Stranger Things discussion (all seasons)

[bassman]

Really disappointed there’s no Beyond Stranger Things this time around!!

[MinionZombie]

Really disappointed there’s no Beyond Stranger Things this time around!! I know!!! What's up with that? I really enjoyed BST, it was a nice way to ease out of Stranger Things, you know? Regarding episode eight:   There's another theory going around about Hopper - that he jumped into the Upside Down - and so "The American" could be someone else, so perhaps there could be some kind of subversion of audience expectations ... ... but I still reckon Hopper being captured by the Russians is the most likely scenario. El losing her powers ties in with that - meaning she (and everyone else) believes he's dead and can't locate Hopper until Season 4 rolls around.

[bassman]

I know!!! What's up with that? I really enjoyed BST, it was a nice way to ease out of Stranger Things, you know? Exactly. I also figured it would have brought in great numbers for Netflix, but being that they withhold their respective ratings, who knows? Maybe it wasn’t doing well enough to justify organizing the schedules of those involved? Regarding episode eight:   There's another theory going around about Hopper - that he jumped into the Upside Down - and so "The American" could be someone else, so perhaps there could be some kind of subversion of audience expectations ... ... but I still reckon Hopper being captured by the Russians is the most likely scenario. El losing her powers ties in with that - meaning she (and everyone else) believes he's dead and can't locate Hopper until Season 4 rolls around.   One thing was certain in my mind from the very second he disappeared: “nope nope nope....no pile of steaming flesh goo on the floor, no death!” I do think the most likely option is that he’s in the upside down. Could be a good parallel to the end of season one and how he started to become the father figure while Eleven was trapped in there.

[MinionZombie]

Episode 8:   So if Hopper was in the upside down, who do you think "The American" might be? There could be a good storyline with El's powers re-emerging and her somehow connecting to Hopper in the upside down. I think that'll surely happen even if he's in Kamchata prison. What were some of your favourite non-lore moments from this season (i.e. just the small everyday things)? Some of mine...   Naturally, I loved the Day of the Dead references in episode one and episode six, and the BTTF references. The riff on Fast Times, in the pool, was lots of fun with all the mothers eyeing up Billy. The stuff with Dustin and then Will feeling disjointed from the group had a lot of impact and poignancy, too, those growing pains and feeling askew from your friends out-of-the-blue. All the mall stuff was really good, and you can't not love the Steve/Dustin combo ... and I really grew to dig the Robin/Steve combo as well. I loved the video store scene near the end, too, with Steve struggling to name his top three movies.

[bassman]

I can’t really imagine who else the American may be at the moment. Was there a wrap up for the hermit conspiracy guy? I can’t remember his name, but he seems to be gaining a larger and larger part as the show goes on, so I could see him having been taken and kept by the Russians because of his knowledge of what all has happened in Hawkins? Maybe it’s not even a person? Tons of non-lore moments stick out, including all the ones you mentioned. I also loved the talk between Nancy and Mrs Wheeler with the “why not?!?” lesson. That rang true to me and felt real. If we get into some slightly negative marks....why was Jonathan Byers even in this season? I mean, I know he’s a main character, but he served no purpose other than tagging along with Nancy and her story. It’s like Jonathan’s story was dropped once his brother was no longer the main focus of the Mind Flayer... I also feel like they went a bit too far with the “Terminator Russian”. It worked toward the beginning of the season, but became a bit too in-your-face as it continued on. The turning point probably being when the mayor calls him Arnold Schwarzenegger. After that, the terminator homages became a bit silly. It’s more of a behind the scenes moment, but once I realized that Robin is played by Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter, I could see them in her face a lot. Luckily I didn’t find out till the end of the show, so it didn’t stand out and distract me too much

[MinionZombie]

I can’t really imagine who else the American may be at the moment. Was there a wrap up for the hermit conspiracy guy? I can’t remember his name, but he seems to be gaining a larger and larger part as the show goes on, so I could see him having been taken and kept by the Russians because of his knowledge of what all has happened in Hawkins? Maybe it’s not even a person? If we get into some slightly negative marks....why was Jonathan Byers even in this season? I mean, I know he’s a main character, but he served no purpose other than tagging along with Nancy and her story. It’s like Jonathan’s story was dropped once his brother was no longer the main focus of the Mind Flayer... I also feel like they went a bit too far with the “Terminator Russian”. It worked toward the beginning of the season, but became a bit too in-your-face as it continued on. The turning point probably being when the mayor calls him Arnold Schwarzenegger. After that, the terminator homages became a bit silly. 1) There's a theory that "The American" could be Dr Brenner, which could tie-in with the theory that Hopper is in the upside-down. A sort of subversion of expectations deely. IIRC the conspiracy theorist is fine and dandy - he gets Joyce out of there and they both encounter the folks Joyce called. They're both wearing Russian uniforms and have to scream out that they're American so they don't get shot. 2) It's a big cast and some felt a bit sidelined. Jonathan certainly chipped in and did his part, but he didn't really have much of an arc this season, so it felt. There were some others who got a bit of a short shrift in proceedings with only little bits. Erica got loads more to do, but she was quite annoying with her sheer arrogance ... and was anyone really crying out for more Erica? 3) I dug the Terminator styled Russian - he had a great look and was ideal for that part. Sure, the reference to Arnie is too on-the-nose and I would have cut that line and come up with something else, but I really enjoyed that funfair battle in the house of mirrors and the big brawl beside "The Key".

[Moon Knight]

Damn I love the 80's.

[Neil]

Just finished Season 1. Pretty good Onto Season 2 now...

[MinionZombie]

Just finished Season 1. Pretty good Onto Season 2 now... Is this your first time seeing Stranger Things, Neil?

[Neil]

Is this your first time seeing Stranger Things, Neil? Yep!! Just spotted Burke (from Aliens) in S02E01

[MinionZombie]

Yep!! Just spotted Burke (from Aliens) in S02E01 Oh, very cool! - Yeah, Paul Reiser's really good in season 2, a nice injection of a humorous personality (but not over the top or anything) for his character works very nicely.

[Neil]

OK Season 2 completed Onto Season 3... Of course Season 4 has been CV19'd

[MinionZombie]

OK Season 2 completed Onto Season 3... Of course Season 4 has been CV19'd Thoughts on season 2, Neil?

[Neil]

Thoughts on season 2, Neil? Generally good. My kids said it wasn't as good as the first season, but I generally enjoyed it just as much

[MinionZombie]

Generally good. My kids said it wasn't as good as the first season, but I generally enjoyed it just as much Yeah, the first season was so perfect that the second season was never going to be able to quite live up to it, but like you I enjoyed it just as much. Perhaps it helped that I watched 1 and 2 back-to-back? That said, I did enjoy season 3 more than 2 (and I went into that with a lot of anticipation). Oh - btw - there's a companion show for season 2 on Netflix called "Beyond Stranger Things", which is a selection of brief episodes featuring roundtable interviews with cast and crew about the making of the season. One of our old school HPOTD members - Patrick Doody - was supervising producer on it, too.