Stranger Things

[Arfguy]

It's really weird the monster just wasn't a practical effect the whole time. It was some of the time, and it's not like they were doing something that couldn't be done. The monster basically just looks like Pumpkinhead, and that thing was up and walking around in 1989.

I'm trying to think of when it was practical. Was it when Eleven was trying to make contact on the astral plane?

[nj06]

At first I was hesitant about this show but I ended up really liking it and I look forward to more episodes in the future.

For those of you that like this show, what other similar shows do you watch?

[The Cool Thatguy]

So! Fourth season has arrived.

Thoughts?

[Robotman]

So far I’m enjoying it. Only gripe is that it seems like a lot of problems could’ve been prevented if everyone would just stop needlessly keeping things from each other.

[thwhtGuardian]

I just finished episode two and I'm loving it so far. The new monster looks awesome.

[Jim Kelly]

I binged the first five episodes on Friday evening and then the last two early Saturday morning.

Without giving spoilers, my main complaint is that groups of actors are separated off in different places. And there's only one group of actors that have the most compelling story. When it goes over to the other groups of actors, I found myself getting bored. And one group of actors in particular get the short end of the stick and are forgotten about for great lengths of time.

The reason for these separations seems entirely because of logistics rather than story. It was obvious to me, they couldn't get the full cast together to shoot at the same time in one location.

[Minerboh]

I will wait for the entire season to be released before watching.

[Starter Set]

I will wait for the entire season to be released before watching.

Right? I hate watching a season of a show when not all of it is available.

[Username taken]

I will wait for the entire season to be released before watching.

Same here.

[C_Miller]

I binged the first five episodes on Friday evening and then the last two early Saturday morning.

Without giving spoilers, my main complaint is that groups of actors are separated off in different places. And there's only one group of actors that have the most compelling story. When it goes over to the other groups of actors, I found myself getting bored. And one group of actors in particular get the short end of the stick and are forgotten about for great lengths of time.

The reason for these separations seems entirely because of logistics rather than story. It was obvious to me, they couldn't get the full cast together to shoot at the same time in one location.

I kind of wish I had waited for the whole season to be released to watch. Honestly, the split between the two parts seems to be predicated on Netflix trying to extend subscriptions, placing the parts in two Emmy Award blocs, and giving extra time for Special Effects to be completed than any true narrative purpose. There was no story reason to split the two as there is no conclusion in Episode 7. There is no crescendo that's leading us into Episode 8. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if you were to binge the season without knowing about the split, you would never be able to identify where it was placed. I'm not even a big binge person, but Stranger Things is written like a movie and kind of deserves to be watched as such.

Ultimately, the season was solid, albeit a bit uneven. I think those who were less on board with Season 3 as the darkness, horror and stakes are on fully display. There is some humor and levity, but neither sacrifice the tone. Like Jim said, a lot of the unevenness was probably created by the logistics of a COVID shoot. While the set up of the season creates three distinct story lines, which is customary for the show, two of those story lines have major diverging points, effectively creating five story lines. Those who have seen the season know what I mean.

The biggest problem is that not all story lines are created equal. There are two that I was really compelled by, one that, while not my favorite, led to some pretty great moments, one that was very frustrating and one that if I were to say I felt frustrated would mean that it at least made me feel something. These problems aren't helped by the fact that only a few of the story lines feed into the others. In fact, none of the three core story lines know about the other core story lines by the end of the season. spoilers:

Joyce and Hopper don't know about what's going on in Hawkins or what's going on with their kids, Will, Eleven, Jonathan and Mike don't know that Joyce is going to save Hopper and they never have any contact with the Hawkins group and as one can imagine, the Hawkins group is not aware of either.

end of spoilers It really leads to a lack of cohesion this series. I get that this is a standard Stranger Things trope, but outside of a single story in Season 2 (Eleven's side quest), all of the stories are more or less connected, even if the characters aren't for large portions of the season. This is not the case here.

However, I did enjoy watching in the moment. The production values are off the charts and the performances and character conception continue to be a highlight. These are well thought out characters who have developed into strong characters beyond their conception. I continue to watch because I enjoy spending time with these characters, even if I'm not necessarily sold on all of the story lines. And what's more impressive is that they continue to create characters that add unique flavor to the series. As for this season, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, and Winona Ryder put forth their signature stellar performances, but Sadie Sink is probably the biggest surprise. She was great in previous seasons, but handles a meaty role in the first half of this part.

Not every season, including this one, is perfect, but I continue to be a Stranger Things fan. Even through the unevenness, there's still so much to enjoy. I continue to enjoy the world building and the characters and that gives me just enough to go along with them on the ride.

[Mark Trail]

Right? I hate watching a season of a show when not all of it is available.

You would have hated growing up in the 70s and 80s.

[Mark Trail]

I binged the first five episodes on Friday evening and then the last two early Saturday morning.

Without giving spoilers, my main complaint is that groups of actors are separated off in different places. And there's only one group of actors that have the most compelling story. When it goes over to the other groups of actors, I found myself getting bored. And one group of actors in particular get the short end of the stick and are forgotten about for great lengths of time.

The reason for these separations seems entirely because of logistics rather than story. It was obvious to me, they couldn't get the full cast together to shoot at the same time in one location.

I'm liking this season a lot, definitely better than S3 but, yeah, that's been a problem with every season of this show since the first. They keep splitting everyone up and it seems to only get worse with each season.

[Scott Taylor]

Well I've got two episodes left to watch tonight and have been really enjoying it. After a couple of seasons that, to me, really became kind of hokey. Season 4 is much more like the Season 1 as far as its horror vibes and intensity, so a return to form. Wasn't sure I was going to even continue after Season 3 in particular, but glad I did.

Gotta say, though, the teenagers (except El) in this series continue to be the most useless and pointless bunch of teenagers ever put to film. And this coming from someone who watches Cobra Kai!

[wleakr]

Well I've got two episodes left to watch tonight and have been really enjoying it. After a couple of seasons that, to me, really became kind of hokey. Season 4 is much more like the Season 1 as far as its horror vibes and intensity, so a return to form. Wasn't sure I was going to even continue after Season 3 in particular, but glad I did.

Gotta say, though, the teenagers (except El) in this series continue to be the most useless and pointless bunch of teenagers ever put to film. And this coming from someone who watches Cobra Kai!

But the majority of the show involves the teenagers. How can you be enjoying it but finding no use for them?

[Scott Taylor]

But the majority of the show involves the teenagers. How can you be enjoying it but finding no use for them?

Same reason I like the old slasher films like Friday the 13th and Halloween. The teenagers are just there to be victims. You don't have to like most of them or be interested in most of them. There are usually just one or maybe two who are interesting.

In other words, I watch it for the horror and for El. Also for the Hopper-Russia story, its been a fun aspect.