Stranger Things discussion (all seasons)

[bassman]

Season Three Trailer: I like that the focus is on the kids and very little on the plot. I do have some fears of the “sequel’s gotta be bigger!” curse...

[MinionZombie]

WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Man, I'm stoked! Full blown 1980s, too. Lycra. Shopping malls. Neon, etc. The scale seems bigger, but only in so far as where they go to tell their story, if that makes sense? That's how it looks anyway. Think about the beginning of season 2 when they created a whole arcade for some of the scenes to take place in. The story was still quite intimate, but with a bigger budget it allowed them to recreate more of the normal places of the past (e.g. the mall in that trailer). I wonder if Hopper is on a date in that one shot ... waiting for Joyce, perhaps? I loved the added exploration of the cast in the second season, getting to see them in their normal lives a bit more. There was a bit of filler in the second season and 9 rather than 8 maybe felt a smidge overlong for it, but I do love these characters an awful lot and get really wrapped up in it, so scenes like Steve and Dustin playing lightsabres just has me giggling.

[bassman]

So with the inclusion of the mall, I bet we can expect at least five Dawn references...

[MinionZombie]

So with the inclusion of the mall, I bet we can expect at least five Dawn references... haha! Oh, I hope so!

[shootemindehead]

But 'Dawn of the Dead' is the 70's lads (in fact it's soooooo 70's) and this show is now in the mid 80's. Can't see them doing that to be honest.

[MinionZombie]

But 'Dawn of the Dead' is the 70's lads (in fact it's soooooo 70's) and this show is now in the mid 80's. Can't see them doing that to be honest. Still, though, at that point Dawn would only be 7 years old, so still fairly recent and would have settled in to the home video market for a while at that point. So it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility, even though the movie is from the 1970s (1978 properly, but 1979 in America specifically, IIRC). Just a little nod and a wink, is all we're asking for.

[shootemindehead]

Still, though, at that point Dawn would only be 7 years old, so still fairly recent and would have settled in to the home video market for a while at that point. So it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility, even though the movie is from the 1970s (1978 properly, but 1979 in America specifically, IIRC). Just a little nod and a wink, is all we're asking for. Sure, but I can't recall a 70's reference in either 1 or 2, so...

[bassman]

Alien, Close Encounters, Carrie, Evil Dead, etc.

[JDP]

Alien, Close Encounters, Carrie, Evil Dead, etc. Evil Dead is from 1981, though.

[shootemindehead]

Alien, Close Encounters, Carrie, Evil Dead, etc. 'Alien'...or 'Aliens'?

[bassman]

Buncha picky mother f*ckers!

[MinionZombie]

'Alien'...or 'Aliens'? Aye, to be fair the big reference episode (beyond "Ghostbusters" anyway) in season 2 was regarding "Aliens", what with Paul Reiser being there. Buncha picky mother f*ckers!

[MinionZombie]

Seeing as "Stranger Things" is back for season 3, I figured I'd resurrect (and re-name) this thread so we can gab about it. Please use 'spoiler tags' for discussing these new episodes, as we'll all be binge-watching at different rates to one another. 3x01   LOVED the Day of the Dead "sneak preview" scene - I thought they were going in to see Back to the Future, but then The Duffer Brothers sneak that little one in there. It was so cool to see Lori Cardille up there on the screen-within-a-screen getting some major mainstream attention. Loved the Starcourt Mall intro (and the impact on the town's small businesses), and a callback for Bob - and what's going on with the fridge magnet/picture of Bob? Is he somehow alive in the Upside Down? Seeing Hopper having to deal with Eleven's full blown pashing obsession was hilarious, and sweet when he was being coached in what to say. And Jake Busey! (albeit playing a chauvinistic arse in the newsroom). I'll no doubt crank through another couple of episodes later today.

[bassman]

No spoilers, but I really enjoyed the new season! It’s hard to rank the three available seasons because discovering that first one is always special, but I think I might have enjoyed this one a bit more than the second entry. At this point it’s almost like you’re tuning in to catch up with old friends, so I immensely enjoyed all the focus on the characters and how they’re growing. It almost felt like the first two-three episodes were all about the people, and I loved it. If we were to say ST1 was Spielberg, ST2 was Cameron, then ST3 feels like Romero to me? Aside from the obvious Day references, this season feels most attributed to Romero’s horror contributions, if that makes sense? I’ll wait a bit for other folks to finish up before I get into spoiler specifics. Overall, pleased with the show still!

[MinionZombie]

I've just got the last episode to do tonight, but so far I've been very much enjoying it. Perhaps ... maybe ... the 'upside down' aspect of the show has been a bit weak in this season, if that makes sense? I wonder how much material is left in that, but we shall see. Although, the more horror vibe to it is welcome with all this gloopy, gooey, fleshy gunk ... it's definitely a bit grosser than previous seasons, hehe. Episode 6:   During the heart-to-heart between Robin and Steve, did anyone else catch the use of a piece of music from the Day of the Dead soundtrack? Surely you all did. I was so happy to hear that come in and it worked so well. Episode 7:   I think the Duffer Brothers themselves get the balance of the show best ... well, makes sense seeing as they created it, lol! ... but I mean in balancing the drama of the show, the character stuff, and the 1980s nostalgia. For example: the scene where Lucas is extolling the virtues of "New Coke", or all the stuff at the funfair. They manage to juggle all the different aspects of the show so well within an episode, even within a single scene. The bit where Robin and Steve are in the toilets honking up was a bit character scene and just the way it was written and how the actors performed it really took you on a journey and handled the reveal of Robin's sexuality subtly, not in a "It's 2019, look at me, ain't I woke?" kinda way, but in a natural, honest, and heartfelt way that you can really get invested in. - - - Updated - - - Just finished the season... Episode 8:   First off - the post-credits scene - it's gotta be that Hopper is still alive and has been captured by the Russians. They refer to him as "The American" on several occasions, and do so again in the Kamchata prison, so that's who it must be ... besides, we didn't see Hopper die, and he's a main character, so I'd very much hope he's still around to fight another day. However, they did a wonderful job of tying up the season and gave us a really healthy chunk of time to see some of what happened next - the speech that Hopper wrote (but never got to deliver) was beautifully written and so well performed, and that whole sequence was so well put together in the edit that it really packed a punch. Seeing the Byers family move away from Hawkins really struck a chord as well and played into the overall themes of change (and getting overwhelmed by it) that played throughout the season. The big finale in the Starcourt mall was jolly good fun with the Mind Flayer stomping about and the fireworks and the epic build up to destroying "the machine". There was a very impressive sense of scale going on.