Stranger Things [Netflix] [*** Spoilers ***]

Always Tired

A police officer in 1985 in a flyover state who would match 2019 levels of PC wokeness would seem really inauthentic to me. And boring. Cops are only interesting if they are the maverick type in TV shows. Being rough around the edges is what makes Hopper interesting, and he always redeems himself. Other than El, none of the other ones who fight the baddies in ST have much butt kicking capability, so what he brings to the table is much needed. Took 3 seasons for Steve to win a fight, though he always tries his best.

Im glad we are so progressive now and all but one thing really annoys me is how fictional male characters are expected to act under all these new cultural standards impeccably. The literary community is worst for this, just frothing at the mouth to call everything problematic.

The reason these issues are being raised is because real men (people) are flawed and imperfect, and so should fictional characters be, otherwise they risk being unconvincing and uninteresting.

Irish94

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I liked the letter but it felt like the only glimpse at S1/2 Hopper we got this season. It didn't have much impact for me though because at that point I was already sick of him.

I thought the way they edited the end scene was odd too, because we saw them all leave the house and drive away but then they did a montage over the letter of them leaving the house. I wonder was it added in as an after thought or something?

I presume it was added in as an after thought? It's a pity Hopper wasn't involved in the season as much as S1, I feel he is strongest character in the series. Really enjoyed Season 3 nonetheless.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Always Tired wrote: »

A police officer in 1985 in a flyover state who would match 2019 levels of PC wokeness would seem really inauthentic to me. And boring. Cops are only interesting if they are the maverick type in TV shows. Being rough around the edges is what makes Hopper interesting, and he always redeems himself. Other than El, none of the other ones who fight the baddies in ST have much butt kicking capability, so what he brings to the table is much needed. Took 3 seasons for Steve to win a fight, though he always tries his best.

Im glad we are so progressive now and all but one thing really annoys me is how fictional male characters are expected to act under all these new cultural standards impeccably. The literary community is worst for this, just frothing at the mouth to call everything problematic.

The reason these issues are being raised is because real men (people) are flawed and imperfect, and so should fictional characters be, otherwise they risk being unconvincing and uninteresting.

The problem with Hopper this season has nothing to do with being PC or "woke". He was just really annoying and barely resembled the character he was in S1+2 and there was no real explanation for it. He was just suddenly a loud shouty angry annoying man.
All the other characters have had steady growth and any new behaviour can be traced back to something that's happened previously or something that is happening. I mean, Hopper was gruff and kind of rude in S1 but it was driven by the loss of his daughter and how he had cut himself off instead of dealing with it. The only reason Hopper seems to have for his behaviour in S3 is that Joyce keeps knocking him back.

Also, just as you bring up how layered and complicated real men (people) are... a character doesn't have to be likeable to be a good character. Billy, for example, is anything but likeable, and yet he's a character you can get invested in and care about where his story goes. Mike is kind of a smug little **** and Will is a simmering little drip at times and yet they have brave and heroic qualities too. Hopper was one of the best characters in S1+2 in terms of layers and being complicated. The problem with S3 Hopper is there were no layers.

Pero_Bueno

Skerries wrote: »

start your predictions for the nostalgia moments for 1986

I'm sure they'll find a way to throw Chernobyl in there, since that's an in thing now.


So who was the American in the Russian cell?

Hopper right ? or too obvious ...
Kind of makes the letter meaningless, it was a nice scene actually.

Pero_Bueno

Venom wrote: »

I reckon it depends on how his movie career takes off.

Well so long as he keeps advocating assaulting people with different political opinions the offers from Hollywood should come rolling in ...

Always Tired

Pero_Bueno wrote: »

I'm sure they'll find a way to throw Chernobyl in there, since that's an in thing now.


So who was the American in the Russian cell?

Hopper right ? or too obvious ...
Kind of makes the letter meaningless, it was a nice scene actually.

Theres already rumors that they are going to have it caused by El or something.

