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

[b1e9a8r5s]

I liked Ep7. I'm not sure how representative this boards hate for it is.

Since finishing the show this weekend, I've started reading and listening to stuff on the show as a whole and pretty much everyone dogs that episode. This is probably the easiest representation of it...

IMDB rankings from users. Every other episode (both seasons) between 8.5-9.5. Episode 7 is a 6.2.

"Stranger Things" (2016)

 

[NyQuil]

Since finishing the show this weekend, I've started reading and listening to stuff on the show as a whole and pretty much everyone dogs that episode. This is probably the easiest representation of it...

IMDB rankings from users. Every other episode (both seasons) between 8.5-9.5. Episode 7 is a 6.2.

"Stranger Things" (2016)

Everyone has a "favorite" character or storyline and I'll bet people were disappointed when they didn't appear in that episode.

I think it was fairly important as far as the overall development of her character goes.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

Everyone has a "favorite" character or storyline and I'll bet people were disappointed when they didn't appear in that episode.

I think it was fairly important as far as the overall development of her character goes.

I agree that not having a lot of the known characters in that episode is part of what people didn't like about it.

But I disagree with her development. The only thing you got out of it is how she is able to move big objects and if they would have just glossed over that, it wouldn't have bothered me in the least. The episode was so out of place with the tone of every other episode. I didn't enjoy any of the new characters. I hated it.

 

[NyQuil]

I agree that not having a lot of the known characters in that episode is part of what people didn't like about it.

But I disagree with her development. The only thing you got out of it is how she is able to move big objects and if they would have just glossed over that, it wouldn't have bothered me in the least. The episode was so out of place with the tone of every other episode. I didn't enjoy any of the new characters. I hated it.

I guess to me it was really about her making a conscious choice to go back. Up until that point, she had never really had an opportunity to decide anything for herself in her entire life.

Faced with unlimited freedom, she chose instead the friendships and relationships she had left behind.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I agree that not having a lot of the known characters in that episode is part of what people didn't like about it.

But I disagree with her development. The only thing you got out of it is how she is able to move big objects and if they would have just glossed over that, it wouldn't have bothered me in the least. The episode was so out of place with the tone of every other episode. I didn't enjoy any of the new characters. I hated it.

My theory is the episode helped to display her internal choice of being with her blood related family and the one she has seemingly chosen/fallen into. Prior to this she seemed to be searching for a family aspect, she now realizes that many families and siblings are not perfect and in many cases harmful to other family members and that she had it pretty good with the Hawkins crew...aka her chosen family....sort of a checking to see if the grass is greener and realizing it isn't sort of thing....my best guess at the meaning to the episode. I enjoyed it

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

I guess to me it was really about her making a conscious choice to go back. Up until that point, she had never really had an opportunity to decide anything for herself in her entire life.

Faced with unlimited freedom, she chose instead the friendships and relationships she had left behind.

My theory is the episode helped to display her internal choice of being with her blood related family and the one she has seemingly chosen/fallen into. Prior to this she seemed to be searching for a family aspect, she now realizes that many families and siblings are not perfect and in many cases harmful to other family members and that she had it pretty good with the Hawkins crew...aka her chosen family....sort of a checking to see if the grass is greener and realizing it isn't sort of thing....my best guess at the meaning to the episode. I enjoyed it

That's certainly what they were trying to do, but it was just executed so poorly. At no point did you think

Spoiler

she was going to stay with the punk group to go around murdering people for revenge

so what was the point.

It came across as filler to me or maybe a poor attempt to set up a spin off.

 

[Osprey]

Part of me wonders if they got a little carried away with trying to "80s up" the show. It's as if they felt that, because a lot of 80s pop culture included big city street punks with mohawks, they needed to squeeze that into their show somehow, even though it takes place in rural, quiet, conservative Indiana. It makes you wonder what other 80s stereotypes and tropes might be shoehorned into Season 3.

Let's see...

10 Bizarre Movie Tropes That Were Totally Normally in the 80s

1. Twins (I suppose that Modine could've separated Eleven from an identical twin sister at birth)
2. Adorable alien best friend (haha... they did that in Season 2)
3. Puppets in disguise (ok, they probably won't do this one)
4. Misplaced musical numbers (I hope that they don't do this)
5. Summer camp (I can totally see the kids going to camp. That could actually work, too)
6. Martial arts competitions held in anonymous Asian countries (I can see Lucas learning Karate and teaching Billy a lesson... not so sure about the Asian countries)
7. Body-switching (Dustin and Hopper switching bodies? I'm in!)
8. Cross-dressing (I almost feel like we saw that in Episode 7)
9. Creepy animatronic animals (I guess that we won't see this with the show not minding using CGI as much as possible)
10. Bullies (another check off the list by Season 2)

 

[Upgrayedd]

That's certainly what they were trying to do, but it was just executed so poorly. At no point did you think

Spoiler

she was going to stay with the punk group to go around murdering people for revenge

so what was the point.

It came across as filler to me or maybe a poor attempt to set up a spin off.

I assume it was made for the reason I stated and to set up a storyline for season 3, same has to go for Max and Billy.

 

[harvestglen]

Everyone has a "favorite" character or storyline and I'll bet people were disappointed when they didn't appear in that episode.

