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

[Hockeyfrilla]

2 episodes in, this is great.

 

[The Gongshow]

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]

1.[spoil]Thinking that Elle is still alive and probably in the Upside Down world and can maybe transfer back and fourth through the worlds. Hopp was bringing her some food, most likely,[/spoil]

2.[spoil]Will had a big long living tube thing in him and most likely "Alien"-ed Will with the slug and that thing needs a host, wether it turns people into the monsters or needs them for other purposes is unknown. When Elle took the bath and found Barbra she had a slug like thing sticking out of her mouth and was dead, so they could be connected.[/spoil]

I really enjoyed this show. Agree on how it felt more like a movie then a tv series. Hoping very much that there is a season 2!

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Because of the word of mouth, I watched the first two episodes tonight. It's pretty good so far. I love the 80s nostalgia feel so far. As someone who was born in 1984, this is a throwback and the way it's done is very old school.

 

[ap3x]

One episode in, no way they

[spoil]killed Cleary's brother Tom.[/spoil] Damn.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Watched the first 10-13 minutes of the first episode and then got that awesome 80's throw back intro.

I am officially hooked!

 

[Nalens Oga]

They made that Lucas kid so argumentative and annoying.

Parents in the movie are clueless and kids are super-aware true to form for 80's movies lol.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Dustin went from annoying to awesome in just a few episodes. Watching chapter 6 now.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Watched the whole series.

It's well made, competent television, but entirely unoriginal. I get that they're purposely going for the throwback vibe, but you still have to bring something new to the table. I felt like I'd seen this story before. Several times at that. Every plot development, character, and set piece reminded me of something, and not in a good way. You can pay homage to Spielberg, Stephen King, Twin Peaks, etc etc without telling beat by beat a story that's already been told.

A solid 7/10. Unfortunately, they used their most trope breaking plot points as cliffhangers in the last episode, so we'll have to wait and see if there's some more originality there. Will watch season two if they make it.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Just finished watching it. Really enjoyed it, and the music was some of the best musical scores I've seen on TV this year. I was a little confused about the government portion of the show though.

[spoil]So they took El, studied her, and used her as a way to communicate with the monster and the upside down world? Can someone help clarify who they really were because I'm not sure if they explained them all that well.[/spoil]

 

[Diamondillium]

Just finished watching it. Really enjoyed it, and the music was some of the best musical scores I've seen on TV this year. I was a little confused about the government portion of the show though.

[spoil]So they took El, studied her, and used her as a way to communicate with the monster and the upside down world? Can someone help clarify who they really were because I'm not sure if they explained them all that well.[/spoil]

[spoil]The government's intention with Eleven was to use her as a weapon against the Russians. It wasn't until she accidentally encountered the monster using her powers that they decided to pursue that lead instead. They were just a secret weapons division of the government as far as I know.[/spoil]

 

[Lessavyfav]

[Spoil]Was Steve's charcter arc an 80s trope? I can't think of another example. He really was an awful person throughout the movie and he suddenly changed to ugly christmas sweater wearing cheer giver. [/Spoil]

 

[Sharpshooter]

[Spoil]Was Steve's charcter arc an 80s trope? I can't think of another example. He really was an awful person throughout the movie and he suddenly changed to ugly christmas sweater wearing cheer giver. [/Spoil]

[spoil]Reminded me of those 80's highschool bad-boys who falls for the geeky good girl, and realises how much of a jerk he his and then becomes good, trope. Sixteen Candles? [/spoil]

 

[Rabid Ranger]

[spoil]The government's intention with Eleven was to use her as a weapon against the Russians. It wasn't until she accidentally encountered the monster using her powers that they decided to pursue that lead instead. They were just a secret weapons division of the government as far as I know.[/spoil]

[spoil]Agreed. It seemed like Eleven was capable of something like astral projection where she could be transported to another plane in order to in essence spy on her target. Seems like a government attempt at high brow espionage. The "monster" and the "upside down" were side bars.[/spoil]

 

[Rabid Ranger]

They made that Lucas kid so argumentative and annoying.

Parents in the movie are clueless and kids are super-aware true to form for 80's movies lol.

The one Dad was especially clueless.....

 

[RobBrown4PM]

The one Dad was especially clueless.....

I think his most memorable scene was snoring on the chair in the living room

Finished the series, 9/10. Things got a little bit slow near the end but overall it one hell of a ride.

