Stranger Things (Netflix)

[ThiagoMaia]

I was very pleasently surprised by season 2. I was not that interested on season one, because I didn't get invested in any of the characters. Now I feel that the characters are more well stabilished, and I got invested into almost all of them. Loved the possessed Will aspect. Also thought that Mad Max and her douche brother were cool additions, so was Bob. I also loved how they got different characters that didn't get to interact much on season 1 to spend time together, like Sheriff and Elle, and Steve and the kids. Episode 7 was really off, mostly because it was rushed, and the characters were unlikable. Thought I'm looking forward to see 8, and other numbers with cool powers in the future.

 

Also I thought the Elle side of the climax was pretty meh, just Eleven pushing her powers to do something that saves the day, same as season 1 iirc. 

 

Anyway, great season, increased my interest in the show 200%. Definitely going to watch season 3 sooner after the release.

 

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

 

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

 

[ZeeSoh]

Finally got around to seeing this over the last week. Did not binge but watched 2-3 episodes per day to soak it all in. 

 

I love the show! Season 1 more than Season 2 but they’re both pretty great! I loved pretty much all the cast members, the kids are amazing and the soul of the show. 

 

And yeah Ep.7 was just not good. I kept waiting for something to happen or perhaps for eight to show up in the finale to help Eleven out but nothing. 

 

Onto Black Mirror now until season 3 come out. 

[keysersoze123]

only issue for this is kids are growing old and this is not on broadcast tv and so its taking sweet time between seasons.So I dont know if they can do any more after season 3.

[filmlover]

1 hour ago, keysersoze123 said:

only issue for this is kids are growing old and this is not on broadcast tv and so its taking sweet time between seasons.So I dont know if they can do any more after season 3.

I can see them doing one more season and calling it a day. Some of the kids' careers (Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, especially) are starting to take off anyway.

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

 

[DeeCee]

 

[75Live]

😭😭😭

 

Damn you Stranger Things!!!  I wasn't prepared for all these feels 

 

Yes I loved this season so that is not a knock

[Richard Carducci]

Such an amazing show. Each season surpasses the last. Great drama, comedy and it really tugs at the heart. Cast is great especially Millie Bobby brown. Can't wait for the 4th and hopefully not last season.

[75Live]

1 minute ago, Richard Carducci said:

Such an amazing show. Each season surpasses the last. Great drama, comedy and it really tugs at the heart. Cast is great especially Millie Bobby brown. Can't wait for the 4th and hopefully not last season.

 

Totally agree.  Great show and season

 

The Duffer Brothers said they were only going to do four seasons and end it. Now will they stick to that is a different story. However, I kind of prefer to be the next season to he last season, not because I don't like the show because I love it, but I rather see it be a short-term great show instead of it dragging on too many seasons that may break down the overall quality

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

4 episodes in and its great so far. Enjoying more than season 2. Paced very well and all the characters/story lines are all interesting so far with Dustin/Steve story-line being my favorite. Love their dynamic. 

[The Panda]

Overall, it’s a really solid season that’s not quite on par with the first but better than the second.

 

Hitting some of the spoilers and what worked/didn’t work

It’s an emotionally effective season, that manages to be light for the bulk of it, yet hit hard when the emotional moments do come.  The cinematography, score, production work and visual effects are all an upgrade from the previous season.  It also doesn’t feature an overly weak episode.

 

The ending manages to be both a highlight and a major drawback.  It goes from Dustin singing never-ending story, to Hopper taking out a cardboard Terminator like character and then dying.  The aftermath of that is emotional and dealt with effectively, but parts of it felt like overkill.  They introduce a fun Russian Smirnoff character, then brutally kill him right when you really start to love him, and then proceed the next episode with the Billy and Hopper deaths, plus all of the other flayed dying.  Then it proceeds with moving the Byers, and Eleven, away while delivering that painful letter.  The risen stakes and the Billy death were needed, but I felt like it delivered all of those emotional beats way to close together for a storyline that was fairly light and campy preceding them.

 

And speaking of campy, there’s parts where it just goes way to over the top, or on the nose.  The terminator character adds nothing, and takes up space that could have been spent allowing for more interactions prior to the group splits (some of the conflict beats in episode 1 and 2 just kind of happen, like the whole Hopper-Mike drama).  Then Hopper will do some major douchey and illegal actions, such as stealing a car in broad daylight or beating up the mayor in front of his secretary, and suffer no repercussions or consequences for it.  It’d have been much more interesting to keep Hopper alive, but make him face some consequences for some of his choices.  His death kind of seemed like an easy way out of setting up an interesting scenario for Season 4 (which I assume there’ll be because there’s a lot that’s left open ended here, don’t agree with people saying Season 3 could work as a series finale).

 

But after all of those gripes out of the way, I still really enjoyed the season.  It’s fun and entertaining the entire way through.  All of the arcs do work and are entertaining (just some have more issues than others, like Hopper’s).

 

Billy is probably the best villain they’ve had on the series, his ending was effective, even if his humanity pretty much came from having a mom.

 

Robin is a fantastic edition, her squad gave most of the highlights in the season. Also, her coming out moment to Steve was really well-done.  Her and Erica are integrated really well into the cast.  

 

It’s overall a really well-delivered season, even if it does try to cram a little too much into eight episodes.  A-

[filmlover]

I just watched the first episode of the new season. So happy this show is back.

