Stranger Things

Gamma Rays

Gamma Rays

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I've heard of the time skip. But . . . umm . .

But the ending showed what looked like a massive flow of fire and smoke, from or through a gateway into the upside down. If not that it looked like some huge event happening, linked to the upside down.

The sort of thing that needs immediate action.
 
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Dandai

Dandai

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Gamma Rays said:
I've heard of the time skip. But . . . umm . .

But the ending showed what looked like a massive flow of fire and smoke, from or through a gateway into the upside down. If not that it looked like some huge event happening, linked to the upside down.

The sort of thing that needs immediate action.
Click to expand...
I think the time skip is confirmed? But in any case, I agree with the prediction that Hawkins will be closed off to the rest of the world with a “radiation containment zone” or whatever. They have to hand wave away the urgency of the situation somehow.
 
Hatorade

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Made it to episode 7 very cool so far. When I first saw her I thought it was actually Ally Sheedy.
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Qhue

Qhue

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People need to stop making live-action Anime/Manga adaptations!
 
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Blitz

Blitz

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Had minimal desire to watch this season, but the lady talked me into it. I'm glad she did. This was a really, really enjoyable season. As others have said, episodes 1-7 were phenomenal. The last two episodes were fine-to-solid. Still, I really enjoyed the season. We're definitely looked forward to the final season.
 
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rhinohelix

rhinohelix

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So I came back and watched all episodes, both parts of season 4 last night. I guess because I didn't have the gap, I didn't share the hate for the last two episodes? I thought they were good but the criticism about they're being long is not wrong. Russia was tiresome overall except for the end. Cinematography and direction was really good, I think Duffers are ready to move up for sure; we'll see how they do with shorter run times. I don't think this is a GOT/D&D situation at all. They could blow Season 5 but they get what people remember about the 80's even if it doesn't seem like they were there at times.
Narrative beats and my comments, In no particular order because I stayed up all night watching this:
-The Ally Sheedy thing leaped out to me in the first few seconds.
-The weird look on Dustin's girlfriends face when they opened the van door: It seemed like her first encounter with Weed or Sex; Stranger Exciting Things of a different sort?
-Sorry about Eddie, I thought he had potential to stick around; seemed wasted in a one-season arc, particularly if next season is the last season. Feels like they killed him because someone had to die; Same reason they killed Bob in S2 and Billy in Season S3? Not everyone lives, which in itself would be trope breaking.
-Ending seemed too urgent to allow a time jump but I am sure they are going to use these threads, or the wrapping of these threads to lead into season 5.
-Russia was just way too long and after a while it was obvious they didn't want to bring Hopper back before the end. Give Joyce her own adventure had to be written into Wynona Rider's contract. It could have been a separate miniseries but that would make the time wasting that much more glaring. A lot of what they did was able to hidden by intercutting with the other stories.
-The cross country trip was also super long but *at least it was going somewhere* /wink and they got there before the end of the season.
-I need to lose a Hopper amount of weight without going to Kamchatka.
-The IntraGovernment thing was weird and not well done; I got the thrust of it but not its point really, other than having a reason to kill Benson.
-I thought Eleven's rejection of Dr. Benson at the end was cruel if not undeserved. I have personal experience with someone like that, I still wouldn't deny someone dying what is essentially absolution.
-I hated the use of the "star athlete" from literally his first moment on screen. Also a 80s movie cliche but sweet mother why must every athlete been stupid and every Christian be an idiot. LAME what evers. The Hellfire guy can transcend stereotypes, the nerd kids can exceed their chosen role, rich kid Steve can be awesome, jocks? FUCK YOU.
-Great use of "Running up that Hill", one of my favorite Alt/new wave songs from that era. Kate Bush has always been weird so even in that scene with the Smiths, Depeche Mode, the Cure, Erasure, Joy Division/New Order and Nemesis; she was kind of fringe but I loved that song forever, and double kudos for using the original-ish? I can't tell you, I have heard so many versions over the years if that was the 1985 version or not.
-Loved the Mean Girl getting clocked with the skate. Fuck that bitch. Between Karate Kid and Stranger Things S4 "Skating Rink Rumble", Cali was tough in the 80s I guess.
-I don't know how I feel about Vecna/Henry/One being set up as the Series bad in Season 4. It gives them an out to "cure" the Upside Down but feels a little shoehorned in post S3 when they knew they were going to come back and wrap it up. Its like if they just started mentioning Voldemort in Prisoner of Azkhaban or Goblet of Fire. It still works, though. They might have had other plans and someone came up with a better one.

I liked it a lot, the characters were great. Lesbian (Fake Edit: Robin, who was awesomely normal in S3 as were the gay girls I knew in high school and decidedly more Lesbian this season) and Nancy were great together, the scene in the asylum was great. Unknown Dream killer teen horror movie Season was excellent.
 
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Djay

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I could have done without the bullying and stupid jock subplots myself.
 
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spronk

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I enjoyed the whole season, the big issue is the Hawkins crew has so much charisma together - Nancy, Steve, Dustin, Max, Eddie, Erica, Lesbian, Black Guy With Kid Play haircut - that its annoying when they cut away to a different group since you just wanna go back to the Hawkins crew. It really, really exposes how much of a meh acting job and dialogue they gave to characters like Jonathan, Joyce, Mike, Will, etc.

I wonder how much of season 4 you could cut and still have a coherent story, you could cut a LOT out of California and Russia I think and not miss much.

Greatest thing this year is the resurgence of Paul Reiser, him showing up in two of the biggest IPs of the year, Stranger Things and The Boys is awesome. I'd expect a Mad About You reboot anytime now.