And yeah, I think if they were going to leave that post credits scene in with 'the American' then having the scene with the speech/letter was a bit crap, playing with the emotions of the viewer too much, but probably they thought without that scene it would be too easy to guess that Hop was still alive.

I remember reading when S1 came out that some brainbox at the studio was going to change the show to have Hopper be the main character and not the kids, which thankfully never happened but lends weight to the theory they wouldn't kill him off. As does the amount of dissatisfaction with his arc. I'd say there's little chance they are not bringing him back tbh.

AndrewJRenko

cobweb wrote: »

Some of these will have to be referenced

How about list of the references in this episode? I'm usually fairly crap at these things, but I got;


Terminator;
Jurassic Park
Enemy of the State


What else did I miss?

dark crystal

Just finished it there after watching over two nights - thought this was the best season by far

(I knew Back to the Future would be in there somewhere, being set in 1985 )

Steve was the star of the show for me again and

his talk with Uma Thurman's daughter in the toilet was a standout moment.

The feels!

As a child of the 80s, I love the nostalgia this show brings!

Cina

Absolutely fantastic season. Better than season two and possibly on par with season one.

Steve is the best character on TV and I could actually watch a spin-off show with just him, Dustin, and Robyn.

w/s/p/c/

I thought Hopper was great in this series, a no nonsense, grumpy, a-hole cop who gets the job done and protects those around him!

I think the character has the right to be a bit of a moan, he's been through a lot :-)

- Lost his young daughter.
- Batted it out with monsters (as well as the government that were covering up a secret lab).
- Visited alternate dimension.
- Took the responsibility for a young girl who has special powers (and is trying to protect her from the bad guys), never mind the responsibility of being the police chief and trying to protect his whole town.
- Battled it out with monsters again.
- Worries constantly about El as she grows into being a woman (as any father does with a teenage daughter).
- Gets stood up on a date with a woman he has feelings for (knowing that she maybe leaving town soon).
- Gets caught up with some in some secret Russian government projects on American soil during the Cold War era (never mind being pursued by a Terminator like assassin, who is out to kill everyone).

So I can kind of forgive him if he isn't exactly the most happiest camper on the planet !

yerwanthere123

Just finished the series. The last episode was quite good, but overall I thought the series was very poor and not a patch on the first two. I seem to mostly be in the minority, but for some reason it just didn't strike a chord with me at all.

pixelburp

Only at episode 4 and I don't see or get the hate for where Hopper is; so far in Season 3 there has been a guiding principle of the cast being a group of characters who have gone through A LOT. Heck, the themes of growing up are right there to be seen in the faces of the kids alone, with their awkward, pre-teen shapes and the changing relationships between each other. Poor Will left on his own while the others chase girls.

The way I've read Hopper's character is that of a man who, twice now, has had to go up against the conspiracy from his government & a bevvy of inter-dimensional monsters trying to eating his friends & town. Then add to that the personal tragedy that formed the bedrock of his being and the character is at a point well past caring about being right & proper; this is Zero F*cks Given Hop', cos he has already seen and done it all.

Joyce is the same in many respects: in Season 1 she was frantic with worry and confusion over what was happening to her son & Hawkins; now in Season 3 the moment something 'odd' happens, she was all over it, investigating and seeking answers. Her experiences has changed her and how she conducts herself

Immortal Starlight

Absolutely loved season 3 and can’t wait for season 4:)

Mark Hamill

Something I noticed in the last episode of season 3 (season 4 speculation):

When the key machine cutting into the upside down is overloading in the Russian base, 5 people walk in in purple hazmat suits and just stare at it, with camera lingering on them, but only their eyes visible (49 mins in). They all look pretty young to me, with the person front looking like a fair-skinned (possibly redheaded?) girl. With the speculation about time travel in next season, I'm wondering if those 5 where five of the kids somehow come back in time, the girl maybe being Max. Maybe, the key machine, which can cut through space into the upside down, can cut through time too?