I think it was fairly important as far as the overall development of her character goes.

I think there are good ideas behind what they were trying to do (El learning a sense of what home means to her, deciding how she wants to move forward with the pain of her past). At the same time, I do think people gripes with this episode are warranted. I get the sense people directly involved in the show even recognize that it was a risk and maybe a not entirely successful one.

It's so foreign tonally to the rest of the show. Ordinary characters facing extraordinary situations in a quaint environment are a significant draw. Take those elements away and replace it with one-dimensional Suicide Squad rejects and story implications that lean more toward an X-Men origin story than 80s sci-fi/adventure, and you're off on the wrong foot right off the bat.

 

[NyQuil]

I think there are good ideas behind what they were trying to do (El learning a sense of what home means to her, deciding how she wants to move forward with the pain of her past). At the same time, I do think people gripes with this episode are warranted. I get the sense people directly involved in the show even recognize that it was a risk and maybe a not entirely successful one.

It's so foreign tonally to the rest of the show. Ordinary characters facing extraordinary situations in a quaint environment are a significant draw. Take those elements away and replace it with one-dimensional Suicide Squad rejects and story implications that lean more toward an X-Men origin story than 80s sci-fi/adventure, and you're off on the wrong foot right off the bat.

I think it's a fair criticism.

They went for juxtaposition but it was uneven and jarring.

 

[KirkOut]

I liked S1 a bit better but I enjoyed S2. I thought S2 had a better soundtrack though

 

[CactusEverywhere]

I liked Ep7. I'm not sure how representative this boards hate for it is.

I liked it too.

 

[Warden of the North]

I get a similar feeling from this season as I did from watching "Aliens" as compared to "Alien".

Action movie vs thriller.

I liked it, however not as much as S1 (thats pretty common for a lot of shows/sequels though). The demodogs and mind flayer werent nearly as scary as the demogorgon was, and I enjoyed that the demogorgon could go between dimensions without the use of the Gate.

Still, a good season and worth the watch. Curious to see where it goes next.

 

[CactusEverywhere]

The demogorgon was so cool and freaky cuz it was shrouded in mystery for much of the first season. I don't think we got a good, full on look of it till, what, ep 5 or 6? But seeing the demogorgon

Spoiler

tadpole and demodogs just all out in the open like that all the time kinda killed that suspense, ya know?

The

Spoiler

Shadow Monster was awesome though. I thought it was plenty scary. The storm surrounding it, its foggy body, and that it will tirelessly hunt you down gave me that same sense of suspense as the demogorgon.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Damn, so I'm all caught up, finished both seasons. Loved both. Season 1 was slightly better than 2, but 2 was also fantastic.

Dustin had me rolling way too many times with his lines and his purr this season.

Steve's character arc was also pretty damn great.

 

[Osprey]

Stranger Things creators admit that season 2, episode 7 "annoyed some people"

"It annoyed some people," Ross Duffer acknowledged during last weekend's Vulture Festival (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Explaining their punk approach to all things, erm, not really punk, Matt Duffer added: "It was intended to give you whiplash.

"Whether the whiplash was too strong or not, I don't know."

More reading: Everything that's wrong with Stranger Things season 2 episode 7

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Things learn't from this seaaon:

When someone tells you to stand your ground and tell Cthulhu to go away, ignore their advice and keep running.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Just binged the first two seasons last weekend. Loved it.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Just finished season 2 with my girlfriend over the weekend. I really enjoyed the second season a lot, but there were a few plot-holes which bothered me at times, but over all it's an incredible series so far.

I found some of the foreshadowing to be overly obvious, especially

Spoiler: Dart

growing up to be a demagorgon monster thing was incredibly obvious.

and also

Spoiler: will

Drawing another large picture using a bunch of small pictures.

was another annoyingly obvious thing.

 

[CactusEverywhere]

I reckon we mostly knew season 3 was a go, but it's official now (hopefully I inserted this right). If not, here's another link.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Just finished season 2 with my girlfriend over the weekend. I really enjoyed the second season a lot, but there were a few plot-holes which bothered me at times, but over all it's an incredible series so far.

I found some of the foreshadowing to be overly obvious, especially

Spoiler: Dart

growing up to be a demagorgon monster thing was incredibly obvious.

and also

Spoiler: will

Drawing another large picture using a bunch of small pictures.

was another annoyingly obvious thing.

I think what was interesting about Dart is

Spoiler: dart

that we learned demagorgon's remember things and can build some sort of loyalty even to humans, as indicative of when Dart let Steve and his children by thanks to Dustin taking care of him early on, even when Dustin locked him in the cellar.

 

[NyQuil]

It's like the mood slime in Ghostbusters 2.

 

[sabresfan129103]

Bumping this thread. I'm super late to the party here. I'm halfway though season 1 after just 1 day. That should tell you how good the show is. It usually takes me forever to finish any series. The last series I watch on Netflix was the Last Kingdom (which was great), but it took me like 2 or 3 months to watch both seasons (17 episodes). I'll probably finish season 1 tonight.

I'm a HUGE HP Lovecraft fan and I know the season 2 monster is cthulhu like, so I'm super stoked for that.

 

[Outofbodyinhungary]

Season 3 teaser

 

[Jumptheshark]

Season 3 teaser

I am getting into the series more and more