Stranger Things.

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

Bev Vincent

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,351
11,651
Texas
www.bevvincent.com
I watched the first four with my daughter and the final four after getting home from vacation. It was an incredibly intense season. I especially appreciated the subtle but omnipresent commentary on gender politics. Overt in Nancy's situation with the guys at the newspaper, but also present in almost every situation where guys tried to take over or rescue and the female characters stood their ground and took charge of their own situations.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
I watched the first four with my daughter and the final four after getting home from vacation. It was an incredibly intense season. I especially appreciated the subtle but omnipresent commentary on gender politics. Overt in Nancy's situation with the guys at the newspaper, but also present in almost every situation where guys tried to take over or rescue and the female characters stood their ground and took charge of their own situations.
I liked that aspect of this season, too. The writers could have toned down the men characters at the Hawkins Gazette, though. It was way over-the-top.
 

Rrty

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2007
1,394
4,588
I watched season three. I thought it was really good. Except for one bit of really bad writing (or, an example of bad structuring, maybe). You may guess what I am about to bring up.
The duet between Dustin and his girlfriend was horrible. It was cool, but it should have been placed in the epilog. Some agree on this, some disagree, but I think it objectively was ill-advised and poor. I'm sure if you asked the producers/directors how they feel about storytelling, they probably would say they almost have a mystical respect of it. My rejoinder would be, "Explain that duet, then!" Inexcusable. It made no sense on a couple levels (there was an emergent situation, Dustin should have given the girl a raincheck on it and said people were going to die, etc.). It also made no sense because of something I never thought of: someone said, and I think this is accurate, the duet would be impossible to accomplish because they can't both talk at the same time on a radio. Okay, I suppose we can just consider that a musical moment. But the fact remains: this was poor planning.

I've tried to figure out if there was a compulsory reason for doing it this way. One theory: the publishing company that licensed the tune stipulated that it had to be done during the main part of the show, at a crucial moment, and not during the credits/post-credits or denouement, perhaps? I doubt that, but who knows...

Amazing that people are paid such high salaries to get something so wrong. Also: obviously none of this matters, it is not an important issue, it's just a television show. I just felt like getting in on this very non-vital debate. For those who enjoyed the segment, I'm glad you did even if I did not...

I'm not the biggest fan of the show in the sense that watching the first two seasons was a bit of a chore. I'm not sure the effects are that great, I don't like the lack of variety of creatures, and sometimes I just want to watch them play Atari (seriously; 2600, 5200, 7800, 800XL, ST). I don't feel a need to watch the shows again. That being said, I thought season three was really well done (except for the above). Hope it stops at season four, though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Notaro and GNTLGNT

Rrty

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2007
1,394
4,588
One other thing I wanted to mention: the soundtrack was excellent. In fact, I discovered a new song that has become one of my favorites. It's called "All Your Reasons Why" by Smart Remarks (I think?). Wish it was arranged a bit differently, but wow, made me think of Cheap Trick, Tommy Tutone (beyond "867-"), and British New Wave at the time...
 

Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
4,907
22,094
20
I actually went ahead and watched this (season 1 at least), I enjoyed it a fair bit and feel like a hypocrite for thinking the show was another overhyped piece of pop culture. The acting was great, the character’s chemistry (especially among the main group of friends) felt natural, and the 70’s/80’s movie references were fun to spot.

My two biggest quips was that the movement of the demogorgon wasn’t greatly animated (But that didn’t really hinder it too much, the actual design was good although it looks absolutely nothing like the D&D creature it’s named after, plus I’ve been told the cgi gets better in the other seasons), and that the foreshadowing in the first episode had absolutely no subtlety at all.

Since Winona Ryder is in the show, does Beetlejuice (and other 80’s material she starred in) exist in this universe? Also Hopper kinda looks like Jack Nicholson.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
I actually went ahead and watched this (season 1 at least), I enjoyed it a fair bit and feel like a hypocrite for thinking the show was another overhyped piece of pop culture. The acting was great, the character’s chemistry (especially among the main group of friends) felt natural, and the 70’s/80’s movie references were fun to spot.

My two biggest quips was that the movement of the demogorgon wasn’t greatly animated (But that didn’t really hinder it too much, the actual design was good although it looks absolutely nothing like the D&D creature it’s named after, plus I’ve been told the cgi gets better in the other seasons), and that the foreshadowing in the first episode had absolutely no subtlety at all.

Since Winona Ryder is in the show, does Beetlejuice (and other 80’s material she starred in) exist in this universe? Also Hopper kinda looks like Jack Nicholson.
Yes, CGI improves. I had the same reservations you did but ended up enjoying all three seasons.
 

Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
4,907
22,094
20
I was at school today helping sorting scripts and one kid finds a booklet titled “Best monologues of the ‘80’s” which got everyone talking about season 3 and spoiling random sh*t for me when I’m only two episodes into season 2.

Although I love how the mere mention of the 1980’s instantly brang everyone’s minds onto ST, because we all know the 1980’s never happened and are merely the backdrop of a tv show.
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
I liked that aspect of this season, too. The writers could have toned down the men characters at the Hawkins Gazette, though. It was way over-the-top.
As a female who was working in an all boys club (the circuit courthouse) in a similar time frame, I hate to tell you it was about spot on.

I love how the mere mention of the 1980’s instantly brang everyone’s minds onto ST, because we all know the 1980’s never happened and are merely the backdrop of a tv show.
Only if you're under 45 or so. I was the same age as the kids in the show in 1985. As my daughter and I watched this with this season, I kept saying, "I had that cassette/poster/shoe/etc.!, we had that <insert mall store here> in our mall!, etc., etc." She got a kick out of it.
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
We just finished the season last night and basically cried the last 40 minutes or so. I would think we were done, then nope, they got me again. Agree that the duet was jarring and unnecessary. I did want confirmation that Suzi was real, but that cost us way too much time. :(

Did you watch to the teaser at the end with the newest Russian demi-human-gogue whatever that was??? Right before they got it's latest victim, the first guard stopped at one door and the other guard said, "No. Not the American."
I told my daughter, "If that turns out to be Hopper after all of this heart-stomping emotional crap, I will be sincerely pissed off!":cool:
Anyone else? Thoughts?
 

Sundrop

Sunny the Great & Wonderful
Jun 12, 2008
28,520
156,619
We just finished the season last night and basically cried the last 40 minutes or so. I would think we were done, then nope, they got me again. Agree that the duet was jarring and unnecessary. I did want confirmation that Suzi was real, but that cost us way too much time. :(

Did you watch to the teaser at the end with the newest Russian demi-human-gogue whatever that was??? Right before they got it's latest victim, the first guard stopped at one door and the other guard said, "No. Not the American."
I told my daughter, "If that turns out to be Hopper after all of this heart-stomping emotional crap, I will be sincerely pissed off!":cool:
Anyone else? Thoughts?
I said exactly the same thing!

.....and I rolled my eyes A Lot during that last 40 minutes.....actually thought they were gonna get stuck up in my head during the Suzi-Dustin thing, I rolled them so much.

Over all, I still enjoy the series, and this season. Being a child of the 80s, it's like returning to the mothership for me.
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
I said exactly the same thing!

.....and I rolled my eyes A Lot during that last 40 minutes.....actually thought they were gonna get stuck up in my head during the Suzi-Dustin thing, I rolled them so much.

Over all, I still enjoy the series, and this season. Being a child of the 80s, it's like returning to the mothership for me.
:cool: Kindred spirits!! And ~ the same age!!:love_heart::biggrin2: