I need a season 4 ASAP 🤣
I just finished seasons 1 and 2 for the first time recently, and while I liked the first, I honestly thought the second was better. To me, season 1 was a fairly straight-forward and routine 80s/Stephen King homage story boosted up a peg by really dynamic cinematography, great performances, and a chilling score. Season 2 had all of these technical qualities, but also strives to be more thematically and narratively ambitious.
In season 1, we basically know what’s going on with the lab and Eleven within the first few episodes through flashbacks so we just wait for the characters to catch up with us for a while. In season 2, the virus-like threat builds tension for much longer until it eventually bursts into a more interesting climax in my opinion.
The characters also feel much more fleshed out the second time around because almost everyone gets their own arc (quality varies). Eleven learns to stop thinking of herself as a weapon. Hopper learns to be a better parent and lets go of his dead daughter. Steve learns to be a cool babysitter. Will is treated like a normal kid for the first time when he’s asked to dance at the end. Even Max learns to stand up to her abusive older brother and gets together with Lucas.
It certainly wasn’t without its flaws. Mike being a dick to Max was just never resolved for some reason, Bob’s death felt contrived, and episode 7, while necessary for the development of Eleven and a great idea on its own, was not well-executed. Still, the ambition and character relationships made it feel more like it’s own thing whereas I felt season 1 took a bit too much from E.T., IT, etc.
Haven’t seen season 3 yet but I hear it’s not great...
Episode 2 is out DM me if you want the link to it.
REPOST: I've redone the story I told from earlier this year (three episodes), where I constructed Episode 1 based on what we knew then, but now I've created a video based on newer info and told a new story (my own take of course). Episode is from five perspectives:
EDIT: Streamable link (Rules 5 allows it so I posted it there instead of using a youtube link): https://streamable.com/zacyme
Hopper - his meeting with Dmitri and learning about the Demogorgan in Russia
El and Will - Their relationship, comic-con and El's powers possibly returning
Nancy and Jonathan - Jonathan on an unintentional road trip with his stoner buddy and Nancy interviewing a psychotic killer
The Party (Mike, Lucas, and Dustin) - Playing a real-world D&D campaign with their leader Eddie
Steve and Robin - In the video store, meeting with Robin's brother, Steve missing the kids
New characters that have been announced are introduced, some old are in it others are not (like Erica, though she is supposed to be a series regular now so maybe Episode 2). There are still things that haven't been touched yet but we've heard officially that would be in the show like Hopper's backstory.
The reason Season 1 was good was because it was full of new ideas and kids were the main characters with interesting roles. Now all of the actors who were kids in season 1 look like they went through puberty town, they’ve lost their charm. Not to mention, Season 3 felt like a High School drama, with all the relationship issues. It’s just turned into your mediocre Netflix original.
Through season 1, the kids mention trading comics a few times, more than for it to be just a background detail. It is also mentioned specifically that Will has a copy of X-Men #134, the first appearance of the Dark Phoenix. The storyline set up there continues until issue #137, which ends with Jean Grey sacrificing herself to (temporarily) destroy the Dark Phoenix.
The parallels are already pretty clear, but become even more so when Jean returns not long after, emerging from a cocoon in the same way El emerged from the Upside Down. Both of them joined back up with the original team to find that they had in a way been replaced.
This idea also fits with the theory that the Demogorgon is a reflection of El, since at the time this was published Phoenix was just Jean Grey’s alter ego and not another entity.
There are so many reasons season 1 was so good, but I was particularly interested in how effective the opening two scenes are and how they go onto influence the rest of the season, so I wrote a little article about it.
"Now this isn’t even mentioning how brilliantly the show introduces its heart in the boys, as well as the setting, tone and keen sense of mystery in these scenes. But crucially, by the time the opening credits provide a relief in the tension we’ve met the characters, we have a taste of the story, a promise of more and most importantly, because of all this, we are now engaged!"
Feel free to check it out here and let me know what you think: Stranger Things: Why the second season is nowhere near as good as the first
The plot, the acting, the monster oh god it all went to shit after season 1. Season 1 was interesting and it managed to not be cliche but after that the characters, the development turned so awful. It became too hype for its own good. The endless army of demodogs completely nullify the terror of the demogorgon. The charm of the first season keeping the story in a town was thrown away by expanding to Chicago and having a previously escaped kid with powers run wild.
Given the popularity of the show, it’s safe to assume this is an unpopular opinion.
I loved season one greatly. My favorite character is the police Chief and I liked season 2 but it doesn’t capture the same magic of the first one.
Season 3 was ok. The mall action scene is straight-up from kids movies/shows.
I hope season 4 is done with a different style and different philosophy behind it. If it end up more of the same, I will stop watching it.
