Online Series: Stranger Things (A love letter to the supernatural classics of the 80's)

[Lord Moriarty007]

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[Lord Moriarty007]

 

[Cole Caulifield]

So the 8 episodes came out today.

Just watched episode #1.

Giving off a Goonies/ET vibe so far. Setting is in 83. I like Winona Ryder as the single mother with 2 kids in this.

The dialogue between the kids is great. You really get attached to the characters quick. Hope it stays good.

 

[sully1410]

That's good. I was looking forward to this.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

I binged watched it until 2h30 am last night. Simply could not put it down to go to bed at episode #6.

Anyone born in the the late 70ies, early 80ies will identify with the kids in this movie. The music and culture of the early 80ies is everywhere in this movie, and brings back good memories for those born during that time (BMX with light dynamos, walkie-talkies, dungeons and dragons, rotary phones, 80ies movies/musics). Speaking of which, perfect use of music and sound effects in this.

The movie (really just feels like a 7 hour movie) is a bit of a homage to supernatural/sci-fi flicks of the 80ies like D.A.R.Y.L., E.T., Goonies, etc but with a horror monster feel a la stephen king to it and obviously current TV means.

The story revolves around a missing boy, a strange girl, and the 3 kids who become friends with said strange girl while looking for the missing boy. And there's a sci-fi/supernatural element behind it. All the characters are incredibly endearing and you immediately become invested in the story from the first minute to the last. The dialogue between the kids is very funny and gives them depth quickly. If you don't like the first episode, put it down, it's not for you. While watching the series, during the first 4-5 episodes, my main worry was that they wouldn't really wrap it all up, but they do. So have no fears about that.

One of netflix's best efforts, probably the best I have seen of them. There are rumors it's been renewed for a season 2 already, but I can't find anything official yet. It's been said that S2 would be a sequel more than an actual season two. Whether or not there is a season 2, it stands alone on its own as a season.

I think there's something in it for everyone but people aged between 35 and 45 will identify with it a bit more I'd think.

Look at the cover art, so 80ies :

 

[Rabid Ranger]

As someone who is a product of the 80s this series is pitch perfect for me. So many nods to entertainment from my youth.

 

[Burnoutboi]

Just finished it an hour ago. Really, really enjoyed it. Thought the first few episodes were just good, but from five on I thought they were excellent.

A guy I know off the interwebs actually worked on this show. He's the very last name on the last page of the credits. Obsidian Entertainment represent!

 

[SK13]

Three episodes in. This might be the best TV since Fargo Season 1.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

For those who have watched it all..

How did you interpret the following two scenes :

[SPOIL]Why did the sheriff put the Xmas food in the little wooden box in the forest? Included in that little package were Eggos. Same food Eleven stole from the grocery store, what was going on there?[/SPOIL]

[SPOIL]And what about that slug that Will puked out, and the temporary swap to the upside down world? And why did he keep quiet about it to his family?[/SPOIL]

Also, here's a text about the creators Ross and Matt Duffer :

[SPOIL]When asked what a second season would look like, Matt said it would be more of a sequel than a direct continuation of season one:

We wanted to do a couple things with this season. We didn’t want to do The Killing thing. We wanted it to resolve that main thing of Will going missing in the first season. So in that sense, it is like an eight-hour movie. Now, we don’t answer all the questions by the end of the season – there are definitely some dangling threads. The hope is that it feels satisfying but that we left room and that if people respond to it we can go back into this world. But if we do get to go back, it’s not a second season as much as a sequel.â€​

Not sure what the difference between a second season and a sequel is?[/SPOIL]

 

[sayheykid]

So, Charlie Heaton is just Edward Furlong trying to make a comeback under a different name, right?

 

[The Gongshow]

Watched episode 1 last night and really enjoyed it. Will be watching more of it today

 

[KirkOut]

Watched the first episode last night and really liked it. I was born in 89 so I guess I'm not getting the full experience, but it appears to be a quality show no matter how you slice it. Will be watching the rest this week

 

[Lord Moriarty007]

For those who have watched it all..

How did you interpret the following two scenes :

[SPOIL]Why did the sheriff put the Xmas food in the little wooden box in the forest? Included in that little package were Eggos. Same food Eleven stole from the grocery store, what was going on there?[/SPOIL]

[SPOIL]And what about that slug that Will puked out, and the temporary swap to the upside down world? And why did he keep quiet about it to his family?[/SPOIL]

Also, here's a text about the creators Ross and Matt Duffer :

[SPOIL]When asked what a second season would look like, Matt said it would be more of a sequel than a direct continuation of season one:

We wanted to do a couple things with this season. We didn’t want to do The Killing thing. We wanted it to resolve that main thing of Will going missing in the first season. So in that sense, it is like an eight-hour movie. Now, we don’t answer all the questions by the end of the season – there are definitely some dangling threads. The hope is that it feels satisfying but that we left room and that if people respond to it we can go back into this world. But if we do get to go back, it’s not a second season as much as a sequel.â€​

Not sure what the difference between a second season and a sequel is?[/SPOIL]

To answer one
[spoil]I guess Eleven lives in the woods? My bigger question why did the Chef got in the car with the Suits in the hospital[/spoil]

[spoil]I'm guess the worms are the real monster and infected human hosts, so I guess Will turns into one of the monsters eleven killed at the end[/spoil]

 

[Caeldan]

To answer one
[spoil]I guess Eleven lives in the woods? My bigger question why did the Chef got in the car with the Suits in the hospital[/spoil]

[spoil]I'm guess the worms are the real monster and infected human hosts, so I guess Will turns into one of the monsters eleven killed at the end[/spoil]

Doing it all in one big blob.

