Stranger Things [Netflix] [* Spoilers *]

Wailin · 11-11-2017 10:54pm

gmisk wrote: »

I'd stick with it the last two eps really kicked things up a notch for me.
Love this show will definitely be watching series 3

Haven't watched it since but not giving up on it yet.

NIMAN · 11-11-2017 10:58pm

Had watched half of Series 2, and over the last couple of weeks just haven't had the interest to watch the 2nd half.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 15-11-2017 12:04am

Just finished it there this evening. Initial thoughts are I didn't love it as much as I did S1.

Part of that might be because I watched S1 as soon as it was released so it hadn't had time to catch fire like it did, I had no expectations going in and was completely blown away by it. S2 was always going to have it's work cut out to live up to S1.

It didn't seem as gripping as S1, there were a few subplots and even characters that could have been cut, in my opinion. It didn't have that same feeling as S1 where everything was connected. Some of it even felt like filler at times. Justice for Barb, for example. It seemed a little unnecessary and possibly even fan service after the ridiculous cult following her character got last year.

That said there were still some things I loved, the last 2 episodes were really great and had the S1 feel to them, probably because most of the group were together for most of those final 2 episodes. I loved Steve and the kids, I would watch a whole season of Steve trying to keep the kids out of trouble.

It also felt a little like they didn't know what to do with 11 for most of the season. Like they knew they'd need her at the end but didn't know what to do with her until that point. Which is a shame because she was one of the best parts of S1.

Anyway.... just my initial thoughts... I shall attempt to read through all the posts in this thread now.... wish me luck.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 15-11-2017 12:50am

Deleted User wrote: »

Loved it all. But I kind of feel like the whole Max/brother story line went nowhere. It wasn't really explained what was happening.

I fully expected them to be revealed to be part of the experiments at the lab. I'm sure that's what they wanted us to think initially. Kind of a let down when it turned out they were just from a "troubled" family.

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

And if you didn't cry at that scene in the last episode with
Nancy and Dustin
then you have no soul...

I don't think I got emotional at all this season. There were several moments in S1 where I was a sobbing mess. Didn't get the same emotional punch from this one.

HandsomeBob wrote: »

Noah Schnapp did a great job this season as Will, really carried the increased role well.

He had very little to do last season and seemed a little different from the other child actors, like they had just cast a kid that looked like Winona Ryder's son. Proven very wrong by S2, he did a great job.

MojoRisinnnn wrote: »

"So Jonathon, how was the pullout?"

They did a pullout couch joke on S2 of Kimmy Schmidt that I thought was hilarious and thus this one didn't work for me. In all seriousness though that whole thing was really creepy. Grown man who lives in a warehouse giving kids alcohol and encouraging them to have sex? It was acceptable in the 80s.

Hrududu wrote: »

I rewatched the first season right before watching the second so I can't help but compare the two. The first season felt a lot tighter. Like a genuine 8 hour film divided into episodes. There wasn't a lot of filler. Characters were smart and figured stuff out. And people talked to each other. Something would happen, and on another show they wouldn't talk to anyone and it would get dragged out. But in this you had Hopper quickly catch on that Joyce was right. Nancy and Jonathan started putting things together. And the kids were on it.

But in season 2 I felt that a lot of that was just missing. There was definitely filler. And it felt like I sat through the first few episodes waiting for something to happen. But once it got about half way in I started to enjoy it more.

I guess the show runners felt they had to send Jonathan and Nancy on a side trip to be more like the first season but it was just boring.
[/spoiler]

I agree with all of this. Someone else pointed out in the thread that there were a few different writers on the show this year, so maybe that contributed. I remember after S1 reading that one of the producers had to go down and direct a couple of mid S1 episodes to allow the Duffers to finish writing the season. There were only 3 or 4 people doing it all last year. Obviously that's time consuming but it's bound to give a show a more cohesive structure and voice.

