Stranger Things - Netflix Series

smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Posts
12,919
Thought season 2 was decent overall, but would have preferred eight episodes instead of nine. The episode with 008 was boring and unnecessary...

That whole sub plot was my major gripe...it was stupid and unnecessary.
 

Renmauzo

MS Paint Master.
10 Year Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2011
Posts
3,624
Thought season 2 was decent overall, but would have preferred eight episodes instead of nine. The episode with 008 was boring and unnecessary...

That whole sub plot was my major gripe...it was stupid and unnecessary.

I think the episode was used as a device to set the stage for season 3 and was more important than it's given credit for. Just my idea on the direction this is heading in, but I have a feeling the shadow monster will try to seek out and control these gifted kids in some way after seeing what Eleven could do. Oh, and there was what that guy said about Papa...
 

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
20 Year Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Posts
60,434
I think the episode was used as a device to set the stage for season 3 and was more important than it's given credit for. Just my idea on the direction this is heading in, but I have a feeling the shadow monster will try to seek out and control these gifted kids in some way after seeing what Eleven could do. Oh, and there was what that guy said about Papa...

Yeah, it will probably be about Kali, which isn't a bad thing.
 

kuze

Akari's Big Brother
10 Year Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Posts
2,549
Crazy theory here.

Spoiler:
what if the shadow monster is eleven's subconscious? Think about it.
 

terry.330

Time? Astonishing!
20 Year Member
Joined
May 4, 2004
Posts
11,793
Well they seem to have gotten a much bigger budget and spent it all on the soundtrack.
 

Rocko

Galford's Armourer
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Posts
466
I'm three episodes in and it still holding the same high quality. The sfx are slightly better though.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
Anyone else notice how useless Nancy and Jonathan were this season?

Spoiler:
Nancy's scene with Dustin at the very end was great, though, redeemed Natalia Dyer's season for me.


I like how the Duffer bros clearly recognized their best talents and made them the focus of the show- Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) was the season's MVP, IMO, and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) had a much better role, too. Joe Keery (Steve) was great, and David Harbour was probably the closest thing to a single "main" character. Makes sense to lean on the best parts of the cast like that.

The kid that plays Will was much better when he almost never had to act. His scenes consistently made me cringe in S 2.
 

Montatez

Aero Fighters Flyboy
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Posts
2,078
Nostalgia is over for me and season 2 failed to impress me. It was not bad, I was entertained, but will not watch again.
 

Geekman1222

Kula's Candy
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Posts
290
I think the episode was used as a device to set the stage for season 3 and was more important than it's given credit for. Just my idea on the direction this is heading in, but I have a feeling the shadow monster will try to seek out and control these gifted kids in some way after seeing what Eleven could do. Oh, and there was what that guy said about Papa...

Ill agree with you, it did seem a bit like filler hell it was filler and when it was late after bingeing I already knew it was filler and was like... eh ill start it tomorrow. It turned out to be a bit more intresting than i thought. It was definately put there on purpose and likely near the end so people would remember it happening! :D
 

DevilRedeemed

teh
20 Year Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Posts
13,554
Finished watching it and it was fun but uneven. Dialogues are mostly stiff and uninteresting. Tries too hard to be the Goonies and fails. I find the creatures and antagonists to be utter shit.

I like the attention the aesthetics is given. The characters are likeable. Don't want to come over as a hater but I don't rate this series nearly as highly as so many of you and seemingly the entire planet
 

joala

A Joala is for Life., Not Just Christmas.,
Joined
Oct 7, 2017
Posts
644
Just finished 2nd season, definitely didnt have the same magic as the first. Still good though.

CG better. Just seemed to finish quicker than the first.

I'll agree the soundtrack is pretty wicked. Love some good 80s choons
 

NeoSneth

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2000
Posts
11,088
I managed to avoid this thread until I was completely finished with Season 2.

Still liked it, but it's hard to live up to the first season. I feel like there is an urge to poke holes in the plot, while we completed disregarded that in the first season. The setting is still great, but I don't feel like they tried as hard as season1 or IT. I have a strong feeling the plot and setting issues are more related to extra bias going into this season.

There's still a lot of good in this season. I liked the new adult characters. Sean Austin and Paul Reiser we solid performances, and my favorite characters from this season. Policeman Hopper stepped up big time too.

I felt like the kids were much more comfortable in front of the camera. Lucas especially.

The episode with 008 and gang was my least favorite. It did feel like seem like they were setting up something for season3 or a spin off series. That crew just wasn't that interesting, and it seemed rather dark that they were just a murder squad.
 

smokehouse

I was Born This Ugly.,
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Posts
12,919
I managed to avoid this thread until I was completely finished with Season 2.

