Stranger Things

Man, episode 3 brought back some memories. The 1st was the Millenium Falcon. My best friend had one and I wanted one so bad. He even let me borrow it for a few days.

Second was the wrist rockets. I totally forgot about those things but I had one and thought it was the coolest thing ever when I got it.

Just finished the series and two gripes about the end:



Those sorts of things left me feeling a bit down. I was _really_ hoping this would have been totally self contained and any future season would be a new story. I'm not into seasons after seasons of a show...

I'd like to add that I really liked the Hopper character. Definitely a hero type character not around anymore. He wasn't a psychical specimen, nor had Bourne-like ninja abilities. Just a regular, bull headed dude wanting to do right and had a mean right hook. As I read elsewhere, he's the type of character a Harrison Ford or a Roy Scheider would have played.

Regarding #1, I agree that getting in the car was the most unsatisfactory part of the series because of its mystery and lack of closure. It makes you wonder if we heard the full details of the deal made in that room.

#2 I'm less worried about. #1 is the smart way to segue into season 2, #2 is the way you take to get through to dense audiences that the show is not quite over.
I don't blame the kids reaction. If you spent that amount of time surviving against horrors of that variety, I'm pretty sure id be pretty bliase about the bathroom scene. After surviving all that fear, everything else is just you going through the motions. He isn't a boy anymore, mentally at least.

I don't have Netflix! Ralph on Stern can't get enough of it. If Winona Ryder is terrible and the show is still really good, that's saying something

Black Barney wrote: I don't have Netflix! Ralph on Stern can't get enough of it. If Winona Ryder is terrible and the show is still really good, that's saying something

I thought Winona was terrible through the very end, and I say that as a fan who was happy to see her.

I finished it last night, and loved it.
So did the wife!
Similar to Mr. White, I had hoped it would be self contained and take the American Horror Story route.
The last two segments suggested otherwise. For shame, as I can't imagine lightning striking twice. Not nearly as good, but has Netflix learned nothing from Hemlock Grove?
And as far as W. Ryder is concerned - give her a break. The mother was hysterical for the entire season. Her role (like most of the adults) had little range, and there was no where for her to go as an actress. Even Meryl Streep would have a tough time with that part.

I have to agree with Barnes: the kid actors were great, and the comradery between them was stellar. And these characters, not the adults, were central to this show. I did really like Hopper, though. But the subterfuge at the end was a little implausible.

I also agree with a few others: too bad the season isn't self-contained. There's more mileage to be had from the characters, I think, but there doesn't to be another story there, at least not unless they rehash what's been done. I would like to see another town, new characters, a different story, but according to the writers, that's not going to happen.

I'd say Fargo is better than this, but not exponentially so.

Just finished it. One of the better series I've seen lately. If there is more, I'd prefer it to be a completely different story with different characters.

hotseatgames wrote: Just finished it. One of the better series I've seen lately. If there is more, I'd prefer it to be a completely different story with different characters.

It will be a sequel, and with the same essential characters. Already announced.

My girls loved the show and I mostly liked it, but didn't quite love it. But we're looking forward to more.

I watched the whole thing again. Um...twice.

I'd rank it among my favorite series. I just love everything about it. And it's a rarity in today's TV culture...nobody fucks anybody over, there aren't endless surprise deaths, there is no bullshit lore dragging a simple story into the mud, and at the end everyone is in a better place than they were at the beginning, for the most part..

Dustin is the best. "Why are you keeping this curiosity door closed?" "It's rule of law! Do you want to be banished from the party?" "You two started acting like goblins with intelligence scores of zero."

And Barb. "It's probably going to turn into one big orgy"

Apparently the guys that did the soundtrack have a band in Austin, they are called
S U R V I V E. It sounds a lot like Sinoia Caves.




Which reminds me. If you liked this show, take a look at Beyond the Black Rainbow.

Michael Barnes wrote: And it's a rarity in today's TV culture...nobody ****s anybody over,

I liked it a lot. not really getting all the criticism of the acting--Winona did great with that role. Maybe you are younger than I am, but she played the fucked-up, quasi-concerned Mom role perfectly. Her performance was pretty spot on to some personal experiences there. And the child actors are child actors. Plenty of stiff, patiently-wait-your-turn line readings from Luke and Dustin. Eleven was great as was Mike. The bully was good too. Fucking hated that kid.

I watched this, and I enjoyed it a lot, but all the while noting that it's a catalogue of rip-offs. The Upside Down is more than just a strong resemblance to Silent Hill, it's lifted entirely from it.

I feel like I've been served a delicious fry-up of rehashed nostalgia, movie/tv moments and tropes*, all cynically engineered to push my nostalgia pleasure centres. The story itself was mapped out entirely by the third episode, leaving the rest to a kind of "see how they get to the end" exercise.

I did actually like how the relationship(s) ended up, subverting some norms for these kinds of stories.

*INTERTEXTUAL.

We finished this up a few weeks ago. I remember seeing the previews and thinking this would be something special, and it was. Just a fantastic ride. This is why traditional network TV is dying--this is the kind of show they no longer take risks on, and if they do, if they don't get instant mega-ratings, they pull the plug immediately.

The show was so very, very good. If you haven't watched it, go now and do so.