Stranger Things (Netflix)
- Thread starter Vivek
- Start date
I enjoy the show, but The Critical Drinker makes some keen observations here:
Solo4114
Master Member
As I see it, there are two major threads that kind of went "wrong" with this season, but I'm not sure if "wrong" is necessarily the best word choice.
1. Hopper's writing and direction. Making Hopper this always-loud, always-angry ******* was...not cool. In the past two seasons, he had way more nuance to him. This season, he was just Shouty McShouterston. It wasn't cute, it wasn't entertaining, it wasn't endearing. In some of the situations, ok, sure, I could kinda see it. But it went on and on and on, and -- and this is the really critical part -- it didn't seem to fit his previously established character. The whole thing felt put on.
2. The kids are growing up, time is moving on, and that necessarily alters things. When it was just "kids on bikes in the 80s" the show had a particular vibe. It's the same reason why Finn Wolfhard got cast in the IT remake. Same vibe. As the years progress, the actors and characters age, and the timeline itself progresses, and it doesn't make sense to have the same kids forever sitting around in a basement surrounded by 1980s toys, playing D&D. They grow up. They change. And the story changes with them. I think for people wanting to perpetually recapture the magic of the first season -- which itself recaptured the magic of films from the 80s -- the sad truth is that time marches on. Eventually, these kids are gonna be living in the 1990s. If they're still playing D&D, it's gonna be 2nd edition, full of splatbooks and rules bloat. In a sense, I feel like this season sort of took the nostalgia that's part of the DNA of this show, and simultaneously reminded the audience that you really can't go home again. Even in a piece of entertainment that is firmly entrenched in nostalgia, time exerts itself and things change. I'm not sure the audience is...entirely happy with that. That's understandable, but it's also a little naive, I think.
1. Hopper's writing and direction. Making Hopper this always-loud, always-angry ******* was...not cool. In the past two seasons, he had way more nuance to him. This season, he was just Shouty McShouterston. It wasn't cute, it wasn't entertaining, it wasn't endearing. In some of the situations, ok, sure, I could kinda see it. But it went on and on and on, and -- and this is the really critical part -- it didn't seem to fit his previously established character. The whole thing felt put on.
2. The kids are growing up, time is moving on, and that necessarily alters things. When it was just "kids on bikes in the 80s" the show had a particular vibe. It's the same reason why Finn Wolfhard got cast in the IT remake. Same vibe. As the years progress, the actors and characters age, and the timeline itself progresses, and it doesn't make sense to have the same kids forever sitting around in a basement surrounded by 1980s toys, playing D&D. They grow up. They change. And the story changes with them. I think for people wanting to perpetually recapture the magic of the first season -- which itself recaptured the magic of films from the 80s -- the sad truth is that time marches on. Eventually, these kids are gonna be living in the 1990s. If they're still playing D&D, it's gonna be 2nd edition, full of splatbooks and rules bloat. In a sense, I feel like this season sort of took the nostalgia that's part of the DNA of this show, and simultaneously reminded the audience that you really can't go home again. Even in a piece of entertainment that is firmly entrenched in nostalgia, time exerts itself and things change. I'm not sure the audience is...entirely happy with that. That's understandable, but it's also a little naive, I think.
I'm fine with the character dynamics changing and it's got to happen if only to account for the kids growing up but more for the fact that that's how stories and life continue.
I'm not sure if you saw my earlier post regarding my thoughts on this season but I address some of the things you are talking about. They fall under the spoiler tag because I'm not sure who has seen this new season yet.
My biggest gripe was with tone. Not the character dynamics shifting. This season was notorious for calling attention to 1980's references more blantantly than in the last two seasons to the point where there were times it was totally distracting. One of the reasons I love the show so much is because it DIDN'T call attention to those period details because the characters were just living their lives. I hope they go back to having it be a LOT more subdued because the story should be the focus, not the details sticking out like a sore thumb. Especially when they become parody or played too on the nose for the sake of a joke. Dustin's song was just so cornball I wanted to barf.
Overall I enjoyed it and the finale was right up there with the last two seasons.
I'm not sure if you saw my earlier post regarding my thoughts on this season but I address some of the things you are talking about. They fall under the spoiler tag because I'm not sure who has seen this new season yet.
My biggest gripe was with tone. Not the character dynamics shifting. This season was notorious for calling attention to 1980's references more blantantly than in the last two seasons to the point where there were times it was totally distracting. One of the reasons I love the show so much is because it DIDN'T call attention to those period details because the characters were just living their lives. I hope they go back to having it be a LOT more subdued because the story should be the focus, not the details sticking out like a sore thumb. Especially when they become parody or played too on the nose for the sake of a joke. Dustin's song was just so cornball I wanted to barf.
Overall I enjoyed it and the finale was right up there with the last two seasons.
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MattBlack
Well-Known Member
I finished watching this last night, and found it pretty underwhelming. I felt like there were a number of issues throughout the series that the both of you have absolutely hit upon here. Tonally the writing, directing (and acting) was all over the place this series. The constant onslaught of eighties references felt almost like a spoof parody.
I think it's simply got too big - too many characters for sure, but the escalation to a Russian army hiding under Hawkins without anyone noticing was just a massive stretch. One of the things I loved about the first series was the scale of it, it was just about some kids trying to find a missing friend. Now we have a secret Russian Army, unstoppable assassins, the Upside Down, the Mindflayer possessing and absorbing dozens of people and about twelve main people balancing the story lines. They desperately need to scale it back next series, or trim some of the cast. I'd say that half of the cast are expendable now.