[75Live]

Not giving away any spoilers since I don't know when the right time to do that is yet 😛

 

but I have to say watching these 3 seasons of this show, I think it is one of the best coming of age and growing up stories I can remember.  It's not just getting older, but it deals with real life stuff of what it actually means to grow up.  So many stories kind of just focus on a very narrow time period or just show kids become adults and that is "coming of age" but never show what kids actually go through.  It's one of the issues I hate some some YA stuff.  Just offhand and not related to any specific story so don't read into this, but just  because someone ages 8 -10 years but they are the same person doesn't really show growth or growing up.  Just aging which is why some stories just are there and never connected with me.  

 

Ok, yes it helps this is takes place in the 80s which helps for me, but really it shows...ok I'll put this into spoilers and some of the spoilers are major and deals with the ending so click at your own risk

 

Spoiler

what happens to a lot of kids.  Will still wants to be a "kid" to a point and enjoy the stuff he did when he was 10 or 11 but his friends have moved on from that (to girlfriends and other hobbies like Dustin with the science camp) and Will  doesn't know how to take it.  So he feels left out or behind or worse they are growing apart.  At the end of this season, he realizes part of his childhood is now gone but it's ok as he knows his friends are still there even if they all are growing up and maturing.

 

which is part of the Hopper story  and his letter which is one of the 3 times I can remember bawling my eyes out.  Not ashamed to admit that.

 

more kids stuff is people move away for many reasons so we lose our childhood buddies and a lot of times, we never see them again.

 

Even Steve who is not a kid, but has to deal with "real life" after high school with the not getting into college and having to get a job.  Nancy and Jonathan trying to make it in the real world too with getting internships to start their careers.

 

Yes we like the sci-fi stuff but that is just conflict with no growth.  The growth is what the characters are doing between those happenings.

 

I think that is why the show works, it is literally real life stuff with the horror/sci-fi stuff thrown in to make it even better.

 

I do like how they handled Robin too.  Once Steve realizes what she says, it was no big deal to him and was telling her to find someone better than she was pining after, as if nothing happened.  And when I mean it was no big deal to him, that is not an insult, it was he realized, as we all should, that yes when someone comes out, it should be that easy.  It should be as nothing as changed, not that them coming out isn't important, it's just they want to know it's ok and by treating them as you should anyway, it helps people feel ok with it all.  Real life story, I had a friend come out to me many years ago.  I knew him for a few years already and he told me.  First thing I said to him was "I know".  He broke down because he realized that I never treated him odd or weird or different because he isn't, just my friend all those years already even though I knew he was gay.  So I was happy he felt ok with himself to do that with me even though I'm straight.  He said I made it easy.  I said "why wouldn't I?, but I'm still going to bust on you like I always do, so don't expect that to go away".  He stopped crying and laughed and that was that.

 

sorry for the rant.  Just another reason I love the show since it hit a personal note with me on many levels.

 

anyway, some "complaints'.  I felt even though it was easily the darkest of the 3 seasons theme wise, I think they tried too hard to even it out with too many comedic scenes. I love comedy but I think some of the tone went too far back and forth sometimes.  Didn't hurt anything, but I think they did that too much with Hopper and it took a little bit away from him.  But yes his "end" was really well done and his voiceover of the letter explaining how parents feel when they do see kids grow up.  It mirrored Will in a way because he also didn't "want" to grow up but they both realized it's part of life.  I know I touched on that before 😛

 

while I'm glad they finally brought in the evil Russians.  Part of me felt like they were a complete McGuffin.  Yes I realize they needed to find the russian base and close that gate so the remaining piece of the Mind Flayer in the real world could finally die.  But as fun as the russian terminator was, that story was a bit off for me.  But it does set up the next/last season well.

 

anyway solid A season for me.  I am going to start watching it again now

 

oh and speculation after I got over all the emotions.  I think Hopper is still alive

 

 

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by 75Live

[DeeCee]

 

[75Live]

And of course I love the little or big nods to Terminator, Die Hard and Jaws.  Some were just one line of dialogue but you can tell why they put them there

[DAR]

Nice small rebound from season 2

[DeeCee]

I haven’t finished yet. Just hit the BTTF discussion while they’re high on the Russian truth serum. 

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

On 7/5/2019 at 8:33 AM, EarlyDeadlinePredictions said:

4 episodes in and its great so far. Enjoying more than season 2. Paced very well and all the characters/story lines are all interesting so far with Dustin/Steve story-line being my favorite. Love their dynamic. 

Finished the season and I would put it on par or just below season 1.

 

Spoiler

Would have liked more from a few characters like Jonathan who was just there to tag along with Nancy. He didn't even interact with Will at all. Thought there would be more  interaction between Billy/Max as well considering Billy being the big bad this season but its hard to cram everything into 8 episodes and we did get a few glimpses of his tragic upbringing at the end. Russians were over the top but fun. Was the Terminator super powered or just ridiculously strong?

 

Hopper's death (maybe hes still alive because there was no body?) and Billy's death were both hard hitting and emotional especially Hoppers letter at the end. Both El and Max lost family so it was nice that they developed a friendship this season. Joyce can't catch a break at all.

 

Robin is a great addition to the cast. Steve is probably my favorite character now. Dude has come such a long way. Their story-line with Dustin and Erica was the most fun to follow personally.

 

The Mind Flayer was cool too. Loved his design. 

 

 

Some minor nitpicks but overall it was great and the ending was very emotional. Could easily be a series finale if not for the post credits scene. 

 

Also a terrible coke product placement.

Edited July 6, 2019 by EarlyDeadlinePredictions