Jurgen The German

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The problem with Hopper this season has nothing to do with being PC or "woke". He was just really annoying and barely resembled the character he was in S1+2 and there was no real explanation for it. He was just suddenly a loud shouty angry annoying man.

It was literally spelled out for us. He used to have a huge bond and connection with El but the onset of puberty and everything that brings means the bond is being weakened, particularly by Mikes relationship with her. He (Hop) was completely unprepared for it and was very obviously struggling with the adjustment.

dark crystal wrote: »

Just finished it there after watching over two nights - thought this was the best season by far

(I knew Back to the Future would be in there somewhere, being set in 1985 )

Steve was the star of the show for me again and

his talk with Uma Thurman's daughter in the toilet was a standout moment

:eek:

No

Fluckin

Way

Did not know that and now all i can picture when i think of her is UT.

Lucas Hood

Jurgen The German wrote: »

It was literally spelled out for us. He used to have a huge bond and connection with El but the onset of puberty and everything that brings means the bond is being weakened, particularly by Mikes relationship with her. He (Hop) was completely unprepared for it and was very obviously struggling with the adjustment.



:eek:

No

Fluckin

Way

Did not know that and now all i can picture when i think of her is UT.

Ethan Hawke is her father. Good stock she comes from.

Hoboo

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

Just finished the series. The last episode was quite good, but overall I thought the series was very poor and not a patch on the first two. I seem to mostly be in the minority, but for some reason it just didn't strike a chord with me at all.

Completely agree, there was far too many nonsense scenes like they were filling time, reminded me of how the walking dead turned. I have zero interest in characters back stories about being a school misfit.

I found myself checking emails on my phone, losing interest when the violins began or hopper and joyce had yet another over acted bout of childish bickering. Just didn't have the dark feeling of 1&2, was like x files meets the Goonies on a very tight budget. And having no English subs for the Russian parts unless you turned on English subs was a complete headwreck. Was glad to see the end.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Jurgen The German wrote: »

It was literally spelled out for us. He used to have a huge bond and connection with El but the onset of puberty and everything that brings means the bond is being weakened, particularly by Mikes relationship with her. He (Hop) was completely unprepared for it and was very obviously struggling with the adjustment

I already acknowledged that the letter explained his anger with Mike. It doesn't explain why he was angry and shouting 99% of the time, even when Mike and El weren't around.

Some people obviously didn't have a problem Hopper in S3, which is fine. I did, and I've seen a lot of people expressing the same thoughts. If he worked for you then great, he didn't for me.

optogirl

Jurgen The German wrote: »

It was literally spelled out for us. He used to have a huge bond and connection with El but the onset of puberty and everything that brings means the bond is being weakened, particularly by Mikes relationship with her. He (Hop) was completely unprepared for it and was very obviously struggling with the adjustment.



:eek:

No

Fluckin

Way

Did not know that and now all i can picture when i think of her is UT.

Also My Sharona is playing at one point in episode 4 or 5 I think ... also in Reality Bites starring Winona and Ethan Hawke

Penn

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Some people obviously didn't have a problem Hopper in S3, which is fine. I did, and I've seen a lot of people expressing the same thoughts. If he worked for you then great, he didn't for me.

I agree. He had his moments and it all came right by the end with his sacrifice and his letter to El (L? Elle?). But for a lot of Season 3 he was just an angry prick in a much different way than he had been in Seasons 1 & 2, and it seemed a bit over the top.

Maybe he read the reviews for Hellboy

GLaDOS

Completely missed the post credits scene until I read this thread :pac:

I enjoyed S3. Bit of a slow start, but once it got going I was well invested. As good as S2, hard to beat S1.

Interesting to see where they go after this.

pc7

GLaDOS wrote: »

Interesting to see where they go after this.

Would love if they got rid of Nancy, Jonathan, Mike and probably even Will. But fingers crossed Nancy and Jonathan, they are beyond annoying.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

pc7 wrote: »

Would love if they got rid of Nancy, Jonathan, Mike and probably even Will. But fingers crossed Nancy and Jonathan, they are beyond annoying.

