Hellfire club so there was no closure there either.

When the characters all finally show up at the cabin at the end there are brief hugs then bam the next thing happens.  They dragged things on the whole season then didn't give enough payoff.  Mike could have had a moment with Will to thank him for encouraging him to lead, and Will could have had the takeaway that his friend still acknowledges him (while he wrestles with his feelings). 

They built up Mike's need to be needed and then he shows up in the pizza van in the desert just in time...as 11 already has her powers back, doesn't need Mike at all and has already been inspired to get her mojo back by Papa.  El just needed a ride out of there which was provided by the group.  Perhaps a better way to develop that story is Papa's old lab and torture techniques aren't working, but when the military guys show up and they have to get out of there, seeing Mike and her friends in danger inspire her to find her powers again.  That would have made her friends more useful and continue to develop their bond.  Which would also contribute to her wrestling with the "I'm a monster" flashbacks; instead of using her powers because Papa put her in a lab with armed guards, she emerges from that and the good in her prevails.

 

But they were too busy with cramming stoner pizza guy and Murray and Yuri into the story.  

[Bwestbrook36]

4 minutes ago, NOTW said:

 

Agree.  And your points make me also think about the chemistry between the original characters. 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

They separated them into groups and added too many new characters so there wasn't much screen time with the original friends together.  There wasn't much closure or reunion when Lucas leaves the basketball lynch mob, his friends never apologized for missing his championship game or I don't even recall them congratulating him.  Lucas also had this buildup about riding the bench on the team, has to play due to injury and ends up playing well and making the winning shot for the championship....and that's it.  What was the purpose of that?  To give him confidence that would payoff later in something he does for the larger Vecna story?  

Dustin formed a bond with Eddie, and it was a nice little moment that he informed his Dad but then not the other members of the Hellfire club so there was no closure there either.

When the characters all finally show up at the cabin at the end there are brief hugs then bam the next thing happens.  They dragged things on the whole season then didn't give enough payoff.  Mike could have had a moment with Will to thank him for encouraging him to lead, and Will could have had the takeaway that his friend still acknowledges him (while he wrestles with his feelings). 

They built up Mike's need to be needed and then he shows up in the pizza van in the desert just in time...as 11 already has her powers back, doesn't need Mike at all and has already been inspired to get her mojo back by Papa.  El just needed a ride out of there which was provided by the group.  Perhaps a better way to develop that story is Papa's old lab and torture techniques aren't working, but when the military guys show up and they have to get out of there, seeing Mike and her friends in danger inspire her to find her powers again.  That would have made her friends more useful and continue to develop their bond.  Which would also contribute to her wrestling with the "I'm a monster" flashbacks; instead of using her powers because Papa put her in a lab with armed guards, she emerges from that and the good in her prevails.

 

But they were too busy with cramming stoner pizza guy and Murray and Yuri into the story.  

I only watched the first 2 episodes and I'm already rolling my eyes with some of this sheet lol. 

[NOTW]

3 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

I only watched the first 2 episodes and I'm already rolling my eyes with some of this sheet lol. 

It gets worse with that stuff, but there is good sprinkled in.

Honestly the plot this season was so thin and stretched out it could've been a 2 hour movie or maybe 4 episode limited series with less side characters and fluff.

[dawkins4prez]

More was not better, this was the weakest season imo, especially the final 2 episodes which were the most anticlimactic 5 hours of bloat you'll find outside the MCU.

[LeanMeanGM]

4 hours ago, NOTW said:

It gets worse with that stuff, but there is good sprinkled in.

Honestly the plot this season was so thin and stretched out it could've been a 2 hour movie or maybe 4 episode limited series with less side characters and fluff.

100%. And the plot that could have been used as filler was just blown straight by by using Nancy either figure it all out instantly or literally shown to her for no reason besides the villain wanting to narrate his own origin story. 

[JBENT87]

4 hours ago, NOTW said:

Honestly the plot this season was so thin and stretched out it could've been a 2 hour movie or maybe 4 episode limited series with less side characters and fluff.

less definitely would've been more this season...

20 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

100%. And the plot that could have been used as filler was just blown straight by by using Nancy either figure it all out instantly or literally shown to her for no reason besides the villain wanting to narrate his own origin story. 

...to the point that this Nancy abduction/Vecna explanation was probably added in after the first draft, with how much time the writers had on their hands. I wouldn't be surprised if they were worried about the 001/Vecna/Henry thing being too confusing, so they added the Nancy clarification summation in after the fact, to force home what was going on. Obviously the Hawkins crew had to have some way of tightening things up down the home stretch so maybe it had to be done like this, but it just felt weird to have that "mid season break" Vecna reveal w one character and then go and do it again with another as soon as they come back. 

 Even if that specific example is off, there is no doubt in my mind that all of the time they had in between filming did more harm than good after viewing and lead to them changing the story around for the worse (ie. maybe initially killing Max at the end and then going back in and deciding to just make her a vegetable instead).  Again just a theoretical example, but I gotta imagine there was a lot of this going on which is what lead to the ultimate choppy final product.