FWr3CCJXkAMvwhY
 
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Aldarion

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Great season.

Worst thing about it, hands down: the kid from CA with that ridiculous wig. Just his entire character, the actor, the retarded interpretation of "California stoner culture", the absurd anachronism of having fancy-ass weed with names like pineapple whatthefuckever in the 80s, but most of all that goddam wig. Delete every trace of this character from the show and the season is twice as good.
 
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Qhue

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Aldarion said:
Great season.

Worst thing about it, hands down: the kid from CA with that ridiculous wig.... but most of all that goddam wig. Delete every trace of this character from the show and the season is twice as good.
Click to expand...

That's his actual hair. It's one of his defining traits as a character actor apparently.
 
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popsicledeath

popsicledeath

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Gay Will is the one wearing the horrible wig. They're both terrible characters, though, like their mother. That family as a whole should have died in Hawkins for multiple reasons.

This show has The Walking Dead syndrome where the relatively few important character to ever die undermines how dangerous the world is supposed to be.

Hoping for a Steve and Dustin spinoff. Don't care if it's even the same genre. Could just be them post-evil as roommates working fast food or some shit. They're the best, most genuine part of bloated cast and show being drown in melodrama and uninteresting side stories.
 
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rhinohelix

rhinohelix

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popsicledeath said:
Gay Will is the one wearing the horrible wig. They're both terrible characters, though, like their mother. That family as a whole should have died in Hawkins for multiple reasons.

This show has The Walking Dead syndrome where the relatively few important character to ever die undermines how dangerous the world is supposed to be.

Hoping for a Steve and Dustin spinoff. Don't care if it's even the same genre. Could just be them post-evil as roommates working fast food or some shit. They're the best, most genuine part of bloated cast and show being drown in melodrama and uninteresting side stories.
Click to expand...
100% correct. Their relationship is the best part of the show and the Steve Dustin Nancy Lesbian (Fake Edit again: Robin) Parts were absolutely solid gold. All of the relationships are good, though, these are the ones who really shine.

I would watch a 4 Amigos/Moonlighting Detective agency where these 4 solve supernatural crimes together all day.

After sleeping (on it) I like some parts of it more and some parts are just forgettable. The Russia storyline finale was a great moment: I despise the actor but love the character, and that was truly for a great moment on screen even if the road to get there far too long.
At age 51 I still only know what media tell me about weed culture, much less what Cali weed culture was like in the mid 80's so if you say the guy's bad, whatever. It was a paean I guess to how much influence they had on the rest of the culture at the time.

In a TV media world where so much is Woke and terrible, this was pretty good/good.
 
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Blitz

Blitz

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spronk said:
I enjoyed the whole season, the big issue is the Hawkins crew has so much charisma together - Nancy, Steve, Dustin, Max, Eddie, Erica, Lesbian, Black Guy With Kid Play haircut - that its annoying when they cut away to a different group since you just wanna go back to the Hawkins crew. It really, really exposes how much of a meh acting job and dialogue they gave to characters like Jonathan, Joyce, Mike, Will, etc.

I wonder how much of season 4 you could cut and still have a coherent story, you could cut a LOT out of California and Russia I think and not miss much.

Greatest thing this year is the resurgence of Paul Reiser, him showing up in two of the biggest IPs of the year, Stranger Things and The Boys is awesome. I'd expect a Mad About You reboot anytime now.


FWr3CCJXkAMvwhY
Click to expand...
He's good in Red Oaks on Prime, if you haven't seen that.
 
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Ome

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You are not alone. I actually went to look him up because I too thought it was a ridiculous wig only to see multiple pictures showing that as his real hair.
 
slippery

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popsicledeath said:
Gay Will is the one wearing the horrible wig. They're both terrible characters, though, like their mother. That family as a whole should have died in Hawkins for multiple reasons.

This show has The Walking Dead syndrome where the relatively few important character to ever die undermines how dangerous the world is supposed to be.

Hoping for a Steve and Dustin spinoff. Don't care if it's even the same genre. Could just be them post-evil as roommates working fast food or some shit. They're the best, most genuine part of bloated cast and show being drown in melodrama and uninteresting side stories.
Click to expand...
Gay Will is what bothered me most this season. It's just so over the top eye roll and completely unnecessary.
 
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rhinohelix

rhinohelix

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spronk said:
I enjoyed the whole season, the big issue is the Hawkins crew has so much charisma together - Nancy, Steve, Dustin, Max, Eddie, Erica, Lesbian, Black Guy With Kid Play haircut - that its annoying when they cut away to a different group since you just wanna go back to the Hawkins crew. It really, really exposes how much of a meh acting job and dialogue they gave to characters like Jonathan, Joyce, Mike, Will, etc.

I wonder how much of season 4 you could cut and still have a coherent story, you could cut a LOT out of California and Russia I think and not miss much.

Greatest thing this year is the resurgence of Paul Reiser, him showing up in two of the biggest IPs of the year, Stranger Things and The Boys is awesome. I'd expect a Mad About You reboot anytime now.


FWr3CCJXkAMvwhY
Click to expand...
In two posts I keep forgetting to say how much I enjoyed his character. I haven't watched the Boys yet but I just loved him here. Other than his dick turn in Aliens he has such a wonderful screen presence, he even makes Helen Hunt enjoyable. Spoiler:

He doesn't get to Hawkins in 86, I had to go back and rewatch parts of Episode 9 to be sure; I was obviously starting to fall asleep; another thread for Season 5.
This season is Stranger Things' ESB.
Will has always been gay, hasn't he? I guess I missed the overt Gay Will parts, too.
 
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