I'm only 12 but i wrote a lot of scripts before there will be more episodes every 2 to 3 weeks so please be patient and enjoy
Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 1 :The Hellfire Club
Hawkins, Indiana December 1985
Russians sitting down while brainwashing lonnie byers
(Lonnie Screaming)
(screaming stops
Lonnie and the russians walk down the stairs
(Russian points at the button)
Lonnie starts opening up the gate
Demogrogon starts growling
Demodogs starts banging the gate
Lonnie finishes opening up the gate
(doors open)
Demodogs, Mind Flayer and Demogorgon releases from the doors
Russians and lonnie start running
Russians screaming
Demodogs pull one of the russians from their leg and starts chopping down their leg
Screen fades to black
Cuts to Hawkins
(Nobody but me starts playing)
Steve drives Max, Lucas, Dustin, Mike to school
Steve: Kids have a good day you know i don’t want to be late to work so i’m not going to give a pep talk
Dustin: Ok see ya bro
Mike, Lucas and Max: See ya steve
Cuts to The Wheeler's House
Nancy: i'm going to be late
Karen: Yeah I know
Nancy: hopefully this post office is better than bruce and those sucky people
Karen: hopefully it will be
Hawkins High School
Mr Clarke: when we get back from winter break we are going to be talking about gravity
The bell rings
Dustin: Yes thank you jesus we can finally go home
Mr Clarke: Dustin!
Dustin: Sorry
Dustin: I got suzie to come over for christmas
Lucas: oh really still not hotter than phoebe cates
Max slaps lucas on the arm
Max: stop being a jerk
Lucas: I just don’t think she like that
CUTS TO FAMILY VIDEO
Steve: Wassup Robin or should i call you dick grayson
Robin: is that supposed to be an insult
Steve: No it’s robins name
Robin: what robin are you talking about
Steve: You don’t know who robin is like batman
Robin: What are you talking about
Steve: You are not as bright as i may have thought you were
Robin: Okay i don’t watch superhero shows okay nerd
Steve: Okay your turning into erica now
Robin: okay your taking it too far now
Steve: Okay what do i have to do today
Robin: do you not know what family video is
Steve: Yes i do okay you think i’m stupid
Robin: I think you are
Steve: Oh really saying the girl that said who is robin
Robin: Who the heck is robin
Robin: are you talking about me because my name ain’t dick grayson
Steve: i just said batman did you not hear me
Robin: Okay tell me who the-
Keith: what are you guys talking about
... keep reading on reddit ➡
My Grandmother was fed up with normal TV so I decided to show her Netflix and we ended up watching 2 episodes of Stranger Things. Here's her thoughts so far.
Hopper - "He's the lazy cop but he has a good heart really I think"
Eleven - "She has something in her head, poor little thing"
Joyce Byers - "Poor, poor lady, (she) is a good actor I really feel sorry for her"
Steve - "That boy is after one thing, he's a bad influence. Smoking AND drinking!"
Nancy - "Silly young girl, her friend (Barb) had more sense!"
Mike - "A GOOD boy" (Emphasis for comparison to Steve I think?)
Dustin - "A funny smile for a funny boy he reminds me of you" - Thanks!
Jonathan Byers - "Needs a haircut but I feel bad for him because his dad is a no-good'n"
And my personal favourite:
Benny (The diner owner who finds Eleven) - "Poor man, why did those nasty men kill him? I hope he kills them back!" (He's dead, how can he "Kill them back"?) "Oh I don't know; there's a monster isn't there?"
That's all she had to say about characters. And her overall thoughts on the show was:
"It's a good show, it's not too violent and not too scary; I like it!"
We plan to watch more and if people liked this perhaps I'll post her future thoughts on the show. I'll even be happy to ask appropriate comment questions.
Bonus: (Episode 2) As Joyce Byers moves towards the stereo in Will's room the lights flicker and a figure presses against the wall from the inside.
Gasps "ITS A WALL MAN!"
Thanks for reading.
Edit 1: Thank you all for your fantastic comments, I'll be sure to show her, I'm sure she'll be overwhelmed by all the positivity. If you have an idea of what you'd like to hear about in the next post leave a comment and we'll see (there were a few things I didn't include but I didn't think the post would be this well received) Thanks all!
Edit 2: I've shown her all your lovely messages and at first she couldn't understand how so many people could be so interested! She's quite overwhelmed and is happy for me to keep posting!
Going forward I'll be sure to include her thoughts on the core characters where appropriate as well as anything else such as the plot, music etc I'll even ask her what she thinks might happen!
To make sure the posts aren't missed I'll be including "Elder Things" in the title going forward so they're easy to search for!
In closing a short message from Nan: "What a lovely bunch, it's really lovely to hear kind words. I can't believe (so many?) people are so ni
... keep reading on reddit ➡)