I would argue that the child actors now look too old now for the ages they are playing. It's fine that they are aging, but the show should reflect that and keep up by moving the timeline further along, otherwise it's going to jar.
There was lots that I enjoyed - but there was plenty that I didn't.
Maybe that's another aspect that has changed the tone of the show. Just because the show is popular doesn't necessitate the addition to the cast. Perhaps scaling it back is what will bring it back to its core. It's probably just the trend of having to go bigger and flashier that has crept it's way into the series, just like most of Hollywood.
I hope they can pull it together for the close of the show and really deliver a satisfying ending while avoiding the pitfalls of this season.
I hope they can pull it together for the close of the show and really deliver a satisfying ending while avoiding the pitfalls of this season.
sbaxter
Sr Member
I apparently enjoyed this season a whole lot more than you did -- but I agree that the use of the BttF music to score this particular scene was the crowning moment of awesome for this season. It perfectly fits the back and forth attempted explanation dialogue, and comes across as diegetic because of the movie playing (even though it couldn't have been; none of the film's dialogue was heard). Also, I'm 99 percent sure the piece they chose was this one --
SSB
sbaxter
Sr Member
Jackson, Georgia is about 55 miles north of where my in-laws live (Warner Robins, Georgia) ... might be worth a quick trip next time we're up there, just for the heck of it.
SSB
sbaxter
Sr Member
That possibility had crossed my mind. Another, more pragmatic possibility is, presuming they intend to bring Hopper back, having El lose her special abilities means she can't "look" for him, which she probably would have done otherwise. Whether he is in Russia or the Upside Down, she could find him, but not without her powers ... but those will almost certainly return. So she could be the catalyst, or one of them, to a rescue mission next season. And there's nothing that says that both of these angles can't be true at the same time.
SSB
Sandman0077
Sr Member
Big Ben chiming?
I have no idea I can’t see anything in this trailer.. looks like their is a sign or something
Bigdaddy
Master Member
It sounded like the clock on my fireplace mantle.
I didn't realize that was BB's chime!
It sounded like the clock on my fireplace mantle.
So they are filming in your house then?
The carillon in the Palace of Westminster may have been the first to play "The Westminster Chimes", but it is so not the only one any more, not for quite a few decades. As said above, many people's wall or mantle clocks play it, not to mention church and city hall clock towers all over the world.
So no, I don't think we're going "far from home" for this season.
So no, I don't think we're going "far from home" for this season.
CB2001
Master Member
Could it possibly be an Evil Dead reference?
I mean, in the original, after Ash retrieves the shotgun, he comes out of the basement with the clock chiming. And Sam Raimi said the sound they used was of Big Ben from some classic movie (forgot the name).
From Screen Rant:
One of the biggest rumors about Stranger Things season 4 is time travel. The technology in Stranger Things is far more advanced than it truly was in the 1980s, with big machines/weapons opening portals to other dimensions. The Duffer Brothers themselves have said that time traveling is not out of the question for the series, and with a bunch of questions to be answered in season 4 (mostly about Hopper’s fate), time traveling seems possible. This theory can be supported by the announcement video, in which a clock tower can be seen on the left side of the screen, when it changes to the Upside Down. The Duffer Brothers tend to hide clues everywhere, and this could be a big one.
The most obvious clue comes at the end of the video, where it literally tells viewers that “we’re not in Hawkins anymore”. This could go many different ways, the most obvious ones being that danger will continue to follow Eleven and Will even though they have moved out of Hawkins, and the other one that season 4 will travel to Russia, as they are still experimenting on the Upside Down – and they owe some explanation on that mysterious American prisoner. Of course, if Stranger Things really goes on the time travel route, then “not being in Hawkins anymore” could also mean other places in other times or simply that “we’re not in Hawkins” in 1985/1986."
One of the biggest rumors about Stranger Things season 4 is time travel. The technology in Stranger Things is far more advanced than it truly was in the 1980s, with big machines/weapons opening portals to other dimensions. The Duffer Brothers themselves have said that time traveling is not out of the question for the series, and with a bunch of questions to be answered in season 4 (mostly about Hopper’s fate), time traveling seems possible. This theory can be supported by the announcement video, in which a clock tower can be seen on the left side of the screen, when it changes to the Upside Down. The Duffer Brothers tend to hide clues everywhere, and this could be a big one.
The most obvious clue comes at the end of the video, where it literally tells viewers that “we’re not in Hawkins anymore”. This could go many different ways, the most obvious ones being that danger will continue to follow Eleven and Will even though they have moved out of Hawkins, and the other one that season 4 will travel to Russia, as they are still experimenting on the Upside Down – and they owe some explanation on that mysterious American prisoner. Of course, if Stranger Things really goes on the time travel route, then “not being in Hawkins anymore” could also mean other places in other times or simply that “we’re not in Hawkins” in 1985/1986."
Sandman0077
Sr Member
I'm always down for some time travel shenanigans, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about it being in ST. I think the best route would be something like Bran's abilities in Game of Thrones; being able to view the past and make *slight* inceptive changes to the timeline, vs literally going back in time. Then you'd have to deal with deaging the cast and all that. We would be able to see Hopper again, but Eleven would have to choose between stopping him from dying or 'save the world.' Easy way to appease the fans, but keep his death meaningful.