[spoil]I agree that it appears that the monsters were 'hatching' in some fashion. They found what looked like an egg in the forest, and then the room that Will was eventually found in looked like a the classic 'nest' scenario from Alien.
I think the Chief got in the car because he knew he had to. Not certain if there was another part to his deal, or if it was just a 'friendly' debriefing.
The eggos was totally a nod to say that Eleven was still alive. Not sure if she's in this world or upside down though. I half expected Joyce and Hopper to find her on their way out and rescue her for a happy ending. So may she's just living in the woods and he's looking after her.[/spoil]

 

[NyQuil]

As someone who grew up in the 80s, it hits all the right notes.

 

[Diamondillium]

I didn't grow up in the 80s, nor did I ever really watch much 80's movies apart from a selection of the big stuff.

But that doesn't matter, this show/movie was just awesome. So well made, I got sucked in and had to watch it all in one binge. It is built to be binged too, it feels like one continuous movie rather than 8 episodes of a show. Would higly reccomend to anyone. It feels very good as a standalone story too. It will be interesting to see how they go about the sequel/season 2.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

born in '82 so watched a ton movies in the 80s and its a perfect homage to the Goonies and ET

watched the first 2 episodes and its great so far

 

[Sharpshooter]

Just binged it over the weekend. Awesome show. Definitely recommend. So much 80's nostalgia. Loved all of that. The music was on point as well.

Reminded me of an Alien/Goonies/Stand By Me/Silent Hill/Firestarter mashup.

As to some of the spoiler stuff above:

[spoil]
I think the writers left the possibility of Elle being alive up in the air, as someone above posted the writers thoughts. Either Hopper was simply putting that stuff in the box as remembrance, or because Elle may be living out in the woods(which kinda seems cruel), or in my mind, is still able to breach the barrier between both worlds(which could allow for the sequel story to continue if the writers feel the demand for her/the current story is strong.)

Hopper getting into the car, i thought could have been two things. A simple debrief/confirmation of the deal he made, or as recruitment. He has no family, no ties, and could have been forced/asked to head up a new task force, for a possible sequel to the story....most likely in recovering Elle.)

Lastly, the worm is definitely a last remnant of the upside down world in this one, and will most likely be looking to 'hibernate' and find a new host to start all over again. Remember Nancy saying that they seemed more like bears and sharks, than lions, iirc.

It's possible that Will didn't tell his family about it, because perhaps he assumed that it was just a hallucination, from all the trauma he went through. The screen went upside down world for a moment after the worm went down the drain. Maybe he didn't know how to process it and chalked it up to a flashback or something?

In any case, there's plenty of material left unattended for them to make a direct sequel to this(maybe the same characters but older this time around? Like 1990's versions?) Or they make a sequel with a whole new cast, but continue with Hopper as the gov't agent this time, and with Season 1 as historical setting to the new going-ons.

Hopefully what happened to Season 2 of True Detective, compared to Season 1 doesn't happen in this show.
[/spoil]

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I was born in '87, so I am just thankful I wasn't old enough to have the any of the abominations those people called haircuts.

*shudder*

 

[Caeldan]

I was born in '87, so I am just thankful I wasn't old enough to have the any of the abominations those people called haircuts.

*shudder*

A slight variation on most of those haircuts are now back in style

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Thanks for all the answers to my questions. It was what I was thinking as well for the most part.

I was born in '87, so I am just thankful I wasn't old enough to have the any of the abominations those people called haircuts.

*shudder*

The 90ies weren't much better !

The furlong cut in terminator was something else

 

[Jersey Fresh]

A slight variation on most of those haircuts are now back in style

Thank god I've managed to.somehow avoid contact with them.

Thanks for all the answers to my questions. It was what I was thinking as well for the most part.



The 90ies weren't much better !

The furlong cut in terminator was something else

No way! That Furlong look was a classic. But yeah, the 90's had its own set of duds. Ugh, frosted tip flashbacks.

As for the show, its fantastic even removed from the nostalgia angle. I have always loved Winona Ryder.

 

[sully1410]

Thank god I've managed to.somehow avoid contact with them.



No way! That Furlong look was a classic. But yeah, the 90's had its own set of duds. Ugh, frosted tip flashbacks.

As for the show, its fantastic even removed from the nostalgia angle. I have always loved Winona Ryder.

I used to have a mad crush on Winona Ryder as a kid after seen Beetlejuice. Then there was Alien 4. Man oh man. You cpull cut then sexual tension between Ripley and Call with a knife!

 

[Sharpshooter]

Inanity

 

[awfulwaffle]

On episode 6 so far. Really enjoying it.