Any clue as to weather or not their going to do a second season? If so they have to do a story, that would be epic.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think his most memorable scene was snoring on the chair in the living room

Finished the series, 9/10. Things got a little bit slow near the end but overall it one hell of a ride.

Any clue as to weather or not their going to do a second season? If so they have to do a story, that would be epic.

It sounds like that is the plan. I read that they have a 30 page "Bible" that details the mythology (stuff like the monster (s), the "Upside Down", the government's agenda, etc.) which they will delve into more in the hypothetical season 2. Sounds like it will be framed more of as a "sequel."

 

[SJSharksfan39]

[Spoil]Was Steve's charcter arc an 80s trope? I can't think of another example. He really was an awful person throughout the movie and he suddenly changed to ugly christmas sweater wearing cheer giver. [/Spoil]

[spoil]Agreed. It seemed like Eleven was capable of something like astral projection where she could be transported to another plane in order to in essence spy on her target. Seems like a government attempt at high brow espionage. The "monster" and the "upside down" were side bars.[/spoil]

[spoil]Thanks for the clarification. I remember the scene with the whole Russian reveal, but I thought it went deeper than that, until the final episode where they didn't really reveal the motives behind the lab that much. I really do hope Eleven is still alive. She was a great character. [/spoil]

 

[The Drop]

Finished episode 5.

Good not great.

Can't stand Winona Ryder

 

[ap3x]

The twin actresses of Holly Wheeler having been Judith Grimes gives me a mind****.

 

[Trap Jesus]

It certainly nailed that 80s sci-fi feel and atmosphere, which is easily this show's main draw. It was also very well shot and the music was well-done and fit in well. That being said, while being a love letter to 80s sci-fi and being absurdly cliche go hand-in-hand, there were a lot of "roll-your-eyes" moments. There were times when I loved the nods to the genre, and other times where I felt this show was completely devoid of anything that wasn't simply nostalgia.

I also didn't really like the whole concept of [spoil]the monster/monster world the more that plot-line unfolded. That's a pretty common complaint though, as horror/monster movies thrive more on the unseen/unknown.[/spoil]

As far as acting goes, the Eleven character was pure cringe and Winona Ryder was insufferable. I thought it was fine outside of that though.

At the end of the day though, I enjoyed it. Despite knowing where it was going the whole time, it still kept its hooks and me and I binged it in one weekend. Kind of just one of those shows you watch and forget about though.

 

[FirstRoundExit]

If I had to guess, I'd season 2 will take place about a decade or two later.

 

[kmad]

Amazing show. I did not grow up much in the 80s but loved this. The acting was perfect, outside of the teenage girl. Those kids were amazing. The use of music was flawless.

 

[ap3x]

Setting + 80s environment is built up perfectly. And it's pretty entertaining for sure. So far, not really seeing it as something "great" though (4 episodes in). Ryder's character destroys much, giving annoyance a total new dimension without really serving a "higher" purpose. Thanks to all what happened she's deeply missing her son + started to get crazy. We get it. But it's way overdone for my liking.

 

[serge2k]

Just finished watching it. Really enjoyed it, and the music was some of the best musical scores I've seen on TV this year. I was a little confused about the government portion of the show though.

[spoil]So they took El, studied her, and used her as a way to communicate with the monster and the upside down world? Can someone help clarify who they really were because I'm not sure if they explained them all that well.[/spoil]

[spoil]It was the CIA.

El's mother was a subject of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra, while she was pregnant. The result was El who the researchers realized had psychic powers. They started using her powers to turn her into a psychic spy. While in the tank attempting to spy on a far away russian she encountered the creature. They then tried to have her contact the creature and when she did she somehow opened the gate.


Anyone else feel sorry for the "monster"? It wasn't supposed to be here and was doing what it does[/spoil]

 

[serge2k]

[Spoil]Was Steve's charcter arc an 80s trope? I can't think of another example. He really was an awful person throughout the movie and he suddenly changed to ugly christmas sweater wearing cheer giver. [/Spoil]

[spoil]Was he really that awful?

He's a bit of an idiot early on, but seems like a pretty average teenage guy.

He smashes the camera, but Jonathan was being a creeper.

He is selfish about Barb, but again he's a teenager.

The fight and **** graffiti were ******* moves, but he realized that pretty quickly and notice that he went to apologize to Jonathan.[/spoil]