I found Jonathan and by association, Nancy, to be fairly useless/pointless this season. Jonathan in particular could have been absent entirely and nothing would have changed. Their "Justice for Barb" side plot was something I didn't expect to see still hanging open in S2. I find it hard to believe the Hawkins people wouldn't have wrapped that up much quicker. They produced an exact replica of Will last season to throw the scent off, but Barb they just did nothing about? I get that it was necessary to the plot to set up the eventual pay off of

the lab being shut

but it really just felt like they were struggling to give all the characters something to do.

Isolating 11 for a few episodes didn't work for me either. I didn't so much mind her being with Hopper at the start, their relationship is nice, but they could have had Nancy get involved there somehow and had her go off with 11 to find her mother and all of that story line. Combined the trip to see the conspiracy theory guy with the Mama and Chicago stuff. Emotionally connecting 11 to more of the "main" characters can only be a good thing, I think.

Hooks Golf Handicap · 15-11-2017 10:09am

Looks like we don't need spoilers now so be warned.

I watched all 2 seasons in the space of a week & really enjoyed it.

A few observations on the end of Season 2.
(1) What will happen to the Demidog in the Bryers fridge, remember they like the cold, although it was dead.
(2) It was established in Season 1 that bullets are pretty useless against the Demigods, yet bear traps & baseball bats are far more effective. There was no prep done in Season 2 for the final battle, they missed a trick there.
(3) Eleven has got to the point where she is too powerful, she's one lightsaber away from Luke Skywalker.
(4) The mama plot didn't go anywhere, it only served to bring Eight & Eleven together.
(5) The Eight plot didn't go anywhere, it only served to tell us that Papa isn't dead.
(6) This mama/papa thing must be held back for Season 3.
(7) Hopper goes to the graveyard & gets strangled slowly by a few snakes over hours, the military full of Ensign Rickys beam down & are cannon fodder in seconds, just a bit to convienient.
(8) What was the birth cert for at the diner at the end.

Any help with the above would be appreciated.

optogirl · 15-11-2017 10:18am

Hooks Golf Handicap wrote: »

Looks like we don't need spoilers now so be warned.

I watched all 2 seasons in the space of a week & really enjoyed it.

A few observations on the end of Season 2.
(1) What will happen to the Demidog in the Bryers fridge, remember they like the cold, although it was dead.
(2) It was established in Season 1 that bullets are pretty useless against the Demigods, yet bear traps & baseball bats are far more effective. There was no prep done in Season 2 for the final battle, they missed a trick there.
(3) Eleven has got to the point where she is too powerful, she's one lightsaber away from Luke Skywalker.
(4) The mama plot didn't go anywhere, it only served to bring Eight & Eleven together.
(5) The Eight plot didn't go anywhere, it only served to tell us that Papa isn't dead.
(6) This mama/papa thing must be held back for Season 3.
(7) Hopper goes to the graveyard & gets strangled slowly by a few snakes over hours, the military full of Ensign Rickys beam down & are cannon fodder in seconds, just a bit to convienient.
(8) What was the birth cert for at the diner at the end.

Any help with the above would be appreciated.

I can only muse on number 8 - think it was an under the radar adoption - name on the birth cert was Jane Hopper so Eleven is now 'officially' Hopper's ward. He can now raise her and get documentation for her etc.

Mc Love · 15-11-2017 5:30pm

If you want some more nostalgia, I'd suggest watching The Americans!

Hooks Golf Handicap · 16-11-2017 10:14am

It's the Little Things

baldbear · 19-11-2017 9:17pm

Loved stranger things. Great characters. Any recommendations for other series that are as good better?

Slydice · 21-11-2017 9:07pm

not uncatchy..

OneOfThem Stumbled · 22-11-2017 12:52pm

So far I've watched season 1 and half of season 2.

I have to say that I'm disappointed. Not that I think it's bad by any means, just that it didn't live up to the hype. The slight disappointment that most people seem to feel about season 2 is what I've felt about season 1.

Firs two episodes of season 1: flawless. Okay, a little derivative perhaps, but that's not necessarily a flaw, and I don't see it as such. But after that point the inconsistencies with both characters and setting start to mount up. Fridge logic does not favour this series.