Jonathan and Nancy are kind of pointless. I mean, I found Hopper annoying this season but he was still important to the story and making things happen. Those two though are just kind of there. And they were the same for most of S2. Hopefully, given how S3 ended, there's a chance they might spend at least the start of S4 in different groupings. Although, the thought of Jonathan and Will together doesn't excite me much either.

Always Tired

Hoboo wrote: »

Completely agree, there was far too many nonsense scenes like they were filling time, reminded me of how the walking dead turned. I have zero interest in characters back stories about being a school misfit.

I found myself checking emails on my phone, losing interest when the violins began or hopper and joyce had yet another over acted bout of childish bickering. Just didn't have the dark feeling of 1&2, was like x files meets the Goonies on a very tight budget. And having no English subs for the Russian parts unless you turned on English subs was a complete headwreck. Was glad to see the end.

Can't see how it wasn't dark enough it was the goriest season yet by far and character(s) were killed off. And budget wise it was easily the biggest yet, they rented and renovated an entire mall, installed neon everywhere, more shots of the monster than ever, more special FX.

No offense but to me you just sound jaded, what theyve managed to pull off with the kids, the effects, the time period and storytelling was quite a feat. The final scenes with El and Billy fighting were excellent. Billy in particular was the highlight of the season for me, Dacre Montgomery was amazing in that role, his audition tape is up on youtube and seeing him get into character is quite impressive, especially compared to his usual persona in interviews he is the total opposite of Billy. Having grown up in the 80s in the US I came across quite a few guys like Billy, we called them 'hammers' and they were always mean metalhead dudes with mullets who drove Camaros and would pick on younger kids.

Just read an interview with El where she talks about the scene where she reads Hoppers speech and she says how El has "lost her father, or so she thinks". Hmmmmmm...

mzungu

Really enjoyed season 3. Can't wait for the next one.

flazio

This is kinda cool, the girls who scoffed at Dustins advances at the ball last season are the same girls that El has some fun with her powers at the mall.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0EI2BOH60T/?igshid=rqa6i198ljf4

Keyzer

I love this show - it's so well put together and the production values are brilliant.

Roll on season 4.

Pero_Bueno

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Something I noticed in the last episode of season 3 (season 4 speculation):

When the key machine cutting into the upside down is overloading in the Russian base, 5 people walk in in purple hazmat suits and just stare at it, with camera lingering on them, but only their eyes visible (49 mins in). They all look pretty young to me, with the person front looking like a fair-skinned (possibly redheaded?) girl. With the speculation about time travel in next season, I'm wondering if those 5 where five of the kids somehow come back in time, the girl maybe being Max. Maybe, the key machine, which can cut through space into the upside down, can cut through time too?

You sure it's 49 min in ?
I don't know what scene you are talking about, was this before or after Hopper "left" ?

pixelburp

Episode 6 and man oh man the product placement is full Michael Bay territory here. I suppose it was inevitable companies would gleefully jump on the chance to stripmine nostalgia.

Gripping episode though, both it and episode 5 felt like the first time in a while I felt the characters were in genuine danger, be it from supernatural forces or human. Robin has been a great addition, and her chemistry with Steve is a delight.

Plus, whoever got to do the CGI gore FX must have had the time and budget, because it has all looked utterly gross, in the best possible way. The final scene with

the town's people melting and splatting onto the ground was a triumphantly disgusting moment

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Pero_Bueno wrote: »

You sure it's 49 min in ?
I don't know what scene you are talking about, was this before or after Hopper "left" ?

I couldn't tell you when it was or even which episode but I do remember a scene with some people in hasmat suits where it felt like we were supposed to notice them, if that makes sense? I remember thinking "who are they?" but never bothered going back to check.
Although..... come to think of it, there were a couple of scenes throughout the season where the camera seemed to linger on seemingly random characters, like the guy selling hot dogs, and I assumed they were either random 80s cameos or family members of cast/crew getting a bit part. So maybe it was the same with the hazmat people?