Still liked it, but it's hard to live up to the first season. I feel like there is an urge to poke holes in the plot, while we completed disregarded that in the first season. The setting is still great, but I don't feel like they tried as hard as season1 or IT. I have a strong feeling the plot and setting issues are more related to extra bias going into this season.

There's still a lot of good in this season. I liked the new adult characters. Sean Austin and Paul Reiser we solid performances, and my favorite characters from this season. Policeman Hopper stepped up big time too.

I felt like the kids were much more comfortable in front of the camera. Lucas especially.

The episode with 008 and gang was my least favorite. It did feel like seem like they were setting up something for season3 or a spin off series. That crew just wasn't that interesting, and it seemed rather dark that they were just a murder squad.

TV writing is interesting...and obviously difficult. Looking at a great show...take Breaking Bad for example, the story is one complete work, broken into 5 seasons. The writing was done well enough as to not waste viewer's time, yet take sufficient time to tell a complete story.

This issue with Stranger Things is that Stranger Things (as in 1) is mostly a complete story, there's really no need for another, depending on your point of view. What I find interesting is that they specifically titled the new one "Stranger Things 2", not "Stranger Things Season 2". Like you'd do with a movie rather than a TV show.

I agree that they obviously want to leave a plot skew open when it comes to episode 8...not unlike what movie makers will do. Sadly, like you said, that plot line is limp and unless it undergoes heavy rework, not something I'd be interested in watching.
 

jro

Gonna take a lot
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2004
Posts
14,410
Yeah, the Eight episode was pretty bad. Felt to me like they realized that Eleven had hardly done a thing up to that point so they thought that would be a good way to give her time and (not really) deepen her backstory. She looked ridiculous, too.

Eleven was basically just a deus ex machina in season 2.
 

Lets Gekiga In

Neon Night Rider
20 Year Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2003
Posts
11,914
I want to eat 3 Musketeers, Eggos, Cheetos, drink Dr. Pepper, and play Centipede all while listening to Bon Jovi.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Season One was brilliant. Equal parts King, Carpenter and Spielberg. Wonderful season.

Season Two was still very good but not quite as impressive as season One.

Season Two Episode Seven was one of the worst hours I've ever suffered through in my television watching history. Carried SOLELY by Millie Bobbie Brown's genius acting ability and the empathy she can instantly evoke for her character. Other than that, it was ill timed, ill placed and had one of the most annoying groups of side characters of all time. It is a testimony to the show's brilliance that it overcame that miserable speed bump.

That episode should have been an 'Interlude' movie on Netflix between Seasons Two and Three, debuting in Summer 2018 as a 'Here's what Eleven did when she went to Chicago'. But honestly, it was a meaningless and unimportant episode that provided no further important development for Eleven. She already overcame the darkness within her. If she's going to yo-yo back and forth between moral extremes every time she learns something new about who she is, then she will go from being one of Stranger Things' best characters to one of its worst in the blink of an eye.

I also didn't buy how stupid Dustin was acting about Dart, but that was an excusable flaw in the writing in my opinion.

Max is a great new add to the cast, and I'm glad her older brother isn't just an asshole for its own sake. Being abused and rolling it downhill is an excellent flaw for him to either overcome or succumb to.

Season Two's ending was really satisfying.

Sean Astin was brilliant in this show. His 'face' turn made me want to root for him so much once they revealed he was going to be more than a milquetoast annoyance.

Wynona Ryder is the show's strongest asset, although Finn Wolfhard (Mike) and Noah Schnapp (Will) are also remarkably emotive actors. May they, and all of this young and talented cast, stay far, far, far from the disgusting immorality of the Hollywood elite's predations. So many promising young careers have been ruined in the past.

Season One: 5/5
Season Two: 4.5/5
 
Last edited:

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
20 Year Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2000
Posts
60,434
Sean Aston is Steve, right?

In season 1 I was certain that he had to die, according to the orthodox storytelling. But he carried season 2 in a big way.
 

RAZO

Mayor of Southtown
15 Year Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Posts
8,788
Yea, Most thought episode 7 was a waste of time.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
Posts
13,156
Sean Aston is Steve, right?

In season 1 I was certain that he had to die, according to the orthodox storytelling. But he carried season 2 in a big way.

Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee in LotR) played Joyce's boyfriend Bob. This character was not in Season 1.
 

kuze

Akari's Big Brother
10 Year Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Posts
2,549
Sean Aston is Steve, right?

In season 1 I was certain that he had to die, according to the orthodox storytelling. But he carried season 2 in a big way.

Sean Astin is Samwise from LOTR, he wasn't in season 1.
 
Top