ST is trying to pull off some really difficult things... like good child actors (which miracle of miracles it manages!) and a believable evil government conspiracy... which it doesn't so much.... and other things like parallel universes and monsters... which are a bit hit-and-miss.

I'm very torn here. The thing that keeps the whole thing afloat are the highly believable and relatable main characters... but the minor characters are often poorly written with nonsensical actions. The two bumbling cops under Hopper, the two class bullies in season 1, Max's older step-brother in season 2, or the two sidekicks that hung-around with Steve in series 1 are these paper thin personalities who are there just to fill are the cliche requirements. But much more problematic, so many of the evil government agency's actions just don't make enough sense. Hmm.

Slydice · 22-11-2017 10:33pm

Fan film made over in england:
Heavy on the horror. Some Graphic scenes would be a bit too much for children
https://vimeo.com/243464657

Felt more like season 1. Good quality camera work and use of the soundtrack.

Slydice · 25-11-2017 5:13pm

Eleven!

neris · 27-11-2017 6:57pm

watched the 2 series of this and thought it was ok. still trying to figure out what the point of the max character and the step brother were for apart from the point of 2 young fellas having theyre 1st crush

Felexicon · 27-11-2017 8:16pm

The gang in S2 EP7 is how my Granny would view a gang.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 27-11-2017 8:26pm

neris wrote: »

watched the 2 series of this and thought it was ok. still trying to figure out what the point of the max character and the step brother were for apart from the point of 2 young fellas having theyre 1st crush

I suppose it was to give them something to do for most of the season. 5 episodes of them hanging out playing Dungeons and Dragons would have been pretty boring.

ArthurG · 28-11-2017 10:46am

Felexicon wrote: »

The gang in S2 EP7 is how my Granny would view a gang.

We've stopped watching it after this episode. Think I'll have to force myself to go back and finish. I find these new characters uninteresting and boring. All it was missing was as explosion behind them as they walked out of the building, slo-mo.

Perhaps I'm missing an ironic subtext?.

py2006 · 28-11-2017 5:05pm

ArthurG wrote: »

We've stopped watching it after this episode. Think I'll have to force myself to go back and finish. I find these new characters uninteresting and boring. All it was missing was as explosion behind them as they walked out of the building, slo-mo.

Perhaps I'm missing an ironic subtext?.

nobody liked that episode. It returns to normality in 8

Mr.Prodston · 29-11-2017 12:53am

Binged both series in the past week. (Only just got Netflix recently, I know right?)

Who knew that Steve Harrington would be hands down my favourite character when I started out last week? :pac:

A Steve and Dustin spin off would be fantastic.

Thoroughly enjoyed both series. Pleasantly surprised, and worth the hype certainly!

johnpatrick81 · 29-11-2017 1:34am

Just finished season 2, and bar the ridiculous suicide squad episode it was a very solid continuation from season 1. Really enjoyed it.

Season 3 is just the kids getting severe psychiatric treatment right? :pac:

The Black Oil · 01-12-2017 5:45pm

Renewed. http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/stranger-things-renewed-season-3-netflix-1202627852/

ArthurG · 02-12-2017 7:27pm

Got over my intense dislike of episode 7. Enjoyed the last 2. Glad I went back.

OneOfThem Stumbled · 03-12-2017 10:51pm

Felexicon wrote: »

The gang in S2 EP7 is how my Granny would view a gang.

Including the fly swatter?

no.8 · 04-12-2017 9:11pm

I loved it, S1 & 2. Couple of slower moving episodes but they are generally character building. Of course it's difficult to live up to the mystery of the unknown we all felt after the first few episodes of s1 but that's normal, especially in this case. Thought winona ryder was brilliant (probably an emotional wreck after filming wrapped up). Prefered s1 overall but to those moaning about elevens powers on the up, I would respond and say it was pretty obvious she would eventually harness it. She still has a huge amount of potential

Conall Cernach · 10-12-2017 1:10pm

I binged all the episodes over the last couple of days and thought it was fantastic. They should do a special just about the Snow Ball in a John Hughes style.